The KING piece in this chess game is the ROGER BLOUGH, an 858-foot lake freighter. A week ago Friday while down bound for the SOO LOCKS, she went aground near the Gros Cap Reef Light. The official shipping channel passes WEST of the light, and has a project depth of 30-feet. The base of the light is outside the official channel and is in about 25-feet of water. While approaching the light in a passing situation with another vessel up bound, the BOUGH went aground.
- ROGER BLOUGH aground west of Gros Cap Light. USCG photo. View is looking South.
- BLOUGH_Aground.jpg (19.99 KiB) Viewed 7043 times
As seen in the image (above) the BLOUGH is a bit closer to the Gros Cap light than you might expect. The other ships seen are in the shipping channel, in the upbound lane. It looks like there was quite a bit of room for the BLOUGH to move to her Starboard and still be on the down bound side of the channel.
- Chart excerpt showing distance to shipping channel from Gros Cap light
- BLOUGH_GrosCapReefLight.png (45.44 KiB) Viewed 7036 times
So far no significant damage to the BLOUGH has been reported, nor are there reports of discharge of cargo or fuel oil into the water. The BLOUGH, like most modern lake freighters is a self-unloader, although she is a very unusual one. Her unloading crane and conveyer are built into her stern quarter, which keeps her deck completely clear and gives her the appearance of a straight-decker or non-self-unloading vessel.
Another vessel from her same shipping company, the PHILIP R. CLARKE came alongside her to receive some of the cargo. This operation is seen in the image below:
- ROGER BLOUGH discharging cargo onto PHILIP R CLARK. USCG photo
- BLOUGH_Lightering.jpg (23.67 KiB) Viewed 7043 times
With that operation complete, the stage was set for attempting to move the BLOUGH off her grounded location. To facilitate that operation, the USCG closed navigation in the area. This left quite an array of other chess pieces on the chess board:
--waiting above Gros Cap are the vessels the HON. JAMES M. OBERSTAR, the SAM LAUD, and the JOSEPH L. BLOCK.;
--waiting below the Soo Locks is the vessel CEDARGLEN
--at anchor in the St. Mary's River is the vessel ARTHUR M. ANDERSON; she will come through the locks and take on additional cargo lightered from the BLOUGH.
--on her way to the scene to re-survey the bottom in this area is the S/V BUFE from the Army Corps of Engineers, and
--the tugs ANGLIAN LADY, W.I. SCOTT PURVIS, and MISSOURI are standing by.
The most recent report is that the BOUGH has been re-floated and is on her way to an anchorage area in Waiska Bay, being towed by ANGLIAN LADY. [An even more recent report says the BOUGH went to the anchorage under her own power; thanks to BOATNERD.COM for the updates--jimh]
It will be quite interesting to discover the condition of the BLOUGH. And to also hear the results of the survey of the lake bottom in this area. The BLOUGH went aground a week ago, and she will be out of service pending the outcome of the survey and probably a further Coast Guard inspection.
The general ballasting of these freighters to be be down by the stern. I have not hear any information about where the hull has taken the bottom. The chart indicates a sandy bottom. When a large ship like this takes the ground, the distribution of weight and the forces acting on the hull can become very unusual. The hull stress are different than when the hull is floating and buoyed up more or less equally at all places.