Exploring Our Industrial Heritage - Duluth Minnesota (Part II)
Unless you are from the Great Lakes region, you may not be aware of how lake freighter shipments across the Great Lakes support manufacturing industries across the United States. I was not aware of the importance of this supply chain component until I visited Duluth Minnesota and toured the S.S. William A. Irvin. A retired cargo ship critical to the industrialization of America.
The S.S. William A. Irvin was launched on the Great lakes on November 21st, 1937 and it delivered cargo in the form of iron ore, coal, limestone and taconite to steel mills along the shores of the Great Lakes. The S.S. William A. Irvin was the flagship and one of many ships owned by US Steel. This lake-designed freighter ship was retired after 40 years of service and replaced by the much larger freighters that now navigate through the Great Lakes region. After the S.S. William A. Irvin was retired, it sat idle until it eventually became a floating museum memorializing the Great Lakes freightliners' historical impact.
Note that a sister ship of the S.S. William A. Irvin was the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald which tragically sank during a storm, but was employed in service similar to the Irvin (delivering iron-ore cargo to steel mills along the Great Lakes).
Minnesota's Iron Range is a collection of iron-ore mines that lie along Lake Superior near Duluth Minnesota. The proximity of these mines to Duluth made the Port of Duluth the perfect location to ship iron-ore to steel mills located along the shores of Lake Erie and Lake Michigan.
Since these ships were owned by U.S. Steel and U.S. Steel supplied steel to companies owned and chaired by the well-known industrialists of the time, many of these industrial titans took "cruises" on the S.S. William A. Irvin. I use the term "cruises" because these trips were luxurious experiences for these VIP guests.
The Irvin had an extra deck added to the forward superstructure, containing a passenger lounge and four luxurious staterooms for guests of U. S. Steel. There was also a private dining room and galley for the guests. The operative word here is guests, not passengers, for the staterooms were for its visiting industrialists such as the Vanderbilts, the Fords, and other high-ranking company officials.
Outdoor activities for guests included shuffleboard, kite flying,
refreshments on the patio behind the upper deck of guest rooms, and a golf driving range off the hatch covers. Bags of golf balls were stored in the side tunnels for the guests’ use. Inside, the lounge served as a social gathering area, complete with bar and bartender service. For most of the Irvin’s productive lifespan, the guests’ voyages were an important part of the vessel’s history. Even the CEO of U.S. Steel and the ships namesake, Mr. and Mrs. Irvin took many cruises on this lake freighter.
The S.S. William A. Irvin you see was a critically important vessel because it connected the supply of raw materials from the iron range to the steel mills and the steel mills produced steel that was used in cars, trains, military supplies and other industrial components. This was a time when U.S. Steel production was at it's peak.
Make no mistake about it, the city of Duluth and the Port of Duluth play(ed) an important part in our industrial heritage. Their contribution to yesteryear supported our nations growth and today, larger freighters still deliver iron-ore from the Iron Range of America to steel mills across the nation.
Visit Duluth sometime and explore it's industrial heritage for yourself sometime.
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