SS ''Valley Camp'' is a

lake freighter Lake freighters, or lakers, are bulk carrier vessels that operate on the Great Lakes of North America. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. Since the late 19th century, lakers have carried bulk cargoes of ma ...

that served 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 ...

for almost 50 years and is now a museum ship in

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Sault Ste. Marie ( ') is the only city in, and county seat of, Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population of 13,337 at the 2020 census, it is the second-most populated city in the Upper Peninsula after Marquette. It i ...

History

''Valley Camp'' was launched in Lorain, Ohio, in 1917 as the ''Louis W. Hill'' for the

National Steel Corporation The National Steel Corporation (1929–2003) was a major American steel producer. It was founded in 1929 through a merger arranged by Weirton Steel with some properties of the Great Lakes Steel Corporation and M.A. Hanna Company with headquar ...

. She sailed for this company for 38 years hauling iron ore and coal until 1955 when she was sold to the Wilson Marine Transit Company. It was in this fleet that she received her current name. For this company she carried a wider array of bulk goods including grains and stone. ''Valley Camp'' was a member of the Wilson Fleet only until 1959 when the

Republic Steel Corporation Republic Steel is an American steel manufacturer that was once the country's third largest steel producer. It was founded as the Republic Iron and Steel Company in Youngstown, Ohio in 1899. After rising to prominence during the early 20th Centu ...

bought her and several of her Wilson fleetmates, including her identical sister ship ''Silver Bay'' (formerly ''Albert Heiken'' of National Steel). Republic kept ''Valley Camp''s name, and for that company she hauled iron ore and coal to their mills in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

; Cleveland, Ohio; and

Indiana Harbor, Indiana The Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal is an artificial waterway on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan, in East Chicago, Indiana, which connects the Grand Calumet River to Lake Michigan. It consists of two branch canals, the 1.25 mile (2 km) L ...

. In 1966, ''Valley Camp'' made her last voyage. Her age was not an issue in her retirement, but a major problem with a coal-burning boiler was. Her twin, ''Silver Bay'', went on to sail until the early 1980s. SS Valley Camp Aerial

Purchased by Le Sault de Sainte Marie Historical Sites, Inc., for $10,000, the ship was towed from Wisconsin to Sault Ste. Marie on July 6, 1968, during Sault Ste. Marie's tri-centennial celebration. As a museum ship, ''Valley Camp'' is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. Visitors have the opportunity to explore and look in every nook and cranny of the ship. In addition, the cargo hold houses hundreds of artifacts, paintings, shipwreck items, models, two lifeboats from the wreck of the , and exhibits of objects related to maritime history. ''Valley Camp'' is well maintained and has brought in many tourists to Sault Sainte Marie.

The ship

''Valley Camp'' stretches overall with a keel. Other dimensions of the ship include a beam of and a depth of . Her gross tonnage capacity is 12,000 gross tons. The ship was powered by a triple expansion reciprocating steam engine which she retains to this day. Never the flagship of the fleet, her quarters were spartan yet comfortable. The crews quarters are lined by wood trim and equipped with simple bunks. The wheelhouse is lined with wood and trimmed by brass. Her original steering wheel is in place. In the stern, her original smokestack, including her double-chime whistle are still in place. Almost unmodified from her original configuration, she is the most intact example of the classic Great Lakes ore carriers that once numbered in the hundreds and few of which survive to this day.

Gallery

File:SS Valley Camp engine.jpg, Her steam engine File:SS Valley Camp funnel.jpg, Looking aft to the stack

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Valley Camp, SS Valley Camp Valley Camp Valley Camp Museums in Chippewa County, Michigan Michigan State Historic Sites Great Lakes freighters Buildings and structures in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan 1917 ships National Register of Historic Places in Chippewa County, Michigan Ships built in Lorain, Ohio