Back to News Menu         Cruise News for the Corporate Travel Professional           February 2016

The "Benson Ford" originally transported iron and coal for the Ford Motor Company!
The ship was decommissioned in 1981 after nearly 50 years of service.

(Click on Images to enlarge)

The ship was used by Henry Ford to travel across the Great Lakes.
Thomas Edison was a frequent guest on this beautiful ship.

The 90-year-old cargo ship is beautiful, as she sits overlooking her former waterways

Looking across the bow, it seems that the boat is actually steaming - full speed ahead!

Visitors must be okay with heights if they take a tour onto the bow of the boat and see the water so far below.

The present four-deck ship-house is 7,000 sq. ft. and includes
walnut-paneled staterooms, a dining room with galley, and passenger lounge designed by Henry Ford for his personal use while on board.

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The ship still contains the beautiful wood-paneled state rooms,

dining room and lounge designed by Henry Ford

It has been modernized with a garage, a game room, a bar, a state-of-the-art

 kitchen, and four bathrooms.

This impressive getaway includes five bedrooms, four bathrooms,
a captain's office and living room with panoramic views across Lake Erie .

Videographer Nick James, who conducts tours of the home, says,
'I love the deck on the fourth floor. It's a great place to enjoy a cocktail
overlooking the lake and the nearby cliffs, and to watch the sunsets is amazing from there.

''The most incredible part is standing at the helm with the way
the boat hangs over the cliff. It actually feels like you're on the open water.'
I love the history that remains all around the Benson Ford.
In the parlor, you can imagine Thomas Edison and Henry Ford sitting there puffing on their cigars.'  When you're there, it feels like you're stepping back in time,
and that those two famed gentlemen could appear at any moment.'

An incredible beauty of a long-ago ship, still available for water lovers to see.

The ship-house was originally owned by Frank J. Sullivan, but after 
failing to turn it into a hotel in 1992, Sullivan auctioned
the building to father and son Jerry and Bryan Kaspar,
who still enjoy relaxing there while taking time off from work.

(Some Images by: Caters News Agency)

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