BRADSHAW McKEE/CLEVELAND ROCKS Depart; THOMPSON DUE

BRADSHAW M^cKEE and barge CLEVELAND ROCKS shifted to the north face of Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair this morning at around 1030 hours. M^cKEE/CLEVELAND ROCKS departed Erie this afternoon at 1330 bound for Marblehead, Ohio to load stone. The pair is currently making a speed of 7.6 knots abeam of Fairport Harbor, Ohio.

J.S. St. JOHN will be moved from drydock sometime on Monday. Tuesday or Wednesday JOSEPH H. THOMPSON/JOSEPH H. THOMPSON JR. will be arriving for drydocking.

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BRADSHAW M^cKEE backing away from Donjon at 1030 this morning.


Turning.


A flyover as the ROCKS docks.


Outbound this afternoon.


Close up.


BRADSHAW M^cKEE in the notch.


Stern view.


Clearing the Piers.

BRADSHAW MCKEE ARRIVES; LAKES CONTENDER TO SAIL AT MIDNIGHT

BRADSHAW M^cKEE arrived in Erie at 1400 today and docked behind the barge CLEVELAND ROCKS at the shipyard. The pair will sail in several days.

Not breaking the superstition against sailing on a Friday due to bad luck, the KEN BOOTHE SR./LAKES CONTENDER is currently scheduled to depart for Silver Bay, Minnesota on its maiden voyage at 0001 Saturday morning.

Divers from Lakeshore Towing are scheduled to remove the cofferdam on PRESQUE ISLE beginning at 0700 on Saturday morning. If her past visits are any indication, PRESQUE ISLE should leave sometime after noon on Saturday.

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U.S. Brig NIAGARA outbound shortly before BRADSHAW M^cKEE's arrival this afternoon.


VICTORIAN PRINCESS, U.S. Brig NIAGARA and BRADSHAW M^cKEE's arrival this afternoon.


BRADSHAW M^cKEE inbound.


Side view.


Stern view of BRADSHAW M^cKEE.


Turning for the West Slip.


BRADSHAW M^cKEE is 121' long and makes 4,350 bhp.


PRESQUE ISLE can be seen in the distance of this photo.


Docking at Donjon.

BRADSHAW McKEE Update

BRADSHAW M^cKEE is currently eastbound off Euclid, Ohio, running at a speed of 10 knots. The tug's ETA is sometime around 1400 today.

BRADSHAW McKEE Update; Harbor News and Notes

BRADSHAW M^cKEE and MANITOU secured VICTORY/JAMES L. KUBER in Toledo and M^cKEE has now departed for Erie. If M^cKEE makes the same speed of about 10 knots that she did up Lake Michigan and down Lake Huron to pick up the KUBER, her ETA for Erie to pick up the CLEVELAND ROCKS is about 1100 tomorrow.

Final preparations are being made for KEN BOOTHE SR./LAKES CONTENDER to sail this weekend. Her first trip is scheduled to be to Silver Bay, Minnesota to load ore. Over the past two days the crew has been testing the unloading boom on the barge. The unloading boom is reported to be 286' long, which would make it the longest on the Great Lakes.

The new shaft seal for PRESQUE ISLE is being flown in from Germany and should arrive tomorrow. If repairs go as planned the cofferdam will be floated out and PRESQUE ISLE will depart Saturday.

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KEN BOOTHE SR./LAKES CONTENDER and CLEVELAND ROCKS showing the reflection of a calm morning at 0745 this morning.


LAKES CONTENDER with the unloading boom raised this afternoon.

BRADSHAW McKEE Update

BRADSHAW M^cKEE is currently in Monroe, waiting for the JAMES L. KUBER to unload before assisting the vessel to Toledo. M^cKEE's new ETA for Erie is sometime overnight tonight.

BRADSHAW McKEE Update

BRADSHAW M^cKEE, MANITOU and VICTORY/JAMES L. KUBER are currently downbound in Lake St. Clair on their way to Monroe, Michigan. Provided the M^cKEE leaves as soon as she docks the KUBER in Monroe, the tug should arrive in Erie sometime tomorrow after daylight.

I will update as I learn more.

Cofferdam Sunk on PRESQUE ISLE; BRADSHAW McKEE Update

The cofferdam was sunk on the port propeller of the PRESQUE ISLE this morning. The PRESQUE ISLE will be in port several days for repairs.

BRADSHAW M^cKEE is currently downbound in Lake Huron, escorting VICTORY/JAMES L. KUBER, along with tug MANITOU. Judging by the speed of the convoy, which is reportedly on its way to Monroe, Michigan, the M^cKEE should arrive in Erie sometime Thursday.

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PRESQUE ISLE at dock this afternoon.

PRESQUE ISLE At Anchor; BRADSHAW MCKEE Due

PRESQUE ISLE is currently at anchor about five miles northeast of Erie. When the vessel gets underway it will be inbound for the Mountfort Terminal for shaft seal repairs.

BRADSHAW M^cKEE, the new tug for the CLEVELAND ROCKS, departed Muskegon, Michigan this morning bound for Erie. The BRADSHAW M^cKEE should arrive sometime Wednesday to pick up the ROCKS.

TWO DEPART LAYUP

PRESQUE ISLE departed winter layup last night at 2100, turning in Presque Isle Bay and departing Erie for Two Harbors.

EDGAR B. SPEER departed this morning at 0730, also bound for Two Harbors to load iron ore. SPEER saluted onlookers on the pier while passing through the channel.

Though SPEER and PRESQUE ISLE have departed, work continues at Donjon on the CLEVELAND ROCKS, CALUMET, MANITOWOC and KEN BOOTHE SR./LAKES CONTENDER. CALUMET reportedly will be in drydock between three and four weeks.

At some point, Port City Tug's tug BRADSHAW McKEE will arrive in Erie to pick up the barge CLEVELAND ROCKS. The CLEVELAND ROCKS is the second barge to undergo modifications at Erie's shipyard to fit that tug; as SUSAN W. HANNAH the tug was paired with the barge MEDUSA CONQUEST which underwent modifications at Erie Marine Enterprises in 1992. Those modifications were not successful, resulting in a lawsuit against Erie Marine and the barge modifications to the CONQUEST being completed at Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay.

Below are photos of the SPEER's departure, and of the moves at Donjon last Tuesday.

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SPEER passing the APALACHEE and MANITOU while departing the Old Ore Dock.


Turning at the Mountfort Terminal.


Outbound.


Close up.


Close up of the cabin. Notice the light underneath the radar is on, activated when saluting.


Stern view.


Outbound. The SPEER has spent the past three winters in Erie.


MANITOU standing by to pick up the stern towline on the CALUMET.


APALACHEE pulls the CALUMET away from the shipyard.


Turning.


Pulling away from the shipyard.


Anchoring the vessel in the harbor.


APALACHEE and MANITOU head back to the shipyard.


Close up.


Another view.


APALACHEE standing by.


Pulling the MANITOWOC, freshly painted, out of drydock. MANITOWOC had hundreds of feet worth of steel plating replaced inside, necessitating a six-week stay in drydock.


Anchored in the bay.


MANITOWOC waiting in the bay.


APALACHEE starts to move the CALUMET.

PIERSON ANCHORS; WILL ARRIVE MONDAY

ROBERT S. PIERSON went to anchor outside Buoys 1 & 2 this afternoon and will not arrive in Erie until tomorrow morning. Donjon will begin flooding the drydock at 0500, the gate will be moved at around 0900 and then the tugs APALACHEE and MANITOU will move the CLEVELAND ROCKS into drydock. The PIERSON will then enter the piers and go stern-first into drydock ahead of the ROCKS.

APALACHEE and MANITOU will remain in Erie the winter to move vessels at the yard. Apparently, CLEVELAND ROCKS will be moved four times this winter to make room for vessels coming to the yard while she is modified to fit her new articulated tug, BRADSHAW MCKEE, which will arrive in Erie to pick up the barge in the spring.

Ironically, CLEVELAND ROCKS is the second barge that has been modified at the shipyard facility in Erie for the BRADSHAW MCKEE. As SUSAN W. HANNAH, the tug's barge MEDUSA CONQUEST was modified at Erie Marine Industries in 1992; that job was botched and ended with Medusa Cement taking the barge to Bay Shipbuilding and suing Erie Marine. This job will no doubt end better.