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Detroit River, Apr. 2005.	Mike Nicholls

Great Lakes Fleet Page Vessel Feature -- St. Marys Conquest

By Rod Burdick

The barge Conquest was originally the classic steam-powered tanker, Amoco Indiana. She was built in 1937 at Manitowoc and sailed for Amoco Oil Company until 1982.

Medusa Cement purchased the Amoco Indiana in 1986 and had her converted to a self-unloading, cement-carrying barge at Sturgeon Bay from 1986 to 1987. Her pilothouse, aft-end cabins, and stack were removed. A bow-mounted, air-flow boom conveyor was installed along with a stern notch for a tug. Renamed Medusa Conquest, she entered service in July of 1987 and has been in service since.

She would sailed as the Medusa Conquest until 1998 when Medusa Cement was bought by another cement company, South Down, Inc. The vessel had her name changed to Southdown Conquest.

The company was sold once more to CEMEX Cement. The name of the barge once again was changed to Cemex Conquest.

She is teamed with the repowered Hannah tug, Susan W. Hannah (4,350 horsepower) and services CEMEX's cement silos at Detroit, Cleveland, Toledo, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Manitowoc and a Canadian silo in Owen Sound from CEMEX's Charlevoix cement plant.

Overall dimensions
Length	437'6"
Beam	55'
Depth	28'
Cement capacity (tons)	8,500
Airflow boom conveyor	48'

	Mike Nicholls	Jim Hoffman
Andy Laborde	Andy Laborde	Mike Nicholls
Andy Laborde	Andy Laborde	Dick Lund
Stern view with Susan W. Hannah in the notch, Apr. 2005.  Mike Nicholls	Susan W. Hannah, Apr. 2005.  Mike Nicholls.	Stern view.