''Howard L. Shaw'' was a long propeller driven freighter that operated on the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...

of North America from her launching in 1900 to her retirement 1969. She is currently serving as a breakwater in

Ontario Place Ontario Place is an entertainment venue, event venue, and park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The venue is located on three artificial landscaped islands just off-shore in Lake Ontario, south of Exhibition Place, and southwest of Downtown Toronto. ...

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border ...

History

''Howard L. Shaw'' was built by the Detroit Shipbuilding Company of

Wyandotte, Michigan Wyandotte ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 25,058 at the 2020 census. Wyandotte is located in southeastern Michigan, approximately south of Detroit on the Detroit River, and it is part of the coll ...

. She was launched on 15 September 1900 as hull #136. she began service on 2 October 1900. On 1 November 1900, ''Howard L. Shaw'' loaded 260,000 bushels of flax in

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

which was a new port record. The cost of the cargo was valued at $468,000. In 1902 ''Howard L. Shaw'' was purchased by U.S. Steel. In 1904 ''Howard L. Shaw'' was transferred to the Pittsburgh Steamship Company. On 25 May 1906 ''Howard L. Shaw'' passed between the cable connecting the steamer ''Coralia'' and her barge ''Maia'' which raked the deck of spars and the smokestack.

''Howard L. Shaw'' ran aground after the collision. ''Howard L. Shaw'' was the last vessel to see the wooden steamer ''John Owen'' on 12 November 1919 before she was lost in a storm on

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

. In 1922 ''Howard L. Shaw''s hull was reconstructed with arch frames by the

Toledo Shipbuilding Company The Toledo Shipbuilding Company was a shipyard located on Toledo, Ohio. History The Toledo Shipbuilding Company was founded in 1905 when a syndicate of investors purchased the Craig Shipbuilding Company in Toledo, Ohio. The group was composed of L ...

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

, while in Toledo she also had her old boilers replaced by brand new

Scotch marine boiler A "Scotch" marine boiler (or simply Scotch boiler) is a design of steam boiler best known for its use on ships. The general layout is that of a squat horizontal cylinder. One or more large cylindrical furnaces are in the lower part of the boiler ...

s. On 26 April 1926, ''Howard L. Shaw'' ran aground in Mud Lake while downbound from the St. Marys River.

Canadian registry

''Howard L. Shaw'' was sold to the Upper Lakes & St. Lawrence Transportation Company (renamed Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd. in 1959) in late 1940 (her Canadian identification was C172356). On 13 December 1958 ''Howard L. Shaw'' while downbound was stuck in ice delaying eleven other freighters. On 6 September 1963 ''Howard L. Shaw'' was dynamited in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

because of a labor dispute between American and Canadian labor unions. The explosion blew a hole in the port side of the vessel. The ship was later towed to

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

for repairs. ''Howard L. Shaw'' was tied up at a pier since 22 April.

Breakwater

''Howard L. Shaw'' was sold to the Toronto Harbor Commissioners. On 4 July 1969 she was sunk as a breakwater at

along with her fleet mates the steamers ''Douglas Houghton'' and ''Victorius''. All three vessels remain in

as of 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard L. Shaw 1900 ships Ships built in Wyandotte, Michigan Maritime incidents in 1906 Maritime incidents in 1963 Great Lakes freighters Ships sunk as breakwaters Merchant ships of the United States Steamships of the United States Ships powered by a triple expansion steam engine Shipwrecks of the Ontario coast