American Mariner is a self-unloading bulk freighter built by Bay Shipbuilding Co., Sturgeon Bay, WI, for American Steamship Co., Buffalo, NY. Although initially to be named Chicago (3), she was launched Aug. 2, 1979 as the American Mariner. Her maiden voyage took place April 18, 1980 from Sturgeon Bay for Escanaba, MI, to load taconite pellets for Ashtabula, OH.

Driving a single controllable pitch propeller are twin 3,600 horsepower V-20 GM diesel engines giving her a rated service speed of 15 m.p.h. American Mariner is equipped with bow and stern thrusters. Her seven holds are fed through 24 hatches. She is capable of carrying 37,200 tons at her maximum mid-summer draft of 30 feet 11 inches. Her stern-mounted, self-unloading system feeds a 250-foot boom that can swing 105 degrees to port or starboard and can discharge at a rate of up to 6,000 tons per hour.

American Mariner was the ninth of 10 vessels built for American Steamship Co. under Title XI of the Merchant Marine Act of 1970. Under this program, U.S. shipping companies could modernize their fleets or build new vessels utilizing government guaranteed financing and tax- deferred benefits.

On April 28, 2000, the vessel lost steering and struck Light number 7 in the Lake Huron Cut. The Mariner was loaded with taconite for Ashtabula, OH. A survey of damage from the accident revealed a 30-foot by 10-foot tear in the forepeak and another 6-inch-wide tear on the starboard bow stretching nearly 25 feet. Flooding from this damage was so severe that the forward cargo hold and tunnels flooded. Temporary repairs were made to control the flooding and the crew lightened the vessel by offloading 3,100 tons of cargo from the number one hold into fleet mate Adam E. Cornelius. She was refloated and underway on Saturday the 29th. Because American Mariner was blocking the channel, the U. S. Coast Guard temporarily closed the area to commercial navigation. The river closure delayed more than 23 vessels.

American Mariner has frequently transited the Welland Canal, which many U.S.-flagged lake boats cannot accomplish due to the dimensional restrictions of the waterway (740 feet maximum overall length, 78 feet width, and 26 feet draft).

Written by George Wharton