In October 2013 the Robert S. Pierson made a rare visit to Toronto.

The Robert S. Pierson is a bulk carrier built for and operated on the North American Great Lakes.[1]

The vessel went through several owners and several names. In 2007, she was sold to Lower Lakes Towing, a Canadian company. Her last namesake was Robert Scott Pierson, the founder of the shipping firm Soo River Company. An earlier vessel named after Pierson operated from 1980 to 1982.

When first commissioned in 1974 she was owned by the Union Commerce Bank, of Cleveland, Ohio.[1] She was operated by Oglebay Norton Corporation and named the Wolverine. For the next 32 years, she was operated by various divisions of Oglebay Norton.[2]

Oglebay Norton assumed ownership of the vessel in 1994. In 2006, Oglebay Norton sold off its entire fleet to the Wisconsin and Michigan Steamship Company. In 2008, the vessel and two sister ships, the David Z. Norton and the Earl W. Oglebay were acquired by Grand River Navigation, for $20 million. Grand River then sold the Wolverine to its Canadian partner, Lower Lakes Towing of Port Dover, Ontario. It was at this point she was renamed the Robert S. Pierson.

The Holland Sentinel, commenting on the sale, reported that the change of ownership to Canadian hands would prevent the vessel from visiting Holland, Michigan, formerly a major port of call, "as U.S. cabotage laws limit the ability of foreign-flagged vessels to make deliveries here."[3]

The vessel was not built to seawaymax dimensions, she was specifically designed to navigate "Cleveland's winding Cuyahoga River".[1] She is 630 feet (190 m) long. Her capacity is just under 20,000 tons.

On March 20, 2017, the Pierson was the first ship upbound in the Welland Canal, and the captain received the Top Hat at the Lock 3 Centre in St Catharines, Ontario.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 George Wharton. "Great Lakes Fleet Page Vessel Feature -- Robert S. Pierson". Boatnerd. Retrieved 2013-10-24. This "river class" self-unloading bulk freighter was built at a cost of $14.1 million by the American Ship Building Co., Lorain, Ohio. Her keel was laid June 1, 1973 with the vessel being launched September 9, 1974 as the Wolverine for the Union Commerce Bank, Cleveland, Ohio, with Oglebay Norton Company as managers sailing under the colors of Oglebay Norton's Columbia Transportation Division.
  2. ↑ "Eating well, working hard on Great Lakes freighters". Aboard the Wolverine: USA Today. 2005-01-30. Archived from the original on 2013-10-24. On a recent chilly winter day on Lake Erie aboard the Wolverine, ship steward Calvin Statham Sr. stands over a steaming platter of baby back ribs, an aromatic chicken stir fry, a kettle of hearty beef vegetable soup and crispy pizza fresh from the oven. It's lunchtime aboard Oglebay Norton's 20,000-ton capacity bulk freighter.
  3. ↑ Bob VandeVusse (2012-04-12). "Dredging is done, but first ship has yet to arrive". Holland Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-10-25. With the Wolverine, the company broke with its tradition of naming vessels for rivers. It has been renamed the Robert S. Pierson and re-flagged Canadian. Robert Scott Pierson was active in the Canadian shipping industry for more than 30 years, including his final years with the Lower Lakes companies.
  4. ↑ Dave Johnson, Bob (March 20, 2017). "First downbound vessel passes through canal". Retrieved March 21, 2017.
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