Three Neighborly Vessels

Greetings Family and Friends,

Agreed. Not the catchiest title. Sometimes just cannot find that well of creativity. However, there are three vessels and they all reside in roughly the same neighborhood – Muskegon, Michigan on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. However, interestingly, the three museum ships are part of three different museums. So thus, three neighborly vessels.

The SS Milwaukee Clipper is a passenger and package freight steamer that worked the Great Lakes. Originally named the SS Juniata, she was launched in 1904 and provided first class passenger service between Buffalo, New York and Duluth, Minnesota until 1936.

Sidelined in 1937 due to new regulations for passenger ships, she would be renovated and then rechristened as the SS Milwaukee Clipper in 1941. The wooden superstructure would be replaced with a steel one with a streamlined look. Overall, the ship was transformed with an art-deco aesthetic. She would then transport passengers and automobiles between Muskegon, Michigan and Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1941 to 1970. During the war years (1942-45), she did this only on the weekends, with weekdays seeing her do runs between Milwaukee and Chicago. After the war, it was year round service from 1946 to 1963 and then summers only from 1964 to 1970.

Eventually she would return to Muskegon as a museum ship in 1997. There is still much restoration going on within the ship. This year, the preservation organization is hosting events onboard from May through October. They have a stated goal of being able to provide overnight stays as well as full restaurant service in the future. Check out the photos below in the gallery of this fascinating, iconic liner – love the nostalgia she evokes.

The USS LST-393 is an amphibious assault ship from World War II. Back in World War II, amphibious assault ships were not named but rather simply known by their type designation (LST for Landing Ship Tank) and number within the type (in this case 393). Over 1,000 LSTs were built in World War II, and only two survive in the United States, of which USS LST-393 is one. The other is in Evansville, Indiana.

During the war the ship earned three battle stars. She was involved in the landings at Sicily, Italy as well as those at Normandy, France – specifically Omaha Beach. For a landing, the bow doors (24 foot height) would open, the ramp deployed, and her cargo discharged. The ship could hold 28 Sherman tanks, 385 combat soldiers, or an assortment of other machines like trucks. After the war, she spent time as a lake freighter for some 25 years.

In 2005, USS LST-393 became a museum ship and literally a museum. In addition, to the usual preservation and presentation of the ship, her various onboard spaces, and her myriad of naval equipment, she now houses many other exhibits to honor veterans and not just those of World War II. The tank deck of an LST is a cavernous space and there are many, many exhibits onboard. My focus was on the actual ship with only a few photos of these exhibits though I did spend a fair amount of time checking them out.

The USS Silversides (SS-236) is a Gato class submarine of World War II vintage. If that sounds familiar it should as the USS Cobia that I visited in Manitowoc is also of the Gato class. I had the pleasure while onboard the Silversides of speaking at length with whom I believe to be the vessel’s curator. Two interesting takeaways from our conversation. First, he corrected me on the misconception that the Cobia was one of the 28 submarines built in Manitowoc. I have since corrected my post on the website to reflect the correct story. Second, he put me onto the Historic Naval Ships Association (HNSA) and the annual conference it holds. Something I will be looking into further. Have a look at the photos of the USS Silversides below.

Discovered that Muskegon does have quite the lakeshore beach. Plenty of sand which I noticed was piling up in front of some of the nearby residences. Just a few photos of the beach can be found in the following gallery.