Alexander McDougall (1845-1923)

Captain Alexander McDougall was a Scottish-born American seamen who built a popular cargo ship, the Whaleback. In 1880, he designed a ship that could withstand the worst lake water and carry the greatest cargo in the least water.

McDougall was born on March 15, 1845 on the island of Islay, Scotland. He was the eldest son of parents David and Ellen McDougall. In 1854, when McDougall was ten, he emigrated with his parents to the Canadian-Scotch settlement of Nottawa, Ontario, now part of Collingwood. In 1862, at the age of seventeen, McDougall shipped out on the Great Lakes after limited schooling. He had time to pursue his hobby of designing ships of steel, and his experience with the violent storms of the Great Lakes prompted him to design the Whaleback.

McDougall built his first whaleback barge on his property in Duluth, on a site now occupied by Superwood Corp. Whaleback was made of iron with an unusual design: when fully loaded, only the round portion of the hull could be seen above the waterline. It had a rounded neck so that water would not stand on board, and a spoon shaped prow to reduce water resistance. Because of its rounded hull, it was also easier to load and unload goods. McDougall conceived of a Whaleback that could withstand the worst lake weather with maximal capacity of cargo. At first, he designed it to carry iron ore, but later it carried almost every commodity freighted by cargo ship.

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