Inland seas

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Daily observations on the Hudson River as it passes through New York City. The section of the Hudson which passes through New York is historically known as the North River, called this by the Dutch to distinguish it from the Delaware River, which they knew as the South River. This stretch of the Hudson is still often referred to as the North River by local mariners today. All photos by Daniel Katzive unless otherwise attributed. Twitter @dannykatman

Inland seas

A short trip to Cleveland brought an opportunity to observe some marine traffic away from the North River this week. In Flushing Bay next to LaGuardia, we observed two Norfolk Towing tugs operating near the DSNY’s North Shore Marine Transfer Station, where commercial waste is transferred to containers and loaded on barges destined for the Staten Island container terminal or the Waste Management Elizabeth docks, and from there to Covanta’s Newark incinerator or landfills out of state.

Norfolk Towing tugs at the DSNY North Shore transfer station on Flushing Bay

In Cleveland, an old lake bulker the William G. Mather has been converted to a museum piece. The Mather once brought iron ore to Cleveland steel mills and was in service from the 1920s until 1980. These lake bulkers are longer and narrower than the ocean going bulkers we see on the North River as they are built to traverse locks, and have their bridges forward.

The William G. Mather at anchor in Cleveland’s North Shore Harbor

Also anchored at the harbor were two Federal vessels which look more similar to boats we see on the North River. The 140’ Coast Guard cutter Neah Bay is based in Cleveland and is a sister to the Penobscot Bay and Sturgeon Bay, Bay Class icebreaker tugs which make Bayonne their home and frequently patrol New York Harbor and the Hudson. The Army Corps of Engineers tug Cheraw is based there too.