Ford Motor Company Ship "William Clay Ford" at the Rouge Plant, circa 1953
THF25120 / Ford Motor Company Ship "William Clay Ford" at the Rouge Plant, circa 1953
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Artifact Overview
Henry Ford sited his new manufacturing complex on the newly dredged River Rouge to accommodate ships bringing in raw materials or taking on finished product for delivery. The Rouge plant's marine fleet embodied this vision of self-sufficiency well into the 20th century. This photograph shows William Clay Ford (named for Henry Ford's grandson), a Ford Motor Company bulk freighter launched in 1953.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Photographic print
Subject Date
circa 1953
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
P.O.6164
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Technique
Gelatin silver process
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 8.25 in
Width: 10.25 in
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Related Content
SetHenry Ford II and Benson Ford: Ore Carriers of the Great Lakes
- 23 Artifacts
In 1923, Henry Ford ordered two 600-foot-long lake freighters to transport raw materials — iron ore, coal, limestone, and other bulk products — to and from his massive River Rouge manufacturing complex. Ford named the motorships after his grandsons, Henry Ford II and Benson Ford. By the summer of 1924, both freighters were plying the waters of the Great Lakes, becoming workhorses for Ford Motor Company for more than fifty years.