American Victory Under Tow T-Shirt

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As World War II raged, the tanker Marquette was launched on October 31, 1942. Built for the U.S. Navy they renamed her the U.S.S. Neshanic before she entered the war in 1943.

In June of 1944 a bomb from a Japanese plane hit her during refueling operations. Her injured crew were treated aboard the U.S.S. Saranac. She was later repaired and decommissioned at the end of 1945.

Gulf Oil Company renamed her Gulfoil when they purchased her in 1947. Eleven years later she collided with another taknker, the Graham, while in Newport, Rhode Island. The collision resulted in the Graham exploding and the Gulfoil suffering serious damage and the loss of most of her crew. The hull was towed to Baltimore where she was lengthened and widened. Moving her pilothouse and forward cabins to the bow completed her conversion to a straight deck bulk carrier.

Pioneer Steamship company purchased her and renamed her the Pioneer Challenger. Under this name, she entered service i...

I developed an interest in photography at a young age, often following my father around while he took pictures. From that I learned the basics and purchased my first camera while still in high school. I learned more through reading and trial and error. My first formal training came in 2013 when I took a basic photography class at a community college. During high school I became fascinated with the freighters that sailed on the lakes. The boats intrigued me and for a time I wanted to work on them. My career took me down a different path, but I never lost my interest in the boats. In 2011 I combined my two interests, loading my camera in my car and chasing the boats around the lakes. I hope to highlight the hardworking ships and...