OHIO Returns Barges; Departs

Great Lakes Towing's tug OHIO arrived in Erie at 1030 today towing the barges WITTE 1406 and WITTE 1407, which are returning from their charter to Alcoa and work in Cleveland.

OHIO docked both barges at the Mountfort Terminal in a strong north wind, and after a short stopover there lip and barges to their home base at the West Slip and departed for Buffalo, where the tug will take the barge CBC 1268, with windmill parts, in tow bound for Menominee, Michigan.

This is the OHIO's first visit to Erie since July 15, 2006, when it arrived to tow the LANSDOWNE to Buffalo. That tow departed the following day.

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OHIO, towing the WITTE 1406 and WITTE 1407, inbound this morning.


Another view.


Close up of the 1903-built OHIO.


WITTE 1406.


Stern view as the tow docks.


Stern view of the OHIO.


Docking.

MAUMEE in Port; MICHIPICOTEN Ready to Go; ANDRIE Out on Sea Trials

MAUMEE arrived in port at 0030 this morning and moored at the Mountfort Terminal with a cargo of salt from Fairport Harbor, Ohio. The vessel unloadied throughout the night and finished as the first rays of dawn peaked over the horizon at 0555 this morning. MAUMEE's crew quickly cast off and departed the Mountfort Terminal, slowly worked her way into Presque Isle Bay and turn on hard starboard wheel to line up with the channel. The Lower Lakes Transportation-owned, 1929-built classic the proceeded slowly through the channel and into Lake Erie on a gorgeous morning more typical of late May than mid-April, bound for Cleveland's Cargill Salt dock to load.

Meanwhile, across the harbor, MAUMEE's Canadian fleetmate, Lower Lakes Towing's MICHIPICOTEN, is in the final stages of fitout at Erie Shipbuilding and this morning the vessel was waiting on inspection from Lloyd's of London and various government agencies. If all goes well the vessel will be departing today or tomorrow.

MICHIPICOTEN was drydocked for the rebuilding of a piece of machinery in the tail shaft, located at the stern near the propeller. This work was supposed to have been done when the vessel received its five-year survey at Bay Shipbuilding in December; however, Bay Shipbuilding, the largest shipyard on the Great Lakes, did not have the capability to do the work, resulting in Erie Shipbuilding winning the contract. Hopefully, the completion of this work will lead the Lower Lakes fleet to do more business with Erie Shipbuilding.

Fit out work continues on tug KAREN ANDRIE and barge A-397. This afternoon at 1555 the ANDRIE departed Erie on sea trials, returning an hour later after completion of them. A-397 received her five-year survey, along with the Hydraconn coupler system installed on the tug and barge over the winter, while in drydock.

An article in today's Buffalo News indicates that scrapping on the LANSDOWNE is almost complete and the remains will be moved later this week to facilitate scrapping. The two rail cars on the stern have been saved by the Illinois Railway Museum.

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MAUMEE completes its turn this morning.


Lining up for the channel.


Entering the channel as the sun rises.


MAUMEE in between the piers.


The bow of the MAUMEE approaching the Erie Pierhead Lighthouse.


Stern view.


Another view.


Into Lake Erie.


KAREN ANDRIE preparing for sea trials.


With the MICHIPICOTEN.


With the A-397.


MICHIPICOTEN fitting out.


Another view, taken from the public dock.

MICHIPICOTEN Set to Depart; Dredging Continues; LANSDOWNE's Milwaukee Skytops to be Saved; Dredging Work Continues

MICHIPICOTEN is scheduled to depart sometime Tuesday afternoon or evening bound for Toledo, where she is expected on Wednesday morning to load coal for Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

MICHIPICOTEN emerged from drydock on Sunday and is now moored at the north face of Erie Shipbuilding. The KAREN ANDRIE, meanwhile, has been turned around and is now moored behind the A-397 facing south.

Dredging work at East Avenue continues today as crews from Lakeshore Towing works to finish the job. Lakeshore's entire fleet is now back in the water, with towboat ENDURANCE having been put back in the water over the weekend.

A bit of good news for preservationists: the two Milwaukee Skytops on the LANSDOWNE are have been saved and are going to be shipped back to the midwest for restoration. Although the LANSDOWNE won't be saved, a piece of the vessel will be.

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KAREN ANDRIE, now turned around at dock on Sunday night.


Another view.


At dock with the MICHIPICOTEN.


MICHIPICOTEN at dock. This is only the second time I know of since the shipyard was built in 1967 that a vessel this size has moored here.


Stern view.


KAREN ANDRIE at dock on Monday.


Another view.


MICHIPICOTEN with fitout continuing on Monday.


Another view.

LANSDOWNE SCRAPPING UPDATE

An article in Thursday's Buffalo News highlights the LANSDOWNE's scrapping, which I first reported here on March 26. Apparently, demolition work on the vessel will be completed by May 1, leaving the 124-year-old vessel to be just another memory.

Certainly some will cheer at the dilapadated vessel's demise; however, I am not one of them. The LANSDOWNE represents a lot of Great Lakes history, and its present state of disrepair was one caused solely by neglect on the part of Specialty Restaurants, the vessel's last owner. With the vessel's loss another priceless piece of maritime and railroad history is gone forever.

I will continue to follow this story and will hopefully within the next couple of weeks have photos to post of the vessel's scrapping.

LANSDOWNE SOLD FOR SCRAP

Specialty Restaurants, owners of the LANSDOWNE, which called the Sassafras Street dock home until the Erie Western-Pennsylvania Port Authority evicted the vessel in July 2006, has reportedly been sold for scrap to a company in Buffalo, where she is now languishing.

Work on demolishing the 1884-built vessel will begin around May 1, reportedly. The two Milwaukee Road Skytop railcars on the stern of the ship, the subject of many preservation attempts by railroad enthusiasts, are in jeopardy of seeing the cutter's torch along with the LANSDOWNE.

The following is the text of an email I received earlier this evening:

Earlier this month, Specialty Restaurants sold the Lansdowne investment
to a local scrap iron company which is slated to disassemble the
structure within the coming weeks. Unfortunately, despite Specialty's
new receptiveness to part with the cars, we were unable to rally the
same support and interest that we did a couple years back. The firm
charged with disposing of the Lansdowne is open to selling the skytops
at scrap value and has affirmed the ability to remove the cars in one
piece. There are a few individuals who have shown interest and backing
to support preservation of one or both cars; however this must be
matched with a reasonable plan and support to vacate the cars from the
site prior to May 1st. Sadly, reality dictates that the resources
necessary to mobilize for such an endeavor is likely not practical at
this point.

Anyone interested in more information about the preservation efforts can email Lee Edgar.

It's unfortunate that this seems to be the fate of the LANSDOWNE, whose owners had grand plans to restore the vessel to a floating restaurant when she arrived in Erie under tow of the tug MANITOU on November 1, 1999.

I will continue to follow this story and will update as I receive more information.

LANSDOWNE to be moved from Buffalo by May 1; Former Erie Visitors to be renamed

LANSDOWNE, which has been languishing in Buffalo since being towed from Erie in July, 2006, wil be moved from the city of Buffalo by May 1, according to an article in today's Buffalo News. Specialty Restaurants has promised the city of Buffalo that the vessel will be moved by that date; the mayor of Buffalo has threatened to levy fines of $1,000 per day if the vessel isn't removed by then. I will continue to follow this story.

In another follow-up to a story of several weeks ago, Lower Lakes Towing and subsidiary Grand River Navigation have announced new names for three recenty purchased vesses, all of which visited Erie in 2007. The WOLVERINE, EARL W., and DAVID Z. will be renamed ROBERT S. PIERSON, MANITOWOC, and CALUMET, respectively. All three vessels are now under the new registry.

In Erie Shipbuilding news, the next deck barge under construction, Hull 109, has been named WITTE 1403 for Donjon Marine.

LANSDOWNE, Once Again, Runs into Trouble

During the recent storm causing the seiche condition I wrote about yesterday, the LANSDOWNE, now moored in Buffalo, ran into more trouble. WGRZ-TV in Buffalo reported that the vessel took on a major list and partially submerged during the storm on Wednesday. The entire article can be found on their website.

This is the second time the LANSDOWNE has run into this kind of trouble. On Christmas Day, 2005, the 124-year old vessel sank to the bottom of Presque Isle Bay at the foot of Sassafras Street. Crews from Lakeshore Towing worked with a firm from Cleveland and floated the vessel in February, 2006, and it was towed to Buffalo on July 16, 2006. Unfortunately the only destination left for the LANSDOWNE is a scrapyard.

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LANSDOWNE on the bottom of Presque Isle Bay, January 12, 2006.


Overhead view.

HOLLYHOCK REPLACES BUOYS; TOBAGO LOADING CONTINUES

USCGC HOLLYHOCK remains in port and was hard at work replacing the summer buoys this morning. At 1000 hours the crew had finished with Buoy 9 (the closest green buoy to the Mountfort Terminal) and moved to Buoy 11, making quick work of that before proceeding to Buoy 13, just north of the Old Ore Dock.

After Buoy 13 was finished the crew of the HOLLYHOCK slid sideways across the slip to Buoy 14 and would proceed to replace that buoy before getting Buoys 12 and 10, the red markers marking the western end of the navigation channel.

CLIPPER TOBAGO has finished loading the twelve tank cars delivered Friday and is sitting quietly now waiting the delivery of more cars so loading can continue.

The LANSDOWNE, which graced Erie's harborfront until the Port Authority evicted it in July, 2006, is featured on page B1 of the Erie Times News today. The LANSDOWNE now sits awaiting her fate in Buffalo, where she has been since being towed from Erie by the tug OHIO on July 16, 2006.

The Times News article quotes Port Authority Executive Director Ray Shreckengost as saying that he was not aware the barge was towed to Buffalo; he believed it was going to Toronto, where it was rumored to be headed throughout 2005 and into 2006. Shreckengost is quoted as saying that someone has "got to shoot the thing and put it out of its misery." In 2000 Shreckengost told the newspaper that the barge "looks fine to me."

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HOLLYHOCK in Presque Isle Bay on Sunday morning.


HOLLYHOCK in Presque Isle Bay on Sunday morning.


Lifting Buoy 11.


At the site of Buoy 13.


Lifting the winter marker for Buoy 13.


Marker goes over the side.


Moving the buoy into position.


CLIPPER TOBAGO at dock.


With the HOLLYHOCK in the background.


Waiting for another load.


LANSDOWNE in Buffalo on November 1, 2006. The LANSDOWNE has since been moved to a more prominent spot on Buffalo's waterfront, along US Route 5, as the article points out. The LANSDOWNE will likely remain there for a while, as Buffalo already has a convention center that is nowhere near the site. However, the article errs in saying that the LANSDOWNE is now near HSBC Arena and Dunn Tire Park, as the vessel is moored at least three miles west of downtown Buffalo.