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St. Clair Freighter Walk Starting Point

You are vieweing item 23 of 23 in this tour.

This is a contributing entry for St. Clair Freighter Walk Starting Point and only appears as part of that tour.Learn More.

Paul R. Tregurtha Built - 1981 1013 ft. x 105 ft. x 56 ft. The Paul R. Tregurtha is called the "Queen of the Lakes" because she is the longest vessel on the Great Lakes. The Paul R. Tregurtha is one of very few freighters that was built with passenger accommodations, once used to host Interlake Steamship Lines important business customers. Originally built and christened as the William J. DeLancey, she quickly received the nickname "The Fancy DeLancey." In recent years the vessel regularly carries shipments of coal to power plants around the Great Lakes but coal-fired plants are being phased out so her cargoes will likely change. Today, one can win a trip on the Paul R. Tregurtha through raffles sponsored by local civic clubs and charitable organizations.


Photo of Paul R. Tregurtha entering Duluth , MN harbor to pick up a load of coal.

Water, Building, Body of water, Waterway

Photo of the guest quarters on the Paul R. Tregurtha

Furniture, Wood, Interior design, Chair

Photo (from above) of the Paul R. Tregurtha crew loading groceries

Water, Vehicle, Naval architecture, Watercraft

Photo of the galley on the Paul R. Tregurtha

Property, Food, Countertop, Kitchen

Photo of the Paul R. Tregurtha entering the Soo Locks.

Water, Infrastructure, Window, Plant

As you walked south from the “Starting Point” plaque to this location on the St. Clair River Boardwalk, the brass plaque marked Paul R. Tregurtha on the boardwalk represents the bow of this iconic Great Lakes freighter.  The brass plaque at the Starting Point represents the stern or back of every ship included in this walking tour. By looking back to the starting point, you are able to get an estimate of the size or 1013 ft. length of the Paul R. Tregurtha.

St. Clair, by Charles Homberg, St. Clair Historical Commission, 2007; St. Clair Historical Museum and Research Center archives; Great Lakes Ships data base, Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Alpena, Michigan; Great Lakes Freighters by Rand Shackleton, Thunder Bay Press, 2003. "Paul R. Tregurtha - Personal files and notes", by Christine Gorzen, St. Clair Historical Museum. 2019.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Chrissy Gorzen

Chrissy Gorzen

Chrissy Gorzen

Chrissy Gorzen

Chrissy Gorzen