Boatnerd Discussion Forum

Hey J B, thanks for the offer for the ride on a "snow machine" I have forgotten that term Perhaps I was in your yard when I came up to Bay Ship the end of Jan When we were out on the bay I saw there was a little park across from Bay Ship so we drove around to find it.very beautiful area. I sold our snowmobiles a few years ago and have really missed them. We have been thawing out down here, is it starting to thaw up there? And do you see the AMA? I responded to another post about her moving into the grave dock? She is why we went up before but she was hidden and I could only get partial shots. She is an elusive one that AMA, for me at least!! I don't see an opportunity to get up there in the next 2 wks and she'll probably sail out soon, correct? That's my luck, it seems. Lisa

Lisa, Looks like the Indiana Harbor will be coming out of Dry Dock Today, One tug is out breaking ice as of noon today, I would expect more tugs shortly. I also Live right across from Bay Ship, if you need access to the bay for picture taking let me know, I have a snow machine I can take you out on. better than taking a car on the Ice and more safe.

[quote="LisaIL"]I was wondering if there was a webcam at Sturgeon Bay or Bay Ship, specifically? Or do you just go by Google Earth? Thank you, Lisa[/quote]

It does not look like there is one for Bay Ship, Lisa. However, if you click on the Links button, and go to the webcams menu, you will find a cam that takes you to Fox News, which has a web cam at the Door County Maritime Museum, across the bay from Bay Shipbuilding. You might want to check that out in the day time to see what vantage point it gives you.

Google Earth is not a live feed photo setup, but shows aerial photos of an area which Google has access too. Areas that are not covered by the aerial photos use satellite imagery from a variety of sources, some better than others.

I heard the Indiana harbor is coming out tomorrow morning. One told me Thursday morning though. The dock has been cleaned out so it will be within two days.

I was wondering if there was a webcam at Sturgeon Bay or Bay Ship, specifically? Or do you just go by Google Earth? Thank you, Lisa

I appreciate the info on the Indiana Harbor. I will keep watch for your posts Thank you!

The planned undocking of the Indiana Harbor Feburay 22'nd. But again, it changes often. As far as driving out in the bay, you have until the end of the month for the most part. It melts fast.

If I hear of a confirmed date on the Indiana Harbor, I'll be sure to let you know.

[quote]The Indiana Harbor is planned to leave the dry dock this Friday. It often changes though. It will go back next to the Gott and McCarthy. I believe the McCarthy is the next to be dry docked.
[/quote]

Oh how sad! I would like to come and watch them manuever them around, unfortunately, I can't make it Friday Am I missing something as I do not find information on this site regarding the changes in layup? Also is or when does Sturgeon Bay melt, as the last time up we were able to drive out on the bay. It made for some real nice pictures.

The Indiana Harbor is planned to leave the dry dock this Friday. It often changes though. It will go back next to the Gott and McCarthy. I believe the McCarthy is the next to be dry docked.

Much thanks to Timerover51 for elaborating and defining for me what a graving dock is and how it works. I appreciated the Google earth tour as I could see exactly what you were teaching me. I wish you well with your purchase of the Bramble and look forward to your pictures regarding the process in dry docking the vessel.

Thank you also to kazoonerd for defining the hailing port and legal requirements for me. I didn't realize the regulations were according to state and federal regulations. I thought they were only under federal regulations, interesting. And now I know that Hailing ports and Ports of registration are the same things. I find all the information very fascinating. Thank you again.

Is there any information on how long the Indiana Harbor will remain in the graving dock? And when she is finished with her repairs, where will she go? I'd like to go back up there when she pulls out, if possible?

[quote="Guest"]The Tregurtha is 1,013'6" and the Miner is 1004'. Was the Indiana Harbor moved into the graving dock yet?[/quote]
The Indaiana harbor is in the large graving dock at this time.

[quote="Guest"]are the blocks in the graving actually made of wood? from the pictures i've seen as well as seeing it empty from a distance they look like concrete blocks, very gray in color.[/quote]
The blocks in the graving dock are concrete base topped off with a solid block of oak.

[quote="Guest"]Both boats belong to Interlake Steamship Company. The port of registration has nothing to do with that. However, you may have noticed they had similar stack markings. I suggest you start referring to the fleet photo gallery where you will find the answers to many of these questions and perhaps carry a copy of "Know Your Ships" when you do your boatwatching.[/quote]

The "hailing port" of a documented vessel is often found in the State in which the company owning the vessel is incorporated. A lot of documented vessels have Wilmington, DE as their "hailing port" due to Deleware's laws with regard to coroporations. This may explain why two lake boats owned by the same company have the same "hailing port." Federal law requires the "hailing port" of the vessel to be displayed on the stern. 46 CFR, Sec 67.1 et. seq. A vessel's home port, port of registry, or hailing port, is its port of origin as shown on its registration documents and lettered on the stern of the ship's hull. A vessel clearly does not ever have to have been in its "port of origin." It is a legal requirement.

are the blocks in the graving actually made of wood? from the pictures i've seen as well as seeing it empty from a distance they look like concrete blocks, very gray in color.

[quote="LisaIL"]The Indiana Harbor was 4th from the end. It was the Pineglen, Walter McCarthy Jr, Edwin H Gott, and the Indiana Harbor. I don't know what a graving dock is.[/quote]

If you go to Google Earth, and search Sturgeon Bay, you will see on the east side of the bay, to the north of the shipyard, a large rectangular structure with two ships in it. That is the graving dock or dry dock. It is called a "graving dock" as it is a permanent, fixed structure designed to be flooded with water to allow a ship to enter, and the the gates at the end are closed and the water is pumped out of the dock, allowing the ship to settle on wooden keel blocks that support the hull when there is no water in the dock. With the dock empty, the ship's hull can be cleaned and inspected, and any necessary repairs done. When the work is completed, the dock is flooded with water again and the ship is floated out.

You will see two smaller rectangular structures in the Google Earth picture and those are floating dry docks. They are not fixed, but most can be moved if needed. They are operated by flooding the side walls with water and lowering the bottom of the dock to below the keep of the ship to be worked on. The ship is then brought into the dock, and the water is then pumped out of the side walls, raising the bottom of the dock, which has keel blocks ready to support the ship, to the bottom of the ship. As the water in the side walls continues to be pumped out, the ship is raised higher and higher in the water until the entire hull and the floor of the dock is above the water's surface. Then any required work is done.

Graving docks are typically used for large ships, and the floating docks for smaller ones. In World War 2, the US Navy built segmented floating dry docks that could be towed in sections to where they were needed, and when joined together were capable of handling the Iowa-class battleships, 888 feet long and weighing about 52,000 tons equipped.

I anticipate using the floating dry dock at Basic Marine in Escanaba, Michigan to dry dock the Bramble once purchased. If that happens, I suspect that my son and I will take plenty of photos to post here on boatnerds.

The Indiana Harbor was 4th from the end. It was the Pineglen, Walter McCarthy Jr, Edwin H Gott, and the Indiana Harbor. I don't know what a graving dock is.

Both boats belong to Interlake Steamship Company. The port of registration has nothing to do with that. However, you may have noticed they had similar stack markings. I suggest you start referring to the fleet photo gallery where you will find the answers to many of these questions and perhaps carry a copy of "Know Your Ships" when you do your boatwatching.

The Tregurtha is 1,013'6" and the Miner is 1004'. Was the Indiana Harbor moved into the graving dock yet?

Thank you for your response to my question. I am wondering why they would remove all the ballast water before the ship is docked or it appears she is not docked since both these ships appear to be hanging out at the end and in a different position that the others docked, maybe there is something that I couldn't see from the angles we were at. However, we pretty much found all the areas to observe from. Can the tugs still manuever the ships around with their ballasts empty?Or is this all about ice? Does ice have anything to do with it at all? I am attaching a pic so that you may see what I am trying to talk about.
Also I can see that the ships are not the same ships, perhaps a better question would have been, since both ships have the port name on the backs of them, does that conclude that they are owned by the same company. So I was more clear. Thank you again for your answers.

They're raised out of the water so far because ALL of the ballast water is drained from it in addition to any cargo. The Miner and the PRT are very different, the PRT is 1012' long and the Miner is only 1003'. They just happen to have the same home port.