Sunday, May 9, 2010

The Willis B. Boyer

As I was going down to take pictures of the bridge, I noticed the Willis B. Boyer and then I noticed a sign stating that it was open for public tours. I love ships and rarely pass up the opportunity to tour one if I have time. I had some time, so I toured the ship.

The Willis B. Boyer was originally built as the Col. James M. Schoonmaker and was built at the Ecorse shipyards in Michigan. At the time she was the largest ship on the Great Lakes. In 1969, her name was changed to the current name when she was bought by the Interlake Steamship Company and eventually the Cleveland Cliffs company.

In the 1980's as the steamship industry took a nosedive, the Cleveland Cliffs company was desolved and the Boyer nearly scrapped. The City of Toledo bought her and she is now berthed near where she picked up her first cargo.

The boiler control panel.

The information board for the boiler control panel.

A deep sea diver's suit.

The Officers Mess Room. The crew's mess was not too far off and not nearly as nice.

Looking out at the main deck from one of the hatches.

The pilothouse. It was typically at the front of steamers of the Great Lakes and I think it has something to do with being able to see better.

Looking towards the rear of the ship. The Boyer could carry lots of cargo in her holds.

The Captain's Quarters. Again, the nicest quarters on the ship.

A shot of the bridge.

A better shot of the bridge.

Looking out of the bridge. Can almost imagine I'm sailing.

The pilothouse from the park. She has the classic lines of a Great Lakes steamer.

Looking at the from at some distance away.

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