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International shipping down 3.5% on the Great Lakes 9/21 - International shipments through the St. Lawrence Seaway to Great Lakes ports like the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor have fallen by 3.5% so far this year. Cargos have totaled 20.9 million tons from the start of the shipping season on March 22 through the end of August, according to the Chamber of Marine Commerce. Shipments of construction materials, road salt, aluminum and wind energy components picked up last month. “Great Lakes ports have been busy moving cargo supporting the construction and renewable energy sectors. Aluminum shipments from Canada to the U.S., which are used in automotive manufacturing, have also resumed this season following the lifting of trade tariffs,” Chamber of Marine Commerce President Bruce Burrows said. “These gains have been offset by a 20 percent decline in U.S. grain exports via the St. Lawrence Seaway after flooding this past spring prevented some U.S. farmers from getting into their fields to plant corn and soybeans.” The U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation reported year-over-year increases in August of salt, ore, general cargo, stone, and cement shipments. “Shipments of project cargo, particularly windmill components, remained strong in August," U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation Deputy Administrator Craig H. Middlebrook said. "We are also seeing solid gains in dry bulk commodities as we head into what is traditionally the busiest time of the Seaway navigation season.” So far this year, shipments of salt on the Great Lakes are up 23.7%, cement and clinkers by 1%, stone by 10.5%, ore by 81.3% and other general cargo by 99.4%. NW Indiana Times |
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Algoma Central announces agreement to acquire Croatian-built vessel 9/21 - St. Catharines, ON – Algoma Central Corporation has announced it has reached an agreement with 3Maj Brodogradiliste d.d. of Croatia under which Algoma will acquire a new Equinox Class 650-foot-long self-unloading dry-bulk carrier upon completion of the vessel by the shipyard. The vessel, the second of two such ships that were to be built by 3Maj for the company, is partially built and moored at the 3Maj shipyard in Rijeka. Work on the vessel was halted in 2017 when the shipyard entered an extended period of financial difficulties. Algoma took delivery of the Algoma Innovator, a sister ship and the first ship built under a two-vessel contract, near the beginning of the 2018 navigation season. Algoma cancelled the contract for the second ship along with the contracts for three Seaway-max self-unloading vessels in 2018 as a result of the financial problems at the shipyard. Under this new contract, 3Maj will complete the vessel with financing provided by the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR) and has committed to a delivery date of September 15, 2020. Algoma will pay the agreed price of the vessel at delivery, subject to certain penalties for late delivery, including a cancellation right if delivery is delayed beyond an agreed date. When completed, hull 733 will be named Algoma Intrepid. She will join her sister ship Algoma Innovator, which entered service in early 2018, as the newest and most efficient river-class vessels to enter the Great Lakes market in nearly 40 years. Both ships feature forward-mounted booms permitting cargo to be delivered at hard to reach docks typical of Algoma’s short-sea customers. Algoma Central Corp. |
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Port Reports - September 21 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known).
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
St. Marys River
Green Bay, WI Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages - Friday September 20 – Barry Andersen Nanticoke: arrivals - Sep 20 - tug Sharon M I & Niagara Spirit at 1417 and Algoma Buffalo at 1738 - docked - Sep 19 - tug Albert (ex-Craig Eric Reinauer-18, El Bronco Grande-06, Hercules-81) & barge Margaret at 2223 - departed - Sep 19 - Damia Desgagnes at 2204 - Sep 20 - Algoma Enterprise at 1702 - both eastbound Welland Canal: upbound - Fed 19 - Federal Columbia (Mhl) at 0355 stopped wharf 2 - Sep 20 - Algoma Buffalo at 0038, Floragracht (Nld) at 0610 downbound - Sep 19 - Frontenac at 0859 stopping wharf 19E - Sep 20 - BBC Leda (Atg) at 0039, Damia Desgagnes at 0457, Algoma Niagara at 0538, Algoma Equinox at 0636, Algoma Transport at 1343, Tecumseh at 1418 Welland Canal docks: docked - Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller - departures - Sep 19 - tug Everlast & Norman McLeod at 2030from wharf 16 - Sep 20 - Frontenac at 0835 from wharf 19E westbound and tug Sharon M I & Niagara Spirit at 0925 from wharf 16 - all westbound Hamilton: arrivals - Sep 20 - Algoma Harvester at 1954 - anchored - Sep 20 - Federal Yoshino (Mhl) at 1130 docked - Sep 18 - Ruddy (Cyp) at 1106 - Sep 19 - Algoscotia at 0036, Stella Polaris (Nld) at 0251, Blacky (Cyp) at 1255 - departures - Sep 20 - Algoscotia at 1807 and Selasse (Mlt) (ex Selay-7) at 1514 - both eastbound Clarkson: arrival - Sep 20 - Robert S Pierson at 1422 Mississauga: docked - Sep 16 - Hinch Spirit at 0200 Toronto: arrival - Sep 20 - NACC Capri (Atg) at 0802 - docked - Sep 19 - tug Petite Forte & St Marys Cement at 0227, Algoma Buffalo at 1738 and Barnacle (Cyp) at 1748 - departed - Sep 19 - Algoma Buffalo at 2302 for the canal
Rochester, NY – Tom Brewer |
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Civil War-era ships that collided, sank in 1878 found in Lake Michigan 9/21 - Charlevoix, MI - Two massive Civil War-era ships were discovered in Lake Michigan this month about 50 miles from where they were thought to have collided and sank. The schooners Peshtigo and St. Andrews, lost in 1878 in northern Lake Michigan, were discovered in an “amazing state of preservation” about 200 feet below the surface between Beaver Island and North Fox Island off the shore of Charlevoix, according to a news release from Shipwreck World. The discovery was first viewed by underwater camera during June 2019, the release states. Long-time diver and explorer Bernie Hellstrom, of Boyne City, located an obstruction at the site in 2010 while using a bottom sounder. When he lowered his custom camera system in June, Hellstrom found a ship graveyard, according to the release. The remains of the two tall ships lay only 10 feet apart at the bottom. Their masts were laid over each other and coal was strewn across the sand. A huge hole in one of the hulls indicates that the vessels crashed and sank quickly. The find was a “real mystery,” because there was no record schooner collision within 50 miles, according to the release. The Peshtigo and St. Andrews were thought to have gone down in Lake Huron in the eastern Straits of Mackinac. The location was presumed after an 1857 flying eagle penny was found in the mast step of a wreck that was thought to be the St. Andrews. But the Peshtigo was never found in that area despite searches. Marine historian Brendon Baillod went on a fact-finding mission and discovered that many news accounts of the St. Andrews-Peshtigo disaster placed the collision in Lake Michigan between Charlevoix and Beaver Island – the approximate location of Hellstrom’s ship graveyard, according to the release. Technical divers John Janzen and John Scoles were recruited to descend to the eerie site, which lies beyond normal sport diving depths. Paul Ehorn was brought in to handle surface support with his specialized dive boat. Janzen and Scoles’ dive resulted in a high-definition video that reveals evidence of a dramatic and violent disaster. Dives and investigation confirm that the ships at the bottom of Lake Michigan between Beaver Island and North Fox Island are the St. Andrews and Peshtigo - “two iconic Great Lakes sailing ships from the Civil War era,” the release states. Read more and view images and video at this link: https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/09/civil-war-era-ships-that-collided-sank-in-1878-found-in-lake-michigan.html |
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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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Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry unveils new name for $4M jet-driven boat 9/20 - Mackinaw City, MI – Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry has announced its new $4M jet-driven boat will be named the William Richard, in honor of the Shepler family’s patriarch. The name-unveiling was done at a public gathering at the ferry service’s Mackinaw City docks. The moniker on the new boat will be a 60-ton hat tip to the Shepler’s CEO, Bill Shepler, 87. He was there at the company’s beginning in 1945, and while he now leaves the day-to-day business operations to his children, he can still be seen helping passengers on the ferry docks. “Our father is the guy that is responsible for where we are today,” said Chris Shepler, company president and third-generation captain. “To be able to cement his legacy through naming our new vessel is an honor to him, which is so well-deserved.” Bill Shepler’s father was the Capt. William H. Shepler, who used a speed boat to get a handful of passengers at time over to Mackinac Island more than 75 years ago. Today, Shepler’s fleet of ferries transports more than 600,000 people to the island during the season. When finished next year, the new 210-passenger ferry will be able to cruise across the Straits of Mackinac at 30 mph, whisking guests, luggage and cargo between the mainland docks and Mackinac Island. It is being built by Moran Iron Works in Onaway, which also built Shepler’s most recent passenger boat - the Miss Margy. That ferry made its debut in 2015. The new boat will feature four HamiltonJet HM461 series waterjets to propel it through the water. This is meant to ensure a faster, quieter trip. The new ferry will be wheelchair-accessible, with plenty of room for bikes, baby strollers and luggage on its aft deck. Once it is ready, it will be taken by trailer to a deep-water port in Rogers City, where it will be then be sailed to Shepler’s docks in Mackinaw City. Shepler’s is one of two ferry services that run regularly-scheduled trips each day to and from Mackinac Island and mainland ports in summer and fall. The family-run business has expanded its island trip service in recent years to include scenic cruises built around lighthouses, sunsets, fireworks and skywatching trips. M Live |
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Duluth-Superior port on pace for banner year 9/20 - An increase in overseas wheat exports from the port of Duluth-Superior is keeping the port’s overall tonnage on pace to beat its 2018 totals and five-year average. Through Aug. 31, exports of grain were up 5% compared to the same time last year, mainly with grain from western Minnesota and the Dakotas, according to a Chamber of Marine Commerce news release. Shipments of iron ore and wind turbine components were also near-record pace. “Cargo movement in the Port of Duluth-Superior remained brisk through August,” said Jayson Hron, a Duluth Seaway Port Authority spokesperson, in the release. “Iron ore led the way, finishing the month more than 15 percent ahead of the five-year average and within 2 percent of last season’s pace, which was a 23-season high. We also welcomed several shipments of wind energy cargo in August, continuing a near-record pace for that particular cargo.” Water levels throughout the Great Lakes have been near record highs since spring, making it possible to load ships with heavier loads, but it’s also slowed shipping traffic on the St. Lawrence Seaway. In an interview with the News Tribune, Hron didn’t attribute the port of Duluth-Superior’s high cargo numbers to the ability to load more tonnages in higher-than-normal water levels on the Great Lakes, but said the high-water levels “create both challenge and opportunity.” On one hand, Hron said, “ships can sail at a deeper draft and carry more tonnage per shipment in high-water situations, and that makes each shipment more profitable.” As an example, Hron said the Edwin H. Gott, a 1,000-foot-long lake freighter owned by Key Lakes Inc., which operates the Great Lakes Fleet of ore boats for Canadian National Railway, can carry an additional 267 tons of iron ore per inch of draft. “That's something like $26,000 worth of extra iron ore per inch. So if you multiply that by 2 or 3 inches of extra water and extra draft, and multiply it by, perhaps, 30 trips over the course of a shipping season, that adds up to significant benefits for everyone, including consumers,” Hron said. Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves said in a July earnings call with investors that the high-water levels were helping his company move more iron ore pellets produced in Minnesota and Michigan to further down the Great Lakes for steelmaking. “We have so much water in the lakes that we can load the boats above and beyond what was the draft line before, and we are really taking advantage of that because we have depths in the lakes that are favoring transportation,” Goncalves said. But on the other hand, high waters also cause powerful currents that force ships to sail at a lower speed or require the hiring of tugs to guide it through ports, Hron said. He said the currents can also cause sediment to pile up below sensitive channels. Read more at this link: https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/business/transportation/4668684-Duluth-Superior-port-on-pace-for-banner-year |
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Port Reports - September 20 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known).
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
Sturgeon Bay, WI
Goderich, ON – Bruce Douglas
Detroit-Rouge River – Raymond H
Cleveland, OH – Bill Kloss Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages for Thursday September 19 – Barry Andersen Nanticoke: arrivals - Sep 19 - Algoma Entereprise at 2006 - docked - Sep 18 - Damia Desgagnes at 1604 - departed - Sep 19 - Algoterra at 1641 eastbound Long Point Bay anchorage: anchored - Sep 19 - tug Albert (ex Craig Eric Reinaurer-18, El Bronco Grande-06, Hercules-81 & Margaret at 0802 Welland Canal: upbound - Sep 18 - tug Everlast & Norman McLeod at 2148 and BBC Hudson (Atg) at 2326 - Sep 19 - light tug Ocean Golf at 0233 to assist Federal Columbia, Federal Columbia (Mhl) at 0355 ) stopping wharf 2), Algoma Enterprise at 0612, tug Sea Eagle II & St Marys Cement II at 0926 and Shoveler (Cyp) at 1926 downbound - Sep 18 - Narie (Bhs) at 1732, Algoma Buffalo at 1756, Algonorth at 2040, Rt Hon Paul J Martin at 2125 and Thunder Bay at 2155 - Sep 19 - CSL Assiniboine at 0047, tug Sharon M I & Niagara Spirit at 0241 (stopping wharf 16, Frontenac at 0859 stopping wharf 19E, Algoma Strongfield at 0512, CCGS Cape Providence at 0948, Algoterra at 1957 and Federal Baltic (Mhl) eta 2055 Welland Canal docks: docked - Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller - Sep 19 - tug Sharon M I & Niagara Spirit at 0310 (stopping wharf 16, tug Everlast & Norman McLeod at 0842 stopping wharf 16 and Frontenac at 0925 stopping wharf 19E, Port Weller anchorage: anchored - Sep 14 - Barnacle (Cyp) at 1200 - departure - Sep 19 - Barnacle (Cyp) at 1205 for Toronto Hamilton: arrivals - Sep 19 - Algoscotia at 0036, Stella Polaris (Nld) at 0251, Blacky (Cyp) at 1255 - docked - Sep 18 - Ruddy (Cyp) at 1106 - Sep 19 - Selasse (Mlt) (ex Selay-7) at 1620 from the anchorage - departures - Sep Clarkson: arrival - Sep 18 - Algoma Enterprise at 0223 and Robert S Pierson at 1541 - departed - Sep 19 - Algoma Enterprise at 0431 for the canal and Robert S Pierson at 1319 eastbound Mississauga: docked - Sep 16 - Hinch Spirit at 0200 Toronto: arrival - Sep 19 - Barnacle (Cyp) at 1748 from anchorage - departed - Sep 19 - Victory II (Bhs) (ex Sea Discoverer-18, Coastal Queen-17, Clipper Discoverer-09, Cape Cod Light-07) at 1438 for Brockville and Shoveler (Cyp) at 1748 for Duluth |
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Artist's work decorates park, reminds locals of city's maritime past 9/20 - Port Huron, MI - More than just natural beauty can be found in Marine City's parks.Thanks to a local artist and not so local artist, the city parks have been adorned with new mosaic art along the St. Clair River. "These beautiful additions are the creation of local artist, Heather Bokram, and each one depicts ships built in Marine City," Marine City Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Erika DeLange said in an email. Eight different pieces of mosaic art can be found divided among Drake Park, River Park, Watchman Park and Broadway Park in Marine City. The pieces have names like "The Maud," ''The Mary" and "The Northerner." The creation started around eight or nine years ago, when Bokram, 79, who also founded the Historical Society of Marine City, used old photos to create pastel drawings of the ships. All the ships displayed were made in Marine City's many shipyards that lined the banks of the St. Clair River and Belle River in the 1800s, Bokram told the Times Herald . "This kind of brings them to life again," she said. She wanted people in Marine City to be more aware and prouder of the history and the accomplishments of the city's past. Belle River didn't use to have steel walls like it does now and it was wider. The land on the river was lined with the ship builders, which built around 250 or more of these ships and was one of the bigger shipbuilding towns around the Great Lakes, Bokram said. Although Bokram made the pastel drawings years ago, the other part of the project didn't get started until about a year ago, when glass mosaic muralist Allison Eden in New York started working on the mosaic part. Bokram said the people undertaking the project tried to find someone in Michigan to do it, but it was a big project that not everyone was willing to take on. Eden, however, was. Bokram took the pastel work, blew it up to the size she wanted it to be and sent that to Eden. Eden did the mosaic part in New York and sent the pieces back to Michigan. Now the pieces can be seen in the parks. Bokram is excited to see her artwork displayed and hopes residents and visitors enjoy it. The Associated Press |
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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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Lake Michigan water levels may break a record in 2020, officials say 9/19 - Grand Haven, MI – The high water levels on Lake Michigan that have impacted counties statewide could break a record in 2020, officials said Tuesday. Based on current conditions, the water levels on Lake Michigan and Lake Huron in 2020 will start higher than they did in 2019, said Keith Kompoltowicz, chief of watershed hydrology at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District. Ottawa County is one of six in Michigan that has received assistance from the USACE this summer to deal with water damages. Representatives from the organization gave a presentation Tuesday in Grand Haven, where officials expect damages will reach $500,000. "Across all of those counties, we've provided upwards of 200,000 sandbags and then multiple hours of technical assistance via site visits and phone calls," said Krystle Walker, an emergency management specialist with the USACE Detroit District. The water levels have caused numerous cases of shoreline erosion, which have threatened homes and infrastructure. Weather patterns and storms have also caused coastal flooding. The Great Lakes recently started their seasonal decline, just shy of a record set for water levels in 1986. That decline doesn't mean areas won't see an impact, Kompoltowicz said. "We're getting into the time of year where we see very strong storms rolling over the Great Lakes, so the impacts heading into the fall and early winter could still be very significant," he said. The current USACE Great Lakes water level forecast extends out to February 2020. Water levels could exceed the 1986 record depending on the winter, Kompoltowicz said. "If we see a ton of snowfall followed with another wet spring, then levels would tend to rise quickly again to start 2020," he said. Grand Haven Tribune |
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Port Reports - September 19 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known).
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
Green Bay, WI – Jim Conlon
Milwaukee, WI – Wisconsin Marine Historical Society
Goderich, ON – Bruce Douglas
Detroit-Rouge River – Raymond H
Cleveland, OH – Bill Kloss Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages - Wednesday September 18, Barry Andersen Nanticoke: arrivals - Sep 18 - CSL Niagara at 1358, Damia Desgagnes at 1604 and Algoterra eta 2105 - departed - Sep 18 - Algoscotia at 0759 eastbound and Algoma Hansa at 1513 westbound Long Point Bay anchorage: anchored Sep 17 - Damia Desgagnes at 1134 - departed -Sep 18 - at 1542 for the dock Buffalo (Tonawanda): departed Tonawanda - Sep 18 - tug Calusa Coast & Delaware at 0735 westbound Welland Canal: upbound - Sep 17 - Kaministiqua at 1552, Algoma Transport at 1714 and Lubie (Bhs) at 2236 from the Port Weller anchorage - Sep 18 - tug Wilf Seymour & Alouette Spirit at 0244, Hamburg (Deu) (ex c Columbus-12) at 0423, Victory II (Bhs) (ex Sea Discoverer-18, Coastal Queen-17, Clipper Discoverer-09, Cape Cod Light-07) at 0701 stopping at wharf 2,Algoterra at 0724, tug Sea Eagke II & St Marys Cement II at 0926, Baie Comeau at 1302, John D Leitch at 1413, tug Everlast & Norman McLeod eta 2120 and BBC Hudson (Atg) eta 2135 downbound - Sep 17 - Algonova at 2145 - Sep 18 - NACC Capri (Mlt) at 0428, Algoma Conveyor at 0625, Algoscotia at 1135, tug Petite Forte & St Marys Cement at 1333, Narie (Bhs) at 1732, Algoma Buffalo at 1756, Algonorth at 2040, Rt Hon Paul J Martin eta 2110 and Thunder Bay eta 2120 Welland Canal docks: docked - Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller - Sep 18 - Victory II (Bhs) (ex Sea Discoverer-18, Coastal Queen-17, Clipper Discoverer-09, Cape Cod Light-07) docked wharf 2 at 0725 - departed Sep 18 from wharf 2 at 1656 for Toronto before heading eastbound Port Weller anchorage: anchored - Sep 14 - Barnacle (Cyp) at 1200 - departure - Sep 17 - Lubie (Bhs) at 2210 approx. for the canal Hamilton: arrival - Ruddy (Cyp) at 1106 - anchored - Sep 16 - Selasse (Mlt) (ex Selay-7) at 1620 Clarkson: arrival - Sep 18 - Algoma Enterprise at 0223 and Robert S Pierson at 1541 Mississauga: docked - Sep 16 - Hinch Spirit at 0200 Toronto: arrival - Sep 18 - Victory II (Bhs) (ex Sea Discoverer-18, Coastal Queen-17, Clipper Discoverer-09, Cape Cod Light-07) at 1835 from Port Weller wharf 2 - docked - Sep 15 - Shoveler (Cyp) at 1630 - departed - Sep 18 - NACC Argonaut at 0217 eastbound |
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Obituary: Lori Johnston 9/19 - - With heavy hearts we announce the passing of our long-time friend and colleague, Lori Johnston. She passed peacefully in her sleep on Saturday September 14. She worked in the office with the Inland Steel fleet and Central Marine Logistics for over 40 years. Lori was an avid animal lover and supported Illinois Alaskan Malamute rescue Association. (IAMRA) If you would like to memorialize her life the family has asked donations be made to IAMRA. The website is www.iamra.org. Central Marine Logistics |
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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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U.S. Great Lakes ports report busy August 9/18 - U.S. Great Lakes ports reported a busy August, shipping construction materials, road salt, aluminum and wind energy components. Despite those areas of strength, bi-national cargo volumes via the St. Lawrence Seaway (from March 22 to August 31) at 20.9 million metric tons were down 3.5 percent compared to the same period in 2018. “Great Lakes ports have been busy moving cargo supporting the construction and renewable energy sectors. Aluminum shipments from Canada to the U.S., which are used in automotive manufacturing, have also resumed this season following the lifting of trade tariffs,” says Bruce Burrows, President of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. “These gains have been offset by a 20 percent decline in U.S. grain exports via the St. Lawrence Seaway after flooding this past spring prevented some U.S. farmers from getting into their fields to plant corn and soybeans.” The Port of Duluth-Superior, however, is seeing an increase in overseas wheat exports from Western Minnesota and the Dakotas. Outbound grain tonnage tracked nearly five percent ahead of last year’s pace, helping push the Port’s overall tonnage slightly ahead of 2018 and the five-year average. Jayson Hron, Director of Communications and Marketing Duluth Seaway Port Authority adds: “Cargo movement in the Port of Duluth-Superior remained brisk through August. Iron ore led the way, finishing the month more than 15 percent ahead of the five-year average and within two percent of last season’s pace, which was a 23-season high. We also welcomed several shipments of wind energy cargo in August, continuing a near-record pace for that particular cargo.” The Port of Green Bay had an excellent month, totaling 316,224 tons of cargo moved; an 18 percent year-to-date increase in tonnage from August 2018. Limestone, up 75 percent over 2018, and petroleum products, a 72 percent increase in foreign exports and a 47 percent increase in foreign imports, were the largest contributors to the increase, along with an increase in salt. “As we make our way into winter, stockpiles of salt are building up,” says Port Director Dean Haen. “In Wisconsin, salt is an important commodity that keeps our roads and drivers safe from ice. We’re likely to continue seeing salt as a major import in the following months.” Through August 2019, the Port of Toledo has handled over 5.4 million tons of cargo. “While our cargo tonnage total is nearly identical to the 2018 and 2017 shipping seasons, the commodity mix is always changing,” says Joseph Cappel, VP Business Development for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. “In 2019, the Port has seen an increase in aluminum and steel, petroleum products and dry bulk products, while iron ore held steady.” Coal and grain were down from 2018, which offset some of the increases. “Cargo diversity continues to be key in our business strategy,” adds Cappel. “When one cargo category is down, generally something else is up.” The Port of Toledo also handled several project cargo shipments of windmill components and continues to set a brisk pace for direct overseas traffic with 35 salties loaded or unloaded through August. Chamber of Marine Commerce |
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Great Lakes icebreaking yields frosty debate 9/18 - Attention on Great Lakes infrastructure has come furiously of late — regional congressmen riding ore boats to highlight the importance of the Soo Locks, industry reports emphasizing how valuable lakes’ trade is to the economy, and a summerlong emphasis on how vital attaining new icebreaking assets has become. But not all is rosy, as two major trade organizations, one Canadian, one American, have taken umbrage with how each is approaching the difficult procurement of new icebreaking assets. In July, the News Tribune reported on $10 million wending through Congress that would “scope” a new Great Lakes icebreaker, by studying for needs and design. For the Chamber of Marine Commerce based in Ottawa, it was hardly news at all. “When you get excited in the U.S. system is when it gets financed and a budget item is approved and passed through Congress,” Chamber President Bruce Burrows told the News Tribune. Burrows spoke after the Chamber announced in August that Canada was already funding and taking requests for bid on a half dozen new icebreakers. The timeline put the first new arrivals within eight years of completion — ahead of the U.S. curve. Additionally, the Canadians were going about recommissioning up to four more used Swedish icebreakers. Burrows said his agency has a campaign asking for five of the new icebreakers — two in the Upper Great Lakes, two for lakes Superior and Michigan, and one to be stationed in the St. Lawrence River leading to the Atlantic Ocean. It seemed like an over-ask in an effort to receive at least some assets. “We’re cautiously optimistic,” said Burrows, forecasting “a reasonable amount of upgrading and modernization” on the Great Lakes. But the Lake Carriers' Association, based in Ohio and representing nearly 50 U.S.-flagged vessels on the Great Lakes, scoffed at the Canadian claims. “I have absolutely zero faith that any of those Canadian icebreakers will be home ported on the Great Lakes,” Lake Carriers' President James Weakley said. “This is all about the Arctic.” Weakley was referring to the Arctic Ocean, where diminishing ice caps have created an international race for dominance of the globe’s northernmost trade routes. The Navy Times announced in April $1.9 billion in spending for a new fleet of United States Coast Guard and Naval icebreakers to be built in Mississippi and unequivocally bound for the Arctic. Weakley was critical of the current arrangement on the Great Lakes, where the U.S. has one heavy icebreaker (the Mackinaw), and eight other buoy tenders and tugs equipped for ice-breaking. The Canadians offer two — the Samuel Risley and the Griffon — and have seen five ice-capable assets leave and not be replaced in the past few decades. “That’s our frustration right now,” Weakley said. “The U.S. Coast Guard will tell you they’re one big happy family and that they operate the Great Lakes as a system (with Canada), but it’s really to the Canadian industry and government benefit.” The Canadians boast a greater assemblage of lakers than the U.S., some 80 vessels that are generally smaller than the U.S.’s biggest ore boats. “To supply icebreaking resources for all those Canadian lakers with two vessels is impossible,” Weakley said. “(Yet) they've gone from seven icebreakers to two and had no reduction of service." Read more and view images at this link: https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/business/4664285-Great-Lakes-icebreaking-yields-frosty-debate |
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Port Reports - September 18 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known).
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
Cleveland, OH – Bill Kloss Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages - Tuesday September 17, Barry Andersen Nanticoke: Sep 16 - arrival - Algoma Hansa at 1347 from the anchorage - Sep 17 - Algoscotia at 1634 - departed - Sep 17 Edwin H Gott at 1418 westbound Long Point Bay anchorage: anchored Sep 17 - Damia Desgagnes at 1134 - departed Sep 16 - Algoma Hansa at 1325 for the dock Welland Canal: upbound - Sep 16 - Algoma Spirit at 1856, Victory I (Bhs) (ex Saint Laurent-16, Sea Voyager-15, Cape May Light-09) at 1924, Damia Desgagnes at 2030 and Algoscotia at 2309 - Sep 17 - Lubie (Bhs) ar 0420 - anchored at Port Weller, COE Leni (Lbr) (ex Marselisborg-16, Clipper Anne-14, Marselisborg-12) at 0534, Ojibway at 0921, Federal Cedar (Mhl) at 1025, Kaministiqua at 1552 and Algoma Transport at 1714 downbound - Sep 16 - Algosea at 1734 - Sep 17 - Patras (Mlt) (ex Gan-Sword-10) at 0054, Algoma Enterprise at 1123 and Algonova eta 2045 Welland Canal docks: docked - Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller Port Weller anchorage: anchored - Sep 14 - Barnacle (Cyp) at 1200 - Sep 17 - Lubie ( Bhs) at 0443 from Hamilton - departure - Sep 17 - Lubie (Bhs) etd 2200 for the canal Hamilton: anchored - Sep 16 - Selasse (Mlt) (ex Selay-7) at 1620 - arrivals - Sep 17 - Algoma Transport at 0128 - departed - Sep 17 - Lubie (Bhs) at 0240 for Duluth-Superior and Algoma Transport at 1432 for the canal and Evans Spirit at 1704 eastbound Clarkson: arrival - Sep 17 - Robert S Pierson at 0452 - departed Sep 17 at 1424 eastbound Mississauga: docked - Sep 16 - Hinch Spirit at 0200 Toronto: arrival - Sep 17 NACC Argonaut at 0108 - docked - Sep 15 - Shoveler (Cyp) at 1630 Oshawa: arrival - Sep 16 - NACC Quebec at 1502- departed Sep 17 at 0913 eastbound
Oswego, NY – Ned Goebricher
Rochester, NY – Tom Brewer |
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Watch freighters travel through Soo Locks via webcams 9/18 - Sault Ste. Marie, MI - – Ever want to see the Soo Locks in action, but live far away from Sault Ste. Marie? Well now you can. New webcams feature views of the upper approach, chamber, lower approach and the east center pier. The cameras allow those interested to view the “Linchpin of the Great Lakes” from four unique camera angles. The Army Corps of Engineers noted Sept. 13 that some users are having trouble viewing the webcams and that it is looking into the issue. MLive was able to bypass the security certification warning by using the advanced settings. https://soowebcams.lre.usace.army.mil M Live |
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$830M Toledo HBI plant will create jobs, boost economy 9/18 - Toledo, OH – Considered the largest construction project in the Great Lakes, the new Cleveland-Cliffs hot briquetted iron (HBI) plant in Toledo, Ohio, is already being described as a landmark facility. When it opens next year, the $830 million plant will have the nominal capacity to produce 1.9 million metric tons of HBI per year. "It's truly amazing to see a project of this magnitude take off," said Joe Cappel, vice president of business development of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. "Currently, the largest crawler crane in the world, with a 3,000-ton lift capacity, is at work helping construct portions of the furnace, which will be visible for miles. Coordinating the volume of construction workers and sequenced activities is truly a team effort. There are road improvement projects happening simultaneously with building construction, site work, conveyor installation and utility work on a massive scale." In 2008, the former Chevron refinery brownfield site was acquired by the Port Authority, so the port area could be expanded, and direct access could be gained to a second Class I railroad. Improvements were made to the site, and in 2014, the facility officially opened as the Ironville Marine Terminal operated by Midwest Terminals. Infrastructure and transportation access were fully restored at the site that allowed the receipt and transfer of bulk, break bulk and liquid cargo between vessel, rail and truck. In 2017, Cleveland-Cliffs announced they would lease and use 100 acres of the facility to construct a hot briquetted iron production facility. "The HBI plant will process [more than] two million tons of iron ore and produce hot briquetted iron units that will be utilized by electric-arc steel furnaces for steel production throughout the Great Lakes region," said Cappel. "The Port Authority, Midwest Terminals, the state of Ohio, city of Toledo, Lucas County and many others were very supportive of this development, and helped accommodate and welcome Cleveland-Cliffs into the community, assisting with an incentive package and other aspects of planning the project throughout the site selection decision-making process." Cleveland-Cliffs broke ground on the project in April 2018, with numerous dignitaries turning out for the ceremony. Cappel noted that while the total economic impact of the highly-anticipated plant is not currently known, more than 1,000 construction jobs and 130 permanent jobs will be created. And that's only the beginning. "There are countless related benefits to transportation companies, hotels, restaurants, suppliers and other service providers," said Cappel. "The plant also is good for the U.S., and, more specifically, the economy of the Great Lakes Region. U.S. iron ore will ship to Toledo on U.S. vessels to the plant where U.S. natural gas will be used to produce U.S.-made iron units. Those iron units will ship to mills to produce steel that will be used to make U.S. automobiles, appliances and other products. "The economic impact of such a product is exponential in nature, and has a more profound impact on our national economy than importing substitute products. This is likely the largest development project that involves Great Lakes shipping in the past several decades. More than 100 additional vessels will call on the Port of Toledo each year for this project alone, in addition to the 400-500 vessels that already call upon the port. This project would be huge for any sized port, but for Toledo on the Great Lakes, it certainly will have a profound impact in helping the port grow." Cappel said reaction from the public has been positive. "Cleveland-Cliffs has been a great partner. They had several community meetings early on, and we know they will be engaged in improving the area around the plant and throughout the community. The plant will utilize the best technology to minimize impact to the environment." Even though construction won't be completed until next year, Cleveland-Cliffs will likely begin to receive iron ore this fall to stockpile, so that they can begin making product early in 2020. "The Soo locks close for winter maintenance annually from mid-January until March, so material needed during that time must be shipped in advance of closure," said Cappel. "There also may be several more project cargo shipments on vessels and barges of large components necessary for construction from various locations." Brandon Sehlhorst, commissioner of economic and business development of the city of Toledo, said the project helped earn Toledo the title of fifth fastest-growing construction jobs market in the United States, based on data released by the Associated General Contractors of America. "This project will have a significant impact on numerous aspects of Northwest Ohio's economy, including the utilization of a world-class multi-modal transportation network, highly-skilled workforce and economically competitive utility rates. These are some of our best-selling attributes. It also will complete the transformation of the former Chevron property, in which the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and its economic development partners have invested more than $25 million over time to redevelop. "As a result of the Cleveland-Cliffs project, East Toledo is bustling with activity associated with the construction of the facility, infrastructure improvements and upgrades to the Port of Toledo," said Sehlhorst. "There are thousands of people working on the site on a daily basis. This project has completely transformed the immediate area, which was previously a vacant site being marketed for development. "Watching the new facility come out of the ground has been exciting for our community. More recently, the excitement has been around the world's largest crawler crane that can be seen from most parts of our fairly flat region. This also gives our community a sense of how tall the new facility will be when it's completed, which will be the tallest structure in Northwest Ohio." Mammoet's LR13000, known for its load capacity and high flexibility, is among the heavy machinery being used on the project, where activity appears to be non-stop. Based on the most current update provided by the company, 62,000 cu. yds. of concrete has been poured by crews, with more than 7,700 tons of rebar installed. In addition, workers have put in place more than 3,700 tons of steel, with close to 11,000 linear ft. of process pipe installed. According to Cleveland-Cliffs' website, the selected site at the Port of Toledo is roughly 120 mi. from the company's corporate headquarters in Cleveland, and is a premier location for development. In determining the best location for the new HBI plant, the relative proximity to future customers in the Great Lakes region was a key consideration. The HBI plant will be situated in close proximity to a heavy concentration of electric-arc furnace steel producers. The Toledo site also has logistical advantages that include an existing dock, rail access, heavy haul roads for construction and operation logistics and availability of natural gas, water and electrical power. Based on its location, the plant will be able to receive iron ore pellets produced in Michigan and Minnesota, similar to how it currently supplies its existing blast furnace customers. Cleveland-Cliffs has stated that producing steel using HBI requires significantly less energy, and generates lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional processes. The overall life cycle of the HBI plant, and its products, is expected to further improve the energy efficiency and lower the carbon footprint of the domestic steel industry. Natural gas and DR-grade pellets are the only raw materials used in the HBI process. No hazardous or toxic by-products will be generated from the process. Water recycling initiatives will conserve water use and minimize discharges. Founded in 1847, Cleveland-Cliffs is the largest and oldest independent iron ore mining company in the nation, and is a major supplier of iron ore pellets to the North American steel industry. Officials of Cleveland Cliffs declined to be interviewed for this story. Construction Equipment Guide |
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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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Water levels to remain high this fall for Great lakes 9/17 - Water levels on the Great Lakes normally decline in the fall months, but that doesn't mean relief from higher-than-average water levels. Lakes Michigan and Huron saw some of the highest water levels in recorded history this summer, peaking in July. Although they are supposed to drop several inches by February, the lakes are expected to remain two-and-a-half to three feet above the long-term average. Keith Kompoltowicz of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says this is a concerning way to start the season. "The levels even with the declines are gonna remain very high compared to average for this time of year," he says. "Impacts like shoreline erosion and coastal flooding could be significant, especially when we get the fall storms that we typically see in the lakes." Those strong fall storms are often accompanied by high winds and waves. "So, on the shorelines, the increased wave action will continue to contribute to erosion," says Kompoltowicz. "Anytime you get an on-shore wind, that essentially pushes water up onto the shoreline and can cause significant flooding depending on the topography of the area." Interlochen Public Radio |
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Port Reports - September 17 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known).
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
Goderich, ON – Bruce Douglas
Detroit River – Raymond H
Cleveland, OH – Bill Kloss Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages - Monday September 16, Barry Andersen Nanticoke: arrival - Sep 14 - Algosea at 1056 - departed - Sep 16 at at 1343 eastbound Long Point Bay anchorage: anchored Sep 15 - Algoma Hansa at 1131 Welland Canal: upbound - Sep 14 - NACC Capri (Mlt) at 2003 stopping wharf 16 - Sep 15 - Spruceglen at 1230 and tug Leo A McArthur & John J Carrick at 1947 - and CSL Laurentien at 2209 - Sep 16 - Algoma Spirit at 1856, Victory I (Bhs) (ex Saint Laurent-16, Sea Voyager-15, Cape May Light-09) at 1924, Damia Desgagnes eta 2006 and Algoscotia eta 2300 downbound - Sep 15 - Algocanada at 2141 - Sep 16 - Evans Spirit at 0407, tug Sea Eagle II & St Marys Cement II at 0753, Algoma Transport at 1141 and Algosea at 1734 Welland Canal docks: docked - Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller - departed Sep 15 - NACC Capri (Mlt) departed wharf 16 at 2210 for Cleveland Port Weller anchorage: anchored - Sep 14 - Barnacle (Cyp) at 1200 Hamilton: arrival - Sep 16 - Algoma Spirit at 1236, Evans Spirit at 1403 and Selasse (Mlt) (ex Selay-7) at 1559 - docked - Sep 9 - Lubie (Bhs) at 1429 - departed - Sep 16 - Federal Leda (Mhl) at 0807 eastbound Bronte: Sep 14 - docked - Gaia Desgagnes at 1657 - departed Sep 16 at 0339 eastbound Clarkson: arrival - Sep 15 - Robert S Pierson at 1821 - departed Sep 16 at 0350 eastbound Mississauga: arrival - Sep 16 - Hinch Spirit eta 0200 - departed Sep 16 - Selasse (Mlt) (ex Selay-S-17) at 1446 for Hamilton Toronto: arrival - Sep 15 - Shoveler (Cyp) at 1630 from the Port Weller anchorage Oshawa: arrival - Sep 16 - NACC Quebec at 1502- departed - Sep 16 - tug Everlast & Norman McLeod at 1523 eastbound
Oswego, NY – Ned Goebricher |
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Cruising the Eighth Sea growing in popularity 9/17 - Milwaukee, WI - It’s been 10 years since Milwaukee built a cruise pier, not at its industrial port where the cargo ships dock, but on its public waterfront a short walk from its then-new Santiago Calatrava-designed art museum. Over the years, few ships called. But the payoff arrived in 2019 when Pearl Seas Cruises designated Milwaukee a turnaround port on the west end of its Great Lakes cruises. “We expect at least a threefold increase in cruise activity into the Port of Milwaukee this year,” port director Adam Schlicht said. “Last season, we had three cruise ships come in. This year we have 11, and we anticipate even more going forward in 2020 and beyond.” It’s a sign of something that’s been talked about for decades but that many doubted would ever arrive. The Great Lakes are emerging as that rarest of unicorns: a bona fide new destination for the cruise industry. The potential is tantalizing. The five lakes form the largest group of freshwater seas on Earth, with dozens of underexplored ports of call. They are within driving distance of much of the heartland and a quick flight for the rest of the country. Passengers can tour historical industrial sites, stroll through summer produce markets, see art collections that rival those on the East and West coasts and enjoy a succession of seasonal festivals. Cooled by the lakes, Midwest summer temperatures can be the equal of those in the winter Caribbean. And if you’re concerned about overtourism, that’s not likely to be a problem here. Stephen Burnett, executive director of the promotional organization Great Lakes Cruising Coalition, said, “Not only is this the last uncruised region of the world, with fabulous renaissance cities and wonderful urban and suburban and wilderness areas, but it also [remains] largely untapped.” Burnett added, “We’re now at the point where we have [cruise ship] owners making good money up here.” At least six oceangoing companies are sailing the Great Lakes this year or have plans to do so in 2020. In addition to Pearl Seas Cruises, these include Victory Cruise Lines, now in its first year of ownership under the American Queen Steamboat Co.; the French line Ponant; another French line, CroisiEurope; Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd Cruises; and the new luxury entrant, the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. Other lines that offer Great Lakes itineraries include Blount Small Ship Adventures and Germany’s Plantours Kreuzfahrten. Not only is the supply growing, travel advisors say demand is growing, as well. Vicky Garcia, COO of Cruise Planners, said, “The Great Lakes and U.S. rivers, we’re getting a lot of calls about it.” One of the chief attractions for advisors is the relatively high pricing. Per diems are in the neighborhood of $500, which is comparable to prices on some luxury and expedition cruise lines. Owners say the pricing reflects high pilot costs and docking fees as well as the absence of economies of scale on the small ships that sail the lakes. The passenger profile for someone taking a Great Lakes cruise is generally older and driven by a curiosity about a less-traveled part of the country. John Waggoner, president and CEO of the American Queen Steamboat Co., said, “We’re catering mostly to American clientele who still haven’t seen most of America, who don’t want to take a flight to go over to Europe or elsewhere, are trying to keep the hassle factor low and still see something that they haven’t seen. And very few of our guests have had the opportunity to even see the Great Lakes.” Passengers sometimes don’t live all that far away. Jay Marshal, who is semiretired, lives in a rural area near Greens Fork, Ind., about a four-hour drive from where he boarded a Victory Cruise Lines ship in Chicago earlier this summer. He and his wife had already visited several ports on the cruise, including Lake Huron’s Mackinac Island and Cleveland. “We wanted to be out on the waters on the Great Lakes,” Marshal said. “That was the part that appealed to us.” Marshal said that over the years, he and his wife had planned their travels so that when they were younger they went on more strenuous trips, such as a vacation to India and a river cruise on Myanmar’s Irrawaddy River. Now, they’re taking trips that don’t require such long flights. The other traditional customer for Great Lakes cruises comes from Europe, particularly France or Germany. Schlicht said, “They’ve been coming in September and October, more out of a desire to participate in the fall seasonal turn, the Indian summer and the fall foliage.” Read more at this link: https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Cruising-the-eighth-sea-Great-Lakes-cruising |
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Shipwreck piece from Lake Superior washes up on Pictured Rocks beach 9/17 - Munising, MI – Recent big waves in Lake Superior carried a piece of century-old shipwreck and left it on a stretch of beach at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. National Park staff believes they’ve narrowed down the possible wrecks this 10-foot wooden artifact came from to just two from the nearby section of maritime graveyard that is Superior’s bottom. “In recent days, a new piece of shipwreck has washed ashore,” park staff posted on Facebook on Sunday. “This 10-foot by 2-foot artifact is probably from either the Sitka or Gale Staples, ships that wrecked on the Au Sable Pointe reef over 100 years ago.” Gale watches and warnings have overspread parts of Superior in recent days, so the big piece of wood being beached is not surprising. The age of the suspected wrecks make it interesting. So does the fact that park staff says the wooden skeletons of both of these double-decked bulk freighters lie mingled at the bottom of Au Sable Point. Read more at this link: https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/09/shipwreck-piece-from-lake-superior-washes-up-on-pictured-rocks-beach.html |
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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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Museum ship Norgoma is on the selling block 9/16 - Sault Ste. Marie, ON – The St. Mary's River Marine Heritage Centre has given up its fight to keep the M.S. Norgoma and the city has put the vessel on the selling block. The M.S. Norgoma has been conveyed back to the City of Sault Ste. Marie, an agreement reached between the parties to avoid a costly court hearing. Under the agreement, artifacts and displays will remain with the St. Mary’s River Marine Heritage Centre for exhibits in Sault Ste. Marie and in other communities visited by the Norgoma. The fixtures on the vessel will remain with it. The City of Sault Ste. Marie will post the availability of the vessel publicly to determine levels of interest and the results will be presented to city council in the future, a press release from the city states. Tom Vair, deputy CAO of community development and enterprise services, said the vessel’s availability is expected to be posted on the city’s website and Merx by the end of the day. Notification will also be provided to two individuals who expressed interest in the ship, a Chicago businessman and another “regional” interested individual who has not yet been identified. In addition, the SMRMHC said it too had received inquiries from interested parties and the city is hoping the board will also pass along the information. “We’re trying to spread the notice out as far as we can,” Vair said. It’s hoped that the vessel will be taken off the city’s hands with minimal costs to taxpayers. In order to do that, the city will be seeking bids from any interested parties and any the submission deadline will be Oct. 4. At that point, any submitted bids will be evaluated and the results presented to city council, he said. “We hope that the vessel can be moved before the close of shipping season this year,” he said. While the conveyance of the vessel has now been finalized, Vair said there are still outstanding matters between the two parties that must be discussed. To date, the SMRMHC has not paid any of the costs to have the Norgoma removed from the Bondar Marina to its temporary home at the far end of Algoma Steel’s docks. It has also not paid for the daily docking fees charged by Purvis Marina. “We haven’t concluded those conversations yet but now that phase one is complete, we’re hoping to move to those discussions,” Vair said. Louis Muio, president of the SMRMHC could not be reached for comment. In July, the City of Sault Ste. Marie filed a motion seeking an order to reconvey ownership of the MS Norgoma back to the city. Several adjournments of the court process were granted in an attempt for the parties to reach an out-of-court settlement. The city used a local lawyer to handle the matter, partly because it was anticipated that the matter could be lengthy and take city legal staff away from their regular duties. City legal staff may also have been required to testify at any hearing, thus preventing them from also handling the case, Vair said. Cost to retain an independent local lawyer have not yet been finalized. It’s anticipated a final report will be presented to council. The city had argued that the SMRMHC breached the terms of its 1981 agreement, which allows the city to reconvey the vessel. The court documents also seek costs for moving the ship from the Roberta Bondar Marina, the cost of berthing it and costs associated with completing repairs, including the remediation and removal of contaminated water from the hull of the ship. Attempts to reach an agreement with the volunteer board had not been successful, forcing the city to the legal action, CAO Malcolm White had previously told The Sault Star. The City of Sault Ste. Marie had acquired the Norgoma in 1975 and conveyed it to the board in 1981 to allow the heritage centre to continue to operate it as a museum ship and tourist attraction. The board’s obligations were to keep the vessel in good repair, operate the museum and maintain comprehensive and liability insurance. The city’s argument focused on a clause which stated if the agreement was breached, it could reconvey the Norgoma for $1. The city further alleged the vessel has not been kept in good repair, that the board has not provided proof of insurance and that it was unable to relocate after being provided with amble notice that its berthing rights were to be cancelled. The SMRMHC has repeatedly said it only has about $25,000 in its coffers and doesn’t have the money to move the ship. The city’s costs to move the ship were estimated at $50,000 and daily docking fees are $40. If there is no interested buyer in the Norgoma, the city may be forced to decommission the ship, at the estimated cost of $150,000.m The Norgoma was moved from the city’s marina on June 4. Sault Star |
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Marblehead Lighthouse tower closed for exterior renovations 9/16 - Marblehead, OH – One of the region's most iconic landmarks is getting some much-needed cosmetic repairs. The Marblehead Lighthouse Tower's exterior renovation project began Sept. 3. Maureen Kocot, an Ohio Department of Natural Resources spokesperson, said Wednesday the exterior stucco of the lighthouse is failing, with cracks and areas of delamination apparent on much of the building’s exterior. Kocot said a contractor will remove the delaminated stucco and patch the affected areas and cracks. "The entire exterior will receive new paint and minor electrical work will be conducted on the interior of the building. The harsh environment to which the lighthouse resides, along with age, is the primary reason for the renovation project," Kocot said in an email to the News-Messenger. ODNR anticipates the lighthouse renovation project to be substantially completed by mid-November, barring any weather-related delays. The tower is currently fenced off and will remain so for the duration of the renovations. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has maintained the property surrounding the lighthouse since 1972 and accepted ownership of the Marblehead Lighthouse tower in May 1998. The U.S. Coast Guard continues to operate and maintain the lighthouse beacon. According to ODNR, the 24th Annual Lakeside-Marblehead Lighthouse Festival will be held at the state park Oct. 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Keeper’s House Museum, Life Saving Station Museum, and the gift shop will all be open to the public during the festival. No tours of the lighthouse tower will be available during the festival due to construction and renovation. Built in 1821, the Marblehead Lighthouse is considered the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation on the Great Lakes. Kocot said the lighthouse's last major renovation occurred in the early 2000s. Fremont News-Messenger |
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Port Reports - September 16 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known).
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
Green Bay, WI
Muskegon, MI – Brendan Falkowski
Goderich, ON – Bruce Douglas
Detroit River – Raymond H Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages - Sunday September 15, Barry Andersen Nanticoke: arrival - Sep 14 - Algosea at 1056 and Algocanada at 2206 from the anchorage - departed - Sep 15 - Algocanada at 1639 eastbound Long Point Bay anchorage: anchored Sep 15 - Algoma Hansa at 1131 Buffalo: departed - Sep 15 - Manitoulin at 0152 westbound Port Colborne anchorage: anchored - NACC Argonaut at 1359 - Sep 15 tug Mary E Hannah & Lake Trader at 0257 - departures - Sep 14 - NACC Argonaut at 2357 - Sep 15 - tug Mary E Hannah & Lake Trader at 0330 - both for the canal Welland Canal: upbound - Sep 14 - NACC Capri (Mlt) at 2003 stopping wharf 16 - Sep 14 - Wigeon (Lbr) at 1820, Algoma Hansa at 1859 and Le Champlain (Fra) passenger vessel at 2032 - Sep 15 - Tim S Dool at 0223, Algoma Guardian at 0422, Flevoborg (Nld) at 1012, Spruceglen at 1230 and tug Leo A McArthur & John J Carrick at 1950 downbound - Sep 14 - CSL Laurentien at 1422, Algoma Spirit at 2313 and NACC Argonaut at 2354 - Sep 15 - tug Mary E Hannah & Lake Trader at 0346 and Victory I (Bhs) (ex Saint Laurent-16, Sea Voyager-15, Cape May Light-09) at 0715 and Algocanada eta 2130 Welland Canal docks: docked - Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller - Sep 14 - NACC Capri (Mlt) stopped wharf 16 at 1401 - Sep 15 - Victory I (Bhs) (ex Saint Laurent-16, Sea Voyager-15, Cape May Light-09) at 0730 and Le Champlain (Fra) stopped wharf 16 at 0848 - departed - Sep 15 - Le Champlain (Fra) at 1530 for Georgian Bay and Victory I (Bhs) at 1700 for Toronto Port Weller anchorage: anchored - Sep 11 - Shoveler (Cyp) at 0633 awaiting dock in Toronto - Sep 14 - Barnacle (Cyp) at 1200 - departed - Sep 15 - Shoveler (Cyp) at 1417 for Toronto Bronte: Sep 14 - docked - Gaia Desgagnes at 1657 Clarkson: arrival - Sep 15 - Robert S Pierson at 1821 Mississauga: arrival - Sep 15 - Selasse (Mlt) (ex )Selay-S-17) at 0228 Hamilton: arrival - Sep 15 - CSL Laurentien at 0423 - docked - Sep 9 - Lubie (Bhs) at 1429 and Federal Leda (Mhl) at 0436 - departed Sep 15 - Tim S Dool at 0014 for the canal Toronto: arrival - Sep 15 - Shoveler (Cyp) at 1630 from the Port Weller anchorage Oshawa: arrival - sep 14 - tug Everlast & Norman McLeod at 2113 - departed Sept 15 at 1123 eastbound |
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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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Michigan Maritime Museum to undergo $8M expansion 9/15 - South Haven, MI – From the late 1800s through the mid-1900s, South Haven lured in many commercial fishermen. Those days have all but been forgotten, the only reminder being two old warehouse buildings on the Black River built by the Jensen family for their fishing enterprises. But that will change when the Michigan Maritime Museum undertakes an ambitious $8 million expansion next year. “We're close to halfway (to the fundraising goal),” said Patti Montgomery, executive director of the museum. The expansion will include a permanent commercial fishing exhibit located in a waterfront building once used by the Jensens. The expansion is being made possible by the museum's purchase of prime waterfront property located next to the Dyckman Avenue drawbridge. The property has belonged to the Jensen family for years and contains two metal two-story buildings once used for their fishing business. “Those two marina buildings are historic, put up in the 1940s,” Montgomery said. The museum intends to restore the structures. One will house a permanent display focusing on South Haven's commercial fishing days, while the other will be refurbished into a one-story facility to house the museum's historic small craft collection. “It's a beautiful collection but we have no place right now to display it,” Montgomery said. A third building on the site the family used for its charter boat business will be torn down to make way for a new two-story building and observation point that will give people a prime view of the city's harbor. “It will be a multi-functional building,” Montgomery said. The first floor will contain restrooms, a catering kitchen and space for the museum's excursion ship captains to use during the summer months, while the second floor can be used for conferences or other gatherings for up to 80 people. The second floor will also have outdoor viewing areas. The Jensen property also has docks on the city's harbor. Those finger docks will be removed and replaced with one long dock parallel to the riverfront that can be used for the display of older, wooden boats. “We've asked people to imagine a view of the river from the bridge if you take away the old finger piers and replace them with historic craft,” said Brian Bosgraaf, a member of the museum's board and chair of its capital and building campaigns. “I think it (the former Jensen property) will become an iconic view.” Purchase of the Jensen property will nearly double the size of the museum grounds, nearly quadruple its water frontage and allow the museum to undertake even more improvement projects. The biggest of those changes will be construction of a new two-story museum to replace the current one-story structure. “We've maximized this space to its highest capacity,” Montgomery said. “We have 50,000 people who go through the museum from May through September. We've just run out of space.” The new museum will house a much larger exhibit area on the first floor, a two-story atrium with more exhibit space, an indoor and outdoor learning center for students, restrooms and a larger souvenir shop. The second floor will house a large room that can be used for exhibit space or for gatherings of 200-300 people, a catering kitchen, conference rooms and offices. “The main museum building allows for flexibility of use,” Montgomery said. “First and foremost, we're a museum, but we can also use some of the space for conferences, educational uses or reunions. It gives us the opportunity to generate additional revenue to help keep our admission prices affordable and for better quality exhibits." Other improvements include:
• Replacing the Jensen parking lot with grass for outdoor events and workshops. Herald Palladium |
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Port Reports - September 15 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known).
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
Sault, ON
Goderich, ON – Bruce Douglas
Detroit River – Raymond H Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages - Saturday September 14, Barry Andersen Nanticoke: arrival - Sep 14 - Algosea at 1056 Long Point Bay anchorage: anchored Sep 13 - Algocanada at 1955 and tug Mary E Hannah & Lake Trader at 0940 - departed - Sep 14 - tug Mary E Hannah & Lake Trader at 2205 for the canal Buffalo: anchored - Sep 13 - NACC Argonaut at 0758 and Manitoulin at 1622 - arrivals at dock - Sep 13 - Manitoulin at 0433 - Sep 14 - NACC Argonaut at 0758 - departed Sep 14 - NACC Argonaut at 1213 for the canal Port Colborne anchorage: anchored - NACC Argonaut at 1359 Welland Canal: upbound - Sep 13 - Amstelborg (Nld) at 1114, CCGS Kelso at 1605 (stopping CG base) and NACC Capri (Mlt) at 2003 stopping wharf 16 - Sep 14 - CSL Welland at 0600, tug Petite Forte & St Marys Cement at 0915, Wigeon (Lbr) at 1820, Algoma Hansa at 1859 and Le Champlain (Fra) passenger vessel at 2025 approx. downbound - Sep 14 - Zea Bremen (Lbr) at 0410, tug Everlast & Norman McLeod at 0429, Bro Alma (Sgp) at 0835, Federal Rhine (Bds) at 1253 and CSL Laurentien at 1422 - Sep 15 - tug Mary E Hannah & Lake Trader eta 0330 Welland Canal docks: docked - Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller - Sep 14 - NACC Capri (Mlt) stopped wharf 16 at 1401 Port Weller anchorage: anchored - Sep 11 - Shoveler (Cyp) at 0633 awaiting dock in Toronto Bronte: Sep 12 - Gaia Desgagnes - anchored at 0238 - departed Sep 14 at 1655 for the dock - arrived at dock Sep 14 - at 1657 Hamilton: arrival - Tim S Dool at 0219 - docked - Sep 9 - Lubie (Bhs) at 1429 and Federal Leda (Mhl) at 0436 - departed Sep 13 - Evans Spirit at 0557 for the canal Toronto: arrival - Sep 14 - Le Champlain (Fra) passenger vessel at 1700 (1st trip into the Lakes) docked - departed - Sep 14 - tug Petite Forte & St Marys Cement at 0620 for the canal, Wigeon (Lbr) at 1500 for Thunder Bay and McKeil Spirit at 1622 and Le Champlain (Fra) passenger vessel at 2215 |
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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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Port Reports - September 14 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known).
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
Detroit River – Raymond H Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages for Friday Sept. 13 – Barry Andersen Nanticoke: arrival - Sep 13 - Algosea at 0812 - departed - Sep 13 - Patras (Mlt) (ex Gan-Sword-10) at 0046 and Algosea at 1844 back out to anchorage for weather Long Point Bay anchorage: departed Sep 13 Algosea at 0756 for the dock - back to anchorage at 1927 from the dock Buffalo: anchored - Sep 12 - NACC Argonaut at 1050 and Manitoulin at 1622 - arrivals - Sep 13 - Manitoulin at 0433 and NACC Argonaut at 0758 Welland Canal: upbound - Sep 12 - Algoma Transport at 1801 - Sep 13 - Algocanada at 0707, Evans Spirit at 0802, Happy River (Nld) at 1018, Amstelborg (Nld) at 1114, CCGS Kelso at 1605 (stopping CG base) and NACC Capri (Mlt) at 2003 downbound - Sep 14 - tug Everlast & Norman McLeod and Mary E Hannah & barge Welland Canal docks: docked - Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller Port Weller anchorage: anchored - Sep 11 - Shoveler (Cyp) at 0633 awaiting dock in Toronto Hamilton: arrivals - - docked - Sep 9 - Lubie (Bhs) at 1429 - Federal Leda (Mhl) at 0436 and Evans Spirit at 1855 - departed - Sep 12 - G3 Marquis at 1022 for the canal Toronto: arrival - Sep 13 - McKeil Spirit at 0029 - docked - Sep 12 - tug Petite Forte & St Marys Cement at 1546 - docked - Sep 9 - Wigeon (Lbr) at 0114 |
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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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Lakes limestone trade strong in July and August 9/13 - Cleveland, OH – Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 4,300,022 tons in July, an increase of 7.9 percent compared to a year ago. The trade also bettered the month’s 5-year average by 11 percent. Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 3.485 million tons, an increase of 10.9 percent compared to 2018. Shipments from Canadian quarries dropped to 814,790 tons, a decrease of 3.3 percent. Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 4,303,106 tons in August, an increase of 9.2 percent from 2018. Limestone cargos also bettered the month’s 5-year average by 13.7 percent. Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 3.485 million tons, an increase of 7.3 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 817,827 tons, an increase of 18 percent. Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at 19.4 million tons, an increase of 12.4 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries total 15.9 million tons, an increase of 12.6 percent. Shipments from Ontario quarries total 3.4 million tons, an increase 11.6 percent. Lake Carriers' Association |
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New cruise ship expected, new tug on the way 9/13 - A new cruise ship will make her first trip in the Seaway this weekend, the yacht-style Le Champlain owned by Ponant. Currently at Quebec City, her next destination is Toronto. Later on this month or early in October should see the arrival at Massena from Houma, LA, of the new tug Seaway Guardian, which will replace the tug Robinson Bay. Rene Beauchamp |
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U.S. House authorizes $922 million for Soo Lock project in Michigan 9/13 - Washington, DC – The U.S. House on Thursday passed a bill authorizing the federal government to spend $922 million on a new navigation lock in northern Michigan, a project that Great Lakes shippers and local boosters have been pushing for decades. While the bill — which now goes to the Senate for passage — doesn't guarantee funding for the long-awaited project in Sault Ste. Marie, it is an important step forward for a plan that could take seven to 10 years to complete and employ as many as 15,000 people in the Upper Peninsula during its construction. The authorization for the project was part of a larger package of water infrastructure projects that came to the House floor on Thursday just days after being finalized in committee. It was passed on a unanimous voice vote and is expected to pass in the Senate as well. "Today's legislation makes it crystal clear: President Trump, Republicans and Democrats support a new lock in the Soo," said U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, who has been pushing for authorization of the project and is likely to be a key member to secure funding as the state's only member of the Appropriations Committee. "After 50 years of harsh winters and extraordinary maintenance, we need to build a second lock to be ready in case the one lock we have fails." The legislation was brought to the House floor after key committee members in both the House and the Senate agreed on what would be in the package. For decades, proponents — Gov. Rick Snyder among them — have argued for Congress and the Army Corps of Engineers to authorize a new large lock at the Soo, since only one — the 50-year-old Poe Lock — is large enough to accommodate the big, 1,000-footers that move much of the materials, including iron ore pellets used for steel-production, through the Great Lakes. If the Poe Lock went out of service for a significant amount of time for any reason, it could cripple the economy. Some years ago the Department of Homeland Security wrote a report noting that so much important traffic passes through the Poe Lock at the Soo — where Lake Superior meets the lower Great Lakes — that any significant shutdown could seriously hamper manufacturers and even potentially lead to a recession since there were not enough trucks or rail lines to make up for it. This summer, the Army Corps of Engineers reversed its earlier course and recommended that a new lock be built. But even with the authorization, Congress will still have to appropriate the funding for the project for it to move forward — and even then it's expected to take seven to 10 years under the best of conditions to be built. Corps projects such as this also often are subject to funding delays and cost overruns that can result in project slowdowns but it is clear that the Corps backing for the plan has lent it momentum. In April, at a rally in Macomb County, Trump mentioned the need for a new lock at the Soo, saying, “We're going to start (on an upgrade) as soon as I get back” to Washington, D.C. Snyder later committed $50 million in state funds to the project. Detroit Free Press |
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Port Reports - September 13 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known).
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
Green Bay, WI
Goderich, ON – Bruce Douglas
Detroit River – Raymond H
Cleveland, OH – Bill Kloss Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages - Thursday September 12, Barry Andersen Nanticoke: docked - Sep 10 - Algoma Niagara at 1400 - departed - Sep 11 - Algoma Niagara at 1540 Buffalo: arrival - Sep 10 - H Lee White at 1519 - departed Sep 12 at 1730 westbound Welland Canal: upbound Sep 11 - Algoma Equinox at 1923, NACC Argonaut at 2028 and Algoma Strongfield at 2214 - Sep 12 - CSL Tadoussac at 0010, CSL St Laurent at 0730, Algosea at 0848, Frontenac at 1107, G3 Marquis at 1231 downbound - Sep 11 - Ojibway at 1624, Federal Kushiro (Mhl) at 2034 and Algoterra at 2131 - Sep 12 - Sloman Hermes (Mlt) at 0030, Algoma Harvester at 0325 and Fearless (Lbr) (ex Bright Laker-17) at 1048 Welland Canal docks: docked - Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller Port Weller anchorage: anchored - Sep 11 - Shoveler (Cyp) at 0633 awaiting dock in Toronto Hamilton: arrivals - - docked - Sep 9 - Lubie (Bhs) at 1429 - Federal Leda (Mhl) at 0436 and Evans Spirit at 1855 - departed - Sep 12 - G3 Marquis at 1022 for the canal Toronto: arrivals - Sep 11 - Frontenac at 2206 - Sep 12 - tug Petite Forte & St Marys Cement at 1546 - docked - Sep 9 - Wigeon (Lbr) at 0114 - departed Sep 12 - Frontenac at 0904 for the canal - |
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‘They are ignoring us,’ says St. Lawrence River business owner amid flooding 9/13 - Thousand Islands - Is there a quick fix to the rising water levels on the St. Lawrence River? Yes, according to several Thousand Island politicians. Michael Barrett, MP for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, along with Corinna Smith-Gatcke, mayor of the Township of Leeds and The 1000 Islands, are urging the International Joint Commission to increase the amount of outflow at the Moses-Saunders Dam near Cornwall, Ontario. “By increasing the outflow of water at the dam, we can lower water levels in the St. Lawrence River. The IJC has failed to do so, and we’re seeing the impacts of this now,” said Smith-Gatcke. The IJC manages boundary waters between Canada and the United States, which includes regulating outflows of Lake Ontario into the St. Lawrence River in accordance with the Regulation Plan 2014. The plan was initiated by the IJC in fall, 2016, replacing Plan 1958DD after over 50 years in effect. “I’ve lost revenue each year since the plan 2014 because my property, and my customers’ property, have been flooded two of the past three years since it started,” said Scott MacCrimmon, part owner and president of Hucks Marine and Resort. MacCrimmon says he contacted his local politicians for help during the spring when the risk of flooding became imminent. Both Barrett and Smith-Gatcke received his plea, among others, and planned several meetings with the IJC throughout the summer to find a solution. “I wanted to get across to the IJC that there are people who feel they aren’t cared about and are left to deal with the flooding,” said Smith-Gatcke. “I thought the meetings were productive and the IJC confirmed that they would meet with us during the second week of September, and they cancelled, which is disappointing,” said Barrett. The two politicians wanted to address Plan 2014 before its too late. They both told Global News that if the outflow increased during the fall, the water levels would be low going into spring 2020, providing a cushion as water levels tend to increase after the winter. “If we don’t empty the glass and get it back down to where it should be, it means next spring we will be in for it worse than this year,” said Smith-Gatcke. Global News attempted to contact the IJC several items over two days, but has yet to receive a response. As for MacCrimmon and the future of the marina, he says they will continue to adjust to the increasing water levels but says he hopes this isn’t a new reality for his business. “They [IJC] can help, and they are ignoring us,” said MacCimmon as he showed Global News the areas that were underwater just months prior. Global News |
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Buffalo Maritime Center festival this weekend 9/13 - Buffalo, NY – The Col. Ward Pumping Station will be the setting this weekend for the second annual Buffalo Maritime Heritage Festival. The event will feature free activities outside the building and a charge of $10 to go inside. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The pumping station is located just off the 190 at Porter Avenue. There will be several food trucks, a beer tent with local brews, antique and classic boats, music, a draft horse and activities for kids. Inside, vendors will be selling arts and antiques. It's also a chance to see the largest collection of vertical, triple expansion, steam pump engines in the world, towering five stories high. |
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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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Tug Laura L. VanEnkevort now in service 9/12 - There was a new visitor in Marblehead Wednesday morning. The self-unloading barge Joseph H. Thompson is now being pushed by the tug Laura L. VanEnkevort. The tug is the newest addition to the VanEnkevort Tug & Barge fleet. She just arrived from Tampa, FL, last week. The tug Joseph H. Thompson Jr. will be refitted to push the fleet’s new barge Michigan Trader now under construction at BayShip. |
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Port Reports - September 12 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known). Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
St. Marys River
Goderich, ON – Bruce Douglas
Detroit River – Raymond H
Cleveland, OH – Bill Kloss Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages - Wednesday Sept. 11, Barry Andersen Nanticoke: docked - Sep 10 - Algoma Niagara at 1400 - departures - Sep 10 - Algoscotia at 2302 - Sep 11 - Edwin H Gott at 0039 and Algoterra at 1724 Buffalo: arrival - Sep 10 - H Lee White at 1519 Welland Canal: upbound - Sep 10 - Federal Ems (Mhl) at 1501, Algoma Transport at 1801 and Algonorth at 2100 - Sep 11 - Patras (Mlt) (ex Gan-Sword-10) at 0426, Rt Hon Paul J Martin at 0547, Shoveller (Cyp) at 0558, Algoma Equinox at 1923, NACC Argonaut at 2028 and Algoma Strongfield eta 2200 downbound - Sep 10 - tug Petite Forte & St Marys Cement at 0852, Federal Ruhr (Mhl) at 1021 and Frontenac at 1922 stopping at wharf 16 - Sep 11 - Algoscotia at 0501, Frontenac departed wharf 16 at 0720, Evans Spirit at 0728, Ojibway at 1624, Federal Kushiro (Mhl) at 2034 and Algoterra eta 2100 Welland Canal docks: docked - Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller - Sep 10 - Frontenac stopped wharf 16 at 1952 - departed Sep 11 - Frontenac at 0720 Port Weller anchorage: anchored - Sep 11 - Shoveler (Cyp) at 0633 awaiting dock in Toronto Hamilton: arrivals - Sep 11 - Federal Leda (Mhl) at 0436, G3 Marquis at 0701 and Evans Spirit at 1855 - docked - Sep 9 - Lubie (Bhs) at 1429 - departed - Sep 11 - Algoma Equinox at 1633 for the canal and John D Leitch at 1650 eastbound Toronto: arrivals - Sep 10 - tug Petite Forte & St Marys Cement at 2050 - Sep 11 - Pearl Mist (Mhl) at 0144 and Frontenac eta 2200 - docked - Sep 9 - Wigeon (Lbr) at 0114 - departed - Sep 11 - Pearl Mist (Mhl) at 1521 for Clayton. N.Y., tug Petite Forte & St Marys Cement at 1843 eastbound Rochester, NY – Tom Brewer Departure: McKeil Spirit at 09:00 Wednesday in ballast for Picton, Ont. At city dock: Grande Caribe |
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Lake Superior among the fastest warming lakes in the world, researcher says 9/12 - A researcher with the University of Minnesota Duluth says climate change is causing Lake Superior to be among the fastest warming lakes in the world and, even with Superior's immense size, it's not immune to environmental changes. The big lake's average surface temperature in the summer months has risen 2 C over the past 30 years, said Jay Austin, a professor in the university's physics and astronomy department and its Large Lakes Observatory. "The numbers that we toss around often sound small, you know a few degrees Celsius over the last 30 or 40 years, but they end up having an outsized effect on how the lake works," he said. "We often think of Lake Superior as this giant immutable thing where it's going to be very insensitive to small changes because it's so large, but in fact, almost exactly the opposite is true." While Austin said he's not an expert in biology, his biggest concern from an environmental perspective is that a warmer lake would be more hospitable to invasive species. What Austin said he is seeing is changes in how much ice cover lake Superior gets in the winter. While some years have seen very widespread and thick ice conditions, Austin said that he's seeing "lots of years, certainly a lot more recently, where the lake basically doesn't freeze at all." The difference in average winter air temperature it takes to cause those two extremes, he said, can be as small as between one and two degrees. Different winter lake conditions, he said, also cause quite large changes in how the lake behaves the following summer. "Relatively small changes in the climate seem to be leading to large changes in, at least the ice climate of the lake," he said. "That ice ends up playing, or at least is highly correlated with, what goes on throughout the rest of the year." "When you have one of these years with a lot less ice, you're sort of preconditioning the lake for a warmer year throughout the rest of the year." Austin is scheduled to be in Thunder Bay for Lakehead University's 2019 climate change symposium on Sept. 23 where he said he will be speaking to how fragile the big lake is, even to, what seem like, small changes. The Large Lakes Observatory is also studying the presence of blue-green algae blooms reported on Lake Superior's south shore, particularly two large ones — one in 2012 and one in 2018. Last year's bloom stretched all the way from the Twin Ports east to the Apostle Islands, or about 100 kilometres, said Robert Sterner, the observatory's director. The blooms, also known as Cyanobacteria, "are being recorded in new places all over the world, every year," Sterner said, adding that scientific studies generally look at two main contributors: warming water and an increase in nutrients in the water. "Naturally, we're looking at the same two things here in Lake Superior, which is ordinarily a cold and clear lake environment," he said. "But it is subject to climate warming." Sterner said his institution's research is still in the early stages but the two bloom years were relatively warm. "It's either a coincidence or there is, in fact, something behind the possibility of warming contributing to this new incidents of blue-green algae in Lake Superior," he said. Sterner said it is "highly unlikely" that Superior will see widespread algae cover, like Lake Erie. CBC |
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Oil leak at U.S. Steel continues string of chemical spills in northwest Indiana 9/12 - U.S. Steel had yet another oil leak on Friday. An official with the northwest Indiana company says it found a “light, intermittent oil sheen” near one of its pipes that discharges into Lake Michigan waterways. This comes just weeks after another leak from U.S. Steel and a chemical spill from ArcelorMittal that killed 3,000 fish. Residents and environmentalists are hoping this won’t become “the new normal.” Natalie Johnson is the executive director of the environmental group Save the Dunes. She says big spills in the recent past — like U.S. Steel's spill of the cancer-causing chemical hexavalent chromium — have put people in the area on high alert. “It's very possible that there are other incidences on a much smaller scale that happen more common than what Save the Dunes or the public is really aware of,” Johnson says. Scott Lehmann is the town council president at Ogden Dunes. He says these recent oil spills have coated beaches in the area and polluted Lake Michigan. The oil and chemical spills have also forced Indiana American Water’s treatment facility in Ogden Dunes to shut down twice. Lehmann says it not only supplies water to towns in northwest Indiana, but to other Great Lakes states. “It’s not just a concern for our town, it should be a concern for everybody,” he says. Lehmann worries that if these industrial companies aren’t held accountable, the spills will keep happening. Until the water near Ogden Dunes is safe, Indiana American Water customers will get their water from an uptake in Gary. U.S. Steel says the oil has been contained and that it’s investigating the source of the leak. Both the company and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management refused to make anyone available for an interview. WBOI |
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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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Soo Locks’ biggest lock shut down Tuesday for emergency repairs 9/11 - Sault Ste. Marie, MI – The Soo Locks couldn’t accommodate 1,000-foot freighters Tuesday, Sept. 10, since its largest lock was out of commission for emergency repairs. This is the second fix on the Poe Lock in about two weeks, UpNorthLive reports. The closure could cause a backup at the shipping channel. The lock closed to all traffic around 9 a.m. and was reopened the late afternoon after repairs to “critical components,” according to a notice from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The smaller MacArthur Lock was fully operational, according to the notice. The closure allowed divers to safely make repairs to degraded concrete, according to a Facebook post from Corps Detroit District. A more permanent repair is planned for the winter shut down period when water will be drained from the lock. Each year, the locks handle more than 4,500 vessels carrying up to 80 million tons of cargo on the Great Lakes. Iron ore, limestone and coal make up the bulk of what is coming through on the big freighters. About two weeks ago, the Poe Lock was closed for about 12 hours for emergency repairs, UpNorthLive reports. As of June, the lock has been in service for 50 years. The lock is 110-feet wide and 1,200-feet long with a depth of 32 feet. M Live |
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Port Reports - September 11 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known).
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
Milwaukee, WI – Wisconsin Marine Historical Society
Detroit River – Raymond H
Cleveland, OH – Bill Kloss Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages - Tuesday September 10 –Barry Andersen Nanticoke: arrivals - Sep 10 Edwin H Gott at 1057 and Algoma Niagara at 1400 - docked - Sep 9 - Algoscotia at 0532 and Algoterra at 2208 - departed - Sep Buffalo: arrival - Sep 10 - H Lee White at 1519 - departed - Sep 10 - Grande Mariner (Ame) passenger vessel at 0525 for Rochester Welland Canal: upbound - Sep 9 - Algoma Niagara at 2145 - Sep 10 - Johanna G (Por) (ex Redhead-18) at 0315, Thunder Bay at 0431, CSL Assiniobine at 0538, light tug VAC at 0720, tug Sea Eagle II & St Marys Cement II at 0917, BBC Orinoco (Mhl) (ex Clipper Miami-17, Amanda-12, Gisele Scan-12, Beluga Generation-08) at 1015 from the anchorage, Federal Ems (Mhl) at 1501, Algoma Transport at 1801 and Algonorth eta 2030 downbound - Sep 9 - Three Rivers (Lbr) at 1340, Kaministiqua at 1359 and CSL Tadoussac at 1411 - Sep 10 - Taagborg (Nld) at 0324, Grande Mariner (Ame) passenger vessel at 0716, Pearl Mist (Mhl) at 0732, tug Petite Forte & St Marys Cement at 0852, Federal Ruhr (Mhl) at 1021 and Frontenac at 1922 stopping at wharf 16 Welland Canal docks: docked - Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller - Sep 10 - Frontenac at 1952 Port Weller anchorage: anchored - Aug 29 - BBC Orinoco (Mhl) (ex Clipper Miami-17, Amanda-12, Gisele Scan-12, Beluga Generation-08) at 0735 - departed Sep 10 at 0955 for Windsor Hamilton: arrivals - Sep 10 - Algoma Transport at 0221, Federal Ems (Mhl) at 0430, Algoma Niagara at 1400, and Algoma Equinox at1635, G3 - docked - Sep 3 - John D Leitch at 1842 - Sep 9 - Lubie (Bhs) at 1429 - departed - Sep 9 - Johanna G (Por) (ex Redhead-18) at 2350 for Burns Harbour - Sep 10 - Federal Ems (Mhl) at 1254 forCleveland and Algoma Transport at 1514 for the canal Clarkson: arrival - Sep 9 - Algoma Niagara at 0215 - departed at 1952 Toronto: docked - arrival - Sep 9 - Wigeon (Lbr) at 0114 - departed - Sep 10 -NACC Argonaut at 1212 eastbound and Victory II (Bhs) (ex Sea Discoverer-18, Coastal Queen-17, Clipper Discoverer-09, Cape Cod Light-07) at 1445 for Brockville Rochester, NY – Tom Brewer McKeil Spirit was unloading at Lehigh Cement Dock on Tuesday.
Montreal, QC – Rene Beauchamp |
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BoatNerd Welland Canal Gathering is Sept. 13-15 Here’s the schedule for the upcoming Welland Canal Gathering. • Friday, September 13 - Evening Gathering - Raffle & Door Prizes Canadian Corps Assoc. #22, 7 Clairmont St., Thorold Canadian Corps is located 3 blocks West of The Inn at Lock 7
6:00 p.m. - Vendor Tables Open. Vendors who desire a table either/both night(s) - Please send an e-mail • Saturday, September 14 - Evening Gathering - Raffle & Door Prizes Same program as Friday - See Above. Walking tour of International Marine Salvage scrapyard will not be available this year.
• Saturday & Sunday |
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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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U.S. Coast Guard rescues heart attack victim from Great Lakes freighter 9/10 - Detroit, MI – The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a crewmember aboard a Great Lakes freighter over the weekend. According to Air Station Detroit, a crew member suffered a heart attack while aboard the Edgar B. Speer in Lake Huron on Sept. 7. The USCG quickly responded to the call and eventually medically evacuated the crew member to the hospital. The USCG has not provided an update on the crew member’s condition. M Live |
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Fednav celebrates its anniversary with a special name 9/10 - Montreal, QC – At the Oshima Shipyard in Japan, Fednav Limited took delivery recently of the Federal Montreal, its newest Great Lakes-suitable handysize vessel. The ceremony was attended by senior management from both Fednav and the shipyard. According to Boatnerd.com, the 1004-foot Edgar B. Speer was built by the American Shipbuilding Co. in Toledo and was christened for the Great Lakes Fleet of the United States Steel Co. in Duluth on June 4, 1980. The Federal Montreal is a 34,500 DWT international ice-class bulk carrier, flagged in the Marshall Islands. Built to trade in the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes, the vessel is certified by DNV GL and is equipped with the latest environmental protection technology. Named in honour of the city Fednav calls home, the Federal Montreal is the company’s first ship ever to bear the name of a city. “Montreal is Canada’s transportation capital. By naming this new vessel the Federal Montreal, we wanted to communicate our commitment to our city, the city of our headquarters and my hometown,” said Paul Pathy, President and CEO of Fednav. “This dedication to our city is a testimony of our commitment to the economy of Montreal and the whole country and to our customers, employees, and partners, showing that Fednav will always deliver a higher standard.” Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, Fednav Limited is Canada’s largest international bulk shipping company. Its fleet is comprised of close to 125 bulk carriers trading worldwide, 65 of these are owned. From offices on four continents, the company operates the largest fleet of Great Lakes-suitable ocean-going vessels, the largest fleet in the world of ice-class bulk carriers, and three icebreaking cargo ships that service the Arctic year round. Fednav |
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Port Reports - September 10 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known).
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
Milwaukee, WI – Wisconsin Marine Historical Society
Goderich, ON – Bruce Douglas
Detroit River – Raymond H
Monroe, MI – Port of Monroe
Toldeo, OH Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages - Monday September 9 – Barry Andersen Nanticoke: arrivals - Sep 9 - Algoscotia at 0532 and Algoterra eta 2300 - departed - Sep 9 - Frontenac at 0235 westbound and CSL Tadoussac at 0946 eastbound Buffalo: arrival - Sep 9 - Grande Mariner at 0926 Welland Canal: upbound - Sep 8- Whitefish Bay at 1414 and Algoma Conveyor at 2107 - Sep 9 - tug Everlast & Norman McLeod at 0126, Algoma Compass at 0304, light tug Bowditch at 0601 and Victory II (Bhs) (ex Sea Discoverer-18, Coastal Queen-17, Clipper Discoverer-09, Cape Cod Light-07) at 0717 stopped wharf 2 - departed at 1615 for Toronto downbound - Sep 8 - Algoma Hansa at 1542, Cuyahoga at 1617 stopping wharf 12 and Federal Nakagawa (Mhl) at 1739 - Sep 9 - Robert S Pierson at 0002, Baie Comeau at 0411, Algoma Transport at 1121, Three Rivers (Lbr) at 1340, Kaministiqua at 1359 and CSL Tadoussac at 1411 Welland Canal docks: docked - Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller - Sep 8 - Cuyahoga stopped wharf 6 at 1825 - Sep 9 - Victory II (Bhs) (ex Sea Discoverer-18, Coastal Queen-17, Clipper Discoverer-09, Cape Cod Light-07) at 0740 - departed - Sep 9 - Cuyahoga at 0225 westbound approx and Victory II (Bhs) at 1615 for Toronto Port Weller anchorage: anchored - Aug 29 - BBC Orinoco (Mhl) (ex Clipper Miami-17, Amanda-12, Gisele Scan-12, Beluga Generation-08) at 0735 - Sep 1 - Wigeon (Lbr) at 1149 - departed Sep 8 at 2150 for Toronto Hamilton: arrivals - Sep 9 - Lubie (Bhs) at 1429- Sep 10 - Algoma Transport eta 0015 - anchored - Sep 8 - Federal Ems (Mhl) at 2345 - docked - Sep 3 - John D Leitch at 1842 - Sep 8 - Johanna G (Por) (ex Redhead-18) at 2107 - departed - Algoma Conveyor at 1902 - Sep 9 - Algoma Compass at 0019 - both westbound Clarkson: arrival - Sep 9 - Algoma Niagara at 0215 - departed at 1952 Toronto: arrivals - Sep 9 - Wigeon (Lbr) at 0114, NACC Argonaut at 1049 and Victory II (Bhs) (ex Sea Discoverer-18, Coastal Queen-17, Clipper Discoverer-09, Cape Cod Light-07) at 1827
Rochester, NY – Tom Brewer |
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Tribunal looking into Heddle shipbuilding contract concerns 9/10 - Heddle Marine Services hopes one small victory — convincing a federal tribunal to investigate concerns over a major federal shipbuilding contract — will lead to a bigger win later on. The Port Weller dry docks' parent company is bidding to construct six icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard. The work would likely be worth more than a billion dollars over the long term for whichever company is selected. That firm would become the third partner in the National Shipbuilding Strategy along with Irving Shipbuilding in Nova Scotia and Seaspan Shipyards in British Columbia. But Heddle has publicly questioned the procurement process, saying it appears to favour Quebec-based Chantier Davie Shipyard. The Canadian International Trade Tribunal agreed to investigate Heddle's complaint. On Friday, though, Public Works and Government Services Canada sought to have the complaint dismissed based on national security. "Our lawyers are looking into it now," said Heddle president Shaun Padulo. "I can't comment too much on it right now because it's a legal issue." He said he wants to learn more about the reasoning behind it, adding, "I found it a bit concerning. I didn't realize this was an issue of national security." In an emailed response Monday, a spokeswoman for the tribunal said it does not comment on ongoing cases. "As it does in all matters, the tribunal will be seeking the views from the complainant, and any comments by (Public Works and Government Services Canada) on any such views, before deliberating and providing a decision on PWGSC's motion in due course," said Melanie Lalonde. In June, rules governing the tribunal were changed to allow the federal government to claim exemptions based on national security. After Heddle first complained, PWGSC made some adjustments to procurement specifications, including extending the deadline for firms to apply by a week, until Aug. 30. On Monday, Padulo said he continued to press for the tribunal to investigate because Heddle's other concerns hadn't been addressed. He said he had also heard whispers — unconfirmed — that the Liberal government hoped to award the shipbuilding contract prior to the Oct. 21 federal election. "I was concerned in general with the entire process. So I wanted a judicial review … to get an objective opinion," said Padulo. "They could come back to us and say everything was above ground, and it would give me comfort. I just wanted to get someone to take a look at it based on the initial concerns I had." Last month, St. Catharines MP Chris Bittle said the Liberal government is not taking sides as companies compete to win the contract. "We're not a government that pits one region of the country against each other," he said. "That's why there is an appeal process for these types of issues." Meanwhile, Heddle — it is partnering in its bid with Netherlands-based Damen Shipyards — will wait to see if it is shortlisted for the federal project. "It's very possible a lot of my concerns will be alleviated if they say, 'You made it through to the next round,'" said Padulo. "But until we have feedback on our submission, I'm going to be cautiously optimistic." The Standard |
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Quebec Port Authority plans for $775-million container terminal construction 9/10 - The Quebec Port Authority (QPA) is proceeding with plans to build a new $775-million container terminal on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River that will be the most environmentally and technologically advanced cargo-handling facility in North America. The project will require a 450-metre eastward extension to an existing wharf on the waterway so that two deep-water berths can be added for bulk transport facilities in the Beauport sector, along with development of a 17-hectare area behind the wharf that will be used for material handling and container storage. The work will also include construction of a retaining dike and breakwater, and a link-up to rail and road networks. The QPA has signed a long-term deal with global port operator Hutchison Ports and Canadian National Railway to develop the container terminal on the Quebec City port lands. It’s the only inland terminal on the continent capable of handling the next generation of large cargo vessels. QPA spokesperson Marie-Andree Blanchet said the new terminal was deemed necessary to improve Canada’s shipping competitiveness and ensure the port can compete effectively with those on the U.S. coast. “Currently the St. Lawrence supply chain lacks a deep-water container terminal to compete effectively with ports on the U.S. east coast and to take advantage of the improved transportation economies of utilizing larger container vessels which require the deep water available at the Port of Quebec,” she said. “The improved shipping economics will allow Canadian importers and exporters to expand their markets with lower costs,” said Blanchet. She said the deep-water terminal is the only facility in the Saint Lawrence which could accommodate the new generations of very large ships. It has year-round access, is a strategic transfer point between the industrial and agricultural core of North America and the rest of the world and is the only port in the Great Lakes trade corridor that has more than 15 metres of water depth at low tide. The facility, she noted, also benefits from a direct railway and highway connection and has all the necessary space to handle 500,000 TEUs, or twenty-foot equivalent units, a year. A TEU refers to the volume of a 20-foot-long intermodal container and is often used to describe the capacity of container ships. The project, dubbed Laurentia, also has the strategic advantage of being able to handle large container ships up to 14,000 TEUs and direct links to inland markets via long trains of up to 12,000 feet. The QPA will pay for the building and wharf infrastructure while Hutchison will invest in the terminal to accommodate container operations, including all equipment and operating systems. The port authority has also submitted an application to the National Trade Corridors Fund created by Transport Canada. When completed, the port will be modern and have the most sophisticated and energy-efficient technology. Equipment for handling containers will be powered by 100-per-cent renewable electricity and use the latest technology which will make operations efficient and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. By enabling larger vessels to berth at the Port of Quebec, fewer container ships will also be required to travel the river, thereby reducing transport GHGs. Daily Commercial News |
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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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Port Reports - September 9 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known).
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
Alpena, MI – Ben & Chanda McClain
Detroit River – Raymond H Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages - Sunday September 8 - Barry Andersen Nanticoke: arrival - Sep 8 - Frontenac at 0826 and CSL Tadoussac at 1715 - departed - Sep 8 - CSL Laurentien at 0535 westbound Welland Canal: upbound - Sep 8- Algoscotia at 1006, BBC Leda (Atg) (ex Stinnes Passat-19, Clipper Newhaven-18) at 1257, Whitefish Bay at 1414 and Algoma Conveyor at 2107 downbound - Sep 7 - CSL Welland at 1353 and Algoma Conveyor at 1526 - Sep 8 - Algoma Compass at 0034, Baie St Paul at 0109, Algoma Guardian at 0545, Fortunagracht (Nld) at 1038, tug Sea Eagle II & St Marys Cement II at 1052, Algoma Niagara at 1220, Spruceglen at 1309, Algoma Hansa at 1542, Cuyahoga at 1617 stopping wharf 12 and Federal Nakagawa (Mhl) at 1739 Welland Canal docks: docked - Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller - Sep 8 - Cuyahoga stopped wharf 6 at 1825 Port Weller anchorage: anchored - Aug 29 - BBC Orinoco (Mhl) (ex Clipper Miami-17, Amanda-12, Gisele Scan-12, Beluga Generation-08) at 0735 - Sep 1 - Wigeon (Lbr) at 1149 Hamilton: arrivals - Sep 8 - Algoma Conveyor at 0645, Algoma Compass at 1325, Johanna G (Por) (ex Redhead-18) at 2107 and Federal Ems (Mhl) eta 2305 - docked - Sep 3 - John D Leitch at 1842 |
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BoatNerd Welland Canal Gathering is Sept. 13-15 Here’s the schedule for the upcoming Welland Canal Gathering. • Friday, September 13 - Evening Gathering - Raffle & Door Prizes Canadian Corps Assoc. #22, 7 Clairmont St., Thorold Canadian Corps is located 3 blocks West of The Inn at Lock 7 6:00 p.m. - Vendor Tables Open. Vendors who desire a table either/both night(s) - Please send an e-mail 7:30 p.m. - Bring a tray of your best slides, CD or DVD to share with the group. We will have a laptop, digital projector and slide projector available, so bring your best stuff. • Saturday, September 14 - Evening Gathering - Raffle & Door Prizes Same program as Friday - See Above. Walking tour of International Marine Salvage scrapyard will not be available this year. • Saturday & Sunday 9:00 - 5:00 - Free Admission to St. Catharines Museum and Welland Visitors Centre - Located at Lock Three. Gift Shop offering 10% discount on selected items - Tell them you are a Boatnerd. The "Sailor’s Wife" Hot Dog and Hamburger cart will be on site.
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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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Congressmen tour Soo Locks, stress importance of funding 9/8 - Sault Ste. Marie, MI – Congressman Jack Bergman dropped anchor at the Soo Locks Thursday afternoon, ending a 30-hour voyage through the Great Lakes. The trip highlighted the importance of bringing a new lock to the Soo. Minnesota congressman Pete Stauber was there too. The pair made the day-and-a-half journey through Lake Superior aboard the freighter the Roger Blough. The vessel took the lawmakers from Duluth, Minnesota to the Soo Locks while carrying a shipment of iron ore. Once at the locks, they held a press conference to stress the importance of bringing a new lock to the Soo. They cited the impact a shutdown would have on both national and economic security. As of now, the Poe Lock is the only lock which can accommodate large freighters. President Trump authorized funding for a new Soo Poe-sized lock last October.Congress now has to appropriate those funds. “This is about communicating to the American people that this project, although they may live in some other part of the country and they don’t know what a Soo lock is, but it could affect their life if we don’t get this project and get it done right. And, affect their life in a negative way so that’s what was the impetus to get more people understanding the importance and the priority of a new Soo Lock.” If the Poe Lock went down for an extended period of time, it would affect more than 11 million jobs nationwide and 23% of the jobs in Michigan. View the news report at this link: https://www.9and10news.com/2019/09/05/congressmen-tour-the-soo-locks-stress-importance-of-funding |
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Badger to transport vintage motorcycles on cross-country journey 9/8 - Ludington, MI – On Saturday, roughly 75 motorcycles manufactured between 1930-1948 departed on the SS Badger’s 9 a.m. departure. Their final destination after their arrival at the port in Manitowoc, Wis. was Key West, Fla. The participating riders departed Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. and will end their journey in Key West. The Cross Country Chase is a joint effort from the Motorcycle Cannonball and Legends Motorcycle Museum. The winner of the race will not only be crowned a “legend” and have bragging rights for life, but a cash award will also be given. The riders and their vintage machines will have to endure an average of 250-350 miles per day over an 8-day period. The journey will test navigation, knowledge and speed. A handicap system is in place and factors in the age of the motorcycle, engine displacement, average speed, etc. Mason County Express |
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Port Reports - September 8 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known).
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
Detroit River – Raymond H Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages - Saturday September 7 – Barry Andersen Nanticoke: arrival - Sep 7 - CSL Laurentien at 0858 - departed - Sep 7 - James R Barker at 0035 westbound Welland Canal: upbound - Sep 6 - Iver Bright (Nld) at 1720 - Sep 7 - Robert S Pierson at 0600, Algoma Sault at 0614, light tug Laura L Enkevort at 0643 and Sloman Hermes (Mlt) at 0944 downbound - Sep 6 - Atlantic Huron at 1304 and Happy River (Nld) at 1747 - Sep 7 - CSL St Laurent at 0342, NACC Argonaut at 0734, Algocanada departed wharf 12, CSL Welland at 1353 and Algoma Conveyor at 1526 Welland Canal docks: docked - Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller - Sep 7 - Algocanada departed wharf 12 at 1240 approx eastbound Port Weller anchorage: anchored - Aug 29 - BBC Orinoco (Mhl) (ex Clipper Miami-17, Amanda-12, Gisele Scan-12, Beluga Generation-08) at 0735 - Sep 1 - Wigeon (Lbr) at 1149 Hamilton: docked - Sep 3 - John D Leitch at 1842 Clarkson: arrival - Sep 6 - Robert S Pierson at 1205 - departed Sep 7 at 0257 westbound Mississauga: arrival - Sep 6 - Sloman Hermes (Mlt) at 0558 - departed Sep 7 at 0742 for Sarnia |
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Updates The saltie gallery has been updated with the following images: BBC Plata, BBC Everest, BBC Louise, BBC Orinoco, BBC Russia, BBC Switzerland, Bluewing, Elbeborg, Erria Swan, Fearless, Federal Clyde, Federal Kushiro, Happy Rover, Taagborg and ZEA Bremen. |
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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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Historic Superior lighthouse sold at auction 9/7 - Superior, WI – A historic lighthouse perched on the shore of Lake Superior has a new owner: a 34-year old tech industry executive from San Francisco, who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and has a soft spot for Thoreau. Steven Broudy won the lighthouse, which sits on the tip of Wisconsin Point in Superior, Wis., at auction last week with a high bid of $159,000. Broudy bought the 56-foot structure, built in 1913, sight unseen. “My inspiration is Henry David Thoreau,” he explained. “I'm a huge fan of ‘Walden’ and just the idea of finding a place to live in isolation, and just be very deliberate, has always been really inspiring to me.” Since 2000, the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act has allowed the U.S. General Services Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard to sell historic lighthouses the government no longer needs to own. Broudy said he’d been scouring federal real estate listings for lighthouses for the past eight years. When the lighthouse at the Superior entrance to the Duluth-Superior harbor went up for sale last month, he knew it was the property he had been waiting for: It’s a relatively easy flight from San Francisco to Duluth. And its setting, situated alone on a point jutting into Lake Superior with a nearly 360-degree view of the water, captivated Broudy. “There's something deeply moving about it,” he said. The auction listing described the lighthouse as “an historic, rectangular-shaped concrete fog signal topped with a concrete cylindrical tower,” with a two-story main building with living quarters. The lighthouse is painted bright white with a red roof. Broudy said he plans to renovate the interior, and hopes to spend at least a few weeks every summer in the lighthouse. He also said it could be rented out as a writer’s retreat, or through Airbnb. “What's really important to me is being able to create a place where I can go and visit, or others can come and visit, that really just feels like a unique snapshot in history,” he said. Over the past two decades, the federal government has sold 139 lighthouses, for anywhere from $10,000 to nearly $1 million. The program has brought in about $7.5 million, said spokesperson Cat Langel. Some buyers just keep them and preserve them, she said. Others have turned them into museums or private residences. “We are just really thankful when people want to step up and purchase lighthouses to preserve these pieces of maritime history,” she said. Broudy is moving into his new role as a lighthouse owner with eyes wide open. He knows it will likely be a “headache,” as he described it, with miles of red tape to navigate. The lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, so any changes he makes will have to maintain the historic character of the structure. He’ll also need to grant an access easement to the Coast Guard so the light can be maintained as an active navigation aid for boaters, Langel said. But for Broudy, it’s worth it. His wife has a rare form of cancer that’s recently spread to different parts of her body. “Life’s just too short,” he explained. “So having a place where she can have peace is going to be incredibly valuable and important.” Broudy said he’s already sent the government his money and plans to visit the lighthouse for the first time next week. Meanwhile, for others in the market for an historic lighthouse, the government has three others for sale — one in Florida, and two in the Great Lakes, including one located off shore from Michigan on Lake Huron. MPR News |
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Port Reports - September 7 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known).
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
Detroit River – Raymond H
Cleveland, Ohio – Bill Kloss Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages - Friday September 6 – Barry Andersen Nanticoke: arrival - Sep 6 - James R Barker at 1402 - departed - Sep 5 - tug Sharon M I & Huron Spirit at 2148 westbound and Algosea at 2337 eastbound Buffalo (Tonawanda): arrival - Sep 5 - tug Calusa Coast & Delaware at 1511 - arrived Tonawanda at 1730 - departed Sep 6 at 0750 from Tonawanda dock Welland Canal: upbound - Sep 5 - tug Petite Forte & St Marys Cement 1825 ( stopped wharf 1 at 1857 - departed - Sep 6 from wharf 1 at 0650, Elbeborg (Nld) at 0042, Algoma Niagara at 0215, Algoma Transport at 0856, BBC Russia (Atg) at 0935, Evans Spirit at 1035, Algoma Enterprise at 1259, Iver Bright (Nld) at 1720 downbound - Sep 5 - Rt Hon Paul J Martin at 2107 - Sep 6 - Algosea at 0324, tug Wilf Seymour & Alouette Spirit at 0741, CCG Cape Lambton at 0851 and Happy River (Nld) at 1747 Welland Canal docks: docked - Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller - Sep 4 - Algocanada stopped wharf 12 at 1553 Port Weller anchorage: anchored - Aug 29 - BBC Orinoco (Mhl) (ex Clipper Miami-17, Amanda-12, Gisele Scan-12, Beluga Generation-08) at 0735 - Sep 1 - Wigeon (Lbr) at 1149 Hamilton: docked - Sep 3 - John D Leitch at 1842 - Sep 5 - Algoma Spirit at 2309 - departed - Sep 5 - Elbeborg (Nld) at 2235 for Chicago - Sep 6 - Algoma Niagara at 0012 and Algoma Enterprise at 1000 and Algoma Spirit at 1945 - all for the canal Clarkson: arrival - Sep 6 - Robert S Pierson at 1205 Mississauga: arrival - Sep 6 - Sloman Hermes (Mlt) at 0558 Toronto: departed - Sep 6 - McKeil Spirit at 0022 eastbound |
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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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Croatia's struggling shipyard revives contract with Algoma 9/6 - Zagreb, Croatia – Croatia's troubled 3. Maj shipyard said on Thursday it has signed a deal to revive a shipbuilding deal with Algoma Central Corporation, which the buyer cancelled last year after 3. Maj failed to meet its contractual obligations. The contract with Algoma for completing the construction of hull 733 was signed on September 4, 3. Maj said in a statement. (Editor’s note: This is likely the hull that was to be named Algoma Intrepid.) This ship was 80 percent complete until work stopped due to bankruptcy procedures and work stoppage due to unpaid wages and inability of shipyard to get refinancing deal. Algoma then proceeded to cancel incomplete order in October 2018. Work is due to resume shortly now that agreement has been reached for ship completion. The shipyard did not provide further details, but local media quoted economy minister Darko Horvat as saying the revived deal is worth $36 million (32.6 million euro). "The prospects for a happy ending of this process have been developing in an optimistic way every day now and I am sure that in the next 10 days we will unblock the shipyard's account, start works on the ship of the Canadian buyer, which is the start of a process for completing all that is in the shipyard's slipway in the next two years," news wire SeeBiz quoted Horvat as saying. Earlier this week, Horvat said that the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR) has conditionally approved a 150 million kuna ($22.4 million/20.3 million euro) loan to help 3. Maj restart production and complete vessels already under construction. The loan awaits to see 3. Maj agreeing with all creditors to postpone the repayment of their claims over unpaid debt until September 1, 2021. In early June, local media quoted the CEO of 3 Maj Edi Kucan as saying that the key to avoiding bankruptcy is to complete the construction of the hull of a bulk carrier for Algoma Central Corporation. Hull 733 was 80% completed, news portal poslovni.hr reported at the time, and if an agreement was reached with the government to provide 120 million euro ($134.8 million/890.5 million kuna) for the completion of the remaining unfinished ships, the troubled shipyard would live to see 2020. The shipyard had four ships under construction at the time. The government first announced its plans to support 3. Maj in early August, whereupon the commercial court in Rijeka decided to postpone to September 26 a hearing on the launch of bankruptcy proceedings against the struggling shipyard. The court has said that the government's intervention should result in unblocking the company's bank account, thus removing the main reason for the launch of bankruptcy proceedings. 3. Maj is part of troubled shipbuilding group Uljanik, which includes another major shipyard in Croatia, Uljanik Shipyard, along with smaller subsidiaries. In May, a Croatian court launched bankruptcy proceedings against Uljanik Shipyard at the request of the country's financial agency citing the shipyard's overdue debt. Subsequently, the court also launched bankruptcy proceedings against the Uljanik Group. See News |
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Port Reports - September 6 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known).
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
Goderich, ON – Bruce Douglas
Detroit River – Raymond H
Cleveland, Ohio – Bill Kloss Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages - Thursday September 5 – Barry Andersen Nanticoke: docked - Sep 4 - tug Sharon M I & Huron Spirit at 1153 and Algosea at 1927 - arrival - Sep 5 - CSL Laurentien at 0048 - departed - Sep 4 - Algoma Hansa at 1913 westbound - Sep 5 - CSL Laurentien at 1424 westbound Buffalo (Tonawanda): arrival - Sep 5 - tug Calusa Coast & Delaware at 1511 - arrived Tonawanda at 1720 approx. Welland Canal: upbound - Sep 4 - Ojibway at 1453 - Sep 5 - Federal Baltic (Mhl) at 0004, Algoma Harvester at 0500, CCGS Thunder Cape at 0745 and Algoterra at 1553 downbound - Sep 3 - Algoma Buffalo stopped wharf 6 Thorold at 2326 - Sep 4 - Algocanada at 1309, CSL Assiniboine at 1549, tug Madison R & the Clyde at 1603 and Algoma Niagara at 2155 - Sep 5 - yacht Hampshire (C.is) at 0559. Beatrix (Nld) at 0626, Erria Swan (Den) (ex Erria Helen-12, Alaatin Bey-07) at 0706, Algoma Spirit at 0742 and Rt Hon Paul J Martin at 2107 Welland Canal docks: docked - Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller - Sep 4 - Algoma Buffalo stopped wharf 6 at 0250 approx. and Algocanada stopped wharf 12 at 1553 - departed - Sep 5 - Algoma Buffalo departed wharf 6 at 0235 westbound Port Weller anchorage: anchored - Aug 29 - BBC Orinoco (Mhl) (ex Clipper Miami-17, Amanda-12, Gisele Scan-12, Beluga Generation-08) at 0735 - Sep 1 - Wigeon (Lbr) at 1149 Hamilton: arrivals - Sep 5 - Algoma Enterprise at 0039, Elbeborg (Nld) at 0755, Algoma Niagara at 1212 and Algoma Spirit eta 2300 - docked - Sep 3 - tug Molly M I & Dowden Spirit at 0627 and John D Leitch at 1842 - Sep 4 - Algoma Harvester at 0846 - departed - Sep 4 - Federal Baltic (Mhl) at 2156 for Detroit - Sep 5 - Algoma Harvester at 0310 Clarkson: arrival - Sep 5 - Robert S Pierson at 0132 - departed - Sep 5 at 1021 eastbound Toronto: arrivals - Sep 4 - McKeil Spirit at 0635 and Grande Caribe (Ame) passenger vessel at 1714 - departed - Sep 5 - Grande Caribe (Ame) passenger vessel at 1815 for Kingston
Montreal, QC – Rene Beauchamp |
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Freighters minding their speed during anxious times along Detroit River 9/6 - When it comes to the record-high water levels on the Detroit River, everyone is doing their part to be responsible users of the major commercial waterway. The Port of Windsor said even the shipping industry, with all of its heavy salties and lakers, is being considerate of the damage it can unleash on properties along the riverfront with a large wake by slowing down the speed of its ships. Port CEO Steve Salmons said the record high water levels allow the cargo ships to load a little heavier, but they have also slowed down to about 10 knots instead of the usual 15. “They reduced it back near residential areas to about 10K. That’s about a 30 per cent reduction,” said Salmons. Salmons said the freighters are acting very responsibly in a time of extreme anxiety by homeowners who live on the riverfront. “Think about Chrysler eliminating one shift for environmental benefit. It’s a huge economic decision by shipping and a very responsible one,” he added. Salmons said cargo ships that don’t reduce their speed usually stay out in deeper water. The City of Windsor and the Windsor Port Authority issued a shoreline boating ban for motorized watercraft in early July because of record high water levels on the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair. Boaters were urged not to use the motors on their vessels within 30 metres of the shore because of concerns the wake would damage and flood waterfront property. The boat ban will be re-evaluated soon. Blackburn News |
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Casualties and demolitions 9/6 - Vessels with Great Lakes / Seaway connection - reported as a casualty or sold for demolition taken from September 2019 issue of Marine News - Journal of the World Ship Society: Casualties: none reported
Demolitions: BNI GEO MARINER (7803126; Indonesia) (Geo Mariner-12, Geomariner I-01, Blain McKeil-97 - 1st trip in Seaway June 1996, Arctic Surveyor-96 - 1st trip into Seaway May 1996 (renamed while in Hamilton) - 784 / 1978 - research survey vessel - By PT Bahtera Niaga Internasional, Indonesia to unknown breakers, reported 07.2018 NITO (6702301; Panama) - (Manitoba-18, - 1st trip into Seaway 2011, Maritime Trader-11 - 1st trip into Seaway 2005, Teakglen-05 - 1st trip into Seaway 2002, Mantadoc-02 - 1st trip into Seaway 1967) - 10,902 / 1967 bulk carrier - laker. By Alpha Trading & Ocean Industries Group Corp., Panama, to Leyal Demtas Gemi Sokum, Turkey and arrived Aliaga 20.11.2018 - commenced demolition 20.11.2018 Report prepared by Barry Andersen and René Beauchamp |
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Great Lakes freighters may have to treat ballast water 9/6 - Madison, WI – More than $375 billion in cargo — iron ore, coal, cement, stone, grain and more — has flowed between Great Lakes ports and foreign nations since 1959. That is when Queen Elizabeth and U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower christened the St. Lawrence Seaway, heralding it as an engineering marvel. But that series of locks, dams and channels connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean also carved a pathway for foreign plants and animals to wreak billions of dollars in ecological damage to the lakes. At least 80 invasive species have arrived in the ballast water that transatlantic ships take in and discharge for balance. The round goby, which came from the Black and Caspian seas in the 1990s, gobbles up food some native fish depend upon. So do European zebra and quagga mussels, which also damage docks and boats and clog pipes and machinery, costing the Great Lakes region an estimated $500 million each year. More than 20 years of federal and state efforts to regulate ballast water have slowed the introduction of new species to the Great Lakes. But those regulations exempt “lakers” — hulking freighters traveling exclusively within the Great Lakes — and researchers say that helps invasive species spread after they arrive. Lakers can hold up to 16 million gallons of ballast water. The water helps ships maintain balance by dumping or replacing it as they deliver or take on cargo. “You would expect these ships to move invasive species, and that’s what our research shows,” said Allegra Cangelosi, a Great Lakes ballast water expert and senior researcher at Penn State University-Behrend. Canadian regulators want the country’s 80 lakers to treat ballast water by 2024, and environmentalists are pushing for similar rules for the roughly 50 freighters that fly a U.S. flag. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to develop new standards by December 2020, and the Coast Guard plans to draft implementation rules two years after. But industry groups argue researchers have not proved lakers move invasive species, and new regulations would cost hundreds of millions of dollars and grind business to a halt. Lakers handle about half of the $15 billion in cargo that moves around the Great Lakes each year. For now, no treatment system cost-effectively kills unwanted organisms in laker ballast water, but scientists are racing to find a solution — and test it — before regulators finalize the new rules. On a cold morning in November in Madison, Wisconsin, nearly a dozen University of Wisconsin-Madison students and researchers performed a tradition: removing a dock before the lake freezes. Doctoral student Mike Spear showed off one wooden piling plucked from the water. Five years ago, it would have looked bare. Now, quarter-inch-sized zebra mussels completely covered it. Spear scraped the creatures into a plastic bag. He estimates the mussels in Lake Mendota number in the “billions” since they were discovered in the Madison-area lake 80 miles west of Lake Michigan in 2015. A biologist first spotted them in 1988 in North America in Lake St. Clair between lakes Erie and Huron. Cargo ships traveling from the Black Sea likely dumped ballast water laden with mussel larvae, according to the Great Lakes Aquatic Nonindigenous Species Information System (GLANSIS). Within two years, mussels had spread to all five Great Lakes, likely in ballast water of commercial ships — possibly including lakers. The mussels can survive days outside the water, reaching hundreds of inland lakes by latching onto boats, bait buckets and trailers, clogging the pipes of power plants and water systems. Zebra mussels are among 187 nonnative species established in the Great Lakes. The takeover of North American waterways by invasives has galvanized scientists and policymakers. Wisconsin now requires boaters and anglers to inspect and remove invasives from their vessels. Ocean-going ships called “salties” — which have been linked to introductions of 80 unwanted species to the Great Lakes — are required to take steps to curb invasives. But laker ballast water remains unregulated, making it tougher to limit damage from other invaders, researchers say. “All nature has to do is drop in a bad actor,” Cangelosi said, “and we’re sunk.” Over the past decade, scientists have confirmed just three new species to reach the Great Lakes; none of them arrived in ballast water. The last species to do so was the bloody red shrimp in 2006, whose impact is not yet clear. Experts credit the progress to ballast water exchange or “swish and spit.” Since 2006, U.S. and Canadian governments have required salties to dump water they took in at foreign ports in the middle of the ocean, replacing it with salt water likely to kill freshwater creatures hiding in their tanks, before reaching the Great Lakes. For some ships, that can mean also treating ballast water with chemicals, filtration, ultraviolet treatment or other methods. “For the last 20 years we’ve been so focused — and rightly so — on the things coming from outside the Great Lakes,” said Rochelle Sturtevant, who manages GLANSIS for the Michigan Sea Grant Extension. “As the data is starting to show, we’ve got that mostly under control, maybe it’s time to start revisiting some of these things like spread.” Some 20% of the Great Lakes’ nonnative species have reached all five lakes, and unregulated ballast water of lakers “may pose a relatively high risk” of aiding the invaders, said Sturtevant, quoting from a not-yet-released State of the Great Lakes 2019 report authored by more than 180 scientists. Inside a University of Wisconsin-Superior laboratory, researchers tested a potential weapon against unwanted species lurking in laker ballast water. A metallic box roughly the size of a TV cabinet hissed as water cycled through from a tank. The contraption zapped any tiny organisms inside with bubbles that delivered ozone. Such technology already treats toxic algal blooms in ponds, said Kelsey Prihoda, a researcher with UW-Superior’s Lake Superior Research Institute. Her team was examining whether the prototype could kill invasive species in laker ballast water. “One day they hope to have it on board ships,” Prihoda said. That is unlikely to happen without new regulations. When the EPA overhauled ballast water regulations in 2013, the agency exempted lakers built before 2009, citing a lack of available technology. A federal appals court called that decision “arbitrary and capricious” and instructed regulators to reconsider the issue. Experts acknowledge ballast water exchange does not work well for freshwater vessels, and a variety of factors make treatment more difficult. Unlike in salties, lakers’ steel ballast tanks lack coating to prevent corrosion from treatment chemicals, said Tom Rayburn, director of environmental and regulatory affairs for the Lake Carriers’ Association, which represents American laker companies. Lakers also take in far more ballast water than salties and make relatively short voyages. Treating all that water could take up to 72 hours — double or triple the length of a trip, Rayburn said. In addition, outfitting every American laker with ballast water treatment systems would cost $639 million, atop $11 million each year to maintain and operate, the Lake Carriers’ Association said. The costs did not include the lakers’ time out of service during the upgrades. Transport Canada, the country’s transportation agency, has proposed requiring its 80-laker fleet to install ballast water treatment systems by 2024. But Rayburn said the price tag for U.S. freighters would be higher. Canadians can buy cheaper ships built abroad, he said, while Americans are required to buy U.S.-made ships. Rayburn’s group also questions whether lakers are responsible for invasions of nonnative species. In 2017, UW-Superior researchers tested the ballast water tanks of eight U.S. and Canadian lakers traveling to western Lake Superior. Their 2018 report documented several species of zooplankton no one had previously recorded in Lake Superior — one of which had never been found in any Great Lake. The report followed Canadian research that found nonnative species in 90% of laker ballast water samples. The Lake Carriers’ Association cooperated with the researchers by allowing them to board the ships and collect samples. But the group interpreted the results differently. It criticized the study’s sampling as limited, and said it did not prove that laker-transported species could survive in new lakes. “Let’s do some more work and get some more data to determine whether this study is telling us something new, or if these are limited data points that don’t reflect bigger issues and trends in the Great Lakes,” Jim Weakley, the group’s president, said following the report’s release. Prihoda, the UW-Superior researcher, acknowledged research is scarce about whether species were established in new lakes after riding in laker ballast tanks. But, she said, “The thing is, once an organism becomes established, it could become invasive and spread. (It is) too late at that point to do anything about it.” The Lake Carriers’ Association declined to allow Wisconsin Watch/Wisconsin Public Radio and Bridge Magazine to board a ship to report this story. Rayburn said the UW-Superior study made captains more hesitant to welcome outsiders. “We just want this to be more educational than judgmental,” he said. Ballast water legislation signed by President Donald Trump in December was a compromise between environmentalists and the shipping industry. It preserved the EPA’s Clean Water Act Authority to set ballast water standards, but it also made it difficult for states to set their own, stricter rules. Coast Guard spokesman Richard Everett said whether the new EPA standards would apply to lakers is still to be decided. The law includes $50 million for invasive species prevention efforts, which Molly Flanagan, vice president for policy at the Chicago-based Alliance for the Great Lakes, said could be used for research. “We’re rapidly going to be running up against a situation where lakers are out of excuses and are going to have to treat their ballast water,” she said. Said Penn State’s Cangelosi: “I feel for the lakers because they are not bringing these things in (from overseas). A lot of the things that we worry about come in with the salties, and then the lakers are caught holding the bag — moving it all around the lake.” Bridge Magazine, Wisconsin Public Radio |
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Great Lakes divers premiere Georgian Bay shipwrecks book 9/6 - Kagawong, ON - The dynamic diving duo of Cris Kohl and Joan Forsberg are back with yet another book about the shipwrecks of the Georgian Bay, offering detailed accounts of the service life and fate of numerous vessels at the bottom of the bay, as well as numerous retellings of just how they were discovered. ‘Shipwreck Tales of Georgian Bay’ is geared to a general public audience who may have any interest in the area’s history, with no intricate underwater knowledge required to fully appreciate the content. For those less familiar with the maritime heritage of this region, the authors included a brief summary of the historical context following the introduction and acknowledgements. What follows are detailed accounts of 12-and-a-half shipwrecks in Georgian Bay. Two of the shipwrecks are the Asia and La Salle’s Le Griffon, both of which have yet to be discovered. The couple said they have some promising clues as to the resting place of the Asia and will continue their pursuit. They were featured on the Discovery Channel series ‘Expedition Unknown’ earlier this year on a hunt for Le Griffon which, unfortunately, was unsuccessful. However, they did locate two new wrecks at that time. The other ships described in this book are the Nancy, Mary Ward, Wabuno, Jane Miller, Arabia, Sweepstakes, J.H. Jones, Mapledawn and Manasoo. Mr. Kohl and Ms. Forsberg said they had sunk some 20 years of research in the book, drawing on the things they had learned over many diving expeditions. “It’s as up-to-date as possible for the shipwrecks around this area. It’s our attempt to bring this history to a nationwide audience,” said Mr. Kohl. Georgian Bay is known for its shipwrecks, with divers travelling from around the world to experience the numerous well-preserved wrecks in the area. Due to poor land transportation and growing population centers in the 1800s and early 1900s, ships were an abundant means of transporting mass amounts of goods and people from far and wide. “These were the workhorses on the Great Lakes, carrying bulk cargo and passengers,” said Ms. Forsberg. “That’s why, tragically, you have such loss of life.” The two said their love of history and maritime heritage’s lack of coverage in the education system motivates them to produce this content. “We don’t want any history to be lost. That’s why we write books and give talks, so people will remember,” said Ms. Forsberg. “We have something so unique here.” Manitoulin Expositor |
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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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Great Lakes iron ore trade up slightly in July 9/5 - Cleveland, OH – Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 6.56 million tons in July, an increase of 1.5 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments were also 9.8 percent ahead of the month’s 5-year average. Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 26.8 million tons, an increase of 0.5 percent compared to the same point in 2018. Iron ore shipments are 6.3 percent ahead of their 5-year average for the first seven months of the year. Lake Carriers’ Association |
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Lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron will remain near record-highs for this time of year 9/5 - Thunder Bay, ON – levels across the Great Lakes system have begun their seasonal decline, but they remain near record-highs for this time of year. As a result, there will continue to be a significantly increased risk of shoreline erosion, lakeshore flooding and coastal damages over the next several weeks and potentially through the fall. The Board advises all those that may be affected to prepare for potentially severe coastal impacts, especially during periods of strong winds and high waves. Relatively dry weather and high outflows allowed Lake Superior water levels to decline by 4 cm (1.6 in) last month, while on average the water level rises 1 cm (0.4 in) in August. Nonetheless, the monthly mean level in August of 183.86 m (603.20 ft) ties the record set in 1952, and at the beginning of September, Lake Superior is just 2 cm (0.8 in) below the record high beginning of month level set in 1950. The level is currently 30 cm (12 in) above average (1918 – 2018), and 18 cm (7 in) above its level of a year ago. Lake Michigan-Huron declined 10 cm (4 in) in August, while on average the water level declines 4 cm (1.6 in) in August. Lake Michigan-Huron is currently 8 cm (3 in) below the record high beginning of month level set in 1986. The level is 73 cm (29 in) above average, and 30 cm (12 in) above last year’s beginning of September level. Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron are expected to continue their seasonal declines in September but will remain near record-highs for this time of year. The International Lake Superior Board of Control (Board) expects the total outflow from Lake Superior to be 2,840 cms (100.3 tcfs) in September, which is as prescribed by Lake Superior Regulation Plan 2012. Actual outflows may vary depending on hydrologic conditions, as well as maintenance activities at the hydropower plants on the St. Marys River. The gate setting at the Compensating Works will be maintained at the equivalent of nine gates fully open. Gates #9 and #16 will be adjusted slightly on September 4th. The average St. Marys Rapids flow in September is expected to be approximately 1,315 cms (46.4 tcfs). Anglers and other users of the St. Marys Rapids need to be cautious of the high flows and water levels that will continue to be experienced in the rapids in September. Furthermore, some flooding of low-lying areas of Whitefish Island is expected to continue at these high flows. As a result, some recreational trails and features in these areas will likely be inundated and may sustain damage. Users are encouraged to use extreme caution. Lake Superior News |
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Port Reports - September 5 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known).
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
Green Bay, WI
Goderich, ON – Bruce Douglas
Zilwaukee, MI
Detroit River – Raymond H
Cleveland, Ohio – Bill Kloss Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages - Wednesday September 4 – Barry Andersen Nanticoke: arrival - Sep 4 - tug Sharon M I & Huron Spirit at 1153 - Sep 5 - CSL Laurentien eta 0000 - docked - Sep 1 - Algoma Hansa at 1111 - Long Point Bay anchorage: anchored - Sep 3 - tug Sharon M & Huron Spirit at 1726 - departed Sep 4 at 1119 for the dock Buffalo: arrival - Sep 3 - Grande Caribe passenger vessel at 0847 - departed Sep 4 at 0442 for Toronto Welland Canal: Upbound: Sep 2 - Algoma Niagara at 1249 and tug Spartan & Spartan II at 1915 - Sep 3 - Algonova at 1952 - Sep 4 - Algosea at 0719, NACC Argonaut at 1035, Ojibway at 1453, Downbound: Sep 3 - Carolus Magnus (Bds) (SCT Breithorn-17, MCT Breithorn-16, HHL Celtic-07) at 1406, Federal Schelde (Bds) at 1500, tug Everlast & Norman McLeod at 2122, Algoma Buffalo stopped wharf 6 Thorold at 2326 - Sep 4 - Florence Spirit at 0444, Grande Caribe passenger vessel at 0629, Algoma Enterprise at 1035, Algocanada at 1309, CSL Assiniboine at 1549, tug Madison R & the Clyde at 1603 and Algoma Niagara eta 2125 Welland Canal docks: docked - Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller - Aug 25 - Tecumseh stopped wharf 12 at 2308 - Sep 4 - Algoma Buffalo stopped wharf 6 at 0250 approx., - departed - Sep 4 - Tecumseh at 1235 approx westbound Port Weller anchorage: anchored - Aug 29 - BBC Orinoco (Mhl) (ex Clipper Miami-17, Amanda-12, Gisele Scan-12, Beluga Generation-08) at 0735 - Sep 1 - Wigeon (Lbr) at 1149 Hamilton: arrivals - Sep 3 - John D Leitch at 1842 - docked - Aug 31 - Federal Baltic (Mhl) at 1013 - departed - Sep 4 - Algosea at 0601 for the canal Bronte: arrival - Sep 2 - Gaia Desgagnes at 1254 - departed Sep 3 at 2243 eastbound Toronto: arrivals - Sep 4 - McKeil Spirit at 0635 and Grande Caribe passenger vessel at 1714 |
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Great Lakes museum sweetens the deal for annual fund-raising raffle 9/5 - The National Museum of the Great Lakes is once again offering freighter trips as the top prize in its annual fund-raising raffle, but this year anyone who buys a ticket by Wednesday also may take a “behind the scenes” tour of Toledo’s local museum ship. Chris Gillcrist, the museum’s executive director, called the special tours a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to see parts of the Col. James M. Schoonmaker that the public doesn’t otherwise get to see. Tickets for the annual Luck of the Lakes raffle cost $100 apiece, or three for $250, and the drawing for prizes including a four-to-six-day voyage aboard an Interlake Steamship Co. vessel will be held Sept. 14 during the museum’s annual fund-raising gala. But those who buy raffle tickets by Wednesday will receive two free admissions per ticket to the special Schoonmaker tours, which will be led on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. Those tours, Mr. Gillcrist said, will include visits to the ballast engine room, the turbine propeller floor, and the original owner’s galley. Forty-eight one-hour tour spaces will be available each evening, and admission to those tours will not be available by any other means, he said. Great Lakes shipping lines do not accept fare-paying passengers, but Interlake annually donates trips aboard its freighters as charity to organizations like the Great Lakes museum. The winner and their guests — as many as three to five other people — travel as guests of the company during a revenue voyage. Other prizes in the raffle drawing include a trip aboard the J.W. Westcott mailboat, which delivers letters and packages to and from Great Lakes freighters when they sail past Detroit, and a trip up the top tower of the Mackinac Bridge. The museum’s gala “H2Oh! Making Waves” fund-raiser will be held at the former Toledo Edison Steam Plant on the Maumee River, now part of ProMedica’s headquarters, and will include live auctions of a variety of items and experiences including a day trip on the Interlake freighter Paul R. Tregurtha, a day trip of up to 400 miles for up to eight people in a private jet, and a model of the City of Cleveland III historic passenger liner. Tickets to the gala, with food catered by the Real Seafood Co., also cost $100. The Blade |
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Floods wreaking havoc on Great Lakes region fueled by climate crisis 9/5 - This summer, as rain relentlessly poured down on the Great Lakes region, Detroit declared a rare state of emergency. The swollen Detroit River had spilled into the low-lying Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood – an event not seen near this scale since 1986. Volunteers sandbagged the area as the city’s overwhelmed sewer system spilled raw sewage into the river, which connects Lake Huron and Lake Erie. Across the channel from Jefferson Chalmers, water damaged the historic boathouse on Belle Isle, an iconic 982-acre island park that remains partly shut down because of flooding. Meanwhile, in Duluth, Minnesota, the city is rebuilding after a powerful storm over Lake Superior damaged a popular pedestrian path, eroded acres of lakefront property and ravaged infrastructure along the shore. About 800 miles to the east, floods hit Buffalo, New York, on Lake Erie in two of the last three years, while Lake Michigan’s historically high waters inundated parts of Chicago throughout the spring and summer months. The havoc on communities bordering the Great Lakes is a result of their water level steadily rising over the last five years and spiking to record levels this spring and summer. In 2019, the lakes’ depths ranged from 14in to nearly 3ft above long-term averages, according to data from the US Army Corps of Engineers. In June, water in the Lakes St Clair, Ontario, Superior and Erie set records for monthly mean levels, while Lake Michigan-Huron rose to 1in from its recorded peak. That is leading to widespread damage in coastal cities, eroded shorelines and beaches and many other issues. The record levels come just five years after the lakes experienced historically low levels in 2014, and climate scientists say it is clear what’s fueling the drastic swing: the Earth’s rising temperatures. “Bigger picture, it’s climate change,” said Richard B Rood, a professor in the University of Michigan’s department of climate and space sciences and engineering. “There’s no doubt that we are in a region where climate change is having an impact.” Rood said the Great Lakes basin, which holds 90% of the nation’s freshwater, can expect similar shifts in the coming decades as world temperatures increase. Climate scientists say a confluence of climate crisis-related issues resulted in this year’s levels. Warmer air over the Gulf of Mexico caused more evaporation, and that moisture pushed into the region during the spring and summer. Higher temperatures give the atmosphere more capacity to hold evaporated water, Rood said, which is why storms are dumping more rain than 50 years ago. “When you’re in wet periods, you start to get persistent, basin-wide extreme precipitation,” he said. The numbers back that up. By May, Cleveland, Ohio on Lake Erie’s shore saw more rainy days than any year since 1953. Muskegon, on Lake Michigan’s shore, experienced 7.45in more rainfall than average throughout the first eight months, while Sault Ste Marie on Lake Superior tallied about 9in more than average for the same period. Buffalo saw 34% more rain than typical. The moisture rained down on ground and lakes already more saturated than usual because a January polar vortex brought frigid temperatures that prevented wintertime evaporation crucial to keeping water levels in check. Meanwhile, a heavy snow pack melted. pushing up levels even further. “We’re seeing all these things that have an effect on the water cycle converge, which is why we’re having these enormous water volumes,” Rood said. Though the region finally dried out a bit in August and water levels are slightly receding, the Great Lakes’ fall storm season is fast approaching. Fall is a time of high winds and the agency’s six-month forecast predicts levels will remain very high, thus there’s a strong likelihood for even more damage this year. Read more at this link: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/03/great-lakes-region-flooding-climate-crisis |
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Lee Murdock releases hardcover edition of book “Lake Rhymes” 9/5 - Great Lakes singer, songwriter and educator Lee Murdock is bringing back his book, Lake Rhymes. It has been out of print since 2011. Self-published along with his wife, Joann Murdock, this 148-page book includes historic photos printed in high-quality duotone reproduction, with drawings from historic collections and from maritime artists, plus music scores and guitar chords for the 18 songs featured. The book also incldes a 72 minute CD with 18 songs. First published in 2004 in paperback, this new release will be a hardcover coffee-table edition. Cost will be $40, postpaid for those who pre-purchase, via Kickstarter, via Lee's online store, or by mailing a check to Lee Murdock, PO Box 11, Kaneville, IL 60144. The Kickstarter campaign also features some one-of-a-kind or hard-to-find perks, at all price levels. For example, Lee will write and record a song (or poem set to music) for you, or there are extra recordings and books being added every day as extra incentives and thank you gifts. Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing proposition, so they ask you to check the links below soon. |
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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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U.S.-flag cargo movement on lakes increases in July 9/4 - Cleveland, OH – U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters (lakers) moved 11.4 million tons of cargo in July, an increase of 16.4 percent from a year ago. The July float was also 10.2 percent above the month’s 5-year average. Iron ore cargos for steel production totaled 6.2 million tons, an increase of 18.2 percent. The July ore float was 24.6 percent above the 5-year average for July. Coal loads totaled 1.2 million tons, a decrease of nearly 6.1 percent. Shipments of aggregate, fluxstone, chemical stone and scrubber stone totaled 3.4 million tons, an increase of 23.9 percent compared to a year ago. Year-to-date U.S.-flag cargo movement stands at 43.69 million tons, an increase of 13.9 percent compared to the same point in 2018. Iron ore cargos total 24.5 million tons, an increase of 14.1 percent. Coal loadings total 5.5 million tons, an increase of 11.8 percent. Limestone tops 11.1 million tons, an increase of 12.4 percent. Lake Carriers’ Association |
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Decay on iconic Duluth museum ship more extensive than thought 9/4 - Superior, WI - When Duluth’s iconic William A. Irvin museum ship floated into a dry-dock slip for some repainting last month, and the water was drained away from its belly, some of the ship’s handlers were startled by what they saw: Metal-eating bacteria had not only gorged on the massive vessel’s hull, but also the rivets holding it together. Though engineers expected to see that, the damage was more extensive than some Duluth ship managers had expected. “At first, it was kind of scary,” said Chelly Townsend, executive director of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC), which owns the 610-foot retired ore boat that has been moored in the harbor for 30 years. “At first we were concerned, and now we’re really assessing the whole thing.” Experts expected extensive “pitting” on the Irvin from bacteria found in the harbor; they have seen it before on underwater sheet-metal pilings that stay in place for decades. They were somewhat surprised to see the damage to rivets, though, and are now getting cost estimates to figure out whether to repair the rivets now, or epoxy and paint them and keep an eye on them, officials said. Officials expect to have a price and schedule together by the end of the week, said Chase Dewhirst, a marine civil engineer with AMI Consulting, which is monitoring the project. Part of the decision will depend on whether a Minnesota Historical Society grant of $504,000 for the hull work will cover it all. The grant was for more than the expected $455,400 paint job, and the excess was going to go toward other ship maintenance projects, Townsend said. Corroded rivets could be handled various ways, depending on the severity, Dewhirst said. They might not require any special attention, they could require a coating, or if more than 50% of a rivet is corroded, it could require a structural repair. Dewhirst declined to guess how many rivets might need repair, but even a small percentage could add up. “Below the water line there’s about 95,000 rivets,” he said. “If we’re going to have to do a structural repair to 10 or 15% of them, it’s going to be extremely expensive.” The Irwin has never leaked, he pointed out, and even if none of the rivets is repaired, the ship will survive a tow back to the Minnesota Slip. Officials would have to keep monitoring the boat for seepage and could make rivet repairs there as needed. The pitting in the Irvin may be more extensive than that in lake-going vessels typically brought into dry dock, officials said, because of bacteria that live in the harbor. The bacteria, propelled in sunlight, cling to metal and form a rust nodule, Dewhirst explained. Ice in the winter will sometimes scrape off the nodule, exposing the steel and allowing the bacteria to cling to it again, starting the process all over, he said. With a boat that has been sitting still in the harbor for 30 years, engineers expected corrosion. Active vessels “are constantly in dry dock. They are constantly getting sandblasted and recoated,” Dewhirst said. The Irvin hasn’t been in dry dock since the late 1980s. But the rivets, located on the ship’s bottom where there is no exposure to sunlight or scraping from ice, were a bit more corroded than anticipated, Dewhirst said. Engineers believe stray electrical current from nearby boats or the ship itself may be playing a role in accelerating the corrosion. To combat that, officials plan to ground the boat in a different way once it’s back into the slip, said Steve Rankila, the DECC’s director of property maintenance. Officials are eager to return the ship to its Duluth slip, as it has become a tourist destination and a symbol of the city’s industrial heritage. It became a tourist attraction in 1986, originally docked behind the convention center. But after a storm that year, it was moved to a slip between the DECC complex and tourist-popular Canal Park, where smaller boats are docked behind it. About 55,000 people tour the ship each season. Last fall, the Irvin was carefully moved out of the Minnesota Slip, with only about 15 inches of clearance through the opening of a blue pedestrian bridge that was blocking its way. Environmental cleanup workers needed the ship moved to reach sediment as part of a larger effort to remediate industrial pollution in the Duluth harbor. Because it was already on the move, officials decided to have the boat dry-docked at Fraser Shipyards in Superior so its hull could be sandblasted and painted. Delays kept the boat from being dry-docked until early last month. “At first glance, we were very, very concerned. We wondered if it was going to be worth bringing it back,” Townsend, the DECC executive director, said. “We did have one person say we might have to scrap it because they thought it was that bad. ... But we’re pretty coolheaded here. We said, ‘Well, let’s get the facts first.’ And we don’t have all the facts completely. We’re still getting bids.” Officials feel confident the ship will be back in place and open for tours by next May, Rankila said. Duluth News Tribune |
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Port Reports - September 4 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known).
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, ON
Goderich, ON – Bruce Douglas
Detroit River – Raymond H Northeast Ohio Ports – Bill Kloss BBC Plata was at the Port of Cleveland, Dock 22E, on Tuesday and tug John Francis was at dock 24W. Algoma Buffalo departed Cleveland with salt for Thorold. Sam Laud was at Marblehead, Algoma Enterprise was loading coal at Norfolk Southern in Sandusky while CSL Laurentien waited on the lake. Further east, Cason J. Callaway was heading to Ashtabula. Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages Tuesday September 3 – Barry Andersen Nanticoke: docked - Sep 1 - Algoma Hansa at 1111 - departed - Sep 3- tug Everlast & Norman McLeod at 1508 eastbound Long Point Bay anchorage: anchored - Sep 3 - tug Sharon M & Huron Spirit at 1726 Buffalo: arrival - Sep 3 - Grande Caribe passenger vessel at 0847 Welland Canal: upbound - Sep 2 - Algoma Niagara at 1249 and tug Spartan & Spartan II at 1915 - Sep 3 - Algonova at 1952 downbound - Sep 2 - Whitefish Bay at 1225, tug Molly M I & Dowden Spirit at 1255 and Sichem New York (Bda) at 1940 Sep 3 - tug Petite Forte & St Marys Cement at 0254, CCGS Kelso at 1140, Tim S Dool at 1313, Carolus Magnus (Bds) (SCT Breithorn-17, MCT Breithorn-16, HHL Celtic-07) at 1406, Federal Schelde (Bds) at 1500, Algoma Buffalo eta 2300 headed to wharf 6 Thorold, Welland Canal docks: Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller - Aug 25 - Tecumseh stopped wharf 12 at 2308 Port Weller anchorage: anchored - Aug 29 - BBC Orinoco (Mhl) (ex Clipper Miami-17, Amanda-12, Gisele Scan-12, Beluga Generation-08) at 0735 Sep 1 - Wigeon (Lbr) at 1149 Hamilton: arrivals - Sep 3 - Algosea at 0039 and John D Leitch at 1842 - docked - Aug 31 - Federal Baltic (Mhl) at 1013 Bronte: arrival - Sep 2 - Gaia Desgagnes at 1254 Clarkson: docked - Sep 3 - Robert S Pierson at 0543 - departed - Sep 3 at 1525 eastbound |
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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 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known).
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
St Marys River
/Goderich, ON – Bruce Douglas
Cleveland, Ohio – Bill Kloss Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages - Monday September 2 – Barry Andersen Nanticoke: arrival - tug Everlast & Norman McLeod at 0634 - docked - Sep 1 - Algoma Hansa at 1111 - departed - Sep 2 - Algosea at 0627 eastbound Long Point Bay anchorage: anchored - Aug 31 - tug Everlast & Norman McLeod at 0442 - departed anchorage - Sep 2 at 0621 for the dock Welland Canal: upbound - Sep 1 - tug Sea Eagle II & St Marys Cement II at 1113, Kaministiqua at 1506, Fearless (Lbr) (ex Bright Laker-13) at 2237 - Sep 2 - CSL Laurentien at 1240, Algoma Niagara at 1249 and tug Spartan & Spartan II at 1915 downbound - Sep 1 - Algoma Sault at 1617, tug Rebecca Ann & Witte 2801 at 1805, McKeil Spirit at 1945 and John D Leitch at 2113 - Sep 2 - Helena G (Por) (ex Garganey-17) at 0202, G3 Marquis at _0834, Algosea at 0934, Iver Bright (Nld) at 1012, Whitefish Bay at 1225, tug Molly M I & Dowden Spirit at 1255 and Sichem New York (Bda) at 1940 Welland Canal docks: Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller - Aug 25 - Tecumseh at 2308 Port Weller anchorage: anchored - Aug 29 - correction - should read BBC Orinoco (Mhl) (ex Clipper Miami-17, Amanda-12, Gisele Scan-12, Beluga Generation-08) at 0735 Sep 1 - Wigeon (Lbr) at 1149 Hamilton: arrivals - docked - Aug 31 - Federal Baltic (Mhl) at 1013 - departures - Sep 2 - BBC Louise (Atg) at 0619 and CSL Laurentien at 1028 Clarkson: docked - Sep 1 - Robert S Pierson at 1837 - departed - Sep 2 at 0449 eastbound Toronto: arrival - Sep 2 - NACC Argonaut eta 0100 - departed - Sep 2 at 1519 eastbound |
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A few tickets to MHSD’s Detroit River cruise this Saturday available at dock 9/3 - Join members of the Marine Historical Society of Detroit aboard the passenger vessel Diamond Queen (captained by the MHSD's own Mike Nicholls and with MHSD member Ken Borg ado our best to get up close to freighter traffic and, if conditions are favorable, go up the Rous narrator) for a three-hour cruise, 1-4 p.m. Sept. 7, on the Detroit River. We will ge River (however the Rouge is not guaranteed). Snacks and refreshments will be available on the boat (coolers not allowed on board), which leaves from the Diamond Jack dock at Stroh River Place (parking lot at the foot of Joseph Campau) Detroit, Michigan. Advance ticket sales have closed. Tickets will be $30 at the dock. |
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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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High waters, strong winds tossing historic wrecks ashore 9/2 - Alpena, MI – Beachcombers and afternoon strollers may make an exciting discovery as this summer winds down – a piece of history, half-buried in the sand and stones of the Lake Huron shoreline. Sightings of shipwrecks pieces and slab wood from Alpena’s lumbering days, long buried by sediment and water but now freed by the record-setting high water levels of the Great Lakes, have become common in recent weeks, according to State Maritime Archaeologist Wayne Lusardi, employed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. Area residents have contacted Lusardi many times a week over the past two months, reporting possible shipwreck artifact sightings. The high water level and recent storms have carried pieces in from Thunder Bay and have uncovered all sorts of items long-buried in the sand near the shore, from dead fish to children’s toys to imposing pieces of wood that may be a remnant of one of the many ships that lurk at the bottom of Lake Huron. Artifacts found on the beach, tempting as they may be to scoop up and take home as a precious trophy, come from state bottomlands and belong to the state, protected under Michigan law. The pieces may look sturdy and heavy but are actually delicate, a sponge-like structure with many cells that hold saps and sugars when the tree is alive. If shipwreck wood is removed from the water that preserves it and is left to dry, those cells collapse, Lusardi said, and “eventually, you get a pile of woodchips.” It’s a loss that’s a double shame, he said, because the artifact was first taken from the public and then destroyed. Professional preservationists can keep wood intact as it dries, filling the cells with a chemical or wax, or even high concentrations of sugar or Elmer’s glue, Lusardi explained, a process that saves the artifact for many to enjoy and learn from. Residents who find a suspected shipwreck section are encouraged to report the find to Lusardi. Photographs and measurements help him determine the origin of the find, but he encourages the finder to leave the item where it is, keeping it in its proper context for scientific study and allowing nature to preserve it. Wood from a shipwreck will usually contain spikes or some other connecting device. Slab wood, with one flat and one convex face, is usually not from a ship. Shipwreck pieces may be found in all sizes, from small, portable chunks of wood to giant beams 40 feet long. The beach behind Alpena’s bandshell at Bayview Park, where six known sunken ships from the early 20th century lie within a few hundred yards of shore, can be littered with hundreds of pieces of drift material brought in or dug up by the lake. This year’s high water levels have impacted the ships that came to their final rest near the shore. In Hoeft State Park, north of Rogers City, a shipwreck Lusardi was told about some 10 years ago, once buried in the sand dunes on Hoeft’s shore, has been uncovered by the waves this summer, 45 feet of the ship’s ribs and bottom visible under shallow water and more still buried. Further north, at 40 Mile Point Lighthouse, the Joseph S. Fay, a shipwreck that has been embedded on the beach, high and dry for the last 130 years, is now under water, the waves of Lake Huron swallowing it as they engulfed the beach up to treeline. The summer’s high water levels have provided a window of opportunity for archaeologists, Lusardi said, allowing them to draw, photograph, measure, and study mysterious pieces of the past that usually lie hidden beneath the mysterious depths of our great lake. “It just really shows you how dynamic the lakes are, and how powerful they are,” Lusardi said. Lusardi told of some young people who recently found a lumbering era artifact on Starlite Beach and brought it in to him, excited about their find. Once he verifies the find and it goes through the necessary preservation treatment, a process that can take up to two years, Lusardi said, the finders will have the pleasure of visiting the Michigan Archaeological Collection in Alpena and viewing the treasure, to which their name will be permanently attached as “discoverer.” The Alpena News |
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Port Reports - September 2 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known).
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
Green Bay, WI
Detroit-Rouge River – Raymond H Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages - September 1 – Barry Andersen Nanticoke: arrivals - Aug 31 - Algoscotia at 0253 - Sep 1 - Algoma Hansa at 1111 - docked - Aug 28 - Algosea at 0827 - departed - Aug 31 - Algoscotia at 1840 for the canal Long Point Bay anchorage: anchored - Aug 29 - Algoscotia at 1502 - Aug 31 - tug Everlast & Norman McLeod at 0442 - Sep 1 - Algoma Hansa at 0332, Helena G (Por) (ex Garganey-17) at 1447 - departed anchorage - Aug 31 - Algoscotia at 0155 - Sep 1 - Algoma Hansa at 1050 for the dock, Helena G (Por) at 1912 for the canal, Welland Canal: Upbound: Aug 31 - Erria Swan (Den) (ex Erria Helen-12, Alaatin Bey-07) at 1708, Manitoulin at 1955 - Sep 1 - Baie St Paul at 0523, Algoma Enterprise at 0940, Kaministiqua at 1506, Fearless (Lbr) (ex Bright Laker-13) eta 2215 Downbound: Aug 31 - Algoscotia at 2227 - Sep 1 - CSL Laurentien at 0143, Algoma Equinox at 0455, Damia Desgagnes at 0623, BBC Everest (Deu) at 0827, Algoma Sault at 1617, tug Rebecca Ann & Witte 2801 at 1805, McKeil Spirit at 1945, John D Leitch eta 2115, and Helena G (Por) (ex Garganey-17) eta 2359, Welland Canal docks: Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller - Jul 23 - Atlantic Huron wharf 16 at 1605 (temporary lay-up) - Aug 25 - Tecumseh at 2308 - departed - Aug 31 - Atlantic Huron at 0755 westbound Port Weller anchorage: anchored - Aug 29 - Rio Orinoco (Mhl) (ex Clipper Miami-17, Amanda-12, Gisele Scan-12, Beluga Generation-08) at 0735 Sep 1 - Wigeon (Lbr) at 1149 Hamilton: arrivals - Sep 1 - CSL Laurentien at 1528 - docked - Aug 31 - Federal Baltic (Mhl) at 1013, BBC Louise (Atg) at 1258 - departures - Sep 1 - Algoma Guardian at 0403 for the canal, Algoma Transport at 0932 eastbound, tug Calusa Coast & Delaware at 1307 for the canal Clarkson: docked - Sep 1 - Robert S Pierson at 1837 Toronto: arrival - Sep 2 - NACC Argonaut eta 0100 |
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Forty Mile Lighthouse Society will offer Night at the Lighthouse in October 9/2 - The Forty Mile Lighthouse Society was host its 18th annual Night at the Lighthouse lighthouse on Friday, October 4 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. The group will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the lighthouse’s 4th Order Fresnal Lens. Alpena’s barbershop quartet, Chord Order, will perform at 6:30 p.m. with an acoustic jam to follow at 7 p.m. Bring an acoustic instrument and join in the fun. The Kiwanis Fish Shack will be selling whitefish sandwiches and other goodies. Hot spiced cider, hot coffee, hot chocolate and cookies will be available in the Fog Signal Building. There will also be baked goods sale to support cancer research. Wander along lantern-lit pathways to visit the seasonally decorated lighthouse, the Calcite Pilot House and the Bunkhouse Gift Shop. Admission is free. 40 Mile Point Lighthouse located in Lighthouse Park, U.S. 23N, Seven Miles North of Rogers City, MI. The Forty Mile Lighthouse Society |
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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 Port reports are compiled from reader observations and AIS transmissions. Please send information about vessel arrivals and departures from your port to news@boatnerd.net by 9 p.m. (Eastern) nightly for them to be included in the next day’s news. Please include name of vessel, arrival time, day and dock it went to (if known).
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, MN – Gary A. Putney
Detroit-Rouge River – Raymond H
Oswego, NY – Ned Goebricher
Montreal, QC – Rene Beauchamp
Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages - Saturday August 31 2019 - Barry Andersen Nanticoke: docked - Aug 28 - Algosea at 0827 - departed - Aug 31 - Algocanada at 0126 westbound Long Point Bay anchorage: Aug 31 - tug Everlast & Norman McLeod at 0442 Welland Canal: upbound - Aug 30 - Frontenac at 2147 - Aug 31 - tug Wilf Seymour & Alouette Spirit 0643, Spruceglen at 1307, Erria Swan (Den) (ex Erria Helen-12, Alaatin Bey-07) at 1708 from Port Weller anchorage and Manitoulin at 1955 downbound - Aug 30 - ALgoma Guardian at 2209 and tug Calusa Coast & Delaware at 2340 - Aug 31 - Fuldaborg (Nld) at 1332 Welland Canal docks: Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller - Jul 23 - Atlantic Huron wharf 16 at 1605 (temporary lay-up) - Aug 25 - Tecumseh at 2308 - departed - Aug 31 - Atlantic Huron at Port Weller anchorage: anchored - Aug 29 - Rio Orinoco (Mhl) (ex Clipper Miami-17, Amanda-12, Gisele Scan-12, Beluga Generation-08) at 0735 - departed - Aug 31 - Erria Swan (Den) (ex Erria Helen-12, Alaatin Bey-07) 1645 for Sarnia Hamilton: arrivals - Aug 31 - Algoma Transport at 0319, Federal Baltic (Mhl) at 1013, Algoma Guardian at at 1106, BBC Louise (Atg) at 1258 and tug Calusa Coast & Delaware at 1307 - departures - Aug 30 - Ojibway at 1634 - Aug 31 - Algoma Strongfield at 0851 - both eastbound Clarkson: docked - Aug 31 - Robert S Pierson at 0446 - departed Aug 31 at 1520 eastbound Toronto: departed - Aug 29 - tug Sea Eagle II & St Marys Cement II at 1001 eastbound Welland Canal and vicinity vessel passages - Friday August 30 2019 - Barry Andersen Nanticoke: docked - Aug 27 - Algosea at 0827 - departed - Aug 28 - Edwin H Gott at 2206 - Aug 29 - Algoscotia at 0315 Long Point Bay anchorage: docked - Aug 28 - tug Molly M I & Dowden Spirit at 1033 - departed Aug 28 at 1623 - anchored - Aug 29 - Molly M I & Dowden Spirit at 1127 Welland Canal: upbound - Aug 29 - CSL Tadoussac at 1330, McKeil Spirit at 1528 - Aug 30 - Victory I (Bhs) (ex Saint Laurent-16, Sea Voyager-15, Cape May Light-09) at 0615 anchored Port Weller downbound - Aug 28 - Victory I (Bhs) (ex Saint Laurent-16, Sea Voyager-15, Cape May Light-09) at 0615, Victory II (Bhs) (ex Sea Discoverer-18, Coastal Queen-17, Clipper Discoverer-09, Cape Cod Light-07) at 0623, Evans Spirit at 1114, Algonova at 1213, sailing vessel and Picton Castle (Ck.Is) at 1607 - Aug 29 - Ojibway at 0007, Algoma Transport at 0619, tug Spartan & Spartan II at 0619 and tug Calusa Coast & Delaware eta 1145 - anchored Port Colborne at 1240 Welland Canal docks: arrival - Aug 25 - Thunder Bay at 1440 - docked - Jun 7 - CCGS Pierre Radisson at 0925 into Heddle Dry Dock at Port Weller - Jul 23 - Atlantic Huron wharf 16 at 1605 (temporary lay-up) - Aug 25 - Tecumseh at 2308 - Aug 26 - Oakglen stopped wharf 2 at 1130 - Aug 27 - tug Petite Forte & St Marys Cement stopped wharf 16 - departed - Aug 28 - tug Madison & Mobro 2000 from wharf 13 westbound and Oakglen at 2210 approx from wharf 2 eastbound Port Weller anchorage: arrival - Aug 29 - Erria Swan (Den) (ex Erria Helen-12, Alaatin Bey-07) eta 1510 - anchored - Aug 29 - Rio Orinoco (Mhl) (ex Clipper Miami-17, Amanda-12, Gisele Scan-12, Beluga Generation-08) at 0735 - departed - Aug 29 - Aug 29 - Taagborg (Nld) at 0430 Narie (Bhs) at 0615 - both for the canal and Adfines Sea Mlt) (ex Osttank Norway-12) at 1500 approx eastbound Hamilton: docked - Aug 28 - Algoma Strongfield at 1330, Ojibway at 1500 Bronte: arrival - Aug 27 - Gaia Desgagnes at 1012 from Port Weller anchorage - departed Aug 28 at 1915 eastbound Toronto: arrivals - Aug 29 - tug Sea Eagle II & St Marys Cement II at 1808 - departed - Aug 30 - Three Rivers (Atg) at 0044 westbound |
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Historic Hulett ore unloader could rise again on Lake Erie's shore 9/1 - The Hulett ore unloader was an engineering marvel that helped make Cleveland an industrial powerhouse. The massive machines revolutionized shipping by unloading a freighter in a half day instead of week. But self-unloading ships turned the machines into relics. Now, just two Huletts remain. Efforts to preserve them moved forward Aug. 22, when the Cleveland Landmarks Commission unanimously supported plans for a park honoring the massive machines. The decision is bringing an end to 20 years of arguing about restoring and commemorating the machines. The new site will be part of Cumberland Development’s mixed-used project on the Lake Erie waterfront, near FirstEnergy Stadium. The company has donated $10,000 toward the proposed Hulett park, where an exhibit will feature the loading “leg” and bucket of the huge machines. But Environmental Design Group’s Jeff Kerr says explanatory panels and video will add context. “We also are suggesting that we have a video kiosk that could actually show videos of the working Hulett back in the day, and the impact they had on the city of Cleveland and Great Lakes maritime,” he told commissioners Thursday. The proposal includes a pedestrian walkway and pavers designed to mimic the tracks where loading cars travelled. Environmental Design Group is part of a working group on the Huletts project. The effort, led by CanalWay Partners, must come up with a plan for displaying the machine by 2021 – or else the Cleveland Port Authority, which owns the remaining Huletts, can sell the dismantled, rusting parts for scrap. Right now, the ore-unloader parts are sitting at Cleveland Bulk Terminal on Whiskey Island. That’s in Council member Matt Zone’s ward and he’s afraid a vital part of local history will rust away. “It’s unfortunate that these magnificent machines were taken down, without a permit in 1999. They’re made of steel. So they’ve been sitting there, rusting since 1999. They’re decaying, they are dying,” he says. The machines are named after their inventor, Northeast Ohio native George H. Hulett, who patented them in the 1898. The machines were groundbreaking and soon became essential to Great Lakes maritime for almost a century. The unloaders helped Cleveland become a shipping hub, Zones says. The city’s location gave an edge to industrialists like John D. Rockefeller -- and the Hulett sharpened the edge. “As manufacturing was starting to boom, this local guy, George Hulett invented this magnificent machinery that really revolutionized how we unloaded ships,” Zone says. “Because of that, so much iron and steel flowed through the Cleveland port.” The machines were used for 80 years, until 1992, when newer technology like self-unloading ships replaced them. Seven years later, preservationists successfully fought plans to dismantle and sell the city’s four remaining Huletts. Ray Saikus led that charge. His goal was, and is, to have the machines completely restored. He wants a Hulett, as well as the William Mather Steamship, placed on Scranton Island. If the city uses components, they should import them from Conneaut, Ohio, where Hulett himself was born and the site where he built his first working ore unloader. But Cleveland’s machines should remain intact, Saikus says. “If the city only wants a leg and bucket, I think we could negotiate with [Conneaut],” he told commissioners. “But not with the leg and bucket of the Hulett that we have. They’ve got to still be protected.” However, Tim Donovan of Canalway Partners says re-building the machines simply isn’t feasible because the 96-foot-tall behemoths would be too heavy for the park site, which is mostly fill dirt. Now that they have the commission’s support, the working group will refine its design and create a budget. Donovan would not yet estimate the project’s cost. The city will get a look at the revised park and mixed-use development design when Cumberland Development next. WKSU |
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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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