The Algoway on the Saginaw River

So this weekend ended up being a busy boat weekend for me.  I was going up to my mom's to do my normal thing of when I go up to my mom's.  I also thought I was going to go to my class reunion but as I looked at the day and saw how nice it was, I decided that I couldn't pass up on that.  So my mom and I headed up I-75 to Mackinaw and beyond.

 As I was leaving Ypsilanti, I saw that the Algoway was heading outbound from delivering stone in Saginaw.  As I was 2 hours away, I didn't think I'd get a chance to see her.  As I had a couple chances, I caught her progress on the Saginaw River and it was pretty slow.  So then I figured I had a chance to see her.

 But I wasn't quite sure where I would see her.  I thought there was a park near my mom's where I could watch her head out to the bay but then I thought about it a little more and realized, that wouldn't be the case.  So then I headed to a little spot near the Cement Plant in Essexville and saw the first picture in this series.  The Algoway would be mine.  Good thing too, as this is also her debut on this blog.

 So this is the third proper ship that I've seen on the Saginaw River this year.  After years of a few tug/barges and one time seeing the Manitiwoc.  Because of that, I am still not terribly familiar with the lay of the land on the Saginaw River.  I mean, I know where ships have to go but I can't really gage how long it would take.

 The Algoway is one of the smaller vessels operating on the Lakes.  She was built in 1972 by the Collingwood Shipyards of Ontario.  She is powered by four 1666 horsepower Fairbanks Morse diesel engines and three 700 horse Caterpillar engines.  This gives her a top rated speed of 17 m.p.h.  She is also equipped with a bow thruster.

 She is 650 feet long and can carry a maximum of 24,000 tons of cargo. 

 She is currently owned by Algoma Central as evidenced by all the Algoma logos on her.  She carries a variety of loads and because of her size, she can visit many ports that are not accessible to other vessels.

 I will have to admit that she is a pretty cool looking vessel.

 I love it when ships get really close because you get the shots where you get an idea of the scale we are talking about.

 She flies the U.S. flag as a courtesy to being in American waters.

 A shot of her bow.

 Just in case you forgot who ran her.

 Her Algostack.

 As she turns to head out of the River.

 Another angle.

 Stern shot.

And one more shot before she moved out of view towards the Bay.