Random Tugs 297

That big “300” is beckoning, so although I had other posts planned . . .  let’s increment closer to that 300.  I’m inviting your participation here so that i can make it the best “non-random” random post.  Random Tugs 001 was here. Random Tugs 100 was more than seven years later, and 200 was about four years after that.

What better way to start than with these two photos of W. O. Decker, taken yesterday by Glenn Raymo.  Yes, that’s the Walkway over the Hudson.  Decker is taking a freshwater cure.

Many previous posts featuring Decker can be seen here.

Kimberly Turecamo assisted an MSC box boat in recently.  A less dynamic photo of Kimberly appeared yesterday.  The founder of MSC, Gianluigi Aponte, is alive and well in Italy.

Sarah D was on this blog recently with a unique tow; usually she pushes vessels like this.   But hey . . . it pays the bills.

Andrea follows a box ship to the NJ portions of the sixth boro.

Reaching back into the archives a bit, here was Honcho in San Juan PR.  I took this photo in March 2013.  She’s been all around.  I’ve forgotten, though, whether she actually worked on the Great Lakes.   I need to find out also what she looks like now that she’s a Moran boat.

Back in April 2012, I caught Bruce A. McAllister bringing in Mars, marked as registered in San Francisco.  Mars went onto a heavy lift ship over to Nigeria.  The photo makes me curious about traveling to Mars.

See the tugboat here?  Name the bridge in the background?

Between Algoma Olympic and CSL Laurentian, it’s Leo A. McArthur, built in Penglai China in 2009. Believe it or not, Penglai was the birthplace and boyhood home of Henry Luce, the magazine guy!

Did you recognize the last two photos as the Detroit River, and the bend between Detroit and Windsor.  The reason I asked about the bridge . . . the Ambassador Bridge is that the owner died yesterday.    Manuel “Matty” Maroun was 93. The 1929-built bridge, as well as the duty-free stores in its vicinity, have been owned by Maroun since 1979.

Many thanks to Glenn for use of the Decker photos.  All others by WVD.

 

 

Random Ships *5

My staying with this * thread leads me to wonder how to refer to this long peaceful international boundary between the US and Canada, and after rejecting a few like “third coast” (It would be disputed with the Gulf of Mexico) and “fresh coast” (Fresh has too many negative connotations) I’ve settled –for myself–with “great coast.”  Keep the Lakes Great stems from great partnerships.  Check out this great short video.

So let’s continue with this cataloging of a finite set of vessels from both countries along the great coast.

  CSL Laurentian (1977) is a fleet mate of my erstwhile crush . . . Alice Oldendorff.  We’ve we’ve both moved on;  at least I have.  I can’t speak for Alice of the stone heart.

Kaye E. Barker is one of the classics, to me.  Launched in 1952, she went back to work in spring 1976 after experiencing  a 120′ growth spurt that allowed her to lug 6000 more tons of cargo.

Adding a self-unloader shortened her in-port times, making her more profitable in the steel-related trades.

Here she’s at the south end of Lake St Clair, Detroit river bound.

Atlantic Huron‘s story here details just how much of an panAmerican boat she is, having worked from the Orinoco to Newfoundland.

As a former resident of Indiana, I’m amazed by the diverse usage of that state’s 40-mile shoreline along Lake Michigan from national lakeshore to national leader in steel production.

As such, it’s not surprising to find this name on one of the Great Lakes 1000-footers.

Can you tell the direction of travel?

Can you “read” the prop wash of Calumet?

Here the 1973 “river class” boat has backed out of the stone dock in Holland MI and is heading through Lake Macatawa out to Lake Michigan.

All photos and sentiments by Will Van Dorp, who will continue to unpack the summer (and fall) gallivants, along with a few diversions.

 

Not Jetster 1

Well, a DHC-2 Beaver is not a jet although it’s a fantastic aerial platform.  Here a John Deere moves the aircraft into the water,

where it becomes a boat, complete with a set of paddles.  Welcome to Beaver Air Tours.  Call me floatster.

When we get the green light, we taxi out towards the LaFarge dock . . .

where J. A. W. Iglehart (launched 1936!!) serves as floating storage.  More on Iglehart later in the flight. If I’d been here a few days later, I’d have seen the elusive (for me) Alpena (1942).

We turn into the wind and prepare to take off, with SS Meteor (1896) to starboard.

Once aloft into the southeasterly breezes, we pass American Victory (1942), launched in Baltimore as a saltwater tanker.  For her diverse life, read the info at the link in the previous sentence.  I hope you read the links on Meteor and Alpena as well . . .

The day before, driving in from Wisconsin, we took these photos of American Victory from US highway 53.

 

That’s American Victory down there.

A little farther south, we pass the ore docks in Allouez Bay,

where CSL Laurentian (1977) is loading.  Can you tell we’re downriver from the iron range?

Here we circle back over American Victory,

SS Meteor, 

and Iglehart.

 

More tomorrow from Duluth MN!  Now as to those tugboats below, I know at least three of them as Heritage Marine boats.  I believe the red one is either the boat I saw as Taurus or Fort Point in Belfast Maine a few years back. Here’s the story of the Maine boats’ arrival at the top of the Great Lakes.  The two orange ones may be Nels J or Edward H. but we didn’t get close enough to determine. And the blue tug, i’m not even going to guess.

More of this aerial fling –a flatter post–tomorrow.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.