James R. Barker - One Last Monster Salute for the Summer

Here is the James R. Barker departing Duluth, Minnesota on the afternoon of July 7, 2024. She had just completed loading taconite pellets at the Canadian National dock in West Duluth and was outbound for Lake Superior, eventually aiming to deliver her cargo to Indiana Harbor, Indiana.

While summer is less than halfway over, Captain Brad Newland of the James R. Barker mentioned over the radio that this might be his last big salute for Duluth for the summer... as he was set to take leave until September. Captain Newland's master salutes (three long and two short blasts) have become famous for their length and intensity, always pleasing the crowds. With a relief captain now in charge for the remainder of the summer, we've been hearing more traditional-sounding captain's salutes (one long and two short blasts). Given that the epic long master salutes have become a trademark of Captain Newland, no relief captain would try to replicate them out of respect. Having said that, the Barker still sounds great even when delivering just a captain's salute!

For this departure, I was bridged again... stuck on the wrong side of the canal for the lighting conditions. Indeed, I almost missed catching the Barker at all, since I was over in Superior when I noticed the Barker was already making her way through the harbor. I arrived just in time to catch the Barker's turn towards the lake. The radio exchange at the beginning of the video actually happened a few minutes before I got my camera set up. But I wanted to include the radio exchange anyway, as it goes to show that even the bridge operator wants to hear the Barker's horn!

If September just seems too long to wait for another monster salute, feel free to play this video over and over again to make the wait a little easier!

The James R. Barker is 1004 feet in length and was built in 1976 by the American Ship Building Company of Lorain, Ohio. According to the Boatnerd website, she is powered by "two 8,000 bhp V-16 cylinder, four stroke cycle, single acting, turbocharged Colt-Pielstick PC2V diesel engines, built by Fairbanks Morse Engine Division of Colt Industries, Beloit, WI driving through a Falk reversing gear box to two Bird-Johnson controllable pitch, stainless steel, four bladed propellers seventeen feet, six inches in diameter." She has a cargo capacity of 63,300 tons. She has the distinction of being the first self-contained 1000-footer to be built with the entire superstructure at the aft end of the vessel. This design would be the model for the remaining 1000-footers to be built for Great Lakes service.
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