Herbert C. Jackson

Herbert C. Jackson

1959-Present

Herbert C. Jackson, arriving at Muskegon, MI, 5/16/2021. Brendan Falkowski

Specs

Build Information

Year Built: 1959

Builder: Great Lakes Engineering Works, River Rouge, MI

Hull #302

Registry: U.S. 278780

IMO #5148417

Laid Down:June 25, 1958

Launch Date: February 20, 1959

Commissioned: May 15, 1959

Construction

The Herbert C. Jackson was constructed in 1959 as a gearless bulk carrier by the Great Lakes Engineering Works of River Rouge, Michigan, for the Interlake Steamship Company.

She was the second to last vessel constructed by the Great Lakes Engineering Works. Her forward deckhouse is incorporated into the bulwark of the Texas deck to create a more streamlined appearance. The Jackson was also the first vessel on the lakes to have her steam turbines located forward of her boilers.

The Herbert C. Jackson was originally constructed as a gearless bulk carrier, with large box holds designed for maximum efficiency for carrying iron ore and coal. She was converted to a self-unloader in 1975, and her self-unloading equipment consists of a single hold belt leading to an aft loop-belt system to a 250′ deck-mounted boom.

Modifications

  • Bow thruster installed, 1966.
  • Converted to a self-unloader, DeFoe Shipbuilding, Bay City, Michigan, 1975.
  • Boilers converted to oil-fired, DeFoe Shipbuilding, Bay City, Michigan, 1975.
  • Stern thruster installed, Fraser Shipyards, Superior, Wisconsin, 1998.
  • Repowered with a diesel engine, Fraser Shipyards, Superior, Wisconsin, 2016.

General Stats

As Constructed

Length Overall: 690′

Length Between Perpendiculars: 670′

Breadth: 75′

Depth: 37’06”

Loaded Draft: 26’10”

Capacity: 24,400 Tons

Vessel Type: Gearless Bulk Carrier

Number of Cargo Holds: 4 [Hatch-Hold Arrangement: 5-5-5-5]

Number of Hatches: 20 [Dimensions: 48’x11′]

Primary Operations: Ore, Coal Trades

Propellers: 1

Rudders: 1

After conversion to a self-unloader, 1975

Length Overall: 690′

Length Between Perpendiculars: 670′

Breadth: 75′

Depth: 37’06”

Loaded Draft: 27’08”

Capacity: 24,800 Tons

Vessel Type: Loop-Belt Self-Unloader

Self-Unloading Boom Length: Aft-Mounted; 250′

Number of Cargo Holds: 4 [Hatch-Hold Arrangement: 5-5-5-4]

Number of Hatches: 19 [Dimensions: #1-18 – 48’x11′; #19 – 48’x9’06”]

Primary Operations: Ore, Coal, Stone, Grain Trades

Propellers: 1 Controllable Pitch Propeller

Rudders: 1

Engineering Equipment

Original

Engine

Engine Type: Steam Turbine

Engine Manufacturer: General Electric Co., Boston, MA

Engine Model: Cross-Compound Steam Turbine

Number of Engines: 1

Rated HP: 6600 SHP

Boiler

Boiler Type: Coal-Fired Water Tube Boilers

Boiler Manufacturer: Combustion Engineering Co., New York, NY

Boiler Size: 14,490 sq. ft.

Number of Boilers: 2

Repower – 2016

Engine Type: Diesel Engine

Engine Manufacturer: MaK, Kien, Germany

Engine Model: 6M32E

Number of Engines: 2

Rated HP: 6250 BHP

History

Lineage

Herbert C. Jackson – 1959-1966

Owner: Interlake Steamship Co., Cleveland, OH [Pickands Mather & Co.]

Operator: Interlake Steamship Co.

Flag: United States

Home Port: Wilmington, DE

Herbert C. Jackson – 1966-1973

Owner: Pickands Mather & Co., Cleveland, OH

Operator: Interlake Steamship Co., Cleveland, OH [Pickands Mather & Co.]

Flag: United States

Home Port: Wilmington, DE

Herbert C. Jackson – 1973-1987

Owner: Interlake Steamship Co., Cleveland, OH [Pickands Mather & Co.]

Operator: Interlake Steamship Co.

Flag: United States

Home Port: Wilmington, DE

Herbert C. Jackson – 1987-Present

Owner: Interlake Steamship Co., Middleburg Heights, OH

Operator: Interlake Steamship Co.

Flag: United States

Home Port: Wilmington, DE

Her Story

The Herbert C. Jackson was constructed in 1959 as a gearless bulk carrier by the Great Lakes Engineering Works of River Rouge, Michigan, for the Interlake Steamship Company. The keel for the Jackson was laid on June 28, 1958, being christened and launched on February 20, 1959. After final fit-out and sea trials, she entered service on May 14, 1959.

For much of her first season, the Jackson participated in the Seaway ore trade due to an iron miners’ strike in Minnesota. In 1966, a bow thruster was installed on the Jackson to increase versatility. In December of 1970, the Herbert C. Jackson transported a over 50 Christmas trees from a Lake Superior port to Cleveland, with further deliver to the White House in Washington D.C. for a special display.

In early 1975, the Herbert C. Jackson laid up for the winter at DeFoe Shipbuilding in Bay City, Michigan, where her boilers were to be automated and converted to oil-firing, and a self-unloading system was to be installed. Once at the shipyard, her cargo hold bottom was removed and new sloped sections were lowered through her cargo hatches and welded together. Conveyor belts running lengthwise of the ship were installed in the hold. A loop-belt elevator system was installed just forward of the aft deckhouse with a 250’ cargo boom to deliver the cargo to the dock. She returned to service in 1975 as a self-unloader.

In 1986, her cargo holds were lined with polymer to increase unloading efficiency. On October 1, 1986, the Herbert C. Jackson rescued two stranded boaters on Lake Michigan. Her bow thruster engine was exchanged with that from the John Sherwin in October 1988 after she encountered troubles with the engine.

On April 28, 2001, the Jackson became the largest vessel to transit the Buffalo River when she brought in a load of grain for one of Buffalo’s many grain elevators. Her record has since been surpassed by larger self-unloaders delivering grain cargoes to this port. The Herbert C. Jackson delivered the final cargo of coal to Port Washington, Wisconsin, on June 30, 2004. While transiting the Rouge River in Detroit on August 1, 2006, the Jackson had to stop partway through the river, when the Dix Street Bridge could not open due to extreme heat and swelling. To solve the issue, the crew of the Jackson rigged up a hose to spray and cool the bridge off so it could be opened, allowing her to pass through the span.

In 2016, the Herbert C. Jackson was repowered with two new diesel engines by Fraser Shipyards in Superior, Wisconsin. She was Interlake’s final active steamer, and returned to service in September 2016. The Herbert C. Jackson continues to be an active member of the Interlake Steamship Company fleet, serving the iron ore, coal, stone, and grain trades.

Compiled By Brendan Falkowski

Updated on August 19, 2020

Gallery

  • Herbert C. Jackson on the St. Marys River, July 3, 1973. Photo by Roger LeLievre
  • Herbert C. Jackson on the St. Marys River, August 1974. Photo by Roger LeLievre
  • Herbert C. Jackson at Toledo, Ohio, 2000’s. Photo by Jim Hoffman
  • Herbert C. Jackson on Lake Huron, May 30, 2010. Photo by Roger LeLievre
  • Herbert C. Jackson on Lake Huron, May 30, 2010. Photo by Roger LeLievre
  • Herbert C. Jackson on the St. Marys River, August 14, 2011. Photo by Roger LeLievre
  • Herbert C. Jackson on the Rouge River, October 20, 2013. Photo by Isaac Pennock
  • Herbert C. Jackson on the St. Marys River, June 22, 2014. Photo by Roger LeLievre
  • Herbert C. Jackson on the St. Marys River, September 2014. Photo by Jim Hoffman
  • Herbert C. Jackson at the mouth of the Detroit River, October 26, 2014. Photo by Isaac Pennock
  • Herbert C. Jackson on the Detroit River, October 31, 2014. Photo by Isaac Pennock
  • Herbert C. Jackson on the St. Marys River, June 21, 2019. Photo by Roger LeLievre
  • Herbert C. Jackson on the St. Marys River, June 27, 2019. Photo by Daniel Lindner
  • Herbert C. Jackson, bow detail, on the St. Marys River, June 27, 2019. Photo by Daniel Lindner
  • Herbert C. Jackson, stern detail, on the St. Marys River, June 27, 2019. Photo by Daniel Lindner
  • Herbert C. Jackson at Port Huron, Michigan, July 2019. Photo by Sam Hankinson
  • Herbert C. Jackson on the St. Clair River, September 3, 2019. Photo by Isaac Pennock
  • Herbert C. Jackson, arriving at Muskegon, MI, 5/16/2021. Brendan Falkowski

Sources

Berry, Sterling P. “Jackson, Herbert C.”. Great Lakes Vessel History: Vessel Histories of Sterling P. Berry. N.d. Accessed 19 August 2020. <https://www.greatlakesvesselhistory.com/histories-by-name/j/jackson-herbert-c>

Devendorf, John F. Great Lakes Bulk Carriers, 1869-1985. John F. Devendorf, 1996. Pp. 180.

Greenwood’s Guide to Great Lakes Shipping 2016, Harbor House Publishers, 2016. Pp. 4.11.

“M/V Herbert C. Jackson”. Interlake Steamship Company. N.d. Accessed 19 August 2020. <http://www.interlake-steamship.com/our-fleet/m-v-herbert-c.-jackson/>

The Great Lakes Engineering Works: The Shipyard and its Vessels. Marine Historical Society of Detroit, 2008. Pp. 465-466.

Wharton, George. “Herbert C. Jackson”. Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping Online. N.d. Accessed 19 August 2020. <http://boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/HerbertCJackson.htm>

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