Quick and succinct: the way to enter Nola from the east and north is Rte 90. About 30 miles east of Nola I passed this mystery vessel Poseidon, which looked like a house-forward bulk carrier with a quonset hut over the hold now blown away by a storm. Anyone know the history?
As sun rose somewhere in a cloudy drizzly day, the first vessel to pass–upbound–was BBC Brazil.
Then a steady stream of traffic moved on the great river . . . some of them included Amalienborg,
B. John Yeager (?) with at least 13 barges, which round Algiers Point in the most
curious way, which involved backing down, sliding over to the Nola side, and what must have been lots of nail-biting.
Big Sam and a small tow.
From the Algiers side, I checked out Barbara E. Bouchard‘s new pins.
Also on the drydocks at Bollinger’s was Mully and Admiral Jackson.
Alice‘s sister Caroline Oldendorff passed . . . upriver.
And Alley Cat headed downstream herding more barges than would seem possible.
Nola is so much more than all that, and Checkpoint Charlie is a start of that other so-long list, but do check in at Charlie’s when next you’re here.
More soon. All foto by Will Van Dorp.
tugster: a waterblog 
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January 3, 2013 at 12:33 am
Anonymous
Will, the tug on the left of ADMIRAL JACKSON at Bollinger Algiers is not MULLY. That is the name of the drydock crane. The tug is E.N. Bisso & Sons EDWIN N. BISSO. Happy New Year. I didn’t know that you were down in the “Big Easy”. I was offline over the holidays with some computer problems. I resolved them myself by backing up the computer files, and completely restoring it back to out of the box state. It’s Working Fine now.
While you are down there, check with my friend Scott T. Slatten at Bisso Towboat Co. http://www.bissotowing.com/. 504-861-8964. Chances are he may let you go out on one of the tugs. Introduce yourself, and let him know about your blog. Stanton Vogt, one of my Facebook friends is one of his Captains on the Tug MISS ISABELLA. Scott is also one of my Facebook friends. I met him in 1996, when the Tugboat Enthusiasts Society had its get-together down in NOLA.
That turn coming around Algiers Point is very tricky. I saw an outbound loaded bulk carrier the first night that we were down there start the turn, and started sliding towards the New Orleans shore. I thought that the Governor Nicholls Street Wharves were going to be history. Later that year on Dec. 14, 1996, the bulk carrier BRIGHT FIELD lost engines approaching Algiers, and collided with the Riverwalk Marketplace causing serious damage. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Bright_Field, http://articles.cnn.com/1996-12-14/us/9612_14_freighter.crash.update_1_new-orleans-riverfront-mall-riverwalk-shopping-mall-liberianregistered-freighter?_s=PM:US.
Have fun. Lots of action down there. I am hoping to return again someday soon.
January 12, 2013 at 11:17 am
tugster
thanks for the correction on edwin n. bisso.
January 3, 2013 at 3:13 am
eastriver
Poseidon as you see it was a barge, which transported the external fuel tank of the Space Shuttles from the Michoud assembly plant in New Orleans to Cape Canaveral. She was a converted Navy work barge… and she can be yours for only $10,000!
http://gsaauctions.gov/gsaauctions/aucdsclnk?sl=41QSCI11449001
Later replaced by the Pegasus barge, a more barge-like barge.
January 3, 2013 at 7:52 am
Chris Williams
I suspect she was used to carry the external fuel tank for the space shuttles from the manufacturing location to Cape Canaveral / Kennedy Space Center. I’m short on time this morning, but I was able to find one very small photo at the head of a link, but unable to get a hard link to the pic. I can do some additional research later today or tomorrow.
January 3, 2013 at 9:38 am
Buck
Spot on, Chris!
http://gsaauctions.gov/gsaauctions/aucdsclnk?sl=41QSCI11449001
January 3, 2013 at 10:50 am
Paul S.
The Admiral Jackson was built as Pennsylvania Railroad tug Jersey City and spent her whole life in NY Harbor before being sold down there in the late 70s.
January 3, 2013 at 10:52 am
captainwjm
Yep; beat me to it.
January 3, 2013 at 12:45 pm
Chris Williams
OK, here’s a URL to a NASA blog about the tanks and their transportation.
http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/sailing_with_nasa/posts/post_1255450289524.html
(You might have to copy and paste the link into your browser – I wasn’t able to copy and paste this as an actual llink.) This suggests that Poseidon was actually a barge, but sure looks like the front of a converted laker to me. However, even the later barge, Pegasus, has a house forward for the riding crew. The view must have been good, but I’m guessing a little damp in much weather.
January 3, 2013 at 2:18 pm
newenglandwaterman
Definitely a barge, it’s stil got bridles and the emergency tow hawser
January 3, 2013 at 4:54 pm
eastriver
And built as a barge. Designation YFNB, covered barge, mainly used in the Pacific. See the heading “NASA’s “NAVAL FLEET” FOR THE SPACE PROGRAM at http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4206/ch10.htm.
January 3, 2013 at 7:43 pm
tugboathunter
It has the cabins forward, but definitely not anything that’s ever been on the Great Lakes. Interesting boat (barge). Interesting also to see Barbara Bouchard “pinned”.