Lester R. Nichols II Memorial
On July 5, 2008, a fully restored lifeboat from the S.T. Crapo, located at the New Presque Isle Lighthouse, was dedicated to the Citizens of Presque Isle Township in memory of Lester R. Nichols II.
Les served as an urban planner, for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and developed public parks and recreation areas, throughout northern Michigan.
His vision and diligent efforts resulted in the acquisition of land and the development of the Presque Isle State Harbor, the 1840 Lighthouse, the 1870 Lighthouse and the Range Light for use as public parks.
His grant writing generated $1,000,000 in state funding used to renovate the lighthouses and develop 134 acres for recreational use, without using tax dollars.
Les also served as the chairman of the Presque Isle Township’s Parks and Recreation Committee and was the first recipient of the Township’s Citizen of the Year award.
Les Nichols Memorial, Lifeboat from the S.T. Crapo
Photographer: Maureen Brown
The Alpena News: Honoring Hard Work
S.T. Crapo Lifeboat
In the fall of 2006, Mary Tanner, manager of the Presque Isle lighthouses at the time, suggested asking Lafarge (now, Holcim) if they would be wiling to donate a lifeboat from the S.T. Crapo which was moored in Green Bay, WI storing cement. Mary's husband, Mike, was a first class pilot for Inland Lakes Management, a company that hauled product for Lafarge. Lafarge agreed to donate the lifeboat and Inland Lakes Management transported it to Alpena where it was turned over to the Presque Isle Township Museum Society.
A crew of six volunteers spent close to 300 hours on the restoration ensuring the restoration was authentic.
S.T. Crapo Lifeboat Restoration (2024)
Over the years, weather has taken its toll on the Lifeboat. The metal hull is in good condition, but the wood seats, gunwales, floorboards, rudder and other fittings are now deteriorated.
We are looking for volunteers with finish carpentry skills to help with the woodwork needed to do the restoration. We envision this to be a short-term project from mid to late summer and fall in 2024, using the original fittings as templates for new fittings. If you are interested and would like to learn more about the project, please call Dennis Norton, 734-395-4901.
Donations to the restoration of the lifeboat may be made by mailing a check, made payable to the Presque Isle Township Museum Society with "Crapo Restoration" on the memo line, to the Presque Isle Township Museum Society, P.O. Box 208, Presque Isle, MI 49777, Your donation can also be made using any major credit card via PayPal using the link to the left.
PITMS is a 501(c)(3) organization and is recognized as a not-for-profit corporation under the laws of the State of Michigan. Your gift to the restoration can be in honor or in memory of a friend or loved one.
S.T. Crapo
S.T. Crapo was named for Stanford Tappan Crapo, a co-founder of the Huron Portland Cement Company in Alpena, MI. From her launching in 1927 to 1996, she traversed the Great Lakes each shipping season as a self-unloading powdered cement carrier. This was only the second vessel of this type built in the world with the first being the John W. Boardman four years earlier in 1923. In 1997, she was towed to Green Bay, WI for use as a cement storage vessel. In September 2022 after having been sold as scrap she was towed to Marine Recycling Corp. Port Colborne, ON.
Sources of Information:
Say Farewell to the S.T. Crapo (video), by W. Wes Oleszewski
A History of the Huron Cement freighters on the Great Lakes (video), by W. Wes Oleszewski
From the Collection of:
Kenneth Thro at University of Wisconsin- Superior
Stats and Information
Year Built: 1927
Builder: Great Lakes Engineering Works, River Rouge, MI
Laid Down: April 11, 1927
Launch Date: July 7, 1927
Commissioned: August 18, 1927
Laid up permanently: Sept 4, 1996
Arrived at scrapyard: September 29, 2022
General Stats
Length Overall: 402’06”
Breadth: 60’03”
Depth: 29′
Loaded Draft: 21’10”
Capacity: 8,190 Tons
Vessel Type: Self-Unloading Cement Carrier
Number of Cargo Holds: 6
Primary Operations: Cement Trade
Propellers: 1
Rudders: 1
Engine Type: Triple Expansion Steam Engine
Engine Manufacturer: Great Lakes Engineering Works, River Rouge, MI
Engine Model: 22 1/2”, 38”, 83” dia. x 42” stroke
Number of Engines: 1
Rated HP: 1800 IHP
Boiler Type: Coal-Fired Scotch Boilers
Boiler Manufacturer: Great Lakes Engineering Works, River Rouge, MI
Boiler Size: 3790 sq. ft.
Number of Boilers: 3
Ownership
1927-1965
Owner: Huron Portland Cement Co., Alpena, MI
Operator: Huron Transportation
Home Port: Alpena, MI
1965-1987
Owner: Huron Portland Cement Co., Alpena, MI [National Gypsum Company]
Operator: Huron Transportation Co.
Home Port: Wilmington, DE
1987-1996
Owner: Inland Lakes Management, Alpena, MI
Operator: Inland Lakes Management [Under charter to Lafarge]
Home Port: Cleveland, OH
1996-2022
Owner: Inland Lakes Management, Muskegon, MI [Andrie, Inc.]
Operator: Inland Lakes Management [Under charter to Lafarge]
Home Port: Cleveland, OH
S.T. Crapo Lifeboat Restoration (2007-2008)
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Presque Isle Township Museum Society
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