VICTORY, KUBER to open Erie's 2010 Season

VICTORY and barge JAMES L. KUBER, laden with stone from Calcite, Michigan, will open the 2010 shipping season in Erie with their scheduled arrival at 0800 on Saturday. This is one of the latest port openings in history.

Historical: This Date in 2009

On April 29, 2009, tugs MANITOU and PATRICIA HOEY arrive in Erie to tow ROGER BLOUGH to Conneaut. The tow departed shortly after midnight on the 30th and arrived in Conneaut after daylight that morning. The BLOUGH would remain in layup until mid-October.

Tall Ships Erie Informational Event Held; ESB 112 and 113, along with three former Erie-built barges, renamed

Tall Ships Erie held an informational event at the Erie Maritime Museum this evening seeking sponsors, vendors and volunteers for their event to be held from September 9 through September 12 of this year. For more information on the event, visit their website. Ships for the event were announced at the event, however, at this time the group is not allowing their names to be released publicly.

Also note that this is NOT the first tall ships event in Erie in a decade; the last one was in 2003.

ESB 112 and ESB 113 have been renamed WITTE 1407 and WITTE 1406, respectively. These barges will likely be towed out of Erie to the east coast sometime in May. I will update when I learn more about this.

Also, Erie Shipbuilding-built barges PAV 101, PAV 102 and PAV 103 have been renamed WITTE 1404, WITTE 1408 and WITTE 1409, respectively.

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Tall Ships Erie chairman Brian Scott speaks at the event on Thursday evening.


WITTE 1407 and WITTE 1406 at dock this evening.


PAV 101 in Erie, October 21, 2007.


PAV 102 in Erie on October 26, 2007.


CROW and PAV 103 secured above Lock 7 of the Welland Canal on the morning of November 11, 2007, awaiting dowbound transit.

Perry's Landing Dock Replacement

Lakeshore Towing Services continued work on replacing Dock D at Perry's Landing Marina on Thursday. Below are images of the work.

Elsewhere in port, J.S. St. JOHN made its first run of the 2010 season into Lake Erie to dredge sand today, and was inbound for the Mountfort Terminal at 1440 hours.

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Assembled docks lifted into the water.


Preparing to lift a section of dock into the water.


Lifting the dock.


Another view.


One section of dock in the water.


These docks have already been floated into place.

LOGISTICS PLUS BUYS SHIP

WICU 12 is reporting that Erie-based Logistics Plus, with cooperation from Great Lakes Feeder Lines, has purchased the 321-foot long, 1991 Turkish-built general cargo ship ARCTIC SEA. The Bridgetown, Barbados-registered ship has two holds and can carry a variety of cargoes, including up to 270 containers.

This is the second member of Great Lakes Feeder Lines' fleet. The first, DUTCH RUNNER, has been in their fleet for a little over two years.

A PDF file of specs of the ARCTIC SEA can be found on GLFL's website.

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ARCTIC SEA.

Historical: Tall Ships in Erie, 2003

Over the Fourth of July weekend in 2003, Erie hosted a follow-up event to its Big Boats on the Bay held in 2000. This event was entitled "Big Boats on the Bay II: Ships at Rest in the Port of Erie" and was scheduled to feature six vessels: the U.S. Brig NIAGARA, PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II, TARANGINI, SERENDIPITY, NEIS KAH and LARINDA. NEIS KAH and LARINDA were both no-shows for this event.

Those weren't the only tall ships to visit Erie in 2003: the AMISTAD visited Erie on June 10 that year and the HMS BOUNTY, used in Marlon Brando's movie Mutiny on the Bounty visited June 27.

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AMISTAD and NIAGARA on June 10.


BOUNTY departing on the morning of June 28.


In the channel.


TARANGINI at Dobbin's Landing on July 6.


Side view.


Stern view.


PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II and NIAGARA at dock that day.

LAKE GUARDIAN in Port; Perry's Landing Dock Replacement

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's research vessel R/V PETER L. WISE LAKE GUARDIAN arrived in Erie this morning and docked at West Dobbin's Landing to wait weather. The LAKE GUARDIAN is used to montior water quality throughout the five Great Lakes during the navigation season.

Lakeshore Towing continues work on its replacement of Dock D at Perry's Landing Marina. This morning two truckloads of new docks arrived and were lifted into the parking lot by a crane from Marine Services of Erie.

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LAKE GUARDIAN at dock.


Stern view.


View from above.


Another view of the LAKE GUARDIAN secured at dock.


Marine Services of Erie's crane has just finished unloading one truckload of docks and prepares for another.


Backing the truck into position.


One of the docks assembled in the parking lot east of Perry's Landing.


View of the empty space where the dock will go.

Historical: Big Boats on the Bay, September 15-17, 2000

With Tall Ships Erie scheduled for September, I figured I would take a look back at a previous tall ships festival held in the port. Big Boats on the Bay was held between September 15 and September 17, 2000 and featured the following vessels:

U.S Brig NIAGARA

PICTON CASTLE

TRUE NORTH

KAJAMA

RED WITCH

HIGHLANDER

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PICTON CASTLE and KAJAMA at dock at West Dobbin's Landing on September 15.


PICTON CASTLE.


KAJAMA.


The next day, the KAJAMA has moved up the slip and PICTON CASTLE has moved to the east side. In this photo are RED WITCH, HIGHLANDER and KAJAMA.


NIAGARA at the north side of Dobbin's Landing. The bow of VIKING I is seen at right.

Historical: EDWARD M. COTTER in Erie, May 26, 2000; Miscellaneous News

Over Memorial Day Weekend in 2000, the Buffalo-based fireboat EDWARD M. COTTER visited Erie and was docked behind the Maritime Museum. Below are photos of the COTTER on that visit.

Also note that I have posted a couple of new links at the bottom of the link box on the right side of this page.

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COTTER at dock.


Bow view.


Another view.