The grid option in Picasa made the picture of the ship too small so here is a better shot. 
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4 comments:
The self-unloading barge McKee Sons was built in 1945 initially as a type "C4-S-B2" fast troop transport by Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Chester, PA christened as the Marine Angel. Her overall length at construction was approximately 510 feet with her power coming from a 9,900 shp steam turbine engine. The Marine Angel was acquired by Amerisand Steamship Co. in 1952 with partial ownership shared with Boland & Cornelius (American Steamship Co.) whose fleet would operate the converted vessel on the Great Lakes. The retrofit of the Marine Angel included lengthening of 123 feet, new fuller bow, replacing the midship pilothouse with a new bow pilothouse, and an overhaul of her engine. This was completed at Maryland Drydock Co., Baltimore, MD. After being towed up the Mississippi River into the Great Lakes, her conversion to a self-unloader was finished at Manitowoc Shipbuilding Inc., Manitowoc, WI in 1953. She was christened McKee Sons and entered service that same year. As such, she became the first salt water vessel to sail as a self-unloader on the Great Lakes. The vessel was named in honor of the 11 sons of the 3 McKee brothers who were the principals of Sand Products Corporation, Detroit, MI.
The McKee Sons sailed as a steamer until 1979. From 1980 through 1990, she lay idle in Toledo, OH. Upper Lakes Towing Co., Escanaba, MI acquired the idle steamer in late 1990 converting her to a barge and shortening her hull by 53 feet 10 inches in 1991.
SAY WHAT?! I guess someone did their homework! The thing we found most interesting about the McKee Sons was a very low, almost pontoon-like rear deck that would certainly catch high seas...we couldn't "fathom" what that deck would be used for since it seemed not only extraneous, but dangerous. We didn't see a sea gate that would protect the inside of the ship from high seas. And not only did McKee Sons sport this strange appendage, a ship that came in the night before also had a similar deck....
The ships that look like the McKee Sons used to be Lower Lakers complete with crew, captain, quarters etc. But these have been "notched" so that the power and steering control comes from the tug that is driven up into the notch and attached via turnbuckles etc.
The low deck you noticed is sealed from the water getting in. The idea was that one tug could become the power and steering for a fleet of barges. The Integrity that docks at LaFarge Cement is a notched barge usually being pushed by the Tug Jaquelyn M. The Integrity used to be a lower laker but like the McKee Sons was old or no longer profitable on its own, so the pilot house, power house, quarters, engines etc. are removed and sold, the stern is notched to accept an articulated tug and the bow rounded to add more cargo space.
I am very impressed that you found out all these things. I don't know if you have ever seen one of these notched ships, but I saw the first two I've ever seen within 18 hours of each other and they are quite a strange sight. Your explanation makes perfect sense, but when you see the first one you've ever seen, it's confabulating! I now know more than I ever knew before about these types of ships. Unfortunately, all I will probably remember is "Tug Hole."
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