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GREAT lAKES SHIPS aND sHIPPING
special Feature
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Every ship has a story. Men wrap their lives about it,
and women their loves, and in so doing it makes
fiction appear dull in comparison.
---Dana Thomas Bowen,
Lore of the Lakes, 1940
Shipping on the Great Lakes began in 1679 when the first ship to sail the upper lakes, the Griffon, was launched. By the mid-19th century, the bulk shipping industry had begun on the Great Lakes with the transport of iron ore, wheat and coal. The late 19th century was the Golden Age of Great Lakes shipping when the lines of ships moving up and down the lakes were similar to the bumper-to-bumper traffic of today's urban roadways. Since then, the number of ships on the Great Lakes has declined, but U.S. and Canadian ships as well as dozens of international vessels still regularly travel through the lakes during the typical 10-month shipping season carrying primarily iron ore, coal and limestone. For those interested in Great Lakes ships and the men who worked on them, here are a few recommended books from our collection and a few Web sites to visit.
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| Use the Request Form to request books by call number and title. |
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| Call No. |
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| 191083 |
Wright, Richard J. Freshwater Whales; A History of the American Ship Building Company and Its Predecessors. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 1969.
The American Ship Building Company was the dominant shipbuilder on the Great Lakes before WWII. Its history and the history of its predecessors begins in the early 1800s and continues from wooden schooners through the development of paddle-wheel steamers to the great steel-hulled bulk carriers.
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| 191085 |
Dutton, Fred W. Life on the Great Lakes; A Wheelsman's Story. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1991.
Dutton tells of a time when ships were steered by magnetic compass and men had to estimate the degree of error in navigational calculations. He tells of the terror of ships meeting and passing in the fog and the subtleties of handling ships at the docks. Serving under many captains on a dozen and a half vessels, he spices his account with profiles of ships' officers and crew and with details of deckhand work.
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| 191101 |
Thompson, Mark L. Steamboats & Sailors of the Great Lakes. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1991.
Thompson provides a thorough and factual study of the Great Lakes shipping industry from its "Golden Age" at the end of the 19th century to the early 1990s. He tells the fascinating story of the world's most efficient bulk transportation system, describing the Great Lakes freighters, the cargoes of the great ships, and the men and women who have served as crew.
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191102
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Brehm, Victoria, ed. A Fully Accredited Ocean: Essays on the Great Lakes. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1998.
What was daily life like for a sailor in the War of 1812? How was his ship constructed? What allowed some shipping companies to survive in the harsh world of early unrestrained competition on the Great Lakes while many others failed? What sorts of stories did common sailors write about sailing the lakes? This collection of essays chosen by Victoria Brehm answers these questions and more.
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| 191106 |
Plowden, David. End of an Era: The Last of the Great Lakes Steamboats. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1992.
From the 1850s until the advent of the diesel locomotive engine, the Great Lakes steamboats carried everything from coal and grain to iron ore and cement. Plowden had been documenting the Great Lakes steamers for years, but in the early 1990s, he intensified his efforts and spent time on the vessels themselves knowing that their time was coming to an end. Beautiful photographs and evocative text capture a vanished era.
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191107
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Livingston, Patrick. Eight Steamboats: Sailing through the Sixties. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2004.
Patrick Livingston chronicles his adventures on eight Great Lakes ships during the tumultuous 1960s. His colorful tales center both on the ships and the men who sailed them. Not only is Eight Steamboats a valuable addition to the literature about Great Lakes shipping, it also contains valuable insights into the culture of the 1960s.
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| 191109 |
Joachim, George J. Iron Fleet: The Great Lakes in World War II. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1994.
The Great Lakes shipping industry played a vital role during World War II by transporting the raw materials necessary to meet the production quotas vital to the defense effort. Steel production was especially important to the American war effort, and the Great Lakes bulk shippers supplied virtually all of the iron ore necessary to produce steel.
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| 191110 |
Malcomson, Robert. Warships of the Great Lakes, 1754-1834. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 2001.
There was a massive shipbuilding effort on both sides of the Great Lakes between 1754 and 1834. Warships that ranged from simple rowing gunboats to gigantic three-deckers were constructed by the French, British, and Americans to help control the wilderness frontier. This well-illustrated, award-winning volume describes the Great Lakes warships of this era, their design and construction and use during war and peace.
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| 191111 |
Thompson, Mark. L. Queen of the Lakes. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1994.
"Queen of the Lakes" is an honorary title indicating that a ship was the longest on the Great Lakes at the time of its launching. From the earliest ships launched in the late 1600s to today, Thompson describes each great ship and its history in detail. Ship by ship, he constructs a chronicle of ship design and the changing role and nature of the shipping industry on the Great Lakes.
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| 191115 |
Hilton, George W. The Great Lakes Car Ferries. Davenport, Iowa: Montevallo Historical Press, 2003.
There was a period in the United States when the best way to move railroad cars across bodies of water was to load them on specialized ships designed for that purpose. Long regarded as a classic, The Great Lakes Car Ferries tells the story of these boats and of the hardworking and heroic men who battled mechanical problems, ice, and bad weather to get the cars safely across the water. This is a reprinting of the original 1962 volume that contains corrections to the
text and newly-written addenda. |
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| 191116 |
Karamanski, Theodore J. Schooner Passage; Sailing Ships and the Lake Michigan Frontier. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2000.
Karamanski tells the stories of the men and women who sailed on the schooners during the 19th and early 20th centuries, their labor issues and strikes, the role of the schooner in the maritime economy along the Lake Michigan basin, and the factors that led to the eventual demise of the schooner. |
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| 191117 |
Know Your Ships 2006; Guide to Boats and Boatwatching on the Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway. Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.: Marine Publishing Co. Inc, 2006.
The 47th annual edition of this popular boatwatching guide includes everything ship fans need to know about the vessels sailing the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. Find complete data on more than 2,000 U.S., Canadian and International-flag cargo vessels, tugs, excursion boats and barges in regular Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway service, including owner and port of registry, year built, length, beam, depth, type of engine (including manufacturer, horsepower and top speed for major Great Lakes and Seaway vessels), cargo capacity and former names. |
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| 271341 |
Walton, Ivan H. and Joe Grimm. Windjammers: Songs of the Great Lakes Sailors. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2002.
Schooners once dominated commerce on the Great Lakes,
and songs relieved the long hours on board. That way of life and its music ended
when steamboats replaced schooners. In an attempt to save the rich tradition of the 19th century schoonermen of the Great Lakes, Walton put together this collection of stories and songs. |
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| 271362 |
McKenna, P. K. Ships of the Great Lakes Cookbook: Discover Their Culinary Legends. Eastport, Mich.: Creative Characters Publishing Group, 2001.
Discover the history of 40 ships that sail or have sailed the Great Lakes including tall ships, freighters, Coast Guard vessels and passenger ships. Then meet the men and women responsible for the more than 400 recipes featured in this volume of Great Lakes culinary delights. Some of the recipes yield 30 to 75 servings, but most do not. |
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281417
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Rodgers, Bradley A. Guardian of the Great Lakes; The U.S. Paddle Frigate Michigan. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1999.
Launched in 1843, the USS Michigan was the first iron-hulled war steamer in the U.S. Navy. Its mission was to patrol the often volatile Great Lakes region to quell port town disturbances, while at the same time rescuing both Canadian and American ships in distress. In its eight-decade patrol of the Great Lakes, it also became involved in many important events of the time including the timber rebellion of the 1850s and the assassination of "King" Strang on Beaver Island.
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| Web Sites |
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Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping
This is the site for those fascinated with watching Great Lakes ships as indicated by its URL: www.boatnerd.com. Information includes vessel passages, annual winter lay-up lists, the latest news, discussion lists, photos, recommended reading and links to additional resources. |
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Lake Carriers' Association
The Lake Carriers' Association is the trade association representing the 13 U.S.-Flag vessel operators on the Great Lakes. The site provides news briefs, information on legislative and regulatory matters, and statistical information on ships in service and the volume of cargo movement. Special features include shipboard employment opportunities and a Boatwatcher's Corner.
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Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Information
The St. Lawrence Seaway runs 189 miles from Montreal to Lake Ontario and links the Great Lakes to global markets. Opened in 1959, the construction of the Seaway is recognized as one of the greatest engineering feats of all time. While the objective is to promote the use of the Seaway, this site contains information of interest to many. Learn about the Seaway and its history, commercial shipping and cruising on the Great Lakes, and current vessel positions. The site also offers several high-quality online videos and brochures. |
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Freighter Food: From the Galleys of the Great Lakes
Join NPR's Kitchen Sisters as they visit the galleys of Great Lakes ships. Freighter recipes are prized in many areas bordering the lakes. Find recipes for New England Clam Chowder, Cranberry Glazed Cornish Hens with Wild Rice and other freighter favorites. |
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