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38 years ago today.....

Just Jack

By Just Jack
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ExiledInIllinois Hall of Famer

ExiledInIllinois

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Speaking of lakers... Wifred Sykes, who loaded opposite Edmund Fitzgerald 38 years ago, is just getting ready to depart the ore docks @ Indiana Harbor and head out to lake as we speak... Lot of those boats of the Fitz' era are still running and surely would the Fitzgerald be running too today if not for that tragic event. Kinda amazing what service life these boats have! St. Mary's Challenger is still running after 107 years... Built as the William P. Snyder in 1906... It still runs steam today, fueled by bunker oil... Works year in and year out since 1906:

 

http://www.boatnerd....schallenger.htm

 

Converted from coal to oil... Badger (car ferry) still runs coal between Ludington, MI & Manitowoc, WI... It drives the enviros (and the EPA) nuts! ^_^

 

"Currently holding the honors of being the oldest lake boat still trading on the Great Lakes, the self unloading cement carrier St. Marys Challenger was built as a traditional Great Lakes bulk carrier as hull #17 by Great Lakes Engineering Works, Ecorse (Detroit), MI in 1906. This veteran of the lakes was launched February 7, 1906 as the William P. Snyder for Shenango Steamship & Transportation Co. (subsidiary of Shenango Furnace Co.), Cleveland, OH. Retaining her original overall dimensions, the St. Marys Challenger is now powered by a Skinner Marine Unaflow 4 cylinder reciprocating steam engine burning heavy fuel oil rated at 3,500 i.h.p. (2,611 kW) with 2 water tube boilers. The power is fed to a single fixed pitch propeller and the vessel is equipped with a bow thruster. The vessel is capable of carrying 10,250 tons (10,415 mt) in 8 holds at mid summer draft of 21’09” (6.63m). Cargoes of bulk or powdered cement can be unloaded by a fully automated system including air slides, conveyor equipment and bucket elevators feeding a forward mounted 48’ (14.63m) discharge boom.

Of note, the St. Marys Challenger is one of only two remaining U.S. flagged vessels still active on the Great Lakes to be powered by the classic Skinner Marine Unaflow steam engine. The other vessel is the car ferry Badger (2) which is powered by two of these engines and, in turn, remains as the only coal fired vessel still in active service on the Great Lakes. The only remaining Canadian-flagged steamer powered by a Canadian-built (Vickers) Skinner Unaflow engine is the James Norris..."

 

Here @ the lock we move a lot of residual fuel oil through... Resid alone is about 1/4 million tons+ a year... Mostly with the southern boats from Louisiana, Texas, & Oklahoma moving it. I always wondered what they do with it. Surely the St. Mary's Challenger is taking some of that off their hands.

Edited by ExiledInIllinois
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drinkTHEkoolaid Veteran

drinkTHEkoolaid

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Speaking of lakers... Wifred Sykes, who loaded opposite Edmund Fitzgerald 38 years ago, is just getting ready to depart the ore docks @ Indiana Harbor and head out to lake as we speak... Lot of those boats of the Fitz' era are still running and surely would the Fitzgerald be running too today if not for that tragic event. Kinda amazing what service life these boats have! St. Mary's Challenger is still running after 107 years... Built as the William P. Snyder in 1906... It still runs steam today, fueled by bunker oil... Works year in and year out since 1906:

 

http://www.boatnerd....schallenger.htm

 

Converted from coal to oil... Badger (car ferry) still runs coal between Ludington, MI & Manitowoc, WI... It drives the enviros (and the EPA) nuts! ^_^

 

"Currently holding the honors of being the oldest lake boat still trading on the Great Lakes, the self unloading cement carrier St. Marys Challenger was built as a traditional Great Lakes bulk carrier as hull #17 by Great Lakes Engineering Works, Ecorse (Detroit), MI in 1906. This veteran of the lakes was launched February 7, 1906 as the William P. Snyder for Shenango Steamship & Transportation Co. (subsidiary of Shenango Furnace Co.), Cleveland, OH. Retaining her original overall dimensions, the St. Marys Challenger is now powered by a Skinner Marine Unaflow 4 cylinder reciprocating steam engine burning heavy fuel oil rated at 3,500 i.h.p. (2,611 kW) with 2 water tube boilers. The power is fed to a single fixed pitch propeller and the vessel is equipped with a bow thruster. The vessel is capable of carrying 10,250 tons (10,415 mt) in 8 holds at mid summer draft of 21’09” (6.63m). Cargoes of bulk or powdered cement can be unloaded by a fully automated system including air slides, conveyor equipment and bucket elevators feeding a forward mounted 48’ (14.63m) discharge boom.

Of note, the St. Marys Challenger is one of only two remaining U.S. flagged vessels still active on the Great Lakes to be powered by the classic Skinner Marine Unaflow steam engine. The other vessel is the car ferry Badger (2) which is powered by two of these engines and, in turn, remains as the only coal fired vessel still in active service on the Great Lakes. The only remaining Canadian-flagged steamer powered by a Canadian-built (Vickers) Skinner Unaflow engine is the James Norris..."

 

Here @ the lock we move a lot of residual fuel oil through... Resid alone is about 1/4 million tons+ a year... Mostly with the southern boats from Louisiana, Texas, & Oklahoma moving it. I always wondered what they do with it. Surely the St. Mary's Challenger is taking some of that off their hands.

 

Does the challenger deliver in buffalo? I think I've seen it.

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ExiledInIllinois Hall of Famer

ExiledInIllinois

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Does the challenger deliver in buffalo? I think I've seen it.

 

Not sure. When did you think you saw it? She was the Medusa Challenger back way back when? Here is the Lakes fleet, St.Mary's Cement is outta Toronto:

 

http://www.boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/

 

"...She earned a spot in Chicago infamy between 1968 and 1979, when she unloaded regularly at the old Penn Dixie pier on Goose Island. Routinely, bridges that opened as wide as possible to allow her through would become stuck in the up position in her wake.

The Challenger remains the longest ship ever to traverse the Chicago River."

 

In the past years it was used here from Lake Calumet up The Lake (Sturgeon Bay/judington??) and back... It may have hit BFLO in its 107 years of service?? It is making its last run this year and then being converted to a barge.

 

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/11/09/st-marys-challenger-makes-final-run-before-barge-conversion/

 

It is now going back up lake .. Any shock they found Asian carp eDNA up in Sturgeon Bay... But that is another story! :doh::wallbash:

 

There was a short film (1977) named after it:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medusa_Challenger

 

I was like 5 years old.

 

I was 7. :nana:

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Marv's Neighbor All Pro

Marv's Neighbor

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By the time that happened, Buffalo's best days as a Port were in the past.

 

My Dad used to take me down to Ohio St. to see whatever was "wintering" in the Canal. I couldn't say if I ever saw the Fitzgerald, but it really brings back a lot of memories! As I recall, that winter 75-76 was pretty bad, only to be followed by the Blizzard in '77.

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