MV Paul R. Tregurtha
Encyclopedia
MV Paul R. Tregurtha is a Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
-based bulk carrier
Bulk carrier
A bulk carrier, bulk freighter, or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo, such as grains, coal, ore, and cement in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, economic forces have fueled the development of these ships,...
freighter
Lake freighter
Lake freighters, or Lakers, are bulk carrier vessels that ply the Great Lakes. The best known was the , the most recent and largest major vessel to be wrecked on the Lakes. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. In the mid-20th century, 300 lakers worked the...
. The current Queen of the Lakes
Queen of the Lakes
Queen of the Lakes is the unofficial but widely recognized title given to the longest vessel active on the Great Lakes of the United States and Canada. It is also the name of an annual festival in Ballinrobe, County Mayo, Ireland, and the winner of a scholarship competition held in connection with...
, she is the largest ship operating on the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
complex. Launched as the William J. De Lancey, she was the last of the 13 “thousand footers” to enter service on the Great Lakes, and was also the last Great Lakes vessel built at American Ship Building Companies yard in Lorain, Ohio
Lorain, Ohio
Lorain is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Black River, about 30 miles west of Cleveland....
.
Construction
The Interlake Steamship Company was given a contract in 1979 by its customer Republic SteelRepublic Steel
Republic Steel was once the third largest steel producer in the United States.The Republic Iron and Steel Company was founded in Youngstown, Ohio in 1899....
, to transport iron ore from Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
ports to their steel mill
Steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...
at Indiana Harbor
Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal
The Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal is an artificial waterway on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan, in East Chicago, Indiana which connects the Grand Calumet River to Lake Michigan. It consists of two branch canals, the 1.25 mile Lake George Branch and the 2 mile long Grand Calumet River Branch...
, or to their transshipment terminal at Lorain.
Designed by the American Ship Building Company
American Ship Building Company
The American Ship Building Company was the dominant shipbuilder on the Great Lakes before the Second World War. It started as Cleveland Shipbuilding in Cleveland, Ohio in 1888 and opened the yard in Lorain, Ohio in 1898...
to be at or near the maximum "St Lawrence Seaway Size"
Seawaymax
The term Seawaymax refers to vessels which are the maximum size that can fit through the canal locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway.Seawaymax vessels are in length, wide, and have a draft of and a height above the waterline of . A number of lake freighters larger than this size cruise the Great...
, she was designed to fulfil two briefs:
- Bulk carrier
- Executive passenger transportation
With the second brief in mind, she was one of the first freighters with full air conditioning, elevators, and luxurious décor. Built in two parts, her keel
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
was laid down on July 12, 1979, at the American Ship Building Company yard in Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
. On completion, the forward section was towed to their yard in Lorain, where it was mated with the stern portion. The completed hull #909 has a total length of 1013 feet (308.8 m).
Stephens-Adamson designed a loop belt elevator system, that feeds a stern mounted 79.25 metres (260 ft) discharge boom that can be swung 100 degrees to port or starboard. Capable of unloading at a rate of 10,000 long tons of iron ore per hour, or 6,000 net tons of coal per hour, the total system displaces 14,497 tons.
Formally launched on February 4, 1981, the vessel was christened on April 25, 1981, as the William J. De Lancey, named in honor of Republic Steel's chairman who participated in the launch.
Operations
The William J. De Lancey departed Lorain on her maiden voyage May 10, 1981, sailing in ballast to Silver Bay, MinnesotaSilver Bay, Minnesota
Silver Bay is a city in Lake County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,887 at the 2010 census. The city was founded on May 1, 1954 after previously being known as the Beaver Bay housing project...
, to load 55,944 tons of iron ore pellets. She arrived back in Lorain on May 16, 1981. She holds a number of cargo records:
- August 7, 1982: 63,007 ton (64,019 tonne) load at Escanaba, MichiganEscanaba, MichiganEscanaba is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, located in the banana belt on the state's Upper Peninsula. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 13,140, making it the third-largest city in the Upper Peninsula after Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie...
, for Indiana Harbor - July 20, 1983: broke the Lorain port record delivering 61,846 tons (61,846 mt) of iron ore pellets from Escanaba. She then established a lower lakes record by loading
- first 71 cargos totaled 4,151,398 tons (4,218,086 mt), averaging 58,450 tons (59,389 mt) per load, restricted due to the lower draft in Lorain (less draft) and Escanaba to Indiana Harbor
- holds lower lakes record of 50,239 net tons of coal, shipped from Ashtabula, OhioAshtabula, OhioAs of the census of 2000, there were 20,962 people, 8,435 households, and 5,423 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,775.9 people per square mile . There were 9,151 housing units at an average density of 1,211.8 per square mile...
, to Consumers Power - 2001 season: most cargo through the Soo LocksSoo LocksThe Soo Locks are a set of parallel locks which enable ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. They are located on the St. Marys River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, between the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario...
, 3,004,957 net tons
On termination of the Republic Steel contract, on May 23, 1990, she was rechristened MV Paul R. Tregurtha at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Sturgeon Bay is a city in and the county seat of Door County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,437 at the 2000 census. It is located at the natural end of Sturgeon Bay, although the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal was built across the remainder of the Door Peninsula.-Geography:Sturgeon Bay is...
, named in honor of the Vice Chairman of Interlake Steamship Co. On May 3, 2002, her only captain died in his cabin, Captain Mitch Hallin, aged 55.
In winter 2004, she was asked to transport a reserve of coal to Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in...
, necessitating a mid-winter voyage. Loading 43,000 net tons in Conneaut, Ohio
Conneaut, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,485 people, 5,038 households, and 3,410 families residing in the city. The population density was 473.4 people per square mile . There were 5,710 housing units at an average density of 216.5 per square mile...
, both United States and Canadian Coast Guard
Canadian Coast Guard
The Canadian Coast Guard is the coast guard of Canada. It is a federal agency responsible for providing maritime search and rescue , aids to navigation, marine pollution response, marine radio, and icebreaking...
services provided ice breaking assistance so that the voyage was completed without any delays. After unloading on January 29, she departed for her normal winter lay-up in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Sturgeon Bay is a city in and the county seat of Door County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,437 at the 2000 census. It is located at the natural end of Sturgeon Bay, although the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal was built across the remainder of the Door Peninsula.-Geography:Sturgeon Bay is...
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She was the subject of a television program in the second series of Discovery Channel Canada
Discovery Channel Canada
Discovery Channel is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel devoted to nature, adventure, science and technology programming. Discovery Channel is currently owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc...
's series Mighty Ships
Mighty Ships
Mighty Ships is a documentary television program produced by Exploration Production Inc. in Canada. It is aired on Discovery Channel Canada and also broadcast around the world...
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External links
- MV Paul R. Tregurtha at the Interlake Steamship Company
- History and photos @ boatnerd.com
- Pictures of Paul R. Tregurtha at Duluth