Boatnerd Discussion Forum

The BayShip 1,000-footers (Walter J. McCarthy, jr, American Integrity, Indiana Harbor and American Century) are sisterships. They all used the same plans, except for some minor differences in the hydraulic cyclinder frame below the pilothouse. The Burns Harbor uses the same hull plans, but has an extra level in her after-cabins because she has single rooms for all personnel, whereas the other BayShip 1,000-footers had single and double rooms for personnel. This is as they were built and it may have changed in the intervening years. Edwin H. Gott is only the similiar to the other Bayship footers in regards to her hull design, but is completely different in regards to her cargo holds, ballast tanks, after-cabin and machinery. I don't have plans for the Speer (I just have a christening booklet) to see how different she is to the Gott.

Jamer R. Barker and Mesabi Miner are sisterships. The only difference is some the extra cabin on the poop deck, next to the aft windlass that was built by G & W Welding and installed by Bay Shipbuilding during the winter of 1980/1981. American Spirit is a near sister, as she has two conveyor belts running below the cargo hold versus the three conveyor belts in the Barker and Miner. (Barker and Miner were designed carry iron ore and coal, whereas the Spirit was designed carry ore only.) The Paul r. Tregurtha is similiar to the other Amship boats, except she is nine feet longer, six feet deeper and has only one conveyor belt below her cargo holds.

Litton Industries had planned for the Presque Isle to be the first of several similiar ships to be built for Wilson, but that company collapsed in 1972, and she instead was chartered to US Steel.

Stewart J. Cort was to be the first of four sisters to be built, but it never came to fruition because Litton refused to build the ships because increasing inflation in the 70s meant each ship would be built at a substantial loss to Litton. Bethlehem Steel sued Litton but later lost the case in court. That's how Bethlehem Steel ended taking over American Steamship's options on Hull 717 and 720, but of course ASC now owns/managages these ships. The very ships they had options for in 1974!

If we are talking about "sisterships" one would have to condsider that the Arthur B. Homer and the Edmund Fitzgerald come to mind as has been talked about and discussed many times. The AAA class of vessels may have had some sisterships at one time also such as the William Clay Ford. I know that some of the AAA class had the Mauthe, Anderson, Clarke, Callaway and the Kaye Barker. Granted not all were built at the same shipyard but some of them I think are sisterships. Also, isn't the Oberstar (ex-Beeghly) and the Sherwin considered "sisterships?" Both were just over 700 feet and lengthened to 806 but, only the Oberstar got a boom whereas the Sherwin did not. I am sure there are more sisterships out there but can't recall who they were. Anyone have a list of them?

Speer and the Gott look the same , but wow are they different. It's hard to believe the Speer is a second ship because the Gott has a much better design

True the Speer was built at AmShip, but it is a bayship design. GLF considers them sister ships. The James R. Barker and Mesabi Miner are very similar along with the American Spirit.

I know that the forward dunnage sections are slightly different between the Miner and the Barker. No two ships are exactly alike, that isn't quite possible.

I think the moniker "sister ships" is really more of a title instead of an actual definition of identical'ness.

Speer is a product of American Shipbuilding and close cousin to the Edwin H. Gott. The Gott was built at Bay Shipbuilding.

I often wondered what the sister ships were, if any, of the 1,000 footer fleet? I know Edwin H Gott and the Speer are products of Bay Shipbuilding, but what about the American Shipbuilding boats? Maybe a list?