John Sherwin
1958-Present
Specs
Build Information
Year Built: 1958
Builder: American Shipbuilding Co., Lorain, OH
Hull #192
Registry: U.S. 276445
IMO #5174428
Laid Down: —
Launch Date: November 2, 1957
Commissioned: May 3, 1958
Construction
The John Sherwin {2} was constructed in 1958 as a gearless bulk carrier by the American Shipbuilding Company at their Toledo, Ohio, shipyard for the Interlake Steamship Company.
The Sherwin was the second of three similar sister ships, those being the George M. Humphrey {2} and Shenango II.
Modifications
- Lengthened by 96′, Fraser Shipyards, Superior, Wisconsin, 1973.
- Boilers converted to oil-fired, Fraser Shipyards, Superior, Wisconsin, 1973.
- Engine removed and prepared for repowering and conversion to a self-unloader, Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, 2008.
General Stats
As Constructed
Length Overall: 710′
Length Between Perpendiculars: 690′
Breadth: 75′
Depth: 37’06”
Loaded Draft: 28’02”
Capacity: 25,000 Tons
Vessel Type: Gearless Bulk Carrier
Number of Cargo Holds: 3
Number of Hatches: — [Dimensions: 48’x11′]
Primary Operations: Ore, Coal, Grain Trades
Propellers: 1
Rudders: 1
After lengthening by 96′, 1973
Length Overall: 806′
Length Between Perpendiculars: 786′
Breadth: 75′
Depth: 37’06”
Loaded Draft: 28’02”
Capacity: 31,500 Tons
Vessel Type: Gearless Bulk Carrier
Number of Cargo Holds: 5 [Hatch-Hold Arrangement: 5-5-5-4-5]
Number of Hatches: 24 [Dimensions: 48’x11′]
Primary Operations: Ore, Coal, Grain Trades
Propellers: 1
Rudders: 1
Engineering Equipment
Original
Engine
Engine Type: Steam Turbine
Engine Manufacturer: De Laval Steam Turbine Co., Trenton, NJ
Engine Model: Cross-Compound Steam Turbine
Number of Engines: 1
Rated HP: 9350 SHP
Boiler
Boiler Type: Coal-fired Water Tube Boilers
Boiler Manufacturer: Foster-Wheeler, Baar, Switzerland
Boiler Size: 16,834 sq. ft.
Number of Boilers: 2
History
Lineage
John Sherwin {2} – 1958-1966
Owner: Interlake Steamship Co., Cleveland, OH [Pickands Mather & Co.]
Operator: Interlake Steamship Co.
Flag: United States
Home Port: Wilmington, DE
John Sherwin {2} – 1966-1973
Owner: Pickands Mather & Co., Cleveland, OH
Operator: Interlake Steamship Co., Cleveland, OH [Pickands Mather & Co.]
Flag: United States
Home Port: Wilmington, DE
John Sherwin {2} – 1973-1987
Owner: Interlake Steamship Co., Cleveland, OH [Pickands Mather & Co.]
Operator: Interlake Steamship Co.
Flag: United States
Home Port: Wilmington, DE
John Sherwin {2} – 1987-Present
Owner: Interlake Steamship Co., Middleburg Heights, OH
Operator: Interlake Steamship Co.
Flag: United States
Home Port: Wilmington, DE
Her Story
The John Sherwin {2} was constructed in 1958 as a gearless bulk carrier by the American Shipbuilding Company at their Toledo, Ohio, shipyard for the Interlake Steamship Company. The Sherwin was launched on November 2, 1957, and entered service on May 3, 1958, departing Cleveland, Ohio, for Taconite Harbor, Minnesota, following her christening ceremony.
In early 1973, the Sherwin was taken to Fraser Shipyards to be lengthened by 96′. At Fraser’s, she was drydocked, cut in half aft of amidship, and her stern section was floated out. Workers then prepared the new 96′ long hull section for insertion. The new hull section was lined up with the bow in the drydock, then the stern was floated back in. The hull was welded back together with the new section in the middle. She returned to service in 1973.
At the onset of the economic downturn, the John Sherwin was laid up on November 16, 1981, at Superior, Wisconsin. She has remained in layup ever since.
On April 11, 2006, the Sherwin was drydocked at Fraser Shipyards in Superior, Wisconsin, for a hull inspection before being towed down to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she would load a cargo of grain for storage at South Chicago, Illinois. She departed Superior under tow of the “G” tug Ohio on September 1, 2006. She remained in South Chicago until August 22, 2008, when she was towed to Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.
At the shipyard, her old steam turbine was removed and she was prepared for repowering as well as the conversion into a self-unloader. The project was halted in early October due to another economic downturn. She was towed out of Bay Shipbuilding on October 22, 2009, being laid up at her owner’s dock in DeTour, Michigan, where she remains, awaiting a return to service.
Compiled By Brendan Falkowski
Updated on September 15, 2020
Gallery
John Sherwin on the St. Marys River, September 4, 1971. Photo by Roger LeLievre John Sherwin on the St. Marys River, 1970’s. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
John Sherwin on the St. Marys River, 1970’s. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
John Sherwin on the St. Marys River, July 1975. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
John Sherwin laid up at Superior, Wisconsin, 1990’s. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
John Sherwin laid up at Superior, Wisconsin, 2004. Photo by Jim Hoffman 
John Sherwin under tow on the St. Marys River, September 4, 2006. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
John Sherwin under tow of the tug Ohio, on the St. Marys River, September 4, 2006. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
John Sherwin laid up at DeTour, Michigan, June 13, 2014. Photo by Brendan Falkowski
Sources
Berry, Sterling P. “Sherwin, John 2”. Great Lakes Vessel History: Vessel Histories of Sterling P. Berry. N.d. Accessed 15 September 2020. <https://www.greatlakesvesselhistory.com/histories-by-name/s/john-sherwin-2>
Devendorf, John F. Great Lakes Bulk Carriers, 1869-1985. John F. Devendorf, 1996. Pp. 178.
Greenwood’s Guide to Great Lakes Shipping 2016, Harbor House Publishers, 2016. Pp. 3.4.
Wharton, George. “John Sherwin (2)”. Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping Online. N.d. Accessed 15 September 2020. <http://boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/sherwin.htm>
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