Whaleback
Encyclopedia
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...
of Canada and the United States, notably for carrying grain or ore.
The term developed in common usage in response to the ship's appearance when fully loaded. A total of 43 such vessels were constructed from 1887 to 1898. All but two were built initially as lake freighter
Lake freighter
Lake freighters, or Lakers, are bulk carrier vessels that ply the Great Lakes. The best known was the , the most recent and largest major vessel to be wrecked on the Lakes. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. In the mid-20th century, 300 lakers worked the...
s for service on the Great Lakes. Six were built at Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
; 33 were built at West Superior, Wisconsin; 2 at Brooklyn, New York; one at Everett, Washington
Everett, Washington
Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
; and one (without the designer’s approval) at Sunderland, England. A number of the Great Lakes vessels left the lakes for service on salt water seas.
The term "whaleback" has also been applied to a type of high speed launch first designed for the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
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...
, and to certain smaller rescue and research vessels especially in Europe that, like the Great Lakes vessels, have hulls that curve over to meet the deck. An example of the former is the British Power Boat Company Type Two 63 ft HSL
British Power Boat Company Type Two 63 ft HSL
The 63 foot long Type 2 High Speed Launch, known as the Whaleback from the distinctive curve to its deck, was a high speed launch class ship used in air-sea rescue to save Allied aircrew from the sea after they were shot down during the Second World War....
. The designation in this case comes not from the curve along the gunwale, but from the fore and aft arch in the deck.
Another application of the term is to a sheltered portion of the forward deck on certain British fishing boats. It is designed, in part, so that water taken over the bow is more easily shed over the sides. The feature has been incorporated into some pleasure craft based on the hull design of older whaling boats, in which it becomes a "whaleback deck".
Origins
McDougall had learned from experience the difficulties encountered in towing these vessels. The bows and spars made them subject to the forces of wind, wave, and the prop wash from the towing vessel with the result that they often did not follow well. His purpose was specifically to create a barge design that would tow easily and track well.
Design
His design has been likened to a cigar with bent up ends. The sheer strakeStrake
A strake is part of the shell of the hull of a boat or ship which, in conjunction with the other strakes, keeps the sea out and the vessel afloat...
(vertical hull sides) of a conventional vessel met the horizontal weather deck at a right-angle gunwale
Gunwale
The gunwale is a nautical term describing the top edge of the side of a boat.Wale is the same word as the skin injury, a wheal, which, too, forms a ridge. Originally the gunwale was the "Gun ridge" on a sailing warship. This represented the strengthening wale or structural band added to the design...
; a whaleback hull had a continuous curve above the waterline from the vertical to the horizontal to where the sides met inboard. The bow and stern were nearly identical in shape, both conoid, truncated to end in a relatively small disc. The superstructure atop the hull was in or on round or oval “turrets”, so named because of their resemblance to gunhouses
Gun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
on contemporary warships. Cabins, decks, and other superstructure were often mounted atop these turrets.
When fully loaded, only the curved portion of the hull remained above the water, giving the vessel its “whaleback” appearance. Instead of crashing into the sides of the hull, waves would simply wash over the deck meeting only the minor resistance of the rounded turrets. When fitted with hawse pipes for anchors and a guide for the tow cable, the bow somewhat resembled the snout of a pig, from which came the alternate and usually derisive appellation of “pig boat”. The derision of scoffers notwithstanding, the design performed as McDougall expected. Whether towed or under their own power they were seaworthy vessels and fast for their time.
Significant vessels
Most of the whalebacks (25) were tow bargeBarge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
s, all but one of which were identified simply by hull number. Some of these barges had no boiler (and therefore no stack); others had a small boiler for operating winches and for cabin heat (often with a small stack off center). The first self-powered whaleback was the Colgate Hoyt, launched in 1890. The only passenger whaleback was the gleaming white Christopher Columbus, built to ferry passengers from downtown 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...
to the Columbian Exposition in 1893. At her launch she was not only the longest whaleback, but at 362 feet (110 m) also the longest vessel on the lakes, gaining her the unofficial title of “Queen of the Lakes
Queen of the Lakes
Queen of the Lakes is the unofficial but widely recognized title given to the longest vessel active on the Great Lakes of the United States and Canada. It is also the name of an annual festival in Ballinrobe, County Mayo, Ireland, and the winner of a scholarship competition held in connection with...
”. Reportedly, the Christopher Columbus carried more passengers in her career than any other vessel to have sailed the Great Lakes. The self-powered Charles W. Wetmore
SS Charles W. Wetmore
The SS Charles W. Wetmore was a whaleback freighter built in 1891 by Alexander McDougall's American Steel Barge Company shipyard in Superior, Wisconsin, USA. She was named in honor of Charles W. Wetmore, a business associate of Alexander McDougall, officer of the shipyard, and associate of the...
(1891 – 265 ft) was the first lake vessel to leave the lakes. She took a load of grain from Duluth to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England, shooting the St. Lawrence rapids in the process. In Liverpool she inspired the design of turret deck ship
Turret Deck Ship
A turret deck ship is a type of merchant ship with an unusual hull, designed and built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.The hulls of turret deck vessels were rounded and stepped inward above their waterlines. This gave some advantages in strength and allowed them to pay lower canal tolls...
s, which were similar in some ways to whalebacks. After a stop at New York City, Wetmore rounded Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
to carry supplies for McDougall’s plan to start a shipyard in Everett, Washington. Only one boat was assembled at the Everett shipyard, the SS City of Everett
SS City of Everett
The SS City of Everett was an important whaleback steamship. She sailed from 1894 until 1923, and was the first U.S. Steamship to pass through the Suez Canal, as well as the first to circumnavigate the globe...
(1894 – 346 ft). The City of Everett sailed for 29 years and was not only the first American steamship to navigate the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
, but also the first American steamship to circumnavigate the globe. The only British-built whaleback vessel was the SS Sagamore
SS Sagamore
SS Sagamore was the only British built whaleback freighter.-History:Built under license from Alexander McDougall , the Sagamore was refused entry to England. She was owned by the Belgian American Maritime Co . In 1896 she was sold again to Cogneti Schiaffino of Genoa, Italy and renamed Solideo in...
. Another ship also named the SS Sagamore
SS Sagamore (1892)
The SS Sagamore is reported to be the best example of a whaleback barge among Great Lakes shipwrecks. Only 48 whalebacks ever existed on the Great Lakes. She sank in 1901 in the shipping lane near the Soo Locks when she was rammed by the steel steamer Northern Queen in one of Whitefish Bay's...
was built in 1892 and sank in Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
in 1901. She is considered the best example of a whaleback barge among Great Lakes shipwrecks. The last whaleback, the Alexander McDougall (ship)
Alexander McDougall (ship)
SS Alexander McDougall was a "whaleback" ship. The design, created by Scottish captain Alexander McDougall , enabled her to carry a maximum amount of cargo with a minimum of draft. Whalebacks were also called "pig boats", among other names, due to their appearance. The Alexander McDougall was the...
(1898 – 430 ft), was the only whaleback made with a traditionally shaped bow. The only remaining whaleback is (formerly the Frank Rockefeller). She is ashore as a museum at Superior, Wisconsin, but is currently in danger of deteriorating beyond repair. She was listed in 2004 as among Wisconsin’s most endangered historic structures.
The remains of the Thomas Wilson
Thomas Wilson (shipwreck)
The Thomas Wilson was a whaleback freighter built in 1892 and used to haul bulk freight on the Great Lakes. The ship sank in the harbor of Duluth, Minnesota, on Lake Superior, on 7 June 1902, after a collision with the George Hadley...
lie just outside the harbor of Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
. The Wilson was wrecked as a result of a collision with the George Hadley, which was inbound for the Duluth harbor at the same time the Wilson was departing Duluth. The wreck is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Drawbacks
While there was some help from John D. RockefellerJohn D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...
when he was expanding his control in the steel industry, the design failed primarily due to problems with the hatches. At first the hatches were "flush-mounted", and when closed looked almost like part of the hull. The hatch covers and the edges of the hatch openings, however, tended to warp or get bent in use, destroying the watertight seal. Later vessels had hatch coaming
Coaming
Coaming is any vertical surface on a ship designed to deflect or prevent entry of water. It usually refers to raised section of deck plating around an opening, such as a hatch...
s. While this was an improvement, it was not enough to make up for the relatively small size of the hatches: because the sides of the boats curved in, the hatches were not as wide as on traditional vessels. The unloading equipment was restricted in its movement, and there were often collisions between the unloading equipment and the hatch edges; slow loading and unloading increases costs.
Whalebacks were vulnerable in collisions. Their low profile made them hard to see, and also led at times to the other ship riding up over the whaleback in a collision.
Historical perspective
Whalebacks were the precursors of the turret deck shipTurret Deck Ship
A turret deck ship is a type of merchant ship with an unusual hull, designed and built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.The hulls of turret deck vessels were rounded and stepped inward above their waterlines. This gave some advantages in strength and allowed them to pay lower canal tolls...
of the late 19th and early 20th century, which like the whaleback had rounded hulls, but unlike the whaleback had conventional bows and sterns and a superstructure.
Some have claimed that the whalebacks were the prototype for the standard lake bulk carriers
Lake freighter
Lake freighters, or Lakers, are bulk carrier vessels that ply the Great Lakes. The best known was the , the most recent and largest major vessel to be wrecked on the Lakes. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. In the mid-20th century, 300 lakers worked the...
to follow. While certain design features were adapted to more traditional hull designs (most of the self-powered whalebacks were "stern enders"), the whalebacks cannot be said to be the prototypes of all to follow. They were a unique variation on a principle of design that started with the R.J. Hackett in 1869 and advanced with the Onoko (the second iron-hulled Great Lakes bulk carrier) in 1882. These principles included the consolidation of above-deck cabins at the extreme forward and aft limits of the hull to leave a large open area above the hold for both loading and unloading equipment, as well as a nearly box-like cross section to the hull to enable heavy cargoes in shallow water.
Sources
- McDougall’s Dream, The American Whaleback by John H. Wilterding, Jr.; Lakeside Publications Ltd; Printed by Badger Bay Printers, Green Bay, Wisconsin; Copyright 1969 by John H. Wilterding, Jr.
- Great Lakes Bulk Carriers 1869–1985 by John F. Devendorf; Published 1996 by John F. Devendorf, Niles, MI; Printed by Apollo Printing and Graphics Center, South Bend, Indiana; Copyright 1995 by John F. Devendorf