- SS Chief Wawatam
"SS Chief Wawatam" was a coal-fired
train ferry andicebreaker that operated in theStraits of Mackinac in 1911-1984. Her home port wasSt. Ignace, Michigan , and she shuttled back and forth during her entire working life between that port andMackinaw City, Michigan .History
The "Chief Wawatam" was designed by Great Lakes marine architect Frank Kirby. She was launched in
Toledo, Ohio by the Toledo Shipping Company onAugust 26 ,1911 , and went into service for theMackinac Transportation Company onOctober 18 ,1911 . The Mackinac Transportation Company was a joint venture of theDuluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway , theGrand Rapids and Indiana Railroad , and theMichigan Central Railroad , the three railroads that serviced the Straits of Mackinac.Year-round train ferry service in the Straits of Mackinac was a significant challenge because of the heavy
ice buildup experienced by these straits in winter. The "Chief Wawatam" was designed to break ice floes with her bowpropellor , which could both maneuver the boat and suck water out from underneath the ice to enable it to be broken through force of gravity.The "Chief Wawatam" was 338 feet in length and had a beam of 62 feet. Her three propellors, two in the stern and one on the bow, were driven by coal-fired
triple-expansion steam engine s. The "Chief" is believed to have been the last hand-fired, coal-burning boat in commercial service on theGreat Lakes . Other coal-burning vessels that survived longer in revenue service, such as the SS|Badger, had automaticstoker s.Need by shippers for the Straits of Mackinac train ferry service provided by the Mackinac Transportation Company declined following construction of the
Mackinac Bridge in 1957. After cross-Straits of Mackinac railroad car ferry service ended in 1984, the "Chief" lay in mothballs for several years in Mackinaw City. She was towed toSault Ste. Marie, Ontario in 1989 and cut down at that port to serve as abarge . At the time of her cutting-down she was one of the last survivors of theGreat Storm of 1913 .One of the "Chief's" triple-expansion engines was withheld from salvage and, after being restored to operating condition, was placed on display in 2005 at the
Wisconsin Maritime Museum inManitowoc, Wisconsin .External links
* [http://www.carferries.com/chief/ "Chief Wawatam" site]
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