Life of the S.S. Zenith City

December 13, 2025 / mikelbclassen / Leave a comment

This article contains never before seen photos of the Zenith City taken at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. They are part of the Mikel B. Classen Collection of Historical Pictures.

Edging into the Soo Locks is the S.S. Zenith City an ore freighter.

The S.S. Zenith City slowly makes its way into the Soo Locks.

The Zenith City was a classic freighter ship of its day. It sailed throughout the Great Lakes for many years, and was the longest ship of its day at 387 ft. Launched in 1895 in Chicago, the Zenith City traveled throughout the Great Lakes hauling iron ore back and forth.

The ship sailed without mishap until July 26, 1910, when it ran aground at Au Sable Point in Lake Superior. There was a thick fog and it hit Au Sable’s sandstone reef about a mile offshore. Fortunately, there wasn’t much damage and she was pulled off the reef and was able to resume well enough to get the ship somewhere it could be repaired. Several bottom plates had to be replaced, but it was soon back on the water on its way.

Zenith City sailed until 1946 when it became scrap after World War II.

The bow of the Zenith City at Sault Ste. Marie in 1910.

Six years later, the Zenith City sank. It was a storm near Hammond Bay in Lake Huron. There is very little information about the wreck other than it sank and was then recovered. The Zenith City sailed again.

It continued hauling ore until World War II. The Zenith City was sold to the U.S. War Shipping Administration along with six other ships in 1943. The Zenith City then spent its time taking supplies to the war effort in Europe. One year later the ship was laid up. It would remain there. It was sold for scrap in 1946. The Zenith City was no more. The only memories remain in pictures.

The S.S. Zenith City bridge at a closer angle.

A closer look at the bridge on the Zenith City going through the Soo Locks.

Icy Ordeal of the Alexander McDougall – Lake Superior

January 4, 2025 / mikelbclassen / Leave a comment

A storm on Lake Superior covered this ship in ice trapping the crew inside.

The Alex McDougall whaleback ship encased in ice with the crew frozen inside.

A whaleback ship is an early ore freighter that sailed throughout the Great Lakes. The one pictured, the Alexander McDougall, is shown docked at Sault Ste. Marie, MI after a terrifying ordeal. It was the largest whaleback built in 1898 and was 418 feet long. The ship was lost for three days sailing through a brutal Lake Superior storm.

When docked at the Soo, she was coated with 20 inches of ice and axes were used to free the captain and the wheelsman from the pilot house. They had remained at their stations unwavering during the storm. The dining room and stateroom were at the rear of the ship and the ice coating and the heavy rolling seas made it impossible to reach. Over time they became prisoners of the ice. During the three days the captain and the wheelman had no sleep or food. It was a miracle they made it with all credit going to the captain and his wheelman for saving the ship, cargo, and crew.

For more information: Click here.

Historical Photos – Whalebacks – Extinct Ships of the Great Lakes

March 28, 2021September 19, 2025 / mikelbclassen / 1 Comment

Images are from my personal historical photos collection

Whalebacks were used to haul cargo across the Great Lakes. Pictured is the Colgate Hoyt, the first self-powered (steam) whaleback in the fleet. Circa 1890.

Whaleback ships were a unique design that was adopted to ship ore across the Great Lakes and particularly Lake Superior. Their shape was designed to lessen the impact of turbulent surf. When fully loaded they looked more like a submarine than a surface ship. They were used mostly as a tow barge replacing schooners which had been used before this.

Whalebacks at the Soo Locks towing each other a common practice in ore shipping.

Whalebacks were fairly common throughout the early 20th century. 44 of them were built between 1887 and 1898. Twenty-five of the whalebacks built were tow barges, the other 19 were steam powered. Most of them were built in Duluth, MN or Superior, WI as freighters for the iron range. None of them are left except one that is a museum ship in Superior, WI, the SS Meteor. (here is a link to the Whaleback Museum: https://superiorpublicmuseums.org/ss-meteor/)

Whalebacks taking on ore in Escanaba.

When loaded whalebacks were hard to see and were often run into by ships that couldn’t see them. Their hatches tended to leak and bend during stress which made them a hazard. The Whaleback is the forefather to the modern ore freighter that we commonly see now, like the neanderthal to the modern man.

Whaleback in the Soo Locks. A heavily loaded one can be seen behind it.

One whaleback was unique from all the rest. That is the Christopher Columbus, the only passenger whaleback ever made. It was painted white and 362 feet long, the longest ship on the Great Lakes at the time and the longest whaleback ever built. The Christopher Columbus was built to ferry passengers to the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Thousands of passengers would ride on her and it was said she could hold 4000 at capacity.

The picture below is rare as I think it is the only one in existence. It shows the Christopher Columbus sailing up the Portage Canal at Houghton /Hancock. I believe this is its maiden voyage. It was built in Superior, WI and spent most of its time shuttling passengers in the southern end of Lake Michigan. Once it reached the lower lakes, it seems to have stayed there.