Urger Cold and Dry

Over a dozen posts already have followed Urger, the most recent last November.  I caught up with the old fishing tug in Lyons this week, not high and dry but low and frosted, down at the Lock 28A drydock.  And I mean down,

hibernating below high-water level

down in the dry dock, behind the lock about 300 miles from where Urger spent Labor Day (see 6th foto).

I’ve a whole new understanding of Urger’s stability, now that I’ve seen her deep draft.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.

Grouper Westbound

Type”grouper” into my search window, and you’ll get almost 10 posts, the most recent is this from December 2009.  But I could have called the vessel Gary, its original name, after the city, I suppose, which itself is named after a founder of US Steel.    Enjoy these fotos taken Valentine’s Day weekend 2010.  Doubleclick enlarges most.  Notice something

different, other than

the deep snow?  Here’s a link to Gary info from the BGSU database.  Enter the name “Gary ” (case sensitive), click on “begin search” and  then click on the 1912 tug one.

Specs:  73′ x 19′ x 10.’   Owned from 1912 til 1934 by Dunham Towing and Wrecking, it then passed into ownership of C. Reiss Coal Co, still extant and one time owner of Reiss Steamship Company.  It later did some time at Florida Marine Terminal in Miami.  Anyone have fotos of the Florida portion of its life, transit north?

Next two are from Jon’s collection.  As Iroquois and

before that, in Reiss colors,  as Green Bay.  Long and low, a perfect canaler.

As to something different about my three shots?  Grouper finally faces west!  In all previous posts, she faced east.  Come spring, west she will go!

First three fotos by Will Van Dorp, taken on V-Day weekend.