Another Tug/Barge

 As I was taking pictures of the subject of the next post, I saw that this vessel was heading upbound.

The vessel in question was the tug Samuel de Champlain and she was pushing her barge the Innovation.

I'm not sure if I've caught this pair in motion.

I've caught them a few times in Detroit as they were unloading.

But it was pretty neat to catch them in action.

It is kind of a neat looking pair.

I had my drone with me, so I had to get pictures from the air.

I didn't realize how cool of a wake pattern she had.

The water was pretty clear too.

It was still enough, that I was getting some reflections too.

The beam shot.

She passes by and you can see the wake a little better.

I can't imagine being on a fishing boat when this passes.

One more.

The Samuel DeChamplain and her Barge

I headed up to Port Huron next as the next two ships were coming downbound.  But before I could catch them, there was an upbound ship.

 This is the tug/barge combo Samuel DeChamplain and her barge the Innovation.  I think they were returning after delivering cement to Detroit.  I think it is also possible that was the first cement delivery to Detroit.

 I'm not sure where she was heading to as she was heading upbound but it was a nice day.

 I do think she is one of the neater looking tug/barges out there.

 A shot of her tug.

 She continues on her way.

And she starts to enter Lake Huron.

And An Innovative Barge...Or Something

The Callaway was being trailed by the next vessel.

 The Samuel De Champlain and her barge the Innovation were on their way to Detroit.

 I believe the pair is on its way to the cement plant where I sometimes catch the Alpena.

 I'm not a huge fan of tug barges but they are growing on me.

Sadly, it was a pretty windy night otherwise I might have continued to chase the Callaway.

The Samuel de Champlain/Innovation Appears on the Detroit River

Next up is a ship that I actually saw on Thursday.  I think she was on her return trip.

 The tug/barge Samuel de Champlain and Innovation made an appearance.  I was not expecting to see them as I didn't see them on AIS.

 But I do think they are pretty neat looking.

One more picture.

The Samuel de Champlain and Her Barge Work the River

I'm not a hug fan of tug/barge combinations but this one is fairly unique.

 I think I've caught this combo once before but that was a few years ago.  She is owned by the LaFarge Cement company but managed by the Andrie Company out of Muskegon.

 Given her owners, she is obviously used to haul cement to the various plants around the Lakes.

 The barge was built at the Bay Shipbuilding Company in Wisconsin in 2006.  She has a capacity of 14,000 tons.

 The tug was built by Mangone Shipbuilding in Houson, TX.  She started life as the Musketeer Fury in 1975.  In 1978, she became the Tender Panther.  Later she would become the Margarita, Vortice and Norfolk.  In 2006, she would become the Samuel de Champlain when she was mated with her barge.

She is heading to the cement plant near DelRay.