William M. Black (dredge)

William M. Black

History
Name	William M. Black
Owner	US Army Corps of Engineers Woodward River Museum National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium
Builder	Marietta Manufacturing Co.
Launched	1934
Status	Museum ship
General characteristics
Type	Dustpan dredge
Length	277 ft (84 m)
Beam	85 ft (26 m)
Depth	8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Installed power	2 × 600 hp (450 kW) reciprocating steam engines 1 × 1,300 hp (970 kW) triple-expansion steam engine (Dredge pump)
Propulsion	Sidewheels
Crew	49
William M. Black (dredge)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Location	Third Street at the Ice Harbor, Dubuque, Iowa
Built	1934
Architect	Marietta Manufacturing Co.
Architectural style	Other
NRHP reference No.	82002618
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	12 April 1982
Designated NHL	27 April 1992

William M. Black is a steam-propelled, sidewheel dustpan dredge.

She was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1992. She is open for tours as part of the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium. According to information provided on the tour, William M. Black, one of the last paddle steamers built in the US, was used primarily along the Missouri River. She had a crew of 49 and dredged 80,000 cubic yards (61,000 m³) of material per day. She was placed out of service in 1973 because she consumed 7,000 US gallons (26,000 L; 5,800 imp gal) of heavy oil each day, which became prohibitively expensive during the 1973 OPEC oil embargo.