Republic Steel Corporation Triplets
Re: Republic Steel Corporation Triplets
Great photos! Is this Duluth with a Kaner bum boat?
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John Sherwin
- Posts: 63
- Joined: August 11, 2009, 10:23 am
Re: Republic Steel Corporation Triplets
Here's a couple pics to add.
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Jon
Re: Republic Steel Corporation Triplets
The Thomas F. Patton (a. Scott E. Land) was flagship and originally came out as the (b. Troy H. Browning) until being renamed in 1955.
They were converted Kaiser built (Vancouver) C4-S-A4 class fast ocean cargo ships converted for Great Lakes use from the James River Reserve fleet by the Maryland Drydock Company using plans drawn up by the great naval architecture firm of JJ Henry & Co. They came into being to help feed the steel industry during the higher demand of the Korean War while Great Lakes shipyards were filled to capacity with new builds such as the Pittsburgh SS AAA-class.
The forebodies of the original ships were scrapped and new forebodies built by Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, MS. The new forebodies with an additional 80 feet in length were attached at the Maryland Drydock Co. and then the completed hulls were towed down and around to the Mississippi where they entered the Lakes at Chicago. Cabins were assembled and installed and final fitout was completed at AmShip South Chicago.
The ships were coined "Detroit's Speed Queens" by the Detroit Free Press when Tom M. Girdler (a. Louis McH. Howe), first of the class to come out, was opened for public tours in Detroit in 1951. Browning and Charles M. White (a. Mount Mansfield) joined her in 1952.
At new dimensions of 600 feet, three inches in length and 71 feet 6 inches in the beam and a depth of 35 feet, they were powered by 9,900 horsepower turbines with double reduction gears turning a propeller around 20 feet in diameter. The turbines were fed by high-pressure boilers.
Carrying capacity was a somewhat modest 14,800 tons at midsummer draft around 24 feet. This was later increased to 15,650 tons at a draft of 24 feet, 11 inches by the mid-1970s.
The Republic triplets, while rebuilt along the lines of conventional fore and aft lakers, had finer bow lines than most ships on the lakes. This, combined with their high horsepower plants, made them among the fastest cargo vessels ever to sail the lakes. Some accounts indicate Charles M. White was fastest, capable of speeds in excess of 20 mph --perhaps as high as 24 mph -- and that she was even faster than the legendary VC2-S-AP3 conversion Cliffs Victory (a. Notre Dame Victory) of Cleveland-Cliffs which was demonstrated in a series of unofficial and unsanctioned "races" between the two ships down the lakes.
What they lacked in capacity, the C-4s made up with that speed, fitting more round trips in a season than a typical laker.
Their large and distinctive white forward cabins had tastefully decorated guest quarters including decorations such as tooled leather murals and the smokestacks, painted in bright Republic orange, alomg with the other identifying markings you have indicated, made the ships very distinctive in appearance.
Because of the large reddish-orange stacks, many refer to them to this day as "the red tomatoes."
When Wilson Marine lost the Republic Steel contract in 1972, Cleveland-Cliffs took over the C-4s under bareboat charter and they were repainted in Cliffs colors.
Built intentionally shallow to service Republic Steel's facilities on the Cuyahoga, for instance, they were not suitable candidates for lengthening or deepening to increase their cargo capacity like the B2 class Joseph H. Thompson or even the Cliffs Victory. As a result of this and their thirsty wartime propulsion equipment, they were sent off for scrap in 1980 to overseas breakers.
Though they have been gone for 30 years already, they left their mark on Great Lakes Shipping.
They live on in a stunning painting by marine artist Robert McGreevy.
John Belliveau also has very attractive ship profiles of the C4s available for purchase on this site.
They were converted Kaiser built (Vancouver) C4-S-A4 class fast ocean cargo ships converted for Great Lakes use from the James River Reserve fleet by the Maryland Drydock Company using plans drawn up by the great naval architecture firm of JJ Henry & Co. They came into being to help feed the steel industry during the higher demand of the Korean War while Great Lakes shipyards were filled to capacity with new builds such as the Pittsburgh SS AAA-class.
The forebodies of the original ships were scrapped and new forebodies built by Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, MS. The new forebodies with an additional 80 feet in length were attached at the Maryland Drydock Co. and then the completed hulls were towed down and around to the Mississippi where they entered the Lakes at Chicago. Cabins were assembled and installed and final fitout was completed at AmShip South Chicago.
The ships were coined "Detroit's Speed Queens" by the Detroit Free Press when Tom M. Girdler (a. Louis McH. Howe), first of the class to come out, was opened for public tours in Detroit in 1951. Browning and Charles M. White (a. Mount Mansfield) joined her in 1952.
At new dimensions of 600 feet, three inches in length and 71 feet 6 inches in the beam and a depth of 35 feet, they were powered by 9,900 horsepower turbines with double reduction gears turning a propeller around 20 feet in diameter. The turbines were fed by high-pressure boilers.
Carrying capacity was a somewhat modest 14,800 tons at midsummer draft around 24 feet. This was later increased to 15,650 tons at a draft of 24 feet, 11 inches by the mid-1970s.
The Republic triplets, while rebuilt along the lines of conventional fore and aft lakers, had finer bow lines than most ships on the lakes. This, combined with their high horsepower plants, made them among the fastest cargo vessels ever to sail the lakes. Some accounts indicate Charles M. White was fastest, capable of speeds in excess of 20 mph --perhaps as high as 24 mph -- and that she was even faster than the legendary VC2-S-AP3 conversion Cliffs Victory (a. Notre Dame Victory) of Cleveland-Cliffs which was demonstrated in a series of unofficial and unsanctioned "races" between the two ships down the lakes.
What they lacked in capacity, the C-4s made up with that speed, fitting more round trips in a season than a typical laker.
Their large and distinctive white forward cabins had tastefully decorated guest quarters including decorations such as tooled leather murals and the smokestacks, painted in bright Republic orange, alomg with the other identifying markings you have indicated, made the ships very distinctive in appearance.
Because of the large reddish-orange stacks, many refer to them to this day as "the red tomatoes."
When Wilson Marine lost the Republic Steel contract in 1972, Cleveland-Cliffs took over the C-4s under bareboat charter and they were repainted in Cliffs colors.
Built intentionally shallow to service Republic Steel's facilities on the Cuyahoga, for instance, they were not suitable candidates for lengthening or deepening to increase their cargo capacity like the B2 class Joseph H. Thompson or even the Cliffs Victory. As a result of this and their thirsty wartime propulsion equipment, they were sent off for scrap in 1980 to overseas breakers.
Though they have been gone for 30 years already, they left their mark on Great Lakes Shipping.
They live on in a stunning painting by marine artist Robert McGreevy.
John Belliveau also has very attractive ship profiles of the C4s available for purchase on this site.
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richinwi
Republic Steel Corporation Triplets
In the mid-1950's, there were three almost identical ore boats that had "Republic Steel Corporation" painted on their sides. Anyone recall the names of these three ore boats?