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Ship Details:

Created: 2018-11-07 3:16:57 PM
Last Edited: 2025-01-23 3:41:08 PM

Walter A. Sterling	Walter A. Sterling	Walter A. Sterling	Chiwawa (1960/10)
Walter A. Sterling (1981/06)	Walter A. Sterling (1984/07)	Walter A. Sterling (1984/07)	William Clay Ford (1985/07/19)
William Clay Ford (1987/06)	William Clay Ford (1987/08/10)	Lee A. Tregurtha (1991/07)	Lee A. Tregurtha (1991/08)
Lee A. Tregurtha (1992/09/30)	Lee A. Tregurtha (1995/07/08)	Lee A. Tregurtha (2000/06)	Lee A. Tregurtha (2000/06)
Lee A. Tregurtha (2001)	Lee A. Tregurtha (2003)	Lee A. Tregurtha (2003/06)	Lee A. Tregurtha (2007/06/30)
Lee A. Tregurtha (2010/06/06)	Lee A. Tregurtha (2018/06/21)	Lee A. Tregurtha (2018/06/21)	Lee A. Tregurtha (2018/07/27)
Lee A. Tregurtha (2018/09/05)	Lee A. Tregurtha (2019/06/26)	Lee A. Tregurtha (2019/06/26)	Lee A. Tregurtha (2021/05/21)
Lee A. Tregurtha (2103/06/25)

IMO:

5385625

Details/Construction
Builder:	Bethlehem Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company	Location:	Sparrows Point, Maryland, United States	Hull #:	4378
Design:	T3-S-A1
Keel Layed:		Launched:	1942/06/25	Commissioned:	1942/12/24

Propulsion
As built	Type:	1 cross-compound steam turbine engine	Output:	7700 shp (5744 kW) - 15.5 knots
	Manufacturer:	Bethlehem Steel Company - Quincy, Massachusetts, USA
Year: 2006	Type:	2 Rolls Royce Bergen B32-40L6P 6-cylinder diesel engines	Output:	8040 bhp (5914 kW) - 14.0 knots
	Manufacturer:	Rolls-Royce Bergen - Hordvik, Norway

Dimensions
As built	Length (oa):	152.9 m (501.6 ft)	Gross Tonnage:	10350
	Length (lbp):		Net Tonnage:
	Beam:	20.7 m (67.9 ft)	Dead Weight:	16100
	Depth:		Displacement:
	Draft:
Year: 1961	Length (oa):	222.5 m (730.0 ft)	Gross Tonnage:	13122
	Length (lbp):	218.0 m (715.25 ft)	Net Tonnage:
	Beam:	22.86 m (75.0 ft)	Dead Weight:	24200
	Depth:	11.89 m (39.0 ft)	Displacement:
	Draft:	8.5 m (27.8 ft)
	Change Description:	Lengthened and widened while being converted to a Great Lakes bulk freighter in Toledo and Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Company. A new midbody was built in Hamburg Germany by Schlieker-Werft and towed to Lorain.
Year: 1976	Length (oa):	251.76 m (826.0 ft)	Gross Tonnage:	14671
	Length (lbp):	247.3 m (811.2 ft)	Net Tonnage:
	Beam:	22.9 m (75.0 ft)	Dead Weight:	24588
	Depth:	11.89 m (39.0 ft)	Displacement:
	Draft:	8.5 m (27.8 ft)
	Change Description:	Lengthened by Fraser Shipyards (Superior, Wisconsin).
Year: 1978	Length (oa):	251.77 m (826.0 ft)	Gross Tonnage:	14671
	Length (lbp):	247.35 m (811.5 ft)	Net Tonnage:	11428
	Beam:	22.99 m (75.4 ft)	Dead Weight:	24588
	Depth:	11.89 m (39.0 ft)	Displacement:
	Draft:	8.554 m (28.1 ft)
	Change Description:	Converted to a self unloading bulk carrier at the American Ship Building yard at Lorain, Ohio

Owner History

Fleet History

Owner	Manager	From	Until
Socony-Mobil Oil Company - United States		1942/06	1942/11
United States Navy		1942	1947
Cities Service Oil Company - New York, NY, USA		1947	1960/01
Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company - Cleveland, Ohio, USA		1960/01	1985/02
Rouge Steel Company - River Rouge, Michigan, USA		1985/02	1989/02
Lakes Shipping Company - Cleveland, Ohio, USA	Interlake Steamship Company	1989/02

Fleet	From	Until
Cleveland Cliffs Steamship Company - Cleveland, Ohio	1960/01	1985/02
Ford Motor Company - Dearborn, Michigan	1985/02	1989/02
Interlake Steamship Company - Cleveland, Ohio	1989/02

Name History

Registration History

Name	Until
Mobiloil	1942
Samoset	1942/12/24
USS Chiwawa	1961/05/18
Walter A. Sterling	1985/02
William Clay Ford	1989/05/13
Lee A. Tregurtha

Number	Port	Call Sign	MMSI	From	Until
US 251505	Wilmington, Delaware, United States	WUR8857		1961	1985/02
US 251505	Cleveland, Ohio, United States	WSP7059	366904950	1985/02

Description

Launched June 25, 1942 as Class T3-S-A1 tanker Mobiloil for Socony-Mobil Oil Co. It was renamed Samoset before commissioning. On December 24, 1942 the U.S. Navy requisitioned the ship and commissioned it as USS Chiwawa (AO-68). The Chiwawa served on both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans during the war and was present in Tokyo Bay during the September 2, 1945, surrender ceremony. The vessel was decommissioned on May 6, 1946, and transferred to the Maritime Commission shortly thereafter.

It was sold to the Cleveland-Cliffs Steamship Co. in 1960 and it was converted to a Great Lakes bulk freighter in Toledo and Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. with the addition of a new midbody built in Hamburg Germany by Schlieker-Werft and towed to Lorain. Along with lengthening, the hull was widened by 7 feet and deepened by 2 feet. The ship entered service as Walter A. Sterling on July 15, 1961.

The ship was lengthened again in 1976 at Superior, Wisconsin by Fraser Shipyards from 716.5 feet to 812.5 feet. Then, converted to a self-unloader 1978 at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Company.

Rouge Steel Company, an affiliate of Ford Motor Company, purchased and renamed the ship to William Clay Ford in 1985.

The ship was last sold to the Lakes Shipping Co. of Cleveland, Ohio in April 1989. The ship was renamed to Lee A. Tregurtha (in honor of the wife of Interlake’s vice chairman) on May 13, 1989. A major refit in 2006 saw the steam power plant removed and pair of Rolls Royce diesel engines added. The repowered ship returned to service on September 29, 2006.

Disposition
Description/Location
Arrival at Yard	Beached:	Work Began:
Lost		Date:

Ship Details:

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