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AA6


AA6 -- ARTHUR K. ATKINSON

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE ARTHUR K. ATKINSON

 Construction on the S.S. MAITLAND NO. 2 had already begun when the Ann Arbor Railroad purchased her and renamed her ANN ARBOR NO. 6 in 1917.  She was built by the Great Lakes Engineering Company of Ecourse, Michigan.

  • January 15, 1917 -- The ANN ARBOR NO. 6 left Ecouse for Frankfort on her maiden voyage.
  • February 1, 1917 -- The ANN ARBOR NO. 6 arrived Frankfort on her maiden voyage.  The entire town turned out to welcome her.
  • February 6, 1917 -- The ANN ARBOR NO. 6 left Frankfort with her first cargo bound for Kewaunee, Wisconsin.
  • February 11, 1917 -- On her second trip (Return from Manitowoc) the ANN ARBOR NO. 6 became stuck in a windrow and could not free herself.  After about 2 hours, AA No. 5 arrived to help her, but was also frozen in.
  • "On April 2, 1917, all eight buckets (propeller blades) were replaced by the crew, while tipped up in Frankfort, in 25 hours and 25 minutes.  This is believed to be a record."  (Later History of the Ann Arbor Carferries Boats 6 & 7, by Arthur C. and Lucy F. Frederickson, 1951, pg. 6)
  • September 1, 1919 -- A switchman was killed in the yard at Manitowoc while the ANN ARBOR NO. 6 was being loaded.  This caused a delay of four hours in her sailing time.
  • January 19, 1921 -- The ANN ARBOR NO. 6 held for weather in Ludington.  Shortly after leaving Frankfort for Manitowoc, a gale sprang up from the southeast and sought shelter in Ludington.  She left at 7 PM the next day.
  • November 21, 1923 -- Arthur Stoops, the lookout on the ANN ARBOR NO. 6 was drowned while stepping from the apron onto the knuckle to cast off the headline.
  • December 3, 1923 -- The ANN ARBOR NO. 6 made an important rescue at sea.  She had left Frankfort for Menominee early on December 3rd, and as she approached Sturgeon Bay she encountered the steamer Lakeland, flying a distress signal and in the process of foundering.  She was carrying a cargo of automobiles from Detroit and Chicago for the Thompson Transit Company, and had taken refuge from a northwest gale in the canal overnight.  She had come out and headed south, but the master found her to be taking water badly and put about to return to Sturgeon Bay.  He could not make it, and the ship foundered about nine miles off he canal.  Ann Arbor #6 picked up her crew of 27 from lifeboats shortly before noon.
  • April 14, 1924 -- 19 year-old Edward Nelson was killed when he fell of the dock while assisting in tying up the ANN ARBOR #6 in her slip at Manistique, Michigan.
  • December 3, 1924 -- The ANN ARBOR NO. 6, while about nine miles outside of Sturgeon Bay, sited the steamer LAKELAND flying distress signals.  The ANN ARBOR NO. 6 stood by and picked up her crew of 27 as they came alongside in four lifeboats.  The LAKELAND sank stern first.  (Frederickson's History of the Ann Arbor Auto and Train Ferries, by Arthur C. and Lucy F. Frederickson, page 112.)
  • March 29, 1926 -- While homeward bound from Manistique, the ANN ARBOR NO. 6 made an emergency stop at South Manitou Island to pick up a sick woman and her baby.  On arrival at Frankfort they were taken ashore and put under a doctor's care.
  • March 8, 1933 -- The ANN ARBOR NO. 6 struck the south pier at Frankfort.  After dry-docking in Manitowoc it was discovered that she had several dented plates, her rudder was bent and her starboard propeller had two broken blades.  She returned to service on March 18th.  ( Frederickson's History of the Ann Arbor Auto and Train Ferries, by Arthur C. and Lucy F. Frederickson, page 132.)
  • September 15, 1934 -- The ANN ARBOR NO. 6 collided with the steamer N.F. LEOPOLD in a heavy fog.
  • October 22, 1934 -- The ANN ARBOR NO. 6 rescued two Ludington men who had gotten caught in a gale in a rowboat and drifted out to sea. The men were David Galbraith and Joe Nagels.  Captain Charles Frederickson in command.
  • March 2, 1938 -- Harold Lillie, crewmember of the ANN ARBOR NO. 6, stepped onto the apron as the carferry was approaching and fell into the water and suffered a broken neck.
  • August 3, 1946 -- The third officer of the ANN ARBOR NO. 6 drowned while painting her draft marks.  He had leaned too far and fell out of the rowboat.
Invitation
  • July 1958 -- The ANN ARBOR NO. 6 was taken out of service for extensive refitting.  Renamed ARTHUR K. ATKINSON.
  • March 14, 1959 -- Formerly AA No. 6, returned to service after extensive re-fit.  Named after the president of the Wabash, Arthur K. Atkinson. Cost to convert her was $2,305,000.
  • July 29, 1959 -- The ARTHUR K. ATKINSON was severely damaged when she struck a concrete crib at the entrance to Kewaunee.  All of the damage was above the waterline.
  • December 23, 1970 -- The ARTHUR K. ATKINSON was damaged in a storm, which caused over $40,000 in damage.  She was out of service until January of 1971.
  • November 11, 1979 -- Repairs were begun on the ARTHUR K. ATKINSON, which had broken a crankshaft on one of her diesel engines in 1973 (the vessel had been in lay-up since that time).
  • August 17, 1980 -- Ceremonies and special re-christening programs were held in Manitowoc (Aug 16) and Frankfort on August 17 for the return of the ARTHUR K. ATKINSON to service.  Over 3,000 people participated in the two-day event with tours and an open house of the vessel
  • April, 1982 – The ARTHUR K. ATKINSON was taken out of service as the carferry operation from Frankfort ceased.
  • April 25, 1984 -- The ARTHUR K. ATKINSON was towed to Peterson Builders in Sturgeon Bay.
At Dock
  • September 2, 1994 -- The ARTHUR K. ATKINSON was towed to Ludington for a "short time" while preparations were made for Contessa (who had purchased her) to use her for a casino ship.  The plans eventually fell through.
  • November 26, 2003 -- The ARTHUR K. ATKINSON was towed out of Ludington for DeTour, MI.
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Launched: 02/28/97 Refitted: 12/30/03
Copyright © 1997 -  2003 M. Hanley