The Two Longest Names on the Lakes Together! Walter J McCarthy Jr, Right Honorable Paul J Martin

We were in for a double mouthful on this morning! Thousand footer Walter J McCarthy Jr departed with iron ore from the Duluth dock on her first cargo run out of Duluth this season, second trip overall since she laid up here. Then the Rt Hon Paul J Martin made a surprise arrival for fuel after departing the Superior Entry a just half hour earlier, marking her first Canal appearance since April of last year! The two vessels have the longest names on the lakes, and in their respective nations, kind of fun to see them together.

McCarthy was built in 1977 as the Belle River in Sturgeon Bay WI. While she was never the longest ship on the Lakes, she was the heaviest with a max capacity of 80,900 tons, a title which she and her the four near identical vessels built after her still retain, although the record currently belongs to Indiana Harbor. Interestingly, due to depth restrictions in the rivers between lakes, she has never been fully loaded, and cannot be loaded past around 70,000 tons outside of flood conditions, the all time cargo record sitting at 77,500 tons. Her current name came in 1990 due to a contract change. For much of her career she was distinct from her sisters with a bright blue unloading boom mount, but sadly it was painted white in 2016 to match the others. Over this last winter the steel lining in her cargo holds were replaced here in Duluth. This season she has been primarily operating out of Two Harbors, but this and her current trip as I type this have been here. Sorry for the weird cut in the middle of her departure, got a phone call at the worst time lol

Rt Hon Paul J Martin was built in 1973 as the HM Griffith, one of the first modern style vessels as we know them today with a stern pilothouse, integrated unloader and rounded bow. The ship was almost entirely rebuilt in 2000, the entire cargo hold in front of the superstructure was removed and scrapped, replaced with a new hull, 10ft longer and a redesigned cargo space, adding over 15,000 toms to her maximum capacity. She currently measures 740ft long and can carry 37,700 tons. The rebuilt ship was rechristened under the name seen today, named after a former executive of the company who later went onto become the Prime Minister of Canada. Weirdly, CSL’s website claims she was converted to a self unloader in 2006 despite pictures dating back to her launch clearing showing her a self unloader in 1973. In 2013 she received new engines. In October 2019 she suffered damage after grounding in the St Lawrence River for 6 days, ending her season 4 months early, leading into an extended overhaul and refit. The ship was drydocked again this winter for regular inspection and maintenance, but sadly no new paint. She’s going to look pretty rough in another 5-6 years…

Hope everyone enjoys!