SS Arthur B. Homer

{{Short description|Great Lakes freighter built in 1960}}

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{{Infobox ship image

| Ship image = ARTHUR B. HOMER 1978.jpg

| Ship caption = Arthur B. Homer in 1978

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{{Infobox ship career

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| Ship country = United States

| Ship flag = {{USN flag|1929}}

| Ship name = Arthur B. Homer

| Ship namesake =

| Ship owner = Bethlehem Steel Corporation

| Ship operator = Bethlehem Transportation Corporation

| Ship registry = {{flagicon|US}} Wilmington, Delaware

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| Ship builder = Great Lakes Engineering Works

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| Ship launched = 7 November 1959

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| Ship out of service = 4 October 1980

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| Ship identification = U.S. Registry #280946

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| Ship fate = Scrapped 1987

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{{Infobox ship characteristics|Ship propulsion

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| Ship class = Lake freighter

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| Ship tonnage = *{{GRT|1339}}

  • {{NRT|8442}}

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| Ship length = * {{Convert|730|ft|m|abbr=on}} (as built)

  • {{Convert|826|ft|m|abbr=on}}

| Ship beam = {{Convert|75|ft|abbr=on}}

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| Ship depth = {{Convert|39|ft|abbr=on}}

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| Ship power = Steam Turbine

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SS Arthur B. Homer was a {{convert|730|ft|adj=on}} Great Lakes freighter that was built in 1960 by Great Lakes Engineering Works in River Rouge, Michigan for the Bethlehem Steel Corporation.{{Cite web |title=Homer, Arthur B. – Great Lakes Vessel HistoryGreat Lakes Vessel History |url=https://www.greatlakesvesselhistory.com/histories-by-name/h/homer-arthur-b |access-date=2024-01-09 |website=Great Lakes Vessel History}} The ship was launched in November 7, 1959 and being lowered sideways, which made it the largest side-launching in maritime history at that time. The ship's capacity was 25,000 tons, and it was the twelfth vessel of the Bethlehem Steel fleet. The ship was able to operate anywhere in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River, and parts of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The ship was 730 feet long and had a {{convert|75|ft|adj=on}} beam, the maximum size allowed by the Soo Locks and St. Lawrence Seaway locks.{{Cite web |title=Detroit Free Press 08 Nov 1959, page Page 3 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/98258797/ |access-date=2024-01-13 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=HOMER, ARTHUR B. – Historical Collections of the Great Lakes |url=https://greatlakes.bgsu.edu/item/435739 |access-date=2024-01-13 |website=greatlakes.bgsu.edu}} Over the winter of 1975-76, the Homer was lengthened 96 feet to bring her total length of 826 feet. She was laid up on October 4, 1980 and did not sail again. Towed to Port Colborne in December of 1986, she was scrapped in 1987 and remains the largest ship ever scrapped on the Great Lakes.

Arthur B. Homer was a sister ship to the Edmund Fitzgerald, which was lost with all hands in Lake Superior on 10 November 1975.

References

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Category:Great Lakes freighters

Category:1959 ships