On Sunday morning, Perkins was up early as the boat nestled against the dock at a power plant in East China Township to dump half its load of coal for DTE; the other half goes to Monroe today. Last week, all but two were men the chief cook and an assistant. His other responsibilities as captain include managing the crew of 23, planning out schedules, projects and maintenance, and sometimes acting as sheriff and counselor, de-escalating any on-board issues. Interlake allows family visits to cut the stress of being away. On board the Paul R. Tregurtha: The Great Ship of the Great Lakes, GRAPHIC: I am going to die: Body camera footage released in womans in-custody death, Toledo students accused of giving teacher edibles, could face criminal charges, Alleged serial bank robber arrested in Findlay, Toledo teen identified in 41-year-old cold case, TPS becomes part of Safer Ohio School Tip Line, City of Toledo names community members to weigh-in on next Police Chief, City of Toledo launches landlord and tenant surveys, MSU plans to update security, reclaim our sense of safety. "You try to get there as safely and as fast as you can," he said. The scrubbers clean the environment and give us a signature steam plume.". For many on the crew of the Paul R. Tregurtha it had been a long and difficult week and the reality of life without Captain Hallin was slowly beginning to sink in. Tom is an active member of Interlakes Incident Response and Management Team, in which he serves critical legal and operations roles, is a Qualified Individual (OPA 90) and is trained as an Incident Commander/On-scene Coordinator. Of all the duties of a Great Lakes captain, this is the one Thibaudeau likes most, gingerly driving a monster ship through a spider's web of tight, restricted areas on the Great Lakes. . . My hat goes off to the old time captains . ", People on board have invested their lives on the lakes, and while it's a different way of life, Denise says she wouldn't trade it for anything, "I figure these kids I am watching climb the ladder right now, one day some of them will be captains. There are a few incredible raffle prizes, including $10,000 in cash. De Lancey departed Lorain on her maiden voyage on May 10, 1981, sailing in ballast to Silver Bay, Minnesota, to load 55,944 long tons (56,842t) of iron ore pellets. He generally works 60 days, then takes off for 30. If something busts, he may have to shut down the line, losing precious time. In exchange for their paychecks, crew members miss family occasions, birthdays, holidays and more. Interlake wishes Captain Tim Dayton all the best as he departs the M/V Paul R Tregurtha for the last time as Captain. There's also a mate on site, and a wheelman to steer. He is the Chairman of Lake Carriers Association Fleet Engineers Committee. Clair Power Plant at Recors Point, East China, Michigan. Mr. Barker has served on various Boards of Directors, including the boards of GTE (1976-2000), Verizon (2000-2007) and Brinks (2000-2007). ELRICK. They stay in staterooms near the captain's own on a deck below the pilot house. Deckhands average about $55,000 to $65,000 a season, which usually equates to six or seven months of work. Main: 440-260-6900 Perkins watched as a layer of the black chunks whizzed by. Her unloading system and 260-foot boom empty her five cargo holds in about eight hours. Twenty-nine crew members died. 0000000991 00000 n Paul R. Tregurtha, president and chief o p e r a t i n g officer of Moore McCormack Resources, Inc., has announced that Capt. That's when you earn your money in the winter time. now, winter shore leave is over. "I have talked to people who have been on this trip and I guess it's like anything else, until you actually experience it, it's unbelievable.". All rights reserved. Tickets are still available. MAP VESSELS PORTS TOOLS EMBED. Bob Thibaudeau early Wednesday morning eased the Paul R. Tregurtha into northern Michigan's Soo Locks slowly, slowly like a driver inching a monster truck into a crowded mall parking space. In addition, he has been Chairman of Moran Towing Corp. since 1994 and Chief Executive Officer since 1998. Our management team has a deep institutional knowledge of Great Lakes vessel safety, ship operations, marine engineering and maintenance and collectively more than 300 years of experience in the shipping industry. [1], In winter 2004, she was asked to transport a reserve of coal to Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. His captain's seat resembles a barber's chair, but that's probably an insult. Don't miss the boat! The Tregurtha, which can haul 70,000 tons of coal, is a floating business, and customers like DTE Energy want the boat to make haste. The Tregurtha is one of nine ships owned by Interlake Steamship, the largest privately held fleet on the Great Lakes. Arriving into Port Huron on, suitably, the 4th of July, it appeared that nearly every seaworthy vessel in the area, likely already planning a nice holiday boat cruise, made its way out on to the river to escort the Captain in, and occurring on Independence Day made the spectacle even more impressive. He started as a deckhand and worked his way up. Deckhands pull heavy steel cables to tie up the boat to docks, sweep the decks, paint, and shovel excess coal into the cargo hold during the loading process. For more information, click the "The National Museum of the Great Lakes" or "Interlake Steamship Company on Facebook" link on this page. Chrissy Kadleck is with Interlake Steamship, the owner of the Tregurtha, "She can hold up to 70,000 tons in one trip which over a season adds up to millions and millions of tons of cargo. She is truly a workhorse out on the water. In the pilot house high above the water, mates and wheelsman help navigate around the clock. Dustin Darby is a First Mate, "There are gates at the bottom of the cargo holds, hydraulic gates, and they put the cargo on to a conveyor system. At 1,013.5-feet, she is considered the Queen of the Lakes. Crew members come and go, especially during vacation season. She also has a dog. We move those cargo for industries like construction, steel and power generation. Paul R. Tregurtha, Vice-Chairman Since joining forces with James R. Barker to purchase and reinvigorate The Interlake Steamship Company in 1987, Mr. Tregurtha has actively served as Vice Chairman. Paul R Tregurtha Downbound Lake Huron to Blue Water Bridge while Captain Dayton explains late fall and winter transits on Lake Superior Before taking the helm as Interlakes President in April 2007, Mark held various appointments of ascending leadership moving from Fleet Engineer to Vice President and Treasurer. four in a bed contestant dies. Search. Those goodies are everything from pastries and cookies to smoked sausages. The Great Ship of the Great Lakes moves quietly and efficiently through the water. Follow her on Twitter @lvshepard. Burgett said after boarding in St. Clair where the ship was offloading coal, they continued to Monroe where more coal was offloaded. She is the reigning "Queen of the Lakes", a title she has held since she entered service in 1981. He called it a "lack of employment on the beach." Follow him on Twitter: @DetroitReporter. Reporter Jim Schaefer and photographer Eric Seals are sailing this week aboard the Paul R. Tregurtha, the longest ship on the Great Lakes. Coming up with new ideas, different things every day. With another 1000 footer, AMERICAN CENTURY, needing a little more time to finish her coal offload, PRT swung around downriver to wait in sequence. It can slow you down quite a bit. "Being dirty all the time doesn't really bug me," Perkins said. He is also Vice Chairman of Moran Towing Corp. and Mormac Marine Group, Inc. and Chairman of SeaStreak, LLC. United States of America. My wife deserves better than that, so that's why I come up here and I do this.". 105.0' 17,120 At 1013.5 feet, Interlake's flagship M/V Paul R. Tregurtha is the longest ship on the Great Lakes. Now, they don't just let anybody use a ship for their wedding. Prior to joining Interlake, he sailed aboard numerous vessels in the Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico and trans-Atlantic trades. A lot has changed since the captain's first days on the job. Captain Johnson says the ship is a floating city, "We're our own village, we're self-contained. Perkins, 33, comes from the tiny town of Hillman in Michigan's northeastern lower peninsula. [2], At around 3 a.m. on August 15, 2012, as she was proceeding downbound with 62,000 tons of coal, the bow of MV Paul R. Tregurtha grounded in the outbound channel of St. Marys River, just north of the Neebish Island ferry crossing, near Sault Ste. The Paul R. Tregurtha is the crown jewel of her fleet, and she makes a lot of trips through our area. Follow him on Twitter: @DetroitReporter. Prior to the purchase of Interlake, Mr. Barker was Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Moore McCormack Resources, a position he held since joining the company in 1971. Vessel PAUL R.TREGURTHA is a Self Discharging Bulk Carrier, Registered in USA. This was on a gorgeous late August day, but of course Darby says life on the lakes is not always like this, "Summer sailing is nice and easy. 0000002521 00000 n The Interlake Steamship Co., which owns nine working vessels on the lakes, employs 23 people aboard the Tregurtha. They are currently upbound, headedto Duluth, Minnesota. He gets it on his clothing and in his eyes. She has an elevator and quite luxurious guest accommodations. Since joining Interlakes executive team in January 2008, Tom has leveraged his vast expertise in the areas of admiralty and maritime law to represent the companys interests on all legal issues, contract negotiations and crisis management. It measures at 1013-feet-long by 105-feet-wide. After 42 years on the Great Lakes, Captain Robert Thibaudeau, or \"Captain Bob\" as we all call him, Captain of the Paul R Tregurtha from the Interlake Steamship Company, made his final transit down the St Clair River at Port Huron and beyond to St Clair where he spun the ship around one last time, docked at DTE Energy and then packed up and called it a careerI have had the pleasure of knowing Captain since 2016 as a result of my Photography and he was gracious enough to agree to do an Interview with me before he ended his career. The MV Paul R. Tregurtha is the current flagship for the Interlake Steamship Company. [1] In 1990 she received her current name. Paul R Tregurtha, Moran Towing Corp: Profile and Biography - Bloomberg Markets Subscribe Live Now Bloomberg TV+ Business of Sports: Why the Philadelphia Eagles Win with Unpopular. Prior to the purchase of this group of companies, Mr. Tregurtha was Chief Executive Officer, President and Chief Operating Officer of Moore McCormack Resources Inc., a natural resources and marine transportation company. [ship's horn blows] tregurtha's captain is legendary, too. from Columbia University and an M.B.A. with distinction, from Harvard Business School. He also served on the Business Advisory Committee of the Transportation Center at Northwestern University, on the Board of Visitors of Columbia College, and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Harvard Business School from 1982 to 1992. Phil joined Interlake in 2004 as a Fleet Engineer and was later promoted to Fleet Superintendent. paul r. tregurtha is the largest ever of the great lakes freighters. She started as a temporary cook, and years later she's still sailing, "My kids were all grown, and I was working on Mackinaw Island and I would see the freighters go by. 0000002884 00000 n 2019 The Interlake Steamship Company. One deckhand last week said he'd had just three off days since March, and that was to get a broken tooth fixed. Whether I was covered in cow (poop) or covered in grease working on tractors I've grown up just being dirty. Its 1,013.5-foot length dwarfs the Renaissance Center's cylindrical tower that looms over downtown Detroit. The raffle is September 30th. Contact Jim Schaefer: 313-223-4542 or jschaefer@freepress.com. "I can park this thing better than I can park my car," Thibaudeau said. ", When it comes to the environment, Kadleck says it's a big priority for Interlake Steamship, "We are always looking for ways to protect the water ways and reduce our emissions. The Kempfs won the trip in an auction benefiting the March of Dimes this past winter. She can carry up to 68,000 gross tons of taconite pellets or 71,000 net tons of coal. 909 has a total length of 1,013 feet (309m). Marie, Ontario, necessitating a mid-winter voyage. I'll be coming up to them on the gang way with a walker until you tell me I can't do it anymore.". He's Chris Perkins, for those of you not on the boat. "But if I wasn't out here doing what I'm doing, they wouldn't have the good times.". Perkins is officially the conveyorman on the longest freighter on the Great Lakes, spending hours in the bowels of the ship where the coal is stored. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Officers start around $90,000. The crew of the Paul R. Tregurtha had to pull a 360-degree maneuver on Friday morning when they learned the aerial lift bridge in Duluth, Minn., that they'd planned to go under had. Following graduation from SUNY Maritime College with a BS in Marine Transportation Management and an Unlimited Third Mate Open Oceans License, Tom sailed as an officer aboard merchant vessels before attending law school. Our trip took us through the St. Clair River, to Lake St. Clair, then through the Detroit River and finally into the western basin of Lake Erie. As the Free Press rides along with the captain and crew of the Paul R. Tregurtha this week, Thibaudeau talked about his 12 years as a permanent captain aboard Great Lakes vessels. After receiving his Juris Doctorate from The University of Toledo College of Law, Tom worked for the boutique Cleveland, Ohio admiralty and maritime law firm of Ray, Robinson, Carle & Davies, P.L.L. His wife, Kathleen (Sissy) Perkins jumped onto the boat this week at the Soo Locks to spend a week with him. In 2015, Tom was recognized and honored by Crains Cleveland Business as one of the outstanding legal minds in Northeast Ohio. MV Paul R. Tregurtha is a Great Lakes-based bulk carrier freighter. Moore, who left the Tregurtha on Sunday for a few days off before joining another boat's crew, makes a killer pineapple upside down cake. startxref A hawsepipe is the tube through which an anchor chain is drawn into a boat. Instead, there is satellite TV in every room. They all have specific jobs, but it's a jack-of-all-trades environment. During his six years at Cliffs, he was responsible for financial oversight of the North American Coal business unit as well as various non-business unit projects that included oil & gas, South American iron ore, Iron Nuggets, renewaFUEL, mergers & acquisitions, and union negotiations. It is fascinating to see something so large moving so effortlessly through the lakes. Have a great retirement Captain Bob. "Back where I live, you either work on a dairy farm or cut down trees for a living. This is the final trip for Captain Bob Thibaudeau, senior-most captain in his 42nd season sailing with Interlake. "I grew up on a farm; I've always been dirty. Fax: 440-260-6945. "Mother Nature's going to be a big factor.". Middleburg Heights, Ohio 44130 The cooks on board the Tregurtha don't even want Perkins in their galley until he scrubs his hands and arms up to the elbows, ridding himself of coal grime and black grease or as much as possible. Though they may be sporting suits and ties now, many have worked their way up the ships ladder so to speak, earning degrees from maritime colleges, U.S. Coast Guard licenses and sailing aboard vessels. In addition, he has been Chairman of Moran Towing Corp. since 1994 and Chief Executive Officer since 1998. Thank you for everything you've done for us :) He also an active member on the Council of the American Bureau of Shipping. 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