Fish Tugs Of The Greatest Lake

Fishing Vessels of the Great Lakes

Compiled by Harvey Hadland

T.H. CAMP A 65 ft. steam tug, owned by Booth Fisheries, Duluth, MN. Active in the fish buying trade among the Apostle Islands, and also engaged in the herring fishery in the late 1800s until it capsized and sank between Basswood Island and Madeline Island in 1905.

TACOMA A fish boat of unknown size, owned by William Schneider, Erie, PA in 1930.

TESSLER A 75 ft. steam powered fish tug owned by Charles Tessler, Milwaukee, WI in 1938.

THE CLIPPER Built at Bayfield, WI by Frank Muhlke, in the late 1930s, The 35 ft. vessel was equipped with a 110 hp. Chrysler Crown marine engine and owned by Elmer Bodin, Washburn, WI. In the early 1960s Ever Bodin, Bayfield, owned the boat for a short time before selling to Martin Lorentsen, Silver Bay, MN.

THE SWAN A 35 ft. gas boat owned by Charles Jamsen, Gay, MI in 1915.

THEO. J. BLONG 232404 Built by Burger Boat Co. in 1933 for Port Fish Co.(Smith Bros.) Port Washington, WI. The 38 ft. x 11 ft. vessel was equipped with a 30-36 Kahlenberg oil engine, and was named for one of Smith Brothers' longtime shore crew. In the mid-1940s the boat was owned by Rudolph Kallianen, Chassell, MI.

THERESA 249031 Built by Burger Boat Co. in 1945 for Nelson J. LeClair, Two Rivers, WI. The 40 ft. x 12 ft. all steel vessel was equipped with a 50-60 Kahlenberg oil engine. Albert and Roy Koski, Aura, MI owned the boat from 1954 to 1971, replaced the Kahlenberg with a 165 hp. Cummins diesel. In 1971 they sold the boat to James Wiita, Lake Linden, MI. Wiita changed the name of the boat to MARY ANN, and kept her until 1992, when he sold to Philip Anderson, Kewaunee, WI. Anderson changed the name of the boat to JEAN RENNAE. In 2000 Anderson sold the boat to Steve Slupik, Kenosha, WI. The boat has once again been renamed, this time becoming PEGGY S.

THOMAS C. MULLEN 250154 Built by Burger Boat Co. in 1946 for Robert Ludwig, Michigan City, IN.The all steel vessel, 47 ft. x 13 ft., was equipped with a 60-70 Kahlenberg oil engine. In 1957 Ludwig sold the boat to Robert Peel, Saugatuck, MI. Converted to trawling, the boat was re-powered with a GM 6-71 diesel. Bodin Fisheries, Bayfield, WI bought the boat in 1979, and after a year of unsuccessful trawling sold the boat to Alan Newago, Bayfield, WI in 1982. Newago removed the trawling gear and used the boat as a gillnetter. VIEW PICTURE

THOMAS H. JONES Built at Cornucopia, WI in the early 1940s by Thomas H. Jones, Sr. for his son Robert. The 40 ft. vessel, a double ender modeled after the larger MINNEMAC, was equipped with a Caterpillar D4600 diesel. William Evanow, Cornucopia, owned the boat in 1975, later selling her to Donald Day, Bayfield, WI. Day in turn sold the boat to his nephew, Dennis Day. Set ashore at Bayfield the hull was sheeted with steel, but never put in the water. The bare hull is still on shore, never launched. VIEW PICTURE

THREE BROTHERS Built at Ludington, MI by Nels Larsen, in1910, the 30 ft. double-ender gas boat was operated out of Pentwater, where Larsen moved to shortly after the boat was built.

THREE BROTHERS II Built at Pentwater, MI in 1918, by Nels Larsen. The 35 ft. boat, also a double-ender, was equipped with a 25 hp. Straubel gas engine. In 1938 the boat was sold to Clyde Cross, Charlevoix, MI.

THREE SUNS 246930 Built by Burger Boat Co. as the J.R. CHAMBERS in 1944 for Murray Chambers, Holland, Mich., the all steel vessel, 52 ft. x 14 ft., was originally equipped with a 75-90 hp. Kahlenberg oil engine which was later replaced with the 100-120 taken out of the L.P. HILL. Donald Slenk, Holland, is listed in MVUS as the owner in 1951, with Chambers listed from 1952-1976. Weiner Bros, Lion Head, Ont. Owned the boat for a time in the late 1970s, changing the name to ANTARES II. Gilmore Peterson, Bayfield/Lake Linden, bought the boat and renamed her THREE SUNS. The Kahlenberg was then replaced with a Cummins diesel. VIEW PICTURE

TNT See ALLISON B.

TORDENSJOLD A small open gas boat owned by Lenus Jacobson, Bayfield, WI in 1919.

TRIO 247637 Built by Burger Boat Co. in 1945 for Emil Pagel, Algoma, WI. The 38 ft. x 9 ft steel hulled vessel was equipped with a 6 cylinder Graymarine gas engine. In 1981 Pagel sold the boat to a fisherman at Burns Harbor, IN. From 1989 to 1998 Russell Bailey, Port Wing, WI owned the boat, then sold her to Franz A. VonRiedel, Knife River, MN. VonRiedel sold her to Kenneth Petersen, Muskegon, MI in April of 2000. Bailey had the boat trucked north in 1989 and Petersen had the boat trucked south again in 2000.

TUSCARORA A 46 ft. gas boat owned by Chris Jensen, Muskegon, MI in 1931.

TWILITE 237134 Built at Bayfield, WI in 1937 by Halvor A. Reiten, for Hokenson Bros. Fishery, Little Sand Bay, Bayfield. The 36 ft. vessel was equipped with a diesel Caterpillar tractor motor, converted to marine use. In 1946 the Caterpillar was replaced with a GM 6-71 diesel. After ceasing operations in 1953 the owners sold the boat to Art Krone, Bayfield. Sold again and converted to a cruiser, the boat was finally bought by the National Park Service, returned to Sand Bay and rebuilt to its original configuration. The Caterpillar, which the Hokensons had retained, was installed. The boat is presently on display on the marine railway at the restored Hokenson Fishery, operated by the National Park Service. VIEW PICTURE

TWIN DISC 236957 Built by Peterson Boat Works in 1937, for Twin Disc Clutch Co. Racine, WI. 45 ft. x 12 ft. 8 in. vessel was equipped with a 6 cylinder 100 hp. Model H, Cummins diesel. Used to test and demonstrate marine reverse and reduction gears manufactured by Twin Disc, the vessel was offered for sale in June of 1939 for $4500. After being leased to several fishermen the boat was owned by Fred Hauer, Chicago , from 1941 to 1944. Irwin Pulda and Walter Barzditis, Racine,owned the boat from 1944 to 1950. With the breakup of their partnership Barzditis took over ownership and moved to Houghton, MI. Following the death of Barzditis, shortly after moving to Michigan, Ernest J. Erkkila, Lake Linden, MI bought the boat, and it was owned by the Erkkilas until 1982, when it was sold to Martin Peterson, Bayfield, WI. VIEW PICTURE

TWIN SISTERS Built at Cornucopia, WI in 1940 by Bernard Johnson. The 40 ft. vessel was equipped with a 110 hp. Chrysler Crown marine engine. The boat is presently sitting ashore at Cornucopia.

TWO BROTHERS A 35 ft. gas boat owned by August Christensen, Pentwater, MI. On 23 November 1912 the boat foundered in heavy seas while entering Pentwater harbor. Christensen and his two crew members lost their lives in the mishap.

TWO BROTHERS A 58 ft. steam powered fish tug owned by Ole Hansen, Milwaukee, WI in 1938.

TWO BROTHERS A fish boat from the Algoma, WI area dating back to the early 1930s. More information will be added later.

TWO BROTHERS Built at Bayfield, WI in 1939, by Evan Christensen. The 40 ft. vessel was equipped with a Buick car motor fitted with a marine type reverse gear. Owners Leo and Ray Gonia had the boat until the mid 1950s, when it was sold to Thomas Evanow, Cornucopia, WI. Later it was owned by several groups of scuba divers.

TWO DANS Built on Madeline Island in 1954 by Emil Erickson, and owned by Dan Angus and Dan Brummer. The 27 ft.(approx.) gas powered vessel was later converted to a cruising boat, its whereabouts not presently known.

TWO SISTERS A 34 ft. gas boat owned by A.F. Turner, Naubinway, MI in 1929.

TYLER ANDREW See RUTH

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