Historical: October 6

October 6, 1972: Tugs LAURENCE C. TURNER and MARYLAND arrive in Erie with the bow of the new barge under construction at Litton Industries, which had been built at Defoe Shipbuilding in Bay City, Michigan. The bow was 68 feet long and 105 feet wide and would become the PRESQUE ISLE.

Historical: Tall Ships in Erie, 2003

Over the Fourth of July weekend in 2003, Erie hosted a follow-up event to its Big Boats on the Bay held in 2000. This event was entitled "Big Boats on the Bay II: Ships at Rest in the Port of Erie" and was scheduled to feature six vessels: the U.S. Brig NIAGARA, PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II, TARANGINI, SERENDIPITY, NEIS KAH and LARINDA. NEIS KAH and LARINDA were both no-shows for this event.

Those weren't the only tall ships to visit Erie in 2003: the AMISTAD visited Erie on June 10 that year and the HMS BOUNTY, used in Marlon Brando's movie Mutiny on the Bounty visited June 27.

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AMISTAD and NIAGARA on June 10.


BOUNTY departing on the morning of June 28.


In the channel.


TARANGINI at Dobbin's Landing on July 6.


Side view.


Stern view.


PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II and NIAGARA at dock that day.

Historical: EDWARD M. COTTER in Erie, May 26, 2000; Miscellaneous News

Over Memorial Day Weekend in 2000, the Buffalo-based fireboat EDWARD M. COTTER visited Erie and was docked behind the Maritime Museum. Below are photos of the COTTER on that visit.

Also note that I have posted a couple of new links at the bottom of the link box on the right side of this page.

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COTTER at dock.


Bow view.


Another view.

Video: MANISTEE in Erie, May 6, 2005

While going through some old video tapes recently I found this video of the MANISTEE that I didn't even remember I had. After editing it, I've decided to post it here for the viewing pleasure of my readers.

The MANISTEE arrived off of Erie at around 1730 hours on Friday, May 6, 2005 with a cargo of salt from Fairport Harbor, Ohio bound for the Mountfort Terminal. This was the vessel's third trip into port that season, which was its first under the name MANISTEE after carrying the name RICHARD J. REISS (later shortened to RICHARD REISS) for 62 years.

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MANISTEE inbound Erie on Friday, May 6, 2005.


Another view of the classic laker.


Close up.


Stern view.

Historical Arrivals for October 6

1972: The bow section of Litton Industries' Hull 102, the barge PRESQUE ISLE, arrives in Erie under tow of tugs LAURENCE C. TURNER and MARYLAND. The bow section was built at Bay City, Michigan's Defoe Shipyard and would be added to the midbody of the barge under construction.

Historical Arrivals: September 16

1961: The BLANCHE HINDMAN and NIAGARA MOHAWK both arrive in ballast to load coal.

Historical Arrivals: September 14

September 14, 1971: The Great Lakes Towing tugs IDAHO and MONTANA arrive in port to attempt to free the grounded saltwater freighter INTEGRITY. The two tugs work throughout the day and night without success.

Historical Arrivals: September 15

September 15, 1971: Tug LAURENCE C. TURNER (now Great Lakes Towing's OHIO) arrives in port to assist the grounded saltwater freighter INTEGRITY. After a little work, the INTEGRITY is freed that day.

Historical Arrivals: September 10

Historical arrivals in the port of Erie for September 10, 1947:

MIDLAND PRINCE arrives in ballast from Port Colborne and clears later in the day with coal for Thorold, Ontario.

REISS BROTHERS arrives with iron ore from Superior and clears ballast for Sandusky.

Historical Arrivals for September 8

Historical arrivals in the port of Erie for September 8:

1963: METIS arrives and docks at Duquesne Marine Terminal (now part of Erie Shipbuilding) with 300 tons of Canadian newsprint for the Times Publishing Company.

Historical Arrivals: September 6

Historical arrivals for September 6:

1982: LAKEWOOD arrives with sand, docking at Erie Sand & Gravel's Sassafras Street slip, which is now the site of the Bayfront Convention Center.

Historical Arrivals: September 4

Historical arrivals in the port of Erie for September 4:

1995- KAYE E. BARKER docks at the Old Ore Dock to unload stone.

2004- Tug CLEVELAND/barge CLEVELAND ROCKS arrive with stone from Kelley's Island, Ohio to unload at the Old Ore Dock.

2004- AMERICAN MARINER arrives with stone from Cedarville.

Historical: August 20

On this date in 1981, JEAN PARISIEN of Canada Steamship Lines arrives at the Codan Corporation dock in Erie (currently the Mountfort Terminal) to load coal, departing later in the day with 28,000 tons; this 28,000 tons represents the largest load taken out of the port, which is a record that stands to this day.

Historical Arrivals for August 19

August 19, 1997: MELISSA DESGAGNES arrives to unload pig iron at the Mountfort Terminal.

Historical Arrivals: July 24

2003: CALUMET, with stone from Marblehead, arrives at 2330 to discharge at the Old Ore Dock.

Historical Arrivals: June 29, 1928

On June 29, 1928, 80 years ago, the following vessels called on the port of Erie:

CITY OF ERIE and CITY OF DOVER both visited with passengers from Port Dover on their daily run from Erie to Port Dover.

KIOWA arrived in port with pulpwood from Duluth.

Package freighter RALPH BUDD arrived with merchandise from Chicago and cleared later in the day with the rest of her cargo consigned to Buffalo.

Historical Arrivals for June 18

Historical arrivals for June 18:

1965: CANADIA arrives at the Duquesne Marine Terminal (now part of Erie Shipbuilding) to load 1,882 drums of Quaker State Oil for Europe. This is the first oil export of the season.

1981: JOHN T. HUTCHINSON arrives to load 12,500 tons of coal for Alpena at the Codan Corporation (now the Mountfort Terminal).

1991: MELISSA DESGAGNES arrives with pig iron for Codan.

Historical Arrivals for June 17

Historical arrivals in the port of Erie for June 17:

1952: American Steamship Company's STANDARD PORTLAND CEMENT arrives in ballast from Buffalo, clearing the same day with coal for Buffalo.

1982: WILLIAM R. ROESCH, which later became the DAVID Z. NORTON, DAVID Z., and currently CALUMET, arrives with stone for the Old Ore Dock.

Historical Arrivals: June 16

Historical arrivals in the port of Erie on June 16:

2006- STELLANOVA arrives to load locomotives.
1952- MARYLAND arrives with ore from Marquette for the Ore Dock.

Historical Arrivals: May 27, 1948

On this date in 1948, CALUMET arrives with iron ore from Ashland. JOHN J. BOLAND arrives in ballast from Buffalo and clears with coal for Buffalo.