Indiana Harbor

[Sealer]

I like your post Alex, anything can happen and the public has no idea what actually happened at that moment, unless a crewmember speaks up. Ultimately it is the captains call, he is in charge of the vessel no matter what the office says. I doubt he would put his career and license on the line due to pressure from the bean counters. She did not sustain damage to the rudders, nor the port prop. Starboard prop did make contact.

There is a lot of speculation on what caused it, and I don't think anyone can really nail it unless they were in the house.

[A J]

I just feel inclined to chime in on this subject. The Great Lakes officers and crews demonstrate the highest level of safety and competence every day and night of the sailing season. Nothing is perfect. Always changing conditions, numerous variables and high risks, a mishap on occasion may occur. Fortunately there were no injuries or fatalities. Steel is made every day, resources for repairs are expedient and the vessels are returned to service in a timely manner.

Just blowing a lil steam,

Alex

[hugh3]

Lake Erie, because of shallow depth is notorious for unpredictably. You can have 4/5 foot seas coming out of the north and 15 minutes have 4/5 foot seas our of the west. The captain gets the big bucks because of his education and experience. He does not call the office and ask for their advice. If he knew the wind was going to shift and put him in an untenable position he would not put himself in that position. If during the examination of this incident he is found to have done something that an experienced seaman would not do he will suffer the consequences either from the Coast Guard of the main office , maybe both. One thing for sure - there will be no one from the office standing up for him at the inquirer.

[SailorDoug]

Do captains have data on side force created by wind? A chart giving wind speed and direction vs thruster capability. I realize this is not required at speed but in confined navigational this could be used as a go no go.

[Denny]

If I am reading and understanding this thread and post correctly, it was a wind driven incident that drove the Indiana Harbor that is into the Conneaut Breakwall correct? Just checking to make sure of my facts if they are correct or not? Anyway, I realize and that this may have been caused by high winds that drove her into that breakwall in Conneaut but just a point here is all but this makes two major incidents in about a year give or take as far as regarding Great Lakes shipping! Last year you had the Roger Blough and her grounding and Yes, I know it wasn't weather related and now you got the Indiana Harbor getting repairs done. Definitely not good and we sure don't need anymore major repair jobs on these ships and I'm sure the companies agree on those comments as well!

[Guest]

AIS is showing the Indiana Harbor in the dry dock at Donjon. Can anyone verify if that is true? If so, does anyone know what kind of repairs she's in for? They would have to be serious to warrant being placed in the dry dock.

She wound up in the rocks on one of Conneaut's breakwalls. She has more than a couple holes in the hull, a substantial crease along one side, and both propellers and rudders were damaged. Wind driven event, unfortunately.

I don't know much about how the 1000 footers were constructed, but how big of a hole can such a vessel sustain without being compromised? Are the 1000 footers double hulled/do they have water tight compartments?

As with you I don't know much about how much hull damage a 1000 footer can take. That being said, I would imagine that a large hole that flooded one compartment would be less of a problem than a tear or a series of hull punctures that opened up several compartments simultaneously. I would assume that some model testing and calculations were performed as part of the design process when these ships were built.

[Guest]

We all know what the weather has been like these last few weeks. Its was a bad call. I put the blame on the the company, the owner of the ship. not the helmsman. its all about the company schedule and those in charge have no Idea what the real lake is like.

[Guest]

All thousand footers are built to a minimum one-compartment subdivision in case of damage due to grounding or collision.

In the AmShip thousand footers (except for the Edgar b. Speer), they have side-tanks that extend from bottom to deck and have guillotine gates and watertight doors in the conveyor tunnel.

For the BayShip thousand footers, watertight pneumatic gaskets on each of the cargo gates in the conveyor tunnel are inflated when the ship is out on the lake.

Sounds like an expensive repair job for the Indiana Harbor. I recall in the 1990s she hit a lighthouse on Lake Michigan, that entailed a large repair bill and one of the mates losing their license.

[Guest]

She wound up in the rocks on one of Conneaut's breakwalls. She has more than a couple holes in the hull, a substantial crease along one side, and both propellers and rudders were damaged. Wind driven event, unfortunately.[/quote]

Thank you for sharing sir, much appreciated!

[Duluthian]

AIS is showing the Indiana Harbor in the dry dock at Donjon. Can anyone verify if that is true? If so, does anyone know what kind of repairs she's in for? They would have to be serious to warrant being placed in the dry dock.

She wound up in the rocks on one of Conneaut's breakwalls. She has more than a couple holes in the hull, a substantial crease along one side, and both propellers and rudders were damaged. Wind driven event, unfortunately.

I don't know much about how the 1000 footers were constructed, but how big of a hole can such a vessel sustain without being compromised? Are the 1000 footers double hulled/do they have water tight compartments?

[Guest]

There was a footer in DonJon @ a year ago but no work was done because of a un-watering issue I believe. There was a lot of speculation at the time..

That was the Paul R. Tregurtha five years ago.

[Guest]

AIS is showing the Indiana Harbor in the dry dock at Donjon. Can anyone verify if that is true? If so, does anyone know what kind of repairs she's in for? They would have to be serious to warrant being placed in the dry dock.

She wound up in the rocks on one of Conneaut's breakwalls. She has more than a couple holes in the hull, a substantial crease along one side, and both propellers and rudders were damaged. Wind driven event, unfortunately.

[hugh3]

There was a footer in DonJon @ a year ago but no work was done because of a un-watering issue I believe. There was a lot of speculation at the time.........

[Shipwatcher1]

Any idea the last time a 1000 footer was in the Erie dry dock?

[Pazzo]

From what I have heard, Indiana Harbor experienced an issue with her starboard prop. When she arrived in Erie, she was working really hard to slide into the mooring just west of Don Jon, so they could set the blocks in the drydock.

[hugh3]

[Today the Indiana Harbor is backed in under the roof of the main construction building.]

The main construction building is the dry dock.

[Duluthian]

AIS is showing the Indiana Harbor in the dry dock at Donjon. Can anyone verify if that is true? If so, does anyone know what kind of repairs she's in for? They would have to be serious to warrant being placed in the dry dock.

[hugh3]

Today the Indiana Harbor is backed in under the roof of the main construction building.

[hugh3]

Tied up at Erie Ship this mor'n:

[Guest]

Looking at AIS yesterday I saw the Indiana Harbor unloading in Conneaut. Checked AIS again a few minutes ago and I see she's inbound Erie. Any idea why? Thanks.

Holed by the conneaut breakwall.