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Page 65 The practicability of her iron hull was proved. Not until 1949 was she cut up for scrap. And even yet, her bows and cutwater still survive as a monument near the shipyard at Erie, where she was built. And now in 1971, again at Erie, Pennsylvania, in Litton Industries automated ship assembly facility, not only the largest vessel that Great Lakes navigation regulations will permit, but also the most innovative both in design and method of construction is being completed for the Bethlehem Steel Corporation. Last July we had the privilege of seeing first hand, as guests of Erie Marine Division and Litton Industries, the marvel that is this new ship, a marvel that defies any description other than The New Calithumpian. . . the world's most amazing machine! This vessel hitherto variously known as (1) STUBBY; (2) ERIE MARINE DIVISION'S HULL 101: now carries the name STEWART J. CORT, honoring the father of Bethlehem's present board chairman. From 1679 until today, economics plus the capacities of inter-connecting waterways have dictated the size of Great Lakes ships. After reaching a peak in the early 1950s shipment of iron ore from the head of the lakes experienced a drop. It has since resumed a steady climb. In 1962, the Corps of Engineers approved an increase in the size of a new proposed lock at Sault Ste. Marie. The size of the new lock was set at 1,200 feet in length by 110 feet in width with a draft over the sills of 32 feet at low water datum. The maximum size vessel that would be allowed to navigate this lock would be 1,000 feet long overall and 105 feet in beam. To take advantage of these opportunities Bethlehem Steel Corporation retained Marine Consultants and Designers, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, to integrate the design of a new vessel. The question of size overall and configuration was studied in detail, taking into account not only the economics, but also navigational restriction and existing loading and unloading facilities. The criteria laid down in the lines and development was that the vessel be capable of 16 1/2 miles per hour loaded, carry a maximum deadweight, be capable of loading uniformly throughout its full length. The deadweight dictated a large block coefficient. The speed and block dictated a transom stem. The twin-screw arrangement was dictated by the unloading equipment. The basic design was completed in late 1967. Final modifications were made early in 1968 to meet Bethlehem's specific requirements. Even as was the USS MICHIGAN, so was the STEWART J. CORT first begun at another yard and then completed in Erie. The bow and stem sections were constructed at Litton's Ingalls Nuclear Shipbuilding yard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. These two sections measured 185 feet at the time of her birth in June, 1970. Welded together they were sailed across the Gulf of Mexico around the tip of Florida, up the Atlantic coast, and through the St. Lawrence River system to the Lakes, a 2600 mile voyage to Erie where the 815 foot modular mid-body was inserted. Thus, in the summer of 1971, the STEWART J. CORT is, to date the largest ship ever to sail on the Great Lakes. Her vital statistics are: Length overall 1,000-ft Length on waterline 998-ft, 9-in. Beam 104-ft, 7-1/4 in Max. draft-summer 49-ft Design draft 25-ft, 9-in Displacement summer 74,400 tons Light ship weight 15,510 tons Total Dwt. Summer draft 58,890 tons Total cargo cubic 1,647,705 cu. Ft. Total ballast capacity 38,872 tons Brake horsepower, normal 14,800 Shaft horsepower, normal 14,000 Sea speed, design draft 16.0 mph Crew accommodations 33 Gross tonnage 33,000 Net tonnage 30,000 The vessel is divided longitudinally into three watertight compartments between cargo-hold extreme bulkheads. Two of these are ballast and void spaces, port and starboard, and the third is the cargo space. Each of these spaces is further subdivided transversely. The ballast and void spaces are each, port and starboard, divided into nine separate watertight compartments by ten bulkheads and the cargo space is divided into four compartments by five bulkheads.