Sugar Islander – Islander – Tina Litrico – Tecumseh
1972-Present
Specs
Build Information
Year Built: 1972
Builder: Lockheed Shipbuilding & Engineering, Tacoma, WA
Hull #139
Registry: CAN 836045
IMO #7225855
Laid Down: —
Launch Date: August 22, 1971
Commissioned: 1972
Construction
The Sugar Islander was built in 1972 as a gearless bulk carrier by Lockheed Shipbuilding & Engineering of Tacoma Washington as a gearless bulk carrier for the Bankers Trust Company.
Modifications
- New fair leads installed, 2011.
General Stats
Length Overall: 641′
Length Between Perpendiculars: 621′
Breadth: 77’10”
Depth: 45’03”
Loaded Draft: 34’06”
Capacity: 29,984 Tons
Vessel Type: Gearless Bulk Carrier
Number of Cargo Holds: 6 [Hatch-Hold Arrangement: 1-1-1-1-1-1]
Number of Hatches: 6 [Dimensions: #1 – 47’x42′; #2-6 – 56’x42′]
Primary Operations: Grain Trade
Propellers: 1 Controllable Pitch Propeller
Rudders: 1
Engineering Equipment
Original
Engine
Engine Type: Diesel Engine
Engine Manufacturer: Pielstick, Beloit, WI
Engine Model: 12PC-CV-400
Number of Engines: 2
Rated HP: 12,000 BHP
History
Lineage
Sugar Islander – 1972-1996
Owner: Bankers Trust Company
Operator: C-H Sugar
Flag: United States
Home Port: —
Islander – 1996
Owner: Islander Shipholding, Inc.
Operator: —
Flag: United States
Home Port: —
Judy Litrico – 1996-2006
Owner: United Maritime Group, Tampa, FL
Operator: United Maritime Group
Flag: United States
Home Port: Tampa, FL
Tina Litrico – 2006-2011
Owner: United Maritime Group, Tampa, FL
Operator: United Maritime Group
Flag: United States
Home Port: Tampa, FL
Tecumseh – 2011-Present
Owner: Lower Lakes Towing LTD., Port Dover, ON [Rand Logistics]
Operator: Lower Lakes Towing LTD.
Flag: Canada
Home Port: Port Dover, ON
Her Story
The Sugar Islander was built in 1972 as a gearless bulk carrier by Lockheed Shipbuilding & Engineering of Tacoma Washington as a gearless bulk carrier for the Bankers Trust Company. The Sugar Islander was launched on August 22, 1971, entering service in 1972 for C-H Sugar, hauling Hawaiian Sugar back to the mainland U.S. in California.
In 1996, the Sugar Islander was sold to Islander Shipholding, with her name being shortened to Islander. She was sold once again in 1996 to the United Maritime Group of Tampa, Florida, being renamed Judy Litrico. Her trade routes shifted to the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic ocean. United Maritime Group renamed her Tina Litrico in 2006.
In early 2011, Lower Lakes Towing of Port Dover, Ontario, acquired the Tina Litrico. She was taken to a shipyard in Veracruz, Mexico, where she was drydocked for refit and painting into Lower Lakes fleet colors. She arrived in Montreal on December 29, 2011, and entered service at the beginning of the 2012 season for Lower Lakes.
While downbound on the Detroit River on December 15, 2019, the Tecumseh suffered a major engine room fire, sending her adrift in the river. She was able to drop her anchors, and was assisted by contract firefighters who put the blaze out. She was docked in Windsor, Ontario, for inspection, and towed to Ashtabula, Ohio, in March 2020 where she remains in layup.
Compiled By Brendan Falkowski
Updated on September 17, 2020
Gallery
Judy Litrico sailing under the Sunshine Skyway bridge during the 1990’s, photo hangs inside the ship, from Roger LeLievre Collection 
Tecumseh loading grain at Toledo, Ohio, May 2012. Photo by Jim Hoffman 
Tecumseh at Port Huron, Michigan, April 13, 2012. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
Tecumseh unloading canola at Windsor, Ontario, April 27, 2012. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
Tecumseh tied up on the Welland Canal, June 30, 2012. Photo by Isaac Pennock 
Tecumseh on the St. Marys River, August 17, 2012. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
Tecumseh anchored on the St. Marys River, September 1, 2012. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
Tecumseh docked at Windsor, Ontario, January 12, 2014. Photo by Isaac Pennock 
Tecumseh on the St. Marys River, July 7, 2014. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
Tecumseh on the St. Marys River, July 7, 2014. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
Tecumseh on the Detroit River, December 22, 2015. Photo by Isaac Pennock 
Tecumseh on the St. Marys River, May 17, 2018. Photo by Roger LeLievre Tecumseh on the St. Marys River, May 20, 2018. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
Tecumseh at Toledo, Ohio, November 11, 2018. Photo by Jim Hoffman 
Tecumseh on the St. Marys River, September 18, 2019. Photo by Isaac Pennock 
Tecumseh on the St. Marys River, November 11, 2019. Photo by Roger LeLievre
Sources
Duff, Steven; Gillham, Skip; Longhurst, Buck. “Tecumseh”. Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping Online. N.d. Accessed 17 September 2020. <http://boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/Tecumseh3.htm>
Greenwood’s Guide to Great Lakes Shipping 2016, Harbor House Publishers, 2016. Pp. 3.5.
“M/V Tecumseh”. Rand Logistics. N.d. Accessed 17 September 2020. <https://www.randlog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Rand-Vessel-Profile-TEC-8-2019.pdf>
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