Maritime Class

[Richard Jenkins]

The Maritimers were intended for post-war fleet modernization as well as boosting steelmaking capacity during the war. There weren't any U-boats operating on the Lakes, so these boats didn't need to be expendable. However, there was one major concession to wartime economy in their design: the use of reciprocating steam engines, which were basically obsolete by that time. Like the ocean-going Liberty Ships, the Maritimers were built with reciprocating engines because they were relatively simple machines that could be built by any shipyard or heavy machine shop, while the turbine makers like DeLaval and Westinghouse had their hands full producing engines for warships and fast transports.

The accommodations on the Maritimers, particularly the officers' quarters and owner's stateroom, were pretty spartan compared to the ships of the 1920s and earlier, but that was a matter of style and safety as much as anything else. No fancy woodwork on these boats, the walls were all paneled in Marinite asbestos board, but for the most part that was also true of other boats built immediately before the war, and after. Back in those days, the harmful effects of asbestos were unknown, and asbestos board had the advantage of being fireproof.

[wlbblw]

They had some cracking issues similar to the Liberty ships of WWII, but none were lost & a reinforced sheer strake fixed the problem. Some had outdated engines due to shortages, but those eventually got replaced later.

[Guest]

If there was any fault in the Maritimers it would be the lack of having steam turbines. While the Supers had them, the Maritimers had to make due with traditional reciprocol engines because after Pearl Harbor, advanced machining for the steam turbine engine gearing had to be dedicated towards naval construction. The Supers must have been good grain carriers because in the 1980s rumours were going around that George Steinbrenner wanted to purchase them from U.S. Steel.

[hayhugh2]

The supers came out about the same time as the Maritime boats. and were a little larger, carried a little more, but neither were built as anything but ore boats. Nothing fancy or plush. The crew quarters were no better or worse then any other freighter. They were not built to impress anyone nor did they. They were just another tool in the steel industry's completive arsenal.

[Guest]

When the Maritime class was built during World War Two, how did they stack up against other ships built during that time period (1930s-1950s)? I would assume that since the Maritime class was built during the war as part of an effort to increase the movement of ore, they may have lacked ornate furnishings. Were there any significant design / construction differences to these ships to shorten their construction times? Or reduce the amount of materials made to produce them? Furthermore, is there anyone out there that can relate how it was to sail on these ship compared to others such as US Steel's Super Class?