THE GREAT LAKES / A SHIP’S WINTER STORY

Stewart J. Cort

The Great Lakes' first thousand-foot freighter.

Before the now-familiar thousand-footers, Stewart J. Cort pioneered a new scale of cargo carrier in 1972. Its early construction story stretched from Mississippi to Erie, Pennsylvania, and reshaped what the Great Lakes could move.

Explore documented winters ↗← Back to the atlas

THE MARITIME FIELD JOURNALNo verified ship photograph is displayed.

Historical evidence — never a live AIS positionSee dated records ↗

01 / The story behind the steel

One ship.
Many chapters.

Names, ownership and home harbors may change. A vessel identity stays connected to its sourced seasonal records below; no historic berth should be mistaken for its location today.

Chapter 1

Building a ship in pieces

The forward and after sections originated at Ingalls in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and were later joined to a Great Lakes-built cargo midsection at Erie. The unusual construction process helped launch the first thousand-foot vessel on the Lakes.

Read the original reporting ↗

Chapter 2

A winter in Milwaukee

Wisconsin Marine Historical Society reported the Cort arriving in Milwaukee January 20, 2026 for winter layup. The source confirms the harbor but does not establish a specific dock, so the atlas only plots the harbor.

Read the original reporting ↗

02 / Dated historical records

Where this ship spent
its winters.

These are only the winters for which this archive has credible individual evidence. Missing years indicate incomplete reporting, not that the ship was sailing.

Winter	Harbor	Documented berth or facility	Confidence	Source
Winter 2025–26	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	Milwaukee harbor — precise berth not documented	Verified historical	Evidence ↗

Recorded moments

2026-01-20 · Winter 2025–26
Wisconsin Marine Historical Society documented the Cort's arrival for winter layup in Milwaukee. The precise berth was not specified.
Dated record ↗

The 2026–27 layup season is not yet populated here. For contemporary AIS positions use the separate live tracker.

How this history is checked

Every layup record has a dated source. Community reports are distinguishable from port authority and museum records. Harbor coordinates are approximate geographic references; they are not a berth, directions to private shipyards or evidence of live vessel position.

Explore the source policy ↗