Home  Wartime Yachtbuilders  Shipyard Index

Henry C. Grebe & Company, Chicago IL

(formerly Great Lakes Boat Building Corporation)

Most recent update: January 5, 2012.

Henry C. Grebe & Company was the successor to Great Lakes Boat Building, which had started in Milwaukee in 1915 and moved to Chicago in 1921.  Grebe was famous for the style and quality of the boats he designed and built and the yard had many famous customers.  It was located on the west side of the North Branch of the Chicago River, just north of the West Belmont Avenue Bridge: it built its last boat in 1970 but did not finally close until 1994.  The site is now occupied by the Belmont River Club townhouse complex.  If anyone can add to the table below, please send your info to timcolton@aol.com

Hull # Name Customer Type Feet GT Delivery Disposition
Built in Milwaukee by Great Lakes Boat Building
  Kingfisher E. L. King Power Cruiser 56   1916  
  Sea Tag   Patrol Boat 50   1917  
  SC 328 U.S. Navy Sub Chaser 110 135 20-Oct-17 Sold 1935
  SC 329 U.S. Navy Sub Chaser 110 135 20-Oct-17 Sold 1922
  SC 419 U.S. Navy Sub Chaser 110 135 22-Nov-18 Sold 1927
  SC 420 U.S. Navy Sub Chaser 110 135 1918 Sold 1920
    Henry Ringling Power Cruiser 48      
  Miss Liberty II   Power Cruiser 62   1920 Capable of 30 knots.
  Frances John F. Dodge Power Cruiser 104   1920 Capable of 30 knots.
  Adroit II         1920 To USN 1942 as YP 188, to MARAD 1947
  Boss   Power Cruiser 42   1921 Active
  Apothecariana   Commuter 62 33 1921 Now Pam
Built in Chicago, at first by Great Lakes Boat Building, later by Henry C. Grebe & Company
  Wasp II Philip D. Wrigley Power Cruiser 65   1923 Capable of 27 knots.
  Solace II L. S. Wallace Power Cruiser     1925 Deleted
  Freedom Sterling Morton Schooner 88   1930 To the USNA 1940, sold 1968
  Halame   Power Cruiser 44 29 1930 Active
  Sunbeam   Power Cruiser 46   1931  
  Venture   Power Cruiser 35   1934 Active
  Devshir   Ketch 60 41 1936 Active
  Scottie Mrs. Grebe Power Cruiser 40 16 1936 Now Robert Allan II
  Rhea III   Power Cruiser 103     To NOAA 1941 as George D. Cowie, sold 1962
  Rusty II Arnold Horween Power Cruiser 53 32 1939 Now Courier
  Sohio S. O. of Ohio Towboat     1939 Later Kestrel
  Awab   Motor Sailer 55 27 1940 Now Flying Gull
  Escapade   Sloop 25   1940 Active
  High Tide   Motor Yacht 71   1941 Now Miss Laura
  YMS 84 US Navy Minesweeper 136 320 23-May-42 Mined off Borneo and lost 1945
  YMS 85 US Navy Minesweeper 136 320 30-Jun-42 To the USSR as T-604 1945, scuttled 1956
  YMS 171/BYMS 2171 US Navy/Royal Navy Minesweeper 136 320 29-Mar-43 To Greece 1946 as Kefallinia (M 207), struck 1966
  YMS 172/BYMS 2172 US Navy/Royal Navy Minesweeper 136 320 17-Apr-43 To Greece 1946 as Kerkyra (M 208), struck 1960
  YMS 173/BYMS 2173 US Navy/Royal Navy Minesweeper 136 320 1-May-43 To Italy 1947 as Begonia, to Finland 1848, sold as mission ship Ebeneser 1954, sank 1983
  YMS 174/BYMS 2174 US Navy/Royal Navy Minesweeper 136 320 22-May-43 Sold 1947
  YMS 175/BYMS 2175 US Navy/Royal Navy Minesweeper 136 320 5-Jun-43 To Egypt 1949 as Gaza (or Tor?), to Algeria 1962 as Djebel Aures, wrecked 1963
  YMS 176 US Navy Minesweeper 136 320 10-Jul-43 Scrapped 1947
  YMS 177 US Navy Minesweeper 136 320 18-Jul-43 Struck 1946
  YMS 178 US Navy Minesweeper 136 320 27-Jul-43 To the USSR 1945 as T-588, scuttled 1956
  YMS 179 US Navy Minesweeper 136 320 14-Aug-43 Reclassified 1947 as Cardinal (AMS 4), to Brazil 1960 as Javari (M 11), scrapped 1970
  YMS 180 US Navy Minesweeper 136 320 28-Aug-43 To the USSR 1945 as T-609, scrapped 1956
  YMS 181/BYMS 2181 US Navy/Royal Navy Minesweeper 136 320 12-Sep-43 Struck 1946
  YMS 182/BYMS 2182 US Navy/Royal Navy Minesweeper 136 320 25-Sep-43 To Greece 1959 as Lambadias, struck 1968
  YMS 279/BYMS 2279 US Navy/Royal Navy Minesweeper 136 320 2-Oct-43 Sold 1946 as Rudolf Diesel, later to Germany as Y 289, now in the Netherlands, still active
  YMS 280/BYMS 2280 US Navy/Royal Navy Minesweeper 136 320 16-Oct-43 To Italy 1947 as Verbena, struck 1966
  YMS 405 US Navy Minesweeper 136 320 8-Nov-43 Struck 1946, sold 1947, later Leo Huff II, Silver Beach
  YMS 406 US Navy Minesweeper 136 320 20-Nov-43 To Norway 1945 as NYMS 406, later Rana (M 330) 1948, struck 1962
  YMS 407 US Navy Minesweeper 136 320 8-Dec-43 Sold 1947
  YMS 408 US Navy Minesweeper 136 320 18-Dec-43 Sold 1947 as Eva, burnt and lost in the 1980s
  YMS 409 US Navy Minesweeper 136 320 1-Jan-44 Foundered in the North Atlantic and lost 1944
  YMS 418 US Navy Minesweeper 136 320 21-Sep-44 Sold 1947
  YMS 419 US Navy Minesweeper 136 320 28-Oct-44 Reclassified 1947 as Mockingbird (AMS 27), to South Korea 1956 as Ko Chang (MSC 521), struck 1974
  YMS 420 US Navy Minesweeper 136 320 5-Feb-45 To Canada 1951 as HMCS Cordova (MCA 158), sold 1970 as Harbour Queen No. 1, then Nakaya, reefed 1992
  YMS 421 US Navy Minesweeper 136 320 3-Mar-45 Foundered off Okinawa 1946
  YTL 200 US Navy Tug 61 54 1942 To France 1951 as Goeland, to Vietnam 1956 as HQ 9503
  YTL 201 US Navy Tug 61 54 1942  
  YTL 202 US Navy Tug 61 54 1942 Sold 1947
  YTL 203 US Navy Tug 61 54 1942 To France 1951 as Heron, to Vietnam 1956
  YTL 230 US Navy Tug 61 54 1943  
  YTL 231 US Navy Tug 61 54 1943 To Colombia 1963 as Teniente Ricardo Sorzano (RM 73)
  YTL 232 US Navy Tug 61 54 1943 To Britain 1943, to WSA 1947?
  YTL 233 US Navy Tug 61 54 1943 Sold 1946
  YTL 234 US Navy Tug 61 54 1943  
  YTL 235 US Navy Tug 61 54 1943 Sold 1946, now S. T. S.
  YTL 445 US Navy Tug 61 50 1944 To Argentina 1969 as Calchaqui (R 6)
  YTL 446 US Navy Tug 61 50 1944 To Vietnam 1963
  YTL 447 US Navy Tug 61 50 1944 Sold 1965 as Eastwind, later Champion, Big Chief, Champion II, now Tugugly
  YTL 448 US Navy Tug 61 50 1945 To Argentina 1965 as Morcoyan (R 19)
  YTL 449 US Navy Tug 61 50 1945 To Philippines 1963 as Aeta (YQ 224)
  YTL 450 US Navy Tug 61 50 1945 Later Goblin, now Vancouver
  YTL 451 US Navy Tug 61 50 1944 To Vietnam 1963
  Samish Dunlap Towing Tug 67 58 1944 Ex-YTL ? active
  John Ackerman   Tug 61 42 1945 Ex-YTL ? active
  YW 117 US Navy Water Tanker 174 440 1945 Sold 1985, now Nooh 4
  YW 118 US Navy Water Tanker 174 440 1945 Scrapped 1974
  YW 119 US Navy Water Tanker 174 440 1945 Scrapped 1982
  YW 122 US Navy Water Tanker 174 440 1945 To Peru 1980
  Comet   Sailing Yawl 53 24 1946 Now Cometa
  Miss Carol Ann Merritt & Sons Inc Passenger 66 58 1947 Active
  Betty Gay I   Power Cruiser 65 56 1947 Later Patrician Lady V, Newmar, Car An II, now Shawnlacesan
152 Marileen O'Shaughnessy Power Cruiser 65 56 1948 Now Harvest Moon
  Wanigan III   Power Cruiser 83 88 1949 Now Veritas
  Ilys   Power Cruiser 53 30 1950 Now Patriot Seal
  Full Moon General Boat Co Passenger 65 56 1950 Active, in Baltimore
157 Water Nymph John Blair Power Cruiser 57 29 1950 Registration expired end-2010
158 AMS 74 US Navy Minesweeper 144 405 6-Jul-53 To Italy as Castagno (M 5504), to Greece 1995 as Erato (M 60)
159 AMS 75 US Navy Minesweeper 144 405 2-Feb-54 To Italy as Gelso (M 5509), to Greece 1995 as Euniki (M 62), struck 2007
160 AMS 76 US Navy Minesweeper 144 405 26-Oct-54 To Italy as Ontano (M 5513), struck 1993

In this last section, the boats with hull #s are known to be correct: the boats without hull #s are known to exist but it's not clear which boat goes with which hull #
161 Wedac W. Fondren Jr.   51   1955  
162 Neval O. A. Sutton   73   1955  
163     Speedboat 40     Not completed
164 Estella M C. E. Wetherald   47   1956  
165 Isan III H. W. Jackson   47   1956  
166 Viobi II W. T. Hales Jr.   53   1956  
167 Sunny K K. K. Knickerbocker   47   1956  
      Power Cruiser 44 17 1956 Later Christiana, now My Island
168 Late Tape G. M. Copp   47   1957  
169 Bonte H. A. Gray Jr. Power Cruiser 65 17  1957 Now Nauti Dolphin 
170 Hummel Hummel R. O. Schultz   57   1957  
171 Conleeda G. W. Deeb Jr.   47   1958  
172       46   1961  
173 Amalia D A. Desiderio   54   1958  
174 Congress Queen G. Martin Passenger 66 45 1959 Now Skyline Queen
175 Awab J. A. Simpson Motor Sailer 56 53 1959 Later Sequoi 
176 Millie Jean J. Robbins Power Cruiser  65 48 1959 Now Vagabond d’Azur 
177 Florencia K. C. Gifford   65   1960  
178 Mercedes III H. Kresge Passenger 68 83 1959 Later Misty, Ellen Ruth, now Mercedes III
179 Seawalker V M. Walker   54   1960  
180 Florencia II K. C. Gifford Power Cruiser 75 68 1961 Now belongs to Jerry Lewis
181 Shelly K VII J. M. Rich   54   1961  
    Mercury Sightseeing Power Cruiser 48 41 1961 Later Rushmere, now Lady Grebe
182 Maruja G. W. Thompson   55   1962  
183   Chicago Police Dept. Patrol Boat 20   1962  
184   Chicago Police Dept. Patrol Boat 20   1962  
185   Chicago Police Dept. Patrol Boat 20   1962  
186 Sequoia II J. N. Spear Motor Sailer 57 38 1963 Active
187 Jewel L. Garlick   57   1963  
188 Goblin III J. N. Gamble Motor Sailer 42 42 1963 Later Sundu, now Nepenthe
189 Elda Maria J. R. Perini   60   1963  
      Power Cruiser   58 1963 Later Capri V, now Traviata
      Passenger 55 50 1963 Now Lady Hornblower
190 Westlake II L. Norton Power Cruiser 55 47 1964 Later Pusseaphut, now Elegante
191 Maruja II G. W. Thompson   65   1964  
192 Maurine II D. Weir   57   1964  
193 Princess Marina J. W. Cox   57   1965  
194 Iroquois J. B. Poole Power Cruiser 55 46 1965 Later Box Office, now Iroquois
      Power Cruiser 55 50 1965 Later Lucky Six, inactive
      Power Cruiser 53 46 1965 Later Amanda Blaire, now Daddy's Money
195 Sundancer F. A. Sunderland   55   1966  
196 Arrowhead E. Flint Power Cruiser 55 46 1966 Later Life of Riley, now Northstar
197 SPR(L) IV H. Joy   60   1967  
198 36SR681 U.S. Navy LCSR 36 14 1969 Now Leanna Katherine
199       60     Not built
      Power Cruiser 65 64 1970 Now Santee
200 Karen J S. Spitzer Power Cruiser 65   1971  
      Power Cruiser 85     Owned by Elizabeth Taylor
      Power Cruiser       Later Millie Jean