Alpena - Oldest Operating Laker Arrives In Duluth, Blowing Her Steam Whistle
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- Опубликовано: 9 июн 2019
- Here is the steamer Alpena making an early morning arrival in Duluth, Minnesota shortly after sunrise on May 31, 2019. As always, she was bringing in a load of cement... which is the only cargo she carries. She treated us to the sound of her steam whistle while sending a captain's salute to the Aerial Lift Bridge.
The Alpena started out her life as the Leon Fraser at 636 feet long. She was shorted to 519 feet when she began her life as a cement hauler in 1989. The Alpena is currently the oldest operating lake boat, having been launched in 1942. She is just slightly older than the Lee A. Tregurtha, which was also launched in 1942 (but didn't begin her lake boat career until 1961).
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I used to watch ships like the ALPENA on the Saginaw River. when I was younger.
Every part of the ship says "Classic"
Thats what i said they should restore that classic beauty
@@arnoldflowers8686 Yeah
Lovely old girl, great sounds.
She's a true beauty for sure.
Leon always did have some great sounding steam!
Has that classic look not like the newer 1000 ft barges and horn sounds Awsome.
This ship is as old as my grandma. I've always wanted to sail on the Great Lakes on these things. I'm sure the demand for sailors isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
As a sailor out here myself, no it is not. As a matter of fact companies, my company (Interlake) in particular, are almost begging for people!
Nice morning light and calm lake, looks fabulous!
I hope if the Alpena ends up being retired that it is turned into a museum ship
I hope so too, but the odds are slim. People tried to save cement carrier JB Ford (from 1903) as a museum ship, but they just couldn’t raise enough money or interest from the public. She’s currently being cut up at the scrapyard. 😞
Not likely, its unlikely that even Arthur m Anderson would be turned into a museum ship after its service life, let alone lesser known ships like Alpena.
@@1Long2Short True odds are slim, Alpena would be a neat vessel, but if you tour the William A. Irvin the turbine engine rooms are similar with only four years apart. If it were saved it would be good to highlight her Super history. She was built for US Steel as the Leon Fraser; along with Benjamin F. Fairless, Enders M. Voorhees, A. H. Ferbert and Irving S. Olds.
I just watch a video on the J.B. Ford which if I remember right is the sister ship to the Alpena. Very interesting to watch and learn. It’s nice to see that the Alpena is still going strong unlike the J.B. Ford. Thank you again for sharing your videos with all of us. I appreciate it.
Both ships were roughly similar in size and color, but the JB Ford was built nearly 40 years before the Alpena. Sadly there isn’t much left of the JB Ford as of yesterday when I drove by, Only a small part of her bow remains, but with no pilot house.
It’s too bad they couldn’t save the Ford
@@1Long2Short it is sad to learn how their careers end.
wow that blowing whistle tell us the sounds & messages from the past.
the stories she could tell!
Captain Beakman: Blows Ship Whistle
Mia: yay hey we Made it
Wow what a sight!
Salute timestamp 2:36.
Nice...
Shes Vintage❤
Salute 2:38
Almost got a job as 3rd Assistant Engineer on this wonderful ship. I would have to extreme honor of working on a reciprocating steam engine.
What happened? The job went to a relative of some guy who's on a ship already?
@@maxnikolenko2302 They found out about a job that I worked on in the past. I didn't get along with an old boss on that old job and he probably talked bad about me when the owners of the Alpena called my old employer. So the owners of the Alpena said that I wasn't a good fit for the company. Which was fine because I immediately got a job the the Indiana Harbor afterwards.
@Wasatch I know the difference between the two but I had my info mixed up with another ship. I learned my mistake when I recently started sailing with an engineer that worked that ship. Honest mistake really.
I think the original Alpena was the Wyandotte Chemicals Alpena and was a self unloadeder. My father at one time was her Captain. Wyandotte Chem. Had 4 ships the Wyandotte, Alpena, Huron, And Conneaut. I might do a series on this forgotten Fleet.
its kinda crazy that when i was up in duluth i heard the same whistle mabey it wasnt the same but i sounded similar to this
There used to be more steamships with a similar horn, but the Alpena is one of the last left on the lakes with that sound.
@1:42 that reminds me of a photo of the Edmund Fitzgerald I’d seen plenty of times
Yeah
I thought the same thing.
Yeah, likely a very similar vantage point: maybe even the same spot
Hard to believe she was shortened 120 feet back in the 80's!
The shorter length allows her to fit into tighter ports.
@@1Long2Short like Alpena
You did an absolutely amazing job on this 😳🙈💃👍🏼 What gear did you use to shoot this if I may ask?
I really hope they save the ship instead of scrapping it
Hopefully she can continue running another 10-20 years before retiring!
@@1Long2Short Aye. I’d love to see her reach her centennial like the Challenger and Ford.
does she now get the "Grand Old Lady" moniker?
i think it's steam horn not whistle. whistle and horn have different sound. horn sound are lower db but whistle have bit higher db.
What year is that boat from?🤔 I'm asking, because I'm interested in these things, I'm curious and when this is the oldest Laker, I'm even more curious😶😯😁✨
Information in the video description. 🙂
Thank you very much❤️🐰
Whoa, 1942😯 cool...
How could you shorten a lake boat?
Cut it in half
The bridge sounded a train horn after the ship?
The bridge sounded the bridge horn. 🙂
It is sad that these Majestic old gals have to be cut up and scraped for cheap material consumption.
Plus I wish Cleveland Harbor port would do what they saved the huletts for the historical intentions that rusting away on Whiskey Island.
Did she load iron ore in WW2?
Yes, she primarily hauled iron ore from 1942 to 1982 under the name Leon Fraser.
Is she still in service?
Yes! 🙂
I couldn’t figure out what horns she used I give up
Sorry, I don't know the model of steam horn she has. Someone out there has to know...
@@1Long2Short They're Leslie Tyfon 300DVE's.
2:38
Kinda looks like edmund fitzgerald
Does she have any fleetmates?
None that are sailing. Two ships are used for storage only… the J.A.W. Iglehart and S.T. Crapo.
has anyone ever been murdered on this ship?
Just a few deckhands who complained too much. 🙂
That's a steam horn i think.
Yes, technically a steam horn.
@@1Long2Short Say uhm did the Ed fitz have any sibling ships?
The Arthur B. Homer was the closest to a sister ship, looking nearly identical but not exactly the same. Unfortunately she had a short career too and was scrapped in the 80s.
@@1Long2Short Huh sad, odly enough Alpena looks a bit like the Ed fitz. As well as the Irving.
@@1Long2Short question
Thats a horn
Yep, one of the last steam driven horns left on the Great Lakes!
One of comments i read, the fitz had thr same horn, but just deeper
I still think the Arthur B. Homers is the closest thing to the fitz. It is the sister ship of the mighty fitz.
Where is the steam? She is a motor ship. Cant see any sign of a steam whistle blowing steam off. Sorry she isnt a steamship. I sounds like an air horn to me. Better do a little more research as to what a steam whistle sounds and looks like. Sorry to disappoint you.
Google “SS Alpena” and then come back to remind me how wrong I supposedly am. 😆
It’s not a steam whistle, it’s a steam HORN
Technically a horn, but the term whistle was often used by the old timers. Just like lake carriers are often referred to as boats instead of ships. Don't get too hung up on the vernacular.
These ships still have boilers for hot water and heating cabins. They would use that steam for the whistle.
Sorry but you are incorrect. The Alpena one of the last steam powered ships on the Great Lakes and that whistle is steam.