Boatnerd Discussion Forum

In 1992 when the Incan Superior was finished her service to Duluth from Thunder Bay she was being readied for the trip to the West coat.
I was hired to be the adviser for her trip down though the Seaway as the crew were all from the west coast.
There was a railroad tank car loaded and secured on deck. This was to be for fresh water for the trip as the ships tanks did not have sufficient capacity. (it was filled crossing Superior)
Prior to sailing I had all the ballast tanks filled as the weather on Superior was not so good.
When filling it was noted that water coming from a crack in the hull and this delayed our departure till it was welded up.
When we sailed there as no crowd to see us off and the only thing was that the port of Thunder Bay radio wished us Bon Voyage when I reported that we cleared the Welcome Islands.
As the boat had been on a regular run for years we had to get charts for the trip and the "loran C" was of the old type.
I suggested that we were fitted with a GPS when in Montreal for the ocean voyage down the East coast and through the Panama Canal and up the west coast.
Is it was not fitted with large storage capacity for food we had several household deep freezers on deck and dry stores where ever there was space.
I was not impressed with the pilot house as the white interior paintwork was now a brown colour.
We had to have special permission from the Seaway Authorities to transit as she was not fitted as their requirements for mooring and we stopped at Port Colbourne for inspection.
As the Seaway pilots now realised that the crew had not the qualifications to do the pilotage except myself, they insisted on a pilot being on board.
As this was to be until Montreal I called the office in Thunder Bay and suggested as that was the case they did not need me on board so I left her in the Welland Canal wishing them a safe passage. I would not have liked to do the trip having been deep sea and knowing the type of weather they could experience.
A GPS was fitted in Montreal and the Radars serviced for the trip and an additional radio fitted.

I realize what I'm posting is about a service that is thousands of miles away from the Great Lakes, but it may affect the future of a former Great Lakes vessel.

Seaspan Ferries Corporation announced this week that they are having two new truck ferries built for their Vancouver Island, British Columbia service.

[url]http://www.seaspan.com/2014/seaspan-ferries-corporation-awards-contract-build-two-new-liquefied-natural-gas-fuelled-vessels/[/url]

They will be duel fuel (diesel and LNG) open-deck bow-loading ferries with a capacity of 59 trucks. 488' by 85' by 23' with duel z drives. To be built by Seduf Shipyard in Istanbul, Turkey and expected to be in service by the end of 2016. Basically jumbo versions of the current configuration of the [i]Princess Superior[/i].

First, its interesting that they will be built overseas when Seaspan has its own shipyard in North Vancouver. They apparently expect their own yard to be at capacity with Canadian government contracts for non-military vessels.

Second, it will be interesting to see how these open-decked boats get delivered. Certainly in the old days they would have sailed under their own power. But with the huge semi-submersible carriers available today, perhaps they will be carried across the oceans for delivery.

Third, given the width of the new ferries (almost 20 feet wider than the [i]Princess Superior[/i] and [i]Carrier Princess[/i] and almost 30 feet wider than the [i]Seaspan Greg[/i]), it is likely that new slips will need to be built. A year or so ago Seaspan announced that they may consolidate their Nanaimo operations at Duke Point. If new slips are built, it will likely mean the retirement of the three older ships.

If the [i]Princess Superior[/i] is retired by Seaspan, I would find it really interesting if it wound up back on the St. Lawrence as a spare boat for COGEMA out of Matane. The [i]Georges Alexandre Lebel [/i]is their only ferry and they now operate 2 routes (Matane to Baie Comeau and Matane to Sept Iles). [i]Carrier Princess, Princess Superior[/i] and [i]Georges Alexandre Lebel[/i] are all near sisters, but by the same builder with the same hull dimensions and machinery. Only the superstructures were substantially different. COGEMA has to embargo their rail service every time their ferry is in drydock.

[quote="captrmez"]Hi Rob -

Yes the open deck on the Incan Superior was a problem during the winter. The night the Fitz sank we were headed for Superior when the wind switched to the NW so we had the lee of the land all the way to
Superior. We stayed about 10 miles off shore and by the time we got to Superior we had a deck load of blue ice on the rail cars. We tied up to our dock and used hot water hoses and fire axes to chip away on the ice. It took most of the day before we could unload the rail cars. The Incan was a fairly good sea boat but in a heavy sea the waves use to come over the bow and freeze. Each car had chocks on the wheels and chain on all four ends of each car, it was a big problem when they iced up. And in the summer it use to get so hot securing down the cars you could fry an egg on the hot deck and the deckhand sweated. It would have been better if the deck was covered.[/quote]
Thanks so much, Captain!

I vaguely remember one hazy summer day not long after the Belle River developed her regular SMET to Detroit Edison run where I found myself at Canal Park Watching the Belle River arrive. Well, soon after she passed through Captain Metz and the Incan came rolling through the ship canal with 3 ~ 4 deckhands sitting on the railroad deck looking exhausted in the 95° Duluth summer heat. I can only imagine how hot it was on deck! :)

One of those things that I hate to admit now......Back in the mid-1970s when our family vacations were often spent in Duluth along with several day trips there each year, the Incan Superior was such a regular visitor that we often didn't both running down to Canal Park to watch it come in or leave, unless there was something else moving at the same time. Same became true of the Robert C. Stanley. Seemed like every time we were in Duluth the Stanley would be arriving or departing. No big deal, seen that one a bunch of times. Same was true to a lessor extent with the William Clay Ford and Homer D. Williams. I really cringe now to think that these boats coming and going were no big deal. What I wouldn't give for an afternoon of boat watching at Canal Park in 1976 now.

Hi Rob -

Yes the open deck on the Incan Superior was a problem during the winter. The night the Fitz sank we were headed for Superior when the wind switched to the NW so we had the lee of the land all the way to
Superior. We stayed about 10 miles off shore and by the time we got to Superior we had a deck load of blue ice on the rail cars. We tied up to our dock and used hot water hoses and fire axes to chip away on the ice. It took most of the day before we could unload the rail cars. The Incan was a fairly good sea boat but in a heavy sea the waves use to come over the bow and freeze. Each car had chocks on the wheels and chain on all four ends of each car, it was a big problem when they iced up. And in the summer it use to get so hot securing down the cars you could fry an egg on the hot deck and the deckhand sweated. It would have been better if the deck was covered.

One thing I've always been curious about and never gotten an entirely satisfactory answer to is how the Incan Superior handled Lake Superior's notorious temper with that open deck load of rail cars and whether icing caused major issues with loading and unloading. It would be great if the good Captain could find a moment to give his opinion and experiences on the subject. Thanks!

From 1988 to 1992 I made several trips to Duluth where I would make sure to see the [i]Incan Superior[/i] loading and unloading 50 foot boxcars in Superior and passing under the Aerial Lift Bridge, and then I would drive up to Taconite Harbor to see the unique Erie Mining trains and ship loading operation. Just speaking for myself, watching ships sure was a lot more interesting and fun in those days.

I remember This Ferry going through in I believe 1987,The lady in the Marine Musium brought to Our attention how She would hug the north shore as soon as it cleared the Duluth peer.

Indeed Captain, it was sad to see the Incan leave us. I enjoyed watching her every chance I got. Thank you for the pictures and stories Captain.

Yes Scott you probably did wave as we went by as I brought the Incan Superior in to the Duluth Harbor 693 times and in all kinds of weather. On foggy days I could not see the bridge until I got underneath, the bridge tender once said that he could see right through the Incan. I hated to see the old girl leave the lakes and when she came from Vancouver she use to do 20 knots but we had to cut her speed back as she would shake & vibrate too much.

I recognized a few boats while growing up in Duluth (Belle River, Roger Blough, Arthur M Anderson, Alpena) However, most recognizable was the ferry Incan Superior. It was sad to see her leave the Lakes. Thank you, Captain Metz, for the many times you brought her through the Twin Ports. I'm sure I waved to you more than a few times between feeding the seagulls :)