Heritage Marine - Helen H at work

The Helen H. was built in 1967, and initially named the W. Douglas Masterson. The Hellen H was the 3rd tug included with the Heritage Marine fleet belonging to Mike Ojard in 2011. She joined up with the Nels J. and Edward H. inside the Heritage Underwater fleet of pulls. This mighty tug pushes its 82 foot lengthy steel hull through the waters of St. Louis Bay in all types of climate and ice conditions.

This particular picture of the Helen H was taken the last day of shipping in January of this year as it assisted the John G Munson into port .

John Munson Arrival 1/25/2013

A sunny winter afternoon greeted the John G Munson as it entered the Port of Duluth and was given the honor of finishing the 2012/2013 shipping season. To all those who have enjoyed the Duluth Harbor through this website for the past year, I truly hope it has given you a moment of pleasure and relaxation by viewing a most beautiful place to live and visit. Duluth is a true gem of a city and whether you have visited in person or "virtually" I hope you will return. Until the shipping season opens again in a few short weeks, stop by and watch the Lake Superior sunrises and the change of the season. Best regards, Dennis O'Hara [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] John G Munson[/caption] [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] John G Munson[/caption]   [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] John G Munson[/caption]

American Victory

While the American Victory has not sailed in the past several years, it is still a great ship with a wonderful
nautical heritage. The boat is tied up at Fraser Ship Yard until further notice.

Perhaps an unlucky omen, she was launched on Halloween--October 31, 1942--as the tanker Marquette. She was built by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation's yard in Sparrows Point, Maryland as an oiler for the U.S. Navy. The vessel was commissioned, however, as the USS Neshanic (AO-71), and entered service in April 1943. During her first year, she was involved in several close encounters with both enemy submarines and air attacks on both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. On June 18, 1944, her luck ran out, as she was hit with a bomb from a Japanese plane while refueling a destroyer. She tied up alongside a sister ship, the Saranac, and some of the Saranac's injured crew (she was also attacked) were treated aboard the Neshanic. The Neshanic was later repaired and was decommissioned in December, 1945.
You can read more about the American Victory over at boatnerds.com

Lakers on Ice

Now that we have entered "Real Winter" with temperature finally dropping below 0 F, it is a great time to do some photography around the harbor.
The Roger Blough and John Boland are moored at Fraser Shipyard until spring.  While there is much work being done on them while they are bedded down for the winter, this morning, they seemed at rest locked in the icy slip.