Luedtke Dredge Equipment Visits

Luedtke Engineering's tug KRISTA S., towing two barges, 1000' feet of dredge pipe and assisted by the small tug GRETCHEN B., arrived in Erie on Friday night and moored at the Mountfort Terminal to wait weather for the weekend. The quartet of tugs and barges departed this morning around 0900 bound for Buffalo. The tugs are taking the equipment from Harbor Beach, Michigan to Buffalo for a dredging project.

KRISTA S. frequently stops in Erie while traveling Lake Erie with dredge equipment and was last here in April 2012. The smaller tug GRETCHEN B., a former U.S. Army ST tug, was last in Erie for Luedtke in 2003 while working a project at Coast Guard Station Erie.

I will hopefully have an update on Donjon Shipbuilding and the FRONTENAC tomorrow.

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KRISTA S. leads the tow out of the harbor.


Close up.


The two barges will be used in the dredging operation.


Another view.


The tow between the piers.


Close up of Luedtke's crane barge.


Dredge LUCILLE T.


Stern view.


Part of the 1,000' of pipeline being towed.


Stern view of the tow.


GRETCHEN B. following the tow outbound.


Side view.


Stern view of the entire convoy.


PERCA follows the tow outbound.


Stern view.


August 31: KIMBERLY ANNE pushing two barges, one containing tug ANDREW J., outbound Erie. ANDREW J. capsized and sank in Lock 4 of the Welland Canal earlier that week and was on its way back to Detroit.


Another view.


Close up of ANDREW J., looking none the worse for spending a couple of days on the bottom of a lock chamber.


KIMBERLY ANNE.


Stern view of the ANDREW J.


KIMBERLY ANNE.


Stern view of the tow.


ALGOMARINE at the Mountfort Terminal on September 6.


Another view.


BAIE COMEAU upbound in the Welland Canal on September 17, bound for Thunder Bay, Ontario to load coal. BAIE COMEAU is the fourth and final newbuild self unloader in the Canada Steamship Lines fleet and is on only her second trip in this photograph.


Stern view as the BAIE COMEAU heads upbound from Lock 7 and toward Lake Erie.

LUEDTKE EQUIPMENT ARRIVES

Luedtke's tug KRISTA S., towing hydraulic dredge barge LUCILLE T., arrived in Erie at 0615 this morning and docked the barge at the Mountfort Terminal. KRISTA S. departed after dropping the barge at the Mountfort Terminal.

KARL E. LUEDTKE, a smaller tug, arrived at 0650 towing DERRICK BOAT 11 and docked at the Mountfort Terminal, ahead of the LUCILLE T.

KRISTA S. returned to port at 0830 this morning towing 600 feet of dredge pipeline, and with assistance from KARL E. LUEDTKE, docked the pipeline at the Mountfort Terminal. The two tugs, barges and pipeline remain there.

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KARL E. LUEDTKE, towing DERRICK BOAT 11, inbound.


Close up.


Stern view.


Stern view of the tow.


KARL turning to dock.


KRISTA S. towing 600' of pipeline into port.


Close up.


Stern view.


KARL stands by to assist KRISTA with docking the pipeline.


Docking the pipeline.


KRISTA S. backs around to moor next to LUCILLE T.


KARL backs away from the pipeline.


Moored.

DREDGING ON PRESQUE ISLE BAY

Dredging work began on July 6 in Erie harbor and is expected to continue through the 15th of August. Below are photos taken on July 13.

I will be posting more photos of recent Erie activity sometime this weekend.

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Luedtke's ANN-MARIE pulling an empty scow inbound.


Close up.


Stern view.


Dredging in the bay.


KRISTA S, recently acquired by Luedtke from Calumet River Fleeting in South Chicago, stands by the dredging operation.


Another view.

DREDGE EQUIPMENT ARRIVES

Luedtke tugs KRISTA S. and ANN MARIE are currently moored at the Old Ore Dock with dredge equipment anchored in the harbor. Harbor dredging is expected to begin any day.

I will be posting photos of recent activity in Erie sometime this week.

LUEDTKE TO BEGIN HARBOR DREDGING

Luedtke Engineering Company will begin harbor dredging on June 20 with the tug ANN MARIE and a dredge. The dredging work in the channel is expected to last about two months.

Tug ANN MARIE is 71 feet long and was built in 1980. Last winter, it sank on the Saginaw River, where it had been working on another dredging project. For more on that, see Saginaw River Images.

Dredging was made necessary due to shoaling that last year prevented the CLIPPER LOYALTY from loading biodiesel here.

English requests Army Corp of Engineers Funding for Dredging

U.S. Rep. Phil English of Erie reportedly has written to the Director of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Office of Management and Budget requesting that they release funds for dredging of Erie Harbor in 2009. Erie will know later this spring if that request is granted.

President George W. Bush has continually cut the Army Corps budget, leaving dredging to suffer. Low water is currently a problem throughout the Great Lakes; Presque Isle Bay, except for a few trouble spots, such as the Old Ore Dock that Lakeshore Towing recently dredged, seems to not have as many problems. The water depth in the channel is sufficient for vessels bound for the Mountfort Terminal to load to between 25 and 26 feet.

The last time the channel was dredged was in 1998, when Luedtke Engineering spent several weeks working in the harbor.