Ford Freighter "Lake Osweya" Docked at Rouge River Factory, Dearborn, Michigan, May 1, 1931

Henry Ford purchased 199 surplus World War I merchant ships from the United States government in 1925. Most of these ships were scrapped. But a few, like the Lake Osweya, were refitted into ocean-going freighters that transported automobiles, parts, and supplies to Ford plants located in cities along the American seaboard.