The third thousand-footer was not christened and underway until 1976. On August 8 of that year the James R. Barker embarked on her maiden voyage.

The Barker's design and layout proved to be the model for the rest of the thousand-footers on the Lakes although in the details there are two distinct types. All feature a single towering deck house in the stern, a blunt bow and a stern as flat as the side of a building. But the Barker represents the "A" plan, four of which were built (Barker, Mesabi Miner, Stinson and the Paul Tregurtha). The other 1000 footers, beginning with the McCarthy are a slightly different ship, externally, at least.

The Barker is powered by two Pielstick V-16 cylinder 4-stroke diesel engines, each of which drives a single screw thorough a reduction system giving her a total of 16,000 rated hp and driving her at 16 mph. Her equipment includes a bow-thruster for unassisted maneuvering into docks. She also set the pattern for construction - she was the first of the "super-carriers" to be constructed entirely by Great Lakes firms, as would all of the subsequent ships of the class. She is owned and operated by Interlake Steamship, Richfield, OH, one of three thousand-footers in that company's fleet.

On Oct 27, 1986 the Barker experienced one of the rare accidents recorded thus far by the 1000 ft fleet; a fire in her engine room was extinguished by onboard systems and she was towed into Sturgeon Bay, side-by-side by the William J DeLancy (later re-named the "Paul R. Tregurtha"). Fortunately, no one was killed or seriously injured, and subsequently the ship has served its owners with reliable performance.