Description:
The Great Lakes Ships Database is an extensive repository documenting the vessels that have navigated the Great Lakes, including freighters, schooners, steamers, and more. This resource offers detailed records about individual ships, including their specifications, ownership histories, operational details, and final dispositions. It is invaluable for maritime historians, researchers, and enthusiasts interested in the region’s rich shipping history.
Glossary Terms
• Freighter: A cargo ship primarily designed for carrying bulk goods such as coal, grain, or iron ore on the Great Lakes.
• Schooner: A type of sailing ship with two or more masts, widely used in the 19th century for transporting goods on the lakes.
• Steamship: A vessel powered by steam engines, dominant in the Great Lakes shipping industry during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
• Canaller: A ship specifically designed to fit the locks of the Welland Canal, which connects Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.
• Gross Tonnage (GT): A measure of a ship’s total internal volume, used to assess its cargo-carrying capacity.
• Whaleback: A cigar-shaped, low-profile Great Lakes freighter designed for stability in rough waters.
• Laker: A term for a freighter built exclusively for navigating the Great Lakes, often longer and narrower than ocean-going vessels.
• Shipyard: A facility where ships are built, repaired, or refitted; a key part of the Great Lakes’ industrial history.
• Grounding: When a vessel runs aground on a sandbar, reef, or shoal, a frequent hazard in the shallow areas of the Great Lakes.
• Scuttling: The intentional sinking of a ship, often to dispose of it or create an artificial reef.
• Capsizing: When a vessel overturns in the water, often due to storms, shifting cargo, or structural failure.
• Final Disposition: The ultimate fate of a ship, such as sinking, dismantling, or conversion to another use.
Additional Features on the Website
The site provides access to:
• Ship photographs
• Historical event records (e.g., shipwrecks, collisions, or fires)
• Interactive search functions for vessels by name, type, or year of construction
Link: Great Lakes Ships Database
This glossary enhances understanding of technical terms and concepts related to Great Lakes maritime history, offering a solid foundation for navigating the database.