The Great Lakes’ Most Historic Ship Arrives (Showing Off Refit!)

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  • Опубликовано: 5 фев 2025
  • The Lee A Tregurtha, a vessel whose historical highlights include battling Nazi U-Boats, escorting an invasion fleet to France, dodging Kamikazes at Okinawa and witnessing the Japanese surrender ceremony in Tokyo Harbor that ended World War 2, all before being cut apart, expanded, rebuilt and put back together multiple times while going on to outlive the entire US WW2 naval fleet, has now been refurbished to near mint condition. After a 2 month drydocking for a multi-million dollar refit which included steel replacement on her lower hull, cargo holds and unloading system, plus painting and inspection, she is now once again sailing! And at 82 years old she looks almost like new! Of course the life of a working freighter on the lakes is not easy, she did get one scratch going through the Soo locks
    The old warhorse, still bearing her old combat awards proudly on her pilothouse, arrived in Duluth loud and proud for the crowd gathered to see her. Surprised she came back this early! Last season it took until October or November for her to return to Duluth after laying up for winter here. Now she’s back only a week or two after her last appearance! Hopefully this is a good sign that she might be a more regular visitor here this season!

Комментарии • 42

  • @janetryan9779
    @janetryan9779 10 месяцев назад +8

    What a magnificent vessel! She looks great freshly refurbished. Thank you for also providing that very interesting history regarding her.

    • @jonathanellsworth21
      @jonathanellsworth21  10 месяцев назад +4

      Shee looks amazing! No problem! I do have a video in January that I got more in depth about her history and what exactly she did. Not an insignificant ship in WW2! Her story is not told enough, deserves to be a household name!

  • @jamesnelson6980
    @jamesnelson6980 10 месяцев назад +5

    Great video, Jonathan! Thank you for sharing, good luck and calm seas to the LEE A. this season.

    • @jonathanellsworth21
      @jonathanellsworth21  10 месяцев назад

      Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it! Fair winds and calm seas!

  • @gregmctevia5087
    @gregmctevia5087 10 месяцев назад +4

    Love her new paint job. Fantastic piece.

  • @robertlockwood3425
    @robertlockwood3425 10 месяцев назад +4

    Hats off to the crews of this historic vessel!

  • @carolewoolley7017
    @carolewoolley7017 9 месяцев назад +1

    All these classic ladies should have a chest full of medals. The stories these ships could tell, gliding for many decades across our inland seas. May they perservere for many more.

  • @Skippers58
    @Skippers58 10 месяцев назад +3

    Was a deckhand on her for a few trips when she was named the Walter . Sterling. Was a straight decker back then.

    • @jonathanellsworth21
      @jonathanellsworth21  10 месяцев назад

      Very cool! That would be an amazing experience. That would be before they lengthened her the second time correct? I think they added that and the unloading equipment at the same time if I read correctly.
      I’ve heard her unloading boom is temperamental from a few different people, unless that was fixed this year lol

    • @Skippers58
      @Skippers58 9 месяцев назад

      @@jonathanellsworth21 yes before they lengthened her. I was on it in 1960 or 1961. I worked on the boats mainly in summers during college. Worked mainly for Oglebay Norton.. was a great job, really enjoyed it!

  • @bettygilmore611
    @bettygilmore611 10 месяцев назад +2

    Great looking.
    the crew must be proud to sail her. Love the sun on her fresh paint.

    • @jonathanellsworth21
      @jonathanellsworth21  10 месяцев назад +1

      I’ve heard from a few people who have been passengers on her, her crew loves the ship, take good care of her!

  • @steveverhoef5667
    @steveverhoef5667 8 месяцев назад +1

    Okay the person that filmed this rocks! Thank you!

  • @lagodifuoco313
    @lagodifuoco313 6 месяцев назад

    We just went to Duluth Harbor two weeks ago. We saw the Barker leaving and the Paul R Tregurtha come in. As well as several other big ships. We toured the Irvin and drove around the loading docks. I'm now obsessed with the ships and Duluth as a whole. I can't get enough.

  • @user-AZ-phil
    @user-AZ-phil 10 месяцев назад +1

    Thanks for her history. It makes watching her glide through the canal and under the bridge even more impressive.

    • @jonathanellsworth21
      @jonathanellsworth21  10 месяцев назад

      No problem! I love telling the ships’ stories, this one especially because it’s so significant but for some reason not many people know it!

  • @jacquespollet7999
    @jacquespollet7999 6 месяцев назад +2

    Ces " lakers " sont votre histoire et vous pouvez en être vraiment fier ...( un ship lover from France )

  • @scopex2749
    @scopex2749 4 месяца назад

    BIG L.A.T looks superb! There are MANY MANY MILES under that keel!

  • @junechrisman3407
    @junechrisman3407 3 месяца назад

    She is a beauty!

  • @jaynorris3722
    @jaynorris3722 4 месяца назад

    She is magnificent. Simple magnificent.

  • @richardjohnson2965
    @richardjohnson2965 7 месяцев назад

    I’d love to be on that bridge looking out as she arrives Duluth ( or any Great Lakes port for that matter.). Magnificent!

  • @carolewoolley7017
    @carolewoolley7017 7 месяцев назад

    😮Valued and loved, respected for the hard work she does that benefits us all. Beautiful craftsmanship in creating a manmade vessel to battle god made nature. Bless these old ships, their captains and crews.

  • @RitzBitz96
    @RitzBitz96 10 месяцев назад +7

    I think I'd feel pretty bummed out if I was responsible for the first scratch on that shiny new paint! 😂

    • @jase4270
      @jase4270 10 месяцев назад

      There are thousands of scratches on the hull especially on the port side.

    • @jonathanellsworth21
      @jonathanellsworth21  10 месяцев назад

      @@jase4270 she just got painted and had new steel put on her over winter, all shiny and new!

    • @galewinds7696
      @galewinds7696 10 месяцев назад +1

      That's why when you buy a new pickup, you drive thru the woods and get it scratched really good and get that behind you quickly. 😅😢😅

    • @bigjohn9536
      @bigjohn9536 10 месяцев назад +2

      that's what happen when you let your wife drive the boat

  • @joankralik6794
    @joankralik6794 10 месяцев назад +5

    She is an American treasure! Hopefully upon her retirement, not anytime soon of course, there will have to be a place of honor for her. Like the Iowa or others who have something to teach us about the times & places she was a part of. Thank you Lee A, safe travels.

  • @boataxe4605
    @boataxe4605 10 месяцев назад +3

    My vote for most historic Great Lakes ship is the Arthur Andersen.

    • @jonathanellsworth21
      @jonathanellsworth21  10 месяцев назад +7

      Oh don’t get me wrong, Anderson has an amazing history as well, and her actions when the Fitzgerald sank are legendary. But Lee Tregurtha not only witnessed but played a pretty critical role in several of WW2’s most crucial moments and conflicts, arguably influencing all of history on a global scale. As much as I absolutely love the Anderson and her well deserved fame for what they did, I don’t think she can beat that! They’re both highly deserving of museum ship status!

  • @Bobbyo60
    @Bobbyo60 7 месяцев назад +1

    Looking fine…

  • @richardcline1337
    @richardcline1337 9 месяцев назад +1

    The Lee A Tregurtha is complete proof that even though a ship is old she still has a lot of life left in her. She looks great! I just wish those damned kids would have shut up so we could her her engines as she passed by.

    • @jonathanellsworth21
      @jonathanellsworth21  9 месяцев назад

      She looks amazing, they’ve truly put a lot into her the last few years, which is awesome.

  • @rottenroads1982
    @rottenroads1982 8 месяцев назад

    There is the Lee A. Tregurtha, and then there is the Paul R. Tregurtha.
    Two Tregurtha’s, Two sizes.

  • @greatlakesadventures2024
    @greatlakesadventures2024 10 месяцев назад +5

    The 2nd oldest ship on the lakes, tied with Alpena for being built in 1942

    • @jonathanellsworth21
      @jonathanellsworth21  10 месяцев назад +7

      Yep! Sailed on her maiden voyage on Christmas Eve, 1942. On that same voyage she was attacked by U-boats and narrowly escaped after four ships in her convoy were sunk. Amazing how her whole career almost never got out of the starting gate

  • @keithkuckler2551
    @keithkuckler2551 9 месяцев назад +1

    Was this originally a "lIberty" ship? Wondeful to realize what shipbuilders can do.

    • @jonathanellsworth21
      @jonathanellsworth21  9 месяцев назад

      She was the USS Chiwawa, Kennebec/ Chiwawa Class Oiler. Saw some very heavy action during the war. And yes she has received some HEAVY modifications over the years!