Number 302 • summer 2017

PowerT h e M a g a z i n e o f E n g i n e -P o w e r e d V e s s e l s f r o m t hShips e S t e a m s h i p H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y o f A m e r i c a

Also in this issue Messageries Maritimes’ Three Musketeers 8 Sailing British India An American Classic: to the Persian Steamer Gulf 16 Post-war American wilfred Freighters 28 End of an Era 50 sykes 36 Thanks to All Who Continue to Support SSHSA July 2016-July 2017 Fleet Admiral – $50,000+ Admiral – $25,000+ Maritime Heritage Grant Program The Dibner Charitable The Family of Helen & Henry Posner, Jr. Trust of Massachusetts The Estate of Mr. Donald Stoltenberg

Ambassador – $10,000+ Benefactor ($5,000+) Mr. Thomas C. Ragan Mr. Richard Rabbett

Leader ($1,000+) Mr. Douglas Bryan Mr. Don Leavitt Mr. and Mrs. James Shuttleworth CAPT John Cox Mr. H.F. Lenfest Mr. Donn Spear Amica Companies Foundation Mr. Barry Eager Mr. Ralph McCrea Mr. Andy Tyska Mr. Charles Andrews J. Aron Charitable Foundation CAPT and Mrs. James McNamara Mr. Joseph White Mr. Jason Arabian Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Kolb CAPT and Mrs. Roland Parent Mr. Peregrine White Mr. James Berwind Mr. Nicholas Langhart CAPT Dave Pickering

Exxon Mobil Foundation CAPT Leif Lindstrom Peabody Essex Museum Sponsor ($250+) Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Ferguson Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Lockhart Mr. Henry Posner III Mr. Ronald Amos Mr. Henry Fuller Jr. Mr. Jeff MacKlin Mr. Dwight Quella Mr. Daniel Blanchard Mr. Walter Giger Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Jack Madden Council of American Maritime Museums Mrs. Kathleen Brekenfeld Mr. Roger Gill Dr. Laurence Miller Mr. Paul Rudolph Mr. Odd Brevik Mr. and Mrs. John Harsh Mrs. Harry Morgan Mr. Todd Schaumloffel Mr. David Butler Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hughes Morgan Stanley Community Affairs Schneider Electric North Mr. Leonard Caiger Mrs. Anne Ilacqua Mr. and Mrs. Robert Mullen American Foundation Mr. Steve Caminis Interstate Navigation Mr. William Muller Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Schulte Mr. Gabriel Caprio Mr. Neil Jones New England Institute of Technology Mr. Theodore Scull Cunard Line Mr. Tom Jordens Mr. Carl R. Nold Mr. George Shuster Mr. Thomas Diedrich CAPT Philip Kantz Mr. Brian Norden Mr. Thomas Smith Mr. Thomas Donoghue Mr. John Kennedy Mr. Harry Olsen Mr. Edward Spinney Mr. Steven Draper Mr. Kevin Kernan Mr. Paul O'Pecko CAPT Eric Takakjian Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Dyer Mr. Murray Kilgour Mr. Ronald Oswald CAPT and Mrs. Terry Tilton Mr. Donald Eberle Mr. Stephen Lash Ms. Mary Payne Mr. Eric Wiberg CAPT J.A. Ellis Ms. Susan Linda Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Payton The Wolfsonian

Mr. David Clarendon Mr. Alan Gordon Mr. Kenneth Meaney Ms. Kinda Priestley Contributor ($100+) CDR Andrew Coggins Jr. CAPT Kenneth Graham Mr. Jeffrey Miller Prof. Lester Bartson Mr. Gregory Abbott Mr. Nicholas Cooper Mr. Robert Gray III Mr. Wayne Miller Providence Steamboat Company Mr. Alan Abramson Ms. Carol Cooper Mr. Doug Hart Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Morgan Mr. Clarence Rahn Mr. Robert Alspach Mr. William Cosgrove CAPT Brian Hope Mr. John Morgan Mr. Allan Reed Mr. and Mrs. Eduardo Arini Mr. Tom Creigh Mr. Samuel James Jr. Mr. Brian Morgan Mr. Robert Savarese Dr. John Arnold Mr. Patrick Dacey Mr. Bruce Kendrick Mr. Lawrence Moss Mr. Kenneth Schaller Mr. David Bailey Jr. Mr. David Davila Mr. Robert Kessler Rev. Bart Muller Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Schoenwald Mr. Harold Baker Mr. Christopher DeCamps Mr. Alan Konzelman Mr. Richard Muller Rev. Harry Shipps Mr. David Bavlitschko Ms. Marjorie Dovman Mr. Earl Krantz Dr. and Mrs. William Murphy Mr. Britton Smith Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Beaulieu Ms. Astrid Drew Mr. Thomas Lavin Ms. Nori Muster CAPT Cesare Sorio Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Bellafiore Mr. Michael Dugan Dr. Peter Leahy National Grid Mr. Jerry Stewart Mr. Steven Bienenfeld Mr. Andrew Edmonds Mr. Clayton Leroue Mr. Mark Nemergut Mr. Tom Stone Mr. Philip Blauvelt Mr. and Mrs. William Edwards Mr. Keith Lewis Mr. William Nyberg Mr. David Sylvestre Mr. Mark Bradley Ms. Kathy Farnsworth Mr. Bruce Lockhart Mr. Samuel Ohmacht Mr. Craig Thompson Mr. John Brandner Jr. Dr. Jerry Fingerut Mr. Don Luetje Mr. James Onions Mr. Stephen Weaver Mr. Ford Brockman CAPT George Fisher Mr. Holger Lukas Mr. Hollis Paige Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Weinbaum Mr. James Brown Mr. Michael Fisher Mr. Frank Mallalieu Mr. Paul Paisley Mr. Richard Weiss Mr. Andrew Burger Mr. Alan Flood Mariners' House Mr. Peter Pare Mr. Hubert Wicki Mr. James Burke Mr. Raymond Fredette Dr. Gilbert McArdle Mr. Miles Peterle Ms. Jean Wort Prof. A.G.M. Campbell Mr. Daniel Gallagher Mr. Jack McBride Mr. Richard Placey Mr. Erwin Zimmermann CAPT Robertson Dinsmore Mr. Gregory Gettle Mr. Daniel McCoy Mr. David Powers Jr. Mr. Robert Zinman

CAPT Phillip Bush II Ms. Lulu Gmoser CAPT Earl Maxfield Jr. Mr. Gregory Stavros Friend (Up to $100) Ms. Vivian and Janet Butler Mr. John Goschke Mr. Walter McLaughlin Mr. Joseph Sturges Dr. George Abbot Ms. Alissa Cafferky Mr. Norman Grant Mr. Richard Mushet Mr. and Mrs. William Tatewosian Mr. George Adams Mr. Thomas Cannuli Mr. Carol Hackmann National Maritime Historical Society Mr. Samuel Taylor Mr. Eugene Allen Caterpllar Foundation Ms. Patricia Hartle Mr. Raisuke Numata Mr. G. Thomas Tranter Mr. Roger Angelo Charter Oak Credit Union Mr. John Hastings Ms. Catherine Covell Orloff Mr. John Trtek Mr. Albert Antrobus Mr. Arthur Clarke III Mr. David Hill Mr. Frederic Phinney Mr. Richard Vanaria LCDR. Peter Baci Mr. Alan Cullen Mr. Robert Hlavaty Mr. A. Pierce Bounds Mr. John Vournakis Mr. John Baesch Mr. James Curtin Mr. Stanley Hodges Mr. Gary Raffaele CAPT John Wellington Mr. William Baxter Mr. Terry Curtis Mr. Donald Hunt Mr. Arnold Rathmann Mr. Robert White Jr. Mr. Thomas Berlin Mr. Douglas Davis IBM Corporation Matching Gifts Program Mr. Donald Raymond Mr. Parker Williamson Mr. Francis Birchard Mr. Douglas Dease Ms. June Ingram Mr. Colin Revill Mr. William Wooding Dr. Kip Bodi Mr. John Delach Mr. and Mrs. Les Isaacowitz Ms. Tonya Ricketts CAPT Lawrence Worters Mr. Edward Bohan Mr. Steve Donohue Ms. Kyle Ingrid Johnson Mrs. Irene Roberts Mr. Donald Yokum Mr. Charles Boie Mr. Arild Ellingsen Mr. Michael Joynt Mr. Brian Rogers Mr. Paul Yurko Mr. Rick Brown Mr. Henry Erwin Jr. Mr. Derek Kendall Mr. James Royle Mr. Darryl Zoeckler Mr. Vincent Budesa Mr. John Ferguson Mr. George Koch Mr. Edward Ryan Mr. Robert Burgess Dr. and Mrs. William Flayhart III Ms. Alice La Brie Mr. John Sauter Mr. Edwin Burt Mr. Thomas Fowler Mr. Hugh MacKay Ms. Kay Schloff CAPT Stephen Busch Mr. Glenn Frizzell Mr. Donald Martin CAPT W.D. Smith

n (At top) The hard-working crew of the ferry S.S. Beauharnois. – Edward O. Clark Collection, SSHSA Archives. Powerthe magazine of theShips Steamship Historical Society of America

manifest • N u m b e r 3 0 2 • s u m m e r 2 0 17 This quarterly magazine has been continuously published by The Steamship Historical Society of America since first appearing as The Steamboat Bill of Facts in 1940.

The Steamship Historical Society of America, Inc., (SSHSA) was organized in 1935 as a means of bringing together those amateur and professional historians interested in the history and development of steam A Classic American Steamer navigation, past and present, and incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1950 as a tax-exempt by Mark Shumaker . . . 36 Wilfred Sykes education corporation.

In addition to PowerShips, The Pilot House . .4 Lives of the Liners: Sailing the SSHSA produces other books and Q&A with publications of marine interest, a to the East French Style: Steamboat Bill . . 5 list of which is available online and Cambodge, Laos & Viet-Nam Full Steam Ahead .6 from the Warwick headquarters. by William H. Miller ...... 8 Regionals High Seas ...... 54 SSHSA meetings are normally British India: Mid-Atlantic ...... 58 held annually. Several local From Bombay to Karachi New York ...... 60 chapters also meet regularly. Overseas ...... 62 to the Persian Gulf Membership in SSHSA includes by Terry Tilton ...... 16 New England & Eastern Canada . . . 64. subscriptions to PowerShips, the West Coast ...... 66 Telegraph, and Ahoy! Dues American Freighters of Great Lakes / Seaway . . 69 are in various classes, beginning at the Post-War Years & Southeast & Gulf Ports . 71 $50.00 for Annual Members. Their Operators Southwest Pacific . . . . 74 For further details, write: Jim Shaw ...... 28 Western Rivers . . . . . 77 Steamship Historical Tugboats . . . . .80 Society of America, Reviews . . . . . 83 2500 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886 End of an Era Heard on by Brian Morgan ...... 50 the Fantail . . . .85 From the Visit our website at Collection . . . .86 www.sshsa.org On the cover Wilfred Sykes eases her way past iconic “Big Red” the Holland, MI, Harbor Lighthouse – and into port. Chris Winters captured this unique view from Sykes’ self-unloader rig. Above: Wilfred Sykes in port at Marquette, MI. – Chris Winters photo.

PowerShips (formerly titled Steamboat Bill) (ISSN 0039-0844)—founded in 1940 by Jay Allen—is published quarterly as a cooperative effort by the Steamship Historical Society of America, Inc., 2500 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the activities of marine historians in the field of self-propelled vessels. Material for possible publication is always welcome and should be sent to the editor; Jim Pennypacker, 4 Snead Ct., Palmyra, VA 22963. No remuneration can be made for such materials, and no responsibility for it is accepted, although every effort will be made for its safe handling. All contributions are subject to editing. Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Society; the burden for accuracy rests with the contributors. Contributors represent that they are the sole author of their Work, that the Work is an original work of authorship which does not infringe on the copyright rights of others, and that the author has the unencumbered right to publish the material. Subscription to PowerShips is by membership of $50.00 (US$) per year in the Steamship Historical Society of America, Inc. $30 of each member’s dues goes toward receiving PowerShips. Single copies of available issues may be purchased. Periodical postage paid at Warwick, RI, and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to SSHSA, 2500 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886 USA. Phone +1 401 463 3570, fax +1 401 463 3572. No part of PowerShips may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the publisher. PowerShips Summer 2017 • 3 PowerShips editor-in-chief Jim Pennypacker 4 Snead Ct., Palmyra, VA 22963 Email: [email protected] The Pilot House Phone: +1 610-883-7988 associate editors Peter T. Eisele 74 Chatham Street, Chatham, NJ 07928 Reviewers, Wilfred Sykes, Cambodge & more... Email: [email protected] Dr. Laurence Miller e need volunteers to review ideas and potential articles for 11321 SW 134th Avenue, Miami, FL 33186 Email: [email protected] inclusion in future issues of PowerShips. If you’re knowledgeable contributors in a particular area of maritime history and want to volunteer, William G.T. Barber ted Blank please send me an email ([email protected]) along with your area Charles H. Bogart David M. Boone Peter T. Eisele William A. Fox Wof expertise. Areas of expertise can be anything from ocean liners to working ships John A. Fostik geoffrey Hamer to steamship companies to ships from a particular region to steam engines – pretty Donald Leavitt James L. Shaw Mark Shumaker rich Turnwald much any area of maritime history. We hope to get enough volunteers so that you Julia Winters g. Justin Zizes should expect to review a couple of ideas/articles a year. editorial planning committee Jim Pennypacker Dr. Laurence Miller Richard Barwis roland Parent Inside this Issue Jim Shuttleworth marifrances Trivelli Articles Wanted Mary L. Payne matthew Schulte • Mark Shumaker offers a heartfelt history of Capt Terry Tilton the unassuming, 67-year-old steamer, Wilfred We’re continually looking for art director Sykes, once the largest and fastest on the Great articles for the upcoming issues of John Goschke, Cornerstone Media, Inc. Email: [email protected] Lakes, which has survived economic ups and PowerShips. If you would like advertising sales downs, mergers and acquisitions and the to write an article, send me a note Richard L. Barwis, IV, Cornerstone Media, Inc. modernization of the American fleet and has ([email protected]) describing your 674 Fairhaven Street, Palm Bay, FL 32907 Email: [email protected] earned its place as a classic. article idea and we’ll talk. In addition Phone: +1 267-736-4575 to articles on engine-powered ships of executive director & publisher • In Lives of the Liners, William Miller offers a Matthew S. Schulte, M.S. brief history of the three combination passenger- all kinds we’re interested in articles Email: [email protected] cargo ships, known as the “Three Musketeers” on Ocean Liners, Ship Design, Ship printing Models, Merchant Marine, Ship Perfection Press – Cambodge, Laos and Viet-Nam – that Marseilles- 1200 Industrial Drive, Logan, IA 51546 Preservation and Memorabilia. Of based Messageries Maritimes built in the early sshsa headquarters 1950s to replace aging, pre-war passenger ships. course, we welcome articles on all 2500 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886 topics of interest to SSHSA members. Email: [email protected] Phone: +1-401-463-3570 Web: www.sshsa.org • Terry Tilton presents a comprehensive sshsa officers account of four ships of the British India Steam Mary L. Payne, President, Wallingford, PA Navigation Company that were active in the Persian Gulf after World War II – Nicholas Langhart, Vice President, Jefferson, MA Don Leavitt, Vice President, South Ryegate, VT Dumra, Dwarka, Dara and Daressa. Founded in 1856, British India became the largest Barry W. Eager, Vice President, Berlin, MA company in the British merchant fleet and was the glue that held the far-flung Robert E. Hughes, Treasurer, New Rochelle, NY Capt Terry Tilton, Secretary, San Diego, CA British Empire together. sshsa board of directors • Jim Shaw presents a concise history of some of the final American breakbulk Odd Brevik, East Lyme, CT Capt James McNamara, Chatham, NJ cargo ships of the post-war years and their operators, which included Lykes, Dr. Laurence Miller, Miami, FL American Export, Isbrandtsen, Farrell, Moore-McCormack, States Marine, Paul O'Pecko, Westerly, RI CAPT David Pickering, Warwick, RI Isthmian, Luckenbach, Waterman and Central Gulf. David L. Powers, Jr., Burien, WA Thomas Ragan, Miami Beach, FL • Brian Morgan remembers Thomas Andrew Sykora, who passed away August James Shuttleworth, Rowland Heights, CA 2, 2016, at the age of 87, and his friendship with Daniel J. Morrell survivor Dennis CAPT Eric Takakjian, Fairhaven, MA Capt Eric Wiberg, Norwalk, CT Hale. Sykora was one of a few individuals who could tell you the history of every immediate past president vessel and company that sailed the Great Lakes. He and his wife, Mary Jane, were Erik Ryan, Narragansett, RI longtime friends and supporters of SSHSA. copy editors & staff Bryan Lucier, Membership Coordinator Karen Sylvia, OfficeA dministrator Astrid Drew, Research & New Media From the Pilot House Alissa Cafferky, Research Assistant Jim Pennypacker, Editor-in-Chief Aimee Bachari, Education & Outreach Coordinator

4 • Summer 2017 PowerShips editor-in-chief Jim Pennypacker Questions & Answers with 4 Snead Ct., Palmyra, VA 22963 Email: [email protected] Phone: +1 610-883-7988 Steamboat Bill associate editors Peter T. Eisele 74 Chatham Street, Chatham, NJ 07928 On Flying Enterprise II Email: [email protected] Dr. Laurence Miller I’m doing some research for a novel 11321 SW 134th Avenue, Miami, FL 33186 Qabout a cargo/passenger ship in Email: [email protected] the 1950s. Do you have any information contributors William G.T. Barber ted Blank about the Flying Enterprise II? Charles H. Bogart David M. Boone The Flying Enterprise II was a steam- Peter T. Eisele William A. Fox John A. Fostik geoffrey Hamer Aship built in 1944 as the Noonday by Donald Leavitt James L. Shaw the North Carolina Shipbuilding Com- Mark Shumaker rich Turnwald Julia Winters g. Justin Zizes pany for the Isbrandtsen Company. In the editorial planning committee 1955 edition of Lloyds her owners are listed Jim Pennypacker Dr. Laurence Miller Richard Barwis roland Parent as Isbrandtsen, and she was 8,258 gross Jim Shuttleworth marifrances Trivelli tons. Her official number was 245374 and Mary L. Payne matthew Schulte Capt Terry Tilton her dimensions (length x width x depth, art director in feet) were 459 x 63 x 27. She had three John Goschke, Cornerstone Media, Inc. decks, one of which was a closed shelter Email: [email protected] deck. Her name was changed to Flying advertising sales Richard L. Barwis, IV, Cornerstone Media, Inc. Enterprise II after another cargo vessel, the 674 Fairhaven Street, Palm Bay, FL 32907 Flying Enterprise, sank during a gale in 1952. n Flying Enterprise II, built in 1944 as the Noonday. – SSHSA Archives. Email: [email protected] Phone: +1 267-736-4575 executive director & publisher Matthew S. Schulte, M.S. French Menus n Email: [email protected] An assortment of French language menu covers printing Bonjour. I’m writing a book about from the SSHSA Archives. (Clockwise from right) Perfection Press Qthe history of menus in Quebec. Dinner menu from the French Line Liberte, June 1200 Industrial Drive, Logan, IA 51546 Cruise menus are among the most elegant. 23, 1952. Captain’s dinner aboard the France, sshsa headquarters 2500 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886 Do you have any that are in French, from September 21, 1969. Undated breakfast menu from Email: [email protected] Phone: +1-401-463-3570 1880 to 2000? the Canadian Steamship Lines’ Tadoussac from a Web: www.sshsa.org sshsa officers SSHSA collections include a broad series with explanations of the French title phrases Mary L. Payne, President, Wallingford, PA A range of ephemera (paper materials on the back. Lunch menu from Canadian Steamship Nicholas Langhart, Vice President, Jefferson, MA Don Leavitt, Vice President, South Ryegate, VT created for temporary use), comprising Lines’ Richelieu, undated, one of a series depicting Barry W. Eager, Vice President, Berlin, MA brochures, promotional booklets and scenes from “historic Quebec.” Robert E. Hughes, Treasurer, New Rochelle, NY Capt Terry Tilton, Secretary, San Diego, CA pamphlets, as well as menus. In addition to sshsa board of directors the information they hold about dining and Odd Brevik, East Lyme, CT food culture aboard ships and ocean liners, Capt James McNamara, Chatham, NJ Dr. Laurence Miller, Miami, FL the exceptional artistic design of menus made Paul O'Pecko, Westerly, RI them popular souvenirs. SSHSA collections CAPT David Pickering, Warwick, RI David L. Powers, Jr., Burien, WA include menus in French, or in some cases Thomas Ragan, Miami Beach, FL French and English translation, from the James Shuttleworth, Rowland Heights, CA CAPT Eric Takakjian, Fairhaven, MA French Line and Canadian Pacific. Capt Eric Wiberg, Norwalk, CT immediate past president Erik Ryan, Narragansett, RI Do you have a question copy editors & staff Bryan Lucier, Membership Coordinator for Steamboat Bill? Karen Sylvia, OfficeA dministrator Astrid Drew, Research & New Media Just email him at... Alissa Cafferky, Research Assistant Aimee Bachari, Education & Outreach Coordinator [email protected]

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 5 The Kindness of SSHSA Members, Volunteers & Friends

ell, the kids are out of school for another short summer vacation and, as usual, there is far too much to do in a finite amount of time. In this fast-paced Wworld we all continue to do the best we can, regardless of where we are in life. While most of us have long-since graduated from a wide variety of trade schools, academies and/or universities, we can all look back fondly at the memories, and cherish that universal rush of getting out n “Making Beautiful Music Together.” – SSHSA Archives. of class for summer vacation! Whether we’re 35, 65 or 95 years old, we all have some similar memories of the past, into a powerful voice of maritime education, outreach and many of which we document, preserve and share here at advocacy, with many opportunities for growth. SSHSA and in PowerShips magazine. Together, we look While it may seem that we’re being inundated forward to creating new experiences in the future. with solicitations for contributions from everywhere, we Two things that transcend the generations of SSHSA should take it as a compliment. We are doing just what members are a deep passion for all things maritime and our founders set out to do some 83 years ago, and I’m an unwavering level of certain that they would be thrilled to see our progress. So Upcoming Meetings support for keeping this don’t get frustrated by our regular requests for increased very important ship support. Instead, think about how far we’ve developed • October 14, 2017 – history organization this organization together as shipmates, and consider SSHSA Autumn Board alive and well. The buying a brick, making a contribution to our Summer Meeting, Providence, RI kindness of our friends, Fund, remembering SSHSA in your will, upgrading your • February 15-17, 2018 broad support from membership to Captains’ Circle status and planning for a – 11th Maritime Heritage our members and Year End gift in December. It’s a privilege to have acquired Conference, New Orleans, LA the overwhelming your vast knowledge and to have experienced maritime • April 7, 2018 – Third dedication of volunteers history. And you continue to deliver, so SSHSA thanks you. Annual Ocean Liner Dinner, continue to astound me. Cranston, RI As we continue to grow Kind regards, here at SSHSA, and as Matthew S. Schulte, M.S. our relationships have evolved, we are constantly asking executive Director more and more from you, our friends. We have expanded steamship Historical Society of America

6 • Summer 2017 PowerShips Please Support SSHSA’s Summer Appeal

at SSHSA thanks to the support reat things are happening and kindness of members and friends like you. Please help us build on the momentum we have gained by making a very donation matters. G ummer Appeal. E contribution to our S SA operations and helps directly funds SSH Your tax-deductible gift fulfill our mission to record, preserve and share the history of engine- powered vessels. Help keep the story of steam alive! Please give generously today. LIVES OF THE LINERS Sailing to the East French Style: Cambodge, Laos & Viet-Nam

8 • Summer 2017 PowerShips rance had, until the Sailing to the East French Style: late 1960s, maintained a sizeable fleet of passenger ships on Eastern runs to the Middle East, East Africa and the Far East, & which included the vital Cambodge, Laos Viet-Nam link to colonial outposts in French Indochina.F To replace aging, pre-war by William H. Miller passenger ships such as the Athos II, Felix Roussel, Champollion and La Marseillaise, Marseilles-based Messageries Maritimes built no fewer than nine combination passenger-cargo ships in the early 1950s.

n Messageries Maritimes’ SS Laos arrives in the Orient. Illustration by Roger Chapelet. – Chase Poster Collection, SSHSA Archives.

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 9 n Dramatic poster illustration by Yves des Gachons of one of the “Three Musketeers” in an exotic southeast Asian port. – Chase Poster Collection, SSHSA Archives.

10 • Summer 2017 PowerShips The Three Musketeers The largest, best decorated and last of these ships built for the Far Eastern route were three very handsome ships, the 13,200-grt sisters Cambodge, Laos and Viet-Nam . They were built between 1952 and 1954 with five holds for cargo and accommodations for 347 total passengers (117 in first class, 110 in tourist class and 120 in third class). They ran a monthly rotation from Marseilles, sailing outbound to Port Said, Suez, Aden, Djibouti, Bombay, Colombo, Singapore, Saigon, Manila, Hong Kong, Kobe and Yokohama. Passenger ship appraiser C.M. Squarey sailed aboard the brand new Viet-Nam in the summer of 1954. “Her interior decorations get right away from the old, heavy, dark Messageries Maritimes decor. Instead, she portrays so well all that is best, without going to extremes, in modern French decoration.” The operations of these ships – known as the Three Musketeers – went unchanged until 1967. When the Suez Canal was temporarily closed, they were routed via South Africa, stopping at Cape Town and Durban, which in due n The outdoor pool aboard the Cambodge. – Author’s Collection. course cut deeply into their profits.

n Viet-Nam at sea. Illustration by Roger Chapelet for Messageries Maritimes. – Chase Poster Collection, SSHSA Archives.

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 11 n Bound for Eastern waters, the handsome Cambodge. – Author’s Collection.

n Laos departs once again for Port Said and onward. – Author’s Collection.

12 • Summer 2017 PowerShips Name Changes & New Owners In September 1967, prompted by political turmoil in Southeast Asia, the Viet-Nam was renamed Pacifique. She was then used briefly on a new around-the-world service, sailing outward from Marseilles to the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, and then homeward via South Africa. She was soon switched, however, to the Marseilles-Madagascar run. Meanwhile, the Cambodge and Laos were to be shifted to the Marseilles-South Pacific-Australia run, replacing two other combination ships, the Caledonien and Tahitien. Operational costs soared as passenger loads dropped drastically, however. The Cambodge and Laos were never moved to a different service and were prematurely retired in n (Above) Sailing late 1969; the Pacifique followed a year later. in style and comfort: Laid up for a time at Marseilles, the 532-foot- The bedroom of a long Cambodge was sold in late 1969 to the Sun first class suite. (Left) Line, a Greek cruise operator. She was partially French style: The first gutted, then rebuilt and reappeared as the class smoking room. – all-first-class, 765-passenger cruise ship Stella Author’s Collection. Solaris. Spending most of her year in Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean waters, she was later used for winter cruising in the Caribbean and South America. She was finally scrapped in 2003 after nearly 50 years of service.

n The Cambodge outbound from Marseilles. – Author’s Collection.

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 13 n In the late ’60s Cambodge and Laos were slated to replace Caledonien (seen here) and Tahitien in service to the south Pacific and Australia. Illustration for Messageries Maritimes by Albert Brenet. – Chase Poster Collection, SSHSA Archives.

n Cambodge was sold to Greek cruise operator Sun Line in 1969. She was extensively rebuilt as the cruise ship Stella Solaris. – Author’s Collection.

14 • Summer 2017 PowerShips The Princess Abeto (ex-Viet-Nam, ex-Pacifique), leased to the Fir Line and renamed Malaysia Baru and then Malaysia Kita, burned out while at a Singapore shipyard on May 12, 1974. Fire Claims Two Musketeers Abandoned and left to sink, she was declared a complete loss. The Pacifique and Laos were less fortunate, however. Two years later, her charred remains were towed to Taiwan Both succumbed to that fate quite well known to French and and broken up at Kaohsiung. The Empress Abeto (ex-Laos) was former French passenger ships: fire. Both were sold in 1970 to also chartered to the Fir Line, becoming the Malaysia Raya . the Abeto Line, a Panamanian firm with strong interests in the She burned out at Port Klang, and her remains were delivered Muslim pilgrim trades as well as Far Eastern passenger services. to Kaohsiung scrappers in the summer of 1977.  The former, renamed Princess Abeto, was rebuilt at Hong Kong for as many as 1,612 passengers; the Laos was renamed Empress Abeto and rebuilt for up to 1,696 passengers. Their days were About the Author numbered, however. Bill Miller, long-time SSHSA member, is an international authority on ocean liners and cruise ships. He has written more than 100 books on the subject: from early steamers, immigrant ships and liners at war to their fabulous interiors and about the highly collectible artifacts from them. He has written specific histories of such celebrated passenger ships as the United States, Queen Mary, Rotterdam, France, Queen Elizabeth 2 and Crystal Serenity. A native of Hoboken, New Jersey, Miller was named Outstanding American Maritime Scholar in 1994 and received the U.S. Maritime Preservation Award and the Ocean Liner Council’s Silver Riband Award in 2004. He was the 2017 recipient of n The former Cambodge during her long career as Stella Solaris. – SSHSA’s Samuel Ward Stanton Award for Lifetime Achievement. Author’s Collection.

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PowerShips Summer 2017 • 15 British India From Bombay to Karachi to the Persian Gulf by Terry Tilton • Images from the Author’s collection unless noted otherwise.

he sun never sets on the British empire. This axiom was true well into the 20th century. Singapore, Hong Kong, Bombay, Seychelles, Bahrain, Rangoon, Ceylon, Karachi, Calcutta and Auckland were just some of the romantic and exotic destinations served by ships of the British India Steam Navigation Company, known as BI. These, plus other cities and settlements, were bound together by the Royal Navy and merchant ships thatT showed the Red Duster of the British merchant navy. Founded in 1856, BI became the largest company in the British merchant fleet. The company was the glue that held the far-flung empire together.

Beginnings needs dramatically. Now, in addition to the Bombay-Basra run, The original 1856 concern (The Calcutta & Burmah these new oil settlements needed significant passenger and cargo Steam Navigation Co., which became BI in 1862) was established service, which would be handled by four new D-class ships, the as a result of the Indian government’s request for mail service Dumra, Dwarka, Dara and Daressa. between Rangoon (Burma) and Calcutta. British mail service to the Persian Gulf began in 1862, and it was beset by the problems The D-Class Ships of reefs, shoals, lack of navigational aids, pirates, suspicious The Near East was important to Britain before World War author it ies, infrequent port ser v ices and unreliabilit y of steamships. II, but by 1946 the region became even more significant. Prior Mail service, scheduled fortnightly, was often intermittent. By 1873 to 1945, the British government had been in discussions with some of the above concerns subsided and the mail became generally BI about quickly showing the Red Duster in the Indian Ocean. consistent on a weekly basis from Bombay, India, to Basra, Iraq, To fill the void, a minimum of four 400-foot, 13-knot passenger via Karachi, Pakistan. For many years BI was successful with this ships, with some cargo capacity, would be needed. Four ships, mail service (which also included passenger and cargo service), but Dumra, Dwarka, Dara and Daressa, would be built simply and the discovery of oil in the Persian Gulf region changed shipping feature an older, prewar design. These pocket liners were known

16 • Summer 2017 PowerShips n One of British India’s D-class pocket liners, the Dwarka. Like her three sister ships she was built postwar to an older, prewar design. – SSHSA Archives.

in British India as the D-class. They needed to be rather small, with a 1,000-passenger capacity for first class, second class and “Middle East” steerage (actually open deck, unberthed). The vast bulk of the passengers were “berthed” without bunks in deck spaces and or “Near East?” areas normally used to hold cargo and freight. he term “Middle East” today means anything Little known today, this quartet of ships provided immeasur- in northeast Africa across the Suez Canal and able service. The ships were just a pencil length short of 400 feet; T east to Pakistan and Afghanistan. But historically, the beam was 55 feet with a gross tonnage of about 5,000, with British cartographers referred to that the area from longitude some variation between ships. Engine reliability had improved 30 to 60 degrees, south of latitude 40 degrees, as the Near significantly since the mid-1930s and the build budget called for East. Longitude 60 to 90 degrees was usually classified as the a single propeller driven by a 5-cylinder diesel engine. Draft was Middle East, and anything beyond 90 degrees was the Far restricted to 21 feet because of the shallow anchorages and lim- East. Even after World War II, National Geographic Magazine ited depth at ports. refers to the Near East on a map inserted in the June 1949 Over the course of their service the ships experienced issue. A feature article in the magazine also used the term many hardships, including stabbings, suicides, fights, riots, “Near East” in April 1954. So British India ships headed assassination attempts, explosions and fires. One ship was totally west would leave Bombay, India, in the Middle East and destroyed by a terrorist attack, one was sold to Chandris Line terminate in the Near East at Basra, Iraq. and one appeared in the movie Ghandi. The last of the quartet was the very last ship in the British Merchant fleet that sailed on The D-class ships took major features from their predecessors a regular route. These were not luxury or cruise ships. There operating on the Gulf route at the end of World War I into World were no pools, no private facilities, no horseracing games, War II. These were the British India V class: Vita, Varela, Varsola no breakfast in bed, no all-you-can-eat-buffet, no gym, no and Vasna, built from 1914 to1917. They were about 4,700 gross shuffleboard tournament and no air conditioning in the hottest registered tons, with the Vasni longer and of higher GRT. The region of the world. dimensions of the earlier ships were similar, 403 by 53 feet, but

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 17 n Dara, built at Barclay Curle in 1948.

with twin propellers and triple expansion engines. The speed and 80-inch stroke. A two-stroke engine needs a scavenging and passenger capacity were also nearly identical: 15 knots and process, and in the Doxford case a large scavenging pump was 60 berthed passengers. The V ships survived the war, but after located between #3 and #4 cylinders. Lubricating oil for the 30 years the D class would replace them all. engine was purified while the engine was running. After an Dwarka was constructed at Swan Hunter & Wigham Richard- emergency shutdown at sea the vessel could be restarted by son Ltd. (hull #1828). She was launched on October 25, 1946, and the air stored in 600-pound pressure flasks. A steam-driven, completed sea trials in June 1947. Her maiden voyage commenced high-pressure air compressor kept the flasks charged to August 12. Dumra (hull #706), Dara (#711) and Daressa (#725) were capacity. Unusual for a motor ship was the high use of steam- built at Barclay Curle in 1947, 1948 and 1950 respectively. driven auxiliaries. Three 60-kw generators had steam-driven reciprocating engines. This electrical capacity seems low, Hardware considering the passenger services, but most of the pumps were Even with 1,000 passengers and a 400-foot length, there also steam powered. The unberthed 90 percent of the passenger was plenty of room for products – 210,000 cubic feet of bale/ capacity had little use for electricity. bulk cargo. This was the same cargo capacity claimed by the Providing steam for all the auxiliaries, heating systems (it does World War II Maritime Commission standard C1-M-AV1 ship. get cold in the Gulf) and cooking were two large fire-tube boilers, Supporting the cargo operations was a mix of steam-operated 12 feet long and 16 feet in diameter. The boilers generated the deck-handling gear. A 25-ton lift is obvious in the photo on typical pressure (for the era) of 120 pounds per square inch. The the forward mast. Five- and 6-ton booms covered all the cargo boilers provided steam to the galleys, steering, winches and fuel hatches. A three-ton derrick above the engine room skylight heaters. Steam pumps also drove the ballast, lube oil, fuel oil, air was used to move engine parts in and out of the engine room. compressor, fuel oil transfer, sanitary, cylinder head jacket water, An additional 5,000 cubic feet of refrigerated space protected condensate, brine, fire pumps, ballast and general service. perishables in the hot and humid climate. Despite the ships matching the contractual 14.5 knots speed on trials, service speed The Passenger Experience was more realistically 12–13 knots. Nonetheless, BI advertised Externally, the D-class ships weren’t particularly the route as “express service.” This was 30 percent faster than attractive, but readers may have their own opinions. The decks the old reciprocating-engine liberty ships. The Persian Gulf were cluttered with ventilators, deck gear, booms, winches and prewar cargo dhows under sail managed only 5–6 knots and the the 16 lifeboats and life rafts necessary to hold all 1,200 passengers engine-powered dhows had a top speed of 9 knots. and crew. The design consisted of seven basic desks: navigation Propelling machinery was kept to a Doxford double-acting, bridge, boat, bridge, promenade, upper deck, main deck and two-stroke engine. Barclay Curle was licensed to build the orlop/hold. The superstructure looked boxy and clunky. At 400 engine. The five-cylinder, 4,200-hp engine had a 24-inch bore by 55 feet, the ships were a little stubby.

18 • Summer 2017 PowerShips Aboard BI’s D-class Liners Unglamorous Outside – Well-fitted & Finished Inside

n Two-bed first-class cabin. n First-class dining saloon.

n First-class lounge. n First-class single-berth room.

n First-class smoke room and bar. n Second-class dining saloon.

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 19 Despite being mundane, unglamorous working ships on an unpopular route, the first- and second-class accommodations were surprisingly well fitted. At least ten different woods were used in construction: sycamore, ash, walnut, teak, birch, mahogany, sapele, elm, maple and burl walnut. First-class passengers found three public rooms: lounge/bar and smoking and dining rooms. The dining room was located at the forward superstructure bulkhead on the bridge deck. The maximum capacity of 32 was seated in tables of two. The room was bright and airy with several varieties of wood. Figured mahogany decorated the walls with sycamore frames. All the furniture was also polished mahogany with sapele coverings. Immediately below on the promenade deck the first-class lounge approximated the dining room in size. Chairs were constructed in walnut with upholstered backs, the cloth complementing a settee and easy chairs. Walnut was also used in the writing tables, bookcases and coffee tables. Lounge walls featured figured birch and straight n Second-class three-berth cabin. grain ash. Inside doors had sycamore astragals and walnut burl. Heading aft of the single-berth staterooms, a smoking room ran between the port and starboard promenade. The finish was similar to the lounge, but the paneling was in elm. On the after bulkhead a marquetry panel depicting wild fowl was only modestly connected to the Persian Gulf route. An adjoining bar was finished in veneer to match the smoking room. The 30 passengers in second class had two seatings in a 20-person dining room. Walls were painted instead of paneled. Baseboards and door frames were of mahogany. The adjoining lounge also had painted walls, with maple veneers on baseboards and door frames. The first two ships of the D-class were built to carr y 20 first- and 30 second-class passengers. First class passengers chose from five double rooms or ten singles, on the bridge deck and promenade. Second class passengers were berthed in ten three-bunk cabins, all on the bridge deck. Stateroom layout was basically the same, but n Second-class lounge. the three-person rooms had a fixed bunk bed over the deck bed. There were no Pullmans. Spaces with cabin-class passengers had the Thermotank ventilation system. During the course of their careers some additional bunks were installed in the single, double and even triple cabins. By 1960 Daressa sold passage for 26 in first class and 60 in second class. The cooking and mess facilities were complex, and culinary arrangements were difficult. On the three-week voyage a diverse group of passengers, of various religions and cultures, needed specific pantries and food preparation and mess areas. The first-class and second-class dining rooms had separate pantries with European-type kitchens. There were separate messes for engineers, crew and petty officers. To service the culinary arrangements, some spaces were allocated for potatoes, vegetables, fish and two types of meat (refrigerated and frozen). The galley for unberthed passengers needed areas to produce foods for Muslim, Hindu, and occasionally Jewish travelers. The n Second-class smoke room and bar. native crewmembers had their own eating facility. A large dry- storage room was adjacent to the ice machine and ice stowage.

20 • Summer 2017 PowerShips British India’s Persian Gulf Service

There was a dedicated fish-preparation room on the main deck. hospital in the docking bridge, but the regular hospital was A unique boiler room for cooking large quantities of rice was located on the upper deck. Female facilities were segregated. BI located on the upper deck. employed interpreters in the officer and crew ranks to handle European ship officers’ accommodations were luxurious and the various languages and dialects. There was even a bazaar, commodious compared to those of the Indian crews berthed sometimes described as a miniature souk. on the bridge deck. These two groups had separate dining and cooking facilities. Cooks and butchers had their own living Unberthed Passengers quarters. These seemingly simple ships were more complex than The number of unberthed passengers on BI ships was other ships. The crew of 130 was small for that complexity. unusual. Although capacities varied by ship and year, the Like the culinary complexity, berthing and medical original design of the D-class vessels called for a maximum facilities were separate and not equal. There was an isolation of 950 passengers. Lifeboat capacity would actually limit the

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 21 number of deck passengers. The extraordinary volume of deck small ships, and showers were hard to find. Portholes and large passengers was spread over four holds and two decks. The holds ventilation fans were used to make the ship more comfortable, were “well-ventilated,” but there were no accommodations, and but these usually failed, and passengers often crowded the it was a major step down from the European version of steerage topside decks, sheltered with canvass awnings. on the Atlantic. The ratio of unberthed to total passengers and Though the unberthed passengers were generally well crew was usually 8:1. Streaming aboard with cooking utensils, behaved, there are records of passengers missing overboard, bedding and possessions, travelers found no identifications of any fights, stabbings, occasional shootings and suicides. The mix of kind to distinguish areas for deck passengers. It was pretty much bedding, belongings and various foods encouraged cockroaches like the Oklahoma land rush – whoever got there first picked and other pests. European ship officers generally passed behavior the choicest property. Bedding or possessions ringed the claimed responsibilities of the unberthed to senior crew petty officers. BI space, and saris were hung from the overhead for some privacy, issued anti-stabbing vests to the officers associated with those with attempts to separate the women within the family space. below decks. Once claims had been staked out there was some measure of respect for the inhabitants. Passengers could choose whether to Soaring Temperatures include food in the cost of their tickets. The ships’ hospitals had air conditioning, as did the first- The unberthed passengers generally accepted their status. class public areas (installed much later). The air in the desert Single women had to be protected from others because of cultural ports required conditioning for both temperature and humidity. and religious rules. Actual locked cages kept certain women Land temperatures could frequently reach 120of, even 125, and and girls secured, and regular patrols further increased their run 110–115 of for days. Surprising to most is the humidity along security. Public toilets were few. Fresh water was limited on the the Arabian Coast, similar to the Gulf of Mexico coast. The water temperature reaches higher than anywhere in the world, 90of at sea and up to 93 close to shore. These extreme air and sea temperatures reduced the efficiency of all cooling systems, including those of the engine and steam plant. The condensing system was particularly degraded. Drinking water fountains needed their own cooling systems. At anchor in August, water stored against the ship’s hull in the sun could reach over 110of. In 1955, BI altered the hull colors for the ships on the Gulf Express route from black to white. Temperatures in some lower interior spaces dropped 4–6of. Some spaces below decks with all-day sun could be 7 or 8of cooler, making for a much more comfortable trip. Service The four D-class ships never returned to Britain after they left on maiden voyages. Upkeep and repairs were done in India. The ships rarely diverted from the Gulf route, although photographic records exist of the ships in Singapore or Hong Kong. Dara made a maiden voyage call at Mombasa in July 1948. Daressa was chartered by the Indian government in April 1964 for a voyage from Zanzibar to Bombay, evacuating deported Asian personnel after unrest in that country. A fifth ship augmented the service when one of the quartet was unavailable because it was in for repair, dry-docking or refurbishment. That ship was the Sirdhana, built in 1947, 480 feet long and 8,600 tons. It was originally built for the Calcutta- to-Yokohama, Japan, run, with a second stop eastbound in Rangoon; this served to perpetuate the original BI service. Sirhana was maybe a knot faster, with 333 berthed steerage-type passengers and 987 unberthed deck passengers. After the loss of the Dara, Sirdhana remained on the route until she was broken up n “Best Both Ways” British India advertisement, circa 1950s. in Taiwan in 1973.

22 • Summer 2017 PowerShips n Dumra, built at Barclay Curle in 1947, shown anchored in Hong Kong's harbor, post 1960. – World Ship Society photo.

countries in the Arabian Gulf. BI ships helped the Crown to Discovery of Oil continue exerting its influence. After years of searching, British Petroleum finally discovered oil in the Arabian Gulf in 1932. (On the Arabian Complexity of Operations Peninsula, the Persian Gulf, on the western side, is known as the The D-class passenger ships were homeported in Bombay, Arabian Gulf. The term was widely used during the Gulf Wars but still had “London” on their stern. Leaving Bombay, calls in 1991 and beyond, but in the United States we still refer to it were made at many ports along the way: Karachi, Pasni, as the Persian Gulf, going back to the days of Persia.) British Gwadar, Muscat (Oman), through the Strait of Hormuz into influence in the area had long predated the discovery. In March Bunder Abbas, across the Arabian Gulf to Sharjah (Trucial of 1938 the first commercial well struck oil in Saudi Arabia. States, which became the United Arab Emirates in 1971), then After the realization that oil in the area existed in large amounts, to nearby Dubai, Umm Said (Qatar), Bahrain, Bushire (Iran), the industrial powers looked to capitalize on the discovery. Kuwait, then to Iran, both Abadan and Khorramshahr. The Britain was already well established in Bahrain and the adjacent route terminated at Basra in Iraq.

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PowerShips Summer 2017 • 23 Like everything else on the ship, stops and fares were very In the Mesopotamia campaign during World War I, along complex. Some of the ports weren’t stops on every trip. Some were the Shat-Al-Arab waterway, BI supplied the base at Basra. made only every other week. Some only on the way out, others on The British were there to protect oil fields and the refinery at the way in. Bunder Abbas and Sharjah were made only monthly. Abadan, the largest of its type in the world. The three Northern Pasni, Bushire, Gwadar and Umm Said were made every other Gulf ports in the Shat-al-Arab, which has a high tidal range, week, both inward and outward. Passengers were not accepted in were not visited by BI on every trip. Basra, Iraq, was 78 miles or out of Abadan. Once a month there was no stop at Dubai. The from the Gulf, Abadan, Iran, 33 miles and Khorramshahr, Iran, entire trip to Basra averaged 11 days and the trip back 9 days. It 39 miles. The port at Abadan was there to support the largest was advertised to passengers as a three-week round trip. oil refinery. The Anglo-Persian Oil Company (which became The choice of ports where the D-class ships visited wasn’t BP in 1954), found oil in Iran in 1908 and commenced building random. Every stop had commercial value or British influence. a major pipeline in 1909. Khorramshahr was a commerce port When the ships’ itinerary was established in 1946, British with some personnel supporting the oil production industry. The influence had been strong for over 100 years. Turkey and Persia close proximity of the two ports on the Iran side of the waterway had a long-standing interest in Bahrain and other Arabian states. allowed BI the option of not visiting both during every trip. In 1861 an agreement was signed protecting Bahrain from When the D-class ships commenced their maiden voyages, possible aggression. Similar agreements were made with Kuwait India was in the partition process (when Pakistan broke away and the Trucial States, with the Royal Navy enforcing them. On for religious and political reasons). In 1950 Bombay already the Arabian Gulf side, Bahrain was the British center of influence. had a population of 1.5 million; Karachi was much smaller, but It was British engineers, with the Bahrain Petroleum Company still large with a population of 350,000; Basra was fairly large (BAPCO), who first struck oil on the Arabian side of the Gulf. with a population of 100,000. In between those stops, however, many were made in the sandy ports of villages or small cities: Politics and Growth Pasni, Gwadar and Bunder Abbas. Muscat was primitive but BAPCO was established in Canada by Standard Oil for oil important for its location on the Arabian Sea adjacent to the exploration in Bahrain. The company continued to hire British Strait of Hormuz. In the Trucial States, Sharjah may have executives for decades afterward. In order to protect British oil had a population of 10,000. Dubai had been a pearling town interests, combined with the political difficulties with Reza Shah, with shipbuilding and fishing as an economic base, but it was the Shah of Iran, the British fleet moved from Bushire, Iran, to a growing commercial center. Sharjah had allowed its creek Bahrain in 1936. Reza Shah had carried out a coup in 1921, to silt up, but Dubai was dredging its creek and would soon becoming Prime Minister in 1925. His son, Mohammad Reza pass its neighbor to the north as the commercial center in the Shah Pahlavi (born in 1919), became Shahanshah of Iran during Trucial States. Oil had yet to be discovered in what would World War II and was overthrown in 1979. During his reign, Iran become the United Arab Emirates. It was found in Abu Dhabi remained on good terms with Britain and the United States. in 1958 and Dubai in 1966.

n An assortment of British India brochures promoting their Bombay-Persian Gulf Service for “Your Next Holiday, Business Trip or Cargo Shipment.”

SSHSA Archives

24 • Summer 2017 PowerShips n Daressa, built at Barclay Curle in 1950. Inset (below) Daressa’s builder’s plate.

In 1947, Pasni, Muscat, Umm Said and Kuwait had not become real Purchasing Power cities. Kuwait was ready to experience The captains of the D-class ships a rapid expansion in population and were well known to local dignitaries, wealth. Umm Said was a new “city” employers, sheiks and ambassadors. from 1949, basically established in They arrived in some ports with as Qatar to support oil transport operations. The Gulf Express many passengers as citizens living there. They had the purchasing ships delivered cargo, engineers, executives and workers to the power and authority to prioritize cargo and passenger loading. port. Even the second-largest city on the route, Karachi, was British India didn’t have agents or offices along the route, and clearly a third-world city. The Merchant Seaman Manual for the ship captains had ultimate authority. the era had the following cautions for Karachi: “Boil all milk Along with the diversity of passengers onboard the Gulf and water, keep away from native shops, avoid hawkers selling Express route, the diversity of cargo deserves mention: textiles, sweets and soft drinks, avoid cheap restaurants, always cook clothing, manufactured goods, weapons, carpets, cars, mopeds, fruits and vegetables after removing skin, use care in bathing motorcycles, fruit, dhow engines, hides, tires, auto parts, leather, beaches and dry off carefully. Avoid sleeping under ceiling fans cement and even gold. There was no Mayflower Moving without cholera belt. Do not walk around barefoot. Always Company in the Gulf, so passengers moving to a different use sun helmet and goggles.” There was also a large venereal country or city took with them everything they owned, often disease clinic in the city. amounting to 20 or 25 crates, trunks and boxes. BI moved the By 1960, captains on the D-class ships found cities much larger occasional Rolls Royce and even an elephant for a zoo. and more dynamic. The political and economic situation was far Money was made on cargo in both directions. Cargo was in different. The population in Kuwait increased tenfold. Bombay bags, pallets, nets, bales, boxes and piecemeal. (The sometimes tripled in size. Dubai began steady growth under the Bedouin disorganized procedure is still used today in the ubiquitous genius of Sheik Rashid Al Maktoum. He knew oil would run motorized dhows loading at the Dubai Creek.) Goods were out in a couple of generations and sought other avenues for the stuffed into trunks and on seats of cars being moved. As can State of Dubai. Pasni became a small city. Manama in Bahrain be imagined, the pricing structure for passengers was extremely doubled in population and remained a center of influence for complex, since there were eight countries with 14 possible stops. both Britain and the United States. The population of Karachi Some of the basic rates in 1955 were: Basra to Bombay, $156 first swelled to two million, but the same precautions listed 15 years class/$109 second class; Bahrain to Bombay, $130/$87; Karachi earlier were still applicable. to Bombay, $40/$29.

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 25 seaworthy. The storm intensity had increased and Captain Elson terminated the loading process and put to sea at 1800 with 819 aboard (including 74 temporarily embarked) to ride it out underway. As the storm subsided overnight, the decision was made to return to Dubai and course was altered about 4 a.m. Forty-five minutes later, and before returning to Dubai, a huge explosion, adjacent to second-class cabin 28, port side on the upper deck, shuddered the ship. The main switchboard went out, the engine stopped and chaos ensued. Mistakes and failure to follow damage control procedures exacerbated the catastrophe. The main engine was secured without bridge approval. The emergency generator started, but soon the lighting system again failed and delayed radio distress signals. Steering control was lost, and the firehoses had no pressure. The main fire pump had not been started, attempts to restore the switchboard were unsuccessful, and an emergency pump wasn’t cross-connected to the firefighting loop. The CO2 smothering system didn’t activate; it was located on the same deck as the explosion, but further aft. The early morning darkness, inadequate emergency lighting and minimal firefighting capability allowed the fire to spread with phenomenal speed. Emergency distress signals were ultimately sounded on the ship’s whistle. As the fire spread, the order to abandon ship was given, but some of the lifeboats had been damaged in the collision with Zeus. Lifeboats 8 and 10 capsized, but some in those two boats did survive. Empire Guillemot, a converted British tank landing ship, arrived first on n Loading freight onto the Dwarka displaying the casual way things were the scene and began recovering passengers in the boats plus those done on these working ships. – SSHSA Archives. on the fo’c’sle and poop decks. She recovered 258 passengers. Three Royal Navy frigates (destroyer escort size), Loch Ruthven, Loch Fyne and Loch Alvie, arrived at 8 p.m. and put damage The Loss of Dara control parties aboard Dara in attempts to recover the remaining Dara was named for a Persian prince and means “wealthy one.” passengers and save the ship. This activity continued through the Her loss in 1961 was catastrophic, malicious and tragic. The high evening, and the ship was taken in tow at 7 a.m. on April 9 by the casualty rate and loss of British prestige in the area was an omen tug Ocean Salvor . Dara had a list; it progressively worsened and she for the end of BI, although the route would not be discontinued for rolled over and sank about 1-1/2 hours after commencing the tow. another 20 years. Even as the world wrestles with terrorism today, The loss of life was high: 283 (29 percent) of all embarked. the maritime public is generally unaware of the terrorist explosion, Surprisingly, the highest percentage of life lost, 28 of 76 (37 subsequent fire and sinking that occurred on April 8 and 9, 1961. percent), was with the first- and second-class passengers. The Dara was the most significant passenger ship in the 20th century to Dubai port group, who would not normally even be at sea, lost suffer such a fate of sabotage and loss underway. 21 of 74 (28 percent). There were 165 casualties in the unberthed Dara had left Bombay on her normal itinerary on March 23, group of 537 (31 percent). The ship’s crew lost just 24 of 132 (18 1961. She was in Bahrain on April 7, where she experienced a rare percent). At the Court of Inquiry there was plenty of fault found April storm, heavy winds, lightning and high seas. Violent Gulf for BI and the crew. What could not be determined was who storms are rare, but can be deadly. After Dara completed loading committed the terrorist attack of sabotage and murder. The and passenger exchange, the ship headed to Dubai, arriving at preponderance of evidence pointed to anti-colonial Omani anchorage about noon on the same day. Shore personnel including separatists who had targeted British interests before. customs, immigration, shipping agents, visiting relatives, postal Dara still lies on her side in 85 feet of water, four miles from and port authorities, cargo handlers and even hawkers arrived with Ras Al Khaima, one of the United Arab Emirate states. the cargo and new passengers. The ship was rolling and pitching in the sea swells. Nearby, at another anchorage, the cement carrier Daressa Leaves BI Zeus was dragging anchor and soon collided with Dara, scraping After the loss of the Dara, Daressa, known as the “Queen down her side and damaging some lifeboats to port. The damage of the Gulf,” was the first to leave BI. She was the largest of the was relatively minor, and officers determined that the ship was still quartet at 5,300 tons.

26 • Summer 2017 PowerShips During the course of her history, four of the open holds a regular route. Airports and air traffic in the towns, previously had a conversion “upgrade” where bunks were installed so that supported by only port facilities, helped speed the decline of the each hold could carry 100 passengers. Also, an assassination express route by ship. was attempted on the Muscat, Oman, Minister of the Interior Dwarka left Dubai for the final time in 1982. As the ship on board. The minister survived the blast in his stateroom, and pulled away, she passed Dara, still on the bottom of the sea. an alert crew extinguished the resultant flames before damage Crossing through the Strait of Hormuz, crewmembers joined could spread to the ship. passengers on the fantail, watching as the land diminished in Daressa left Bombay for Greece in August 1964 after she size. As the earth dropped below the horizon, so did the British was purchased by Chandris Line, and her name was changed India Steam Navigation Company, the British merchant fleet, to Favorita. Chandris had a preference for older American and and the last major route sustaining a global empire. An hour British ships since they were usually better built and maintained, later, only a trace of white foam trailed in the distance.  with duplication of systems and higher safety considerations. Plans called for conversion to a 600-passenger liner for a seasonal cruise to the Mediterranean and Caribbean in the winter. About the Author Favorita languished in Greece for several years without Captain Terry Tilton, USN, commencing conversion. She was ultimately sold to Singapore Ret., SSHSA board member and interests and renamed Kim Hwa. The old unberthed holds carried secretary, a ship enthusiast for 50 years, cargo, not passengers. Kim Hwa suffered some mechanical has deck and engineering experience on difficulties during Far East trading and was sold to Hong Kong steam, diesel, nuclear and gas turbine scrappers in 1974. ships. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he has been underway on 200 Dumra Leaves BI ships and commanded the USS Peoria Dumra, which took her name from Dumra, India, left BI during Operation Desert Storm. He and in 1972. She went to Damodar Bulk Carriers, first as a charter his wife, Mary Pat, reside in San Diego, California. and then purchased outright, sailing as Daman. She visited some of the BI ports, meeting Dwarka on occasion, staying with the company for about four years. She was ultimately scrapped in February 1979 at the same city that had been her home port. Celebrating Dwarka Closes Out BI’s Gulf Service BI took the Dwarka name from a city in northwest India, a QE2’s sacred city of Hindu pilgrimage. It was also the ancient Kingdom of Krishna, the gateway to Heaven. A 1979 BBC documentary 50 Years on Dwarka gave television viewers a glimpse of the ship and her 22 September 2017 history, the last survivor of the Colonial equatorial trade. She Clydebank Town Hall, Clydebank suddenly became an interest for historic cruisers, journalists West Dunbartonshire and tourists wishing to relive British India’s past glory. She even Scotland G81 1UA appeared in the movie Ghandi, shown in the scene where Ghandi returned to India in 1914. She was nearly perfect for the cameo, Join The QE2 Story discussion forum to help keep the showing the prewar liner design, basic and similar to the earlier V memory of this ship alive by sharing photos and memories. ships built from 1914 to 1917. Since 1973 she has only gone up the Gulf as far as Kuwait, which still had significantB ritish influence. There is no charge for joining The QE2 Story Forum. theqe2story.com The author came across the Dwarka in 1977 during a port visit to Karachi. After 30 years she was somewhat rough, rust This year, we are pleased to be celebrating 50 years streaking from the anchor, overboards and scuppers. In 1982 since QE2's launch in 1967. A conference will be held on Dwarka closed out the Gulf Express service. Her life had begun as 22 September 2017 at Clydebank Town Hall, Clydebank, the sun was setting on the British Empire. During her 35 years she Scotland. The conference is sold out, but and her sisters experienced a significant loss ofB ritish influence in you can still join the forum to take part the area. They provided lengthy and valuable assistance during year round in all of the discussions and the buildup of cities along the route to Iraq, a growth still going to catch up on news about QE2. on today. BI had maintained vital arteries along the equatorial qe2event.com possessions of the Crown. Dwarka was the final survivor of BI on

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 27 American Freighters Some of the Final American Breakbulk Cargo Ships of the Post-War Years & Their Operators By Jim Shaw • Photos from the author’s collection

A breakbulk freighter heavily modified for the container age, the 21-knot American Draco was built by Ingalls American Shipbuilding in 1965 as Mormacdraco for Moore-McCormack Lines. In the late-1960s Moore-McCormack elected to Draco move several of its vessels into the container age and Mormacdraco, along with two Constellation-class sisters, was given a new 115-ft mid-body along with three rotating deck cranes, two mounted forward on a single pedestal and one aft, to boost container capacity to nearly 650 TEUs. In 1983, with the acquisition of Moore-McCormack by United States Lines (USL), the ship was renamed American Draco and three years later, when USL itself declared bankruptcy, was moved into the U.S. Ready Reserve Force. In 1997 it was converted into the military crane ship Beaver State (ACS 10), but in 2009 was stripped of its cranes and re-converted into the X-Band Transportable Radar Ship (XTR-1) Pacific Tracker for use by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, a duty it still performs.

28 • Summer 2017 PowerShips merican shipbuilders turned out a massive amount of dry cargo tonnage during World War II, led by the Liberty and Victory emergency shipbuilding programs. But the United States Maritime Commission, established in African Mercury Built in 1962 by the Ingalls 1936, also drew up C1, C2, C3 and C4 basic designs. These Shipbuilding Corporation at Pascagoula, Mississippi, as one of five could be customized somewhat to the requirements of specific C4 sisters for Farrell Line, the 11,309-gt African Mercury was a operators or trade routes, but they also incorporated some replacement for earlier war-built tonnage but only served the company for military specifications. about 16 years. Measuring 572 feet by 75.2 feet, the ship was a fairly large The C1s were relatively small ships of between 5,025 and seven-hold vessel fitted with 22 derricks, one of up to 60-tonne capacity, and 6,750 gt that could use steam or motor propulsion to give a deluxe accommodation for 12 passengers. The passenger cabins were all air- service speed of about 14 knots. The C2s were somewhat larger, conditioned, with a dining room located on the same deck while a large lounge faster and more sophisticated vessels of about 6,100 gt that with library was situated one deck above. A speed of better than 23 knots could use either steam or diesel propulsion to obtain a service was provided by General Electric steam turbine machinery rated at 18,150 speed of 15.5 knots. The C3s, which became the most common hp. In 1980 African Mercury was returned to the U.S. government as type, measured around 7,800 gt and had a speed of 16.5 knots. part of a Trade-in-and-Build program and was renamed Mercury before The C4s, the largest of the Commission ships, were of between becoming Cape Ann (AK-5009) in that same year. It remains in the 10,600 and 12,420 gt and were steam turbine-powered to National Defense Reserve Fleet on the James River in Virginia. give a relatively high speed of 17 knots and above. Because of the requirements of World War II, many of the earlier types became highly modified, a number even ending up as attack transports, troop carriers and small aircraft carriers. National Defense Reserve Fleet After the war, the federal government established the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF), part of the Merchant Ship Sales Act, to provide a reserve of the war-built vessels for both military and non-military emergencies. The Sales Act itself allowed some of the ships to be sold overseas as long as the buyers were “affiliated or associated” with a U.S. citizen applicant. Because the government was involved in the design, Austral Pilot Photographed in Farrell Line colors only a construction and operation of most American ships, including few months prior to her sale to Moore-McCormack Lines in 1980 to become full or partial ownership, they could be returned to the Mormacmoon, the 11,202-gt Austral Pilot had been built for United government once their days of economically viable employment States Lines in 1965 as American Rover by the Sun Shipbuilding & were over. This resulted in a very large fleet of semi-obsolete Drydock Company at Chester, Pennsylvania. Although originally designed vessels laid up in U.S. waters by the 1950s, while a smaller for trading to Australia, the ship, along with her four sisters, was placed number took up employment under foreign flags. In 1976, the into Atlantic service when USL elected to sell its Australia route to Farrell Ready Reserve Force was established as a subset of the NDRF in 1965. The latter company then took over American Rover in 1969 to provide ships from the fleet that were kept in good enough but the vessel reverted to USL ownership in 1983 when USL purchased condition for rapid deployment. In recent decades, the NDRF Moore-McCormack Lines, after which it was renamed American Moon has provided several of its last remaining war-built units for before becoming Mormacmoon once more in 1987. Shortly after this the preservation, leaving a half-dozen restored Liberty and Victory vessel was laid up in the U.S. reserve fleet, then cut up for scrap by North ships afloat today as museums. American Ship Recycling at Baltimore, Maryland, in 2005.

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 29 The NDRF is being steadily reduced through attrition, but it still holds the world’s largest collection of conventional breakbulk tonnage, although most remaining ships have been modified in some form. Lykes Lines One of the last companies to contribute older ships to the NDRF was Lykes Bros. Steamship Co., better known as Lykes Lines. By virtue of substantial government subsidies and freight contracts, the New Orleans-based line operated a fleet of Buckeye State Looking in very good condition for a conventional breakbulkers well into the container age. These were war-built ship, the 7,868-gt Buckeye State was completed by the Ingalls the Pride-, Andes- and Clipper-class vessels built in the 1960s, all Shipbuilding Corporation at Pascagoula, Mississippi, in 1943 as the transport of conventional configuration. Sea Star, a C3-S-A2 type capable of accommodating 2,108 troops. In A dozen of the Prides later were stretched to allow the insertion 1949 the Luckenbach Steamship Co. acquired the 492-ft by 69.7-ft vessel of a single fully-cellular container hold forward, creating a for conversion to commercial operation as George Luckenbach but passed fourth class: the Pacers. These ships found steady work during the 17-year-old ship on to States Marine Lines in 1960, the latter operating the Vietnam era and afterwards in the non-containerized Latin the steam turbine propelled freighter as Buckeye State (Ohio) until selling American and African trades, but they were increasingly obsolete it to Taiwan’s Yung Tai Steel & Iron Works for demolition in 1973. Both going into the 1980s. Luckenbach and States Marine operated a large amount of war-built tonnage Through the next decade the least container-friendly units up through the Vietnam War years but when this conflict came to an end, along were moved into the reserve fleet or scrapped while Lykes with its many shipping contracts, the obsolete freighters were quickly sold off for attempted to rebuild itself using newbuildings and second- their scrap value and both companies wound up by the end of 1974. hand container tonnage. This effort was unsuccessful, and by 1995 the company was bankrupt. In 1997 its remaining assets were acquired by CP Ships, which later merged with Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd. In 2011 the last remaining unaltered Lykes Line freighter was taken out of the NDRF and dismantled. American Export Lines & Isbrandtsen Two American companies that became intertwined and then separated during their histories were American Export Lines and Isbrandtsen Co. Both were formed just after World War I, the latter with the help of Denmark’s A.P. Møller, who happened to be a cousin of Isbrandtsen founder Hans Isbrandtsen. Isbrandsen later formed his own line, the Catawba Victory The war-produced Victory Isbrandtsen Steamship Company, which became the largest ships, such as the 1945-built Catawba Victory, were to feature in many non-subsidized American carrier after World War II. commercial fleets, both domestic and foreign, immediately after the war In 1960, Isbrandtsen took a controlling interest in American years and on into the early 1960s. Unlike the Liberty ships, the Victories Export Lines and later merged the two as American Export- were designed from the keel up for welded construction, as were their Isbrandtsen Lines in 1964. American Export itself had been subassemblies, and adjustments were made to frame spacing to give a less organized in 1919, first as the Export Steamship Corporation, brittle hull, which had been a problem with the earlier vessels. Although one and in the late 1930s it became the first company to order ships Victory, Emory Victory, was completed with a diesel engine, the rest, under the provisions of the U.S. Merchant Marine Act of 1936, like Catawba Victory, were steam powered, the majority using cross- which stipulated the ordering of new vessels if government compound steam turbines with double reduction gearing. Steam propulsion, subsidies were to be paid. in fact, continued to be favored by most American operators because of its The company rebuilt its fleet after the war while continuing relatively low manning and maintenance requirements compared to diesel, to operate war-surplus tonnage. Its final breakbulk construction but was gradually phased out after the escalation of oil prices in the early program, in the 1960s, before the company built several early 1970s. Catawba Victory, completed near war’s end by the Kaiser yard container ships, consisted of three classes of conventional freighters at Richmond, California, and named after Catawba College in Salisbury, known as the A, B and C ships. These vessels began entering North Carolina, was scrapped by Virginia’s Bay Bridge Enterprise in 2004. service when American Export and Isbrandtsen were being

30 • Summer 2017 PowerShips merged, and they were given names beginning with the word “Export” rather than the “Ex” prefix that had been used by American Export since the late 1920s. In 1973 the American Export-Isbrandtsen merger was dissolved, and by 1977 American Export, which had just begun to containerize, was bankrupt. In the following year it was taken over by Farrell Lines and many of its older ships were retired. Farrell Lines Farrell Lines, which became the second largest U.S.-flagged Charlotte Lykes One of Lykes Lines’ Pride-class operator after it acquired the entire fleet of American Export ships finished by Bethlehem Steel’s Sparrows Point yard at Baltimore, in 1978, had operated as American South African Lines before Maryland, in the early 1960s, the 9,397-gt Charlotte Lykes was World War II, principally carrying freight for U.S. Steel. considered a C3-S-37a vessel by the Maritime Administration and, as such, In 1948 the company’s name was changed to reflect family measured 494 feet 8 inches by 68 feet 5 inches with a light displacement of ownership under John Farrell and James Farrell Jr. 7,800 tons. GE steam turbines of 8,500 shp drove a single propeller to give The steamship line’s main business was trade between the a service speed of 16.5 knots. In configuration these ships differed from other United States and Africa. Following the war, its routes were Lykes units by having the No. 4 hold trunked through the house, a design not operated by early C2 and C3 tonnage until six modern C4 repeated in later classes. They had a total capacity of 548,848 cubic feet in ships could be completed in 1963. Two years later, Farrell the holds, which also contained some refrigerated space, and there were tanks expanded its services beyond Africa by acquiring the U.S. East for up to 1,000 tons of liquid cargo. Some of the Prides were later converted Coast-Australia operations of United States Lines, for which it to Pacers by the insertion of a 97-ft mid-section that boosted total cargo ca- ordered several early container ships. In 1975 Farrell also took pacity by almost 40 percent and allowed the carriage of 98 containers on deck over the U.S. West Coast-Australia services of the Pacific Far- and another 60 below while gear lifting capacity at the hold was increased to East Line, giving the company a mixed fleet of LASH (lighter- 35 tons. Not one of the ships to be modified, Charlotte Lykes was returned aboard-ship), conventional and container vessels. to the Maritime Administration in 1984 and renamed Cape Charles (T- Then Farrell entered a severe downturn and was forced AK-5038) prior to being scrapped at Brownsville, Texas, in 2007. to eliminate routes while selling off 38 of its 44 ships. By the early 1990s the company was left with four small container vessels trading to the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf on an old American Export route. In 2000 the line was purchased by P&O Nedlloyd and disappeared into the merger of P&O Nedlloyd and A.P. Møller-Maersk in 2005. However, it re-emerged in 2010 within the Danish group’s U.S.-based Maersk Line Limited, where it operates several U.S.-flagged car carriers in partnership with Alliance Navigation, a U.S. affiliate of Höegh Autoliners. Moore-McCormack Like other American companies, Moore-McCormack Lines began to introduce new ships in the 1960s to replace Cleveland Pictured on her final voyage to the scrap yard, the tonnage built soon after the war. Among these were the C5 cargo vessel Cleveland was built by Newport News Shipbuilding in Mormacpride class and later the Constellation class. Both 1969 as American Mail Line’s 15,949-gt American Mail but was moved featured massive dummy funnels while engine exhaust exited into the fleet of American President Lines as President Cleveland a decade through two thin stacks aft. later. Acquired by New York’s Sealift Inc in the late 1980s the seven-hatch The Prides were equipped with 75-tonne heavylift derricks ship, which was fitted with MacGregor-Comarain-developed bipod masts and were among the first oceangoing vessels designed as well as a 70-ton capacity Stülcken derrick aft, was employed over the specifically to enter the Great Lakes. The Constellations were next two decades to transport bagged and bulk U.S. food aid cargoes as well larger, had a higher service speed of 21 knots and featured as military equipment. A service speed of 21 knots was provided by General multiple hatch covers for their six cargo holds. The company Electric turbines of 24,600 shp driving through double-reduction gearing. also acquired several similar-sized ships from States Lines when When finally scrapped in 2009, she was the last ship of her type still afloat in that firm experienced financial difficulties in the late 1970s. commercial service and among the largest conventional cargo liners ever built.

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 31 Elizabeth Lykes One of twelve Clipper-class ships Export Adventurer One of a series of four built for Lykes Lines in the 1960s, the 10,954-gt Elizabeth Lykes was superstructure amidships, six-hold freighters built in the early 1960s by the New completed by the Avondale yard at New Orleans in 1966 as a Marad C4-S- York Shipbuilding Corporation and San Diego’s National Steel and Shipbuilding 66a-type vessel at a cost of $10.5 million, most of it paid for by government Company for American Export Lines, the 10,366-gt Export Adventurer subsidies. For propulsion the 540-ft by 76-ft ship utilized two Babcock was powered by two General Electric steam turbines of a combined 12,500 shp & Wilcox D-Type boilers feeding two cross-compound steam turbines of turning a single propeller to give a maximum speed of 18.5 knots. Along with 15,500-shp output driving a single shaft for a maximum speed of 20 knots. sisters Export Ambassador, Export Agent and Export Aide, Export Cargo capacity was 749,900 cubic feet in six holds served by traditional Adventurer was a member of American Export Lines’ “A” class, designated derricks but with a Stülcken heavylift mast set carried forward. When Lykes C3-S-38a under the Maritime Administration design classification scheme. All began suffering financial problems in the 1990s, leading to its sale in 1995, four ships accommodated 12 passengers in cabins located on the Boat Deck, which five of the Clipper class were retained for use in the Ready Reserve Force, also had a large dining room aft while a passenger lounge was located one deck up. but Elizabeth Lykes, possibly because of mechanical condition, was sold Taken over by Farrell Lines in 1978, Export Adventurer was placed in the for scrap and was dismantled at Alang, India, in 1995. National Reserve Fleet as Adventurer during 1980 prior to be broken up for scrap at Brownsville, Texas, in 2012.

Export Builder Sailing under Farrell Line colors in 1980, the 10,659-gt Export Builder was completed by National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, California, in 1962 as part of Exbrook Wearing a nicely painted funnel, but with a hull American Export Lines’ post-war reconstruction program and was one of the still in need of some touch-up, the 7,047-gt Exbrook heads to sea during company’s “B” type vessels. Designed by J.J. Henry Company of New York one of its final years under the U.S. flag. Built in 1946 by Bethlehem to make maximum use of hull space, the ship had her machinery space set fully Shipbuilding Corporation’s yard at Sparrow’s Point, Maryland, for aft, resulting in 732,517 cubic feet of dry cargo space in six holds forward American Export Lines, the six-hold vessel was designated a C3-S-A3 compared to the more traditional configured Export Adventurer, which had type by the U.S. Maritime Commission and carried American Export’s only 623,008 cubic feet in the same basic hull form. However, both classes, traditional counter stern. Considered somewhat dated at the time, the along with the “C’s,” Export Challenger, Export Champion, Export counter stern was to feature on several of the line’s early post-war ships, Commerce and Export Courier, were fitted with goal post masts with including the passenger liners Independence and Constitution and heavy cross members to accept Elbe-type rigging as well as a center-mounted the combination vessels Excalibur, Exochorda, Excambion and 60-ton heavylift derrick and twin 5-ton electric cranes aft. In their later years the Exeter. Laid up in the 1970s when American Export began facing ships were also fitted with support pads to allow the carriage of up to 337 TEUs financial difficulties, Exbrook was sold in 1975 and broken up for on deck and on the hatch covers. Export Builder, acquired by Central Gulf scrap during the following year by Chien Tai Iron Works Co Ltd at Lines in 1980, was laid up in the Reserve Fleet as Builder in 1984 and broken Kaohsiung, Taiwan. up for scrap at Brownsville, Texas, in 2001.

32 • Summer 2017 PowerShips Genevieve Lykes A ship that had to be built twice, La Salle The 1943-built La Salle was completed by San the 10,723-gt Genevieve Lykes was completed in 1968 after the original Francisco’s Western Pipe and Steel Co. as Sea Carp, a Maritime hull was lost to hurricane damage before the vessel could be finished. It and Commission C3-S-A2 type, and later fitted out at New York City as attack sister ship Letitia Lykes, which also had to be rebuilt, were the final units transport USS Clay (APA-39). In this role, the 492-ft by 69.6-ft vessel of a twelve-ship building program launched by Lykes in the 1960s that saw took part in a number of Pacific landings and received four battle stars while a dozen Clipper class completed by New Orleans’ Avondale Shipyard. steaming over 100,000 miles in wartime operations. Decommissioned in 1946, Designated as C4-S-66a types by the Maritime Administration, the steam- the 7,995-gt freighter entered commercial service for American President Lines powered 23-knot freighters had six holds with 749,900 cubic feet of total in 1949 as President Johnson but passed into the ownership of Waterman capacity served by traditional derricks and Stülcken 80-tonne capacity heavy- Steamship Company in 1968 as La Salle, the name under which the vessel lift masts. Like several others of her class, Genevieve Lykes was sold for was scrapped in 1974. breaking when Lykes declared bankruptcy in 1995, the ship being dismantled at Alang, India, by Arya Steel that same year.

Mormacglen A ship with a massive funnel but not Gulf Banker One of five Andes-class ships built by the for smoke, the 9,258-gt Mormacglen was completed for Moore- Avondale yard in the mid-1960s for operation by Gulf and South American McCormack Lines by the Todd Pacific Shipyard at Los Angeles in Steamship (G&SAS), a joint venture established by Lykes Line and Grace 1961 as one of eight ships of the New York-based company’s Pride class Line, the 9,459-gt Gulf Banker moved into the Lykes fleet when Grace (1624s). These vessels, steam-turbine propelled with the exhaust gases elected to leave the G&SAS partnership in 1969. The 11,000-hp Andes issuing through twin stacks set behind the dummy funnel, featured five class were C3-S-37d-type ships and were similar in size to Lykes’ Pride cargo holds and deluxe accommodation for 12 passengers. After retirement class, but the accommodation block was of single-profile design and set in the late 1970s the 12,590-dwt Mormacglen was considered for towards the stern to provide a layout of four cargo holds forward and one conversion into an 824-ft self-unloading vessel for employment on the aft, the No. 3 hold being served by a heavylift derrick. In 1984 the ship Great Lakes by Ohio’s Interlake Steamship Company, which Moore- was transferred to the U.S. Ready Reserve Fleet (RRF) and activated by McCormack had invested in while under the leadership of James R. the U.S. Military Sealift Command six years later as a logistical support Barker, but this project never proceeded and the C3-S-33a-type ship vessel (AK-5044) for use in operation Desert Storm. It was returned to the was broken up for scrap in 2009 after extensive lay-up in the National RRF and then shifted to the National Defense Reserve Fleet prior to being Defense Reserve Fleet and 17 years after Moore-McCormack itself had dismantled for scrap at Brownsville, Texas, in 2013. been formally liquidated.

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 33 But by the early 1980s Moore- McCormack itself was having troubles. Despite having a number of its Constellation-class ships stretched and given deck cranes for container handling, the carrier moved deeper into debt and was acquired by United States Lines in 1983. Unfortunately, USL’s order for a dozen massive but slow container ships in the mid-1980s caused its own bankruptcy and its eventual liquidation in 1992.

Mormacmail Moore-McCormack Lines was to order four ships with the name States Marine, Mormacmail before finally getting one it could operate. The original ship of the name was taken over Isthmian & by the Navy in 1941 for conversion into the escort carrier USS Long Island (CVE-1) shortly after Luckenbach delivery. A replacement was ordered from the Ingalls yard, but this vessel too was acquired by the Navy A number of other American and converted into the escort carrier Altamaha (CVE-6), later to be transferred to the British Royal companies operated conventional Navy as HMS Battler. A third Mormacmail was then ordered from the Todd yard in Tacoma, freighters into the early 1970s. One of Washington, but, again, was taken up for conversion into an escort carrier, this time for the Royal these was States Marine Corporation, Navy as HMS Tracker. It was not until 1946 that a fourth Mormacmail could be completed by originally established by Henry Ingalls for delivery to Moore-McCormack as one of seven C3s the company acquired at the time. These Mercer in 1930, which emerged after 17.5-knot ships measured just over 8,200 gt and could accommodate 10,000 tons of cargo as well World War II as a large operator of as 12 passengers. In 1957, under the command of Captain S. S. Pardoe, Mormacmail rescued the surplus tonnage, largely C2s and C3s, passengers and crew of the 7,373-gt Swedish freighter La Plata off the coast of Brazil after the latter while also managing a significant suffered an extensive engine room fire. Sold to States Marine Line in 1970, the Moore-McCormack number of vessels for the federal ship was renamed North Star State but was scrapped in the following year. government. In the late 1940s, the company’s management played a major role in creating the South African Marine Corporation (Safmarine), which was centered on several war-built Victory ships. A decade later it purchased Isthmian Lines, a 24-ship company set up in 1910 for U.S. Steel by Farrell Lines founder James A. Farrell. States Marine also acquired older tonnage from Houston-based Bloomfield Steamship and New York’s Luckenbach Steamship before the latter went out of business with the death of Edgar F. Luckenbach Mormacrigel Seen in 1977 with a partial deck load of containers, the 14,081-gt Jr., in 1974. However, States itself Mormacrigel was completed by the Ingalls yard at Pascagoula for Moore & McCormack in 1965 disappeared that same year after as one of the company’s C-4 Constellation class. In 1967, while bound for Rotterdam, the American failing to gain U.S. government freighter rescued the crew of the Norwegian cargo ship Raagan, which went down 120 miles off subsidies, which forced the sale of all Germany in heavy weather. Two years later Mormacrigel set a new speed record from the Cape of its obsolete ships, most going for scrap. Good Hope to New York City with an average run of 24.32 knots. In 1983, as Moore & McCormack came under the ownership of United States Lines, the vessel was lengthened via the insertion of a new Waterman & mid-body section at Tampa, Florida, and renamed American Rigel. Three years later the elongated Central Gulf freighter was moved into the Lykes fleet as Mallory Lykes for South American service but served for Cornelius S. Walsh, at one time less than a decade before being laid up in the national reserve fleet and eventually scrapped in 2006. the president of States Marine,

34 • Summer 2017 PowerShips purchased the Waterman Steamship Corporation, established in 1919, from Malcom McLean in 1960. McLean had acquired Waterman five years earlier to use its Pan-Atlantic coastwise subsidiary as a platform to inaugurate his Sea-Land Service venture. Walsh steadily sold off Waterman’s remaining conventional ships and ordered new LASH vessels, but the company was bankrupt by 1983. After the bankruptcy, the company was acquired by International Shipholding Corporation. ISC, which evolved Mormacsea A fairly large conventional freighter, the 12,691-gt Mormacsea out of Central Gulf Steamship was built as Hawaii by Newport News Shipbuilding for San Francisco’s States Line in 1962. Corporation, established in 1947, was When that company experienced financial difficulties in the late 1970s, eventually leading to its forced to declare bankruptcy itself bankruptcy, the C4-S-1u vessel was moved over to the Moore-McCormack fleet as Mormacsea in 2016. However, ISC remains in and, except for a two-year period as American Sea, retained that name until 1983 when placed business and still uses the Waterman in the Ready Reserve Force fleet as Cape Juby (AK-5077). In 2003 the 565-ft by 76-ft ship was name for its international ro-ro moved to the National Defense Reserve Fleet at James River, Virginia, where it continues to be used services, while the Central Gulf name for security boarding and firefighting training purposes. Of interest are the containers seen stacked has been retained for charter activities. athwartship on the vessel, a policy instituted by the previous operator, States Line. Like other American companies that have gone before it, ISC will have a difficult time surviving in the modern world of shipping, where freight rates have plummeted and government-impelled cargoes have become increasingly rare. 

About the Author SSHSA Member Jim Shaw, PowerShips’ West Coast Regional Editor, has had a long interest in oil tankers, an affinity spurred by several years Isthmian Steamship Company’s 8,090-gt Steel Rover was a C3 that had residence in Steel Rover seen service during World War II as the transport USS Montour (APA 101) until laid up in 1946. It El Segundo, was then placed in commercial service by Isthmian after conversion work by the Constable Hook Shipyard California, in his in Bayonne, New Jersey, followed by the installation of 55,000 cubic feet of refrigerator space at the youth, where tankers called at the offshore Ingalls yard in Birmingham, Alabama. Thereafter the 492-ft by 69.7-ft ship sailed worldwide, suffering moorings of the Standard Oil refinery to bottom damage from grounding incidents in the Florida Keys in 1958 and off Puerto Rico in 1969. It discharge crude from around the world was one of 24 C3s acquired by Isthmian at a cost of about $1,280,000 each following the war, the vessels and load product for distribution along the having cost about $3 million to build. After 1968, when Isthmian ceased its inter-coastal trade via the West Coast of the Americas and Hawaii. Panama Canal, its elderly C3s were steadily sold off, a dozen going in 1971, including Steel Rover, while the final ships followed in 1973/74 after which Isthmian was wound up.

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 35 n Wilfred Sykes on the St. Marys River in 2003 as a self- unloader. – Roger LeLievre photo.

A Classic American Steamer Wilfred sykes By Mark Shumaker

As defined, classic means o write an accurate history of Wilfred Sykes, you must first understand the history of “historically memorable” and “serving as Inland Steel and the fleet of ships that it would a standard of excellence.” In sports, it’s own one day. Inland Steel dates to 1893, when a foreman of the defunct Chicago Steel Works baseball. For dessert, it’s apple pie. When attempted to produce steel with its remaining you talk about cars, it’s the beautiful ’57 assets on a small site in Chicago Heights, Illinois. Appropriate financing was secured Chevy. Pertaining to the vessels sailing from Cincinnati financier Joseph Block and a group of investors. the Great Lakes, that title belongs to the The group incorporated Inland Steel Company in October 1893, immediately purchased the assets of Chicago Steel Works and Wilfred Sykes. This unassuming, 67-year- began production in early 1894 on this small plot of land. old vessel, once the largest and fastest on While searching for an area of Chicago to build a permanent steel plant, Inland Steel found that the closest available land was the Great Lakes, has survived economic in Lake County, Indiana. That location was desirable because of ups and downs, mergers and acquisitions its low cost, proximity to Lake Michigan, potential labor force, and the modernization of the American plentiful water supply and access to road, railway and water transportation. In short, the area was a perfect location to assemble fleet all while earning its place as a classic. raw materials and distribute the final products. On March 26,

36 • Summer 2017 PowerShips 1901, Inland Steel Company accepted an offer from the Lake conjunction with an economic downturn. The vessels purchased Michigan Land Company of 50 acres of free land with access to by Inland Steamship were the modern Arthur H. Hawgood and W. Lake Michigan, located 20 miles from downtown Chicago in the R. Woodford, which were renamed Joseph Block and N. F. Leopold, suburb of East Chicago, Indiana. In addition to the land, Lake respectively. When the vessels entered service, the modest Inland Michigan Land Company agreed to construct a harbor that would Steamship Company had a combined capacity of 21,000 tons be known as Indiana Harbor. For its part, Joseph Block’s Inland per trip. Through its management agreement, Inland’s vessels Steel agreed to build and construct a steel mill and docks. carried much of its own ore, stone and coal cargoes, but a In 1902, Inland Steel began operating a newly constructed significant portion of its needs were hauled by vessels chartered open-hearth furnace, and in 1906 it began operating a new and owned by Hutchinson & Company. blast furnace and receiving raw materials through the docks at Indiana Harbor. Due to the growth in and around Indiana Inland Steel’s Growth Harbor, the federal government took possession of the harbor teady growth continued for Inland. During the chaotic and connected Indiana Harbor Ship Canal in 1910 and SWorld War I years, the company reached a million tons of immediately began federal improvements. The area continued steel production while employing 7,000 workers. The company to grow and become an important industrialized suburb of had always been considered innovative, and, by 1926, Inland’s Chicago, housing the Steel and Tube Company of America, operation became the first domestic steel plant to be entirely Standard Oil of Indiana, United States Gypsum and other powered by electricity, which provided more efficiency, heavy industries. Inland Steel’s docks, with its consistency and safety. Fueling its growth, Inland unloading cranes and ever-increasing Steel’s Indiana Harbor location stockpiles of raw materials, offered many competitive facilitated the organized advantages over the large unloading and storage Pennsylvania steel of iron ore, limestone, mills, including coal and other access to the bulk commodities Chicago market from the mines and and westward quarries throughout the expansion, newer Great Lakes region. facilities that provided As Inland Steel grew, the the latest best practices, fledgling steelmaker invested in iron more efficient production and lower ore mines, ensuring itself a source of iron ore n Artist rendering, Inland Steel transportation costs due to its location on Lake that allowed it to reduce costs and increase steel Company, Indiana Harbor Michigan, which also eliminated a portion of production. The first was the Laura Iron Mine, Works, 1909. – Image courtesy costly rail dependence. located in Northern Minnesota, which contained Calumet Regional Archives, As Inland Steel grew, it secured additional some of the richest ore deposits of the enormous Indiana University Northwest. leases on northern Minnesota’s Mesabi Range Mesabi Range. By 1910 the Laura Iron Mine was and began mining the Bennett, Dunwoody and producing 950,000 tons of iron ore annually that Bonnie Belle mines. It also procured leases on the was transported to Inland Steel at Indiana Harbor. Cuyuna Range’s Armor mines located west of Lake Superior, and iron ore tracks in the Marquette, Gogebic and Menomonee Inland’s Fleet Ranges situated in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. This raw iron nland Steel was strategic in its vertical acquisition ore was railed to the ports of Duluth, Superior, Two Harbors, Iof other properties. This step strengthened the company so Ashland and Marquette on Lake Superior and to Escanaba that one day it would become one of America’s industry giants. on Lake Michigan for loading into lake vessels for its trip to Inland Steel acquired lakes ships that allowed the company to Indiana Harbor. transport much of its own raw materials to Indiana Harbor. As the company grew, producing 2 percent of America’s Inland Steamship Company was created in 1911 as a business steel by 1925, its lakes fleet expanded to keep up with the partnership with Hutchinson & Company, vessel owners and demands of supplying raw materials. American Shipbuilding operators with a long history of management experience, to Company’s Lorain, Ohio, yard completed Inland Steamship’s purchase and operate a fleet owned by Inland Steel. new 621-foot bulker L. E. Block in 1927. The vessel loaded Inland Steamship Company immediately acquired two coal in Toledo on its inaugural trip and immediately joined vessels from the Acme Transit Company, which had fallen on Joseph Block and N. F. Leopold, carrying raw materials to Inland hard times because of the expansion of a costly fleet of vessels in Steel’s Indiana Harbor facility.

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 37 with a dock and ship loader. The port was accessed by a railroad Continued Integration spur from the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie ontinuing Inland Steel’s vertical integration, sources Railroad, and operated by Inland Lime and Stone Company. Cof limestone and coking coal were acquired during the The first limestone transported from Port Inland was loaded company’s early expansion. It formed the subsidiary Inland aboard Joseph Block on November 14, 1930. In its first full year Lime and Stone Company on December 14, 1928, by acquiring of operation the quarry produced more than 1 million tons of the White Marble Lime Company, a small plant located in stone, with two-thirds of its production delivered to Inland Steel’s Michigan’s Upper Peninsula eight miles north of Lake Michigan. Indiana Harbor plant. Capable of providing high-grade coking Inland Steel began constructing the artificial port of Port Inland coal, large reserves of coal were acquired in the Wheelwright, in the spring of 1929, which consisted of a breakwater and harbor Kentucky, and eastern Pennsylvania areas by 1930. The coal was delivered to Indiana Harbor by rail or transported by rail to the coal-loading ports of southern Lake Erie, then shipped to Indiana Harbor by lake steamer. While the Great Depression took a toll on most of America, Inland Steel weathered the storm, even investing in a $30 million expansion. Inland Steel also acquired Joseph T. Ryerson & Son, the world’s largest steel warehousing and fabrication company, which allowed the company to provide customers with custom processing, storage and transportation. By 1935 Inland Steel produced more than 2 million tons of steel annually and continued generating greater quantities of steel leading up to World War II. To bring the vessels under direct ownership of Inland Steel, Inland Steamship Company was dissolved in 1935, and the vessels began the 1936 season n Inland Steel Company co-founder Joseph Block standing next to a ship owned entirely by Inland Steel. The company expanded its fleet named for him in 1912. – Photo courtesy Calumet Regional Archives, with the purchase of the Philip D. Block, its fourth vessel, from Indiana University Northwest. Hutchinson & Co.’s subsidiary Pioneer Steamship Company.

n Aerial view, Inland Steel Company, Indiana Harbor Works, 1959. – Photo courtesy Calumet Regional Archives, Indiana University Northwest.

38 • Summer 2017 PowerShips Inland Steel continued to be a force in American steelmaking. As a beginning point for the hull design, American Ship Building At the outbreak of World War II the company employed 14,000 Company began with a cruiser stern modeled after the U.S. workers and produced 3.4 million tons of steel per year, most Maritime Commission’s L6-S-A1 class, which offered reduced of it directed to the war effort. By the conclusion of World War resistance while creating better water flow around the propeller. II, Inland Steel was completely integrated. It controlled its own The general design of the bow was also based on the L6-S-A1, with sources of raw materials including coal, ore and limestone; updated considerations such as additional rake to its stem. a transportation system; steel production and finishing; and The bid was awarded to American Ship Building Company warehousing and distribution. The company also dabbled in in June 1948, and the keel was laid at its Lorain, Ohio, yard on transporting its own finished steel by water while it owned the November 1. At that time the length was increased to 678 feet. crane ship The Inland during the 1946 and 1947 seasons. During Much of the vessel was sub-assembled around Lorain’s this time, Inland Steel instituted a program to upgrade the AmShip yard. The vessel’s shell seams, frames and deckhouses engines, boilers, cargo holds and crew quarters of its aging fleet. were riveted, and internal structures, such as side tanks, At the end of the 1940s the company’s fleet consisted of Joseph bulkheads, decking and longitudinal framing, were welded. Block, Philip D. Block, L. E. Block and N. F. Leopold, which had A unique feature of this vessel was the crew tunnel, which, for recently been renamed E. J. Block. The average age of the fleet was the first time on a lake vessel, allowed the crew to move the nearing 35 years with a per-trip cargo capacity of 54,500 tons. length of the vessel without being exposed to the elements. In The four vessels delivered 40 percent of Inland Steel’s 4.5 million fact, great consideration was given to the access arrangement, tons of iron ore, 1.25 million tons of stone and 3 million tons of and it would be possible to go to any area of the vessel without coal required by the giant steelmaker annually. With peacetime going outside. demands soaring, Inland Steel needed to increase its capacity, Another first in Great Lakes vessel design was incorporated and the giant steelmaker began to contemplate adding a new ore into the vessel’s stern-mounted spar deck. This deck, containing carrier more economically advanced than anything sailing. It’s in its crew quarters, was extended to the width of the vessel’s beam front of this backdrop that Wilfred Sykes was dreamt of. and provided additional protection for the crew, who would use internal hallways, and additional protection of the stern, with Designing a New Ship hull plating extended to the spar deck. n conceiving its new vessel, Inland Steel had one Iconsideration – create the most efficient vessel capable of moving iron ore from Lake Superior ports to Indiana Harbor. It was expected that the vessel would carry smaller quantities of ore and stone cargoes from Escanaba and Port Inland, Michigan, but the overall consideration was moving iron ore from western Lake Superior. Inland Steel contracted American Ship Building Company to review the traditional lake vessel design standards and develop preliminary designs for the longest, widest and deepest vessel possible. In addition, Inland Steel required that the vessel be able to carry 20,000 gross tons of iron ore and have a speed of 16 miles per hour. Both of these requirements were initially considered hard to attain. Initial plans by American Ship Building Company outlined a vessel 668 feet long based on the maximum length that the largest number of drydocks could bid, but the length could be increased if the drydock could accommodate a larger vessel. The beam of a Great Lakes vessel is restricted by the gravity-fed iron ore docks and the distance that the chutes could pour the cargo. It had, for some time, been widely believed that the limit of the beam and depth of an ore-carrying lakes vessel was 65 feet in width and 35 feet in depth. With considerations to deballasting while loading, along with the ever-deepening navigational depths of the lakes, it was recommended that this vessel be given a 70-foot beam and a 37-foot depth. So that the vessel would move nearly 2 miles per hour faster than the most modern lakes vessels, it was designed with steam turbines that would produce 7,000 horsepower.

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 39 The cargo hold was built as one continuous hold divided by three screen bulkheads protected from penetration on both Launching sides by ballast tanks. Providing access to the massive cargo hold s the launching approached, the name Wilfred Sykes were 19 one-piece hatch covers, with room on deck between each Awas painted on the vessel’s bows. The ship’s namesake was hatch to store the covers while loading or unloading. To further born in Pal­merston, New Zealand, and attended college in increase the safety of the crew, the height of the hatch comings Australia before immigrating to Germany to work in the electrical was increased to 24 inches, more than required by existing field. In 1909 Mr. Sykes moved to the United States and joined regulations. Each hatch was secured with quick-acting self- Westinghouse Elec­tric and Manufacturing Com­pany before locking toggle clamps, similar to C clamps, with screw fasteners. coming to Inland Steel in 1923. His major accomplishment The ease with which the clamps, spaced two feet apart, were was electrifying Inland Steel’s plant, which revolutionized the secured with a simple wrench made the nearly thousand clamps company’s operation and helped make it the industry giant it was. easier to manage. The electrically driven deck crane traveled the Mr. Sykes began serving as Inland Steel’s president in 1941, and by length of the deck and lifted the hatches by a small motor. 1949 he was transitioning to retirement. Inland Steel had existing fuel storage tanks at its Indiana By the end of June 1949, the partially completed Wilfred Sykes Harbor plant, so it decided to fuel Wilfred Sykes with oil instead was ready for launch. A large crowd gathered at Lorain, Ohio, on of coal; thus, the vessel became the first Great Lakes ore carrier the morning of June 28, 1949, to witness the launch of the largest built with oil-fired steam propulsion. vessel on the Great Lakes. Atop the building ways the vessel’s hull Crew cabins were designed to meet the needs of the crew for was completed, the cabins were unfinished shells and the ship the life of the vessel. Each officer was given his own room, and contained no propulsion machinery. At 11:30 a.m., Mrs. Sykes the crew lived in double rooms. Per Great Lakes tradition, the broke a champagne bottle against the hull, the guillotines broke the navigation crew was housed in the bow, while the engine and trigger hawsers and the Wilfred Sykes began its first trip, lasting only galley crew accommodations were in the stern. With the need nine seconds, into a flooded dock barely large enough to hold it. to provide luxury to its new flagship, Inland Steel emphasized completion of the four guest staterooms and lounge located on the Completing the Vessel forecastle deck forward and the guest dining room located aft. ver the next five months, shipyard crews finished These spaces, along with the captain’s cabin, were designed by Othe forward and aft accommodations and installed the one of Chicago’s leading interior designers and contained modern propulsion machinery and navigation equipment. Wilfred Sykes furniture and were paneled in wood and decorative veneers. was crafted with the consideration of not only general design and

n Wilfred Sykes being launched. – Courtesy of the Center for Archival Collections, Bowling Green State University.

40 • Summer 2017 PowerShips Under command of Captain Henry Kaizer, senior captain of the Inland Steel fleet, Wilfred Sykes began a series of sea trials on November 28, 1949. After several modifications and additional tests, the big, beautiful vessel was accepted by Inland Steel on January 12, 1950. It was immediately placed into winter lay-up, and Captain Kaizer went home to wait for fit-out. A Queen Enters Service egrettably, Captain Kaizer became ill during the winter Rand was unable to take command for the inaugural season. When Captain George W. Fisher received his fit-out notice in April 1950, he must have been amazed that he had been appointed the first captain of the largest and most advanced ship n Wilfred Sykes during sea trials in 1949. – Courtesy of the Center for sailing the Great Lakes. Captain Kaizer passed away from his Archival Collections, Bowling Green State University. illness shortly after the 1950 sailing season began. functionality, but also appearance. Great attention was given The $5 million Wilfred Sykes departed Lorain, Ohio, on to the size and location of the topside cabins and equipment, its maiden voyage April 19, 1950, and stopped by Toledo, which had “good proportions and pleasing appearance.” The Ohio, where it loaded 16,538 net tons of coal before docking large pilothouse was sloped back and contained a large visor, and in Detroit for a public inspection. After unloading the bulwarks and overhangs were extended and shaped to develop a coal cargo in Indiana Harbor, and after the commotion “streamlined” appearance. The stack broke from the traditional surrounding the new vessel subsided, Wilfred Sykes sailed for stovepipe appearance and was a round structure that carried Lake Superior, where it picked up 17,401 gross tons of Belden- a stainless steel band with the Inland Steel logo adorning each grade iron ore at Marquette for Indiana Harbor. Even though side. In addition, the smallest details – such as masts, ventilators it was only loaded to 23 feet for its first trip, it set a cargo- and windows – were designed with consideration to outward loading record for Marquette. aesthetics. Wilfred Sykes was also equipped with the most modern navigation and communication system, including the latest radar equipment and ship-to-shore radiotelephone. Deep within the stern, Wilfred Sykes was equipped with 7,000-shaft horsepower Westinghouse Electric cross compound geared turbines powered by oil-fired water tube boilers. The increased speed produced by the largest power plant ever placed in a lakes steamer was projected to cut 24 hours off a round trip from Visit Indiana Harbor to Superior, Wisconsin. Inland Steel estimated that the increased speed would allow the ships to complete 44 USCGC INGHAM (WHEC-35) 1936-1988 round trips annually compared to the 34 trips made by others. National Historic Landmark & National Memorial to Coast Guardsmen who lost their lives in combat from WWII through Viet Nam. Possibly the most unusual aspect of its appearance was a new, modern-looking paint scheme. Bands of white, grey and • Awarded two Naval Presidential Unit Citations for her service during Vietnam. black stripes overlaid the iron-colored hull and adorned every • Credited with sinking U-Boat 626 during convoy duty in structure. The bands were tied together with a thin white the North Atlantic stripe that extended the length of the hull below the spar deck, • Served in Atlantic, Mediterranean and Philippine Theaters and and below that stripe the words “Inland Steel” were scripted, Command Ship for the amphibious landings for General surrounding the company logo. MacArthur’s return to Corregidor. Simply put, when Wilfred Sykes entered service, it became Don’t miss the opportunity to tour this ship and learn the largest, fastest and most efficient vessel operating in the about its remarkable history. Great Lakes. Its design incorporated giant leaps forward in INGHAM is located in Key West on the Truman Waterfront Park. Great Lakes construction and it contained the first 7,000-shaft You Can Visit …You Can Help The foundation seeks horsepower oil-fired steam turbine, enclosed passageways donations to continue restoration of this important vessel. Please send your tax-deductible contributions to: throughout, a spar deck extending the width of the ship and an increased attention to aesthetics. Wilfred Sykes became a USCGC INGHAM Memorial Museum

P.0. Box 186, Key West, Florida 33041 • Phone: (305)-395-9554 Andy Newman prototype for many of the Great Lakes vessels designed and www.uscgcingham.org constructed over the next 10 years. Photo:

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 41 n Wilfred Sykes unloading iron ore at Indiana Harbor early in its career. – Courtesy of the Center for Archival Collections, Bowling Green State University.

Wilfred Sykes became the unquestioned queen of the lakes. reported that the speedster completed the 200-mile round trip The vessel was 38 feet longer than Carl D. Bradley, the longest from Sault Ste. Marie to Marquette in just 27 hours. boat existing up to that time. It was also significantly wider As a result of the Great Lakes connecting channels being and deeper, and had a carrying capacity greater than any continually deepened, and more of its cargo capacity being vessel sailing at that time. By the end of June, Wilfred Sykes had realized, Wilfred Sykes broke its own cargo records several delivered eight cargoes of iron ore to Indiana Harbor totaling more times, and, on August 27, 1952, the vessel set its final 141,706 gross tons, an average of 17,700 gross tons per cargo. iron ore cargo record when it departed Superior, Wisconsin, Including loading and unloading, each trip to the American with 21,223 gross tons. head-of-the-lakes averaged five days, compared to the more As quickly as Wilfred Sykes broke size and tonnage records, than six days for other carriers. Unloading initially took 12 newer and larger vessels claimed the records from Wilfred Sykes . hours, but that time was soon trimmed to 10 hours. Joseph H. Thompson, a lakes vessel converted from a C-4-type At the beginning of August, Wilfred Sykes’ loads were within deep-sea cargo vessel, entered service for the Hanna Mining a whisker of the Pittsburgh Steamship’s Benjamin F. Fairless’ iron fleet on November 4, 1952, measuring 714 feet overall length ore cargo record of 18,800 gross tons. Because of the continued with a beam of 71 feet, 6 inches, and boasted a whopping deepening of the lakes waterway, Wilfred Sykes finally broke Fairless’ 9,900-shaft horsepower steam turbine. Although much larger cargo record in early August when it loaded 18,821 gross tons in length and faster through the water, the ocean-to-laker of iron ore at Superior, Wisconsin. The vessel then immediately conversion didn’t have a significantly larger cargo hold; loaded an even greater cargo on August 30 consisting of 18,885 therefore, the vessel didn’t take Wilfred Sykes’ cargo record. gross tons. It ended the season by topping that with 18,929 gross That one went to the National Steel Corporation’s new 690- tons of iron ore. Yet another record was shattered when the foot Ernest T. Weir, which broke Wilfred Sykes’ iron ore record on ship completed a round trip from Indiana Harbor to Superior, September 10, 1953, when it loaded 21,270 gross tons railroad Wisconsin, a distance covering 1,675 miles, in 4 days and 23 hours. weight iron ore at Superior, Wisconsin. Ernest T. Weir, built Carrying its first 21 cargoes, lasting through the end of August, the at the same American Shipbuilding yard at Lorain as Wilfred vessel averaged 16.3 mph loaded and 18.3 mph light at open water Sykes, was a slightly larger version of the same design. Wilfred speed. In July of its inaugural season, the Cleveland Plain Dealer Sykes’ records and influence on shipbuilding would be forgotten

42 • Summer 2017 PowerShips over time as larger vessels entered service – even though it paved the way for these vessels. Eventually, the big, beautiful vessel would become another laker roaming the Inland Seas, its Building Edward L. Ryerson accomplishments only a memory. s Inland Steel continued to grow, the steelmaker In the meantime, Wilfred Sykes continued to be one of the Aagain looked to expand its fleet through new construction. largest vessels on the lakes. During its first ten years of service, Designed to equal the longest vessel on the lakes at 730 feet, and Wilfred Sykes was employed carrying large quantities of iron ore with a cargo hold specifically configured for the most optimal from Lake Superior ports of Superior, Duluth and Marquette to transportation of iron ore, the steamer Edward L. Ryerson Indiana Harbor. The vessel would regularly complete well over became Inland Steel’s new queen when the vessel departed 40 trips in a lakes season and deliver close to 1 million gross Manitowoc Ship Building and entered service on August 3, tons of iron ore to Indiana Harbor each season. 1960. Much like the Wilfred Sykes 10 years earlier, Edward L. The vessel proved it was more than an ore carrier when Ryerson would eventually break the Great Lakes iron ore record tragedy struck on Lake Superior on May 11, 1953. During that when it delivered 25,018 gross tons to Indiana Harbor in cold, windy morning, officers aboard Wilfred Sykes intercepted August 1962. The captain for this historic trip was none other a radiotelephone message from the Henry Steinbrenner, indicating than Wilfred Sykes’ first captain, the senior captain of the fleet, that the ship was foundering 15 miles south of Isle Royale George W. Fisher. Light. By 10:45 a.m. the vessel, along with Caland Mine the Joseph H. Thompson s Inland Steel’s Michigan and Wisconsin mines dried and William E. Corey, Aup and new sources of iron ore were acquired, trade was in the vicinity patterns for its fleet changed. In the early 1950s Inland Steel of a lifeboat and life leased 1,250 acres of the Steep Rock Mine, located in Canada raft. Wilfred Sykes was north of Lake Superior. Through its subsidiary, Caland Ore slowly maneuvered Company, Ltd., the mine began supplying a third of Inland near the lifeboat, Steel’s iron ore needs by the early 1960s. The iron ore was which contained three railed from the mine, located in a desolate region of Canada individuals. One 140 miles north of Port Arthur, Ontario, where it was loaded survivor was rescued aboard lakers. Wilfred Sykes began visiting Port Arthur in 1960 by a Jacobs ladder, and was a regular caller for the next two decades. while another survivor and a crewmember Libations Restaurant Lounge who had perished n Citation for Bravery for assisting from exposure were SMALL PLATES • BIG FLAVOR • GREAT VALUE the crew of the Henry Steinbrenner. transferred to a lifeboat – Mark Shumaker photo. that had been lowered from the Sykes. When the ship arrived at Indiana Harbor a week after the harrowing ordeal, company officials, including recently retired Wilfred Sykes, visited the ship to praise the crew and give each a U.S. savings bond for their efforts. Later, the crew was awarded a “Citation of Bravery” plaque from the Lake Carriers Association, and the bronze plaque remains bolted to the bulkhead near the bow to this day. At the beginning of 1957, Inland Steel brought its vessel operations in house after relying on Hutchinson & Company to manage its fleet for 45 years. Hutchinson & Company’s Pioneer Steamship Company would continue hauling excess tonnage commitments for Inland Steel and its vessels would continue transporting a significant amount of Inland Steel’s Libations Restaurant & Lounge coal from Lake Erie ports. Falling on hard times, Hutchinson & at the RADISSON HOTEL PROVIDENCE AIRPORT 2081 Post Road • Warwick, RI 02886 Company sold its assets before the 1962 season, allowing Inland 401.598.2121 • www.radisson.com/warwickri Steel to purchase its small, 1907-built J. J. Sullivan. The vessel was immediately renamed Clarence B. Randall .

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 43 During this same period, deposits of high-grade iron ore from the great Mesabi range; to Escanaba to load ore pellets from that could be fed directly into the furnaces were becoming Michigan’s Upper Peninsula; and to Thunder Bay, the result of depleted throughout Minnesota and Michigan. A process for merging Fort William and Port Arthur on January 1, 1970, where retrieving the high-grade ore from the lower-grade ore deposits the vessel would load Caland ore pellets. In addition, the vessel used magnets to create marble-sized pellets that contained a occasionally transported stone from Port Inland. All of these higher concentration of iron ore. Mining and producing these cargoes were destined for Inland Steel’s raging furnaces at Indiana taconite pellets infused new life into the century-old mines. Harbor. By this time Inland Steel increasingly railed iron ore pellets It was estimated that the Mesabi Range alone contained 10 from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula mines to Escanaba, bypassing billion tons of lower-grade iron – enough to supply the U.S. Marquette, which added two days to a trip to Lake Superior. steelmaker’s needs for an additional 50 to 75 years. Taconite’s marble-shaped pellets made it easier to load onto and unload Modernization Program off of the new self-unloading vessels popping up around the y 1974 Inland Steel had become one of America’s five lakes. Additionally, the pellets, lacking moisture, didn’t freeze as Blargest steel makers, employing 25,000 workers and easily as natural iron ore, leading to extended sailing seasons. completing $2.5 billion in sales, driven largely by flat rolled In 1962, Wilfred Sykes loaded at least 12 cargoes of Caland coiled steel. During this period the company planned a $2 iron ore at Port Arthur. The vessel made at least 20 additional billion modernization and expansion program, and began trips to Superior, Wisconsin, along with 10 early- and late-season another fleet modernization program in conjunction with that. trips to Escanaba for iron ore. It traveled to Lake Erie ore docks The plan called for a new self-unloading vessel to be added while on rare trip charters to other companies that year, returning to the fleet, adding capacity and replacing older vessels. This to Indiana Harbor with Appalachian coal loaded at Toledo. Five new self-unloading technology provided quicker unload times, years later, Wilfred Sykes was largely dedicated to carrying Caland resulting in more trips throughout the season, and also gave iron ore from Port Arthur to Indiana Harbor. Between May 1 vessels more flexibility by eliminating dependence on aging, and December 15, 1967, the ship carried 35 loads of iron ore restrictive and expensive shoreside unloading equipment. from Port Arthur and an additional 11 cargoes of iron ore divided Inland Steel also announced that Wilfred Sykes would be between Superior, Duluth and Escanaba. Through 1974 it was converted to a self-unloader, providing the vessel with a mid-life primarily dispatched to Superior, where it would load ore pellets upgrade that would add lifesaving flexibility.

n Wilfred Sykes original steam turbines. – Mark Shumaker photo.

44 • Summer 2017 PowerShips On December 12, 1974, Wilfred Sykes concluded its 25th season cease production in just a few short years. Wilfred Sykes’ three trips when it laid up at Fraser shipyard in Superior, Wisconsin. Over to Thunder Bay that year were to transport the last remaining the next six months, it was converted to the first American stern- quantities of Caland ore pellets that originated at the Steep Rock mounted loop-belt self-unloader, containing a 250-foot unloading Iron Mine. The Caland pellet plant was closing due to the poor boom. This unloading system, capable of discharging 6,000 tons quality of the remaining ore and the difficulty of retrieving it. per hour, reduced the normal unloading time to as little as four The vessel spent the remaining 66 voyages steaming around Lake hours. With these improvements, the Wilfred Sykes was projected Michigan. Five ore pellet cargoes originated in Michigan’s Upper to increase its yearly deliveries from 1 million tons of ore pellets Peninsula Marquette Range, were railed to Escanaba, Michigan, to nearly 2 million tons. A trunk deck was added to Wilfred Sykes’ and loaded aboard the Wilfred Sykes. The remaining 61 trips were stern, which countered the loss in cubic capacity caused by the limestone cargoes loaded at Inland Steel’s Port Inland stone facility addition of the self-unloading equipment in the cargo hold. and totaled 1,250,500 tons. All 77 cargoes transported in 1979, On June 28, the Wilfred Sykes departed the shipyard and consisting of 1.6 million tons, were destined for Inland Steel’s shifted to Superior’s Burlington Northern ore dock to load Indiana Harbor Plant. Throughout the five Great Lakes, vessels 21,344 gross tons of iron ore for Indiana Harbor. Over the transported 78.7 million tons of iron ore that originated on Lake shortened 1975 season, lasting one week short of six months, Superior and Lake Michigan, representing the third-largest amount it transported 1.28 million tons of bulk commodities to Inland of iron ore ever transported from Great Lakes ports. An additional Steel’s plant, beating its largest season total by nearly 300,000 13.3 million tons of iron ore were transported from the Lower St. tons. Totaling 61 trips, the vessel transported over 850,000 tons Lawrence River to Great Lakes ore docks. of ore pellets from Escanaba, 380,000 tons of ore pellets from RailwayThe Am &erican Locomotive econo Historicalmy went intoSociety recession the following year. Superior and 37,000 tons of stone from Port Inland. 1/4Most Page of the Square lakes CMYKvessels fit out with a guarded optimism, but by SSHSA PowerShips Winter 2016-17 As Wilfred Sykes’ conversion to a self-unloader was being June 1980 the steel industry had slowed dramatically. By late completed, Inland Steel was contracting with Bay Shipbuilding summer, 40 percent of the American lakes vessels were laid up Company of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, to build a state-of-the-art because of lack of cargoes. During this season lakers carried 62.3 728-foot self-unloading diesel ore carrier. The newly named Joseph million tons of iron ore and 28 million tons of stone from Great L. Block was projected to carry 2 million tons of iron ore annually, Lakes ports. Wilfred Sykes completed only 91 trips from Escanaba, and when the vessel entered service in August 1976, Clarence B. Thunder Bay, Two Harbors, Superior and Port Inland in 1980. Randall was retired. At the beginning of the 1977 sailing season, Inland Steel operated three modern ships – the brand new Joseph Block, the 17-year-old steam-powered bulker Edward L. Ryerson, and North America’s premier the nearly 30-year-old Wilfred Sykes, along with three older bulkers quickly reaching the end of their useful lives. railroad historical society The newly-converted Wilfred Sykes was witness to a second Y&L A OC Great Lakes tragedy, this time in November 1975. Columbia W O IL M Transportation’s Edmund Fitzgerald loaded under warm sunny A O

R T skies at the same Burlington Northern ore dock in Superior, I

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Wisconsin, on November 9 and departed two hours ahead of H E

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Wilfred Sykes. As a storm approached, Wilfred Sykes Captain Dudley H •

C Paquette navigated along Lake Superior’s north shore to avoid the I S N T I northwest winds. As the storm grew, Captain Paquette listened • O Y to the Fitzgerald’s progress across Lake Superior and the alarming R T IC IE radio calls confirming its loss. Wilfred Sykes joined a group of vessels A L S OC searching for survivors the following day, but none were found. Founded in 1921, R&LHS is the oldest railroad historical society Inland Steel had a record year in 1978 when sales reached in North America. Our award-winning journal Railroad History $3.25 billion. The giant steelmaker captured 6.5 percent of the blends scholarly writing and in-depth book reviews with a vibrant domestic steel market while producing 8.6 million tons of steel. The 128-page format, and is one of the world’s premier publications following year, the company’s employment peaked at nearly 35,500. devoted to the history of technology. Membership also includes the Quarterly Newsletter and offers optional affiliation with any of nine By its 30th season Wilfred Sykes had long passed representing the regional Chapters. R&LHS also sponsors annual awards honoring largest, fastest or most modern carrier. The vessel began finding the best in railroad writing and photography. its niche in the stone trade from Port Inland. In 1979 it visited R&LHS, Dept PS Lake Superior 11 times, loading at Two Harbors, Superior and PO Box 2913, Pflugerville, TX 78691-2913 Thunder Bay. The single cargo loaded at Superior originated in the Butler mine on the western Mesabi Iron Range, which would Sign up securely using MasterCard, Visa, or Discover at rlhs.org

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 45 While the Wilfred Sykes continued to be a steady Downturn in the Economy performer for Inland Steel, a new breed of efficient thousand- fter a year of holding steady, transporting a dismal 63 foot vessels was arriving. During the 1981 season, Interlake Amillion tons of Great Lakes iron ore, production dropped. An Steamship Company completed its 1,013-foot William J. unimaginable drop in domestic steel production led to a decline in DeLancey, which is to this day the largest and one of the most Great Lakes ore movement to a level of 32.3 million tons, a level efficient vessels to ever sail the Great Lakes. It is driven by not seen since the 1930s. Iron ore tonnage shipped through Great 17,120-hp diesel engines and has a capacity at mid-summer Lakes ports rebounded to 52 million tons the next year, but for the draft of 68,000 tons. These 13 thousand-footers have a per- remainder of the decade no more than 59 million tons of iron ore trip capacity over three times that of Wilfred Sykes, and the was shipped through Great Lakes ports in any season. thousand-footer Lewis Wilson Foy, now sailing as the American Inland Steel, like all domestic steel producers, was severely Integrity, holds the Great Lakes iron ore cargo record of 72,351 affected by the downturn in steel production. A perfect storm gross tons. These behemoths, self-unloader conversions, had settled over the industry that became exacerbated by the and lengthening projects of existing vessels, along with the high level of imports, decreased demand for steel products and downturn in the economy, caused much of the American and an oversupply of domestic steel. These issues lowered the price Canadian fleet to be phased out. During this period Inland of steel at a time when labor and energy costs were dramatically Steel’s elderly Philip D. Block, L. E. Block and E. J. Block were increasing. Inland Steel’s profits dropped 64 percent from their retired. The newest and most efficient vessels remained – 1978 peak to $57.3 million in 1981, and the big steelmaker Joseph L. Block, Edward L. Ryerson and the older, but flexible, would not show another profit until 1986, while losing $456 Wilfred Sykes, quickly nearing 50 years in age. Although older million. Although Inland Steel continued its commitment and smaller than the Edward L. Ryerson, the self-unloading to developing new products and improving efficiency, the equipment allowed Wilfred Sykes to continue operating during company was forced to idle some steel mills, divest itself of most of the 1980s while the Edward L. Ryerson began spending certain assets and subsidiaries, and lay off thousands of workers. extended time in lay-up. By 1985 Inland Steel’s workforce was well below 30,000 and its In 1990 Joseph L. Block and Wilfred Sykes transported 56 steel-making capacity had been reduced by 30 percent. percent of the total tonnage of raw material shipped to Indiana Harbor from U.S. ports. Contract carriers transported the remainder. By this time, trips by Wilfred Sykes to Lake Superior had dwindled, and in late 1993 the vessel carried a cargo from Duluth to Indiana Harbor. This trip was the last that Wilfred Sykes has made to the Western part of Lake Superior to date, and as the decade passed, its niche increasingly became The Lighthouse News carrying stone and ore on Lake Michigan. & History Magazine By the mid-1990s Inland Steel had increased its presence Features: in the Upper Peninsula mining region, and greater amounts of • Colorful and Vintage iron ore pellets were flowing through Escanaba. Wilfred Sykes Lighthouse Photos. completed an astounding 151 trips around Lake Michigan in • Stories of 1996, with well over 1 million tons of limestone carried from Port Lighthouse Keepers, Past & Present. Inland to Indiana Harbor in just 65 of these trips. The vessel • Restoration Projects also visited Escanaba 58 times, carrying an additional 1 million Nautical Antiques, tons of Empire iron ore pellets to Indiana Harbor. Because of its Keeper’s Korner, small size and flexibility, Inland Steel began chartering Wilfred Events Calendar. Sykes to carry various bulk cargoes around Lake Michigan. Subscribe at The company started transporting slag, a byproduct of the $5 off our steelmaking process used for strengthening cement, from the regular rates. various southern Lake Michigan steel mills located at Indiana Just $29.95! Harbor, Buffington and Burns Harbor, to Grand Haven, Ferrysburg, Ludington and Muskegon. In addition, Wilfred Sykes Request a Free Sample Copy! was chartered to transport eight cargoes of coal from Chicago’s Calumet River to power plants located at Port Washington, PO Box 250, East Machias, ME 04630 • (207)259-2121 Manitowoc and Milwaukee. In total, Wilfred Sykes transported www.LighthouseDigest.com/sshs a hefty 2,841,351 tons of ore pellets, stone, coal and slag around Lake Michigan during the 1996 season.

46 • Summer 2017 PowerShips n Wilfred Sykes unloading limestone at Indiana Harbor on August 4, n Wilfred Sykes loading limestone at Port Inland on August 5, 2016. – 2016. – Mark Shumaker photo. Mark Shumaker photo. Logistics secured a contract to carry stone from Stoneport, Sale to Ispat Michigan, located on Lake Huron’s western shore, to docks along n 1998, after more than 15 years of unprofitability and the Saginaw River. The vessel delivered 26 loads of stone to Ifrustration, Inland Steel, America’s fourth largest steel producer, Saginaw River docks in 2002. It also began visiting Lake Superior was sold to Ispat International, a Netherlands-based global steel in 2002, the first time in five years, to load Tilden ore pellets manufacturer that focused on acquiring underperforming steel at Marquette, Michigan, for delivery to Dearborn, Michigan’s mills and turning them around. Ispat paid nearly $1.5 billion for River Rouge steel plant on the Detroit River. Sailing back to Lake Inland Steel’s Indiana Harbor Works, Minorca Mine and an Michigan from Detroit, Wilfred Sykes carried coal loaded at Toledo international partnership with Nippon Steel. With this sale, Inland for a power plant in Holland, Michigan, or high-quality ore fines Steel became known as Ispat Inland and, after more than 100 years from Rouge Steel to Indiana Harbor. In 2002, it made two trips of operation, Inland Steel ceased to exist. Ispat Inland became one of the largest steel makers in the world, producing nearly 20 million tons per year, with operations in the United States, Ireland, Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, Germany and France. The Jones Act mandated that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried by American-built, -owned and -crewed vessels. To accommodate the Jones Act, the three Inland Steel vessels were sold to the newly established, American-owned Indiana Harbor Steamship Company. In addition, Central Marine Logistics was created to manage the fleet – handling the management, purchasing, scheduling and crewing of the three-vessel fleet. The ships were then time- chartered back to Ispat Inland. Under these arrangements, Inland Steel was removed from Wilfred Sykes, including the billboard lettering and stack logo, and replaced by Ispat’s logo and a blue smoke band. It was remarkable that the change in ownership had such a small effect on the supply of raw materials to the steel plant or the continued operation of the vessels. Wilfred Sykes finished the decade completing 160 trips in the 1999 season, a record number for the vessel. Wilfred Sykes Sails On or the first time in nearly three decades, Wilfred Sykes’ Fitinerary would change considerably beginning in 2002. In addition to the 100 regularly scheduled trips with iron ore pellets and stone from Escanaba and Port Inland, Wilfred Sykes would deliver bulk cargoes to several new locations. Central Marine

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 47 with bauxite from Indiana Harbor to Charlevoix’s Cemex cement plant and a single trip of sinter shuttled from Indiana Harbor to Gary, Indiana. Carrying ore pellets from Marquette to River Rouge’s Rouge Steel lasted until May 2004, carrying stone from Stoneport to docks along the Saginaw River lasted through the 2005 season, and the vessel has carried bauxite as recently as 2015. Wilfred Sykes’ last trip to Lake Superior to date was in December 2006, when the vessel carried HIBTAC ore pellets from Superior, Wisconsin, to Republic Technologies’ dock in Lorain, Ohio. Another change in ownership took place in 2005, when Ispat International N.V. merged with LNM Holdings N.V., then merged with International Steel Group to create Mittal Steel Company N.V. ISG had been formed with the assets of n Pilot house interior. – Mark Shumaker photo. the bankrupt LTV Steel and Acme Steel corporations. LTV Port Dolomite and Cedarville. Occasionally, it carried stone was located on the western bank of Indiana Harbor, thus from Cedarville and Port Dolomite to Port Inland, where it was creating the East and West Works. It continued to expand by unloaded and then blended with different types of stone before acquiring the assets from Bethlehem Steel, formerly America’s eventually being carried to the steel mills. It also carried 24 loads second-largest steel producer, located 25 miles east of Indiana of ore pellets originating at the Empire mine of the Marquette Harbor at Burns Harbor, Indiana. As a consequence of range to Indiana Harbor, as well as 24 cargoes of slag loaded at this consolidation, three large steel makers located in the ArcelorMittal USA’s three southern Lake Michigan plants. The southern part of Lake Michigan came under the ownership slag was destined for the small ports of Ferrysburg, Ludington, of Mittal Steel and dramatically increased the stone delivery Muskegon or Grand Haven. Finally, the vessel carried one load requirements for Wilfred Sykes. At the time of the ownership of bauxite from Indiana Harbor to Charlevoix. In its 66th sailing change, the vessel’s black stripes were repainted in a light shade season, Wilfred Sykes transported 2,270,242 tons of bulk cargo and of blue, and the stack emblem was replaced with the word traveled 57,546 total miles around lakes Michigan and Huron. “MITTAL.” Even while experiencing one of the coldest winters in recent As a member of the Mittal Steel fleet, Wilfred Sykes was memory, Wilfred Sykes was one of the first ships to fit out. It loaded primarily focused on carrying stone to Indiana Harbor, but its first cargo on March 20 and didn’t lay up until January 13. it also transported significant quantities of ore, slag and coal around Lake Michigan. Due to the economic recession in 2009, Today and Tomorrow the vessel was laid up for a lack of cargoes between May 30 t the commencement of the 2016 sailing season, and June 26. That year Wilfred Sykes carried only 84 cargoes AWilfred Sykes had steam up in late March, departed its weighing 1.6 million tons. Sturgeon Bay lay-up dock on March 30 and sailed for ice- covered Green Bay, where it loaded 19,910 tons of iron ore The Formation of ArcelorMittal pellets at Escanaba. By July 4 the vessel had sailed nearly 18,000 wo years after the former Inland Steel fleet became miles and carried 700,000 tons of stone, iron ore, coal and Tpart of Mittal’s family, it was involved in another merger – the slag. During that year only five operating self-propelled, bulk- third in 10 years. Mittal Steel completed the merger with Arcelor, carrying vessels had more longevity than Wilfred Sykes – Inland the world’s second-largest steel producer, creating ArcelorMittal, Lakes Management’s 1942-built Alpena, Lower Lakes Towing’s the world’s largest steel producer. ArcelorMittal S.A. is a 1943-built sisters Cuyahoga and Mississagi, Interlake Steamship’s Luxembourg-based multinational steel manufacturer and mining Lee A Tregurtha and the small sand-sucker J. S. St. John . corporation with a steel production of 98 million tons in 2014. During the 2016 sailing season the American Great Lakes fleet Wilfred Sykes received the ArcelorMittal logo emblem along with was composed of fewer than 40 self-propelled vessels, including the two dark gray bands that currently adorn its stack. 13 monstrous thousand-footers. During this same period only 13 Wilfred Sykes now delivers most of the stone for lakes bulk carriers in operation were smaller in length than Wilfred ArcelorMittal USA’s three Lake Michigan steel mills – Indiana Sykes, and most of them are more-modern vessels designed for Harbor’s East and West plants and the Burns Harbor plant. specific niches such as transiting the Cuyahoga River. Even more In addition, the vessel makes early- and late-season trips with remarkable was that Wilfred Sykes was one of only a handful of iron ore pellets from Escanaba and carries small quantities steam-powered vessels operating on the Great Lakes in 2016. of slag, coal and bauxite. As recently as 2015 it carried 118 The paneling is worn and stained. Hand rails leading up the cargoes, of which 69 were stone cargoes from Port Inland, stairs to the galley reveal mismatched colors of paint diminished

48 • Summer 2017 PowerShips by constant use. By contrast, the pilot house has the latest ArcellorMittal’s Indiana Harbor #6 dock unloading 20,000 electronics, including GPS-driven track steering. ArcellorMittal more tons of taconite pellets that will eventually be processed has kept Inland Steel’s modern paint scheme, the same design into steel. By the time you read this story, the vessel will have that was first applied to Wilfred Sykes in 1949, although the gray completed unloading this cargo, departed Indiana Harbor and stripe painted around the foc’s’le deck has been removed and sailed many hundreds more miles up and down Lake Michigan, the stack graphics have evolved as ownership has changed. No delivering thousands of additional tons of raw materials to longer the largest, fastest or most modern, the ship continues to ArcellorMittal plants located along Lake Michigan’s southern defy the accountant’s pencil and has miraculously weathered coast. How long will a 67-year-old steamer continue to be a the downsizing and modernization of today’s American steel profitable carrier for ArcelorMittal? We can’t answer that yet, but industry. To this day, with its original steam-powered turbine the longevity of the ship has served as a testament to its original and modest carrying capacity, it remains an integral part of designers. Of the vessels sailing today, only a handful can claim ArcellorMittal’s transportation system. “The Wilfred Sykes, as to be classics. Wilfred Sykes is undoubtedly one of them.  the largest ore carrier on the Lakes when she entered service, served in the role dominated by today’s thousand footers. She has persevered by being refocused on the stone and back haul About the Author trades for which her size, compartment configuration, and rapid SSHSA Member Mark Shumaker is a native of Wauseon, Ohio, unloading capability fit her perfectly, and she has a crew that is and now resides in Columbus, Ohio, where he second to none in making the best of these opportunities,” says works as a marketing manager. He is a graduate Dan Cornillie, Manager, Marine & Raw Materials Logistics at of Bowling Green State University and Franklin ArcelorMittal USA. University with degrees in graphic design, Naval architects of lakes vessels built since the early 1970s marketing and business. Mark had the opportunity have focused solely on construction costs and functionality, to sail with Interlake Steamship Company and with no eye toward aesthetic details. Only a handful of vessels donated time aboard the Liberty Ship John W. operating now show the flare of a bygone shipbuilding era; most Brown during its 2000 Great Lakes Cruise. of today’s fleet is composed of unimaginative design. Mark has been the PowerShips Great Lakes editor since fall 2011. As I write these words Wilfred Sykes is docked at Also Available Great Lakes Cap Navy Blue $12*

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7.5” x Po4.875”werShips Summer 2017 • 49 n The William G. Mather shown on the Detroit River near the entrance to the Rouge River circa 1960. Last operated in 1980, and donated as a museum ship in 1987. She was towed from Toledo to Cleveland in 1988 and opened as museum. – SSHSA Archives, Edward O. Clark Collection.

The End of an Era by Brian P. Morgan

homas Andrew where he kept her company Ohio. He said that the hulls Sykora passed while she played the organ of these wooden boats could away August 2, every Sunday. As time handle the famous Lake 2016, in Rocky passed, Andy became a Erie chop with ease. During River, Ohio, at fourth-generation member summer breaks in his high the age of 87. He of this historic church. The school and college years, was one of a few current structure, built in Andy sailed for Cleveland individuals who could tell you the history 1858 and located on Public Cliffs as a deck hand. Over ofT every vessel and company that sailed Square, had nautical roots time, he sailed all the Lakes the Great Lakes. He and his wife, Mary – Samuel B. Mather and and kept a journal detailing Jane, were friends and supporters of the his wife Flora Stone were n Andy Sykora. – SSHSA his experiences. Steamship Historical Society of America, financial supporters. The Archives. – Brian Morgan photo After college, he was and he was the 13th charter member Mathers owned Cleveland hired by Oglebay Norton and a longtime officer of the Great Lakes Cliffs, an iron ore mining company with as a fleet dispatcher/supervisor. As time Historical Society in Vermillion, Ohio. a bulk commodities fleet that sailed the passed he found himself working for He authored stories for the publication Great Lakes. One of the Cliffs vessels, Bethlehem Transportation and finishing Inland Seas, and, when the museum closed STR William G. Mather, is now a floating his Great Lakes career with Kinsman in 2013, he saw to it that the collection museum located next to the Rock and Lines, owned by George and Harry was moved with great care to the new Roll Hall of Fame. Steinbrenner (now you know how those National Museum of the Great Lakes in Andy was drawn to the Great Lakes expensive New York Yankees were paid)! Toledo, Ohio. at a young age. He couldn’t stay away Andy’s job kept him on call 24 hours a Approximately two weeks after his from the largest body of fresh water in day, seven days a week, helping to control birth, Andy’s mother took him to the the world for long. He purchased a small the movements of these various fleets Old Stone Church in Cleveland, Ohio, Lyman runabout built in Sandusky, over a span of 30 years.

50 • Summer 2017 PowerShips The STR Daniel J. Morrell n The William G. Mather & Dennis Hale after launch. – U.S. Library of After the Winter 2006 issue of Congress photo. Steamboat Bill (No. 260) was published, my article about the loss of the STR Daniel J. Morrell on November 29–30, 1966, and Dennis Hale’s survival was well received. In late spring 2007, Dennis was invited to speak about his survival at Sandusky Yacht Club, and he asked me to join him. After Dennis’s talked ended, I was walking around the room meeting and greeting when I felt a hand squeeze my left shoulder. I turned around and there was a man with moist eyes telling me that he cried when he read my story. He said, and I remember it to this day, “I’m Andy Sykora. I was the fleet dispatcher for Bethlehem Transportation. n The Daniel J. Morrell. – Our offices were in the Terminal Tower U.S. Library of Congress photo. in Cleveland. When I arrived at work the morning of November 30, 1966 at 7 a.m., I realized that the Morrell [sailing upbound on Lake Huron] had missed her check call. I put out that our ship was missing. At 4 p.m., November 30, Dennis was spotted on a raft, the only survivor out of 29 sailors.” I was at a loss for words and apologized for not putting this in my article. Andy wasn’t concerned about that, and he asked me to introduce him to Dennis. They shook hands and, as time went on, became the best of friends. After from the Crawley’s in Rocky River. dream. When we fueled at the Lime Island the meeting, I told Dennis how upset I was Andy gave me the following to read at Fuel Dock downbound on the St. Marys not to include Andy in the article. the SSHSA conference: River, we docked astern of our Daniel J. Andy found out that Dennis, Harvey “I was assisting with the delivery of a Morrell and continued on course until Hayes and I, along with our wives, were new 5,600-hp tug, the Frances A. Small, bedtime. When I was awakened we were driving to Baltimore for the June 2007 following her construction at the Fraser at anchor, near the Lake Huron Lightship, Steamship Historical Society conference. Shipyard, Inc., at Superior Wisconsin, on again astern of the Daniel J. Morrell. Having He asked me to give Bill and Sue Ewen November 22, 1966. She was planned to been anchored amongst a fleet of freighters his best wishes. “Before you leave, I have be the power for the large barge Wiltranco because of fog, we finally received orders to something I need to tell you. I only knew that was to be utilized in the coal trade follow the Morell down the St. Clair River. one of the sailors on the Morrell; that was on Lake Erie from Toledo to Buffalo the “I had gone to bed alongside the Master Arthur I. Crawley (Z-782585). following season. This would never come stateroom window below the lower pilot When he wasn’t sailing, the 47-year-old about because of weather problems and house when I heard the whistle blasts, both single man would stay at his mother’s damage to the barge the next year. from our tug and the Morrell. I hurried on home in Rocky River, Ohio. He meant “We arrived at Sault Ste. Marie, deck to take a photo on Lake St. Clair. I the world to her. She was afraid that passing downbound through the Soo Locks understood later that the photograph was some day he would be caught in a storm at the normal running time. I had taken the last taken of the ship. Within about an and not come home.” time off from my normal employment hour, I got off the Small and onto the famous Andy, his wife, their son Philip and in the operations at Bethlehem mail boat J.W. Westcott in the Detroit River daughter Leslie lived just blocks away Transportation to experience such a and then headed home by car.

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 51 “The following morning, I went to our Bethlehem Steel office; there was wind and snow that morning in Cleveland and we anticipated ship delays on all the Great Lakes. I talked to Captain Art Crawley that afternoon, wished him and his crew a good trip and hung up the phone. The next morning, I received a favorable position report from all the Bethlehem vessels except the Morrell. Following instructions, an all- out and continuous phone call to the Morrell was undertaken during the day-and-night attempt to make radio contact. I received a phone call from the Reiss Steamship office that one of their ships had seen a raft from the Morell with bodies aboard, the first n Andy Sykora and his wife, Mary Jane, attend a public memorial service for Dennis Hale on October 25, evidence of any contact. I told the boss. 2015, at National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, Ohio. – Brian Morgan photo, SSHSA Archives. Immediately, an alert was broadcast to the United States and Canadian Coast Guards. As time passed, the friendship between side of Cleveland. The ROAM consisted of A sighting had been made of the raft; soon Dennis and Andy grew stronger. The first people who were retired from working the it was learned that Dennis Hale would be Wednesday of every other month, Dennis Lakes. Dennis and Andy were kind enough the sole survivor. Others in the office had would drive 60 miles to Andy’s home to to invite me into the fold, but my job kept known some of the crew. The whole office take him to the Royal Order of Ancient me out of town during the week. Every was in shock.” Mariners meeting and luncheon on the west August, Andy would arrange a day cruise from Sandusky to Kelley’s and South Bass Islands, located on the western side of Lake Erie. We would board the 365-passenger Goodtime 1 excursion boat at 9:30 a.m. My wife, Christy, and I were able to make three of these trips. Andy told us that the best Lake Erie perch was at the Village Pump Restaurant on Kelly’s Island, and he was correct! It was great to spend time on the water with Andy, Mary Jane, Dennis and the other ROAM members and listen to all their stories about working on the Lakes. In August 2012, Christy and I took my father, Charles A. Morgan Jr., on the cruise. Dad worked on the STR Peter Reiss and the STR James C. Wallace as a deck hand during the summers of 1937 and 1938. Andy, Dennis and Dad talked up a storm on that trip. All three loved sailing the Lakes. Dennis Hale passed away September 2, 2015. A public memorial service was held October 25, 2015, at the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo. I phoned Andy and Mary Jane and asked if they would like to go. Andy was in poor health but wanted to make the trip to say goodbye to his friend. Christy and I picked them up and on the way stopped

52 • Summer 2017 PowerShips Power Ships (2.25 x 4.75 inches) 1/6 page

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NEW! Blue Water Beat: the tWo lives of the Battle- ship uss California This 2nd edition brings the history of USS California into the 21st century. New n (From left) Dennis Hale, Andy Sykora and author Brian Morgan pose for a picture aboard the photos, up to date informa- Goodtime 1. Sykora would arrange a cruise every August with friends and former coworkers to tell stories tion. Hardcover, 8½x11, 320 about their time working on the Great Lakes. – Brian Morgan photo, SSHSA Archives. pp. 140+ photos. $44.95 + $5 shipping. for lunch at Tony Packo’s in Toledo November 29, 2016, was the 50th (made famous by the TV show M.A.S.H.) anniversary of the loss of the STR Daniel Free Catalog Dennis’s daughter Cindy met Andy for J. Morrell and 28 sailors. A bell-ringing 1-510-455-9027 the first time at the memorial. He told her ceremony and memorial service were Online catalog at the complete story about how he realized held in Ashtabula, Ohio. Barb Hale www.glencannon.com the Morrell was lost and the sailors needed and Mary Jane Sykora were the guests to be rescued. Andy and Mary Jane of honor. Harvey Hayes and Gordon were thankful that they made the trip. It Winland, two men who sailed with turned out that this was his last road trip. Dennis in 1965, were in attendance. As Andy’s health declined, friends would Dennis’s daughter Cindy rang the bell ask him how he was doing. He would say in his memory, and Sandy Cleary rang “Oh, I’m better now that you’re here!” for her brother John, a deckhand. Mike Andy passed exactly 11 months to the day Fletcher, of the shows “Sea Hunters” after Dennis’s passing. We’re all thankful and “Dive Detectives,” showed us some that Andy’s perseverance gave Dennis recent underwater footage of the two Hale 49 additional years on this earth. sections of the Morrell . Every November 30 I would call We will remember Dennis Hale (sole Dennis in the morning and say, “Happy survivor) and Andy Sykora (the Guardian rescue day!” He would get real quiet and of the Great Lakes). This is the end of then say, “I like that!” Then he would ask an era, and the Morrell crew and their me how my day was going and where my dispatcher are now together for eternity. next destination was down the road. May God bless them all.  About the Author Brian Morgan became interested in the story of Dennis Hale and the Daniel J. Morrell in grade school when his father first took him cruising on the Great Lakes. After receiving a degree in transportation management from the University of Akron, he went to work for the Borden Corporation and oversaw the operations of its trucking fleet in Columbus, Ohio. In 1979, he bought his own truck and has been hauling chemicals in a tanker around the country ever since. He counts the Norway a) France as one of his favorite ships. He has been an SSHSA member since 1995 and lives in Massillon, Ohio.

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 53 Regionals Shipping News from Points Around the Compass

All Leisure Group Shuts Down he year 2017 got off to a disap- Tpointing start when Leicestershire- based All Leisure Group announced that the New Year’s voyages of two of Britain’s n Cruise ship Minerva (seen here as Alexander von Humboldt) in Kiel harbor. (See “All best-know cruise lines had been cancelled Leisure Group Shuts Down”) – Photo courtesy of VollwertBIT. “due to operational problems.” The can- celled cruises were the January 3 sailing Following All Leisure’s collapse, Holland America’s ship will be the of Swan Hellenic’s Minerva a) Minerva b) Voyager was moved to Singapore’s third in the line’s Pinnacle-class. Slated Saga Pearl c) Explorer II d) Saga Pearl e) Ex- Sembawang shipyard for engine repairs for delivery in 2021, the 2,560-passenger plorer II f) Alexander von Humboldt g) Explorer and briefly spent time under arrest there. ship will follow the design of Koningsdam II h) Alexander von Humboldt i) Explorer II All Leisure’s administrators paid off and Nieuw Statendam. from Marseilles and the January 4 cruise Voyager’s debts, and it was believed that Princess Cruises’ new 3,660-passenger of Voyages of Discovery’s Voyager a) Crown the ship had a buyer. ship will be its sixth Royal-class vessel, Monarch b) Nautican c) Walrus d) Jules Verne a sister to Royal Princess, Regal Princess, e) Alexander von Humboldt II f) Alexander von Third Vista Switched Majestic Princess and two unnamed ships Humboldt from Port Kelang, Malaysia. A to Carnival coming in 2019 and 2020. This latest ship reported 400 passengers already overseas he third contract with Italy’s will be built at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone were repatriated by the Civil Aviation TFincantieri for a 4,200-passenger shipyard with a 2022 delivery. Authority. All Leisure Group quickly an- Vista-class ship has been switched from The memorandum of agreement means nounced on January 4 that it was closing the P&O Cruise Australia brand to that Carnival Corporation now has as the result of declining revenues. The Carnival Cruises. In conjunction with the 19 new cruise ships on order across its cancellations impacted 7,000 forward change, Carnival Cruises stated that the brands scheduled for delivery between bookings affecting 13,000 passengers. 3,000-passenger Carnival Splendor would 2017 and 2022. Many of All Leisure’s viable assets be transferred to the Australian brand in Carnival Corporation signed a were sold before it folded, including its other late 2019. The third Vista-class ship has not binding memorandum of agreement cruise line, Hebridean Islands Cruises. The been named but is scheduled to join sisters with Fincantieri and the China State operation of Hebridean Princess a) Columba was Carnival Vista and Carnival Horizon. It will be Shipbuilding Corporation for the acquired by a consortium of trade buyers delivered in March 2018. construction of two cruise ships to be headed by Roger Allard in December built in China for the Chinese market. 2016. Page & Moy’s tour operator brands Carnival Signs Ship- The agreement also includes an option Travelsphere and Just You were acquired Building Agreements for four additional ships. by G Adventures in early January. By early olland America Line and Princess There were no details on the size or February, Swan Hellenic had been sold to HCruises are set to receive new vessels capacity of the new ships, the first of G Adventures along with Minerva. The ship under an agreement signed between which will be delivered in 2023 and will was expected to return to service by 2018. Carnival Corporation and Fincantieri. be operated by the new Chinese cruise

54 • Summer 2017 PowerShips passengers served by a crew of 1,100. The ships will be environmentally friendly and will use energy recovery systems. New Cruise Lines Announced orwegian Cruise Company plans Nto enter the ultra-luxury adventure cruise trade in 2019. The firm’s CEO said that it will utilize a purpose-built, ultra- luxury, 180-passenger ship. Initial plans call for the building of up to six ships with n Royal Princess at sea. (See “Carnival Signs Ship-Building Agreements”) – Photo courtesy deliveries between 2019 and 2020. of Princess Cruises. The Russian Ministry of Transport has held talks with Sovfracht Group brand – the first domestic Chinese Fincantieri was awarded a contract by and Rosmorport to launch a regular cruise line designed specifically for the Norwegian Cruise Line holdings for four passenger service between the Russian Chinese passenger. 140,000-grt ships with an option for an cities of Sochi, Novorossiysk, Yalta, and The agreement is valued at additional two. The ships will cost 800 Sevastopol, and Istanbul, Turkey. The approximately $1.5 billion for the million euros with one delivery per year idle Royal Iris a) Eagle b) The Azur c) Eloise two ships to be built at the Shanghai from 2022 to 2025, stretching to 2027 will be purchased and refitted at a cost Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.’s in case the options are exercised. The of $12.2 million before implementing the shipyard. Under the agreement, Carnival 656-foot ships will accommodate 3,300 service as Roy Star sometime during 2017. will provide onsite supervision and passengers and are based on a prototype Five billionaire friends have paid $10.5 support during ship construction. developed by Fincantieri. million each toward the cost of building the Carnival holds a minority interest in Norwegian Cruise Line also announced “world’s largest floating private members’ the joint venture, which will launch the that its unnamed fourth Breakaway Plus- cruise brand initially using unnamed class ship will join Norwegian Joy in the ships that are purchased from Carnival’s Chinese market following delivery in 2019. existing fleet. The contract between Virgin Voyages and Fincantieri for three new cruise ships More Contracts Finalized has also been finalized. The trio will be n December, MSC Cruises exercised built at the Segtri Ponente shipyard in Iits options with STX France for two Genoa with deliveries set for 2020, 2021 additional Meraviglia Plus cruise ships. and 2022. The pair are due to enter service in 2019 The ships will measure 110,000-grt, and 2020 respectively. 912 feet by 124 feet, and carry 2,800

n The cruise ship Royal Iris (seen here as The Azur) arriving at Genoa on July 15, 2001. (See “New Cruise Lines Announced”) – Photo courtesy of Carlo Martinelli.

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 55 club.” The 722-foot yacht will be built in Italy at a cost of $312 million. To be named Quintessentially One, the 112-berth Classic Liner For Sale vessel will be operated as a hotel with a restaurant run by the Mayfair institution The Wolsey. The British concierge firm Quintessentially stated that it has obtained financing in Norway and Italy, with the 45,000-grt vessel’s maiden voyage scheduled to depart London in 2019.

Classic Liner News n Marco Polo departing Helsinki in 2008 during her service with Transocean Tours. – Photo etween May and August 2016, courtesy of Kalle. BQueen Elizabeth 2’s lifeboats and he classic veteran Marco Polo a) Aleksandr Pushkin will be withdrawn launches were removed and placed Tfrom service on May 6, 2018, by Cruise Maritime Voyages. Owner Global on the industrial dock in Dubai. In Maritime Group has offered the ship for sale with an asking price of $15 million. September workers cut off the ship’s davits, altering her external appearance. Valhalla of the Seas, Sunrise of the Seas and It’s unclear what the future holds for Redeployments Icon of the Seas. It should come as no QE2 and why these changes were made. he Silver Muse will homeport at surprise that Royal Caribbean’s fourth Judging from an article entitled TPort Everglades for the next two Oasis-class ship will take one of the “Anchored: Philly will probably be winters under an agreement between names, Symphony of the Seas. This ship is stuck with the SS United States forever,” Silversea and Broward County. The currently under construction and slated the City of Brotherly Love may not 596-passenger ship will arrive on to debut in spring 2018. be feeling much of it for the former October 21 and make five cruises in 2017. Lindblad Expeditions’ National superliner. The article, which appeared Beginning in November, MSC will have Geographic will name its second new at www.billypenn.com on January 21, two ships based in Miami when MSC 100-passenger ship National Geographic claims that the former superliner may Seaside joins MSC Davina. A Meraviglia-class Venture. The Venture’s maiden voyage will no longer be a welcomed guest at her ship will be added in 2019. be a two-week Alaska sailing departing berth in Philadelphia. The source is Windstar’s 212-passenger Star Legend June 24, 2018. Congressman Robert Brady (D-PA), a) Royal Viking Queen b) Queen Odyssey who asks, “What the hell is going on c) Seabourn will operate 11- to 14-day Connecting Passengers with that thing?” Brady notes that cruises from Vancouver to Misty Fjords with the Ocean when the superliner was towed into port National Monument and Kenai Fjords broad promenade on Deck 8 of 21 years ago it was only to stay for 21 National Park between May and August Athe outfitting MSC Seaside is days. Since then there have been two 2018. designed to bring what are normally failed attempts to return United States Carnival Horizon will spend summer topside activities down to a level that to service, a rejected proposal to make 2018 cruising from New York to the will be a lot closer to the ocean. An it part of a Delaware River casino, and Caribbean. Before coming to New York, uncovered promenade that will be more countless unrealized plans for use in a the 4,000-passenger ship will sail on its than 20 feet wide will wrap around the static role. The ship’s ownership has also maiden voyage from Barcelona on April aft end of the ship and continue to mid- changed; it’s currently owned by the 2, 2018, followed by two additional ships, where a curved glass catwalk will SS United States Conservancy. Last- cruises and a 14-day transatlantic connect to an equally broad promenade minute fundraising appeals have raised crossing between May 9 and 23. After to the bow. the $600,000 in docking fees required summering at New York, the ship will to keep the ship moored on the north redeploy to Miami in mid-September. Scrapped side of Pier 81. The Congressman notes hina’s HNA Group sold Henna a) that the constituents who used to enjoy Names Announced CJubilee b) Pacific Sun to Nina Service seeing the ship are changing their minds n January, Royal Caribbean Corporation in early February. Nina and are starting to “like it less because it Itrademarked four “of the Seas” ship specializes in buying ships for resale is decaying so bad.” names including Symphony of the Seas, to breakers. Renamed Hen, the ship

56 • Summer 2017 PowerShips was reported off the Malaysian Coast passengers will be using a similar but to complete the voyage using a single near Singapore while Nina negotiated more advanced system later this year pod. Norwegian Cruise Line modified a sale to breakers in either India or that allows guests to do everything from the ship’s itinerary, skipping calls at Bangladesh. planning vacations to opening stateroom two Thai ports, Ko Samui and Laem In December Ocean Gala a) Scandinavia doors to ordering poolside cocktails. The Chabang. After spending three days b) StarDancer c) Viking Serenade d) Island system will eventually be introduced on at sea, a call at Phu My, Vietnam, Escape was sold to Pisces Maritime, other Carnival-brand ships. was substituted for Danang. A stop in an Indian scrap-brokering company. Taiwan was also eliminated. Like Hen, she too is anchored awaiting Casualties Norwegian Star finally broke down a buyer. She is currently off Port Said indblad Expeditions’ National completely while 20 miles off the coast while Pisces negotiates with breakers in LGeographic Orion a) Orion suffered of Melbourne after a second azipod Turkey and India. an engine problem December 27 as the failed on February 10. The drifting ship Mabuhay Sunshine a) Sunshine Fuji has ship was leaving the Antarctic Peninsula with 2,240 passengers on board was been refloated and towed to Cebu City at the end of a 14-night Antarctic cruise towed back to Melbourne for repairs in the Philippines for breaking. The en route to Ushaia, Argentina. The by Svitzer Australia’s tug Hastings. The ship had sunk upright at her long-time necessary repairs forced Lindblad to Norwegian Star returned to service with moorings at Mactan Island in late cancel the ship’s December 27 voyage an Auckland departure on February 18. December 2015. and all cruises scheduled for January. (For additional details see “Southwest Norwegian Star was forced to Pacific.”) Wearable Medallions overnight in Singapore at the start of an While returning from a winter cruise Coming to Carnival Asian cruise after developing propulsion to destinations in the English Channel, wo former Disney executives problems. A problem with one of the Aida Cruises’ flagship AIDAprima Twill bring their experience with the Star’s azipods was discovered as the encountered bad weather with vacation management system utilized ship was departing from Singapore northwesterly winds of up to force 10 off at Walt Disney World to Carnival the evening of December 10. The the island of Borkum. Three passengers Corporation’s ships. The system ship was forced to return to port to were hurt when the vessel was about to utilizes Fitbit-style bracelets that link to permit inspection by the propulsion return to Hamburg in Storm Egon on personal information. Princess Cruises’ unit’s manufacturer. It was decided January 15. The 260-passenger L’Austral was involved in two incidents while Cruise Line Sold operating in New Zealand waters. In mid-January the ship struck a submerged floating object while transferring passengers on Snares Island and was forced to divert to Bluff Harbor for repairs on January 12. On February 9 she hit rocks while leaving Milford Sound en route to Dunedin, causing minor damage to the hull. High winds in New Zealand’s port of Timaru caused Seabourn Encore to break her moorings on February 12 and collide with Milburn Carrier II. The 800-passenger Seabourn Encore became n Cruise ship Grand Celebration docked in Freeport, the Bahamas. Viewed from the deck of wedged between two wharves. The ship the Carnival Fantasy. – Photo courtesy of Arnold Reinhold. was slightly dented and smudged, but ahamas Paradise Cruise Line has been sold to Kevin Sheehan, a there were no injuries.  Bformer CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, and a partner who ran Blue Ocean Cruises, a short-lived Indian cruise line. Bahamas Paradise Cruises operates n Write Peter T. Eisele at 74 Grand Celebration a) Celebration b) Grand Celebration c) Costa Celebration from Palm Chatham Street, Chatham, NJ 07928 or Beach, Florida, on a long-term lease from FleetPro Ocean, previously ISP. [email protected]

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 57 Chilean winter fruit. During this season, Norfolk since fiscal year 2017 started in July the port anticipates receiving at least 25 2016, which is a 41-percent increase from shiploads of fruit from the Chilean ports fiscal year 2016. That translates to 22,450 of Valparaiso, Coquimbo, and Caldera. fewer round-trip truck trips. Based on this data, Port of Virginia officials believe New Barge Richmond there’s the same potential at the Virginia Express Begins Operations Inland Port at Front Royal (about 70 miles west of Washington, DC, and about 125 miles north of Richmond). Port of Baltimore News Richmond Express was built in Indiana, ontinuing a three-year trend, has a capacity of 125 FEU, measures 309 CBaltimore in 2016 attained record feet by 54.5 feet and will make three sailings growth. More than ten million total tons a week between RMT and Norfolk. of general cargo and containers were handled at the various terminals. General Norfolk Return & cargo includes automobiles, containers, n The new barge Richmond Express. – Deployment Notes roll on/roll off farm and construction Virginia Port Authority photo. n January 21, Coastal Riverine equipment, forest products and break bulk ichmond Express, the Port of OSquadron 4 landed at Naval cargo. What has been driving this trend, RVirginia’s new barge, arrived in Station Norfolk after a seven-month especially last year, was the ability of the Norfolk Harbor February 2 to begin deployment to the U.S. 4th, 5th and 6th port to accommodate the new generation operations between there and Richmond (Central and South America, the Middle of megaships. That in turn was directly Marine Terminal. Before embarking East and Europe/Africa/Atlantic Ocean related to the expansion of the Panama on its first transit to RMT on February respectively) Fleet areas of operations. Canal. Baltimore and three other East 5, the barge went to Norfolk Tug for One of the hallmarks of the CRS-4 Coast ports are the only ones with the final detail work, which included the deployment was that it was the first infrastructure to handle the larger vessels. installation of locking pins. The barge squadron to use the Mark VI Patrol In 2017 the city will once again be also underwent a series of loading tests Boats in the U.S. 5th Fleet. home port for year-round departures before taking on the containers from the of Carnival Pride and Grandeur of the Seas . older barge it was replacing. American Cruise Lines, sailing directly Richmond Express’s size and capacity from the city’s famed Inner Harbor, are roughly the same as the older barge will offer five Chesapeake Bay cruise but it’s wider and longer, which makes itineraries aboard American Constellation, its layout more accommodating for American Star and Independence. There also containers so they’re not as packed in as will be East Coast Inland Passage cruises they were on the older barge; this allows n CRS-4 Mark VI Patrol Boat underway during that either depart or return to Baltimore for more efficient loading and unloading. weapons exercise. – MC1 Steven Hoskins photo. aboard American Star and Independence. Another benefit of the slightly wider CRS-4 is part of Coastal Riverine structure is that it’s capable of carrying Group 2, which is headquartered at Joint Port of Wilmington News reefer units (refrigerated containers) with Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort elaware’s port received its first gen-sets (generators) to keep them cool. Story. The main purpose of the Coastal Dbreakbulk shipment of Chilean The Port of Virginia’s barge service has Riverine Force is to conduct maritime winter fruit to the United States on been very successful in helping to reduce security operations across all phases of December 14 for the seventh consecutive traffic and general road deterioration on military operations. season. The M/V Hellas Reefer, a Interstate 64 between Hampton Roads and The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower specialized refrigerated vessel operated Richmond. The barge service has grown (CVN-69), also known as “Ike,” returned by Trans Global Shipping NV in the to three days a week and extends the reach on December 30 from a seven-month Global Reefers service, discharged of shippers more than 100 miles inland, so deployment in which it was supporting over 992,100 boxes of fresh cherries, there’s potential for economic development Operation Inherent Resolve (the U.S. blueberries, apricots, peaches, nectarines, at the Richmond terminal. A further military’s operational name for intervention and table grapes. Wilmington is a major indication of the barge service’s success with ISIS). On February 8, 2017, WVEC- port of entry and distribution center shows in the numbers: 11,225 containers TV reported that Ike had shipped out for the seasonal importation of fresh have been moved between RMT and again, but this time to the Atlantic to host

58 • Summer 2017 PowerShips “VFA-106 and several student pilots from accommodations on the new vessels are and a company now based in Anniston, Training Air Wings 1 and 2 to help them modern and roomy, the overall look Alabama. Kate Sullivan, a conservator earn their carrier qualifications.” is reminiscent of historic Mississippi at the USS Monitor Center at The paddlewheelers. Mariners’ Museum in Norfolk, made Stretching 345 feet, the riverboats the startling discovery while cleaning will be four decks high with an expanded a valve recovered from the Monitor’s number of lounges and amenities. But wreckage. On the artifact, a copper alloy they’ll be low enough to go under key bicock valve from the vessel’s condenser, bridges to maximize itinerary possibilities. she discovered an inscription reading The first vessel is under construction “McNab, Carr & Co. New York.” n USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69). at Chesapeake Shipbuilding for delivery in Sullivan discovered that McNab, Carr – Jameson E. Lynch photo. 2018. It will carry 200 passengers. Veth of & Co. is now M&H Valve Co. operating Ike is in what’s known as the sustainment the Netherlands is supplying the propulsion out of Anniston, Alabama, a city a little phase of the Optimized Fleet Response system with 360-degree azimuthing over sixty miles east of Birmingham. Plan, which means that the vessel is ready forward and aft propellers. The engines Originally based in New York, whenever it’s needed. will comply with the latest Tier 4 emissions McNab, Carr & Co. became McNab & standards to drastically reduce particulate Harlin and finally M&H Valve Co., as American Cruise Lines matter and nitrogen oxides. it’s known today. The company moved merican Cruise Lines is going in to Alabama in the 1920s. Since the part Aa fresh direction with a series of USS Monitor Artifact with was made in Civil War New York, it’s five planned newbuilds that are long and Links to Alabama Company interesting to see its connection to a sleek, sporting the contemporary styling or readers who are interested in company that’s not only still operating of European river vessels. Until now the FCivil War history, an interesting but is now located in a state that had such company has been known for riverboats connection was discovered between a significant role in the Confederacy. with Victorian details. Though the the Union Navy warship USS Monitor Over the past 20 years, conservators at The Mariners’ Museum have worked diligently and carefully to clean and curate the more than 200 tons of artifacts recovered from the Monitor wreck. The ship was lost during a storm on December 31, 1862, off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and the wreck site was discovered in 1973, although it took another 15 years before recovery efforts began. The USS Monitor is best known for her role at the Battle of Hampton Roads, which took place March 8 and 9, 1862. CSS Virginia (USS Merrimac) and USS Monitor fought to a draw, securing the Monitor’s place in history for her participation in one n (Above) Chromolithograph of the most famous naval battles in history. “The Monitor and To learn more about the USS Merrimac: The First Fight Monitor visit http://www.monitorcenter. Between Ironclads” produced org/ and for information about The by Louis Prang & Co., Mariners’ Museum visit http://www. Boston. – Courtesy U.S. marinersmuseum.org/ .  Library of Congress. The valve showing the name McNab, n Write John Fostik (PA, NJ, DE, Carr & Co., New York. (See MD) at [email protected] “USS Monitor artifact...“) – or Julia Winters (DC, VA, NC, SC) The Mariners’ Museum photo. at [email protected]

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 59 New Ferry Service to Begin This Year he new Citywide Ferry, operated Tby HNY Ferry Fleet LLC, a Hornblower company, is ramping up with new docking facilities being built in Rockaway, Queens. The service, scheduled to begin this summer, n Circle Line Bronx. – G. Justin Zizes, Jr., photo. comprises six routes that will cover over 60 miles of waterways, with 21 landing New York Cruise Lines and The Durst the public in 2003. It’s accessible only by sites throughout the city. The vessels Organization have bought New York Water ferry, a 20-minute round trip. will feature low-wake technology, low- Taxi and Circle Line Downtown. The plan Bayonne, New Jersey, is getting closer emission engines and quieter horns. is to expand the Circle Line sightseeing to a ferry operation from the former The 19 catamaran ferries are being business and to unite the midtown and Military Ocean Terminal Base. The built by two Gulf Coast shipyards – downtown Circle Line brands. With the ferry will connect Bayonne to Staten Horizon Shipbuilding of Bayou La Batre, acquisition, New York Cruise Lines will Island and Midtown Manhattan. NY Alabama, and Metal Shark Aluminum operate 25 vessels, including transportation Waterway is involved in the project. Boats of Jeanerette, Louisiana. ferries, thrill rides, entertainment yachts The Bridgeport & Port Jefferson The first of 19 vessels splashed down and floating restaurants. Steamboat Company won the Admiral at Horizon Shipyard in February. The The Trust of Governors Island is Bennis Award for Excellence in Maritime schedule calls for the first 14 ferries to planning to build a new 334-passenger Security for a large company. be delivered this spring, with the rest to ferry for the crossing between Manhattan follow by 2018. The ferries to be used for and Governors Island. Technical Marine Science the Rockaway route will be 86 feet by 26 requirements have been developed by Station to Open feet with a 42-inch draft. Other ferries Glosten Inc., of Seattle. The island had larkson University’s Beacon that will be used in just the upper bay been a military post and was opened to CCenter for Rivers and Estuaries, will have a draft of 39 inches. A new ferry depot is being built in the Brooklyn Navy Yard for the operation. Other Ferry News Y Waterway has bought the NBillybey Ferry Company and its ferry routes between Jersey City, Hoboken and New York. NY Waterway had sold 16 ferries and the rights to the Jersey City-Hoboken routes to Billybey in 2004. The company has bought back 11 of the 16 ferries it sold to BillyBey; one was previously purchased back by NY Waterway, and the remaining four were sold to New York City for the East River n East River Ferry Christopher Columbus. – G. Justin Zizes, Jr., photo. operation.

60 • Summer 2017 PowerShips on March 1. Industry Day brings together Coast Guard officers and members of the maritime industry. n A raised section of the Bayonne Bridge, connecting Bayonne, New Jersey, to Staten Island, reopened to car traffic on February 20. The roadway was raised 64 feet to 215 feet above the Kill van Kull to allow the passage of ultra-large cargo ships. The project, begun in 2013, cost $1.3 billion. The lower roadway still has to be dismantled. n The bicentennial of the construction of the Erie Canal is being celebrated in 2017. Events will include a tour on the replica canal n Fire Fighter II at Brooklyn Bridge. – G. Justin Zizes, Jr., photo. schooner Lois McClure, operated by the Lake Champlain Maritime with the New York Hall of Science and on its Christmas Cruise to the Caribbean Museum, and an Erie Canal exhibit the historic sloop Clearwater, will operate headed to St. Maarten. A 74-year-old at the New York State Museum in a marine science station at Pier 26. The woman was reported missing as the ship Albany. The New York State Canal River Project, which works to restore the passed 100 miles southeast of Atlantic System was recently designated a ecology of the Hudson River Estuary City on December 23. The ship turned National Historic Landmark. and started the original Estuarium 30 back to assist the U.S. Coast Guard, n The 80,000-acre New York Wind years ago, will also be participating. The which launched a helicopter and plane Energy Area, located 12 nautical $30 million project is expected to be for the search. The woman was not miles off the coast of Long Beach, completed in 2019. found. The Queen Mary returned to its New York, and stretching 26 nautical course and was expected to reach St. miles to the southeast, will be Port Elizabeth Gets Maarten on schedule. Upgrade in Investment operated by Statoil Wind US LLC, which paid $42.5 million dollars for PM Terminals has announced Propeller Club Presentation the rights. The plan is to put 200 an upgrade in its investment in its .S. Coast Guard Captain Mike A wind turbines off shore. facilities at Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, UDay gave a presentation to  from $70 million to $200 million. The members of The Propeller Club of New company will order four new ship- York and New Jersey on February 23 at n Write G. Justin Zizes, Jr. at to-shore cranes to handle ultra large The American Club. He expressed his 147 East 37th Street, New York, New York container ships, which will begin concerns about the upcoming arrival 10016 or [email protected] calling at the port after the Bayonne of Panamax ships that will be entering Bridge is raised later this year. Other the Port of New York, saying that there improvements will include an expanded might be a need for an adjustment gate complex for truckers and upgraded in vessel traffic for these larger ships. container-handling equipment. USCG boarding teams will have to meet the ships out at sea rather than at the Casualties anchorage. The first big ship plans to hree TEU containers were enter the port in late spring. Tknocked into the water by a crane operator unloading the Maersk Kensington at the APM Terminal at Port Elizabeth Briefs in February. Inside were cars and kitchen n Both Sector Long Island Sound supplies. No one was injured and there and Sector New York of the U.S. was no pollution reported. Coast Guard held their Industry Day Queen Mary 2 was missing a passenger

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 61 Major Refit for P&O Twins

Viking Line Adds Fast Catamaran n response to the introduction of Ithe brand new cruise ferry Megastar by competitor Tallink, Viking Line has chartered the idle 1988-built InCat fast catamaran Express a) HSC Catalonia b) Catalonia L c) Portsmouth Express d) n Ferry MS Pride of Bruges in the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium. – Photo courtesy of Spielvogel. Catalonia. Renamed Viking FSTR, she will n the North Sea, P&O Ferries is investing more than $10 million complement Viking’s conventional ferry Oin the 1987-built Pride of York a) Norsea and Pride of Bruges a) Norsun, which Viking XPRS on the busy route between together operate the busy link between Hull in northern England and Zeebrugge Helsinki, Finland, and Tallinn, Estonia, in Belgium. The refit will include cosmetic upgrades to public areas and during the summer season. passenger cabins, as well as improvements to the vessels’ technical infrastructure.

route is on duty-free sales, especially older ferry offered for sale. duty-free alcohol, since Norway isn’t part Further south, Spanish operator of the European Union. Balearia has ordered two RoPax vessels Brittany Ferries has also ordered from Italian shipyard Visentini. The a new ferry from FSG Shipyard in vessels will be dual fuel, so they can run Germany. With a capacity for over on conventional marine diesel or LNG. 1,600 passengers, the LNG-powered vessel will be delivered in 2019 and Stena Deploys Chinese n Viking XPRS. – Viking Line photo. enter service on the Portsmouth, United Newbuilds to Irish Sea Kingdom, to Caen, France route. Her ith delivery planned for 2019 New Ferries Ordered arrival will start a cascade of fleet Wand 2020, Stena Line has iking has also signed a letter of redeployments within Brittany Ferries, announced that it will deploy the four Vintent with Xiamen Shipbuilding which will likely result in at least one conventional ferries on order from Industry Company in China for the construction of a new overnight ferry for its route between Finland and Sweden. She will join the 2010-built Viking Grace on the route, providing a suitable running mate for that impressive vessel. Norwegian operator Color Line has ordered a new vessel from local shipyard Ulstein Verft for its short route connecting Sandefjord, Norway, and Stromstad, Sweden. It’s expected that the new vessel will replace both of the classic ferries on the route, the 1971-built Bohn a) Prinsessan Desiree b) Europafarjan c) Europafarjan II d) Lion Princess and 1985-built Color Viking a) Peder Paars b) n Viking Grace. (See “New Ferries Ordered.”) – Viking Line photo. Stena Invicta. The primary focus of the

62 • Summer 2017 PowerShips the AVIC Shipyard in China on its routes in the Irish Sea, specifically, routes connecting Belfast in Northern QE2 50th Ireland with Cairnryan in Scotland and Liverpool in England. These routes Anniversary have both experienced impressive n other European growth in both passenger and freight Inews, 2017 marks the volume in recent years as the economy Golden Anniversary of has rebounded, and Stena has increased the former Cunard liner its market share. In 2016, Stena carried Queen Elizabeth 2. The event over 500,000 freight units through will be celebrated with a Belfast for the first time in its history. conference on September Elsewhere on the Irish Sea, 22, 2017, to be held in competitor Irish Ferries is investing Clydebank, Scotland, the in a newbuild from FSG Shipyard in QE2’s birthplace. Presenters Germany, and freight operator Seatruck will include historians, Ferries is increasing capacity on several designers, captains, officers of its routes. P&O Ferries, the other and passengers. For more Irish Sea operator, appears to be finding information, visit www. itself in a challenging position. qe2event.com.

New Ferry for Africa n Poster advertising the transatlantic Morocco Link service of QE2. – SSHSA Archives, frica Morocco Link, a new Chase Collection. Aoperator on the busy two-hour crossing between Algeciras, Spain, and Tangier, Morocco, is shuffling its fleet. The massive chartered Greek overnight will now be managed directly by parent as Volcan de Teno. Golden Star Ferries ferry El Venizelos a) Stena Polonica b) Kydon company Grimaldi Lines. Minoan has purchased the Speedrunner IV a) II has been returned to layup in Greece continues to operate the domestic route Superseacat Four for Greek domestic to be replaced by the 1980-built Morocco between Piraeus and Crete. service as Superrunner . Star a) Prins Joachim b) Prince . Morocco Several vessels are embarking on The partially sunken 1972-built Star is a smaller day ferry, better suited new careers with new owners. Italian former English Channel ferry Panagia to the route and volumes on offer. Her operator Moby Lines has introduced Tinou a) Hengist b) Stena Hengist c) running mate on the route remains the the Moby DaDa a) Finlandia b) Queen of Romlida d) Apollo Express 2 e) Panagia 1990-built Diagoras a) New Tosa b) Panagia Scandinavia c) Princess Maria, a recent Ekatontapiliani f) Express Artemis g) Skiadeni c) Lindos, another overnight acquisition from Scandinavia. Bankrupt Panagia Ekatontapiliani h) Agios Georgios ferry poorly suited to the route. Blu Ferries has sold its 1979-built Regina was finally raised from the bottom of Della Pace a) Turella b) Stena Nordica c) Piraeus Great Harbor. Following some Adriatic & Greek Changes Lion King d) Fantaasia e) Kongshavn to stabilization work, she is expected to be he winter season typically Ventouris Ferries for further service as towed to Aliaga, Turkey, for demolition. Theralds many changes to ferry Rigel III. Hellenic Seaways’ 1974-built With her impending scrapping and services in southern Europe, especially Express Santorini a) Chartres has been the departure of former running mate those in the Adriatic Sea and Greek sold to an Abu Dhabi-based company Express Santorini for the Middle East, domestic waters. The major news for further service as Al Salmy 4. The the 1970s generation of classic ferries this winter was that Greek operator idle former Stena Line ferry Sunny a) still operating in Greek waters appears Minoan Lines has withdrawn from the Trelleborg has been sold to an Iranian finished.  trunk route between Ancona, Italy, company. and Patras, Greece. Founded in 1972, On the fast ferry scene, the Greek n Write Ted Blank at 1576 Grotto Minoan Lines pioneered these sea links. Highspeed 6 a) Milenium has been sold to Street North, St Paul, MN 55117 Service on the routes will continue to Spanish operator Naviera Armas for or [email protected] be operated by the same ships, but they further service in the Canary Island

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 63 Future of Ste. Claire Uncertain

Casualty ore action was found off the Mcoast of southwest Newfoundland in early February when a Montreal- bound cargo ship, the 7,767-gt MV Thorco Crown, issued a mayday call after suffering an engine room fire. The Canadian Coast Guard responded to the disabled ship 32 nautical miles n Steamer Ste. Claire circa 1915. – Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library photo. from Port aux Basques. With the fire espite the alarmingly warm weather that some parts of eastern eventually extinguished, there was no DCanada and New England experienced this past winter, those months immediate danger to the 13-person crew, remained relatively calm and quiet on the maritime front. This was especially so vessel or environment as the Antigua- for historic ferries, with only the former 1910, Detroit-based, Bob-Lo passenger and Barbuda-registered cargo vessel steamer SS Ste. Claire making any waves. awaited a tugboat. CCGS Sir William Towed by the G-tugs Wyoming and New Jersey, the Ste. Claire moved once again on Alexander and the Joint Rescue Centre January 9, this time from her Motor City berth up the Detroit River to Riverside Halifax continued to monitor the ship. Marina near Belle Isle, Michigan. Previously she had been laid up in Toledo, Ohio. Passing through the Cabot Strait, the The steamer, registered as a National Historic Landmark, has been out of 13-year-old merchant vessel had set sail service since 1991, but attempts have been made in recent years to restore the 870- from Argentia, in eastern Newfoundland, gt, triple-expansion, reciprocating steam engine vessel. Those efforts have slowed and was empty, according to Fisheries down of late as her fate remains in limbo. and Oceans Canada. he Canadian Coast Guard’s Historic Icebreaker Tlargest icebreaker, the 11,345-grt Submarine Program Gets Upgrades flagship CCGS Louis St-Laurent, was Passes Review drydocked in Quebec City in February he U.S. Navy’s Columbia-class by Davie Shipbuilding in a C$14 million Tsubmarine program passed its (US$10.6 million) contract announced in Milestone B decision review in early January. January so that detailed designing can The refit and upgrades on the begin. 1969-commissioned polar icebreaker follow The ballistic missile submarines structural maintenance, upgrading and should cost about $8 billion apiece, replacement of various systems three years according to Rep. Joe Courtney (D- earlier. The current refit will meet marine CT), whose district includes the primary regulatory requirements and will include contractor. The Navy said that this figure, upgrades to various shipboard systems from representing the design and engineering propulsion to navigation. This will enable cost, will be averaged over 12 ships instead Louis St-Laurent to continue her Arctic of consolidating it in the cost of the lead work. She was originally scheduled to be ship. A less expensive Navy estimate, decommissioned in 2000. previously calculated in 2010 dollars, The St. John’s, Newfoundland-based expected the lead ship to cost $10.4 n The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis S. Louis St-Laurent made history as the first billion, including $4.2 billion in detail St-Laurent makes an approach to the Coast North American surface vessel to reach design and nonrecurring engineering Guard Cutter Healy in the Arctic Ocean, Sep- the North Pole along with U.S. Coast work, as well as $6.2 billion for ship tember 5, 2009. – Canadian Coast Guard photo. Guard Cutter Polar Sea in August 1994. construction. Subsequent submarines

64 • Summer 2017 PowerShips n An artist’s rendition of a Columbia-class submarine. – U.S. Navy photo. were to cost $5.2 billion each in what’s progress on this ship, and although we’re missile destroyers Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), now expected to be a $96 billion program. celebrating an early production milestone, Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), Daniel Inouye Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall we’re nearing 60 percent completion on the (DDG 118) and Carl M. Levin (DDG 120). designated these replacement submarines future Lyndon B. Johnson,” said Capt. Kevin as a major defense plan. Smith, DDG 1000 program manager. Shipyard Exhibit Additional details concerning the Although ship construction traditionally eneral Dynamics’ Bath Iron Columbia class’s cost and schedule begins with keel laying, the Navy said GWorks shipyard, mentioned above, have not yet been made public in what advanced modular shipbuilding now allows is featured in an exhibition at the Maine was once called the Ohio Replacement for fabrication of major components months Maritime Museum in Bath, Maine, Program. The Navy also didn’t know ahead of the formal keel-laying ceremony. called Through These Gates: Maine when the building contract would be The Zumwalt-class ships are the Shipyard Photography 1858–2016, awarded. However, one report said that largest destroyers the Navy has ever built running until September 24 of this year. construction would commence in 2021 at 610 feet long with an 80.7-foot beam. Most of the 60-plus images come from with service to begin in 2031, 50 years Despite their large size, their stealth the museum’s collection of approximately after the first of the current 18 Ohio-class characteristics allow them to have a 140,000 photos. The pictures focus on submarines were commissioned. radar cross-section similar to a fishing the shipyard workers as well as the vessels These latest nuclear-powered vessels boat. And unlike previous destroyers being built. Shipwrights and fitters are are expected to displace 20,810 long tons designed for deep-sea combat, the shown working on both wood and steel submerged, be 561 feet long, and have a Zumwalt class is primarily intended for vessels and engaging in everything from 43-foot beam with a complement of 155. ground-attack support in addition to the assembling a frame to bringing that very Sixteen Trident D5 ballistic missiles will more traditional anti-air, anti-surface same frame white hot out of a forge and be the principal armament. and undersea warfare. onto the bending floor. There are also The first in the class, USS Zumwalt, photos of the tremendous shipbuilding Keel Laid for Destroyer began service in Baltimore on October activity from both world wars and the n January 30, General 15 last year before joining the Pacific assembling of the largest crane in the ODynamics’ Bath Iron Works Fleet with Captain James A. Kirk at Western hemisphere at the time. shipyard witnessed the keel laying and the helm. (Iconic Starship Enterprise To find out more, visit www. authentication ceremony for the third Captain James T. Kirk, aka William mainemaritimemuseum.org/exhibits/ U.S. Navy Zumwalt-class destroyer, USS Shatner, wrote a letter of support in 2014 through-these-gates.  Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002). to the Zumwalt crew.) Ship co-sponsors Luci Baines Johnson Bath Iron Works is also currently n Write Roddy Sergiades at and Lynda Johnson Robb welded their building fellow Zumwalt-class destroyer 15 Brown St., Port Hope, Ontario, L1A 3C8 initials into the keel plate during the USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001), and the Canada, or [email protected] ceremony. “We’ve made tremendous conventional Arleigh Burke-class guided-

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 65 of unpowered concrete barges. The Powell River collection contains seven of End of a Canadian Princess the World War II-built vessels: Henri Le ne of the West Coast’s more Chatelier, P. M. Anderson, Thaddeus Merriman, Oattractive historical ships has been Armand Considere, John Smeaton, Emile N. towed away from Vancouver Island’s Vidal, and L .J. Vicat, plus two barges: Ucluelet harbor for demolition on Quartz and YOGN 82. The tenth ship of the Canadian mainland. The former the collection is Peralta, a sister to Palo floating fishing lodge Canadian Princess, Alto and also completed by San Francisco built in 1932 as the survey vessel William Historic Vessels Shipbuilding during World War I. J. Stewart, was moved to Ucluelet in Update Two more of the World War II-built 1979 by the Oak Bay Marine Group number of changes have taken ships, Francois Hennebique and C. W. Pasley, to accommodate fishermen. While her A place among West Coast historical were used to provide the foundation interior was reconditioned, the ship’s vessels since they were last reported on for berths at Oregon’s Port of Newport external profile was largely retained and in this column in the fall 2015 issue (No. on Yaquina Bay, but they’ve since been she served successfully for a number of 295). Interesting ships not mentioned in dismantled and buried (See PowerShips years, leading to the construction of a that column are the “concrete boats,” No. 299). A third, John Aspdin, was moved land-based lodge adjacent to her berth. and this was brought to my attention to the bay for the same use but was lost in However, the recent sale of the by a photograph submitted by Carol a storm prior to positioning, its remains property by Oak Bay Marine to new Nicolet Loewen of the old Palo Alto on now lying off the port’s North Reef. owners didn’t include the ship, now the California coast, which took a heavy The hulls of several of the other more than 85 years old, and she has beating from storms this past winter that World War I-built ships can be found on been condemned to the breakers. The left its stern broken and dislodged. the East and Gulf coasts. One, San Pasqual, ship’s log books, brass instruments, Built as a 6,380-gt, concrete-hulled remains grounded but in service as a ten- gauges and binnacle have been donated tanker by the San Francisco Shipbuilding room boutique hotel off the coast of Cayo to the local historical society, which is Company during World War I, the Las Brujas, Cuba. The largest collection hoping to open a permanent exhibit in ship was delivered too late for the war of the World War II-built ships consists of the former dwelling of the Amphitrite effort and was instead purchased by the nine off the coast of Kiptopeke Beach, Point lighthouse keeper in Ucluelet. private investors in 1929 and grounded Virginia, where they were positioned in Coal-fired when built, William J. just southeast of Santa Cruz at Aptos, 1948 to act as a breakwater for a ferry Stewart spent many years charting California, for use as an amusement terminal but now provide protection for British Columbia’s coastal waters, center. The depression, and winter storms the local beach front. first as a Dominion Government Ship in the 1930s that cracked the hull, led to abandonment of the project. The hulk was then purchased by the State of California to help protect the fishing pier leading to the ship, although access to the hull was curtailed for safety reasons. The latest storms have left the stern section positioned in such a manner that it could threaten the pier if heavy weather returns. Concrete Ship Collections he West Coast has the world’s Tlargest collection of historic concrete ships, with eight positioned at Powell River, British Columbia, to act as a man- made breakwater in conjunction with two World War II-built concrete barges. n The hull of the old concrete ship Palo Alto at Aptos, California, lies twisted and broken Twelve concrete ships were built after last winter’s series of Pacific storms. (See “Concrete Ship Collections”) – Photo courtesy of in World War I, and another 24 were Carol Nicolet Loewen. completed in World War II, plus a number

66 • Summer 2017 PowerShips said that it’s prepared to invest $250 million in Queen Mary and its adjacent property, with the entire redevelopment project expected to be finished within five years. Tired Tug everal other historical vessels Son the coast, without the fame or financial backing enjoyed by Queen Mary, are falling victim to time and the elements. At Gold Beach, Oregon, the 136-year-old tugboat Mary D Hume is slowly rotting away, her recently collapsed wheelhouse making her less desirable as a subject for regional artists. n The 85-year-old Canadian Princess, ex-William J. Stewart, being towed away from The old tug was built in 1881 as a Ucluelet harbor on its way to dismantlement on the British Columbia mainland. (See “End of a steam schooner very close to where she Canadian Princess,” page 66) – Photo courtesy of Oak Bay Marine Group. now rests, her machinery coming from the wrecked steamer Varuna. After serving (D.G.S.) and later as a Canadian Those plans may include the addition in the coastal trade between Oregon and Survey Ship (C.S.S.), her most awkward of more hotel rooms, along with the California for several years, the wooden- moment occurring in 1944 when she construction of a 200-room hotel alongside hulled boat was moved to Alaska, first for struck Ripple Rock and had to be the ship, plus new restaurants, a marina employment in the whaling industry and beached to avoid sinking. The rock, and an amphitheater for musical events. later as a cannery vessel. In 1904 she sank infamous in its time for sinking or The construction of a giant ferris wheel has in shallow water but was refloated and damaging more than 100 vessels, was also been mentioned. Carnival Cruise Line, towed to Seattle, where she was rebuilt as blown up in 1958. which has been using the adjacent dome a tug. The boat then spent the remainder built for Howard Hughes’ massive Spruce of her career, outside of several seasons New Investors For Goose, is expanding its holdings there and in the fishing trade during World War a British Queen it may be that the two attractions can be I, towing logs until coming under the till waiting to see what new mutually developed. Urban Commons has ownership of Crowley Maritime in 1973. Sleaseholders will accomplish is the venerable Queen Mary at Long Beach, California, where Urban Commons, a Los Angeles-based real estate company, has assumed what may be a 66-year lease on the vessel. Built in 1934, and moved to Long Beach in 1967, Queen Mary has had a large number of operators over the past half-century, including Walt Disney Company and Joseph Prevratil’s Queen’s Seaport Development, all with big plans but failed goals. Urban Commons has assumed a lease formerly held by Garrison Investment Group, a New York company that hired Evolution Hospitality of Newport Beach, California, to run the ship. Urban Commons plans to retain Evolution as operator while it negotiates n Its wheelhouse collapsed and ravaged by the elements, the 1881-built tugboat Mary D. Hume with the City of Long Beach on long- appears to be beyond restoration at Gold Beach, Oregon. (See “Tired Tug”) – Jim Shaw photo. term plans for the vessel.

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 67 Before retiring in 1977, the venerable 2000 and moved alongside San Mateo in tugboat was the oldest actively serving 2002 after having been purchased by commercial vessel on the West Coast. She Bob and Gerald Tapp, also owners of was donated to a local historical group for the older boat. The brothers continue to preservation at Gold Beach but collapsed a use the larger vessel for covered storage wooden cradle she was being set on in 1985, space, and it has even served as a location leaving her partially submerged. Since then, for several movies, but local authorities stripped of many fittings by vandals, the old worry about potential water and soil boat has been slowly deteriorating, although contamination. For now the future of the she still remains listed on the National two boats is caught up in a “jurisdictional Register of Historic Places. disagreement” between the Tapps and provincial, federal and municipal Forgotten Ferries authorities as to which party is responsible n British Columbia’s Fraser for the vessels. ORiver, two other historic vessels are undergoing the same slow process, with the Landing Craft’s ancient ferry San Mateo no longer buoyant as Final Landing? n A survivor of the Okinawa landings and she disintegrates alongside the larger Queen aught just before it became a Bikini bomb tests, LCI(L)-1091 was to be of Sidney near Mission, British Columbia. Csubmerged hulk, the 1944-built beached in California’s Humboldt Bay to prevent Built at San Francisco in 1922, the Landing Craft Infantry LCI(L)-1091 it from sinking. – Photo courtesy of Mark 230-ft by 63-ft San Mateo was brought north has been a floating resident of Northern McKenna. to Canada from Puget Sound in the early California’s Humboldt Bay since the The boat’s troubles aren’t over, since 1990s after efforts to preserve her as a late 1980s. Late last year, when it it now rests on property owned by the museum on Seattle’s Lake Union faltered. became apparent that the aging craft local harbor district and was only able Although commercial use was planned for was in danger of sinking at a city-owned to be moved there under an emergency the old boat, nothing materialized and she dock, the City of Eureka hired local coastal development permit issued by was left to decay on the riverbank, the hull contractors to remove nearly 14,000 the California Coastal Commission. filling with silt during heavy flooding in gallons of oily water and about ten tons This allows only a limited amount of 2012 while most of the wooden house has of materials containing lead and asbestos time before the hull will either have to since rotted away. from the 158-foot vessel before having it be removed or dismantled. The 1960-built Queen of Sidney, a pioneer winched onto dry land in an “emergency The 73-year-old LCI is owned by the in the B.C. Ferries fleet, was retired in relocation effort” paid for by the city. Humboldt Bay Naval Sea/Air Museum, a nonprofit organization that has been short of both funds and volunteers to accomplish much work on the historic craft, which was used during landings on Okinawa and at the Bikini Atoll nuclear tests. It last served as a converted fishing vessel before being donated to the museum in 2005. Having better luck is LCI 713, which is being successfully preserved in its original wartime configuration at Portland, Oregon, by the Amphibious Forces Memorial Museum, while a larger but similar vessel, Landing Craft Support LCS(L)(3)-102, is being restored as a floating museum at Mare Island, California. 

n Time and the elements are taking their toll on the 95-year-old San Mateo and 57-year-old n Write James L. Shaw at Queen of Sidney which lie side-by-side on the Fraser River near Mission, British Columbia. [email protected] or 11466 SE (See “Forgotten Ferries) – Photo courtesy of A. Verde. Hidalgo Ct., Clackamas, OR 97105

68 • Summer 2017 PowerShips Seaway’s Montreal/Lake Ontario section concluded its 58th season on December Unique Voyages 31 with the upbound passage of G3 everal upper lakes vessels made Marquis a) CWB Marquis headed for lay- Srare trips down the St. Lawrence up at Hamilton, Ontario. Seaway this year with iron ore bound for The Lake Carriers Association Quebec City. Throughout the season, reported that U.S.-flagged Great Lakes American Steamship Company sent John freighters moved 83.3 million tons of J. Boland, American Mariner and H. Lee White cargo in 2016, a decrease of 4.5 percent down the Seaway. During the fall, Central Season Closings compared to 2015. The St. Lawrence Marine Logistics sent Joseph L. Block down essels operating late in the Seaway Development Corporation the Seaway twice, and in early December, Vseason encountered normal ice announced that vessels moved 35 Interlake Steamship Company’s newly conditions throughout the Great Lakes. million tons of cargo through the St. repowered Herbert C. Jackson also made a The Soo locks closed January 15 with Lawrence Seaway in 2016, down from trip to Quebec City with iron ore. the downbound passage of the integrated over 36 million tons in 2015. The St. tug/barge Presque Isle . Lawrence Seaway was open 286 days, Late Season Sailing The Welland Canal section closed on tying the record for longest navigational lgoma Central Corporation kept December 26, when Algoma Central’s season on record. In addition, the Aseveral units of its fleet operating self-unloader Algolake cleared Lock 8 and inland seas welcomed 55 new saltwater well into winter. The company’s Seaway- headed into Lake Erie. The St. Lawrence visitors in 2016. sized self-unloaders Algoma Transport a) Canadian Transport and John B. Aird carried salt from Goderich, Ontario, into February, and its tankers Algoma Hansa a) Ardita Saga Ends Amalienborg and Algonova a) Eregli operated throughout the winter.

Dedicated to the

n Ardita under arrest at Hamilton, Ontario, in June 2016. – Jeff Cameron photo. preservation and promotion of Great fter being arrested in Hamilton, Ontario, since April 2016, the sale Aof Ardita was finally completed in mid-December, and 14 stranded crew Lakes shipping’s past members were able to return home. The dispute began after McKeil Marine and present for future purchased the vessel from Armamento Setramar, sailed the vessel to Canada and generations to enjoy. began repairs in early 2016. Unfortunately, due to debt restructuring of Setramar, the Italian bank wouldn’t finalize the sale, and through federal court orders the Please join us! vessel was arrested in Hamilton, Ontario. During the week of December 19 the CONTACT Italian bank released the vessel and the sale to McKeil was completed, allowing Jim Hoffman the stranded crew to return home before the new year. Membership Services In related news, McKeil Marine entered into an agreement with ESSROC 4635 Mallory Court Canada to provide a new vessel to replace its existing cement carrier, and to Department P manage delivery of cement from its Picton, Ontario, cement plant. There’s Toledo, OH 43623 speculation that Ardita will be converted to a cement carrier and replace the MHSD

1965-built Stephen B. Roman a) Fort William . MHSD.org

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 69 Renames everal operators have renamed Thalassa Desgagnes Sold Svessels during this news cycle. McAsphalt Marine Transportation gave its 5,300-hp tug Victorious the name Leo A. McArthur, honoring a founding member of the Miller-McAsphalt Group of Companies. The tug and its barge John J. Carrick were built at Penglai Bohai Shipyard in Penglai City, China, in 2009 and sailed for our shores upon completion. n Thalassa Desgagnes laid up in Montreal, August 2015. – Marc Piché photo. The articulated tug/barge unit is engaged roupe Desgagnés has sold its 1976-built asphalt/oil tanker Thalassa in the transportation of asphalt and oil GDesgagnes a) Joasla b) Orinoco c) Rio Orinoco during this news cycle. After being throughout the Great Lakes. laid up in Montreal, the vessel was sold to an unknown overseas buyer, renamed At the conclusion of the 2016 sailing Asphalt Princess and given a flag of Palau. The vessel will undoubtedly leave our season, Seajon’s articulated tug/barge unit region early in 2017. Ken Booth Sr. and Lakes Contender were sold The vessel was built in Norway in 1976 and operated in the global asphalt trade to Vanenkevort Tug and Barge. The pair, as Joasla, Orinoco and Rio Orinoco . Rio Orinoco’s luck ran out on October 16, 1990, which had been chartered to American when the vessel, loaded with asphalt, wrecked off Anticosti Island, Quebec, and Steamship since entering service in 2012, was declared a constructive total loss. Transport Desgagnés salvaged the vessel the spent the winter at Donjon shipyard in following year and was awarded ownership. The vessel was rebuilt and entered Erie, Pennsylvania, where the tug was service as the first member of Desgagnés’ tanker fleet in February 1994, which renamed Clyde S. VanEnkevort and the would later grow into Pétro-Nav Inc. The fleet will be introducing a new class of 740-foot, self-unloading barge became Erie ships during the 2017 season, making the veteran Thalassa Desgagnés expendable. Trader. American Steamship didn’t renew the charter on the pair, prompting the sale. member crew was taken from the vessel The powerful tug will join Kentucky, Arkansas by helicopter January 8. McKeil Marine a) Yale, and North Carolina a) Limestone b) NovaAlgoma Cement Carriers was hired to salvage the vessel, which Wicklow, enhancing G-Tug’s permanent Flags Vessel Canadian carried 15 tons of fuel, and after several presence at the American head-of-the-lakes. ovaAlgoma Cement Carriers, failed attempts the vessel was refloated by The small FDNY fireboat Kevin C. Kane Na joint venture between Algoma tugs Tim McKiel a) Pannawonica I and the was recently purchased by Mike Cole and Central Corporation and Nova smaller Kaliutik on January 16. Incredibly, relocated to Door County, Wisconsin, in Marine Carriers, headquartered in the vessel came to rest on a sandy bottom November 2017. Mr. Cole, owner of Iron Lugano, Switzerland, purchased the and no damage was reported. It was Works Construction in Baileys Harbor, pur- small bulker Tenase and has reflagged towed to Sydney, Nova Scotia. chased the small craft in hopes of convert- the vessel Canadian. The vessel, ing it into a tugboat by adding additional which was renamed NACC Quebec, is Great Lakes Tugs decks and accommodations for its crew. currently undergoing conversion to a uskegon-based Port City This unique vessel, built in 1992, has self-unloading cement carrier, and is MTug Inc., purchased the tugs the distinction of participating in two expected to operate in Canadian waters. Katie G. McAllister a) Libby Black and high-profile events – responding to the Colleen McAllister a) Ellena Hicks during attack on the World Trade Center and Arca 1 Saved From Disaster this news cycle and relocated them to coming to the rescue of passengers from he fueling tanker Arca 1 a) Muskegon, Michigan. Both tugs were US Airways Flight 1549, which landed TImperial Lachine b) Josee M c) Arca built in Port Arthur, Texas, Katie in on the Hudson River. The vessel was departed from Sorel bound for new 1966 and Colleen in 1967. The tugs were auctioned off after it incurred damage responsibilities in Mexico on January originally built for Gulf Coast Transit during Hurricane Sandy.  1, but almost didn’t make it. The small of Tampa, Florida, and joined the bunkering vessel lost power while McAllister fleet of tugs in 2003. n Write Mark Shumaker at sailing off Little Pond, Nova Scotia, and Great Lakes Towing relocated its new 1445 Ashdowne Road, Columbus, OH 43221 grounded ashore. Due to the precarious 102-foot tug Huron a) YTB-833 b) Shabonne or e-mail [email protected] location of the stranded vessel, the six- c) Daniel McAllister to Duluth late in 2016.

70 • Summer 2017 PowerShips Norwegian Sky Adds 25 Cuba Sailings

Norwegian Bliss to be based at PortMiami orwegian Cruise Line’s new NNorwegian Bliss will be based at PortMiami in November 2018, after its inaugural season in Alaska. The 168,000-ton ship will operate seven- night cruises to the Eastern Caribbean. Currently under construction at Meyer Werft Shipyard in Papenburg, n Norwegian Sky now sails from PortMiami to Cuba. – Rich Turnwald photo. Germany, Norwegian Bliss is the third orwegian Cruise Line has been approved to operate more cruises to vessel in the Breakaway-Plus Class. NCuba throughout the remainder of 2017, and its Norwegian Sky has added 25 such departures through this December. Pearl Mist Begins Cuba Each Monday, Norwegian Sky will depart PortMiami on round-trip, four-night Cruises from Port cruises featuring a day-and-night stay in Havana. A day at Great Stirrup Cay in the Everglades Bahamas will round out these itineraries.

Viking Ocean Cruises to PortMiami n Pearl Mist departs Port Everglades for her first cruise to Cuba. – Michael Verdure photo.

earl Seas Cruises’ Pearl Mist Psailed from Port Everglades on January 17, 2017, for a ten-night cultural voyage around Cuba. She became the first cruise ship to sail to the island from that port in modern times. The 210-passenger Pearl Mist then operated a series of 11 such Cuba cruises through April. More are scheduled for the 2017–2018 season. n Viking Sky will sail from PortMiami for the 2017/2018 season. – Viking Cruises photo.

Empress of the Seas iking Ocean Cruises will begin operations from PortMiami for Moves to Tampa Vthe first time when its new Viking Sky comes to the South Florida port oyal Caribbean’s Empress of the in November. The 48,000-ton ship will operate a series of Western Caribbean RSeas a) Nordic Empress b) Empress cruises between November 2017 and April 2018. of the Seas c) Empress repositioned from Viking Sky is firmly in the luxury market of cruising and accommodates just PortMiami to Port Tampa in April to 930 passengers. Built at Fincantieri Shipyards in Italy, the ship entered service begin a series of cruises to Cuba from in February 2017; she is the third in a class of four new vessels. that Florida Gulf port.

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 71 The 48,000-ton ship, which originally entered service in 1990, operates a series Carnival Sensation Completes of four- and five-night cruises calling at Havana. The ship was extensively refitted Extensive Renovations in 2016 with a Latin flavor, specifically intended for cruising to Cuba. Carnival Paradise Cruises to Cuba s anticipated, Carnival Cruise ALine received approval to sail to Cuba. Beginning in late June 2017 its Carnival Paradise will operate a series of n Carnival Sensation recently received the FunShip 2.0 upgrades. – Rich Turnwald photo. four- and five-night cruises to the island arnival Sensation underwent a multi-million dollar renovation during nation from Port Tampa. Can extensive drydocking in February. Following two weeks of work at the The 70,000-ton Carnival Paradise Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport, the 2,052-passenger ship emerged with will dock at Havana on select sailings a variety of new food and beverage establishments on board, as well as a new throughout the year, spending a day and children’s play area complex. a night in the Cuban capital. New additions included a number of branded Carnival venues found on all of These visits to Havana by all the its newer vessels: Guy’s Burger Joint, Redfrog Rum Bar, Blue Iguana Cantina, ships belonging to various cruise lines Alchemy Bar, Cherry On Top, Blue Iguana Tequila Bar and Camp Carnival. will comply with regulations of the Carnival Sensation, which originally entered service in 1993, is based at U.S. Department of Treasury. These PortMiami year-round and operates four- and five-night cruises. regulations permit travel operators to transport approved travelers to Cuba to engage in activities as defined by the U.S. Department of Commerce. This falls under the “People to People” cultural Majesty of the Seas program, and special requirements and Held by Coast Guard conditions must be met, but the door to widespread U.S. tourism in Cuba is opening wider. Charleston Expects 104 Cruise Calls in 2017 he port of Charleston, South TCarolina, is expecting 104 calls from cruise ships in 2017, with Carnival Cruise Line taking up the majority. Its newly-refurbished Carnival Ecstasy sails n Majesty of the Seas. – Rich Turnwald photo. year-round from the port, with Carnival oyal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas was kept from departing Port Sunshine a) Carnival Destiny based there RCanaveral on February 13 after the ship failed a surprise U.S. Coast Guard seasonally. inspection. Among the technical issues found were concerns over deficiencies in A number of ships from various cruise some of the lifejackets on board. lines have scheduled in-transit calls, such Apparently a number of the outdoor lifejackets (the ones kept at embarkation as TUI’s Mein Schiff 6. Other lines calling points near the boats) were showing their age, such as frayed straps and at Charleston include Royal Caribbean, disintegrating foam, which provides less buoyancy in the water. P&O, Fred Olsen and AIDA. High-end Majesty of the Seas was kept in port overnight while replacement lifejackets luxury ships from Silversea, Hapag- were brought to the ship. Meanwhile, free drinks were provided on board while Lloyd, Seabourn, Crystal, Regent and passengers waited to sail on the afternoon of February 14, some 24 hours late. Oceania will spend evenings and some overnights in port.

72 • Summer 2017 PowerShips Heavy Fog Affects Galveston Cruises hree Carnival Cruise Line ships Twere affected by heavy fog in Galveston, Texas, in mid-January, with a string of delayed departures forcing the line to shorten each cruise and change itineraries. Carnival Freedom, scheduled to sail on Carnival Shuffles Fleet at January 14 for a seven-night cruise, sailed on January 15, one day late, on a revised Galveston, Canaveral & Miami six-night cruise. Carnival Valor was also scheduled to n Carnival Vista will relocate from PortMiami to Galveston in 2018. – Miami Herald photo. sail on January 14 for a five-night cruise. ou may need a score card to keep track of things, but Carnival Cruise She sailed a day late on a revised four- YLine is shuffling ships within its fleet from one port to another, partly to night cruise. accommodate expected numbers of passengers, and partly to offer different ships Carnival Breeze, scheduled for a to these markets in order to attract repeat business. seven-night cruise on January 15, was Beginning in September 2018, the newest ship in the fleet, the 134,000-ton forced to return to Galveston from her Carnival Vista, will reposition from PortMiami to Galveston, where she will operate previous cruise a day late, arriving on seven-night cruises. The Vista will join Carnival Freedom and Carnival Valor sailing January 16. She sailed out again that year-round from the Texas port. evening on a revised six-night cruise. Carnival Breeze will relocate at that time from Galveston to Port Canaveral, Passengers on the affected, shortened where she will be based for seven-night cruise itineraries. The largest ship to sail cruises were given the option to cancel from Canaveral, the Breeze joins fleetmates Carnival Sunshine a) Carnival Destiny and with full refund, or to sail on the revised Carnival Liberty. cruises with a pro-rated refund for the Meanwhile, Carnival Magic will shift from Port Canaveral to PortMiami, from one day missed. where she will sail seven-night cruises. Magic will join Carnival Glory, Carnival Adverse weather affected Carnival Valor’s Sensation and Carnival Victory at Miami, which is the line’s busiest home port. return to Galveston from another cruise the following week. Instead of returning materials to abide by environmental required her immediate removal from on January 23, as scheduled, she returned regulations. Doors, windows and hatches the ship. Miami firefighters rushed out to port on January 24, thus causing the were also removed prior to the sinking. to the ship in an emergency fireboat following cruise to be shortened by one day. to evacuate the passenger. She was That same bad weather system caused Regional Cruise Ship transported to Bayside Marina and then Carnival Fantasy to return to her home port Incidents by ambulance to a local hospital for of Mobile, Alabama, one day late as well. 22-year-old male passenger treatment. A jumped from Deck 12 aboard A 24-year-old male passenger was Kraken Sunk as Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas lost overboard from Carnival Elation on Artificial Reef on December 21 at 1 a.m. The incident, February 13 while the ship was on a five- he 6,000-ton cargo ship Kraken witnessed by a number of people, occurred night Bahamas cruise from Jacksonville. Twas sunk on January 20, 2017, to as the ship was about 33 miles off Key Security camera footage showed the man help create an artificial reef in the Gulf Largo, Florida, while returning to her jumping from Deck 11 at 2:45 a.m. After of Mexico. The 371-foot-long ship was homeport of Port Everglades. The ship an extensive 24-hour search by the U.S. sunk in 140 feet of water – 67 miles off immediately launched two lifeboats to Coast Guard, with no success, the search Galveston – as part of the Texas Parks search for the man, and the U.S. Coast was suspended. No foul played was & Wildlife Department’s Artificial Reef Guard was brought in to continue the suspected in the incident.  Program. The project was financed search. Unfortunately, he was never found. through grants and industry donations. Navigator of the Seas was four miles n Write Rich Turnwald at The Kraken had been towed from off Miami Beach on December 22 when 7635 SW 99th Court, Miami, FL 33173 Trinidad to Brownsville last May. Crews a 55-year-old woman began experiencing or [email protected] removed all fuel oil and hazardous an unnamed medical condition that

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 73 Passenger Ship Calls rtania, Astor, Carnival Legend, ACarnival Spirit, Celebrity Solstice, Costa Luminosa, Crystal Symphony, Dawn Princess, Emerald Princess, Europa 2, Explorer of the Seas, Maasdam, Noordam, Ovation of the Seas, Pacific Aria, Pacific Eden, Pacific Pearl, Queen Mary 2, Radiance of the Seas, Sea Princess, Silver Whisper, Sirena, Sun Princess, The n Pacific Eden, along with former Holland America Lines’ Pacific Aria, are more of a World and Voyager of the Seas. popular size for Australasia cruise patrons. (See “Passenger Ship Calls”) – Bill Barber photo.

Australian Cruise Market New Zealand cruise passengers prefer out of water three days after the fishing arnival Cruises announced that more intimate-sized ships on which vessel went into distress mode. The crew Cone of P&O’s new five Vista-class to travel. For this reason, when Pacific swam from their sinking ship to Albatross, cruise ships will now be going elsewhere. Aria and Pacific Eden were transferred and enjoyed a voyage to Auckland, New When that ship is due for delivery, from Holland America, they were Zealand. As a result of the diversion, a Carnival will transfer Carnival Splendor to enthusiastically embraced by the call at Bay of Islands of northern New the Australian market. New megaship Australian public. Zealand was abandoned. buildings aren’t always suitable for the A crew member onboard Emerald Australian market. While ports in North Casualties Princess was killed in an explosion while America tend to be in close proximity, uring the first week in February, the cruise ship was docked at Port there are longer sailings between South Dan emergency distress beacon alert Chalmers, New Zealand. The accident Pacific and Asian ports. Also, many resulted in the cruise ship Albatross being happened February 9 while the crew was ports in Australia can’t accommodate diverted to a sinking Tongan fishing working on a hydraulic tender-launching giant cruise vessels. They’re like floating vessel about 400 kilometers southwest device. The explosion was heard ashore townships, and Australian and possibly of Tonga. The three fishermen had run at Port Chalmers.

n Searoad Mersey has been sold after undertaking a Tasmania Devonport to King Island service till a barge service was introduced. (See “Visits”) – Bill Barber photo.

74 • Summer 2017 PowerShips between Aussies and the Kiwis (apart from sports) resulted in a number of ships from the Royal Australian and United States navies providing the much- required infrastructure requested by the government of New Zealand. The earthquake caused serious damage as far north as the capital of Wellington. The Port of Lyttleton resumed operations the day following the quake, and Wellington partially returned the day after. There was a slight disruption to the North/South Island traffic as the North Island port and Wellington sustained some damage to their port infrastructure. Ferries n Searoad Mersey II arrived last November and was introduced in December on the Port he veteran Manly ferry South Melbourne Devonport Tasmania service. (See “Visits”) – Bill Barber photo. TSteyne, which moved from Sydney’s Maritime Museum, will return to the The search for missing Flight MH370, Pacific landed some 2,000 Chinese center by the time you read this. She’ll which was lost somewhere in the Indian passengers for an eight-hour visit. be moored at a berth outside the inner Ocean on March 28, 2014, has been Darling Harbour on the outer side of the officially suspended. Australia, Malaysia New Zealand News old swing bridge. and China have been searching the sea nce again New Zealand suffered The veteran steam ferry Ena, which floor, but only a few fragments of the Oa major 7.8 magnitude earthquake was in Victoria, has returned to Sydney aircraft have been located on beaches on early on November 13, 2016, plus a and will also be available for use at the the East African coast and two islands number of aftershocks. Fortunately, few Maritime Museum in its steaming capacity. in the Indian Ocean. people died or were seriously injured. The Royal New Zealand Navy Trade News Visits rose to the occasion, evacuating local ranspacific shipping to North smeralda called once again at people and tourists from the main area TAmerica may radically change ENew Zealand and Australia, staying of destruction. The close relationship during 2017. With the United States in Sydney for five days. She is a steel- hulled, four-masted barquentine launched in 1953 and belongs to the Chilean Navy, with a crew of 298. Because of her dark history with the Pinochet regime, her sailings are often controversial. The new Bass Strait freight ferry Searoad Mersey II arrived on November 25 at Devonport, Tasmania, direct from the builders. Until a replacement is found for calls at King Island, Searoad Mersey will continue to be utilized. Larger fleetmate Searoad Tamar will be docked and continue in service until the second new building arrives. History was made during the third week of December when Costa Atlantica n Ferry South Steyne, preserved for posterity, is seen here in service on the Sydney Cove to Manly visited Port Vila, Vanuatu. The 46-day service. (See “Ferries) – Bill Barber photo. cruise from China to the Southwest

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 75 dumping the treaty proposed by its former administration, America’s approach can curtail trade in both directions on the Pacific. There’s no Norwegian Star Problems doubt that Australia and possibly New Zealand will seek additional partners from around the Pacific Rim. China is Australia’s largest trade partner along with Japan, South Korea and India. With Great Britain’s move out of the European Union, maybe trade that was lost to the Common Market will be re- established as the British Commonwealth tries to renew trade with other parts of the world. There has been little trade between Australia and the United States; most is with Asia and the old Orient. Another question is whether the n Norwegian Star under tow to Port Melbourne after pod problems left her immobilized in ANZUS (Australia, New Zealand, February. (See “Norwegian Star Problems,” page 74) – Bill Barber photo. United States) Treaty, in place since orwegian Star experienced pod problems, and rather than put into port World War II, will be dumped. Nthe crew attempted to solve the problem where they were. The port pod broke down, was repaired and broke down again. A number of port stopovers Container & Motor were dropped. Some passengers left the ship during a transit from Hong Kong via Vehicle Shipping Singapore to Australia. Two ports in northern Australia were omitted in order to ervices to and from Asia dominate keep close to time and more in New Zealand were also bypassed. Smost trade, utilizing box and car Two tugs were used when the Star left Sydney for Melbourne, and only the boats. Wallius, Wilhelmsen and MSC starboard pod seemed operable. Norwegian Star arrived late in Melbourne. trade between Europe and Australasia. An early evening departure for New Zealand took place February 9, but the starboard pod failed off the southern coast of mainland Australia at 4:30 Royal Australian Navy a.m. on February 10, leaving the cruise ship immobilized. A distress call was & Immigrants made for towage back to Melbourne. Fortunately, the weather was warm and ne of Australia’s two largest favorable and passengers weren’t in immediate danger. Svitzer’s older and Onaval vessels, HMAS Canberra, better sea-keeping tugs Hastings and Tom Tough were dispatched, with the first sailed November 14 to Australia’s north arriving at 8 p.m. and the second at 10 p.m. A long and slow tow back to Port as part of an effort to keep out illegal Melbourne’s Station Pier ensued. immigrants seeking asylum. Australia’s Some passengers were dropped off to be repatriated and received full refunds. zero-tolerance policy mandates that Some passengers decided to stay on board and the ship sailed February 14, immigrants be processed and housed missing a number of New Zealand ports and a scenic sail direct to Auckland. If at either Manus Island, Papua New passengers wanted to travel with NCL again, their fares were refunded and they Guinea, or on the island of the Republic were given some compensation and 50 percent off their next cruise. of Nauru. Masters of illegal ships face an automatic 10 years in prison. The small, far-southern Port of Eden, Rumors abound that another company New South Wales, now has a second may place tugs in Newcastle in competition Tug Talk towing company. For decades, Svitzer with Svitzer. The company operates ten here have been a number of and its antecedents had a two-tug tugs in the port of Newcastle.  Tadditions and changes in the local stranglehold on the port. Now Pacific tug world. RiverWijs lost the contract Tug, which in partnership operates n Write William G.T. Barber at Bunbury, Western Australia, to tugs in Bundaberg, Queensland, and Unit 27 – Townsend Gardens, Mackenzie Marine and Towage. performs charter work throughout 148 Townsend Road, St. Albans Park, Mackenzie also operates tugs under Australia, has placed two tugs in Eden. Geelong Victoria 3219 Australiia charter at Esperance and other ports in Their first towage job was on November Email – [email protected] Western Australia. 28 in the port.

76 • Summer 2017 PowerShips Locks & Dams n November 30, Lock and Dam ONo. 6 on the Green River failed, causing the water level behind it to drop from nine feet to two feet. The Green River enters the Ohio River near Henderson, Kentucky. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, packet boats using Green River Lock and Dam Nos. 1 to 4, and Barren River Lock and Dam n The 4,000-hp Cynthia, operated by Tennessee Towing, is gently turning over her engines to hold No. 1, could steam 120 miles inland herself and her tow in place as she waits for permission to proceed upstream to enter the Pickwick Dam from the Ohio River to Bowling Green, Lock on the Tennessee River. – Harold Rudd photo. Kentucky. Steamboats continuing up the Green River to Lock and Dam on the Illinois River was opened in 1939, other western river boats to return to No. 6 would deliver their passengers to making it 77 years old in 2017. In 2005, service. The four-deck, 1,900-passenger Mammoth Cave. In 1951, Green River a Corps study found that $72.6 million boat Treble Clef has been moved from Lock and Dam Nos. 3 to 6, and Barren needed to be spent over the next five Davenport, Iowa, to Memphis, Tennessee, River No. 1, were closed by the Army years if the LaGrange Lock and Dam where she’ll be moored as a floating venue Corps of Engineers and their pools were were to last to 2039. In recognition of to host dinner, dancing and special events. thereafter used only by sport fishermen. this, Congress authorized the Corps to The diesel-powered sternwheeler During the 1950s, the Corps modernized begin a study on replacing the lock and Casino Rock Island, which is to be renamed Green River Lock and Dam Nos. 1 and 2 dam; however, as of January 1, 2016, no City of New Orleans, is being converted at to allow them to handle barges carrying funds have been provided for this study. New Orleans by New Orleans Steamboat coal from the Western Kentucky Coal The Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Company for sightseeing and special Fields to power plants on the Ohio River. at New Orleans, after being closed for 128 events cruising. Present plans call for the Corps to remove days for emergency repairs to her lock American Queen Steamboat Company the remains of Barren River Lock and gates, reopened for service on December 7. is converting the casino boat Bettendorf Dam Nos. 4 to 6, and Barren River Capri into an overnight cruise boat by Lock and Dam No. 1, and turn Green River Boats installing an additional deck. She’s to be River Lock and Dam No. 3 over to the uring both the 113th and 114th named American Duchess. Rochester Regional Water Commission. DCongressional sessions, legislation At present, American Cruise Lines is The Corps will continue to operate Green introduced to allow Delta Queen to return to operating three paddlewheelers on the River Lock and Dam Nos. 1 and 2. overnight service failed to pass. Legislation Western Rivers: America, 185 passengers, As of January 1 the majority of the has been introduced into the current 115th American Pride, 150 passengers, and Queen Western River locks and dams are Congressional session to allow Delta Queen of the Mississippi, 150 passengers. In at, or have surpassed, their 50-year to return to overnight service, but the odds addition, ACL has two 195-passenger life span. Roughly 25 percent of these of it passing are slight. On October 24, riverboats on order for delivery in 2019. locks and dams are more than 70 years Delta Queen Steamboat Company opened If all goes well, Julia Belle Swain will old. By 2020, some 75 percent of the its Kimmswick, Missouri, office and return to service on the Upper Mississippi Western Rivers locks and dams will Port of Call Restaurant. The Port of Call River during 2017. Upon preparing to have exceeded their design life. The Restaurant, housed in a refurbished 1772 install her new paddle wheel sections and Western Rivers, due to a lack of funding home, serves “French inspired American crank shaft in November, it was discovered for new dams and locks, are in danger fare with a continental twist.” that her original wheel was corroded of collapsing. LaGrange Lock and Dam There’s better hope for some beyond repair, so a new one is being built.

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 77 In 2016, river sightseeing cruises returned to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, when the sternwheeler Bama Belle began offering cruises on the Black Water River. Cargo News n 2015, some 58.6 million tons of Igoods passed through the Alabama State Port (Mobile), of which some 25 percent arrived or departed on barges traveling on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway or the Intracoastal Waterway. The Port of New Orleans, during Fiscal Year 2016, set a new record for container traffic, 532,427 TEU, up from 528,328 TEU in 2015. Attempts by various n The 800-hp Jack Rose, operated by Guntersville Marine, is pictured working the barge fleet at groups to move some of the container Guntersville, Alabama, on the Tennessee River. – Harold Rudd photo. traffic that now enters and leaves the Port of New Orleans by rail and truck The Missouri River, during 2016, Arkansas River Navigation System, to river barges continues, but with little saw an increase in barge tonnage moving amounted to 2,259,346 tons, compared success. This said, St. Louis, Missouri, over its water. Tonnage through Kansas to 1,751,816 for the same period in 2015. just received a grant of $96,000 to City, Missouri, rose from 13,000 tons Bourbon whiskey became the nectar develop container-on-barge traffic from in 2015 to 45,000 tons in 2016. ADM of the gods as it was transported by the Port of New Orleans to Minneapolis, Growmark shipped 50,000 tons in keelboat down the Ohio and Lower Minnesota. Memphis, Tennessee, is 2016, the first shipment by barge on Mississippi River to New Orleans. The looking at moving empty containers from the Missouri River since 2001. Capital gentle rocking the barrels received during its city to the Port of New Orleans via Sand moved 95,000 tons of cement from the voyage caused the charcoal from the barges. Illinois has received a $713,000 Hannibal, Missouri, to Jefferson City, inner barrel to mix with the raw spirits grant to research moving grain by Missouri, by barge. contained within the barrel. This mixing containers on barge from Northern During 2016, shipments through the mellowed and flavored the raw alcohol, Illinois to the Port of New Orleans. Port of Catoosa, on the McClellan-Kerr turning it into the gentleman’s drink of choice, bourbon. On January 27, for the first time in over 100 years, barrels of whisky were transported from Kentucky down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans. On that day, Cane Land Distilling Company loaded 150 barrels of whiskey on board a barge at Owensboro, Kentucky, for forwarding to New Orleans. Grain shipments on the Western Rivers during 2016 exceeded grain movement of the previous three years. Some 43,178,000 tons of grain was barged in 2016, compared to 35,451,000 tons in 2015. Corn increased from 19,215,000 tons to 24,136,000 tons, wheat from 1,686,000 tons to 2,030,000 tons and soybeans from 14,191,000 tons to 16,668,000 tons. n The 2,150-hp Addi Belle, operated by Tennessee Towing, is seen entering Wilson Lock on the As of February 1, grain shipment on Tennessee River. The lock chamber is 600 feet by 100 feet and has a lift of 93 feet. Waiting downriver the Western Rivers was running ahead to enter the lock is the 4,000-hp Cynthia, also operated by Tennessee Towing. – Harold Rudd photo. of 2016: 2,808,000 tons as opposed to 2,375,000 tons in 2016.

78 • Summer 2017 PowerShips outside equipment and antennas were Commercial Barge the 2,000-hp Towboats ripped off. American Power. This is the first towboat s of January 1, all new Western Jeffboat has built since the year 2000. ARivers’ 1,000-hp or larger towboats Changes Terral River Service has renamed have to meet EPA Tier-4 emission ue to limited space, I was unable the 5,000-hp Paul Striegel as Gabe Gattle standards. Some boat builders are Dto record within this column and the 1,800-hp Howard Corse as Danny proposing to build 1,000-hp towboats the names of all 97 new or rebuilt Terral . that are powered by a 900-hp diesel towboats that entered western river Marquette Transportation engine. When the extra 100 hp is needed, service in 2016. This is to say nothing Corporation has renamed the 7,800-hp the power will come from electricity about 301 that changed ownership, Golden Eagle as Quenton Craig Harris. stored in batteries. The batteries will be 95 that changed names, 168 that were Florida Marine Transport has taken charged when the towboat diesel isn’t repowered and 78 that were taken out delivery of two 1,500-hp towboats from operating at full power. of service. Among the boats lost during Eastern Shipbuilding Group: Cullen 2016 were the 800-hp Beth, the 600-hp Pasentine and Capt. Ricky Torres. Scary Boat Tour Capt. Black, the 850-hp Dan, the 1,400- Turn Service bought the 3,300-hp f you’re in Cincinnati, Ohio, between hp Harvest Bounty and the 340-hp Lauren John Roberts from Florida Marine and ISeptember 15 and November 30, Lee, which were all scrapped, while the renamed her American Pharaoh. cross over to Newport, Kentucky, eat 600-hp Ally Kat, the 600-hp Kathlyn Higman Barge Line has sold four at one of the riverfront restaurants and Necole, the 1,800-hp Melissa Lynn, the of its 2,000-hp towboats: Aberdeen and tour USS Nightmare, owned by B&B 1,250-hp Miss Dorthey and the 1,000-hp Chesapeake to Double J Marine, and River Boats. USS Nightmare is the former Mrs. Baye were lost to sinking. Baltimore and Bethesda to Osage Marine dredge William S. Mitchell, and she is Savage Inland Marine of Orange, Service. outfitted with 40 scenes of scary river Texas, has purchased Settoon Towing’s E-Squared Marine Service has life guaranteed to test your courage. liquid bulk division. The purchase acquired its first new towboat, the includes 35 towboats and 63 tank barges 2,000-hp Colton James, built by Last Tow with a capacity of 2 million barrels. Intracoastal Iron Works. n December 8, the last towboat This sale represents half of Settoon’s Lorris G. Towing has taken Oof the season, the 6,140-hp J. towboat and barge fleet. ownership of the 2,000-hp Cole Guidry Andrew Eckstein, owned by Marquette Watco Companies has purchased from Bollinger Shipyard. Towing, left St. Paul, Minnesota, for from Kinder Morgan Terminal 14 of Towboats for sale include the St. Louis. On December 10, the Corps that company’s western river terminals. 1964-built, 3,000-hp Marc Miyasaki for closed the Upper Mississippi River The terminals sold include those $1,750,000; the 1970-built, 3,000-hp above Lock No. 10 to through traffic. located on the Ohio, Tennessee, Lower Gladys Ford for $1,600,000; the 700-hp Mississippi River, Upper Mississippi USS II for $85,000; and the 1952-built, Casualties River and Illinois Rivers. 1,360-hp Eileen Jewel for $95,000. n October 11, the 1,300-hp Riverview Boat Store has purchased ODakota suffered a fuel tank rupture the 900-hp Capt. Terry and the 1,200-hp Channel Deepening that spilled 100 gallons of diesel fuel Cajun Pride, which has been renamed he Corps is recommending into the Missouri River at Kansas City, Mrs. P. At present, Riverview operates Tdeepening the Lower Mississippi Missouri. three boats on the Upper Mississippi River navigation channel between On November 19, the 10,500-hp River: the 700-hp River Rat at Lock No. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to where Cooperative Enterprise had her tow of 12, Capt. Terry at Lock No. 8, and Mrs. P Southwest Pass empties into the Gulf 42 barges break loose at Mile 771 of at Lock No. 4. of Mexico, from 45 feet to 50 feet. the Lower Mississippi River. All of Blessy Marine has added the 2,000- In December, part of the Lower the barges were recovered with none hp Capt. Jimmy Warren to its fleet. Mississippi River near Head of Passes sinking. JB Marine Service of St. Louis, had silted up, leaving only a 41-foot On February 7, the 2,000-hp Decatur, Missouri, has delivered the 1,200-hp channel.  owned by Higman Barge Line, suffered David J. Bangert to Gateway Dredging. a direct hit by a tornado while tied to a Gateway Dredging has also renamed its n Write Charles H. Bogart at dock near New Orleans. The boat was 680-hp Shelby J as Fast Eddy . 201 Pin Oak Pl., Frankfort, KY 40601 or torn from her mooring, and she suffered Jeffboat of Jeffersonville, Indiana, [email protected] moderate damage to her bridge. All on October 31, delivered to American

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 79 Tugboats by David M. Boone New Tugboat News he third tug in Foss Maritime’s TArctic class is nearing completion Vane at the company’s shipyard in Ranier, Brothers’ Oregon. The Nicole Foss will join her sisters Michele Foss and Denise Foss Newest intended for operation in polar waters. The Trident entered service for Seabulk Towing in Port Everglades, Florida. The Robert Allan-designed Advanced RotorTug is the first tug in the United States featuring this triangular propulsion system. The new E.N. Bisso & Sons tractor tug Gladys B entered the company’s fleet on the Mississippi River in December. This is the first Robert Allan-designed tug for n The new Vane Brothers tug Delaware on her namesake river. – Photo courtesy of Robert Warden. Bisso and is named for the wife of the ane Brothers took delivery of its newest tug, the Delaware, fourth founder of the company, Captain Edwin Vin a series of eight Elizabeth-class, 4,200-hp tugs contracted with St. Johns Napoleon Bisso, who started the company Ship Building in Palatka, Florida. The next tug will be named Philadelphia and is in 1946. The Gladys B was built by Signet set for delivery in February. Shipbuilding & Repair in Pascagoula, Alabama. Signet Maritime Corporation is Portland, Oregon, and Conrad Shipyard of 80,000 barrels. Harley also added a the owner of ten similar tugs in service. in Morgan City, Louisiana. The first tug new harbor assist and escort tug, the Earl On January 17, Eastern Shipbuilding will be named Onecure and the associated W. Redd, to its Olympic Tug and Barge Group in Panama City, Florida, delivered barge named Onedream. The names fleet in Seattle. The 120-foot tractor tug the Jeffrey McAllister to McAllister Towing honor Larry and Sherry Benaroya for was built at Diversified Marine Inc., in & Transportation Company of New York. their dedication in fighting diabetes in Portland, Oregon, and is named for the The 5,000-hp, 96-foot, Z-drive tractor tug the Pacific Northwest. The second tug father of Diversified’s president, Kurt is named for Captain Jeffrey McAllister, will be named Todd E. Prophet and the Redd. The tug was christened and put in Senior Docking Pilot for McAllister in New barge All Aboard For A Cure, named for service on February 10. York. The new tug was christened and put Todd Prophet, Senior Vice President into service in Charleston, South Carolina, and Chief Financial Officer for Harley on February 11. The tug Capt. Brian A. and a lung cancer survivor. The tugs will McAllister was launched in February at be 116 feet long with 4,560 hp, and the Horizon Shipbuilding at Bayou La Batre, ocean tank barges will have a capacity Alabama. This 6,770-hp tractor tug is the first of four designed to handle the larger container ships anticipated on the East Coast with the opening of the new locks on the Panama Canal. n The new Clayton W. Moran bound for Harley Marine Services of Seattle, her first duty port in Norfolk, Virginia. – Photo Washington, announced the names n The new Earl W. Redd begins her working courtesy of Moran Towing. for its two new AT/Bs currently under life in Seattle, Washington. – Photo courtesy of Moran Towing expects the delivery of construction at Gunderson Marine in Harley Marine Services. the 6,000-hp tractor tug Clayton W. Moran

80 • Summer 2017 PowerShips Three New Tugs Join Crescent Towing Fleet

rescent Towing recently added Cthe new 5,500-hp, Z-drive tractor tug Mardi Gras to its New Orleans fleet, which also operates with the new tug South Carolina. The third new sister, Arkansas, is working in Savannah, Georgia. Photos courtesy of Crescent Towing.

in the first quarter of 2017; yet-unnamed E3 main engines producing 4,200 hp. Minnesota, to enhance the capabilities hull 121 is set for delivery in the third At some point the tug will be renamed of the current fleet for ice-breaking and quarter of the year. The tugs are being Caitlin. other towing services during the winter built at the Washburn and Doughty The Foss hybrid tug Carolyn Dorothy, months. The tug joins the Arkansas, shipyard in East Boothbay, Maine. stationed in Southern California since Kentucky and North Carolina at the port. her christening in 2009, has been The Huron is a former U.S. Navy tug and Other Tugboat News transferred to the Columbia River to will be joined by two other former YTBs radeWinds Towing’s tug beef up the region’s ship-assist capacity. that will be going into service in 2017. THollywood with the barge JMC 336 The tug, which was the world’s only true The Great Lakes McAllister Towing became the first tug and barge to transit diesel-electric hybrid when she began sold two tugs to Port City Marine through the new locks of the Panama service, gives the river four tugs with at Services in Muskegon, Michigan. The Canal. The barge has a beam of 120 least 50 tons of bollard pull. The Carolyn tugs departed New York on December feet, which is 14 feet wider than the Dorothy is one of two hybrid tugs in the 4, with the Katie G. McAllister towing width permitted in the original locks. Foss fleet. The Campbell Foss, in service Colleen McAllister to their new homeport The tow departed Tampico, Mexico, in Southern California, was retrofitted in Michigan. The new owners wanted on January 3 for Seattle, Washington, from diesel to hybrid power in 2011. to arrive in Muskegon before the St. where the barge will be delivered Both are among ten Dolphin-class tugs Lawrence Seaway shut down for the to new owners. The Hollywood was built at the Foss Ranier Shipyard on the winter; they made it with days to spare. acquired by TradeWinds in 2016 and Columbia River. This class is rated at McAllister bought the tugs from TECO recently underwent a life-extension 5,080 hp and packs an estimated bollard Transport in 2003 along with a sister reconstruction at Conrad Deepwater pull of 62 tons. they named Michaela McAllister. Port Shipyard in Amelia, Louisiana. The The Great Lakes Towing Company City bought that tug from McAllister in tug is powered by two EMD 16-645- repositioned its tug Huron to Duluth, 2008 and renamed her Prentiss Brown.

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 81 Coming in the Fall Issue of PowerShips

Sagafjord to Alaska Carl J. Liba Sr. makes us feel like we’ve joined him on his Cunard Cruise on the MS Sagafjord, from Vancouver to Anchorage in July/August 1987, when he discovers that Fort Fisher to Become Artificial Reef Cunard’s advertising slogan, “Getting There Is n The Fort Fisher waiting to become a fishing reef. – Photo courtesy of Tim Mulane. Half the Fun,” was actually an understatement. nly three single-screw tugs remain in the entire Moran working Might, Style & Splendor: Ofleet. The Fort Fisher was an older single-screw tug that Moran donated to the Eastern Carolina Artificial Reef Association in December to become a reef Empress of Britain off the Carolina coast in the spring. Built for the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1956 In Lives of the Liners, William Miller at Mariners Harbor, Staten Island, she worked for many years as the Cleveland in chronicle’s the Empress of Britain, launched New York Harbor. After the railroad shut down its waterborne operation, the tug less than a year after the 1929 Wall Street Crash. was sold to Cape Fear Towing in Wilmington, North Carolina, and was renamed The beautiful, white-hulled Empress, built by Fort Fisher. A few years ago Moran bought Cape Fear Towing and the tug was the renowned John Brown shipyard on the Clyde, added to the fleet roster. was Britain’s biggest liner in almost twenty years.

Moran Towing Corporation has Ketchikan for temporary repairs while Plus repositioned several tugs in its East a tug owned by Brusco Tug and Barge The Peoples’ Captain: Coast fleets. The Z-One moved from San Company towed the barge to Dutch Kate McCue’s Journey Juan, Puerto Rico, to the Norfolk fleet, Harbor with U.S. Coast Guard approval. to the Bridge then to the Philadelphia operation, and Temporary repairs will be made to the In September 2015, Celebrity Cruises made she’s now at work in Baltimore. The barge to permit her to be towed to a history when Kate McCue stepped onto the bridge Mark Moran shifted from Baltimore to Seattle shipyard. The Coast Guard also as captain of the Summit and joined a growing Wilmington, North Carolina, while approved a plan for the tug to return to number of steamship companies who have recently the Fort Bragg transferred from there to Seattle for repairs. The Samson Mariner promoted women to the rank of master. Lorraine Philadelphia. The James R. Moran went departed Ketchikan with an escort tug in Coons introduces us to Captain Kate. from Philadelphia to Baltimore. The attendance on February 21. Cape Romain relocated from Norfolk to The Kirby Offshore tug Nathan E. There’s Something About Mary Jacksonville, Florida. Stewart, which sank off British Columbia The tug Samson Mariner ran last year after grounding on a reef, has To celebrate the 50th year of the Queen Mary aground on February 15 while towing been sold for scrap. The grounding and in Long Beach, Tom Varney presents a detailed the fuel barge St. Elias in the vicinity of salt water damage were too severe and account of the 20 years he took to build his model Rosa Reef in north Tongass Narrows, the money to rebuild the tug was cost- of the Queen. Scaled at 3/32" = 1' the model Alaska. The tug spilled about 1,100 prohibitive. measures about eight feet long and one foot wide.  gallons of fuel oil as both the tug and … and More! barge were damaged in the grounding. n Write David M. Boone at The tug is operated by Samson Tug 36 Kendall Blvd., Oaklyn, NJ 08107 or  and Barge Company, Sitka, Alaska. [email protected] Don’t Miss It! The tug was refloated and removed to

82 • Summer 2017 PowerShips Reviews Edited by William A. Fox n SSHSA assumes no responsibility for opinions expressed by reviewers, nor are reviews official statements of the Society itself. on Lake Superior, as well as Florida’s hold passenger liner aficionados’ attention INTERPRETING submerged archaeological preserves and as they read about Queen Mary and other MARITIME HISTORY parks. Not to be forgotten are individual Cunard Line passengers ships? Well, I AT MUSEUMS AND artifacts and local sites that have their should have known that with William H. HISTORIC SITES own, perhaps more-localized stories to Miller as the book’s author, one would Joel Stone, ed. Interpreting History Series. tell as they’re discovered, unearthed or find within the pages of this book a whole Rowman and Littlefield Publishing Group (4501 revealed. Thinking further, consider new litany of facts and photos about the Forbes Blvd., Lanham, Maryland 20706), the evolution of recreational boating, Cunard Line and its ships. 301-459-3366, www.rowman.com. 2017. 176 cruising, maritime-related songs, As soon as I opened this book and pp., illustrated. $80.00/$34.00. Hardcover/ folklore, art and celebrations, human read the first few pages, I was captivated. paperback. immigration, naval history and the It’s a well-researched pictorial history s the title clearly states, this darker sides of maritime history, which of Cunard’s passenger liners from the Abook is a guide addressed to those should not to be ignored. There’s Queen Mary of 1936 until today. As one involved with much more than just boats. A little reads through the book one also meets, maritime-oriented imagination is needed to visualize in some detail, the liners Queen Elizabeth, museums and what’s on the horizon. Queen Elizabeth 2 and Queen Mary 2 and historic sites, at a This book is a fantastic chart to follow the cruise ships Queen Victoria and Queen critical moment to reach the goal of developing a wider Elizabeth. Twenty-six other Cunard liners when maritime interest in all things maritime. It’s not and cruise ships from 1950 to 2016 also interest is at such a story, but an eye-opening call and a rate a page or a paragraph so that the a low point in the tool that could bring maritime-related book can tell the whole story of Cunard public mind. What history and sites more prominently from 1936 to 2016. are the prospects into the public mind. Need I say more? The main text of the book is well for preserving and expanding awareness of Martin J. Butler composed and leads one from the Board America’s maritime past? One of a series Room decision to build one of the six of manuals dealing with various aspects MARITIME ROYALTY: ships featured in the book through of American history and life, this volume The Queen Mary and the construction, launching, service life and focuses specifically on a broad range of Cunard Queens fate. The straightforward historical text maritime-related matters. The objective is William H. Miller. Fonthill Media Ltd. includes reminiscences of passengers and to more effectively draw the general public (Casemate Group, 1950 Lawrence Rd., crew members of the various ships. It’s into closer contact with the maritime Havertown, PA 19083), 610-853-9131, www. these personal remembrances that do so world as it’s presented in museums and casemategroup.com. 2017. 128 pp., illustrated. much to pull the reader into the pages of related historic sites. The public must be $32.95. Paperback. the book. The personal stories from the made to want to venture into such sites. y first thought on being asked first ten years after the war remind one of Museums and historic sites cannot remain Mto review this book was, “What how much England suffered during the passive, but must provide visitors with an can the war and in the immediate postwar years. experience that they will appreciate and author One lady reminisced that in 1946, when that will stimulate their interest. possibly she was served her first evening meal on What might be done to make present Queen Elizabeth, she remarked that sitting museums and sites more alive and about the on her plate was more meat than her relevant to a wider range of the ships of the monthly ration card at home allowed population? Several case studies of Cunard her to purchase. Noteworthy is how the successful efforts are presented: Mystic Line early accounts of travel on the Cunard Seaport, the working museum riverboat that would be new to the members of ships center around business travel, while Belle of Louisville, the Dossin Great Lakes SSHSA?” What new facts and photos the later ones are focused more around Museum, the Whitefish Point campus could there be in this book that could leisure travel.

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 83 The book is obviously a labor of love, perceived by the American public as an What’s clear is that numerous political and a knowledgeable labor of love. The insult to the American flag. and economic decisions made in the pictures that accompany the story line Today the American Merchant Marine United States and in other countries shape are superb. Only a few of these photos is but a shadow of its former self; most the issue of flag-of-convenience trade. are marred by being printed across two American-owned ships now fly a flag of Charles H. Bogart pages. I must admit that I spent more convenience, often that of Panama or the time admiring and studying the photos Marshall Islands. GOLDEN STRIPES: than reading the text, but without the The flight from the American flag Leadership on the High Seas text there’s no overall setting to place the to flags of convenience is driven by an Captain V.S. Parani. Whittles Publishing photo in. The author, in his summary of owner’s desire to reduce ship-operating (Dunbeath, Caithness, KW6 6EG, Scotland, Cunard Lines between 1936 and 2016, costs or to enter a market denied to ships UK), +44(0)1593 731 333 www. bitter-sweetly notes that, unlike the earlier flying the American flag. Americans whittlespublishing.com. 2017. 196 pp., Cunard ships, the present-day Queen Mary have demanded that American seafarers illustrated. $24.95. Hardcover. 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria are not receive high wages and corresponding was asked to review this book for British-built, -flagged, or -crewed. benefits and that the ships they sail on be I SSHSA because of my maritime If you’re a student of the modern both safe and environmentally friendly. background and passenger carrying ship, you must read At the same time, they wish to transport 35-year career in this book. Charles H. Bogart goods at the lowest cost. The above the U.S. Merchant two demands are incompatible because Marine, afloat and ROUGH WATERS: the cost to meet the first goal drives ashore. At first blush, Sovereignty and the American-flagged ship-operating costs I was expecting it American Merchant Flag higher than foreign-ship operating costs. to be another dry Rodney Carlisle. Naval Institute Press (291 The author traces how these contradicting textbook, but was Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402), 800-233- desires cause American ship owners to pleasantly surprised 8764, www.nip.org. 2017. 304 pp., illustrated. have to weigh the cost of embracing the to find that this is not $31.95. Hardcover. protection of the American flag against the case. While there are some textbook his book is an economic, social, leaving it for a flag of convenience. characteristics with charts and graphs, it Tlegal and political history of the The American flag-of-convenience is more a very interesting and inspiring United States Merchant Marine in ship, to a certain extent, allows the read, following Captain Parani’s regard to the United States to hold itself up to the maritime career as he rose through the use of flags of world as a champion of human rights ranks to Master and then worked ashore convenience. and environmental friendliness by setting with a major international shipping At various high standards for its own ships, and company. There are lessons learned times in United then to save shipping costs by embracing along the way, mainly through numerous States history, the use of foreign-flagged ships to move case studies of maritime incidents and the majority of goods. The American cruise industry is interesting sea stories. I was aware of the exports and a prime example of the use of the flag of most of these, but the well-researched imports of this convenience, with all of the ships that analysis and lessons learned brought out country traveled in sail from American ports being foreign- interesting details and fresh perspective. ships flying the American flag. The first flagged and -crewed. The author also While mainly directed at seagoing four external military operations fought devotes a chapter of his book to the fact maritime officers, the principles, ideas, by the United States – the War with the that the movement of merchant ships from skills, lessons learned and how to improve Barbary Pirates, the Quasi-War with a national flag to a flag of convenience is can be useful for anyone in all walks of France, the suppression of the Caribbean not just an American Merchant Marine life. I actually found this book to be quite pirates, and the War of 1812 – centered phenomenon, but is also common to ships inspirational and helpful. Mark Nemergut, around disrespect to the American flag with European and Japanese owners. International Organization of Masters, Mates at sea. Underlying America’s involvement The author ends his book with no & Pilots  in World War I and World War II was condemnation or praise of the American- the concept of Freedom of the Seas, the owned flag-of-convenience ships. Instead n Write William A. Fox at right of free passage by American-flagged he summarizes what he has presented 112 Colonel’s Way, Williamsburg, VA 23185 ships anywhere in the world. Any attack in the previous chapters and allows the or [email protected] on a United States-flagged ship was reader to take his or her stand on the issue.

84 • Summer 2017 PowerShips by Barry Eager Heard on the Fantail

Remembering a Society Shipmate

n harles L. “Chuck” Rochon, Chauncey M. Depew a) Rangeley. – R. Loren Graham Collection, SSHSA Archives. Jr., a dedicated ship lover and Regional Vice President for New England gansett Bay sidewheeler. He always main- Clong-time supporter of SSHSA, and was a leading member of the Southern tained the boat meticulously and operated died this spring. New England Chapter. He was friends with her in a safe manner. Chuck fondly remembered our featured founders of the Society and the early chap- steamer, Chauncey M. Depew a) Rangeley, from ter members. Their names rolled from his her one season of service on Narragansett tongue as if he had seen them yesterday. He Bay. This handsome steamer was built by was honored with the H. Graham Wood Bath Iron Works in 1913 for Maine Coast Award for distinguished service to SSHSA service. Later she was renamed for work on in 2007 (see Steamboat Bill 263:42). the Hudson River with the Day Line. For Narragansett Bay was Chuck’s focus a time she was owned by B. B. Wills and for collecting. He maintained scrapbooks n Murielle Rochon waves from Eolus, July 29, chartered for service on Narragansett and and files relating to the old Bay steamers, 1989. – Barry Eager photo. Massachusetts Bays. Later she was sold to the Block Island boats, and the Newport- Chuck was an early member of the act as a ship tender at Bermuda. The photo Jamestown ferries. He modeled many Friends of Nobska board and a leader on shows her as she looked when chartered of these vessels, a pastime he indulged our maintenance trips to Baltimore. After by Interstate Navigation Co. in 1948 for its increasingly after retirement from Narra- the vessel was acquired in 1988, he was a Providence-Newport-Block Island run. She ganset Electric Co. The Mount Hope, Yankee, hard worker aboard. His ship maintenance was a beautiful boat and the fastest boat City of Warwick and Naugatuck were just a knowledge, acquired during Navy service running there after World War II. few of these. It was an incredible represen- years before, and his electrical skills, devel- Chuck joined the Society when Edwin tation of Rhode Island’s floating history. oped in his job, were brought to bear for Patt was the organization’s secretary and A favorite artifact was the decorated stem that last New England coastal steamer. He keeper of its collections. Ed ran things from piece from the Mount Hope of 1888. Chuck was always resourceful and had a practical, a small outbuilding at his home in West removed it from her deteriorating bones no-baloney approach to every challenge. Barrington, Rhode Island. Chuck lived off East Providence, restored it and placed Goodbye, old friend and shipmate. We close by and helped Ed with the photo it in the Marine Museum at Fall River. will miss sharing the memories of the old collection and the daily work. Everyone Chuck also had his own boat, converted timers in the Society, and the steamboats was a volunteer back in 1960. When Ed from a working hull. He built a substantial of Narragansett Bay.  died, Chuck took on much of the work cabin, utilizing his excellent wood-working until everything moved to Staten Island skills. It was the family’s summer place, and n Write Barry Eager at over a two-year period. Later he took a turn he and Murielle enjoyed hosting gather- Box 87, Berlin, MA 01503 handling membership dues with the help ings aboard on summer evenings. She was or [email protected] of his wife Murielle. He served as SSHSA named Eolus, after a 19th century Narra-

PowerShips Summer 2017 • 85 From the Collection by Don Leavitt

A Tale of Two Ashtrays

he Americans are forever decoration, and relying instead on ‘souvenir’ hunters,” wrote a simple geometric shapes. Hence his “ French journalist after the cube ashtray. The line and ship names T n Poster by design-artist A. M. Cassandre for 1935 maiden voyage of the Normandie . were on each side while the company’s He was describing the mania for all initials in French, CGT, were displayed Normandie’s maiden voyage to New York. Upon things Normandie witnessed during the on top. Thousands were ordered for the her arrival many souvenir hunters made off with the ship’s stopover in New York. Normandie’s maiden voyage. Thousands small ceramic ashtrays marked “S.S. Normandie.” As quoted in Normandie: Queen of the disappeared into the pockets of – Chase Poster Collection, SSHSA Archive. Seas, the journalist went on, “Not an American souvenir hunters. in excellent condition, so it must have ashtray, not a vermeil dessert spoon, What to do? Upon arriving back departed in the pocket of one of those fork, or knife remains ... four policemen in Le Havre, the French Line packed maiden voyage visitors back in 1935. were caught discreetly slipping into their up the remaining cube ashtrays and The revised version is also in excellent pockets a little something to show their sent them back to the manufacturer. A condition. Perhaps a later visitor noticed families.” dark brown line was sprayed along the that if you hold the striped side in the Who could blame them? The ship perimeter, completely covering up the light just right you can make out the was over-the-top elegant with crystal ship name. The Normandie cube ashtrays, ship name. light towers illuminating tapestry-lined both with name and with stripe, are By the way, SSHSA’s extensive chairs and shimmering off gold-covered highly sought-after collectibles today. collections come almost exclusively from walls. New Yorkers by the tens of So imagine my delight to discover donations. Thousands of members such thousands toured the ship during its examples of both in the collection left as Ron have granted us the honor of brief maiden visit in June 1935. And to SSHSA by the late Ron D’Alonzo. being the repository of all things ship what souvenir was most easily in reach? Ron’s collection of ocean liner ashtrays, related.  A little ceramic cube ashtray with “S.S. china, books, linens and souvenirs fills Normandie” spelled out on one side. gaps in the Society’s holdings. The n Write Don Leavitt at Nautiques, ean uce designed J L (1895–1964) cube ashtrays are no bigger than 2 255 Pleasant St., South Ryegate, VT the ashtray. Luce worked in a cubist- inches by 3 ½ inches, but tell a large 05069 or [email protected] inspired style, rejecting heavy story. The S.S. Normandie version is

86 • Summer 2017 PowerShips Captains’ Circle Members as of July 11, 2017

Commodore Mr. Paul J. O'Pecko Mr. Charles T. Andrews CAPT Dick Palmer Mr. Preston B. Baker CAPT & Mrs. Roland R. Parent Mr. Odd A. Brevik Ms. Mary L. Payne Mr. William W. Donnell Mr. Mark B. Perry Mr. Barry W. Eager CAPT Dave Pickering Mr. and Mrs. Donald W. Eberle Mr. Donald Pomplun Mr. and Mrs. William Edwards Mr. David L. Powers, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Ferguson Mr. Richard Rabbett Mr. Robert J. Golden Mr. Thomas C. Ragan Mr. John B. Henry Mr. Thomas Reed Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Hughes Mr. Harry E. Richter Mr. Scott G. Huston Mr. William A. Schell Mr. Neil E. Jones Mr. and Mrs. James W. Shuttleworth Mr. Murray Kilgour Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Smith Mr. Nicholas Langhart CAPT Cesare Sorio Mr. Don Leavitt Mr. Kent Strobel Mr. H. F. Lenfest CAPT Eric Takakjian Mr. John Mahoney CAPT and Mrs. Terry Tilton, USN (Ret.) Mr. Ralph S. McCrea Mr. G. Thomas Tranter Mr. William M. McLin & Mr. Samuel J. McKeon Mr. Terence Turner CAPT and Mrs. James J. McNamara CAPT Robert F. Wasson, Jr., CPA Dr. Laurence Miller Mr. Peregrine White An Exclusive Member Mr. Richard Muller Mr. Eric Wiberg Commander CAPT Kenneth M. Graham Mr. Carl R. Nold Category from SSHSA Mr. Joseph Bains CDR Michael Greene, USN (Ret.) Mr. Roy C. Rose The Rev. James Brandmueller Mr. and Mrs. Glenn P. Hayes Mr. Paul Shepard s a Captains’ Circle member Mr. Gabriel Caprio Mr. Francis Lazar Mr. Shapleigh Smith Mr. Stanley J. Ciaputa CAPT Leif Lindstrom Mr. Donn R. Spear you’ll join with peers who Mr. William D. Comings, Jr. Mr. Laurence P. MacDonald Mr. Douglas A. Tilden share your interest in the Mr. Patrick Dacey CAPT Warren McDonald, CAPT John S. Tucker history and culture of fine Mr. John F. Gibson, III USCGR (Ret.) vessels, enjoy significant benefits and Mariner Mr. Robert Foley Mr. Charles W. Moorman recognition, and be part of our impor- Mr. Jim Antonisse Mr. Raymond H. Fredette Mrs. Harry Morgan tant mission: recording, preserving and Mr. Thomas Barrett Mr. Mark Gathings Mr. William G. Muller Mr. Richard L. Barwis, IV Mr. Albert Gilder Dr. and Mrs. William P. Murphy sharing maritime heritage. Mr. Jerome Batchelor Mr. Roger Gill Mr. Bruce Nickerson Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Bellafiore Mr. Larry Glenwright Mr. Brian L. Norden Mr. and Mrs. Charles D. Bieser Mr. Paul S. Gravenhorst Mr. Kevin F. O'Donnell Mr. Ted Blank Mr. Robert A. Haslun Oregon Maritime Museum Among the Many Benefits... Mr. H. Peirce Brawner Mr. Albert R. Hinckley, Jr. Mr. Patrick D. Ortego Mr. Conrad Breit Mr. Buell Hollister Mr. Ronald L. Oswald • Council of American Maritime Museums Mr. Robert Brown Mr. Cyrus Hosmer, III Mr. Hollis S. Paige Cards for complimentary admission to 80 Mr. J. O. Busto Mr. John C. Hover, II Mr. Art Peabody Mr. and Mrs. Donald Caldera Mr. Harold Kaplan Mr. Richard G. Pelley maritime museums Dr. George Callard Mr. Timothy J. Kelly Mr. W. Bruce Redpath Mr. John Cameron, Jr. Mr. Stephen Lash Mr. William S. Reid CAPT Gerard P. Carroll Mr. Thomas Lavin Mr. William M. Rosen • Recognition as a member of Captains’ Circle Mr. David P. Clarendon Mr. Matthew Lawrence Mr. Bruce Rowe in SSHSA’s e-newsletter, The Telegraph, Mr. Charles W. Clarke CAPT David Leech Dr. Victor H. Rubino CDR Andrew O. Coggins, Jr., Mr. Reginald Lewington Mr. and Mrs. Matthew S. Schulte and in PowerShips magazine USN (Ret.) Mr. Michael Lewis Mr. John W. Schumann CAPT John M. Cox Ms. Susan E. Linda Mr. Bruce C. Seibel • Invitations to Captains’ Circle events Mr. John J. Crowley, Jr. CAPT Adrian M. Loughborough Mr. Walter A. Shields Mr. Ian Danic Mr. Joe MacArthur Mr. Howard Smart Mr. Donald Deckebach Mr. Jeff MacKlin Mr. Britton C. Smith • Specially selected archival quality maritime CAPT Robertson Dinsmore Mr. Gary Maehl Mr. Mark Snider Mr. Steven Draper Mr. James P. Martin Mr. John S.W. Spofford prints from SSHSA’s Image Porthole Mr. Michael Dugan Mr. David L. McColloch Mr. Alan Stover Mr. Andrew W. Edmonds Mr. Daniel L. McCoy Mr. Alexander Swavy Mr. Andrew Edmonds Mr. Walter Lynn McLaughlin Mr. Richard Vanaria Mr. Jonathan Ely CAPT Ronald J. Meiczinger Mr. Stephen Weaver Mr. Elmer Engman Mr. Harry Meyer Mr. Bruce J. Estell Mr. Charles A. Miller, III

Call SSHSA for more information at (401) 463-3570 or visit www.sshsa.org at! ar II Aflo

e the Action of World W erienc Exp hip iberty S Aboard the L own John W Br

Cruise Saturday September 9 The SS JOHN W. BROWN is one of the last operating H Celebrating 75 Years H survivors from the great fleet of over 2,700 war-built Liberty Ships 1942 - 2017 and the last operational troopship of World War II. The ship is a maritime museum and a memorial to the shipyard workers who built, merchant mariners who sailed, and the U.S. Navy Armed From Baltimore on Guard who defended the Liberty ships during World War II. the Chesapeake Bay The John W. Brown is fully restored and maintained as close as possible to her World War II configuration. Visitors must be able to walk up steps to board the ship.

This exciting 6 hour day cruise includes lunch, music of the 40’s, period entertainment and flybys (conditions permitting) of wartime aircraft. Tour on-board museums, crew quarters, bridge and much more. See the magnificent 140-ton triple-expansion steam engine as it powers the ship through the water.

H Order your tickets online at: www.ssjohnwbrown.org H For information call: 410-558-0164 Visit www.ssjohnwbrown.org for special pricing, group rates, gift certificates and more.

Last day to order tickets is 14 days before the cruise. Conditions and penalties apply to cancellations. Project Liberty Ship is a Baltimore based, all volunteer, nonprofit organization.