John B. Aird (ship)

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.

John B. Aird transitting the Welland Canal
History
Name: John B. Aird
Owner: Algoma Central
Operator: Algoma Central
Builder: Collingwood Shipbuilding, Collingwood, Ontario
Yard number: 224
Launched: 18 December 1982
Completed: June 1983
Identification: IMO number: 8002432
Fate: Broken up 14 June 2017
General characteristics
Type: Bulk carrier
Tonnage:
Length:
  • 222.5 m (730 ft 0 in) oa
  • 219 m (718 ft 6 in) pp
Beam: 23.5 m (77 ft 1 in)
Installed power: 2 diesel engines, 9,459 bhp (7,054 kW)
Propulsion: 1 shaft, controllable pitch propeller
Speed: 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)

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 9,459 brake horsepower (7,054 kW).[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 together 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]

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. The ship arrived at Aliağa, Turkey to be broken up in May and destruction was finished on 14 June 2017.[1][2]

References
  1. "John B.Aird (8002432)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  2. "John B. (8002432)". Equasis. French Ministry for Transport. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  3. Bawal Jr., p. 32.
  4. 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 requires |journal= (help)
  7. "Algoma Invests in Great Lakes Shipping". Marine Link. 23 March 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2018.

Sources
  • Bawal Jr., Raymond A. (2008). Ships of the St. Clair River. St. Clair, Michigan: Inland Expressions. ISBN 0-9818157-1-5.
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