Amoco Great Lakes – Great Lakes {2}
1982-Present
Articulated Barge, Tanker; Paired with Tugboat Michigan
Specs
Build Information
Year Built: 1982
Builder: Bay Shipbuilding Corp., Sturgeon Bay, WI
Hull #731
Registry: US 650771
IMO #–
Laid Down: March 18, 1982
Launch Date: July 10, 1982
Commissioned: September 1982
Paired Tugboats:
Construction
Amoco Great Lakes was constructed in 1982 by Bay Shipbuilding of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, as a tanker barge for Amoco Oil Company of Indiana. She was paired with the tug Amoco Michigan after completion, which was built by the same shipyard. The pair were not originally an articulated tug-barge unit, but rather lashed together using a cable and winch system.
Modifications
- Retrofitted with an Articouple ATB Coupler Receiver, Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, 2015.
General Stats
Length Overall [Combined Tug & Barge]: 454′
Length Overall [Barge]: 414′
Breadth: 60′
Depth: 30′
Loaded Draft: 23’08”
Capacity: 75,000 Bbls.
Vessel Type: Tanker; Barge
Number of Cargo Holds: 12 Tanks
Primary Operations: Petroleum Trades
History
Lineage
Amoco Great Lakes – 1982-1985
Owner: American Oil Co. of Indiana, Whiting, IN
Operator: American Oil Co.
Flag: United States
Home Port: Whiting, IN
Great Lakes {2} – 1985-2010
Owner: Coastwise Trading Co., Chicago, IL
Operator: Keystone Shipping Inc., Bala Cynwyd, PA
Flag: United States
Home Port: Whiting, IN
*Not definite on owner/operator from 1985-2010 period. May include error
Great Lakes {2} – 2010-2011
Owner: Chicago Marine Asset, Chicago, IL
Operator: Chicago Marine Asset
Flag: United States
Home Port: Whiting, IN
Great Lakes {2} – 2011-Present
Owner: U.S. Oil, Inc., Appleton, WI
Operator: Andrie, Inc., Muskegon, MI
Flag: United States
Home Port: Whiting, IN
Her Story
Amoco Great Lakes was constructed in 1982 as a tanker barge by Bay Shipbuilding at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, for Amoco Oil Company of Indiana. She was laid down in the graving dock on March 18, 1982, and floated out on July 10, 1982. She entered service in September, being paired with the tugboat Amoco Michigan, constructed by the same shipyard.
In 1985, the pair were sold, and Amoco was removed from both vessels’ names. Amoco Great Lakes was renamed Great Lakes. The tug-barge pair were operated by Keystone Shipping.
In 2010, the pair were acquired by Chicago Marine Asset, retaining their names.
Great Lakes and her tug Michigan were sold once again in 2011 to their present owner, U.S. Oil Inc. of Appleton, Wisconsin. Management of the vessels was contracted to Andrie, Inc., of Muskegon, Michigan.
In 2015, Great Lakes was retrofitted with an Articouple ATB coupler receiver, and the tug Michigan was retrofitted with the pin system, making the pair an actual Articulated Tug-Barge unit. Michigan / Great Lakes continue to be active in the petroleum trades on the Lakes, transporting petroleum products between Green Bay, Wisconsin, and several other Great Lakes ports.
Compiled By Brendan Falkowski
Updated on February 4, 2021
Gallery
Great Lakes / Michigan at Indiana Harbor, IN, July 28, 2006. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
Great Lakes / Michigan at Indiana Harbor, IN, July 28, 2006. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
Great Lakes / Michigan at Indiana Harbor, IN, July 28, 2006. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
Michigan / Great Lakes at South Chicago, IL, June 21, 2011. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
Michigan / Great Lakes on the Detroit River, January 12, 2014. Photo by Isaac Pennock Michigan / Great Lakes on the Welland Canal, June 29, 2015. Photo by Isaac Pennock 
Michigan / Great Lakes on Lake St. Clair, June 30, 2016. Photo by Isaac Pennock 
Great Lakes / Michigan docked at Port Huron, Michigan, July 11, 2020. Photo by Isaac Pennock
Sources
Berry, Sterling P. “Amoco Great Lakes” Great Lakes Vessel History: Vessel Histories of Sterling P. Berry. N.d. Accessed 4 February 2021. <https://www.greatlakesvesselhistory.com/histories-by-name/a/amoco-great-lakes>
Greenwood’s Guide to Great Lakes Shipping 2016, Harbor House Publishers, 2016. Pp. 5.3.
LeLievre, Roger. Know Your Ships 2020. Marine Publishing Company, 2020. Pp. 37.
Shipwatcher News Great Lakes Ships 