SS Edward L. Ryerson is a steel-hulled American Great Lakes freighter that entered service in 1960.

[a] Built to transport iron ore almost exclusively, Edward L. Ryerson completed her sea trials on August 3, 1960.

As a result of a downturn in the steel industry, Edward L. Ryerson was laid up in Indiana Harbor for the 1986 and 1987 shipping seasons, returning to service in 1988.

This earned her the unofficial title of Queen of the Lakes,[9] which she shared with the other ships in her class until December 7, 1962, when the 730.2-foot (222.6 m) Frankcliffe Hall was launched.

[1][10] Edward L. Ryerson's four unique vertical-sided cargo holds were loaded through 18 watertight hatches, each 20 by 54 feet (6.1 by 16.5 m).

[14] She is equipped with two 9,900 shp (7,400 kW) General Electric cross-compound steam turbines, which are powered by two 465 psi oil-burning Combustion Engineering boilers.

[20] In her basic design and construction, Edward L. Ryerson was considered to be a larger version of Inland Steel's 1949 freighter Wilfred Sykes.

Sponsored by Mrs. Edward L. Ryerson, the new vessel was launched sideways on wooden rollers into the ice-filled Manitowoc River, in front of approximately 5000 people.

[21] An article published in The Herald Times Reporter described moving Edward L. Ryerson "like building a cruiser in the basement and then engineering it through a door too small for its shortest dimension".

[7] After completing her sea trials, she departed Manitowoc in ballast shortly after midnight on August 4, for Escanaba, Michigan.

[1][16][19] Edward L. Ryerson set Great Lakes iron ore cargo haulage records twice during the early 1960s.

[1][20] On board, a stainless steel map of the Great Lakes, with a magnetic representation of Edward L. Ryerson, was installed to keep the guests informed about her location.

[20] As a result of a downturn in the steel industry, Edward L. Ryerson was laid up in Indiana Harbor from the end of 1985 to the beginning of 1988, when she returned to service.

[1][20] On July 18, 1992, Edward L. Ryerson loaded the first ever cargo of iron ore pellets to leave Escanaba.

[22] She once again entered layup on January 24, 1994, in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, remaining inactive until 1996, returning to service on April 5, 1997.

[3] In 2013, she was moved to the Tower Slip, near Barko Hydraulics due to of soil testing at the Fraser Shipyards.