Boatnerd Discussion Forum

For the few that are reading this thread that don't know, the SS William A Irvin mentioned, is the sister ship of the Governor Miller and it is a floating museum that you can board. It is located in downtown Duluth and is open May into September.

People who board The Irvin actually get to go into the engine room, the galley, one of the cargo holds and the pilothouse. You also tour the fancy guest quarters that this class of boats were known for.

Just thought I'd mention this as something to look forward to as Winter is setting in on the Great Lakes.

Great Laker is very correct. The identical situation occurred with the William G. Mather around the same time. She was fitting out and a lot of painting had been done to prepare for the season. I don't believe she sailed, but a couple USS Supers, one of which I think was the Olds, did for only a short time before laying up.

The Governor Miller was laidup in Duluth on October 15, 1975.

The only reason I could think that she would be painted is the demand for iron ore in 1979. Due to very strong for iron ore, U.S. Steel had planned to bring out the William A. Irvin that Spring, and in fact she was dry-docked at Fraser Shipyard to affect repairs due to a grounding in 1978. So, it's possible that they had also planned to fit-out the Governor Miller at that time too, but perhaps, cancelled due to crew availability issues.

Governor Miller last operated during the 1975 season, laid up at Duluth 15 October 1975. The few functioning synapses I still possess offer the recollection that about 1979 Fraser-Nelson bought the wreck of the Frontenac with the idea of joining its rear end with the front end of Governor Miller, which obviously was never done, but the failure of which may have hastened the latter's demise. Meanwhile, Governor Miller had coal-fired boilers, which must have been a factor, as well as the appearance of US Steel's thousand-footers. By 1980 a good portion of the older USS fleet was utterly redundant. There is no way the vessel had been prepped for re-entry into service at any point I'd say.

Many vessels were in the process of fitting out when word came to stop. Most never sailed again. A few did sail for a month and then laid up.

In today's This Day in Great Lakes History (11-28-2025) there is picture of the Governor Miller scrap tow in the St. Clair River during 1980. It appears that the bow section was in the process of being repainted, presumably during a spring fitout, and a small section at the stern just in front of the propeller area is also partially repainted. Did the end of this ship come so quickly that it was sent into layup during a spring fitting out for a new season? I have seen other photos of this ship during its scrap tow that also appear the existence of certain sections, in particular on the port side, as having been in the process of repainting when work was stopped. I cannot find a date for when the Miller entered its final layup, but I assume it was in the late 1970s.