Her last visit to Manistee (freighter)

[BB]

A few hours after Acacia made Manistee its new home on 10/17/09, Agawa Canyon arrived with salt for the Rieth-Riley dock. Word on Boatnerd.com is Agawa Canyon is slated for scrap, along with fleet mates Algoway and Algorail. Meanwhile Agawa Canyon laid up at the Port of Montreal for long term on 12/22/09.




There sure were a lot of people out along the river and through town watching and taking pics of the boat on this October day.




























Seeing how close they can get to the swing bridges approach bridge...














Notice the rays of light rising upward in the background.


A crew member is alongside with the dinghy.


If you look closely toward the end of the lake, the Manistee is docked at the power plant. They arrived the night before and didn't leave until Monday afternoon.




Those that came to Manistee to watch Acacia arrive and then were able to see Agawa Canyon navigate the channel along with the Manistee sitting at the dock made for an active boat watching weekend.

Enjoy

[GLC 392]

Great shots BB, i got the Agawa Canyon back in August as it left Mainstee for another load of salt.

[MDH]

Beautiful shots! I really enjoy going through them.

Thanks,
Michael

[BB]

Great shots BB, i got the Agawa Canyon back in August as it left Mainstee for another load of salt.

Thanks Steven. I have a thread on here when it left on 8-08-09 at night or did you see it on 9-01-09 perhaps? They were leaving just before sunset. I'll post some of them when I get through them. The last boat for Manistee in 2009 was Maumee from what I know. Left town around 3am on December 1st so no more late season shipping when you asked me about it on the Santa Train day.

Beautiful shots! I really enjoy going through them.

Thanks,
Michael

Thanks MDH, glad you've enjoyed them.

[GLC 392]

it was on the 1st of september, the calumet is now in lay up in Sarnia tied up on the 24th of Dec.

[Mr. Tops]

Nice pics, BB. That's disappointing to hear the triplets may meet their demise. They are relatively new, averaging 40 years old, which in terms isn't very old considering there are still many vessels that are 60+ years old that are operating regularly; just look at Lower Lakes' fleet. They have the Maumee, built in 1929(!); three Maritime Class vessels built in 1943 (Cuyahoga, Manistee & Mississagi), Michipicoten and Ojibway, built in 1952; and the Saginaw, built in 1953; Their recent acquisitions of the "River Class" triplets built in 1973/74 (Robert S. Pierson, Calumet (3) and Manitowoc) and the Kaministiqua (1983) raises their average fleet age from 65 to 55 years old -- not including the McKee Sons in there because barges suck. I just find it interesting that these vessels would go to scrap and not to a second hand owner like Lower Lakes as I'm sure some of their fleet won't last much longer and they'll be seeking newer vessels. I love the older freighters and hate to see them go and hate to think that it may be by the rule of a hasty decision. Victims of the economy as well as being Algoma's three smallest ships and if they do get scrapped/sold, they will have been outlived bit slightly larger, older vessels on Algoma's roster. Such is life.

[AARR]

I always enjoy your photo's BB. I especially like seeing the huge freighters traversing the narrow channel by the residential houses. That's got to be an impressive view from those houses.

[PlymouthStationGuy]

Nice pictures BB I always like Algoma Central Marine Lakers. Just looked at my other web sight... The only non tanker Algoma Central Marine ship that still running out there Is the Algosteel looks like she will be doing the salt runs from Goderich Ont to Milwaukee and Detroit this winter.

[Mr. Tops]

I have liked ships ever since junior high school. I liked trains and had a friend that liked boats. We got eachother interested in the other's hobby. Until I was doing some research yesterday while making my post, I NEVER knew there was a FOURTH boat similar to the Algorail/Algoway/Agawa Canyon; the Roy A. Jodrey, built for Algoma in 1965. It was lost in 11/74 after running into the Pullman Shoal Light in the St. Lawrence. The captain beached it, crew safely deboarded and the vessel eventually slid off the rocky beach and sank to the bottom. The Jodrey was a replica of the Algorail with enclosed aft cabins and a rounded stern, as opposed to the Agawa Canyon's and Algoway's open aft cabins and a chopped stern.









I also found out a few weeks ago that there was a vessel named John A. Topping. Wonder if it was a relative?

[BB]

Thanks guys.

That's disappointing to hear the triplets may meet their demise.

That's what I thought. There's been a few topics on Boatnerds message board about it. The hull has extensive corrosion from hauling so much salt was one item posted. Maumee is the second oldest vessel operating on the lakes. It was I think four times in 2009 I watched Maumee come and go in some wild windy weather. The last time they were here and left in the middle of the night, I watched them head out in the lake from the end of the pier and they had turned sharply in the waves and I honestly thought they were going to roll over. I'm sure it was really nothing to be concerned about but it looked pretty dramatic.

I especially like seeing the huge freighters traversing the narrow channel by the residential houses. That's got to be an impressive view from those houses.

They'll sneak right by too since they're pretty quiet.

I always like Algoma Central Marine Lakers. Just looked at my other web sight... The only non tanker Algoma Central Marine ship that still running out there Is the Algosteel looks like she will be doing the salt runs from Goderich Ont to Milwaukee and Detroit this winter.

I always liked seeing the Algoma boats come in with their bear logo. Agawa Canyon had the best sounding horn since the Algoma boats always used them through the channel. Echoed off all the buildings through town. I did see that Algosteel would be running salt this year.

I also found out a few weeks ago that there was a vessel named John A. Topping. Wonder if it was a relative?

There sure is a lot of interesting history to go with all of the vessels. It looks like the Mr. Tops was scrapped in 1994 at Alang, India.

[tadman]

Amazing how a freighter sneaks past - I remember the first time I saw one sneak past while staying at a Cedar Point hotel in 1999. I look up and this giant moving wall is in front of our hotel - wait, it's a salty...

[A No.1]

Nice shot of 4433.

[GTWChris]

Nice shots, the three sisters boats should have at least two more years left of service. Algoma Central Marine is planning on renewing their fleet in the next three years. They will be ordering 6-8 boats or ships to replace their aging fleet. Algoma has already started their fleet renewal last year by purchasing the three Viking ships along with rebuilding Algobay and the attempted rebuild of the Algoport.

[BB]

the attempted rebuild of the Algoport.

Add some sinking ship pictures to this thread too...

http://www.boatnerd.com/news/newsthumbs ... tsink6.jpg
http://www.boatnerd.com/news/newsthumbs ... sink-1.jpg
http://www.boatnerd.com/news/newsthumbs ... rtsink.jpg

From this news photo gallery. http://www.boatnerd.com/news/newsthumbs ... bs_999.htm

Algoport Sinking - On September 6, 2009 the Algoport broke in half and sank in heavy seas while under tow to China for conversion. The tow was encountering rough seas from Tropical Storm Dujuan that had passed near the vessel's position. The tow was about one week away from her destination when the Algoport sank in approximately 16,404' (5,000 m) of water, location 30°0'0" N by130°0'0" E (East China Sea south of Japan). There were no injuries, loss of life or environmental issues reported from the foundering.

[Mr. Tops]

OMG!

The first thing that came to my mind was -- that's what you get for having your ship rebuilt in China. Karma. BUY AMERICAN OR WE SINK YOUR SHIP.

[LSRC]

Is that a guy I see to the left of the orange lifeboat in the second linked photo? If so, I bet I can guess what was going through his head.

[GTWChris]

Is that a guy I see to the left of the orange lifeboat in the second linked photo? If so, I bet I can guess what was going through his head.

I do not think that is a guy, the boat was empty and was being towed by a tug boat. Thankfully no one was on the boat.

[BB]

Is that a guy I see to the left of the orange lifeboat in the second linked photo? If so, I bet I can guess what was going through his head.

I think you're seeing the darker rust spot on the white wall to the left of the lifeboat which makes it look like a person with a rain jacket on, at least to me. Can you imagine spending two months towing that across the ocean and then seeing it just disappear so quickly.

[Ben Higdon]

Great pics! I used to watch the Agawa Canyon, Algoway and Algorail coming into Grand Haven in the 80s. That'll be real disappointing if/when they scrap them. I was in Muskegon about 8 years ago taking pictures of the Paul H Townshend tied up at the Mart Dock in Muskegon, and suprise!, the Algoway came out from behind the trees and did a full 180 in the middle of Muskegon Lake. Those ships have a great look to them.

[GT Railfan]

I had the chance to work with Algoma wich was a very rare instince and I would have been assigned to the Algorail. But I passed up the oppertunity to work with Interlake. When I got fed up with the stuff that went on there, I signed on with American Steamship. I do wish I would have taken the chance when I had it! My freind worked aboard the Algoport and we happend to be docked at the same place a few years ago and I got to go aboard her and tour her and have dinner. Just a few years ago, her hull was in bad shape. In all truth, I was surprised that she made it as far as she did on her tow to China. But thats bussiness!