Quayle & Martin

Quayle & Martin: Cleveland’s Master Shipbuilders on the Great Lakes

• Company: Quayle & Martin
• Location: Cleveland, Ohio
• Era of Prominence: Mid-19th Century
• Notable Constructions: St. Lawrence (1863), among various significant vessels on the Great Lakes

Quayle & Martin was a highly regarded shipbuilding company operating out of Cleveland, Ohio, during the 19th century—a period of rapid expansion and innovation in Great Lakes shipping. Their vessels served as vital links in a booming regional trade network that connected the inland cities and industries of the Midwest with ports as far as the Atlantic Ocean. This shipyard was instrumental in developing versatile and resilient lake vessels capable of handling the unpredictable and often treacherous conditions of the Great Lakes.

Founding and Early Years

Cleveland’s maritime economy, growing swiftly through the 19th century, laid the groundwork for companies like Quayle & Martin. With the rise of industrial centers and the opening of canals and railroads, the city became a hub for shipbuilding to meet the demands of grain, timber, and ore transportation across the lakes. Quayle & Martin emerged in this environment as skilled craftsmen and engineers, focusing on creating vessels that could withstand long voyages and carry substantial cargo loads.

Notable Vessels Owned or Operated by

• Leonard Hanna was a large Great Lakes schooner, built in 1872 at Cleveland, Ohio, by Quayle & Martin. With three masts, she was one of the larger sailing cargo ships of her era, capable of hauling bulk freight such as iron ore, coal, and grain across the Great Lakes.
• John M. Hutchinson Was a wooden three-masted schooner-barge built in 1873 by Quayle & Martin in Cleveland, Ohio. Originally constructed as a schooner, she was later converted into a barge, reflecting the common practice of extending the operational life of aging sailing vessels by adapting them for use in steam-powered tows. At 229 feet in length, she was considered a large vessel for her time and was initially celebrated as a “wonder of the lakes” for her impressive size and capacity. The vessel was built for Captain Frank Perew at a cost of $80,000, a significant sum in the 1870s, indicating her importance and advanced design.
• Thomas Quayle was a wooden-hulled propeller steam tug. Tugs of this size and design were crucial in the Great Lakes maritime industry during the late 19th century, serving to tow barges, assist in docking operations, and support salvage missions. With a length of 125 feet, the Thomas Quayle was considered a large tug for its time, capable of towing multiple heavily loaded barges across the challenging waters of Lake Superior.
• Chandler J. Wells was a three-masted wooden schooner, originally constructed as a bark before being converted for more efficient schooner rigging. Vessels like this were workhorses of the Great Lakes during the late 19th century, primarily used to haul bulk cargo—especially lumber, which was in high demand for the booming construction industries of cities like Chicago, Buffalo, and Detroit.
• John B. Wright was a brand-new three-masted schooner built in 1854 at Cleveland, Ohio, by Quayle & Martin, one of the prominent shipbuilders of the time. She was designed for bulk cargo transport, a role that schooners played in the mid-19th century Great Lakes economy, carrying goods like coal, grain, lumber, and manufactured materials between Cleveland, Buffalo, Chicago, and Milwaukee.
•  R.G. Winslow was originally built as a two-masted schooner but was later converted into a three-masted bark. This type of vessel was commonly used on the Great Lakes for carrying bulk cargoes such as grain, lumber, and coal. Barks were particularly suited for long voyages across the lakes, offering improved stability and cargo capacity over smaller schooner
• St. Lawrence underwent a conversion from a bark to a schooner, illustrating the adaptability of Quayle & Martin’s designs and their responsiveness to evolving maritime needs. This conversion aligned with a broader trend on the Great Lakes as schooners became preferred due to their simplified rigging, lower crew requirements, and improved navigation capabilities. This shift reflected Quayle & Martin’s ability to stay at the forefront of ship design, anticipating and meeting the operational demands of shipping firms.
• Tacoma was a wooden-hulled propeller bulk freighter, designed primarily for transporting large quantities of bulk cargo such as grain, coal, iron ore, and lumber—typical commodities in the booming Great Lakes shipping industry during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Built in 1881 by Quayle of Cleveland, Ohio, the Tacoma was part of a generation of large wooden bulk freighters that dominated Great Lakes commerce before steel hulls became the industry standard. The vessel featured a robust wooden hull, reinforced to handle the demanding conditions of the upper Great Lakes and the heavy cargoes associated with bulk freight operations. With her impressive dimensions—over 260 feet (79.5 m) long and nearly 40 feet (12 m) wide—she was among the larger wooden freighters of her time, capable of carrying thousands of tons of material across the lakes. Her propulsion was provided by a single screw propeller, powered by a steam engine typical of the era.
• Wavertree was originally launched as the R.H. Harmon in 1855 at Cleveland, Ohio, by the shipbuilding firm Quayle & Martin. She was a two-masted schooner, a common type of Great Lakes sailing vessel used for cargo transport during the mid-19th century.
• Yakima was a wooden-hulled bulk freighter constructed in 1889 by Quayle & Son of Cleveland, Ohio. She was designed for transporting bulk commodities such as iron ore, coal, and grain, which were the main cargoes of the Great Lakes trade during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The vessel was owned by J.C. Gilchrist of Detroit, a well-known shipping magnate of the time.

Quality and Craftsmanship

The shipyard gained a reputation for producing robust wooden vessels, relying on local and regional timber sources and the expert craftsmanship of skilled laborers in Cleveland. Quayle & Martin’s reputation was built on rigorous standards, and their vessels were known for their durability, often lasting decades. The attention to detail and quality control ensured that even after years of service, many of their ships remained functional or were successfully repurposed.

Influence on Great Lakes Commerce

By enabling the efficient movement of large quantities of goods—especially agricultural products and raw materials—the vessels built by Quayle & Martin significantly influenced the economic landscape of the Great Lakes. Their contributions helped establish reliable transport routes and reduced the cost and time of shipping. The firm’s ships allowed industries in Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and beyond to grow, bringing prosperity and connectivity to these inland cities.

Decline and Legacy

As the late 19th century progressed, steel hulls began to replace wooden construction, marking the end of an era for many wooden shipbuilders, including Quayle & Martin. The advent of larger, steam-powered vessels required shipyards to innovate or close, as the demand for older-style wooden ships declined. Despite this shift, the vessels built by Quayle & Martin continued to serve long after the company ceased operations, with some ships, like the St. Lawrence, meeting their ends in the early 20th century.