1897 Empire City 1968
Steel Great Lakes bulk freighter
Built at Cleveland OH by Cleveland Ship Building Co., Hull 28
Launched June 17, 1897
426’ LOA, 406’ LBP, 48’ beam, 28’ depth
1 deck, hold beams, hatches @ 24’, coal-fired boilers, quadruple expansion engine, 1585 IHP
Enrolled at Duluth MN Aug 5, 1897 (#1)
405.4 x 48.0 x 24.4, 4118.48 GT, 3268.65 NT US 136623 to:
Zenith Transit Co., Duluth MN, A. B. Wolvin, Mgr. (home port Duluth MN)
Entered service Sept 1897
Fleet merged 1900 into American Steamship Co., Duluth MN, A. B. Wolvin, Mgr.
Fleet merged spring 1901 into Pittsburgh Steamship Co., Duluth MN, a subsidiary of United States Steel Corporation, A. B. Wolvin, Mgr.
Sold April 26, 1927 to G. A. Tomlinson, Cleveland OH and transferred May 12, 1927 to his Empire Steamship Co.
Transferred 1929 to Sumatra Steamship Co., Cleveland OH and renamed Sumatra
Converted to scraper type self-unloader at Lorain OH by American Ship Building Co.
Fleet consolidated 1954 into Tomlinson Fleet Corporation, Cleveland OH
Remeasured 1957 to 4160 GT, 3310 NT
Sold 1961 to Law Quarries Transportation Ltd., Port Colborne ON, a subsidiary of R. E. Law Crushed Stone Co., N. J. Reoch, Mgr.
Enrolled British at 406.8 x 48.1 x 27.6, 4715 GT, 2860 NT Br 316031
Renamed Dolomite 1962
To Canadian flag 1966 (home port to Port Colborne ON) Can 316031
Chartered 1967 to Bayswater Shipping Ltd., Brockville ON
Firm discontinued operation later in season and vessel laid up
Sold for scrap 1968 to Marine Salvage Ltd., Port Colborne ON. Resold to Spanish shipbreakers and towed overseas with str. Edward Y. Townsend towed by Netherlands tug Hudson. Townsend broke loose from the tow and sank on Oct 7. Tow arrived at Santander, Spain on Oct 20, 1968.
See history in Great Lakes Ships We Remember II p. 337
X710
I sailed on the Dolomite as coal passer in the summer of 1962 ( if my memory serves me correctly). It was my first job away from home.. We hauled gravel from Port Colborne ON to Cleveland Ohio for the US highways then under construction. In November we took a load of coal, I think to, the City of Erie. Nov. 5 we unloaded at the dock during evening. The wind was so strong that the ship rolled and threatened to damage the unloading boom by striking the pile. The ballast was increased to try and stabilize the vessel. I worked the 12 to 4 watch and went to bed about the time unloading was complete. The ship headed out into the lake in what turned out to be a full gale. When the ship started to roll the deck crew tied down the unlading boom with extra chains as the existing solid restraints were thought to be weak. The empty holds were flooded to a depth of ten feet. She still rolled through 90 degrees which caused the leaking tank tops below the boilers to flood the engine room bilge and crank pit, stopped the engine.
We were in serious trouble. The coast guard could not help us and we were drifting on to the shore. An open port to starboard ballast valve prevented our pumps from priming as they were above the waterline. After struggling for more than hour to release the bow anchors ( they were jammed and had to be pulled with a deck winch cable) the valve was closed and we were able to get underway. We spent the next four hours sheltering behind Long Point before we entered Port Colborne. There were a lot of side stories to this tale which could have killed us all. Thankfully we came through it safely.
My question is: Why did you leave the the Port of Erie with a storm already brewing right outside the front door of Erie? You could of stayed at the port drop anchor and wait for the storm to pass what the hurry??? You were dam lucky you had Crew who knew what they were doing.
The answer to your question is that no-one knew that this valve had been left open. Had it been closed, there would have been no story to tell. It was a mistake by one of the oilers who left the port to starboard ballast valve open when he was flooding the ballast tanks during the unloading operation. This created a condition where it was not possible to maintain the ballast pumps prime. The pumps were in need of repair, there being a number of broken and missing valves in each pump. when the engineer tried to start one ballast pump it would suck air through the opposite pump and the operation would fail. After we were in trouble the oiler remembered his mistake. It just shows how one seemingly small mistake can turn into a major disaster.