Queen of the Lakes
Encyclopedia
Queen of the Lakes is the unofficial but widely recognized title given to the longest vessel active on the Great Lakes
of the United States and Canada. It is also the name of an annual festival in Ballinrobe
, County Mayo
, Ireland
, and the winner of a scholarship competition held in connection with the Minneapolis Aquatennial, of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Lake George
in New York is called by some "The Queen of the Lakes". The Brazilian city Capitólio
has also been given this title. This article features the use of the title on the Great Lakes.
Queen of the Lakes has been used as the name of three vessels that sailed on the Great Lakes, but none was the longest on the lakes at the time. The first was a three-masted Canadian schooner
built in 1853 as the Robert Taylor, measuring 133 feet. It was renamed Queen of the Lakes sometime before 1864. She sank nine miles off Sodus Point, New York on November 28, 1906. The second was a propeller driven vessel launched in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 12, 1853, measuring 196 feet. She was lost to fire in port on June 17, 1869. The third was a small side-wheel steamer built in Wyandotte, Michigan
in 1872, measuring 108 feet. While anchored near South Manitou Island
she caught fire and burned in 1898. The iron hull was later scrapped.
The title has been bestowed upon vessels that were especially liked or those considered to be especially beautiful or richly appointed. Such was the case as late as 1949, at which time the Noronic
was so honored. It has been applied to the United States Coast Guard
Cutter Mackinaw
for its long and significant role in facilitating Great Lakes shipping and safety. The most common use of the title, however, at least since the early 1940s, is to honor the largest vessel on the lakes. On April 20, 1841, the "Detroit Free Press" referred to the steamer Illinois as "Queen of the Waters", but given that three vessels in that century were named Queen of the Lakes, its use as a title for the longest ship was not then common. The title is applied retroactively to vessels launched before this use of the title became popular. While some use gross tonnage, capacity, or length between perpendiculars as the criterion, the most commonly accepted standard is length overall (LOA). This article uses LOA as the standard.
, built by LaSalle
through the winter and spring of 1678 and 1679, and launched in May of that year to sail the upper lakes (above Niagara). Reports of its size vary from 40 to 70 feet long. Contemporary chroniclers called it both a bark and a brigantine. The Griffon was soon lost. It was last seen on September 18, 1679 and was lost with all hands. Her final location is unknown. Those who consider the Griffon to have been the first ship on the lakes -- and hence, the first Queen -- also consider her to have been the first lost.
Other sources say the first ship was a smaller vessel built by LaSalle at Fort Frontenac beginning in September, 1678, for the purpose of conveying supplies and material to Niagara. This vessel, which is called the Frontenac in some reports, is said to have been about 10 tons burden, measuring from 35 to 45 feet long. Expedition journalists called it a brigantine. It departed Fort Frontenac under La Motte's and Louis Hennepin's leadership on November 18, 1678, and arrived at the east bank of the Niagara River on December 6, 1679. Shortly thereafter, LaSalle and Tonty came with more supplies, and the their vessel (carrying the anchor, rigging, and guns for the Griffon) foundered in the surf less than thirty miles from Niagara. Hennepin called this vessel a "great bark." One source says the loss occurred on January 8, 1679. Supplies and extra clothing were lost, but LaSalle and his men rescued material for the ship, dragged them to the mouth of the Niagara, rested a few days in an Indian village, and arrived at the settlement above the falls on January 20. Some say the lost vessel was the Frontenac. Historian Francis Parkman says that by 1677, there were already four vessels on Lake Ontario between 25 and 40 tons burden. He does not say if any of them were named. Tonty's journal indicates that the vessel he and LaSalle used was a 40 ton vessel, but he does not associate a name with it.
Records of ship sizes on the lakes between 1678 and 1816 are rare. According to the "Detroit Tribune", the vessels Gladwin, Lady Charlotte, Victory, and Boston were on the lakes in 1766 and the Brunswick, Enterpise, and Charity were launched in 1767, 1769, and 1770, respectively, but no dimensions are given. The HMS Ontario, at 80 feet, was launched on Lake Ontario on May 10, 1780, and sank in a storm on October 31, that same year. A history of Washington Island
in Door County, Wisconsin notes that the schooner Washington, used to supply the fitting out of Fort Howard at the head of Green Bay in 1816, was the longest ship on the lakes at the time, but no details are given.
in 1827, and the next verifiable Queen was not launched until 1830.
The chart below identifies the succession of vessels known to qualify as Queen of the Lakes from 1813 to the present. The succession of queens is not known to be continuous before the David Dows. Those from the Frontenac through the City of Buffalo were side-wheel steamships, though the Michigan, like the Frontenac was dual fitted as an operational schooner. The heyday of the luxurious passenger steamers was waning even as some of them were launched. The Mississippi, Plymouth Rock, and Western World were all out of service by 1859, and the Queens that had not already been lost by 1862 were rebuilt as barges or schooners or dismantled within a year. The Nebraska was a propeller driven steamer for freight and passenger use, but given what had happened to her predecessors, she was likely not so richly appointed. In 1904, the Nebraska was refitted as a lumber carrier, after which time she resembled a classic bulk carrier. The David Dows was a 5-masted schooner used primarily for transporting wheat. The Susquehanna, Owego, and Chemung were propeller driven package freighters. The whaleback
Christopher Columbus
was a celebrated passenger vessel. The Onoko and all other vessels from the Curry on were or are propeller driven bulk carriers.
The steamship Quebec, launched in 1865, appears in lists of Great Lakes vessels. At 283 feet, she was longer than both the Nebraska and the David Dows, but her service was on the St. Lawrence River between Montreal
and Quebec
, not on the Great Lakes proper. She continued in service for many years and was dismantled in 1938.
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...
of the United States and Canada. It is also the name of an annual festival in Ballinrobe
Ballinrobe
-Early history:Dating back to 1390, Ballinrobe is said to be the oldest town in South Mayo. The registry of the Dominican friary of Athenry mentions the monastery de Roba, an Augustinian friary whose recently restored ruins are one of the historical landmarks of the town today...
, County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and the winner of a scholarship competition held in connection with the Minneapolis Aquatennial, of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Lake George
Lake George (New York)
Lake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes, is a long, narrow oligotrophic lake draining northwards into Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River Drainage basin located at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York, U.S.A.. It lies within the upper region of the...
in New York is called by some "The Queen of the Lakes". The Brazilian city Capitólio
Capitólio
Capitólio is a Brazilian municipality located in the southwest of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 7,634 people living in a total area of 522 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Sul e Sudoeste de Minas and to the micro-region of Passos...
has also been given this title. This article features the use of the title on the Great Lakes.
Queen of the Lakes has been used as the name of three vessels that sailed on the Great Lakes, but none was the longest on the lakes at the time. The first was a three-masted Canadian 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....
built in 1853 as the Robert Taylor, measuring 133 feet. It was renamed Queen of the Lakes sometime before 1864. She sank nine miles off Sodus Point, New York on November 28, 1906. The second was a propeller driven vessel launched in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 12, 1853, measuring 196 feet. She was lost to fire in port on June 17, 1869. The third was a small side-wheel steamer built in Wyandotte, Michigan
Wyandotte, Michigan
Wyandotte is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 25,883 at the 2010 census, a decrease of 7.6% from 2000. Wyandotte is located in southeastern Michigan, approximately south of Detroit on the Detroit River, and is part of the collection of communities known as...
in 1872, measuring 108 feet. While anchored near South Manitou Island
South Manitou Island
South Manitou Island is located in Lake Michigan, approximately west of Leland, Michigan. It is part of Leelanau County and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The uninhabited island is in land area and can be accessed by a ferry service from Leland...
she caught fire and burned in 1898. The iron hull was later scrapped.
The title has been bestowed upon vessels that were especially liked or those considered to be especially beautiful or richly appointed. Such was the case as late as 1949, at which time the Noronic
SS Noronic
The SS Noronic was a passenger ship that was destroyed by fire in Toronto Harbour in September 1949 with serious loss of life.-The ship:SS Noronic was launched June 2, 1913 in Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada...
was so honored. It has been applied to the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
Cutter Mackinaw
USCGC Mackinaw (WAGB-83)
USCGC Mackinaw was a vessel specifically designed for ice breaking duties on the Great Lakes. LR number: 6119534Mackinaws design was based on the Wind class of Coast Guard icebreakers, but the cutter was built wider and longer than the other Wind class vessels so that her draft would be shallower...
for its long and significant role in facilitating Great Lakes shipping and safety. The most common use of the title, however, at least since the early 1940s, is to honor the largest vessel on the lakes. On April 20, 1841, the "Detroit Free Press" referred to the steamer Illinois as "Queen of the Waters", but given that three vessels in that century were named Queen of the Lakes, its use as a title for the longest ship was not then common. The title is applied retroactively to vessels launched before this use of the title became popular. While some use gross tonnage, capacity, or length between perpendiculars as the criterion, the most commonly accepted standard is length overall (LOA). This article uses LOA as the standard.
Early Queens
The earliest vessels on the Great Lakes were human powered canoes and bateaux. Sources differ as to what vessel qualifies as the first real "ship" on the lakes. Many say it was Le GriffonLe Griffon
Le Griffon was a 17th century sailing ship built by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle in his quest to find the Northwest Passage to China and Japan....
, built by LaSalle
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, or Robert de LaSalle was a French explorer. He explored the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico...
through the winter and spring of 1678 and 1679, and launched in May of that year to sail the upper lakes (above Niagara). Reports of its size vary from 40 to 70 feet long. Contemporary chroniclers called it both a bark and a brigantine. The Griffon was soon lost. It was last seen on September 18, 1679 and was lost with all hands. Her final location is unknown. Those who consider the Griffon to have been the first ship on the lakes -- and hence, the first Queen -- also consider her to have been the first lost.
Other sources say the first ship was a smaller vessel built by LaSalle at Fort Frontenac beginning in September, 1678, for the purpose of conveying supplies and material to Niagara. This vessel, which is called the Frontenac in some reports, is said to have been about 10 tons burden, measuring from 35 to 45 feet long. Expedition journalists called it a brigantine. It departed Fort Frontenac under La Motte's and Louis Hennepin's leadership on November 18, 1678, and arrived at the east bank of the Niagara River on December 6, 1679. Shortly thereafter, LaSalle and Tonty came with more supplies, and the their vessel (carrying the anchor, rigging, and guns for the Griffon) foundered in the surf less than thirty miles from Niagara. Hennepin called this vessel a "great bark." One source says the loss occurred on January 8, 1679. Supplies and extra clothing were lost, but LaSalle and his men rescued material for the ship, dragged them to the mouth of the Niagara, rested a few days in an Indian village, and arrived at the settlement above the falls on January 20. Some say the lost vessel was the Frontenac. Historian Francis Parkman says that by 1677, there were already four vessels on Lake Ontario between 25 and 40 tons burden. He does not say if any of them were named. Tonty's journal indicates that the vessel he and LaSalle used was a 40 ton vessel, but he does not associate a name with it.
Records of ship sizes on the lakes between 1678 and 1816 are rare. According to the "Detroit Tribune", the vessels Gladwin, Lady Charlotte, Victory, and Boston were on the lakes in 1766 and the Brunswick, Enterpise, and Charity were launched in 1767, 1769, and 1770, respectively, but no dimensions are given. The HMS Ontario, at 80 feet, was launched on Lake Ontario on May 10, 1780, and sank in a storm on October 31, that same year. A history of Washington Island
Washington Island (Wisconsin)
Washington Island is located about 7 miles northeast of the tip of Door Peninsula in Door County, Wisconsin. The island has a year-round population of 660 people . It has a land area of 60.89 km² and comprises over 92 percent of the land area of the town of Washington, as well as all of its...
in Door County, Wisconsin notes that the schooner Washington, used to supply the fitting out of Fort Howard at the head of Green Bay in 1816, was the longest ship on the lakes at the time, but no details are given.
A Succession of Queens
On September 7, 1816, the steamer Frontenac was launched. She was fitted out as both a schooner and a side-wheel steamer and designed for both passenger and freight transport. At 170 feet she laid claim to the honor of longest active vessel on the lakes, though she saw service only on Lake Ontario. She was scrapped at NiagaraNiagara
-Niagara Falls and nearby places:*In both the United States and Canada**Niagara Falls, the famous waterfalls in the Niagara River**Niagara River, part of the U.S.–Canadian border**Niagara Escarpment, the cliff over which the river forms the falls...
in 1827, and the next verifiable Queen was not launched until 1830.
The chart below identifies the succession of vessels known to qualify as Queen of the Lakes from 1813 to the present. The succession of queens is not known to be continuous before the David Dows. Those from the Frontenac through the City of Buffalo were side-wheel steamships, though the Michigan, like the Frontenac was dual fitted as an operational schooner. The heyday of the luxurious passenger steamers was waning even as some of them were launched. The Mississippi, Plymouth Rock, and Western World were all out of service by 1859, and the Queens that had not already been lost by 1862 were rebuilt as barges or schooners or dismantled within a year. The Nebraska was a propeller driven steamer for freight and passenger use, but given what had happened to her predecessors, she was likely not so richly appointed. In 1904, the Nebraska was refitted as a lumber carrier, after which time she resembled a classic bulk carrier. The David Dows was a 5-masted schooner used primarily for transporting wheat. The Susquehanna, Owego, and Chemung were propeller driven package freighters. The whaleback
Whaleback
A cargo steamship of unique design, with a hull that continuously curved above the waterline from vertical to horizontal leaving, when fully loaded, only the rounded portion of the hull above the waterline, was unofficially called a "whaleback". With sides curved in towards the ends, it had a...
Christopher Columbus
SS Christopher Columbus
The SS Christopher Columbus was an American excursion liner on the Great Lakes, in service between 1893 and 1933. She was the only whaleback ship ever built for passenger service. The ship was designed by Alexander McDougall, the developer and promoter of the whaleback design.Columbus was built...
was a celebrated passenger vessel. The Onoko and all other vessels from the Curry on were or are propeller driven bulk carriers.
The steamship Quebec, launched in 1865, appears in lists of Great Lakes vessels. At 283 feet, she was longer than both the Nebraska and the David Dows, but her service was on the St. Lawrence River between Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, not on the Great Lakes proper. She continued in service for many years and was dismantled in 1938.
| Queen of the Lakes - 1813 to present | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ship | Reign Begins | Reign Ends | Length (ft) | Vessel type | Launched | Final disposition | Date | Notes |
| USS General Pike | June 12, 1813 | May 2, 1814 | 145 | Corvette | June 12, 1813 | sold | 1825 | |
| USS Superior USS Superior (1814) The first USS Superior was built for the War of 1812, and was named after one of the Great Lakes where much of the shipboard fighting was done during that war. The Superior was a U.S... |
May 2, 1814 | Sept. 10, 1814 | unknown | Frigate | May 2, 1814 | sold | 1824 | not active after the war |
| HMS St Lawrence | Sept. 10, 1814 | undetermined | 191' 2" | First-rate ship | Sept. 10, 1814 | sold | 1832 | British |
| Washington | undetermined | 1816 | unknown | Schooner | unknown | unknown | unknown | Name of Washington Island traced to this ship |
| Frontenac PS Frontenac Frontenac was a steamboat, the first paddle steamer launched on the Great Lakes, in 1817.Built in Ernesttown, Ontario, by American contractors for Kingston businessmen during 1816 at a cost of ₤15,000, she entered service in spring 1817... |
Sept. 7, 1816 | undetermined | 170 | Side-wheel steamer/schooner | Sept. 7, 1816 | scrapped, Niagara Niagara, New York Niagara is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 8,378. The town is named after the famous waterfall Niagara Falls.... , NY |
1827 | First steamboat 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... on the lakes; Canadian |
| Great Britain | Oct. 16, 1830 | undetermined | 147/160 | Side-wheel steamer | Oct. 16, 1830 | converted to barque | 1845 | Canadian |
| George Washington | Sept. 1, 1833 | Oct. 9, 1833 | 180 | Side-wheel steamer | Sept. 1, 1833 | aground and broke, Long Point, Lake Erie | Oct. 9, 1833 | sank on third trip |
| Michigan | Oct. 9, 1833 | undetermined | 156 | Side-wheel steamer/schooner | Sept. 30, 1833 | dismantled | 1855 | First to have passenger deck above main deck |
| James Madison | December 13, 1836 | August 2, 1837 | 181 | Side-wheel steamer | December 13, 1836 | |||
| Buffalo | August 2, 1837 | September 23, 1837 | 194 | Side-wheel steamer | August 2, 1837 | |||
| Illinois | September 23, 1837 | undetermined | 205 | Side-wheel steamer | September 23, 1837 | dismantled | 1849 | |
| Empire | June 5, 1844 | 1848 | 265 | Side-wheel steamer | June 5, 1844 | grounded and broke apart | Nov. 16, 1870 | World's largest steamboat |
| Atlantic | 1848 | 1849 | 267 | Side-wheel steamer | 1848 | Sank after collision | Aug. 19, 1852 | |
| Mayflower | 1849 | 1853 | 285 | Side-wheel steamer | 1849 | grounded in fog | Nov. 29, 1854 | |
| Mississippi | 1853 | 1854 | 326.66 | Side-wheel steamer | 1853 | dismantled | 1862 | |
| Plymouth Rock | March 21, 1854 | April 18, 1854 | 335.5 | Side-wheel steamer | March 21, 1854 | dismantled | May 1863 | |
| Western World | April 18, 1854 | 1863 | 337 | Side-wheel steamer | April 18, 1854 | converted to dry dock | 1863 | Largest in world at launch |
| City of Buffalo | April 11, 1857 | July 30, 1866 | 340 | Side-wheel steamer | April 11, 1857 | burned; Buffalo, NY | July 30, 1866 | |
| (reverts to Empire ?) | undetermined | 265 | rebuilt as sloop/barge 1862 | |||||
| Nebraska | 1867 | undetermined | 267.33 | Propeller steamer | 1867 | burned at South Manitou | Oct. 4, 1904 | rebuilt Aug. 1904 as lumber carrier |
| David Dows | April 21, 1881 | Feb. 16, 1882 | 278 | 5 masted schooner | April 21, 1881 | sank in 35 feet of water | Nov. 29, 1899 | |
| Onoko | Feb. 16, 1882 | Sept. 4, 1886 | 302 | bulk carrier | Feb. 16, 1882 | sank | Aug. 14, 1915 | First iron Queen |
| Susquehanna | Aug. 4, 1886 | July 7, 1887 | 326' 6" | Package freighter | Aug. 4, 1886 | scrapped | 1926 | |
| Owego | July 7, 1887 | Dec. 3, 1892 | 350' 7" | Package freighter | July 7, 1887 | sank in China | 1944 | |
| Chemung | Feb. 29, 1888 | (shared) | 350' 7" | Package freighter | Feb. 29, 1888 | torpedoed, Med. Sea | Nov. 26, 1916 | |
| Christopher Columbus | Dec. 3, 1892 | April 29, 1893 | 362 | Whaleback passenger | Dec. 3, 1892 | scrapped, Manitowoc, MI | 1936 | |
| Curry | Apr. 29, 1893 | June 29, 1895 | 377' 6" | bulk carrier | Apr. 29, 1893 | scrapped, Fairport, Ont. | 1937 | |
| Merida | May 1, 1893 | (shared) | 377' 6" | bulk carrier | May 1, 1893 | sank in storm | Oct. 20, 1916 | |
| Centurion | Aug. 30, 1893 | (shared) | 377' 6" | bulk carrier | Aug. 30, 1983 | scrapped, Hamilton, Ont. | 1947 | |
| Victory | June 29, 1895 | Dec. 23, 1895 | 398 | bulk carrier | June 29, 1895 | sunk as breakwater | July 21, 1969 | |
| Zenith City | Aug. 16, 1895 | (shared) | 398 | bulk carrier | Aug. 16, 1895 | scrapped, Hamilton, Ont. | 1947 | |
| W. D. Rees | Dec. 23, 1895 | Feb. 22, 1896 | 413 | bulk carrier | Dec. 23, 1895 | scrapped, Lackawanna, NY | 1955 | |
| Coralia | Feb. 22, 1896 | Aug. 1, 1896 | 432 | bulk carrier | Feb. 22, 1896 | scrapped, Hamilton, Ont. | 1964 | |
| Sir Henry Bessemer | May 5, 1896 | (shared) | 432 | bulk carrier | May 5, 1896 | scrapped, Sturgeon Bay, WI | 1971 | |
| Sir William Siemens | July 25, 1896 | (shared) | 432 | bulk carrier | July 25, 1896 | sank in collision | Apr. 27, 1944 | |
| Sir William Fairbairn | Aug. 1 1896 | Apr. 13, 1898 | 445 | bulk carrier | Aug. 1, 1896 | scrapped | ||
| Robert Fulton | Sept. 10, 1896 | (shared) | 445 | bulk carrier | Sept. 10, 1896 | scrapped, Hamilton, Ont. | 1948 | |
| Superior City SS Superior City The SS Superior City was considered a pioneer vessel at her launching in 1898. She was the largest vessel ever built on freshwater at that time. She sailed the Great Lakes for twenty-two years until she sank after a collision in 1920 with the steamer Willis L. King in Whitefish Bay of Lake... |
Apr. 13, 1898 | July 31, 1898 | 450 | bulk carrier | Apr. 13, 1898 | sank in collision | Aug. 20, 1920 | |
| Samuel F.B. Morse | July 31, 1898 | Jan. 20, 1900 | 475 | bulk carrier | July 31, 1898 | scrapped, Sturgeon Bay, WI | 1975 | |
| Douglas Houghton | June 3, 1899 | (shared) | 475 | bulk carrier | June 3, 1898 | sunk as breakwater, Toronto | 1969 | |
| John W. Gates | Jan. 20, 1900 | Apr. 9, 1904 | 497 | bulk carrier | Jan. 20, 1900 | scrapped, Conneaut, Ont. | 1961 | |
| James J. Hill | Jan. 24, 1900 | (shared) | 497 | bulk carrier | Jan. 24, 1900 | sunk as breakwater, Cleveland | 1961 | |
| Isaac L. Ellwood | May 5, 1900 | (shared) | 497 | bulk carrier | May 5, 1900 | scrapped, Conneaut, Ont. | 1961 | |
| William Edenborn | May 20, 1900 | (shared) | 497 | bulk carrier | May 20, 1900 | sunk as breakwater, Cleveland | 1961 | |
| Augustus B. Wolvin | Apr. 9, 1904 | May 8, 1905 | 560 | bulk carrier | Apr. 9, 1904 | scrapped, Santander, Spain | Sept. 24, 1967 | 1 |
| Elbert H. Gary | May 8, 1905 | May 26, 1906 | 569 | bulk carrier | May 8, 1905 | scrapped, Santander, Spain | July 1973 | |
| William E. Cory | June 24, 1905 | (shared) | 569 | bulk carrier | June 24, 1905 | sunk as breakwater, Port Credit, Ont. | 1970 | |
| George W. Perkins | June 26, 1905 | (shared) | 569 | bulk carrier | June 26, 1905 | scrapped, Ashtabula, OH | Nov. 3, 1981 | |
| Henry C. Frick | Aug. 26, 1905 | (shared) | 569 | bulk carrier | Aug. 26, 1905 | sank on way to scrapper | Nov. 15, 1972 | |
| J. Pierpont Morgan | May 26, 1906 | Aug. 18, 1906 | 601 | bulk carrier | May 26, 1906 | scrapped, Lauzon, Que. | Mar. 30, 1979 | First "standard design" |
| Henry H. Rogers | June 16, 1906 | (shared) | 601 | bulk carrier | June 16, 1906 | scrapped, Duluth, MI | 1975 | |
| Norman B. Ream | Aug. 18, 1906 | (shared) | 601 | bulk carrier | Aug. 18, 1906 | scrapped, Turkey | 1990 | |
| Edward Y. Townsend | Aug. 18, 1906 | Dec. 29, 1906 | 602 | bulk carrier | Aug. 18, 1906 | sank on way to scrapper | Oct. 7, 1968 | |
| William B. Kerr | Dec. 29, 1906 | May 1, 1909 | 605' 9" | bulk carrier | Dec. 29. 1906 | scrapped, Santander, Spain | July 21, 1974 | |
| Legrande S. DeGraff | May 1, 1907 | (shared) | 605' 9" | bulk carrier | May 1, 1907 | scrapped | 1975 | |
| William M. Mills | July 17, 1907 | (shared) | 605' 9" | bulk carrier | July 17, 1907 | scrapped | 1976 | |
| Shenango | May 1, 1909 | July 1, 1911 | 606 | bulk carrier | May 1, 1909 | scrapped, Port Maitland, Ont. | Nov. 1, 1984 | |
| James M. Schoonmaker | July 1, 1911 | Apr. 14, 1914 | 617 | bulk carrier | July 1, 1911 | Museum ship Willis B Boyer Willis B Boyer Willis B. Boyer is a lake freighter which served as a commercial vessel on the Great Lakes for much of the 20th Century, and is currently undergoing renovation as a museum ship in Toledo, Ohio.- History :... |
present | Oldest Queen still afloat |
| William P. Snyder | Jan. 27, 1912 | (shared) | 617 | bulk carrier | Jan. 27, 1912 | scrapped, Port Colburn, Ont. | Jan. 1988 | |
| W. Grant Morgan | Apr. 14, 1914 | June 23, 1926 | 625 | bulk carrier | Apr. 14, 1914 | scrapped, Bilbao, Spain | July 12, 1969 | |
| Glenmohr/Lemoyne | June 23, 1926 | Apr. 9, 1927 | 633 | bulk carrier | June 23, 1926 | scrapped, Santander, Spain | June 1969 | Third Canadian Queen |
| Carl D. Bradley SS Carl D. Bradley The was a self-unloading Great Lakes freighter that sank in a storm on November 18, 1958. Of the 35 crew members, 33 died in the sinking and 23 were from the port town of Rogers City, Michigan. Her sinking was likely caused by structural failure from the brittle steel used in her... |
Apr. 9, 1927 | June 28, 1949 | 640 | bulk carrier | Apr. 9, 1927 | sank in storm | Nov. 18, 1958 | Second longest reign |
| Wilfred Sykes | June 28, 1949 | Nov. 1952 | 678 | bulk carrier | June 28, 1949 | still active | present | First modern design |
| Joseph H. Thompson | Nov. 1952 | 1957 | 714' 3" | bulk carrier | 1944 | converted to barge 1991 | present | Queen by lengthening |
| Cliffs Victory | 1957 | June 7, 1958 | 716' 3" | bulk carrier | 1945 | scrapped, Taiwan | 1987 | Queen by lengthening |
| Edmund Fitzgerald SS Edmund Fitzgerald The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter that made headlines after sinking in a Lake Superior storm on November 10, 1975, with the loss of the entire crew of 29. When launched on June 8, 1958, she was the largest boat on North America's Great Lakes, and she remains... |
June 7, 1958 | Sept. 17, 1959 | 729' 3" | bulk carrier | June 7, 1958 | sank in storm | Nov. 9, 1975 | |
| Murray Bay | Sept. 17, 1959 | Dec. 7, 1962 | 730 | bulk carrier | Sept. 17, 1958 | renamed Comeaudoc | present | First 730 |
| Arthur B. Homer | Nov. 7, 1959 | (shared) | 730 | bulk carrier | Nov. 7, 1959 | scrapped | 1987 | |
| Edward L. Ryerson | Jan. 26, 1960 | (shared) | 730 | bulk carrier | Jan. 26, 1960 | still active | present | most streamlined |
| Whitefish Bay | Nov. 16, 1960 | (shared) | 730 | bulk carrier | Nov. 16, 1960 | still active | present | |
| Red Wing | 1960 | (shared) | 730 | bulk carrier | 1960 | scrapped | 1986 | |
| Leecliffe Hall | Sept. 10, 1961 | (shared) | 730 | bulk carrier | Sept. 10, 1961 | sank after collision | Sept. 5, 1964 | |
| Leon Falk, Jr. | 1961 | (shared) | 730 | bulk carrier | 1945 | scrapped, Spain | 1985 | Queen by lengthening |
| Paul H. Carnahan | 1961 | (shared) | 730 | bulk carrier | 1945 | scrapped, Taiwan | 1987 | Queen by lengthening |
| Pioneer Challenger | 1961 | (shared) | 730 | bulk carrier | 1943 | Renamed American Victory | present | Queen by lengthening |
| Lake Winnipeg | 1961 | (shared) | 730 | bulk carrier | Nov. 28, 1943 | scrapped, Lisbon, Spain | May 1985 | Queen by lengthening |
| Walter A. Sterling | 1962 | (shared) | 730 | bulk carrier | 1942 | Renamed Lee A. Tregurtha | present | Queen by lengthening |
| Montrealais | Apr. 12, 1962 | (shared) | 730 | bulk carrier | Apr. 12, 1962 | still active | present | |
| Hamiltonian | Apr. 7, 1962 | (shared) | 730 | bulk carrier | Apr. 7, 1962 | scrapped, Alang, India | 1997 | |
| Black Bay | Sept. 20, 1962 | (shared) | 730 | bulk carrier | Sept. 20, 1962 | still active | present | |
| Baie St. Paul | Nov. 30, 1962 | (shared) | 730 | bulk carrier | Nov. 30, 1962 | scrapped, Taiwan | May 1995 | |
| Frankcliffe Hall | Dec. 7, 1962 | Apr. 14, 1965 | 730' 2" | bulk carrier | Dec. 7, 1962 | Renamed Halifax | present | |
| Lawrencecliffe Hall | Apr. 14, 1965 | Jan. 1, 1972 | 730' 4" | bulk carrier | Apr. 14, 1965 | Renamed Canadian Venture | present | |
| Steward J. Cort | Jan. 1, 1972 | Aug. 7, 1976 | 1000 | bulk carrier | Jan. 1, 1972 | still active | present | Last "classic" Queen |
| Presque Isle | 1973 | (shared) | 1000 | bulk carrier | 1973 | still active | present | Integrated barge |
| James R. Barker | Aug. 7, 1976 | Apr. 25, 1981 | 1004 | bulk carrier | Aug. 7, 1976 | still active | present | First stern-ender Queen |
| Mesabi Miner | Feb. 14, 1978 | (shared} | 1004 | bulk carrier | Feb. 14, 1978 | still active | present | |
| George A. Stinson | July 15, 1978 | (shared) | 1004 | bulk carrier | July 15, 1978 | still active | present | |
| Edwin H. Gott | July 19, 1978 | (shared) | 1004 | bulk carrier | July 19, 1978 | still active | present | |
| Edgar B. Speer | May 8, 1980 | (shared) | 1004 | bulk carrier | May 8, 1980 | still active | present | |
| William J. Delancy MV Paul R. Tregurtha MV Paul R. Tregurtha is a Great Lakes-based bulk carrier freighter. The current Queen of the Lakes, she is the largest ship operating on the Great Lakes complex. Launched as the William J... |
Apr. 25, 1981 | present | 1013' 6" | bulk carrier | Apr. 25, 1981 | Renamed Paul R. Tregurtha | present | |
| 1. First with stanchion-less hold, side ballast tanks, and telescoping hatches | ||||||||
Primary Sources
ISBN 0-8143-2393-6- Historical Collections of the Great Lakeshttp://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/library/cac/page39984.htmlat Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio (BGSU) Accessed Feb. 28, 2011