Fraser Shipyards Question

[William Lafferty]

Is this the R.L. Ireland that was sister to the Schuck (Hydrus) and Woodruff (Argus) of the Gilchrist fleet?

No. That was the R. L. Ireland that became Ontadoc. The vessel in question was the Robert L. Ireland of 1914.

[Guest]

The Joseph H. Frantz was laidup for a few years in the early 60s due to a recession. So stayed at Fraser until she was towed down to Manitowoc for her self-unloader conversion in 1964-65.

At the same time Columbia purchased the Pioneer Challenger and renamed her Middletown. So the Frantz was laidup instead.

[Guest]

Any ideas as to why the Joseph H. Frantz would be laid up at the yard at this time? Looks like it is completely shuttered as if it was either already laid up for the season or had never sailed that year.

[Jared]

The larger one is the Robert L. Ireland, converted to a floating dry dock by Fraser-Nelson in 1961. The other barge seems the fore section of another vessel, perhaps the Carrollton, half of which was saved when dismantled, but the beam seems too wide.

Is this the R.L. Ireland that was sister to the Schuck (Hydrus) and Woodruff (Argus) of the Gilchrist fleet?

[Fat Cat]

Might that be the BF Jones (2) and Edward S Kendrick tied up near the entrance to the shipyard? Looks like older, smaller Wilson boats.

[Guest]

From information I found on page 80 of Patrick Lapinski's book, I think the vessel alongside the Frantz is the hull of the former Robert Ireland, converted to a floating dry dock, I believe this was 1961.

At a quick glance, the other barge hull (with the normal pointed bow) could be the Sadie (see page 83), although I don't see the deck boom that the Sadie was supposed to have at that time.

I'm sure Patrick or others will correct me if I'm mistaken.

Patrick's book "In The Yard" is a very enjoyable history of the yard, with plenty of details and a linear timeline that makes it easy to use a reference.

I can second Patrick Lapinski's book, "In The Yard", as a very enjoyable and packed with a great deal of information on Fraser Shipyard.

In the larger dry dock is the Henry Ford II. In the book by Patrick, he mentions that the vessel entered the dry dock on October 17, 1962 for survey and inspection. During her stay, a bow-thruster was installed, and if one looks closely at the photo, scaffolding around the area of the bow where a bow-thruster would be located is visible.

- Brian

[William Lafferty]

Looking for closely at the smaller barge and its shape, I think it is the fore section of the B. F. Jones, cut down to the barge SSC 1 by Fraser-Nelson in 1956.

[William Lafferty]

The larger one is the Robert L. Ireland, converted to a floating dry dock by Fraser-Nelson in 1961. The other barge seems the fore section of another vessel, perhaps the Carrollton, half of which was saved when dismantled, but the beam seems too wide.

[Diver Dan]

From information I found on page 80 of Patrick Lapinski's book, I think the vessel alongside the Frantz is the hull of the former Robert Ireland, converted to a floating dry dock, I believe this was 1961.

At a quick glance, the other barge hull (with the normal pointed bow) could be the Sadie (see page 83), although I don't see the deck boom that the Sadie was supposed to have at that time.

I'm sure Patrick or others will correct me if I'm mistaken.

Patrick's book "In The Yard" is a very enjoyable history of the yard, with plenty of details and a linear timeline that makes it easy to use a reference.

[Guest]

Fraser Shipyard scrapped several ships in the early 1960s.

The John Stanton, Frank Billings, John S. Manuel were some of the ships scrapped. The former Robert L. Ireland was partially scrapped with a 434-foot section converted to a floating dry dock.

[Guest]

In this postcard of Fraser Shipyards from what appears to have been 1962 (date derived from a similar shot on Fraser's website), what are the identities of the two barges on the right hand of the photograph? The one moored alongside the Joseph H. Frantz appears to be quite large. Were they former lake freighters? Where they used as work barges for the shipyard or were they just docked there at the time? What ultimately happened to them.