W8USR - Special Events

Museum Ships Weekend – SS Col. James M. Schoonmaker (K8E)

About the Special Event

On June 4, 2022, station W8USR tracked and logged an incredible piece of living maritime history by contacting special event station K8E, operating directly from on board the historic bulk cargo freighter SS Col. James M. Schoonmaker. This annual on-the-air deployment took place during the highly anticipated Museum Ships Weekend, held every year during the first full weekend of June. Hosted by the Toledo Mobile Radio Association (TMRA), the special event call sign K8E served as a historical nod to the ship's original builder designation, Hull No. 82. Operators set up a temporary station on board the vessel to broadcast its rich engineering legacy to the global amateur radio community.

Shipboard Infrastructure & Radio Layouts

The TMRA team maintained a robust multi-mode communication footprint running directly out of the floating museum ship to maximize shore station contacts:

• Frequencies and Bands: Operations primarily targeted the High Frequency (HF) bands, focusing voice and digital setups around 7.074 MHz and 7.260 MHz (40 meters) alongside 14.074 MHz and 14.260 MHz (20 meters).
• Operational Modes: The team managed busy multi-band pile-ups using a strategic combination of Single Sideband voice (SSB), Morse code (CW), and modern FT8 digital networks.
• Structural Lineage: Notably, the Schoonmaker shares a direct shipyard birthplace and architectural blueprint lineage with the famously lost SS Edmund Fitzgerald, making her a precious living artifact of Great Lakes maritime engineering.

The Full History of the Col. James M. Schoonmaker

The legendary freighter began its life at the Great Lakes Engineering Works in Ecorse, Michigan, where its keel was laid down on February 27, 1911. Known during construction as "Hull No. 82," the vessel was eventually named to honor Colonel James M. Schoonmaker, a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient who went on to become a prominent banking powerhouse, coal merchant, and vice president of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad. Measuring 617 feet in length overall with a 64-foot beam, she was officially launched on July 1, 1911, entering service as the largest bulk cargo freighter in the world.

Upon her maiden voyage on October 11, 1911, the freighter automatically claimed the coveted title "Queen of the Lakes," a traditional honor reserved for the largest active vessel on the lakes. She held this size record until 1914. Unlike typical utilitarian cargo carriers, the Schoonmaker was constructed to serve as the flagship for the Shenango Furnace Company. Because company executives and wealthy clients routinely stayed on board during transits, the bow was fitted with unprecedented executive luxuries. It featured opulent, wood-paneled guest suites, a dedicated passenger lounge, an official dining room, and even an electric fireplace.

For nearly 70 years, the Schoonmaker was a tireless workhorse of the Midwest's industrial boom, hauling millions of tons of iron ore, coal, and grain across the lakes. Originally constructed with coal-fired boilers and a quadruple-expansion reciprocating steam engine, the ship underwent significant upgrades to stay competitive. In 1952, its engine was repowered, and a more efficient steam turbine engine was installed by 1955. A bow thruster was added in 1964 to increase maneuvering capabilities in tight rivers.

In 1969, Shenango divested its maritime assets, selling the vessel to the Interlake Steamship Company. In 1972, it was sold again to the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company, who renamed the ship the Willis B. Boyer after the company's president. It sailed under this name throughout the 1970s until a massive downturn in the American steel industry forced the ship to lay up and retire in 1980.

Rescue and Transformation Into a Premier Museum

After sitting abandoned for seven years and facing the threat of the scrapyard, the ship was rescued in 1987 when the city of Toledo, Ohio, purchased the freighter to use as a museum ship. It sat at International Park for decades as the Willis B. Boyer. Then on July 1, 2011 — exactly 100 years to the day after its original launch — the vessel was officially rechristened back to its historic birth name: Col. James M. Schoonmaker.

The ship was later moved down the Maumee River to its permanent home alongside the newly constructed National Museum of the Great Lakes. Today, it remains fully open to the public from May to October, allowing visitors to tour everything from the cargo holds to the pilot house and the beautifully preserved engineering spaces.

Station Log: Contact History

Special Event Call	Station Logged	Date Logged	Time Logged	Frequency	Frequency Band	Operation Mode	Signal Report	On-Board Operator
K8E	W8USR	June 4, 2022	15:32 UTC	7.260 MHz	40 Meters	SSB Phone	59	TMRA Operator