We went to tour the SS City of Milwaukee, the ship built to replace the SS Milwaukee, which sank in October 1929. The SS Milwaukee was built as the SS Manistique Marquette & Northern I in 1903, for the Manistique, Marquette & Northern Railroad by The American Shipbuilding Company from Cleveland, Ohio. The Railroad was not financially successful and went bankrupt just one month after the ship entered service. The line was then purchased by the Pere Marquette Railroad and the Manistique ran for a short time. In 1905 the Pere Marquette lost control of its route and went into bankruptcy. The Manistique was eventually sold to Grand Trunk Milwaukee Car Ferry Company. She was renamed the SS Milwaukee and was in service for over 21 years as a Grand Trunk ferry.
The SS Milwaukee met its end on October 22, 1929, when it arrived in Milwaukee Harbor around noon after a rough crossing from Grand Haven. The weather had been deteriorating most of the day with 54-mph winds blowing out of north-northeast. Conditions were bad enough that the captains of all the car ferries that put into Milwaukee Harbor that day chose to stay until the weather subsided. Everyone that is, except Captain Robert McKay of the SS Milwaukee. What prompted McKay with his 47 man crew to head out into the monstrous storm while his fellow shipmasters wisely chose to seek shelter will never be known.
The SS Milwaukee cleared its slip about 3pm on the Kinnickinnic River and headed out of Milwaukee Harbor out into Lake Michigan on its return trip to Grand Haven. As it headed out of the Harbor, eye witnesses stated that as the ship left the breakwall entrance, it was caught by the massive waves and tossed from crest to trough.
The captain of Milwaukee Lightship 95, stationed three miles due east of the harbor, reported seeing the ship heading out on its course toward Grand Haven. The ferry was reported to be "rolling and pitching heavily" and remained visible for about 10 minutes before becoming obscured by rain and spray from the waves. When the SS Milwaukee disappeared from the Lightship's view, Captain McKay was bringing his ship out of the protection of Milwaukee Bay and was beginning to experience the full brunt of the northerly seas running down the full length of Lake Michigan.
After taking a severe beating in the storm, Captain McKay made the decision to turn around and return to the safety of Milwaukee harbor. Unfortunately, it never made it back to the harbor.
They believe that some of the rail cars may have broken loose and rammed into the seagate. The damaged seagate allowed water to enter the vessel over the stem and run onto the car deck. The rest is speculation.
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| Chains & turnbuckles hold the cars down tightly to the deck |
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| Screw jacks lifted the car's weight off of its suspension or "trucks" |
The SS City of Milwaukee is a Great Lakes railroad carferry built by Manitowac Shipbuilding Co. for the Grand Trunk railroad in 1930 to replace the ill-fated carferry SS Milwaukee. Even though the City of Milwaukee was built to replace the SS Milwaukee, it was not given the same name, but had the word "City" added because of the superstition that you do not give another ship the same name as its predecessor.
The City of Milwaukee being launched in Manitowoc, Wisconsin in November 1930.
The SS City of Milwaukee was able to carry 28-30 fully loaded rail cars on her massive car deck.
The SS City of Milwaukee ran the waters year round between Muskegon, Michigan and Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1931 to 1978. It was then sold to the state of Michigan and leased to the Ann Arbor railroad running between Manitowoc, Wisconsin and Frankfort, Michigan until 1982. It is currently preserved in Manistee as a National Historic Landmark.
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| Crew's quarters |
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| Engines |
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| Electrical panel |
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| Kitchen |
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| Officer's Mess |
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| Crew's Mess |
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| Stove (our tour guide Maxwell) |
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| Smoking Room |
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| Guest Room |
The City of Milwaukee offers guests the option of spending the night on the ship. They even have a purser who stays aboard for the guests' benefit.
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| Captain's Quarters |
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| At the Helm |
Great Lakes car ferry history is a story that began in the 1850s and lasted for over 130 years. It was an innovative style of vessel that evolved and impacted maritime commerce around the world. Car ferries were found throughout the Great Lakes but this blog post concentrates on the Lake Michigan and the Straights of Mackinaw service.
Before 1892, many break-bulk steamers were seen in Lake Michigan ports. The break bulk system was back breaking work for the men who moved the package freight from rail cars to the steamers. The new car ferry Ann Arbor #1 soon changed all of that and "roll on-roll off" loading would soon be common place. With these new car ferries, ice breaking was revolutionized and ship/rail technology was developed.
The National Historic Landmark vessel S.S. City of Milwaukee is the last surviving traditional Great Lakes railroad car ferry. These unique and sturdy vessels navigated the frozen and storm tossed inland seas caring passengers and entire freight trains for a century. The ship features two triple expansion steam engines and four scotch fire tube boilers. The sturdy ice breaking riveted steel hull is complimented by varnished oak and brass interiors done in the craftsman style.
During World War II the ship ferried war materials across Lake Michigan and provided training for Coast Guard and Navy officers. The ship is open to the public for guided tours, special events and private party rentals.
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