Our Blog
Wisconsin Marine Historical Society is a self-supported nonprofit organization committed to collecting, preserving, archiving, and sharing materials that illuminate the rich heritage of the Great Lakes maritime industry. Check out our blog to dive deep into the fascinating narratives and events that have shaped the Great Lakes maritime legacy. Search our blog index to find your favorite stories.
A SHIP FROM A MOST UNUSUAL PLACE
August 2, 2026By James Heinz I have been observing ships from the Great Lakes and other places for over 50 years. Recently at Milwaukee’s Jones Island I saw a ship from a place that I had never seen before on the Great Lakes. On July 14, 2026, I was passing Jones Island…Read more
THE REAL STORY OF THE SCHOONER CHALLENGE
July 31, 2026By James Heinz In a previous story I told of how Milwaukee’s Discovery World was built around a replica of the schooner CHALLENGE. This is the story of the real CHALLENGE. Discovery World’s choice of the CHALLENGE was an appropriate one. In his book SCHOONER PASSAGES: SAILING SHIPS AND THE…Read more
Long Ships Passing – Oil Flow Check
July 27, 2026By Chris Winters An assistant engineer checks the oil flow on one of the EDWARD L. RYERSON’s tail shaft bearings, while upbound on Lake Superior, November 2006. The EDWARD L. RYERSON was built in 1960 at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. for Inland Steel. She measured 730 x…Read more
BUILDING A SHIP THAT WILL NEVER SAIL
July 25, 2026By James Heinz The Discovery World museum on Milwaukee’s lakefront once had its own floating replica of a Great Lakes schooner. Launched in 2000, the ship was named the DENIS SULLIVAN after the longest serving captain on the Great Lakes. In 2022, the DENIS SULLIVAN was sold to a marine…Read more
The CORT and BARKER visit Duluth
July 24, 2026Elmer Engman, our Duluth correspondent, reports that on July 19th he found a rare visitor tied up at the Midwest Energy Terminal dock in Superior, Wisconsin. The terminal ceased operations on June 30th. The STEWART J. CORT is slightly bow down with maintenance being done on the starboard propeller shaft…Read more
The GARLAND collides with the steam yacht MAMIE
July 23, 2026On this day July 22, 1880, the two month old passenger ferry GARLAND was on her way down the Detroit River around 10 in the evening with a party of about 800-1200 (newspaper accounts vary) Detroit Stove Works employees and their friends. When near the Grassy Island Light, she…Read more
The CHARLES A. STREET destroyed by fire
July 20, 2026On this day July 20, 1908, the steam barge CHARLES A. STREET was destroyed by fire about Port Huron. Built in 1888 at Grand Haven by Duncan Robertson for John Lang of Chicago, she was launched on April 14th after forty men were employed in building her all winter. Measuring…Read more
WHEN KENOSHA COMMITTED TREASON AGAINST THE UNITED STATE
July 19, 2026By James Heinz In the 1850s a long-forgotten conflict raged on Lake Michigan, a conflict that would determine the fate of the entire Midwest. I hereby give this forgotten conflict a name: The Lake Michigan Dredge Wars In a recent lecture at the Kenosha Civil War Museum and in his…Read more
On this day the IOWA and SHEBOYGAN came together
July 17, 2026The IOWA was built at Manitowoc, Wis., in 1896 on the hull of the burned wooden steamer MENOMINEE which had been built in 1872 and was owned by Goodrich. It was a total rebuild and the IOWA had accommodations of 52 state rooms for 108 passengers on the cabin deck…Read more
SILVERSIDES arrives at Fincantieri
July 16, 2026Tom Wenstadt, our Door County correspondent, reports that the USS SILVERSIDES (SS-236) arrived at the Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding yard, Tuesday, July 14th. Two tugs towed the submarine through the Sturgeon Bay ship canal, through Sturgeon Bay’s three bridges then to the yard where it will be docked in the FBS…Read more
THE DEATH OF A GREAT LAKES FREIGHTER EXPLAINED
July 15, 2026By James Heinz In a previous story https://wmhs.org/fire-has-claimed-another-great-lakes-freighter/ I told the story of how the 88 year old bulk carrier CUYAHOGA was damaged by fire on March 15, 2024, while in winter layup at Ashtabula, Ohio. This article explains what happened, according to the February 2026 issue of Professional Mariner…Read more
THEN AND NOW: THE SCHOONER LUCIA A. SIMPSON
July 13, 2026By James Heinz The schooner LUCIA A. SIMPSON was launched in 1875 in Manitowoc, Wis. She was a typical wooden, three masted ship of 227 tons displacement. She was 127 feet long, 28 feet wide, and had 4 hatches. Unlike most of Great Lakes schooners, the SIMPSON had a long…Read more
