Product DescriptionThis book charts the history of shipping on the Great Lakes during the 1980s. In doing so, it relates the accidents, vessel transitions, fleet sales, and other events that occurred during the decade. The adverse economic realities faced by the Great Lakes shipping industry during this period shaped the fleet of U.S. and Canadian lake carriers to meet the challenges in the following decades. In fact, the reconstruction projects carried out during the 1980s to modernize existing ships have enabled many of these same vessels remain economically viable up to and including the present day. Many of the events, especially those minor in nature, that appear in the pages of this book have been largely forgotten today. From the Back CoverGREAT LAKES SHIPPING LOG 1980-1989 is a detailed study chronicling the events of one of the most challenging periods in the history of shipping on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. While the decade represented the end of what has proven thus far to be the last major phase of shipbuilding on the Inland Seas, it also witnessed a large number of demolition sales that removed over one-third of the vessels in the U.S. and Canadian lake fleets. In addition to others, features of this narrative include: new vessel construction and modernization projects, vessel name changes, fleet sales and acquisitions, accidents and other pertinent events, seasonal cargo statistics, historical synopses for many of the ships sold for dismantling, and over 1,000 vessel names cross-referenced.About the AuthorRaymond A. Bawal Jr. has had a lifelong interest in Great Lakes shipping and has authored four other books on the subject. Listed in the order in which they were published, these books were as follows: Ships of the St. Clair River, Twilight of the Great Lakes Steamer, Superships of the Great Lakes, and The Inland Steel Fleet 1911-1998.