(By Greg Rourke) – We like things big here at BangShift, and they don’t get much bigger than the 1000 foot boats hauling ore from the Upper Great Lakes to the steel mills on the Lower Great Lakes. Remember, vessels that stay on the Greal Lakes are “boats”, not “ships.”
Okay, the boats haul ore from one place to another, that’s pretty basic. But how does the ore get into the boats? If you guessed wheelbarrows and shovels, that’s incorrect. We’re going to educate you on the ore dock. In this vid, the Marquette Michigan ore dock.
I’ve seen this operation in person, it’s quite a sight. The folks who made this video seem to have made good use of a drone, giving us views not many outside of railroad or boat crews ever got to see. Take a look, and take notes as there might be a test later.
Very impressive. Now… how do they get the ore OUT of the boat?
The boat has a self-unloading system.
There is something similar at Dunston on the River Tyne near Newcastle. Dunston Staithes was built to unload coal from the local pits into ships to be sent all over Europe at the height of the mining industry. It is the still the biggest wooden structure in Europe and is being slowly restored as a tourist attraction. Unfortunately some sad assholes torched most of the end of it some years ago for fun but hopefully it will one day be reinstated to allow this fine structure to be seen in all its glory. Just Google Dunston Staithes to get further information and see photos of it when it was in use.
Great Lakes shipping rules!
And the wind can whip up swell big enough to sink ships of that size…
I spent 30 yrs of my life in area. I actually worked for Cleveland Cliffs Iron Co.
It was a great job. By far best job I have ever had. Empire Mine has not closes its doors. Tilden Mine still operating. The loading dock was 20 miles from my home. One will not last long if you fall into that water even in the summer time.
Typo, It should say Empire Mine has now closed its doors.