Post your pictures of logging camps, shops, etc. on the West coast of North America!
Now you're just trying to torture me eh?? You know I have no pictures of the camps I worked at save those embedded in my mind. And I've already proven you can't develop those. But I'm looking forward to what may turn up and later I'll add some recollections of people and places as they evolve. Take care and good thread starter.
Ha Ha eat your heart out Dave!! I've got lots we'll start at Pitt Lake. They started logging there in the early 40s has or had it's own postal code Alvin BC I was in there yesterday and took these pics. It has an old Pelton wheel for power still in operation the penstock runs op the hill apx 1km looks about 18 in diameter. However it doesn't put out enough kilowatts to run the camp.
More Pitt Lk... back in the hayday 300 man camp swimming pool, huge rec hall 3 pool tables, shuffle boards etc.
more Pitt
Juskatla, BC, Queen Charlotte Islands. A camp operated by MacMillan Bloedel, the cookhouse and bunkhouses were closed down in the early 80's. The shop, etc. remains to this day, and hopefully for many years to come. Here are some pics from 1955 or so.
More of Juskatla From the mid 70's.
More of Juskatla 70's.
More of Juskatla Some from a couple of years ago.
Dinan Bay, QCI Dinan Bay camp was built in the early 70's, first run by Olympic Forest Products, then Edwards & McGeachern, and finally Edwards & Associates. All were contractors for MacMillan Bloedel Ltd. These pictures were taken in 2008 when I was spelling off the camp watchman on weekends. Whole place to myself, not another living soul in miles! The camp operated until Weyerhaeuser closed it down, forcing everyone to travel to work by boat from Port Clements. All but a few buildings were destroyed, with one bunkhouse converted to a combination cookhouse, office, first aid room, and rooms for about a dozen men. Nobody has used the camp since October, 2008. Will it ever be used again?? :beatsme
Dinan Bay, QCI More.
Dinan Bay, QCI More yet.
Dinan Bay, QCI More.
Dinan Bay, QCI Still more. I took lots of pictures there.
Logging trucks Trakloader, The photo of the Logging trucks and P/Us and stuff that you posted !!! Well the Yellow HDX in that photo came from down this way. It has a yellow and white door on her. When she was new she was bought by Reg Smyth and after he passed away was sold to Pat Carson Bulldozing and then they were sold to Hayes Forest. Al Burdick got her new and managed to stay on her till he retired and shortly after that she was sold to E&A Her original unit # was 7 then she became T457 under HFS Dont know what her #is now. Also FYI your old H34 is down here now hauling in Sarita owned by Dave Mills Contracting so she has a good home
Interesting stuff! The truck's new number is H-7, very appropriate! I'm glad to hear 34 is still around, too, I wondered what became of her. She went to Olympic for a short time, then vanished. We have a P-16 from Hayes, too, and also three other P-16's from other M&B divisions. H-46 and 47, and 55. Not the same 55 that Torkel posted, though, I'm somewhat confused.
Dinan Bay, QCI A few more.
H55 The picture he posted was of H155 not H55 although it looks like H55 on the bar under the front bumper it is actually H155. This P16 went to Sarita Division new and the second driver to drive that truck put on some white striping on the sides of the hood --you can see it in the picture. The truck you guys call G24 was actually H24 and pulled the lowbed at Cameron Division untill it was stuck under that huge debris trailer that went to Lamar Lake Logging.She was then rebuilt as a conventional truck from her pre-load configuration after she was taken over by Hayes Forest Cant remember her "T" number after that but im sure Kim has a picture of it The front bumper gives her away. When they rebuilt her at their Duncan Shop they filled the front bumper with body filler to make it look good -I dont have to tell you what happened the first time she pushed the low-bed
Ah, that makes more sense! Kim tracked down a couple of our old QCD trucks, 44 and 258. Also 147, which I hear was destroyed in a fatal accident. And 149, the green HDX with Pacific cab.
Tilton Hilton !! Hayes float camp tied up at Plumper Harbour, Nootka Island the name says it all....actually not to bad just a little side heavy.
IFPs Cypress Isl. Kwatna Timber tied up at Jenny Bay King Island
WFP, Zeballos, VI, summer 2005 :canada
This is Ocean Falls BC we were logging down the inlet from here and staying in the 1st pic. 20 men or so, it was the old Hospital now owned by Central Coast Power. They have kept the power plant going and suppling power to Bella Bella/Shearwater since the Mill closed in 1980ish x CZ
More Ocean Falls In its hayday there were apx 4000 workers and residents now less than 100 the sail boat belongs to Ted Turner..
It was a cool place to stay lots of exploring to do after work!!!
Hey, Murk, how come you guys didn't stay in the Marten Inn?
Big hole in the roof,no power, rats, ghosts Heres the same photo I posted in another thread better scan. IFP camp Quatlena Burke Channel gen.set caught fire.
This is the Salmon King Lodge it was rented to replace the burnt one. If you look close in the background of the 1st pic you can see the burnt out hulk. apx 2001 It was very nice place but not that great of a bunkhouse, I think it came from the QCI Trackloader might know?
Aww, you guys are so fussy.... :tong
The "tiltin Hilton Sounds like Robbie Conn and Carrie and company
Drury Inlet Mill&Timbers float camp Malibu Logging 1986
Domans camp, head of South Bendict Arm, Wash Wash, 1989 Last I herd it was at Tom Bay just north of Bella Bella. I believe it was built for Young Bay Logging around the Tofino area. It was a really nice camp huge rooms... I think it was an old CZ log barge before they were self loading...
Wow!! The last pic in Post #7 looking up at the Staff Bunkhouse at Juskatla brings back some memories. As well, when I think back on my "institutionalized" times I go all the way back to basic training in the Navy in 1964, at Cornwallis, Nova Scotia. From there it was to Nelles Block at CFB Esquimalt (then HMCS but now CFB) while I did 10 months in Comm School, learning to be a Radio Operator. From there it was a year serving on HMCS Sussexvale, an old WWII Frigate. She was paid off in September of 1966 and I went to HMCS Aldergrove, in the Fraser Valley. It was a ship-shore station and we worked all Commonwealth ships, both naval and commercial, as well as anyone else who called us. From there I went to Heber Lodge, where all the single guys lived when they were building the Gold River Pulp Mill. That was in March of 1967, just as I was getting out of the Navy, and it sat where the ballpark is now. Marling Field I think they call it. In 1969 I went to the Logging Division at Gold River for Tahsis Company. It was there I was washing up one Saturday morning about 8:30 AM or so when the Bullcook walked through and said; "Quite a bit of excitement last night eh?" "Oh," said I. "I must have missed it. What happened?" "You mean you didn't hear anything last night around midnight? he asked. "Nope," I replied. "Slept like a log. What happened?" "Bunkhouse D burned down," he answered. "Killed a guy too." Turns out that one of two brothers had flipped out and set the bunkhouse on fire which killed his brother. The firetruck came along as well as the cops and I guess there was quite the commotion for a couple of hours. This all happened less than 100 feet from my bunkhouse too. I slept right through it. A few years later I was hired as Warehouse Supervisor for M&B at Juskatla and I lived in the staff bunkhouse pictured in post #7. My neighbor was Gabe, the Head Cook, although he was actually a French trained Chef and produced the best cookhouse food I've ever had. He'd get up early every morning and personally cook your breakfast for you as you came down the line. When you reached him your breakfast was hot off the griddle for you. Most other places cooked up ahead and used warmers for the eggs and pancakes etc. Not Gabe. He believed the crew deserved a good hot fresh cooked breakfast so that's what he gave them. From there I went to BCFP Port Renfrew where I first lived in the bunkhouse used by the Forestry Crew, which is where I started. That crew was pretty crazy and one of the last of the company crews as things evolved to contract forestry not long after those days. By 1977 I was running the warehouse there and living in the Staff Bunkhouse, where I spent the next five years or so before we closed Port Renfrew and moved everything to the old Gordon River camp in 1983. I finally got caught in the mid '80's downsizing that was so prevalent then and didn't work in a camp again until September of 1986, when I went to Eden Lake for Husby. We stayed at the old Naden Harbor Timber camp right at Eden Lake and the old CIPA Industries camp down at Naden Harbor became Perigrine Lodge not long after that. I'm of the opinion that BC loggers were some of the best fed guys around back in those days, and at a very small cost to them too. I think IWA guys paid $2.50 per day for room and board for many years. I recall in Juskatla that I was charged $30.00 per month for my room and board but I was paid an extra $25.00 per month called "Location Allowance," so my net cost was $5.00 per month. I had a single room with a TV and a fridge. I shared a washroom and shower with a young engineer whose name I can't recall while Gabe, on my other side, had two rooms to himself. One he lived in and one he used to refinish furniture in. He had also decorated his room with all kinds of things he'd picked up on his travels and he had the most cosmic stereo set-up with the weirdest turntable I'd ever seen. It was a fore-runner of CD's and he'd seen the prototype at a show in London England, found out there were six of them made but they weren't yet for sale, decided he wanted one anyway so travelled to Denmark and harrassed the head office of the company that made them until they sold him one of the prototypes.....for $1,600.00.........for a turntable.......in 1973. He then bought what was basically a CBC studio amplifier, a transformer to ensure steady power from the diesel powerplant was installed for him and he hooked it all up to a couple of giant speakers with a pair of graphic equalizers to smooth things out. This was all installed in one of those rooms off to the right looking at your picture in post #7, and I spent quite a few nights in his room having a drink or two and listening to all kinds of music on that system. It ran from a photo-electric eye on the arm and when he turned it on the arm dropped down to a very close distance from the magnetic grooves on the record as it tracked across the record to measure it so as to know what speed to rotate at. A digital readout showed you exactly what speed the record was turning and, as there was no needle, nothing ever actually touched the record. The magnetic energy from the record was converted to sound with absolutely no distortion at all and was really pure. Classic guy and I think he has his own restaurant somewhere in eastern BC nowadays. The camp at Renfrew was ok but the waste from the cookhouse was incredible and I always thought we had the fattest dump bears on the coast because of that. They used to hang around the bunkhouses all the time and I've chased a few of them off the porch so I could get in the bunkhouse when coming off afternoon shift there. Had a major bear problem at the Gold River dump near Heber Lodge but in 1967 a Game Warden and a couple of cops and a few other guys went to the dump one night and shot six or seven of them. They did that kind of thing back then but you'd never be allowed to do it these days. Sounded like a battle ground when all the shooting started, that's for sure. I never worked on any of the float camps that frequent our coast but I claim my Navy time makes up for that. Sometimes I think I spent half my life living the institutionalized lifestyle. Fortunately none of the institutions were jails...........or mental. LOL Gotta go now, but..... Thanks again for all the pics you guys share. Still dig them a lot. Take care.
Some coastal camps. First two are Thompson Logs camp out at I believe Chamiss Bay? didnt stay there, was a few bays over in Friel lakes camp owned by Rudy Deering, relief driving for Bob Stephens., #3 is Tom Youngs trucks/shop at Thompson log. last two are Friel lakes camp, old camp but was fun, flew in the Beaver every day out over Kyuquot to the logging side.
Welwood of Canada #1 Weldwoods camp in Clowhom Falls, Salmon Inlet, was the best of all of the Weldood camps, #2-Shoal Harbour on Gilford Island, beleave it was Frank Bebans(?) before, #3 is a long shot of Secuity Bay, sitting on a hill, 3 levels to it.
Here's a pic of the spoiler and scrap cooler at the eugene location of WesTech Righing and Supply. The only 2 location line shop in Oregon.
that barge now belongs to Ironside who we lease from. We've been using this camp for close to 2 years. now. it is big and nice.
about barge Hi that camp was built in 1981 82 by Goorts const. in port alberni for Young Bay logging used at Steamer cove on Flores island up coast from Tofino till around 1986? the owner were Eric Netzer and John Casanave who later was the Builder of the Challengers offhighway logging trucks they sold all logging holds to Pat Carson bulldozing in around late 90's it was the nice's bunkhouse setups going totally built with crew comfort in mind.
Here is a picture of BCFP's Camp 6 Caycuse . not sure of the year . I think it was closed down in the early 80's if not earlier . BCFP's Camp 6 Caycuse
Here's a picture of BCFP's Camp 6 Caycuse . Not sure what year it was taken . I think it was all closed down in the late 70's or early 80's
Was the barge registered as "Seymour I". Cause it looks like it. If it is, its scrapped, she sank one night while tied up at Bear Bight back in 02. I was in that Camp in Plumper Harbour too. Only for a few days though. I came in to help deal with the 7230 on its side. I got to stay in the ever so lovely land camp.
I just discovered this forum and I must say reading these posts remind me of my early days when I grew up in mahatta River Logging Camp in the seventies and eighties. The camp was located about 45 minutes west of Port Alice on Vancouver Island and had been operated by Western Forest Products (WFP) at the end when it was shut down in 1986. Has anyone worked there and may have photos they would like to post? I went on to work at the WFP Quatsino Dryland Sort at Port Alice in the eighties and nineties.... Mike
Lakeside Pacific -East Harrison ex Pretty's Timber Co. yard
Anybody remember the big boneyard behind what I think was Victoria Plywood camp up east Harrison in the early 1970s. Was only there once to put a new Madill winch on an old carrier but remember walking thru the boneyard in the evening after dinner. Pretty spooky place just at dusk. Regards D.D.
Renfrew logging divsion, camp and sort wasn't closed down until 86-87 yes they did move to gordon river camp, but renfrew wasn't closed until 86 87 after that they left the baseballfield with chainlink fencing and some logs behind, for years after it was used as a race track, then the alder grew over most of the area, part of the old camp and sort is the campground and marina now, and last year i was visiting there, there was 5 bcfp crummy trucks parked there, there were repainted bcfp colors and logo, someone loves bcfp alot, to keep flying them, thanks
You're a bit confusing with the above insofar as the logging camp did move over to the old Gordon River camp in 1983 lock stock and barrel. I know because I was there and did it. The shop moved over, the Warehouse stock was all moved over, the bunkhouses and cookhouse were soon closed, the Forestry shack and Firehall were moved over all in 1983. I'm not sure what you mean by "wasn't closed down until 86-87" as they were long gone out of Renfrew by then. All the hauling went the other way and the dryland sort basically shut down and later became the marina, run by a good friend of mine and his partner. I got bumped off in October of 1984 but used to commute from Jordan River to Gordon River five days a week before that as my wife couldn't stand living in Renfrew so we moved back to JR and rented the house out in Renfrew. I love the history of the area and wish to record it a bit here and there but it needs to be not confusing to be valid. Not trying to argue or anything BCFP VET but I was there. By the way, I took a pic of my BCFP vest yesterday and will download it and share it with you shortly. All the best and....... Take care.
my dad just showed me his video recorder, with sound, of bcfp renfrew div 86 they were still using the area as a dryland sort still, i saw the proof on cam, we didn't see any bunkhouses, just afew offices, you may have worked there, but my dad recorded the whole ordeal with his buddy, by any chance where did bcfp get there safety vests from and bcfp vinyl logo's as well from,must have been a local sign shop in town some where, thanks there's still bcfp trucks stillbeing used in renfrew to this day, pretty nice to see.
Thanjs for this thread, great pics and interesting info!
Picture # 1 is Helifor's Paragon camp it is a freighter converted into a float camp picture was taken in Salmon Inlet , Clowhom falls . The heli on deck is a Vertol 107 II with a maximum lift capacity, 10,000 lbs . Picture # 2 is your typical west coast atco trailer bunkhouse room, this room was in the Homathko river camp . This camp didn't have much recreation , my room was the movie theater since i had VCR to watch movies . They did have a yuke dump truck box that was converted into a hot tub , it was around 10 feet deep with some benches on two sides underwater to sit on , the temp was 104 fahrenheit biggest hot tub i've seen
I was just on a website "Maritime Traffic" and noticed a ship anchored in Vancouver harbour, "Development Way" that is carrying a self propelled log barge to the scrap yards. "Development Way" is a vessel that can be submerged and then the cargo is loaded and then the vessel is re-floated. I wonder if there are any more self propelled log barges left in British Columbia.
I saw a little thing on globle TV news about one of the barges they had on a submerged freighter in Vancouver Harbour , It was taking the log barge and a couple support tugs to Japan . I guess our Gov sent so many raw logs there they need a barge to move them around:Banghead
Kelsey Bay early 60's See if my first attempt at loading pictures in will work
These are really cool pictures. A lot different than the operations here.
Nice pictures it must have been awesome living and working in those camps.I think these photos were taken in Belize inlet probably 2010.I think it's Lemare Lake Logging.The barge camp looks like theirs (I don't really know I only saw a little bit of it on the history chanel videos from when they were on Ax Men)
Some more Belize inlet from 2010 except for the first one God only knows when that was taken.
Part two
Most camps here are from BC but in my mind the biggest camps were in southeast Alaska,here are some pictures of the Whitestone camp and sort yard almost abandoned from what I hear some people still live in the camp and the Icy Straits Lumber Mill was (I think) in the Whitestone sort yard on the Long island before it burnt down in 2010 I borrowed the camp pictures from Contract Logger/Rusty Grapple hope he don't mind.
some other BC camps
Phoenix Logging's camp I think the camp is named Camp Bear and the barge is named Clearwater. Since I "borrowed" the pictures from Contract Logger and Anne Blodgett Photography I would like to thank them for posting such cool pictures.
This camp has bean sitting in the Ward cove in front of the old Ketchikan pulp mill for some time now.
This is one of the Gildersleeve floating camps one of the biggest floating camps ever.
more Gildersleeve
Last round
I've just joined the page & will put a few images for your enjoyment, 3 or 4 at a time. My brothers and I have spent our entire time 50 + years in the logging, fishing and marine industry. I will put up a couple of our oldest, Howie's A-Frame camp a little later. Next is Buddy about to retire at 72, now the longest "ships pilot" having served now into his 39 year as a pilot. I own a tug & barge. Lorne is a captaing for Gowlland Towing, Campbell River. These pictures are, store at Dawsons Landing , Rivers Inlet. The old Good Hope Cannery Rivers Inlet, and a Interfor barge camp I'm taking back from Mackenzie shipyard to Drury Inlet..
Nice, Glad you are joining the conversation. Great pics. Do you have some pics of your own tug & barge? Do you do most of your work in BC?
I'm hoping these will show up ok. They are photos on the walls in our home entrance. Professionally done by a photographer at Howie's camp in Smith Inlet, 1972. "This was logging" shown in the logging museum in Duncan, Vancouver Island BC. As you may see, (I hope) 3 pictures are superimposed on top of each other.
Thank you for your reply, yes I'm happy to show my tug&barge. I'm hoping to sell in the next year or so. It's just time for me to retire. This little tug is ineresting. Built in Shreveport Louisiana in 1946. Spent most her life in New Orleans. The army core of engineers designed these little tugs. They are built of corten steel. I f you research this, inerestingly it has a lot of copper & iron in it, so ther is no rust. I repowered in 08 with a S6B3 Mitsubishi, rebuilt Twin Disc gear /12. I have pretty well renewed everything in this ship, including just installing a new hydraulic spooler on my winch. The barge also is refit, and just now I am redoing the deck with concrete, as the old wood wear deck is getting pretty rotten. I am extending the ramp 15 feet and installing a new lift engine.
To continue, Here are a few more to add. Many of the photos you fellows have displayed here are camps that I move, for Helifor, and Interfor. Here are a couple of shots of Pacific International Heli Log in the Head of Seymour Inlet. A Lama taking fertilizer off the barge I'm towing, fertilizing trees in Okisolo Channel. A barge camp that used to be Frank Bebben's in Haida Gwaii, now belongs to Brian Baker, (Tri X timer) he's a road builder. I placed it here in Spiller Channel. The last is the old "Sir James Douglas", retired coast guard ship. Now owned by Wakash Logging from Campbell River. Used for a 25 man logging camp. I'm just towing it out of MacKenzie Sound. Your first questions may be "Why are you towing it?" The engines are apart. To fire them up, and crew this ship just to move it, as well as the insurance is too costly.
End of an Era Just a couple more, then I'll get out of the way and leave you fellas for a while. This is the head if Rivers Inlet, know as RIC.Old brother Howie, & I (in yellow rain gear). Howie managed Trans-Lake for the last 20 years of existence. The logging in Owikeno Lake, bargeing fuel and equipment to the 3 campas up the lake. Towing the wood down the lake to the reload. The 5 mile haul to where you see my barge. We are loading out all the old iron. The smoke you see from the old D8 I'm running up on the pile, is because the turbo was siezed LOL. I ate so much carbon, I had to go and breath oxygen for a while.
Trakloader; As you come from the islands, I'm wondering if you have ever told our friends around the world here the story of the "Golden Spruce". Besides the fact that it is a wonderful story I aslo am wondering if you are aware of how they took a piece of it after that crazy fell it, and they used the piece in the building of now a very famous guitar. Along with a liece of a paddle that was Pierre Trudeau's canoe paddle. All this information is available here on the net, just google "Golden Spruce" My personal interest, is my brothers and I all play music. My youngest brother and I both have recorded CD. My brother has a very interesting website, as he has quite the recording studio. As he is a tugboat captain, he has some real cool videos on his site..........desolationsoundstudio.com
That scrap barges makes me sad. I hate seeing the old equipment disappear
Yes sir, I agree with you. Many times now when I'm loading and hauling this equipment it makes me feel old. My brother and I were two of the last guys standing up wooden trees for logging on track sides. I guess like this equipment we will fade off into the distance.
Johnson; The camps you have put up here are camps I move a lot of the time. The little green camp in the middle is in Mereworth Sound, I put it there. Belongs to RSD Road Building, (Dennis Swanson & Rodney Vorila) I move their equipment all the time.
I am getting the hang of scanning pictures from my albums now. We are realy going to go back in time. These are some pictures from Jenny Inlet. The truck dumping is at Fogg Creek in Dean Channel, about 7 miles above Jenny In. Each day I had to tow the bag of the days production down to storage in Jenny, as there is nowhere in Dean to hold wood. Then we are loading the Seaspan Rigger in Jenny. I am towing the Bentick Tide camp out to join up with the big tug when we had finished. This was December 1999.
Thank you very much for sharing your pics here. I rue that I never took pics during my working life, particularly when I recall some of the great sights I've witnessed. Really digging yours. Take care.
Thank you Dave. I'm happy that you are enjoying them. Makes it worth while. At the end of the day when all the old iron is gone, all we've got is each other.
tugman That HDX Hayes shown dumping in post 75 Was that originally a PreLoad truck converted to pull a conventional trailer? It has the set forward front axle and just smacks of a preload. If so is it the one in the picture being dumped off the barge going to the scrap yard? Was she originally an ex Crown Z truck??? I know So many questions By the way Welcome to the site HDX
I'm sorry I can't help you too much Bud. The one shown dumping logs, is a contractor from Courtenay, That was in '99,(at Fogg Creek for Inerfor). I believe his name was Dan Black, I'm not positive. The wrecks on my barge are from Trans-Lake in Rivers Inlet. I wish now I had paid more attention for this forum, because all you guys are very interesting. I'm sure you can appreciate, running up and down this coast pretty steady at times, getting dog tired, putting this stuff on, taking it off very often a guy isn't paying the attention he should. In the next while if I have time, I know where there is an old Madill on the side of the road up near Lund, I'll get some pictures of. Some of the old iron I dropped at Stillwater may still be there. Another place, down at "Hillside" by Port Mellon, my old friend Sandy Gibb has got so much old iron there it is mind boggling. I've almost talked him into scrapping some now and then. Sandy is a funny guy we've know each other since we were kids. He is just like his Dad. All this old junk of his is like old friends he just CANNOT let it go. I'll have to get down there and take some pictures. Here are a few more from Rivers Inlet. Now the old D9 here on my barge is a great story. Some one got it stuck in the mud out by the airport perhaps 30 years ago, and left it there. Now I guess this just bugged my brother Howie all these years. When we came up to scrap the place out, Howie had this all planned. He got Rick, who came up with me from ABC Recycling and Rick's 330 Cat, and Howie had one of those big Rego Wagners. They cut the blade and horseshoe off. Cut the drivers so the tracks would free wheel and they drug it out. Got it on the lowbed and brought it all down. In the end that old thing I think was 53 tons, so at the price right then, it was worth just about $14,000 delivered to Campbell River. The last part of this story. The week before I got up to Rivers, I was in Puerto Vallarta laying in the sun. This was now the end of January, snowing and blowing. I almost cried. Now here
The Swiftsure Prince, (now deceased) coming out of Smith Inlet with a load of Helifor wood, towed by the Sea Warrior. Another Interfor camp, I'm taking up Boswell Inlet. I forget the name of that camp, (I'd have to get my log book). Just another one on a rotten old ship hull.
tugman Thanks for the reply! Yes I saw Rick in the photo's with the barge and other artifacts with his excavator. Are all these Hayes's going to him????
HDX; Yes they all went to Rick. That was two year ago now. They would all be cut up and gone now.
Great pictures and stories thanks for sharing with us, tugman. You have a very interesting job an some pretty scenery to be working around. What is the capacity of your barge and the size, as it looks to be pretty good sized?
Thank you for your reply and I'm happy you enjoy the pictures. My barge is 175 feet long, 45 feet wide, and 10 feet deep, from deck to bottom. I have had 1500 tons of gravel, or logs aboard. It is a vey seaworthy, and a very easy barge to tow. Some barges, if they have no stern skegs, or the skegs aren't angled properly will wander, or "shear" a lot. This barge tows straight and true, even if it's loaded with a bit of list.
It looked good sized but darn that is a little bigger than I would of guessed and hauls quite a load.
I hope you fellows don't mind me posting this picture here. This is our 1967 Monk Motor Yacht, built in McQueen Shipyard, Richmond BC Canada. This is our retirement project. When we finall are free of our equipment, my wife and I hope to just roam around our coast and up to Alaska. You know stop where we feel like stopping and explore and pull the anchor when we feel like it. My reason for posting this is because of my engines. Having spent my whole life in these industries, I have to say, I've had nothing to do with Cummins engines. A lot of Cat, Detroit, JohnDeere, Isuzu, Nissan, and Mitsubishi but not Cummins. This old girl has twin V8 - 300 HP Cummins. A lot of guys right away say, oh they must be triple nickels, but they are not. Their model number is, (naturally aspirated) V8-300M. They have only 3500 hours on them and run beautifully. The ship had been quite neglected when we got her a year and a half ago. The fuel filters were pretty plugged, the zincs in the heat exchangers etc were worn right off, one of the Twin Disc gear pumps had an oil leak. I've fixed everything, but it seems that one of the engine oil coolers has a small leak as I'm getting a little oil in my expansion tank. Maybe no one here is into that, but I thought I'd try.
They are the Cummins model 903 That is the same engine that is in my 1969 Consolidated Diesel Electric(ConDec) model M123A1C Military Tractor used for pulling heavy lowbeds Also called Tank Retrievers These also came as VT903 I really like the engine but if you are into checking them out Check out the VANNATTA Logging site out Those guys used them and the trucks for some time and went through many interesting times with them!
Yup. Also known in some circles as a nine-o-nuttin. Good engine from what I saw, but a bit sensitive to crappy maintenance.
Vigilant Yup you are right. They were installed in quite a lot of trucks. BCFP used a number of them but as they failed they were replaced with 12-71N GM engines The US Government used them for everything. They were still available down there in the can (sealed vacuum cans long term storage) right up till a few years ago. They would come up on Govliquidation.com fairly often till they were all gone. I am looking for spare parts for mine just to have them for the future. As a matter of fact mine still has the cloth oil filter bag instead of the spin on filter
The HDX Bone yard. As I decided to take a little drive down to Stillwater yesterday, I thought I might see what was left laying around from all the old equip. I brought from Doc Creek a few years back. It's almost all gone to sracp now just a few pieces left here from Olympic Forest & Kip Brown Trucking.
Please be careful about posting locations of equipment. Sometimes scrappers and barge owners lurk here. Oh wait.... ROFL!
I'm scratching my head......trying to figure out what ROFL means??
These pictures are of a friend of mine's camp in the mouth of Mereworth Sound. I tow camps & equipment in and out fo here very often. I will put up a couple of pictures here of the log dump & roads just recently built right across the inlet in this location.
This is Georgia Bay in Mereworth Sound BC, Canada Right across the inlet from the above pictures. This has just been completed, so the dump skids and brow log are not in place yet. What we are doing here bares some explaining. The Federal Department of Fisheries & Oceans, pretty much black mails the provincial government forest service. When ever now a days, a log dump & booming ground is constructed, fish habitat is going to be destroyed by dumping logs, build up of bark & limbs on the ocean floor etc. Therefore the Federal DFO, demands that compensation must be made. There is a marine biology company in Port Hardy, Vancouver Island BC. This company is contracted by BC Forest Service, or Logging companies like Interfor. These biologists do exploration, and reconissance to research where it is benificial to construct a reef for rock fish, shell fish octopus etc to congregate abd multiply. When they have identified an area, they put together a proposal to DFO for approval. I have 54' motor yacht which they sometimes hire me to keep them in aromote area while they do there research. When this is all approved, we load these boulders on barge as you see, towe them to the area. Now the biologists dive, and move any crabs and other crustascians so they won't be "damaged". It is very accurate where we drop all these boulders over and build a reef, usually about 3 or 4 thousand tons of rock. After about a year the biologist go and dive, and take underwater pictures of how they have produced. Believe me, they have e mailed me pictures. It's like the galapogos islands. Unbelievably they work well. The forest service or logging companies have to foot the bill for all this.
This is Georgia Bay in Mereworth Sound BC, Canada Right across the inlet from the above pictures. This has just been completed, so the dump skids and brow log are not in place yet. What we are doing here bares some explaining. The Federal Department of Fisheries & Oceans, pretty much black mails the provincial government forest service. When ever now a days, a log dump & booming ground is constructed, fish habitat is going to be destroyed by dumping logs, build up of bark & limbs on the ocean floor etc. Therefore the Federal DFO, demands that compensation must be made. There is a marine biology company in Port Hardy, Vancouver Island BC. This company is contracted by BC Forest Service, or Logging companies like Interfor. These biologists do exploration, and reconissance to research where it is benificial to construct a reef for rock fish, shell fish octopus etc to congregate abd multiply. When they have identified an area, they put together a proposal to DFO for approval. I have 54' motor yacht which they sometimes hire me to keep them in aromote area while they do there research. When this is all approved, we load these boulders on barge as you see, towe them to the area. Now the biologists dive, and move any crabs and other crustascians so they won't be "damaged". It is very accurate where we drop all these boulders over and build a reef, usually about 3 or 4 thousand tons of rock. After about a year the biologist go and dive, and take underwater pictures of how they have produced. Believe me, they have e mailed me pictures. It's like the galapogos islands. Unbelievably they work well. The forest service or logging companies have to foot the bill for all this. View attachment 99132 View attachment 99133
I'm sorry. I tried to edit the post and correct a couple of spelling mistakes. I did something wrong somehow. Ended up with two posts with wrong spelling!
Rolling on the floor laughing. You have just been good-naturedly ribbed! )
Well I knew I was being ribbed, but it took me years to find out, (when my daughter finally told me) whay LOL means. Now you had to go a step further just to confuse me further.:notworthy
Guess I shouldn't bring up ROTFLMFAO then eh?? LOL (I know you know LOL now) lol Take care.
I think Olympic has plans for getting some of these trucks back to work,
I'm not sure how many of you fellows may have seen this youtube video. I will try and see if I can link it here for you. If it doesn't work, on youtube just search tugboat flip in skoocum chuck narrows. I will explain to you what is happening. This guy running this tug from "hearsay" stories told to me had got himself in some trouble with his company for some I guess reckless behaviour, to the point where no one wanted to sail with him any more. He was apparently told, "this is your last chance". He didn't do too well. What he has done here is he's late for the tide going into the Skoocum Chuck (indian name for fast water) rapids. The tide can get up to 10 or 12 knots in here. So the water is going with him which means it's pushing his barge pretty good. As the rapids are very narrow, you need to be on a short line, which he is, about 100 feet. At any time, but particularly if you have fair water, (going with you), you come in at maybe half throttle, so you've got lots of power in the bank to give 'er and pull your barge to port as you are making almost a 90 degree turn. By the bone in her teeth, the tugs bow wave, it's obvious he's going too fast. There are a bunch of guys who play with kayaks in the rapids here, and one of them is taking this video. This is a marine safety disaster. No one has on life jackets, all the doors and hatches on the ship are open. Watch closely, as she goes over a fellow going up the high side of the house fall in the door. He ended up underneath. As he is a scuba diver, he didn't panic, and was able to swim out. You'll see him picked up by the guy in the kayak. Two more points here. On our towline winch brake we have, (by regulation) an "abort" the pressure on the brake is held by hydraulic. You push a button, releasing the pressure so the towline free wheels to avoid this. Obviously he didn't do that. You know the old "Murphy's law" every thing that could go wrong did. This is not a good work resume.[URL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEfublSDzww
The link wouldn't work for me but I searched it and it came up easily enough. Intriguing video though. His day went downhill badly.
I did a search and it came up right away on Youtube. It sure was enjoyable to watch, but without your explaination it wouldn't of made much sense. Having never been around this method it is enjoyable to learn about it. I had thought you probably pushed the barge, so I had the whole thing bassackwards. Guess I need to ride my bike out this summer and see how this all really works. Thanks for sharing it sure is enjoayable to me to learn and oh the pictures are great. Quite different to the way they do it on the Mississippi. I go to the locks and watch them lock through. Year ago you could the lock operator gave me tour as things were slow.
Interesting, it looks like the diesels kept running upside down for a bit, then you see a cloud of smoke over the barge which I assume was the engines locking up. Glad everybody is ok, but it's going to be hard to renew the insurance on that one. I know nothing of nautical procedures and as dirty4fun said, thanks for the explanation!
To see how that rapids really runs at full tide, just search, kayaking skoocum chuck rapids then you can really see how crazy those kayakers are. You may also like to see Nakwakto rapids. It is another rapids going into inlets further up our coast. In the middle of the rapids is a little island called "Tremble" island. On a big tide, up to 18 knots and more, the island shakes. About 4 years ago I had just come out of those rapids with my barge loaded with logging equipment. 30 miles or so below, in Black fish Sound I passed another tug & barge. This old tug was quite a bit bigger than mine and the barge as well. Aboard the barge they had logs, "boomsticks", for putting in the water chained together to contain the logs from heli logging as they drop them in the water. This is a pretty rediculous story. The company who owned this tug was run my a man who.....I can only say he was crazy. No one with any experience would work for him, so that on this tug on this night was a catastrophy. Apparently the captain, who had a lisence was from the great lakes had never been in the rapids before. The mate had been thru there once. The two deckhands knew nothing, one completely a green man. They were over an hour late on the tide and this barge had 3000 tons of load. They came thru in the dark. I was told by one of the deck hands who I met later that the mate instead of lighting up his flood lights and lighting the place up like daylight, he had on only one spotlight. Now what happens is, your tug will get into the fast water, and when it shoots thru the rapids inside it immediately slows very quickly. However the barge comes into the fast water behind you and when it comes shootint thru, again you should be running your tug slow so that when the barge comes up on you, you open the throttles and get out of the way, even run a little towline to get out of the way. Well not knowing any of this, the tug came thru and slowed, and the barge ran right over it and sunk the tug. All four men were in the water. Now this deck hand told me the only thing that saved them, the life raft popped up right beside them. They were able to get in it and get on the barge. In the middle of the night I was in my bunk. My mate woke me and said "Traffic wants to talk to you.". (We have marine traffic controllers just as airports, do on our coast). When towing there are points you must check in with traffic 24 hrs. a day so that they can co-ordinate traffic. The traffic girl asked me if I had seen the "Glenshiel" I told her yes. She wanted to know if I knew the company where they were taking their load I said yes, and supplied her with phone numbers. She then told me what had happened. As one of you fellow pointed out. This doesn't do good for insurance, for any of us. Insurance companies always factor these crazy mistakes into their risk, and charge all of us accordingly.
My impression of barge tactics comes from those that I have seen on the Columbia River where they are always pushing the barges. I guess they named them "Tugs" for a reason - to tug on something means to pull, yes? I suppose that steering the barge can be done from the front as well as the back, and with that amount of current one had better be able to out run the barge. When you mention a little towline I assume that you run out a bit of slack and give yourself a bit of room. I suppose steering the barge @ 18 knots is not terrible necessary as it is likely to stay where the swiftes current is, as long as it doesn't get sideways. Very interesting stories tugman, thank you, and I apologize for ignorant questions but I am truly ignorant of your line of work.
Oxbow, no apology is necessary. There are things that are foreign to all of us. Yes, the concept of inland waterways, (rivers). Mississippi, Columbia, Makenzie, etc. These rivers although big, are not really that wide in comparison to the open ocean, and generally the water is going one way. On the open ocean the ocean currents, wind wave, and swell make it so that pusher tugs, are not used much out here. The whole point being, there is not room for towline, and also the very real action of the barge coming over you in a river. They don't have brakes. Now a days, (for several years actually) tugs & deep sea ships have bow thrusters, and now stern thrusters these are reversible propellors mounted in the bow & stern for sideways thrusting. On deep sea ships, for ship docking. I'm sure you all have seen harbour tugs, that push deep sea ships into their berth. Well now they have 3000HP thrusters mounted in the ship hulls to help perform this action. I am attaching here an image, I am rather proud of. There were two ships built in Scotland in 1976. Identical sister ships. The "John Ross", named after a Scottish explorer, and the "Wolraad Woltemade", named for a farmer in South Africa. If you google his name, his story is quite interesting. My uncle Frank, (my mum's brother) was captain on the John Ross. These were the two biggest tugs in the world back then. 19,200 Shaft HP. They were owned by Saftug, (South African Tugboat Company). Home port Cape Town, South Africa. They were deep sea salvage tugs. I recall a time when in my coversations with my uncle, (he had many great stories going right back to WW2). He towed an oil rig from California around Cape Horn to the Congo River, as it was too big to go thru' the Panama Canal. This picture is actually, the Wolraad Woltemade, (now scrapped) the John Ross has been renamed, as the company was sold.
Thank you Tugman!
This is a learning process that you sure have helped with tugman. The explainatiion make since on why you tow the barge and what happened to cause the tug to be in trouble. Makes perfect sense that the tug would hit the flat water, yet the barge would still be moving fast due to the current. My turn to ask the next silly question. Ok you tow the barge to where you are going, then I am guessing you unhook and push the barge. Depending maybe where it is, but the pictures show the ramp down so you can load the barge. So you must of pushed the barge to shore, and then pull it away. This would keep your tug in deeper water, also. So there must be times when the barge is not attached to the tug. While going from a tow to a push action, correct?
You are correct that we unhook from the barge, (that is my barge). Some do not. The reason being, many of the American ramp barges have their ramp on the stern. When you "shorten up", that is bring your towline in, with a stern ramp, you just fold around the side. Now what I mean is, you take the barge alongside you. As the barge is of course much longer than the tug, you fasten your tug with lines so that the stern of your tug is just out past the stern of the barge. You tie lines fore & aft' from your tug, and a "spring line", at least one from right on the stern of the barge leading up to the bow of your tug. This keeps the tug from surging back and forth on the side of the barge as you manuever ahead or astern. It would seem like the barge now has it's own power with the tug alongside, and the tug's stern just past the barge stern so that you have good steerage and manouverability. I hope you understand what I mean. If I can I'll find a picture of my tug & barge in this formation to help understand it.
I forgot to add. When we take the barge along side like this, the term is, "taking the barge on your hip". Also you are correct in your conclusion the tug stays in deeper water that way. However, most places we put the ramp to, there is a receiving place made for this purpose, and quite generally, a wooden cribbing we call a bulkhead to bring the ramp to. Sometimes made of concrete. Always tho' where there is sufficient water to accomodate the operation.
tugman, Thanks for explaining this to me. I have seen a picture of the tug along side of the barge before. I had not thought of it being used to propell the barge for docking. With the winches to adjust the length of cable, you can either pay our more cable or shorten up to help place the tug in the correct position it sounds like. What size cables do you use when towing the barge? It is enjoyable to me to understand how things are done, then if I get a chance to watch I understand a whole lot more of what is going on, and why. Hope you keep sharing your pictures and trying to educate the less informed, like me.
I echo dirty4fun's comments!
I agree, Tugman has added a new area of interest for me as well. I also find the self-unloading log barges to be pretty darn cool. I assume your tug starts in reverse via a gearbox, and not by starting the engine in reverse, sir?
My winch has 1500 feet of 7/8" galvanized steel core cable. Depending on where you are, and how much swell there is determines how much towline you put out. In narrow channels you of course use shorter line. The diameter of the towline is gauged by the amount of horse power and the tonnage of the tow. One image I have put up here, an American tug, (you can't see his tow. He will be about 2500 HP, and his towline will be about 1-3/4' and about 2500 feet long. No my tug is not (direct reversible, stopping engine to go fro forward to reverse). Very fe tugs are now with the very sofisticated transmissions now. My engine is 450 HP Mitsubishi, (turbo charged & intercooled) transmission is Model 514 Twin Disc 3:1 reduction. In this image, I am off loading crushed limerock at Campbell River BC. There is a couple of pictures of the Alaska state ferries here. I was on them a couple yerars ago, going up to Juneau to look at boats.
The tug here, (yellow & blue house work is from the Seattle company, Western Tug Boat co. if you google them you'll get to see their many tugs with explanations of HP etc. The container barge here is what they tow from Seattle to Alaska. These barges are a steady run to keep Alaska going. The tug shown here "running light" not towing, is one of the Foss tugs. Another Seattle outfit. The tug "Rivtow Lion" shown here with the log barge, was aon old Swedish ship, (somewhere I have a WW2 picture of her). She was converted to a tug by Rivtow Straits Towing in Vancouver BC. In 1969 - to '71 I worked at tending thse barges when they loaded logs at the logging camp for delivery to the sorting (processing) grounds in Howe Sound. A few years later I owned one of thos esorting grounds for a few years.. This particular barge, "Rivtow Norsman" was only a little over a year old. I believe the story is on the net here. I happened at the time to be standing in the wheel house of the "Island King" another large tug. We were loading his log barge in Qautsino Sound on Norhtern Vancouver I salnd where I worked. The captain of the King, who I was chatting with, now was talking to the captain of the Lion. The Rivtow Lion had just rounded Cape Scott on the top end of Vancouver Island. (If you use google earth you can see this area.) On the lee side of Cape Scott, it will be pretty calm, but as soon as you round the Cape, into Scott Channel, like Cape Horn, you've just arrived in hell if there is heavy South East. As he got a little further down, with his empty barge sitting high out of the water in the wind, the wind came to 70 knots and gusting...he was in trouble. Cliff, the captain I'm standin with said to him on the phone. Can you just slack 'er back and let your barge pull you back around the corner. The Lion captain said, it's too late, my towline just broke, that's 2-1/2 inch steel towline. He turned to try and get along and just bump his barge enough to steer it back around the Cape. Running full speed he couldn't cacth up to it. The barge went so far up on Cox Island, it is still there. In the summer in calm weather they were able to come out with salvage cranes, and salvage the cranes, winches & engines of the barge. I've gone by it many times, and still marvel at how high up on that island it is. You may find it interesting to check out my youngest brothers website. He too is a tugboat captain. On his sight he has some pretty cool videos of tug boat work. He is a "log tower" towing bundle log booms. I should also mention, my brothers and I all play music. This site of brother Lorne's is mostly dedicated to his recording studio in Campbell River. desolationsoundstudio.com
Thanks once again for not only answering the questions but add so much more. Love reading the stories you have been so good to share with us. I can't imagine working with 2 1/2" cable, having a cable break can be ugly. Having one that big I would think could do major damage.
I want to acknowledge the interest you folks have shown. It is always gratifying to share one's world with people who have sincere and genuine interest. On my little cruise a couple years back on the Alaska ferry from Prince Rupert, I have to say, this is so much fun. There is a bar on the ships, some with a piano and a guitar sitting there. We party and have a grand time. I had the good fortune to meet a fellow from Tasmania, just up here taking a little cruise and visting a couple people he knew. Well Peter and I became fast friends. "Kindred Spirits". He is one year older than me + one day his birthday is the day before mine. When he was done his cruise, he came and stayed a couple days with my wife and I. Now we often phone each other just to say hello. Like what I have described, it is the best part of living to make new friends, very often for life to share what you do and learn about each others worlds, so thank you fellows for your interest. I have gone thru some pretty hair raising experiences myself out on that water. I've realized, I'm pretty sure I have a gardian angel, so I feel I've been blessed.
I suspect that one day, we will all know just how much of a debt of gratitude we each owe to Guardian Angel.
Vigilant. As you mentioned your interest in these barges, I scanned these pictures from my old album. I'm not good with the computer to get the optimum from these old pictures, so I hope they show up well enough. This is from 1975 dumping a load at my booming ground. Dolphin Log Booming Ltd. - Howe Sound BC. The barge is self propelled, self loading & dumping. The Haida Monarch. They built two of these barges, 37 or 38 years ago. They have since been de-commisioned, and I believe one has been scrapped, the other modified for different use. Generally the time from opening tanks for flooding, until the time of shedding logs was about 45 minutes.
Thanks again tugman for your time and effort to share these stories and pictures, when I have more time I will re-read everything and absorb more thoroughly what you have shared with us! Dave
I think that some where a ways back I mentioned how the old "flatdeck" barges, (they had no cranes and were loaded from a spar & boom mounted on the beach at different locations.) They would dry out on their trip from where they were loaded to where they were dumped in hot weather in the summer. This is the Rivtow Straits tug "Gibraltar Straits" dumping tandem tow, (two barges) at my booming ground in '74 or '75. Niether of them would dump, so the fellow who was hired to do this shows up and sets a few sticks of 75% stick dynamite on the high side, and gives them a little help.
Hey Tugman, I have enjoyed your contributions too. I also work on a tug here on the east coast, building artificial reefs. Richards Marine Service owns the tug and barge, and I supply the trucks and heavy equipment. We sink surplus concrete, purpose built concrete cones, and scrap vessels. I started out just supplying the trucking, then the equipment and operating it myself as I didn't want to send it out in the ocean w/ an employee, and have become a member of the tug crew, (think press gang) going out even when no equipment is needed. We only average about one trip a month, because the captain/owner is retired almost. He is only 83. The T/V Susan Richards, built in 1909 as a steam tug, repowered in the '40's w/ a 1900hp EMD: We pull an 84'x30'x5' deck barge. Here are a couple of threads: I like seeing the different ways things are done in different places. BTW, does your tug have 2 450hp mitzys, or is it a single screw boat? I would think it would be a lot of waiting out those bad currents out there w/ only 450hp. Thanks for the tug history shots, Mitch
I have heard that most tug engines run at considerably lower RPMs than truck engines, and that makes me wonder even more if these EMD tug engines I hear of now and then are the same as those used in locomotives?
Thanks VERY much! I believe the Haida Monarch was one of those pictured in either the M&B thread or the Van Island Logging at its Best thread, on its last trip, to China for scrapping. I thought I had really seen logging at its finest as a kid at Vail, but y'awl Kanucks had it going on, and still do. You truly do live in God's country.
Beautiful looking old ship Mitch. My ship is only single screw, but I have very little waiting time. I tow my barge an average 7 knots and even in a 30 knot Nor'West I still make about 5 so the Mitsi handles it pretty well. Always good to hear from the other side.... Norm
They used Cleveland Diesels, Fairbanks Morse, the Cleveland's changed its name to EMD The tugs I was around were powered byCleveland 8-278 12-278,and some direct reverseable Fairbanks Morse. The Cleveland's were diesel electric These were Navy YTB's and YTM's. The EMD locomotive engines are 645E and are V8 to V20 cylinders (645ci per cylinder )
I had heard of 4-cycle Detroit 8-278s, 12-278s, etc. years ago, but not Cleveland. Did Detroit make these as well, or did I get some bad info? Also, is this the same EMD that GM owned for so many years?
I forgot to add Vigilant, our engines do run at much lower RPM. However the difference is the reduction in our transmission. You can appreciate, in a truck application, you are up and down on the throttle, and you have your gears to work with. We are in gear, that's it. Then you bring your RPM usually to you "economy notch". Example, my Mitsubishi will turn 2000 rpm on the governor, but I run it at 1650. That is where I pull the best for the amount of fuel I am burning. You have probably looked at the power curve graph compared to fuel consumption. For me to give another 200 RPM, I might gain 1 knot, but burn about 30% more fuel. This also cuts my travel range for the fuel I carry down considerably. Many years ago, I was on the "Island King" which I spoke of. The old Chief engineer, Bill Shields was educating me on fuel consumption. That ship has one of those V20 Jimmys in it. They are actually locomotive engines. When towing 24 hours a day on the governor, they burn a gallon per HP per day. I found it hard to believe him at the time, but it almost always works out. Now that big "John Ross" my uncle captained with the two engines in there they don't go by gallons per hour. Its tons of fuel per day. If you keep yourself at a constant towing RPM, as most of us do, it is always best as I have said to keep some power in the bank. Which brings me to a story I get a real laugh out of. In 1970 when that "Island King" was built and was new. They tried to take the 4000HP out of that engine like in a locomotive, when they were actually supposed to only be taking 3600. Well we loaded the log barge in Quatsino Sound at the camp where I worked. (My job was to keep bringing the bags of logs alongside the barge with the small tug I ran). A friend of mine was captain on the King. When we were heaving anchors for them to leave, I hollered up at Joe the skipper, "You get right back here Joe, we're really plugged with wood". I'll be right back he says. Well Joe don't showup. A few days later they finally get back. I say ok, what 'er you doing?..heavy date?. He says you'll never believe this. They are in Howe Sound, about 4 miles from where they dump. (In the above pictures I put up where the barges are having the loads blasted off, you can see the Port Mellon pulp mill. Well Joe is just coming by the Langdale ferry dock, and that old Chief engineer calls him from the engine room and says Joe, we just blew a liner (cylinder liner). I've got to shut 'er down. Joe says ok....shut 'er down Bill. Now Joe says to me, I'm doing close to 8 knots, so now I know just how long it takes to stop that barge. He's got 4 miles to go, and he is headed right for the deep sea dock where the freighters load pulp. He says, I was able to steer, cause the steering nozzle on that ship is powered by the auxilliary. The barge went by him, and he says I just kept letting a little tow line out and then kept snubbing it. Kind of like playing a big spring salmon. But he says, that barge would have wiped out that deep sea dock. One of the tugs a little smaller was just hooking up his chip barges to go back to Vancouver. He let his barges go and ran over and pushed the log barge around and got it tied up so all was well. The log barge has a load on it of 26,000 tons. Now we know, it takes more than 4 miles to stop it.
I'm no maritime expert, but I already know what Homer Simpson would have said: D'OH!!!
Here's a few pics of some of the marine traffic that passes by where I live virtually every day. From kayaks to cruise ships and everything in between. Sorry for the blurry ones but I'm not as steady as I used to be so telephoto via handheld lacks sometimes. Take care.
As I recall, GM bought out Cleveland. I worked on the Fairbanks line for awhile and all those were two strokes. I have been around a 3-278 that was in a dive barge in Norfolk, Virginia and it was also a two stroke. I was told the Nimitz air craft carrier has 12V645 gensets for reactor fill and emergency power. I'm sure those were also two strokes. When I was in school for small boats they had an injector from a 645 on the bench next to one from a 71. Other than the markings on the rack, they looked the same except for the size. The US Navy had about every type and size of GM diesel as was ever produced used in something somewhere. I'm still impressed that the design worked from the small end of the power range all the way to the most powerful. The other engine not mentioned is the GM 149 series. They were put in a bunch of big haul trucks that I was around for awhile. This particular series I was told was run in Mississippi River boats at 1,800 horsepower. The engines in the trucks were pulling 2,100 ponies and they really didn't like that. I've worked on two Mitsu engines in the 400 plus horsepower range and was very impressed at the engineering. Both had the individual heads per cylinder and a real heavy crank to carry that power for a long time. They weren't easy to work on but they appeared to me to be made to run forever.
John you are absolutely right about the Mitsi. Individual cylinder & a huge Crank. Mine is still almost new, but I have friends who have them in other tugs and gotten 40,000 hours out of them. A V12-71, which is what I took out of my tug, your lucky to get 20,000..
Dave. The very first picture is one of the tugs my brother in Campbell River skippers.
John C I worked on Cleveland 3-268's 8-268's 8-278,12 & 16-278 Fairbanks Morse 10-38 1/8D. Cleveland who was bought by GM and became EMD I have worked on just about every series of Detroit Diesel except 61 series (after my time) the 149 had pot heads like the EMD's 567 and 645"s all were 2 cycle. Some of the larger tugs and fishing boats had ALCO mains my last 2 ships had 6 for main engines
The engine in the Susan Richards is a 12v567, and like JohnC says, it looks just like a big Detroit for all the world. It is a 2-stroke. She has a 6-71 for a main genny, and a 2-71 for the emergency, they are old enough to say GM Diesel, not Detroit, and the Old Man will correct you if you call them Detroits. I won't tell you about the night we were trying to take the barge on the hip in a high wind and a moon tide, and Eddie let me push the barge up against the State Dock to get ahold of her. Let's just say a few of those pilings are forever marked as MINE!
And the 'GM' in GM Diesel actually stands for Gray Marine Diesel, correct?
In my research, Gray marine was just the company that marinized the general motors engines in the beginning untill GM took them over and did it in house. If this is the case, GM stands for general motors. Gray marines logos included their whole name spelt out.
This has turned out to be a great thread. I'm learning as I go. Thanks. Any thoughts on the Bedford engines?
The engine company started out as the Winton Engines then GM bought the company and changed its name to Cleveland Diesel I think in the late 30's Newer Submarines (WW2) LST's and just about all of the Diesel ships the US Navy had were powered by Cleveland Diesel they were all 2cycle I guess as the large number of ships went away GM decided to go deeper into locomotive engines and large gen sets
Nope, General Motors. It actually says "General Motors" on the engines, not "GM"; I was just being a lazy typist. General Motors owned Detroit Diesel until fairly recently, and changed the name to Detroit in the '30s or '40s, (I think). The 6-71 General Motors is basically identical to the 1971 Detroit 6-71 I have.
Gray Marine modified those engines with marine coolers with zincs set up the engines for boats. I had four boats I was in charge of on the ship I was on. The 40 foot utility boats had the old low block 6-71 engines with two valve heads that said Gray Marine on the coolers and GM on the engine blocks. The 26 foot personnel boats had the slant 6-71 engines, also called rail car motors, that only said GM and they were high block engines with four valve heads. As far as I know most of the modern WWII submarines used the Fairbanks Morse opposed piston engines. The engines had two cranks and no heads. Fairbanks made the top set of rods shorter than the bottom set to to fit the engines in the cramped space in a sub. The engines were simple requiring no valve maintenance or having any head gasket problems that came about from time to time on the GM line. As I recall Penske bought out the GM line in the eighties or nineties but the engines were called Detroit at least from the sixties that I can remember. Before that I remember everyone called the Jimmies.
I recall seeing left-hand turning 6-71s for sale really cheap years ago from the landing craft etc. that had both right-hand and left-hand turn engines working opposite to each other.
GM Diesel started in 1938 with the 71 series, then brought out the 53 in 1957. GM Diesel was renamed Detroit Diesel Division in 1965, then Detroit Diesel Allison Division in 1970. In 1988 Detroit Diesel Corporation was formed, owned 60% by Penske and 40% by GM. The company was sold to DaimlerChrysler in 2000. http://www.demanddetroit.com/about/history.aspx We just sank an old tug that had a Fairbanks Morse in it.
Good day gentlemen. I've just returned from a trip up to Rivers Inlet. Called by Helifor last week. "Come and move this camp". This camp is the old x CPR Ferry, "Trailer Princess". Some of you local fellows may recall. She ran from Coal Harbour in Vancouver to Naniamo for many years, hauling freight trailers. They were loaded and off loaded each end with the local tractors. I recall a night in 1972, I was having a 68x12 mobile home of mine moved up island, and I was piloting the guy towing it for me. When we were unloading in Naniamo, watching those jockeys back on pedal to the metal, and come off there wide open with those trailers. Some real hot shots. After she was de commissioned, Helilfor bought her and installed this camp on her. She is 280 feet long. As you can see the forward deck is the pad for the Air Crane. Aft over the dry room, and genset building is a pad for the Hughes 500 support helicopter. I managed to get a window with no wind, but still had about a 4 meter swell for about 30 miles on the outside. Getting thru the outter narrows and into the flat water felt a lot better here are a few shots. The pictures with the two camps, (the other is the "Eclipse " camp, in Darby Channel , Rivers Inlet. I had to take her into Takush Harbour in Smith Inlet for a weather day. My deck hand and the deckhand off the small tug went out and got us 11 big dungeness crags, so the cook made us a feast in the cook house. The picture in the mist is coming out of Smith Inlet. I handed her off to the little tug just outside Nakwakto rapids while it was still day light, and took the other pictures of her sliding thru the rapids. (We still had one knot of flood, at the top of the tide.
Nakwakto Rapids I can't seem to get these last two pictures small enough to upload. I'll try again. That seems to have worked.
Hi Tugman...they were indeed the two most powerful tugs until '89. Sadly the Scots only got the credit for the WW...the Ross was built in Durban and is now called the "Smit Amandla" ...South African politics! She may not be the world's most powerful anymore, but as far as I am aware, she is still (at the age of 37) the worlds fastest ocean going tug! And still the best looking! They cut the aft A-frame off both of them in 2002 which took away the somewhat vintage salvage tug look away from them. The lines of her hull are still unmatched though. This is what the Ross looks like these days. In fact I have the same poster of the WW block mounted in my study among a few more! That was taken during her sea-trials in Clyde. What was your uncle Frank's surname? Cheers
LPDM; Thankyou so much for your reply. I have many pictures of the JR, but not this one. Very much appreciate it. I have followed her history, (including the new name). Smitt is very busy here as well. My uncle Frank, (mum's brother) was "Captain Frank Culbard". His last trip with the John Ross, was to tow an oil rig to the Beaufort Sea. It was a massive event. Long after my uncle's death, I came to purchase a small tug. The fellow I got it from, gave me a marine survey of this little boat. When he handed it too me, it brought a tear to my eye. It was done by uncle Frank. After his retirement from the John Ross, he was for several years an international marine surveyor. Much of his work, he did for Lloyds of London. I restored this little tug I had bought, (it was built in 1927). When I went to insure it, I was sitting across the desk from my insurance man. I said, "here is an old survey my uncle did of this boat". He picked it up, and looked at it with great surprise. He said, "Frank Culbard was your uncle?" I said "yeah, he was mum's brother." He said, how much do you know about your uncle? (Now I got to say, uncle Frank was a very big guy. We used to just call him, "Foghorn Frank." We loved that old guy, and his children my cousins are very dear to us. You couldn't know uncle Frank as much as you'd like, He was gone a lot. He towed oil rigs around Cape Horn. Well, Lorne, (my insurance guy, who specialized in marine insurance), he says, "I guess you don't know this, but your uncle was one of the towing authorities of the world." So that's old uncle Frank. His father, our grand dad, who we never met, was from Scotland. Grew up at Dollar Academy. He was at the engagement at Vimy Ridge, in WW1. He died of complications, when our mum was fourteen. I had the pleasure of spending some great hours with my uncle listening to some of his tales of the sea, and I have valued every minute there. Some time, I really need to see, Cape Towm. Thanks.
Hi there Tugman, Ah, Captain Culbard! He was a bit before my time, but I have heard his name in the stories that have been told. Only the best for the Saftugs! Okke Grapouw used to conduct some serious interviews with candidate Masters. This included a video showing a tank model of the tug capsizing when she was steaming at full speed ahead of a following sea! I have been collecting information about the tugs since I was 3 years old. My Dad was captain of the WW from 1989 until her scrapping a few years ago. It was like a death in the family when she left! He is now serving as Master on board the JR and I can't see him going anywhere until she comes out of service! And I believe that someone is talking about putting her in a museum in Vancouver!! I also had 6 of the best years of my life serving on board the old girls. Even managed to get a 2 month tour of duty on the WW sailing with my old man...was an interesting experience. But since he moved over to the JR, the company wouldn't let me sail with him as a chief officer. So I have had to move on. Maybe I will be fortunate enough to get one more tour of duty on her before the end. At the moment I am working in Italy with Titan Salvage removing the Costa Concordia. Very interesting job...and would you believe it...the man at the helm here is Nick Sloane...another ex-captain of the JR!! I am not sure if you are aware, but Okke Grapouw and Tony Nunn have released the first edition of the book dedicated to the tugs. They are going to be adding more to this edition and release an updated version in a of couple years. It has the fitting title of "A Tug At My Heart" Please email me your details if you would like a copy forwarded to you. (I am not sure whether they are available from internet ordering sites) It would only be a pleasure for me to arrange one for you when I get home next month. My email address is [email protected] And whenever you get down to Cape Town please let me know and lunch will be served on board if she is in town! Cheers
LPDM; Thankyou so much for your kind offer. I would treasure a book like that. merchantships.tripod.com/voyage3.html I have linked a page from the merchant sailors association. It is interesting, and about halfway down the page you get to see a picture of Captain Frank. In 1975 when he was master of the Sudbury 2, he rescued this Liberian freighter. It was all through Christmas that year, in some real horrible weather. Every morning we would wait the news to see how they were making out. At the bottom of this page you can click on the high lighted, "City of Alberni", the 5 mast schooner Uncle Frank first went to sea on in WW2. This article mentions his grand father, (our great grand father) Frank T Bullen. You may be familiar with some of his books, such as "The Cruise of the Cachalot". He went to sea on the whaling ships at age twelve. Thanks again for your communication, and kind offer.
The Haida Monarch went up on the rocks in the winter of 1980-81 these pictures of it aftre it had been taken in the Esquimalt drydock .It had been cut in haft sealed up counter balenced floated out in Esquimalt Harbour . The drydock drained , the Keel Blocks rearanged the pictures shows the sections being brought back into the drydock . When the two sections were alined , the drydock drained . Work began repairing the damaged section . The center section of the ship was basicly rebuilt.
Great photos! I recognize a few of the places. Will try to find some of my camp pics to share.
I remember in the 1960's the V12 General Motor engines powering the Steel Tower yarders I was working around . About 1967 or 68 I remember guy's taking about GM puting Detroit Diesel on their Diesel engines because the owner of a Ford or Dodge truck opened the hood of their new truck and seen it powered by a General Motors Diesel engine they were offened.
We called 'em double-breasted Yamahas.
We use to call them the big green leakers
In case if you have not seen these in action, here is a barge dumping in the Alberni Inlet on Vancouver Island July 2012: First is the view taken on it way into the Inlet; we are near Bamfield here: Now some views as it starts to dump: To be continued......
.....continued: And now they are gone!
Great pictures of a barge dumping, just occurred to me that whoever tried that method first must have been brave. Wondering if a barge ever capsized after the logs slid off.
I'm assuming that was done on purpose? Agree with John first to try it was either brave or very crazy! With my luck logs would get 3/4 of the way off and wedge themselves tight!
When the logs come off the deck, the barge will JUMP back in the water pretty good. I don't remember ever hearing of one capsizing when dumping but I believe a few have flipped when loaded. There was one up in port alice several years ago. Many moons ago, I used to repair the cranes on those things. Not the nice new ones like the ones in the pictures but the old school ones like the Seaspan Forester, the Swiftsure Prince and a few others. Interesting job!
How do I bring up your photos?
Perhaps you didn't see on page 8. I put pictures of the Haida Monarch dumping at my booming ground in Howe Sound about 1975. Also two of the old flat decks that wouldn't dump and had to be blasted off with stick powder. I have pictures of the first ever load on the Forrester, when it was the Island Foresster, before Sea Span. (my user name used to be "Tugman". I had to change it due to a move and different internet server. Some where back is a picture of my yacht "Rockin Chair".
They changed in 1965. One of the 65 HDX's actually came new with one Detroit and one GM cover. 62 KW had a 6-71 still marked GM.
Rolling on the floor laughing