Precision Helps Recreate a Toledo Landmark

The City of Toledo and Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority contracted Precision Environmental to abate asbestos in the S.S. Willis B. Boyer museum ship that Port Authority wants to open for public tours.

The S.S. Willis B. Boyer, formerly called the Col. James M. Schoonmaker, has been a historic landmark for the city of Toledo, since it was claimed "the world's largest bulk freighter" in 1911. Today, the 617-foot, 8,603-ton vessel operates as a museum situated in the Great Lakes, serving 100 years of Toledo's maritime heritage. In honor of S.S. Boyer's 100th anniversary, the City of Toledo was awarded a federal stimulus grant of $200,000 for work on the interior sections of the largest museum ship on the inland seas.

Precision removed asbestos that was located in many areas in the museum ship, including: the boiler room, gallery/kitchen, stern cabins, cargo holds and windlass room. Precision also decontaminated the oil leaks in the boiler room, and general debris in the cargo holds and crews' quarters.

After finishing the careful asbestos abatement, P&W Painting of Toledo will begin sandblasting and repainting the vessel, and rename it after its original name of Col. James W. Schoonmaker. To complete the renovation, the museum ship will move from the ship's Maumee River berth alongside International Park, to a new berth at the Toledo Maritime Center where the Great Lakes Historical Society plans to establish a National Great Lakes Maritime Museum.

Precision is proud to be of service to the city of Toledo in helping revive the historic landmark in time for its 100th anniversary. For more information on the James M. Shoonmaker/Willis B. Boyer Museum Ship, visit http://willisbboyer.org.