by Guest » May 20, 2022, 10:15 am
In the section of the May 14, 2022 News Page relating to the shipyard tours at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, it was incorrectly reported in the article that the United States Steel originally planned to build the Roger Blough as a 1,000 footer but scaled back plans after its engine room fire in 1971. That is incorrect as the fire had no bearing on the length the vessel was built and in fact occurred during the very late stage of its construction as is correctly noted in the article. Rather, USS officials were unconvinced that a 1,000-foot vessel would be able to make some of the turns in the then existing channels in the St. Marys River and this was a key element in the design process, but as the Stewart J. Cort proved when it came out in 1972, the same year as the Blough, this concern was unfounded. I believe that the existing drydock facilities at Lorain, Ohio also played a role in the overall dimensions to which the Blough was built. Perhaps the person who wrote the original article for the Door County Pulse misinterpreted the information from the volunteer. Unfortunately, now that this information is out there in published form, it may be used in future works concerning the Roger Blough.
In the section of the May 14, 2022 News Page relating to the shipyard tours at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, it was incorrectly reported in the article that the United States Steel originally planned to build the Roger Blough as a 1,000 footer but scaled back plans after its engine room fire in 1971. That is incorrect as the fire had no bearing on the length the vessel was built and in fact occurred during the very late stage of its construction as is correctly noted in the article. Rather, USS officials were unconvinced that a 1,000-foot vessel would be able to make some of the turns in the then existing channels in the St. Marys River and this was a key element in the design process, but as the Stewart J. Cort proved when it came out in 1972, the same year as the Blough, this concern was unfounded. I believe that the existing drydock facilities at Lorain, Ohio also played a role in the overall dimensions to which the Blough was built. Perhaps the person who wrote the original article for the Door County Pulse misinterpreted the information from the volunteer. Unfortunately, now that this information is out there in published form, it may be used in future works concerning the Roger Blough.