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| Wednesday, December 12, 2007
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The American Fortitude was built as the Ernest T. Weir in Lorain in 1953 as a vessel in the National Steel fleet. In 1978, Oglebay Norton bought the boat and renamed her the Courtney Burton. Three years later, a self unloading boom was added to her deck giving her a new and longer life on the Great Lakes. Without the addition, she would probably have seen the scrap pile sometime in the 1980's.
The Courtney Burton was laid up for two years in Toledo in 2003 but was back out working the Great Lakes to open the 2005 season. She took over the route run by both the Joseph H. Frantz and the Kinsman Independent, taking wheat from Duluth Superior to Buffalo.
She came into port in early June, 2006, with a load of limestone that she discharged. She was set to go over to load her grain cargo when she was diverted to Fraser Shipyards in Superior to get refitted to sail under the ownership of American Steamship Company. They had just finalized the purchase of 6 boats from the Oglebay Norton Company.
In 2008, she carried a wide variety of cargos including taconite, limestone, iron ore pellets and wheat.
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| Sunday, November 5, 2006
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| Sunday, November 5, 2006
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| Tuesday, August 15, 2006
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Wednesday, June 7, 2006:
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| Thursday, September 22, 2005
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| Sunday, May 8, 2005
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Tuesday, September 24, 2002: departing Duluth
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Saturday, July 6, 2002: entering the Duluth harbor
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Wednesday, September 26, 2001: approaching the Lift Bridge
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Saturday, August 18, 2001: departing Duluth
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© 2009 Duluth Shipping News
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