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A long time ago, I was shown a photograph that shows the Daniel J Morrell and the Fitzgerald in the Soo locks in the what appears to be the very early 60s. Has anyone else seen this photograph or known where it was published. Also are there any of the Fitzgerald and Homer together at some point? Tha...

Since the Fitzgerald had a greater freeboard than the Anderson, then how come the later didn't have issues with leaking hatchcovers the Fitzgerald is alleged to have had? With less freeboard, the Anderson would have been more impacted by the large waves that afternoon and evening than the Fitzgeral...

I didn't realize those were crow's nests on the masts, I always assumed they were just safety platforms with railings to assist in the servicing of mast lights and radar components. That's what they are there for not crows nests. And look outs were not long gone in the 70's. I spent many a watch on...

This is a interesting topic, I'm not an expert but I can give you an educated opinion. Unlike the ocean where seas can set awash a deck quite often, it is almost unheard of since the Fitzgerald sinking that vessels venture out regularly with green seas going over the decks. Most of the time they anc...

Just a little bit of a artistic flair. There's some practical use for nice weather days as the flair would reach up to the chest on an average height person allowing them to lean comfortably and be shielded by any spray. However, very few people were ever up there. It's similar why both masts have a...

Thank you all for the replies. I want to hunt down photographs of the old lakers being scrapped in the 40s and 50s. Thank you again Mr. Link for posting a very interesting video.

Here's a view of a steamer and her consort positioned right next to one another. The Poe (old one), could typically accommodate between 4-6 vessels per transit.

What other scrap yards were on the lakes before the current one in Port Colburn? The Depression, the end of WW2, and the mid 50s were major eras for scrapping the old steamers of the 1880s-1910s. I'm not familiar with how they recycled the steel on those boats either. There were a few graveyards in ...

It was discussed about last year around this time in a old thread. But the Spartan is in bad shape and is likely heading to the scrappers down the line. She's just used for whatever spare parts are left. The deck is completely rotted out and lots of water and moisture abound in the hull. Mr. Laffert...

the white vessel in the photo might not this be the ss lambton a canadian goverment light house tender? good photo for being well over 100 years old Not the Lambton. The vessel pictured has a different superstructure profile along with a different bow. I'd also guess she's 30-40ft longer too. Littl...

That is certainly one of the most unique conversions I have seen. She must have been a good winter work boat with that rounded bow and wide deck.

Yes, though both were cannalers and both changed their rigging to be nearly identical except for the pilothouses.

Here is the Northton as the Novadoc.

I have had a couple thoughts on whether or not sister ships were planned for a few vessels. My first question revolves around the Roger Blough. I have an old book from the late 1960s that feature the impressionalist image of the Roger Blough as US Steel's first supership. Did they have any plans to ...

Although iron ore is far from being the only cargo hauled by US flagged carriers it is over 50% of the total seasonal average of cargoes according to the Lake Carriers Association's own numbers, with the next largest single commodity being limestone which only averages out to about 50% of the iron ...

The agreement was made that the US would shoot down the balloon and the Canadians would retrieve the remains. It's just that simple. This balloon was nowhere as big as the 1st balloon shot down in the Atlantic. Remains might be hard to locate. According to the DOD, NORAD and NSC spokesman Kirby it ...

This tells me that we have overvalued the Blough for years on monetary worth. I was guessing she was worth in 2018 $100> million. Looks like she was only worth half that if not a third. This tells me the entirety of the American Fleet is not worth a whole heck of a lot. All 13 footers combined are p...

Thanks for the interesting information. Has a ship ever run out of bunkers (oil or coal) and required refueling away from a fuel dock? It was an abnormal event in the last two decades of the 19th century for steamers to burn through their entire fuel source but it did occur when battling storms or ...

Realizing it is a mute point, I am curious as to knowing if 1 or 2 ballast tanks on the Fitzgerald were breached, could the water somehow find it's way into the cargo hold? I always thought ballast tanks were separate and basically watertight. The list the Fitzgerald reported is very possibly relat...

Realizing it is a mute point, I am curious as to knowing if 1 or 2 ballast tanks on the Fitzgerald were breached, could the water somehow find it's way into the cargo hold? I always thought ballast tanks were separate and basically watertight. The list the Fitzgerald reported is very possibly relat...

We will see in the spring. She might be sitting awhile looking for a new buyer too. I keep hearing rumors that her hull is warped or the steel is not too brittle in a area. My friend who worked on her in the yard says he thinks she's sound enough for a rebuild as the most intense heat was in the upp...