THE SHIP
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THE SHIP -
SS Ste. Claire is a steamer located in Detroit, Michigan.
Built in 1910, she was one of the last propeller-driven excursion steamers to be operated on the Great Lakes.
She was declared a US National Historic Landmark in 1992.
In 2018, a devastating fire destroyed the upper decks, leaving only the steel structure.
The ship was delisted as a National Historic Landmark and from the National Register of Historic Places in 2023.
The Ste. Claire is a propeller-driven excursion steamer with a riveted steel hull and a wooden superstructure strengthened with steel members.
The hull is 190 feet (58 m) long, 50 feet (15 m) wide, and 17.3 feet (5.3 m) in molded depth.
She is powered by a triple expansion reciprocating steam engine with Scotch boilers.
The main deck overhangs the hull, and the open decks above are rounded at the bow, a characteristic of the Bob-Lo fleet.
Before the fire that destroyed any original wood that had not been removed, it had a main staircase in the center of the main deck that led to the upper decks.
A second stair underneath led down to the crew spaces in the hull.
On either side of the main stair were gangplank openings for loading passengers.
Forward of the stair was a large open deck space.
Aft of the stair, a passageway ran across the vessel, aft of which is the stack casing and a well that opened down into the engine room, where the main engine could be seen by passengers on the main deck.
Food service counters were placed at the aft end of the main deck, surrounded by open spaces, and a pair of stairs leading to decks above.
Amidships, public restrooms and crews quarters were placed on either side of the ship.
The main staircase led upward to the main cabin on the second deck.
The cabin was finished in mahogany with a cream-painted beamed ceiling.
Aft of the cabin was a dance floor. The main cabin had doors out to open spaces forward and aft.
The main stair led upward to another, smaller cabin on the third deck.
Doors here led to the open deck and to a "beer garden" located above the dance floor.
A final stair on the open deck led to the top deck. Public access to the top deck was limited; the area also included the pilot house and lifeboat storage.