The METEOR

Whenever I make a trip to the Great Lakes I like to pick up books about shipping. Whether about shipwrecks or history, I can't put them down. One of the types of ships that I find most interesting are the Whalebacks. On a recent trip to the Duluth-Superior area I had to make a visit to the last remaining Whaleback ship. The Meteor.

Captain Alexander McDougall designed the whaleback to increase volume and seaworthiness. The decks were designed with a fair amount of tumblehome, to let the seas wash over them like a log floating in water. As the first one was being built the shipping community was very skeptical and called it " McDougall's Dream". Even his wife, as the first ship slid into the water, quipped " There goes our last penny."

The streamlined hulls had better fuel efficiency and handled well in rough weather. They also had their drawbacks. They sat low in the water and were sometimes hard to see. Many were involved in collisions. Sailors didn't like them. In heavy seas with a low freeboard men were washed overboard. Even with these problems, Alexander McDougall's whalebacks became a success. In all, 44 whalebacks were built.

The Meteor was launched in 1896 as the Frank Rockefeller. She carried iron ore until 1927 when she was sold and renamed South Park . She hauled sand and other fill for the site of the 1933 Worlds Fair in Chicago. Later it was fitted with a deck to haul automobiles. The South Park foundered off of Manistique, Michigan in 1942. Although she was heavily damaged, she was sold to Cleveland Tankers Corporation and renamed Meteor. She was refitted to haul oil and petrochemicals. She was retired in 1969. Being the last working whaleback, she was a novelty around the ports of the Great Lakes. In 1972 the Meteor was towed back to the city where she was built, Superior, Wisconsin. It was opened as a museum in 1973.

The triple expansion steam engine. She was originally coal fired and later switched to oil.

The steering engine

Dane Andree on the bridge.

The METEOR is the last Whaleback Ship

Even older Great Lakes ships have very sophisticated navigation systems like this gyroscopic compass and radio beacons.

The Meteor is "moored " on Barkers Island in Superior, Wisconsin. The tour was six dollars and was informative. If you're a boat nerd you need to check it out. For more info go to http://www.superiorpublicmuseums.org/ssmeteor/NewMETEORMAIN.htm