S.S. Meteor

S.S. Meteor (HML5A)

Location: Superior, WI 54880 Douglas County
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Country: United States of America
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N 46° 43.349', W 92° 3.793'

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Inscription

Last of the Whalebacks

The Great Lakes whaleback fleet was the revolutionary result of Capt. Alexander McDougall's attempts to improve conventional ship design. Between 1888 and 1898, 43 whalebacks were launched and became forerunners of the bulk fleet on the Great Lakes today. Thirty-nine whalebacks were built in Superior-Duluth, and most of them were launched from a site about one mile west of here, now the Fraser Shipyards.

The S.S. Meteor was launched at Superior in 1896 as the Frank Rockefeller to carry iron ore. Later, as the South Park, she carried such diversified cargoes as grain and automobiles. In 1943 she was coverted to an oil tanker and renamed Meteor. She has been preserved as a memorial to her builder and a tribute to Superior.

As a boy, Franklin D. Roosevelt came to Superior with his father to watch the launching of a whaleback. In his enthusiasm to get a good view, he was swept into the slip by waves. A member of the Superior Fire Department rescued him before he reached deep water.
Details
HM NumberHML5A
Series This marker is part of the Wisconsin: Wisconsin Historical Society series
Tags
Marker Number205
Year Placed1974
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, September 3rd, 2014 at 3:24pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)15T E 571587 N 5174751
Decimal Degrees46.72248333, -92.06321667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 46° 43.349', W 92° 3.793'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds46° 43' 20.94" N, 92° 3' 47.58" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)715
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 14 Marina Dr, Superior WI 54880, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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