Herbert C Jackson, Lee A Tregurtha

Two days in Marquette, two ships.  With shipping at such a slow rate, it was a treat.  The Herbert C Jackson came in for ore and left in the fog.  The Lee A Tregurtha came in on a drizzly day with a load of coal.  Today the James Barker is also in delivering coal.  It seems we're getting coal shipments more than shipping out ore.  Not good for the economy.  The last pic shows the Lee A putting the second man down on the dock.  

Wilfred Sykes, Lee A Tregurtha

Wonderful hubby brought me to Escanaba yesterday so I could catch the Wilfred Sykes arriving for ore on a bright and sunny day.  Also caught another favorite ship in Marquette today loading ore after bringing a load of coal.  The sun, when it shone today, was in the wrong direction for good pics, but I tried.

Mesabi Miner and Waves

The Mesabi Miner arrived in Marquette Tuesday after a delay because of weather.  She waited near Thunder Bay before heading down the big lake.  Waves were crashing against the breakwall as she arrived.

Joyce VanEnkevort/Great Lakes Trader

First ship into Marquette this season was the tug/barge combo Joyce VanEnkevort / Great Lakes Trader.  The sun came out just as I was ready to take the pics.

Joseph L Block, Great Lakes Trader/Joyce VanEnkevort, American Mariner

Got to Escanaba this Thursday in time to see three ships and get a great ship fix after a very long winter without any.  The Joseph L Block loaded pellets, then departed.  The Great Lakes Trader/ Joyce VanEnkevort arrived after struggling through the ice, followed by the American Mariner who had also been struggling and needed the assistance of the tug Erika Kobasic to get free.  There were ice shanties very near the shipping lane.  Sunny, but very windy and very, very cold, but, hey, ships!!

Ships in Layup at Sturgeon Bay

My wonderful husband took me to Sturgeon Bay on Valentine's Day so I could get a ship fix!  Many ships there in layup.  Looks like they're huddled together from the cold.  Had a great day, even though it snowed early and stayed mostly cloudy.  The Charles M Beeghly is getting a re-fit, so her stack is sitting beside her rather than on her.   The John Sherwin was being refitted until the bottom fell out of the economy, but we're hoping she will have a sailing life yet.  The Cason Callaway needed a paint job badly, and it appears she got it.  I think we counted more than a dozen ships in layup.  Some you could see, some you couldn't.

A A Augustus

Since there are no ships moving (at least in the Upper Lakes area), there's not a lot to write about other than withdrawal.  :o)  Posting a scanned postcard, the AAAugustus at the Soo Locks.  Obviously a very old card.   Ice has the lakes pretty well shut down right now, other than those few ships bringing salt or fuel.  Opening day of the locks is March 25.  Two months away!   

James R Barker

The James R Barker made two trips to Marquette with coal.  She came in with an icy bow, then returned a few days later.  She was the last ship in on a very snowy afternoon.  Added a pic of the engines that deliver the ore cars to the dock.  Ship pics will be lean for the next couple months, with both Marquette and Escanaba not shipping.  May have to find get some other projects done.  :o)

John G Munson, Herbert C Jackson

The John G Munson arrived with coal (the daytime pic) and later the Herbert C Jackson came in for ore.  The weather was very blustery.  We watched (with strong binoculars) the waves hitting way up on the Jackson's bow as she was arriving.

John G Munson, Lee A Tregurtha, Kaye E Barker

It's been a while since I posted, but haven't seen a lot of ships because we've been so very busy.  Our schedules will slow down about the same time as shipping comes to a near halt!  Anyway, here are a few more pics.   The Lee A Tregurtha loaded late at night, the John G Munson arrived with  coal, (a rare visitor) and the Kaye E Barker arrived at the lower harbor with what appeared to be a load of stone.

Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder, Herbert C Jackson, Kaye E Barker

Posting pics from a wild and wooly Tuesday in Marquette with three ships coming in and anchoring because the wind was too strong for them to approach the dock.  The Kaye E Barker was the last to arrive, but the first to go to the dock. She went to the south side of Marquette's Cliffs ore dock.  Pic (again backward from how I uploaded them) show her putting a man down.

Okay, it's been a while, but I've been busy, really.  And my pictures are backward, again.  I load them in the correct order, but they end up on the post backward.  Yikes!   Anyway, from the bottom, we have the Adam E Cornelius approaching Marquette from the west at a very odd angle.  She should be farther out and pointing in...  Then we have the Herbert C. Jackson and then the James Barker in a snowstorm.  The Michipicoten came in at night to the Shiras Dock with a load of stone.  Don't believe she's ever been to that dock before.  Her fleetmate Saginaw arrived in Marquette the next day.

Charles M Beeghly, Mesabi Miner, Arthur M Anderson

Got to see the Charles M Beeghly load at Marquette while the Mesabi Miner brought coal.  The Miner had a very large what appeared to be plumb bob hanging off the side of the ship.  ???  Daughter Kris, after I begged, took some pics of the Arthur M Anderson in with coal on a rare trip to Marquette.   We couldn't make it in that day.  The Anderson was on the Lake with the Edmund Fitzgerald when the Fitz went down.   The pictures are backward, again.  Can't figure out why this is happening, as it's just a recent thing, I believe.  Trying to fix it.  May have mixed them up even more.  :o(

Michipicoten

Caught the Michipicoten in Marquette on Saturday.  It was a really blustery day, with waves crashing over the breakwall.  The Michipicoten loaded, then stayed tied up.  

H C Jackson, Michipicoten, Olympic Miracle, Presque Isle, Algocape

(For some reason Blogger now puts my pics in the opposite order, so please consider that as you look at the pics.  Haven't found a link to fix that.)  Caught the Herbert C Jackson and Michipicoten in Marquette on Thursday.  The Michi came in late, so the pic is not the best, as I didn't use a tripod.  Went to the Soo Friday and got the Olympic Miracle, Presque Isle (tug/barge), and Algocape in the fog.  The OM and PI were upbound, the Algo was approaching the Mac Lock.  Back home and now it's snowing out.  Yes!

American Valor, Philip R Clark, John Sherwin, Petrochem Trader, American Victory

Okay, back again.  Had a great trip to Green Bay to visit with family and friends.  Got to Sturgeon Bay to see the John Sherwin being worked on and also the Petrochem Trader barge.  Also posting pics of the American Valor at night, and the Philip R Clarke in Marquette.  Caught the American Victory at Escanaba on the way home.  Love the "square" bow on that one.  The blog posted my pics backwards today... sorry about that.