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I see on AIS that the Samuel de Champlain left its Detroit lay up and is showing a destination of Toledo. The cement ATB with its barge Innovation made an early run into the Saginaw River last year. I wonder if they will be first on the river this year?

The video of the Hulett Unloaders in operation that was linked from today's (01/30/2024) Boatnerd News is outstanding. They were giant examples of amazing engineering.

Cannot help on whether or not Lake Superior employed them. Sorry.

On Friday, October 6, 2023 the Sharon M I was pushing the barge Huron Spirit as it went downbound (south) by Oscoda, Michigan with a full load. The mounds of stone were clearly visible on Huron Spirit. On Sunday, October 8, the Sharon M I was upbound (north) passing Oscoda but was clearly towing Hur...

Today the Sam Laud is in Port Gypsum, near Tawas City MI. Their destination after loading at Port Gypsum is often Waukegan.

September 8th seems like a particularly brutal day in the history of the Great Lakes. The loss of life on the LADY ELGIN (297-350), the HIPPOCAMPUS (36) , and the ADVANCE (7) are described in the current edition of "Today in Great Lakes History - September 8." Be careful out there!!

There is a very interesting article on the new Mark W Barker's cargo holds in today's (9/1/23) Boatnerd News. The article mentions the cargo holds are square rather than "V" shaped. I always assumed the "V" shape was used to direct bulk cargoes to the moving conveyor for unloadin...

Great question. While I don't have an answer, I have often wondered about the access to the raised pilot houses on ATB Tugs. On some I see exterior ladders, but I have suspected that there may be another access as well.

I believe the boom was out about 12:30 pm on June 25. And, as of about 9:45 pm, the M/V Sam Laud is upbound off of Oscoda, MI. Not sure the nature of the delayed loading, but they are definitely underway once again.

I have noticed the M/V Sam Laud has been in Port Gypsum near Alabaster and Tawas City, MI since Thursday, June 22. While the Laud is a regular visitor to Port Gypsum, this seems like an unusually extended stay. Anybody know of any problems?

I whole heartedly agree. Some fantastic photography in today's Port Reports.

The Olive L Moore/Menominee has loaded in Cedarville before. That said, I notice that sometimes ships loading in this area are shown as being loaded at Port Dolomite. Perhaps Cedarville and Port Dolomite are two names for the same place? Port Dolomite ships stone comprised of calcium carbonate that ...

Thank you Sir. I learned something new today.

Thank you for your great response. And it makes sense. Interestingly, on Monday May 29 both the Olive L Moore/Menominee (upbound) and the Mark W Barker (downbound) passed by Oscoda relatively close to shore. Your comment about strong western winds makes a lot of sense. I've noticed even ships coming...

From my place on Lake Huron near Oscoda, Michigan, I often see both upbound and downbound freighters. Traditionally, they passed by close enough to get a pretty good view of them through the binoculars, particularly those going to or from Saginaw River ports. That said, I have very recently noticed ...

In the Know Your Ships guide, the Glossary refers to Deck Sprinklers. Their primary use is to cool the deck on hot sunny days to reduce the temperature differential above and below the waterline. This prevents hogging. It would seem that Deck Sprinklers could also do the job of washing down the deck...

The USLSS was largely a volunteer service for many years. In volunteer services, families often play a large role. Even today on the Volunteer Fire Department that I have served for close to 30 years, families get involved. The firefighters are very grateful for the refreshments, traffic control, an...

While doing some reading on the use of Lyle Guns, I saw a picture that definitely showed some women involved in the rescue of a stranded ship from a shore based operation. And, the caption read that the team depicted was a part of the United States Life Saving Service. Lyle Guns were line throwing g...

I very much enjoy the "Boatnerd News" and "Today In Great Lakes History" sections. I used to spend a great deal of time sailing on Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, and Lake Huron's North Channel. So I often check out the "Saginaw River Images" postings by Mr Todd Shorkey in the...

Thank you very much for the help. This will be my test post.