chicagopublicmedia:
Originally named the McIntyre when it was built for the United States Maritime Commission during World War II, the ship was renamed Frank Purnell when it was purchased by Interlake Steamship Co. in Cleveland, Ohio in 1943.
chicagopublicmedia:
In 1965, Interlake Steamship Co. traded the Purnell to Bethlehem Steel Corp., who renamed the vessel Steelton after the company’s Pennsylvania steel plant.
chicagopublicmedia:
When Cleveland-Cliffs Steampship Co. briefly operated the ship between 1979 and 1980, it was renamed Pioneer. But the Cement Transit Co. reacquired the ship soon after, renaming it the C.T.C. No. 1 in 1982.
chicagopublicmedia:
The C.T.C. No. 1 was towed to the Calumet River in South Chicago in 1982, where it became a cement storage and transfer barge. In 2009, the vessel was purchased by Grand River Navigation.
chicagopublicmedia:
Today, the ship still serves as a cement storage and transfer barge and peaks the curiosity of passers-by.