1972 M/V STEWART J. CORT was the first footer on the Great Lakes

A footer is a Great Lakes freighter whose length is 1000' (305m) or more. Because that is too long to fit in the locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway, they have to be built on the Great Lakes. Or at least finished on the Lakes. The first one, Stewart J. Cort had the bow and stern built in Pascagoula, MS, and joined together as Stubby. The other 12 footers were built on the Great Lakes.

Russ Plumb posted
Forty-nine years ago today [6/13/2019], Stubby (Hull 1173) departed the Welland Canal and headed for Erie, PA. Once there, Stubby was cut in half and joined to either end of an 815 foot body section under construction in the shipyard. In 1972, the new vessel joined the Bethlehem Transportation Company fleet and entered service as the first 1000 footer on the Great Lakes -- the Stewart J. Cort (Lake Carriers Bulletin, June-July 1970).
John Lyle There were a few Canadian Lakers built the same way. They were built in Scottish ship yards (bow and stern only. Sailed across the Atlantic then the bow and stern were separated and the cargo section inserted.
Darryl Harper Sections were also added to the sides of the bow and stern to match the width of the center section, to expand from Seaway max of 78 feet to approx 100 feet.( cant recall exact width).
David G. Small I knew the chief engineer, he said every time they picked up a pilot his first question was what is this thing. [When going up the St. Lawrence Seaway.]

"The Cort is the only 1000-footer with pilot house forward. All crew accommodations are also forward. Her self-unloading system’s shuttle boom is contained within the after cabin structure." [interlake]

"The construction length was 182 ft. x 75 ft. wide." The final dimensions are "1000 ft. x 106 ft. x 45 ft." [Freehan, Robert. "Stewart J. Cort." Clio: Your Guide to History. February 26, 2023. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://theclio.com/entry/164545] 

Stubby's width above of 75' must be wrong because it is 106' wide.

I knew it was an old Laker because it has a superstructure on the bow. It was the only Footer built with her pilot house forward. The rest of the 1000-footers were built in shipyards on the Great Lakes.

Interlake

Destination Duluth posted

The First and Last (and Longest)...

By Schauer Photo Images

Stewart J. Cort (the first 1000-footer in 1972) takes a delay at the Port of Duluth while the Paul R. Tregurtha (the last built in 1981 and longest footer at 1,013.5 feet) glides past with coal loaded at Midwest Energy for DTE St. Clair, Michigan. Duluth, MN - April 3, 2023 

She has a regular route carrying iron ore between Superior, WI, and Burns Harbor, IN. When I accessed MarineTraffic, it had recently docked at Burns Harbor. She has a stern self-unloader instead of the more typical boom self-unloader. This makes it easier to load and faster to unload, but it limits the docks that can accommodate her. But if she unloads only at Burns Harbor, that is not a big deal.

MarineTraffic
[A popup on that page indicates that its speed range is 5.18-12.70 knots.]

National Museum of the Great Lakes posted three photos with the comment:

This #ThrowbackThursday we take a look at July 3, 1972, and the launching of the Lakes' first 1,000 footer! This massive vessel was built in three sections. The forward and stern were assembled in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and later floated to Erie, Pennsylvania where the 815-foot mid-section was waiting to be attached. Bethlehem Steel launched the CORT making it the vessel first in its own class. 

👉 DID YOU KNOW: There are now thirteen 1,000 footers to date, all of which are still in operation today.

[The comments have contemporary photos and a video.]

Great Lakes Shipping History shared

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Anne Boyd Earle: "Stubby"!

Paul Erspamer commented on Great Lakes Shipping History's share
CORT taking shape in Erie, 1972.
Kevin Skow: Cort is on the right, Presque Isle is in the the middle of the photo.

Apr 26, 2024:

Interlake Steamship Company posted
Our M/V Stewart J. Cort is back in the water again as the dry dock is flooded at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding this evening.
Mychel Mazza: What does M/V stand for????? Interlake Steamship Company: Mychel Mazza motor vessel! [As opposed to SS, which means steamship. (other prefixes)] James Torgeson shared
The former Bethlehem Steel Great Lakes flagship and the first 1000' lake freighter, the Stewart J. Cort, is floated from a drydock [in Sturgeon Bay] after needed work and USCG inspection. She's now owned by MassMutual, but sails for the Interlake Steamship Company. (Note that the wide angle lens used for the photograph has distorted the ship's proportions!) Shaun Connelly: I see that ship all the time at Cliffs burns harbor. James Torgeson: Shaun Connelly That's her only destination, and the one she was built to serve!

Sep 26, 2024:

Andrew Dean Detroit posted three photos with the comment:

Stewart J. Cort heading up St. Mary’s River. The trees are just starting to show some signs of fall colors. 

So nice to finally get some drone shots of the first 1000 footer ever built!

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A 4:10 video of a 7-day ride on the Cort     A 14:28 video

A video of Stewart J. Cort at the Soo Bridges (source)  1970, BoatNerd.

A time-lapse video of the M/V Stewart J. Cort going to the BNSF dock in Superior WI.

It has its own Facebook group, but it is private.