Boatnerd Discussion Forum

Yes the Munson was indeed repowered just a few short seasons ago and while she was being repowered, the decision by GLF was made then to bring out the Arthur M. Anderson to haul cargoes that would’ve been carried by the Munson. The Anderson laid up in Duluth in January 2017 so the Munson had to have been repowered around 2016 give or take.

Wasn't the Munson repowered, I'm sure once the smoke clears and they get a good handle on costs vs savings they will decide on more conversions or not.

GLF isn't going to sink all of that money into the Anderson for just a few years of service. She'll be around for years to come.

Utube video of the Anderson being towed out of it's storage dock.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AQ4kKK7Bmc

The Anderson didn't have any rougher of a life than the Munson, and GLF just recently spent a lot of money to refurbish her and repower her with intentions of getting another 30 years of service out of her.

Some of these classic steamboats will reach the century mark if the customer demand is there, albeit in dieselized form. Interlake for one certainly believes so and has spent nearly 100 millions dollars over the past 10 years or so on that bet.

I think I'll side with Interlake rather than doubt the viability of that investment. Sympathies aside, it's a well run company and I'm sure sound engineering justified that investment.

To Jared's point- GLF is not going to put millions in structural repair into the Anderson just to axe her in 5 years. That doesn't make sense. Having the economy good enough to get her out in the first place would mean that if they would choose to get rid of her, there would be rumors of a newbuild on the horizon. While it is true that we will one day have to say goodbye to these ships, the fact of the matter is that because of freshwater, these ships are a lot more resilient and capable of sailing for 80, 90 years. Look at the Lee A or the Maritimers. This should extend the life of the Anderson by 10 or more years.

Jared brings a great point.

Appreciating a vessel for its special history (such as Anderson’s history with the Fitzgerald) is one thing, but appreciating that vessel in general for the amount of time that it may still be around, should be a no-brainer. I’m sure that all of us can agree that we will take any opportunity to see any vessel up close and get pictures of it as it passes by.

This is not to question the appreciation of vessels by members of this site, as I’m sure we all appreciate each vessel, new and old, to a certain degree.

The end of the road is coming for a lot of these vessels, and their legacy through this site should not be withered to an argument of whether she was “extra” special or not.
As one of the younger enthusiasts, I see many vessels from decades ago being talked about that I will never be able to experience or see, because they are gone. Because of that, I understand that someday, there will be a new, young boatnerd that will say the same thing as I about the vessels that tread our waters presently.
That is why I see myself as fortunate to have the opportunity to experience each and every vessel, old and new, because I am experiencing what the next generations may not.

Let’s not let the Anderson’s potentially “special history” allow the vessel to be demeaned to a lower appreciation than any other vessel, all because a debate left a “bad taste” for those involved in the debate.

Jan 15 2017, the Anderson tied up on the east side of dock 6

The Anderson is closing in on 7 decades of sailing the lakes. I'm sure her original designers would be in awe on how she and her sisters are still sailing after 65+ years of hard work.

And who is to say that Fraser can clean her up enough to get back running? Maybe there is so much steel work to be done (once the survey is completed) that they may say to heck with it and send her off to the breakers? Or that when her next 5 year is up they send her in?

The fact of the matter is that we are approaching the end of many of these older boats and no amount of maintenance can save them after a period of time. Steel gets old, machinery wears down to the point it can no longer be repaired or replaced. We've had them this long, and it's up to the boat watchers here on this board to keep those memories alive with pictures and stories.

That plaque from the Thompson is on display at the Maritime museum in Toledo.

Nice reply from Lakerguy and there's a great article in this morning's Duluth News Tribune about moving the Anderson, possibly the move taking place late Tuesday morning, Ap.2. In that article in the morning DNT it mentioned that the Anderson has been tied up for only two years, since 2017. I'd have bet money it was more like 4-5 yrs., at least it seems that way. Traveling often between Duluth & Superior the Anderson was very visible from the Blatnik Interstate Bridge as it was tied up along the east side of CN Dock 6. Probably seeing it all those times and longing to see her out again made it seem longer that just 2 yrs. Anyone else out there feel like it was more that 2 yrs.? Also mentioned in that article was more demand from Key Lake's customers to move more cargo as a big reason for getting the Anderson going again. Possibly Key Lake's may be running some of the cargo that may be needed after the St. Clair fire or I wonder if someone other than CN will charter the boat to fill that void?

I have always been much more of a fan of the vessels with the forward and after cabins. They're a part of history and much more appealing than the single cabin vessels that have come on since. I know times are changing but I still like the older design much better. As far as I'm concerned, to get one more AAA boat out and running is a great plus!

If memory serves me correctly, the Anderson at one time carried salt which is never good for a boat. I recall hearing at the time that when a boat starts carrying salt that's the end of her life. If that's so, she will need a lot of iron work inside plus eliminating the damage from those salt runs, if indeed that is true about the salt runs. Anyone out there know about that?

Thanks Lakerguy. My nephew is 11 and very interested in the Fitzgerald, and he was excited when I let him know the Anderson may be back out soon. Most anybody should see the value in a tangible connection to an event in the past that holds interest, whether consciously or unconsciously.

This makes it official.

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/busin ... rn-service

Actually Anderson related.

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/busin ... arly-ships

Jon Paul wrote:Sadly though many of the ships and crews that actually saved lives during storms are forgotten in the phenomenon surrounding the Fitzgerald sinking.
The USCGC Sundew bravely set out into Lake Michigan looking for survivors from the sinking of the Carl D Bradley and found Frank Mays and Elmer Fleming. Going out in a deadly storm in a 180' round bottom bouy tender with a skeleton crew under the command of Lt Cmdr Muth was in the finest tradition of the old unofficial Coast Guard motto.."you have to go out..you don't have to come back".
Unfortunately the Sundew is mostly a forgotten footnote now a days and no one was clamoring to make it a museum when her days were done.
In 1953 when the Henry Steinbrenner sank in a violent spring storm off Isle Royale, the Wilfred Sykes, Joseph Thompson and D M Clemson came to the rescue. The Sykes even launched 1 of its lifeboats in the storm tossed seas and retrieved 2 survivors. The Clemsons crew saved 7 men and the Thompson picked up the forward end raft with Capt Stiglin and 4 other crewman.
In April of '77 when the Charles M White was rafted next to the Thompson in Lorain I happened to see the fine brass plaque on the spar deck forward cabin bulkhead honoring the Thompson and her heroic crew for their participation in the rescue...I wonder if that is still there after its conversion to a barge.
It's not feasible to make every historic ship a museum but it is important for us who love the lakes and the boats that sail on them to honor and remember all those who bravely answered the call when their shipmates were in need.

Thank you, Jon Paul for making us aware of the vessels and their crews who responded to these (previously unknown to me) incidents. More recently, at least two active ships (one US and one Canadian) responded to emergency calls and aided in the rescues of private boaters in the waters they were transiting.

navarch wrote:although keep in mind she'll likely need a good amount of steel work and fitting out of a steam plant that's been dormant for several years - not cheap!

If laid up properly like I'm sure she was, her steam plant won't need any more work than it normally would when exiting layup, unless it was in need of repairs then.

She's only been idle for barely two years. Shouldn't of created any special issues here like a true long-term layup would.

Sadly though many of the ships and crews that actually saved lives during storms are forgotten in the phenomenon surrounding the Fitzgerald sinking.
The USCGC Sundew bravely set out into Lake Michigan looking for survivors from the sinking of the Carl D Bradley and found Frank Mays and Elmer Fleming. Going out in a deadly storm in a 180' round bottom bouy tender with a skeleton crew under the command of Lt Cmdr Muth was in the finest tradition of the old unofficial Coast Guard motto..."you have to go out..you don't have to come back".
Unfortunately the Sundew is mostly a forgotten footnote now a days and no one was clamoring to make it a museum when her days were done.
In 1953 when the Henry Steinbrenner sank in a violent spring storm off Isle Royale, the Wilfred Sykes, Joseph Thompson and D M Clemson came to the rescue. The Sykes even launched 1 of its lifeboats in the storm tossed seas and retrieved 2 survivors. The Clemsons crew saved 7 men and the Thompson picked up the forward end raft with Capt Stiglin and 4 other crewman.
In April of '77 when the Charles M White was rafted next to the Thompson in Lorain I happened to see the fine brass plaque on the spar deck forward cabin bulkhead honoring the Thompson and her heroic crew for their participation in the rescue...I wonder if that is still there after its conversion to a barge.
It's not feasible to make every historic ship a museum but it is important for us who love the lakes and the boats that sail on them to honor and remember all those who bravely answered the call when their shipmates were in need.

Well said Lakerguy. To each his own everyone likes the boats of their choice.

Well said, Lakerguy.

I'll probably get roasted for saying this but as a history teacher and boatnerd I would like to finally chime in on this whole "she has history" vs. "she's just another ship" debate.

Yes. She is just another ship. Yes. She has sister ships. However her connection to history does make her unique and that is what makes any historical site/object so. Sure, if she hadn't been following the Fitzgerald that night she wouldn't fascinate nearly as many people as she does now. But by the same token, without a major battle taking place, nobody would know the name Gettysburg today. We wouldn't have ever heard of the Carpathia except she rescued the survivors of the Titanic. The beaches of Normandy would just be another shoreline except for what transpired there. Our world of full of demonstrations that a connection to history does indeed create a specialness in the minds of people.

In my own classroom I have a young 6th grader who is a growing boatnerd who is fascinated by the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I told him this news today and he lit up with excitement and hopes he gets to see her. That connection to history has inspired a young mind to learn, to become interested in an entire industry. Why would we demean that and claim it's "just a boat"? What if someone said that to this young student? Might that curb their enthusiasm? May they feel foolish about being so interested and quit wanting to learn more about the story, or the industry?

At the end of the day, yes, the Arthur M. Anderson is just a chunk of dead lifeless steel, not even unique in her design. But her connection to history has grabbed the imagination of many, and kept her in the forefront people's minds. What grabs at us is the idea "if only that steel could talk". While it may not interest you, there assuredly is someone else who finds it exciting and inspires them to a lifetime of fun and learning. It's time to stop with the negativity and let people follow the boats for whatever reasons draw them into the hobby. Just because her story does not give her any extra monetary value, it does necessarily mean it gives her no value at all.