It was fifty years ago today that the Roger Blough, U. S. Steel’s super ore carrier being built at the American Ship Building Co. in Lorain, caught fire.
As noted in one Journal report, “Temperatures inside the hull reached 2,500 degrees at times while the fire, confined to the ship’s stern, was being battled by scores of firefighters and shipyard workers from about 10 a.m. Thursday until early Friday afternoon.”
“Tired and nearly exhausted firemen and shipyard workers, many of whom had virtually no sleep since the fire started, were on the job until the bodies of the missing crew were located."
Seven men (including three firemen) went to St. Joseph Hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. Four shipyard workers lost their lives in the blaze: Clyde Purdue of Vermilion; John Alexander of Lorain; George Adams of Lorain; and Leonard Moore of Elyria.
Here are some of the pages of the Journal covering the tragic fire.
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| June 24, 1971 |
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| June 24, 1971 |
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| June 25, 1971 |
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| June 25, 1971 |
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| June 27, 1971 |
Hi Dan, I was at the fire, hard to believe 50 years ago. I was working on Colorado Avenue when I heard the sirens and saw the smoke. Watched for several hours. I’ll never forget a fireman was at the man-door on the side of the boat and an explosion went off. Blew him against the guard rail of the steps and almost hurled him off! A sad day for the ship builders and firemen.
ReplyDeleteAnd to just think.The shipyard is now gone.Steinbrenner is dead.St. Joe's is torn down and now gone.And US Steel has been renamed and closed and reopened and renamed and closed again numerous times.I hear it might be halfway opening up again.Did Steinbrenner actually live in Lorain or was he a fly in-fly out type of millionaire?
ReplyDeleteAlthough Steinbrenner had a strong Ohio connection (born in Rocky River, grew up in Bay Village, got his Masters at Ohio State, was part owner of Northfield Park), I don’t think he ever lived in Lorain. At the time that he purchased the Beachcomber Motor Lodge with Lorain Insurance agent WIlliam Rieth, Jr., (December 1968), Steinbrenner was living in Bay Village.
ReplyDeletehttps://danielebrady.blogspot.com/2019/01/beachcomber-motel-changes-hands-jan-1969.html
Steinbrenner was from Rocky River and also lived in Bay Village Ohio.He eventually moved to Tampa Florida and took the firm there.
ReplyDeleteMy father was in that fire and was able to save another man who worked on the ship as well. He didn’t think they would make it out alive.
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