Barely Fits Under the Bridge! The Paul R Tregurtha Departs Fraser Ballasted Down! 95 Days in Port!

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About this visit:
The Queen heading to Fraser Shipyard for Winter Layup! Look at the Stack, missing the tower!
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See Pictures @   / duluthshipphotography  
About this visit:
The Paul R Tregurtha arrived Duluth MN January 17, 2023 at 19:08 for the 38th time this season! Arriving this time, instead of coal or to load Iron Ore they are arriving for Winter Layup! They headed to the Port Terminal to have their upper structure removed so they can fit under the Blatnik Bridge heading to Fraser Shipyard! If they did not remove it, they would tear it off passing under! They pulled into Port Terminal at 20:08 and the Benson Electric crew de-energized everything on the upper structure. January 18 at 10:10 they departed Port Terminal and headed to Fraser shipyard. They arrived at the Shipyard at 12:52 and tied up for the last time this season! They made good use of their stay at Fraser and had a lot of work done on the ship. It all ended April 22nd, 2024 after spending 95 days in layup, they had to pull the ship off the dock shallow, get into the dredged middle, ballast down and pull out of the Shipyard, heading to SMET to load coal and have the Tower and wiring reconnected.

Info from wikiwand.com
Construction
The Interlake Steamship Company was given a contract in 1979, by its customer Republic Steel, to transport iron ore from Lake Superior ports to their steel mill at Indiana Harbor, or to their transshipment terminal at Lorain.

Designed by the American Ship Building Company to fulfill two briefs:

Bulk carrier
Executive passenger transportation
With the second brief in mind, she was one of the first freighters with full air conditioning, elevators, and luxurious décor. Built in two parts, her keel was laid down on July 12, 1979, at the American Ship Building Company yard in Toledo, Ohio. On completion, the forward section was towed to their yard in Lorain, Ohio where it was mated with the stern portion. The completed hull No. 909 has a total length of 1,013 feet (309 m).

Stephens-Adamson designed a loop belt elevator system, that feeds a stern mounted 260-foot (79 m) discharge boom that can be swung 100 degrees to port or starboard. Capable of unloading at a rate of 10,000 long tons of iron ore per hour, or 6,000 net tons of coal per hour, the total system displaces 14,497 tons.

Formally launched on February 4, 1981, the vessel was christened on April 25, 1981, as MV William J. De Lancey, named in honor of Republic Steel's chairman who participated in the launch. In 1990 she received her current name. Paul R. Tregurtha, born 1935, was the Vice Chairman of Interlake Steamship Company's Board.
Operations
MV William J. De Lancey departed Lorain on her maiden voyage on May 10, 1981, sailing in ballast to Silver Bay, Minnesota, to load 55,944 long tons (56,842 t) of iron ore pellets. She arrived back in Lorain on May 16, 1981. She holds a number of cargo records:

August 7, 1982: 63,007 long tons (64,018 t) load at Escanaba, Michigan, for Indiana Harbor
July 20, 1983: broke the Lorain port record delivering 61,846 long tons (62,838 t) of iron ore pellets from Escanaba. She then established a lower lakes record by loading 50,239 long tons (51,045 t) net tons of coal from Ashtabula to Consumers Power, becoming the largest cargo loaded on the lower Great Lakes.
First 71 cargoes totaled 4,151,398 long tons (4,218,015 t), averaging 58,450 long tons (59,390 t) per load, restricted due to the lower draft in Lorain (less draft) and Escanaba to Indiana Harbor
Holds lower lakes record of 50,239 net tons of coal, shipped from Ashtabula, Ohio, to Consumers Power
2001 season: Carried the most cargo through the Soo Locks at 3,004,957 long tons (3,053,177 t)
On termination of the Republic Steel contract, on May 23, 1990, she was rechristened MV Paul R. Tregurtha at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, named in honor of the Vice Chairman of Interlake Steamship Co. On May 3, 2002, her only captain died in his cabin, Captain Mitch Hallin, aged 55.


Tonnage
14,497 net register tonnage 36,360 GT
Length 1,013.5 ft (308.9 m)
Beam 105 ft (32 m)
Depth 56 ft (17 m)
Installed power
2 × MaK 6M43C four-stroke diesel engines, 8,160 HP (6 MW) each at 514 RPM
Propulsion 2 × 5.33 m (17.5 ft) controllable-pitch propeller
Bow thruster: 1,500 hp (1,100 kW)
Speed 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph)
Capacity Iron ore: 68,000 long tons (69,000 t)
Coal: 63,616 long tons (64,637 t)