S.S William A. Irvin

Launched in 1937, the S.S William A. Irvin was the flagship of US Steel's fleet of lake freighters. The ship was capable of holding up to 14,000 tons of Iron Ore (Although it mostly carried Taconite Iron Ore) and was powered by steam turbines. The Laker is also famous for setting a record for unloading 13,856 tons of Iron Ore in 2 hours and 55 minutes with Hulett unloaders. A record which still stands to this day and has yet to be broken. The ship had lounges and dining halls for both crew members and guests. The ship was retired from service in 1978 and was added to the National Registry of Historic places in 1989, and is currently set up as a museum in the Duluth Harbor. One of the artifacts on board the ship is the bell of the S.S Edmund Fitzgerald (The worst shipwreck in Lake Superior's history).