Association for Great Lakes Maritime History posted via Dennis DeBruler
The freighter Edgewater returning to the Ford River Rouge complex at Dearborn, Mich., circa Nov. 27. 1936 (Source: The Henry Ford – Digital Collections). The name of the photographer is not included in the notes for the image.
Additional Historical Information Launched in 1931, the freighter Edgewater was built at River Rouge, Mich. by the Great Lakes Engineering Works for the Ford Motor Co. The 300-foot [91m] vessel (LOA) was designed to transport auto parts from the Dearborn, Mich. to assembly plants in Chester, Pa. and Edgewater, N.J. To reach those plants, the ship sailed on Lake Erie, the New York State Barge Canal and the Hudson River. To allow it to pass under bridges over the Barge Canal, the vessel had a retractable pilothouse canalErie and folding masts and funnels. In addition to parts, the freighter was occasionally used to transport new Ford automobiles from Dearborn to East Coast ports for export. In 1942, the vessel was requisitioned by the U.S. War Shipping Administration for off-lakes service during World War II. In 1947, the ship was sold to Cleveland Tankers Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio. for Great Lakes service. It was then converted into a tanker at Staten Island, N.Y. by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Co. The conversion work was delayed by a two-month shipyard strike. Once completed, the tanker sailed back to the Great Lakes via the Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi River. During the voyage, it took on a cargo of oil at Baton Rouge, La. On March 19, 1948, the vessel went aground near Grand Lakes, Ark. After its cargo was lightered, the ship was towed to Greenville, Miss. for repairs. An inspection determined the damage was too great to be repaired at Greenville. The vessel was then towed to Lockport, Ill. by the Federal Barge Line. From there, the Great Lakes Towing Co. towed the tanker to the A merican Ship Building Co. yard in Chicago, Ill. for repairs. On May 15, 1948, the vessel finally entered service just as Cleveland Tankers experienced a maritime union strike. On July 8, 1948, the ship suffered two explosions and a fire. It was carrying a cargo of 31,000 gallons of gasoline at the time. Nine crew members were injured. Seven were severely burned and two would later die because of their injuries. After being repaired at the American Ship Building yard in Chicago, the tanker re-entered service on July 21, 1948. In 1949, it was renamed the Orion. The vessel was permanently laid up at Cleveland at the end of the 1957 sailing season. In 1964, the ship was sold for scrap and towed to Ashtabula, Ohio for dismantling. The forward section was converted into a 120-foot derrick barge. While under tow, the barge sank in Lake Erie off Lorain, Ohio on July 23, 1968. It was later raised, beached and dismantled. Information Sources: William Lafferty | 
.jpg)
