John B. Aird transitting the Welland Canal
History
Name
  • John B. Aird (1983–2017)
  • John B. (2017)
OwnerAlgoma Central
OperatorAlgoma Central
Port of registry
BuilderCollingwood Shipbuilding, Collingwood, Ontario
Yard number224
Launched18 December 1982
CompletedJune 1983
In service1983
Out of service2016
IdentificationIMO number: 8002432
FateBroken up, 14 June 2017
General characteristics
TypeBulk carrier
Tonnage
Length
  • 222.5 m (730 ft 0 in) oa
  • 219 m (718 ft 6 in) pp
Beam23.5 m (77 ft 1 in)
Installed power2 diesel engines, 7,054 kW (9,459 bhp)
Propulsion1 shaft, controllable pitch propeller
Speed12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)

John B. Aird was a self-discharging lake freighter/bulk carrier that was launched in 1983 and served on the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaway until 2017. The vessel was owned and operated by Algoma Central during that time, which had named the vessel for a former chairman of the Algoma Central Railway. Prior to the construction of Algoma Equinox in 2013, John B. Aird was the last vessel built for the company.

Description

John B. Aird was 222.5 m (730 ft 0 in) long overall and 219 m (718 ft 6 in) between perpendiculars with a beam of 23.5 m (77 ft 1 in). The vessel had a gross tonnage (GT) of 22,881 and a deadweight tonnage of 30,958.[1][2] The ship was powered by two diesel engines driving one shaft with a controllable pitch propeller, rated at 7,054 kilowatts (9,459 bhp).[1][3] This gave John B. Aird a maximum speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). The ship was built to seawaymax proportions and had a depth of 14.1 m (46 ft 4 in). The ship was equipped with a 79.6 m (261 ft 0 in) deck-mounted boom for unloading its cargo.[4]

Service history

Algoma Central ordered the ship to be constructed at Collingwood Shipbuilding in Collingwood, Ontario, with the yard number 224. The fore part of the ship was built at Port Arthur Shipbuilding in Port Arthur, Ontario.[1] The stern section was launched at Collingwood on 21 October 1982 and towed to Port Arthur.[4] The two parts were joined at Port Arthur and the vessel was launched on 18 December 1982.[1][4] The ship was named for the then current Lieutenant Governor of Ontario John Black Aird, who was a former chairman of the board of Algoma Central Railway.[5] The bulk carrier was completed in June 1983 and christened by the wife of the lieutenant governor in a private ceremony, after an incident aboard the ship prior to a public ceremony on 3 June 1983.[1][6] Prior to the construction of Algoma Equinox in 2013, John B. Aird was the last vessel constructed for Algoma Central during an era of expansion by company.[4][7] The vessel was registered in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.[1]

On 31 May 1985, John B. Aird lost power in the Saint Lawrence Seaway and was forced to tie up at the Snell Lock. The vessel often carried coal and suffered $500,000 damage from a coal fire in her self-unloading machinery on 16 October 1990 while at Indiana Harbor, Indiana. The vessel was taken to Sarnia, Ontario, for repairs. The vessel returned to service in November 1990.[4] The vessel was sold for scrap in 2017 and the vessel's name shortened to John B. and re-registered to Freetown, Sierra Leone. The ship arrived at Aliağa, Turkey to be broken up in May and destruction was finished on 14 June 2017.[1][2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "John B.Aird (8002432)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 "John B. (8002432)". Equasis. French Ministry for Transport. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  3. ↑ Bawal Jr., p. 32.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Bawal Jr., p. 30.
  5. ↑ Wharton, George. "Great Lakes Fleet Page Vessel Feature -- John B. Aird". Boatnerd.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2018. Mr. Aird was born May 5, 1923 at Toronto, ON; trained as a lawyer being appointed to the Queen's Counsel on January 1, 1960 and was a former Chairman of the Board of Algoma Central Railway.
  6. ↑ "Inland Seas". Vermillion, Ohio: Great Lakes Historical Society. 1984: 212. ISSN 0020-1537. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ↑ "Algoma Invests in Great Lakes Shipping". Marine Link. 23 March 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2018.

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to John B. Aird (ship, 1983).
  • Bawal Jr., Raymond A. (2008). Ships of the St. Clair River. St. Clair, Michigan: Inland Expressions. ISBN 978-0-9818157-1-8.
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