On this day, March 12, 1941, the car ferry CITY OF MIDLAND 41 made her first official trip. She loaded cars of paper at Manitowoc, then loaded cars of canned milk at Kewaunee and sailed to Ludington. She left Ludington on the 13th and sailed for Milwaukee.
PERE MARQUETTE 41/UNDAUNTED at Muskegon, Mich., on June 29, 2002. Photo by Chuck Sterba
The CITY OF MIDLAND 41 has had a long career. Today she is the barge PERE MARQUETTE 41 which is usually seen with the tug UNDAUNTED. The conversion to an articulated tug/barge combination happened in 1998. Because of this lengthy career, this will just be a short history focusing on her launching which was a “who’s who” in the shipping industry and had great coverage in the newspapers.
The CITY OF MIDLAND 41 was launched on September 18, 1940, at Manitowoc, Wis. She was built by Manitowoc Ship Building for the Pere Marquette Shipping and Railroad Co. which was later absorbed by the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Co.
In 1939 the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. received the contract for a new streamlined $1,970,000 carferry. It was to have an increased capacity on the main deck to load 34 standard size freight cars on four railroad tracks. Some of the requirements were the cabin deck was to have separate smoking parlors for men and women, 62 of the 74 passenger staterooms, and a dining room that could accommodate 57 people in one sitting. The new feature was carrying 50 automobiles on the upper deck, instead of the main deck.
The following article from The Great Lakes News of October 1940 describes in detail what a social event the launching was.
“The launching of the Pere Marquette Railroad’s new carferry CITY OF MIDLAND at Manitowoc September 18 was a great day for the Wisconsin port. Marine and railroad officials big and little were there. Capt. Timothy Kelley who took a cargo of grain from Chicago to Ogdensburg, N.Y. 63 years ago was there. William L. Mercereau who preceded Lee Kent as superintendent of steamships for the Pere Marquette came up from his Florida home to be there. He saw the carferry service on Lake Michigan grow. O. T. Larsen, veteran Lake Michigan carferry man and marine superintendent of the Ann Arbor R.R. Co. carferries, and Robert J. Bloecker, superintendent of Lake Michigan carferries for the Grand Trunk Railroad were in attendance. Capt. Edward Carus, Edwin Schuette veteran banker of Manitowoc who hasn’t missed a launching in 61 years was there. Capt. Frank Dority one of the earliest carferry captains to crush the ice thru winter blasts was there.
“George D. Brooke, president of Chesapeake & Ohio Lines, of which Pere Marquette is a unit, headed the delegation of railroad notables attending the ceremonies. W. C. Hull, vice president in charge of traffic of the C. & O. and P. M. Railroads spoke at the luncheon preceding the launching. Among other Clevelanders were Earl B. Hull, supervising inspector of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation, and Capt. Chester W. Willett, president, Great Lakes Towing Co.
“Age doesn’t show on Capt. Dority. It was a great day for Charles C. West, head of the builders, who was host to all. It was a great day for Lee H. Kent, the superintendent of steamships who conceived new ideas and plans that were incorporated in the largest steam powered driven carferry in the world.
“Just as the signal was given, Miss Helen Dow, the sixteen year old daughter of Dr. Henry Willard Dow, president of the Dow Chemical Co. of Midland, Mich., flung the beribboned bottle of water from Saginaw Bay, squarely on the bow of the ship as the streamliner slid into the water and sent its spray over the happy throng of watchers. The whistles blew, the sirens shrieked and the crowd gave lusty cheers. The mighty Tug REISS stood by with her commander, Capt. Glen Bergerson and Larry Lewandowski her chief engineer and brought the big ship calmly to her mooring place awaiting further installation of her machinery and equipment.
“The CITY OF MIDLAND has an overall length of 406 feet; length between perpendiculars, 388 feet; beam, 58 feet; welded depth, 23 1/2 feet; gross tonnage, 6000. The carrying capacity will be 34 loaded freight cars, 50 automobiles and 376 passengers.
“Powered by twin uniflow steam engines with a normal shaft horsepower of 6000, the largest engines of their type ever constructed, with twin propeller shafts, she will have a service speed of 18 miles per hour. Steam is to be generated by four watertube boilers, fitted with economizers and superheaters.”
You have to wonder if all those influential marine people would believe that the CITY OF MIDLAND 41 would still be sailing 84 years later – with an updated look.
The following is an impressive list of facts that the Great Lakes News of March 1941 posted about the new carferry
“The CITY OF MIDLAND 41, they say, is the safest ship ever launched on the Great Lakes. No wood, either in basic cabin construction or furniture will be found in the ship.
“Approximately 6,000,000 pounds of steel were employed in its construction. Paint used totaled 35 tons or 70,000 pounds.
“About 700,000 rivets were used to bind the ship together. Almost a year or 352 days, elapsed from the time the ship was laid up to its trial run.
“The ship is 406 feet in length and has a carrying capacity of 34 freight cars, 50 automobiles and 376 passengers. She has 62 staterooms and 12 parlors.
“The large dining room seats 60 persons at one time. Mandel Brothers, a well-known Chicago department store, was in charge of all interior decoration.
“So complete and modern is the new ship that it provides eight steel dog kennels for those who take their pets with them.
“The ship has a guaranteed service speed of 18 mph and will normally make the Ludington-Manitowoc run in three and one-half hours.
“The new flagship is the only craft of its type to date with double bottom construction—two complete bottoms, each independent of the other, as a special safety protection.
“Two Skinner uniflow steam engines, largest of their type ever constructed, produce a normal 6,000 shaft horse-power.
“About 25 miles of electrical wire were needed to equip the ship and about two miles of pipe.
“She has 450 light fixtures. “
Suzette Lopez
Photo at top of page: CITY OF MIDLAND 41 at Manitowoc Ship Building just after launching.
Photo credit: Great Lakes Marine Collection of the Milwaukee Public Library and Wisconsin Marine Historical Society.
