SS William A. Irvin is a lake freighter that sailed as a bulk freighter on the Great Lakes as part US Steel's lake fleet. She was flagship of the company fleet from her launch in the depths of the depression in 1938 until 1975 and then was a general workhorse of the fleet until her retirement in 1978. Currently, William A. Irvin is moored at Duluth, Minnesota, a well maintained example of a classic laker. William A.