Do you ever recall marveling at something incredible as a child?
Growing up in a boating family in the Lake town of Holland, Michigan, I remember being fascinated with all things marine; especially the large freight ships that would pull into Holland’s port. The marina where we kept our family boat in the summers was at the end of Lake Macatawa, right next to Verplank Dock Co, where the ships unloaded their raw materials.
One ship in particular stuck with me: the Wilfred Sykes. Anytime we would encounter her somewhere along Lake Michigan, my dad and I would get really excited. Fast forward to about two years ago, I stumbled upon the Captain of the Sykes, Eric Treece’s instagram account (@eric_treece). Not thinking anything would come of it, I sent him a message telling him about my oil blog and that I would love to take a tour of the Sykes for a feature. Three weeks ago, I finally got my tour!
Captain Treece reached out over the weekend and mentioned that they had planned to dock in Burns Harbor, IN that following Monday for possibly the last time of the season, and it was “now-or-never” for the tour. I immediately rearranged my schedule. What I did not realize was that the Sykes is owned by ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel producing company, and that I would need special clearance to get to the docks on ArcelorMittal’s property where the Sykes was unloading. Luckily for me, Shell works directly with ArcelorMittal, supplying the lubricants and support services. A huge thanks to Ric Escobedo, the Northern Indiana based Industrial Tech for Shell who works with the Burns Harbor plant, for dropping everything to come help me obtain clearance! He even escorted me out to the ship. Thanks Ric!!
The Sykes is a part of the Central Marine Logistics fleet, which resides under the ArcelorMittal umbrella and also manages the Edward L Ryerson and the Joseph L Block ships. There are currently only five actively operating steam powered ships remaining on the Great Lakes today and the Sykes is one of them!
Built in 1949 by the American Shipbuilding Co for Inland Steel, she was the largest ship in operation on the Great Lakes at the time. The Sykes is powered by 2 steam turbine engines producing a combined 7,700 horsepower, driving an 18 1/2 foot diameter four-blade propeller, and giving her a speed of up to 16 mph. She was the first steamship built to burn “bunker C” heavy oil for fuel instead of coal, and her fuel tanks can hold 165,000 gallons, giving her a cruising range of 4,500 miles. While docked in port, she will burn through roughly 3,000gal of fuel per day and while underway, around 12,000gal per day.
At the time of stringent new emission regulations in 2007, many ships were forced to convert to #2 bunker fuel as opposed to the old #6. Thirteen of the older operating steamships had to be grandfathered into these new regulations and allowed to continue to run the #6 fuel as they made up more than 20% of the entire Great Lakes shipping industry. These regulations would have shut them down permanently, potentially devastating the industry.
The Sykes was initially built to haul taconite, stone, and coal loads, and can hold a total capacity of 20,150 tons. After ownership changes, the Sykes’ activity has continued to be focused on the Lake Michigan taconite trade into Indiana Harbor. At 201.17m (660ft) in length and 70ft across, her 18 hatches feed into 6 compartments, each 44 feet wide, 11 feet long, and 24 feet deep.
In 1975 she was converted into a self-unloading ship with the addition of a 250-foot stern mounted discharge boom that can be swung 90 degrees to port or starboard for unloading. This boom utilizes a loop-belt conveyor system that runs along the bottom of the ship and up and out the boom. Gravity drops the cargo onto the conveyor from the bottom of each hatch and the loop-belt pinches together to keep the material in place while making its way vertically up to the boom.
(In this video clip, you can see where the two conveyors are pinching around the material as it is making its vertical assent to the boom.)
(In this clip you can see the material on its way out the conveyor of the boom where it will be dropped onto another conveyor on the ground.)
(In this third clip, I focus on the ground conveyor rapidly moving the material to its final destination. The large rolls behind the conveyor are extra conveyor belts. You can also see the tanker trucks refueling her with #6 bunker oil. )
The load of material onboard this particular day was Hi-Cal (high calcium containing) stone used to line the furnaces of the steel plant.
The Sykes is equipped with two 12,000 lb. bow anchors, each attached to 540 feet of 2 1/8-inch forged alloy steel chains. Her 10,000 lb. stern anchor is fitted to 540 feet of 1 7/8-inch steel chain. She also has six 50 hp. electric mooring winches with 1 1/2-inch steel mooring cables.
(A photo of the bow anchor chains)
The Pilothouse, or as I like to call it, the Bridge, is equipped with many types of navigation equipment.
I was lucky enough to join Captain Treece for a surprisingly delicious buffet style dinner!
You might wonder what kind of career paths can be found on a ship like the Sykes? Twenty three staff members are required to be onboard for her to run efficiently including:
- A Captain
- 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Mates
- 3 Wheelsmen
- An AB Maintenance Man
- 4 Deck Hands
- A Chief Engineer
- 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Assistant Engineers
- 3 Qualified Members of the Engine
- A Conveyor-Man
- A Steward
- 1 Stewards Assistant
- 1 Wiper
These positions are split between categories of Officer (Captain, Mates, Maintenance staff, & Engineers) and Unlicensed Crew (Deckhands, Wheelsmen, Conveyor-men, cook staff, and wipers) . To leave port, the ship must have a certain number or officers and unlicensed crew aboard to be Coast Guard approved.
Captain Treece and many other members of the crew obtained their training at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City, MI (https://www.nmc.edu/maritime/). The marine industry around the Great Lakes is a multi-billion dollar industry with many fulfilling career paths of all sorts and a shortage of skilled workers on the horizon. Treece says the program has changed a bit since he attended, but he believes it is a 4 year bachelors degree at the academy to become an officer. Unlicensed crew members do not require any degrees but must have their Merchant Mariners Document, or MMD.
What about the oil?! My favorite part! The Sykes being a steamship takes a handful of different oil products – engine oil, turbine or R&O oil, hydraulic oil, grease, coolant/antifreeze, and a fuel additive. They are currently changing the fluids on a yearly basis unless something needs special maintenance sooner than the one year mark. The two main steam engines hold 165gal of oil each and the bow-thruster holds 110gal. The bow-thruster, boomtube, and gate systems all require “environmental certified” oil products in case of a spill. The conveyor rollers on the boom require regular greasing while the rollers in the body of the ship are sealed for life.
The engine oil in this case is a 40w diesel engine oil specifically designed for heavily loaded engines; ie rail-road engine oil. The product is zinc and chlorine free, making it environmentally friendly, and best used in engines running on distillate fuels containing sulfur (bunker C #6).
The steam turbines require a turbine specific oil or “R&O” (rust & oxidation inhibited) oil. These are also zinc free and must have great anti-foaming, and water separating properties.
This was such an awesome experience and another great example of how important oil is to different industries. Great Lakes shipping is a multi-billion dollar industry and vital to the global economy!