On the last morning of 2012… I arrived at Belanger Park to this sight. The big laker Kaministiqua is unloading a grain cargo at ADM and a gull soars overhead.
This is likely the dock where Kam will winter… she has spent every winter here since she has had this name. Whether or not she will continue her season after unloading I’m not sure.
After unloading at Mistersky yesterday, Norman McLeod has proceeded to Morterm and has gone into lay-up with her barely visible fleetmate John J. Carrick.
The 143′ long articulated tug Everlast is in the notch. The stacks furthest to the left belong to the tug Victorious behind her.
Here’s another view of Kam from further back in the park.
A flock of gulls flies around the river as Indiana Harbor makes her presence known.
The 1000 foot long supership is returning from Conneaut, Ohio where she unloaded ore.
She was built in 1979 under this same name for her current owners, the American Steamship Company.
The big Kaministiqua appears small in comparison to the huge Indy Harbor.
Kam does seem to be the more attractive boat, however. She’s also the roughest of the pair.
Norman McLeod meanwhile… seems tiny when seen with the giant freighter!
Actually, I’m quite glad this Indiana Harbor thing worked out this morning… I had tried to catch her two days ago coming down, but she passed while I was on the Jefferson Avenue drawbridge photographing the Peter R. Cresswell. Now the Harbor represents my last Detroit River transit of 2012.
Also my final 1000 footer of 2012… I managed to see all 13 of them this year.
Now at this point, I figure that my boatwatching year is over and that Indiana Harbor has been my last boat.
I did have one more stop to make though, but not to see a freighter.
I had to make a stop at the Dix St. drawbridge to get a photo of the small bunkering tanker William L. Warner. She is single-hulled, but she will be replacing the double-hulled barge Marysville in Detroit bunkering operations, at least for the next few years. She arrived in Detroit from Chicago a few weeks ago. Behind her is the storage barge LSC 236. Both vessels are sitting at Waterfront Petroleum, where the Warner will get her fuel before bunkering a vessel.
But surprise, surprise: It’s not over yet.
To be honest, I did not expect to see this happen. The barge A-397 has finished loading her asphalt cargo at Marathon and is heading upriver towards the turning basin.
The classy tug Rebecca Lynn is pushing. I caught this pair as they arrived yesterday (I linked to the post somewhere above).
I cross to the other side of the road as Rebecca passes through. She has one stylish stack!
Great lines and a classic design on the Rebecca Lynn. She’s one of the nicer-looking big tugs on the Great Lakes.
The pair quickly turns around in the turning basin, with Severstal Steel in the background.
The turnaround was likely much faster than what a large freighter would be able to do in such a small space. The longest ship that can make it this far up the river is the 826′ long Lee A. Tregurtha, whom I also saw yesterday and featured in the post this morning.
They are almost turned around and start to head forward as the drawbridge goes back up.
I grab a head-on shot as they finish their turn and prepare to go back under and out.
The 270′ long barge is pushed forward and the pair picks up speed.
And the pretty Rebecca Lynn provides all the power to do so.
Watching her work makes me wish that tugs were still built to look like this.
She heads away and toward the Detroit River, although I’m not sure what their final destination will be.
But I wish them well wherever they might be going. Rebecca Lynn and A-397 represent my last boats of 2012.
If you were expecting me to post a retrospective tonight, well I’ve saved that for tomorrow. I decided to use up whatever time was left before reflecting on it.
But I hope you’ve enjoyed reading some of my posts throughout 2012; it was an incredibly busy year for me and this young site has witnessed a giant amount of development during that time.
Like I said, I’ll look back on all that tomorrow. Happy New Year to you all, and here’s hoping for a marvelous 2013!
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Filed under: American Steamship Co., Andrie Inc., Fleets, Lower Lakes Towing, McAsphalt Transportation Tagged: A-397, Everlast, Indiana Harbor, Kaministiqua, LSC 236, Norman McLeod, Rebecca Lynn, William L. Warner