Kaye E. Barker Suffers Boiler Explosion

[Chris Mazzella]

11/5 - 6:30 pm - Information has been received that the Kaye E. Barker suffered a major boiler explosion near Ile Parisienne around 8:am Sunday morning.

Two crew members have been air lifted off the ship.

The vessel has enough boiler power to for electricity and is anchored in Whitefish Bay. The "G" tug Missouri was up bound from the Soo around 6:00pm. The tug will tow the Barker to the Carbide Dock in the Soo.

It is expected that another Interlake vessel will take the Barker's cargo of taconite that was loaded in Marquette.

Updates will be posted here as information is received.

[Chris Mazzella]

11/6 - A rare boiler explosion aboard the steamer Kaye E. Barker seriously injured two crewmen and temporarily disabled the ship about one half mile off Whitefish Point early Sunday. The two burned crewmen were evacuated from the Barker by a Coast Guard HH-65 helicopter and were flown to Sault Ste. Marie for initial medical treatment at War Memorial Hospital. The two were later transferred to the burn unit at University Hospital in Ann Arbor. Their names and extent of injuries were not available

According to reports, Barker, powered by a steam turbine, was headed downbound near Whitefish Point when the boiler-room explosion occurred. The blast, very rare in recent Great Lakes shipping history, caused the ship to lose power about 8 a.m. Sunday morning. Along with the two crewmen injured, the explosion did unspecified damage to the ship's mechanical systems.

 Aboard the Barker, the ship's engineers were able to isolate the damaged boiler and make steam on alternate boilers for the short trip to the Carbide Dock in Sault Ste. Marie for inspection and evaluation. Typically, a steam-powered vessel is equipped with several boilers nested into the ship's boiler room. In addition to the vessel's engine, steam is typically used to power deck and anchor winches, steering motor, whistle and other equipment aboard ship.

At one time a regular cause of severe casualties aboard ship, boiler explosions are today very rare in navigation with the advent of redundant boiler safety systems. Propulsion steam generated by marine boilers is maintained at very high pressures and high temperatures to supply power to engines. In the Barker's case, the ship is propelled by a marine steam turbine. No fire was reported aboard Barker after the blast.

Sunday after noon the Barker moored at the Carbide Dock. She remained there on Monday while Coast Guard inspectors and officials from the ship's owner, Interlake Steamship, piece together the events leading up to the explosion and evaluate damage to the ship.

Kaye E. Barker is a 767-foot self unloader, built in 1952. The ship, formerly the flagship of the old Cleveland Cliffs steamer line, was subsequently lengthened by 120 feet and fitted with self-unloader gear in 1981.

Sunday's boiler explosion was the first such accident on a Great Lakes ship in many decades.

From the Soo Evening News
Boatnerd.com