The Great Lakes Ships of Frank E Kirby by Richard Gebhart
NonFiction, History, Biography
Publisher: Michigan State University Press
Published: 5.1.26
Pages: 231
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Sellers: Amazon
ADD TO: GoodReads
GoodReads Synopsis:
This study of the legendary Michigan shipbuilder Frank E. Kirby examines his life and the accomplishments that earned him national esteem and international fame. Kirby was involved in the design and build of nearly one hundred vessels, many of which sailed the Great Lakes region. He is best known for designing the paddle steamer Tashmoo and two boats that ferried visitors to Boblo Island in the Detroit River for decades, Columbia and Ste. Claire. Though only three of his vessels remain, none of them operational, hundreds of thousands of Michiganders who are still alive today have been carried by Kirby vessels. Told through stories found in the Detroit Free Press, historical archives, family documents, an interview conducted by his daughter-in-law Dorothy Clement Kirby in 1926, and keepsakes, Richard Gebhart brings to life the story of one of the most prolific Great Lakes shipbuilders of the time.
Sophia Rose's Review:
An author tackles a forgotten man’s tale of how he came to build the brightest and best ships on the Great Lakes before sliding into obscurity in modern times.
As an adopted Michigander of more recent vintage, I confess that my fascination for the history of the Great Lakes and the ships that sailed on them draws too shallow a draft to have ever heard of Frank E Kirby himself, but in a remote sense I know what he built because even I have heard of the old Boblo Island pleasure boats that ferried entertainment seekers out to the island.
So, what of this Frank E Kirby, eh?
Frank was born in Cleveland in 1849. His family were already firmly connected to the shipbuilding industry. Frank grew up in Cleveland and went on to get his upper education in NYC. He was a talented architectural design artist and good at mathematics. He often wandered the shipyards.
The Kirby family moved around following his father’s work, but eventually settled in Detroit. Frank’s first shipbuilding efforts were with the first Detroit millionaire Ward and they began building iron ships in the Wyandotte yard a little south of Detroit on the Detroit River where it opens into Lake Erie. Frank’s first builds were tug boats, and then a yacht that some poked fun of for not being as fast as he promised. His first big success in 1877 was The City of Detroit, paddlewheel steamer, he was ahead of others in his propulsion and construction materials. Two Michigan industry heavyweights, Newberry and McMillan, were impressed with the ship’s stability even carrying heavy iron ore shipments and plunked their investment funds down. Frank’s career was launched.
In 1880, he launched his first passenger service vessel, City of Milwaukee for a Chicago passenger service owner.
He continued to make ships for Newberry and McMillan who had expanded into passenger service and tourism up in the Straights of Mackinac region. Frank built them an ice-breaking ship, The Algomah, to keep the shipping lanes open.
In 1881, he built his first bulk freighter, Brunswick. This is when he started working with steel hulls. There was a ‘hoo doo’ ship that had all sorts of bizarre troubles from failed launch to a shallow water sinking that no one could ever explain.
A shipbuilding depression happened in 1884. Those were dark days and even international customers reneged.
In 1887, he was building train-car ferries complete with two sets of rail tracks aboard to cross the Straights from the Lower Peninsula to the Upper and his first was an experiment in breaking free of ice for a December crossing. This large-scale car ferry service was a breathtaking concept at the time. One of those ferries, the Chief Wawatam was in service 1911-1984.
Though his ships were becoming quite famous, the ship yards being renovated and expanded, and launches were attended by the cream of Detroit high society, Frank and his wife Mary were not part of that scene.
1899 saw the beginning of the end for the Detroit yards and the Kirbys when other Shipbuilders edged in. Kirby committed to finishing all his projects and built some engineering marvels that would become part of his most celebrated ship, the iconic masterpiece, Tashmoo, launched in May 1900 for White Star Navigation. The Tashmoo was fast and luxurious. Spanish American war hero, Admiral Dewey was part of the launch.
In 1905, he announced his retirement and the family moved to NYC where he served in an advisory role in the Theodore Roosevelt administration.
He passed in 1929 and was buried in New York, but his heritage continued to ply the Great Lakes waters in the form of his beloved Boblo boats, Ste. Claire and Columbia, until 1991.
Richard Gebhart made Kirby and his shipbuilding something exciting and brought a part of Detroit and Great Lakes History to life for me. This book read easily and swiftly and I appreciated the archival ship photos scattered through out.
Author Bio:
Richard Gebhart was director of the White River Light Station lighthouse museum from 1975 to 1980. He has authored numerous articles of historical interest and essays for journals and newsletters of Great Lakes historical societies, as well as the book Ships and Shipwrecks: Stories from the Great Lakes and Tragedy and Triumph on the Great Lakes.
Sophia’s Bio:
Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
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