by captrmetz » March 18, 2015, 10:22 am
In 1964, I was a deck hand aboard the S/S Thomas Wilson. Early one morning we were called out by the deckwatch to hit the deck because an emergency had happened. We all got up and dressed and out on deck we went. I noticed the ship was dead in the water and the out of command lights were on. What is wrong we all wondered? It was not long and we found out. The mate came down from the wheelhouse yelling everybody back aft. The night was clear and calm just off Devils Island light in Lake Superior. We got back aft and the chief engineer told us the steering gear had failed and we could not steer the ship. We were ordered to the boat deck to use the emergency steering wheel. The chief had put the gear in and with a walkie-talkie said for us to try to move the big brass wheel. Two men on each side of the wheel trying to make it move but it was frozen in place because it hadn't been used for years. Another upbound steamer had slowed down and was ready to take us in tow. However, the chief said to the old man he had another idea and he would like to try it. The Captain said OK.
The Wilson was equipped with six steam-mooring winches. The two back aft were to be used to steer the ship by running the wire cables from each winch around the stern of the ship and to attach one wire to the rudder from the port side and the other wire around the starboard side of the ship back to the rudder. The chief put a small punt (small boat) into the water and we hauled the wires around back to the fantail. We lowered the eye of the port wire down to the men in the punt; they attached the eye of the wire to the rudder by using a clevis. When that wire was secured to the rudder, we handed him the starboard wire and the same procedure was performed. Job finished, the chief reported to the captain that we were ready to get underway. The old steam engine belched out a plum of black smoke and we started ahead very slow.
The idea was to have the captain up on the bridge giving compass heading for Duluth. The mate sat between the two winches and operated the steam valves from each winch. The captain would say over the walkie-talkie come to port so many degrees, then starboard so many degrees. The plan was not working out very good. The ship was going up the lake like a wounded duck side to side. I sat with the walkie-talkie giving the mate courses to steer and I came up with an idea. I said to the mate I would take over and he could rest a bit. My first idea was to keep the ship going from side by side keeping both steam valves cracked open just a touch. When the captain yells a new heading, I would close one valve to cut the steam off on one winch and keep the other valve cracked open. By doing this, she started to steer on the heading given. It was a clear night with all the stars shinning. I notice one star in line with the course every time the forward mast was in line with that star. I’ll steer on that star I thought to myself. I sat between the two winches steering with the mast on one star and then another star to keep the ship on course. The mate said he would put me on over time if I stayed on the winches, he said I was doing pretty good. Most of all the tired captain could relax. Early the next morning, two Great Lakes tugs came out to tow us in to the shipyard. I was tried by then and the mate gave me the day off with pay.
I started to wonder how long has it been since a ship steered by the stars on the lakes. I was a hero to my shipmates for a day.
In 1964, I was a deck hand aboard the S/S Thomas Wilson. Early one morning we were called out by the deckwatch to hit the deck because an emergency had happened. We all got up and dressed and out on deck we went. I noticed the ship was dead in the water and the out of command lights were on. What is wrong we all wondered? It was not long and we found out. The mate came down from the wheelhouse yelling everybody back aft. The night was clear and calm just off Devils Island light in Lake Superior. We got back aft and the chief engineer told us the steering gear had failed and we could not steer the ship. We were ordered to the boat deck to use the emergency steering wheel. The chief had put the gear in and with a walkie-talkie said for us to try to move the big brass wheel. Two men on each side of the wheel trying to make it move but it was frozen in place because it hadn't been used for years. Another upbound steamer had slowed down and was ready to take us in tow. However, the chief said to the old man he had another idea and he would like to try it. The Captain said OK.
The Wilson was equipped with six steam-mooring winches. The two back aft were to be used to steer the ship by running the wire cables from each winch around the stern of the ship and to attach one wire to the rudder from the port side and the other wire around the starboard side of the ship back to the rudder. The chief put a small punt (small boat) into the water and we hauled the wires around back to the fantail. We lowered the eye of the port wire down to the men in the punt; they attached the eye of the wire to the rudder by using a clevis. When that wire was secured to the rudder, we handed him the starboard wire and the same procedure was performed. Job finished, the chief reported to the captain that we were ready to get underway. The old steam engine belched out a plum of black smoke and we started ahead very slow.
The idea was to have the captain up on the bridge giving compass heading for Duluth. The mate sat between the two winches and operated the steam valves from each winch. The captain would say over the walkie-talkie come to port so many degrees, then starboard so many degrees. The plan was not working out very good. The ship was going up the lake like a wounded duck side to side. I sat with the walkie-talkie giving the mate courses to steer and I came up with an idea. I said to the mate I would take over and he could rest a bit. My first idea was to keep the ship going from side by side keeping both steam valves cracked open just a touch. When the captain yells a new heading, I would close one valve to cut the steam off on one winch and keep the other valve cracked open. By doing this, she started to steer on the heading given. It was a clear night with all the stars shinning. I notice one star in line with the course every time the forward mast was in line with that star. I’ll steer on that star I thought to myself. I sat between the two winches steering with the mast on one star and then another star to keep the ship on course. The mate said he would put me on over time if I stayed on the winches, he said I was doing pretty good. Most of all the tired captain could relax. Early the next morning, two Great Lakes tugs came out to tow us in to the shipyard. I was tried by then and the mate gave me the day off with pay.
I started to wonder how long has it been since a ship steered by the stars on the lakes. I was a hero to my shipmates for a day.