By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
MANISTEE — The MV Great Republic delivered coal to Morton Salt along Manistee Lake Friday, Sept. 26. The ship arrived about 5 a.m. and unloaded until past 6 p.m.
The Great Republic is operated by Great Lakes Fleet, Inc. of Duluth, Minn. and is managed by Key Lakes, Inc. It was built by Bay Shipbuilding Co. of Sturgeon Bay, Wis., in 1981. It was originally named the American Republic and was operated by American Steamship Co. In 2011 Great Lakes Fleet obtained the contract to operate the ship.
It was the final of four similar River Class ships constructed by Bay Shipbuilding Co. The other three were the Sam Laud, Buffalo and American Courage. The Republic was specifically designed to navigate the Cuyahoga River, being built to run taconite pellets from the Lorain Pellet Terminal and Cleveland Lakefront Docks to the steel mills upriver on the Cuyahoga. It was capable of carrying around 20,000 tons on her shuttles up the Cuyahoga River, more than other vessels are capable of carrying up the river.
It operates with two 20-645-E7 diesel engines manufactured by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in Chicago. Its horsepower rating is 7,200 BHP. It is 623 feet, 3 inches in length; 68 feet wide and has a depth of 40-feet. It has a loaded draft of 28 feet, 4 inches and a capacity of 24,800 tons. Is has a loop-belt self-unloader with an aft-mounted self-unloading boom arm that is 251 feet, 6 inches, six cargo holds and 21 hatches.
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