Tom Wenstadt, our Door County correspondent, reports that the M/V WALTER J. McCARTHY, JR. left the Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding dock in Sturgeon Bay Thursday morning March 21, 2024. The vessel went out ice free Sturgeon Bay and up Green Bay toward Lake Michigan. It is destined for Superior, Wis., to pick up its first load of taconite for the season.
This vessel was the first 1000 foot self-unloading bulk carrier built at Bay Shipbuilding. It was built in two sections, then assembled in the new 1100 foot graving dock. The vessel was christened as the M/V BELLE RIVER on July 12, 1977. The vessel carried mostly coal but began carrying taconite, an enriched form of iron ore, in more recent years. On May 5, 1990, the vessel was renamed to its current name in honor of the retired CEO of Detroit Edison Co., American Steamship’s major customer.
Specifications:
Length 1000 feet
Beam (width) 105 feet
Depth 56 feet
Capacity 80,900 tons
Power 4 3600 horsepower EMD V-20 diesel engines turning two propellers and a bow thruster
Self-Unloading rate 8,930 tons per hour
Look for an aft pilot house and an aft self-unloading boom with a black hull and white upper works. Watch for arrivals of the next Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Winter fleet in December, 2024. The winter fleet can be viewed from either side of the bay and be sure to get the spectacular view from the Door County 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 by Craig Olson: WALTER J. McCARTHY, JR. in the St. Marys River in 2005
This story was originally posted on March 26, 2024
