Maritime History of the Great Lakes

Adz, Caulk, and Rivets: A History of Ship Building along Ohio's Northern Shore, 1963, 2017, p. 117

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aft, but still the same general size. Most carried a "Lake" surname, such as Lake Copley, Lake Deval, and Lake Govan. The Cleveland yard built twenty-six of this class; the Lorain yard built fifty-two such vessels. Several of them were laid down with a "War" surname under contract to Lamport and Holt of Liverpool, England, but taken over in the stocks and finished by the Emergency Fleet Corporation. A few vessels similar to this class were built under foreign contract between 1915 and 1917, such as the Johan Mjelde and Gijones. Even before the United States entered the war, the board of directors, at the suggestion of Mr. Farr, voted to limit their profits from government contracts to 10 per cent. In 1919, the company voluntarily returned to the government $21 million which represented more than a just and normal profit, by company standards.22 Finally, on December 10, 1918, the Emergency Fleet Corporation relinquished restrictions on government construction and American Ship Building was able to seek peacetime contracts once again.23 The Cleveland yard was too small to accommodate the giant freighters being built. The only vessel built there between wars was the Charles S. Schwab, in 1923. On the other hand the Lorain yard, in spite of the depression, launched thirty-two vessels between 1920 and 1938. Included were the elegant sidewheel passenger vessels Greater Detroit and Greater Buffalo in 1924. Also included was the huge self-unloader Carl D. Bradley (1927), which foundered on Lake Michigan November 18, 1958 with a loss of thirty-three lives, only two men being saved. In 1924 Mr. Farr was succeeded by Alfred G. Smith, former general manager of the company. Mr. Smith died in office and was succeeded by William H. Gerhauser in 1928. With World War II, American Ship Building, along with the other shipyards of the nation, once more geared production to war demands. In August 1941, the U. S. S. Locust, an anti-submarine net tender, became the first war vessel ever commissioned at Cleveland. A few trawlers also were built at Cleveland in 1941 for the General Seafoods Company, but were taken over by the Navy shortly after delivery. Both the Cleveland and Lorain yards built net tenders, mine sweepers, and frigates. Some of the vessels were launched quietly; others, with much fanfare. The frigate Gulfport was launched on August 21, 1943 at Cleveland to the tune of "Dixie." She was christened by Mrs. John C. Chambers of Gulfport, Mississippi, after which the band struck up "Roll out the Barrel."24 Six new 603-foot ore carriers were launched for the U. S. Maritime Commission, two at Cleveland and four at Lorain. 104

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