Panama leads/Seaway leads

[j.sabourn]

Thats them Bob. Usually you just greased them with the grease gun and didnt think too much about them unless they were in use. I couldnt remember if they were a standard fitting on most ships or not. Cheers John Sabourn

[Captain Kong]

The original Panama Leads were round made of cast iron, I very rarely came across the ones with vertical and horizontal rollers. I think I saw a wire get jammed once in the joint of the rollers.
Brian.

[Ivan Cloherty]

The original Panama Leads were round made of cast iron, I very rarely came across the ones with vertical and horizontal rollers. I think I saw a wire get jammed once in the joint of the rollers.
Brian.

But surely these were the GREAT LAKE LEADS which the Canadians in their wisdom said was an updating of the Panama lead, but they forgot about these things seizing up on North Atlantic passages, so they became a more expensive Panama lead

[Peter Trodden]

In the Great Lakes I was on ships which had leads consisting of two sets of rollers, one horizontal and the other vertical, a bit like the #. the other type of lead in regular lake ships was known as a Port Colborne lead in which the rollers were set in a ring which could swivel so preventing the wire from always leading from one of the corners of the lead.

Bob,I came across that type of lead while working on a Pipe laying Barge. We called them a MacKissick Lead,the name of the maker. They also made Blocks and Shackles,the best working gear I've ever used on deck, ranks along with Cosby gear.
ttfn. Peter.

[Bob Hollis]

But surely these were the GREAT LAKE LEADS which the Canadians in their wisdom said was an updating of the Panama lead, but they forgot about these things seizing up on North Atlantic passages, so they became a more expensive Panama lead

Many western crossings summer and winter and never seen them seize up as they were always kept greased. I also only ever heard them called PORT COLBORNE LEADS and yes they were specific to the Lake Boats. I believe the thing about the Panama transit is that the wire is an eye taken from the mule onto the bitts and therefore is reasonably static in the fairlead, whereas in the lakes it is the ships wires being heaved and slackened from onboard both on the lay-byes and in the locks.
I think the mules in Panama had a similar lead which could move to guide the wire onto the drum but am not certain of this.

[Captain Kong]

The leads on Jeremiah O`Brien were typical of leads on a traditional ship.
The forard one is a Fairlead.
The one just abaft the name, letter J,,,,,,is a Panama Lead.
It does not matter how high or how low the Berth is or how for`d or aft it is, it is just round.
Cheers
Brian

[Tony Morcom]

I copied this from a ship construction web site:
A Panama fairlead is so named since they were mostly used in the Panama Canal. The ship is hauled by small locomotives and the wires are sent out through these leads – they are of adequate strength to prevent the metal being cut open by the wires.


A multi angle fairlead again is a fairlead used due necessity when in the Great Lakes. The ship moves through numerous locks as the ship is made to climb a great height – the Welland Canal system itself uses about 13 lock gates to cross the Niagara falls. The movement of the ship being fast and the difference in height being enormous the ship steadies itself with 2 wires forward and 2 wires aft, when in the locks. These wires are passed through the multi angle fairleads to reduce the enormous friction generated.

[John Arton]

Panama leads are cast oval shaped leads with flared outwards circumferences on both inboard and outboard sides and are primarily used for wire leads. Designed for use in the Panama canal where wires from "mules" are taken on board. The mules are used to haul the ship alongside in the lock and then assist in dragging them through the locks. At each set of locks Panama Canal crew men join the ship and they are in charge of hauling in the wires and letting them go from the mules. Ships crew only are required to drive the ships winches to aid the Panama crews. The Panama lead is designed so the "mules" wire will always have a surface to bear upon as the vessel rises or falls in the locks and the flared circumference ensures that the angle of nip is not to tight to damage the wire. Even now with the canal in Panamanian hands, it is still the only place in the world where the pilot does take over command of the ship from the ships captain for the duration of the transit.
St. Lawrence Seway fairleads consist of an opening big enough for a wire to pass through that has rollers fitted top,bottom and fwd and aft. This construction is then itself contained in a fitting that allows the whole thing to rotate. A bugger to keep working if not in regular use.
I have it in mind that seaway fairleads are only fitted along the full body of the ship, that is they are not situated on the focsle or aft mooring decks. I know on the Beaver boat I was on the seaway wires were acrtually run off the cargo winches. We used to run of the cargo runners and replace them with dedicated seaway wires. Winches used were for no1 hatch (cargo winches only at aft end of hatch) and cargo winches at aft end no 4 hatch. We had mooring winches on the focsle and poop decks but did not use them, that is why I get the idea that the seaway leads had to be fitted in the full body of the ship.
Also if my memory serves me correctley the Seaway demanded permament fenders which consisted of continuous length of half round pipe welded to the ships side along its full body width. This type of permament fendering is often seen on many smaller ships and is often refferred to as a rubbing strake but I have it in the back of my mind that its origins lie in the St. Lawrence seaway requirement for permament fendering.
I have no doubt that somewhere on the internet there is the definative answer to Panama and Seaway leads, these are just my memories and first hand experience of them and I will happily stand corrected should I be shown wrong and also apologise in advance if my explanations appear to a bit like suvking eggs for a number of our members who have experience of these fairleads.
rgds
JA

[Tony Wilding]

while watching the Canal Transit, i noticed after a Ship has exited A Lock a Launch appears to go alongside, would this be to take off the Shore Crews, how else would they get off, ?