Railroad: Mackinaw Transportation Company (MC/PRR/DSS&A)
Built/Acquired: 1911, built by the Toledo Shipbuilding Company in Toledo, OH
Crossing: Straits of Mackinac
End of Service: 1984
Disposition: Became a barge in 1989 and scraped in 2009.
Size: 338' long, 62' wide. 2,990 tons
Type: Hand-fed coal steamer.
The last hand-fed coal steamer on the Great Lakes. Known as "The Chief".
Designed by marine architect Frank E. Kirby.
Designed to break ice floes with a bow propeller.
This was a 351-foot vessel designed to carry rail cars. Capacity was 26 rail cars. The ferry was equipped with three triple-expansion steam engines which powered three propellers, two on the stern and one of the bow. The vessel was often used for ice-breaking in the Straits of Mackinaw. [AGLMH]
1916. The Mackinac Transportation Company begins transporting automobiles across the Straits. They were loaded on rail cars for the crossing. The service was discontinued in 1923 with the introduction of a state-run automobile ferry service across the Straits. [AGLMH]
1955. The last passenger train uses the Chief to cross the Straits. [AGLMH]
1977. The Chief Wawatam is acquired by the State of Michigan and operated until 1984. [AGLMH]
1989. The vessel was sold and converted into a barge. [AGLMH]
The following sources are utilized in this website. [SOURCE-YEAR-MMDD-PG]:
