Boatnerd Discussion Forum

What about the "Corn Belt Fleet" of PCEs that were used in the 60s to train Navy Reservist?

You’re very welcome John and glad I along with many others were able to help. Brian from Buffalo was outstanding and did an excellent job of providing a great list of all U.S. Navy ship visits to the Great Lakes over the years. Thank You Brian as that was a fine job and great list you come up with. I would like to ask you this John, I know you were looking for information on U.S. Naval ship visits however are you interested as well in any Canadian Naval ship visits or just the U.S. ones for right now? The Canadians have had their share of Naval ships visiting also in the Great Lakes over the years. Just thought that I would ask about it.

Thank you everyone for contributing to answering this question ! I truly appreciate your time and will share the results with my family members.

Here's a list of all the Navy ships I can find records of having visited the lakes. I wrote it from the perspective of the ones that stopped in Buffalo but the ships & the years apply to all the lakes.

Great Lakes Cruise:

'35- S-45 @ (DL&W)

Operation Inland Seas, 1959 (Seaway Piers):

Heavy cruiser:
USS Macon (CA-132) (anchored out)

Destroyer leader:
USS Willis A. Lee (DL-4) (flagship, TF 47)

Destroyers:
USS Ault (DD-698)
USS Waldron (DD-699)
USS Haynsworth (DD-700)
USS John W. Weeks (DD-701)
USS Putnam (DD-757)
USS Henley (DD-762)
USS Willard Keith (DD-775)
USS Samuel B. Roberts (DD-823)
USS Warrington (DD-843)
USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (DD-850)
USS Charles H. Roan (DD-853)
USS Charles R. Ware (DD-865)
USS Forrest Royal (DD-872)
USS Forrest Sherman (DD-931)
USS Du Pont (DD-941)

High speed transport:
USS Kleinsmith (APD-134)

Dock landing ships:
USS Donner (LSD-20)
USS San Marcos (LSD-25)

Tank landing ships:
USS Terrebonne Parish (LST-1156)
USS Suffolk County (LST-1173)

Submarines:
USS Sablefish (SS-303)
USS Torsk (SS-423)
USS Quillback (SS-424)
USS Corsair (SS-435)

Attack transport:
USS Cambria (APA-36)

Attack cargo:
USS Oglethorpe (AKA-100)

Auxiliary ocean tug:
USS Catawba (ATA-210)

Great Lakes Cruise:

Edenton ATS-1 ?

'64- Runner SS-276 training cruise
'77- Boulder LST-1190
‘78- William C Lawe DD-763, Davis DD-937, Robert A Owens DD-827
‘79- Fairfax County LST-1193, Oliver Hazard Perry FFG-7
‘81- William C Lawe DD-763*, Ottawa FFH-229* (BPT 'A')
‘82- William C Lawe DD-763. YP676, YP678, YP680 YP682 (VSD)
‘83- William C Lawe DD-763
‘84- Edson DD-946 (VSD)
‘85- Stark FFG-31 (BPT 'A')
‘86- Glover FF-1098* (BPT 'A')
‘87- Oliver Hazard Perry FFG-7 (BPT ‘A’), Escanaba WMEC-907* (VSD)
‘88- Antrim FFG-20
‘89- Boulder LST-1190* (VSD)
‘90- Fahrion FFG-22 (GMP 9-20 to 21st), Escanaba WMEC-907* (VSD)
‘91- Samuel B Roberts FFG-58* (GMP)
‘92- Boulder LST-1190* (VSD)
‘93- Boulder LST-1190* (VSD), WMEC-907 Escanaba* (VSD)
'94- Estocin FFG-15* (SP2)
‘95- Samuel Elliot Morrison FFG-13
‘96- Shamal PC-13* (VSD)
‘97- Fahrion FFG-22
‘99- Clarke FFG-11* (BPT 'B'), Escanaba WMEC-907 (SP2)
‘00- Defender MCM-2*, Kingfisher MHC-56* (both VSD)
'08- Freedom LCS-1 (Tour stop in Bflo. VSD)
‘12- Dewert FFG-45* (GMP), PC-3 Hurricane PC-3* (VSD), Ville De Quebec FFH-332* (GMP), Bristol Bay WTGB-102* (VSD)
'17- LCS-9 Little Rock LCS-9* (commissioning in Bflo. @ Central Wharf)
'18- Escanaba WMEC-907

Abbreviations: GMP= Gateway Metroport, VSD= Visiting Ship's Dock, SP2= Seaway Pier 2, BPT= Buffalo Port Terminal

In July of 1998 the USS Defender came through and went up to Lake Superior to try and find the Henry B. Smith. She stopped at Port Huron but I thought they used the Seaway Terminal or the Bramble dock.

Funny story is that they found her, but didnt know that the contact was a shipwreck! The magnetic data was used 15 years later to positively identify the wreck.

The frigate USS Clark docked at the Seaway Terminal 5 July 1999-8 July 1999, part of a naval recruitment tour. The frigate USS Samuel Eliot Morison was at the same spot 7 August 1998-9 August 1998 for the same purpose.

I can recall the USS Samuel Eliot Morrison was there at about that time possibly in the late 1990s about say 1998 or 1999? If memory serves me correctly I believe they were there in mid-August or so back in 1998? Hope that this may help answer your questions here. There was another one also in 2000 that docked there I believe it was about Memorial Day weekend or so. That ship was a U.S. Navy mind sweeper called the USS Kingfisher. Surely someone else will know and have more information however, this should help you out.

I am wondering if anyone has a record of a US Navy vessel stopping in Port Huron, MI at the Seaway Terminal Building Dock on Military Street, circa mid 1990s.