Joel Dinda's photos with the keyword: ambassador bridge

Detroit's waterfront, May 28, 1990. The more I look at this photo, the better I like it. Every Memorial Day weekend, the Marine Historical Society of Detroit sponsors a tour from Detroit to Port Huron and back. The 1990 tour used both Bob Lo boats, and both were fully loaded. This photo was taken from the bow of St. Clair just as the tour began. Or mebbe from Columbia's bow. It's been a long time.... ================== Now, with both big boats inactive (I did not say retired), MHSD's tour necessarily uses smaller boats....

"Sunday, August 13, 1939 Steamer Kerr passing under Ambassador Bridge Detroit Mich" On September 7, 1921, the dock gang at Two Harbors loaded this ship with 12,507 tons of iron ore in 16 minutes and 30 seconds. This stunt not only shattered the previous record (9,362 tons in 25 minutes), it's not been approached since. This ship, the second to bear Kerr's name, was launched in 1916; she was a 60 foot wide 600 footer. Except for the loading record, she seems to have had an uneventful career. She was sold for scrap in 1980, but was lost at sea off the Azores while being towed to Europe. David Garrett Kerr was Vice President for mining and transportation at U.S. Steel from 1909 through 1932; this expanded the job he'd first held with Carnegie Steel and had retained when the Steel Trust was formed. He'd begun his career with Carnegie in the lab at the Homestead Works at age 18, then had earned a college degree at Lehigh and quickly become a Carnegie partner. This made him quite wealthy; when he passed away in 1948 his fortune was reported as $10 million. Borucki's Lakers

"Sunday, August 13, 1939 Upbound Steamer Erwin [sic] passing under Ambassador Bridge Detroit, Mich." This appears to be Mr. Borucki's first ship-watching venture out onto the Ambassador Bridge; he'd make many more. This photo has some great stern detail, especially in the large size . There was no ship named Erwin, and the discussion below [on flickr] rejects (properly) my guess for an ID. We can rule out every ship named Irwin, too, as none looked vaguely like a bulk carrier. Consensus is that she's probably the Jenkins. See the notes below, and follow Frankcliffe's link, for further discussion about the ship's identity. The Jenkins was built in 1907 for the Jenkins fleet and named after the company president. She was somewhat accident prone, suffering ten incidents with the Jenkins fleet and another after bankruptcy forced her sale to the Midland fleet. She'd be renamed John W. Davin, after the director of the Nickel Plate Railroad, in 1942; she'd be again renamed Michael Gallagher, after the general manager of mining operations for the M.A. Hanna Company, in 1956. The Gallagher was retired and scrapped in 1961. Borucki's Lakers

"August 4, 1939 St[eamer] Greater Buffalo heading toward Lake Erie on Detroit River" Second of two; I discussed this passenger ship's career in great detail a few weeks ago . This wonderful photograph is almost like a painting. Notice the Ambassador Bridge in the background. I've trimmed some sky and water to move the focus to the ship. Borucki's Lakers

"Sunday July 3, '38" This is easily the most interesting ship in the Borucki picture collection--and all he has to tell is the date he took the photo? Oh, well. I can fill in the details that Rick's dad likely thought were obvious. Greater Buffalo , shown here passing under the Ambassador Bridge, was launched at Lorain on October 27, 1923, for the Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company, and made her first trip on May 13, 1925. She could carry 300 crew members and 1,200 passengers between Buffalo and Detroit on an overnight basis. Her sister ship Greater Detroit alternated on the run with her. These two Frank Kirby-designed ships were the last, largest, and (perhaps) fastest sidewheel passenger ships built on the lakes; when they were launched their construction costs were reported as $3.5 million apiece. Greater Buffalo was requisitioned by the Navy in 1942, converted to an aircraft carrier and renamed USS Sable ; she and USS Wolverine (the former Seeandbee--another Kirby design, and the other "fastest" claimant) worked as training ships out of Great Lakes Naval Station near Chicago. She was retired after the war and broken up in 1948. Borucki's Lakers