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The Harbor Line |
Inevitably, storied names have faded into the mists of history over the years, but new names have taken their place, and still the long red ore boats of the Pittsburgh Steamship Company — now the USS Great Lakes Fleet, Inc., — symbolize the entire Great Lakes shipping industry.
The Pittsburgh Fleet first took shape in 1899, when Andrew Carnegie, even before the formation of U. S. Steel, was persuaded by his advisers to develop his own fleet for the transport of ore to the furnaces of his Carnegie Steel Company. The company immediately bought six existing steamers and a barge and let contracts for the construction of five more steamers and another barge. These vessels became the nucleus of the Pittsburgh Fleet. The Pittsburgh Steamship Company became Carnegie’s ore-carrying subsidiary in 1901, when Carnegie Steel and some of the greatest steel producing firms of the time merged to form U. S. Steel. The merger also left the new company woefully short of ship bottoms for the transport of ore. Orders went out to enlarge the Fleet to as many as 100 vessels — and fast. Unparalleled in peacetime history was the gathering of this, the greatest dry cargo fleet in the world, in the short span of one Great Lakes sailing season. The resulting fleet consisted of 112 units — 69 steamers and 43 barges, with a combined registered gross capacity of 532,000. The company was well on its way to its illustrious history of innovation. From the early years to the present, the story of the Pittsburgh Steamship Company, and now the USS Great Lakes Fleet, is a continuous narrative of improvement and replacement, additions and enlargements, enhancement and efficiency. The story of the Fleet is a succession of firsts and innovations. In 1901, the largest ship on the Lakes was the Fleet’s James J. Hill, at 497 feet and 5,276 tons. Four new and larger vessels were built in 1905, with the length increased to 569 feet — and the first to have steel telescopic leaf hatch covers. Then, a year later, came the Lakes’ first 600-footers. In 1938 came the John Hulst, Ralph H. Watson, Governor Miller and William A. Irvin, at 611 feet and the first ore carriers on the Great Lakes to be equipped with steam turbines for main propulsion. They were also the first of the Fleet to incorporate a continuous passage below deck, precluding the necessity of crew members having to go forward and aft on the spar deck in bad weather. Next came the “supers” — the Benjamin F. Fairless, Irving S. Olds, Enders M. Voorhees, Leon Fraser and A. H. Ferbert — at 639 feet, 6 inches. As the ships grew, they also became more sophisticated. By 1933, all ships in the Fleet were equipped with a gyro compass, which always points to true north, unlike the original magnetic compass. By 1926, all vessels had radio direction finders. By 1942, all vessels had radio telephones. By 1950, all vessels had radar. Further improvement continued. Ships were repowered from coal to oil. Ships were lengthened and strengthened to increase cubic capacity. In 1981 and 1982, the Clarke, Callaway and Anderson were outfitted with topside self-unloading gear. The new 250-foot deck boom and cargo hold belt conveying systems reduced the unloading time from 17 hours to five. Those new self-unloaders joined their first sister wide-beamed ship,
the Roger Blough, built as a self-unloader and put to work in 1972 at
858 feet long and 105 feet wide. She had the latest navigational equip
ment and sophisticated mechanical gear and was powered by twin diesels connected to a single
controllable-pitch
propeller. The Blough opened the way for the 1,000-footers, also at 105 feet wide, all as a result of the opening of the Great Lakes’ longest, widest lock — the Poe at the Soo. Now came the Edwin H. Gott and the Edgar B. Speer. And ore was hardly all the Fleet’s vessels would carry. Over the years their holds were filled with other bulk commodities such as coal, gypsum, cement clinkers, salt, flue dust and coke in addition to the primary cargoes of ore, limestone and grain. Change was constant within the corporation, too — notably with the consolidation of the former Bradley Fleet and a temporary move of headquarters to Cleveland. But today the Fleet, owned by Transtar Corp., whose CEO is President and CEO Robert Rosati , is headquartered in Duluth and still flying its distinctive silver and black insignia, is looking forward to its next century. The company says, “The next 10 years will see more change as new technology and ship design are integrated with existing fleet operations. Reliance on shipboard computer networks and satellite linkups will significantly improve vessel navigation, communications and condition-based maintenance programs. “New propulsion systems and automation packages will improve vessel performance and efficiency. We embrace these changes as we invest in the future. “We have positioned our company to be a low-cost water carrier offering safe, fuel-efficient service. We are an environmentally friendly, non-invasive mode of transportation that will serve the needs of Great Lakes communities proudly into the next century.”
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USS Great Lakes Fleet 
