Gordon C. Leitch

A "one of a kind" lake boat from its inception including its unique hull design with a bulbous bow; Mr. Ralph Misener, president of the Scott Misener Steamships Ltd., St. Catharines, ON devoted much time in the mid 1960's to his soon to be launched namesake Great Lakes self-unloading bulk carrier. Mr. Misener, eldest son of the company's founder Capt. Robert Scott Misener, had become president of the company in 1964 following the death of his father in 1963. He had been a director of the firm since 1946 and elected vice-president in 1950. In early 1965, Ralph Misener commissioned the naval architectural firm Knude E. Hansen, Copenhagen, Denmark to design the vessel. The new carrier was to be the fleet's largest vessel (by capacity) and its first self-unloader. The deck mounted self-unloading system was in itself, unique on the Great Lakes.

A press release issued by Mr. Ralph Misener on Oct. 29, 1966 announced the pending construction of the new carrier. It read: "A revolutionary new vessel with the cubic capacity of a straight-deck bulker, the discharging versatility of a self-unloader and a manoeuvrability unequalled by any freighter now in existence, has been ordered by Scott Misener Steamships Limited of St. Catharines, Ontario. She will have a bow thruster and a stern thruster, each with 1,000 horsepower, and with controllable pitch propellers. In addition, she will have a Kort nozzle instead of a rudder. This device is like a huge collar around the propeller. The stern thruster is also a Great Lakes innovation." The release further states: "The vessel will be powered by a 9,500 shaft horsepower (actually 9,600 b.h.p.) Sulzer diesel engine and the propeller will be 18' (5.49m) across. The self-unloading equipment will be completely on deck, running on rails port and starboard over the hatches. It will consist of a bucket chain and clams that will scoop the cargo from the holds and dump onto a boom-supported belt that has an outboard reach of 60' (18.29m) from the shipside. Unloading speed is projected to be 3,000 gross tons per hour."

The new Misener vessel was built in 1968 in 2 sections by Canadian Vickers Shipyard Ltd., Montreal, QC as their hull # 293. The stern section was launched Mar. 7, 1967 and the bow on Nov. 16, 1967. After joining both sections, the shipyard launched the new vessel on Apr. 6, 1968. Christening ceremonies were held at the shipyard on June 1, 1968 with the new vessel's sponsor Mrs. Ralph Misener breaking the champagne bottle over the bow officially naming the laker "Ralph Misener" in honor of her husband. The ceremony took place with over 600 company guests who then toured the new vessel.

The large laker is powered by a Sulzer 6RND76 6-cylinder diesel engine rated at 9,600 b.h.p. (7,061 KW) built by Scotts' Shipbuilding & Engine Co. Ltd., Greenock, Scotland and burns intermediate grade 180 fuel. The power is fed to a single controllable pitch propeller in a Kort nozzle giving the laker a rated speed of 17.3 m.p.h. The vessel is equipped with both 1,000 h.p. (736 KW) controllable pitch bow and stern thrusters, becoming the first laker to be so equipped. As required by the self-unloading system, 5 large hatches, each approximately 46' x 93' (14.02m x 28.35m) based on 111' (33.83m) centers, service 5 rectangular holds. As built, the vessel could carry 24,650 tons (25,046 mt) at the old Seaway draft of 26' 00" (7.92m) and could carry up to 28,975 tons (29,440 mt) at a mid-summer draft of 29' 01" (8.86m). As a self-unloader, the Ralph Misener's holds had the cubic capacity to carry 30,845 net tons of coal (the standard coal measurement equivalent to 27,540 tons or 27,983 mt).

The unusual deck-mounted self-unloader on the Ralph Misener was called the "ConFlow" automated unloading system. An adaptation of a German coal excavating machine, the ConFlow was designed and built by Orenstein & Koppel AG, Berlin, Germany and was the only one ever to appear on the Great Lakes. The 850-ton machine consisted of a walking bucket wheel that rotated and scooped up its cargo as it moved up and down the vessel's spar deck on rails. The cargo was then deposited onto either a port or starboard 97' (29.57m) boom conveyor for delivery to shore. This top-heavy unit proved to be expensive to operate and maintain. With its very limited flexibility and reach, it was not welcomed by Misener's customers and proved to be very unreliable and prone to frequent breakdowns. When it was operating, the system could unload up to 4,000 tons (4,064 mt) per hour of iron ore or coal or 3,000 tons (3,048 mt) of grain. Unfortunately, the system could only unload about half the cargo contained in the holds with the remainder having to be unloaded by other means. Considered a failure, after the third season, its use was discontinued resulting in Misener using their new vessel as a straight-deck bulk carrier. After being severely damaged by a squall July 12, 1976 on Lake Michigan, the "mechanical monstrosity" was removed by Davie Shipbuilding, Lauzon, QC in 1977. The laker's unusual hatch cover arrangements were retained continuing to link the past with the present. The removal of the self-unloader increased the Ralph Misener's capacity to 29,700 tons (30,177 mt) at mid-summer draft and at Seaway draft to 25,400 tons (25,808 mt)

Following commissioning on June 11, 1968, the Ralph Misener sailed on her maiden voyage to Pointe Noire, QC for a load of iron ore bound for Indiana Harbor, IN. With this new carrier entering service, older hulls in the Misener fleet became excess tonnage and were gradually sold for scrap, these being the C.A. Bennett, Everetton and the Mathewston. The Ralph Misener sailed under the Misener banner until 1994 (Scott Misener Steamships Ltd. shortened to Misener Transportation Ltd. in 1978 becoming Misener Shipping Ltd. and finally Misener Holdings Ltd.). The majority of the cargoes were grain products from the upper Great Lakes to various St. Lawrence River ports with return loads of iron ore back to Great Lakes ports. Very little coal was carried by the fleet though petroleum coke was carried on a route from Chicago, IL to Port Alfred, QC.

The Ralph Misener briefly set a barley record on May 5, 1970 loading 1,060,000 bushels at Thunder Bay, ON. The record was broken the next day by Algoma Central's bulker Algocen. In June 1978, the bulker loaded the first cargo at the new pellet plant at Port Cartier, QC, the load being consigned to Sidbec at Contracouer, QC. Of significance, the Ralph Misener was the celebrated upbound vessel opening the Welland Canal on Mar. 28, 1984 marking the 25th anniversary of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Capt. William Elliot received the ceremonial "Top Hat" on this occasion. A few days later, on Apr. 2, the vessel was the first downbound ship opening the St. Lawrence Seaway at Massena, NY. The Ralph Misener was the celebrated vessel again Mar. 30, 1992 at the Welland Canal with Capt. George Turner receiving the ceremonial "Top Hat". Of note, in May 1989, the bulk carrier loaded an experimental cargo of wood bark at Thunder Bay for Detroit, a most unusual cargo for a vessel of this size.

The Ralph Misener's first serious incident was an engine room fire during spring fit-out at Port Colborne, ON on Apr. 3, 1969. On Dec. 5, 1975, the bulk carrier was in collision with the salty Tatiana I on the St. Lawrence River near Sorel, QC. Only minor damage resulted which was repaired during winter layup. Perhaps the most serious incident to overcome this laker occurred on Aug 12, 1980. The crankcase of its diesel engine exploded while approaching its destination port of Port Alfred, QC on the Saguenay River. A second blast was touched off outside the engine room. Serious damage to the engine room, aft accommodations and galley were sustained. Four crew members were injured, 1 succumbing to his injuries 2 days later and a 2nd crew member dying as a result of his injuries on Aug. 29, 1980. After unloading its 28,000 tons of petroleum coke, the Ralph Misener was towed to Canadian Vickers Ltd., Montreal for repairs. Another incident occurred on Aug. 28, 1992 when the vessel made contact with the Shell fuelling dock at Corunna, ON. Hull plating on the starboard side above the waterline was holed and a ballast tank was damaged. Repairs were completed at the Government Dock at Sarnia, ON.

At the beginning of the 1991 season, the Ralph Misener began sailing under the Great Lakes Bulk Carriers (GLBC) banner; a management consortium based in St. Catharines, ON. The consortium pooled the bulker fleets of Misener Holdings Ltd., Pioneer Shipping Ltd. and Canada Steamship Lines to achieve the most profitable utilization of the combined fleets. This endeavour was short-lived. The Ralph Misener tied up Dec. 12, 1992 at Montreal, QC for winter lay up and remained laid up through the 1993 navigation season. With the demise of both Misener Holdings Ltd. and the management consortium Great Lakes Bulk Carriers by late 1993, the Ralph Misener along with the 14 other bulk carriers of the former GLBC fleet changed ownership in March 1994. The purchasing companies Algoma Central Corp. and Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd. decided that the order of selection be determined by the toss of a coin with each company choosing a ship and the last one being jointly owned. First choice went to Upper Lakes with their selection being the Ralph Misener. Thus the laker was acquired by Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd. of Toronto, ON (ULS Corp., managers) and was renamed Gordon C. Leitch (2). Also acquired by Upper Lakes at this time were Misener fleetmates David K. Gardiner (renamed Canadian Venture, scrapped 2005) and Peter Misener (renamed Canadian Trader, scrapped 2005). The newly named Gordon C. Leitch returned to active service for her new owners in October of 1994 sailing under the Seaway Bulk Carriers, Winnipeg, MB banner, an operational partnership combining the bulker fleets of Upper Lakes and Algoma Central.

Being the second vessel in the ULS fleet to bear the name Gordon C. Leitch; the laker's namesake Mr. Gordon Clifford Leitch was the founder and first president of the Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd. The Company was formed in 1931 as the Upper Lakes & St. Lawrence Transportation Company with its first vessel being the "second hand" steamer Sarnian. Mr. Gordon Leitch remained as president of the company until his death June 2, 1954. The Gordon C. Leitch (2)'s predecessor was a bulk carrier built in 1952 by the Midland Shipbuilding Co. of Midland, ON and was the second vessel to be built new for the Upper Lakes fleet, being launched Aug. 28, 1952. Her dimension were 663' 06" (loa) x 67' 00" x 35' 00" (202.16m x 20.50m x 10.67m) with a capacity of 20,000 tons (20,321 mt) and was powered by a 4,000 i.h.p (2,942 KW) 5-cylinder Skinner Uniflow steam engine. She sailed as part of the Upper Lakes fleet for her entire career being scrapped in 1985. Her sister ship and first new build for the ULS fleet, the James Norris, was launched Dec. 10, 1951 at Midland and continues to sail as an active member of the Upper Lakes fleet today after being converted to a self-unloader in 1980-81.

Soon after entering service for her new owners, on Dec. 10, 1994, the Gordon C. Leitch was holed after contacting the tie-up wall at Goderich, ON. Repairs were reported to have been made when the laker returned to service in 1995. Then on Sept. 18, 1995, the vessel struck the lock wall while entering the St. Lawrence Seaway's Eisenhower Lock sustaining a 6' 06" (2.00m) long hull fracture to the forward port side hull plating above the waterline. The vessel proceeded to Hamilton, ON for unloading and damage repair. Further, on Nov. 26, 1996, the laker was in contact with the salty Kamenitza while entering the Calumet River with tug assistance, receiving only minor damage. On Mar. 23, 1999 while attempting to dock at the Quebec Iron and Titanium Mining Co. quay at Havre-St. Pierre, QC on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, rough water tossed the vessel against the dock. Shell plating was torn away in way of the port bunker tank spilling an estimated 48 tons (49 mt) of bunker fuel oil into the St. Lawrence River. The laker's well trained crew immediately deployed containment booms which were able to corral some of the spill and contacted the appropriate environmental and regulatory authorities. The Canadian Coast Guard commended the crew for their quick response to the incident avoiding what could have developed into an environmental disaster.

The Gordon C. Leitch grounded August 4, 2004 on an underwater Seaway rock wall after reportedly experiencing a power failure as the vessel was turning from Lake St. Louis to the approach to the Cote St. Catherine, QC lock. The vessel was successfully refloated late the same day with the assistance of tugs Ocean Intrepide and Ocean Jupiter, then towed to a wharf at Cote St. Catherine for a temporary patch to be put in place over a 2' (.61m) gash in the double bottom hull. Some flooding in the # 1 hold also occurred. After inspection, the bulker was allowed to continue Aug. 5 to her destination port of Quebec City to discharge the 25,855 metric tons of wheat loaded at Thunder Bay, ON the previous week. After unloading, the Gordon C. Leitch proceeded to Port Weller Dry Docks at St. Catharines, ON for repair. The vessel was pulled from the dry dock and returned to service on Sept. 19, 2004.

In recent years as in the past, the Gordon C. Leitch's routes and cargoes have remained focused in the grain products and iron ore trades. However beginning in 2005, the Gordon C. Leitch (with fleetmate Canadian Prospector) were utilized on a dedicated ilmenite ore (a steel-gray or iron-black colored titanium-iron oxide mineral) trade route on the St. Lawrence River between Havre-St. Pierre and Sorel, QC for Rio Tinto's Quebec Iron and Titanium Mining Co. To further enhance the Leitch's cargo capacity on this run, the decision was made in 2006 to increase the vessel's "load line". Specific vessel modifications were completed before Lloyd's Register (classification society) approval could be received. The modifications included new water tight doors, increased coaming heights on escape hatches and extended air pipes fitted with flaps; the purpose being to prevent downflooding. Once the Lloyd's Register approval was received, new Plimsoll markings (visual indication of the seasonal load lines) were put on the hull and a new Load Line Certificate was issued. The result of this process was an approval to carry approximately 2,000 additional metric tons (1,968 tons) of iron ore where there are no specified draft restrictions. Due to the economic downturn however, the Gordon C. Leitch returned to the more traditional Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River grain and iron ore trade routes late in the 2008 and on into 2009.

Chasing downbound the St. Clair River at sunrise in the early morning mist, heat hazy and patchy fog, Aug. 16, 2009. John McCreery




Approaching the Burlington Piers, July 15, 2009. John McCreery	Entering the Burlington Ship Canal. John McCreery	Into Hamilton Harbour. John McCreery
Upbound the St. Lawrence River at Mariatown, ON with ore from Sept Isles, QC for Hamilton, ON, July 14, 2009. Ron Beaupre	Stern view. Ron Beaupre	Lake Ontario, July 15, 2009. John McCreery
Lower Lake Huron having met the Indiana Harbor and Huron Lady II, May 23, 2009. Wayne Brown	Upbound the St. Clair River, May 30, 2009. Marc Dease	Lower Lake Huron entering the St. Clair River at Point Edward, ON. June 4, 2009. Marc Dease
St. Lawrence River at Brockville, ON, May 28, 2009. Dave Bessant	Bow profile. Dave Bessant	Stern view. Dave Bessant
Bow view, May 22, 2009. Herm Klein	St. Marys River, May 22, 2009. Roger LeLievre	Stern view. Roger LeLievre
Upbound the Welland Canal approaching Lock 2, May 17, 2009. Bill Bird	Stern view. Bill Bird	St. Marys River at Mission Point, May 22, 2009. Herm Klein
Downbound Lake Huron at Point Edward, ON, making the turn at the Huron Cut buoys and entering the St. Clair River on May 10, 2009 with 25,987 mt of wheat from Thunder Bay, ON to Quebec City, QC. George Wharton
Meeting the upbound Catherine Desgagnes.

Upbound the St. Clair River, May 5, 2009. George Wharton	Three abreast - passing the American Integrity & American Century. George Wharton	Stern view. George Wharton
Welland Canal approaching Bridge 11, Apr. 16, 2009. Bill Bird	Entering the St. Lawrence Seaway's Iroquois Lock, May 3, 2009. Murray Blancher	Stern view. Murray Blancher
Upbound the Welland Canal at Thorold, ON, Dec. 15, 2007. Bob Dowson	Another view at Thorold, Dec. 15, 2007. Bill Bird	Stern view. Bill Bird
St. Clair River at Port Huron, MI, Sept. 15, 2007. Bruce Hurd	Lake St. Clair, Oct. 21, 2007. Alex & Max Mager	Into the Detroit River at sunset, Oct. 21, 2007. Alex & Max Mager
Welland Canal leaving Lock 7, Sept. 14, 2007. Roger LeLievre	Stern view. Roger LeLievre	St. Clair River, Sept. 15, 2007. Bruce Hurd
Lake Erie just outside the East Outer Channel, June 2005. Mark Veum	St. Clair River, July 25, 2005. Jim Meyland	Winter lay-up at Hamilton, ON, March 2006. Jan van der Doe
Detroit River, Sept. 26, 2004. Mike Nicholls	Stern view. Mike Nicholls	Welland Canal, Sept. 27, 2004. Alex Howard
Below Lock 1, Welland Canal prior to docking at Port Weller Dry Docks for repairs, Aug. 10, 2004. Alex Howard	Emerging from dry docking with tug Glenevis, Progress & Vigilant I, Sept. 19, 2004. Alex Howard	Another view with tug Glenevis. Alex Howard
Turning in the St. Lawrence River at Quebec City, Aug 5, 2004. Gordon Williams	Bunge Elevators unloading arms emptying the holds. Gordon Williams	Stern view. Gordon Williams
At Cote St. Catherine, QC for temporary repair following grounding, Aug. 4, 2004. Kent Malo	Stern view. Kent Malo	John D. Leitch passing. Kent Malo
Downbound the St. Clair River at Port Huron, MI, July 31, 2004. Roger LeLievre	Another view. Roger LeLievre	Welland Canal, Dec. 2, 2003. Bill Bird
Detroit River, June 15, 2003. Mike Nicholls	Owen Sound, ON, July 30, 2003. Wayne Brown	Night loading at Sarnia, Aug. 6, 2003. John McCreery
Welland Canal, Oct. 12, 2002. Mike Nicholls	Winter lay-up, Hamilton, ON, Feb. 20, 2003. Mike Nicholls	First into Thunder Bay, ON, Apr. 4, 2003. Rob Farrow