Joseph H. Thompson (1944 ship)

Joseph H. Thompson was built as the Marine Robin, in Chester, Pennsylvania, for the US Maritime Commission, in 1944, for service in World War II.[1][2][3]

Joseph H. Thompson, after conversion to a notch tug, passes under the Charles Berry Bridge in Lorain, Ohio.

Service as Marine Robin

Marine Robin was originally planned to be a freighter, but was completed as a Type C4 troop transport, 515 feet (157 m) long, and powered by a 9,000 shaft horsepower (6,700 kW) steam turbine engine. She was laid down by Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company in Chester, Pennsylvania.[2] She was present at the Invasion of Normandy.[3]

After World War II, like all her C4 sister ships, Marine Robin was placed in reserve.[2][3]

Service as Joseph H. Thompson

In 1952 the Department of Defense found that steel production on the Great Lakes was falling short, due to a lack of suitable ships, and released some World War II-era vessels to be converted to lake freighters. Marine Robin was chosen.[1][2][3] Her mid-body, where her superstructure was located, was removed, and she was lengthened by 199 feet (61 m).[2] She was towed, empty, and half complete, up the Mississippi River and the Chicago Ship Canal, in two parts, so she could transit the shorter locks there. In Chicago her stern and bow were united, and she was recommissioned as Joseph H. Thompson. She was now 714.25 feet (217.70 m) long, became "Queen of the Lakes" - the longest ship on the lakes. According to Boatnerd, she was, at this time, the longest freighter in the world.

Joseph H. Thompson was laid up, for several years, in the early 1980s.[1][2]

Service as a notch-tug

After sale to Upper Lakes Shipping she was converted to a notch-barge combo. Her tugboat, Joseph H. Thompson Jr., was built around her original engines, and with her hull and superstructure built using scrap recovered left after the Joseph H. Thompson's coversion to a barge.[1][2][3]

In 2015 the pair of vessels were acquired by VanEnkevort Tug & Barge.[3] In 2019 the barge Joseph H. Thompson was assigned a new tug, the Laura L. VanEnkevort. The tug Joseph H. Thompson Jr. will also be re-assigned.

References
  1. Mark L. Thompson (1994). Queen of the Lakes. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 9780814343371. Retrieved 2020-01-03.
  2. "Joseph H. Thompson: IMO 5145740". Boatnerd. Retrieved 2020-01-03.
  3. Samuel Hankinson (2019-09-26). "Tug new to the Great Lakes helps barge deliver to Grand Haven". Grand Haven Tribune. Retrieved 2020-01-03. The VanEnkevort arrived in Toledo a few weeks ago, where the Joseph H. Thompson/Joseph H. Thompson Jr. were waiting. The VanEnkevort mated with the Joseph H. Thompson, leaving the Joseph H. Thompson Jr. alone. VanEnkevort’s plan is to have the VanEnkevort push the Joseph H. Thompson (likely to be renamed at some point) and the Joseph H. Thompson Jr. (expected to be renamed Dirk VanEnkevort) push the new barge Michigan Trader upon its completion at some point next season.
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