Good Looking but not very "user-friendly"
When the Ryerson was launched in 1960, she was hailed as a very modern vessel. With many of the latest technological advances and steam turbine power, she was as safe and as fast as any ship on the lakes. But she was built during a time when long hours in port to unload were considered a necessary evil and just the way things were. In time the convenience of the self-unloader began to take root and many ships were converted to take advantage of the improvement. Traditional methods of bulk unloading like the Hulletts began to disappear as the pressures of a modern economy made them labor intensive and time consuming. Mills that once dotted the Great Lakes region like giant steel trees closed at a frightening pace. Fleets were consolidated and vessels sent to scrap to keep the remaining vessels profitable. More were converted to self unloaders to improve utilization. Some remained in the traditional configuration as a result of the routes and customers they served. The Ryerson was one such boat.
While the pilot house design is rather typical, the stack made the Ryerson's profile easily identifiable.