Engineering:MV Walter J. McCarthy Jr.

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Lake freighter Walter J. McCarthy, Jr..jpg
Walter J. McCarthy Jr.
History
Flag of the United States.svgUS
Name: MV Walter J. McCarthy Jr.
Builder: Bay Shipbuilding Company[1]
Yard number: 716[1][2]
Launched: 1977[1]
Identification:
Status: In service as of 2017
General characteristics
Class and type: Lake freighter
Tonnage:
  • 35,923 gross tonnage[1]
  • 33,534 net tonnage[1]
Length:
  • 1,000 feet (305 m) (overall)[3]
  • 988.8 feet (301 m)[1]
Beam: 105 ft (32 m)[1]
Draft:
  • 34.75 ft (10.59 m) (Midsummer Draft)[3]
  • 56.7 ft (17.3 m) (hull depth)[1]
Propulsion: four 3500 HP General Motors Electro Motive Division (EMD) diesel engines, 14,000 SHP[3]

M/V Walter J. McCarthy Jr. is a very large diesel-powered lake freighter owned and operated by the American Steamship Company. This vessel was built in 1977 at Bay Shipbuilding Company, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin and included self-unloading technology.

The ship is 1,000 feet (300 m) long and 105 feet (32 m) wide, with a carrying capacity of 80,900 Gross Tons (at midsummer draft). The ship carries western coal from Superior, Wisconsin to Detroit Edison's St. Clair Power Plant and Monroe Power Plant in Michigan.[3]

History

The ship was built for American Steamship in 1981 and originally named Belle River. It was renamed Walter J. McCarthy Jr. in 1990 for the former Chairman of Detroit Edison Company.[3]

On January 14, 2008, MV Walter J. McCarthy Jr. collided with a submerged object while docking at Hallett Dock No. 8 in Superior, Wisconsin. The collision created a 7 by 4 feet (2.1 by 1.2 m) gash in the hull causing the engine room to flood. The ship partially sank with the stern resting on the bottom in 20 feet (6.1 m) of water.[4][5] In February 2013, a federal jury awarded American Steamship Company (ASC) $4.7 million for repairs and lost profits in their lawsuit against Hallett Dock Company. According to ASC, repairs cost nearly $4.2 million, 45 shipping days and five cargo hauls before it could be returned to service resulting in just over a half million in lost profits.[4]

References