Boats with Bicentennial colors

[standuffer]

Back in those days the hull was painted before you left the fit-out dock and both houses were painted during the season. USS took great pride in their boats.

Oh... the good old days...

[hayhugh3]

Back in those days the hull was painted before you left the fit-out dock and both houses were painted during the season. USS took great pride in their boats.

[Ray]

One thing that surprises me is how short-lived these Bicentennial paint schemes were. Quite a number of the USS boats were permanently laid up a year or two after the Bicentennial, but I don't recall seeing Bicentennical color schemes on any of the boats stored around Duluth-Superior, nor have I ever seen a photo of a boat on a scrap tow with the stars on the bow. Or did USS make a point of painting over the bicentennial schemes before a scrap tow?

[Guest]

Two more

[garbear]

I guess if it was up to the creativity of the deckhands, we weren't a very creative bunch on the Clarke.

[Guest]

My father retired before 1976, but my uncle was still sailing as a Captain. My recollection is that it was up to the Captain and the creativity of the deck hands. There may also have been some competition amongst the various crews.

[Guest]

Although following a general theme, there seems to be a wide range of variations within the Bicentennial colors applied to the ships of the USS fleet. Did the company allow the crews of each ship to individualize their markings to personalize the basic scheme?

[Guest]

There was the International and the Harvester.

The Harvester was sold to the Gartland Steamship Company in 1964 and renamed Chicago Trader the following year. By 1976 it had been sold to the S&E Shipping Corporation (Kinsman). As it ran until October of the 1976 shipping season it is possible that it carried Bicentennial colors under the Chicago Trader name.

[garbear]

There was the International and the Harvester.

[Guest]

The boat was The International owned by the International Harvester and appears on page 26 of Robert Campbell's new book "Classic Ships of the Great Lakes."

[Guest]

Still more "Silver Stackers"

[garbear]

Even though I was on the Clarke at that time the Munson's stars and stripes was one of my favorites. I took several photos of her when she was backing out of Gary after unloading stone. We were unloading at the north end of the dock at the time under the huletts, so I got some good shots as she backed out between the breakwalls. I don't have any way to scan photos, so all I can do is look at them.

[Denny]

I am not too good on the classic lakers and especially the ones that wore the bi-centennial colors in 1976 as I was very young back at that time and did not have the interest like I have today. Just got a new book for my birthday with photos of historic and classic ships and I can assure you one at least that had the color scheme was the Harvester or International Harvester? I am sorry if I do not have the name of the vessel correct but, I am sure someone will know the one that I am talking about. There is a photo of her in the book that I received and it clearly shows her in the colors for the bi-centennial in 1976. Hope that this helps. My thanks also for the classic photos posted here by viewers as well.

[Guest]

My dad's two favorite boats were the Cole and Lindabury. Spent a number of years as Chief on them, and opted for them over the Class AAA trio (even though he was on them in the 50's.)

[Guest]

Nice pictures of the Bradley boats. I remember the seeing a picture of the John G. Munson as a child (late 1970s) in a Know Your Ships book in Bicentennial colors as it passed downbound at Mission Point. In the picture of the Munson in the Poe Lock you posted, it looks like CSL's T. R. McLagan is nearing the upper approach.

[Guest]

A few "Bradley" boats from 1976

[Guest]

A few more "Silver Stackers" from 1976.

[Guest]

A few more "Silver Stackers" from 1976.

[Ray]

Burlington Northern put units 1776, 1876, & 1976 into bicentennial colors. All three were around the Duluth Superior area at different times. Used to see 1776 & 1876 pretty regularly on the NP mainline between Brainerd and Duluth.

[guesty]

I can’t add anything as far as ships are concerned, but railroads jumped on the bicentennial paint bandwagon in a big way. Extra 2200 South published a roster of over 300 bicentennial painted locomotives. (X2200S #63 & 64). Here are some that might have been seen near the Great Lakes, or were done by customers served by lake boats:

Owner, Location, Original #, Manufacturer and model

Armco Steel, Middletown, OH, E128, Lima 1200hp switcher
Belt Railway of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 534, EMD MP15DC
Blaw-Knox Steel, East Chicago, IN, no #, GE 65 ton
Budd Company, Gary, IN, 2, GMDL SW9m
Buffalo Creek RR, Buffalo, NY, 46, Alco S2
Buick Division of General Motors, Flint, MI, 818, EMD SW900
Chevrolet Division of General Motors, Tonawanda, NY, 96, EMD SW1001
Chicago and Northwestern, system wide, 1776, EMD GP18
Chicago, West Pullman & Southern, Chicago, IL, 41, EMD SW8
Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co., Ashtabula, OH, EL 518, Alco S2
Conrail, multiple units system wide, plus Alco S2 # 46 in the Buffalo area
Cuyahoga Valley Railway, Cleveland, OH, 1284, EMD SW1200
Detroit and Mackinac, East coast of MI, 976, Alco C420
Detroit &Toledo Shore Line, Detroit to Toledo, 46, EMD GP7
Detroit Toledo and Ironton, Detroit south, 228, EMD GP38-2
Duluth Winnipeg and Pacific, West Duluth, MN, 3605, Alco RS11
Elgin Joliet and Eastern, Joliet, IL, 668, EMD SD38-2
Erie Lackawanna, system wide, 3632 & 3638, EMD SD45 & SDP45
France Stone, Bellevue, OH, no #, GE 45 ton
General Electric, Erie, PA & Buffalo, NY, 76, GE 110 ton
General Electric , Cleveland, OH, no#, GE 25 ton
Grand Trunk Western, MI, IN, and IL, 5808, EMD GP38AC
Great Lakes Steel Division of National Steel, Ecorse, MI, 45, EMD SW1200
Great Lakes Steel Division of National Steel, Ecorse, MI, 58, EMD SW1000
Hillsdale County RR, Hillsdale, MI, 1976, EMD NW2
Illinois Central Gulf, system wide, 9510 & 9506, EMD GP38AC
Indiana Harbor Belt, Chicago area, 8776, EMD NW2
Inland Steel Corp., East Chicago, IN, 76, EMD SW1
Jones and Laughlin Steel Corp., Warren, MI, 81, GE 45 ton
Martin Marietta (Standard Lime Div.), Woodville, OH, no#, Plymouth DE 50ton
Milwaukee Road, system wide, 156, EMD SD40-2
National Railway Museum, Green Bay, WI, 0702, Plymouth JGT
Newburgh & South Shore RR, Cleveland, OH, 1018, EMD SW1001
Nicholson Terminal & Dock Co., Ecorse, MI, 22, Lima 750 hp SW
Norfolk and Western, system wide, 1776, EMD SD45
Northern Ohio Railway Club, Cleveland, OH, 637, Cincinnati Car interurban
Pennwalt Corp., Riverview, MI, 1, Heisler 0-4-0 fireless steamer
Republic Steel, Chicago, IL, RT 96, EMD SW900
Republic Steel, Cleveland, OH, 344, EMD SW9
River Terminal Ry, Cleveland, OH, 62, EMD SW7
Rock Island Railroad, Chicago area, 652, EMD E8A
St. Lawrence Railroad, Norwood, NY, 10, GE 70 ton
Soo Line, system wide, 727, EMD GP35
South Buffalo Railway, Lackawanna, NY, 84, Alco S2
Union Tank Car Corp., Hammond, IN, 6, EMD SW1
USS – Michigan Limestone Div., Cedarville, MI, 110, Alco S2
USS – Michigan Limestone Div., Rogers City, MI, 124, Alco RS2
USS – Michigan Limestone Div., Buffalo, NY, 3501, Whitcomb 35 ton
USS - South Works, South Chicago, IL, 115, GE 65 ton (3’gauge)