Capt. Alfred Londry refused to challenge the Armistice Day Storm

November 7, 2026

The second ship named the Pere Marquette 18. Mason County Historical Society.

This Great Lakes History Log is presented by Filer Credit Union, and the Mason County Historical Society.

Masters of the Ludington Steamers

Stories of Ludington’s cross-lake rail fleet captains and other port mariners

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief

On Nov. 11, 1940, as the Armistice Day Storm swept across the Great Lakes, Capt. Alfred “Fred” Londry made the decision to keep his ship in port.

Londry was in command of the Pere Marquette Railway carferry Pere Marquette 18 (II), which was at Kewaunee, Wis. Rather than venture onto Lake Michigan, he chose to remain in port as one of the most destructive storms in Great Lakes history battered the region.

His decision was recalled years later in a biographical account of Ray Lessard, who was serving as the ship’s chef during the storm. The account noted that Londry chose not to make the crossing.

For Londry, the episode was one moment in a Great Lakes sailing career that lasted nearly half a century. He served aboard the Ann Arbor Railroad carferries out of Frankfort and later aboard the Pere Marquette Railway and Chesapeake and Ohio Railway carferries out of Ludington. During his career, he commanded Pere Marquette 18, Pere Marquette 21 and Pere Marquette 22.

Alfred Joseph Londry was born March 15, 1882, in Marinette, Wis., the son of Joseph Londry and Susan Garrow. Orphaned as an infant, he was taken to Manistee when he was about 3 months old and raised by his grandmother, Mary Garrow.

He began sailing on the Great Lakes at age 16, about 1898. His early experience included service aboard vessels on the lower Great Lakes and aboard the Ann Arbor Railroad’s cross-lake carferries operating from Frankfort.

On Jan. 15, 1908, Londry married Mary W. Matthews in Manistee. Mary was born Sept. 18, 1887, in Luther, Lake County, and grew up in Manistee. The couple had two sons, Alfred J. Londry Jr., also known as Fred, and Robert J. Londry.

The family was living in Crystal Lake Township, Benzie County, near Frankfort in 1920. That year’s federal census listed Londry as a mate aboard a steamboat. He and Mary were living with their sons, Fred, 11, and Robert, 2.

Later that year, the family moved to Ludington. Londry began working aboard the Pere Marquette Railway carferries on Oct. 1, 1920.

By 1930, Londry had advanced to first mate. The federal census listed him as a first mate on a Great Lakes steamship. The family lived at 101 E. Pere Marquette St. in Ludington, along with Mary’s mother, Lucy Matthews.

By 1940, Londry was captain of Pere Marquette 18. Lessard, whose account documented the captain’s decision during the Armistice Day Storm, had worked for the Ludington carferry fleet since 1921, beginning as a porter aboard the 18. After briefly leaving the railroad to operate a Ludington restaurant, Lessard returned to the ferries in 1928 and eventually became a chef.

During the Nov. 11 storm, Lessard was aboard Pere Marquette 18 under Londry’s command. With severe weather threatening Lake Michigan, Londry kept the vessel at Kewaunee rather than attempt the crossing.

The Great Lakes carferries operated year-round, and their crews regularly faced severe storms, winter ice and the challenges of moving railroad cars across Lake Michigan.

Records maintained by Bowling Green State University’s Historical Collections of the Great Lakes identify Londry as master of Pere Marquette 18 in 1941 and Pere Marquette 22 in 1942. From 1943 through 1947, he was captain of Pere Marquette 21.

During World War II, Londry also held the rank of lieutenant commander in the U.S. Coast Guard, according to his obituary in the Ludington Daily News.

Londry retired from the Ludington carferry fleet April 15, 1947, at age 65. He had served the fleet for more than 26 years, following about two decades of earlier Great Lakes sailing experience.

Following his retirement, Londry and Mary purchased an apple orchard in Tonasket, Wash., where they lived for about three years. They returned to Ludington in 1950 and later lived at 618 N. Lakeshore Drive.

On Jan. 15, 1958, the couple marked their 50th wedding anniversary. Because Londry was ill, the celebration was limited to relatives and close friends.

Londry experienced health problems in his later years, including hospitalizations and treatment at University Hospital in Ann Arbor. Following one hospitalization, he publicly thanked relatives, neighbors and friends for their kindness.

Londry died March 19, 1958, at Paulina Stearns Hospital in Ludington, four days after his 76th birthday. Funeral services were held March 22 at Dorrell Chapel, with the Rev. A. Allison Anstutz, minister of Community Church, officiating. He was buried in Lakeview Cemetery in Ludington.

Mary Londry died Oct. 15, 1961, at age 74. She was also buried in Lakeview Cemetery.

Masters of the Ludington Steamers series to date:

In search of information

Editor’s Note: I am seeking historical artifacts and stories from people whose family members worked as ship captains or in Ludington’s maritime industry. While this project focuses on the Ludington carferry fleet, I am also interested in items related to anyone from Mason County who worked on the Great Lakes or oceans.

This series has three goals:

To share Ludington’s rich maritime history with readers of the Mason County Press.
To publish a biographical book about the Ludington fleet captains.
To create an interactive kiosk exhibit at the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum for historical research.

I am looking for artifacts such as photographs, written documents, or digitized materials. Items will be placed in the Mason County Historical Society archives, and donors will receive documentation of their contribution.

If you have items or stories to share, please email editor@mediagroup31.com or call/text 231-757-3202.

Note: I am also interested in collections related to the Mason County railroad industry.

If you would like to financially contribute to the book project, please click here for more information.

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