Historical Perspective in Photos

[garbear]

Joh Paul, was that a one time unload at the South Works? I notice in both photos what, at least on the Clarke, was called the "Gap", the opening in the breakwall. It was supposedly against USS/GLF policy to go thru the "Gap" and not the main entrance/exit to Calumet harbor. One trip departing S. Chicago our Captain took the Clarke thru the "Gap". To the veteran sailors it sounded like the Captain had performed a treasonous act. Being a punk kid I didn't know, but the veterans talked about it for days.

[Jon Paul]

Trip #39 - Escanaba - S. Chicago Republic Steel
Jan. 19, 1977 -Loaded and Depart C & NW @ 18:55
13,659 tons Empire Pellets
Jan 20, 1978 - Encounter Str John G Munson, USCGC Arundel, tugs Lenny B and Adrienne B stuck in the ice 4 miles NNE of Calumet Harbor Breakwall @ 15:25
Broke path for all 3 boats to follow.
Our unloading dock is changed to U S Steel S Chicago Works North Slip due to there emergency need for pellets there.
Munson to unload first, White ties up behind Munson @ 19:15
Jan 21,1978- Munson done unloading pulls ahead at dock - White begins to unload @ 04:30 finished unloading @ 13:10.
G Tug Arizona takes tow line at stern to pull White from North Slip and turn around in Calumet Harbor @ 14:00
Munson Follows White North on Lake Michigan

[Jon Paul]

Oh, beautiful! I could hear in my head the sound the Hullets would make while looking at your photos. Thanks Jon Paul!

It was a very unique sound and add to the overall experienc of the amazing steel Waltz that they did.
I was always fascinated by them and if they had a good team operating the rigs, they could really get the job done. The guys in Huron were real pros.
I

[Paul A]

Oh, beautiful! I could hear in my head the sound the Hullets would make while looking at your photos. Thanks Jon Paul!

[Jon Paul]

Trip #6 - Charles M White - 1977
Arrive Superior 5/16 @ 14:40
Depart Superior with 15,647 tons of McCook Coarse red ore @ 20:50
Down Mac Arthur Lock @ 20:20 on 5/17
Down Port Huron Traffic Buoy @ 14:45 5/18
Arrive Huron, OH - Norfolk & Western Dock @ 03:30 5/19
Begin unloading @ 07:20
Depart Huron @ 17:45

The photos of the Blough/Block/Reiss all show what a little extra speed can do. We overtook the Blough off Whitefish Point, The William A Reiss going into DeTour and the Block just before entering Porte Des Morte.
The first 2 were because the Old man didn't want to get behind them in the river and the Block because we were both going to C&NW in Escanaba where only one boat can load at a time.

[Guest]

On both sides of the lakes if you look at the period from the end of 79 to the end of 82 and look at what ships old and new never sailed again its truly amazing.

[Jon Paul]

Any thoughts why US Steel never converted a AA to Self unloader? They converted 600 fters maritimers AAA but no AA.

I've often thought the Supers would have made great conversions and been perfectly suited for a variety of markets. At 640' they could service most places the river class boats could and even with a reduction in carrying capacity due to the self unloader, still deliver 17,500 tons at a 25' draft. They also unlike the Maritimers had good reliable power plants and an efficient HP per ton ratio.
Like so many other great boats still viable in the late 70's and early 80's, it was a numbers issue based on market forces. US Steel had a fleet of 40+ boats and their own division of stone boat self unloaders. They had more than ample shore side unloading capability at Conneaut and Gary and hopper conveyer at each also. They had no "need" for converted Supers and with the economic collapse in the car and steel industry and the whole Great Lakes shipping industry imploded in 1980.
Cliffs ran all 14 boats in 1979 and within a few years all they had left were the Greene and the Sterling which they sold to Ford. The Caddilac and Champlain were in great condition and perfect for conversion like the other Maritimers but were excess tonnage and destined for the scrap yard.
In the case of Inland Steel, once the the Joseph Block came out, the market contraction that followed doomed the PD, LE AND EJ.
I don't think there is any other period in the over 150 years of Great Lakes shipping were such a wholesale purging of boats that had many years of serviceable life took place.

[Darryl]

That same question has been asked about Inland Steel boats, some Interlake ones and other fairly new steamers that were junked. I think knowledgeable people have said at the time it was "A business Decision."

[Guest]

Any thoughts why US Steel never converted a AA to Self unloader? They converted 600 fters maritimers AAA but no AA.

[Jon Paul]

Here is the Girdler photo that was supposed to be posted yesterday with the other C-4 stuff.

The photos of the A H Ferbert were taken off of Lime Island while we were breaking her out of the ice.

I also included 2 photos of the Joseph Frantz showing the dramatic change that took place when it was converted fom a strait decker to a self unloader and then re-powered as a diesel.

[Guest]

Here are some photos of the 5 C-4's.
I thought the White always looked best in the Republic colors because they were fastidious about the upkeep of the Triplets.
The cabins were a light oyster gray with white facings which were capped with stained wood.
The guest window covers are off showing lots of glass and who could forget that big tomato stack on them.
The Thompson and the McKee Sons live on.
If you look closely in front of the Patton in the photo you can see that they are not following a broken path...They were busting trail and doing it with a bow wake!

Great shots ! That one of the Patton breaking ice is a gem !

[Jon Paul]

Somehow the photo for the Girdler didnt attach
And I will try and correct that omission tomorrow

[Jon Paul]

Here are some photos of the 5 C-4's.
I thought the White always looked best in the Republic colors because they were fastidious about the upkeep of the Triplets.
The cabins were a light oyster gray with white facings which were capped with stained wood.
The guest window covers are off showing lots of glass and who could forget that big tomato stack on them.
The Thompson and the McKee Sons live on.
If you look closely in front of the Patton in the photo you can see that they are not following a broken path...They were busting trail and doing it with a bow wake!

[Jon Paul]

A few photos of the 5 C-4 conversions

[Bookworm]

You've got some real, historical gems in your collection, Jon Paul! Thanks for sharing them with us. I'm going through my digital files, reassigning the ships in the recent sale to their new owner's folder and am amazed at how many different ships I've seen in the past 14 years of photographing them.

Where do you do most of your boat watching and photography?
There is such a limited amount of boats to be sold between fleets now.
During the late 50' thru the early 80's there was quite a bit of change over.
First the Seaway fully opened in 1958 and that brought about the demise of dozens of canallers on the Canadian side but also those fleets bought out a lot of the older American boats in the 450' - 550' suitable for the grain trade and now able to go out the St Lawrence.
Then there were the American fleets like Wilson, Buckeye, Reiss, Republic, Shenango, Tomlinson and others that went out of business in the 60's and 70's and their boats were absorbed into other American fleets or scrapped.
A case in point is the Emory L Ford which in a span of a dozen years went from sailing for Hanna, chartered to Gartland, sold to Reiss and renamed Raymond Reiss, sold to ASC and then a few years later was traded to AmShip(Kinsman) as partial payment for the Roger Kyes, never sailed for Kinsman but was sold to Cliffs who sailed it till it went for scrap in '81.

Since leaving the St. Clair River last year, the best I can do is make an occasional trip to Stoneport or Calcite or, when winds require the ships to leave the Lake Huron "Freighter Freeway" and move closer to the MI shoreline, watch them from a distance of 3-4 miles. But that can't compare to the years of being up close and personal with them. I had hoped to make a trip down to the St. Clair River before the end of shipping season (a 5-hour drive each way) but weather forecasts don't look favorable, at least in the coming week.

[Guest]

I really like the pic of the station with the Gale Warning flags. In the USCG we called those flags "Maggie's drawers" (I don't know why). The flag poles were actually erected for the National Weather Bureau (now NWS) and each pole originally had a bronze plaque that stated such they also has the lights for storm and gale warnings as well, but by the time in was in the lights weren't functional. Unfortunately either all or most of the original NWS flag poles have been removed as hazard risk, even at the historical stations. A small but common detail of our maritime past.

[Guest]

Nice pics Jon Paul, reminds me of my earlier years growing up along the St. Clair River. For some reason I always preferred the Blough in its original color scheme with the USS logo and the American Valor will always be the Armco to me! I hope the latter, however, has some operational future!

[Jon Paul]

You've got some real, historical gems in your collection, Jon Paul! Thanks for sharing them with us. I'm going through my digital files, reassigning the ships in the recent sale to their new owner's folder and am amazed at how many different ships I've seen in the past 14 years of photographing them.

Where do you do most of your boat watching and photography?
There is such a limited amount of boats to be sold between fleets now.
During the late 50' thru the early 80's there was quite a bit of change over.
First the Seaway fully opened in 1958 and that brought about the demise of dozens of canallers on the Canadian side but also those fleets bought out a lot of the older American boats in the 450' - 550' suitable for the grain trade and now able to go out the St Lawrence.
Then there were the American fleets like Wilson, Buckeye, Reiss, Republic, Shenango, Tomlinson and others that went out of business in the 60's and 70's and their boats were absorbed into other American fleets or scrapped.
A case in point is the Emory L Ford which in a span of a dozen years went from sailing for Hanna, chartered to Gartland, sold to Reiss and renamed Raymond Reiss, sold to ASC and then a few years later was traded to AmShip(Kinsman) as partial payment for the Roger Kyes, never sailed for Kinsman but was sold to Cliffs who sailed it till it went for scrap in '81.

[Bookworm]

You've got some real, historical gems in your collection, Jon Paul! Thanks for sharing them with us. I'm going through my digital files, reassigning the ships in the recent sale to their new owner's folder and am amazed at how many different ships I've seen in the past 14 years of photographing them.

[mopar tim]

Absolute gems Jon Paul keep them coming and Merry Christmas to you and yours.