William A. Irvin
From freighter to museum ship, the William A Irvin may count some ghostly crewmen among its exhibits
Paranormal Activity Aboard
the William A. Irvin
- Disembodied voices have been heard around the ship
- A little girl’s ghost has been spotted around the decks
- Loud, unexplained footsteps are heard throughout the ship
- Visitors and workers report being touched by unseen hands in the cargo hold
- Piano music has been heard playing in the ship
- A dark shadow figure has been seen
- Electronics have been activated without power around the cargo hold
- Potential EVPs have been recorded by visiting investigators
- Flags in the cargo hold have been moved and rolled up by unseen forces
William A. Irvin:
A Cargo Hold Full of History
In the icy waterways of Duluth, Minnesota, industry is king. Flurries of ships haul coal, iron ore, and other raw materials into and out of the city’s harbor every day. Duluth often celebrates the success and prosperity Lake Superior shipping has delivered.
One way the city celebrates its history of maritime transport is through the preservation of an old freighter ship: William A. Irvin.
Permanently moored off Harbor Drive, the William A. Irvin’s long, red structure now serves as a museum. It’s dedicated to the history of Great Lakes freighters and the industry’s impact on Duluth.
Though it’s been years since anybody clocked into shifts on the old freighter, a few spiritual sailors may remain entombed in the hull forever.
Timeline of William A. Irvin's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see William A. Irvin through the years
1937
First launched in Ohio in 1937, the William A. Irvin would be the first ship of its class launched. The flagship of US Steel’s lake freight line, the Irvin would soon get to work hauling raw materials across the American Great Lakes. The ship was first christened by the wife of US Steel president William Irvin (the ship’s namesake) in June of 1938.
It started off on its maiden voyage to Duluth to pick up its first load of iron ore. The Irvin would shuttle ore from Duluth down to US Steel’s foundries across the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Erie.
1940
Just a few years after starting its ongoing journeys to and from Duluth for ore, the William A. Irvin made history. In 1940, the Irvin set a world speed record for unloading ore. The ship, using then-popular Hulett Unloaders, off-loaded 13,856 tons of iron ore in just under three hours. So impressive was this feat that the unloading speed record remains unbroken to this day.
Aside from that exemplary run, the Irvin would operate with continued success along the Great Lakes until the late 1970s.
1978
Though the flagship of her fleet when she launched, the William A. Irvin ended its career as one of the smallest in-service ships of its kind. Superseded by modern super freighters, the Irvin entered final lay up in 1978. While many ships ended up in the scrap yard after retirement, the Irvin floated in limbo for eight years after its removal from service.
But, in the mid-1980s, the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) took an interest in the historic hull.
1986
Procured by the DECC in 1986, the convention center set out to convert the William A. Irvin into a museum ship. The new museum opened to the public that same year, and the Irvin has been on display in its Duluth mooring ever since. Though the ship has traded in iron ore for tourist traffic, some souls may not have left the ship’s past behind.
Spectral sailors and stevedores now purportedly haunt the Irvin, adding a unique aura of mystery to the ship’s preserved spaces.
Is the William A. Irvin Haunted?
One of the William A Irvin’s most common paranormal reports is the presence of a former boilerman, William Wuori. In 1964, Wuori was killed onboard in a boiler room explosion that injured two others. This account is the only known instance of a fatality onboard the Irvin.
Now, William Wuori’s phantom purportedly haunts the ship’s hull. His shadow figure is often spotted wandering throughout the ship today, and many have taken to calling his figure the, ‘boiler room man.’
The Ship’s Little Girl Ghost
Though William Wuori is the only known death onboard the Irvin, he is far from the ship’s only supposed ghost. Oddly, visitors and museum workers have also reported encounters with the short, white-clad apparition of a little girl.
Aside from always seeming to appear in the same white dress, little else is known about this mysterious little girl. How did she end up haunting an old lake freighter? And why does she stick around? These questions may never find answers. But still, plenty of visitors have run-ins with this little girl’s curious figure around the William A. Irvin.
Hear the Calls of Spectral Sailors
Along with mysterious shadow figures, the Irvin is also well-known for its ghostly sounds and disembodied voices. Whispers and voices from unseen entities can purportedly be heard all through the Irvin’s hull. Many times, the voices sound far away, echoing through the ship’s metal corridors.
Other reports say voices can manifest in the same rooms as visitors or workers, but are often heard only as faint whispers. Across several paranormal investigations performed onboard, ghost hunters have recorded numerous potential EVPs. Some of these supposed spiritual recordings have captured disembodied voices speaking in Spanish, as well as in broken English.
Spooky Footsteps & Slamming Doors
Phantom footsteps and other explained sounds are commonly reported on the William A. Irvin. The footsteps are encountered both on and below deck, and are regularly known to be exceptionally loud. Both the Irvin’s metal structure and the heavy-footed specters within contribute to the activity’s notable volume.
Many times, workers and ghost hunters hear these unexplainable footfalls with their own ears. Sometimes, the footsteps come through so loudly, they can be heard through the ceiling from lower decks.
Alongside the Irvin’s spooky footsteps, the sounds of doors creaking open and slamming closed are said to echo through the ship. In every reported case, no door is found curiously open or closed.
Many witnesses now figure the footsteps and door slamming noises are residual activity. These claims may be leftover replays from the Irvin’s long operational life.
Will The Irvin’s Ghosts
Reach Out and Touch You?
The ship’s spirits are also said to physically interact with the living world at times. Both tourists and museum staff have claimed to feel unseen hands reach out and touch them while exploring the Irvin’s expansive cargo holds.
Those who experience these phantom touches say the unseen hands feel icy cold, sending shivers up their spine.
Not content to simply grab at visitors, the specters in the Irvin’s holds also mess around with props and museum artifacts. A set of flags are kept in the cargo hold, and in one well-known instance, a worker wrapping up after a tour saw a flash of light appear by one of the flags. After a few moments, the light appeared to lift and curl up the flag, before disappearing in an instant.
In another cargo hold tale, during the ship’s October haunted house programs, a worker had powered down props in the hold to do some work. And yet, in the mist of their work, one of the props started up. When the worker went to power it down, they found the electronic’s power strip fully unplugged.
Mysterious Music From the Hull
These are just a few of the William A. Irvin’s most popular ghostly reports. Other activity has been encountered around the ship over the years as well. The ghostly images of phantom faces have been known to appear in the windows of the ship’s superstructure.
Additionally, some people have claimed to hear piano music emanating from the hull in the middle of the night. No one can be sure just how many spirits supposedly haunt the Irvin. Given its innumerable reports of paranormal activity, the ship may still keep a full complement of spectral crew members onboard.
William A. Irvin: Duluth’s Haunted Ship
The William A. Irvin today remains dedicated to sharing the ship’s history with Duluth locals and tourists alike. The museum is still a popular stop-off in the spring and summer seasons around the shoreside convention center.
Even though the ship closes down in September, it reopens each October for a ‘Duluth Haunted Ship’ haunted house experience. In fact, many of the ship’s ghost stories come from haunted house workers, startled by encounters with the Irvin’s real haunts.
The William A. Irvin doesn’t offer formal paranormal investigations or ghost tours today. But, the ship’s operators have opened up its hull to ghost hunters in the past by keeping a ‘paranormal’ page on the Duluth Haunted Ship website. This page is dedicated to the Irvin’s real-life spooky stories.
As more visitors come and go from both the museum and the yearly haunted attraction, the ship’s list of paranormal claims grows ever-longer. Lake Superior, it is said, never gives up her dead, but the lake may have loaned a few lost souls to the William A. Irvin.
