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I am surprised that Interlake would put a flat bottom cargo hold in the new Mark Barker. This makes unloads longer and much more difficult to clean the holds before loading a different type of cargo. I believe Pathfinder had this configuration in 1997 before being reconfigured to sloping sides. In 1...

More than likely a stupid question from someone with zero sailing experience, but when bad weather forces ships to go to anchor and wait it out, is that pretty much "free time" for most of the crew, or business as usual? Anchor time is a relaxed time for the deck department. The mate on w...

It is a myth that a pilot is an adviser. Some marine academies are still misinforming their students. But marine lawyers and courts do not agree with you. In all Canadian waters of the Great Lakes and in designated U.S. waters, essentially rivers and harbors of the Great Lakes, navigation MUST be u...

When the Columbia Star came out in 1981 there were pictures of it having chains in its cargo hold reportedly to loosen clumps of iron ore pellets. Did this work? Were any other ships so equipped? I assume you mean the chains that connect high up the side and lay on the slope of the cargo hold. I do...

Changing the employment terms once they are underway? Modern day Shanghaiing. If true this will be a large legal problem for Rand. Them boats are work boats. I know, I worked on them. Back aways they cut the crew by four guys - two on deck, two in the engineroom. Docking once a day or two, hosing c...

The 600 foot ore carrier Kinsman Independent was hand fired until its demise in 1973. This was the Independent built around 1907. Two firemen per watch. When I was on there in 1973 on the 4-8 watch, the smaller fireman would have 6 eggs for breakfast after shoveling for 4 hours. The bigger guy would...

Guest wrote:Are they heated? Seat inside?

I get my ships mixed up but I believe the St Clair lookout box had a seat, heater, and light. Probably a phone too but I don't recall. I do recall not being able to see out the window in December and January due to a covering of ice.

That is a tiny lookout station used mainly in cold weather. Small, but so much better than standing outside. I spent many hours in those little boxes and enjoyed them. I did get caught reading a newspaper one time but turns out the mate just wanted to know if I would play poker after watch.

1977-1981 You worked the cold years. I worked as an AB on the Adam E. Cornelius Nov 1978 - mid Jan 1979. The plan was to run through the winter. We even tied up for a week in Chicago so crew could go home for Christmas (I stayed aboard). Unfortunately, we cracked a bow plate the third week of Januar...

Before operating ballast pumps would someone need to go out on deck to open ballast tank vents?

Will a new construction like the Mark Barker have the unloading gates operated from on deck or does a "gateman" still need to be in the hold to open/close gates. What about ballasting? Is that still done from the engine room? Crewing certainly differs form the 70s when you had a gateman, t...

So is there an official turning over of the conn? Does the skipper automatically take over when he's in the pilot house? As a mate I always waited for the captain to say "I have the conn" or I would ask him if he has the conn. You need everyone to help prevent accidents. Take the most fam...

"Great Lakes Fitted" probably refers to the vessel being able to "fit" through all of the the locks. Their size is much less than 740' x 78'.

Just a few sensible policies and procedures would have prevented this catastrophe. Require a fire watch for 2 hours after hot work Require ship keeper on board after hot work Require portable heaters to be unplugged when unattended. No leaving work site until source of smoke identified and secured. ...

Crews do get out on deck with sledge hammers and hot water hoses. I recall spending a below zero night on Lake Superior hosing and bashing foot-thick ice off hatch covers on an Oglebay Norton footer. Lake Superior, below zero, middle of the night, spray coming over the bow and out there in full rain...

With the numerous Great Lakes companies where I worked I always had to arrange my own travel. The company reimbursed according to the union contracts. Oglebay Norton gave us a paper with airline, bus, and car rental phone numbers. On ocean ships the company always arranged travel from my home airpor...

Were any renovations done at the Mobile shipyard? What were the cost of the renovations? I believe the $178,000 mentioned as being owed is for the trip to the Mobile shipyard. Online articles indicate the Bramble's owner had a difficult spring-summer in 2018 with bankruptcies, theft and fraud charge...

I could have my ships mixed up but I believe in late 1973 I was on the C.H. McCoullough Jr. for a grain load to Hamilton and also a grain load to Toronto. The unloads took a couple days so I had time up the street. I believe that was the ship with a hand lever to pump up air pressure for the air sta...

How many days can one of these ships run between fuel-ups? I would think close to two weeks. The ABS website lists the American Century having a fuel capacity of 505 CuM and 485 tons. No gallons listed. I worked on a couple of footers and fuzzily think they had a fuel capacity around 150,000 gallon...

It's both amusing and sad that Great Lakes Fleet advertises for "Able Bodied Seamen". The correct name is Able Seaman. There is no such thing as Able Bodied Seaman. The "AB" abbreviation came about as a way to better differentiate from OS (ordinary seaman) especially when written...