By Chris Winters

Lucy, the ship’s cat, relieves the watch and takes a turn piloting the SOUTHDOWN CHALLENGER past the Hoan Bridge into Milwaukee’s harbor, December 2004.

The SOUTHDOWN CHALLENGER has been a Milwaukee regular under many names. Built as the WILLIAM P. SNYDER in 1906 at Ecorse, Mich. by the Great Lakes Engineering Works for the Shenango Steamship Company, she measured 530 feet in length, 56.2 in beam and 32 in depth. In 1926 she was renamed ELTON HOYT II, in 1952 ALEX D. CHISHOLM, in 1966 MEDUSA CHALLENGER, in 1999 SOUTHDOWN CHALLENGER and in 2005 ST. MARYS CHALLENGER. In 2013 her career as a self-propelled vessel came to a close. At Bay Shipbuilding she was cut down to an articulated lake barge and is now pushed by a dedicated tug. She is still sailing into Milwaukee.

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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