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The Interlake Steamship Company is an American company that operates freight ships on the Great Lakes in North America. Its predecessor was the Interlake Company, organized in 1894. Founded in 1913 as a subsidiary of Pickands Mather, it once owned the second-largest fleet on the Great Lakes. After several changes in ownership in 1968 and 1972, the company was spun off as a privately-owned independent corporation in 1987.
 Stack markings of Interlake Steamship Co. vessels | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | freighter and barge transportation of bulk commodities |
| Founded | 1913 in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada |
| Website | interlake-steamship.com |
Early Pickands Mather steamship operations
Pickands Mather and Company was formed in 1883 to own and operate iron mines in the Iron Range of Minnesota.[1] In the 1880s and 1890s, the firm rapidly added to their iron mine holdings, and expanded into coal mining, iron ore and coal shipping, dock ownership, the manufacture of coke, and iron and steel rolling mills.[2] Its lone investment in shipping consisted of a 13/20th interest in a single wooden ship,[3] the V. H. Ketchum.[4][a]
In April 1886, the company hired local stenographer Harry Coulby,[6][7] who swiftly worked his way up in the corporate ranks to become head of the company's Marine Department.[8] Pickands Mather was shipping iron ore from mines in Minnesota to steel mills all over the Great Lakes. Coulby's fascination with the lakes and his interest in accounting led him to learn all he could about Great Lakes shipping: the type of boats in operation, port facilities available, weather, routes, cost, and more.[9] He was quick to identify ways in which to cut costs and expand the company's business at minimal expense.[10]
Management of other steamship fleets
In 1889, Pickands Mather partner and iron mine owner Jay C. Morse and others organized the Minnesota Steamship Company to meet the joint shipping needs of Pickands Mather and other companies. Within three years, the firm had a fleet of nine steamers and five barges.[11] In 1892, Pickands Mather purchased the Huron Barge Company,[12] whose fleet consisted of the whaleback steamer Pathfinder and the whaleback-turned-barge Sagamore,[5][b] and the following year established a steamship coal fueling business.[13] Pickands Mather then organized the Interlake Company in 1894,[14] and in 1895 took on management of the American Steel Barge Company, which had constructed the largest whaleback shipping fleet on the Great Lakes.[15] The American Steel Barge fleet consisted of seven steamships and 20 barges,[11] while the Interlake fleet consisted of a single iron-hulled schooner and two steamships.[16][c]
Pickands Mather lost the management contract for the American Steel Barge fleet when that firm was consolidated into the American Shipbuilding Company in March 1899.[20] Pickands Mather lost the contract to manage the Minnesota Steamship fleet in 1901[15] when Minnesota Steamship became part of the Pittsburg Steamship Co. owned by U.S. Steel.[21][d]
Creation of "partnership" subsidiary fleets
Pickands Mather began to rebuild its fleet by using a new strategy. By 1904, the firm's two subsidiaries, the Huron Barge Company and the Interlake Company, owned a total of five vessels.[24][e] To finance the construction of more ships, Pickands Mather needed investors. The company and interested investors created a jointly-owned steamship company which financed the construction of new ships and owned them after completion. Pickands Mather then leased the ships from this new company, and hired a third, independent company to run them. In cases where Pickands Mather executives committed capital to shipbuilding, the Pickands Mather Marine Department operated the ships.[24]
The first of these new "partnership" shipping firms was the Mesaba Steamship Company,[15] created in June 1905.[32] Mesaba Steamship built the large freighters SS Amasa Stone in 1905[33] and SS Samuel Mather 1906,[34] and the SS D. O. Mills[35] and SS Jay C. Morse in 1907.[36][f] Pickands Mather also leased the fleets of the Acme Steamship Co.,[g] Peavey Steamship Co.,[h] and Provident Steamship Co.[21][i] These three fleets were managed by Benjamin Wolvin, and generally known as the "Wolvin fleet".[44]
In October 1906,[45] Pickands Mather and the Lackawanna Steel Company jointly formed the Lackawanna Steamship Co.,[46] with Pickands Mather managing the firm to benefit both companies.[47] Lackawanna Steamship then purchased eight steamers from the American Ship Building Company.[47][48][49] To help pay for these vessels, Moses Taylor, a major investor in the new shipping firm, transferred the Ship Owners Dry Dock Co. of Chicgao to American Ship Builiding.[48][j] The eight ships, all delivered in 1907, included the 440-foot (130 m) vessels SS Calumet,[50] SS Crete,[51] SS Cyprus,[52] SS Elba,[53] SS Hemlock,[54] and SS Odonah,[55] and the 500-foot (150 m) vessels SS Adriatic[56] and SS Verona.[55][k]
Creation of Interlake Steamship
In April 1913, Pickands Mather orchestrated the merger of a number of smaller independent and subsidiary steamship lines into a new firm, the Interlake Steamship Company.[59] It was the greatest expansion of a Great Lakes shipping fleet ever seen at that time.[8] The adoption of the 16th Amendment (which allowed Congress to impose a national income tax), the desire of investors to protect their personal fortunes through the legal mechanism of incorporation, the ability of a corporation to raise far more capital than individual investors could provide,[60] and the ability of a corporation to self-insure[59][l] were the impetus behind the incorporation of Interlake Steamship.
The merger included the Acme Steamship Co., Gilchrist Transportation, the Huron Barge Co., the Lackawanna Steamship Co., the Mesaba Steamship Co., the Provident Steamship Co., and the Standard Steamship Co.[61] Gilchrist Transportation provided by far the largest contribution of ships (17 steamers).[m] Lackawanna Steamship Co. brought seven steamers,[n] Mesaba Steamship Co. four steamers, Acme Steamship Co. three steamers,[o] Provident Steamship Co. three steamers,[p] Interlake Co. one steamer and one barge, Huron Barge Co. one steamer and one barge, and Standard Steamship Co. one steamer.[37][q] The Gilchrist organization had gone into receivership in January 1910,[64][59] and was unable to resolve its credit problems. The company sold its assets at cost (which was only two-thirds of appraised value)[59] to the new Interlake Steamship, and ceased to exist.[65][r] Henry G. Dalton was elected the company's first president.[61]
Interlake Steamship issued 65,000 shares of stock at a par value of $100 per share.[60] Pickands Mather now controlled and managed[66][67][s] a company which had 37 freighters and two barges and was the second-largest shipping fleet on the Great Lakes next to the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.[61][t]
Early expansion
Just seven months after its formation, Interlake Steamship lost the SS Argus and SS Hydrus in the Great Lakes Storm of November 1913.[68]
Growth dominated the company at first. It purchased the 445-foot (136 m) SS William B. Davock from the Vulcan Steamship company for an undisclosed sum in October 1915,[69] and then on the last day of 1915 purchased the 13 vessels of the Cleveland Steamship Co. for $3 million ($95,500,000 in 2025 dollars).[70][71][u] This gave Interlake Steamship 52 boats.[70][73][74] At the end of this seven-year period, the company sold the barges Constitution and Sagamore[75] and the steamer SS Cetus in 1923.[76]
During this period, Interlake also built seven 600-foot (180 m) freighters.[77] The first of these, the SS Henry G. Dalton, launched in March 1916.[78][71] The SS Charles M. Schwab followed in June 1923,[79] the SS Col. James Pickands (a duplicate of the Charles Schwab) in January 1926,[80] the SS Samuel Mather (another duplicate of the Schwab)[81] in February 1926,[82][v] the SS William McLauchlan in October 1926,[84] the SS Robert Hobson (a duplicate of the William McLauchlan) in October 1926,[85] and the SS Harry Coulby in May 1927. The Coulby was at the time the largest bulk frieghter on the lakes, with a length of 620 feet (190 m) and a capacity of 13,800 short tons (12,500 t).[86]
As the company's freighter construction effort ended, Henry G. Dalton resigned as Interlake's president in December 1925, and Harry Coulby was elected to succeed him.[66]
With the large new freighters complete, Interlake began to divest itself of many of its older, smaller, less efficient steamships.[87] It leased the steamer SS Youngstown from the Youngstown Steamship Co. in January 1926,[88] but sold seven steamships[w] to Paterson Steamships, Ltd. in April. This left Interlake with 45 vessels with an average tonnage of 8,100 short tons (7,300 t).[90] The SS Harry R. Jones sank in July 1926 after colliding with another vessel,[91] sold the SS Argus[x] and SS Regulus[y] to Paterson Steamships in October 1926,[94] and sold the SS Hydrus and SS Moses Taylor to Paterson in November 1926.[95] At the end of 1926, RCA equipped entire fleet with radio direction finders. RCA also installed radio telegraph transmitters in 12 of the fleet's vessels.[96]
The steamer SS Lagonda was reconstructed to carry scrap in 1926, and the SS Venus followed in early 1927.[97] In October 1927, Interlake repossessed the SS Cetus (which had been renamed the Samuel H. Squire by its new owners).[98] Although sales and wrecks left the company with just 44 vessels by this time, it was still second largest fleet on the Great Lakes.[99] At the end of the year, the company had $1.847 million ($34,200,000 in 2025 dollars) in net profits, the most in any year since its founding.[100]
Interlake began the year 1929 by installing gyrocompasses on 18 of its boats.[101] With 45 vessels carrying an average of 8,444 short tons (7,660 t) each, it was still the second largest fleet on the Great Lakes (where about 340 ships made up the American and Canadian fleets).[102] Interlake president Harry Coulby died unexpectedly on January 18, 1929,[103] and Henry G. Dalton was elected president again in June.[104] Board member Henry S. Pickands died on August 10,[105] and Elton Hoyt II was elected to the board as his replacement a month later.[106][z]
On September 23, 1929, the large steel manufacturer Youngstown Sheet and Tube signed a contract under which it agreed to have all its coal, limestone, and iron ore carried by Interlake Steamship rather than its own subsidiary, Youngstown Steamship. The contract ran for 20 years. The rationale for the surprise move came on October 3, when Interlake delivered 5,261 shares of the steelmaker's stock to Youngstown Sheet and Tube's control.[108][aa] Pickands Mather now became the manager of the Youngstown Steamship company.[109]
Just five days after the Youngstown Steel & Tube contract was signed, Interlake Steamship officials announced a two-for-one stock split, increasing the company's stock from 250,000 to 610,000 shares.[110] The stock had hit an all-time high of 200 on the Cleveland Stock Exchange on September 10.[111]
"Silent Years" of the Great Depression
| Year | Stock high | Stock low | Net profit/loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | 200[111] (pre-split) |
781⁄4[112] (post-split) |
$2.6 million ($48.8 million in 2025 dollars)[113][ab] |
| 1930 | 87[114] | 60[114] | $1.6 million ($30.8 million in 2025 dollars)[115] |
| 1931 | 60[116] | 26[117] | $705,000 ($14.9 million in 2025 dollars)[118] |
| 1932 | 91⁄2[119][120] | 26[119] | -$317,771 (-$7.5 million in 2025 dollars)[121] |
| 1933 | 29[122] | 14[122] | $446,337 ($11.1 million in 2025 dollars)[123] |
| 1934 | 33[124] | 20[125] | $463,128 ($11.1 million in 2025 dollars).[126] |
| 1935 | 38[127] | 203⁄4[128] | $664,374 ($15.6 million in 2025 dollars)[129] |
| 1936 | 63[130] | 342⁄3[130] | $1,514,181 ($35.1 million in 2025 dollars)[131] |
| 1937 | 73[132] | 40[133] | $2,540,783 ($56.9 million in 2025 dollars).[131] |
| 1938 | 441⁄2[134] | 27[135][134] | $428,308 ($9.8 million in 2025 dollars)[136] |
| 1939 | 49[137] | 381⁄2[137] | $1,631,584 ($37.8 million in 2025 dollars)[138] |
| 1940 | 44[139] | 343⁄4[139] | $1,496,827 ($34.4 million in 2025 dollars)[138] |
| 1941 | 431⁄2[140] | 38[140] | $1,853,264 ($40.6 million in 2025 dollars)[141] |
The Great Depression is known as Interlake Steamship's "silent years" because the company did so little business during this time.[142][143] The depression had a tremendous effect on all Great Lakes shipping. While there were roughly 350 shipping firms on the lakes in the 1920s, by 1938 the depression had whittled these down to just 21.[144][ac] It was during the depression that, on October 28, 1931, Interlake incorporated as a Delaware company.[145][146]
Initial optimism
Although the Great Depression began with the stock market crash of October 1929,[147][ad] by the end of the year Interlake Steamship executives were still optimistic that the national economic setback was temporary. The company set aside a significant portion of its profits in the 1920s to build up a $2.45 million ($47,200,000 in 2025 dollars)[113] reserve fund,[ae] a $2 million ($37,100,000 in 2025 dollars) insurance fund (invested in Liberty bonds),[100] a $3.8 million ($70,400,000 in 2025 dollars) investment fund reserve,[100] and a $1.6 million ($38,500,000 in 2025 dollars) ship construction fund.[150] It had no debt, its expenses were minimal, and it had never issued preferred stock (which tended to absorb profits first and leave holders of common stock frustrated).[151] Its corporate leaders felt the firm was in a good position to weather any downtown.[af]
Executives were so bullish on the company's outlook that, at the end of 1929, Interlake bought all five remaining freighters belonging to Youngstown Steamship. The transaction became effective January 1, 1930.[154][155][ag] With 49 boats,[157] Interlake was the largest independent fleet on the lakes.[158]
Finances during the depression
Interlake Steamship continued to turn a profit in 1930[115] and 1931,[118] but showed its first loss ever in 1932.[121] The flurry of legislative activity in President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Hundred Days" buoyed business confidence somewhat in 1933, creating a rise in shipping activity[159][160] Despite dipping into reserves to continue to pay its regular dividend, the company still had $3 million ($74,600,000 in 2025 dollars) in cash on hand, $4 million ($99,500,000 in 2025 dollars) in its investment reserve, and almost no debt.[123]
To help the stock price, the company's directors approved a plan on December 5, 1934, to repurchase 10 percent of the outstanding shares on the market.[161] The $1.6 million ($37,600,000 in 2025 dollars) needed to buy the 60,000 shares came from the company's construction fund. In May 1935, shareholders approved a plan to permanently retire the 60,000 shares.[150] The stock repurchase was so successful, and the company's business doing so well, that in early December 1935 the firm announced another buyback of 8 percent of the stock (40,000 shares) at $35 a share.[127] This second repurchase was completed by the end of the year.[162] Interlake's 1935 profit of $664,374 ($15,600,000 in 2025 dollars) was its best since 1931.[129]
In 1937, the country entered the "Roosevelt Recession".[163] In March, shippers envisioned an unusually active season ahead, and Interlake's stock reached 73—its highest price since 1929.[132] When the recession hit in early September,[163] the price collapsed 20 points[164] and fell another 13 points by November.[165] A near-complete shutdown in shipping occurred in October and lasted the rest of the year.[131] In May 1938, as the company's stock continued to sink due to recessionary pressure, Interlake executives spent $1.2 million ($27,400,000 in 2025 dollars) to retire another 31,000 shares.[166]
A significant upturn in shipping business occurred toward the end of the 1938 shipping season, signalling the end of the recession.[167] Despite more than eight years of depression and having to use reserves to maintain dividends, Interlake Steamship still had $3,292,718 ($75,300,000 in 2025 dollars) in cash on hand at the end of 1938.[136]
By the fall of 1938, the economy was not only recovering from the sudden, deep 1937-1938 recession but was well on its way out of the Great Depression as well.[168] The economy (as measured by gross domestic product) grew by a meager 0.2 percent in 1939[169] and unemployment (as a percentage of the total civilian workforce) was 17.2 percent.[170][ah] Growth soared to 8.6 percent in 1940,[169] even as unemployment remained stubbornly high at 14.6 percent.[170] Full recovery was under way by 1941, as growth soared to 18.3 percent[170] and unemployment fell dramatically to 9.9 percent.[169][ai]
Layups during the depression
As fewer firms shipped coal, grain, and iron ore in late 1929 and early 1930, some Great Lakes freighters began to make return runs empty. By late July 1930, business had slackened so much that many firms began keeping boats laid up in their home harbors.[171] Layups kept the ship ready to sail with a few days' notice, unlike mothballing (which takes several weeks to reverse).[aj] The iron ore shipping business was particularly slow in the spring of 1931,[173] and a portion of the Interlake fleet remained tied up for the entire shipping season.[157] Interlake used the downtime to put the SS Harry W. Croft into drydock for repair and upgrades in October.[174] Bulk shipping remained at a low level in 1932.[175] Interlake Steamship had 49 freighters that year,[107] and was the second largest bulk freighter fleet on the lakes.[176] Yet, it put just 23 boats in the water,[177] and these only operated for a few weeks, just long enough to keep them from over-long layups.[107] Interlake hauled 3,000,000 short tons (2,700,000 t) coal, and a "pitiful" 29,000 short tons (26,000 t) of iron ore during the year.[107]
A substantial improvement in shipping occurred in 1933.[159] By July, eight times as many ships were on the lakes compared to the previous year. Ore tonnage reached 20,000,000 short tons (18,000,000 t), compared to just 3,367,000 short tons (3,054,000 t) in 1932. Pittsburgh Steamship, the largest U.S. lakes fleet, had 71 boats in operation (up from 31 the year before),[178] while Interlake had 29.[177][ak] Many ships, however, did not serve the entire season. The SS Harvey H. Brown did not enter service until mid-July.[179] The SS Robert Hobson left layup in late July,[180] the SS Harry W. Croft not until early August,[181][al] and the SS Arcturus not until late September.[182] By September, shipping was slack again. Five boats (the Croft, Jupiter, Neptune, Perseus, and Saturn) were tied up in non-home port harbors, serving as grain storage ships.[177]
Shipping improved on the Great Lakes in 1934[183] and again in 1935,[184] but by late June 1935 Interlake still only had 12[185] of its 49 ships[150] making runs. The company's strategy now was to put as many ships in commission as the market would bear, then switch them out with ships on layup so as to prevent tied-up boats from suffering damage due to inactivity.[185][am]
The 1936 shipping season was even more active, with the Lake Carriers Association predicting that as much as 85 percent of all Great Lakes freighters would be active during the year.[186] Interlake still engaged in switching-out when market conditions warranted, such as when the Arcturus began making runs in mid-August to replace the Victory (which went into drydock for repair and upgrades).[187] Thirty-seven of Interlake Steamship's boats were active by the middle of August.[187] The Elton Hoyt II,[188] Canopus, and Harry R. Jones went into service in the fall, so that 40 of Interlake's 48 vessels were now on the water.[189] The company sold the Jupiter (which had sat idle for five years) in March 1936[190] and the similarly idle Neptune in October.[191] This left the company with 48 vessels. It was still the second-largest bulk cargo shipping firm on the Great Lakes, capable of moving 412,600 short tons (374,300 t) at once in its boats.[192][an]
Interlake put all its vessels into service at the start of the 1937 shipping season,[193] and kept them active throughout the year.[194] As part of a technology upgrade, 11 Interlake ships were outfitted with radiotelephones.[195] As the "Roosevelt Recession" hit, the McLauchlan was drydocked on September 2 to receive a new rudder and for sight-and-survey inspection and repair.[196] With only four ships in the ore trade by late September, the company drydocked the Calumet, Col. James Pickands, Harry Coulby, and Vega in late September.[197] The shipping slump hit in October, and company brought its ships in rather than keep them on the water searching for business.[198] Interlake drydocked the Saturn and William B. Davock in late October[199] and the Venus at the end of the season.[200]
The recession continued into 1938, keeping shipping at a low ebb.[201] Interlake kept bigger ships like the Harry W. Croft, C.H. McCullough Jr., J.A. Campbell, and Jay C. Morse tied up, while putting older, smaller vessels like the Crete, Odaonah, Taurus, Vega, and Verona into the water.[202] As business picked up, Interlake began laying up these smaller ships and sending the large ones out.[203] Technological upgrades continued as eight more vessels received radiotelephones.[204] At the end of September, only 21 Interlake ships were plying the lakes.[205] With the recession ending, business improved dramatically in October,[167] but Interlake vessels only moved 19,260,000 short tons (17,470,000 t) of iron ore, the lowest total since 1932 and the second lowest since recordkeeping began.[206]
As the economy began to move out of the Great Depression in 1939, Interlake ships moved 45,000,000 short tons (41,000,000 t) of iron ore, a level not seen since 1926.[206]
1940 was even more active. Initially, Interlake Steamship put just 18 ships in the water at the start of the season on May 1.[207] Shipping needs increased so rapidly due to the recovering economy that within 24 days all of its 46 ships were making runs.[208] By June 3, the company had shipped more ore than it had in 1937, and had delivered the second-largest number of ore tons since 1929.[209] The positive outlook for the year[210] improved strongly by late June,[211] and by the end of October there was such a backlog in ore shipment business that Interlake officials pledged to keep all their boats out as long as the ice permitted.[212] By the end of 1940, Interlake had shipped the largest tonnage of coal and the third-largest tonnage[ao] of iron ore in its history.[214] Interlake made these achievements despite selling the Victory to the A.G. Campbell Co. of Canada in April.[215]
Corporate events and shipwrecks
Early in the Great Depression, Interlake Steamship narrowly avoided being the subject of the U.S. Supreme Court case. The Pillsbury Company had shipped grain in 1927 on the E.A.S. Clarke from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Buffalo, New York. The grain arrived in good condition, and Pillsbury stored the grain aboard the Clarke for five months. When the grain was unloaded in April 1928, the company found much of it was damaged. Pillsbury sued. A federal district court ruled against Pillsbury, holding that there was no recourse under United States admiralty law. The 2d Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict in October 1930, and the Supreme Court denied certiorari.[216]
Henry G. Dalton died of pneumonia on December 27, 1939, just seven days after an operation for appendicitis.[217] Elton Hoyt III was elected president of Interlake Steamship on January 30, 1940.[218]
Shipwrecks among the Interlake fleet were few during the depression years. The Odonah ran aground near Erie, Pennsylvania in December 1937, but was soon refloated and sustained little damage.[219] Interlake lost the William B. Davock and her entire crew of 32 during the November 11, 1940, Armistice Day storm. At the time, maritime experts believed she collided with the SS Anna C. Minch off the Little Sable Point Light on the Michigan side of Lake Michigan, and both boats went down.[220][221] The wreck of the Davock was located in 1972, and that of the Anna C. Minch in 2008.[222] After diving on the wreck several times, experts with the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association concluded in 2015 that the vessels never collided. The Davock's rudder jammed against its propeller, breaking off one or more blades. Without steering or propulsion, the vessel foundered in the high seas.[222][223]
World War II years
in 1941, LCA adotped a centralized dispatching system for all fleets, remvoing them from each corporate control [224] 80.1 m tons of ore in1941 [225]
On December 18, 1941, FDR established the Office of Defense Transportation (ODT), which was granted authority "over all railroads, motor vehciles, inland waterways, pipe lines, air transport, and coastwise and intercoastal shipping withih the continental United States. January 16, 1942, FDR established the War Production Board (WPB) WPD exercised general direction over the nation's war procurement and production program and to dtermine the policies, plans, procedures, and methods of Government agencies in respect to war procurement and production." ODT was placed under WPB Josehp B. Eastman named director fo ODT [226] WPB set a goal of 88 m ore tons for 1942 [227] Eastman threatened federal regulation and takeover if lake carriers could not get their act together on April 24, 1942, lake carriers met in Clevlenad and elected seven of their own as the Lake Vessel Committee [228]
Hoyt successfully advocated for private control of shipping during the war, guaranteeing American carriers would meet government requirements for iron, ore, and steel shipments. [107] Hoyt formed the Lake Vessel Committee to self-regulate Lake shipping during WWII. iron ore mining and lake shipping were the only major American industries to avoid government control during the war Interlake owned 50 ships during the war years [229]
Congress established the U.S. Maritime Commission in June 1936 after passing the Merchant Marine Act of 1936.[230] government pays 50 percent of cost, funds 25 percent with low-interest loan, owner puts up 25 percent U.S. Contract, Ship Bill Signed By President: Walsh-Healey Measure Establishes 'NRA' in Government Deals. The Washington Post (1923-1954); Washington, D.C. [Washington, D.C]01 July 1936: X28.
Commission financed 16 ships, known as "Maritime freighers" eah 620 ft long, 60 ft beams, 16,000 tons, powered with older steam reciprocating engines companies were able to trade, ton for ton, older ships to the maritime commissino for the Maritime boats [231] MC built Interlake's E.G. Grace, 1943, 604 ft, scrapped 1984 Frank Armstrong, 1943, 603 ft., converted to oil 1973, renamed Samuel Mather 1976, scrapped 1987 Frank Purnell, 1943, 603 ft, sold to Bethlehem Steel in 1966 [232]
April 1944, Interlka'es James H. Reed went down after colliding with the Ashcroft
Post-war years
June 23, 1948, the Crete collided with the Morgan In November 1948, Frank Armstrong collided with the John J. Boland
SS Elton Hoyt II launched in 1952
early 1950s Interlake began modernizing its fleet
began building new, longer ships
began converting coal to oil
began giving all ships radar
[233]
Services for Elton Hoyt II, Industrialist, Are Tomorrow Plain Dealer (Published as CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER.) - March 17, 1955Browse Issues Page: 6
27 of 35 ships to go to sea immediately Gayner Virgil L. Great Lakes Marine News Plain Dealer (Published as CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER.) - April 6, 1955Browse Issues Page: 26
John Sherwin named PM senior managing partner and interlake pres Bryan John E. Pickands Mather Puts Sherwin at Helm With Jackson and Chisholm Plain Dealer (Published as CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER.) - April 8, 1955Browse Issues Page: 1, 34
The SAMUEL MATHER (4) was transferred on March 24, 1965 to the newly formed Pickands Mather subsidiary Labrador Steamship Co. Ltd. (Sutcliffe Shipping Co. Ltd., operating agents), Montreal, Que. to carry iron ore from their recently opened Wabush Mines ore dock at Pointe Noire, Que. to U.S. blast furnaces on Lakes Erie and Michigan.
merged into Pikands Mather on August 31, 1966 [145]
In 1968, Sherwin engineered the sale of Pickands Mather to the Diamond Shamrock Corporation, a Cleveland-based shipping, chemical manufacturing, and oil refining and consumer sales company.[234] Beginning in 1970, Interlake began to dispose of a large number of its smaller ships. and built three 1,000-foot (300 m) long Great Lakes freighters: the James R. Barker, the Mesabi Miner, and the William De Lancey.[234]
Diamond Shamrock held the company for just four years.[234] In December 1972, Diamond Shamrock sold Pickands Mather for $66 million to the Moore-McCormack Company, operator of a large fleet of international freighters and some of the last American-owned passenger ocean liners. (The sale did not include Pickands Mather's chemical manufacturing arm.)[235]
Moore-McCormack, however, retained control of the Interlake Steamship Company. In 1981 Interlake's fleet contained 151 vessels, and was capable of carrying over three million tons of cargo at one time.[236] In early 1987, Barker resigned from Moore-McCormack and bought the Interlake Steamship Company from Moore-McCormack. Paul R. Tregurtha joined Barker in managing the company, which was now a privately held company.[234][237]
About April 2018, Interlake established a subsidiary service known as Interlake Logistics Solutions. Although its existing freight services were focused on bulk raw materials, the new service offered shipping on finished goods. The Barker and Tregurtha families, owners of Interlake Steamship, chartered the 418-foot (127 m), 14,000 short tons (13,000 t) barge Montville from Moran Towing (also owned by the Barker and Tregurtha families) to provide this new service on an as-needed basis.[238]
In April 2019, Interlake Steamship announced construction of a 639-foot (195 m) long, 75-foot (23 m) wide River-class self-unloading bulk freighter. The vessel, to be built by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, will be the first ship built for the U.S.-flagged Great Lakes fleet since 1983, and the first built by Interlake since 1979. The as-yet unnamed ship is expected for mid-2022 delivery.[239]
Leadership
The presidents of Interlake Steamship were:
- Henry G. Dalton, April 1913-December 1925
- Harry Coulby, December 1925-January 1929
- Henry G. Dalton, June 1929-December 1939
- Elton Hoyt II, January 1940-March 1955
- John Sherwin, April 1955-October 1968
In 1968, Sherwin engineered the sale of Pickands Mather to the Diamond Shamrock Corporation, a Cleveland-based shipping, chemical manufacturing, and oil refining and consumer sales company.
In December 1972, Diamond Shamrock sold Pickands Mather for $66 million to the Moore-McCormack Company, operator of a large fleet of international freighters
Moore-McCormack sold the iron and coal mining businesses of Pickands Mather to Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. in November 1986
In early 1987, James R. Barker resigned from Moore-McCormack and bought the Interlake Steamship Company from Moore-McCormack.
Fleet
As of 2018, the Interlake Steamship fleet consists of 12 active vessels, one active tug, and one inactive vessel.
| image | name | launch date | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Herbert C. Jackson | 1959[240] | |
 | The Hon. James L. Oberstar | 1959[241][242] | |
 | James R. Barker | 1976[244] |
|
| John Sherwin | 1958[245] |
| |
 | Kaye E. Barker | 1952 |
|
 | Lee A. Tregurtha | 1942 |
|
 | Mesabi Miner | 1977[247] |
|
 | Pathfinder | 1952[248] |
|
 | Paul R. Tregurtha | 1981[250] |
|
 | Stewart J. Cort | 1972 |
|
See also
- List of Pickands Mather ships, a list which describes vessels owned by Interlake Steamship Co., and others owned by Pickands Mather, through 1987.