St. JOHN Breaks Down, is Towed in; Tall Ships Erie Wraps Up; 100 foot Motor Yacht Stops at Wolverine Marina

J.S. St. JOHN departed Erie Thursday afternoon on its first sand-dredging trip since suffering engine problems and returning to port empty on July 22. The vessel loaded sand and was headed inbound Thursday night when the number eight cylinder head blew off of the vessel's diesel engine, forcing the St. JOHN to drop anchor about three miles north-northwest of Gull Point. There the vessel remained through the night as her crew worked to get the engine up and running. By 1330 Friday afternoon that was deemed useless, and Lakeshore Towing was called. Lakeshore Towing dispatched tugs DON HENRY and FLATTOP to the scene.

DON HENRY arrived first, followed by FLATTOP. The tow was hooked up and underway by 1515 hours and arrived in the channel at 1715, making about 2.5 knots. The tow arrived at the Old Ore Dock at 1815, where towboat TITAN was waiting to assist DON HENRY and FLATTOP in docking the St. JOHN.

It's far too early to tell what this breakdown, while will require major repairs, or possibly an engine replacement, will mean for the 65-year-old sand dredge J.S. St. JOHN, which has dredged for Erie Sand & Gravel since 1968.

It's also too early to tell what this means for Erie Sand, which relys on the St. JOHN for the sand it uses in its operations. The longer the St. JOHN is out of operation, the more it adversely affects the company's operations and their ability to stockpile sand. This leaves the company with, seemingly, three options for its sand needs, provided the St. JOHN will be out of operation for any length of time. The first option is to buy sand elsewhere and have it shipped in. The second option, and one that Erie Sand has used in the past when they needed an extra dredge, is to charter a sand dredge from somewhere else to dredge for them. In 1997 the company had both of its dredges, the St. JOHN and JOHN R. EMERY, in operation and also chartered the F.M. OSBORNE from Osborne Materials of Fairport Harbor, Ohio.

The third option is to charter a tug and use the St. JOHN as a barge. The fourth, and likely least attractive option, is for the company to go without the sand.

Tall Ships Erie wrapped up on Sunday, and UNICORN, BOUNTY, and ROALD AMUNDSEN departed Sunday evening. LYNX and PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II are spending the night behind the Erie Maritime Museum and will depart on Monday morning.

A 100-foot long Broward motor yacht, SHE'S MY LADY II, of Palm Beach, Floriday, spent Saturday evening at Wolverine Marina. The vessel had come in from Cleveland.

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Tow inbound.


DON HENRY.


FLATTOP.


The disabled J.S. St. JOHN.


Stern view.


Approaching the Old Ore Dock.


Sliding up the dock.


Another view.


TITAN approaches. Lakeshore's barge 502 is in the foreground.


Pulling the St. JOHN into position.


Mooring.


SHE'S MY LADY II at dock.


Stern view.


STV UNICORN on Saturday.


AMUNDSEN.


The crowd on Saturday afternoon.


BOUNTY outbound at 1930 hours Sunday.


CBP 382907 races outbound to warn a pleasure boater away.


BOUNTY is the vessel used in Marlon Brando's movie "Mutiny on the Bounty."


LYNX passes the BOUNTY.


LYNX, under the command of chief mate Lee Ann Gordon, an Erie native, inbound.


Stern view.


ROALD AMUNDSEN outbound as darkness falls at 2000 hours.


Stern view.