Alpena - The Steam-Powered Alarm Clock!
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- Опубліковано 29 чер 2024
- Here is the steamship Alpena arriving in Duluth, Minnesota just after 5:00am on June 5, 2024. She was carrying bulk dry cement to unload at the Holcim (LaFarge) dock on the Superior side of the harbor. The Alpena had actually arrived on the afternoon of June 4, but due to heavy fog they chose to sit at anchor. And while the fog lifted on the evening of June 4, it was quickly replaced by rain which lasted much of the night. As morning twilight arrived, they picked up anchor and made their way into the shipping canal before heading across the harbor to the Superior side. I wasn't quite sure if we would hear a captain's salute from the Alpena's steam horns, but they didn't disappoint! (Note the steam coming out of the horns located on the front of the smokestack.) The Aerial Lift Bridge answered the Alpena's salute with one of their own.
This was my first sighting of the Alpena since 2021. She only visited the Twin Ports once in 2022 and once again in 2023, but I was unable to travel to Duluth to capture those visits. The other cement deliveries those seasons were done by tug-barge combos. But nothing replaces the sight of the Alpena, so it was especially nice to finally see her in person again!
The Alpena passed by two saltwater vessels in this video. The first was the Thea G, who also spent the night at anchor waiting for better visibility. They would follow the Alpena in through the canal about 80 minutes later. Once inside the harbor, the Alpena met the vessel Gwen who was on her way to depart Duluth. We will see more of Gwen's departure and the Thea G's arrival in upcoming videos, so stay tuned.
The Alpena started her life as the 639-foot Leon Fraser in 1942, the first of five "super" carriers known as the Fraser class (or AA-class). She spend her first 40 years of service carrying mostly iron ore until she was laid up in 1982... mostly due to larger lakers (including the 1000 footers) rendering the older straight-deck steamers somewhat obsolete. Her four sister ships all met the scrapyard torch in 1988-1989. In 1989, the Leon Fraser was acquired by Fraser Shipyards in Superior to be converted into a cement hauler. Unlike other vessels that were lengthened to give them new life, the Fraser was shortened to 519 feet to serve her new role. Following conversion, she was acquired by Inland Lakes Management and renamed the Alpena, starting her life as a cement hauler in 1991... a role she still serves in today. While older hulls are used on the lakes as barges and storage vessels, the Alpena is the oldest self-contained lake carrier still in operation today. She still runs with her original De Laval cross-compound steam turbine, which puts out 4,400 shp (shaft horsepower). May she continue to sail for many more years to come!
Keen viewers should keep an eye out for a large fish jumping out of the water during this video. Considering the distance the fish was from the camera when it jumped, it had to be quite large... perhaps a lake sturgeon?
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Alpena is one of the most beautiful ships on the lakes.
Can’t argue with that! 🙂
Thank you for including the history of these vessels, I am learning a lot.
Thanks for taking the time to read the descriptions. 🙂
What a beautiful ship, the Alpena never disappoints. She’s my favorite. Gotta love them horns.
Great to see The Alpina, my father, who is 93 sailed on her when she was the Leon Fraser. He was only Fourteen... faked his birth certificate to get on and spent two summers as a deck hand.
Very cool. You couldn’t do that today! 😁
It's nice to see that at least a few steam-driven commercial ships remain in service
I love the Alpena so much! I hope they keep her going for quite a long time. Gorgeous
Great photography, audio and editing. It's nice that the Alpena came to a complete stop each time you needed to reposition your camera. ;-)
Thank you! I wish that was true. I had a couple of mess-ups here while recording, but fortunately was able to (mostly) fix them in editing
A great catch of this truly Classic Lady..... a perfect example of what a lake freighter should look like.... and sound like. As always, thank you for sharing. 👍
I wish I could rewind the years and see more like her in action.
Fantastic catch, dawns moody light, classic laker, rising fish, 3fer1 and I’d be very happy to be woken every morning by those horns⏰🏴🇬🇧…
It did make for a great morning of ship watching. Four ships in a 90 minute span, including the John G. Munson.
She's such a beautiful girl, coming in off the lake in the dawn of a new day. Thanks for getting up, early in the AM, to catch her entering Duluth.
Thanks for watching!
A most unusual ship.
Very cool.
Thanks for the video.
Thanks for watching!
She and the Iglehart are the only two classic cement carriers left, may they both serve ILM for many years to come!
I wish I would’ve seen the Iglehart back in the day when she was still running. But I make sure to glance in her direction each time I drive by. (Same with the Ryerson.) 🙂
Absolutely magnificent.
Thanks Greg! 🙂
Steam horns are a treat.
Steaming in! I did see the steam from the horn on the stack, thanks! Ship with a history and oldest one sailing very cool.
Currently four steam-powered freighters on the lakes, but the last to use a steam driven horn. 🙂
Handsome vessel. Counter stern, sweeping shear, plumb bow stem. A classic.
Alpena is in my top 3 favorites!! She's a classic beauty!
Still my favorite...see her all the time, just goin' about her work. Oldest still working on the lakes if I'm not mistaken.
Thanks!
Yes, just slightly older than the Lee A. Tregurtha. 🙂
more class and design then any other freighter sailing the lakes. she is a beauty
Wonderful! Really enjoyed the video. Thanks for sharing it. Cheers.
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
Thank you for another great video of these humongous ships.
You’re most welcome! 🙂
It is rare to see her in Duluth. So happy you did and filmed her! She is the most beautiful ship of all time!
She made exactly one visit each in 2022 and 2023, both times later in the season. Hopefully we get a 2nd or 3rd visit this year! 🤞
I just watched her again, and she is perfect in every way! @@1Long2Short
Excellent footage, dramatic scene, interesting back story. Thanks for mentioning that thing that jumped out of the water - I wasn't sure what that was...
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Its quite literally a floating time capsule ❤
That is one pretty ship she looks great I enjoy hitching a ride her
She is a good looking lake boat!
One thing that caught my interest was the softly glowing portholes in the bow. It got me to wondering if that was where the crew's "Mess" was.
I think it’s in the stern, but sometimes there is a special mess for officers and VIPs in the bow. Not sure what the Alpena has.
Nothing beats the good ol' Alpena! Also I'm pretty sure the fish jumping out the water was a Lake Sturgeon, I see them breeching all the time in the St. Clair River and the shape looked just like what you filmed.
Thanks! I figured there aren’t many other fish in the lake that are that big!
The Alpena is a fine old ship. A ship that showcases that Steam can still be relevant.
Also, the Lake Freighter design (with Pilot House Forward & Engine Cabins Aft) is a much better looking arrangement than the regular Ocean Going Ships.
LakeBoats just look better, and they last longer too.
You won’t get any argument from me. 😉
Thanks for posting another great video! I'd venture to say if you love ships and the Alpena isn't among your favorites there is something wrong with you. Just a beautiful ship, love everything about her. And how her steam whistles "huff and puff" is beyond cool!
I agree. If you don’t like (or at least appreciate) the Alpena, I question your boatnerd credentials! 😁
fine multiple cam work, well edited
Thanks! I’m using just one camera, so I have to work quickly between setting up each shot. 😉
I was lucky to see her in the soo locks back in 2018, I was on the tour boat and she gave us a steam salute. I should have got it on video!
Steam lives-at least for this year
Anyone else spot the fish jumping at 1:15?
A very big fish too considering how far away it was from my position!
@@1Long2Short Definitely bring a rod with you next time!
Nice Thx
From a time when ships were ships, not big barges.
I love the old style white ventilation funnels on her stern. No other lake freighter has those anymore.
Great history on a laker. Being from the gulf coast, this is the only way i can learn about these vessels. How many knots does the Alpena move at wide open throttle?
Thanks! As I write this, she is moving 11.7 knots on Lake Michigan. I think 11 to 13 knots is her typical running speed. She might be capable of more, but they might take it easy on her 82 year old engine. Parts might be difficult to source these days. 🙂
Already a busy morning in Duluth. Out of curiosity, is that a small unloading conveyor belt behind Alpena's pilot house?
Yes, it is. But I seem to recall they don’t use it, relying instead on a shore based unloading system. I could have misheard that, however.
Alpena 🤍
Looks like the hull has sagged by almost 2 feet just aft of the middle.
It was built that way. The “sag” is the sheer of the hull. 🙂
If you had a list of lakers youd want saved what would they be?
I hate seeing any classic laker getting scrapped, but you can’t save them all. So I try to see the ones that are still in operation.
Nice to know that there is still a steam powered ship on the lakes. Are there any others?
The other three currently active are Arthur M. Anderson, Philip R. Clarke, and Wilfred Sykes.
@@1Long2Short Thanks- it would be nice if they ever came to Toronto.
No smoke? What do the boilers burn?
Bunker C heavy oil. They don’t smoke like the old coal-fired boilers do!
Sometimes I wish I could get a salute from her myself.