A Whirlwind Tour Starting in Muskegon

I was going to the Eastern Michigan basketball game at Western Michigan yesterday.  The game wasn't until 4:30, so I decided to head over to the west side of the state first.  I was hoping that I would catch some lighthouses that were frozen over.  Fortunately it was a nice enough day because I was looking forward to it for a while.

 I started the day with a trip to Muskegon and the dock where the Paul H. Townsend is tied up.  She is a pretty nice looking ship and it's kind of a shame that I don't get to see her on the Lakes.  I think she was being used as a storage ship for a while and now I don't even think she is being used for that.

 She cuts a pretty nice profile.

 Next up is the barge portion of the McKee Sons.  I've only seen her once before and she is currently in layup.  I'm not sure what is going to become of her though.

 Then I headed over to where the Silversides is tied up.  I've wanted pictures of her for a while but I didn't really have time for the tour (not that I think the museum was open).  The Silversides is one of three submarines on the Great Lakes and she has the best record of the ships still around.

 She was commissioned 8 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor and was built at Mare Island Naval Shipyard.  She had a total of 14 patrols and ended up sinking 23 ships for a little over 90,000 tons.  In 1987, she was moved to her current location where she serves as a museum ship.

 Her mascot of sorts.

 Her five inch gun.  Typically this was used to finish off targets.  A sub would not have a chance against a surface escort.

 A shot of her bridge and anti-aircraft weapons.  Again, they were not very useful against an aerial target.

 A shot of her from another angle.

 The US Coast Guard Cutter McClane also served in World War II where she served as a sub chaser.

 I'm not sure what kind of duck this is but I think it looked pretty cool.

 I believe this one is a canvasback duck.

 That black and white duck again.

 A redheaded duck.

 Another angle of that duck.

 Of course the reason I was on the west side of the state was for the lighthouses.  Here is a closeup shot of the Muskegon Lighthouse.

And pulled out a bit.