Alpena - The Steam-Powered Alarm Clock!

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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