The Ship Model Forum

L6-S-B1 was built for the US Maritime Commission under USMC contract
MCc-1834 in 1943 at the River Rouge yard at a cost of $2.265 million. Hull 290s keel was laid on March
9, 1942 and launched as the ADIRONDACK (USMC Hull 579) on September 19, 1942 for the USMC
Dimensions: 620’6”loa-604’lbp-60’3”-35’; 9057 GRT, 6793 NRT, 15,800 dwt. Powered by a 2500 ihp triple
expansion steam engine and two coal-fired water tube boilers. Sale of this left her layup dock. Oglebay Norton, struggling with financial difficulties, sold the RICHARD REISS for $1.8
million to Grand River Navigation, Rogers City, MI in January, 2004. She departed March 24, 2004 on her
first trip in nearly two years with only her stack sporting her new fleet logo. She sailed this way the entire 2004
season until December 17 when she entered Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay, WI for her 5 year inspection and
a new Grand River paint scheme. She last sailed as RICHARD REISS arriving at Sarnia, ON with her new
paint job on December 30 and laid up for the winter. She was renamed c) MANISTEE on March 14, 2005.
MANISTEE departed Sarnia April 1, 2005 headed for Calcite, MI in ballast to load limestone for Marine
City, MI and was still in service as of 2008. to Reiss Steamship,
Sheboygan, WI was completed after her launch and renamed a) RICHARD J. REISS (2) (US.243406) on
May 10, 1943. After 439 days, the REISS was delivered first to the USMC on May 22 for authorization and
then to Reiss SS. on May 25 when she cleared the shipyard on her maiden voyage to load coal at Sandusky, OH
for Sheboygan. The REISS had been part of a major government ship building program designed to upgrade
and increase the capacity of the US Great Lakes fleet during WWII. Of the sixteen total “Maritimers” built on
the Great Lakes for the USMC, ten were built at GLEW. The REISS was the first completed by GLEW and
the second overall on the Lakes, but also the first of the L6-S-B1 design. (The THOMAS WILSON was the
first completed and was an L6-S-A1 design). In order to finance this purchase, Reiss SS. traded in two obsolete
steamers for their scrap value as a down payment. The two steamers were the first RICHARD J. REISS (1),
which became SUPERIOR in 1943, and the ALEX B. UHRIG; both of which were chartered back to Reiss
SS. for the duration of the War and scrapped in 1947. The L6-S-B1 designation indicted that this vessel was
built for service on the Great Lakes (L), was in the 600’-699’ in length category (6), steam powered (S), with
certain sub-design features (B1), such as stern type. The RICHARD J. REISS (2) was converted to a selfunloader
and had a bow thruster installed at Manitowoc, WI by Manitowoc Ship Building over the winter
of 1963-64. (9876 GRT, 7604 NRT) Still under Reiss ownership, management was transferred to Boland &
Cornelius, Buffalo, NY on June 27, 1969 when Reiss SS ceased operating their entire fleet. The RICHARD
J. REISS (2) was repowered over the winter of 1975-76 at Defoe Shipbuilding, Bay City, MI with a 2800 bhp
20 cylinder Electro-Motive G.M. diesel. Sold to American Steamship Co., Williamsville, NY in 1986 and
chartered to Erie Sand Steamship, Erie, PA. Before departing her winter layup in early April, her name was
modified to b) RICHARD REISS and stack repainted in Erie colors, but her hull remained black in deference
to Erie’s typical green hull. In 1992, Erie Sand Steamship obtained ownership until December 18, 2001 when
the RICHARD REISS laid up for the last time in E.S.S. colors at Erie. In January, 2002 Oglebay Norton,
Inc., Cleveland, OH purchased the Erie Sand & Gravel Co. including the RICHARD REISS but she never left her layup dock. Oglebay Norton, struggling with financial difficulties, sold the RICHARD REISS for $1.8
million to Grand River Navigation, Rogers City, MI in January, 2004. She departed March 24, 2004 on her
first trip in nearly two years with only her stack sporting her new fleet logo. She sailed this way the entire 2004
season until December 17 when she entered Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay, WI for her 5 year inspection and
a new Grand River paint scheme. She last sailed as RICHARD REISS arriving at Sarnia, ON with her new
paint job on December 30 and laid up for the winter. She was renamed c) MANISTEE on March 14, 2005.
MANISTEE departed Sarnia April 1, 2005 headed for Calcite, MI in ballast to load limestone for Marine
City, MI and was still in service as of 2008. This model I am building will be in h.o. scale a fully R/C and more pics to follow.

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U.S. NAVY 1999/2003
HT3 "SW" MICHAEL SHIREY
USS EMROY S. LAND AS-39

THANKS MIKE675