Joel Dinda's photos with the keyword: self-unloader

Interlake's steamer Herbert C. Jackson at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, on Engineers Day, June, 2005. The Jackson's self-unloader conversion occurred in 1975. Here we see the end of the unloader boom as the ship passes into Macarthur Lock. The International Bridge to Sault, Ontario, shows nicely in the background.

This was the only ship we saw in Sault Ste. Marie. Since no other ships were nearby in the queue, we wandered around downtown and read a few dozen historic markers, then headed back to St. Ignace and watched the terns. I still don't much like the Soo lock's new, view-obstructing, fence. On the other hand, they've opened several gates in the perimeter fence, and the only security guy we saw was obviously friendly and helpful. Win some, lose some.

The unloading boom--and most of the deck--of the laker Herbert C. Jackson, at the Soo Locks in June of 2005. Most modern Great Lakes ships have self-unloading capabilities, which greatly increases their usefulness.

"Sunday, Oct. 8, 1939 Barge Constitution in slip ft of Orleans St. Detroit, Mich" Constitution was launched at West Superior in 1897 and lengthened in 1905; she was the first Great Lakes barge to be lengthened and the first equipped with steam mooring winches. The self-unloader was added in 1926, and she was scrapped after a long career in 1966. Oglebay Norton absorbed the Pringle fleet shortly after this photo was taken, but kept the vessel in Pringle colors. John Greenwood's Namesakes 1956-1980 tells me she was named after the retired Navy frigate, not the nation's foundation document. Greenwood, whose writeups are usually relentlessly factual (though often a bit odd), had a soft spot for this ship. Constitution seems to have spent much of her career based in Toledo, hauling coal to lower lakes ports. Borucki's Lakers

"Bow of S.S. Calcite and conveyor and coal pile ft of 17th St Bay City, Mich. Thursday Sept 1, 1938" First of four photos in this set. Calcite was the first ship built for Bradley Transportation--US Steel's limestone fleet (then known as Calcite Transportation). The ship was named after the Port of Calcite--which was in turn named after the product (limestone, which is predominantly calcite) shipped from the Michigan Limestone Company's great mine south of Rogers City. All fits together nicely. Calcite was built by American Shipbuilding at Wyandotte in 1912 and scrapped in 1961 (at which time her fleetmate William G. Clyde was renamed Calcite II ). This ship's pilot house has been preserved, on the grounds of Forty Mile Point Lighthouse, north of Rogers City (and Calcite). Borucki's Lakers