By Chris Winters

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding’s “Triple Eight” crawler crane lifts one of the CHARLES M. BEEGHLY‘s new dual-fuel MaK powerplants into the vessel’s engine well, January 2009. 

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Built by the American Ship Building Company at Toledo in 1959 as the SHENANGO II, the 710 foot CHARLES M. BEEGHLY was one of the largest vessels on the Great Lakes and named for a former President of Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation. In 1972 she was lengthened by 96 feet and later converted to a self-unloader in 1981.  In 2010, the BEEGHLY was renamed HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR honoring former Minnesota congressman.  She currently sails for the Interlake Steamship Company and has since 1967.

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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 on March 17, 2024.