Bow Thrusters

Ships that work between ports on the Great Lakes have to maneuver through tight locks, breakwater channels, and docking slips. To avoid the cost of a tugboat helping them, they are built with a bow thruster. I have already shown the use of a bow thruster in Goderich, ON, in Ashtabula, OH, and in Marquette, MI. I've also seen a video of a ship using a bow thruster to help it navigate this turn in the Buffalo River. But I can't find it now.

Normally, the opening for the bow thruster is under water. Here Ben caught the Paul R. Tregurtha (the longest ship that sails the Great Lakes) docked for the winter season of 2018 at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, WI. Normally, the redder red, and thus the hole near the bottom, is under water. Here it is being stored for the winter with its ballast tanks empty. That hole, of course, is the bow thruster outlet. Ben and I discuss the work that is to be done on this boat in the comments on a different photo.

The sixth photo posted by Ben Stalvey

This was the posting that motivated me to find previous uses of a bow thruster.

Andrew Dawn Severson shared
Gary Kappedal Looks like they were using their Bow-thruster to make the front of the ship to turn.
Amanda Lynn postSo...this just happened.
[Someone finally indicated this is in Port Huron. I noticed there was a guy up front looking over the bow when they were close to the boardwalk. They must dredge the full width of the river here.]
Chris Burleigh They do that all the time crazy because sometimes they get real close to the boardwalkCarrie Pettengill-Simpson I say this all the time but this IS the best place for them to turn around (with the current helping) and in all honesty they didn't come that close! This is an awesome video Amanda!Brian R. Wroblewski “Winding” the boat. Nicely done.Jessica Scott Burns Nice catch! I would say he's still getting to learn how that new boat handles!Michelle Weston He did a good job turning it
Matthew R. Smith Yes they did it on purpose. They had to turn around to dock on the correct side. However they should have called tugs to help and that’s why they hit the dam conrail bridge.
Burt Justin Macklin They dont need tugs I watch them do this on the regular at the power plants bringing in coal.
Matthew R. Smith If they had tugs they wouldn’t have hit the conrail bridge and <missed> it up.
Robert Borg Matthew R. Smith to my knowledge they did have tugs in the Rouge. In fact the caption blamed the G tugs for pushing him into the conrail bridge!
Matthew R. Smith That captain was my father, and that’s not what happened. It was the ship captain. That was the first time that ship entered the rouge. The ship wanted to move before the bridge was ready. And there was a second captain so I don’t know what the other tug captain did. I think it’s funny they damaged a new boat though lol

Mark Robinson Mathew why do you find it funny a new boat was damaged? Kind of an odd comment. And with it being the first time a boat has entered the Rouge should not make a difference if the one handling her knows their stuff...
Matthew R. Smith Because the ship captain refuses to listen
Mark Robinson Listen to who?
Matthew R. Smith Tug captains. They have worked in this area for 30 years and the new ship captain wouldn’t take any help
Kevin Pollock That Captain likes cutting it close it seems...after hitting the railroad crossing over Rouge River couple weeks ago I'd imagine another tag wouldn't impress bosses in St. Catherines.
Gerry Lou Rathburn Kania This is a pretty common maneuver in the rivers. They know exactly what they are doing.
Steve Ball Using the current at their advantage
Debbie Mack I have seen freighters turn like this in the river once they have loaded/unloaded and have to change their direction
Mark Robinson Did she not just come out of the Sarnia grain elevator? [This is the only grain elevator I could find in Sarnia.]

Chris Mazzella posted
James R Barker backing to CN 6 in Duluth this morning, while the Great Repulic undergoes misc repairs on the east side of 6.
Stephen H. Lawson: Nice shot of a little bow thruster action!

 

Donald R Jeffrey posted
Tug Ian Mac & tug Debbie & tug Donald Bert turns the Algobay for the last load, and is on her way to become Radcliffe R. Latimer, at Port Colborne.
[I see two tugs on the stern. I wonder where the third one is.]

Michael Moran posted four photos with the comment: "The bow thruster on the Manitowoc as the crew makes a field repair.   Port of St. Joughnuts, St. Joseph, Mi"

Edward James: Been there before 🤣 chipping out melted poly canal lines 🤣

Kelly Jozwowski: Man is that a case of lock out tag out anxiety for me. Good job boys. [Before they go in by the prop, they would put a tag on the control that turns it on so that crew members woiuld know to leave it off.]

[I wish he got a photo of the whole freighter to see if they sunk the stern to get the bow out of the water. I've seen photos of other field repairs where the flood the ballast tanks in the stern and empty the tanks in the bow to gain access to the thruster.]

1

2

3

4

An example of a bow thruster working hard. Why the ferry keeps turning in circles, I don't understand.

Screenshot