u/HuckleberryQueasy310

I came to the harbor to see the barge St Mary’s Conquest(pushed by tug Bradshaw McKee), and was surprised when the Mark W. Barker appeared, backing out of the harbor. She came out to flip around in order to make way for another cement tug/barge, Samuel De Champlain/Innovation to dock at the Amrize terminal. She turned around and waited for the Conquest to enter before backing in. The Conquest was launched as an oil tanker in 1937, being converted to a cement barge by Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, WI in 1987. The Mark W. Barker was launched at the same shipyard in 2022, being the newest American lake freighter in service.

Mark W. Barker arrived in Milwaukee tonight with a load of salt from Cargill in Cleveland. She joined the Algoma Innovator for a short time before the Innovator departed, which had completed its unload of salt.

Just as the sun set, Interlake Steamship Co.’s Mark W. Barker arrived to deliver a load of salt. She entered through the break wall, going under the Hoan and to dump her salt in the Kinnickinnic Basin at Cargill Salt. The ’Mark Bark’ is only 4 years old, being launched by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, WI in 2022. She was the first new American lake freighter to be launched since 1981, and is still the newest American freighter on the Lakes. She joined the Algoma Innovator for a short time, which had also been unloading salt, before the Innovator departed. What’s interesting to me is Interlake‘s other vessel that visits Milwaukee(Herbert C Jackson, some of you may have seen the Lake Ship Guy‘s posts about it) is 63 years older than the Mark Barker.

Was able to catch the Jackson entering Milwaukee with a load of limestone. Was really surprised when it gave the captain’s salute