The Sailing Adventures of Captain Carl M. Christensen & Captain Mathew F. Smith
Captain Carl M. Christensen
His First Home in Bay View (1920-23)
2327 East Bennett Avenue
His Ships and Sailing Adventures While Living at 2327 E. Bennett Ave.
The James B. Neilson, 1923; Sailing adventures as “2nd mate”: none discovered
Photo courtesy the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Bowling Green State University.
His Second Home in Bay View (1924-65)
2348 East Oklahoma Avenue
His Ships and Sailing Adventures While Living at 2348 E. Oklahoma Ave.
Above left: the US Coast Guard Cutter Crawford, believed to have been captained by Carl Christensen in 1927; Sailing adventures while captain: On 08 December 1927, participated in a rescue effort to help two ships in trouble during a big storm on Lake Huron 51
Photo credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USCGC_Crawford_(WSC-134)/
Above right: the lightship Eleven-Foot Shoal Lightship, believed to have been captained by Carl Christensen in 1929; Sailing adventures while captain: none discovered
Photo credit: https://www.shipwreckpodcast.com/lightship82/
Sources for all below: Pittsburgh Steamship Company Appointments for 1923; International Shipmasters Association (ISMA) Directory; Red Book; Great Lakes Review of May 1946 and May 1948; Great Lakes News of September 1937; R. A. Phillips Collection; Pittsburgh Revised Lineup of May 1916; all of these found in the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Bowling Green State University; in addition, World War I and II Draft Registration Cards for Carl M. Christensen.
Above left: the George G. Crawford, 1934; Sailing adventures as “1st mate”: none discovered
Above center: the Richard V. Lindabury, 1936; Sailing adventures as “1st mate”: none discovered
Above right: the Mauna Loa, 1937; Sailing adventures while captain: none discovered
All photos courtesy the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Thunder Bay Research Collection, with the Crawford taken by Louis J. Pesha (1868-1912) and the Lindabury courtesy Kenneth Thro.
Above left: the George G. Crawford, 1934; Sailing adventures as “1st mate”: none discovered
Above center: the Richard V. Lindabury, 1936; Sailing adventures as “1st mate”: none discovered
Above right: the Mauna Loa, 1937; Sailing adventures while captain: none discovered
All photos courtesy the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Thunder Bay Research Collection, with the Crawford taken by Louis J. Pesha (1868-1912) and the Lindabury courtesy Kenneth Thro.
Above left: the Robert W. E. Bunsen, 1941-42; Sailing adventures while captain: none discovered
Above center: the Malietoa, 1943; Sailing adventures while captain: none discovered
Above right: the Francis E. House, 1943; Sailing adventures while captain: none discovered
All three photos courtesy the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Thunder Bay Research Collection.
Above left: the Henry Phipps, 1944-45; Sailing adventures while captain: none discovered
Above center: the Alva C. Dinkey, 1946; Sailing adventures while captain: none discovered
Above right: the William J. Olcott, 1947; Sailing adventures while captain: none discovered
All three photos courtesy the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Thunder Bay Research Collection; the Alva C. Dinkey courtesy Leonard J. Barr II (1944-2016).
Above left: the George G. Crawford, 1948; Sailing adventures while captain: none discovered
Above center: the Percival Roberts, 1949; Sailing adventures while captain: none discovered
Above right: the Homer D. Williams, 1950-52; Sailing adventures while captain: none discovered
All three photos courtesy the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Thunder Bay Research Collection, with the Crawford taken by Louis J. Pesha (1868-1912) and the Roberts courtesy the Great Lakes Maritime Institute.
Above left: the Thomas W. Lamont, 1952; Sailing adventures while captain: none discovered
Above center: the A. F. Harvey, 1954-55; Sailing adventures while captain: none discovered
Above right: the Myron C. Taylor, 1956; Sailing adventures while captain: none discovered
All three photos courtesy the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Thunder Bay Research Collection, with the Harvey courtesy Kenneth Thro.
His Ships and Sailing Adventures Before Bay View
Ships he was an officer aboard (1911-1923) before living in Bay View
Above left: the Corona, 1911; Sailing adventures as “1st mate” (though more likely crewman per text footnote): none discovered
Above center: the Homer D. Williams, 1916; Sailing adventures as “2nd mate”: none discovered
Above right: the Samuel Mather, 1917; Sailing adventures as “mate”: none discovered
All three photos courtesy the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Thunder Bay Research Collection.
Captain Mathew F. Smith (1890-1965)
His Only Home in Bay View (1897-99) While a Lake Captain
509 East Homer Street
His Ships and Sailing Adventures While Living at 509 E. Homer St. (1897-99)
Above: The steamship Merrimac, 1897-99; Sailing adventures while captain: On 25 November 1897, delivered a cargo of ore down from Escanaba, Michigan, in Lake Superior, to the Bay View Rolling Mill. 21 The next year, 1898, the Merrimac is reported sailing out of Milwaukee up to Escanaba, indicating this was its normal route and may have been contracted specifically by the Rolling Mill to supply its iron requirements, though that is not known. On 15 August 1898, rescued and towed to Milwaukee the crew and schooner Butcher Boy which had been dismasted in a storm the previous night and was drifting helplessly. 22 Photo courtesy the Edward J. Dowling Collection, University of Detroit-Mercy; the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Thunder Bay Research Collection.
His Ships and Sailing Adventures Before Bay View (1875-92, 1893-96)
Above, left-to-right: the steamships Merrimac, Maryland (both photos courtesy the Edward J. Dowling Collection, University of Detroit-Mercy; the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Thunder Bay Research Collection; and the steamship and Massachusetts (photo courtesy the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Thunder Bay Research Collection).
Smith was 17 when he began sailing the Great Lakes in 1875, and he didn’t become a captain until 1893, confirmed as being one or all of the above ships. Before 1893, his ships are unknown, but he was crew. Sailing adventures as crewman, 1875-92: unknown; Sailing adventures as captain of one or more of the above steamships, 1893-96: unknown since there is no confirmation of exactly which one or ones he captained during this time.
His Ships and Sailing Adventures After Bay View (1900-18)
Above, left-to-right: the steamships Merrimac, Maryland, and Massachusetts; photo credits same as above. Sailing adventures as captain of one or more of the above steamships, 1900-18: he was captain of one or more of the above ships during 1900-18, but it is not known which one(s) or therefore which years. Therefore, it is impossible to determine when he was in command and what sailing adventures occurred while he was captain.
