(My notes on shorter (older) Lakers are here.)
A time-lapse video of the M/V Stewart J. Cort going to the BNSF dock in Superior WI.
Because some footers pass through the bridges in Sturgeon Bay going to or from the shipbuilding yard, the "Sturgeon Bay Bridges" notes have quite a few photos of some footers, especially the Mesabi Miner.
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| Russ Plumb posted Forty-nine years ago today [6/13/2019], Stubby (Hull 1173) departed the Welland Canal and headed for Erie, PA. Once there, Stubby was cut in half and joined to either end of an 815 foot body section under construction in the shipyard. In 1972, the new vessel joined the Bethlehem Transportation Company fleet and entered service as the first 1000 footer on the Great Lakes -- the Stewart J. Cort (Lake Carriers Bulletin, June-July 1970). John Lyle There were a few Canadian Lakers built the same way. They were built in Scottish ship yards (bow and stern only. Sailed across the Atlantic then the bow and stern were separated and the cargo section inserted. Darryl Harper Sections were also added to the sides of the bow and stern to match the width of the center section, to expand from Seaway max of 78 feet to approx 100 feet.( cant recall exact width). David G. Small I knew the chief engineer, he said every time they picked up a pilot his first question was what is this thing. [When going up the St. Lawrence Seaway.] |
I knew it was an old Laker because it has a superstructure on the bow. It was the only Footer built with her pilot house forward. The rest of the 1000-footers were built in shipyards on the Great Lakes.
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| Interlake |
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| Destination Duluth posted The First and Last (and Longest)... Stewart J. Cort (the first 1000-footer in 1972) takes a delay at the Port of Duluth while the Paul R. Tregurtha (the last built in 1981 and longest footer at 1,013.5 feet) glides past with coal loaded at Midwest Energy for DTE St. Clair, Michigan. Duluth, MN - April 3, 2023 |
She has a regular route carrying iron ore between Superior, WI, and Burns Harbor, IN. When I accessed MarineTraffic, it had recently docked at Burns Harbor. She has a stern self-unloader instead of the more typical boom self-unloader. This makes it easier to load and faster to unload, but it limits the docks that can accommodate her. But if she unloads only at Burns Harbor, that is not a big deal.
National Museum of the Great Lakes posted three photos with the comment:
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| MarineTraffic [A popup on that page indicates that its speed range is 5.18-12.70 knots.] |
National Museum of the Great Lakes posted three photos with the comment:
This #ThrowbackThursday we take a look at July 3, 1972, and the launching of the Lakes' first 1,000 footer! This massive vessel was built in three sections. The forward and stern were assembled in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and later floated to Erie, Pennsylvania where the 815-foot mid-section was waiting to be attached. Bethlehem Steel launched the CORT making it the vessel first in its own class.
👉 DID YOU KNOW: There are now thirteen 1,000 footers to date, all of which are still in operation today.
[The comments have contemporary photos and a video.]
Great Lakes Shipping History shared
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| 3 Anne Boyd Earle: "Stubby"! |
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| Paul Erspamer commented on Great Lakes Shipping History's share CORT taking shape in Erie, 1972. Kevin Skow: Cort is on the right, Presque Isle is in the the middle of the photo. |
In this video you will see that the ships have a square stern and a blunt, rounded bow. The good news is that the blunt bow maximizes cargo space in the lock. The bad news is that it does not cut through ice very well. It is not unusual at the end of the shipping season for them to get stuck. Then an ice breaker has to be dispatched to help get them to their winter port. Many of these 1000-footers spend the winter at the shipyard in Sturgeon Bay for maintenance work. For example, in 2018 eleven of them were there for the Winter season (Jan-Mar).
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0:21 Stewart J. Cort, BN (Superior, Wisconsin) 3:04 Presque Isle [the only articulated barge+tugboat of 1000'] 5:28 James R. Barker, BN [It has an interesting sounding horn.] 8:00 Mesabi Miner, BN 10:40 Walter J. McCarthy 12:46 American Integrity 14:46 American Spirit 16:50 Edwin H. Gott (Two Harbors, Minnesota) [This has the longest self-unloading boom at 280' and the most horsepower at 19,500.] 19:52 Indiana Harbor 22:05 Burns Harbor (Superior, Wisconsin) 24:45 Edgar B. Speer 28:39 American Century 32:15 Paul R. Tregurtha, BN [At 1013.5', it is the longest vessel on the Great Lakes. It has the nickname of The Queen of the Great Lakes.]
More info on and photos of the Stewart J. Cort
Some of these ships were built at American/Cleveland Shipbuilding's yard in Lorain, OH. Paul R. Tregurtha is of note not only because it is the longest of the 1000' class, but because it was the last ship built in that shipyard. It was originally name William J. De Lancey.
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| Lorain Historical Society posted May 10th 1981, the last ship built in Lorain, the William J. DeLancey departed on her maiden voyage. Barbara Piscopo And this ship still sails the Great Lakes under the name the Paul R. Tregurtha! To learn more, visit our Children’s Room at the Lorain Historical Society where there is a “cut out replica” of this ship. Dennis DeBruler Thanks for the name change information. I thought Tregurtha was the longest Laker, so I was confused when I read that DeLancey was the longest. Rick Shaw I've got miles of welds on that ship. Aloma Arp I remember this. Steinbrenner shut down his ship building there and began the decline in Lorain. Justine Schneider Volan Aloma Arp my dad always blamed Steinbrenner for the shipyard and Lorain. Aloma Arp Justine Schneider Volan He was right. |
The bow and part of the cargo hold of this ship was built in the Toledo Yard and then towed here to complete the ship. It is powered by two 8,560 b.h.p. V-16 diesel engines. "On November 9, 2009 the Tregurtha laid up at Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay WI for a scheduled winter repowering project. Her twin Pielstick diesels were removed and replaced by a pair of medium speed MaK M43C 6 cylinder diesel engines providing a combined 17,120 BHP. Returning to service in April 2010, this re-investment reaffirms Interlake`s commitment to reliable and dependable service to their customers, and ensures a long and productive future for the Paul R. Tregurtha....During winter layup 2017-18, the Paul R. Tregurtha was equipped with an exhaust gas scrubber system to reduce sulfur emissions. Exhaust gas from the engines is sent through a series of absorption sprays that wash and remove impurities, specifically sulfur and particulate matter. That washed exhaust gas then travels through a droplet separator before a clean plume of white steam is discharged into the atmosphere." [Boatnerd has lots of photos]
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| Interlake Steamship [Please click the link for info and more photos of the freighter]. |
There are photos of the Tregurtha at the Port of Monroe getting a load of steel rods after it dumped its load of coal.
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| Marc Dease added From the Port Huron Times Herald, October 31, 1986. William J. DeLancey (now Paul R. Trgurtha) gives fleetmate James R. Barker a tandem tow to Sturgeon Bay, WI., after an engine room fire left the Barker disabled. photo by Ralph Polovich PHTH. from the files of Marc Dease. Zach Harris Never seen a picture of them right next to each other. Guess the Tregurtha really is 12ft longer Richard Gray Zach Harris 9.5 feet. The DeLancey is also towing, so the Barker is just behind it being pulled along. Look at the pilot houses and see that they don't quite line up. Craig Bode There is about 4.5 acres floating Bob Riegel Both built at Lorain AM Ship, about 5 years apart. Barker's the older one. Bev Shaw shared |
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| Ian Ebert posted via Dennis DeBruler |
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| Gene Sonnen posted Engine on the Edwin Gott . Tony Chiesa: Kevin Toombs how much horsepower would you guess? Kevin Toombs: Tony Chiesa 19,578 HP, the most powerful on the lakes. It has a pair of MaK 8M43C Diesels Richard Gee: Kevin Toombs Yep and Cat killed that Engine Company. James Long: Her 2nd set of engines. Christopher Camalick: James Long ya originals were Enterprise DMRV-16-4. John Mcglashan Sr.: Christopher Camalick correct and they were absolutely the worst engines in the history of heavy oil engines. Literally 1930 technology. Curtis Emery: I’ve reconditioned the fuel pumps and injectors for these engines several times. They would always come in exceptionally clean compared to other ships we worked on. You could tell the engine room crew really took pride in their work! Kevin Fix: V 16 Curtis Emery: Kevin Fixstraight 8 Mike Novak: Most powerful ship on the lakes Bob Heath: And that picture is only the top of that monster. James Torgeson shared |
6 of 22 photos posted by David Schauer with the comment: "Thanks to Dan Mackey and the generosity of Captain Newland, a few of us were able to visit Interlake's 1000-footer James R. Barker as it loaded at BNSF in Superior. The footer had a change of orders and ended up taking on a load of Hibbing Taconite pellets here for Burns Harbor, an infrequent run for the Barker (fleetmate Cort is best known for this route). I've added a number of images from our visit with specific captions on each photo. It was also a treat to meet Logan Vasicek who is currently assigned to the Barker. 11/15/2022"
[To summarize some comments. The freight can carry 63,000 tons. Each shuttle can load 1,000 tons/hour and there are 18 shuttles. There are also 18 ballast tanks and each has its own pump. Since each ballast tank has its own pump, the boat can load in less than four hours.]
David Schauer shared
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| a A view from the bow showing conveyor shuttle booms loading the James R. Barker at BNSF Superior. 11/15/2022 |
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| b Captain Newland of the James R. Barker explains the inner workings of the engine control room. 11/15/2022 |
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| c Cameras aboard the James R. Barker as viewed in the engine control room. The Minion was a nice touch. 11/15/2022 |
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| d Power for the Barker is provided by two 8,000 bhp V-16 cylinder, four stroke cycle, single acting, turbocharged Colt-Pielstick PC2V diesel engines, built by Fairbanks Morse Engine Division of Colt Industries, Beloit, WI. |
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| e Aboard the James R. Barker looking forward to the bow in the unloading tunnel. When in rough weather you can see the flexing nature of the hull as the footer moves through waves. |
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| f M/V James R. Barker was the first 1000-foot class vessel constructed entirely on the Great Lakes, where she was built by American Ship Building Company at Lorain, Ohio. The James R. Barker is named for Interlake’s Chairman of the Board and has always been part of the Interlake Steamship fleet. |
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