Lakeshore Towing Finishes Dredging; Announcing Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair; Notes on Donjon Marine; Miscellaneous News and Notes

Lakeshore Towing Services completed dredging of the Old Ore Dock on Friday. Although the job was not complete ice is beginning to form in the harbor and is making it impractical to continue to dredge. However, the company was able to get quite a bit of dredging done.

The Old Ore Dock will likely have to be dredged every few years, as ships docking there stir up sediment with their propellers and that sediment is deposited along the east side of the dock, where ships dock to unload. With more sediment deposited there ships must load less cargo to dock there, and dredging is a cheaper alternative to getting more ships into the dock.

Donjon Marine has announced the formation of their new shipyard, Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair (DSR). DSR has purchased the assets of Erie Shipbuilding and is working under a new long-term lease with the Erie Western-Pennsylvania Port Authority to establish a shipbuilding and ship repair facility at the yard. No word as to yet as to what their first projects will be, or what will become of the tug CLYDE VANENKEVORT and barge ERIE TRADER that were under construction at the yard. Rumors floating around were that the tug would be finished and go to the ocean to push an oil barge, but I'm not sure if that will happen.

Longtime readers of the Erie Shipping News will recall that Donjon is the largest customer Erie Shipbuilding ever had, with their order for a dumpscow (WITTE 4003) and five deck barges (WITTE 1401, WITTE 1402, WITTE 1403, WITTE 1404, and WITTE 1405). In addition, their then-subsidiary Port Albany Ventures ordered several other deck barges. Less than a month ago Donjon sold their 1/2 interest in PAV to their partner. I'm not sure if that was related to their purchase of ESB, but sources tell me that Donjon is extremely serious about making the shipyard the best facility possible. The only disadvantage DSR will have is that the facility only has about 4,000 feet of dock space, some of which is falling apart, particularly on the east side of the property adjacent to the Old Ore Dock.

Donjon also operates a full-service marine operation that includes towing and salvage.

In other harbor news and notes, EDGAR B. SPEER and PRESQUE ISLE should be arriving in Erie sometime after the first of the year for winter layup. PRESQUE ISLE will, as usual, be going to the Mountfort Terminal where the cofferdam will be installed on the vessel to allow for replacement of the ever-problematic shaft seals.

CHEYENNE TO TAKE TWO DECK BARGES

Port Albany Ventures' pretty canal tug CHEYENNE arrived in Erie at 0200 this morning and docked at the West Slip alongside the newly-built deck barge SUE B. The tug spent the morning preparing SUE B. for its tow to Albany before shifting to the WITTE 1402 at around 1430 today. The CHEYENNE moved WITTE 1402 backwards before taking the SUE B. in tow and turning it in the slip, mooring the barge bow-to-bow with WITTE 1402 to make them up for the tow through the Welland Canal to Oswego, NY. From Oswego the barges will be taken through the New York State Barge Canal one at a time.

After working on making up the tow, the CHEYENNE entered the drydock at Erie Shipbuilding at 1700 today and emerged a half-hour later with the newest deck barge, WITTE 1405, in tow. The WITTE 1405 is now secured alongside WITTE 1404.

CHEYENNE is scheduled to leave this weekend bound for Oswego.

CCGS SHARK departed Erie at 0815 this morning bound for Port Dover, Ontario. BUFFALO departed yesterday at 1915 bound for Calcite.

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CHEYENNE turns to back toward the SUE B. at 1450 this afternoon.


Backing up.


Coming alongside SUE B.


The tug prepares to move the SUE B. away from WITTE 1401.


Moving away.


Passing by the WITTE 1404.


Close up of the 1965-built tug, a sister to the CROW, which visited Erie last November to pick up the PAV 103.


Stern view.


Turning the barge in the West Slip.


Close up of the tug.


CHEYENNE gets lost in a puff of diesel smoke.


Turning the barge toward dock.


CHEYENNE's stern was right against the west side of the slip during most of the towing operation.


Another view of the tug.


CHEYENNE pushes the WITTE 1402 forward to line up with the SUE B.


With its tow.


Side view of the tug.


Alongside the SUE B.


The tug's crew pulls the two barges together.


A good smoker is the CHEYENNE as it leaves the West Slip to retrieve the WITTE 1405.


WITTE 1405 is officially launched.


CHEYENNE/WITTE 1405 coming into the West Slip.


Stern view of the pair.


Docking alongside two other DonJon Marine barges.


Docking WITTE 1405.


Work complete for the day, CHEYENNE rests alongside the barges it will tow to the East Coast.

CROW departs Saturday, taking PAV 103 with it

Tug CROW, after a week in port, departed Erie early Saturday morning with the third of six deck barges under construction at Erie Shipbuilding, the PAV 103, in tow. The tug, which is too high and, with the barge, too long for the Erie Canal section of the New York State Canal System, arrived in Port Colborne, Ontario after dark on Saturday afternoon and secured at Wharf 16 of the Welland Canal.

After undergoing inspection by St. Lawrence Seaway authorities on Sunday morning, the tug pushed the barge downbound through the Welland Canal on Sunday, bound for Oswego, New York. At Oswego, the tug would enter the New York State Barge Canal bound for Albany, New York.

The PAV 103 came out of drydock only three weeks after the completion of PAV 102. The three remaining deck barges, PAV 104, PAV 105, and PAV 106, will likely be completed by Erie Shipbuilding and remain in Erie over the winter, as the New York State Canal System is scheduled to close for the winter on Thursday. This means that delivering the remaining deck barges would require tugs to take them through the St. Lawrence Seaway, around Canada, and into New York harbor and up the Hudson River to Albany. This would be a long, expensive voyage for the barges.


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


Close up of the CROW.


Stern view of the tug and barge.

Port Albany Ventures' Tug CROW due

Port Albany Ventures' 85-foot long tug CROW is currently upbound in the Welland Canal and due in Erie at 0700 Saturday morning.

BRAKE Departs, COURAGE Arrives

Port Albany Ventures' tug HERBERT P. BRAKE departed Erie at 0200 today with PAV 102 in tow bound for Albany, New York. This is the second of six deck barges being constructed at Erie Shipbuilding.

AMERICAN COURAGE, loaded with stone from Cedarville, arrived in Erie at 1030 today, docking at the Old Ore Dock to unload. The COURAGE departed today at around 1615 hours.

Unloading on the McALLISTER 132 continues at the Mountfort Terminal. The J.S. St. JOHN unloaded at the Mountfort Terminal today as well, due to the COURAGE unloading at the Old Ore Dock.


McALLISTER 132 unloading


AMERICAN COURAGE inbound.


Closer view.


Stern view.


Another view.


Passing the TWOLAN/McALLISTER 132.


Around the TWOLAN and beginning to turn.


1245 hours finds the St. JOHN and the McALLISTER 132 at the Mountfort Terminal.


COURAGE unloads at 1300.


A break in the unloading at 1445.


Unloading resumes.

PAV 101 DEPARTS

This morning the tug HERBERT P. BRAKE moved from her dock at East Dobbin's Landing and tied up alongside the deck barge PAV 101. At 7:30 the tug's crew released the lines securing the PAV 101 to Erie Shipbuilding, and about 10 minutes later departed the West Slip outbound for Lake Erie. The barge was towed on the hip stern first from the harbor bound for the old Erie Canal, and eventually, Albany.

The 165-foot long deck barge was registered with the American Bureau of Shipping as being delivered on October 16. The ABS lists her registered owner as Donjon Marine.


HERBERT P. BRAKE tied up alongside the barge this morning.


Close up of the BRAKE, her pilothouse up.


In Erie harbor, outbound.


Another view of the barge PAV 101.


In the channel.


Side view.


Close up of the pilothouse of the BRAKE.


Stern view of the unit.


Note in this shot the angle with which the tug and barge are together.


PAV 101 departs Erie for the first, and probably final time.