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Pilothouse from the CANOPUS
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Visitors of the Inland Seas Maritime Museum are able to experience a unique opportunity to tour the pilothouse from the
1905 Great Lakes vessel CANOPUS. The pilothouse is physically attached to the upper level of the museum, and overlooks
beautiful Lake Erie.
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History of the CANOPUS
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| Click the above images to enlarge |
The CANOPUS was christened the GEORGE H. RUSSEL for the Gilchrist Transportation Company. Constuction began in 1905 by the
Columbia Iron Works, but the company went into receivership before much work was done. Great Lakes Engineering Works took over
the contract and finished construction. Her dimensions were 462' length X 50' beam (width) X 24' depth, with a gross tonnage of 4978.
Once she was launched, the RUSSEL's trade included cargoes of iron ore, coal, and grain. Following the folding of the Gilchrist Transportation
company in 1913, the RUSSEL was purchased by Pickands Mather & Company's Interlake Steamship Company and renamed CANOPUS. She sailed
for Interlake Steamship as a bulk carrier until 1945, when she was purchased by the Nicholson Transit Company. The following
year, she was converted to a combination bulk carrier and auto carrier. In 1950, she was converted to a full auto carrier
with the addition of a fleet deck. This enabled the CANOPUS to carry more new cars from the factories of Detroit to such cities as Cleveland
and Buffalo. By the 1960s, however, auto carriers on the lakes had met increased competition from land transport taking advantage
of the new Interstate Highway system. Unable to make a profit, the CANOPUS was laid up for the final time in 1961, and during the winter
of 1961-62, she was scrapped at Ashtabula, Ohio.
At the time of the CANOPUS' scrapping, her pilothouse was saved and ultimately ended up behind a residence in Gates Mills, Ohio. In
1992, the pilothouse—in need of cosmetic restoration from sitting for 3 decades—was donated to The Great Lakes Historical Society and
placed in her current location overlooking Lake Erie.
Having been restored to her former glory, the pilothouse provides a rare opportunity to step back in time and imagine yourself on board
the CANOPUS. Standing behind the massive wooden steering wheel, no land is visible. The pilothouse contains its period instruments, navigation equipment, and
even a whistle pull.
Return to About the Museum.
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