McKee Sons makes its 2nd visit

Mon, May 12, 2008    to del.icio.us

The Grand River Navigation self-unloading barge McKee Sons, with the tug Invincible in the notch, came in overnight Thursday — arriving at 10 p.m. and leaving very early the next morning. It took delivered load of stone to Meekhof's D&M dock next to the power plant on Harbor Island in Grand Haven.

This was its second visit of the season and the first making a delivery.

Grand River Navigation is the U.S. affiliate of the Canadian company Lower Lakes Towing, which in turn is owned by Rand Logistics Inc.

The McKee Sons was launched as a C-4 seagoing cargo carrier named Marine Angel in 1945 at Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. in Chester, Pa. In 1953, this vessel was lengthened 123 feet and converted to a self-unloader at Maryland Drydock Co. in Baltimore.

It has two distinctions: It was the first saltwater ship converted to a self-unloading boat for the Great Lakes, and it has more namesakes than any other Great Lakes vessel. This boat is named for the 11 sons of the three principals of the Sand Products Corp.: Mark, Max and Paul McKee. Although it has since been converted (1991) to an unpowered, self-unloading barge, sold and resold, it has maintained its unique name.

As presently configured, this barge is 579 feet 2 inches long, with a breadth of 71 feet 6 inches, and a depth of 38 feet 6 inches, with a 250-foot boom. Its capacity is 19,000 tons. It is equipped with a bow thruster. The tug Invincible is considerably newer, having been built in 1979. It is diesel-powered, 100 feet long with a 35-foot breadth, and a depth of 22 feet 6 inches.

Readers may have heard of an effort by the various tourist and visitors bureaus along the Lakeshore to mark the route of the old West Michigan Pike, which became U.S. 31. This road linked all of the resort towns along the shores of Lake Michigan from the state line to Manistee. There is a lot of maritime history along this route as well.

The Heritage Museum and Cultural Center at St. Joseph will have a room-size exhibit this summer on the Hennepin, the first self-unloading vessel on the Great Lakes.

At South Haven, there is the Michigan Maritime Museum, with numerous exhibits and a full-size replica of the schooner Friends Good Will. The original vessel saw service in the war of 1812 in the Battle of Lake Erie. Cruises are available when the vessel is in port.

At Saugatuck, the retired Canadian Pacific passenger steamer Keewatin is open for tours. This palatial vessel gives a clear picture of what passenger service was on the Great Lakes in bygone days.

Also in Saugatuck is the Star of Saugatuck, a paddle wheel-driven excursion boat, with a great trip on the Kalamazoo River and Lake Michigan. The trip includes an historical narration of the sights in the area.

Grand Haven is well-known as Coast Guard City USA, and its annual festival the last weekend in July through the first weekend in August offers a chance to tour modern Coast Guard cutters. The newly renovated Depot Building of the Tri-Cities Historical Museum, on the waterfront, has an extensive maritime section. It will reopen late this month.

Muskegon has the Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum with the retired World War II submarine USS Silversides and the retired U.S. Coast Guard cutter McLain, as well as a brand new museum.

Also at Muskegon is the former steamer Juniata, which sailed for many years between Muskegon and Milwaukee as the Milwaukee Clipper. This boat is being restored by a dedicated group of volunteers and is expected to move this year from the old Grand Trunk Ferry Dock near the Lakeside neighborhood to the Mart Dock downtown where it will join the LST-393, another World War II vintage vessel being restored.

LST stands for landing ship tank. After the war, this vessel sailed between Muskegon and Wisconsin, delivering automobiles as the Highway 16. It was named after old U.S. 16. This predecessor of I-96 ran from Detroit to Muskegon.

If you want to take a cruise, the Port City Princess is also docked at the Mart Dock. It is a former Mackinac Island ferry boat.

Ludington has the last remaining coal-fired passenger steamer on the lakes, the former Pere Marquette/C&O Railroad car ferry. It now carries automobiles, trucks and passengers between Ludington and Manitowoc, Wis.

For those who wish to see what a railroad car ferry really looked like in its heyday, the former Ann Arbor Railroad vessel, City of Milwaukee, has a permanent berth just north of the bridge in downtown Manistee.

There are also two lighthouse museums among the many lighthouses in West Michigan: Big Sable Point north of Ludington and the White Lake Lighthouse at the Lake Michigan entrance to White Lake. The latter is reportedly haunted.

If anything or anyone has been omitted from this list, it is absolutely unintentional. We would appreciate readers bringing these to our attention at wsqa@iserv.net. Just put "GL history" in the subject line.

The outer harbor still has not been dredged, so boats are few and far between. We know of none expected currently.