Great lake boats, a good video

[MossRoad]

There is a new barge/tug being built on the great lakes. This is the Dirk S. VanEnkevort out for sea trials. Will be fitted to the barge the Michigan Trader

How cool. More background story.

SS Marine Robin (1943) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[5030]

If I'm not mistaken (and I may be), isn't this the company that the State of Michigan and Enbridge prosecuted for anchor dragging across Line 5 in the straits a couple years back? It's clearly posted no anchor in that area as well ( think within 1000 yards either side of the pipeline). Name rings a bell with me.

 

[MossRoad]

If I'm not mistaken (and I may be), isn't this the company that the State of Michigan and Enbridge prosecuted for anchor dragging across Line 5 in the straits a couple years back? It's clearly posted no anchor in that area as well ( think within 1000 yards either side of the pipeline). Name rings a bell with me.

Good memory.

https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MAB1912.pdf

 

[MossRoad]

Jeepers, they dragged anchor from the Straits of Mackinac all the way to Indiana! #5 pipeline was superficially damaged, but over $100 million in damage to 3 electrical lines. YIKES!

 

[ArlyA]

I asked by buddy who works on the boats, what happened with that drag, dragging incident. Its complicated, but he didn't fault the crew or the captain for the accident. It was a combination of faults happening to the tugs variable pitch props and a new brake that had just been serviced done to the anchor brakes. The tugs might have three and I'm not certain how many but the barge might need three as well. Whatever the case, the brake bands had been maladjusted which allowed one anchor to spool out. Yes, you'd think they'd know the the engine was being over worked! But the problem, with the prop pitch system throw the crew off as to why the engines was being over worked. Was the service company at fault??

 

[MossRoad]

I asked by buddy who works on the boats, what happened with that drag, dragging incident. Its complicated, but he didn't fault the crew or the captain for the accident. It was a combination of faults happening to the tugs variable pitch props and a new brake that had just been serviced done to the anchor brakes. The tugs might have three and I'm not certain how many but the barge might need three as well. Whatever the case, the brake bands had been maladjusted which allowed one anchor to spool out. Yes, you'd think they'd know the the engine was being over worked! But the problem, with the prop pitch system throw the crew off as to why the engines was being over worked. Was the service company at fault??

Reading the incident report, it was something like that anchor was out of service. They had it repaired while the crew was off the boat. They came back on the boat. No one told them it was back in service, so at the times they did their walk arounds, none of them went over and checked that anchor because they thought it was still out of service. Someone just happened to be walking down that side of the boat right before it was heading into Indiana's harbor, heard something, thought it might be ice, looked over and Uh-Oh!

So combination of several things. If someone would have just checked it regardless of if it was out of service or not, they might have caught it earlier.

Also, wouldn't you think that in this day and age there'd be a sensor that says "Hey, 380' of anchor chain with a 12,000 pound anchor is being deployed right now."?

 

[ArlyA]

Well ya, seems like you should check your anchor when you are on watch. This is really getting out of my realm of expertice. I may have spoke with our boat buddy before this report came out.

 

[RalphVa]

We lived a couple times on assignment in Sarnia, Ont. First time was an apartment overlooking the river across to the US. Could see all the shipping that went by.

 

[MossRoad]

We lived a couple times on assignment in Sarnia, Ont. First time was an apartment overlooking the river across to the US. Could see all the shipping that went by.

That would be pretty cool to watch.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Thought this kind of alarming. Temperature Inversion.