The William A. Irvin was launched on November 21st, 1937 at yards of the American shipbuilding company in Lorain, Ohio. The Irvin cost $1.3 million to make and was at the time one of the largest ships to be made, once she was finished she was also christened by William’s wife Gertrude. With Three cargo holds and 2,000 horsepower in her engine as she sailed the great lakes, she had nine officers and 32 crew members. The Irvin carried iron ore and coal for over 40 years in bulk from the tip of lake superior, two harbors, and Duluth MN until her final layup in 1978 for being too small. Before she retired, The Irvin set a record for unloading 13.856 tons of iron ore in two hours and 55 minutes using Holett unloaders, that record remains unbroken today and it is unlikely to change. She is one of the few Great lake vessels to still be holding a current Great lakes Cargo record.
The William A. Irvin wasn’t just a workhorse, She actually carried many guests from the company of U.S. Steel. In fact, she had four private luxury cabins, the guests had their own dining room and their own guest lounge. They were trimmed with Oak Pannerry and Walnut Veneer brass hard railings, still in excellent condition today. Which you can see yourself on tours, The are open daily from May to September and in early October they have haunted ship tours. September 21st, 2018 once the tours ended, The William A. Irvin was taken out of the Slip she rested in for repairs on her outside.
On Wednesday, October 18th, 2019 The Irvin was moved back into the slip. With no working engine, rodder or ballast they had 7 inches of clearance on both sides of the small Blue bridge opening for pedestrians. It took 6 plus hours to completely get the Irvin back into the slip and will open up for tours again in May 2020. I recommend going to see the Irvin if you are heading to Duluth, It’s really interesting to see the insides of the Cargo boats and where they would carry the workload.
If you want to see for yourself how the SS William A. Irvin was returned into the slip where it rests, Check out this video on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=nOIxuWzIvhs&feature=emb_…