Tom Wenstadt, our Door County correspondent, reports that the M/V MESABI MINER arrived at the Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding dock on Saturday December 28th for winter layup. She backed up the 6 miles through the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal.
The MESABI MINER was built in three sections. The mid body was built at the American Shipbuilding yard in Toledo, Ohio, then towed to the American Shipbuilding Lorain, Ohio, yard for assembly to the bow and stern sections. She was launched on February 14, 1977, for the Interlake Steamship Co. for whom she sails today. Her name was given to honor all of the dedicated iron miners in the Mesabi Iron Range in northeastern Minnesota.
The MESABI MINER set a number of cargo records for both iron ore as well as coal.
Specifications:
Length 1004 feet
Beam (width) 105 feet
Depth 56 feet
Capacity 63,300 tons
Power 2 Pielstick V16 8000 horsepower diesel engines turning two propellers and a bow thruster
Self-Unloading rate 10,000 tons per hour
Come see this 1004 footer this winter at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, along with her other 1000 foot friends. Be sure to check out the view of the winter fleet from both sides of the bay as well as the Door County Maritime Museum Lighthouse Tower. Look for a long iron ore colored hull and unloading boom with a white aft pilot house.
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Tom Wenstadt, who lives in Sturgeon Bay, is a retired marine engineer, having worked in the Great Lakes area for thirty-seven years. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan Technological University and is the author of Freighters of Manitowoc. He is a member of the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society and the Door County Maritime Museum & Lighthouse Preservation Society. He is a volunteer archival assistant and docent for the JOHN PURVES.
Photo by Craig Olson dated May 20, 2008
