The SS Alpena, originally launched as the SS Leon Fraser on February 28, 1942, is a historically significant lake freighter built by the Great Lakes Engineering Works in Ecorse, Michigan. As part of a class of five "super carriers," she measured 639 feet (195 meters) in length, making her the longest ship on the Great Lakes by freeboard length at the time of her launch. Her breadth was 67 feet (20 meters), with a depth of 35 feet (11 meters), and she had a capacity of 18,600 long tons (approximately 18,900 metric tons) of iron ore, enabling her to carry enough steel for eight destroyers. She was powered by a DeLaval Steam Turbine Company steam turbine engine and two Babcock & Wilcox water-tube boilers. Initially owned by the Pittsburgh Steamship Company, a subsidiary of U.S. Steel, the Leon Fraser primarily transported iron ore to steel ports on the Great Lakes, including Chicago, Conneaut, Gary, and Lorain. During her service, she also hauled grain in the 1960s and 1970s. She was notable for her length and capacity, surpassing other ships in her class and becoming a prominent figure in Great Lakes maritime history. In 1982, she was placed into storage after her ore-carrying service. In 1989, Fraser Shipyards purchased her, shortened her by 120 feet (37 meters) to enhance her strength and port accessibility, and converted her into a self-unloading cement carrier. The shortening reduced her length to 519 feet (158 meters) and her capacity to about 14,000 long tons (roughly 14,000 metric tons). She was renamed SS Alpena in 1990 under new ownership by New Management Enterprises and began transporting cement between Alpena, Michigan, and other Great Lakes cement ports. By 2015, she was recognized as the oldest active steamship on the Great Lakes. Despite a fire in December 2015 while in dry dock for inspection—causing approximately $3 million in damages—she was repaired and returned to service in 2016. As of 2024, the vessel is owned by Andrie Transportation Group and Inland Lakes Management, continuing her role in Great Lakes maritime commerce and representing a significant link to the region’s industrial and maritime history.

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