Soo Locks Transit Question

[Jon Paul]

In the upper image it appears to be either the FITZ or HOMER tied up awaiting downbound passage .

It's the Homer and I took the photo in Aug of '78 after wheeling the White into the Davis and then changing watch at noon

[Guest]

In the upper image it appears to be either the FITZ or HOMER tied up awaiting downbound passage .

It's the Arthur B. Homer. You can see the smaller aftercabin.

[FWE]

In the upper image it appears to be either the FITZ or HOMER tied up awaiting downbound passage .

[Jon Paul]

Here's the photo

[Jon Paul]

I have attached photos of the Charles M White I took upbound in Davis Lock. Similar to the Sabin the mooring bollards were set in the cement on the South side of the lock wall and the bollards on the North side were set apart in the grass. I'm not sure the reasoning for using only the Southside other than the safety of working on an all cement apron for mooring and then being raised in the lock

[Guest]

Why couldn't a boat tie up along the north side of the locks?

[hayhugh]

Almost no South pier to land deckhands on when north bound.

[Jon Paul]

[attachment=0]20231011_104337-1998x1188.jpg[/attachment

This photo of the Poe Lock construction shows the small V shaped pier at the East entrance to #3 Davis and #4 Sabin Locks. This required ships upbound for Sabin to land men on the North Pier but required mooring on the South wall of the lock.

[Ohio Bob]

What were the limiting factors on the Davis that required an upbound "North" landing, but a "south" tie up? Was it something with the design of the locks itself or a rule for where deckhands could be?

[Mr Link]

Early press releases about the new lock said that it would be equipped with an automatic mooring system.

[Guest]

The Sabin Lock is the one that required the vessel to land on the north approach wall, but tie up on the south side of the lock, and it was one of the reasons why the Davis Lock was preferred in the 1970s. By the late 1970s the Sabin Lock was rarely used.

The new lock under construction at the Soo, and which will replace the Sabin Lock will have the approach walls on the north side of the canal - just like the Sabin. Will deckhands still have to secure vessels on the south side or will there be an automatic mooring system, like at the Welland Canal?

[Guest]

Yup I remember those hurried runs. Even as a young guy it was kinda hard especially in slippery weather. Gave me incentive to get my AB ticket!

[Jon Paul]

The line tenders are put ashore well before the locks, on the approach piers. It wouldn’t make sense to then switch sides once in the lock.

When you made the approach into the 4th Lock (Davis?) upbound the deckhands were landed on the Canadian side of the lock, still in the United States, just the Canadian side. You then had to run up and around the North end of the Lock so that the lines were then secured on the American side of the lock ....

I remember having to do when we would get that lock upbound. The pier between the East entrances to Davis and Sabin Locks was just a small V with no room to land men. We would land on the north side and a few times the east gate would be closed and we could make the quick run from landing on the north pier across the gate to the South side. Other times the east gates would be open and it was a long run down the lock then over the west end gates to grab lines on the south side.

[Old Man]

That was a very hard run. You didn't have much steam left by the time you ran around to the other side of the lock. Been there, done that.

[hayhugh]

The line tenders are put ashore well before the locks, on the approach piers. It wouldn’t make sense to then switch sides once in the lock.

When you made the approach into the 4th Lock (Davis?) upbound the deckhands were landed on the Canadian side of the lock, still in the United States, just the Canadian side. You then had to run up and around the North end of the Lock so that the lines were then secured on the American side of the lock ....

[lakercapt1]

When transiting the US Soo locks 2 deck hands were landed on the approach walls and they then carried a heaving line along and into the locks. There they assisted the shore lock crew in securing the boat when in position.
The postcard was very old with no bridge in sight and maybe things were different in those days.

[Squintymagoo]

The Soo Locks are entirely within the US. (Not counting the Canadian lock.)

The line tenders are put ashore well before the locks, on the approach piers. It wouldn’t make sense to then switch sides once in the lock.

[hayhugh]

I started sailing the lakes in the 50s and left for deep sea in the early 70s. the rule at that time was you aways moored for transiting the locks with lines on the American side of the locks !

[Guest]

From what I have seen over the years, it appears that ships mostly tie up in the locks at Sault Ste. Marie on the same side as the approach wall. In the case of the MacArthur Lock, I have seen them stay aligned along the south side of the lock (the side opposite of where the administration building is located). But in the attached image of a postcard from the late 1950s, the Tom M. Girdler appears to be moored on the north side of the MacArthur Lock. There appears to be a cable leading out from the bow toward the north side of the lock. Is there any particular reason for this and is this a standard procedure I have just never seen before? Would this be done to allow more room for maneuvering out of the lock and around a vessel moored on the downstream approach awaiting to lock upbound?