“Owana and Toledo [Steamers] Sold to Cleveland” in the Wyandotte Herald (February 4th, 1927)

Considered Downriver’s “most historic and renowned shipyard” during its shipbuilding years, Wyandotte Shipyard, founded by naval architect Frank Kirby, produced over 200 cutting-edge ships between 1870 and 1923 for the Detroit Shipbuilding Company (Steffke). Today’s article looks at a major sale of two ships, named Owana and City of Toledo, which were built as ‘excursion steamers’ – steamboats designed to take passengers on leisure trips. The sale of the ships was due to a ‘libel,’ a process that initiates legal action against a ship, usually to claim damages or enforce a ‘maritime lien’. A maritime lien is a legal claim against a ship that gives the lienholder the right to take ownership of said ship. To satisfy the lien, the court can order the sale of the ship, which is exactly what we see in the article below; however, the rationale for the lien is not disclosed and requires further research. That’s enough for today’s crash course in admiralty law—I hope this article gives you a glimpse into Wyandotte’s essential role in the broader history of shipbuilding on the Great Lakes, by way of the Detroit River.

For more information on Detroit’s shipbuilding history, please visit Lives of Leisure and Labor on the Detroit River, an excellent resource created by DRSL alum Genta Nishku.

Transcript:

The excursion steamers Owana and City of Toledo have been sold to Allard S. Fawcett of Cleveland for $20,000 each, and will be placed in service between Cleveland and Pelee Island.

Both boats were designed by Frank E. Kirby and built in Wyandotte—the City of Toledo in 1893, the Ow[a]na in 1899.

In July, 1925, both vessels were sold to the Anchor line by the White Star Navigation Co. for $110,000 the City of Toledo selling for $65,000, and the Owana for $45,000. 

Last May 15, the federal court libeled the two steamers at the request of the Guardian Trust Co., receiver for the Anchor line. Both vessels were ordered sold by Judge Charles C. Simons, Jan. 11, and were auctioned Thursday in front of the federal building, by Abel Lezotte, federal deputy sheriff.

Original Article:

Citations:

“Owana and Toledo [Steamers] Sold to Cleveland.” Wyandotte Herald, 4 Feb. 1927, https://cdm17314.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p17314coll1/id/19172/rec/122. Bacon Memorial District Library History Collection. Accessed 6 June 2024.

Steffke, Keith M. “Wyandotte Shipbuilding Firsts.” The Wyandotte Historical Society, https://www.wyandottehistory.org/residents/shipbuilding_in_wyandotte_.php. Accessed 31 January 2025.