Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company
Encyclopedia
Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company, often abbrievated as D&C, was a shipping company on the Great Lakes
.
, and Cleveland, Ohio
. Routes also lead to Buffalo, New York
with the purchase of the Detroit and Buffalo Steamship Company in 1909. Charters and day-trips were also offered. Most scheduled sailings were overnight sailings, landing in the morning after departure. Each ship was painted with a black hull and white superstructure and white lettering. By 1949, the ships wore all-white paint with blue lettering. The line operated from 1868 to 1951.
was the noteworthy naval architect who designed many of the D&C ships. As ferry and cruise ships, all of the ships of D&C were a success, with various civic groups and companies often chartering each ship on account of their reputations for excellent services and good cuisine. Upon reaching Buffalo, happy honeymoon couples would connect to Niagara Falls
. In the late 1930s, the increasing use of the automobile
caused passenger numbers to slowly fall.
During World War II
, the Greater Buffalo, along with the Cleveland and Buffalo Line ship , were both converted into training aircraft carriers for use on the Great Lakes. Many of the pilots that were trained on these domestic ships later fought in combat in the Pacific. In the meantime, the Greater Detroit and her fleetmates saw an increase in passenger revenues, with the ships being reasonably full as Americans rationed gasoline for the war effort and therefore chose to travel between cites on the D&C liners, among other lines operating then.
By the end of the war, revenues fell again. The Greater Detroit and her fleetmates, the City of Cleveland III, City of Detroit III
, Western States, and the Eastern States, were all that remained. On June 26, 1950, the 390 feet (118.9 m)-long City of Cleveland III was struck abaft by the Norwegian freighter Ravenfjell, and was severely damaged. Five passengers were killed in the collision, with dozens injured. The two ships survived and returned to their ports, but this incident, along with the dramatic resurgence of the automobile and truck traffic trades, finished the company. The company was formally dissolved in 1951 shortly after their old harbor terminals were condemned by the city of Detroit because of old age, and by 1959, most of the line's remaining ships had been scrapped.
The Greater Buffalo, renamed , and the C&B Line's Seeandbee (484 feet long), renamed , were declared surplus by the United States Navy
and were both scrapped in 1948.
One vessel built in 1883, the 203 feet (61.9 m) long and 807 ton City of Makinac, (later renamed in 1893 the State of New York under the Cleveland and Buffalo Line) was sold back to D&C in 1909 to run from Detroit to Saginaw and other nearby way ports. Early in her life, the ship served the famous amusement park Crystal Beach
in Ontario
, Canada
near Buffalo
, New York. It was here on Lake Erie
she was best known. In 1936, she was retired and stripped of her upper fittings and structures and sold to the Columbia Yacht Club in Chicago
for use as a permanently moored club house, with a new one-story structure being built on top of the older hull. The rebuilt liner, now renamed Florida
, served well for these owners as their primary meeting locale. Only a fire in 1954 interrupted her stationary service, but, with repairs and the name Columbia painted on the old ship's bow, she endured further good use. In 1982, the Florida was sold for scrap. The larger retired railroad and passenger ferry serves in the Florida's place.
The old City of Makinac was the last known vessel of the D&C Line to survive.
by the Detroit River
, the large and elegant room was preserved as a reminder of the D&C Line's past glory days.
It was not until the arrival of the German HAPAG
ship c.Columbus in 1997 that such large and well-accommodated overnight passengers ships had been seen on the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
.
Operations
The main route was between Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, and Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. Routes also lead to Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
with the purchase of the Detroit and Buffalo Steamship Company in 1909. Charters and day-trips were also offered. Most scheduled sailings were overnight sailings, landing in the morning after departure. Each ship was painted with a black hull and white superstructure and white lettering. By 1949, the ships wore all-white paint with blue lettering. The line operated from 1868 to 1951.
History
In its heyday, the D&C Line was among the most well-known shipping companies in business on the Great Lakes, with its vessels being among the largest and most palatial ever seen. Two of them, the and the , were both built in 1923, and, being 7,739 tones and 518 feet (157.9 m) long each, were known as the largest side-wheeler passenger ships in the world. Frank E. KirbyFrank E. Kirby
Frank E. Kirby was a naval architect in the Detroit area in the early 20th century. Kirby was best known for his five huge Lake Erie night boats....
was the noteworthy naval architect who designed many of the D&C ships. As ferry and cruise ships, all of the ships of D&C were a success, with various civic groups and companies often chartering each ship on account of their reputations for excellent services and good cuisine. Upon reaching Buffalo, happy honeymoon couples would connect to Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
. In the late 1930s, the increasing use of the automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
caused passenger numbers to slowly fall.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Greater Buffalo, along with the Cleveland and Buffalo Line ship , were both converted into training aircraft carriers for use on the Great Lakes. Many of the pilots that were trained on these domestic ships later fought in combat in the Pacific. In the meantime, the Greater Detroit and her fleetmates saw an increase in passenger revenues, with the ships being reasonably full as Americans rationed gasoline for the war effort and therefore chose to travel between cites on the D&C liners, among other lines operating then.
By the end of the war, revenues fell again. The Greater Detroit and her fleetmates, the City of Cleveland III, City of Detroit III
City of Detroit III
The City of Detroit III, often referred to as just the D-III, was a sidewheeler steamboat on the Detroit River and Lake Erie. It was one of the largest sidewheelers on the Great Lakes.- History :...
, Western States, and the Eastern States, were all that remained. On June 26, 1950, the 390 feet (118.9 m)-long City of Cleveland III was struck abaft by the Norwegian freighter Ravenfjell, and was severely damaged. Five passengers were killed in the collision, with dozens injured. The two ships survived and returned to their ports, but this incident, along with the dramatic resurgence of the automobile and truck traffic trades, finished the company. The company was formally dissolved in 1951 shortly after their old harbor terminals were condemned by the city of Detroit because of old age, and by 1959, most of the line's remaining ships had been scrapped.
The Greater Buffalo, renamed , and the C&B Line's Seeandbee (484 feet long), renamed , were declared surplus by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and were both scrapped in 1948.
One vessel built in 1883, the 203 feet (61.9 m) long and 807 ton City of Makinac, (later renamed in 1893 the State of New York under the Cleveland and Buffalo Line) was sold back to D&C in 1909 to run from Detroit to Saginaw and other nearby way ports. Early in her life, the ship served the famous amusement park Crystal Beach
Crystal Beach, Ontario
Crystal Beach is a community within Fort Erie, Ontario with a population of 3,800. It was named for the "crystal-clear" water conditions present when it was founded on the northeast shore of Lake Erie, across from Buffalo....
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
near Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, New York. It was here on Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
she was best known. In 1936, she was retired and stripped of her upper fittings and structures and sold to the Columbia Yacht Club in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
for use as a permanently moored club house, with a new one-story structure being built on top of the older hull. The rebuilt liner, now renamed Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, served well for these owners as their primary meeting locale. Only a fire in 1954 interrupted her stationary service, but, with repairs and the name Columbia painted on the old ship's bow, she endured further good use. In 1982, the Florida was sold for scrap. The larger retired railroad and passenger ferry serves in the Florida's place.
The old City of Makinac was the last known vessel of the D&C Line to survive.
The line today
When the City of Detroit III was retired and dismantled in 1956, Frank Schmidt bought the wooden fittings from the Gothic Room aboard ship and had the material shipped to Detroit. There, at the Dossin Marine Museum on Belle IsleBelle Isle Park
Belle Isle is a island park in the Detroit River, between the United States mainland and Canada, managed by the Detroit Recreation Department. It is connected to the rest of Detroit, Michigan by the MacArthur Bridge...
by the Detroit River
Detroit River
The Detroit River is a strait in the Great Lakes system. The name comes from the French Rivière du Détroit, which translates literally as "River of the Strait". The Detroit River has served an important role in the history of Detroit and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The river...
, the large and elegant room was preserved as a reminder of the D&C Line's past glory days.
It was not until the arrival of the German HAPAG
Hamburg America Line
The Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, Germany during...
ship c.Columbus in 1997 that such large and well-accommodated overnight passengers ships had been seen on the Great Lakes.
Some notable steamships
- City of Detroit IIICity of Detroit IIIThe City of Detroit III, often referred to as just the D-III, was a sidewheeler steamboat on the Detroit River and Lake Erie. It was one of the largest sidewheelers on the Great Lakes.- History :...
(1912–1957) - Eastern States (1901–1957)
- Western States (1902–1959)
- City of Cleveland III (1907–1956) (1923–1957) (1923–1947)
- City of Makinac (1883–1982)
Competitors, connecting lines, and other Great Lakes lines
- Cleveland Buffalo Transit Company (C&B) (SS Seeandbee)
- Canada Steamship Lines (SS Nuronic and SS Harmonic)
- Canadian Pacific
- Niagara Navigation Line (Until 1913)
- Goodrich Transit Company
- Duluth, Chicago, and Georgian Bay Transit Co. The "Georgian Bay LineGeorgian Bay LineThe Georgian Bay Line is the popular name of the Chicago, Duluth and Georgian Bay Transit Company. From 1913 until 1967, the Georgian Bay Line provided transit service and cruise voyages to passengers on North America's Great Lakes.-Formation:...
" - Boblo Island Ferries (SS Columbia and SS St. Clair)
- Pere Marquette Railroad (both Detroit River Ferries, Lake Michigan Ferries, and Great Lakes passenger ships)
- Grand Trunk Railroad (both Detroit River Ferries and Lake Michigan Ferries)
- Ann Arbor Railroad
External links
- http://www.mhsd.org/passenger/ Passenger Ships of Great Lakes