Erie Historical Arrivals- April 22, 1947; Notes for Tomorrow's Arrivals

Although tomorrow's arrivals of the JOSEPH H. THOMPSON/THOMPSON JR. and JOHN J. BOLAND constitute a busy day for Erie given the present state of shipping, the two-vessel day would be considered slow by 1947's standards. From the April 22, 1947 Erie Dispatch-Herald:

Arrivals:

REISS BROTHERS, from Superior with ore. Cleared same day light for Superior.
WILLIAM A. REISS, from Superior with ore. Cleared same day light for Superior.
DAMIA, in ballast from Montreal. Cleared same day with coal for Montreal.
FRANK BILLINGS, in ballast from Chicago.

Departures, other than listed above:
J.C. WALLACE, light for Superior.
ARCTURUS, light for Superior.

A ride along Erie's waterfront today revealed a large empty space at the Old Ore Dock. This is likely where the THOMPSON will unload. The BOLAND will likely begin unloading at the Mounfort Terminal before shifting to the Old Ore Dock to finish. The THOMPSON is next due in Stoneport on Tuesday to load stone. Watch tomorrow for photos and video of the beginning of Erie's shipping season.

TWO DUE TO OPEN ERIE'S SEASON

Erie's season is due to open with a bang tomorrow morning as two vessels arrive in the early morning hours with stone from Calcite, Michigan. The tug/barge unit JOSEPH H. THOMPSON JR./JOSEPH H. THOMPSON will be arriving at 0300 to unload stone, and following her at 0630 will be the American Steamship Company's JOHN J. BOLAND.

The J. S. ST. JOHN made her first trip of the season to dredge sand yesterday.

PILGRIM Raised

The fishing tug PILGRIM has been raised. Last Saturday crews attempted unsuccessful to lift the tug, and managed to sometime between then and today. Other than a scratched up paint job the tug amazingly doesn't look too bad for spending the winter on the bottom.


PILGRIM on Saturday morning.


PILGRIM at dock on Thursday.

Erie Historical Arrivals

On this date in 1947, the W. D. CALVERLEY JR. arrived with corn from Chicago, and the BEN E. TATE arrived with coal from Sandusky for Perry Furnace Co. The TATE cleared the same day light for Sandusky, and the CALVERLEY departed the next day bound for Lake Superior.

Erie Shipbuilding Prospects Looking Up

Things are looking up for Erie Shipbuilding. Construction for the new dumpscow continues and is due to wrap up in late June or early July, pending American Bureau of Shipping approval. At the same time, six 165 foot deck barges for the same operator are due to be delivered in June, July, August, and possibly September, depending on how well construction progresses.

The company is preparing to begin construction on the new 840-foot tug/barge unit that will be a sister to the JOYCE L. VANENKEVORT/GREAT LAKES TRADER, according to Saturday's Erie Times-News.

Meanwhile, at Friday's Port Authority meeting, the Authority board approved construction of a new $300,000 to $400,000 building at the north end of the yard's fabrication shop. The building will house part of an assembly line process. The building should be completed within 3 to 4 months.

Things are truly looking up for a yard that just two short years ago had absolutely no prospects for ever doing anything again, as Metro Machine had abandoned the yard.

Local Fleet Fitout

Work crews have begun preliminary work on the sand dredge J.S. St. JOHN to fit her out for the new season. She should be sailing within the next week or so.

Dinner cruiser VICTORIAN PRINCESS has now been moved from her layup berth back to her dock on the east side of Dobbin's Landing. She will soon begin offering dinner cruises for the new season.

Within the next couple of weeks the Port Authority's water taxis AQUABUS I, AQUABUS II, and CANADIAN SAILOR should be moved from their winter storage at Erie Shipbuilding and placed back in the water. The rest of the local fleet--party fishing boat EDWARD JOHN, sightseeing tour vessel LADY KATE, and Fish & Boat Commission research vessel PERCA, should be back in the water for another season soon as well.

And within the next ten days or so Erie Sand & Gravel should be getting its first load of stone of the season. While out and about yesterday I noticed a 20-car CSX train loaded with stone leaving the Bayfront track and returning to CSX's main line, having left the Mounfort Terminal. I noticed that each car was marked with a load limit of about 72.5 tons. At this rate, the train could load roughly 1450 tons, or less than 10% of a normal load received by Erie Sand. If the port continues to ship product out by rail, this could be a good season for the port of Erie.

Ferry News

The double-ended ferry NINDAWAYMA, laid up and rotting in Montreal, was recently sold to Upper Lakes Group. The former ONTARIO No. 1 was used in Georgian Bay between the ports of Tobermory and South Baymouth, Ontario. She assisted the ferry CHI-CHEEMAUN on this route, until it was proved that there was no need for two of them. Since then she's been rotting in layup in various Canadian ports.

All the information I'm getting indicates that she will be refitted and returned to service on the proposed truck-ferry route between Erie and Nanticoke. The Port Authority is working in conjunction with Upper Lakes to get this off the ground, and all proposals had called for this service to start in 2008. Now it actually looks like this might happen. In the past it had all seemed to be a pie-in-the-sky dream.

In other news, officials of Norfolk County, Ontario, report in today's Erie Times-News that the proposed Erie to Port Dover fast-ferry is almost completely up to the Erie Port Authority. Although a 49-passenger ferry will start running between the two ports either this year or in 2008, the 46-car, 200 passenger ferry that the Erie Port Authority wants would cost $20 million and is still years away, according to the article.

Signs of Spring and Thing to Look Forward to

Spring is in the air in Erie harbor. Lakeshore Towing's towboat WOLVERINE is now back in the water and moored at their dock at Wolverine Marina.

Coast Guard Station Erie's 47-foot motor lifeboat, 47241, has been removed from the winter storage building on Station Erie's property, sporting her crew cut- the removal of her flying bridge that allows her to be stored in the building. Crews are busy preparing her for her return to the water.

CG Station Fairport Harbor's 47-foot lifeboat, 47283, was moored at Station Erie today. I'm not sure if she's there for repairs, or just a visit. In the past 47283 has come to Erie to be hauled out of the water for repairs.

Looking forward, some important dates for the shipping season:

April ?- Arrival of the first vessel of the season.
May 1- USCGC HOLLYHOCK will arrive to replace the winter buoys in Erie harbor (approximate).
June ?- Erie Shipbuilding's Hull 101 will be delivered to her owner.
August 27- Barring another dock-wall collapse, Erie's Cruise Terminal will open with the arrival of American Canadian Caribbean Line's GRANDE MARINER.
December 1- USCGC HOLLYHOCK will arrive to replace the summer buoys in Erie harbor (approximate).


47241 and 47283 at Station Erie

Today in Erie History- Forty Years Ago

March 29, 1967- Litton Industries, based in Beverly Hills, California, announces that Erie has beat out Lorain, Ohio for its proposed ultramodern Great Lakes shipyard capable of building 1000 foot long vessels. This yard will ultimately turn out the STEWART J. CORT and PRESQUE ISLE. Although Litton's Erie Marine yard only lasts until the mid 1970s, after which the yard will lay dormant for the next decade, their yard withstands many changes on Erie's bayfront over the coming years and remains a shipyard despite many proposals to turn it into a marine museum and home for the Brig NIAGARA. The Port Authority property, beginning in the late 1980s, is home to the Jonathan Corporation, Erie Marine Enterprises, and Metro Machine. Currently the yard hosts Erie Shipbuilding, the first post-Litton tenant to actually bring shipbuilding back to Erie.

Click here to read the Erie Daily Times article from March 29, 1967, about Litton's announcement. (PDF- 3.5 MB).

Calcite's Season Opens

The port of Calcite, Michigan's ON Minerals loading dock will open April 1 with the arrival of the AMERICAN REPUBLIC to load. The dock at Calcite ships the majority of the stone brought to the port of Erie, so Erie will likely be due for a load any time now.

Captain Dan Williams

I found the following obituary in yesterday's Erie paper:

“Captain Dan” Dan Williams, 86, who piloted the great lakes for over 30 years, died on Saturday at his home in Largo, Florida. He fought a courageous battle with cancer and left this life comforted by the presence of all five of his children. He was born on May 1, 1923 in Bloomington, Illinois and lived for many years in the Erie, Pennsylvania area. He was a veteran of the Navy and the Merchant Marine and was a Captain on the Great Lakes with Erie Sand & Gravel until his retirement. Captain Dan was featured in a newspaper article in the Erie Times-News. Dan was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 53 years Millie, in 2001. He is survived by three daughters, Linda Holt (Sireno) and Brenda Trent (Mike) of Largo, and Mary Messenkopf of St Petersburg and two sons; Freddie Williams, with whom he resided, and Patrick Williams and his wife Tina of Girard, Pa. He leaves a legacy of love to his eight grandchildren; Joshua Parker, Dani Palumbo (Brian), Carly Trent, Alex Holmes, Derian Messenkopf and Zachary, Kali and Tessa Williams and his great-grandchildren, Trent and Kayden Palumbo and Jordan Parker. The Williams family is grateful to Lisa Glennon for her loving-kindness and care of our father in the last year of his life. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, March 29th, at 3:00 pm at A Life Tribute, 716 Seminole Blvd in Largo and will be followed by a reception at the home of Mike and Brenda Trent, 1888 Paradise Lane in Largo. A private memorial will be held in Pennsylvania to commemorate Captain Dan’s last wishes. The family asks that donations be made to the Hospice of the Florida Suncoast, and that, in lieu of flowers, you would spend a day with someone you love.

PRESQUE ISLE (Finally) Departs

After nearly two days of delays due to weather and last minute fitout delays, the PRESQUE ISLE departed Erie at around 2:00 this afternoon, bound for Two Harbors.

Not Yet Departed

PRESQUE ISLE is once again fogged-in at the Mounfort Terminal. No ETD at this time.


PRESQUE ISLE at the Mounfort Terminal this morning.

ONE HOUR

PRESQUE ISLE just called Sarnia Traffic and informed them that they are making plans to get underway from layup at Erie in one hour, bound for Two Harbors.

PRESQUE ISLE due to depart this morning

The PRESQUE ISLE did not get underway as planned yesterday; rather, delays due to final fit-out preparations and a thick fog that rolled in around 2:00 p.m. kept the vessel at dock overnight. Her new ETD is sometime around 8:00 a.m. today. The PRESQUE ISLE will be bound for Two Harbors, Minnesota for a cargo of iron ore when she departs.