Tom Wenstadt, our Door County correspondent, reports that the M/V STEWART J. CORT arrived at the Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding yard, Thursday, January 16th. The vessel pivoted at the mouth of Sturgeon Bay, then backed the six miles up the Sturgeon Bay channel to the yard. It then backed into the slip adjacent to the MESABI MINER. The CORT was assisted in these maneuvers by tugs JIMMIE L and DONALD J SARTER.
The STEWART J. CORT was built partially by Ingalls Shipbuilding Pascagoula, Miss., then completed at Erie Marine in Erie, Penn., for the Bethlehem Steel Co. The CORT has a unique self-unloading arrangement. Instead of a typical deck mounted swing boom, it has a short transverse shuttle boom at the stern of the vessel.
Leaving on her maiden voyage on May 1, 1972, she was the first 1000 footer on the Great Lakes. After a number of ownership changes, the STEWART J. CORT now operates for the Interlake Steamship Co.
Specifications:
Length 1000 feet
Beam (width) 105 feet
Depth 49 feet
Capacity 58,000 tons
Power 4 EMD V20 3600 horsepower diesel engines turning two propellers and a bow thruster
Look for a forward pilot house and an aft deck house with an iron ore red hull with white upper works. It unloads with retractable conveyer booms at the stern.
The CORT, along with other 1000 foot friends can be viewed from both sides of Sturgeon Bay, as well as from the Door county Maritime Museum Lighthouse tower.
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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 at top of page by Bob Kuhn dated February 1, 2018
