The SS City of Milwaukee is a historically significant Great Lakes railroad car ferry constructed in 1931 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, to replace the vessel of the same name that sank in 1929. As the only pre-1940s ship of its type to survive, she exemplifies early 20th-century maritime engineering designed for the challenging conditions of Lake Michigan. The ship features a steel hull with a shallow draft to accommodate the flat decks necessary for transporting railroad cars, with a compartmentalized hull divided into eight sections, including the chain locker, holds, boiler room, engine room, and crew quarters. The vessel's main deck is primarily covered and sheltered, with four pairs of rails and additional outside rails for securing railcars with chains, enabling it to carry approximately 28 to 30 fully loaded rail cars. Above the car deck are crew and passenger accommodations, including the galley, dining room, staterooms, and the crew's quarters. The Texas deck houses the captain's and mate's quarters, lookout stations, and the ship's main pilot house, which is used for navigation, complemented by a smaller stern pilot house for docking operations. Powering the SS City of Milwaukee are four Scotch marine boilers, initially fueled by coal until 1947, when they were converted to bunker C fuel oil. Two boilers drive twin triple-expansion reciprocating steam engines, rated at 1,350 horsepower each, producing a combined 2,700 horsepower, which drive two large cast-steel propellers each 12 feet in diameter. The vessel's propulsion system, including the steam engines and brass fixtures, remains largely unaltered, making her a unique floating relic of maritime history. The ship served the Grand Trunk Milwaukee Car Ferry Company until 1978, later sailing under the Ann Arbor Railroad until her retirement in 1982. Today, she serves as a museum, bed and breakfast, and event venue in Manistee, Michigan. Recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1990, she is the last remaining traditional railroad car ferry afloat on the Great Lakes, preserving her original woodwork, brass fixtures, and triple-expansion steam engine, symbolizing the era of rail and maritime integration on the Great Lakes.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.