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Page 67 MICHIGAN, the size of the STEWART J. CORT limits her sphere and locks her in the lakes. The ship will be able to go to and from Lake Superior through the newly expanded Poe Lock at Sault Ste. Marie, but is too large to squeeze through the Welland Canal where she entered Lake Erie as a child. This of course, was known when she was planned. She was designed as a one cargo ship to sail on a specific course. Her purpose in life will be to move taconite iron ore pellets from Taconite Harbor and Silver Bay on Lake Superior to Bethlehem Steel's steel plant at Burns Harbor, Indiana, at the southern extremity of Lake Michigan. The debut of the STEWART J. CORT, the first 1,000 foot vessel on the Great Lakes, is indeed a historic milestone. The CORT completed sea trials in July, 1971, but would not enter service until the following year. She was commissioned on April 1, 1972 and scheduled to depart Erie, PA on April 24th, but heavy ice in the upper lakes delayed her departure. Late in the afternoon on May 1st, she departed Erie ushering in a new era. She was forced to anchor in western Lake Erie due to fog. The next day she sailed up the Detroit and St. Clair Rivers during daylight hours, allowing thousands to view her from the US and Canadian shorelines. She arrived in Taconite Harbor, MN to load her first cargo of49,343 tons for delivery to Bethlehem Steel in Bums Harbor, IN. This would remain her primary route over the years. She was usually one of the early vessels to pass thru the Soo Locks in March. Although the number of 1,000 vessels would reach fifteen, the CORT with her forward cabins arrangement made her unique. As a new century approached, Bethlehem Steel faced the same downturn in the steel industry as older companies were forced into bankruptcy. In October, 2002, Bethlehem Steel declared bankruptcy and later sold their steelmaking operations to International Steel Group in January 2003. In 2005 the stack markings of the CORT were repainted in Interlake Steamship Colors. Ice and cold weather cause delays for vessels as they make their last few trips of the season before the Soo Locks close in January. This photo was taken by Terry Sechen as the Great Lakes Towing tug VERMONT assisted the grounded 1,000-footer STEWART J. CORT away from the Burlington Northern Dock in Superior, Wisconsin on December 30, 1993. Photo from Mann Historical Files