Boatnerd Discussion Forum

Is this the same R.L. Ireland that was built for Gilchrist and crashed through the Soo locks? If it's the same she is the fastest freighter on record!

Hmmm... I wonder where this person got the info from. Makes me want to know more now than I first did lol. Well thank you Gents for the scoop on that have a great day.

William, it was also mentioned in the book, "Master of the Inland Seas" by Alexander Meakin on page 199. I think that's where the website got the information.

I tracked down my copy last night (filed mistakenly in the "ship builder" and not "ship owner" section of my disheveled shelves) and came across that. Dr. Meakin had access to all surviving records of Wilson (as with his Great Lakes Towing book for that firm) and, as his acknowledgments detail, relied heavily upon interviews with former Wilson personnel to fill in the many gaps in its history. The only footnote for the paragraph cites board meeting minutes involving the insurance settlement and sale to Knudsen of the Ireland, as well as two interviews with former Wilson staff Merrill Kingsbury and Ian Carswell. I suspect the information about the storm damage came from these two men, and was never publicly released.

William, it was also mentioned in the book, "Master of the Inland Seas" by Alexander Meakin on page 199. I think that's where the website got the information.

It was a Facebook page I think it is called Association of Great Lakes shipping history. Or something like that don't recall who posted it though.

The Ireland was sold in August 1958 to Knudsen following a grounding after which the underwriters declared it a constructive total loss, so the Bradley storm was not a factor. It was near the Henry Steinbrenner in 1953 when that vessel sank in a gale on Lake Superior, but I don't know of any damage to it then. It collided with the Interstate bridge at Superior on 11 October 1956, causing extensive damage. The vessel operated in the 1957 season through October, but apparently not at all in 1958. Where did you read this?

She did suffer structural damage in a couple of storms in the 1950s. Don't recall a severe fall storm in 1954. Of course, 1958 could be a reference to the Carl D. Bradley storm. The previous severe storm was November 19-22, 1952.

I just read a short clip about this boat and in it was said It nearly sank in two different storms. One of them was in 1954 the other in 1958 I've never heard of these stories can someone explain more please.