Ship Details

Superior Straits

Vessel image

Photo Credit: John Henderson

 
 
Registry #1 173188 (Canada) Registry #2 YN.77 (US Navy) Registry #3 AN.58 (US Navy)
IMO# MMSI# VRN#
 
Name 1 1942 YN-77 (U.S.S.) Name 6
Name 2 1942 AN-58 (U.S.S.) Name 7
Name 3 (nk) Abele (U.S.S.) Name 8
Name 4 1947 Abele Name 9
Name 5 1953 Superior Straits Name 10
 
Year Built 1942 Place New Bern Area NC Country USA
 
Designer (nk) Measurement (imp) 174.5' x 36.5' x 19.3'
Builder Barbour Boat Works Measurement (metric) 53.2m x 11.1m x 5.9m
Hull Wood Displacement
Gross Tonnage 861 Type 1 Tug (Ailanthus Class netlayer)
Registered Tonnage 549 Type 2 Barge
Engine 1600hp diesel electric engine (1942) Engine Manufacture Busch-Sulzer Bros. Diesel Engine Co., St. Louis MO
Repower Engines removed and converted to a barge. Propulsion Screw
Rebuilds Call Sign VGXG
Pendant  # YN.77; AN.58 Masters
 
Owner(s)
In 1942 she was owned by the United States Navy laid down as YN-77 but commissioned as AN-58. In 1947-1948 she was owned by the Great Lakes Lumber and Shipping Ltd., Fort William ON Canada. In 1949 she was owned by Charles Storch, Vancouver BC Canada. In 1953-1969 she was owned by Straits Towing Ltd., Vancouver BC Canada. In 1971-1972 she was owned by P. & B. Towing Ltd., North Vancouver BC Canada. In 1973-2006 she was owned by Dubarry Investments Ltd., Vancouver BC Canada.
 
Fate Registry closed Date 2006-02-21
 
Named Features
Significance of Name
 
Anecdotes
In 1942 this vessel was employed as a Gate Vessel (assigned to target towing and net defense duty) at Pearl Harbour Hawaii. In 1955 this vessel was brought out from the Great Lakes to the West Coast. During the voyage through the Panama Canal this vessel towed the damaged tanker Poplarbranch to Vancouver for service. On June 2, 1955 this vessel collided with the American vessel Lillian J. near Kingcome Point Light, Fraser Beach BC Canada. In the 1960s this vessel was withdrawn from service and reduced to a barge. This vessel sank in Vancouver Harbour about 1973 but this vesselcontinued to be listed in the Register of shipping until 2006.
 
References
Canada List of Shipping; George Duddy (2016); http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_t11929/1211?r=0&s=4 ; Historic Shipwrecks of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia (2007) UASBC, Vancouver BC; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Abele; Merchant Vessels of the United States (1957);
Last update
 

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