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Police ID Vista Fleet suspect after releasing video 9/23 - Duluth, Minn. – The Duluth Police Department has identified a suspect in this week’s Vista Fleet tampering, which left two cruise vessels unoccupied and adrift overnight in the vicinity of the Aerial Lift Bridge. Deputy Chief Laura Marquardt said criminal charges are expected in the “near future” against a 47-year-old man from Excelsior, Minn., who she identified as the “sole actor” in the incident. The announcement came at noon Friday, shortly after police released surveillance video of the early Thursday morning incident. “The video is pretty telling,” Lt. Jeff Kazel said. “This was a person who had to have some knowledge of boats. We definitely think there was intent.” The video shows the man guiding the Vista Queen through the raised and open Minnesota Slip Bridge before setting the vessel out into the Superior Bay. Police said in a news release that the clock associated with the video showed 2:47 a.m. as the man was in the act of moving the Vista Queen on Thursday. The company’s larger vessel, Vista Star, was also unmoored from its dock behind the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. The police also revealed that it was the Aerial Lift Bridge operator who called 911 to report the Vista Fleet boats adrift in the bay. Vista Fleet owner Justin Steinbach had previously said that he’d been alerted to the situation early in the morning by a DECC employee. The ships were unmoored and adrift for roughly four hours. Steinbach has previously said he felt fortunate the boats were returned to their docks undamaged. He said the tourist-and-event boats are worth a combined $1.5 million. Duluth police said they received a 911 call from the lift bridge operator at 6:16 a.m. on Thursday alerting them to the two boats of the fleet being adrift. Both boats were brought back successfully within the hour. The boats were cleared by the only freighter to pass under the lift bridge during the incident, the John D. Leitch, which arrived while the boats were being recovered by the authorities and Vista Fleet crews. The U.S. Coast Guard also assisted in the recovery of the boats. “If the ore boat going through would have hit one of them it would have caused serious damage — if not sunk it,” Kazel said. View a police video of one of the boats drifting away at this link: http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/crime/4332175-police-id-vista-suspect-after-releasing-video Duluth News Tribune |
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Mystery solved: S.S. Clifton discovered in Lake Huron 9/23 - On Sept. 21, 1924, the steamship Clifton left Surgeon Bay, Wis., carrying a load of stone to Detroit. The freighter was seen passing through the Straits of Mackinac at 10:20 a.m., and was last seen by a tug boat on upper Lake Huron that evening, A gale came up, sweeping across the lake. The storm was violent and unrelenting. The Clifton would founder, taking with it the lives of all 28 sailors on board. Three days later, when the Clifton didn’t arrive in Detroit as scheduled, a thorough search of the Lake Huron coast line – from Oscoda (near Alpena) to Port Huron – had failed to reveal any trace of the missing ship. Eventually, wreckage from the Clifton, began drifting ashore on the Canadian side of Lake Huron, indicating that the whaleback freighter sank. Read more and view photos and a video at this link: http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/09/21/clifton-discovered-lake-huron/691889001 |
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Port Reports - September 23
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
St. Marys River
Southern Lake Michigan
Toledo, Ohio
Rochester, N.Y. – Tom Brewer Regional and Welland Canal transits Friday – Barry Andersen
Kingsville:
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Welland canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Port Colborne anchorage:
Hamilton:
Clarkson (Mississauga): |
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Diver shares what it’s like to photograph Great Lakes shipwrecks 9/23 - Standing on the shores of the Great Lakes on a sunny late-summer day, it’s virtually impossible to think of those sparkling waves as a death trap. But divers have seen what those angry lakes can do to a ship. Becky Kagan Schott, noted underwater photographer, joined Stateside to discuss what it’s like to document these untouched wrecks. “To see something that’s basically been lost to time — maybe over a century or longer — and to be the first human eyes laid on that and to be able to share that with the world, it’s pretty incredible.” In particular, Schott has been part of a team exploring the Daniel J. Morrell, a ship that sank in 1966 with only one survivor. “Daniel J. Morell has quickly become one of my favorite shipwrecks anywhere in the Great Lakes, and that’s pretty much due to Dennis Hales’ story,” Schott said. “His story of survival — it really touched me and it’s really powerful to me to go down and see the two halves of this shipwreck ripped apart, and to see what Mother Nature can do. It’s just really haunting.” View photos and listen to the podcast at this link: http://michiganradio.org/post/diver-shares-what-it-s-photograph-great-lakes-shipwrecks |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 23 September 23, 1922, the 306-foot NEPTUNE loaded the first Head-of-the-Lakes cargo of pig iron at Zenith Furnace, Duluth, Minnesota. The 5,000 tons of malleable pig iron was delivered to Buffalo, New York. September 23, 1975, HERBERT C. JACKSON lost power while upbound on Lake Superior. She was towed back to the Soo by the USS straight decker D.G. KERR. September 23, 1952, the steamer CHARLES L. HUTCHINSON became the first boat christened at Cleveland since the early years of World War II. The 644-foot HUTCHINSON, Captain T. A. Johnson, was the new flagship of the Pioneer fleet and one of 35 boats in the three fleets operated by Hutchinson & Co. Renamed b.) ERNEST R. BREECH in 1962, c.) KINSMAN INDEPENDENT in 1988. Sold Canadian in 2005, and renamed d.) VOYAGEUR INDEPENDENT. She sails today as the motorship e.) OJIBWAY. On 23 September 1910, the BETHLEHEM (steel propeller package freighter, 290 foot, 2,633 gross tons, built in 1888, at Cleveland, Ohio) was carrying general merchandise when she went ashore in a gale on the SW side of S. Manitou Island in Lake Michigan. Lifesavers and the crew unloaded her over several days. Although battered by several storms while ashore, she was eventually pulled free and repaired. She lasted until 1925, when she was scrapped. The scow WAUBONSIE was launched at the Curtis yard in Fort Gratiot, Michigan on 23 September 1873. 1935: HURRY-ON was a Great Lakes visitor in 1934 when it loaded bagged flour at Port Colborne. The ship was lost off Port Hood Island, near Judique, NS, after developing leaks and a list. The lifeboat swamped twice and five were lost. 1961: CRYSTAL JEWEL, inbound for London in thick fog, was in a collision with the B.P. Tanker BRITISH AVIATOR. The captain was seriously injured and his daughter was killed. The vessel first visited the Great Lakes in 1960 and was enroute from Duluth to London with a cargo of grain at the time of the accident. The vessel grounded and, after being released, was taken to Rotterdam where the entire mid-ship superstructure was replaced. The ship made many more trips through the Seaway and returned as b) MELTEMI in 1970. It was scrapped at Busan, South Korea, after arriving as d) TETA on July 17, 1979. 1980: FERNLEAF first visited the Seaway in 1965 and returned as b) AALSUM in 1974. The ship was detained at Basrah, Iraq, in 1981 as c) INICIATIVA on this date in 1980 and declared a total loss in December 1981. It was salvaged in 1993 and renamed d) DOLPHIN V but perhaps only for a trip to the shipbreakers. The vessel arrived at Gadani Beach December 27, 2003, and dismantling began at once. 2000: Vandals attacked the museum ship NORGOMA at Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., breaking windows, light fixtures and setting off fire extinguishers, leaving an estimated $15,000 in damage. Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Russ Plumb, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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U.S Great Lakes pilots reject study on pilotage as biased, flawed 9/22 - The American pilots on the Great Lakes reject the recently released study, “Analysis of Great Lakes Pilotage Costs on Great Lakes Shipping and the Potential Impact of Increases in U.S. Pilotage Costs,” as biased and flawed. The report, written by John C. Martin Associates, LLC, suggests that some cargo and some jobs in the region could be lost, “should charges increase at the same level as occurred between 2015 and 2016.” The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned the study this year after raising rates 12 percent in 2016. The increase was a long overdue adjustment as U.S. pilots were underfunded by $20 million since 2005 and unable to attract skilled and qualified pilots. Martin Associates has been hired, retained and paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce several studies in the last few years by the most aggressive anti-U.S. pilot organizations. These include the American Great Lakes Ports Association (AGLPA), Fednav Ltd. and the Shipping Federation of Canada. Martin Associates fails to acknowledge this significant conflict of interest. Not only were they contracted by the AGLPA in 2011, but also in 2015, and this spring was negotiating a $500,000 contract with these same groups for a Great Lakes economic study. The executive director of the AGLPA is a registered lobbyist for Federal Marine Terminals, a subsidiary of Canadian owned Fednav Ltd., one of the primary plaintiffs suing the U.S. Coast Guard over the 2016 rate increase. The AGLPA, in a September 3rd press release, stated “The total bi-national regional job loss associated with the Coast Guard 2016 pilotage rate increase is 4,400 jobs.” This statement is blatantly false and misleads the public to think that 4,400 jobs were actually lost in 2016 due to U.S. pilotage. The Martin report does not use any actual data from 2016, but draws conclusions using hypothetical scenarios and proprietary data that is unknown to the public. It assumes a 40-90 percent increase in 2017 rates while there was never any proposal to increase rates. Instead the Coast Guard kept rates the same for most of this year and recently announced a 31 percent average decrease. The Martin study is also flawed by assuming that all other factors such as, “Canadian pilotage charges, tolls, stevedoring, port charges, etc….”, are held constant and factors such as demand for steel, regional construction levels, fuel costs, foreign steel price differences, currency exchange rates, railroad pricing, alternative mode capacity and weather conditions are not factored in. It is frivolous to hold $21 million annually in U.S. pilotage costs as significantly impacting cargo and jobs, when slight movements in any combination of these other major factors can affect billions of dollars in costs to shipping. The fact is, 2016 and 2017 have been two of the best years for international traffic volumes in the last ten years. The St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation just reported that general cargo is up 40 percent in the first half of 2017 over the same period last year. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, demand for pilotage service in 2016 was greater than 2015 and trending 20 percent higher than the 10-year average in 2017. There is no evidence that one ton of cargo or one job was lost due to pilotage fees in 2016 or 2017. With the issue of pilotage, the priority should be safety in navigation and environmental protection of Great Lakes waters. Pilots have the skills and necessary autonomy to make decisions based on safety rather than protecting profits of shippers. The Martin methodology of using hypothetical scenarios with a fictional 40-90 percent rate increase for 2017 is flawed. Being under contract for hundreds of thousands of dollars with anti-pilot groups should immediately disqualify this report. The facts show that cargo and traffic has increased since 2016 and there is no evidence that U.S. pilotage has had any negative effect. U.S Great Lakes Pilots |
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Vista Fleet boats unmoored, set adrift overnight; police investigating 9/22 - Duluth, Minn. – The two boats from Duluth’s Vista Fleet were tampered with, unmoored and left unoccupied and adrift for hours early Thursday near the Aerial Lift Bridge. The Vista Star and Vista Queen were able to be driven back to the dock and secured without apparent damage, avoiding what could have been a catastrophic loss for Justin Steinbach, owner of the popular tourist and event boats. Police are investigating the incident, including a review of surveillance video and photos. “Only if somebody knew our operation would you know how to untie the boats the way they did,” said Steinbach, who couldn’t recall any obviously disgruntled workers or former workers. Steinbach arrived to the scene a short time after being alerted by phone at about 6:20 a.m., using authorities and on-call crew members to reach the boats and drive them back to their berths behind the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center within 40 minutes. A DECC worker was the first to spot and report the vessels adrift. Steinbach estimated the boats were unmoored and on the open water of Superior Bay for four hours or more. Steinbach was cooperating with the Duluth Police Department on what he said was a criminal investigation when the News Tribune arrived on a sunny morning to see police combing through the Vista Queen in the Minnesota Slip off Harbor Drive, just up from the William A. Irvin museum ship. Steinbach said there also is video from a surveillance camera positioned along Harbor Drive, of a suspect working alone to free the Vista Queen. Lt. Jeff Kazel of the Duluth police would only confirm that the case has been assigned and is currently under investigation. “Somebody came between midnight and 2 a.m. and untied our boats,” Steinbach said, describing how the suspect accessed places on-deck in each boat and even turned the smaller Vista Queen around from shore using their hands — guiding it down the slip and out into the harbor. “It takes us two people to unmoor at a minimum,” Steinbach said, describing how the person worked a series of exercises to shut down the shore power that runs generators, beer and food coolers and more — including pulling a thick electrical cord connected to power on land that would itself hold the boats to the deck under still conditions. The Vista Star appeared to have bounced along the seawall behind the Sports Garden, Steinbach said, but suffered no apparent visible damage. Steinbach said it doesn’t appear as if the two ships connected with one another at any point. Steinbach described “the height of the drama” as being a U.S. Coast Guard vessel maneuvering itself between the Vista Queen and the freighter John D. Leitch as it arrived under the Aerial Lift Bridge at about 7 a.m. “The Coast Guard was in radio contact with the ship,” Steinbach said. The potential for running aground and even sinking the boats was a $1.5 million proposition, he said. At its peak earlier this season, the Vista Fleet employed more than 50 people — lots of college students working for the summer, but also a well-heeled layer of experience, especially among its four captains who each have been with the fleet for a half-dozen years and more, Steinbach explained. The Vista Star had been out the previous night and put away by 5 p.m., but the Vista Queen hadn’t been in use since a private party Tuesday, he said. The Vista Star was back underway for a tour at about noon Thursday. Even if the vessels were not damaged, Steinbach said he would have to fill out a marine casualty report with the Coast Guard — a necessity anytime a vessel runs aground, sinks, crashes or is tampered with in any way. Duluth News Tribune |
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Port Reports - September 22
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
St. Marys River
Southern Lake Michigan
Toledo, Ohio Regional and Welland Canal transits Thursday – Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Welland canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Clarkson (Mississauga):
Oshawa: |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 22 On September 22, 1958, the EDMUND FITZGERALD entered service, departing River Rouge, Michigan for Silver Bay, Minnesota on its first trip. The FITZGERALD's first load was 20,038 tons of taconite pellets for Toledo. The vessel would, in later years, set several iron ore records during the period from 1965 through 1969. While in ballast, the ROGER M. KYES struck bottom in Buffalo Harbor September 22, 1976, sustaining holes in two double bottom tanks and damage to three others, whereupon she proceeded to Chicago for dry docking on September 27, 1976, for survey and repairs. Renamed b.) ADAM E. CORNELIUS in 1989. While being towed from Duluth, Minnesota by the Canadian tug TUSKER on September 22, 1980, the D. G. KERR rammed into the breakwater at Duluth causing $200,000 in damages to the breakwater. The tow apparently failed to make the turning buoy leaving Duluth Harbor. On September 22, 1911 the HENRY PHIPPS collided with and sank her Steel Trust fleet mate, the steamer JOLIET of 1890, which was at anchor on the fog-shrouded St. Clair River near Sarnia, Ontario. The JOLIET sank without loss of crew and was declared a total loss. The PHIPPS then continued her downbound journey and collided with the Wyandotte Chemical steamer ALPENA, of 1909, but incurred only minor damage. The T.W. ROBINSON and US.265808 (former BENSON FORD) departed Quebec City in tow of the Polish tug JANTAR bound for Recife where they arrived on September 22, 1987. Scrapping began the next month in October. MATHILDA DESGAGNES was freed from polar ice in the Arctic on September 22, 1988, by the West German Icebreaker Research Vessel POLARSTERN. September 22, 1913 - The ANN ARBOR No. 5 struck bottom in the Sturgeon Bay Canal and damaged her rudder and steering gear. After undergoing repairs at Milwaukee, she was back in service the following October. On 22 September 1887, ADA E. ALLEN (wooden propeller steam barge, 90 foot, 170 gross tons, built in 1872, at Walpole Island, Ontario.) caught fire while moored at Amherstburg, Ontario. She was cut loose and set adrift to prevent the fire from spreading ashore. She drifted to Bois Blanc (Bob-Lo) Island and burned to a total loss. On 22 September 1882, Mr. H. N. Jex accepted the contract to recover the engine and boiler from the MAYFLOWER, which sank in the Detroit River in 1864. He was to be paid $600 upon delivery of the machinery at Windsor, Ontario. He succeeded in raising the engine on 12 October and the boiler shortly thereafter. 1917: The wooden steamer WILLIAM P. REND, a) GEORGE G. HADLEY, foundered off Alpena while carrying livestock. All 9 crewmembers were rescued. 1951: The Liberty ship THUNDERBIRD visited the Seaway in 1959. Earlier, on this date in 1951, the ship received major bow damage from a head-on collision with the Chinese freighter UNION BUILDER (built in 1945 at Brunswick, GA as a) COASTAL RANGER) at the entrance to Colombo, Ceylon. THUNDERBIRD was also a Great Lakes trader as d) NEW KAILING in 1964 and scrapped at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in 1967. 1979: OCEANIC KLIF first visited the Seaway in 1971. The ship stranded near Las Palmas, Canary Islands, while on a voyage from Kamsar, Guinea, West Africa, to Port Alfred, QC with calcinated bauxite and was abandoned by the crew. Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Max Hanley, James Neumiller, Jody Aho, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Lake Huron, Michigan water levels highest in 20 years 9/21 - Lake Huron’s water levels are the highest they’ve been at this time since 1997. Derrick Beach of Environment and Climate Change Canada told The Expositor that while the lake has begun its seasonal decline, dropping four centimetres so far this month, the wet spring and summer contributed to a stay in this drop. Mr. Beach explained that the current levels of 176.92 metres are 45 centimetres above the August average and 18 centimetres above this time last year while the beginning-of-September numbers saw Lake Huron at 44 centimetres above average for the beginning of September and 16 centimetres above the beginning-of-September 2016 numbers. Lake Huron is still, however, 46 centimetres below the record high of 1986. Mr. Beach says he and his counterparts at ECCC expect levels to stay high into the fall and likely well above average into the new year, even if dry fall weather occurs. “It’s left us certainly higher than we’ve seen,” Mr. Beach said of the summer weather, noting that all the Great Lakes are experiencing above-average levels. Manitoulin Expositor |
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Port Reports - September 21
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
St. Marys River
Southern Lake Michigan
Saginaw, Mich. – Logan Vasicek
Toledo, Ohio Regional and Welland Canal transits Wednesday – Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Welland canal docks:
Port Colborne anchorage:
Hamilton:
Clarkson (Mississauga):
Oshawa: |
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National Museum holds annual fundraiser 9/21 - Toledo, Ohio – On September 30, the National Museum of the Great Lakes will hold its annual fundraiser in Toledo, Ohio. The event will feature dinner, silent and live auctions and the Luck of the Lakes Raffle, which has a grand prize of $10,000 as well as a freighter trip from Interlake Steamship Company. The event raises over $150,000 a year for the. For more information on the event go to http://www.inlandseas.org/event/h2oh-making-waves-2/or call 419-214-5000 extension 0 National Museum of the Great Lakes |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 21 On 21 September 1892, the whaleback steamer JAMES B. COLGATE (steel propeller whaleback freighter, 308 foot, 1,713 gross tons) was launched by the American Steel Barge Co. (Hull #121) at W. Superior, Wisconsin. She only lasted until 1916, when she foundered in the "Black Friday Storm" on Lake Erie with the loss of 26 lives. ALGOWAY left Collingwood on her maiden voyage in 1972, and loaded salt for Michipicoten, Ontario, on Lake Superior. On 21 September 1844, JOHN JACOB ASTOR (wooden brig, 78 foot, 112 tons, Built in 1835, at Pointe aux Pins, Ontario but precut at Lorain, Ohio) was carrying furs and trade goods when she struck a reef and foundered near Copper Harbor, Michigan. She was owned by Astor’s American Fur Company. She was reportedly by the first commercial vessel on Lake Superior. On 21 September 1855, ASIA (2-mast wooden schooner, 108 foot, 204 tons, built in 1848, at Black River, Ohio) was carrying corn from Chicago for Buffalo when she collided with the propeller FOREST CITY off the mouth of Grand Traverse Bay. ASIA went down in deep water in about 10 minutes, but her crew just had enough time to escape in her boat. The schooner HAMLET picked them up. 1907: The passenger ship PICTON, a) CORSICAN caught fire and burned at the dock in Toronto. The hull was later converted to a barge and was, in time, apparently abandoned near the Picton Pumping Station. 1907: ALEX NIMICK, a wooden bulk freighter, went aground near west of Vermilion Point, Lake Superior, and broke up as a total loss. The vessel was enroute from Buffalo to Duluth with a cargo of coal and six lives were lost 1921: The 3-masted schooner OLIVER MOWAT sinks in Lake Ontario between the Main Duck and False Duck Islands after a collision with KEYWEST on a clear night. Three lives were lost while another 2 sailors were rescued from the coal-laden schooner. 1924: The whaleback self-unloader CLIFTON, the former SAMUEL MATHER, foundered in Lake Huron off Thunder Bay while carrying a cargo of stone from Sturgeon Bay to Detroit. All 25 on board were lost. 1946: A second typhoon caught the former Hall vessel LUCIUS W. ROBINSON as b) HAI LIN while anchored in the harbor at Saipan, Philippines, on a voyage to China. 1969: AFRICAN GLADE, a Seaway caller in 1963, lost power in the Caribbean as c) TRANSOCEAN PEACE and was towed into Port au Spain, Trinidad. The repaired ship departed for Durban, South Africa, in April 1970 only to suffer more boiler problems enroute. The vessel was sold for scrapping at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, later in the year. 1977: HELEN EVANS suffered steering problems and went aground on Whaleback Shoal while upbound with iron ore in the St. Lawrence. There was minor damage and the vessel was released September 23. 1982: CALGADOC left the Great Lakes in 1975 and saw service in the south as b) EL SALINERO. The ship sank on this date in 1982 on the Pacific off the coast of Mexico. 1985: ELTON HOYT 2ND struck the 95th Street Bridge at Chicago and headed to Sturgeon Bay for repairs. 1988: The small tug MARY KAY sank in a Lake Ontario storm enroute from Rochester to Oswego. The former b) CAPT. G.H. SWIFT had recently been refitted and went down after a huge wave broke over the stern. It had seen only brief service on Lake Ontario after arriving from the Atlantic in 1987. 1993: The tug DUKE LUEDTKE sank in Lake Erie about 12 miles north of Avon Point when the ship began taking water faster than the pumps could keep up. One coastguardsman was lost checking on the source of the leak when the vessel rolled over and sank. Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Great Lakes shipping expected to top 2016 numbers 9/20 - Port Huron, Mich. – Local and regional industry officials said things are continuing to look up for seaway shipping in the Great Lakes, with another climb in freight and traffic throughout the system so far this year. According to the Chamber of Marine Commerce, the St. Lawrence Seaway reported last week it was more than 13 percent ahead of 2016 as of Aug. 31 in overall shipping tonnage. Chamber President Bruce Burrows cited optimism in a statement, adding that “given the North American economic conditions,” seaway cargo levels would ultimately top last year’s performance. Dan Gallagher, president of the Port Huron-based Lake Pilots Association, said it, too, is keeping busy — pilot traffic up 15 percent to 20 percent over last year. He said 2016 was up 20 percent over the year prior. Lake Pilots, he said, handle primarily foreign shipping, including currently, “a lot of steel inbound.” “Last couple of years have been really good for us,” Gallagher said. “It’s the U.S. economy. Great Lakes steel, automotive is doing better and, of course, it takes more steel for the vehicles. General cargo. The grain going in and out, that’s worldwide. Our cargo’s a little bit different than most of them domestically.” General cargo tonnage on the Great Lakes was 40 percent ahead of 2016. Iron ore shipments reached close to 4.7 million metro tons — 54 percent more than last year — so far in 2017. One shipping company, according to a release, cited strengths in shipping aluminum ingots through the lakes’ system, including to Toledo, Ohio, and Detroit. Glen Nekvasil, president of the Cleveland, Ohio-based Lake Carriers’ Association, said he wasn’t able to comment on 2017 traffic. A release from that association last February, however, reported U.S.-flagged Great Lakes freighters moved 83.3 million tons of cargo in 2016 — iron ore for steel production remaining the primary cargo at 44.1 million tons, followed by limestone at 21.2 million. It said 2017’s cargo numbers would be settled by the state of the economy. Tonnage and traffic, however, isn’t the only sign officials can point to in terms of growth. Gallagher said his agency has increased the number of pilots by 40 percent. Currently, he said Lakes Pilots has 14. Port Huron Times Herald |
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Port Reports - September 20
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
St. Marys River
Sturgeon Bay, Wis.
Muskegon, Mich.
Grand Haven, Mich.
Southern Lake Michigan
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas
Sarnia, Ont.
Rochester, N.Y. – Tom Brewer Regional and Welland Canal transits Tuesday– Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Port Weller anchorage:
Port Colborne anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte (Oakville):
Clarkson (Mississauga):
Toronto:
Oshawa: |
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Soo Locks rebuild urged: Unexpected closure would produce ‘nightmare scenario’ 9/20 - Duluth, Minn. – Rep. Rick Nolan has a billion-dollar suggestion for President Donald Trump's plan to spend a trillion dollars on infrastructure. "If he doesn't put it on, I'll be offering it in committee," said Nolan, D-Crosby, during a news conference in Duluth on Monday to advocate spending for a new lock at the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., which connect Lake Superior with the rest of the Great Lakes. It hasn't yet been determined how much the new lock would cost, but early indications are the number will be at least $1 billion, Nolan said. To hear Nolan and a group of Great Lakes Commission members tell it, the cost of not acting could be much greater. "The Homeland Security Department has projected that a six-month unplanned closure of the Poe Lock at the Soo would result in a nightmare scenario for our economy," said John Linc Stine, vice chairman of the commission, which is in Duluth for its annual meeting. Specifically, it would put 11 million people out of work, Nolan said. It would produce a $1.1 trillion hit on the nation's gross domestic product, added Vanta Coda, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. The nightmare could play out, said Tom Rayburn of the Lake Carriers' Association, because although the Soo Locks consists of two operational locks, only the 49-year-old Poe Lock can handle most Great Lakes shipping traffic. "Of our 49 vessels, 32 are actually restricted to the Poe Lock itself by length and by width," Rayburn said. "That represents about 85 percent of our cargo-carrying capacity." A three-day shutdown during the summer caused by a vessel running aground in the St. Mary's River provided a glimpse of what the damage could be, Coda said. The Army Corps of Engineers estimated it cost vessel operators $2.9 million. A new lock, which Rayburn said could be built in 6-10 years, would replace the 74-year-old MacArthur Lock and provide redundancy — if one lock were closed for whatever reason, traffic still could continue through the other. Nolan introduced legislation that would authorize construction of a new lock with Rep. Jack Bergman, a first-term Republican from Michigan's Upper Peninsula. With eight states bordering the lakes, the measure has strong bipartisan support, he said. That region, if it were a separate country, would have the fourth-largest economy in the world, Nolan said, citing economic analysts. "It is imperative for both national security and for economic reasons that we muster up the will and find the money and the resources to rebuild the Soo Locks," he said. Duluth News Tribune |
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Great Lakes Commission to meet in Duluth 9/20 - Duluth, Minn. – The Great Lakes Commission is holding its annual meeting in Duluth this week to tackle regional issues including invasive species, tribal treaty rights and billions of dollars in unmet public works repairs needed to keep the lakes clean. The commission will receive a new report by its staff that shows an estimated $271 billion backlog in needed upgrades and repairs to water-related infrastructure in the eight Great Lakes states and two Canadian provinces over the next 20 years — everything from wastewater treatment plants to stormwater pipes and drinking-water filtration systems. Of that, more than $10 billion will be needed in Minnesota, the report notes, and nearly $15 billion in Wisconsin just to keep those services operating properly. "The Great Lakes is facing a water infrastructure crisis," the report notes, affecting "the pumps and pipes that move and deliver water as well as the people and places that work together to ensure water is clean, safe, reliable and affordable." The report calls on governments in both countries to invest more in water-related public works efforts. Authors blame a lack of long-term planning and lack of adequate funding for the backlog of needed work in an area where 48 million people depend on the Great Lakes for drinking water. "Failure to maintain this infrastructure and deliver these services manifests in the flooding of homes, streets and businesses" as well as closed swimming beaches and threatened drinking water for residents, the report notes. The lakes amount to 90 percent of the fresh surface water supply in the U.S. and the lakes generate $47 billion in annual tourism business for the region. The Great Lakes Commission also will hear an update on efforts to keep invasive Asian carp out of Lake Michigan in the Chicago area and will discuss and hear updates on tribal governance and tribal management of Great Lakes natural resources. The Great Lakes Commission is a quasi-public agency established by the Great Lakes Basin Compact in 1955 to help its eight member states "speak with a unified voice" on Great Lakes regional issues. Ontario and Quebec joined in 1999. The commission has prioritized its mission as addressing Great Lakes water quality, water management and infrastructure, commercial navigation, economic development and waterfront community revitalization, coastal conservation and habitat restoration, invasive species prevention/control and public information. The Great Lakes Commission is separate from the International Joint Commission, which involves similar issues at the federal level between the U.S. and Canadian governments. Duluth News Tribune |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 20 John Jonathon Boland was born on 20 September 1875, in New York. Along with Adam E. Cornelius, he formed the partnership of Boland and Cornelius in 1903, and was one of the founders of the American Steamship Company in 1907. He died in 1956. On September 20, 1986, vandals started a $5,000 fire aboard the laid up NIPIGON BAY at Kingston, Ontario, where she had been since April 1984. GEORGE A. STINSON's self-unloading boom was replaced on September 20, 1983. The boom had collapsed onto her deck due to a mechanical failure on the night of April 19, 1983, at Detroit, Michigan. No injuries were reported. She continued hauling cargoes without a boom until replacement could be fabricated. She was renamed b.) AMERICAN SPIRIT in 2004. On September 20, 1980, EDGAR B. SPEER entered service for the U.S. Steel Fleet. CHARLES E. WILSON sailed light on her maiden voyage from Sturgeon Bay September 20, 1973, bound for Escanaba, Michigan, to load ore. She was renamed b.) JOHN J. BOLAND in 2000. CHARLES M. WHITE was christened at Baltimore, Maryland, on September 20, 1951. On 20 September 1873, W. L. PECK (2 mast wooden schooner-barge, 154 foot, 361 gross tons) was launched at Carrollton, Michigan. On 20 September 1856, COLONEL CAMP (3-mast wooden bark, 137 foot, 350 tons, built in 1854, at Three Mile Bay, New York) was carrying wheat to Oswego, New York, when she collided with the wooden steamer PLYMOUTH and sank in just a few minutes. No lives were lost. 1970: MARATHA ENDEAVOUR, enroute from Chicago to Rotterdam, broke down in the Atlantic and sent out a distress call. The ship was taking water but survived. The 520-foot long vessel had been a Seaway trader since 1965 and returned as b) OLYMPIAN in 1971. The ship arrived at Huangpu, China, for scrapping as c) HIMALAYA on January 9, 1985. 1980: The Canadian coastal freighter EDGAR JOURDAIN was built at Collingwood in 1956 as MONTCLAIR. The ship had been a pre-Seaway trader to the lakes and returned as b) PIERRE RADISSON in 1965, c) GEORGE CROSBIE in 1972 and d) EDGAR JOURDAIN beginning in 1979. It was wrecked at Foxe Basin, off Hall Beach in the Canadian Arctic, after going aground. The ship was abandoned, with the anchors down, but disappeared overnight on December 15, 1982, while locked in shifting pack ice. It is believed that the vessel was carried into deeper water and, at last report, no trace had ever been found. 1982: BEAVERFIR served Canadian Pacific Steamships as a Seaway trader beginning in 1961. The ship stranded off Barra de Santiago, El Salvador, as d) ANDEN in a storm on this date in 1982 after dragging anchor. Sixteen sailors from the 26-member crew perished. 2011: MINER, a) MAPLECLIFFE HALL, b) LEMOYNE (ii), c) CANADIAN MINER broke loose of the tug HELLAS and drifted aground off Scaterie Island, Nova Scotia, while under tow for scrapping at Aliaga, Turkey. The ship was a total loss and, in 2013, was still waiting to be dismantled and removed. Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Pineglen scrap tow departs Montreal 9/19 - The former Canada Steamship Lines’ bulk carrier Pineglen was towed from Montreal Monday morning by the tug Diavlos Pride, assisted by two Groupe Ocean tugs, en route for scrapping at Aliaga, Turkey. Her port of registry is now Moroni, an island country in the Indian Ocean, off the east coast of Africa. Pineglen was built in 1985 as Paterson for the now-defunct N.M. Paterson and Sons fleet. She was sold to CSL in 2002 after Paterson exited the lake shipping business and was renamed Pineglen at that time. She had the distinction of being the last lake freighter built at Collingwood Shipyards before they terminated operations September 12, 1986. Paterson was also the last straight deck bulk freighter built on the Great Lakes. |
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Port Reports - September 19
Duluth/Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
St. Marys River
Cedarville, Mich. – Jake H.
Sturgeon Bay, Wis.
Southern Lake Michigan
Stoneport, Mich. – Jake H.
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas
Sarnia, Ont. Regional and Welland Canal transits Sunday – Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Port Weller anchorage:
Port Colborne anchorage:
Hamilton:
Toronto:
Oshawa: |
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Canadian Coast Guard ship hit with $6K speeding ticket in Gulf of St. Lawrence 9/19 - The Canadian government has issued a $6,000 speeding ticket to a Canadian Coast Guard ship for travelling over the posted speed limit in the western Gulf of St. Lawrence. Since August 11, 2017, Transport Canada has been imposing a 10-knot speed limit for larger vessels operating in designated areas of the Gulf of St. Lawrence due to the increased presence of right whales in the area. The speed restriction applies to ALL vessels of 20 meters or greater travelling in the western Gulf of St. Lawrence, between the Quebec north shore and just north of Prince Edward Island. To that end, Transport Canada said it has issued a $6,000 penalty to the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Sir William Alexander for its alleged non-compliance with the temporary mandatory speed restriction. The slowdown comes after the deaths of at least 10 North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in recent months, which have made 2017 the deadliest year record for the endangered mammals. To ensure compliance, Transport Canada has been working with the Canadian Coast Guard and its Marine Communications and Traffic Services Centres to monitor marine traffic and enforce the speed restriction. In a statement, Transport Canada said that while the shipping industry, in general, has been proactive in respecting the speed limits, it has imposed similar $6,000 fines on the commercial vessels Seven Seas Navigator, a cruise ship owned by Regent Seven Seas, and the MV Petalon, a Greek-flagged bulk carrier, for violating the speed limit. “Our Government is determined to promote the safe coexistence of ship traffic and the marine environment in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. We are committed to ensuring that all vessels meet the temporary speed limit, and we will continue to take all appropriate action to ensure the safety of the whales,” commented Minister of Transport, The Honourable Marc Garneau. Vessel owners have 30 days to pay the penalty or to ask the Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada to review the facts of the violation or the amount of the penalty. gCaptain |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 19 At Rush Street in Chicago, Illinois, a hand-operated ferry carried pedestrians across the Chicago River. The ferry operator would pull on a rope, hand over hand, to move the ferry across the river. At a signal from schooners, the rope was dropped and the schooner would sail over it. On 19 September 1856, the rope was dropped but the impatient passengers picked it up to move the ferry themselves. The incoming schooner snagged the rope and the ferry was spun around and capsized. 15 people were drowned. When Cleveland Tankers’ new SATURN entered service and made her first trip to Toledo, Ohio, on September 19, 1974, she became the first of three tankers built for the fleet's modernization program. EDGAR B. SPEER departed the shipyard on her maiden voyage for U.S. Steel on September 19, 1980, bound for Two Harbors, Minnesota, where she loaded her first cargo of taconite pellets. The twin-screw rail car ferry GRAND HAVEN of 1903, was laid up in the spring of 1965, at the old Pennsylvania Dock at Cleveland, Ohio and later at dockage on the Old River Bed where she sank on September 19, 1969. September 19, 1997 - officials at Lake Michigan Carferry, Inc. announced that the CITY OF MIDLAND 41 would be converted to a barge. On 19 September 1893, SAMUEL BOLTON (wooden schooner-barge, 150 foot, 330 gross tons, built in 1867, at Bangor, Michigan as a schooner) was loaded with lumber and being towed in fog in Lake Huron. She got lost from the tow and drifted ashore near Richmond, Michigan where she broke in two and was then torn apart by waves. She was owned by Brazil Hoose of Detroit. On Saturday, 19 September 1891, at 11 a.m., the whaleback steamer CHARLES W. WETMORE left Philadelphia, Pennsylvania loaded with the materials to build a nail mill, iron smelter and shipyard for the new city of Everett, Washington. Her skipper was Captain Joseph B. Hastings and she had a crew of 22. On 19 September 1900, the Great Lakes schooner S.L. WATSON foundered off Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She had been sent to the Atlantic the previous autumn by her owner, J. C. Gilchrist of Cleveland. Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Max Hanley, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Port Reports - September 18
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Marquette, Mich. – Rod Burdick
St. Marys River
Cedarville, Mich. – Jake H.
Milwaukee, Wis.
Southern Lake Michigan
Stoneport, Mich. – Jake H.
Calcite, Mich. – Jake H.
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas
Sarnia, Ont. Regional and Welland Canal transits Sunday – Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Toronto:
Oshawa: |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 18 On September 18, 1855, SEBASTOPOL (wooden side-wheel steamer, 230 foot, 863 tons, built in 1855, at Cleveland, Ohio) was sailing on Lake Michigan in a gale. Her cargo included copper, tin, lead and iron ingots, safes and general merchandise. Her skipper misread the shore lights while she was coming in to Milwaukee and she stranded 500 feet from shore, broadside to the storm waves which pounded her to pieces. Most of the crew and 60 passengers were saved with the help of small boats from shore, but about 6 lives were lost. This was the vessel's first year of operation. Her paddlewheels were 50 feet in diameter. On September 18,1679, GRIFFON, the first sailing ship on the upper Lakes, left Green Bay with a cargo of furs. She left the explorer Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, behind. GRIFFON never reached her planned destination. E J BLOCK, a.) W. R. WOODFORD of 1908, returned to service on September 18, 1946, as the first large bulk freighter powered by a diesel-electric power plant and one of the first equipped with commercial radar on the Great Lakes. She lasted until scrapped at Ramey's Bend in 1988. On September 18, 1959, the HENRY FORD II ran aground in the St. Marys River and damaged 18 bottom plates. LAKE WINNIPEG was the first vessel to enter the Nipigon Transport fleet. She loaded her first cargo of 22,584 gross tons of iron ore clearing Sept Isles, Quebec, on September 18, 1962, bound for Cleveland, Ohio. The Pere Marquette carferry CITY OF MIDLAND 41 (Hull#311) was launched on September 18, 1940, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin. She was built by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Corporation at a cost of $2 million. She was named after Midland, Michigan, for one of the Pere Marquette Railway's biggest customers, Dow Chemical Co. She was christened by Miss Helen Dow, daughter of Willard H. Dow, president of Dow Chemical Co. Converted to a barge in 1998, renamed PERE MARQUETTE 41. On September 18, 1871, E. B. ALLEN (wooden schooner, 111 foot, 275 tons, built in 1864, at Ogdensburg, New York) was carrying grain when she collided with the bark NEWSBOY and sank off Thunder Bay Island in Lake Huron. On September 18, 1900, the large steamer CAPTAIN THOMAS WILSON was taken from her launch site on the Black River in Port Huron out to the St. Clair River. The tug HAYNES was at the bow and the tug BOYNTON at the stern. It took an hour and a half to maneuver through the various bridges. Newspapers estimated that a couple thousand persons watched the event. Once the WILSON made it to the St. Clair River, she was towed to Jenks Shipbuilding Company where she was completed and received her machinery. 1909: LACKAWANNA lost steering and sank in the St. Clair River with a hole in the starboard bow after a collision with the wooden schooner CHIEFTAIN off Point Edward. 1918: BUFFALO, formerly the Great Lakes package freighter a) TADOUSAC, b) DORIC, was torpedoed by U-117 and sunk off Godfrey Light and Trevose Head, Cornwall, UK 1942: ASHBAY traded on the Great Lakes for Bay Line Navigation from 1923 until 1935 when it was sold for Brazilian coastal service. The ship was sunk by gunfire from U-516 on this date at the mouth of the Marowyne River, Brazil, as c) ANTONICO and 16 lives were lost. 1942: NORFOLK, enroute from Surinam to Trinidad, was hit, without warning, by two torpedoes from U-175, on the starboard side near the British Guiana Venezuela border. The Canada Steamship Lines ship went down in minutes. Six lives were lost was well as the cargo of 3055 tons of bauxite destined for Alcoa. 1958: ASHTABULA sank in Ashtabula harbor after a collision with the inbound BEN MOREELL. All on board were rescued but there were later two casualties when the captain committed suicide and an insurance inspector fell to his death while on board. 1970: HIGHLINER was heavily damaged amidships as d) PETROS in a fire at Tyne, UK. The vessel was not repaired and, after being laid up at Cardiff, was towed to Newport, Monmouthshire, for scrapping on June 12, 1972. 1978: The British freighter DUNDEE was a pre-Seaway trader into the Great Lakes and returned through the new waterway on 14 occasions from 1959 to 1962. It foundered in the Mediterranean as g) VLYHO near Falconera Island after an engine room explosion caused leaks in the hull. The vessel was enroute from Chalkis, Greece, to Tunis, Tunisia, at the time. Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Max Hanley, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books include many other vessels with a much more detailed history. |
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Port Reports - September 17
Two Harbors-Silver Bay – Gary A Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
St. Marys River
Southern Lake Michigan
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas
Sarnia, Ont. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 17 On September 17, 1898, KEEPSAKE (2-mast wooden schooner, 183 foot, 286 gross tons, built in 1867, at Newport [Marine City], Michigan) was carrying coal from Ashtabula when she was struck by a terrible storm on Lake Erie. Her rudder was damaged, a sail torn away and her bulwarks were smashed. The CITY OF ERIE saw her distress signals at 3:30 a.m. and came to help. With the CITY OF ERIE's searchlight shining on the doomed schooner, a huge wave swept over the vessel taking away everything on deck and snapping both masts. The crew, some only half dressed, all managed to get into the lifeboat. They rowed to the CITY OF ERIE and were all rescued. Three days later, the other lifeboat and some wreckage from the KEEPSAKE were found near Ashtabula by some fishermen. GRIFFON (Hull#18) was launched September 17, 1955, at St. Catharines, Ontario by Port Weller Drydocks Ltd. for Beaconsfield Steamship Ltd., Montreal, Quebec. Renamed b.) FRANQUELIN in 1967, c.) EVA DESGAGNES in 1987. Sold foreign in 1989, renamed d.) TELCHAC, scrapped at Tuxpan, Mexico, in 1992. On September 17, 1985, PATERSON suffered a crankcase explosion as she was bound for Quebec City from Montreal. She was repaired and cleared on September 21. Renamed b.) PINEGLEN in 2002. On September 17, 1830, WILLIAM PEACOCK (wood side wheel steamer, 102 foot, 120 tons, built in 1829, at Barcelona, New York) suffered the first major boiler explosion on Lake Erie while she was docked in Buffalo, New York. 15 - 30 lives were lost. She was rebuilt two years later and eventually foundered in a storm in 1835, near Ripley, Ohio. On September 17, 1875, the barge HARMONY was wrecked in a gale at Chicago, Illinois, by colliding with the north pier, which was under water. This was the same place where the schooner ONONGA was wrecked a week earlier and HARMONY came in contact with that sunken schooner. No lives were lost. On September 17, 1900, a storm carried away the cabin and masts of the wrecked wooden 4-mast bulk freight barge FONTANA. The 231-foot vessel had been wrecked and sunk in a collision at the mouth of the St. Clair River in the St. Clair Flats on August 3,1900. She had settled in the mud and gradually shifted her position. She eventually broke in two. After unsuccessful salvage attempts, the wreck was dynamited. Tragedy struck in 1949, when the Canada Steamship Lines cruise ship NORONIC burned at Pier 9 in Toronto, Ontario. By morning the ship was gutted, 104 passengers were known to be dead and 14 were missing. Because of land reclamation and the changing face of the harbor, the actual site of Noronic's berth is now in the lobby of the Harbour Castle Westin hotel. 1909: The towline connecting the ALEXANDER HOLLEY and SIR WILLIAM FAIRBAIRN broke in a Lake Superior storm and the former, a whaleback barge, almost stranded on Sawtooth Shoal. The anchors caught in time and it took 5 hours to rescue the crew. 1980: HERMION began Great Lakes trading shortly after entering service in 1960. The vessel stranded as d) AEOLIAN WIND, about a half mile from Nakhodka, USSR, during a voyage from North Vietnam to Cuba. The ship was refloated on October 8, 1980, and scrapped in 1981 at Nakhodka. Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, James Neumiller, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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"Whistles On The Water" set for Sept. 30 in St. Clair 9/16 - The ninth annual "Whistles On The Water" steam whistle event is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 30 from 9 am to 4 pm in downtown St. Clair, Mich. It will be in its usual site in Palmer Park down by the boardwalk next to the St. Clair River. The event is free to attend and free hearing protection will be available. This is a unique opportunity to see and hear the sound of steam whistles from many Great Lakes ships of the past. The last steam whistle on the Great Lakes has been gone more than 20 years so there is now a whole generation that has never heard this sound that was once so common. The featured whistle this year will be from the Lake Erie car ferry Ashtabula, which was built at St. Clair in 1906. Other newcomers are the whistles from the car ferry Lansdowne of 1884 and the whaleback barge "137" of 1896. The usual favorites such as the Bob-lo steamer Columbia, Georgian Bay cruise ship South American, excursion boat Put-In-Bay, and bulk freighter Joseph H. Frantz will be present. Virtually unlimited steam is provided by the huge portable boiler yielding 180 pounds per inch. This gives the full sound of each whistle being blown. Another activity is the exchange of salutes with passing ships, which is quite a thrill for the audience. The event is fully narrated and the visitors get a concise summary of the whistle's history, type and manufacturer. It's a great day to bring your chairs and picnic lunch and watch the passing ships exchange salutes and hear the sounds of a bygone era. Due to the loud volume of the whistles, please do not bring pets or very young children. |
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Tondu power plant plans to change from coal to natural gas 9/16 - Filer City, Mich. – CMS Energy officials are currently working toward changing the fuel burned at the TES Filer City Station to create electricity and steam from mostly coal to mostly natural gas. To do that, they first need permission from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Filer Township Planning Commission. The company’s Filer City facility is at 700 Mee St. in Filer City and it currently produces and sells 60 megawatts of electricity by burning mostly coal, as well as some rubber — referred to as tire-derived fuel — and some wood waste from the neighboring PCA factory. It receives coal via lake freighter. The proposed changeover from coal to gas as a fuel will require the installation of a combined-cycle power plant including a combustion turbine, a unified heat recovery steam generator, an auxiliary boiler and a cooling tower, according to the DEQ. The TES plant began operations in 1990 and, in addition to the electricity it produces, it also provides steam to the PCA plant. “It currently predominantly burns coal and we’re looking at turning the plant into a gas-fired plant,” said CMS spokesman Brian Wheeler. To make the transformation, the company would have to expand the size of the plant and add new equipment. If the changeover occurs, Tom Allen, asset manager for the Filer City plant, the facility could produce up to 225 megawatts of electricity. One key to the higher output, Allen said, is the use of the heat from the exhaust to create more steam. Ludington Daily News |
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Port Reports - September 16
Two Harbors-Silver Bay – Gary A Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
St. Marys River
Brevort, Mich.
Southern Lake Michigan
Stoneport, Mich. – Jake H.
Sarnia, Ont. Regional and Welland Canal transits Friday – Barry Andersen Nanticoke: Arrivals: Sep 15, Algocanada at 1043. Docked: Sep 14, Algonova at 0049. Anchored: Sep 12, Algosea departed dock and went to anchor at 2135. Departures: Sep 14, Algoma Hansa at 0057 for Sarnia. Sep 15, Baie Comeau at 0636 for Thunder Bay and Algocanada at 2022 for Montreal Welland Canal upbound: Arrivals: Federal Yukon (Mhl) at 0145, CSL Laurentien at 0431, tug Spartan & barge Spartan II at 0723, Mottler (Cyp) at 0910, Isa (Cyp) at 0930, Lake Ontario (Atg) (ex Federal Manitou-11 at 1343, tug Petite Forte & barge St. Marys Cement at 1630, Robert S. Pierson at 1655 and tug Leonard M & barge Niagara Spirit at 2142 Welland Canal downbound: Departures: Sep 14, Sloman Herakles (Atg), Algoma Mariner, Algoma Guardian at 2359. Sep 15: G3 Marquis at 0135, Bro Agnes (Sgp) at 0411, Algoma Strongfield at 0444, Victory I (Mhl) at 0657, Harbour Fountain (Por) at 0940, Evans Spirit at 1025, Jacqueline C (GBr) at 1045, Cedarglen at 1305 and Ojibway at 1720 Port Weller anchorage: Anchored: Sep 12, Bro Anna (Sgp) at 0302 Hamilton: Arrivals: Sep 15, tug Leonard M & barge Niagara Spirit at 0755 and G3 Marquis at 1705. Docked: Sep 14. Federal Sakura (Mhl) at 0047 and Federal Clyde (Mhl) at 1449. Departures; CSL Laurentien at 0204 for the canal, tug Leonard M & barge Niagara Spirit at 1830 for the canal Bronte (Oakvile): Arrival: Patras (Mlt) (ex Gan Sword-10) at 1520 Oakville (Bronte): Departure: Patras (Mlt) (ex Gan Sword-11) at 0024 for Quebec Clarkson: Arrival: Sep 15, Robert S. Pierson at 0529, departed at 1528 for the canal Oshawa: Docked: Sep 12 - Three Rivers (Atg) at 0704 |
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Coast Guard rescues 3 people from boat explosion near Michigan City 9/16 - Michigan City, Ind. – The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three people from the water after a boat explosion occurred on a 30-foot barge that knocked them into the water near Washington Park Marina in Michigan City, Ind., Friday. The port authority barge was inbound from retrieving no-wake buoys when an explosion occurred and was reported to the Coast Guard at 2:30 p.m. by a good Samaritan who witnessed it. Sector Lake Michigan diverted a Coast Guard auxiliary crew to the scene and launched a Coast Guard Station Michigan City 29-foot response boat - small crew, which arrived on scene, rescued the three people from the water, and transported them to local emergency medical services. All three people were wearing lifejackets. Coast Guard personnel are staying on scene to mitigate the impact of any potential pollution. USCG |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 16 On September 16, 1893, HATTIE EARL (wooden schooner, 96 foot, 101 gross tons, built in 1869, at South Haven, Michigan) was driven ashore just outside the harbor of Michigan City, Indiana, and was pounded to pieces by the waves. No lives were lost. At about 8:30 a.m. Sunday, September 16, 1990, the inbound motor ship BUFFALO passed close by while the tanker JUPITER was unloading unleaded gasoline at the Total Petroleum dock in the Saginaw River near Bay City, Michigan. As the BUFFALO passed the dock's aft pilings broke off and the fuel lines parted which caused a spark and ignited the spilled fuel. At the time 22,000 barrels of a total of 54,000 barrels were still aboard. Flames catapulted over 100 feet high filling the air with smoke that could be seen for 50 miles. The fire was still burning the next morning when a six man crew from Williams, Boots & Coots Firefighters and Hazard Control Specialists of Port Neches, Texas, arrived to fight the fire. By Monday afternoon they extinguished the fire only to have it re-ignite that night resulting in multiple explosions. Not until Tuesday morning on the 18th was the fire finally subdued with the assistance of the U.S. Coast Guard's BRAMBLE and BRISTOL BAY. The tanker, which was valued at $9 million, was declared a total constructive loss, though the engine room was relatively untouched. Unfortunately the fire claimed the life of one crew member, who drowned attempting to swim ashore. As a result the Coast Guard closed the river to all navigation. On October 19th the river was opened to navigation after the Gaelic tugs SUSAN HOEY and CAROLYN HOEY towed the JUPITER up river to the Hirschfield & Sons Dock at Bay City (formerly the Defoe Shipyard) where a crane was erected for dismantling the burned out hulk. Her engines were removed and shipped to New Bedford, Massachusetts, for future use. The river opening allowed American Steamship's BUFFALO to depart the Lafarge dock where she had been trapped since the explosion. JUPITER's dismantling was completed over the winter of 1990-91. Subsequent investigation by the NTSB, U.S. Coast Guard and the findings of a federal judge all exonerated the master and BUFFALO in the tragedy. Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd. purchased all nine of the Soo River's fleet on September 16, 1982, for a reported C$2.5 million and all nine returned to service, although only four were running at the end of the season. The NORISLE went into service September 16, 1946, as the first Canadian passenger ship commissioned since the NORONIC in 1913. On September 16, 1952, the CASON J. CALLAWAY departed River Rouge, Michigan, for Duluth, Minnesota, on its maiden voyage for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. On September 16, 1895, ARCTIC (2 mast wooden schooner, 113 foot, 85 gross tons, built in 1853, at Ashtabula, Ohio) was rammed and sunk by the steamer CLYDE in broad daylight and calm weather. ARCTIC was almost cut in half by the blow. The skipper of CLYDE was censured for the wreck and for his callous treatment of the schooner's crew afterwards. Luckily no lives were lost. On September 16,1877, the 46 foot tug RED RIBBON, owned by W. H. Morris of Port Huron, Michigan, burned about 2 miles below St. Clair, Michigan. Capt. Morris ran the tug ashore and hurried to St. Clair to get assistance, but officials there refused to allow the steam fire engine to go outside the city. The tug was a total loss and was only insured for $1,000, half her value. She had just started in service in May of 1877, and was named for the reform movement that was in full swing at the time of her launch. On September 16, 1900, LULU BEATRICE (2-mast wooden schooner, 72 foot, 48 gross tons, built in 1896, at Port Burwell, Ontario) was carrying coal on Lake Erie when she was wrecked on the shore near the harbor entrance at Port Burwell in a storm. One life was lost, the captain's wife. 1892 The wooden propeller VIENNA sank in foggy Whitefish Bay after beiing hit broadside by the wooden steamer NIPIGON. The latter survived and later worked for Canada Steamship Lines as b) MAPLEGRANGE and c) MAPLEHILL (i) but was laid up at Kingston in 1925 and scuttled in Lake Ontario in 1927. 1901 HUDSON was last seen dead in the water with a heavy list. The steeel package freighter had cleared Duluth the previous day with wheat and flax for Buffalo but ran into a furious storm and sank in Lake Superior off Eagle Harbor Light with the loss of 24-25 lives. 1906 CHARLES B. PACKARD hit the wreck of the schooner ARMENIA off Midddle Ground, Lake Erie and sank in 45 minutes. All on board were rescued and the hull was later dynamited as a hazard to navigation. 1937-- The large wooden tug G.R. GRAY (ii) of the Lake Superior Paper Co., got caught in a storm off Coppermine Point, Lake Superior, working with GARGANTUA on a log raft and fell into the trough. The stack was toppled but the vessel managed to reach Batchawana and was laid up. The hull was towed to Sault Ste. Marie in 1938 and eventually stripped out. The remains were taken to Thessalon in 1947 and remained there until it caught fire and burned in 1959. 1975 BJORSUND, a Norwegian tanker, visited the Seaway in 1966. The 22--year old vessel began leaking as b) AMERFIN enroute from Mexico to Panama and sank in the Pacific while under tow off Costa Rica. 1990 JUPITER was unloading at Bay City when the wake of a passing shipp separated the hose connection spreading gasoline on deck. An explosion and fire resulted. One sailor was lost as the ship burned for days and subsequently sank. 2005 Fire broke out aboard the tug JAMES A. HANNAH above Lock 2 of the Welland Canal while downbound with the barge 5101 loaded with asphalt, diesel and heavy oil. City of St. Catharines fire fighters help extinguish the blaze. Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Jody L. Aho, James Neumiller, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Manitoulin experiences mechanical problems in the Saginaw River 9/15 - Saginaw, Mich. – Manitoulin made her third visit to the Saginaw River late Tuesday night, passing the outbound tug Undaunted and barge Pere Marquette 41 in the Saginaw Bay entrance channel to deliver a split load for the Wirt Stone docks in Bay City and Saginaw. She proceeded upriver to Saginaw to complete unloading the rest of her cargo early Wednesday morning without any issues, and met the outbound Algoway just above the I-75 bridge in Zilwaukee before making the dock in Saginaw. Manitoulin completed unloading in Saginaw around 2 p.m. Wednesday. The unloading boom was brought back onto the deck, but instead of departing, the vessel remained tied up at the Wirt Stone dock in Saginaw overnight. The tug Manitou arrived Thursday morning. The tug Gregory J. Busch was also on scene to assist with the Manitoulin’s departure. The tugs paired up to turn the Manitoulin around at the Sixth Street turning basin so she could proceed outbound for the lake. The Busch returned to her dock in Carrollton and Manitoulin continued downriver from Saginaw under her own power with the assistance of the Manitou, which had a tow line attached to the stern. Manitou remained astern through downtown Bay City and out to the mouth of the river as the Manitoulin used it's bow thrusters to carefully guide her way through each of the draw and railroad bridges. Manitoulin finally exited the Saginaw River around 8 p.m. Thursday, nearly 48 hours after her arrival. Marine traffic Thursday night showed the Manitoulin outbound traveling around 5 knots in the Saginaw Bay entrance channel. It is unknown at this time the severity of the mechanical problems Manitoulin is experiencing or if she will be headed in for repairs. Gordy Garris |
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Seaway shipping remains on pace to top 2016 9/15 - Overall shipping tonnage on the St. Lawrence Seaway is more than 13 percent ahead of 2016, according to the latest statistics through August 31. Iron ore, salt and general cargo shipments through the Great Lakes and Seaway have been strong throughout the 2017 shipping season and continue to lead the way. The St. Lawrence Seaway reports that cargo shipments from the start of the shipping season on March 20 through August totaled 19.9 million metric tons – up about 2.3 million metric tons over the same period last year. “U.S. iron ore exports to Asia continue at a brisk pace along with shipments of steel, aluminum and oversized equipment and machinery to support manufacturing in U.S. cities across the Great Lakes region. Ports are making infrastructure investments and marketing efforts that are paying off with a more diversified cargo mix,” said Bruce Burrows, President of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. “Given current North American economic conditions, we’re optimistic that Seaway cargo levels will top last year’s performance.” Iron ore shipments via the Seaway in 2017 have reached nearly 4.7 million metric tons so far this year, up nearly 54 percent from a year ago, as ships carry iron ore pellets from the Port of Duluth-Superior to Canada and onwards for export. Meanwhile, the latest tonnage numbers show general cargo (specialty steel, aluminum, project cargo and containers) is more than 40 percent ahead of last year. One area of strength has been aluminum ingots, which are transported by McKeil Marine barges from Quebec to Oswego, New York (for automotive manufacturing), Detroit and Toledo, Ohio. “With continued strong demand in the U.S., our shipments of aluminum to multiple ports in the Great Lakes have increased, contributing to the surge in general cargo shipments on the Seaway for the year-to-date,” said Steve Fletcher, President and CEO, McKeil Marine. “Our custom solutions for project shipments and services have also been in high demand – from dead-ship tows to construction support.” Within the dry bulk category, salt shipments via the Seaway have also been a star performer with an increase of 46.7 percent over the 2016 level. For the Port of Toledo, shipping statistics continue to be good. In August, tonnage was up nearly 43 percent over the same period last year. Iron ore shipments have reached nearly 2.3 million short tons, as a result of AK Steel’s increased demand for their facility in Middletown, Ohio. Coal has reached 1.27 million short tons and dry bulk has hit nearly one million short tons. “This is shaping up to be a very good year for the Port of Toledo,” said Joe Cappel, Vice President of Business Development for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. “Our numbers are up in nearly all cargo categories with the exception of grain and that could change based on the fall harvest. All of the marine terminals and the Toledo Shipyard have been busy this summer and I believe the positive momentum will continue throughout the remainder of the shipping season.” Chamber of Marine Commerce |
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Port Reports - September 15
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
St. Marys River
Cedarville, Mich. – Jake H.
Southern Lake Michigan
Calcite, Mich. – Jake H
Stoneport, Mich. – Jake H. Regional and Welland Canal transits – Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte (Oakvile):
Clarkson:
Oshawa: |
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Crude oil shipping banned under new Milwaukee port lease 9/15 - Crude oil would not be stored or shipped at the Port of Milwaukee under a new lease agreement with U.S. Venture Inc. The amended lease between the Appleton-based petroleum distributor and the City of Milwaukee through its Board of Harbor Commissioners was approved Wednesday by the city's Public Works Committee. Questions about potential plans for shipping crude oil at the port were raised recently during debate about the company's plans to build a $3 million pipeline that will allow it to ship bulk supplies of ethanol over the Great Lakes. The amended lease deal says the company shall not "receive, handle, store, ship or otherwise process or distribute crude oil" at the port. Ald. Nik Kovac and others previously pushed for assurances from company officials that they would not ship crude out of the port at some point in the future, noting that company representatives had been quoted in a media report saying they were interested in shipping oil out of Milwaukee. Activists with Citizens Acting for Rail Safety (CARS) and Milwaukee Riverkeeper applauded the move to ban crude oil at the port, but continued to raise concerns about the company and its subsidiary U.S. Oil. "Very big questions remain about U.S. Oil's lease and plans for storing and shipping hazardous cargo," CARS member Eric Hansen said at Wednesday's meeting. Richard Sawall, director of business development for U.S. Venture, pushed back against those questions. "Honestly, I don't understand why it's our responsibility to forecast our private plans at the Port of Milwaukee for any citizen that asks," Sawall told committee members. "The fact of the matter is, opportunities come and opportunities go, and I believe up to this point we've worked very cooperatively and in partnership with the Port of Milwaukee to develop projects that add value to the port and add value to the City of Milwaukee." He added, "I'm not sure why I need to answer these questions." Crude oil is not currently shipped on the Great Lakes. One worry about crude is that it is heavier than ethanol and can sink, causing major harm to the environment. Kovac thanked the company for putting its verbal promises in writing. "On the narrow issue of does this lease make us feel a little bit safer on the Great Lakes from crude oil, major crude oil, shipments and transfers, yes it does," he said. He added there are further amendments that he and activists hope to see in the future. The proposed lease would also add two parcels totaling nearly an acre to the company's lease. U.S. Venture isn't being required to pay any extra rent for the additional property. The agreement is expected to go before the full Common Council at its next meeting. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |
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Shippers question plan to keep Asian carp out of Great Lakes 9/15 - A $275 million plan to keep Asian carp from reaching Lake Michigan -- and the Great Lakes system -- drew both criticism and praise at a hearing in Chicago. Barge operators openly questioned the need for increased defenses, saying the leading edge of the Asian carp invasion hasn’t moved in 25 years, Great Lakes Now reports. An official with the Port of Indiana added that shifting cargo from barges to trucks or trains could drive up costs and hurt many businesses. But others, including the National Wildlife Federation, called for quick action to block the advance of the invasive Asian carp. In August the Army Corps said new measures are needed to prevent Asian carp from getting into the Great Lakes. The report says the current defense at the Brandon Road lock in Illinois – an underwater electric barrier – should be beefed up. The recommended $275 million plan would add water jets and complex noises – like the underwater recordings of a boat motor. Monday's hearing was part of a campaign by the Army Corps to solicit public comments; it lasts until Nov. 16. You can submit comments online. Millions of dollars have been spent already to keep the invasive species out of the Great Lakes, and defenses are concentrated near the southern tip of Lake Michigan. Two varieties of Asian Carp -- the Silver and Bighead -- pose the biggest threat because of their voracious feeding habits. They consume lots of zooplankton, the microscopic animals that other fish feed on. The issue got new attention in June, when a live Asian carp was discovered beyond the electric barrier and just nine miles from Lake Michigan. An examination showed that the 4-year-old fish originated in the Illinois/Middle Mississippi watershed, spending about a year in the Des Plaines River area. It spent no more than a few months in the Little Calumet River before being captured on June 22. Earlier this year, barge owners signaled their opposition to changes that would affect their operations. Lynn Muench of the American Waterways Operators, a tug and barge trade group, told Great Lakes Today that additional structures at the Brandon Road lock could slow commerce. The group supports federal money for some research and for harvesting carp from the Illinois River, but Munch said other spending should get a close look. WBFO |
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Help wanted: Chief Mate 9/15 - Fettes Shipping Inc. is looking for a Chief Mate for our tug Petite Forte for a minimum of 1 month, or a possible permanent position. Candidates must be able to travel to the US portions of the Great Lakes area, and must have a valid Canadian Passport, all applicable Transport Canada Certificates, and a valid medical certificate issued by Transport Canada. Certificate Required: Chief Mate Watchkeeping Mate NC or OOW-C, STCW 11/2
Please send your resume to Human Resources, Fettes Shipping Inc., 3385 Harvester Rd. - #250, Burlington, ON L7N 3N2. |
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BoatNerd Welland Gathering this weekend 9/15 - The annual Welland Canal BoatNerd Gathering is scheduled for Sept. 15-17. We will meet for socializing, sharing pictures, slides and videos, plus watching and photographing the passing traffic. Friday and Saturday evenings the group will gather at the Canadian Corps building in Thorold to share pictures, slides and videos. There is no admission charge. There will also be a few vendor tables available. Visit the Gatherings page www.boatnerd.com/gathering for more details |
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Updates - September 15 |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 15 On 15 September 1886, F. J. KING (wooden schooner, 140 foot, 280 tons, built in 1867, at Toledo, Ohio) was carrying iron ore from Escanaba, Michigan, to Chicago, Illinois. She sprang a leak and sank in a heavy southwesterly gale three miles off Rawley Bay, Wisconsin. Her crew reached shore in the yawl. Her loss was valued at $7,500. The A. H. FERBERT of 1942 was towed out of Duluth by the Sandrin tug GLENADA September 15, 1987; they encountered rough weather on Lake Superior and required the assistance of another tug to reach the Soo on the 19th. On the 21st the FERBERT had to anchor off Detour, Michigan, after she ran aground in the St. Marys River when her towline parted. Her hull was punctured and the Coast Guard ordered repairs to her hull before she could continue. Again problems struck on September 24th, when the FERBERT went hard aground at the Cut-Off Channel's southeast bend of the St. Clair River. Six tugs, GLENADA, ELMORE M. MISNER, BARBARA ANN, GLENSIDE, SHANNON and WM. A. WHITNEY, worked until late on the 26th to free her. The FERBERT finally arrived in tow of GLENSIDE and W. N. TWOLAN at Lauzon, Quebec, on October 7th. The steamer WILLIAM A. AMBERG (Hull#723) was launched September 15, 1917, at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. for the Producers Steamship Co., (M. A. Hanna, mgr.). Renamed b.) ALBERT E. HEEKIN in 1932, c.) SILVER BAY in 1955, d.) JUDITH M. PIERSON in 1975 and e.) FERNGLEN in 1982. Scrapped at Port Maitland, Ontario, in 1985. On September 15, 1925, the JOHN A. TOPPING left River Rouge, Michigan, light on her maiden voyage to Ashland, Wisconsin, to load iron ore for delivery to Cleveland, Ohio. Renamed b.) WILLIAM A. REISS in 1934, she was scrapped at Alang, India, in 1994. On September 15th, lightering was completed on the AUGUST ZIESING; she had grounded above the Rock Cut two days earlier, blocking the channel. September 15, 1959, was the last day the U.S. Coast Guard Buoy Tender MESQUITE was stationed at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. MIDDLETOWN suffered a fire in her tunnels on September 15, 1986. Second and third degree burns were suffered by two crew members. She was renamed f.) AMERICAN VICTORY in 2006. In 1934, the ANN ARBOR NO 6 collided with the steamer N. F. LEOPOLD in a heavy fog. September 15, 1993 - Robert Manglitz became CEO and president of Lake Michigan Carferry Service after Charles Conrad announced his retirement and the sale of most of his stock. On 15 September 1873, IRONSIDES (wooden propeller passenger/package freight vessel, 220 foot, 1,123 tons, built in 1864, at Cleveland, Ohio) became disabled when she sprang a leak and flooded. The water poured in and put out her fires. She sank about 7 miles off Grand Haven, Michigan, on Lake Michigan. Reports of the number of survivors varied from 17 to 32 and the number lost varied from 18 to 28. On 15 September 1872, A. J. BEMIS (wood propeller tug, 49 tons, built in 1859, at Buffalo, New York) caught fire while underway. The fire originated under her boiler. She ran for shore but sank about six miles from Alpena, Michigan. No lives lost. 1882: The wooden passenger steamer ASIA got caught in a wild storm crossing Georgian Bay, fell into the trough and sank stern first. There were 123 passengers and crew listed as lost while only two on board survived. 1915: ONOKO of the Kinsman Transit Company foundered in Lake Superior off Knife Point, while downbound with wheat from Duluth to Toledo. The crew took to the lifeboats and were saved. The hull was located in 1987, upside down, in about 340 feet of water. 1928: MANASOO, in only her first season of service after being rebuilt for overnight passenger and freight service, foundered in Georgian Bay after the cargo shifted and the vessel overturned in heavy weather. There were 18 casualties, plus 46 head of cattle, and only 5 survived. 1940: KENORDOC, enroute to Bristol, UK, with a cargo of lumber was sunk due to enemy action as part of convoy SC 3 while 500 miles west of the Orkney Islands. The ship had fallen behind the convoy due to engine trouble, and was shelled by gunfire from U-48. There were 7 casualties including the captain and wireless operator. H.M.S. AMAZON completed the sinking as the bow of the drifting hull was still visible. 1940: The Norwegian freighter LOTOS came inland in 1938 delivering pulpwood to Cornwall and went aground there in a storm. The ship was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine while about 15 miles west of Rockall Island, Scotland, while inbound from Dalhousie, NB for Tyne, UK. 1962” A collision between the HARRY L. FINDLAY of the Kinsman Line and the Greek Liberty ship MESOLOGI occurred at Toledo. The latter began Seaway service that year and made a total of six inland voyages. It was scrapped at Aioi, Japan, as f) BLUE SAND after arriving in November 1969. Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, David Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, James Neumiller, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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U.S.-flag shipping on Great Lakes up 7 percent in August 9/14 - Cleveland, Ohio – U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters moved 10.1 million tons of cargo in August, an increase of 7 percent compared to a year ago. August’s shipments also bettered the month’s long-term average by approximately 60,000 tons. Iron ore cargos for steelmaking totaled 4.7 million tons, an increase of 4.7 percent compared to a year ago. Coal loadings neared 1.6 million tons, an increase of 8.5 percent. Limestone cargos increased nearly 10 percent to 3.2 million tons. Year-over-year U.S.-flag cargos total 50.4 million tons, an increase of 1.3 percent over the same point in 2016. Iron ore shipments have increased 6 percent to 27.6 million tons. Coal cargos are virtually unchanged – 7.5 million tons. The 12.6 million tons of aggregate, fluxstone and scrubber stone shipped represent a decrease of 5.8 percent. Lake Carriers’ Association |
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Great Lakes steel output soars to yearly high 9/14 - Great Lakes steel production shot up to a yearly high of 709,000 tons last week, an increase of 4.88 percent. Steel mills in the Great Lakes region made 676,000 tons of metal the previous week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. Most of the steel made in the Great Lakes region is produced in Lake and Porter counties in Northwest Indiana. So far this year, U.S. steelmakers have produced 62.6 million tons of steel, about 3.3 percent more than they did during the same period in 2016. Steel mills have been running at a capacity of 74.6 percent so far this year, up from 72.1 percent through the same time last year. Domestic steelmakers used about 74.3 percent of their steelmaking capacity in the week that ended Sept. 9, down from 74.9 percent the previous week but significantly up from 68 percent at the same time a year earlier, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. Some analysts say steelmaking capacity utilization of about 90 percent would be considered healthy for an industry that's been beset by imports and mill idlings in recent years. Overall, U.S. national steel output fell by 14,000 tons last week to 1.73 million tons, a decrease of 0.8 percent, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. Production in the Southern District, nearly always the country's second-largest steel-producing region, which spans mini-mills across the South, fell to 589,000 tons last week, down from 622,000 tons the previous week. NW Indiana Times |
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Port Reports - September 14
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay – Gary A. Putney
St. Marys River
Milwaukee, Wis.
Southern Lake Michigan Regional and Welland Canal transits – Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte (Oakvile):
Clarkson:
Oshawa: |
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High-tech weather buoy placed near Lake Superior lighthouse 9/14 - Marquette, Mich. – A high-tech weather buoy has been installed near a Lake Superior lighthouse that's considered one of the most remote in North America. Stannard Rock Light rests on a shallow reef 45 miles north of Marquette. It's an ideal location for Great Lakes weather and climate research. Scientists from the Superior Watershed Partnership and Lentic Environmental Services recently deployed the new buoy about a mile from the lighthouse. It will provide data on wave height, water temperature, wind speed and other variables. The data will be transmitted via satellite and posted to websites including the Great Lakes Observing System and the National Data Buoy Center. Scientist John Lenters says weather data has been gathered at the lighthouse for years. But the new buoy will tell mariners more about wave conditions. The Associated Press |
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Crewman rescued on Lake Superior by U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City 9/14 - A man is recovering after a rescue from the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City on Lake Superior. It happened Sunday when they got a call of a 43-year-old man having symptoms of a heart attack on a freighter. The coast guard conducted a medevac hoist off of the ship, which was not identified. The man was able to get in and out of the basket by himself but it would have taken several hours for the freighter to reach the port and have the man taken to the hospital if it wasn’t for the Coast Guard. “He was exhibiting symptoms of heart attack and our flight surgeon did say they wanted to do a urgent medevac off of the vessel,” said Lieutenant Erik Oredson. “They were about 50 miles out to sea in Lake Superior and making way towards land in case we couldn’t get there but it would’ve taken them quite a few more hours to reach port.” The man was taken to a hospital in Marquette to be treated. 9 & 10 News |
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BoatNerd Welland Gathering this weekend 9/14 - The annual Welland Canal BoatNerd Gathering is scheduled for Sept. 15-17. We will meet for socializing, sharing pictures, slides and videos, plus watching and photographing the passing traffic. Friday and Saturday evenings the group will gather at the Canadian Corps building in Thorold to share pictures, slides and videos. There is no admission charge. There will also be a few vendor tables available. Although the Paul H. Townsend will be at Marine Recycling Corp., a walking tour of the scrapyard has not been made available. Visit the Gatherings page www.boatnerd.com/gathering for more details |
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Updates - September 14 |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 14 September 14, 1962, the HORACE S. WILKINSON was involved in a collision with the Canadian freighter CAROL LAKE in the Welland Canal. Rather than repair the WILKINSON, Wilson Marine had her towed to Superior, Wisconsin, for conversion to a barge. All cabin superstructure, the engine, boilers, and auxiliary machinery were removed. The stern was squared off and notched to receive a tug. The WILKINSON was renamed WILTRANCO I and re-entered service in 1963, as a tug-barge combination with a crew of 10, pushed by the tug FRANCIS A. SMALL of 1966. September 14, 1963, the BENJAMIN F. FAIRLESS, Captain Earl C. Bauman, received a National Safety Council Award of Merit for operating 1,001,248 consecutive man-hours without a lost time accident. This accomplishment required 15 years, 600 round trips, and 1,200 passages through the Soo locks. Captain Albert Edgar Goodrich died on September 14,1885, at the age of 59, at his residence in Chicago. He was a pioneer steamboat man and founded the Goodrich Transportation Company, famous for its passenger/package freight steamers on Lake Michigan. The J. J. SULLIVAN (Hull#439) was launched September 14, 1907, at Cleveland, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. for the Superior Steamship Co. (Hutchinson & Co., mgr.). Renamed b.) CLARENCE B. RANDALL in 1963. She was scrapped at Windsor, Ontario in 1988. On September 14, 1871, R. J. CARNEY (wooden barge, 150 foot, 397 gross tons) was launched at Saginaw, Michigan. The 203-foot wooden schooner KATE WINSLOW was launched at J. Davidson's yard in East Saginaw, Michigan, on 14 September 1872. The steamer ASIA sank in a storm off Byng Inlet on Georgian Bay September 14, 1882. Over 100 people lost their lives with only two people, a man and a woman, rescued. ASIA was built in St. Catharines, Ontario, in 1873, and was bound from Collingwood, Ontario, to the French River and Canadian Sault. 1960: The Bahamas registered vessel ITHAKA stranded 10 miles east of Chhurchill, Manitoba, after the rudder broke and the anchors failed to hold in a storm. The ship had served on the Great Lakes for Hall as a) FRANK A. AUGSBURY and e) LAWRENCECLIFFE HALL (i), for Canada Steamship Lines as b) GRANBY and for Federal Commerce & Navigation as f) FEDERAL PIONEER. 1965: FORT WILLIAM, which recently entered service as a package freight carrier for Canada Steamship Lines, capsized at Pier 65 in Montreal. There was an ensuing fire when part of the cargo of powdered carbide formed an explosive gas and five were killed. The vessel was refloated on November 22, 1965, repaired, and still sails the lakes a b) STEPHEN B. ROMAN. 1970: The barge AFT, the forward part of the former STEEL KING (ii), arrrived at Ramey's Bend, Port Colborne, under tow of the tug HERBERT A. for dismantling. The barge had been part of a tandem tow with the dipper dredge KING COAL but the latter broke loose in a Lake Erie storm and sank. 1998: The Cypriot-registered STRANGE ATTRACTOR first came through the Seaway in 1989 as a) LANTAU TRADER. It returned under the new name in 1996 and lost power on this date in 1998 while leaving the Upper Beauharnois Lock and had to be towed to the tie up wall by OCEAN GOLF and SALVAGE MONARCH. The ship was soon able to resume the voyage and continued Great Lakes trading through 2003. It arrived for scrapping at Aliaga, Turkey, as d) ORIENT FUZHOU on August 7, 2009. Data from: Skip Gillham, Clive Reddin, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Russ Plumb, Father Dowling Collection, James Neumiller, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Algoma Niagara leaves China on her delivery trip to Canada 9/13 - St. Catharines, Ont. – The Algoma Central Corp. has taken delivery of the first of two new Equinox-class self-unloading lake bulk carriers from Yangzijiang Shipyard in China. The ship, named the Algoma Niagara, has departed on its two-month voyage to Canada via the Panama Canal. Algoma Niagara is expected to arrive in Canada and enter service in early November, making the ship available for the peak fall season on the Great Lakes. “We are looking forward to the arrival of the Algoma Niagara,” said Ken Bloch Soerensen, Algoma president and CEO. “The Algoma Niagara is the first of two new Equinox-class 740-foot self-unloaders being built at Yangzijiang Shipyard and she will be joined by her sister ship, the Algoma Sault, in the first half of 2018.” Algoma Niagara will be the fifth Equinox-class vessel to join the Algoma Great Lakes fleet. Four Equinox-class gearless bulkers are already in operation in the Algoma fleet servicing the company’s grain and iron ore customers. In addition to the new 740-foot self-unloaders being built at Yangzijiang, the shipyard also completed the fit-out of the Algoma Strongfield after the ship was acquired from the bankrupt Nantong Mingde shipyard early in 2017. Working in partnership, Algoma and Yangzijiang recently acquired the partially completed self-unloader Algoma Conveyor from the same bankrupt shipyard. The shipyard is completing a refurbishment of the vessel for eventual delivery to Algoma, expected in early 2019. The Equinox Class represents the next generation of Great Lakes – St. Lawrence waterway bulk cargo vessels. The ships have been designed to optimize fuel efficiency and operating performance thus minimizing environmental impact. A 45% improvement in energy efficiency has been achieved compared to older vessels. In addition, Algoma’s Equinox fleet is the first class of Great Lakes vessels to include a fully integrated IMO-approved exhaust gas scrubber that has been certified to remove 97% of all sulphur oxides from shipboard emissions. Algoma Central Corp. |
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'That boat has to go,' Sault, Canada, mayor says of museum ship Norgoma 9/13 - Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. – Mayor Christian Provenzano has served notice that he wants the Norgoma, a former ferry-turned visitor attraction and museum, moved out of Roberta Bondar Marina and out of downtown Sault Ste. Marie. "It's a long time. That boat has to go," the mayor said. "I personally believe that boat has to leave the downtown area." City Council has reviewed the fate of the rusting package freighter/passenger ferry several times but always decided to give the 67-year-old vessel another chance. From 1950 to 1963, the Norgoma transported passengers and freight along the 'Turkey Trail' between Owen Sound and Sault Ste. Marie When the Trans Canada Highway was finished in 1963, the Norgoma was converted to an automobile ferry and ran between Tobermory and South Baymouth until she was replaced by the Chi-Cheemaun in 1974. Mayor Provenzano's comments were made at the conclusion of a council discussion about priorities for the 2018 capital budget. The Norgoma wasn't on the list of 31 priorities prepared by city staff. "Obviously this isn't going to be budgeted for 2018," Provenzano said. "I'll bring a resolution but I think staff has to be empowered to look at the costs of that and we have to consider that at some point." Soo Today |
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Port Reports - September 13
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Marquette, Mich. – Rod Burdick
St. Marys River
Southern Lake Michigan
Calcite, Mich. – Jake H.
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas
Rochester, N.Y. – Tom Brewer Regional and Welland Canal transits - by Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Buffalo:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Clarkson:
Oshawa: |
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Obituary: Captain James N. VanDongen 9/13 - James N. VanDongen, age 73, passed away unexpectedly Monday, September 11. He was born February 22, 1944 in Muskegon, Mich. In 2004, after 40 years of employment, he retired as captain of the American Steamship Co. vessel Indiana Harbor. He was also active in the International Ship Masters Association Muskegon lodge. He loved riding his Harley Davidson trike and was proud to wear his 100,000-mile patch on his riding vest. He would also participate in many Patriot Guard rides. He enjoyed model trains and building scale models of the ships he used to work on. A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Friday, September 15, at The Lee Chapel, 6291 S. Harvey St., Norton Shores, Mich. (231) 798-1100. Visitation with the family will be one hour prior to the service. Memorials to the Patriot Guard Riders will be appreciated. Share memories with the family at their on-line Guest Book at www.sytsemafh.com |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 13 On 13 September 1894, the GLOBE (steel propeller package freighter, 330 foot, 2,995 gross tons) was launched by the Globe Iron Works (Hull #53) at Cleveland, Ohio. She was lengthened to 400 feet and converted to a bulk freighter in 1899, when she was acquired by the Bessemer Steamship Company and renamed JAMES B. EADS. She lasted until 1967, when she was scrapped at Port Weller Drydocks. On 13 September 1872, the wooden schooner RAPID left Pigeon Bay, Ontario bound for Buffalo, New York with 5000 railroad ties. While on Lake Erie, a storm blew in and Capt. Henderson decided to turn for Rondeau. While turning, the vessel capsized. Annie Brown, the cook, was trapped below decks and drowned. The seven other crew members strapped themselves to the rail and waited to be rescued. One by one they died. Finally, 60-hours later, the schooner PARAGON found the floating wreck with just one man, James Low, the first mate, barely alive. The EDMUND FITZGERALD's sea trials occurred on September 13, 1958. The HOFFMAN (United States Army Corps of Engineers Twin Screw Hopper Dredge) collided with the Japanese salty KUNISHIMA MARU at Toledo, Ohio, September 13, 1962. Reportedly the blame was placed on the pilot of the Japanese salty. Apparently the damage was minor. On September 13, 1968, the AUGUST ZIESING grounded in fog 200 yards above the Rock Cut in the St. Marys River. The grounded vessel swung into the shipping channel blocking it until September 15th when lightering was completed. September 13, 1953 - PERE MARQUETTE 22 made her second maiden voyage since she was new in 1924. She was cut in half, lengthened, had new boilers and engines installed. On 13 September 1875, CITY OF BUFFALO (wooden schooner, 91 foot, 128 tons, built in 1859, at Buffalo, New York, as a propeller canal boat) beached and sank after striking a rock in the St. Marys River. The tug MAGNET worked for days to release her before she went to pieces on 19 September. No lives were lost. On 13 September 1871, the bark S D POMEROY was anchored off Menominee, Michigan, during a storm. Archie Dickie, James Steele, John Davidson and James Mechie were seen to lower the yawl to go to shore. Later the empty yawl drifted ashore and then the bodies of all four men floated in. 1967 – The former Great Lakes passenger ship NORTH AMERICAN sank in the Atlantic (40.46 N / 68.53 W) while under tow for a new career as a training ship at Piney Point, Maryland. 1988 – The Cypriot freighter BLUESTONE, at Halifax since August 19, had 3 crewmembers jump ship at the last minute claiming unsafe conditions due to corrosion in the tank tops, but this could not be checked as the vessel was loaded. Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, David Swayze, James Neumiller, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Paul H. Townsend tow arrives Port Colborne 9/12 - The Paul H. Townsend scrap tow arrived at the Marine Recycling Corp. yard in Port Colborne, Ont., early Monday morning. The tug Barbara Andrie, which handled the tow, quickly turned around and headed back to Muskegon, Mich. |
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Great Lakes levels remain above normal 9/12 - Detroit, Mich. – Water levels for all of the Great Lakes remained higher than normal in August and still above last August’s levels by 3 to 23 inches, according to the Detroit office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Higher water levels are expected through fall and into December on lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St. Clair and Erie, the Army Corps of Engineers showed. Lake Ontario set a new high in May at 248.69 feet above sea level and is expected to remain higher than average though November, but is expected to return to average levels in December, according to figures the Corps released last week. Data show precipitation during the month of August was near average for the Great Lakes basin. Lake Superior received 20 percent more rain and Lake Michigan-Huron received 10 percent more than average. Lakes Erie and Ontario received 71 percent and 86 percent of average precipitation, respectively, in August. From July to August, Lake Superior rose just more than 1 inch and Lake Michigan-Huron rose less than half an inch. Lakes Erie and Ontario declined 4 inches and 10 inches, respectively. The net basin supplies were above average for Lake Superior and Lake Erie, near average for Lake Ontario and below average for Lake Michigan-Huron. A wet spring season had experts predicting summer water levels for the Great Lakes would be higher than normal and above last year’s mark. April and May were wetter months than average across the Great Lakes basin, with lakes Ontario and Erie getting more rain than the other lakes, said Keith Kompoltowicz, chief of watershed hydrology at the Corps’ Detroit District. It was enough to force the agency “to adjust our forecast for the summer up a little bit,” he said in June. “It’s all a result of weather patterns and the fact that in southern lakes like Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, they bore the brunt of what Mother Nature provided in terms of rainfall,” Kompoltowicz said. Boaters and others have welcomed the rebound in lake levels that are closer to their historical averages during the past three years. They allow commercial vessels to carry more cargo, recreational boats to get in and out of marinas and harbors more easily, and property owners to enjoy more traditional shorelines. Five years ago, lower-than-normal lake levels had boaters concerned about getting the pleasure crafts out of harbor, much less into the lakes. The crisis atmosphere helped trigger a state-sponsored $21 million emergency dredging program for 58 harbors in Michigan. But the rising water levels have brought other benefits, including a tendency to help in stopping the development of algae in shallow areas, which have created toxic blooms. The downside to rebounding lake levels is they can eat into shorelines for some homeowners. The Detroit News |
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Port Reports - September 12
Two Harbors-Silver Bay – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Milwaukee, Wis. – Paul Erspamer
Southern Lake Michigan
Calcite, Mich. – Jake H.
Stoneport – Jake H.
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas Regional and Welland Canal transits – Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Buffalo:
Tonawanda:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Hamilton:
Bronte (Oakville):
Clarkson:
Oshawa: |
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National Museum ranked second in in the USA Today 10 Best competition 9/12 - Toledo, Ohio – The National Museum of the Great Lakes finished second in the USA Today 10 Best competition for tourist attractions in the state of Ohio. Beating out the National Museum of the Great Lakes was the Toledo Museum of Art. However the museum bested attractions such as Cedar Point Amusement Park, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Put-in-Bay and Amish Country for second place. National Museum of the Great Lakes |
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Updates - September 12 |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 12 On 12 September 1903, the R E SCHUCK (steel propeller bulk freighter, 416 fott, 4713 gross tons) was launched by the American Ship Building Company (Hull #327) at Lorain, Ohio for the Gilchrist Transportation Company. She was purchased by the Interlake Steamship Co. (Pickands, Mather & Co., Mgrs.) in 1913, and renamed b.) HYDRUS. However, she foundered in the "Big Storm" of 1913, on Lake Huron with all hands; 24 lives were lost. On 12 September 1902, EXPERIMENT (2-mast wooden schooner, 65 foot, 50 gross tons, built in 1854, at St. Joseph, Michigan) was carrying firewood in a storm on Lake Michigan when she went out of control in the harbor at St. Joseph, Michigan after swerving to miss an unmarked construction crib. She wrecked and was declared a total loss. Her crew was rescued by the Lifesaving Service. Three days later she was stripped and abandoned in place. ROGER BLOUGH was laid up at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin from September 12, 1981, through 1986, because of economic conditions. CANADIAN PIONEER was christened at Port Weller Drydocks Ltd. on September 12, 1981, by Mrs. Louise Powis, wife of the Chairman and President of Noranda Mines for Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd. Renamed b.) PIONEER in 1987. CARTIERCLIFFE HALL, a.) RUHR ORE, was towed by the tug WILFRED M. COHEN to Collingwood, Ontario for repairs from a June 5th fire and arrived at Collingwood Shipyards Ltd. on September 12, 1979. Renamed c.) WINNIPEG in 1988, and d.) ALGONTARIO in 1994. Canadian Shipbuilding & Engineering Limited at Collingwood, Ontario closed the yard on September 12, 1986, after 103 years of shipbuilding. Collship was famous for its spectacular side launches. 214 ships were built at Collingwood. While unloading steel in South Chicago from the a.) CANADA MARQUIS on September 12, 1988, a shoreside crane lifting a payloader into the hold collapsed onto the ship. CANADA MARQUIS had a hole in her tank top and damage to her hatch coaming. She sails today on the ocean and lakes as e.) BIRCHGLEN, for CSL. On 12 September 1900, ALBACORE (2 mast wooden schooner, 137 foot, 327 tons, built in 1872, at Port Dalhousie, Ontario) had a storm blow out her sails, driving her into the seawall at Fort Bank just east of Oswego, New York where she broke up. The tug J NAVAGH tried unsuccessfully to save her. Her crew of seven was rescued by the U.S. Lifesaving Service. After an extremely dry summer, forests were burning all over the Great Lakes region in the autumn of 1871. The smoke from these fires affected navigation. Newspaper reports stated that on 12 September 1871, 38 ships and four strings of barges anchored near Point Pelee on Lake Erie due to the restricted visibility caused by the smoke from the forest fires. On 12 September 1900, the schooner H. W. SAGE was raised by the McMorran Wrecking Company and was then towed to Port Huron for repairs. She had sunk near Algonac, Michigan in a collision with the steamer CHICAGO on 30 July 1900. 1889: ROTHESAY, a wooden sidewheel passenger vessel, collided with the tug MYRA in the St. Lawrence between Kingston and Prescott. The latter sank with the loss of 2 lives. The former was beached on the Canadian shore where it settled and was abandoned. The wreck was dynamited in 1901 and part of it remains on the bottom in 35 feet of water. 1900: The wooden steamer JOHN B. LYON began taking water in a storm about 25 miles east of Ashtabula and sank in Lake Erie. There were 9 lost with only 6 rescued from the 19-year old vessel. 1917: GISLA was built at Wyandotte, MI in 1916 and went overseas for war duty. The vessel was hit by gunfire from U-64 in the western Mediterranean off Cape Palos, Spain, and sunk by a timed bomb. The ship was carrying nuts and vegetable oil from Kotonou, Dahomey, for Marseilles, France, when it was attacked. 1919: The wooden barge CHICKAMAUGA began leaking in huge seas off Harbor Beach, MI while under tow of the CENTURION and the ore laden vessel sank the next day. The crew of 10 was rescued by the JAMES WHALEN and the wreck was removed the following year. 1928: B.B. McCOLL was virtually destroyed by a fire at Buffalo while loading and had to be abandoned as a total loss. The ship was salvaged, rebuilt and last sailed as h) DETROIT. The ship was scrapped in 1982-1983 at Lake Calumet, IL. 1953: MARYLAND was mauled by a storm on Lake Superior and 12 hatch covers were blown off. The ship was beached near Marquette and all 35 on board were saved. The ship was abandoned but the extensive bottom damage was repaired and the ship resumed service as d) HENRY LALIBERTE. 1989: POLARLAND began visiting the Great Lakes in 1968 and returned as b) ISCELU in 1980, c) TRAKYA in 1981 and d) TRAKYA I in 1982. The ship was lying at Hualien, Taiwan, as e) LUNG HAO during Typhoon Sarah and got loose in the storm prior to going aground. The hull broke in two and was a total loss. 1989: SACHA, Liberian registered SD 14, began Seaway trading in 1973. It returned as b) ERMIONI in 1982. The ship stranded on the wreck of the ORIENTAL PEARL while approaching Bombay, India, from Tampa as d) SAFIR on December 22, 1984, and sustained considerable damage. This was repaired but SAFIR was lost after stranding on a reef off Tiran Island in the Red Sea on September 12, 1989. 2006: TORO went aground in the St. Lawrence off Cornwall Island with damage to the bulbous bow and #2 hold. The ship, enroute from Thunder Bay to Progresso, Mexico, with a cargo of wheat, was released September 18 and repaired at the Verreault shipyard in Les Mechins, QC before resuming the voyage on October 27. The vessel had previously visited the Great Lakes as a) LA LIBERTE, c) ASTART and d) ULLOA. It was still sailing as g) XING JI DA as of 2011. Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, James Neumiller, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Seaway News: NAAC Quebec, Pineglen and Ocean Tracy 9/11 - On August 28, the cement carrier NACC Quebec entered the Seaway bound for Oshawa. Because of bow thruster issues, a Groupe Ocean tug had to be hired to escort her in the Seaway. As of Sunday Sept. 10, NACC Quebec was still tied up at Oshawa, likely undergoing repairs. Diavlos Pride’s ETA for Montreal to take delivery of Pineglen is Tuesday Sept. 12. As of Sept. 10, no new name had been painted on the bow of Pineglen. The former Canadian Coast Guard ship Tracy, now Ocean Tracy, arrived off Sorel-Tracy from Prescott on Saturday under tow of Ocean Echo II and Jerry G. A transfer of tugs occurred in the stream but only one was required, the Ocean Jupiter, to tow her to the Groupe Ocean base situated in the Lanctôt basin. René Beauchamp |
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Paul H. Townsend tow due early Monday at Port Colborne 9/11 - The Paul H. Townsend scrap tow is due at the IMS yard in Port Colborne, Ont., about 3 a.m. Monday, according to Marine Traffic. If using AIS to track the tow, look for the Barbara Andrie, which is the tug doing the towing. Please send any photos to news@boatnerd.net |
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Port Reports - September 11
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay – Gary A. Putney
St. Marys River
Marinette, Wis.
Cedarville, Mich. – Jake H.
Milwaukee, Wis. – Paul Erspamer
Southern Lake Michigan
Calcite, Mich. – Jake H. Regional and Welland Canal transits – Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte (Oakville):
Clarkson:
Oshawa: |
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Quebec maritime museum commemorates 1964 loss of Leecliffe Hall 9/11 - Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive, Que. – On July 15, 2016, a team of divers from Montréal (Quebec Technical Wreck Divers) went on the Leecliffe Hall wreck, near Cap aux Oies, and were able to recover the builder plate and the ship's bell. Both artifacts were at a depth of approximately 164 feet (50 metres). The 730-foot-long Leecliffe Hall, which was owned by the Hall Corporation of Canada (Halco) collided with Greek-flagged Apollonia in fog and sank with the loss of three crew on September 5, 1964. In compliance with the provisions of the Canada Shipping Act (Wreck Regulations), the objects were declared to the Receiver of Wrecks, a position exercised by a designated Transport Canada employee. Halco having ceased operations in the late 1980s, the Receiver of Wreck authorized the delivery of the objects to the divers once the deadlines provided for by law expired. The divers then contacted the Maritime Museum of Charlevoix to make a long-term loan. The bell, restored, will be exhibited at the Charlevoix Maritime Museum (Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive), in memory of the three victims of that sinking on September 5, 1964. During the unveiling of the bell members of the Quebec Technical Wreck Divers group signed the loan protocol with Maritime Museum Director in the presence of representatives of the families of two of the victims of the accident. Read more about the ship and view photos at this link: boatnerd.com/pictures/historic/perspectives/leecliffehall2 H. Desgagnés |
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Updates - September 11 |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 11 1872, at Milwaukee, the Wisconsin, which was transferred to the Atlantic coast from Lake Erie in 1898, struck Romer Shoal off the shore of Staten Island and was wrecked. She was sailing from Norfolk, Virginia to Saco, Maine at the time. Her crew managed to reach the Life Saving Station through the heavy surf. September 11, 1969, the Bethlehem steamer LEHIGH, Captain Loren A. Falk, delivered the first cargo to the new Bethlehem Steel mill at Burns Harbor, Indiana. The cargo consisted of 15,700 tons of taconite pellets loaded at Taconite Harbor, Minnesota. On 11 September 1883, EXPLORER (2-mast wooden schooner, 48 foot, 33 gross tons, built in 1866, at Chatham, Ontario) struck rocks and went down on Stokes Bay on the outside of the Bruce Peninsula. Her crew was visible from shore clinging to the wreck until the vessel broke up. All five were lost. The GEORGE M. HUMPHREY, of 1927, was patched and refloated on September 11, 1944. She had sunk in 80 feet of water after a collision with the steamer D.M. CLEMSON, of 1916, off Old Point Light, on June 15, 1943. On May 6, 1944, the barges MAITLAND NO. 1 and HILDA were employed as pontoons for the salvage operation positioned over the sunken hull. Cables were attached to the HUMPHREY's hull and to the barges. The hull was raised through a series of lifts, which allowed it to be brought into shallower water. Partial buoyancy was provided by the HUMPHREY's ballast tanks, which were pumped out to about 25 percent of capacity. The HUMPHREY was patched and refloated on September 11, 1944. She was taken to the Manitowoc Ship Building Co. first for an estimate of repairs, which totaled $469,400, and then was towed to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin for reconditioning which was completed at a reported cost of $437,000. Captain John Roen's Roen Transportation Co. assumed ownership on September 18, 1944, and the next year the ship was renamed b.) CAPTAIN JOHN ROEN. She re-entered service on May 1, 1945, chartered to the Pioneer Steamship Co. on a commission basis. Renamed c.) ADAM E. CORNELIUS in 1948, and d.) CONSUMERS POWER in 1958. She was scrapped at Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 1988. September 11, 2001, the former Bob-Lo boat STE. CLAIRE was towed from Detroit to Toledo by Gaelic's tug SHANNON. In August 2005, she was taken to Belanger Park in River Rouge and in the spring of 2006 she was returned to Nicholson's Slip in Ecorse by Gaelic's tugs PATRICIA HOEY and CAROLYN HOEY. Carrying cargoes off the lakes, CANADA MARQUIS departed Halifax bound for Philadelphia with a cargo of grain. HON. PAUL MARTIN departed Halifax the same day on her way to Tampa with a load of gypsum. HORACE JOHNSON sailed on her maiden voyage light from Lorain, Ohio, on September 11, 1929, bound for Two Harbors, Minnesota to load iron ore. On 11 September 1895, S.P. AMES (2 mast wooden schooner, 61 foot, 43 gross tons) was driven ashore at Pointe aux Barques, Michigan, in a storm. She was quickly stripped before she went to pieces. She had been built in 1879, at Montrose, Michigan, in farm country, well inland, on the Flint River by Mr. Seth Ames. He wanted to use her to return to sea, but he died the day before her hull was launched. On 11 September 1876, the schooner HARVEST HOME sank on Lake Michigan while bound from Chicago for Cleveland with a load of scrap iron. She was about 26 miles off Grand Haven, Michigan. The crew was taken off by the schooner GRACIE M. FILER just as the boat was going down. 1942: H.M.C.S. CHARLOTTETOWN, a Canadian naval corvette built at Kingston, ON in 1941, was torpedoed and sunk by U-517 on the St. Lawrence near Cap Chat, QC. Nine of the 64 on board were lost. 1946: The former Hall freighter LUCIUS W. ROBINSON, heading for new service in the Far East as b) HAI LIN, ran into a typhoon on the Pacific during its delivery voyage but was unscathed. 1961: The retired PERSEUS, under tow for scrapping overseas, broke loose of the tug ENGLISHMAN, and was abandoned in rough seas near the Azores. It was later found drifting and taken in tow only to sink on September 21. 1968: GRINDEFJELL, a pre-Seaway and Seaway-era visitor for the Norwegian Fjell Line from 1953 to 1965, put into Mozambique as b) LENRO after fire had broken out in a cargo hold. The flames spread and, at one time the hull glowed red hot. The ship was gutted, later capsized and was abandoned as a total loss. The vessel was enroute from Assab, Ethiopia, to Rotterdam, with a cargo of bagged niger seed expellers and had to take the long way around due to the Suez Canal being closed. The hull was either scrapped or scuttled. 1987: An arson fire gutted the bridge and top deck of the laid up former C.S.L. package freighter FORT YORK at Sarnia. There had been another suspicious fire three weeks earlier that had been extinguished. Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, David Swayze, Russ Plumb, Father Dowling Collection, Jody L. Aho James Neumiller, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Ojibway returns to service as fall grain rush begins 9/10 - The Lower Lakes Towing Co. Ojibway sailed from layup at Sarnia on Saturday bound for Thunder Bay to load grain. This is her first trip of the season and signals the start of the fall grain rush. Also upbound in Lake Huron and headed for Thunder Bay Saturday were Cedarglen, Federal Kushiro and CSL St-Laurent. The tanker Golden Oak, chartered by Algoma, is also bound for the Canadian lakehead. Port |
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Paul H. Townsend tow passes Port Huron, due Monday at Port Colborne 9/10 - The Paul H. Townsend scrap tow passed Huron late Saturday afternoon, witnessed by many boatwatchers along the St. Clair River, assisted by the tug Manitou on the stern. Her ETA for the scrapyard in Port Colborne is 5 a.m. Monday. If using AIS to track the tow, look for the Barbara Andrie, which is the tug doing the towing. Please send any photos to news@boatnerd.net |
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Port Reports - September 10
Two Harbors-Silver Bay – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Marquette, Mich. – Rod Burdick
St. Marys River
Marinette, Wis.
Cedarville, Mich. – Jake H.
Milwaukee, Wis. – Paul Erspamer
Southern Lake Michigan
Alpena, Mich. – Ben & Chanda McClain
Calcite, Mich. – Jake H. Regional and Welland Canal transits – Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Hamilton:
Bronte (Oakville):
Clarkson:
Oshawa: |
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Delay gives extra time to improve Alexander Henry 9/10 - Thunder Bay, Ont. – Anyone who’s eager to step into the Alexander Henry won’t be able to any time soon. The retired vessel continues to wait in her temporary birth at the old ore dock in Thunder Bay as a lease agreement is drawn up for the permanent Pool Six site. But Charlie Brown, president of the Lakehead Transportation Museum Society, is ready at a moment’s notice “If they give me the lease tomorrow I’ll start the move,” said Brown. “The sooner the better.” The hopes had been for a fall grand opening for the coast guard ice breaker-turned-museum, if a lease agreement was in place by the end of August. It looks like the lease, to be drawn up between the City of Thunder Bay, the Port Authority and the Lakehead Transportation Museum Society, won’t be ready until the end of September, forcing the grand opening to the spring. Brown said the delay gives them more time to get the ship ready. “We’ll have the ability to work on it over the winter, get it up to really good shape and then bring the public in and hopefully they’ll be impressed,” said Brown. Currently, members of the Lakehead Transportation Museum Society are working on the interior of the ship, sprucing up the crew quarters for display and looking at converting some of the cabins into mini-museums. “We’re going to have a museum inside the museum,” said Brown. The Lakehead Transportation Museum Society is an umbrella organization, explained Brown, that encompasses the Buddies of the Brill, the Lakehead Railway Historical Society and Canadian Lighthouses of Lake Superior. Brown envisions each group having a room in which they can display their own historical items. “Not only will the public be able to climb on board next spring and see the Henry itself and see its history but also the transportation history from the entire area,” said Brown. With the paperwork for the lease agreement in the hands of three sets of lawyers representing the City of Thunder Bay the Port Authority and the Lakehead Transportation Museum Society, Brown said it’s now a waiting game. Tim Heney, chief executive officer of the Thunder Bay Port Authority, confirmed that they were asking for indemnification for any liability issues. “City council, to my knowledge, agreed to settle on some terms but we haven’t heard anything from their lawyers so it’s in their legal department,” said Heney. Brown said the Henry will probably not be moving to her permanent home until October. Chronicle Journal |
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Updates - September 10 |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 10
On 10 September 1890, the PORTER CHAMBERLAIN (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 134 foot, 280 gross tons, built in 1874, at Marine City, Michigan) was floated free of the Wolverine Drydock in Port Huron, Michigan where she had steel arches installed. When she floated free, the arches broke in three places and she stayed in Port Huron to have them repaired. September 10, 1952, the forebody and afterbody of the future JOSEPH H. THOMPSON arrived at the American Shipbuilding yard in South Chicago. The two sections were delivered to the lakes via the Mississippi River and Chicago Ship Canal. The afterbody departed Baltimore, Maryland on August 2 and the forebody departed Pascagoula, Mississippi on August 21. On 10 September 1884, the 137-foot steam barge HENRY HOWARD was sailing up bound with the schooner-barge GEORGE WORTHINGTON in tow when she caught fire near Harsens Island at the mouth of the St. Clair River. The fire broke out near the HOWARD's engine room and spread rapidly. The vessel was beached on the island but the WORTHINGTON ran against her and was thus scorched. No lives were lost. The HOWARD was valued at $5,000, but only insured for $3,000 by her owners, B. Hoose and Julia Miner. The whaleback tanker METEOR was towed from Manitowoc, Wisconsin by the tug JOHN ROEN IV to Superior, Wisconsin on September 10, 1972. The KINSMAN ENTERPRISE turned 75 years old on September 10, 2002. When she entered service as a.) HARRY COULBY, on this date in 1927, the 631-foot bulk freighter was the third largest on the Great Lakes. While up bound in the Welland Canal on September 9, 1986, it was noted that the port anchor of the J. W. MC GIFFIN was missing, her chain was almost touching the water. Rebuilt with a new cargo hold section by Port Weller Drydocks, Ltd., in 1999, renamed b.) CSL NIAGARA. On 10 September 1909, COLUMBUS (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 136 foot, 439 gross tons, built in 1874, as the tug JOHN OWEN) burned to a total loss at her dock at Gargantua, Ontario, in Lake Superior. She was cut loose and allowed to drift out into the bay where she sank. The top of her engine reportedly still shows above the water. September 10, 1979 - The SPARTAN was laid up. She remains in Ludington, Michigan. The barge N. MILLS was launched at P. Lester's yard in Marysville, Michigan on 10 September 1870. Her dimensions were 164 feet x 30 feet x 12 feet. 1910: PERE MARQUETTE 18, inbound for Milwaukee with 29 rail cars, began leaking and sank 30 miles off Sheboygan, Wis. There were 33 survivors but 29 were lost including the captain. 1918: The barge SANTIAGO, under tow of the small bulk carrier JOHN F. MORROW, sank in Lake Huron off Pointe aux Barques without loss of life. 1940: A.E. AMES was once part of Canada Steamship Lines. The vessel was sold for saltwater service about 1917 and was lost, via enemy action, as c) GINETTE LEBORGNE on this date in 1940 when it struck a mine on the Mediterranean, west of Sardinia, while returning demobilized troops from North Africa to France. Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, David Swayze, Russ Plumb, Father Dowling Collection, Jody L. Aho, James Neumiller, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Edwin H. Gott breaks recent Soo Locks tonnage record 9/9 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Another record has been shattered. The Edwin H. Gott, with a load of 73,940 tons of iron ore, broke the all-time record for a single passage at the Soo Locks on Sept. 6th. The previous record was set in July by her fleetmate Edgar B. Speer with 73,875 tons. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District |
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Paul H. Townsend scrap tow due late Saturday at Port Huron 9/9 - The Paul H. Townsend scrap tow passed under the Mackinac Bridge at 1:30 p.m. Friday. By late evening it was passing Stoneport, Mich., making 7.8 knots and was estimated to be at buoys 11 & 12 north of the Blue Water Bridge Saturday evening depending on weather and speed. If using AIS to track the tow, look for the Barbara Andrie, which is the tug doing the towing. Please send any photos to news@boatnerd.net |
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$3.2M grant approved to improve Sturgeon Bay harbor 9/9 - Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – A $3.2 million grant included in the proposed state budget will be used by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding to improve the city's harbor. The work includes dock construction and a dredging project, which is the third phase of the harbor project, according to news releases from Sen. Frank Lasee, R-De Pere, and Rep. Joel Kitchens, R-Sturgeon Bay. The construction and dredging project is important for increasing vessel construction and winter repair capacity in the Sturgeon Bay Harbor, Lasee said. "Having room for additional vessels in the harbor will create even more employment opportunities," Lasee said. Bay Shipbuilding has about 1,000 full-time employees, the release said. "This funding will allow the public-private partnership between the city and one of its key business partners to go forward full speed ahead and continue their modernization of the harbor," Kitchens said. The proposed biennial budget was approved by the state Joint Finance Committee Sept. 6 and sent to the Legislature for approval. After both houses of the Legislature approve the budget, it is sent to Gov. Scott Walker. Green Bay Press Gazette |
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Port Reports - September 9
Two Harbors-Silver Bay – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
St. Marys River
Escanaba, Mich. – Paul Erspamer
Marinette, Wis.
Cedarville, Mich. – Jake H.
Milwaukee, Wis. – Paul Erspamer
Calcite, Mich. – Jake H.
Stoneport, Mich. – Jake H.
Saginaw River – Todd Shorkey Regional and Welland Canal transits – Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte (Oakville):
Clarkson:
Toronto:
Oshawa:
Prescott, Ont. – Ron Beaupre |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 9 On 09 September 1889, the FOLGER (wooden propeller wrecking tug, 69 foot, 64 gross tons, built in 1881, at Kingston, Ontario) was sailing upbound past St. Clair, Michigan when fire was discovered in her engine room. Her wheelsman stuck to his post as long as possible, trying to beach her at Courtright, Ontario, but the flames engulfed the vessel and all hands had to abandon her. September 9, 1936. For the second consecutive day, boats of the Interlake and Pittsburgh fleets collided. The SATURN collided with the HENRY H. ROGERS in heavy fog above Whitefish Bay. The SATURN continued upbound to repair damage at Superior Shipbuilding. The ROGERS continued downbound to South Chicago where the anchor of the SATURN was removed from the Mate's starboard cabin. September 9, 1940, the steamer MARITANA, Captain Charles E. Butler, went to anchor in Whitefish Bay due to weather. When they retrieved their anchor the next day, they also recovered a second anchor. The second anchor had an oak stock 12 feet across and 17 inches in diameter. The 8 foot forged metal shank was stamped with a date of 1806. On 09 September 1886, GENERAL WOLSELEY (wooden side-wheel steamer, 103 foot, 123 tons, built in 1884, at Oakville, Ontario) caught fire on her way to Dyer's Bay, Ontario. She was run ashore for the crew to escape near Cape Croker on Georgian Bay and burned to the water's edge. The WOLVERINE (Hull#903) was launched September 9, 1974, at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. for the Union Commerce Bank (Ohio), Trustee (Oglebay Norton Co., mgr.), Cleveland, Ohio. DETROIT EDISON (Hull#418) was launched September 9, 1954, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin by Manitowoc Ship Building Co. for the American Steamship Co. (Boland & Cornelius, mgr.) Buffalo, New York. The Steamer PERE MARQUETTE 18 sank on September 9, 1910, with a loss of 29 lives. No cause for the sinking has ever been determined. The PERE MARQUETTE 17 picked up 33 survivors, losing 2 of her own crew during the rescue. The first of two fires suffered by the Grand Trunk carferry GRAND RAPIDS occurred on September 9, 1980. The cause of the fire was not determined. On 9 September 1929, the ANDASTE (steel propeller self-unloading sandsucker, 247 foot, built in 1892, at Cleveland, Ohio) was probably overloaded with gravel when she 'went missing' west of Holland, Michigan. The entire crew of 25 was lost. When built, she was the sister of the 'semi-whaleback' CHOCTAW, but was shortened 20 feet in 1920-21, to allow her to use the Welland Canal. On 9 September 1871, Captain Hicks of the schooner A H MOSS fired the mate, a popular fellow, in a fit of anger the same time that a tug arrived to tow the schooner out of Cleveland harbor. The crew was upset to say the least, and when the towline was cast off and Capt. Hicks ordered the sails hoisted, the crew refused to do any work. The skipper finally raised the signal flags and had the tug tow his vessel back into the harbor. When the MOSS dropped anchor, he fired the entire crew then went ashore to hire another crew. The ROY A. JODREY (Hull#186) was launched in 1965, at Collingwood, Ontario by Canadian Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd. for Algoma Central Railway Ltd. 1924: A fire aboard the ship SOUTH AMERICAN at Holland, MI destroyed the upper works of the popular passenger steamer. 1964: A collision between the GEORGE R. FINK and the Swedish freighter BROHOLM occurred in zero visibility on Lake Huron just north of the Bluewater Bridge. The latter, on her only voyage through the Seaway, received a gash on the starboard side above the waterline while the former had only minor damage. BROHOLM arrived at Hsinkang, China, for scrapping as d) PROODOS on September 2, 1974. 1977: The British freighter PERTH began service to Canada in 1951 and ooperated into the Great Lakes until 1960. The ship ran aground about 200 miles south of Suez as e) GEORGIOS on this date but was later refloated and taken to Suez. The ship was arrested there and subsequently sank on October 1, 1979. The hull was likely refloated and dismantled at that location. 1993: INDIANA HARBOR received major hull damage when it struck Lansing Shoal. The ship was repaired at Sturgeon Bay. Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, David Swayze, Russ Plumb, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Scrap tow of Paul H. Townsend underway 9/8 - The Paul H. Townsend scrap tow left Muskegon at about 8 a.m. Thursday bound for Port Colborne, Ont. The tug Barbara Andrie's speed was averaging around 7-8 knots. The scrap tow's speed will vary due to wind and weather conditions that may be encountered. The tow was too far away Thursday night to get an accurate arrival at Port Huron. The winds are supposed to calm down for the weekend so that should help the tow. There will likely be another tug assisting the tow through the St. Clair and Detroit rivers. Marine Traffic is reporting an ETA at Port Colborne of 5 a.m. on Monday. Please send any photos to news@boatnerd.net |
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Seaway News: Tug on the way for Pineglen, Gadwall has a new name 9/8 - Leaving Rotterdam for Montreal on Wednesday was the deep-sea tug Diavlos Pride, bound for Montreal to fetch the laid up Pineglen, sold for demolition and recycling on July 24 to Turkish buyers, likely at Aliaga. Canfornav bulker Gadwall is currently bound for Sorel-Tracy with the new name of Maria G. It is believe that from there, she will go inland. René Beauchamp |
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Port Reports - September 8
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay – Gary A. Putney
Cedarville, Mich. – Jake H.
Waukegan, Ill. – Paul Erspamer
Milwaukee, Wis. – Paul Erspamer
Calcite, Mich. – Jake H.
Stoneport, Mich. – Jake H
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas Regional and Welland Canal transits – Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Clarkson:
Toronto:
Oshawa: |
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BoatNerd Welland Gathering Sept. 15-17 9/8 - The annual Welland Canal BoatNerd Gathering is scheduled for Sept. 15-17. We will meet for socializing, sharing pictures, slides and videos, plus watching and photographing the passing traffic. Friday and Saturday evenings the group will gather at the Canadian Corps building in Thorold to share pictures, slides and videos. There is no admission charge. There will also be a few vendor tables available. Although the Paul H. Townsend will be at Marine Recycling Corp., a walking tour of the scrapyard has not been made available. Visit the Gatherings page www.boatnerd.com/gathering for more details |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 8 September 8, 1936, the Interlake steamer CRETE and the Pittsburgh steamer CORNELL collided in heavy fog above Whitefish Point. After temporary repairs were made in the Weitzel lock, the CRETE proceeded to Chicago Shipbuilding to repair a damaged bow. The CORNELL proceeded to Manitowoc to repair damage to her starboard side just forward of her boiler house. On September 8,1868, HIPPOCAMPUS (wooden propeller, 152 tons, built in 1867, at St. Joseph, Michigan) stranded in a storm off St. Joseph and was pounded to pieces. 36 of the 41 passengers were lost. Litigation continued until November 10,1884, when the owner was held innocent of blame in the U. S. Court at Grand Rapids, Michigan. GEMINI (Hull#745) sailed on her maiden voyage in August, 1978, from Levingston Shipbuilding Co., at Orange, Texas, to load fuel oil at Baytown, Texas, for delivery at Detroit, Michigan. Passing up bound the next month on September 8 through the Welland Canal, GEMINI became the largest U.S. flagged tanker on the Great Lakes with a capacity of 76,000 barrels. GEMINI was renamed b.) ALGOSAR in 2005. The W. E. FITZGERALD (Hull#167) was launched September 8, 1906, at Wyandotte, Michigan, by Detroit Ship Building Co. for the Chicago Navigation Co., Chicago, Illinois (D. Sullivan, mgr.). The bulk freighter HENRY A. HAWGOOD was launched on September 8, 1906, at Cleveland, Ohio, by the American Ship Building Co. for Minerva Steamship Co. (W. A. & H.A. Hawgood, mgr.), Cleveland. Renamed b.) C. RUSSELL HUBBARD in 1912, and c.) W. W. HOLLOWAY in 1935. RADIANT departed the shipyard September 8, 1913, light on her maiden voyage bound for Montreal, Quebec. September 8, 1970 - MILWAUKEE CLIPPER made her last run from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. On September 8, 1985, the downbound the Panamanian NORCHEM collided with the upbound CANADIAN PROSPECTOR near Kanawake, Quebec. PROSPECTOR had little damage but NORCHEM was ripped open near her port anchor. On September 8,1885, ADVANCE (wooden schooner, 119 foot, 180 gross tons, built in 1853, at Milwaukee, Wisconsin) was carrying wood when she became waterlogged and capsized in a gale and blinding rain near Port Washington, Wisconsin, in Lake Michigan. All but one of her crew of seven drowned when her yawl capsized in the surf. On September 8,1871, the schooner MORNING LIGHT was sailing from Kelley's Island on Lake Erie with a cargo of stone for Marquette, Michigan, in heavy weather. Trying to enter the Detroit River, the crew miscalculated their position and ran the ship aground on Pointe Mouille, just below Gibraltar. The crew scuttled the vessel in the shallow water to save her from harm. The following day, the tug GEORGE N. BRADY was sent out with steam pumps and hawsers and the MORNING LIGHT was raised and towed to Detroit for repairs. 1860: The wooden passenger and freight steamer LADY ELGIN sank in Lake Michigan following a collision with the schooner AUGUSTA with an estimated 297 lost their lives. 1979: The Norwegian carrier INGWI first came through the Seaway in 1960 and made about 10 trips inland through 1967. The hull was reported to have fractured as b) OH DAI enroute from Singapore to Calcutta. The ship foundered in the Bay of Bengal but there was speculation at the time that this was an insurance fraud. 1980: The idle rail car ferry GRAND RAPIDS sustained fire damage from a blaze in the pilings at Muskegon, buckling plates on the car deck. It was extinguished by the U.S.C.G. and Fire Department. 2010: The tug MESSENGER came to the Great Lakes for the Gaelic Tugboat Co. in 1984 and was renamed b) PATRICIA HOEY. It was later sold and became c) NEW HAMPSHIRE and then d) SEA TRACTOR II before leaving the lakes, via Oswego, about 1991. It was known as e) SHARK when scuttled as an artificial reef near Miami, on this date in 2010. Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, Al Miller, David Swayze, Russ Plumb, Father Dowling Collection, James Neumiller, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Cement carrier Paul H. Townsend to leave Muskegon today for scrap 9/7 - Muskegon, Mich. – The long-inactive motor vessel Paul H. Townsend will be towed out of Muskegon Thursday morning at 7a.m., enroute to Port Colborne, Ont., for scrapping. The tug Barbara Andrie will do the towing. The Townsend last sailed in 2005 and had been used as a cement storage vessel, although not recently. This ship was built to meet the requirements of the U.S. Maritime Commission near the end of the Second World War for a smaller cargo vessel designed for short coastal runs on routes that did not call for fast ships. Designated as type “C1-M-AV1,” the vessel was built in 1945 at the Consolidated Steel Corp., Wilmington, Ca., as the yard’s hull number 1328. Although launched in 1945 as the Hickory Coll, the vessel entered service in September of 1945 as the Coastal Delegate for the U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, DC, under charter to and operated by the Southern Steamship Co. of Philadelphia, Pa. The Coastal Delegate’s original overall dimensions were: 339’ 04” (103.4m) loa x 50’ 00” (15.24m) beam x 29’ 00” (8.84m) depth; GRT 3,822 (gross registered tonnage), NRT 2,123 (net registered tonnage), 6,020 ton (6,117 mt) capacity, displacing 8,375 tons (8,510 mt). The vessel was (and still is) powered by a single Nordberg TSM-216 slow turning, direct drive, 6 cylinder diesel engine originally rated at 1,750 b.h.p. (1,287 kW), later rated at 2,150 b.h.p. (1,581 KW), built by Nordberg Manufacturing Co., St. Louis, Mo. On November 7, 1951, the Coastal Delegate was acquired by the Huron Transportation Co., Detroit, Mich. (a subsidiary of the Huron Portland Cement Co.). During 1952, the vessel was converted to a self unloading cement carrier, the conversion being started at the Bethlehem Steel Co., Shipbuilding Division, Hoboken, N.J. before being brought to the Great Lakes by the Mississippi River system where the conversion was completed in early 1953 by the Calumet Shipyard, Chicago, Ill. Upon completion, the vessel’s new tonnage figures became GRT 3,581, NRT 1,870, and 5,200 ton (5,284 mt) capacity. The new cement carrier was christened Paul H. Townsend on April 30, 1953 at Detroit. The vessel’s namesake, Mr. Paul Henson Townsend, was born December 19, 1889 and served as president and chairman of Huron Portland Cement Co. He also served as director of Huron Cement, the Lake Carriers’ Association, the Detroit Board of Commerce, and other esteemed organizations. Mr. Townsend died November 22, 1981. During the 1957/58 winter lay up, Paul H. Townsend was lengthened and rebuilt to her current dimensions by Great Lakes Engineering Works, Ashtabula, Ohio. The rebuilding included the moving of the wheelhouse to its forward location. The new tonnage figures became GRT 4,302 and NRT 2,825. The Paul H. Townsend can carry 7,850 tons (7,976 mt) at her mid summer draft of 22’ 01.5” (6.74m) in 6 holds. The original Nordberg diesel can move the vessel at a rated speed of 13.5 M.P.H. and the cement carrier is equipped with a bow thruster. On May 15, 1959; the Townsend and her fleet mates came under the umbrella ownership of National Gypsum Co. sailing for Huron Cement Division, National Gypsum Co., Alpena, Mich. following the acquisition of Huron Portland Cement by National Gypsum. About a year later, on May 20, 1960, the Paul H. Townsend was in a collision with the British motor vessel Tynemouth two miles north of Port Huron, in Lake Huron while in heavy fog. The Townsend was attempting to avoid an earlier collision between the August Ziesing and the Standard Portland Cement when the collision occurred. In more recent years, there have been only a couple of noted incidents. In January of 1999, the Paul H. Townsend received ice damage in the Strait of Mackinac after leaving Milwaukee bound for Alpena. On May 11, 2000, the vessel grounded in the Saginaw River while attempting to turn around. Strong currents resulting from heavy rains contributed to the Townsend ending up crosswise in the river blocking the channel. The cement carrier was freed with the assistance of tug Kurt Luedtke with no resulting damage. The Paul H. Townsend was most recently managed by Inland Lakes Management, Inc., Alpena, Mich. (affiliated with Andrie Inc., Muskegon, Mich.), being bareboat chartered from owners and sailing under a contract of affreightment with Lafarge Corp. to carry bulk cement and flyash between various loading ports to distribution terminals on the Great Lakes. Inland Lakes Management was formed in March of 1987 to operate and manage the Huron Cement (National Gypsum) fleet following the purchase of National Gypsum by Lafarge Corp. on January 1, 1987. The Paul H. Townsend often laid up for varying periods of time during the navigation seasons due to the fluctuating demands of the construction industry for which she serves. On December 15, 2005, she went into long-term lay-up at Muskegon, never to sail again. John Tokarz, Boatnerd Archive |
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Ryba acquires tug Michigan from Great Lakes Towing 9/7 - The tug Kristin Joelle sailed from Toledo Wednesday headed north. This is the former Great Lakes Towing tug Michigan (ex- Susan McAllister among other names), built in 1965 and acquired by GLT in 2015. She has been sold to Ryba Marine Construction of Cheboygan, Mich. Her AIS reports a destination of Beaver Island. |
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Port of Thunder Bay shipping volumes up 9/7 - Thunder Bay, Ont. – The Port of Thunder Bay remains well ahead of last year in cargo volume as of August 31. Year-to-date grain volumes are 10 percent higher than last year, while total port shipments of all goods are up 17 percent. Shipments in August were slightly above the ten-year average for the month at 750,000 metric tonnes. Potash and coal volumes continued to be strong, offsetting the slight dip in grain movements for the month. A good mix of cargoes have been crossing port docks this season, including ten-year-high potash volumes and a variety of project cargoes. Keefer Terminal, the Port Authority’s general cargo facility, has handled a diverse assortment of project cargoes including windmill parts, electrical transformers, pressure vessels, modular structures, steel and rail. This week a shipment of modular structures for a hotel project in western Canada are being offloaded at the terminal. An influx of vessels are anticipated in September as the Prairie grain harvest begins making its way into the transportation system. Keefer has several shipments scheduled this month including more structural steel and windmill parts. NetNewsLedger |
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Port Reports - September 7
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Cedarville, Mich. – Jake H.
Green Bay, Wis. – Paul Erspamer
Milwaukee, Wis. – Paul Erspamer
Alpena, Mich. – Ben & Chanda McClain
Calcite, Mich. – Jake H.
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas Regional and Welland Canal transits – Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
(Bronte) Oakville:
Clarkson:
Toronto:
Oshawa:
Seaway – René Beauchamp |
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New research vessel parked at Barker’s Island 9/7 - Superior, Wis. – There’s a new boat on Barker’s Island in Superior, and for researchers there, the small vessel is a really big deal. The boat, which can hold 10 people and requires two operators, is docked right outside the National Estuarine Research Reserve in Superior, is the newest tool for research along western Lake Superior and the St. Louis River. The NERR has partnered with UWS as well as NOAA to bring this boat to their fleet. “The US government owns this; it takes care of the maintenance, the insurance, the liability, all that,” explains Lake Superior NERR Director Erika Washburn. “They train us to operate it and they equip it for us. That’s the first time that arrangement has every developed and it took almost three years to put together.” The new boat is bigger and more versatile than the boat they’ve used in the past and will be able to fulfill a growing list of research opportunities in our Northland waterways. “I think there’s an energy right now about what is happening here,” Washburn said. “Looking at climate, looking at water levels, looking at water temperatures, ice.” Fox 21 |
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Winds, waves ground small craft at Apostle Islands 9/7 - Bayfield, Wis. – Harrowing overnight waves and winds late Sunday into Monday left several boaters beached, grounded and even partially sunk at the outer Apostle Islands, where storm conditions persisted into the next day and thwarted salvage efforts. No one was injured, but Capt. Tucker Culberson of Black Warrior Marine / TowBoat U.S. in Bayfield said he was taking another 25-mile jaunt Tuesday in an effort to retrieve one of seven boats marooned following a period of reported 6- to 8-foot waves that sprung up at the start of Monday’s Labor Day holiday. Several boats had been anchored peacefully on the eastern interior of the islands’ outer rim of Sand, Rocky and Outer islands. A westerly breeze was keeping them company, Culberson said, when conditions drastically changed. “Two storms blew everyone apart,” Culberson said. “They came through as a really big windline and when it shifted north/northeast that was the problem.” Boats dragged anchor as winds blew the private vessels onto beaches, rocks and into thickets of trees overhanging the waters of Lake Superior. Winds were reportedly up to 35 mph within the island chain and up to twice as fast out on the lake, enough to stir the waters into a boat-shoving frenzy. All of the grounded craft were damaged. The National Park Service and U.S. Coast Guard supplied rescue efforts, Culberson explained, while his tow boat handled the salvage. Culberson said upward of 14 people were involved. At least one pair of kayakers was pinned down for some time to an island, unable to paddle back from where they came, said Culberson, who monitored the radio chatter throughout his multiple there-and-back efforts. Four boats were able to be ungrounded and sailed to safety on their own. Two vessels were towed to Little Sand Bay Campground on the mainland. As of Wednesday morning one boat remained nearly 26 miles away from Bayfield — partially sunk — by Outer Island, the outermost of the Apostle Islands. That vessel will raised with airbags, dewatered and towed home, Culberson said, in an effort he expected would happen later Wednesday provided conditions leveled off. The melee began as the storms moved in late Sunday, and extended overnight as gusty winds continued to rake the islands. Just after midnight Monday, one boat operator called mayday to report being aground and in danger of capsizing. “He was pretty shook up,” said Culberson, who reported battling the heavy waves that seemed to persist off and on throughout the night. Then as 5 a.m. came, “the radio calls started coming in and they didn’t stop,” Culberson said. “It kept snowballing.” “This is definitely the most boats we’ve had aground at one time,” said Culberson, who called 2016’s Saxon Harbor flash flooding that killed one person a worse event. “We’re lucky nobody got hurt.” Duluth News Tribune |
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CSL’s Seakeeper mural selected for inclusion in International Corporate Art Awards 9/7 - Canada Steamship Lines has announced that The Seakeeper mural, an original work of art painted on the bulk carrier CSL St-Laurent, has been included in the official 2017 selection of the prestigious International Corporate Art Awards. Conceived by Montreal urban artist Bryan Beyung and created with artists FONKi, Ankh One, and Benny Wilding of the Ashop art collective, the monumental mural commissioned by CSL is a tribute to Canada’s 150th birthday, the 375th anniversary of the City of Montreal, and the roles of marine transportation and CSL in building the nation and the City. The Seakeeper caught the eye of the Corporate Art Awards nominating committee for its unique fusion of urban art, corporate functionality and social significance. “We were particularly impressed by the original involvement of urban artists in the celebration of such important events,” said Luca Desiata, the curator of the Corporate Art Awards. “From a corporate art point of view, this project represents the perfect integration between the technical skills of a corporate team and the artistic creativity of urban artists.” The Corporate Art Awards were developed by pptArt in collaboration with the LUISS Business School in Rome, Italy, with the support of the Italian Ministry of Culture. They aim to promote excellence and best practices in the collaboration between the corporate and the art worlds. Among the award categories is the “Social Media Corporate Art Award” that is presented to the art project that receives the most ‘likes’. To vote for The Seakeeper and for more information on the Corporate Art Awards, go to https://www.pptart.net/participants2017. Over 50 companies from 15 countries have confirmed their participation in the 2017 edition of the event. The awards ceremony will be held in November 2017, in Rome. CSL |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 7 On September 7, 1978, the ROGER M. KYES lost all power in Lake St. Clair requiring tug assistance from the Great Lakes Towing Co. tugs MARYLAND and MAINE, which escorted her to the Great Lakes Steel dock. Renamed b.) ADAM E. CORNELIUS in 1989. CADILLAC of 1943 was laid up on September 7, 1981, for the last time at Toledo, Ohio. She was later transferred to a West coast marine operation in preparation for conversion for a proposed container ship for service between Chicago, Detroit and Quebec City. However these plans never materialized. On September 7, 1921, the D. G. KERR pulled up to the ore dock at Two Harbors, Minnesota to load exactly 12,507 gross tons of iron ore in the record-breaking time of 16 and a half minutes. This was accomplished through the cooperation of the dock superintendent, the dock employees concerned, the ship's captain and crew and the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. as a means of "showing up" the competition. Her time of arrival and departure to and from the dock took only 19 minutes. For comparison, a good average loading time at that time was about three hours and 45 minutes. On September 7, 1975, on the St. Marys River loaded with iron ore pellets, WILLIAM G. MATHER, forced out of the channel by a saltwater vessel, struck bottom. Upon proceeding further onto Lake Huron it was discovered that her pumps were unable to cope with incoming water caused by the damage. She was beached at Frying Pan Island (De Tour, Michigan) in 19 feet of water when it became evident they couldn't make dock. On 7 September 1883, LAURA BELL (wooden schooner, 138 foot, 269 gross tons, built in 1870, at Toledo, Ohio) was carrying coal from Cleveland, Ohio to Marquette, Michigan when she stranded off Shot Point, east of Marquette in Lake Superior. Her crew spent 3 days in her rigging and all but one was rescued by a tug from Marquette. September 7, 1916 - The PERE MARQUETTE 3 ran aground 10 miles north of Milwaukee. September 7, 1996 - The American Society of Mechanical Engineers designated the propulsion system of the BADGER a mechanical engineering landmark. The launch of the 188-foot wooden schooner ELIZABETH A. NICHOLSON was set for 4 p.m., on 7 September 1872, at E. Fitzgerald's shipyard in Port Huron, Michigan. Just before 4 p.m., a telegram was received at the shipyard from Capt. Nicholson, the owner of the new vessel, which read, "Wait a while. We are coming." The launch was delayed until another dispatch was received which said to go ahead anyway. The boat Capt. Nicholson was on had broken down. The launch went well. The vessel was painted deep green with her name in gilt. All present cheered the sight, but there was no party afterwards. All of the food and beverages for the celebration were with Capt. Nicholson on the disabled vessel. On 07 September 1883, the COLORADO (wooden schooner-barge, 118 foot, built in 1866, at Fairport, Ohio) was in tow of the steamer DON M. DICKINSON along with the schooner-barge N. P. GOODELL in a gale on Lake Huron. As the gale worsened, the string of vessels went to shelter in the harbor at Sand Beach (now Harbor Beach), Michigan. The COLORADO broke loose as they entered the harbor. Deckhand Abbot Way jumped on to the breakwater with a line to secure the COLORADO, but the line broke as soon as it went taut. It broke three times and the barge drifted out into the gale, stranding Mr. Way on the breakwater with six-foot waves washing over it. He managed to get to the harbor light at the end of the breakwater and climbed up above the waves where he was stranded for two hours until the crew of the Lifesaving Station got to him. COLORADO beached herself with no loss of life. She was later recovered and lasted until 1902 when she was abandoned. 1901: WAWATAM ran aground on Gratiot Beach above Port Huron with the whaleback barge #102 in tow. 1929: CHARLES C. WEST went aground on Gull Rock Reef damaging both frames and plates. The repair bill topped $46,000. 1942: OAKTON of the Gulf & Lake Navigation Co. was torpedoed and sunk in the St. Lawrence by U-517 about 15 miles west of Cape Gaspe. It was struck amidships on the port side and went down stern first without any loss of life except the ship's St. Bernard dog. The ship had a load of coal on board from Sandusky, Ohio, to Cornerbrook, NF when hit. Two other Greek ships, MOUNT TAYGETUS and MOUNT PINDUS were struck in the same attack with the loss of 6 lives. 1956: The former Canada Steamship Lines freighter WINONA stranded on a sand bank at Aparii, Philippines, island of Luzon, as b) EDDIE while enroute to Japan with a cargo of logs. The ship broke in two and was a total loss. 1965: AMARYLLIS was driven ashore about 1.5 miles north of Palm Beach Inlet, Florida, during Hurricane Betsy. The crew lived on board for another 4 months keeping up steam in hope of being refloated but the ship was eventually abandoned as a total loss. The vessel, enroute from Manchester, England, to Baton Rouge, LA in ballast, visited the Great Lakes in 1959. The hull became increasingly unpopular with local residents and, in 1975, a gravel road was built to the ship to truck the scrapped steel away. The remains were later floated off and sunk off West Palm Beach as an artificial reef. 1979: INDIANA HARBOR loaded a record 61,649 tons of iron ore at Two Harbors. 1997: NORTH ISLANDS, a Cypriot flag SD14, came through the Seaway in 1994 and loaded peas at Thunder Bay for Cuba. The vessel went aground near San Antonio, Chile, after losing her propeller. The ship broke in two, but all 30 on board were rescued by a helicopter from the Chilean Navy. Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, Tin Stackers - The History of the Pittsburgh Steamship Company, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships. We Remember series |
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Hapag-Lloyd expedition ship to sail Great Lakes cruise in 2019 9/6 - Hapag-Lloyd's new expedition ship Hanseatic Inspiration will sail itineraries as diverse as the Amazon and the U.S. Great Lakes after making its debut in October 2019. The 230-passenger ship will be one of a pair, with sister ship Hanseatic Nature serving the German-speaking market. The Hanseatic Inspiration will be an international ship. The maiden voyage of Hanseatic Inspiration departs Antwerp, Belgium, on Oct. 14, 2019, on a 15-day tour of western Atlantic ports such as Lisbon; Casablanca, Morocco; and Honfleur, France. It concludes in Tenerife, Canary Islands. Voyages in 2020 include March 25-April 11 on the Amazon, and June 3-17 on the Great Lakes, the first time in nearly a decade a Hapag-Lloyd ship will sail there. Travel Weekly |
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Port Reports - September 6
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas Regional and Welland Canal transits – Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
(Bronte) Oakville:
Clarkson:
Toronto:
Oshawa: |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 6 On September 6,1872, nine days after she set sail from Port Colborne for Detroit, the schooner J. W. SARGENT was listed as missing in the Detroit newspapers, probably a victim of a August 29 storm that struck Lake Erie. Later on the same day that the newspaper announcement was published, the SARGENT arrived in Detroit. Captain William Simms stated that the storm drove him south to Erie, Pennsylvania, where he sheltered for a few days. He sent a telegraph message to the ship's owner but the news was not relayed to Detroit. The SARGENT only lasted another three months. In November 1872, a storm got her on Lake Erie. The BADGER was launched on September 6, 1952, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. A christening ceremony included the SPARTAN (launched earlier that year). The BADGER was named in honor of the University of Wisconsin. The BADGER was built by Christy Corporation, and is powered by two Skinner 4 cylinder Steeple Compound Uniflow Marine Steam engines, developing over 7,000 horsepower. She was the last of the large, coal-fired steamers to be built in the United States, and the only ship of her type still operating on the Great Lakes. The BADGER offers seasonal passenger service from Ludington, Michigan, to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, from mid May to early October. BELLE RIVER began her maiden voyage when she loaded 56,073 long tons of western coal at Superior, Wisconsin, on August 31, 1977, and arrived at Detroit Edison Co.'s Belle River power plant at Recors Point on September 6, 1977. Renamed in 1990, she sails today as b.) WALTER J. McCARTHY, JR. On September 6, 1992, H. LEE WHITE was in tow of the "G" tugs COLORADO and LOUISIANA entering the Trenton Channel when she struck a section of the toll bridge at Grosse Ile, Michigan, knocking down a 150 foot span immediately east of the main river channel. The WHITE was not damaged but a new section of the bridge had to be installed at a cost of $1.7 million. The bridge was back in service in late January 1993. The U.S. Coast Guard investigated this casualty and their report states that it was the failure of the bridge tender to operate and open the bridge that caused this casualty. The Coast Guard found that the master of the WHITE was operating his vessel in a prudent and lawful manner including the use of whistle signals. CHARLES E. WILSON completed her sea trials in 1973. Renamed b.) JOHN J. BOLAND in 2000. GEORGIAN BAY collided with the steamer CHARLES HUBBARD in the fog-covered lower St. Marys River September 6, 1955. On September 6, 1989, the twin-screw rail car ferry GRAND RAPIDS left Muskegon, Michigan, in tow of the tugs ANGLIAN LADY and PRINCESS NO 1, and arrived at Port Maitland, Ontario, on September 11th. Scrapping was completed in the fall of 1994. On September 6, 1887, BLUE BELL (2-mast wooden scow-schooner, 84 foot, 122 gross tons, built in 1867, at Milwaukee, Wisconsin) was carrying lumber from Wilt's Bay, Michigan, to Milwaukee when she missed the harbor entrance at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, in a storm. She was driven ashore where she broke up. Her crew made it to the beach with the aid of the local U.S. Life Saving crew. The total loss was valued at $5,000. On September 6,1871, the wooden schooner ROSA STEARNS, loaded with coal, was battling a storm for hours off Cleveland, Ohio. The ship was driven on the stone breakwater about 1 a.m. and was pounded to pieces. The crew jumped onto the breakwater and crawled to safety as the waves crashed over them. 1908: The wooden steamer CHAUNCY HURLBUT began leaking and was beached at Whitefish Point, Lake Superior, along a rough and rocky shore. It became a total loss and the hull was removed in August 1910 and sunk in deep water. 2009: ALGOPORT ran into heavy weather from tropical storm DeJuan while under tow of the PACIFIC HICKORY, broke up and sank in the Philippine Sea about a week's tow from the destination of Jiangyin, China. Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Jody L. Aho, Max S. Hanley, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Coast Guard sets new Great Lakes pilot rates 9/5 - The U.S. Coast Guard has lowered rates for Great Lakes pilots in most areas, while adding a calculation favored by shippers and ports. In a final rule on this contentious issue published Thursday – to take effect Oct. 2 – hourly rates for the St. Lawrence Seaway go from the $580 proposed in a supplemental rule to $601, and on Lake Ontario from $398 to $408. But Lake Erie drops from $448 to $429, and lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior go from $264 to $218. The rule also raises annual pilot compensation to an inflation-adjusted $332,963 for 2017 compared to $326,114 for 2016. For the first time, the Coast Guard will account for a weighting factor, so larger ships yield higher pilotage revenues than smaller ones. The rule also mandates a change point at the Iroquois Lock on the St. Lawrence, so pilots are adequately rested on that stretch of water. All the changes in calculations are “a needed correction to better align our projected revenues with the pilot associations’ actual collections, as evidence shows that pilotage revenue significantly exceeded what was projected in 2016, even factoring in above-average traffic,” the Coast Guard said, noting the changes will mean an annual cost increase to shippers. The new calculations “will continue to encourage pilot retention, ensure safe, efficient and reliable pilotage services on the Great Lakes, and provide adequate funds to upgrade and maintain infrastructure,” they said. The Coast Guard establishes rates for Great Lakes pilots while rates elsewhere in the country are set at the local level. The rates must be reviewed annually. The agency originally sought a 14 percent rate increase primarily to cover eight new pilots needed because of workload and fatigue factors as well as the number of older pilots approaching retirement. For example, in District Two, which includes Lake Erie and the Detroit River, four pilots – or 30 percent of the total – are over 62. The Coast Guard staffing model lowered the number of pilots needed in the lakes from 54 in the proposed rule to 49. Forty-five pilots are expected to be working this year. Pilots’ rates elsewhere are higher. New Orleans pilots, for example, average $459,051 a year, the rule notes. But shippers argued rates shouldn’t be comparable, since conditions on the lakes differ from elsewhere in the country and the season is not year-round. Meanwhile, ports and shippers last year sued the Coast Guard seeking a 2016 rate reduction of at least 20.6 percent, arguing the agency’s calculations were flawed and the increases arbitrary and capricious. Pilots associations have joined the suit on the Coast Guard side. Workboat |
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Great Lakes water temperatures start to decrease early 9/5 - Traverse City, Mich. – Great Lakes water temperatures may have started their yearly decline ahead of schedule. George Leshkevich, a research scientist at the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, said each of the lakes is cooler than it was at this time a year ago. “It seems like they’re cooling. The cooling usually starts in September,” he said. “But, in just seeing the forecast for northern Michigan in the last week or so, night temperatures and frost risks will affect the water temperatures.” Lake Michigan seems to have been the least impacted, being only about 1 degree lower than last year, from 72 degrees to only about 71. Lake Superior was about 66 degrees last year and about 63 degrees this year. Normal air temperatures in late August and early September usually land in the mid-70s, said Matt Gillen, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Gaylord. “In 2016, we were still in the low 80s, about 84 degrees which is about 5-7 degrees above normal for this time,” Gillen said. Leshkevich found it odd the lakes were already cooling, as in previous years the temperatures would remain fairly steady into mid-September. “At this point though, it could still bounce back if we had some very hot, warm weather,” he said. “But we would need at least a week or two of warm at this point to have an effect.” But Gillen said that’s likely not going to happen. “There’s no signs of a substantial warm-up — that’s for sure,” he said. The Great Lakes didn’t freeze much at all in winter 2016-17, meaning the lakes had a jump-start on getting temperatures high and keeping them high, Leshkevich said. “Winter wasn’t that bad, there wasn’t that much ice cover meaning heating season would last longer,” he said. “In 2014 the opposite happened — we had a hard winter where the lakes froze and they weren’t able to absorb as much energy because the ice was there longer.” Leshkevich said he wasn’t sure what this will mean for the next season, other than it potentially shortening water recreation time on the Great Lakes, but circled back to air temperature as the likely culprit. Traverse City Record-Eagle |
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Port Reports - September 5
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Cedarville, Mich. – Jake H.
Milwaukee, Wis. – Paul Erspamer
Manitowoc, Wis. – Paul Erspamer
Calcite, Mich. – Jake H.
Stoneport, Mich. – Jake H.
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas Regional and Welland Canal transits – Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Port Colborne anchorage:
Hamilton:
(Bronte) Oakville:
Clarkson:
Toronto:
Oshawa:
Picton terminal: |
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Coast Guard assists 4 in Lake Michigan 9/5 - Cleveland, Ohio – The Coast Guard assisted four people Monday morning after their vessel capsized 500 yards southwest of Warren Dunes State Park in Sawyer, Michigan. Just after 9 a.m., crews at Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan in Milwaukee received a report from Berrien County 911 dispatch that a 16-foot Hobie Cat had capsized 500 yards off Warren Dunes State Park. A crew from Coast Guard Station St. Joseph was launched, as well as, a helicopter from Coast Guard Air Facility Muskegon. A Lake Township Fire Department marine unit also responded. Before Coast Guard assets arrived on-scene, the Lake Township crew rescued the four people from the water. The Station St. Joseph crew located the overturned vessel and reported that it was drifting toward shore. "Those rescued this morning were doing the right thing by wearing their life jackets," said Mike Baron, the recreational boating and water safety specialist for the Coast Guard 9th District. "You never know when you may enter the water." There were no reported medical concerns and the vessel operator will be coordinating salvage of the Hobie Cat. USCG |
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Coast Guard searching for missing kayakers in Lake Ontario 9/5 - Cleveland, Ohio – The Coast Guard is searching for three kayakers in Lake Ontario Monday evening after they were reported overdue from a trip. At around 6:30 p.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, New York, received a report of three missing kayakers in Lake Ontario. A family member passed that three males in green, red, and blue kayaks had departed Golden Hill State Park and were last seen paddling offshore into the lake. The men were reported to have been wearing life jackets and had left their phones in their vehicle at the park. Crews from Station Niagara and Station Rochester were launched and are searching. The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Corporal Teather C.V. is en route to the scene to assist in the search. The Alcott Fire and Police Departments have established a command post at the park. Search aircraft are standing by to assist in the search as soon as weather conditions allow. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Coast Guard Sector Buffalo Command Center at 716.843.9527 or 911. USCG |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 5 September 5, 1899, the DOUGLASS HOUGHTON grounded at Sailors Encampment and sank when rammed by her barge, JOHN FRITZ. The HOUGHTON completely blocked St. Marys River traffic for five days. More than 300 boats were delayed at an estimated loss of $600,000. On 05 September 1898, the MONTGOMERY (wooden schooner-barge, 204 foot, 709 tons, built in 1856, at Newport [Marine City], Michigan as a passenger/package freight steamer) sank in 21 feet of water on Lake St. Clair after colliding with the whaleback barge 137 (steel barge, 345 foot, 2,480 gross tons, built in 1896, at W. Superior, Wisconsin) which was being towed by the ALEXANDER McDOUGALL (steel propeller semi-whaleback freighter, 413 foot, 3,686 gross tons, built in 1898, at West Superior, Wisconsin). The MONTGOMERY was raised and repaired. She lasted another two years before breaking up in a storm in 1901. CHI-CHEEMAUN completed her sea trials on September 5, 1974, and then cleared the Collingwood shipyard on September 26th. BENJAMIN F. FAIRLESS cleared Lorain on her maiden voyage September 5, 1942 for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. J. P. MORGAN, JR. returned to service September 5, 1948, after repairs suffered in an accident in June. NEW QUEDOC arrived at McLouth Steel, Trenton, Michigan, on her maiden voyage September 5, 1960, with a load of Labrador iron ore. Renamed b.) QUEDOC in 1963. QUEDOC was scrapped at Curacao Island, Lesser Antilles in 1985. The WYANDOTTE of 1916, a.) CONNEAUT, was towed down the Welland Canal on September 5- 6, 1973, on her way to the cutter’s torch at Santander, Spain. On 5 September 1905, ABERCORN (wooden propeller 'rabbit', 126 foot, 261 gross tons, built in 1873, at Marine City, Michigan) burned at the dock at Goderich, Ontario, while unloading coal. She reportedly caught fire from the explosion of a signal lamp. The schooner CALEDONIA, wrecked the previous autumn near the Fishing Islands on Lake Huron, was raised and arrived in Port Huron, Michigan, on September 5, 1882, under tow to be rebuilt. 1896: The Canadian passenger ship BALTIC, built in 1867 as FRANCES SMITH, burned at the dock in Collingwood. The hull drifted to shallow water and remained there for several years. 1964: A. & J. MID-AMERICA, a Seaway caller in 1963, was driven ashore at Lantau Island near Hong Kong by typhoon Ruby. The vessel was refloated October 5 but came ashore again days later during typhoon Dot on October 13. Refloated October 21, the vessel returned to service and was scrapped as e) UNION TIGER at Inchon, South Korea, after arriving in April 1968. 1964: The former HEMSEFJELL, a pre-Seaway trader, was also blown aground at Hong Kong as d) PROSPERITY during typhoon Ruby but released on October 5. It was scrapped in Thailand during 1972. 1964: The three-year old bulk carrier LEECLIFFE HALL sank in the St. Lawrence, 65 miles below Quebec City, following a collision with the APOLLONIA. Efforts to beach the ship failed and three lives were lost. The hull was dynamited as a hazard to navigation in 1966. The latter, a Greek freighter, had been a Seaway trader in 1964 and was repaired at Levis, QC. The ship was scrapped at Shanghai, China, as c) MAYFAIR after arriving on May 3, 1985. Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Russ Plumb, Father Dowling Collection, Jody L. Aho, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Port Reports - September 4
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors / Silver Bay – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Green Bay, Wis.
Milwaukee, Wis. – Paul Erspamer
Calcite, Mich. – Jake H. Regional and Welland Canal transits – Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Buffalo:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Port Colborne anchorage:
Hamilton:
(Bronte) Oakville:
Clarkson:
Toronto:
Oshawa: |
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Great Lakes-built buoy tender Maple completes historic Northwest Passage transit 9/4 - The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard buoy tender Maple arrived at Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, Maryland on Tuesday, after completing a historic voyage through the Northwest passage. The Maple departed from her homeport in Sitka, Alaska on July 12 and transited above the Arctic Circle for 27 days. The Maple, which was built in Marinette, Wis., will begin a drydock maintenance period and her crew will return to Sitka to take command of the 225-foot Coast Guard Cutter Kukui, which was previously homeported in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is completing a mid-life renovation at the Coast Guard Yard. This summer marks the 60th anniversary of a voyage of three Coast Guard cutters and one Canadian ship through the Northwest Passage. From May to September of 1957, the USCG cutters Storis, Spar and Bramble and the Canadian ice breaker HMCS Labrador charted the waters, recorded depths and installed aids to navigation for future shipping lanes along the route. View photos at this link: http://maritime-executive.com/article/buoy-tender-completes-historic-nw-passage-transit Maritime Executive |
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Master and Commander Weekend in Toronto September 22 9/4 - This event offers a unique immersive experience: visitors will spend the weekend in the world of the Royal Navy of 200 years ago. The wonderful books of Patrick O'Brian are brimful of superb detail, and we will learn about every aspect of life both aboard ship and on shore, from writing with quill pens to eating the foods sailors knew, learning the dances they loved, tying knots and trying out a few cutlass moves! Naval historian Victor Suthren is one of the featured speakers, and the weekend is full of vivid lectures and hands-on workshops as well as music, food and dancing. The event includes a cruise aboard a tall ship, antique navigational instruments, an illustrated lecture on Jack Aubrey's ships (both real and fictitious), a ship's carpenter, sea chanties, five historical meals by candlelight, dancing, merchants, historical games, demonstrations, hands-on workshops, and much, much more. You can do pay-as-you-go or register for the full weekend. Pre-registration encouraged, and meals must be booked at least one week in advance. For more information or to reserve a space see http://danceweavers.ca/MasterandCommander.html, or phone (416) 578-1031. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 4 On September 4,1889, the new steamer CHEROKEE (wooden propeller freighter, 209 foot, 1,002 gross tons) arrived in Port Huron, Michigan, from M. P. Lester's yard in Marine City, Michigan, for the Phoenix Iron Works in Port Huron to installed the engine and boiler. Her outfitting was completed by Carleton and Cole of Port Huron. On September 4, 1876, CITY OF PORT HURON, a wooden steam barge, sank a few miles off shore near Lexington, Michigan, at about noon. She was heavily loaded with iron ore and sprang a leak at about 11 o'clock. Most of the crew managed to get on top of the cabin while two were in the forward rigging as she went down in 6 fathoms of water. The heavy seas washed over those on the cabin. Captain George Davis and two others floated ashore on wreckage while a fish boat picked up the five others. No lives were lost. 1921: The former laker RANDOLPH S. WARNER was cut in two to leave the Great Lakes during World War One. It was rebuilt with the pilothouse amidships and sank on this date about 40 miles off the Bosporus after reportedly striking an unrecovered mine. 1926: HARSEN, loaded with a cargo of sand, capsized and sank in a storm 3 miles northeast of the Pelee Passage Light in Lake Erie. The wooden-hulled vessel was a total loss. 1961: IMPERIAL HAMILTON caught fire while loading ethyl gasoline at Sarnia and sustained considerable damage. Six on board were injured. 1963: The Egyptian freighter SALAH ELDIN, a former Victory ship, caught fire in the crew quarters in Hamilton but the blaze was extinguished before it reached the cargo hold. The vessel almost capsized due to the weight of water but it remained upright. Two crew were injured and the Chief Steward died. The ship was towed out by GRAEME STEWART and JAMES BATTLE on November 22, 1963, for Quebec City and sold as is, where it became d) MERCANTILE VICTORY after a refit at Houston, Texas. Another fire on April 23, 1964, this time in the engine room on the Red Sea shortly after re-entering service in March 1964, led to an eventual resale to Spanish shipbreakers. The vessel arrived at Castellon for dismantling on May 10, 1965. 1967: The tugs MICHAEL McALLISTER and AMERICA towed the retired passenger ship NORTH AMERICAN through the Welland Canal enroute to a new career as a training ship for the S.I.U. at Piney Point, MD. 1972: NORSE CORAL was new when it entered the Seaway in 1962 and returned as b) TOTEM STAR in 1963. The ship opened the Seaway season on April 8, 1964, and returned to our shores as c) SILVERBEACH in 1965. It sustained heavy damage off Victoria, BC while inbound from Hong Kong to Vancouver on this date due to a collision with the C.E. DANT. The two ships were locked together. They were towed to Victoria the next day and then separated September 6. The damage was repaired and the former lakes trader survived until scrapping at Xingang, China, in 1986. Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, David Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Jody L. Aho, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Port Reports - September 3
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors/Silver Bay, Minn. - Gary Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
St. Marys River
Cedarville, Mich. – Jake H.
Lake Michigan East Shore
Green Bay, Wis. – Paul Erspamer
Milwaukee, Wis. – Paul Erspamer
Calcite, Mich. – Jake H.
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas
Rochester, N.Y. – Tom Brewer Regional and Welland Canal transits – Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Buffalo:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Port Colborne anchorage:
Hamilton:
(Bronte) Oakville:
Clarkson:
Oshawa:
Oswego: |
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Saltwater vessels scrapped; all were former lakes visitors 9/3 - The following information taken from the September 2017 Marine News – Journal of the World Ship Society Demolitions: Evana (8701911; Panama) (Sereen G-14, Kopalnia Borynia-12) - 1st trip into the Seaway 1991 - 8,893 / 1989 - bulk carrier. By Evana Shipping Co. SA (ETC International Sea Transportation Trading Ltd. Co. (ETC Uluslararasi Deniz Tasimaciligi Ticaret Ltd. Sti) (Eurotrade), Honduras, to Unique Shipbreaking Corp; India and arrived Alang 07/03/2017, commenced demolition 10/03/2017 Maria K (7511204; Sierra Leone) (Nour-99, Ingrid Leonhardt-97) - 1st trip into the Seaway 1978 - 7,244 / 1976 - bulk carrier. By Mar Shipping Ltd. (Rabunion Maritime Agency Sarl) Liberia, to Pakistani breakers and arrived Gadani Beach 14/02/2017, commenced demolition 18/02/2017 Portland (7413751; St. Kitts and Nevis) (Calypso I-09, Calypso-06, Adimon-04 - 1st trip into the Seaway 1998, Hercegovina-98 - 1st trip into the Seaway 1978 - 18,602 / 1977 - bulk carrier. By Al Ahlia Marine Co. Ltd. (Gulf Maritime Shipmanagement Co.) St. Kitts and Nevis, to Pakistani breakers and arrived Gadani Beach 13/02/2017, commenced demolition 18/02/2017 Compiled by Barry Andersen and René Beauchamp |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 3 September 3, 1919, the WILLIAM A. McGONAGLE loaded a record 15,160 tons of soft coal at Toledo, Ohio for delivery to Gary, Indiana. The record lasted less than 24 hours as the D. G. KERR, Captain Harry Harbottle, loaded 15,532 tons of coal at the same Toledo dock for delivery to Gary. September 3, 1942, the 250-foot STEEL VENDOR, Captain G. L. Kane, sank at 3:45 a.m. on Lake Superior with a cargo of 3,000 tons of iron ore. The lone casualty was Oiler John N. Sicken. Twenty-two survivors were rescued by the CHARLES M. SCHWAB, Captain Alfred Drouillard, and 2 survivors were rescued by the WILLIAM G. CLYDE, Captain David M. LeRoy. Other boats standing by were the B. F. AFFLECK, ELBERT H. GARY, JOLIET, and EUGENE P. THOMAS. September 3, 1957, the HARRIS N. SNYDER of the Boland & Cornelius fleet, Captain Elmer Murray and Chief Engineer Frank Mc Cabe, rescued 2 from the waters of Lake Michigan. Not only did the crew rescue Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Colby, but the crew used the unloading boom to recover their sailboat and place it on the deck of the SNYDER. The entire maneuver only required 55 minutes. On September 3, 1899, the Great Lakes Towing Company's RED CLOUD (wooden propeller tug, 62 foot, 40 gross tons, built in 1883, at Buffalo, New York) was sailing on Lake Erie for Lorain, Ohio, when a storm forced her to head for port at Cedar Point, Ohio. However she was thrown on a reef and broke in two - a total loss. The crew made it to Sandusky, Ohio. On September 3, the BELLE RIVER (now WALTER J. McCARTHY, JR.) set a then Great Lakes record for coal when it loaded 62,802 tons of coal at Superior Midwest Energy Terminal on its maiden voyage. This record has since been surpassed many times. At Lorain, Ohio keel-laying ceremonies for the 437-foot bow section of the ROGER BLOUGH (Hull#900) took place on September 3, 1968, and was float-launched December 21, 1968, less ballast tanks because the existing dry dock wasn't wide enough to accommodate her 105-foot width. SOODOC (Hull#210) of 1976, on her maiden voyage from Collingwood, Ontario, loaded salt at Goderich, Ontario, on September 3, 1976. Renamed b.) AMELIA DESGAGNES in 1990. U.S. Steel's SEWELL AVERY was laid up for the last time September 3, 1981, at Superior, Wisconsin. She was towed to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in 1987, where the superstructure was removed and the hull was sunk for use as a dock. THOMAS W. LAMONT was laid up for the last time at Duluth’s Hallett dock #6A on September 3, 1981. She was scrapped at Aliaga, Turkey, in 1987. H. H. PORTER sailed on her maiden voyage for the Brier Hill Steamship Co. (Pickands Mather, mgr.) on September 3, 1920, light from Lorain, Ohio, to load iron ore at Two Harbors, Minnesota. Renamed b.) WALTER E. WATSON in 1957 and c.) NATIONAL TRADER in 1973. She was scrapped at Thunder Bay, Ontario, in 1978. On September 3, 1985, PHILIP R. CLARKE plowed into the Drawbridge Cove Marina in Lorain's Black River, damaging 5-10 small craft and sinking one at the steel dock. CLARKE managed to stop before hitting the Route 6 drawbridge. On September 3,1887, BULGARIA (wooden propeller, 280 foot, 1,888 gross tons) was launched at West Bay City, Michigan, by J. Davidson, as their hull number 16. September 3, 1910 - The MARQUETTE & BESSEMER NO 2 (Hull#450) was launched in Cleveland, Ohio by the American Ship Building Co. for the Marquette & Bessemer Dock & Navigation Co. She was the replacement for MARQUETTE & BESSEMER NO 2 of 1905, (Hull#428), which foundered on Lake Erie, December 7, 1909. On September 3, 1869, the 167-foot wooden propeller BOSCOBEL burned about two miles below St. Clair, Michigan. Three lives were lost. The ship was only about two years old and was in service of the New York Central Railroad, though owned by the Peshtigo Lumbering Co. of Chicago. The burned hulk was raised in 1876 and rebuilt as a schooner-barge at Algonac, Michigan. She lasted until 1909, when she sank on Lake Huron. 1905: The GEORGE STEPHENSON was blown aground at Pointe Aux Pins, Lake Superior and struck by her consort barge JOHN A. ROEBLING. Both were released and returned to service. 1942: DONALD STEWART, a canal trader for Canada Steamship Lines, was torpedoed by U-517 and sunk while in a convoy on the Gulf of St. Lawrence while carrying barrels of aviation fuel and bulk cement for the air base at Goose Bay, Labrador. Three members of the engine room crew were lost. 1944: LIVINGSTON, a former Great Lakes canal ship, was torpedoed and sunk by U-541 in the Atlantic about 80 miles east of Cape Breton Island. Fourteen lives were lost but another 14 were spared and rescued. 1965: The tanker EASTERN SHELL sank the small wooden goelette MONT BLANC in a collision blamed on fog about 20 miles from Trois Rivieres. All crewmembers of the pulpwood carrier were rescued. 1970: KENNETH made a single trip to the Great Lakes in 1959. It caught fire in the engine room on this date off the coast of Israel while enroute from Alexandria, Egypt, to Tripoli, Libya, as h) CHRISTINA MARIA. The ship was abandoned by the crew, towed into Haifa, Israel, September 6 and sold to Israeli shipbreakers later in the year. 1998: ORKANGER, a chemical tanker that first came through the Seaway in 1977, began leaking while inbound at Rio Grande, Brazil, as e) BAHAMAS with 12,000 tons of sulphuric acid and sank in the harbor. The hull was eventually refloated but never repaired although it had subsequent renames and was reported as broken up in 2003 as h) ORIENT FLOWER. Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, David Swayze, Russ Plumb, Father Dowling Collection, James Neumiller, Jody L. Aho, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Port Reports - September 2
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Drummond Island, Mich. – Jake H.
Cedarville, Mich. – Jake H.
Milwaukee, Wis. – Paul Erspamer
Calcite, Mich. – Jake H.
Stoneport, Mich. – Jake H.
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas Regional and Welland Canal transits – Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
(Bronte) Oakville:
Clarkson:
Toronto:
Oshawa:
Oswego: |
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Researchers discover 2 century-old shipwrecks in Lake Huron 9/2 - Detroit, Mich. – Maritime archaeologists have discovered two shipwrecks more than a century old in the deep waters of Lake Huron. Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary officials announced Friday they recently confirmed the identities of the wooden steamer Ohio and steel-hulled steamer Choctaw. Researchers from the Alpena, Mich.-based sanctuary found what they believed to be the vessels during a May expedition. Officials say they plan future expeditions to the 202-foot-long Ohio and 266-foot Choctaw, which they add are well-preserved by Huron's cold freshwater. They also intend to nominate the shipwrecks for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The Ohio sunk in 1894 and the Choctaw in 1915. Both went down in collisions with other vessels. Both are in more than 200 feet of water off the coast of Michigan's Presque Isle. The Associated Press |
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Speed restrictions due to whales cause cruise ships to cancel visits 9/2 - Charlottetown, PEI – Three cruise lines have cancelled the Charlottetown part of their journey because of new speed restrictions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence intended to protect endangered right whales. Ten cruise visits have been cancelled so far, said Corryn Clemence, business development manager with the Port of Charlottetown. As a result, she estimates about 8,000 fewer cruise passengers will visit downtown Charlottetown in the coming weeks. In light of right whale deaths this summer, the Canadian government recently restricted ships 20 metres and longer to slow down by 10 knots, or about 18.5 kilometres per hour, to help prevent further deaths to the endangered species. "In order for them to maintain the scheduled itineraries they've booked, it's difficult for them, with that restricted speed zone, to make all of these scheduled calls on time," Clemence said. "It has no direct reflection of our relationship or ratings with the cruise line, it's just an unfortunate situation. We know that the cruise lines want to come here." Gaspe, Que., has also lost cruise ship visits, she said. Many restaurants, souvenir shops, taxis and tours cater to the thousands of cruise ship passengers. It's important to get the main players around the table to look at ways to "rectify" the issue without causing harm to the whales, said Mouflier. CBC |
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Coast Guard urges caution over holiday due to weather 9/2 - Cleveland, Ohio – The Coast Guard is urging caution across the Great Lakes due to potentially hazardous weather conditions over the Labor Day weekend. Small Craft Advisories and Beach Hazards Statements have been issued for Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron and Erie for various timeframes throughout the weekend. People visiting the beach should stay out of the water while beach hazards statements remain in effect. It is also advised to stay off rocks, jetties and piers, as high waves and heavy surfs can unexpectedly sweep a person off structures and into the water. Staying aware of weather conditions could easily save your life. Even after hazardous conditions have subsided, it can still take an additional day for lake conditions to calm. USCG |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 2 On 02 September 1902, the White Star Line’s TASHMOO (steel side-wheel excursion steamer, 308 foot, 1,344 gross tons, built in 1900, at Wyandotte, Michigan) hosted President Theodore Roosevelt when he came to Detroit, Michigan, to speak to Spanish American War veterans. The vessel took the president and his party on a sightseeing tour up and down the river while flying the president's blue and gold flag from the main mast. The BROOKNES (Hull #1177) was launched on September 2, 1970, at Glasgow, Scotland by Lithgows Ltd. for "Langra" Schiffahrsges G.m.b.H. & Co., Hamburg, Germany. Brought to the Lakes in 1976, converted to a self-unloader and renamed b.) ALGOSEA. She sailed most recently as c.) SAUNIERE. ROBERT KOCH's first trip was on September 2, 1977, up the Welland Canal bound for Buffalo with cement. The W. F. WHITE was one of the earliest ships built as a self-unloader on the Great Lakes. On her maiden voyage September 2, 1915, the WHITE loaded coal at Erie, Pennsylvania, and sailed for Menominee, Michigan. She was the largest self-unloading bulk carrier on the Lakes at that time with a cargo capacity of 10,500 tons. The RALPH H. WATSON departed light September 2, 1938, from Detroit, Michigan, upbound to load iron ore at Duluth, Minnesota. She was built as part of a fleet modernization plan for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co., Cleveland, Ohio, of four new "GOVERNOR MILLER' class bulk carriers, the other two were the JOHN HULST and the WILLIAM A. IRVIN. The WATSON was only the fourth steam turbine powered vessel on the Lakes HUBERT GAUCHER ran aground in the lower St. Lawrence on September 2, 1988. It took three tugs to free her; repairs took place at Quebec City. ZIEMIA TARNOWSKA lost her engine while docking at Pier 24, in Cleveland, ramming the dock and caused about $100,000 in damage on September 2, 1988. The Polish vessel had minimal damage to her bulbous bow. On 2 September 1851, BUNKER HILL (wooden sidewheeler, 154 foot, 457 tons, built in 1835, at Black River, Ohio) burned to a total loss at Tonawanda, New York. The COLONEL ELLSWORTH (wooden schooner, 138 foot, 319 gross tons, built in 1861, at Euclid, Ohio as a bark) was beached on Whitefish Point in Lake Superior the entire winter of 1895-96. She was repaired and put back into service late in the summer of 1896. Then, on 2 September 1896, the newly rebuilt vessel collided with the schooner EMILY B. MAXWELL about 6 miles from White Shoals on Lake Michigan and sank at about 4:00 a.m. Her crew escaped in the yawl and was picked up by the MAXWELL. 1905 The large wooden schooner PRETORIA, which cleared Superior with ore under tow of the VENEZUELA, hit a fierce storm and the steering gear failed. The vessel fell into the trough after the tow line snapped and the barge broke up off Outer Island. Five crew were rescued and another five were lost. 1905 IOSCO and the schooner OLIVE JEANETTE foundered off Huron Island, Lake Superior, with the loss of 19 lives on the former and another 7 on the latter. Both were downbound with iron ore and were last seen near Stannard Rock. Also, the SEVONA stranded on a reef in a Lake Superior storm and broke in two as a total loss. Seven drowned from the bow section when they tried to come ashore on hatch rafts. The wreck was dynamited in 1909 after the boilers had been salvaged. 1914 THOS. R. SCOTT became waterlogged and sank during a storm in the deepest part of Georgian Bay off the east coast of the Bruce Peninsula. The ship was swamped in a storm while carrying lumber from Cockburn Island to Owen Sound and all on board were saved. The hull was located using sidescan sonar in 1994. 1926 BURT BARNES, a wooden three-masted schooner, foundered in Lake Ontario while carrying 210 tons of coal from Sodus Point to Picton. The crew abandoned the ship in the yawl boat near Picton and were blown across the lake and came ashore safely 12 miles west of Rochester. 1972 The Cypriot freighter AEGIS WISDOM and the Italian vessel LIBRA collided in fog on the St. Lawrence near Les Escoumins. The former, which had been launched in March, was on her first trip outbound from the Seaway and was heavily damaged aft. The vessel was towed to Lauzon for repairs and survived until scrapping at Alang, India, as d) ANGELIKI II following arrival on January 14, 1997. LIBRA, dated from 1965 but did not come to the Great Lakes until 1975. It was scrapped in Mainland China as b) DEPY in 1986. 1975 CHICAGO TRIBUNE, enroute from Thunder Bay to Collingwood with grain, went aground in Georgian Bay and had to be lightered by the CHARLES W. JOHNSON, working with the tug ROD McLEAN. After being released and unloaded, the ship went to Port Weller Dry Docks for repairs. Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, David Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, James Neumiller, Jody L. Aho, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Port Reports - September 1
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Thunder Bay – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Marquette, Mich. – Rod Burdick
Cedarville, Mich. – Jake H.
S. Lake Michigan
Calcite, Mich. – Jake H.
Stoneport, Mich. – Jake H.
Rochester, N.Y. – Tom Brewer Regional and Welland Canal transits – Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal upbound:
Welland Canal downbound:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Anchorage off Hamilton:
(Bronte) Oakville:
Clarkson:
Toronto:
Oshawa: |
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Marine security zone planned at Mackinac Bridge during Labor Day walk 9/1 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The Coast Guard will enact a temporary security zone around the Mackinac Bridge as a security measure for the 2017 Annual Labor Day Bridge Walk Monday from 6 a.m., until event conclusion. The security zone includes all waters on either side of the Mackinac Bridge within one-quarter mile of the bridge. As part of enhanced security measures for this year’s event, all waters within the security zone will be closed to recreational vessel traffic. Only commercial vessels with a valid Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection or foreign equivalent, and under the command of a licensed mariner, will be permitted to transit through the security zone. Commercial vessels seeking to enter and transit the zone must obtain permission from the Coast Guard prior to entering the zone and should do so at least one hour in advance. Vessels should make initial contact with Vessel Traffic Services St. Mary’s River on VHF channel 12. All vessels entering or moving within the security zone must operate at speeds necessary to maintain a safe course and not exceed 12 knots. The on scene Coast Guard Patrol Commander may control the movement of all vessels in the security zone and may subject vessels intending to transit the zone to additional screening as a condition of entry. The Coast Guard may be assisted in the patrol and enforcement of this security zone by federal, state and local agencies. When hailed or signaled by an official patrol vessel, a vessel in the zone is required to immediately comply with the directions given. Uncooperative mariners will be expelled from the zone, cited for failure to comply, or both. All concerned traffic may contact the Coast Guard Patrol Commander on VHF channel 16. For further information, mariners may contact Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie at 906-635-3227. USCG |
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Port Authority to create office space at Erie’s cruise boat terminal 9/1 - Erie, Pa. – The Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority is seeking construction bids for work that will subdivide a portion of its cruise boat terminal on the city’s east bayfront into office space. The Port Authority is accepting bids through Sept. 8. A portion of the terminal’s lobby area will be transformed into 6,000 square feet of office space for a new tenant, Erie’s Boetger & Associates Inc., an actuarial and retirement plan services firm now located at 1030 State St. The 16,000-square-foot cruise boat terminal is at 1 Holland St., adjacent to Blasco Library and the Port Authority’s Intermodal Transportation Center. The Port Authority uses the remaining 10,000 square feet at the terminal for its operations. The building has no other tenants. Brenda Sandberg, the Port Authority’s executive director, said a five-year lease with Boetger & Associates has been approved by the authority’s board of directors. The deal will pay the Port Authority $29,700 in each of the first two years of the deal, $39,600 in the third year and $46,200 in each of the fourth and fifth years, Sandberg said. Renovation work, Sandberg said, will include electrical, heating, ventilation and air conditioning and general contracting renovations, and is expected to cost between $200,000 and $500,000. “It’s space we previously used (to rent) for events, and now it’s going to be used for an office,” Sandberg said. Completed in 2002, the 16,000-square-foot cruise boat terminal cost nearly $5 million. The Port Authority envisioned the facility as one that would accommodate the largest Great Lakes cruise ships, and serve as a home base to a high-speed ferry service that would offer round-trip service to Canada for passengers and vehicles during the spring, summer and fall. However, “there hasn’t been the demand” for Great Lakes cruises in the Erie region, and the ferry service never materialized. Sandberg said creation of office space for Boettger & Associates would not prevent the facility from being used for Great Lakes cruises if that business were to pick up. “We could make accommodations that most likely would include relocation of the Port Authority offices,” Sandberg said. GoErie.com |
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Today in Great Lakes History - September 1 September 1, 1880, the Cleveland Vessel Owners Association, later Lake Carriers’ Association, was created, with Alva Bradley as its first president. September 1, 1892, the upbound WESTERN RESERVE, flagship of the Kinsman fleet, sank approximately 60 miles above Whitefish Point. There were 31 casualties among the crew and passengers. The lone survivor was Wheelsman Harry W. Stewart. On 01 September 1891, EDWARD H. JENKS (wooden propeller freighter, 119 foot over all, 180 gross tons, built in 1882, at Port Dover, Ontario as the passenger/package freight steamer E.M. FOSTER) was carrying limestone up the Detroit River during a foggy night when she collided with GEORGE W. MORLEY (wooden propeller freighter, 193 foot, 1,045 gross tons, built in 1888, at W. Bay City, Michigan) in a misunderstanding of passing signals. Three were killed in the collision and the JENKS quickly sank at Ballard's Reef on the Detroit River. Her cargo kept her in place until she was recovered the following month and rebuilt. Tragedy struck four days after the launch of the AGAWA CANYON, September 1, 1970, when the ship was rocked by an engine room explosion, killing one of the crew and injuring seven more. The AGAWA CANYON entered service in November, 1970, equipped with four 10 cylinder, two stroke cycle, single acting opposed piston diesel engines, built in 1970, by Fairbanks, Morse (Canada), Kingston, Ontario. Total bhp 6,680. Rated service speed: 12 knots (13.8 mph). The TEMPLE BAR (Hull#101G) was launched September 1, 1970, at Govan, Scotland by the Govan Division of Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Ltd. for Lambert Bros. (Shipping) Ltd., London, England. Renamed b.) LAKE NIPIGON in 1977, c.) LAKETON in 1984, d.) LAKE NIPIGON in 1986, and e.) ALGONORTH in 1987. Upon her arrival at Quebec City on September 1, 1962, the LAKE WINNIPEG was the first vessel of the Nipigon Transport Ltd. (Carryore Ltd., mgr.) fleet. The self-unloader B.H. TAYLOR (Hull#787) was launched September 1, 1923, at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co., the third self-unloader built for the Bradley Transportation Co., Rogers City, Michigan. Renamed b.) ROGERS CITY in 1957. Scrapped at Recife, Brazil in 1988. From September 1, 1947, to September 15, 1959, the U.S.C.G.C. MESQUITE was stationed at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. On 1 September 1854, ABIAH (2-mast wooden schooner or brig, 134 foot, 353 tons, built in 1848, at Irving, New York) was sailing light from Chicago, Illinois, to Oconto, Wisconsin, when she capsized and sank in a squall about 10 miles off Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The schooner L. LUDDINGTON rescued her crew and 2 passengers. The 135-foot wooden schooner JOSEPH E. SPARROW was launched at Bangor, Michigan, on 1 September 1873. On 1 September 1900, the Canadian steamer ADVANCE (wooden propeller package freighter, 168 foot, 1,178 gross tons, built in 1884, at St. Catharines, Ontario) was placed in service. In August 1899, when she was named SIR S. L. TILLEY, she had caught fire off shore, about 7 miles from Fairport, Ohio, and was destroyed. However, the hull was later recovered and used as the basis of the steamer ADVANCE. She lasted in this role until 1903, when she burned again. September 1, 1919 - A switchman was killed in the yard at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, while the ANN ARBOR No. 6 was being loaded. This caused a delay of four hours in her sailing time. September 1, 1931 - W. L. Mercereau retired as superintendent of steamships, a position he had held since 1899. 1916 DRONNING MAUD, a Norwegian freighter visited the Great Lakes on charter to Keystone Transports beginning in 1909. It hit a mine in the North Sea on this date and sank off the east coast of England, between Southwall and Lowestoft. 1929 EDWARD BUCKLEY caught fire and was destroyed in the North Channel of Georgian Bay. The blaze broke out aft while enroute to Little Current to load pulpwood. The hull burned to the waterline and sank near Narrow Island Lighthouse. Local fishermen rescued the crew. 1936 The Canadian canaller BENMAPLE of the Port Colborne & St. Lawrence Navigation Company, sank in the St. Lawrence at about 0400 hours, near Father Point, after being hit in fog by the inbound liner LAFAYETTE. A wheelsman was killed but all others on board were rescued. 1983 INDIANA HARBOR sets a record loading 67,896 tons of iron ore at Escanaba. Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, David Swayze, Russ Plumb, Father Dowling Collection, James Neumiller, Jody L. Aho, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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