Post by yachtsmanwilly on Dec 12, 2015 17:14:02 GMT -5
Altho I don't usually do the shipping news or weather on the weekends, it just came to my attention that the Str. ALPENA was on fire at Bay Ship in Sturgeon bay last night. The BADGER is slipped right next to it for a 5 year COI. The same bunny huggers want to shut down the ALPENA that tried to kill the BADGER 2 years ago. Heres some lead -in stories from today... ws
Alpena on Fire at Bay Shipbuilding
12/11- 8 p.m. update - Multiple fire departments were responding to a fire on board a ship at Bayshipbuilding Co. in Sturgeon Bay on Friday night.
Local reports state that a large fire is burning in the engine room and aft cabins on the cement carrier Alpena as it is in dry dock at Bay Shipbuilding. Heavy smoke was coming out of the port holes and door ways, Fire departments from Sturgeon Bay with help from fire dept. from the surrounding towns are on the scene.
The Alpena, a 519-foot self-unloader owned by Inland Lakes Transportation Co., has been undergoing maintenance at the shipyard.
Door County Advocate and Jim Conlon
Damage extent unknown as engine room fire breaks out on steamer Alpena
12/12 - Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – Fire broke out Friday evening on a Great Lakes cargo ship docked at Bay Shipbuilding Co. in Sturgeon Bay. About 100 firefighters from nine fire departments were called to the shipyard just after 6 p.m. Smoke was pouring from the back of the Inland Lakes Transportation Co. ship Alpena when crews arrived.
The Alpena, a 519-foot self-unloader, arrived at the shipyard last Saturday for its regularly-scheduled five-year inspection. Bay Ship is one of the busiest maintenance yards on the Great Lakes. The extent of the damage, and what caused the blaze, was unknown Friday night.
All Door County departments provided mutual aid assistance to the Sturgeon Bay Fire Department in the form of personnel and equipment – crews from the Southern Door, Jacksonport, Baileys Harbor, Ephraim, Baileys Harbor, Ephraim, Sister Bay/Liberty Grove, Egg Harbor and Brussels-Union-Gardner departments all responded. Late Friday there were no reports of injuries.
The fire reportedly broke out in the Alpena’s engine room. About 90 minutes after the first call came in, there appeared to be less smoke than earlier, but crews were expected to remain well into the night.
Alisa Landman, who lives across the channel, said she heard sirens at about 6:30 Friday night and saw billowing smoke. By 8:30 p.m. there was less smoke, and reporter Clare Kaley said there appeared to be less of a sense of urgency.
According to the Tim Herlache, chief of the Sturgeon Bay Fire Department, the blaze was about three decks down, near the engine room of the ship, although the engine was not involved in the fire. Chief Herlache said the dining area, the cafeteria and some staterooms on the ship were all heavily damaged.
Photos showed blistered paint on after starboard quarter of the vessel.
He said the biggest problem for firefighters was the extreme heat. He described conditions as "like and oven" and said firefighters would "burn their knees" as they crawled across the deck of the steel-hulled ship. Three ambulances were on the scene, mainly to help out firefighters who became dehydrated in the extreme heat.
Built in 1942 as the bulk carrier Leon Fraser for the U.S. Steel interests, the Alpena is the oldest operating steamship as well as one of just a few remaining steam-powered vessels on the Great Lakes. She was adapted for use as a cement carrier in 1991.
Alpena is in the dry dock with the carferry Badger, which is not believed to have been affected. The 1,000-footer American Spirit is in the berth next to the dry dock and the Arthur M. Anderson is on the other side of the Spirit.
Door County Advocate, Green Bay Press Gazette, WeAreGreenBay.com
S.S. Badger visits her Sturgeon Bay maker
12/12 - Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – A piece of Great Lakes and Sturgeon Bay history was hauled into Bay Shipbuilding Co. in Sturgeon Bay last week by the Selvick Marine tugs. The S.S. Badger is currently dry docked at the shipyard, its original home, for a hull and maintenance check.
Chuck Leonard, vice president of navigation at Lake Michigan Carferry Service (LMC), said the vessel is being inspected to determine the integrity of the hull. “As we anticipated, it sounds like she is in very good condition,” Leonard said. “She was built very robustly, and we’re optimistic she has years and years in her yet.”
When constructed by Christy Corp. and launched in 1952, the Badger’s hull was reinforced for ice breaking so it could run the lake all year. It was originally made to carry railroad cars and it traveled to Milwaukee, Manitowoc, Kewaunee and Ludington, Mich. The Badger and its twin, the S.S. Spartan, were two of many ferries that traveled the lakes, but by 1988 the Badger was the lone ferry left on Lake Michigan.
The Badger sat idle in 1990-91 as the car ferry service in Ludington died out. However, Charles F. Conrad purchased the Badger and retrofitted the boat for passengers and their cars. The Badger is the only coal-burning steamship of its kind left in North America.
Today, as the Badger gets its five-year checkup, LMC is already looking forward to next year’s season. When the vessel returns to Ludington for the winter, the company will begin its maintenance program while the engines are cold.
The last voyage across the Lake was on Oct. 11, and the first of 2016 is planned for May 12.
Terrie Brown, director of marketing and media for LMC, said they run it only seasonally for passengers, even though the boat is built to withstand bitter temperatures. “Before, when her main objective was hauling freight, it made sense to run her all year,” Brown said. “For passengers, we like to keep their comfort in mind, rather than the ability to cut ice.”
The Badger operated in 2015 for the first season under Environmental Protection Agency standards, after LMC converted the ship to contain burnt coal in the hull, rather than depositing it into the Lake. “We are proud of what we have done, and it worked out the way we hoped,” Leonard said.
The EPA and Department of Justice had given the company until 2015 to modify its coal ash-dumping methods or suffer shutdown. With the new system the ash is unloaded on land and used to make cement.
Being able to run the boat as the last large coal-burning vessel in the Great Lakes and United States is a source of historical pride for LMC. “We understand that running this boat has historical significance to Ludington, Manitowoc and even Sturgeon Bay,” Leonard said.
“It is also a way of introducing a different kind of transportation to younger generations,” Brown said. “We take great pride in that.”
Through the years of being a carferry, the Badger has moved a number of interesting things on the four-hour tour, including the Budweiser Clydesdales, a Shelby Cobra Club, tractor groups and a whole circus. This last summer, Captain Curtis even had the opportunity to marry a couple while at port in the pilothouse.
This week, two filmographers visited Sturgeon Bay to film the Badger at Bay Ship for the hull inspection.
Ken Nelson and Dr. Steve Dryden have been producing film of the ship for a documentary that is to be ready in spring 2016. The two filmmakers are from Indianapolis and have traveled on the Badger multiple times, once for a four-day stint. The documentary covers the history of the Badger and its relationship to Lake Michigan, Ludington, Manitowoc and Sturgeon Bay. They were able to capture passenger stories, removal of the ash-gun system, how the boat is run, managed and more.
Nelson said they would be including a shots of the Selvick tugs moving the Badger, shots of Sturgeon Bay, Bay Ship and the Holiday Motel. The motel furnishings replicate those used in the Badger’s 40 staterooms, and the hotel was built just before the Badger and Spartan were commissioned.
“There is a lot of history in the Badger, and we are excited to put this film together,” Nelson said.
The “Big Badger,” as Charles Conrad liked to call it, is expected to return to Ludington for the winter by late next week. To see regular updates about the Badger’s whereabouts, visit the LMC website at www.ssbadger.com or on their Facebook page, S.S. Badger: Lake Michigan Careferry.
Door County Advocate
THEN, TO COMPLICATE MATTERS...
The Navy’s newest ship USS Milwaukee breaks down, towed into port
12/12 - The littoral combat ship Milwaukee, the Navy’s newest ship, broke down Dec. 11 and had to be towed more than 40 nautical miles to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, Va.
The ship suffered an engineering casualty while transiting from Halifax, Canada, to Mayport, Fla., and ultimately its home port of San Diego. The cause is being evaluated by ship’s crew and technical consultants.
Initial indications are that fine metal debris collected in the lube oil filter caused the system to shut down, according to a Navy statement provided to Navy Times. The cause of the metal debris in the lube oil system is not known and assessments are ongoing.
The ship was commissioned Nov. 21 in Milwaukee, Wis., and has been making the long trek to San Diego through the Great Lakes since.
Problems with the propulsion plant began almost as soon as Milwaukee got underway from Halifax. The ship’s computer system triggered an alarm and the ship called away an engineering casualty.
Engineers cleaned out the metal filings from the lube oil filter and locked the port shaft as a precaution. In the early hours of Friday morning, the ship was conducting steering tests and lost lube oil pressure in the starboard combining gear due to the presence of the same metal filings in that filter.
The metal filings in the lube oil have not been a class-wide issue, according to the Navy.
The ship then dropped anchor while the engineers worked on the system. By mid-morning, the salvage ship Grapple rendezvoused with Milwaukee and connected a towing hawser line for the trip back to Little Creek.
News of the breakdown reached Capitol Hill by late Friday. Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement to Navy Times that the plant issues were troubling and called for accountability.
“Reporting of a complete loss of propulsion on USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) is deeply alarming, particularly given this ship was commissioned just 20 days ago,” McCain said. “U.S. Navy ships are built with redundant systems to enable continued operation in the event of an engineering casualty, which makes this incident very concerning.
“I expect the Navy to conduct a thorough investigation into the root causes of this failure, hold individuals accountable as appropriate, and keep the Senate Armed Services Committee informed.”
Navy Times
Alpena on Fire at Bay Shipbuilding
12/11- 8 p.m. update - Multiple fire departments were responding to a fire on board a ship at Bayshipbuilding Co. in Sturgeon Bay on Friday night.
Local reports state that a large fire is burning in the engine room and aft cabins on the cement carrier Alpena as it is in dry dock at Bay Shipbuilding. Heavy smoke was coming out of the port holes and door ways, Fire departments from Sturgeon Bay with help from fire dept. from the surrounding towns are on the scene.
The Alpena, a 519-foot self-unloader owned by Inland Lakes Transportation Co., has been undergoing maintenance at the shipyard.
Door County Advocate and Jim Conlon
Damage extent unknown as engine room fire breaks out on steamer Alpena
12/12 - Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – Fire broke out Friday evening on a Great Lakes cargo ship docked at Bay Shipbuilding Co. in Sturgeon Bay. About 100 firefighters from nine fire departments were called to the shipyard just after 6 p.m. Smoke was pouring from the back of the Inland Lakes Transportation Co. ship Alpena when crews arrived.
The Alpena, a 519-foot self-unloader, arrived at the shipyard last Saturday for its regularly-scheduled five-year inspection. Bay Ship is one of the busiest maintenance yards on the Great Lakes. The extent of the damage, and what caused the blaze, was unknown Friday night.
All Door County departments provided mutual aid assistance to the Sturgeon Bay Fire Department in the form of personnel and equipment – crews from the Southern Door, Jacksonport, Baileys Harbor, Ephraim, Baileys Harbor, Ephraim, Sister Bay/Liberty Grove, Egg Harbor and Brussels-Union-Gardner departments all responded. Late Friday there were no reports of injuries.
The fire reportedly broke out in the Alpena’s engine room. About 90 minutes after the first call came in, there appeared to be less smoke than earlier, but crews were expected to remain well into the night.
Alisa Landman, who lives across the channel, said she heard sirens at about 6:30 Friday night and saw billowing smoke. By 8:30 p.m. there was less smoke, and reporter Clare Kaley said there appeared to be less of a sense of urgency.
According to the Tim Herlache, chief of the Sturgeon Bay Fire Department, the blaze was about three decks down, near the engine room of the ship, although the engine was not involved in the fire. Chief Herlache said the dining area, the cafeteria and some staterooms on the ship were all heavily damaged.
Photos showed blistered paint on after starboard quarter of the vessel.
He said the biggest problem for firefighters was the extreme heat. He described conditions as "like and oven" and said firefighters would "burn their knees" as they crawled across the deck of the steel-hulled ship. Three ambulances were on the scene, mainly to help out firefighters who became dehydrated in the extreme heat.
Built in 1942 as the bulk carrier Leon Fraser for the U.S. Steel interests, the Alpena is the oldest operating steamship as well as one of just a few remaining steam-powered vessels on the Great Lakes. She was adapted for use as a cement carrier in 1991.
Alpena is in the dry dock with the carferry Badger, which is not believed to have been affected. The 1,000-footer American Spirit is in the berth next to the dry dock and the Arthur M. Anderson is on the other side of the Spirit.
Door County Advocate, Green Bay Press Gazette, WeAreGreenBay.com
S.S. Badger visits her Sturgeon Bay maker
12/12 - Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – A piece of Great Lakes and Sturgeon Bay history was hauled into Bay Shipbuilding Co. in Sturgeon Bay last week by the Selvick Marine tugs. The S.S. Badger is currently dry docked at the shipyard, its original home, for a hull and maintenance check.
Chuck Leonard, vice president of navigation at Lake Michigan Carferry Service (LMC), said the vessel is being inspected to determine the integrity of the hull. “As we anticipated, it sounds like she is in very good condition,” Leonard said. “She was built very robustly, and we’re optimistic she has years and years in her yet.”
When constructed by Christy Corp. and launched in 1952, the Badger’s hull was reinforced for ice breaking so it could run the lake all year. It was originally made to carry railroad cars and it traveled to Milwaukee, Manitowoc, Kewaunee and Ludington, Mich. The Badger and its twin, the S.S. Spartan, were two of many ferries that traveled the lakes, but by 1988 the Badger was the lone ferry left on Lake Michigan.
The Badger sat idle in 1990-91 as the car ferry service in Ludington died out. However, Charles F. Conrad purchased the Badger and retrofitted the boat for passengers and their cars. The Badger is the only coal-burning steamship of its kind left in North America.
Today, as the Badger gets its five-year checkup, LMC is already looking forward to next year’s season. When the vessel returns to Ludington for the winter, the company will begin its maintenance program while the engines are cold.
The last voyage across the Lake was on Oct. 11, and the first of 2016 is planned for May 12.
Terrie Brown, director of marketing and media for LMC, said they run it only seasonally for passengers, even though the boat is built to withstand bitter temperatures. “Before, when her main objective was hauling freight, it made sense to run her all year,” Brown said. “For passengers, we like to keep their comfort in mind, rather than the ability to cut ice.”
The Badger operated in 2015 for the first season under Environmental Protection Agency standards, after LMC converted the ship to contain burnt coal in the hull, rather than depositing it into the Lake. “We are proud of what we have done, and it worked out the way we hoped,” Leonard said.
The EPA and Department of Justice had given the company until 2015 to modify its coal ash-dumping methods or suffer shutdown. With the new system the ash is unloaded on land and used to make cement.
Being able to run the boat as the last large coal-burning vessel in the Great Lakes and United States is a source of historical pride for LMC. “We understand that running this boat has historical significance to Ludington, Manitowoc and even Sturgeon Bay,” Leonard said.
“It is also a way of introducing a different kind of transportation to younger generations,” Brown said. “We take great pride in that.”
Through the years of being a carferry, the Badger has moved a number of interesting things on the four-hour tour, including the Budweiser Clydesdales, a Shelby Cobra Club, tractor groups and a whole circus. This last summer, Captain Curtis even had the opportunity to marry a couple while at port in the pilothouse.
This week, two filmographers visited Sturgeon Bay to film the Badger at Bay Ship for the hull inspection.
Ken Nelson and Dr. Steve Dryden have been producing film of the ship for a documentary that is to be ready in spring 2016. The two filmmakers are from Indianapolis and have traveled on the Badger multiple times, once for a four-day stint. The documentary covers the history of the Badger and its relationship to Lake Michigan, Ludington, Manitowoc and Sturgeon Bay. They were able to capture passenger stories, removal of the ash-gun system, how the boat is run, managed and more.
Nelson said they would be including a shots of the Selvick tugs moving the Badger, shots of Sturgeon Bay, Bay Ship and the Holiday Motel. The motel furnishings replicate those used in the Badger’s 40 staterooms, and the hotel was built just before the Badger and Spartan were commissioned.
“There is a lot of history in the Badger, and we are excited to put this film together,” Nelson said.
The “Big Badger,” as Charles Conrad liked to call it, is expected to return to Ludington for the winter by late next week. To see regular updates about the Badger’s whereabouts, visit the LMC website at www.ssbadger.com or on their Facebook page, S.S. Badger: Lake Michigan Careferry.
Door County Advocate
THEN, TO COMPLICATE MATTERS...
The Navy’s newest ship USS Milwaukee breaks down, towed into port
12/12 - The littoral combat ship Milwaukee, the Navy’s newest ship, broke down Dec. 11 and had to be towed more than 40 nautical miles to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, Va.
The ship suffered an engineering casualty while transiting from Halifax, Canada, to Mayport, Fla., and ultimately its home port of San Diego. The cause is being evaluated by ship’s crew and technical consultants.
Initial indications are that fine metal debris collected in the lube oil filter caused the system to shut down, according to a Navy statement provided to Navy Times. The cause of the metal debris in the lube oil system is not known and assessments are ongoing.
The ship was commissioned Nov. 21 in Milwaukee, Wis., and has been making the long trek to San Diego through the Great Lakes since.
Problems with the propulsion plant began almost as soon as Milwaukee got underway from Halifax. The ship’s computer system triggered an alarm and the ship called away an engineering casualty.
Engineers cleaned out the metal filings from the lube oil filter and locked the port shaft as a precaution. In the early hours of Friday morning, the ship was conducting steering tests and lost lube oil pressure in the starboard combining gear due to the presence of the same metal filings in that filter.
The metal filings in the lube oil have not been a class-wide issue, according to the Navy.
The ship then dropped anchor while the engineers worked on the system. By mid-morning, the salvage ship Grapple rendezvoused with Milwaukee and connected a towing hawser line for the trip back to Little Creek.
News of the breakdown reached Capitol Hill by late Friday. Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement to Navy Times that the plant issues were troubling and called for accountability.
“Reporting of a complete loss of propulsion on USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) is deeply alarming, particularly given this ship was commissioned just 20 days ago,” McCain said. “U.S. Navy ships are built with redundant systems to enable continued operation in the event of an engineering casualty, which makes this incident very concerning.
“I expect the Navy to conduct a thorough investigation into the root causes of this failure, hold individuals accountable as appropriate, and keep the Senate Armed Services Committee informed.”
Navy Times
