By the 1960s, Merritt-Chapman & Scott had become a large conglomerate with heavy and marine construction and marine salvage operations worldwide, most heavily concentrated in the Great Lakes and the Atlantic coast of the U.S. Other Merritt-Chapman & Scott operations included chemicals and shipbuilding in the U.S. As such major projects as the Glen Canyon Dam in Arizona, Priest Rapids Dam in Washington and the Robert Moses Power Plant and Intake at Niagara Falls, New York were completed, it was divesting itself of certain construction operations; this was due to the reduced profit margins offered by such projects under highly competitive bidding. As part of the divestiture, the Great Lakes Division, based in Cleveland, was sold to Dunbar and Sullivan in the mid-1960s. The Duluth-Superior Dredging Company of Duluth, Minnesota, was acquired sometime after 1947, the date of the most recent record in the collection originating with Duluth-Superior. Dunbar & Sullivan publicity materials also list acquisitions of Fitz-Simmons & Cornell Dredge & Dock Company of Chicago, Illinois, and of Whitney Bros. and American Construction, which were actually acquired by Merritt-Chapman & Scott. Dunbar & Sullivan ceased operations in 1987, and a series of auctions were held at their facilities to dispose of their vessels and equipment. Searching for Creator: Dunbar & Sullivan Dredging Company (1844-1987)
Historical Construction Equipment Association Historical Construction Equipment Assoc.
Photo above: University of Detroit: Name: John Kelderhouse. / Owner: Dunbar and Sullivan Dredging Co. / Builder: B.T. Cowles., 1907, New York, Buffalo / Final Disposition: Unknown. / Notes: Steam engines from tug Sandy Hook (ex propeller Puritan US. 150630). Sank in sudden squall on Lake Erie, all hands lost. Raised and returned to service.