Huron Ohio Question

[Guest]

Garbear, you are correct on the US Steel's proposed steel mill for Conneaut, that would have been located to the east of the existing ore dock. Plan was to extend the existing ore dock 400 feet north, then a new ore dock at a 45 degree angle from the northerly extension. The plant would have used 7.8 million tons of iron ore pellets, 2.6 million tons of ore, 1.4 million tons of limestone and 6 million tons of coal.

It was planned to construct the new dock and extension between 1984-1987.

An image of the new ore dock is enclosed.

- Brian

[old sailor]

In 1997 or 1998 the Barge Sarah Spencer laid up at grain elevator with a storage load over the winter in Huron.

[garbear]

I have the blueprint in my collection for the changes needed to bring in a 1,000 footer and it was not a big deal at all. Just a shame it didn't happen or work out. Strait in and straight out. Life can be simple.

Would they have used the stone dock, or just add a hopper at the northend of the ore dock?

US Steel had a plan to build an ore dock for thousand-footers at Lorain by using the westside of the then existing coal dock.

- Brian

Believe USS also had plans to put a mill in Conneaut.

[Guest]

I have the blueprint in my collection for the changes needed to bring in a 1,000 footer and it was not a big deal at all. Just a shame it didn't happen or work out. Strait in and straight out. Life can be simple.

Would they have used the stone dock, or just add a hopper at the northend of the ore dock?

US Steel had a plan to build an ore dock for thousand-footers at Lorain by using the westside of the then existing coal dock.

- Brian

[Clarkjol]

I have the blueprint in my collection for the changes needed to bring in a 1,000 footer and it was not a big deal at all. Just a shame it didn't happen or work out. Strait in and straight out. Life can be simple.

[pcolachap]

If you watched the Nickel Plate segment, would you care to venture a guest which Hanna (National Steel) boat that was unloading in Huron? The video is 1953 published, but the film could be a year earlier. How about the Albert E. Heekin?

[Guest]

The John A France was laid-up in Huron Ohio over the Winter of 1991/92.

https://images.maritimehistoryofthegrea ... page/17?n=

Canadian Ranger laid-up in Huron in 1992/93.

- Brian

[Guest]

Can anyone confirm that a Misener boat wintered at the grain dock in the mid 90's per the original poster? I know ULS's Seaway Queen did in '91.

[Guest]

There's a 20 minute educational film on YouTube called The Nickel Plate Story from 1952. They show loading and unloading at Huron starting around the 5:15 mark, although there are a few glimpses of it earlier in the film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azKAtCg1_p0

[guest]

The Charles M Beeghly has been to the ore dock and she 806 feet long. Also the Kaye Barker at 770 feet

[Guest]

An excellent softbound booklet on the port of Huron, Ohio docks is the Nickel Plate Road Magazine issue from Winter/Spring 1988 by Eric Hersimaki (sp?). Lots of photos and information on the history of the port including the facilities and locomotives owned by Nickel Plate Railroad. Especially interesting to me are the Huletts that were used at the port, including the two steam-hydraulic "Water Dogs" that were built in 1913/14 and their replacements in 1950.

- Brian

[Jon Paul]

Here are a few of the photos. It was the Labradoc that was loading at the grain elevator

[Jon Paul]

I've posted photos of unloading in Huron. We would take natural red iron ore in there and it was one of my favorite ports.
I have a photo of a Paterson boat, I believe the Lawrendoc next to us at the grain elevator.

[Guest]

The area you have circled is Slip #1. It was the location for the coal dock The coal dumper was on the right side of the slip. After Nickel Plate merged with Norfolk and Western Railway, the Huron coal dock was a casualty of the merger, since it duplicated the coal dock in Sandusky. The J.E. Upson was the last vessel to load coal at the Huron, Ohio coal dock on November 10, 1964.

If memory serves me correctly, the St. Clair was the largest vessel to unload iron ore at Huron.

- Brian

Thanks. I have a postcard of the Lemoyne loading coal at Huron so that must be where it was loading!

[Guest]

The area you have circled is Slip #1. It was the location for the coal dock The coal dumper was on the right side of the slip. After Nickel Plate merged with Norfolk and Western Railway, the Huron coal dock was a casualty of the merger, since it duplicated the coal dock in Sandusky. The J.E. Upson was the last vessel to load coal at the Huron, Ohio coal dock on November 10, 1964.

If memory serves me correctly, the St. Clair was the largest vessel to unload iron ore at Huron.

- Brian

[pcolachap]

Hello Guest! The ore unloaded in Huron would go to the Wheeling Pittsburg Steel Corp mills, either Mingo Junction, OH or Monessen PA. The slip you circled used to have a coal loading machine. In the 40s dad told of going to Huron with ore. Then, "the ship left left light, the crew loaded". The era was the war years and the vessels would have been Hanna's Joe Wood or the LaBelle, both "orphans" i.e. not owned by National Steel.

[Guest]

In looking at satellite imagery of Huron, it looks like it would have required quite a bit of work to modify the ore dock for 1,000 foot ships unless it was intended for them to unload from the main channel without having to make that turn into the slip. It looks like the grain elevator came down sometime between 2011 and 2014. I have seen several pictures of the Hanna boats (Weir, Thompson, Humphrey, etc.) unloading at Huron. Where did this ore go?

As an aside, I have attached a satellite image from 2015. What was the slip highlighted by the circle used for?

[clarkjol]

Huron could or can hold two 730' at one time, nothing larger. There were plans at one time to modify the ore dock for 1,000 footers, but never came to pass. The grain elevator is long gone and no concrete plans have been made on the future of the ore dock. Carmuese had the limestone dock repaired, but to my knowledge no lakers has used it, since the takeover of Huron Limestone.

[Guest]

Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s I used to go past Huron Ohio quite a bit while traveling between Toledo and Lorain and you could see the occasional ship at the ore dock or tied up at the grain elevator. It always appeared that both had been in operation for several decades. Was the slip wide enough for more modern and larger ships (post 1940s) to have two docked at both facilities at the same time? Do ships still go to Huron or is the port now closed? If so, what were the last to visit? I recall one time in the mid-1990s that a Misener 730-footer (France or McWatters) spent the winter there that I thought was somewhat unusual.