Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship

 

This September, we climbed aboard Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship. The 617-foot iron ore freighter was built at the Great Lakes Engineering Works of Ecorse, Michigan, and launched on July 1, 1911. 

In 1987 the city of Toledo purchased the ship to become a museum ship tourist attraction and that is how we came to be aboard it.

We spent time in the Pilothouse and were afforded the opportunity of a private guided tour by this gentleman. His knowledge was most impressive and he graciously answered all our questions! 

There are self-guided tours of the Schoonmaker but I'm sure that our time would not have been as pleasurable had it not been for the generosity of this man. 

This is the Captain's Office. He had a chart board and an icebox at his disposal. There is the captain's desk to the left and you can see the safe on the wall to the right.

This vessel was at one time the largest freighter on the Great Lakes! It would not have been able to operate had it not been for the Engine Room where my husband stands. 

As you can see in this photo there are yellow arrows that point out where to go while aboard the ship.

We checked out the officers’ quarters which are smaller than I imagined and visited their galley. we were informed that the freighter had excellent cooks, and the officers had hardy foods and home-cooked meals. 

I noted the cleanliness and laughed when I saw the egg on the stovetop. Interestingly, the galley also had on display the lyrics of  'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald'.

We learned a great many lessons aboard this day! One thing I had never taken into consideration was how mail was delivered to a freighter of this size. 

This Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship is docked along the banks of the Maumee River and you can see the bridge and amazing views of downtown. 

If you want to know more about this museum prior to visiting, you might consider taking a virtual trip. The link to a virtual tour can be found here.