SS Western Reserve
Western Reserve | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | Western Reserve |
| Namesake | Western Reserve |
| Owner | Minch Transportation Co. |
| Builder | Cleveland Shipbuilding Co., Cleveland |
| Cost | US$200,000 |
| Yard number | 9 |
| Launched | August 20, 1890 |
| Maiden voyage | October 6, 1890 |
| Homeport | Cleveland |
| Identification | US Official Number 81294 |
| Fate | Sank, August 30, 1892 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Bulk carrier |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 300 ft 7 in (91.62 m) |
| Beam | 41 ft 2 in (12.55 m) |
| Depth | 21 ft 0 in (6.40 m) |
| Propulsion | Cleveland Shipbuilding Co. 3-cylinder triple expansion |
| Speed | 12 knots (14 mph; 22 km/h) |
SS Western Reserve was the first steel plate lake freighter on the Great Lakes. She was constructed in 1890 by the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company for and invented by Peter G. Minch, a ship's captain, designer and operator who was pioneering the industrialization of bulk carrier freight service on the Great Lakes. She had a length of 301 feet (92 m), a beam of 41 feet (12 m) and drew 21 feet (6.4 m) of water making her at the time the largest bulk carrier on the lakes. She and a similar ship, SS W.H. Gilcher, were the two first lake freighters to be constructed out of steel plate. Her steel construction made it possible for the vessel to carry heavier loads faster than wooden steamships. The Western Reserve was called the "inland greyhound" because she was so fast from port to port.