Boatnerd Discussion Forum

Paul Bunyan is owned by MCM Marine near the locks. Her gate-lifting equipment was removed before she was sold. She was busy last year on the new lock project but I haven't seen her move this year.

She was converted from steam to diesel in the late 80s or early 90's. Her 6" Lunkenheimer whistle resides in my collection.

I don't think she was scrapped though. Thought it was sold to the ship yard there down stream a mile from the Locks.

at the canadian sault lock there was a coal fired gate lifer wonder what became of it. i was only thru the canadian lock a few times on the mv franquelin and ss fort york

The USACE Crane P. Bunyan barge was also used to retrieve the submerged spare lock gates stored down river in Hay or Mud Lake. ( (That’s another whole history story ) Sad that the beautiful lake tug Ludington didn’t end up in a private career after years of Govt. service .

Looking through my newspaper clippings from 50 years ago today, I found this picture. The tug Ludington is towing the crane barge Paul Bunyan. Both were part of the US Army Corps of Engineers. They are deepening the Green Bay channel to seaway depth of 27’ and widening it. The Paul Bunyan has a large road grader type blade attached to it as it is towed. The Normandy veteran Ludington is now a museum in Kewaunee. The Paul Bunyan, built in 1945 with WWII in progress, was sold for scrap in 2021. It spent most of its career around the Soo Locks doing heavy lifting. I missed that the Paul Bunyan was disposed of. Anyone have more knowledge of the particulars? Or better yet memories? I remember it usually moored in the Corps yard at the Soo when we went by.