NOTE: For the month of March 2024, I will be uploading footage I recorded during the 2023 shipping season but haven't previously posted. Early in the shipping season, I made the decision to reserve some video clips so we would all have something to enjoy during the off-season while we wait for ships to return to action. If you haven't seen it already, I recently posted my video showing the highlights of the 2023 shipping season. It can be viewed here: • 35 Great Lakes Freight...
Here is the articulated tug-and-barge combination of the Dirk S. VanEnkevort (tugboat) and the Michigan Trader (barge), seen arriving in Duluth, Minnesota on the night of September 22, 2023. They were hauling in a load of limestone to discharge at the Graymont dock on the Superior side of the harbor. They would depart empty 11 hours later, bound for Silver Bay, Minnesota where they would take on a load of taconite pellets. If you would like to see the departure, under slightly less calm conditions... and with a salute... see this other video I have published: • Michigan Trader - A Ve...
I wasn't quite prepared for just how bright the lights would be at the back of the tug, especially as the barge wasn't well lit. After cranking up the exposure to compensate, I got a bit blinded by the tugboat lights. Such is the challenge of night videos! We also get to hear the characteristic rumble from the tug's two diesel engines. All of the VanEnkevort tugs seem to have their own kind of rumble unlike that we get from any of the other articulated tugs on the lakes.
The tug Dirk S. VanEnkevort started her life as the Joseph H. Thompson Jr. in 1990, when the steamer Joseph H. Thompson was converted to a barge. Leftover steel removed from the Thompson was used towards the construction of tug, truly making the tug the offspring of the Thompson. In 2019, tug duties for the Thompson barge were turned over to the recently rebuilt tug Laura L. VanEnkevort. This allowed the tug Joseph H. Thompson Jr. to go into the rebuilding process so she could serve the Michigan Trader. She emerged as the 125-foot Dirk S. VanEnkevort in 2020. She is powered by two MaK/Caterpillar 6M32C diesel engines producing 8000 bhp, giving her a top speed of 12.7 mph. (Note: The barge portion of the Joseph H. Thompson was sent to the scrapyard in September 2023 and is currently being dismantled.)
The main advantage of operating a tug-and-barge over a traditional lake carrier is that they don't require as large of a crew to operate. Instead of needing 25-30 crew members, they can operate with as few as 15-18 crew members. Another advantage is that the tug is capable of separating from the barge to undertake fueling or maintenance while the barge loads or unloads. The tug can even act as an icebreaker, clearing ice away from the barge and opening a path to move within the harbor.
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Негізгі бет Автокөліктер мен көлік құралдары Michigan Trader - Blinded by the Light, Rev'd Up Like a Tug
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