Fascinating Video Shows How 1,000 Footer Repairs Rudder In Duluth Harbor
My boat friend Vibe With Mike, once again, has a very interesting and informative video on his YouTube channel.
Stewart J. Cort nicknamed "Stubby?"
I've seen the Stewart J Cort in the Duluth / Superior harbor several times, but I didn't know some fascinating facts about the ship. For one, its nickname is Stubby. How does a 1,000-foot ship get the nickname Stubby?
It's because the ship was built with both the bow and stern sections together. It was a short, stubby ship before it was completed, and the middle section was added for its length. That happened after the ship sailed to a Pennsylvania shipyard. I always assumed they just built the ships in one piece all at once.
They flood the front compartments to raise the stern for rudder repair.
Mike captured video of the Stewart J. Cort undergoing repairs to a broken rudder. This is quite the process! In order to access the rudder without drydocking the ship, they flood the bow cargo sections with water and discharge all the water in the stern to lift it up. You can see that the ship's stern is almost 10 feet higher than the bow.
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Crews use floating platforms to work on the huge rudder. They have an oil boom surrounding the work area to make sure the river doesn't get contaminated with any oil spillage. A crane on the dock stands by for transferring heavy parts.
It's another interesting behind-the-scenes look at the tremendous size of these Great Lakes ships, and the work that it takes to keep them hauling tonnage to the furthest interior port in North America.
