Self Unloader LOUIS R. DESMARAIS

Here's an interesting snap from Shaun, a patient of my son-in-law, Rod, (who is a chiropractor here in Kanata), of the CSL self unloader LOUIS R. DESMARAIS entering upbound into Iroquois Lock. After being launched in Collingwood in 1977, the 730'x75' DESMARAIS was quite a versitile ship, able to service a variety of trades from coal to cement clicker to Seaway and Great Lakes ports in the summer months, and also being built with a bulbous bow which would have allowed her to handle forceful wave action with ease when working deep-sea in the winter months or when meeting with larger 'ocean' bulk carriers in the Gulf of St. Lawrence or in the Canso Strait to transferring coal, destined elsewhere across the pond. I'm not certain when Shaun's snap was taken, except it had to be prior to 2000 when LOUIS R. DESMARAIS entered Port Weller Dry Docks for conversion to 'SeawayMax' dimensions. During her stay in dry dock, the forebody of the DESMARAIS was removed and replaced with a new one that was longer and wider, new  state-of-the-art automated self unloading equipment was installed and after all was said and done, she re-entered service in April 2001 with also a new name, CSL LAURENTIEN.

Last February, I snapped the 740'x 78' CSL LAURENTIEN (below) going nowhere sitting high and steadfast in Port Colborne's winter ice. Though sporting a very different look up-forward from Shaun's snap at Iroquois lock (top), the converted LAURENTIAN (http://carlzboats.blogspot.ca/2012/04/while-laid-up-for-winter-of-2005-in.html) gives every appearance of being a hard worker and providing a good return on investment. Meanwhile, regardless of whatever name is painted on her hull, that original LOUIS R. DESMARAIS bridge, accommodations, and engine-room stern section (above&right) is looking pretty good for her age. Nothing wrong with sprucing things up as times change. Could be good for business, the bottom-line and, survival. Know What I Mean, Jelly Bean?
PS: Thanks for the snap, Shaun. Feel free to send more my way, Carl c);-b

PHOTO UPDATE: December 6, 2020

For whatever reason, unfortunately I haven't been able to photograph the big CSL LAURENTIEN that often and in fact the last time was on July 2, 2016 from the elevated observation platform at the Welland Canal's Lock 3 in St. Catharines. In these pics you'll see the LAURENTIEN enter, then be lowered and continue on her downbound transit to Lock 2 and beyond. 

Hey, if you're looking for an upfront in-your-face place to check out boats of all sizes, Lock 3 is truly it.  Regardless of all of the restriction due to  COVID-19, the observation deck and Welland Canal Museum, also located there is open to the public though there are some changes to make your visit safe and enjoyable during this nasty pandemic. Just click on this link for details https://www.stcatharines.ca/en/St-Catharines-Museum.asp 

She appears to be so close you could touch ✋ her, but you can't.

The average lift (or drop) for the seven Welland Canal flight locks that acts as steps for ships to traverse the Niagara Escarpment is 46.5 feet (14.2 meters).

Shadow of me far left in shorts taking pic as CSL LAURENTIEN motors out of the lock 😀

Gone but not forgotten ALGOWOOD approaches the double-leaf bascule Homer Street Bridge in the distance.

Barges BIG 503 & BIG 543 and Push Tug W.N. TWOLAN

This seem to be my year for 'First-timers'. At the Soo, I got to see my first of several 1000 footers like the EDWIN SPEERS (http://carlzboats.blogspot.ca/2013/09/self-unloader-edgar-b-speers.html). Then earlier I got to see the petite but effecient trailng dredger OCEAN TRAVERSE NORD (http://carlzboats.blogspot.ca/2013/06/trailing-suction-hopper-dredger-ocean.html) and then the VIKINGBANK with the reversed bow (http://carlzboats.blogspot.ca/2013/08/dry-cargo-ship-vikingbank.html). Having trouble controlling yourself too? Could there be any more first timers for me this year? You betcha!! Like I couldn't believe me eyes when I looked down river through my binocs and saw this big beautiful bulging pair, perked up and pointing high while being thrusting towards me with little resistance against a constant flow. YES!! 'Hello Girls'!! Introducing the barges BIG 543 & BIG 503 lashed securely and squeezed tight together side by side and tucked barely visible between their shapely rigged hopper covers, was the veterean tug W.N. TWOLAN. Hey, dirty mind there, I talking about a tug and a pair of barges here, not the regular fare at HOOTERS or a Victoria Secret catalog. Yes, I know I've posted the odd tug & barge coupling (STOP IT!), like the EVERLAST & NORM McLEOD (http://carlzboats.blogspot.ca/2012/11/tug-barge-everlast-norman-mcleod.html) and like those that my friend Jim in Maryland have  sent me that flop this way and that as they wind their way along the meandering Wicomico River to Salisbury, MD - like push boat ROANOKE & DOUBLESKIN 214 (http://carlzboats.blogspot.ca/2013/07/tanker-barge-double-skin-214-pushboat.html). However, they have only been a single barge being pushed by a tug, and that's how I've only seen it done along the Seaway and Welland Canal.
Those 'Big Girls' are both 190' long and 35' wide, so when they're paired together, there's still 2.5' on either side when passing through Seawaymax locks which are 80' wide. They are both well built in the States; BIG 503 in Jeffersonvile, Indiana in 2000, while the 543 was built in 2003 in Ashland City, Indiana. They were both probably built to do river trade service along the Mississippi and it's tributaries where they'll lash together as many 35 barges  (5 wide x 7 long) and the tug or push boat, would have a flat bow like the ROANOKE or NIKKI-JO-C (http://carlzboats.blogspot.ca/2013/02/push-boat-nikki-jo-c.html).

I was also surprised to see the old work horse tug, W.N. TWOLAN pushing the 'Girls' along past River Park in Brockville. It appeared the end was near for the TWOLAN as she was laid up next to the SALVAGE MONARCH (http://carlzboats.blogspot.ca/2013/04/tug-boat-salvage-monarch.html) a couple of summers ago until she was chartered out by Les Grains Lac Superior Ltee of Trois Rivieres, Quebec and placed to handle grain barges like the 'BIG Sisters' along the Seaway to Great Lakes ports like Hamilton, where they were heading to when I took these snaps. The twin screw W.N. TWOLAN was built in 1962 at Davie Shipyards in Lauzon, Quebec as a government tug and was based out of Churchill, Manitoba on Hudson Bay until 1986. Then, McKeil Marine of Hamilton purchased her to work in the much warmer waters of the Great Lakes. In 1995 the TWOLAN started towing logging barges for Buchanan Forest products of Thunder Bay, Ontario until this new gig pushing the busting BIG barges in 2011. If you ask me, they make a nice threesome. HELLO, I'm talking BOATS, here!! c);-b

Carlz Boats: Tanker JANA DESGAGNES

Carlz Boats: Tanker JANA DESGAGNES: Though it certainly was an astounding tragedy when the FITZGERALD disappeared about 17 miles west of Whitefish Bay with her crew of 29 during the evening of November 10, 1975, 62 years earlier, another ferocious storm with hurricane force winds played havoc to Great Lakes shipping for three days and when the devastation ended on November 10, 1913, 250 lives were lost, 19 ships sank and another 19 freighters ran aground or were left disabled on lakes Superior, Michigan, Erie and mostly Huron. 

Tanker JANA DESGAGNES

It was a typical gloomy day on November 10th when Tanner and I motored down to the St. Lawrence to snap the new downbownd Trillium-class CSL self unloader BAIE COMEAU. Apparently the conditions were pretty much the same back 38 years to the day when the 730' ore carrier EDMUND FITZGERALD ventured across Lake Superior heading fully loaded for Cleveland, Ohio until she encountered massive seas and gale force winds which as sung in the Gordon Lightfoot classic 'came the wreck of the EDMUND FITZGERALD'. All joking aside, (like me about to be cut down by a huge poster of the mighty 'FITZ' at the Boatnerd World Headquarters in Port Huron, Michigan), because for years mariners who plied the Great Lakes feared the unpredictable 'gales of November' as they were known to change direction within minutes and leaving their ships to be mercifully pounded by waves 25' to 35' in size. Though it certainly was an astounding tragedy when the FITZGERALD disappeared about 17 miles west of Whitefish Bay with her crew of 29 during the evening of November 10, 1975, 62 years earlier, another ferocious storm with hurricane force winds played havoc to Great Lakes shipping for three days and when the devastation ended on November 10, 1913, 250 lives were lost, 19 ships sank and another 19 freighters ran aground or were left disabled on lakes Superior, Michigan, Erie and mostly Huron. Obviously technology continues to improve and lessons have been learned since the Great Lakes Storm of 1913 and the sinking of the EDMUND FITZGERALD but it's good to see that despite passage deadlines, mariners and ship owners are taking heed to wind warnings.
While waiting for the second period of the Sens & Islanders game to start on Nov. 1, Janie and I were wondering why there appeared to be no ship movement along the Seaway when checking out our MarineTraffic app. Ends up the Welland Canal section of the Seaway had been closed since 4:30 a.m. due to strong wind gusts of up to 106 km/h at Port Colborne. Warnings are issued when wind speeds reach 90km/h, which is the speed when damage typically begins to occur. During the last 18 years, wind gusts have sped past 100km/h, 50 times in Port Colborne. Also interesting was to see about 5 ships that were anchored and taking protection on the lee of Long Point on Lake Erie and another in Prince Edward Bay on Lake Ontario. All other ships appeared to be tied off or anchored in the system. You simply can't risk your souls and assets when dealing with gales of November.

Meanwhile, back to the boat blog - while motoring along Lakeshore Drive east of Iroquois, I snapped the 405' tanker JANA DESGAGNES as she sliced her way against the current and a strong head wind.   Like her sister, ESTA (http://carlzboats.blogspot.ca/2013/08/tanker-esta-desgagnes.html), the JANA DESGAGNES was built in Wismar, Germany in 1992 and is currently managed by Rigel Shipping of Shediac, NB. While making her way to Mississauga, Ontario, the JANA almost blew right past me, impressively made lots of white water and then quite a wake as she passed the 740' BAIE COMEAU. Hey, check out that post. It'll blow you away too, (http://carlzboats.blogspot.ca/2014/01/self-discharging-bulk-carrier-baie.html) or not c);-b

Carlz Boats: CCGS CAPORAL KAEBLE VC

Carlz Boats: CCGS CAPORAL KAEBLE VC: This sleek and impressive looking ship is named after Joseph Thomas Kaeble who near Arras, France, with the 22nd (French Canadian) Battalion in 1918, and being the only one of his section unwounded, leapt from the trenches with his machine gun and single-handedly repulsed some 50 attacking Germans. He was fatally wounded and posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, which is the highest and most prestigious award given in the British Commonwealth for gallantry in the face of the enemy.

CCGS CAPORAL KAEBLE VC

The daylight saving requirement to turn back the clocks by hour arrived once again last Sunday morning, but despite the shortness of light and a daytime high of only 3.5C, my brave and faithful dog, Tanner and I made the best of a beautiful fall day along the St. Lawrence searching for new potential 'Carlz Boats' posts. We lucked out. At Brockville I snapped the oil tanker ALGOEAST as she effortlessly glided by upbound and then soon after, the tug W.N. TWOLAN pushing two grain barges lashed side by each continued to make her way towards Lake Ontario. Further downstream, I got a few good snaps of the laker-saltie CEDARGLEN transiting Iroquois Lock but the treasure of the day was what caught my eye in the distance, a red hulled vessel that didn't show up on any of my usual ship-search websites. Kind of 'off everyone's radar' or 'only those who needed to know', knew of her intentions and whereabouts. But as she got closer I began to realize the reason for the 'cloak & dagger' movement of the mystery vessel. It was the Canadian Coast Guard Hero-class patrol ship, CAPORAL KAEBLE VC.

CAPORAL KAEBLE VC is one of four Hero-class patrol vessels that are used in a joint program with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to enhance maritime security along the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway system. A total of nine ship of this class were built at Halifax Shipyards and the KAEBLE, was launched in 2012. Each are 140'x23.3', and have a top speed of 25 knots or 46k/h. They also have a combined crew of 14 (8 CCG+6 RCMP or Fisheries) personnel and each can launch or retrieve rigid-hull inflatable boats while in motion. CAPORAL (French for 'Corporal) KAEBLE VC is the second of the nine mid-shore patrol vessels that are being named after RCMP, Canadian Coast Guard, Department of Fisheries & Oceans and Canadian Forces personnel who are credited with performing exceptional or heroic acts during their service.

This sleek and impressive looking ship is named after Joseph Thomas Kaeble who near Arras, France, with the 22nd (French Canadian) Battalion in 1918, and being the only one of his section unwounded, leapt from the trenches with his machine gun and single-handedly repulsed some 50 attacking Germans. He was fatally wounded and posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, which is the highest and most prestigious award given in the British Commonwealth for gallantry in the face of the enemy. It indeed was a proud moment to photograph myself next to a bust of Caporal Kaeble at the Valiants Memorial at Confederation Square in Ottawa. He truly, 'Stood On Guard For Us'. Where would be be today without brave service people like Joseph Thomas Kaeble. Tomorrow, November 11, is Rememberance Day here in Canada, the day that not only marks the end of First World War but also a day for everyone to take moment and remember those Men and Women, Moms and Dads, Aunts and Uncles, Sisters and Brothers, Cousins or just Friends, who put their lives on line for the freedom we have today in conflicts before WWI and since.

So as the CAPORAL KAEBLE VC  gracefully started picking up speed to help get her a little closer to her next destination in Hamilton, Ontario, I will remember her not for just her impressive look and unique task, but also because of this ship's namesake 'Joseph Thomas Kaeble', a True Canadian Hero!  'Lest We Forget'.

Bunkering Tanker HAMILTON ENERGY

As the high in the water ALGOMARINE  (http://carlzboats.blogspot.ca/2016/05/final-voyage-1-self-unloader-algomarine.html) below, slowly made her way towards Port Weller's Lock 1, the 201' and fully loaded former British coastal tanker,  HAMILTON ENERGY slipped in off Lake Ontario barely noticed. In fact, her silent-running approach required a stealth-like cormorant to divert its course to safely streak across the bunker tanker's bow to get to better fishing grounds on the other side of the channel.

Since being built in 1965 in Grangemouth, Scotland, HAMILTON ENERGY has seen many seas with many different names and though the end was near for this little work-horse, she continued to prove her worth daily until that day came along. When launched at Grangemouth Dockyards, her name was PARTINGTON, after a small town located along the Manchester Ship Canal in northwest England. Then, she primarily transferred refinered UK oil along the British coastline for Shell Oil. From 1979-81 she continued her services only with a new name, the SHELL SCIENTIST. In 1981, the SCIENTIST ventured across the big pond to Halifax and while then named METRO SUN, she continued to transport oil products to ports along the St. Lawrence River and Atlantic Canada. In 1985, she was purchased by Provmar Fuels of Hamilton, Ontario, and after being refitted as a bunkering tanker, the currently named HAMILTON ENERGY has been providing bunkering services for all kinds of ships from Hamilton to Oshawa to the Northern end of the Welland Canal in Port Weller. Probably her most famous top up of bunkering fuel went to the Royal Yacht, HMY BRITANNIA during her last voyage to the Great Lakes in 1996. HAMILTON ENERGY can carry up 1,260 tons of marine diesel and with the aid of a recently installed pitch propeller and stern thruster, along with her bow thruster and at least 50 old rubber tires lashed on either side, she simply motors up then ties off to the ship in need, tops up her tanks and then when all is good to go, HAMILTON ENERGY sails to her next customer or a fill up of her own hold back in Hamilton. No drive thru self service here. Simply an embracing cuddle then full service fuelling with a smile. Just like the old days at the neighbourhood Texaco or White Rose service station. Those were the days, my Friends!! c);-b