SS Alpena
SS Alpena in Cleveland, Ohio in 2018 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Builder | Great Lakes Engineering Works |
| Launched | February 28, 1942 |
| Identification |
|
| Status | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Lake freighter |
| Tonnage | 5,633 long tons (5,723 t) |
| Length | 519 ft (158 m) (since 1991), 639 ft (195 m) (1942–91) |
| Beam | 67 ft (20 m) |
| Propulsion | De Laval Steam Turbine Company steam turbine engine, two Babcock & Wilcox water-tube boilers |
| Speed | 16 mph (26 km/h) (unloaded), 14.5 mph (23.3 km/h) (fully loaded) |
| Capacity | 14,000 LT (14,000 t) (since 1991), 18,600 LT (18,900 t) (1942–91) |
| Crew | 28 (as of 1991) |
SS Alpena (formerly SS Leon Fraser) is a lake freighter. She was built in 1942 by the Great Lakes Engineering Works in Ecorse, Michigan, to carry iron ore. She was originally owned by the Pittsburgh Steamship Company, a subsidiary of United States Steel. After also hauling grain in addition to ore in the 1960s and 1970s, the ship was put into storage in 1982.
In 1989, the ship was purchased by Fraser Shipyards in Superior, Wisconsin, which shortened her by 120 feet (37 m) and converted her into a self-unloading cement carrier. In 1990, the ship was purchased by New Management Enterprises and renamed the SS Alpena, which uses her to transport cement between Alpena, Michigan, and other Great Lakes cement ports.
By 2015, she was the oldest active steamship on the Great Lakes. In December 2015, she was damaged by a fire while in a dry dock for an inspection, returning to service in 2016 after repairs. As of 2024, the ship is owned by Andrie Transportation Group and Inland Lakes Management.