By Chris Winters
In July 2012, workers prepare to lift the KAYE E. BARKER’s new tail shaft section into the graving dock at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. The BARKER’s 1950s-era contra-guide stern required a total rebuild in order to accommodate a modern dual-fuel powerplant, automated engine room and variable-pitch propeller, July 2012.
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The KAYE E. BARKER was built in 1952 at Toledo by the American Ship Building Company as Cleveland-Cliffs EDWARD B. GREEN. She measured 629.4 feet in length, 70.2 feet in beam and 31.3 feet in depth. In 1976 she was lengthened at Fraser Shipyards in Superior by a 120 foot midbody giving her new dimensions of 767 x 70 x 36. In 1981 she was converted to a self-unloader. In 1985 she was renamed BENSON FORD (3rd) by the Rouge Steel Company. In 1989 she began sailing for the Interlake Steamship Company and was renamed after the wife of Interlake’s President. She still currently sails for Interlake.
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Chris Winters is a Trustee and Vice President of the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society, a well-known author and has been a photojournalist for over 25 years. He and his cameras have enjoyed a privileged glimpse into the lives of merchant mariners aboard some of the Great Lakes best-known and best-loved vessels.
This story was originally posted February 10, 2024
