CCGS Pierre Radisson stern damage

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Mr Link
Posts: 1196
Joined: December 6, 2014, 3:43 pm

Re: CCGS Pierre Radisson stern damage

Unread post by Mr Link »

Diver Dan wrote:The old Mackinaw was built with a stern notch, allowing them to winch a following vessel right up tight for close escort work. Did they do this often? Did the trailing vessel use her engines to assist or were they just towed through the ice?
I wonder why this wasn't used more - too time-consuming to connect to each vessel ? Or was it too dangerous for the cutter - would the following vessel help force the cutter through the tight spots, or would it damage the cutter hull if the cutter became wedged in suddenly?
Did having the trailing vessel in the notch impair her ability to "rock-and-roll" with her moveable ballast ?

I don't think it was ever common on the Great Lakes but its a practice still common in other areas. There are numerous videos on Youtube of icebreakers in the Baltic Sea using their towing notches. And in 2019, the Canadian icebreaker Captain Molly Kool used its fendered notch to tow the Desgagnes tanker Jana Desgagnes about 185 km through the ice. In that case the tanker was not stuck but rather was disabled, without steering, in ice fairly close to shore. https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2019/03/22/can ... il-tanker/

And in most videos I've seen, the towed vessel does assist with propulsion.
Guest

Re: CCGS Pierre Radisson stern damage

Unread post by Guest »

Diver Dan wrote:The old Mackinaw was built with a stern notch, allowing them to winch a following vessel right up tight for close escort work. Did they do this often? Did the trailing vessel use her engines to assist or were they just towed through the ice?
I wonder why this wasn't used more - too time-consuming to connect to each vessel ? Or was it too dangerous for the cutter - would the following vessel help force the cutter through the tight spots, or would it damage the cutter hull if the cutter became wedged in suddenly?
Did having the trailing vessel in the notch impair her ability to "rock-and-roll" with her moveable ballast ?

Since watching the ships since the late 1970s early 1980s I have never heard of the Mackinaw having used its stern notch during that timeframe. I do recall seeing a postcard that showed the Mackinaw using this configuration with a Huron cement boat, which I believe was the S. T. Crapo. As the cement boat's hull was green at the time that would place the timeframe sometime between the mid-1940s to late 1960s.
Diver Dan
Posts: 140
Joined: June 23, 2010, 6:18 am

Re: CCGS Pierre Radisson stern damage

Unread post by Diver Dan »

The old Mackinaw was built with a stern notch, allowing them to winch a following vessel right up tight for close escort work. Did they do this often? Did the trailing vessel use her engines to assist or were they just towed through the ice?
I wonder why this wasn't used more - too time-consuming to connect to each vessel ? Or was it too dangerous for the cutter - would the following vessel help force the cutter through the tight spots, or would it damage the cutter hull if the cutter became wedged in suddenly?
Did having the trailing vessel in the notch impair her ability to "rock-and-roll" with her moveable ballast ?
cpfan
Posts: 790
Joined: March 29, 2010, 2:04 pm
Location: Welland Ontario

Re: CCGS Pierre Radisson stern damage

Unread post by cpfan »

guest wrote:i see the ship that had the collision with the pierre radison has been detained at the pilot station at escoumins for not having any heat in the bridge of the vessel.
The Federal Crimson is currently at Becancour Quebec, so it is not currently detained at Les Ecoumins.
guest

Re: CCGS Pierre Radisson stern damage

Unread post by guest »

i see the ship that had the collision with the pierre radison has been detained at the pilot station at escoumins for not having any heat in the bridge of the vessel.
garbear

Re: CCGS Pierre Radisson stern damage

Unread post by garbear »

paulbeesley wrote:Been there, done that! Close escort work in ice means just that - close. It's close because if distance was increased the flow of ice caused by wind, tide, current would quickly fill in the 'track' and leave the merchant ship in a compromised position. Or, the merchant ship may find itself being pushed by ice into a dangerous position and attempts must be made to extricate it quickly.

While icebreakers have lots of power and manoeuverability merchant ships don't. If for any reason the icebreaker stops, such as very heavy ice or restricted areas in an iced-up narrow waterway, the merchant ship may not have enough power or manoeuverability to avoid contact.

Close escort work in ice can be, at times, a contact sport!
Was on the Clarke in March of 1976 when we rear ended the Mackinaw in Whitefish after the Mackinaw came to a stop and we couldn't. Ended up going to AmShip in Lorain for repairs.
paulbeesley

CCGS Pierre Radisson stern damage

Unread post by paulbeesley »

Been there, done that! Close escort work in ice means just that - close. It's close because if distance was increased the flow of ice caused by wind, tide, current would quickly fill in the 'track' and leave the merchant ship in a compromised position. Or, the merchant ship may find itself being pushed by ice into a dangerous position and attempts must be made to extricate it quickly.

While icebreakers have lots of power and manoeuverability merchant ships don't. If for any reason the icebreaker stops, such as very heavy ice or restricted areas in an iced-up narrow waterway, the merchant ship may not have enough power or manoeuverability to avoid contact.

Close escort work in ice can be, at times, a contact sport!
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