SS South American
 postcard of the South American on the Great Lakes | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
| |
| Name: | SS South American |
| Operator: | Chicago, Duluth & Georgian Bay Transit Company |
| Builder: |
|
| Laid down: | 1913 |
| Launched: | 1914 |
| Completed: | 1914 |
| Out of service: | 1967 |
| Fate: | Failed Coast Guard Inspection 1968 |
| Notes: | Scrapped in 1992 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Passengers and package freight |
| Tonnage: | 2662.00 gross[1] |
| Length: | 290.50 ft (88.54 m)[1] |
| Beam: | 47.00 ft (14.33 m)[1] |
| Draft: | 18.25 ft (5.56 m) [1] |
| Propulsion: | Propeller |
| Notes: | Steel |
SS South American was a Great Lakes steamboat built by the Great Lakes Engineering Works at Ecorse, Michigan. It was built in 1913 for the Chicago, Duluth & Georgian Bay Transit Company. The vessel was launched on February 21, 1914 and was the newer of two sister ships, the older one being the SS North American.
The South American was 314 feet (96 m) in length, had a 47-foot (14 m) beam, and drew 18 feet (5.5 m). She was equipped with a 2,200 indicated horsepower quadruple-expansion steam engine and three coal-burning Scotch marine boilers.
She caught fire on September 9, 1924 in winter lay-up at Holland, Michigan. Her upper works were rebuilt that winter. Also at the time, a second smokestack was added and her coal-fired boilers were converted to oil-burning.
Retired from regular passenger service in 1967, the South American initiated a run the 1967 World's Fair in Montreal.
In 1968, she was sold to Seafarers International Union in Piney Point, Maryland as a replacement for the North American which sank a year prior while in tow there. Failing Coast Guard inspection, she was moved to Camden, New Jersey where she rotted before being scrapped in 1992.
References
- 1 2 3 4 "South American". Historical Collection of the Great Lakes (Bowling Green State University). 2003. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
External links
- Marine Historical Society of Detroit: SS South American
- New Great Lakes Steamship South American (International Marine Engineering; April 1914, pp. 135—140, article on new ship with profiles, plans and text)
Coordinates: 42°11′00″N 87°39′00″W / 42.18333°N 87.65000°W