| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | MV Paul R. Tregurtha |
| Owner: | Interlake Steamship Company |
| Operator: | Interlake Steamship Company |
| Port of registry: | Wilmington, Delaware, United States |
| Builder: | American Ship Building Company |
| Yard number: | 909 |
| Laid down: | July 12, 1979 |
| Launched: | February 4, 1981 |
| Christened: | April 25, 1981 |
| Maiden voyage: | May 10, 1981 |
| Identification: | WYR4481 |
| Nickname: | The Big Paul |
| Status: | Operational |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Lake freighter |
| Tonnage: | 14,497 net register tonnage |
| Length: | 1,013 ft (309 m) |
| Beam: | 105 ft (32 m) |
| Depth: | 56 ft (17 m) |
| Installed power: | 2x Colt-Pielstick 16PC2-3V-400 V-16 four stroke diesel, rated at 8,560 b.h.p. each |
| Propulsion: | 2x 5.33 m (17.5 ft) controllable pitch propeller Bow thruster: 1500 hp |
| Speed: | 15.5 knots |
| Capacity: | Iron ore: 68,000 long tons Coal: 63,616 long tons |
MV Paul R. Tregurtha is a Great Lakes-based bulk carrier freighter. The current Queen of the Lakes, she is the largest ship operating on the Great Lakes complex.[1] Launched as the William J. De Lancey, she was the last of the 13 “thousand footers” to enter service on the Great Lakes, and was also the last Great Lakes vessel built at American Ship Building Companies yard in Lorain, Ohio.
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The Interlake Steamship Company was given a contract in 1979 by its customer Republic Steel, to transport iron ore from Lake Superior ports to their steel mill at Indiana Harbor, or to their transshipment terminal at Lorain.[1]
Designed by the American Ship Building Company to be at or near the maximum "St Lawrence Seaway Size", she was designed to fulfil two briefs:
With the second brief in mind, she was one of the first freighters with full air conditioning, elevators, and luxurious décor. Built in two parts, her keel was laid down on July 12, 1979, at the American Ship Building Company yard in Toledo, Ohio. On completion, the forward section was towed to their yard in Lorain, where it was mated with the stern portion. The completed hull #909 has a total length of 1,013 feet (309 m).[1]
Stephens-Adamson designed a loop belt elevator system, that feeds a stern mounted 79.25 meters (260.0 ft) discharge boom that can be swung 100 degrees to port or starboard. Capable of unloading at a rate of 10,000 long tons of iron ore per hour, or 6,000 net tons of coal per hour, the total system displaces 14,497 tons.[1]
Formally launched on February 4, 1981, the vessel was christened on April 25, 1981, as the William J. De Lancey, named in honor of Republic Steel's chairman who participated in the launch.[1]
The William J. De Lancey departed Lorain on her maiden voyage May 10, 1981, sailing in ballast to Silver Bay, Minnesota, to load 55,944 tons of iron ore pellets. She arrived back in Lorain on May 16, 1981. She holds a number of cargo records:[1]
On termination of the Republic Steel contract, on May 23, 1990, she was rechristened MV Paul R. Tregurtha at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, named in honor of the Vice Chairman of Interlake Steamship Co. On May 3, 2002, her only captain died in his cabin, Captain Mitch Hallin, aged 55.[1]
In winter 2004, she was asked to transport a reserve of coal to Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, necessitating a mid-winter voyage. Loading 43,000 net tons in Conneaut, Ohio, both United States and Canadian Coast Guard services provided ice breaking assistance so that the voyage was completed without any delays. After unloading on January 29, she departed for her normal winter lay-up in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.[1]
She was the subject of a television program in the second series of Discovery Channel Canada's series Mighty Ships.