The Great Lakes Ships of Frank E. Kirby: America's Greatest Naval Architect

By Richard Gebhart

This study of the legendary Michigan shipbuilder Frank E. Kirby examines his life and the accomplishments that earned him national esteem and international fame. Kirby was involved in the design and build of nearly one hundred vessels, many of which sailed the Great Lakes region. He is best known for designing the paddle steamer Tashmoo and two boats that ferried visitors to Boblo Island in the Detroit River for decades, Columbia and Ste. Claire. Though only three of his vessels remain, none of them operational, hundreds of thousands of Michiganders who are still alive today have been carried by Kirby vessels. Told through stories found in the Detroit Free Press, historical archives, family documents, an interview conducted by his daughter-in-law Dorothy Clement Kirby in 1926, and keepsakes, Richard Gebhart brings to life the story of one of the most prolific Great Lakes shipbuilders of the time.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1611865670
• ISBN13: 9781611865677
• Release Date: May 2026
• Publisher: Michigan State University Press
• Length: 184 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 9.1"