On this day in the past 19 years, the Pasty Cam featured some of the big boats that sail the Great Lakes. One a Coast Guard cutter, the other a much bigger freighter. We look back to 2003 first, with the now retired Sundew USCGC tied up at the Houghton waterfront, snapped by Melissa Powers. I'm not sure what it was doing in town that day, but boats of this size on the waterfront, always attract those that want an up-close look.

Move ahead one year to 2004 and we get a look at the Edward L. Ryerson at the ore dock in Marquette Harbor, captured by Rod Burdick. For many years the Ryerson sported the large white lettering INLAND STEEL, until the company changed names. To put the size of those letters into perspective, look to the left of the large S, there's a man dressed in white standing on the deck there.

The third photo was also snapped by Rod Burdick and is the Ryerson in port at Escanaba. He just recently reposted it in tribute to the end of an era in Escanaba. On April 18th, the last ore boat left the docks there. Here's a short article about that event.

If you've ever been close to a freighter when they sound the whistle in a Captain Salute, you know how loud it can be. Today's video is the unique whistle from the Edward L. Ryerson, said to be a similar salute to that of the Edmund Fitzgerald, due to using the same horns and configuration. Listen and enjoy!

Great shots of the freighters!

Mary Drew at Pasty Central (Mdrew)
"… If you've ever been close to a freighter when they sound the whistle in a Captain Salute, you know how loud it can be."

That's fer sure!

As a (pre-teen) youngster crossing the Straights on the old railroad ferries, I couldn't resist being out on deck as the ferry departed — in spite of gagging and choking in the heavy black coal smoke roiling over the deck … and they'd catch me by surprise every time with the blast of that whistle. I'd nearly jump out of my skin!

Particularly the venerable old (click →) SS Chief Wawatam.
See also: (click →) Chief Wawatam and
(click →) chiefwawatam.com.


SS Chief Wawatam with steam up

1. Eeek, a typo:
"As a (pre-teen) youngster crossing the Straights [sic] on the old railroad ferries …"

I wrote that? (Hasty-Wasty!)

Of course it should read:

"As a (pre-teen) youngster crossing the Straits on the old railroad ferries …" <Duh!>

I'd go back and correct it, but with the image included in the message, I really can't do that without deleting the whole message and re-posting it from scratch.

2. P.S.:
Over the years I've posted similar bits of Chief Wawatam history here, but I just realized after posting the above message that I'd never seen the third link before!

Be sure to click that third link — it includes a great video about saving the Chief, particularly one of the Cheif's old triple expansion steam engines — of the same design as the engines used on the Titanic!

I'm so thrilled to learn that the engine has been saved. Hurrah!

A Coast Guard Cutter closely resembling the Sundew passed through the Portage Canal yesterday afternoon, pushing a barge. Marine Traffic.com indicates the USCGC Alder is in the upper Portage waterway today. Hard to believe their transponders got mixed up.

View from east looking webcam:

Looks like they dropped the barge close to the
Quincy Smelter and then continued west.

I meant to say dropped something from the barge
(or maybe picked something up).

I think this vessel was a 140 foot ice breaking
tug, most likely the USCGC Katmai Bay out of the
Soo or maybe the Biscayne Bay from St. Ignace.

Thanks 4 sharing. I especially like the Sundew pic.