S.S. ADMIRAL

" The largest and finest inland passenger steamer ever built in America"

Anyone who grew up in St. Louis, Missouri after 1940 knows the S.S. Admiral. Many of us remember hot summer days on the top deck looking at the St. Louis skyline drifting by, listening to the steam calliope reverberating off the downtown buildings, or dancing our Saturday night away to Bob Kuban's Brass band. For many years the Admiral was as much a part of St. Louis as the Gateway Arch or the Cardinals. Now a casino, her beautiful art deco lines are being hidden by a large gaudy flashing facade and stripped of her engines, she has become a floating barge. However, I have many great memories of walking along the cobblestone levee and looking up at her stainless steel topsides gleaming in the sun. Even a half brain-dead teenager such as myself was awed by the large art deco ballroom.

The S.S. ADMIRAL began life as the S.S. ALBATROSS a railroad car ferry in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Built in 1907, she was 308 ft. long and 58 ft. wide, and carried 16 railroad cars. In 1920-21 she was lengthened to 365 ft. making her an "engineering marvel of her time."

 

When Captain Joe Streckfuss decided to build a new flagship to replace the palatial J.S. DELUXE he hired Mazie Krebs to design the ADMIRAL. Ms. Krebs previously designed the PRESIDENT. Captain Joe said to spare no expense. The ALBATROSS was brought to St. Louis and stripped down to the hull and engines. Construction took five years and cost more than $1,000,000. Mirrors and crystal were imported from Europe. The walls were tufted leather filled with steel wool for fire proofing. Artists were brought in to paint the constellations on the ballroom ceiling and musical notes in the women's lounge. The Sonja Henie womens lounge had white snow flakes painted on the dark blue leatherette walls and the floor was a white glazed tile to simulate ice. And they installed something no other riverboat had, air conditioning.
The original steam engines nicknamed Popeye and Wimpy were replaced in 1974 with three diesel engines, one in each paddle box and a one in the stern generating 2700 H.P. The ADMIRAL cruised from 1940 until the late 70's when it was decertified for passenger cruising. It was moored in New Orleans awaiting an uncertain future when it was vandalized. She was brought back to St. Louis and turned into a floating entertainment center. When gambling was legalized it became a casino. Her future is uncertain, her owners would like a new boat and replacing her 100 year old hull is economically unfeasible.


To me, she will always be the grandest lady on the river.


L.O.A. 365


Passenger capacity 4400

Taraibune; The Tub Boats of Sado Island, Japan

Being a fan of traditional wooden boats, I was excited when I read that Douglas Brooks was going to be at the Woodenboat show in Mystic, Connecticut. When I met him he was standing at the end of a dock at the Mystic Seaport museum. One of his tub boats was sitting in the water. I told him in anticipation of coming to the Woodenboat show I re-read the article he had written in Woodenboat magazine and I found the boats to be fascinating. He laughed and told me I needed to update my reading list since the article was written ten years ago.

Mr Brooks apprenticed under Koichi Fugi, the last remaining tub boat building master on the Japanese island of Sado. His article and subsequent book on his studies have made him the foremost leader on the construction and use of this unique craft. One of his goals is to teach the boat building techniques to young Japanese students so they can use and enjoy the tub boats for generations to come.

Taraibune

Sado Island lies off the western coast of Japan in the Sea of Japan. The tub boats are used by local fisherman to harvest wakame, a seaweed, and sasae, an expensive shellfish. It's shallow draft is perfect for spearfishing for sasae along the rocky shallows in protected waters along the coast. The cedar (sugi) is from trees that grow on the island and the bamboo for the braided hoops is also harvested locally. Mr. Fuji would write a blessing on a plank edge such as " Good Fishing" or "Safety at sea" before fitting it on the boat to be hidden forever. Douglas Brooks' book on the tub boats of Sado Island and other beautifully built Japanese boats can be found at his website: http://www.douglasbrooksboatbuilding.com/.

LOA approx. 5.5 ft.
Beam approx. 4 ft.

CHIEF WAWATAM

My Grandfather took several photos of ships around the Straits, here is another I have identified.

Named for the Ojibwa Chief Wawatam who saved the life of English fur trader Alexander Henry after the Massacre at Fort Michilimackinac. The CHIEF WAWATAM operated as a railroad, passenger, and car ferry between Mackinaw City and St. Ignace, Michigan. It began operation in 1911 for the Mackinac Transportation Company to haul rail road cars across the Straits of Mackinac. She was coal fired and had three triple expansion engines, two in the stern and one in the bow to power a propeller for ice breaking. Aside from carrying rail cars, CHIEF WAWATAM was used as an ice breaker during the winter months until 1943 when the Coast Guard cutter MACKINAW was put into service. The rail business declined by half in the fifties but the Chief kept on working. During the 60's the Mackinac Transportation Company petitioned the ICC to abandon the service, but was refused. The state of Michigan began to subsidize the Chief in 1976. In 1984 the dock at St. Ignace collapsed and spelled the end of ferry service across the Straits.

Photo by Duane Bastian

Although efforts were made to preserve her, the Chief was sold to Purvis Marine in 1988 to use as a barge. She was stripped down. Some fittings were given to local museums. One of the engines was restored and is in a museum in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Purvis Marine recently donated another engine to CHIEF WAWATAMs home port of St. Ignace. If you are taking a Soo Lock Boat tour, when you get up to the Algoma Steel Mill, keep your eyes open for a nearly 100 year old flat decked barge with the name CHIEF WAWATAM.

LOA 338'

Beam 62'

The Andree Family Canoe

It was fresh out of the mold when we picked it up from a shop in south St. Louis in 1964. It had no gunwales, thwarts or even seats. It was 17 feet of a bare canoe shell. Dad fashioned the seats from plywood cradled on aluminum tubing with 3 inch styrofoam bolted to the bottom. The thwarts were the same aluminum tubing that held the seats. The gunwales were wood tucked up under a fiberglass lip along the shear and screwed into place. It was our family yacht.

Abandoning ship at an Indian Guide campout at Lake Pomme de Terre

My love affair with boats and the water began when we took it out on its maiden voyage. My parents launched the canoe in the Big River in Cedar Hill, Missouri, about twenty miles from our house. I wore a Mae West life jacket that nearly swallowed up my six year old head. I stared in wonder at the minnows in the stream, the grasses growing up through the water, and the water rippling over the rocks.
The first time I was allowed to take the canoe out without an adult was with my friend Dave. We were at Lake Pomme de Terre on an Indian Guide campout. I sat in the back and Dave sat up front. We thought we had it all figured out. We pushed out into the water and proceeded to paddle in circles. We couldn't get it to go straight at all. All of my watery adventures began in that canoe.

Getting ready to leave Grandma and Grandpa Andree's house at " Dead End"

It was finally stolen from the banks of the Huron River in Ypsilanti, Michigan in the early 80's. From trips on the Big River to Sturgeon Bay, the Meramec River to Kentucky Lake it was a workhorse that took us safely on our adventures.

2008 Top O' Michigan Marathon Boat Race

The Top O' Michigan Marathon Boat Race is truly unique. Its course runs across the top of the lower peninsula on the Inland Waterway. It covers three lakes and three rivers and lasts two days.

The first day is 47 miles. The race starts at the public beach in Indian River. The racers head out into Burt Lake, after rounding a buoy they go down Indian River, across Mullet Lake, up Cheboygan River then they return the same route.

The second day the racers go up Burt Lake to Crooked River, around Crooked Lake, back to Burt Lake, Indian River, Mullet Lake and back.

The drivers like the race because its more than going around in circles. Its all out, flat wide open outboard racing at its best.

No, That's not Tony Stewart. Its Shane Venier and Tina Honeysette

Eric Meyers and Kevin Smelter

This year we watched the race from my sister Jeanne and her husband Steve's safety patrol boat on Indian River. We got a close up view of the action. Our duty was to assist any boat that needed help, to check off the boats as they came down the river and check them again on their return. Fifteen boats failed to make it back due to breakdowns. A good place to see the race is along Indian River. Hang around afterwards to watch the spectator boats parade up and down the river. If you like to boat watch, this is the place.

ROANN

I was fortunate to attend a seminar on steambending wood at Mystic Seaport during the 2007 Woodenboat Show. The seminar was held in the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard on the grounds of the museum. I have a little boat shop, so it was fun to see a real working shipyard. ( And learning that even real boat shops can be a little cluttered.) We learned techniques and got tips on building steamboxes, making heat sources, creating boilers, and bending wood. Sitting majestically above us was the partially restored ROANN. ROANN is an Eastern-rigged dragger. An Eastern-rigged dragger is identified by a small aft pilothouse and the fact that the gear is worked off the side. She was designed by Albert Condon and built for Roy Campbell. Christened by his wife Ann on May.21,1947 ROANN is a combination of both their names. She is carvel planked 1 3/4" oak on steam bent frames. The round stern is designed not to catch lines off the back. During her 50 years of fishing, she was safe and profitable and was admired around the fishing fleets. Mystic Seaport acquired her directly from her last trip in 1997. After 7 years as a static display she was showing signs of her age. It was decided to restore her to fishing condition.

In 2004 the process was begun, she was carefully disassembled and documented. Each piece, no matter how deteriorated, was saved. Over the next four years she was rebuilt from the keel up.

On May 17, 2008 as some of the old crew, old owners, and the grandaughter of Albert Condon watched, she was gently set in the Mystic River. Condons grandaughter Beth Van Stads presented the lead shipwright with one of Condons hand built backing-out planes. Her pilothouse, rigging, and spars have yet to be installed. She is expected to be finished this fall.

LOA 61'

Beam 16'9"

Depth 9'

Fish Hold Capacity 55,000 lbs. iced fish

The CAPTAIN LARRY DON

My brother Shaun's band, Frontrunner, was playing a gig on the CAPTAIN LARRY DON at the Lake of the Ozarks. The night was dark and stormy, the waves were crashing on the windows behind the band.The old tub was rocking and rolling, literally. When they began to play Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again", a 200 pound dancing drunk fell on me. There were no injuries, except maybe to his pride. Its something we still laugh about. It was always fun watching the band on the CAPTAIN LARRY DON. The CAPTAIN LARRY DON is one of those party barges on steroids that ply our lakes and rivers where Saturday night is party night and the beer flows freely.
The LARRY DON was built in 1948 at the Lake of the Ozarks. The hull was fabricated in St. Louis and shipped to the lake in four pieces. It was originally a WWII landing craft. She was named for the owner Lawrence Fry's son Larry Jr. and brother Don, who died in the war. Tex and Mae Bemis operated the boat in the 50's and 60's. She is powered by two Cummins 220 diesels with twin 32 inch propellers. Its decks have been modified over the years from it's original two decks to three with a pilothouse. CAPTAIN was added to the name in the 1960's. The CAPTAIN LARRY DON can still be found at Casino Pier near Bagnell Dam in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri.
LOA 65'

Beam 24'
Passengers 240

HMS BELFAST

I won't take a trip to London, England without a stroll along the Thames. I love to watch the boats working up and down the river. From little fishing boats to larger cruise ships, it's a dance of vessels that only a busy port can offer.

In the shadow of the Tower Bridge along the Thames river is moored the HMS BELFAST. The BELFAST, an Edinburgh class cruiser was built in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A cruiser is a smaller ship usually attached with a battle fleet, it is faster and can brake away to defend or attack. Launched in August 1939 She was damaged by a mine in November of the same year. After repairs that lasted until 1942 she was engaged in the war in the North Atlantic and was instrumental in the sinking of the German battleship SCHARNHORST . She worked the Normandy invasion and was on her way to the Pacific theater when the war ended. She was damaged in the Korean War and was put in reserve in 1953. She finally retired in 1963 and was converted into a museum ship in 1971.

LOA 613'6"

Beam 69'

Draft 19'9"

Speed 32 knots

The STEWART J. CORT

On a chilly September day in 1991 Elaine and I were locking up through the Soo locks in the NOKOMIS. Locking up bound in the neighboring Poe lock was the largest ship I had ever seen, the STEWART J. CORT.

The STEWART J.CORT was the first 1000 footer on the great lakes. Built in the Ingalls Shipbuilding yards of Pascagoula, Mississippi as HULL 1173, she was constructed as just the fore and aft ends welded together. This vessel nicknamed "Stubby" was mated with it's mid section in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1971. It was christened STEWART J. CORT after the late vice president of Bethlehem Steel. She is powered by four General Motors EMD diesels generating 14000 horsepower and is the only "1000 footer" with a foward pilothouse.

I have seen her several times in the Straits of Mackinac shuttling between Superior, Wisconsin and Burns Harbor, Indiana. She is still one of the most impressive sights on the Great Lakes.

LOA 1000'

Beam 105'

Depth 49'

South Street Seaport Museum

We were walking on a cold November day in New York City. After a sobering visit to Ground Zero we strolled down around Battery Park then up towards the Brooklyn Bridge. Between the foot of Wall Street and the Brooklyn Bridge we came across the South Street Seaport Museum.The museum consists of several historic buildings and in water boat displays including tug boats and tall ships. The tall ships were an amazing sight in the shadows of the skyscrapers.

One of the largest sailing vessels ever built, the four masted barque PEKING was launched in 1911 in Hamburg, Germany for use in the Europe/ South American nitrate trade. In 1921 she was handed over to Italy for war compensation. She served as a school ship in England for 40 years and was aquired by the museum in 1974.

337' LOA

47' wide

Sail area 44,132 Sq. Ft.

WAVERTREE built in 1885 at Southampton, England was used to carry jute from Bangladesh to Scotland. It was one of the largest ships built with a wrought iron hull. After being demasted crossing Cape Horn she was used as a floating warehouse and then a barge. She was aquired by the seaport in 1968. The seaport recently recieved a grant from the city of New York for 4 million dollars to restore the WAVERTREE.

LOA 279'

Breadth 40.2'

Southeast Asian Long Tail Boats

Koa Tao (Turtle Island), Thailand.
Knowing that I am always interested in native wooden boats, my niece Christine sent me a photo of boats she saw on her recent semester in Thailand. These are long tail boats native to Southeast Asia. They get the name from the long drive shaft running from the engine to the propeller. The motor is balanced on a pivot so it can be moved left and right and up or down. Power plants range from one cylinder diesel to V-8 automobile engines. The hulls are generally made of wood. These boats can be rather top heavy and unwielding but are driven with skill and are the backbone of the fishing and tourism industries. Colorful cloth ribbons are tied to the bow to please the spirits for a good catch and for safe journeys. Thousands of long tails were destroyed in the tsunami of 2004 and a huge effort to repair and rebuild the fleet has begun.

The Bodrum Yacht

When I am traveling I like to take walks along the wharfs and marinas. In Bodrum, Turkey I was wandering along the promenade and was struck by all the beautiful wooden yachts. They were all lined up waiting to be chartered.

The Bodrum Yacht or Gulet, is styled after the ships that plyed the coast of Turkey for centuries. Most are built of wood on the outskirts of town in family run boatyards using techniques passed down for generations. The Egyptian, Ptolemaus, had his warships made here in 300 B.C. The wood used to build the boats is mainly local. Red and white pine, mahogany, mulberry and imported woods such as Iroko. Many are built without the aid of plans. They are wide beamed, ketch rigged and spend as much time motoring as sailing. The interiors are built for luxury.

If you find yourself in Bodrum, Turkey, one of the must sees is the Bodrum Castle or Castle of St. Peter. At the castle is the shipwreck of Uluburun, The oldest shipwreck dating back to 14 century B.C.

The CITY OF CHEBOYGAN

My grandparents used to take their young family camping in northern Michigan. It was an inexpensive way to see one of the most beautiful parts of the country. They would camp at Wilderness State park on the Straits of Mackinac. In the days before the construction of the Mackinac Bridge, the state run car ferries would shuttle between the upper peninsula and the lower.

After the death of my grandfather I ran across an envelope of old negatives in a box of rocks.( My grandfather was a rock collector.) In it I found negatives of some old ships. Knowing that they were probably from the straits area, I set out to identify them.

The first ship I was able to identify was the City of Cheboygan. The City of Cheboygan began its life as railroad car ferry Ann Arbor #4. It was launched in 1906, was 258 feet long, and held 24 rail cars. It had a pair of notable incidents. On January 24 1909 near Manistique it ran aground. After futile attempts to power off, two crewmen were sent in a boat to get a tug at Manistique. The men had a hard row to shore and a walk of several miles. When they returned to the scene the ship was gone. They spent the night in an old wrecked schooner and were reunited with the ship the next day. On May 29 of the same year, while loading rail cars at dock, a mistake was made and the vessel was loaded unevenly. In the span of ten minutes the ship rolled over on its port side and came to rest on the bottom. Although no one was injured the Ann Arbor #4 sat on the bottom for over a month while salvagers removed the rail cars through holes cut into its side.

In 1937 the Ann Arbor #4 was sold to the state of Michigan and became the City of Cheboygan. In the winter of 1946-47 a "scooped bow" was added to save time by allowing cars to be driven in one end and driven off the other. On the opening day of the new Mackinac Bridge, the ferries stopped operations and were put up for sale. The once grand City of Cheboygan was turned into a floating warehouse to store potatoes. And sadly, in 1974 she was scrapped in Italy.

MESABI MINER

One of the most impressive sights on the Great Lakes is the Mesabi Miner. Launched in 1977 and christened in Duluth, MN this "1000 footer" is named for the Mesabi Iron range in Minnesota.We took these photos as it locked down in the Poe lock at the Soo. Elaine and I happened to visit on Engineers Day and were able to cross the MacArthur lock over to the Poe. We got a first hand view of the ship as it pulled in the lock with very little room to spare. Engineers Day is the last friday in June. The public is invited into the area between the locks to watch the ships, tour the buildings and go onboard some of the Corps boats. To really appriciate these ships, you have to see them up close.

She is powered by two Pielstick V-16 turbocharged diesel engines developing 8000 b.h.p. each giving her a rated service speed of 15.5 m.p.h. She is capible of carrying 63,000 gross tons.

L.O.A. 1004' 00"

Beam 105' 00"

Depth 50'00"

Draft 29' 00" Loaded at 63,000 tons

BLACKBIRD

Around 1993 my younger brother Shaun got the idea he wanted to build a boat. I was skeptical at first. He had never picked up a saw in his life. However, he did it and Blackbird leaves a legacy of voyages taken and dreams fufilled.

Blackbird was built from plans for Hartley Trailer Sailor 18. The hull is formed by 3/4 inch marine plywood over mahogany frames, all sheathed in fiberglass cloth and epoxy. I assisted in some of the finishing work such as fiber glassing the hull, applying the decking, painting and decorative scroll work.
It's hard chined hull rolls gently in a breeze then stabilizes at a nice heel. Her cutter rig with staysail allows her to point up a little higher in a close haul, she is a little heavy. Below deck is spacious with a bench along either side that also serve as berths. The centerboard trunk was cut down and a steel centerboard was reconfigured to fit.

We have sailed Blackbird at Carlyle Lake in Illinois for many years. Shaun has since moved twice, once to Milwaukee, and then to Connecticut. Although I miss Shaun and his boat at Carlyle, we have since had some good sails on Lake Michigan and Long Island Sound.