Photo Gallery - The Gerber Collection

Ken Gerber has worked for several Great Lakes Fleets over the past 20 years as well as working for and volunteering at the William G Mather Museum. Below you will find selected snapshots that Ken has taken since 1980.

Photos of and from the Steamship George M Humphrey. most of these photos were taken during the fall of 1981

Most photos show the ships in sunlight and calm waters, here are two from October, 1981, that do not. these are not photos taken at night - it was the middle of the afternoon.

• Spray coming up...
• ...and over the top of the pilot house

• The throttle board on the George M Humphrey
• Pasing under the Blue Water Bridge and entering Lake Huron
• Entering some heavy weather
• Taking some spray forward
• Taking some spray from Lake Superior
• FINALThe Steamship George M Humphrey in 1986 on her way to be scrapped.

Photos of and from the Steamship Kaye E Barker from December of 1992

• A view of the cargo hold showing the "hopper" shape used on self-unloaders
• The Emergency steering station
• The Barker with a "glazed coating"
• A view up the deck showing ice and spray, as well as the deck being bowed
• ice covered mooring winch controls
• A sunset meeting in the St Clair River with the Charles M Beeghly
• Working her way through the ice on the St Marys River
• Ice on the St Marys River, looking aft
• More ice covered equipment
• Out on Lake Superior
• The emergency steering station looks to be a very cold place to be on this December day on Lake Superior
• The throttle board on the Kaye E Barker
• Another view of the engine room showing the turbo-gererators.
• The Barker'ssteam turbine
• The Steamship Calcite II as seen from the Kaye E Barker, note the Christmas lights on the Barker's rails
• The bow of the Steamship Calcite II
• The Steamship Kaye E Barker entering Grand Haven, MI
• Meeting the mail boat J W Westcottin the Detroit River in July of 1993.

Photos of and from the Steamship J L Mauthe.

• Erie,PA. during fit-out, 1993.
• Leaving Erie, PA. in April of 1993.
• A view of the engine room, April, 1993.
• Her steam turbines.
• Heading up Lake Superior in September or 1992
• Fairport Harbor, OH, spring of 1992

• The Cliffs Victory, along with having been one of the most unusual looking vessels on the Great Lakes was also one of the fastest. Here she is in August,1981 pulling out and passing the M.V. George A Stinson by Ken Gerber
• Hulett Unloaders at the C&P ore dock in Cleveland working at night
• The "first" William G Mather, the Steamship Nicolet
• The Steamship Walter A Sterling
• The Steamship Walter A Sterling at Frasier Shipyards in Superior, WI.
• The Steamship Edward L Ryerson downbound at the Soo, September of 1992. by Ken Gerber
• The Steamship Edward L Ryerson At Indiana Harbor in October of 1992
• The Steamship Edward L Ryerson and the MV Mesabi Miner At Indiana Harbor in October of 1992
• The Steamship Reserve in the St. Clair River, July, 1993
• The Steamship Charles M Beeghly St Clair River, December, 1992. Another shot from an unusual angle, Rouge, August, 1993.
• The Irwin L Clymer in the Cuyahoga River.
• The Consumers Power at Erie, PA.
• The Bow of the Stewart J Cort at the Soo.
• The Bow of the William Clay Ford at the Soo.
• The Bow of the Wilfred Sykes at the Soo, July, 1988.
• The Frontenac and the Harry Coulby at Frasier Shipyards in Superior, WI.
• The Ashland and the Thomas Wilson at Toledo, February, 1985.
• The Champlain and the McKee Sons at Toledo, February, 1985.
• The Kinsman Enterprise, William G Mather, and the McKee Sons at Toledo, November, 1987.

Here are some vessels at the end of their lives.

• Several photos of the Mather sister-ship, the SteamshipPontiac at Port Colburn.
  • Bow, starboard sideNovember, 1984
  • Port side, next to the partially dismembered E G GraceNovember, 1984
  • Aft, starboard sideNovember, 1984
  • Ken Gerber standing in front of the Pontiac November, 1984
  • Bow on shotNovember, 1984
• Several photos of the end of the E G Grace at Port Colburn.
  • Port side, aft November, 1984
  • From cargo hold looking aft - you can clearly see the "double-hull" construction typical of Great Lakes bulk carriers. November, 1984
  • Looking down on the aft end, deckhouse already removed March, 1985
  • Aft end, deckhouse removed. March, 1985
• The Benson Ford at Port Colburn, already shorn of most of her superstructure.
• The Canadiana looking worse for the wear.
• The C L Austin in Ashtabula, August,1984
• The John Dykstra at Cleveland, Ohio, prior to having her deckhouse removed to be used as a cottage on one of the Lake Erie Islands. Three views (Thanks to Jim Luke for the correction.)
  • bow
  • 3/4 bow
  • stern

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