The John Sherwin underway
History
United States
Name	John Sherwin 1906-1958 Saturn 1958-1959 George M. Steinbrenner 1959-1969 Kinsman Venture 1969-1974
Namesake	John Sherwin
Operator	Gilchrist Transportation Company 1906-1913 Lackawanna Steamship Company 1913-1959 Kinsman Transit Company 1959-1974
Port of registry	United States, Fairport, Ohio
Builder	West Bay City Shipbuilding Company
Yard number	617
Launched	March 10, 1906
In service	April 13, 1906
Out of service	August 3, 1974
Identification	U.S. #202910
Fate	Scrapped in 1974, in Germany
General characteristics
Class and type	Lake freighter
Tonnage	7,159 gross 5,744 net
Length	534 ft (163 m)
Beam	54 ft (16 m)
Depth	31 ft (9.4 m)
Installed power	2x Scotch marine boilers
Propulsion	1,500 horsepower triple expansion steam engine

The John Sherwin was an American steel-hulled, propeller-driven Great Lakes freighter built in 1906 by the West Bay City Shipbuilding Company (F.W. Wheeler Shipyards) of Bay City, Michigan for service on the Great Lakes of North America. She was used to transport bulk cargoes such as coal, iron ore and grain. She served from her launching in 1906 to her scrapping in 1974, in Germany.

History

Launch of John Sherwin

The Sherwin was launched on March 10, 1906 as hull number #617. She had a length of 534-feet, a beam of 54-feet and a depth of 31-feet. She was powered by a 1,500 horsepower triple expansion steam engine and fueled by two coal-fired Scotch marine boilers. Her official number was U.S. #202910.

The Sherwin was commissioned by the Gilchrist Transportation Company of Cleveland, Ohio. She entered service on April 13, 1906. Her homeport was Fairport, Ohio. In 1910 Gilchrist Transportation Company's fleet went into receivership . For three years the Sherwin was inactive, but in 1913 she was sold at an auction to the Lackawanna Steamship Company (Pickands Mather & Co., Mgr.) of Cleveland, Ohio. Later in 1913 the fleet was renamed Interlake Steamship Company.^[1]

In 1938 the Sherwin was lengthened to 540-feet in length. In 1958 she was renamed Saturn to free up the name John Sherwin for another vessel built for the Interlake fleet. In 1959 the Saturn was sold to the Kinsman Transit Company of Cleveland, Ohio and renamed George M. Steinbrenner. In 1964 the fleet was renamed Kinsman Marine Transit Company. In 1969 the Steinbrenner was renamed Kinsman Venture.^[2]

Breakwater for Ontario Hydro

In 1970 the Venture was sold to the Canadian Dredge & Dock Ltd. along with the Ridgetown and the Lackawanna for use as a temporary breakwater Nanticoke, Ontario construction of a power plant for Ontario Hydro.

In August 1973 she was raised and towed to Toronto, Ontario and went into layup for the winter. She was eventually sold to a German scrapyard. On August 3, 1974 she cleared Quebec with the steamer Lackawanna in tow of the Polish tug Jantar.^[3]

References