Boatnerd Discussion Forum

The MV Arctic was not originally built to carry oil as well as bulk cargo such as ore or grain it was converted in 1985. See

http://www.fednav.com/anglais/vessels/mvarctic_en.html

That poses the question of cleaning the side tanks when ballast was needed. The use of a Butterworth machine would be limited in the space provided in the side tanks and double bottom. And again, no manifold piping for loading/unloading was provided.

Hugh...The oil was supposed to be carried in side tanks if I remember right. Look at the side tank scuttles on the old "Penal Colony" aka Sparrows Point and you will see what I mean.

A 1952 SNAME paper titled "Great Lakes Ore Carriers SS 'Johnstown' Class" was written by Robert M Cashman and Charles E Ericson of the Bethlehem Steel Company Shipbuilding Division. The paper makes no reference to the ability to carry oil as a cargo.

[i]The contour of the ore holds, the width of the hatches and the position of the longitudinal bulkheads were determined largely by the unloading facilities at the Lackawanna steel plant, where the two Bethlehem ships will spend most of their time unloading. The ore holds are four in number, separated by screen bulkheads, and are served by a total of eighteen hatches spaced on 24'-0" centers.[/i]

The paper did contain some interesting information that the boats were built so that they could be converted from oil-fired as built to coal-fired if economics favored coal at a later date. Also mentioned that they were some of the few Great Lakes vessels built that were stern launched.

Regarding the earlier post about the bulkheads originally being solid, perhaps that was a requirement for the delivery voyage from the Sparrows Point yard.

The October-December 1997 issue of Seaway Review had an article on the widening of the Algoville (now Tim S. Dool). It was mentioned that she was built with a watertight bulk-head between holds 1 and 2 in order to transport Canola oil, which apparently she did earlier in her career.

[quote="Onco"]If memory serves me right the Johnstown and Sparrows Point were supposedly designed to do it.[/quote]

Those two along with their sister, the Elton Hoyt 2nd, were the ships I was thinking of as I started this thread. But I wasn't sure if I was remembering that detail correctly so I left it out.

Doesn't sound like there's much information out there on this feature then. I wonder what's left of this feature today on the Michipicoten and the Lewis J. Kuber or if they were even equipped for it or were just built with the capability to add the necessary equipment later on if Bethlehem and Interlake so desired.

Would the builder's plans shed more light on it?

Just talked to a friend who sailed on the Sparrows Point and he told me a few things about her. Just before she came up on the Lakes they had solid bulkheads between the five holds. They had limber holes installed on both sides of the screens (bulkheads) so that when washing down the holds there would be free flow of the water. In order to carry Oil those holes would have to be eliminated each trip. There was no manifold on her for loading or discharge.

[quote="Onco"]If memory serves me right the Johnstown and Sparrows Point were supposedly designed to do it.[/quote]

I believe you are right. A few years ago I was doing some research on this class of ships and came across a reference to them being designed with the capability to carry oil. At the time, I could not substantiate this design feature in any other reference material, so it did not make it into my final work on the subject. For some reason, I cannot remember exactly where I found this information, so I will take a look through my collection to see if I can nail down where it came from.

If memory serves me right the Johnstown and Sparrows Point were supposedly designed to do it.

[quote="Guest"]I vaguely recall something about several American flagged ships built during the 1950's that had this capability that went unused. Was hoping to find out some details.

Thanks[/quote]

See the Wikipedia entry for this kind of ship;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ore-bulk-oil_carrier

You're probably thinking of the old Ore Transport, Inc., then owned by National Steel, Armco, and Youngstown Sheet & Tube. In 1955 it had the C4-S-A4 [i]Californian[/i] (formerly [i]Mount Greylock[/i]) brought to Inoshima, Japan, to be converted into an ore/oil carrier by Hitachi. The plan was to carry ore from Sept Isles to the east coast in the summer and oil the remainder of the year. It didn't work, and I believe she was converted to a container ship in 1960 and ran for Matson afterwards.

I vaguely recall something about several American flagged ships built during the 1950's that had this capability that went unused. Was hoping to find out some details.

Thanks