Interlake Steamship Company Explained

The Interlake Steamship Company is an American freight ship company that operates a fleet on the Great Lakes in North America. It is now part of Interlake Maritime Services.

The company is chaired by James R. Barker, with his son, Mark W. Barker, serving as President. Paul R. Tregurtha serves as Vice-Chairman of the company.^[1]

History

The firm was founded in 1913 when a consortium of firms bought out the seventeen vessels of the Gilchrist Company, which had gone into receivership. The other firms were: the Lackawanna Steamship Company, the Acme Steamship Company, the Standard Steamship Company, the Provident Steamship Company and the Huron Barge Company. The combined fleet operated 56 vessels.

When Interlake launched its largest vessel, MV William J. Delancey (now MV Paul R. Tregurtha), its fleet contained 151 vessels, and was capable of carrying over three million tons of cargo at one time.

In early 2018, Interlake established a subsidiary service known as Interlake Logistics Solutions. Although its existing freight services were focused on bulk raw materials, the new service offered shipping of finished goods. The Barker and Tregurtha families, owners of Interlake Steamship, chartered the 418feet, 14000ST barge Montville to provide this new service on an as-needed basis.^[2]

In April 2019, Interlake Steamship announced construction of a 639feet long, 75feet wide River-class self-unloading bulk freighter. The vessel, built by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, was the first U.S.-flagged, Jones Act-compliant ship built on the Great Lakes since 1983.^[3] and the first built by Interlake since 1981.^[4] The ship was christened MV Mark W. Barker in Cleveland, Ohio^[3] on 1 September 2022.^[5]

In December 2020, was acquired by the Interlake Steamship Company.^[6] The deal also included acquisition of the tug (renamed MT Undaunted), deck barge (renamed ATB Pere Marquette 41), and SS Badger sister ship, currently in long-term lay-up.^[6] ^[7] This was a part of a larger sale of assets. The Middleburg Heights, Ohio-based Interlake Holding Company acquired the assets of Lake Michigan Car Ferry Company, based in Ludington, Michigan.^[8]

Fleet of vessels

The Interlake Steamship Company Vessels^[9]
image	name	launch date	retired	notes
	ATB Pere Marquette 41	1940	1988	Currently an articulated tug barge with the tug MT Undaunted Constructed as SS City of Midland 41
		1942		Constructed as USS Chiwawa for the United States Navy, later renamed SS Walter A. Sterling and SS William Clay Ford (II)
	SS Frank Armstrong	1943	1987^[10]	The fourth ship originally constructed for the U.S. Maritime Commission^[11] ^[12] Sold for scrap to Turkish Shipbreakers in 1988
	MT Undaunted	1944		Currently an Auxiliary Fleet Tug on the Great Lakes Built as
		1952		The last, and largest, coal-fired, steam engine car-ferry constructed in the United States
		1952		Constructed as SS Edward B. Greene, later renamed SS Benson Ford (III)
		1952	1979	Currently on long-term lay-up in Ludington, Michigan
	Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder Tug-Barge	1953		Constructed as SS J. L. Mauthe, later renamed Pathfinder, a self-unloading barge paired with the Z-drive tug Dorothy Ann in 1999
	MV Honorable James L. Oberstar	1958		Constructed as SS Shenango II, later renamed SS Charles M. Beeghly
	SS John Sherwin	1958	2008	Currently on long-term lay-up at the Interlake Steamship Company Dock in DeTour, Michigan
	MV Herbert C. Jackson	1959		Has always sailed for the Interlake Steamship Company Constructed at Great Lakes Engineering Works at the same time of the
	MV Stewart J. Cort	1972		First 1000-foot vessel on the Great Lakes, the only 1000-foot vessel with pilothouse forward
		1976		Third 1000-foot vessel on the upper Great Lakes
		1977		Fourth 1000-foot vessel on the upper Great Lakes
		1981		Thirteenth 1000-foot vessel on the upper Great Lakes Built as MV William J. Delancey Flagship for the Interlake Steamship Company Longest ship ever to operate on Great Lakes Queen of the Lakes since 1981
		1993	2021	Currently on long-term lay-up in Ludington, Michigan
		2022		The first Great Lakes bulk carrier that was constructed on the Great Lakes in more than 35 years The first ship on the Great Lakes with engines that meet EPA Tier 4 emissions standards First Jones Act-compliant vessel on Great Lakes in four decades.

References

Web site: Paul Tregurtha and James Barker Receive Silver Bell Awards. February 5, 2022. Seamen’s Church Institute.
News: McCafferty. Rachel Abbey. Interlake Steamship adds new barge to fleet. Crain's Cleveland Business. April 30, 2018. May 1, 2018.
Web site: Marine News' Top Vessels of 2022. March 29, 2023. Marine Link. November 28, 2022. marinelink.com. Marine Link.
News: Schuyler. David. Freighter to be built in Wisconsin shipyard will be first new U.S. flagged bulk carrier in 35 years. Milwaukee Business Journal. April 9, 2019. April 10, 2019.
Web site: GREAT LAKES OPERATOR INVESTS LOCALLY . The Motorship . June 26, 2020 . August 31, 2020.
News: Iconic Great Lakes car ferry SS Badger sold . Christine . Ferretti . . December 31, 2020.
News: S.S. Badger car ferry has new owner as part of Lake Michigan Car Ferry Co. sale to Interlake Holding Co.. Jake . Prinsen . . December 31, 2020.
News: S.S. Badger — iconic cross-lake car ferry in Ludington — sold to Ohio firm . MIBIZ STAFF . MBIZ . December 30, 2020.
Web site: The Interlake Steamship Company Vessels. interlake-steamship.com. 2019. 12 November 2022.
Web site: Armstrong, Frank. Berry. Sterling. 2011. greatlakesvesselhistory.com. December 14, 2010 .
Web site: C.T.C. No. 1. Wharton. George. 2011. boatnerd.com. December 6, 2018 .
Book: Haydamacker. Nelson "Mickey". Millar. Alan D. . 24 February 2009. Deckhand. University of Michigan Press. 111. 978-0-472-03325-6.

^[13] ^[14] ^[15] ^[16] ^[17] ^[18] ^[19]

External links

Interlake Steamship Company