Consort (nautical)
Encyclopedia
Consort is a nautical term for unpowered Great Lakes
vessels, usually a fully loaded schooner
barge
or steamer
barge, towed by a larger steamer that would often tow more than one barge. The consort system was used in the Great Lakes from the 1860s to around 1920. Mariner and historian Mark Thompson wrote that the unpowered barges were "uninspected vessels" not regulated by the marine safety laws. He reported that between 1870 and 1940, the dangerous practice towing unpowered vessels resulted in many of the most serious groundings when they broke loose or were cut loose during storms.
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
vessels, usually a fully loaded schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
or steamer
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
barge, towed by a larger steamer that would often tow more than one barge. The consort system was used in the Great Lakes from the 1860s to around 1920. Mariner and historian Mark Thompson wrote that the unpowered barges were "uninspected vessels" not regulated by the marine safety laws. He reported that between 1870 and 1940, the dangerous practice towing unpowered vessels resulted in many of the most serious groundings when they broke loose or were cut loose during storms.