Number 5 TELESCOPE Page 114
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SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER, 1996 VOLUME XLIV; Number 5 TELESCOPE Page 114 MEMBERSHIP NOTES • It is with deep regret that we announce the deaths of two long time supporters of the Dossin Museum. Sidonie Knighton and passed away last May and, her brother Ernest Dossin passed away in August. Both were active in the early 1960's when the museum opened and they maintained their support throughout nearly four decades. The Dossin Family donated one-half of the funds needed to build the museum and the pavillion to house their famous hydroplane Miss Pepsi. GLMI members will also note other changes at the museum this fall. Roy Vanderkhove will be retiring after thirty-four years. Roy came shortly after the museum opened and has seen both the good times of expan sion and deep budget cuts. Members visiting the museum during special events may see Roy in his new role as a volunteer, still smiling as he greets people at the front door. Also retiring during the summer was Preston Thomas. As preparator of exhibits, his talents on the restoration of the William Clay’ Ford's pilothouse allowed the public to view an interacting exhibit. One only has the see the children's excitement as they command their own ship. MEETING NOTICES • The next joint GLMI/MHSD entertainment meeting will be Saturday, November 16, 1996 at 11 00 am in DeRoy Hall at the museum. Our guest speaker, Keith Stefke will present a slide program detailing the ships of Wyandotte, Michigan. The three-month calendar of events was sent to members in the last issue of Telescope If members know of friends wishing the receive a copy, just drop a note to the museum and we'll add their names to our mailing list. CONTENTS • Membership Notes, Meeting Notices, etc. 114 Angry Sea Foggy Lakes Meet - The Paul H. Carnahan Joins the M.A. Hanna Fleet 115 Two African Queens . A Short History of the Steamers Oxford and Knowlton by Peter Wright 118 From the Ocean to the Lakes - Oglebay Norton's Buckeye by Rod Burdick 123 Great Lakes & Seaway News Edited by Don Richards 126 Great Lakes Calendar & Back Cover Picture 135 Published by the GREAT LAKES MARITIME INSTITUTE ©All rights reserved. Printed in the United States by Macomb Printing, Inc. Our Cover Picture .... The Paid H. Carnahan was one of several T-2 Class tankers originally built for ocean service, but would spend the majority of her sailing career on the Great Lakes. With the downturn in shipping in the mid-1980's, the Carnahan was laid up at Ecorse, Michigan in August, 1985. She was sold for scrap in 1988, and was towed overseas to Taiwan with her fleetmate George M. Humphrey (ii). This photo was taken by Bill Luke in 1962. Telescope is produced with assistance from the Dossin Great Lakes Museum, an agency of the Historical Department of the City of Detroit SEP • OCT, 1996 Page 115 ANGRY SEA FOGGY LAKES M EET- THE PAUL H. CARNAHAN JOINS THE M. A. HANNA FLEET Reprinted from __________ Christening Brochure________ The T-2 tanker Atlantic Dealer sailed a rela on deck for the long tug journey around Florida, up tively uneventful thirteen years for the Atlantic Refin the coast and through the St. Lawrence Seaway to the ing Company as compared with the exciting journey Buffalo yards of the American Shipbuilding Company of the Paul H. Carnahan's new midsection's Atlantic where her deckhouse was moved aft before continu crossing. Built by the Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock ing to the company's Lorain, Ohio yards. Company in 1945, the Atlantic Dealer was decom In the meantime exciting things lay ahead for missioned in 1958 in the Mobile yards of the Ala the new midbody built in Hamburg, Germany and its bama Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company. In 1960 5250-mile journey to Lorain. On the morning of April the Skar-Ore Steamship Corporation purchased the 6, 1961 three tugs of a Dutch towing company eased hull for conversion to Great Lakes service, and the the midbody into the Elbe River for the six-mile trip internationally known naval architectural and marine to the river's mouth. Here two small tugs cast off and engineering firm of J. J. Henry, Inc. was engaged to the seagoing Zeeland took over for the crossing of the handle the conversion. The ship was taken out of moth North Sea, the English Channel and the Atlantic - the balls, her stem tube sealed off and equipment stored captain estimating his am val in Montreal in six weeks. McDonald McDonald Coll/Dossin Museum Coll. PAUL H. CARNAHAN docked in Detroit for christening ceremonies on November 2, 1961. She iras named in honor o f the president o f National Steel TELESCOPE Page 116 Peter Worden Peter Worden Photo/Dossin Museum Coll. Dossin Mus. Coll. Top: Before she entered Great Lakes service, the PAUL H. CARNAHAN was lengthened from 523 feet to 730feet with a new midbody built in Hamburg, Germany. Bottom: The CARNAHAN remained in service until she was sold for scrap overseas in 1986. SEP* OCT, 1996 Page 117 The tow averaged 118 miles per day, but gale- force winds in the North Atlantic on eight occasions forced the captain to turn about and run with the wind for periods of from a few hours to forty-six hours at a stretch. Then 500 miles out of St. John's thick, drift ing ice altered plans and the Zeelcmd headed south for S T E P S IN TH E Halifax. With fuel cut to a dangerous six-day supply, CONVERSION the captain cut loose the midbody to drift with a skel eton crew and a radio aboard, and turned north for a Dry docked in Lorain, the old stern of the Atlantic Dealer was fast run to St. John's for fuel. Returning 2-1/2 days removed and floated out and reversed in an adjacent dry dock. later, radio contact was made with the midbody, she was made fast and the tow headed for Cabot Straits at the entrance to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Here thick The new 530-ft. midbody was floated into the drydock and ice again delayed the tow for another day, but the last secured to the tanker’s stern. 775 miles through the Gulf and the St. Lawrence re quired only 6-1/2 days, arriving in Montreal on June The tanker’s bow was severed from the original center-section 2nd, just two weeks later than the estimated crossing (which was scrapped), and floated into the dry dock with the time. Here Canadian crews and tugs replaced the new midsection. Zeeland, which returned to Holland, while wooden fenders were installed to protect the midbody in the locks. Two tugs from the McAllister Towing, Ltd., the Last step in the conversion was securing the tanker’s bow to Graeme Stewart at the bow and the Helen McAllister the new midbody—creating a ship 730 feet long—the maxi at the stem, took over for the uneventful trip up the mum length for Great Lakes service. St. Lawrence River and across Lake Ontario. While fog was encountered out of Port Colborne and the Coast Guard warned of possible tornadoes and water spouts, these storms didn't materialize and the midbody arrived at the Lorain yards of American Shipbuilding on June 9th, just 64-1/2 days after leaving Hamburg. Statistics Tanker Carnahan The Length overall 523'6" 730'0" PAUL H. CARNAHAN Length (bp) 503'0" 708' 8-3/4" Now Joins Beam, molded 68'0" 75’0" The M. A. Hanna Fleet Depth, molded 39'3" 39’0" Keel draft 30'2" 25'6" Serving as a ‘bare boat charter,’ the Paul H. Carnahan will be Displacement 21,880 29,500 (fw) operated for National Steel Cor poration as a member of the Light ship, est. 5,260 LT. 7,800 LT M. A. Hanna Fleet. Cargo deadweight 15,620 LT. 21,200LT Fuel oil capacity 408,000 gal. 209,000 Shaft horsepower 6,000 shp 6,000 Speed normal 16 m.p.h. # * TELESCOPE Page 118 Two African Queens . a Short History of Steamers OXFORD and KNOWLTON by PETER WRIGHT Long before you saw them you knew they were down at a creek-side village so that the canoes and coming. High above the mangrove swamps along the stilted huts would not be sucked into midstream, they banks of the Bonny River, great clouds of black smoke sidled by before their busy way to the Gulf of Guinea drifted in the fetid Nigeri an air, heralding the approach and Lagos. of one of Elder Dempster Lines' latest acquisitions. Built a year apart in the postwar depression Purchased not for their beauty, but for their flat-bot years, one in Quebec in 1922, and the other, a year tomed usefulness, O xford and Knowlton had been re later in England, both ships were designed for trade prieved from noble sacrifice on the Normandy beaches on the Great Lakes for the carriage of bulk cargoes. and put to work hauling coal up and down the tortu With the bridge perched on the forecastle head and ous creeks of West Africa. bowsprit-like pole extending forty feet forward by As they came into sight around a distant bend in which to "eyeball" the speed at which the ship was the river, a hoarse, bronchial blast from the highly swinging when altering course, and a tall, thin "Willie polished whistle on a "Woodbine" funnel, proclaimed Woodbine" funnel atop the engine room aft, neither of that this was "their river".