MV American Century

American Century traveling along the Detroit River
History
United States
NameMV American Century
OperatorAmerican Steamship Company
BuilderBay Shipbuilding Company[1]
Yard number726[1][2]
Launched1981[1]
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Class and typeLake freighter
Tonnage
  • 35,923 gross tonnage[1]
  • 33,534 net tonnage[1]
Length
  • 1,000 feet (305 m) (overall)[3]
  • 988.8 feet (301 m)[1]
Beam105 ft (32 m)[1]
Draft
  • 34.75 ft (10.59 m) (Midsummer Draft)[3]
  • 56.7 ft (17.3 m) (hull depth)[1]
Propulsionfour 3500 HP General Motors Electro Motive Division (EMD) diesel engines, 14,000 SHP[3]

MV American Century is a very large diesel-powered Lake freighter owned and operated by the American Steamship Company. This vessel was built in 1981 at Bay Shipbuilding Company, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and included self-unloading technology.

The ship is 1,000 feet (304.8 m) long and 105 feet (32 m) wide, with a carrying capacity of 80,900 tons (at midsummer draft), either coal or iron ore.

History

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The ship was built for Oglebay Norton Corporation in 1981 and named Columbia Star. The name Columbia was selected for the brig Columbia that sailed through the St. Mary's Falls Canal carrying the first load of iron ore shipped through the canal. Star was commonly used by Oglebay Norton. American Century made its first voyage in May 1981 to on-load iron ore in Silver Bay, Minnesota. American Steamship Company acquired American Century in 2006.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Vessel Documentation Query". NOAA/US Coast Guard. 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2015-07-02.
  2. ^ Colton, Tim. "Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay, WI". shipbuildinghistory.com. Archived from the original on 2015-07-03.
  3. ^ a b c d "M/V American Century". American Steamship.