Kaye E. Barker

I saw the Kaye E. Barker while it was coming in across Marquette's Lower Harbor when Mom and I were on our way out to the Island one afternoon in May. I was able to get out the dock at Upper Harbor as it was coming in. At first I had to use my zoom lens to get a good look at it coming in, but by the time I'd shot a few photos it had gotten so much closer that I didn't have to use the zoom any more. It was really moving.

As the ship pulled into the dock two men repelled down the side of the ship with ropes like rock climbers, and pulled the ship into the dock. There was some water churning as the captain adjusted the position of the ship beside the dock. It totally blew my mind that only two men could guide in that huge vessel using only two ropes.

Here is one of the men who repelled down the side of the ship. The rope is clearly visible. I would estimate the man's height at about 6 foot, and the dock from the waterline to where is he standing is about 10 feet. So you can see the scale of the ship in this photo.

The Length of this ship is 767 feet, according to the Lake Carrier's Association Website which I use as the source for all of these measurements. The Beam is 70 feet. The Per-Trip Carrying Capacity is 29,008 tons of cargo. The Capacity per foot of Draft is 1,548 tons. (See sidebar for an explanation of these terms.)

Kaye E. Barker is one of 10 ships owned by the Interlake Steamship Company/Lakes Shipping Company, Inc.

I'm always looking for the often shy crew members of these huge ships.

I caught a glimpse of someone on the bridge and got this shot with my zoom lens. These men are hard-working sailors, not rock stars. I think they are content staying in the background and allowing their ship to be the superstar.