REBECCA ANN Departs with WITTE 2301

REBECCA ANN departed Donjon Shipbuilding & Repair this morning at 1015 pushing newly built hopper barge WITTE 2301. The barge was completed last fall and has been in Erie awaiting a tow to Donjon's yard in New York.

WITTE 2301 is similar to the three hopper barges built at Donjon last year for Sterling Equipment. At least three of these are being constructed; WITTE 2302 is undergoing topside painting in the West Slip and a third barge (I believe named WITTE 2303) is in the graving dock.

The Pittsburgh Tribune Review featured a long article Sunday about Donjon with a gallery of photos taken while ATLANTIC HURON was in drydock.

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REBECCA ANN pushes the WITTE 2301 away from the West Slip.


Lining up for the channel.


Close up. Note WITTE 2301 is being pushed from the bow.


Close up of REBECCA ANN. The former HERBERT P. BRAKE was renamed last fall.


Side view.


Stern view of the tow.


Extra lines are run from the tug to WITTE 2301.


Outbound.

PRESQUE ISLE DEPARTS

PRESQUE ISLE departed Erie shortly after noon on Saturday bound for Two Harbors to load.

CSL NIAGARA should be out of drydock this week.

I will post photos in the morning.

PRESQUE ISLE Ready; REBECCA ANN in Port

The cofferdam on PRESQUE ISLE was removed by Lakeshore Towing yesterday afternoon and the vessel should depart sometime today.

REBECCA ANN is in port and moored on the north wall of Donjon Shipbuilding at this time.

PRESQUE ISLE Update; Donjon Tug Expected

The cofferdam on the PRESQUE ISLE will be removed on Sunday morning and the vessel should depart sometime Sunday.

Donjon's tug REBECCA ANN, the former HERBERT P. BRAKE, will be arriving Erie overnight to pick up  WITTE 2301 from the shipyard and take it to New York.

PRESQUE ISLE Update

At this time a work crew is working on reinstalling the PRESQUE ISLE's starboard propeller. If all goes well, the cofferdam will be removed tomorrow and the vessel will depart tomorrow evening or Sunday morning.

I will update as I learn more.

NEW WEATHER BUOY DEPLOYED

This morning, a crew from Lakeshore Towing moved the company's barge 503 into the East Canal Basin to begin another day of work. Like most of the company's work, this work was designed to benefit the local boating community. Today's job, however, will have a particular impact on the local boating community.

Contracted to the Regional Science Consortium, tug LOW BIDDER and barge 503 were slated to load a new weather buoy for deployment off of Presque Isle to transmit weather data online. The data will be transmitted via cell phone and put on a website for accessibility to help boaters determine wind and wave conditions on Lake Erie. The buoy has been deployed almost in the Lake Carrier's Course, and is deployed at coordinates 42 11.141 N, 080 08.195 W. When functional the buoy will also feature a web camera.

The buoy was deployed around noon today and is now on station; it is now transmitting data.

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The weather buoy arrives.


Lakeshore Towing's crew prepares the buoy for lifting from the bed of the truck.


The excavator is moved into position.


Slings are locked into place on the excavator to lift the buoy.


Lifting.


The buoy is skillfully set down on the barge.


Attaching the top of the buoy, with all of the transmission equipment and the radar reflector.


LOW BIDDER backs the barge away from the dock.


Turning.


LOW BIDDER pushes the barge out of the East Canal basin.


USCG 45757 outbound the channel. 45757 is Station Erie's newest boat, one of the new 45-foot class of small boats being built for the Coast Guard.


Stern view. At this time it remains to be seen if this boat will replace 47241 as Erie's larger boat or if it just an additional boat for the Station.


US Customs & Border Protection Safe Boat 382907 is followed by smaller fleetmate, 332119, out of the channel.


Work on PRESQUE ISLE's starboard propeller is continuing and the vessel could potentially be departing later this week.


LOW BIDDER outbound.


Close up of the pushboat.


Stern view.

CSL NIAGARA DRYDOCKED

After anchoring off of Erie since Sunday, CSL NIAGARA finally arrived in Erie on Wednesday afternoon and was drydocked with the assistance of tugs RHODE ISLAND and NEW YORK. The ship is in Erie for repairs to ice damage suffered at the beginning of it's season.

The tugs arrived at around 1400 and tied up in Erie harbor to await the arrival of the CSL NIAGARA, which arrived around 1600. NEW YORK and RHODE ISLAND escorted the ship into the harbor, where it turned on it's anchor to back into the graving dock. Repair work began today.

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JOSEPH H. THOMPSON inbound Erie on Monday.


Another view.


Passing the lighthouse.


Close up of JOSEPH H. THOMPSON JR.


THOMPSON was loaded with Erie's second stone cargo of the season.


Stern view.


Entering Erie harbor.


Passing PRESQUE ISLE.


Docking.


RHODE ISLAND and NEW YORK inbound on Wednesday.


RHODE ISLAND.


NEW YORK.


RHODE ISLAND passes.


Stern view of the Ashtabula-based duo.


NEW YORK pulls even.


Outbound to meet the CSL NIAGARA.


Turning.


The view from the North Pier. Photo by Gene Polaski.


CSL NIAGARA inbound.


Another view of the big Canadian laker, making it's first visit to Erie in nearly 20 years.


RHODE ISLAND turns to escort the vessel inbound.


RHODE ISLAND and NEW YORK escort the ship through the piers.


Inbound.


RHODE ISLAND riding along the port side.


Close up.


Stern view.


Entering Erie harbor.


Passing PRESQUE ISLE.


In Presque Isle Bay.


Turning.


Lining for the graving dock at Donjon Shipbuilding & Repair.

THOMPSON Arrives

JOSEPH H. THOMPSON is now at the Old Ore Dock unloading.

CSL NIAGARA remains anchored off of Erie at this time.

THOMPSON UPDATE

JOSEPH H. THOMPSON should arrive around 1230.

CSL NIAGARA is anchored off of Erie at this time awaiting the flooding of the graving dock at Donjon for her.

JOSEPH H. THOMPSON DUE

JOSEPH H. THOMPSON JR. and barge JOSEPH H. THOMPSON, loaded with stone, are due in Erie at 1000 Monday.

CSL NIAGARA DUE; ATLANTIC HURON DEPARTS

CSL NIAGARA should arrive today around 1700.

After leaving the graving dock at Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair at around 0100 with assistance from tugs RHODE ISLAND and NEW YORK, and ballasting in Erie harbor, ATLANTIC HURON departed around 0200 after finishing rudder repairs.

NIAGARA REMAINS AT ANCHOR

CSL NIAGARA remains at anchor west of Southeast Shoal at this time.

I will update when I learn more about the vessel's arrival.

CSL NIAGARA STOPS

CSL NIAGARA is currently stopped west of Southeast Shoal with no ETA for Erie. I will update in the morning.

CSL NIAGARA Due for Shipyard

CSL NIAGARA, ballast out of Sarnia, is expected in Erie at 0745 Saturday for Donjon Shipbuilding & Repair. Reportedly the vessel will go onto the drydock once ATLANTIC HURON departs for repairs to ice damage.

As J.W. McGIFFIN, CSL NIAGARA was drydocked here during the winter of 1994-95.