Great Lakes Engineering Works, Ecorse MI, St. Clair MI and Ashtabula OH

Great Lakes Engineering Works was established in 1903 on the Detroit River, in Ecorse MI.  In 1905, the company took over the Columbia Iron Works, in St. Clair MI, which at that time had only built two ships.  The yard in Ashtabula OH was started in 1912.  The Ecorse yard was later renamed the River Rouge yard, as a result of reincorporation of the community.  GLEW closed in 1960.  In the table below, the ships built in St. Clair have an S after their hull numbers and the ships built in Ashtabula have an A.  Note that the Ashtabula yard had its own series of hull numbers from 1919 onwards.  See the site of the Ecorse yard from the air on Google here.

Hull # Original Name Original Owner Type GT DWT Delivery Disposition
Built in St. Clair by Columbia Iron Works Before Its Acquisition
1 Winnebago Iroquois Transit Co. Cargo Ship 1,091   Jul-03 Wrecked off Point Arena 1909
2 John C. Howard Hall Coal Co. Cargo Ship 1,244   Aug-03 Later Melville Dollar 1908, Jinyo Mary 1917, Shin Ping 1920, scrapped 1930
Built by Great Lakes Engineering Works in All Three Locations
1 R W England England Transit Co. Laker 3,887   Jun-04 Later Frank Seither 1920, Fontana 1923, scrapped 1960
2 Detroit Michigan Central RR RR Ferry 2,220   Dec-04 Converted to barge 1969, laid up in Detroit
3 Earthquake   Dump Scow 384   1904  
4 No name Great Lakes Eng. Works Dry-Dock Sections     1904  
5 James E Davidson Inter Ocean SS Laker 6,206   Jun-05 Scrapped 1963
6 Mason & Hoover Zenith SS Laker 5,841   Jul-05 Later E. M. Young 1928, Sparkman D. Foster 1954, scrapped 1963
7 Superior Western Transit Laker 4,544   Aug-05 Later Ralph Budd 1927, L. A. McCorquadale 1959, scrapped 1966
8 Peter White Presque Isle Transit Laker 6,184   Sep-05 Later John C. Hay 1959, scrapped 1961
9 William G. Mather Cleveland Cliffs Iron Laker 7,500 11,300 Oct-05 Later J. H. Sheadle 1925, H. L. Gobeille 1955, Nicolet 1965, scrapped 1996
10 Delaware Erie & Western Tptn. Package 3,901   Nov-05 Later Fred W. Sargent 1927, Papudo 1945, Rauli 1954, scrapped 1961
11S George H Russell Gilchrist Tptn. Laker 4,978   Jul-05 Later Canopus 1913, scrapped 1962
12S Frank J Hecker Gilchrist Tptn. Laker 4,978   Oct-05 Later Perseus 1913, foundered on tow to scrap yard 1961
13 No name Great Lakes Eng. Works Dry-Dock Sections     1905  
14 Frank C Ball Globe SS Laker 6,909   Apr-06 Later J. R. Sensibar 1930, Conallison 1981, scrapped 1984
15 B F Jones Interstate SS Laker 6,939   Apr-06 Later crane lighter SSC-1 1956, in collision and scrapped 1955
16 James Laughlin Interstate SS Laker 6,939   May-06 Later Helen Evans 1964, scrapped 1980
17 William P. Snyder Shenango SS Laker 6,939 10,750 Apr-06 Later Elton Hoyt II 1926, Alex D. Chisholm 1952, Medusa Challenger 1966, Southdown Challenger 1999, St. Mary's Challenger 2004, active
18 Handy Andy Dunbar & Sullivan Dredge 471   1905  
19S Ashtabula Pennsylvania & Ontario SS RR Ferry 2,670   May-06 In collision and sank off Ashtabula 1958, raised and scrapped 1959
20 Michigan Grand Island Laker 6,924   Jul-06 Later Goudreaux 1966, scrapped 1969
21 Ishpeming Grand Island Laker 6,924   Aug-06 Later Thornhill 1966, scrapped 1980
22 J H Sheadle Cleveland Cliffs Iron Laker 6,924   Oct-06 Later F. A. Bailey 1925, La Salle 1930, Meaford 1966, Pierson Independent 1979, Company 1980, scrapped 1980
23 John M McKerchey John M McKerchey ??? 732   Jun-06 Sank off Lorain 1950
24 E L Wallace Northern Transit Laker 4,956   Oct-06 Later Marquette 1917, Poweraux Roger 1963, scrapped 1965
25S John Mitchell Cornell SS Laker 4,468   Mar-07 In collision and sank off Vermillion Point 1911
26S William B Davock Vulcan SS Laker 4,468   May-07 Foundered off Pentwater 1940
27 Thomas F Cole Pittsburgh SS Laker 7,268   Mar-07 Scrapped 1980
28 Wilpen Shenango SS Laker 7,612   Jun-07 Later David P. Thompson 1926, Joseph S. Young 1969, scrapped 1979
29 D O Mills Mesaba SS Laker 6,598   Apr-07 Later G. A. Tomlinson 1960, scrapped 1980
30 Milinokett Milinokett SS Laker 6,215   Aug-07 Later Herbert K. Oakes 1916, Steelton 1925, Cornwall 1943, scrapped 1950
31 John J Boland York Transit Laker 6,035   Oct-07 Later Thunder Bay Quarries 1939, Harris N. Snyder 1953, scrapped 1974
32 Jacob T Kopp Pennsylvania SS Laker 6,035   May-08 Later G. N. Wilson 1928, Consumers Power 1931, Harry Yates 1934, Edmund P. Smith 1939, scrapped 1963
33 Josiah G Munro Frontier SS Laker 6,971   Dec-07 Later Effingham B. Morris 1916, Lebanon 1925, scrapped 1967
34 No name Detroit River Tunnel Tunnel Sections     1907  
35 Rochester Western Transit Package Boat 4,571  <