R.A. Stearn, Inc., records

As a window into ship building activities at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, the R. A. Stearn, Incorporated collection provides researchers with a view of the technology of ship design in the period 1940-1950. Stearn, a naval architect, participated in the design phase of vessels used for military purposes in World War II. Much of Stearn's work recorded in the collection was performed in conjunction with the Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company of Sturgeon Bay. The conversion of many of these naval vessels to civilian usage following 1945 occupied the Stearn and Smith companies for many years.

The files in the collection are heavily oriented toward construction projects. A small series of subject correspondence is present (one cubic foot out of the collection of eleven cubic feet). Projects are the most frequently discussed subjects. In larger quantity are the Job Files (three cubic feet) developed on such projects as the conversion of the SS ARROWWOOD from military use into a car ferry. The single largest file for a project is on the SS JAMES LAUGHLIN.

Blueprints and drawings regarding the various classes of vessels (cargo, submarine chaser, escort, tanker, etc.) form the largest series in the collection (seven cubic feet). These items have been retained to provide an historical record of vessel construction.

Photographic material (35 items) have been separated for cataloging purposes to the main Historical Collections of the Great Lakes photograph collection. Similarly, published items have been removed for separate cataloging.

Box 1 Series contains subject files maintained on projects for vessel construction or alteration. Plans and blueprints accompany the correspondence in some instances. The files on Net Tender vessels form the largest single subject area in the files.

JOB FILES, ALPHABETICAL, A-U; Box 1; Series contains project files regarding vessel construction and alterations. Correspondence and plans form most of the items in this series. Each project has been assigned a letter to separate it from other files. The alphabetical arrangement refers to this letter designation and not to an alphabetical list of vessel names. The projects included are: A - 3,800 ton lumber carrier, August 1945 B - Shrimp boats for J. W. Martin, 1937-1946 C - 55 meter combination cargo and passenger ship, June-August 1945 D - Special 110 meter cargo vessels for French, n.d. E - Banana boat - Chile, September 1945 F - 2,000 ton DW Peruvian tanker, 1944-1945 G - Pleasure boat, 1945-1946 H - Jones and Laughlin self-unloader, March 1946 J - Railroad truck, October 1945 L - 150 meter tankers for C. R. Fisher (Mexico), 1945 O - Chile - self-unloading collier, 1937, 1945-1946 P - Chinese ships for Captain Yeh N - Turkish ships (Whitehead), 1945-1946 S - Ocean/River ship, Bartenfeld, 300' x 48' x 21', November 1945 T - Lighter Barge for AGWI Lines, October 1945 U - Self-unloader parts, 1945-1946

JOB FILES - NUMERICAL; Boxes 2-4; [1-964], scattered dates; arranged numerically by file number. Series contains project files regarding vessel construction and alterations. Correspondence and plans form most of the items in this series. Prominently featured are projects converting vessels from military purposes to peacetime functions after World War II. Lengthy files are found on project 49 - SS ARROWWOOD and ALMOND; project 55 - SS J. A. CAMPBELL; project 110 - SS THOMAS WALTERS; project 111 - SS PHILIP MINCH; project 116 - SS MC GILVRAY SHIRAS; project 125 - SS Christy Corp.; project 126 - SS AMARANTH, HYACINTH, and SOUTH WIND; project 131 - SS JAMES LAUGHLIN; and project 896 with its numerous sub-projects on a host of vessels.

Boxes 5-11; Series contains blueprints and architectural drawings prepared by the R. A. Stearn Company, the Leathem D. Smith Company and numerous subcontractors involved in ship construction. Concentration in this series is on views of the vessels detailing large sections of the ship including complete inboard and outboard profiles. Blueprints on military vessels document armaments placement and ammunition storage areas for researchers interested in World War II vintage naval vessels.