I almost thought that the Blough would pass through the lock before they would open the gates for Engineer's Day and I wouldn't have a chance to see her up close. But she decided to stick around long enough for the people to get a look at her.
This was my first Engineer's Day and the fact that the ship I would get to see was my favorite ship would make it a memorable one. I never thought I would get a chance to see her from this angle.
A closeup of her pilothouse. When you look at one of these ships out on the Lake or in the Detroit River, they don't look so large and then you stand up next to one.
A closeup of her pilothouse.
And anchor.
In case you forgot who we were talking about.
The do look long on the River, but unless you get a shot looking down, you don't get an idea of just how long they are.
Some of the folks from Engineer's Day watching as she starts to leave the locks.
Another shot of her pilothouse.
One of her crew members looking out at the crowd. And shortly after this picture, she blew a master salute...it was pretty awesome. She's got a pretty awesome sounding horn.
Looking up at her pilothouse.
As she starts to pass by.
Some deck winches.
A shot of her hatch covers.
I think the next part is the coolest thing about Engineer's Day.
They left a couple hatches open, so that people could see what she was carrying. The Blough is exclusively an iron ore carrier. In particular, she carries taconite pellets. Much of the ore that is mined is in an unpure form and taconite is a purified version of the iron ore that comes out of the ground. It is made into little pellets which makes it easier to carry.
Looking to the front of her. As you can see her sides are rounded. That is almost a throwback to the whalebacks of old.
Another view of her cargo.
A shot of her stack.
Looking down at her side. It's amzing just how tall she is.
Another set of winches.
Looking towards the pilothouse.
One of her liferings.
The crew was being really cool about this as they passed out ice cream sandwiches. Unfortunately, they ran out by the time they got to my end.
I'm not sure if this is a lifeboat or a launch which is used when she is docked.
A couple of her crew members.
Looking up at her smokestack. You can still the outline of the US Steel logo.
Another shot looking down her length.
A couple of her portholes.
And one more shot. Unfortunately, I was shooting into the sun for this one.
A shot of her special unloading system.
And her stern as she pulls out.
And she heads down the St. Mary's River. I think her destination was Gary.
I would like to send out a special thanks to the crew of the Roger Blough. I think you guys were finished lowering before the opening of Engineer's Day but you stuck around a little longer and made it an even more special day. Of all the ships that could have been passing on my first Engineer's Day, it had to be the Blough. Again, thank you.
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