• Saturday-What'sUP October 6 - 07:38 am

Pulling into any U.P. harbor during the color season has got to be beautiful. Even though the colors in today's photos from Rod Burdick are a bit muted by the haze in the air, you can still make out the colors the Canadian Tug Reliance's crew was treated to. The tug and barge PML 9000 were docked at Marquette's Lower Harbor Shiras Dock, being loaded with a shipment of ore by front end loaders. This cargo was destined for Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

Maybe this is a silly question, but I know some of our "resident boat nerds" will know the answer. Why do they use a tug and barge to haul the ore there, rather than a freighter? Inquiring minds want to know...

That's exactly what I was wondering too? Isn't that like using a spoon to shovel snow?

They take the engine room off the old freighters and build in and attach a pusher tug..This cuts down on the crew size from 29 (i.e. FITZGERALD) down to about a dozen..lots of savings there in crew costs over a 20 year span.

Havent been to Mqt in 4 years now but not sure they load taconite at the Shiras dock..one can see unloaded coal and limestone in the pictures and taconite is loaded at the PresqIle dock.

When I think what is my favorite part about the U.P. this is what comes to mind, the shipping industry, and lighthouses. Great pictures!

Oh yes! Life in the UP in the Fall. What gorgeous pictures you share with us wanna-bees here in IA. Traveled through there two years ago in September and truly admired your portion of God's creation. Will return "some day" to take in more of it!

Cedar Falls, IA

More than a few of the freighters are tug/barges although not as obvious as this setup. The following tug/barge combinations were found at the Duluth Shipping News site:
Joseph H. Thompson,
Presque Isle,
Susan W. Hannah,
G.L. Ostrander/barge Integrity,
Great Lakes Trader,
James L. Kuber/tug Victory

Eddyfitz...thanks for the reminder, 29 crew members.

"In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed in the The Maritime Sailors' Cathedral.

The church bell chimed till it rang twenty-nine times for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald." (Gordon Lightfoot)

Here's the description from the photo. This was natural ore rather than taconite pellets.

On August 7, 2007, Canadian Tug/Barge Anglian Lady/PML 9000 loaded natural ores at the Lower Harbor Shiras Dock. The ore was trucked in and loaded with front end loaders.

My grandson, Kyle Eberhard, a recent graduate of the Maritime Academy, is working on a tow boat out of Houston pushing barges up and down the rivers. They rode out hurricane Ike in the Houston ship canal but a 20' storm surge put their barges on shore and dinged their prop pretty good. He is sending me pictures which I will forward.

Good photos.