Ralph B. King

Ralph B. King was born in West Bay City, Mich., in 1870. He is a son of Capt. George W. King, who owned and sailed the first tug on the Saginaw river, and, at a later date, other tugs, among which was the Dixon, Moore and Haight. The father died November 14, 1896, at the age of sixty-six years.

Mr. King attended the public schools of West Bay City until 1886, when he shipped on one of his father's tugs as fireman, afterward becoming assistant engineer. In 1887 he took out engineer's papers, and for three years engineered tugs out of West Bay City, at the end of that time removing to Cleveland, where he entered the employ of the Independent Tug line, shipping as engineer on the Allie May, where he remained one season. He then entered the employ of the Vessel Owners Towing line, and received an appointment as engineer of the tug Maytham, continuing on her two and a half seasons, when he was transferred to the tug H.L. Chamberlain, where he continued a year and a half. In 1896 he fitted out the tug Alva B., and ran her the entire season, and also the seasons of 1897-98, laying her up at the close of navigation. In 1890 Mr. King was wedded to Miss Mary Cunningham, of West Bay City.

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Volume I

This version of Volume II is based, with permission, on the work of the great volunteers at the Marine Captains Biographies site. To them goes the credit for reorganizing the content into some coherent order. The biographies in the original volume are in essentially random order.

Some of the transcription work was also done by Brendon Baillod, who maintains an excellent guide to Great Lakes Shipwreck Research.