Fraser Shipyards Will Repair Whaleback Meteor’s Hull Crack

SUPERIOR, WI – The shipyard where the SS Meteor was built is coming to the rescue of the historic whaleback berthed on Barker’s Island. The Superior City Council approved waiving the bidding process Tuesday, Aug. 18, and awarding a $29,900 contract to Fraser Shipyards to repair a crack in the hull discovered in February 2025.

“Fraser Shipyard was originally the ones who built the whaleback, and now are the ones repairing (it),” Councilor Nicholas Ledin said Tuesday night. Fraser traces its origin to 1890, when Alexander McDougall moved his shipbuilding operation from Duluth to an undeveloped strip of land along Howard’s Pocket.

The SS Meteor was the 36th of the 44 whaleback ships built by the American Steel Barge Company. Originally christened the Frank Rockefeller, an iron ore carrier, the ship served many purposes over more than 60 years on the Great Lakes. It remained in service until November 1969.

After its retirement, it was towed to Barker’s Island, where it opened as a museum in 1973. The crack running across the top of the ship has been temporarily sealed, but the room the crack covers has been closed to the public, historic properties director Jess McCollough told the Public Works Committee on Aug. 6. “We would like to get this repaired before the winter,” McCollough said. He said delaying the repair could cause more problems for the ship.

The U.S. Coast Guard determined last year that the crack was the result of freeze-thaw cycles around the land-berthed ship putting stress on the hull.

Superior Telegram