James R. Barker - Rumble, Rattle, and Roar!

Here is the James R. Barker seen (and heard) arriving in Duluth, Minnesota early on the morning of May 15, 2023. She was arriving empty to load low-sulfur coal at the Superior Midwest Energy Terminal. The coal was to be delivered to the power plant at St. Clair, Michigan.

While the James R. Barker had previously loaded in Superior and Two Harbors for the season, this was her first arrival through the Duluth shipping canal. The captain was clearly itching to deliver one of his trademark monster master salutes, clocking in over a minute in duration. Her two horn setup delivers a unique rumble followed by a staccato roar which can be felt in the chest of anyone standing nearby. You can also be forgiven for thinking the ground is shaking a bit too. Perhaps we need to set up some seismic meters to see if she truly shakes the earth!

I didn't include the Aerial Lift Bridge response for two reasons... it was not only highly distorted (to a very unpleasant degree), but I also needed to reposition my camera after the Barker's long salute. I did, however, include a different kind of reply from the bridge operator. You'll have to listen to the full video to hear it!

Keen viewers will notice the 1000-foot American Century in the background.She had just fueled and departed Duluth, bound for Two Harbors. Her departure can be seen in the previous video on this channel.

The James R. Barker is 1004 feet in length and was built in 1976 by the American Ship Building Company of Lorain, Ohio. According to the Boatnerd website, she is powered by "two 8,000 bhp V-16 cylinder, four stroke cycle, single acting, turbocharged Colt-Pielstick PC2V diesel engines, built by Fairbanks Morse Engine Division of Colt Industries, Beloit, WI driving through a Falk reversing gear box to two Bird-Johnson controllable pitch, stainless steel, four bladed propellers seventeen feet, six inches in diameter." She has a cargo capacity of 63,300 tons. She has the distinction of being the first self-contained 1000-footer to be built with the entire superstructure at the aft end of the vessel. This design would be the model the remaining 1000-footers to be built for Great Lakes service.
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