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This Stella Polaris . . . a very common vessel name for obvious navigation reasons, is less than 400′ and about 20 years old. The curious building off the bow is the Boldt Castle Power House and Clock Tower . . . or BCPHCT.
Algoma Conveyor, SLSWmax, was still under construction a year ago in Jiangsu, China.
Narie is another recent Chinese built cargo ship
in the Great Lakes, I’ve read, for the first season, although other Polsteam boats have worked there for some years.
The oldest Great Lakes port in the US is Oswego, and it sees lakers like the Japan-built cement ship NACC Argonaut fairly frequently.
With the right vessel, one can travel from the Great Lakes directly to NYC, of course, and when we did, we ran into Disney Magic, Italian built, Bahamian flagged, and Spain overhauled.
Making this likely the most diverse “random ships” post ever, here’s P61, an Irish patrol vessel named for Samuel Beckett. Unless I’m mistaken, this “writers” class comprises the largest vessels in the Irish Naval Service. Here’s a photo of Beckett leaving town yesterday taken by frequent commenter Phil Gilson.
Cembay is another Japan built cement carrier, 1997, shuttling between the US and Port Daniel QC.
And finally . . . YM World is, as of this posting, steaming toward Savannah, after shifting boxes here in Bayonne.
All photos here by Will Van Dorp within the past 30 days.
What a view Toronto offers from the lake!! no matter the time . . . day or . . .
night or day. Here Salvage Monarch heads out.
Hope takes a spud barge out to the job.
In the Port Lands, this unnamed vessel all decked out in camouflage paint waits.
Maybe someone can help with more names too. . .
Or stories . . . ?
Iron Guppy wins my prize for most colorful name. Bravo to the school kids who dubbed it such.
And here’s the story that links Iron Guppy with William Rest.
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
Daybreak finds us entering the Welland Canal, taking a pilot from J. W. Cooper.
The past few weeks at MRC have brought the decapitation of Algorail.
Tecumseh is docked just below lock 8.
Algosea slips into the parallel lock chamber at lock 4, upbound.
We encounter NACC Argonaut as she heads upbound below lock 2.
Then we switch pilots at Lake Ontario level and
we pass Ojibway as we make a course for Toronto.
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
I’m posting from Montreal, the M in the series title MB. So I’ve some catching-up to do.
Let’s start in a waterway where deckhands have an additional task, one involving hand signals.
I commend the deckhands for their polite signals given the crowding.
All proceeds with minimal horn blasts and absence of injury.
Some hand signaling has to be repeated though. Have you guessed the town, the waterway?
It’s Cleveland of course with its much-loved Cuyahoga.
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
This post covers the St. Clair River (in the wee hours) and down to Detroit. If it seems that it’s just a chronological series of photos of the voyage, well . . . yes, that’s what it is, and what’s wrong with that.
Can you identify the vessel that we passed between 0415 and 0430? I’ll give the answer at the end of the post.
We followed Kaye E. Barker into the sixth Great Lakes. . .
Partway across, we both passed Atlantic Huron.
Just south of Belle Isle, we saw Bristol Bay with her barge and
still farther, Cheyenne light.
Federal Seto was moored near the Boblo-marked building, and
The last two boats for this post are Iver Bright and
Patricia Hoey.
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
The mystery vessel was Paul R. Tregurtha.
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Crossing in front of Saginaw Bay, it was Federal Ruhr and
CSL St. Laurent . . . with its Seakeeper artwork on the superstructure.
Barge Ashtabula is pushed by
tug Defiance.
Then it’s Happy River and
(I believe) Saginaw.
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
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Yesterday’s post covered some of the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan. Today it’s the Straits of Mackinac and part of the top of Lakes Huron.
Mesabi Miner headed for the mills at the south of Lake Michigan.
Great Republic passed between Mackinac Island and Round Island.
The following morning’s sunrise put golden colors on John J. Boland.
Hon. James L. Oberstar followed Boland to the Staits.
Algoma Compass followed shortly behind.
Here was a surprise . . . . Highland Eagle heading for some more core sampling in the Straits.
Off Alpena, we crossed paths with Baie Comeau and
Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin.
More to come, provided that I find WIFI . . .
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
This begins a new series, and I’ll post only when I can get on WIFI. “Montreal bound” will soon devolve to MB. Logistics causes me to post with a few days lag, so I’m posting from Buffalo.
To start, this is the closest I’ve been to Roger Blough so far. One of these years, I’ll see her in much greater detail.
Since I’ve switched vessels most of this years, here’s my former ride . . . Grande Mariner, Chicago bound. By now she’s been in Chicago a few days.
Off Wisconsin, we passed Sarah Andrie towing A-390,
Tonawanda-bound.
At the Fincantieri Bay yard in Sturgeon Bay, I saw what I believe are portions of the new VanEnkevort barge.
At the Miller Art Museum in Sturgeon Bay, I enjoyed the works of its namesake and benefactor, Gerhard CF Miller, and this drawing from 1883.
No stop here would be complete without a glance at the Elizabeth NJ-built John Purves.
But leaving town by the ship canal, I had my greatest surprise . . . these two USCG 22′ ice rescue airboats. The Door peninsula is happy they are here.
I never knew the USCG had such equipment. These are cell phone pics, because if I had run to my bunk to grab my camera . . . I would have missed the shot altogether.
All photos and any errors by Will Van Dorp.
Here are the previous posts.
And let’s start with unnamed tug, left where the bushes might overwhelm her.
Susie Q, on the other hand, seems to get lots of love. The other day it was docked near the Rogers Street Fishing Village, a piece of Two Rivers on the National Register of Historic Places. More on Rogers Street tomorrow.
Closer to the Lake, I saw Iown and Jamie Ark.
And going down the line, it’s the 1937 Bossler Bros,
Avis-J, and
Peter Paul.
Nothing says old-time Great Lakes more than fish tugs. For the definitive guide, click here.
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
Many thanks to Denis O’Callahan for all these photos from up the Manitowoc River.
This RV Spencer F. Baird was launched in 2006.
Anyone know how long she’ll be out of the water? She replaced the MV Togue.
Also out of the water was the 1937 Dauntless.
Also from 1937 AND from Burger Boat, it’s J B Nelson.
Again, many thanks to Denis for taking these photos.
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