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Great Lakes Ship Nerds


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1014' long, wow!

In 1969 I had a summer job at a shipyard in Baltimore and one of the ships was the Navy's USS Caloosahatchee, a freighter that came into the shipyard 440 feet long, was cut right through the middle and stretched out to 680 feet long.

You could get lost trying to walk through the ship.  1014' feet must be like a maze to someone not familiar with the ship.

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47 minutes ago, MickinMD said:

1014' long, wow!

In 1969 I had a summer job at a shipyard in Baltimore and one of the ships was the Navy's USS Caloosahatchee, a freighter that came into the shipyard 440 feet long, was cut right through the middle and stretched out to 680 feet long.

You could get lost trying to walk through the ship.  1014' feet must be like a maze to someone not familiar with the ship.

Here's the first video of how it's self unloading conveyor system works. You can see they use bicycles (1:54) to get around on deck. :D

 

 

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2 hours ago, team scooter said:

You can see they use bicycles (1:54) to get around on deck. :D

Back when I was running my bike shop, the chief engineer of a lake freighter used to use the opportunity when they were unloading limestone at the cement plant about a mile away to ride up to my shop and look around. A few times, the captain of the vessel rode over with him.

 The ship was the James Norris, the last piston powered steamer flying the Canadian flag on the great lakes.

I tried to get him to give me a tour of the engine room, but he told me that since 9 11, the ship was off limits to non employees.

Bummer, I would have really loved to see that.

That ship has since been scrapped, and with it, the end of an era.

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12 hours ago, MickinMD said:

You could get lost trying to walk through the ship. 

For those that can interpret the signs, you will always know where you are in a US Navy ship. There is a numbering system present for all locations and every space has a specific "address". The addresses are painted on the walls. You should be able to stand where you are, see the sign, and know your location.

https://www.alternatewars.com/BBOW/Designations/US_Naval_Ship_Comp_Des.htm

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16 minutes ago, BR46 said:

Wo46 and I ride the SS Badger quite often for weekend getaways. I was told that the Badger is the last steam powered ship on the Great Lakes. 

https://www.ssbadger.com/about/history/

We enjoy the Cape May-Lewes ferry across the Delaware Bay from NJ to DE. You can see dolphins and shit if you are lucky.  Not this year though. :(

 

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54 minutes ago, BR46 said:

Wo46 and I ride the SS Badger quite often for weekend getaways. I was told that the Badger is the last steam powered ship on the Great Lakes. 

https://www.ssbadger.com/about/history/

 The SS Badger is cool. She entered service in 1953 making her the oldest passenger/ferry ship on the great lakes. The steamship Alpena entered service in 1942. One of only a few that weren't converted to diesel, scraped, or made into a museum. She's actually in one of the videos I posted above. Interesting story, she caught fire in dry dock at Sturgeon Bay and was almost made into a barge.

 https://www.mlive.com/news/2015/12/ss_alpena_fire.html

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5 hours ago, BR46 said:

Wo46 and I ride the SS Badger quite often for weekend getaways. I was told that the Badger is the last steam powered ship on the Great Lakes. 

https://www.ssbadger.com/about/history/

The last coal fired passenger steamer the article says. I think there are still bunker fueled freighters out there. The ship I referenced earlier was the last piston powered steamer flying the Canadian flag, but the engineer told me there are still steam turbines out there.

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