View source for Queen of the Lakes

{{Short description|Title given to the largest active vessel on the Great Lakes of North America}}
[[File:Duluth Trip - May 2014 - MV Paul R. Tregurtha arrives in Duluth (13987799179).jpg|thumb|MV ''Paul R. Tregurtha'', holder of the title ''Queen of the Lakes'' since 1981]]
{{Italic title}}{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2019}}

'''''Queen of the Lakes''''' is an unofficial but widely recognized title bestowed upon vessels on the [[Great Lakes]] of the United States and Canada, honoring the largest vessel currently in service on the lakes. A number of vessels, mostly [[lake freighter]]s, have been known by the title. Since 1981, the title has been held by [[MV Paul R. Tregurtha|MV ''Paul R. Tregurtha'']], a lake freighter of the [[Lake freighter#1000-footers|1000-foot]] category operated by the [[Interlake Steamship Company]]. MV ''Paul R. Tregurtha'' is {{Convert|1013.5|ft|m|abbr=on}} long, and is the longest-running holder of the title.<ref>The source of data for this article, unless otherwise cited, is the book ''Queen of the Lakes'' by Mark L. Thompson or the vessel files included in the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes [[Bowling Green State University]], [[Bowling Green, Ohio]]. Where contradictions in records have been found, the data from Mark Thompson's book has been given preference.</ref>

==History of name==
''Queen of the Lakes'' has been used as the name of three vessels that sailed on the [[Great Lakes]], but none was the longest on the lakes at the time. The first was a three-masted Canadian [[schooner]] built in 1853 as ''Robert Taylor'', measuring {{convert|133|ft|m}}. It was renamed ''Queen of the Lakes'' sometime before 1864.<ref>Boatnerd [http://www.boatnerd.com/swayze/shipwreck/q.htm Great Lakes Shipwrecks Q] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526005113/http://www.boatnerd.com/swayze/shipwreck/q.htm |date=May 26, 2011 }} Accessed February 28, 2011</ref> She sank {{convert|9|mi|km|spell=in}} off Sodus Point, New York on November 28, 1906. The second was a propeller-driven vessel [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] in [[Cleveland Ohio]], on May 12, 1853, measuring {{convert|196|ft|m}}. She was lost to fire in port on June 17, 1869.<ref>Lewis, Walter [http://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/results?fsu=Queen+of+the+Lakes+%28Propeller%29  Queen of the Lakes (Propeller)] Maritime History of the Great Lakes, Image search; Accessed February 28, 2011</ref> The third was a small side-wheel steamer built in [[Wyandotte, Michigan]] in 1872, measuring {{convert|108|ft|m}}. While anchored near [[South Manitou Island]] she caught fire and burned in 1898. The iron hull was later [[Ship breaking|scrapped]].<ref>BGSU [http://ul.bgsu.edu/cgi-bin/xvsl2.cgi] Accessed February 28, 2011</ref>

The title has also been bestowed upon vessels that were especially liked<ref>Modderman, Mary; March 27, 1998 [http://www.carferries.com/midland/requiem.html Requiem for a Ferry Queen] Accessed February 28, 2011</ref> or those considered to be especially beautiful or richly appointed. Such was the case as late as 1949, at which time {{SS|Noronic||2}} was so honored.<ref>Death of a Great Lakes Queen [http://www.lostliners.com/Peril/noronic.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206173249/http://www.lostliners.com/Peril/noronic.html|date=February 6, 2010}} LostLiners.com; Accessed February 28, 2011</ref> It has been applied to the [[United States Coast Guard]] cutter {{USCGC|Mackinaw|WAGB-83|2}} for its long and significant role in facilitating Great Lakes shipping and safety.<ref>United States Coast Guard, April 21, 2006 {{cite web|url=http://www.d9publicaffairs.com/go/doc/443/115604/ |title=The Need for Ice Breakers on the Great Lakes |access-date=February 28, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708215922/http://www.d9publicaffairs.com/go/doc/443/115604/ |archive-date=July 8, 2011 }} Accessed February 28, 2011</ref> The most common use of the title, however, at least since the early 1940s, is to honor the largest vessel on the lakes. On April 20, 1841, the ''[[Detroit Free Press]]'' referred to the steamer ''Illinois'' as "Queen of the Waters",<ref>Detroit Free Press [http://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/37130/data?n=8  Illinois (Steamboat) 20 Apr 1841] Maritime History of the Great Lakes; Accessed March 3, 2011</ref> but given that three vessels in that century were named ''Queen of the Lakes'', its use as a title for the longest ship was not then common. The title is applied retroactively to vessels launched before this use of the title became popular. While some use [[gross tonnage]], capacity, or [[length between perpendiculars]] as the criterion, the most commonly accepted standard is [[length overall]] (LOA). This article uses LOA as the standard.

==Early Queens==
[[File:Le Griffon.jpg|thumb|''[[Le Griffon]],'' first full-size sailing ship on the Great Lakes, 1679]]
The earliest vessels on the Great Lakes were human powered canoes and bateaux. Sources differ as to what vessel qualifies as the first real "ship" on the lakes. Many say it was {{ship||Le Griffon}}, built by [[René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle|LaSalle]] through the winter and spring of 1678 and 1679, and launched in May of that year to sail the upper lakes (above Niagara). Reports of its size vary from {{convert|40|to|70|ft|m}} long. Contemporary chroniclers called it both a [[barque|bark]] and a [[brigantine]]. ''Le Griffon'' was soon lost. It was last seen on September 18, 1679 and was lost with all hands. Her final location is unknown. Those who consider ''Le Griffon'' to have been the first ship on the lakes—and hence, the first Queen—also consider her to have been the first lost.<ref>See [http://perdurabo10.tripod.com/ships/id103.html   LaSalle's Griffin] and Thompson, pp. 13-14</ref>

Other sources say the first ship was a smaller vessel built by LaSalle at [[Fort Frontenac]] beginning in September 1678, for the purpose of conveying supplies and material to Niagara. This vessel, which is called ''Frontenac'' in some reports,<ref>Mansfield, John Brandt (ed.), ''History of the Great Lakes'', J.H. Beers & Co., Chicago, 1899, p. 81</ref> is said to have been about 10 [[tons burthen]], measuring from {{convert|35|to|45|ft|m}} long. Expedition journalists called it a brigantine. It departed Fort Frontenac under La Motte's and Louis Hennepin's leadership on November 18, 1678, and arrived at the east bank of the [[Niagara River]] on December 6, 1679. Shortly thereafter, LaSalle and Tonty came with more supplies, and their vessel (carrying the anchor, rigging, and guns for ''Le Griffon'') foundered in the surf less than {{convert|30|mi|km|spell=in}} from Niagara. Hennepin called this vessel a "great bark." One source says the loss occurred on January 8, 1679. Supplies and extra clothing were lost, but LaSalle and his men rescued material for the ship, dragged them to the mouth of the Niagara, rested a few days in an Indian village, and arrived at the settlement above the falls on January 20.<ref>Cox, Isaac Joslin; [http://texashistory.unt.edu/permalink/meta-pth-6104 ''The journeys of Rene Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle. Volume 1''],  (hosted by the [http://texashistory.unt.edu/ Portal to Texas History] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000210020912/http://texashistory.unt.edu/ |date=February 10, 2000 }})</ref> Some say the lost vessel was ''Frontenac''. Historian Francis Parkman says that by 1677, there were already four vessels on [[Lake Ontario]] between 25 and 40 tons burthen.<ref>Parkman, Francis; [https://books.google.com/books?id=HhIWAAAAYAAJ&q=Parkman+LaSalle+Great+West  LaSalle and the Discovery of the Great West]; Little, Brown, & Co.; Boston; 1879; p. 109</ref> He does not say if any of them were named. Tonty's journal indicates that the vessel he and LaSalle used was a 40-ton vessel, but he does not associate a name with it.<ref>Cox, p.2</ref>

Records of ship sizes on the lakes between 1678 and 1816 are rare. According to the ''[[Detroit Tribune]]'', the vessels ''Gladwin'', ''Lady Charlotte'', ''Victory'', and ''Boston'' were on the lakes in 1766 and ''Brunswick'', ''Enterprise'', and ''Charity'' were launched in 1767, 1769, and 1770, respectively, but no dimensions are given.<ref>About the Great Lakes [http://www.abouthegreatlakes.com/sail.htm Early Sail and Steam Vessels] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203032559/http://www.abouthegreatlakes.com/sail.htm |date=February 3, 2011 }} Accessed March 3, 2011</ref> HMS ''Ontario'', at {{convert|80|ft|m}}, was launched on Lake Ontario on May 10, 1780, and sank in a storm on October 31, that same year.<ref>About the Great Lakes [http://www.abouthegreatlakes.com/ships1.htm   History and Development of Great Lakes Ships] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110129011920/http://www.abouthegreatlakes.com/ships1.htm |date=January 29, 2011 }}; Accessed March 3, 2011</ref> A history of [[Washington Island (Wisconsin)|Washington Island]] in Door County, Wisconsin notes that the schooner ''Washington'', used to supply the fitting out of [[Fort Howard (Wisconsin)|Fort Howard]] at the head of [[Green Bay (Lake Michigan)|Green Bay]] in 1816, was the longest ship on the lakes at the time, but no details are given.<ref>{{cite book | title = The Naming: A Part of the History of Washington Island | author = Eaton, Conan Bryant | location = Sturgeon Bay, WI | publisher = the Door County Advocate | year = 1966 | page = 7}}</ref>

==A succession of Queens==
[[File:Great Lakes Steamship Frontenac.jpg|thumb|[[PS Frontenac|''Frontenac'']], ''Queen of the Lakes'' from 1816 to 1827]]
On September 7, 1816, the steamer ''Frontenac'' was launched. She was fitted out as both a schooner and a side-wheel steamer and designed for both passenger and freight transport. At {{convert|170|ft|m}} she laid claim to the honor of longest active vessel{{efn-lr|{{USS|Superior}} and {{HMS|St Lawrence}} were still afloat, but were inactive.}} on the lakes, though she saw service only on Lake Ontario. She was scrapped at [[Niagara, New York|Niagara]] in 1827, and the next verifiable Queen was not launched until 1830.
[[File:Christopher Columbus whaleback Sprague painting.jpg|thumb|[[SS Christopher Columbus|SS ''Christopher Columbus'']], ''Queen of the Lakes'' from 1892 to 1893]]
The chart below identifies the succession of vessels known to qualify as ''Queen of the Lakes'' from 1813 to the present. The succession of queens is not known to be continuous before ''David Dows''. Those from ''Frontenac'' through ''City of Buffalo'' were side-wheel steamships, though ''Michigan'', like ''Frontenac'' was dual fitted as an operational schooner. The heyday of the luxurious passenger steamers was waning even as some of them were launched. ''Mississippi'', ''Plymouth Rock'', and ''Western World'' were all out of service by 1859, and the Queens that had not already been lost by 1862 were rebuilt as barges or schooners or dismantled within a year. ''Nebraska'' was a propeller-driven steamer for freight and passenger use, but given what had happened to her predecessors, she was likely not so richly appointed. In 1904, ''Nebraska'' was refitted as a lumber carrier, after which time she resembled a classic [[bulk carrier]]. ''David Dows'' was a 5-masted schooner used primarily for transporting wheat. ''Susquehanna'', ''Owego'', and ''Chemung'' were propeller-driven package freighters. The [[whaleback]] {{SS|Christopher Columbus||2}} was a celebrated passenger vessel. ''Onoko'' and all other vessels from ''Curry'' on were or are propeller-driven bulk carriers.

The steamship ''Quebec'', launched in 1865, appears in lists of Great Lakes vessels. At 283 feet, she was longer than both ''Nebraska'' and ''David Dows'', but her service was on the [[St. Lawrence River]] between [[Montreal]] and [[Quebec]], not on the Great Lakes proper. She continued in service for many years and was dismantled in 1938.

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Queen of the Lakes: 1813 to present
|-
! scope="col"|Ship
! scope="col"|Reign begins
! scope="col"|Reign ends
! scope="col"|Length ([[Foot (length)|ft]])
! scope="col"|Length ([[metre|m]])
! scope="col"|Vessel type
! scope="col"|Launched
! scope="col"|Final disposition
! scope="col"|Date
! scope="col"|Notes
|-
!scope="row"| {{USS|General Pike}}
|June 12, 1813
|May 2, 1814
|{{convert|145|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Corvette
|June 12, 1813
|sold
|1825
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|{{USS|Superior|1814|6}}
|May 2, 1814
|September 10, 1814
|unknown{{efn-lr|Available records indicate only her tonnage. At 1,605 tons she was 80% larger than USS ''General Pike''. Her length, therefore, could have been about 180 feet. At her launch she was the largest ship in the U.S. Navy<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=_c09EJgek50C&dq=uss+superior+1814&pg=PA91   Encyclopedia of the War of 1812] by David and Jeanne Heidler; Accessed March 15, 2011</ref>}}
|unknown
|Frigate
|May 2, 1814
|sold
|1824
|not active after the war{{efn-lr|Two other U.S. Naval vessels, USS ''New Orleans'' and USS ''Chippewa'', were under construction at Sackett's Harbor, New York in 1815. At 204 feet and 2,805 tons they might have shared the title, but they were not finished before the end of the war and were never launched. They were sold for scrap in 1833.<ref>[http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/line/sotl.htm Ships-of-the-Line]; Accessed March 20, 2011</ref>}}
|-
!scope="row"|{{HMS|St Lawrence|1814|6}}
|September 10, 1814
|undetermined{{efn-lr|Not active after the war}}
|{{convert|194|ft|2|in|disp=table|1}}{{efn-lr|This is the length of her gun deck. LOA was slightly more. At 2,305 tons she was not as large as the American vessels planned and under construction the following year.}}
|First-rate ship{{efn-lr|She was the only first-rate ship-of-the-line built by the British Navy for fresh water seas.}}
|September 10, 1814
|sold{{efn-lr|See further details at {{HMS|St Lawrence|1814|6}}}}
|1832
|British
|-
!scope="row"|''Washington''
|undetermined
|1816
|unknown
|unknown
|Sloop
|unknown
|unknown
|unknown
|Name of Washington Island traced to this ship
|-
!scope="row"|{{ship|PS|Frontenac||2}}
|September 7, 1816
|undetermined
|{{convert|170|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Side-wheel steamer/schooner
|September 7, 1816
|scrapped, [[Niagara, New York|Niagara]], New York
|1827
|First [[steamboat]] on the lakes; Canadian
|-
!scope="row"|''Great Britain''
|October 16, 1830
|undetermined
|{{convert|147|or|160|ft|m|disp=table|1}}{{efn-lr|The files at BGSU say she was 147 feet. The report in <ref>[http://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/33087/data?n=4  ''The Kingston Chronicle''] on May 14, 1831</ref> say she was 160 feet. Contemporary length figures sometimes refer to keel length, sometimes to deck length, sometimes to length overall. If the Kingston Chronicle figure is correct, ''Great Britain'' eclipses ''Michigan''. The hull of ''Great Britain'' was converted to a barque in early 1845, and renamed ''Eleanora''. The final disposition of ''Eleanora'' is not known. Links accessed March 12, 2011 }}
|Side-wheel steamer
|October 16, 1830
|converted to barque
|1845
|Canadian
|-
!scope="row"|''George Washington''
|September 1, 1833
|October 9, 1833
|{{convert|180|ft|m|disp=table|1}}<ref>Cleveland Weekly Herald [http://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/31082/data?n=3   George Washington (Steamboat)] Maritime History of the Great Lakes; Accessed March 14, 2011</ref>
|Side-wheel steamer
|September 1, 1833
|aground and broke, Long Point, Lake Erie
|October 9, 1833
|sank on third trip
|-
!scope="row"|''Michigan''
|October 9, 1833
|undetermined
|{{convert|156|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Side-wheel steamer/schooner
|September 30, 1833
|dismantled
|1855
|First to have passenger deck above main deck
|-
!scope="row"|''James Madison'' {{efn-lr|Thompson says that ''Great Western'' was the largest for a time, as do a number of contemporary reports. Built in 1839, at 183 feet, ''Great Western'' was the first ship with a second passenger deck. A search of transcripts of contemporary newspaper articles at <ref>[http://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/37130/data?n=8  Maritime History of the Great Lakes]</ref> indicates that three other vessels were longer, even though ''Great Western'' with a wider beam had greater capacity. The Great Lakes paddle steamer ''Great Western'' is not to be confused with the oceangoing {{SS|Great Western}}.}}
|December 13, 1836
|August 2, 1837
|{{convert|181|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Side-wheel steamer
|December 13, 1836
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Buffalo''
|August 2, 1837
|September 23, 1837
|{{convert|194|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Side-wheel steamer
|August 2, 1837
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Illinois''
|September 23, 1837
|undetermined
|{{convert|205|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Side-wheel steamer
|September 23, 1837
|dismantled
|1849
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Empire''
|June 5, 1844<ref>Buffalo Commercial Advertiser [http://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/31585/data?n=33  Empire (Steamboat), 5 Jun 1844] Maritime History of the Great Lakes, Images; Accessed February 28, 2011</ref>
|1848
|{{convert|265|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Side-wheel steamer
|June 5, 1844
|grounded and broke apart
|November 16, 1870
|World's largest steamboat<ref>Lewis, Walter [http://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/619/data?n=16  Passenger Steamboat Empire] Maritime History of the Great Lakes; Accessed February 28, 2011</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|''Atlantic''
|1848
|1849
|{{convert|267|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Side-wheel steamer
|1848
|Sank after collision
|August 19, 1852
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|{{ship|PS|Mayflower||2}}
|1849
|1853
|{{convert|285|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Side-wheel steamer
|1849
|grounded in fog
|November 29, 1854
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Mississippi''
|1853
|1854
|{{convert|326.66|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Side-wheel steamer
|1853
|dismantled
|1862
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Plymouth Rock''
|March 21, 1854<ref>Buffalo Daily Republic [http://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/33687/data?n=3  Plymouth Rock (Steamboat)] Maritime History of the Great Lakes, Images; Accessed February 28, 2011</ref>
|April 18, 1854
|{{convert|335.5|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Side-wheel steamer
|March 21, 1854
|dismantled
|May 1863
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Western World''
|April 18, 1854<ref>Buffalo Commercial Advertiser [http://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/31157/data?n=13  Western World (Steamboat), 21 Apr 1854] Maritime History of the Great Lakes, Images; Accessed February 28, 2011</ref>
|1863
|{{convert|337|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Side-wheel steamer
|April 18, 1854
|converted to dry dock
|1863
|Largest in world at launch
|-
!scope="row"|''City of Buffalo''{{efn-lr|Not to be confused with a later side-wheel steamer of the same name.}}
|April 11, 1857<ref>[http://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/27964/data?n=3  Buffalo Daily Republic] Maritime History of the Great Lakes; Accessed March 2, 2011</ref>
|July 30, 1866
|{{convert|340|ft|m|disp=table|1}}{{efn-lr|Contemporary reports list 330, 340, and 350 feet.}}
|Side-wheel steamer {{efn-lr|Dismantled in 1862 <ref>[http://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/27965/data?n=4  Buffalo Daily Courier] (Maritime History of the Great Lakes; Accessed March 2, 2011)</ref> her hull was converted into a propeller freighter April 11, 1864. }}
|April 11, 1857
|burned; Buffalo, New York
|July 30, 1866<ref>[http://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/50085/data?n=2  The Buffalo Post, ''et al''] Maritime History of the Great Lakes; Accessed March 2, 2011</ref>
|
|-
|(reverts to ''Empire'' ?)
|&nbsp;
|undetermined
|{{convert|265|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|rebuilt as sloop/barge 1862<ref>Lewis, Walter [http://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/28481/data?n=22  Empire (Steamboat) U8559, 10 May 1862] Maritime History of the Great Lakes, Images; Accessed February 28, 2011</ref>
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Nebraska''
|1867
|undetermined
|{{convert|267.33|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Propeller steamer
|1867
|burned at South Manitou
|October 4, 1904
|rebuilt August 1904 as lumber carrier
|-
!scope="row"|''David Dows''
|April 21, 1881
|February 16, 1882
|{{convert|278|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|5-masted schooner
|April 21, 1881
|sank in {{convert|35|ft|m|abbr=on}} of water
|November 29, 1899
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"| {{ship||Onoko|shipwreck|2}}
|February 16, 1882
|November 6, 1884
|{{convert|302|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|February 16, 1882
|sank
|August 14, 1915
|First iron Queen
|-
|{{SS|Lansdowne}}
|November 6, 1884
|August 4, 1886
|{{convert|312|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Sidewheel rail ferry
|November 6, 1886
|scrapped
|April 2009
|Iron hulled rail ferry
|-
!scope="row"|''Susquehanna''
|August 4, 1886
|July 7, 1887
|{{convert|326|ft|6|in|m|disp=table|1}}
|Package freighter
|August 4, 1886
|scrapped
|1926
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Owego''
|July 7, 1887
|December 3, 1892
|{{convert|350|ft|7|in|m|disp=table|1}}
|Package freighter
|July 7, 1887
|sank in China
|1944
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Chemung''
|February 29, 1888
|(shared)
|{{convert|350|ft|7|in|m|disp=table|1}}
|Package freighter
|February 29, 1888
|torpedoed in the Mediterranean Sea
|November 26, 1916
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|{{SS|Christopher Columbus||2}}
|December 3, 1892
|April 29, 1893
|{{convert|362|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Whaleback passenger
|December 3, 1892
|scrapped, Manitowoc, Wisconsin
|1936
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Curry''
|April 29, 1893
|June 29, 1895
|{{convert|377|ft|6|in|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|April 29, 1893
|scrapped, Fairport, Ontario
|1937
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Merida''
|May 1, 1893
|(shared)
|{{convert|377|ft|6|in|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|May 1, 1893
|sank in storm
|October 20, 1916
||&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Centurion''
|August 30, 1893
|(shared)
|{{convert|377|ft|6|in|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|August 30, 1893
|scrapped, Hamilton, Ontario
|1947
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Victory''
|June 29, 1895
|December 23, 1895
|{{convert|398|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|June 29, 1895
|sunk as breakwater
|July 21, 1969
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Zenith City''
|August 16, 1895
|(shared)
|{{convert|398|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|August 16, 1895
|scrapped, Hamilton, Ontario
|1947
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''W. D. Rees''
|December 23, 1895
|February 22, 1896
|{{convert|413|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|December 23, 1895
|scrapped, Lackawanna, New York
|1955
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Coralia''
|February 22, 1896
|August 1, 1896
|{{convert|432|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|February 22, 1896
|scrapped, Hamilton, Ontario
|1964
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Sir Henry Bessemer''
|May 5, 1896
|(shared)
|{{convert|432|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|May 5, 1896
|scrapped, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
|1971
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Sir William Siemens''
|July 25, 1896
|(shared)
|{{convert|432|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|July 25, 1896
|sank in collision
|April 27, 1944
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Sir William Fairbairn''
|August 1, 1896
|April 13, 1898
|{{convert|445|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|August 1, 1896
|scrapped
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Robert Fulton''
|September 10, 1896
|(shared)
|{{convert|445|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|September 10, 1896
|scrapped, Hamilton, Ontario
|1948
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|{{SS|Superior City||2}}
|April 13, 1898
|July 31, 1898
|{{convert|450|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|April 13, 1898
|sank in collision
|August 20, 1920
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Samuel F.B. Morse''
|July 31, 1898
|January 20, 1900
|{{convert|475|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|July 31, 1898
|scrapped, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
|1975
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Douglas Houghton''
|June 3, 1899
|(shared)
|{{convert|475|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|June 3, 1898
|sunk as breakwater, Toronto
|1969
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''John W. Gates''
|January 20, 1900
|April 9, 1904
|{{convert|497|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|January 20, 1900
|scrapped, Conneaut, Ontario
|1961
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''James J. Hill''
|January 24, 1900
|(shared)
|{{convert|497|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|January 24, 1900
|sunk as breakwater, Cleveland, Ohio
|1961
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Isaac L. Ellwood''
|May 5, 1900
|(shared)
|{{convert|497|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|May 5, 1900
|scrapped, Conneaut, Ontario
|1961
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|{{SS|William Edenborn||2}}
|May 20, 1900
|(shared)
|{{convert|497|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|May 20, 1900
|sunk as breakwater, Cleveland, Ohio
|1961
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|{{SS|Augustus B. Wolvin||2}}
|April 9, 1904
|May 8, 1905
|{{convert|560|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|April 9, 1904
|scrapped, Santander, Spain
|September 24, 1967
|First to have telescoping steel hatch covers
|-
!scope="row"|[[Elbert H. Gary (ship, 1905)|''Elbert H. Gary'']]
|May 8, 1905 
|May 26, 1906
|{{convert|569|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|May 8, 1905
|scrapped, Santander, Spain
|July 1973
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"| {{SS|William E. Corey||2}}
|June 24, 1905
|(shared)
|{{convert|569|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|June 24, 1905
|sunk as breakwater, Port Credit, Ontario
|1970
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''George W. Perkins''
|June 26, 1905
|(shared)
|{{convert|569|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|June 26, 1905
|scrapped, Ashtabula, Ohio
|November 3, 1981
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Henry C. Frick''
|August 26, 1905
|(shared)
|{{convert|569|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|August 26, 1905
|sank on way to scrapper
|November 15, 1972
||&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|{{SS|J. Pierpont Morgan||2}}
|May 26, 1906
|August 18, 1906
|{{convert|601|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|May 26, 1906
|scrapped, Lauzon, Quebec
|March 30, 1979
|First "standard design"
|-
!scope="row"|''Henry H. Rogers''
|June 16, 1906
|(shared)
|{{convert|601|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|June 16, 1906
|scrapped, Duluth, Minnesota
|1975
||&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Norman B. Ream''
|August 18, 1906
|(shared)
|{{convert|601|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|August 18, 1906
|scrapped, Turkey
|1990
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"| {{SS|Edward Y. Townsend||2}}
|August 18, 1906
|December 29, 1906
|{{convert|603|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|Bulk carrier
|August 18, 1906
|sank on way to scrapper
|October 7, 1968
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"| {{SS|Daniel J. Morrell||2}}
|August 22, 1906
|December 29, 1906
|{{convert|603|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|August 22, 1906
|sank in a storm
|November 29, 1966
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''William B. Kerr''
|December 29, 1906
|May 1, 1909
|{{convert|605|ft|9|in|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|Dec. 29. 1906
|scrapped, Santander, Spain
|July 21, 1974
||&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Legrande S. DeGraff''
|May 1, 1907
|(shared)
|{{convert|605|ft|9|in|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|May 1, 1907
|scrapped
|1975
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''William M. Mills''
|July 17, 1907
|(shared)
|{{convert|605|ft|9|in|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|July 17, 1907
|scrapped
|1976
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Shenango''
|May 1, 1909
|July 1, 1911
|{{convert|606|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|May 1, 1909
|scrapped, Port Maitland, Ontario
|November 1, 1984
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|{{SS|Col. James M. Schoonmaker}}
|July 1, 1911
|April 14, 1914
|{{convert|617|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|July 1, 1911
|later named SS ''Willis B. Boyer'', now a museum ship as SS ''Col. James M. Schoonmaker'' in Toledo, Ohio
|Out of service, 1980; Museum ship, 1987
|Oldest Queen still afloat
|-
!scope="row"|''William P. Snyder Jr.''
|January 27, 1912
|(shared)
|{{convert|617|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|January 27, 1912
|scrapped, Port Colborne, Ont.
|Jan. 1988
|
|-
!scope="row"|''W. Grant Morden''
|April 14, 1914
|June 23, 1926
|{{convert|625|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|April 14, 1914
|scrapped, Bilbao, Spain
|July 12, 1969
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Glenmohr/Lemoyne''
|June 23, 1926
|April 9, 1927
|{{convert|634|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|June 23, 1926
|scrapped, Santander, Spain
|June 1969
|Third Canadian Queen
|-
!scope="row"|{{SS|Carl D. Bradley}}
|April 9, 1927
|June 28, 1949
|{{convert|640|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|April 9, 1927
|sank in storm
|November 18, 1958
|Second longest reign
|-
!scope="row"|SS ''Wilfred Sykes''
|June 28, 1949
|Nov. 1952
|{{convert|678|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|June 28, 1949
|still active
|present
|First streamlined design
|-
!scope="row"|[[SS Marine Robin (1943)|''Joseph H. Thompson'']]
|Nov. 1952
|November 7, 1953
|{{convert|714|ft|3|in|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|1944
|converted to barge 1991
|present
|Queen by lengthening
|-
!scope="row"|''T.R. McLagan''
|November 7, 1953
|1957
|{{convert|714|ft|6|in|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|November 7, 1953
|scrapped, India
|2004
|renamed ''Oakglen''
|-
!scope="row"|[[Cliffs Victory|SS ''Cliffs Victory'']]
|1957
|June 7, 1958
|{{convert|716|ft|3|in|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|1945
|scrapped, Taiwan
|1987
|Queen by lengthening
|-
!scope="row"|{{SS|Edmund Fitzgerald}}
|June 7, 1958
|September 17, 1959
|{{convert|729|ft|3|in|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|June 7, 1958
|sank in storm
|November 10, 1975
|Largest ship to have sunk on the Lakes; Most well known Queen; most recent lake freighter to sink
|-
!scope="row"|''Murray Bay''
|September 17, 1959
|December 7, 1962
|{{convert|730|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|September 17, 1958
|renamed ''Comeaudoc''
|Out of service December 4, 1996; scrapped, Port Colborne, Canada 2002 
|First 730&nbsp;ft vessel on the Lakes
|-
!scope="row"|SS ''Arthur B. Homer''
|November 7, 1959
|(shared)
|{{convert|730|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|November 7, 1959
|scrapped
|1987
|sister ship of the SS ''Edmund Fitzgerald''
|-
!scope="row"|{{SS|Edward L. Ryerson}}
|January 26, 1960
|(shared)
|{{convert|730|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|January 26, 1960
|Laid up, Superior, Wisconsin
|Out of service, 2009
|most streamlined
|-
!scope="row"|''Whitefish Bay''
|November 16, 1960
|(shared)
|{{convert|730|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|November 16, 1960
|Scrapped
|Out of service 1990s
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Red Wing''
|1960
|(shared)
|{{convert|730|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|1960
|scrapped
|1986
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Leecliffe Hall''
|September 10, 1961
|(shared)
|{{convert|730|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|September 10, 1961
|sank after collision
|September 5, 1964
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Leon Falk, Jr.''
|1961
|(shared)
|{{convert|730|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|1945
|scrapped, Spain
|1985
|Queen by lengthening
|-
!scope="row"|''Paul H. Carnahan''
|1961
|(shared)
|{{convert|730|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|1945
|scrapped, Taiwan
|1987
|Queen by lengthening
|-
!scope="row"|''Pioneer Challenger''
|1961
|(shared)
|{{convert|730|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|1943
|Renamed ''American Victory''
|Scrapped, Turkey, August 2018
|
|-
!scope="row"|''Lake Winnipeg''
|1961
|(shared)
|{{convert|730|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|November 28, 1943
|scrapped, Lisbon, Portugal
|May 1985
|Queen by lengthening
|-
!scope="row"|[[MV Lee A. Tregurtha|SS ''Walter A. Sterling'']]
|1962
|(shared)
|{{convert|730|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|1942
|Renamed MV ''Lee A. Tregurtha''
|present
|Queen by lengthening
|-
!scope="row"|''Montrealais''
|April 12, 1962
|(shared)
|{{convert|730|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|April 12, 1962
|scrapped 
|2015
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Hamiltonian''
|April 7, 1962
|(shared)
|{{convert|730|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|April 7, 1962
|scrapped, Alang, India
|1997
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Black Bay''
|September 20, 1962
|(shared)
|{{convert|730|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|September 20, 1962
|Scrapped, India
|2002
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Baie St. Paul''
|November 30, 1962
|(shared)
|{{convert|730|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|November 30, 1962
|scrapped, Taiwan
|May 1995
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Frankcliffe Hall''
|December 7, 1962
|April 14, 1965
|{{convert|730|ft|2|in|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|December 7, 1962
|Renamed ''Halifax''
|Scrapped, Turkey, June 22, 2001
|
|-
!scope="row"|''Lawrencecliffe Hall''
|April 14, 1965
|January 1, 1972
|{{convert|730|ft|4|in|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|April 14, 1965
|Renamed ''Canadian Venture''
|Scrapped, India, 2004
|
|-
!scope="row"|MV ''Stewart J. Cort''
|January 1, 1972
|August 7, 1976
|{{convert|1000|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|January 1, 1972
|still active
|present
|Last "classic" Queen
|-
!scope="row"|''Presque Isle''
|1973
|(shared)
|{{convert|1000|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|1973
|still active
|present
|Integrated barge
|-
!scope="row"|[[James R. Barker (ship, 1976)|MV ''James R. Barker'']]
|August 7, 1976
|April 25, 1981
|{{convert|1004|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|August 7, 1976
|still active
|present
|First stern-ender Queen
|-
!scope="row"|[[Mesabi Miner|MV ''Mesabi Miner'']]
|February 14, 1978
|(shared)
|{{convert|1004|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|February 14, 1978
|still active
|present
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''George A. Stinson''
|July 15, 1978
|(shared)
|{{convert|1004|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|July 15, 1978
|still active
|present
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Edwin H. Gott''
|July 19, 1978
|(shared)
|{{convert|1004|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|July 19, 1978
|still active
|present
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|''Edgar B. Speer''
|May 8, 1980
|(shared)
|{{convert|1004|ft|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|May 8, 1980
|still active
|present
|&nbsp;
|-
!scope="row"|[[William J. Delancey|MV ''William J. Delancey'']]''
|April 25, 1981
|present
|{{convert|1013|ft|6|in|m|disp=table|1}}
|bulk carrier
|April 25, 1981
|Renamed MV ''Paul R. Tregurtha''
|present
|Longest reigning queen
|-
|colspan="9" style="font-size:80%"|1. First with stanchion-less hold, side ballast tanks, and telescoping hatches
|-
|}

==Notes==
{{Notelist-lr}}

==Citations==
{{Reflist|refs=}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=irtD2o_uQ88C | title = Queen of the Lakes | first = Mark L. |last=Thompson |location = Detroit, Michigan | publisher = [[Wayne State University Press]] | year = 1994 | isbn = 9780814343371}}
* Historical Collections of the Great Lakes [http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/library/cac/page39984.htmlat]{{dead link|date=July 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio (BGSU) Accessed February 28, 2011

[[Category:Queen of the Lakes| ]]
[[Category:Great Lakes freighters|+]]
[[Category:Ship names]]