Pictures of the event at / duluthshipphotography
About this visit!
Their First and only Superior visit so far this season! The Joseph L Block arrived Superior July 26, 2024 at 18:02 to load iron ore at the BN dock. They came in at a pace of 2.6 Kts, coming in slow mainly because the dock is for the most part at the end of the canal. Easier to come in slow and steady VS hitting the water brakes hard. They arrived at the BN dock at 18:24 and began loading the ore. 18.8 hours later in their life, July 27 at 13:10 they finished loading and departed the dock. Thats where this video starts, them leaving with the bow watch assisting the Captain on the way out. They sailed out of Superior, notifying the Bridge (the bridge logs all harbor traffic) they were clearing the harbor at 13:39. The Block was in Port for a total of 19.6 hours. They were heading to Toledo OH to deliver the ore!
Info on the Block from Shipwatchers:
Year Built: 1976
Builder: Bay Shipbuilding Corp., Sturgeon Bay, WI
Hull #715
Registry: U.S. 574870
IMO #7502320
Laid Down: -
Launch Date: February 26, 1976
Commissioned: August 15, 1976
Construction
The Joseph L. Block was constructed as a self-unloading bulk carrier for Inland Steel Company. She was the only vessel built for Inland Steel under Title XI of the Merchant Marine Act of 1970.
The Joseph L. Block was the third of four similar sister ships, the others being the Charles E. Wilson, H. Lee White, and American Mariner. The following ships were each slightly longer versions of the Charles E. Wilson, with the Block being 48′ longer than the Wilson and 24′ longer than the White. The Joseph L. Block and the American Mariner were the closest to being identical, with the main differences being that the Mariner‘s forecastle is raked forward by 2’, and that she lacks the larger guest accommodations of the Block.
Her self-unloading equipment consists of a single hold belt leading to an aft-incline belt system to a 250′ deck-mounted boom.
General Stats
Length Overall: 728′
Length Between Perpendiculars: 714′
Breadth: 78′
Depth: 45′
Loaded Draft: 30’11”
Capacity: 37,200 Tons
Vessel Type: Incline-Belt Self-Unloader
Self-Unloading Boom Length: Aft-Mounted; 250′
Number of Cargo Holds: 7 [Hatch-Hold Arrangement: 3-3-3-4-4-4-3]
Number of Hatches: 24 [Dimensions: 44’x11”]
Primary Operations: Ore, Stone Trades
Propellers: 1 Controllable Pitch Propeller
Rudders: 1
Engineering Equipment
Original
Engine
Engine Type: Diesel Engine
Engine Manufacturer: General Motors Electro-Motive Division, Chicago, IL
Engine Model: 20-645-E7
Number of Engines:
Rated HP: 7000 BHP
Her Story
The Joseph L. Block was built in 1976 as a self-unloading bulk carrier by Bay Shipbuilding for Inland Steel. She was launched on February 26, 1976 at Sturgeon bay, Wisconsin, and christened on June 29, 1976. The Block sailed on her maiden voyage light for Escanaba, Michigan to load ore for Inland’s mill at Indiana Harbor, Indiana. This would be a common trade route for the Block up until the Escanaba ore dock’s closing in April 2017. The Block would prove to be the only Inland Steel freighter to have an aft pilothouse, and would also have the largest cargo capacity of the fleet.
The Joseph L. Block rubbed the bottom of the St. Marys River on October 12, 1990, requiring drydocking and repairs at Fraser Shipyards in Superior, Wisconsin. She also suffered early season ice damage during the 1996 and 1997 season. The Joseph L. Block closed the 1997 season at the Soo Locks on January 14, 1998.
In 1998, Inland Steel was purchased by Dutch steelmaker Ispat International, taking over Inland Steel operations on July 15, 1998. Inland’s fleet was in turn sold to Indiana Harbor Steamship Co. to remain Jones Act-compliant. The vessels were operated by Central Marine Logistics, being chartered by Ispat until 2008 when Ispat was involved in a European steel manufacturer merger. The vessels were then chartered by Arcelor Mittal, the resulting firm of the merger.
In 2020 Cleveland-Cliffs purchased the U.S. assets of Arcelor Mittal, and also took over the charter of the ships in the Central Marine Logistics fleet. Stack markings on the Block were changed to reflect this. Over the following seasons she began to see more variety in her trade routes, venturing outside her normal Lake Superior to southern Lake Michigan ore runs with varying stone runs and even trips to Lake Erie. She continues to be an active member of the Central Marine Logistics fleet.
Compiled By Brendan Falkowski
Updated on April 18, 2023
27 сен 2024
