Boatnerd Discussion Forum

I live just across the street from the Lake here in Duluth. It's not unusual at all to hear a vessel inside my house chugging away. By far the noisiest and most recognizable was the Canadian Navigator. The Doxford had a unique "heart beat" like rhythm to it.

When I was younger, I recall watching the Irvin L. Clymer depart Two Harbors before morning. She was almost silent gliding through the water. The lake was almost like glass and the water against the break wall was quiet. The clanking and clunking of the guys on deck were louder than the up and downer she had in her belly but there was indeed a soft thumb-pa-thump as well as a hiss as she rounded the break wall heading down bound. What I remember more than the sound was the smell. There was a light West-Southwest wind that morning and the black smoke from her stack was wafting over everyone standing on that break wall. That was her last visit to Two Harbors.

The Canadian Navigator was always one that could be heard long before it could be seen. She was powered with a Doxford diesel engine that was very loud.

I always liked the sound of three Henry and the Bensoj.

The channel gets very narrow in St. Clair and the depth is no deeper than 30ft and other areas are shallower. There is a busted up wreck that we dive there so it's close. There is a video on YouTube of a diver tying himself to this wreck and touching the bottom of the freighter and diving back down before the prop comes as him.

https://youtu.be/QIPMfHUIVvk

I on the other hand either hunker down or roll onto my back and watch it depending on vis.

Jared wrote:I've been under them while diving and it vibrates everything in and on me, but it doesn't hurt my hearing at all. It's when they get upstream from me that it sends logs and other objects flying my way. I've been less than 10ft under the keel of a footer in St. Clair and didn't really have any problems until she got upstream of me.

How did you happen to be less than 10 feet under that boat while it was underway?

I've been under them while diving and it vibrates everything in and on me, but it doesn't hurt my hearing at all. It's when they get upstream from me that it sends logs and other objects flying my way. I've been less than 10ft under the keel of a footer in St. Clair and didn't really have any problems until she got upstream of me.

Be careful what you ask for. Some biologist might conclude that ship noise is detrimental to the round Gobi and ships will become obsolete. We stayed at the the cabins at Cheboygan State park for many years and we found the same thing. Most prevalent during night time hours. Would wake us out of a sound sleep.

I wonder what affect that noise has on fish?
Has that been studied by someone?

You could especially here the Silver Isle and all the ships with Fairbanks Morse multiple diesels if the atmosphere was right you could here them for hours on the lake.

Here some thing totally off topic kinda. Grew up near Marblehead oh on lake Erie. Used to peer out at the horizon, East of Kelly island. On a clear day could just make out the pilot houses of up bound steamers and the smoke coming out of their stacks. Some time you could only make out puffs of smoke on the down bounders. They ran without a sound, heading for points unknown. When you looked up again they were gone. Who would have thought 50 years later, the steam powered Lakers would be all but extinct.

trvguy wrote:I live on the Keweenaw peninsula and see and HEAR a lot lot ships.
what I mean by rumbling, is I sometimes hear the rumbling of a ship engine before I see the ship. Seems like the sound comes thru the air and the water.
I'm wondering if anyone else notices this or am I flippin' out?

You are not losing it. It is especially prevalent with twin engined diesel vessels that are operating out of synch. The Olive L. Moore and Clyde S. VanEnkevort are well known for being heard or felt long before they come into view.

I camp up at Two Harbors for years. And I can hear the Presque Isle along way off coming in to Two Harbors.And can tell at night when it leaves.Especially at night. And its the Engine that we hear.

When I was a kid we lived 5 blocks from Lake Michigan. Especially at
night you could hear the diesel powered lakers and tugs go up and down the Lake. My dad and I would go up to Point Betsie to watch boats, especially the Ryerson. You could hear/feel the vibration from her prop as she headed for the Manitou Passage.

I think what you're hearing or maybe actually feeling is the vibration caused by the propeller turning through the water. I've felt/heard the same thing watching a footer come off the lake going into Two Harbors.

I live on the Keweenaw peninsula and see and HEAR a lot lot ships.
what I mean by rumbling, is I sometimes hear the rumbling of a ship engine before I see the ship. Seems like the sound comes thru the air and the water.
I'm wondering if anyone else notices this or am I flippin' out?