Port Weller is the north terminus of the Welland Canal, and as such, sees either a pilot boarding or debarking, which was the case here. Mrs C has an equally attractive fleet mate at Port Colbourne, the southern terminus. The vessel in the background left will appear in an upcoming post.
Some 80 miles to the east Kimberly Anne (1965) was docked in Rochester’s Charlotte port.
Walking along the beach there, I saw this historical sign of tug Oneida and schooner H. M. Ballou, at different times both owned by a George W. Ruggles.
Fifty or so miles to the NE we enter the Oswego River to find the busiest (IMHO) unit on the lakes: in the past few years I’ve seen Wilf Seymour and Alouette Spirit at least 6 times between Lake Huron and Quebec City. Here’s more info on Alouette’s aluminum operations, at one time and possibly now the largest aluminum producer in the Americas.
Click here for more info on Novelis, the client here in Oswego.
Anyone tell me the weight of one of these ingots?
Moving from contemporary to retrospective, the Phoenix dock was hosting schooner Lois McClure and tug Churchill as we passed.
For more close-ups, check out tug44’s take.
Click here for a complete history of the replica schooner Lois McClure.
All photos by Will Van Dorp, who hopes you all enjoy the last day of summer 2017 today.
12 comments
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September 21, 2017 at 12:31 pm
Lee Rust
Certainly an interesting summer… weatherwise & otherwise… thanks for all the photos!
September 21, 2017 at 12:45 pm
Ferryman Glen
I don’t know the weight of the ingots but is that an Army truck they are loaded on or does the Company just like Cammo?
September 21, 2017 at 1:02 pm
tugster
Check out the license plate on the trailer. Is that civilian or military? As to the “ingots” a little more research prompts me to think that shape is called “sows” and NOT ingots. And doing the math from this site (http://www.salvagesale.co.uk/General/LotDetail/LotNumber/S71250-0001 which may have a typo), i calculate that each sow weighs between 450 and 500 kilograms.
September 21, 2017 at 1:03 pm
Les Sonnenmark
The Alouette ingots, called “sows” or “T-ingots”, weigh 750 kg (1,650 lb) each. The trailer shown would be carrying 6,000 kg (13,200 lb). Ref: https://www.cim.org/en/Publications-and-Technical-Resources/Publications/2010/Dec-2010-Jan-2011/upfront/Intensive-energy-efficiency?page=1
September 21, 2017 at 1:07 pm
Les Sonnenmark
Oops, I missed the third stack of ingots, so that’s 9,000 kg (about 20,000 lb).
September 21, 2017 at 1:10 pm
Daniel James Meeter
Lois McClure doet mij denken van een tjalk.
September 21, 2017 at 1:14 pm
tugster
ya ya.. Ik ook, Daniel.
September 21, 2017 at 1:13 pm
tugster
Here’s an interesting video that has no verbal content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUZyuAQsqrQ The smelter is in Sept-Iles Quebec: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sept-Îles,_Quebec
September 21, 2017 at 10:46 pm
George Schneider
Those are some mean forklifts if they can lift a stack of them. Most forlikfts I know can lift 1-2 tons. I wouldn’t want to meet one of these in a dark alley!
Hey, wait a minute. This is a tug site. Howcome we’re coming to life more about lumps of metal than we do for tugs? Have we just impeached ourselves?
September 21, 2017 at 11:41 pm
tugster
Good point, George, but to twist my way out of impeachment, here’s my diversion: mean forklifts lug heavy loads; ergo, unbeknownst to myself, this was my first “lugster” post.
September 22, 2017 at 3:15 pm
George Schneider
Nice job. You have a future as a politician.
September 22, 2017 at 3:25 pm
tugster
hahaha! THAT would be a CURSE. i’ll content myself with being a student of mark twain.