By James Heinz
Under different names, the Great Lakes bulk carrier ST. MARYS CHALLENGER has been with us since it was launched in 1906 as the WILLIAM P. SNYDER. Until 2013 she was the last piston powered freighter in service in the world, and probably the last riveted freighter in service in the world.
She is still with us. She is the ship we see all the time.
In 2013 her engines were removed and the hull was converted into an articulated tug barge vessel with her own dedicated tugboat to push her along. Now known as the ST. MARY’S CHALLENGER for the cement company that owns her, she is now 110 years old.
As for where we see her, here are some of the places:
The St. Mary’s Cement Company terminal on the Kinnikinnic River at 2006 South Kinnikinnic Avenue, Milwaukee.
Photo courtesy of Jan Hetzel
Just down the KK River, WMHS members have seen her pass by Barnacle Bud’s restaurant on at 1955 South Hilbert Street in Milwaukee during one of our annual summer lunches.
Just up the street at Transfer Pizza at 101 West Mitchell Street in Milwaukee there are two paintings of the ship when it was known as MEDUSA CHALLENGER. Owner and part time longshoreman Russell Rossetto says that they are “invertible” paintings. If you look closely, you can see that the reflection of the ship on the water is actually another portrait of it going the other way.
Up the shoreline at Manitowoc WI I have also seen the ship…from the air.
I also saw the ship from the deck of the World War II submarine USS COBIA at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum while narrowly avoiding Hollywood stardom
Wisconsin Maritime Museum also has a model of the ship while she was known as the MEDUSA CHALLENGER going up the Chicago River in downtown Chicago.
When the CHALLENGER was converted to an ATB, her pilot house was removed and is now on display at the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo OH: https://nmgl.org/bringing-history-to-life-challenger/
The other place you can see the CHALLENGER is here on the pages of the WMHS blog in articles about her posted by WMHS member Chris Winters: https://wmhs.org/long-ships-passing-unloading-at-milwaukee/
Photos by James Heinz and Jan Hetzel
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James Heinz is the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society’s acquisitions director. He became interested in maritime history as a kid watching Jacques Cousteau’s adventures on TV. He was a Great Lakes wreck diver until three episodes of the bends forced him to retire from diving. He was a University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee police officer for thirty years. He regularly flies either a Cessna 152 or 172.
