Day two we went into town to do some site seeing. On the list was a tour of the retired Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw. What an awesome ship. Built during WW2, she is the preverbial brick shaaat house.
With the main goal to keep the iron ore running to fuel the war effort, she was also equipped to handle war time duties if the need presented itself. She had a brow up on the pilot house to protect from shrapnel and small arms fire, and deck mounted guns (removed after the war). She carried 374,000 gallons of diesel fuel, enough so she only needed to fuel up once per year (at $4.25 a gallon that's over $1,580,000 per fill up
). With ballast tanks in the front and back, plus on each side, she boasts that she never once got stuck in the ice in its 62 year history. And with 6 Fairbanks-Morse opposed 10 cylinder engines supplying 12,000hp to the generators, there was more than enough power available.
Piston hanging from chainfall, and air compressor that supplied 250psi air pressure for blow out and starting procedures.
Tried two nights in a row to take the tour thru the straits, under the bridge, and over to Lake Michigan but the weather wouldn't cooperate. First night the wind was to high, and the second it rained like hell. Always next year. Would have been a cool ride, as she is an original 40 foot Maine lobster boat called the 'Ugly Anne'. Original owner named her after his ex wife.
Topic: Re: Trip to the Straits of Mackinaw (Read 1341 times)