SS Edward L. Ryerson

SS "Edward L. Ryerson" is a steel-hulled American Great Lakes freighter built in 1960. Throughout her career on the Great Lakes, she has been laid up multiple times. Ever since 2009, she has been in long term layup at the Fraser Shipyard in Superior, Wisconsin. She is one of only two American-owned straight deck lake freighters, the other one being 1958-built freighter "John Sherwin".
Built between April 1959, and January 1960, she was the third of the 13 so-called "730-class" of lake freighters, all of which shared the unofficial title of "Queen of the Lakes" due to their record-breaking length. She was not only the last steam-powered freighter built on the lakes, but also the last one that was not a self unloader. "Edward L. Ryerson" became well known for her elegant lines, and is considered by enthusiasts to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing lake freighters ever built. Due to her high top speed of , she received the nickname of "Fast Eddie". Built almost exclusively to transport iron ore, she completed her sea trials on August 3, 1960. After which, she travelled to Escanaba, Michigan, where she loaded over of iron ore, embarking on her maiden voyage for Indiana Harbor, Indiana, on August 4. "Edward L. Ryerson" set a cargo haulage record that stood for three years on August 28, 1962, after loading tons of iron ore in Superior, Wisconsin. She quickly became one of the most popular boats on the lakes, to the point that there were rumours that she would regularly be directed through the MacArthur Lock for the benefit of boat watchers.
Due to a downturn in the steel industry, "Edward L. Ryerson" was laid up in Indiana Harbor for the 1986 and the 1987 shipping seasons, returning to service in 1988. She was laid up for a second time in January 1994 in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, remaining inactive throughout 1994, 1995 and 1996, reentering service in April 1997. In 1998, Inland Steel was acquired by Ispat International N.V. Also in 1998, "Edward L. Ryerson" was renamed "Str. Edward L. Ryerson". She was sold to the Indiana Harbor Steamship Company which was managed by Central Marine Logistics of Griffith, Indiana; she entered long term layup at the Bay Shipbuilding Company in Sturgeon Bay in December of that same year, returning to the lakes in 2006. In 2009, she entered long-term layup in Superior, remaining stationary as of 2021.
History.
Design and construction.
In 1959, the Inland Steel Company of Chicago contracted H.C. Downer & Associates Incorporated of Cleveland to design a ship which would be constructed by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. This new vessel was the maximum length allowed for passage through the Saint Lawrence Seaway, which was completed in the same year as the ship. "Edward L. Ryerson" was one of the first lakers built to the maximum St. Lawrence Seaway length. Her hull has an overall length of (a length between perpendiculars of and a keel), she has a beam and a draft of . The moulded depth (roughly speaking, the vertical height of the hull) is . The first keel plate was laid on April 20, 1959.
"Edward L. Ryerson" was the third of the thirteen so-called "730-class" of lake freighters. In total there were five American "730-class" freighters, of which "Edward L. Ryerson" was the first. With a deadweight capacity of , and a hull, "Edward L. Ryerson" was one of the longest ships on the Great Lakes at the time of her construction, earning her the unofficial title of Queen of the Lakes, which she shared with the other ships in her class until December 7, 1959, when the "Frankcliffe Hall" was launched. She has a gross tonnage of 12,170 tons, and a net tonnage of 7,637 tons. "Edward L. Ryerson"s four unique vertical-sided cargo holds were loaded through 18 watertight hatches, each . The hatches were positioned apart. "Edward L. Ryerson"s was the first vessel on the Great Lakes to be equipped with aluminium hatch covers.
"Edward L. Ryerson" is equipped with two General Electric cross-compound steam turbine, which were powered by two 465 psi oil-burning Combustion Engineering boilers. She is capable of carrying fuel oil. Propelled by a single five-bladed fixed pitch propeller (which in 1960 was the largest propeller used in a lake freighter), she had a top speed of . In 1969 the ship's maneuverability was improved by the installation of a diesel-powered bow thruster.
"Edward L. Ryerson"s owners intended her to be as aesthetically attractive and luxurious as possible, reportedly spending more than $8 million (equivalent to $ in ) on her accommodations alone. She was capable of accommodating up to 37 crewmen and eight guests. She is considered by enthusiasts to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing freighters ever built. In her basic design and construcion "Edward L. Ryerson" was considered to be a larger version of Inland Steel's 1949 freighter "Wilfred Sykes". She would be not only the last steam-powered American freighter built on the lakes, but also the last one built without a self-unloading boom. She was the last American freighter built on the lakes until "Stewart J. Cort" in 1972; she would end up being the last lake freighter constructed in Manitowoc.
Name and Launch.
"Edward L. Ryerson" was named after the chairman of the board at Inland Steel, Edward Larned Ryerson. Ryerson was the president of the steel service centre Joseph T. Ryerson & Son until 1935, when the company merged with Inland Steel. From 1940 until his retirement in 1953, Ryerson remained the chairman of the board of his original company and Inland Steel. The christening and launch ceremony of "Edward L. Ryerson" took place on January 21, 1960. Sponsored by Mrs. Edward L. Ryerson, she was launched sideways into the ice-filled Manitowoc River on wooden rollers. On July 28, 1960, "Edward L. Ryerson" was set to leave the shipyard through the Manitowoc River. However, there were several areas of the river that "Edward L. Ryerson" was not able to transit due to her size. Dredging needed to be done in several areas, and at one point, part of the shoreline had to be dug away. The work lasted for four hours. An article published in the "The Herald Times Reporter" described moving "Edward L. Ryerson" "like building a cruiser in the basement and then engineering it through a door too small for its shortest dimension." "Edward L. Ryerson" began her sea trials on August 1, finishing them on August 3.
Career.
"Edward L. Ryerson" was designed almost exclusively for the iron ore trade. After completing her sea trials, "Edward L. Ryerson" departed Manitowoc in ballast shortly after midnight on August 4, for Escanaba, Michigan. Upon arriving in Escanaba, she loaded of iron ore bound for Indiana Harbor, Indiana, where she arrived on August 6. "Edward L. Ryerson" set cargo haulage records twice during the early 1960s. Both times, she loaded iron ore in Superior, Wisconsin, and headed for Indiana Harbor, Indiana. She set the first record in 1961, when she loaded of ore. She set her second record on August 28, 1962, when she loaded of ore at the Great Northern Railway's Allouez ore docks. Her second record would be broken in 1965. Due to her high top speed of , she received the nickname of "Fast Eddie". "Edward L. Ryerson" quickly became a favourite among boat watchers on the lakes, to the point that there were rumours that she would regularly be directed through the MacArthur Lock for the benefit of enthusiasts. On board, a stainless steel map of the Great Lakes, with a magnetic representation of "Edward L. Ryerson" had been installed, in order to keep the guests informed about her location. In 1976, "Joseph L. Block" superseded "Edward L. Ryerson" as Inland Steel's largest vessel. 
Due to a downturn in the steel industry, "Edward L. Ryerson" was laid up in Indiana Harbor from the end of 1985 to the beginning of 1988, when she returned to service. In August 1989, she loaded a cargo of mill scale in Detroit, Michigan. On July 18, 1992, "Edward L. Ryerson" loaded the first ever cargo of iron ore pellets to leave Escanaba. She once again entered layup on January 24, 1994, in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, remaining inactive until 1996, returning to service on April 5, 1997. On November 13, 1997, she was placed into the dry dock at Bay Shipbuilding Company in Sturgeon Bay, for her five year inspection. In 1998, Inland Steel was acquired by Ispat International N.V. Also in 1998, "Edward L. Ryerson" was renamed "Str. Edward L. Ryerson". She was sold to the Indiana Harbor Steamship Company which was managed by Central Marine Logistics of Griffith, Indiana, entering long-term layup at the Bay Shipbuilding Company in Sturgeon Bay on December 12 of that same year. Throughout the 1998 shipping season, "Edward L. Ryerson" carried of iron ore from Escanaba over the course of 55 visits. "Edward L. Ryerson" was moved to Sturgeon Bay's east dock on December 7, 2000, and back to Bay Shipbuilding on August 17, 2004. "Edward L. Ryerson" re-entered service on June 3, 2006, departing Sturgeon Bay for Escanaba on July 22, 2006, where she loaded of iron ore bound for Indiana Harbor. She entered layup in 2009, at the Fraser Shipyard in Superior, Wisconsin. In 2013, she was moved to the Tower Slip, near Barko Hydraulics due to soil testing at the Fraser Shipyards. She was moved into the Cumming Slip in 2019, due to soil testing at the slip.