Joyce L. VanEnkevort
1998-Present
Articulated Tugboat, Hydraconn Coupler; Paired with Barge Great Lakes Trader
Specs
Build Information
Year Built: 1998
Builder: Bay Shipbuilding Corp., Sturgeon Bay, WI
Hull #742
Registry: 1064167
IMO #8635966
Laid Down: March 18, 1997
Launch Date: 1998
Commissioned: 1998
Paired Barges:
- Great Lakes Trader [2000-Present]
Construction
The Joyce L. VanEnkevort was built as an articulated tugboat for VanEnkevort Tug & Barge. The Joyce was fabricated by Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, with completion and fit out being taken care of by VanEnkevort Tug & Barge at Escanaba, Michigan. She was fitted with a Hydraconn Articulated Tug/Barge connection system while at Escanaba. She was built to push VanEnkevort’s new barge, the Great Lakes Trader, which was being contracted for construction at the time.
The Joyce L. VanEnkevort was the first of two similar tugs to be constructed, the second vessel being the Ken Boothe Sr. [Clyde S. VanEnekvort, 2017] of 2012.
General Stats
Length Overall [Combined Tug & Barge]: 840′
Length Overall [Tug]: 135’04”
Breadth: 50′
Depth: 26′
Vessel Type: Articulated Tugboat
Propellers: 2 Controllable Pitch Propellers
Rudders: 1
Engineering Equipment
Original
Engine
Engine Type: Diesel Engine
Engine Manufacturer: Caterpillar, Deerfield, IL
Engine Model: 3612
Number of Engines: 2
Rated HP: 10,200 BHP
History
Lineage
Joyce L. VanEnkevort – 1998-Present
Owner: VanEnkevort Tug & Barge, Escanaba, MI
Operator: VanEnkevort Tug & Barge
Flag: United States
Home Port: Escanaba, MI
Her Story
The Joyce L. VanEnkevort was built in 1998 as an articulated tugboat for VanEnkevort Tug & Barge of Escanaba, Michigan. The Joyce was fabricated by Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, with completion and fit out being taken care of by VanEnkevort Tug & Barge at Escanaba, Michigan. She was fitted with a Hydraconn Articulated Tug/Barge connection system while at Escanaba. She was built to push VanEnkevort’s new barge, the Great Lakes Trader, which was being contracted for construction at the time. The keel for the new tug was laid on March 18, 1997, being completed in early 1998.
For the 1998 season, the Joyce L. VanEnkevort was contracted by the Interlake Steamship Company to push their recently converted barge Pathfinder until the completion of their new tugboat, Dorothy Ann. The VanEnkevort connected to the Pathfinder on March 20, 1998, and the pair departed from Sturgeon Bay the next day. The Joyce pushed Pathfinder into the early 1999 season, trading the barge off to Interlake’s tug Dorothy Ann on June 24, 1999.
In May of 2000, the Joyce L. VanEnkevort sailed out the St. Lawrence Seaway and around the American east coast to New Orleans, Louisiana, to pick up her new barge Great Lakes Trader. The pair departed New Orleans for the Great Lakes on May 28, 2000. Since the barge was built to maximum seaway dimensions, the tug had to detach while transiting St. Lawrence Seaway locks to allow a smaller harbor tug to push the barge into the lock. The tug then had to lock through separately afterwards.
The Great Lakes Trader / Joyce L. VanEnkevort entered service together on June 23, 2000, loading ore at Escanaba, Michigan, for delivery to Indiana Harbor, Indiana.
The pair are typically employed in the iron ore trade from Lake Superior ports to Cleveland, and Toledo, Ohio and other Southern Lake Michigan ports, and the stone trade from upper Lake Huron and Lake Michigan ports to across the Great Lakes.
Compiled By Brendan Falkowski
Updated on June 9, 2020
Gallery
Sources
Greenwood’s Guide to Great Lakes Shipping 2016, Harbor House Publishers, 2016. Pp. 4.10.
Pennock, Isaac. “Joyce L. VanEnkevort”. Great Lakes Tugs & Workboats. N.d. Accessed 9 June 2020. https://gltugs.wordpress.com/joyce-l-vanenkevort/
Wharton, George. “Great Lakes Trader”. Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping Online. N.d. Accessed 9 June 2020. http://boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/greatlakestrader.htm
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