Ore Carrier George M. Humphrey Prepped for Christening – Sept. 1954

Vintage postcard

Seventy years ago this month, the ore freighter George M. Humphrey, built at the Lorain yards of American Ship Building, was being readied for its early October christening.

Below is the full-page of photos that ran in the Lorain Journal on September 6, 1954. 

As the article notes, "The 710 foot freighter, largest ever built on the Great Lakes, is scheduled to be christened October 5. Ceremonies will be witnessed by George M. Humphrey, secretary of the treasury for whom the vessel is named.

"Humphrey is a former president of the M. A. Hanna Co. which will operate the new ship for the owners, National Steel Corp.

"The celebration will be in direct contrast to that day in June when the new vessel rode high and majestically into the water for the first time.

"Too large for the traditional side launching, the ship was built in dry dock." (I posted a photo of the then-unnamed ship under construction back here.) 

"The drydock was flooded June 19 and the ship took to the water without fanfare or crowd.

"When put into use, the Humphrey will carry more than twice as much iron ore in a season than possible on the standard 600 foot vessel which was the lakes giant of a few years ago.

"The carrier will take its place among 750 vessels, which makes up the lakes fleet with a total trip carrying capacity of 5,000,000 tons."

The George M. Humphrey was christened on October 5, 1954. Here is the front page of the Lorain Journal the following day with the story. That's Mrs. Humphrey christening the ship named after her husband with the traditional bottle of champagne. 

In addition to Secretary of the Treasury George M. Humphrey, there were quite a few members of President Eisenhower's cabinet on hand for the big event.

Here's the continuation of the above article. That was a big day for Lorain.

Courtesy greatlakesships.wordpress.com

Here's the link to the George M. Humphrey's page on shiphotos.com, which includes some history, and information about the ship's eventual scrapping in 1986.

U.S.S. Lorain is Launched – March 1944

Eighty years ago today on Monday, March 13, 1944, the U.S.S. Lorain was being prepped for a launch later in the week. Above is the Lorain Journal from that date with the news.

As the article notes, "Lorain's own warship, the U.S.S. Lorain, will slide down the launching ways at the American Shipbuilding Cp. yards here at 12:20 p. m. Saturday.

"Meanwhile, plans went forward for the city celebration which is to accompany the launching of the first warship ever to bear Lorain's name. The U.S.S. Lorain is a 303-foot frigate, built under U. S. Maritime Commission specifications for convoy duty.

"Christening the ship will be Mrs. Fred Henderson, mother of Marine Hero Maj. Lofton Henderson who was killed at the battle of Midway.

"The city is clearing and leveling ground in back of the Eagles-blog at Broadway and 6th-st, which is almost exactly opposite the building berth where the trim warship waits its christening. From this point a clear view of the launching ceremony will be possible. 

"Launching here the warship Lorain will add further to the city's 46-year shipbuilding tradition, and will in fact come pretty close to being on the 46th anniversary of the launching of the first ship here by the American Shipbuilding Co.

"It was on April 13, 1898 that the company launched the Superior City, 430-foot ore carrier which at that time was the largest vessel on the Great Lakes. Many of the men who worked on the Superior City also have had a part in the building of the Lorain.

"The Superior City proved her worth in 22 years of operation on the Great Lakes, but was lost in a collision in 1920."

The launching came off without a hitch on Saturday. 

Lorain's own Admiral Ernest J. King flew home to attend the christening and greet Mrs. Henderson.

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This United States Coast Guard website includes the story of the U.S.S. Lorain. The Wiki entry for the U.S.S. Lorain also provides a history of the ship as well as a photo.

American Ship Building Article – March 8, 1954

Did you ever see a ship get launched in the American Ship Building Lorain yards during its heyday?

It's quite a spectacle, and exciting as well, watching a huge ship slide sideways down to the water, followed by a giant splash. Consequently, it's been a favorite subject of Lorain postcards for a long time.

I hadn't thought too much about other ways that a ship might be launched until I saw this front page of the March 8, 1954 Lorain Journal. The photo is of a new ship under construction in drydock at the American Ship Building Company. 

As the article notes, "An easier and safer way of method of launching will be utilized by the American Ship Building Company for its Hull No. 871 now under construction in the Lorain yards. Instead of the usual side launching the new hull will be floated from the dry dock in which it is being built.

"This method has its disadvantages since it monopolizes the drydock for a lengthy period. But this new 710 foot long freighter is so big that company officials explained there was no other safe way to build it.

"The craft's keel was laid in the drydock early last November. In ten weeks almost the entire bottom, tank top, side tanks, and part of the spar deck were erected. Also in place is the stern frame.

"When the vessel is finished it will be just a few feet shorter than the dock and just a few feet narrower than the dock width."

Elsewhere on that same front page: a robbery at Four Corners Tavern, located at Elyria Avenue and North Ridge Road; vandalism at two schools in the Grove Avenue area in Lorain; a crackdown on Communism in Puerto Rico: and a thief's humorous justification for his crimes.

American Ship Building Office – August 1963

Last month I posted an ad announcing the move of the American Ship Building Company's relocation of its general offices from Cleveland to Lorain in July 1963. It was big news, because it gave the Lorain yard greater prominence and importance, and put it in a better position to be utilized.

A month later in August 1963, local photographer John Fazio visited the central offices of the company and captured the images above, which accompanied an article by Ralph Neumeyer that appeared in the Journal on August 10, 1963.

The photos provide a nice glimpse of the employees in Lorain who played such an important role in the company's operations. We also see the outside of the building itself, well-remembered by many Lorainites who passed by the shipyards while driving on Colorado Avenue

As described in the article, "Erected at the top of a hill and giving a front view appearance of a one story structure, the building has a lower level which overlooks the yard facilities.

"The building is of brick with a partial front trim of imported Cardiff granite aggregate.

"Among its features, according to Elmer Hume, Amherst, who was general contractor and worked in conjunction with American Ship Building Co. engineers in designing the building, is unusual heating and ventilation.

"It is believed to be the first electrically heated office building in this area, and as a result a number of innovations were required in installing air conditioning.

"Because the shipyard area was originally the old river bed, and marshy, it was necessary to base the foundation on solid limestone 60 feet down.

"A new roadway parallel to Colorado Ave. was built to relieve traffic congestion along this busy thoroughfare.

"The offices are trim, functional and business-like, with paneling in the lobby and executive offices.

"On the upper floors are the lobby, executive offices, conference rooms, library and offices, for engineering, estimating, materials handling, purchasing and industrial engineering.

"The lower level includes accounting offices, a print shop, storage, mechanical equipment facilities and social room."

Today, there's no trace of the former office building of the American Ship Building Company in its old location near E. Street overlooking the redeveloped marina property.

American Ship Building Moves Offices to Lorain – July 1963

Sixty years ago this month, the full page ad 'welcoming aboard' American Shipbuilding Co. to Lorain appeared in the Lorain Journal on July 18, 1963. 

What was the occasion? 

As an article (above) in the July 16, 1963 edition explained, "The American Ship Building Company formally "moves" into its new Lorain offices Friday.

"The transition, which has been underway for some time, will be accomplished with a minimum of fanfare, according to William Trace, yard manager, although the observance is of considerable significance to Lorain.

"In moving its general offices from Cleveland to Lorain, the company indicated that it would be in a position to better coordinate, promote and expedite operations in the company's largest shipyard.

"Finishing touches are being made to the new $270,000 building which will accommodate the company's engineering, purchasing, estimating, accounting and management personnel. 

"No community-wide open house has been scheduled, but customers and special guests from the Lorain area have been invited to stop in for a visit on Friday.

"The modern, two-story office building is equipped with the latest in lighting, air conditioning and other features, and is located on the west side of Colorado Ave. just north of the ASB structure that houses the employment office."

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It's still hard to believe that twenty years later in December 1983, it would all be over.

American Ship Building Article – May 18, 1963

Yesterday in a comment left on the blog, my old Masson School classmate Mike Kozlowski mentioned that his father worked at American Ship Building. So this article from the May 18, 1963 Journal of sixty years ago today might be of interest to him.

It's a pretty well-written history of American Ship Building, featured as part of the "Perspective" series of articles presented by the newspaper. It covers the beginnings of the company in 1899 and proceeds through the decades, identifying the company's accomplishments as well as notable ships.

A nice sidebar by Ralph E. Neumeyer looks specifically at the history shipbuilding on the banks of the Black River in Lorain. It notes, "A rough count would show about 300 wooden steam and sailing vessels built prior to the American Shipbuilding Co. arrival in 1899, and a similar number of ships of all types in the next 60 years.

A U. S. Great Lakes registry chart reveals that at the time of the 1963 article, 85 vessels of the Great Lakes ore fleet were built in the Lorain Yards

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I devoted several blog posts to the Roger Blough.

Roger Blough Fire – June 24, 1971

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.

June 24, 1971

June 24, 1971

June 25, 1971

June 25, 1971

June 27, 1971

The Roger Blough Christened – June 5, 1971

Front page of the June 5, 1971 Lorain Journal

Fifty years ago tomorrow, the Roger Blough was christened in the Lorain yards of the American Ship Building Company, where it was built.

Although the ship’s launch was originally planned for July 1971, the well-remembered engine room fire that killed four shipyard workers delayed it by almost a year. Roger Blough eventually had its sea trials in June 1972 (which I wrote about here).

The Journal article notes, “The 858-foot-long Roger Blough is the largest ship ever built on the Great Lakes and it is the first of the new giants that soon will be sailing the lakes.

“The Roger Blough is as long as three football fields and 105 feet wide. Its size allows it to carry three times the amount of cargo a 600-foot-long ship can handle and its special self-loading system allows it to discharge cargo at the rate of 10,000 tons an hour.”

(Note that the photo of Roger Blough’s niece in front of his namesake ship was taken by our pal Gene Patrick.)

I’ll have more on the Roger Blough when it gets closer to the anniversary date of the tragic fire.

Roger Blough Sets Out for Sea Trials – June 1972

Roger Blough ore carrier setting out for sea trials in June 1972
(Courtesy ClevelandMemory.org)

MV Roger Blough – the ore carrier built by American Ship Building in Lorain for U. S. Steel – seems destined to forever be in the news. 

Fire on Roger Blough ore carrier
(Courtesy ClevelandMemory.org)

As many of us remember, it suffered a major engine room fire in June 1971 which killed four shipyard workers. It played a part in the search for the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which sunk in November 1975.

But the Roger Blough continues to make headlines.

It got stuck in the ice in Lake Erie in February 1979; it ran aground in Whitefish Bay, Lake Superior in May 2016. And last month, it suffered $20 million in damages due to a fire while it was at its winter storage dock in Wisconsin.

But way back in June 1972, with the tragic fire behind it, the Roger Blough was being towed out of the Lorain shipyard in preparation for sea trials.

Read all about it in the article below, which appeared in the Journal on June 3, 1972.