Pier 8
What a busy day… this is my fourth post so far featuring photos from Saturday! The first post from Hamilton was published yesterday. See it for links to the two before that. After finishing up around the Cuyahoga and Robert S. Pierson (I was asked to leave by the Port Authority), I went over to my last stop – Pier 8. Pier 8 is far and away my favorite part of Hamilton. It’s a family-friendly, full-access park area with a two restaurants, and skating rink, two marinas nearby… and the best part – commercial vessels! Of course, Pier 8 isn’t exactly bustling in late February, but the charm is still there.
The excursion vessel Hamilton Harbour Queen and up-for-sale pleasure tug Arctic Blue sit at a nearby marina for the winter.
Certainly the highlight of Pier 8, the steamer Algoma Quebecois sits waiting for her 50th season to begin. Built in 1963, the Quebecois is rumored to be very close to the end of her career, but hopefully she will be active this year.
The upside-down pi on her whistle light is an indicator of her previous two owners – the pi itself was the logo of her original owner, Papachristidis. Upper Lakes Shipping bought the ship in 1972 and simply flipped the pi upside down to make a letter “U”. Algoma Central acquired the vessel in 2011 and has left the unique logo in place.
At this point I can’t help it – the rope shot is just too much fun!
The Quebecois boasts a very attractive posterior end.
She’s got a nice stack too!
Here’s a wider view of the stern end. Unfortunately I couldn’t get this angle of the bow – there’s a restaurant in the way.
Thus angle, though, is my favorite of the ones that were available to me.
And look! She and her sistership Algoma Montrealais have their backs turned to each other!
As much as I hate to say it, it has been brought to my attention that the big tug James A. Hannah has been purchased by McKeil Marine for use as a parts source. This likely happened over a year ago but was slow to reach my ears. She was once the companion to the tank barge Hannah 5101 shown in yesterday’s post (linked at the top of this one). The tug Molly M. I has been transferred from McKeil to Nadro since I last saw her.
The Ocean Group tug Jerry G. is waiting for the season to begin with fleetmate Omni-Richelieu behind.
Both of these tugs are fixtures of Hamilton harbor, along with fleetmates Ocean Golf and La Prairie. However, those two are elsewhere for winter operation.
Jerry G. is a classic tug that makes a living assisting ships in Hamilton, Toronto, and Oshawa.
Nadro tug Lac Manitoba, a typical winter resident in Hamilton, sits quietly with the Algoma Montrealais behind.
Twin McKeil tugs Bonnie B. III and Carrol C. I remain out of service. I have no clue what is eventually to become of this pair.
Also present in the slip is the Galcon Marine barge Pitts Carillon with the Bermingham Construction tug William onshore behind. Galcon is a construction company operating out of Toronto, while Bermingham is a similar firm operating out of Hamilton.
And lastly, the Robert S. Pierson over in the Bunge Slip with the museum warship HMCS Haida. Time to put Pier 8 behind me.
But hey, I might as well check this out before leaving. It’s the former tug Bayport, now part of this playground. The pilothouse on the Bayport is actually the pilothouse from the canal tanker Cape Transport. Bayport was donated to Hamilton for this project by McKeil Marine. Definitely one of the better uses I’ve seen for a retired tug.
Whew, now that’s out of the way! And so is Hamilton! Now it’s about 12:30 PM, and I haven’t had lunch yet. Time to hit the road – I need some poutine and I still have one more port to stop in before home!
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some great shots, interesting news. any idea how much they want for arctic blue? is hamilton harbor as wide-open to photographers as you give the impression? is this true all year round or only offseason? and i love the playground with bayport/cape transport . ..
Not sure on the Arctic Blue as I haven’t found a listing online, just that she has a “for sale” sign in the window. Hamilton is a highly industrial area with two steel mills, and Pier 8 is the only area that truly has full public access. The rest of it is a matter of knowing where to go and how to get there (walking through a muddy field in the back of a parking lot, shooting through fences, etc.) However, it is pretty much the same year-round.
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