SS Meteor (1896)

Meteor was built by the American Steel Barge Company (ASB) at their yard in Superior, Wisconsin in the summer of 1896 as Frank Rockefeller; number 36 of 44 whalebacks built between 1888 and 1898. McDougall's expense records listed the cost of construction of Frank Rockefeller as $181,573.38. She was built for the ASB fleet and joined their barges and steamers in the movement of iron ore from Lake Superior ports down to the steel mills of Lake Erie and coal back up the lakes. She also carried grain on occasion. As a steamer, she often towed one or more of the company's "consort" barges. In 1900, along with the rest of the ASB fleet, she was sold to the Bessemer Steamship Company, the marine division of the Bessemer Steel Company. A year later, she again changed hands along with the whole of the Bessemer Fleet when it joined with seven other fleets to form the massive, 112-boat Pittsburgh Steamship Company, marine division of the equally massive US Steel. She grounded off Isle Royale on 2 November 1905 after she got lost in a snowstorm. Most of the damage from the grounding came from the barge she had been towingwhen the ship hit the rocks, the barge continued ahead until it crashed into the Frank Rockefellers stern. By 2016, restoration had progressed and many portions of the ship were in excellent condition. == Description ==

Meteor is 380 feet long overall with a 366.5-foot keel, a beam of 45 feet, and a depth of 26 feet. The vessel measured 2,750 gross register tons and 2,013 net register tons. She contains 12 cargo bays which now contain an exhibit on the history of the ship. Meteor, along with her sister whalebacks, (with one exception, the John Ericsson), were the first major boats on the Great Lakes with all accommodations aft and only a small room for the anchor windlass at the bow. Accommodations on Meteor include crew and officers' quarters, a galley, two dining areas, five showers, and three laundry areas. == Preservation and stabilization project ==

In 2001, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society (GLSPS), Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association (WUAA), Lake Superior Maritime Museum Association (LSMMA), and the Superior Public Museums (SPM) started the S.S. Meteor Preservation and Stabilization Project. For one weekend in April, volunteers come together to work on Meteor. In 2015, 40 volunteers participated and completed various tasks, including painting and cleaning up the exhibit area. ==References==