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Port Reports - May 24
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors/Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
North Channel
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas
Marine City, Mich. – Rod Burdick
Pelee Island – Frank Hood Welland Canal and regional report - Wednesday May 23 - Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Buffalo:
Welland Canal:
Port Weller anchorage:
Welland canal docks:
Hamilton:
Bronte:
Mississauga:
Toronto:
Oshawa:
Oswego, N.Y. – Ned Goebricher |
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Great Lakes chefs keep crews happy with freighter fare 5/24 - Steaks sizzling on an open-air grill against the rolling backdrop of Lake Superior. Delicate strawberry shortcakes stacked three biscuits high. A recipe from home carefully recreated below deck, just to make your week a little brighter. Freighters that crisscross the Great Lakes carry more than 100 million tons of cargo each year. Keeping their hardworking crews happy has a lot to do with the talented chief stewards and cooks who keep a seemingly endless stream of meals, snacks and baked goods flowing from the galleys. "They can eat 24 hours a day if they want to," said Aaron Griffin, chief steward aboard the 826-foot Lee A. Tregurtha, which is run by the Interlake Steamship Company. "You've got to keep them happy. That's the main part of my job is to keep the crew happy." Think of a ship's galley and eating area as your favorite corner diner, where all the customers are regulars and they're all on a first-name basis. The cooks know just how everyone likes their burgers, which vegetables they'll eye for seconds, and even the late-night snacks a few are trying hard to avoid. But this floating restaurant is rolling along on lakes Huron, Michigan, Superior and the rest. Groceries have to be ordered ahead from marine supply companies, sometimes delivered by a ship-to-ship crane. And grilling topside might mean having to pull on long underwear first. For the culinary creators who work on Interlake's fleet of nine Great Lakes ships, this juggling act is typically done on a schedule of 60 to 90 days on ship, and 30 days off. Read more and view photos at this link: http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/05/great_lakes_chefs_keep_freight.html |
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Erie Canal fans not ready to give up the ships 5/24 - The tug Reliable, built during the Great Depression in Syracuse and an enduring symbol of the brawny toil of state canal workers, was unceremoniously hauled down the Hudson River by barge last week en route to an ignoble burial at sea. Maritime historians, who love old tugs with an affection some reserve for retrievers, are shocked at the shabby treatment of Reliable and other cast-off canal vessels scheduled to be sunk for Gov. Andrew Cuomo's artificial reef project off Long Island. "A lot of us were appalled watching the Reliable hauled down the river. It is being done so quickly and without time to weigh other options," said Craig Williams, a retired State Museum senior historian and a board member of the Canal Society of New York State. Williams documented the final journey of Reliable with photographs and video and said the sight "made me sick to my stomach." He commiserated along the shoreline with a retired canal worker who was moved to tears watching the old tug taken away. "It's terribly emotional for those of us who love these old vessels," Williams said. Williams spearheaded an effort to save the 1921 Day Peckinpaugh, a 259-foot bulk cargo carrier and the last survivor of more than 100 similar motorships that carried pig iron, wheat, sugar, rye and cement across the Great Lakes and along the Barge Canal to New York City. The ship was purchased in 2005 by the State Museum and a coalition of not-for-profit organizations as a floating museum to highlight the history of the Erie Canal. It is docked in Cohoes but it, too, is in danger of being added to the list of vessels slated to be sunk for the artificial reefs due to maintenance costs, according to Williams. Read more and view photos at this link: https://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Canal-fans-not-ready-to-give-up-the-ships-12935559.php#photo-7990374 |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 24 On 24 May 1872, the wooden schooner SAM ROBINSON was carrying corn from Chicago, Illinois, to Kingston, Ontario, in dense fog on Lake Michigan. At 7:30 a.m. the propeller MANISTEE collided with the schooner and almost cut her in two amidships. When the MANISTEE backed away, the schooner went over on its starboard side and its masts smashed the MANISTEE's pilothouse and cabins. Luckily the ROBINSON's crew launched their lifeboat before the schooner sank and they were picked up by the MANISTEE and taken to Milwaukee.In 1980, the 1,000-foot BURNS HARBOR was christened for the Wilmington Trust Co., (Bethlehem Steel Co., Mgr.) Wilmington, Delaware. CANADIAN OLYMPIC (Hull#60) was launched in 1976, at St. Catharines, Ontario by Port Weller Drydocks Ltd. for Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd. CHICAGO TRADER arrived at Ashtabula, Ohio on May 24, 1977, for scrapping (scrapping did not begin until May 1, 1978, by Triad Salvage Inc.). CLIFFS VICTORY set a record (by 2 minutes) for the fastest time from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, to Duluth, Minnesota, in 1953. She logged a time of 17 hours and 50 minutes. The CHARLES M. WHITE had been declared the fastest earlier that year by the Cleveland papers. ALEXANDER B. MOORE was launched at Bangor, Michigan, on 24 May 1873. She was built by Theophilus Boston at a cost of $85,000. She was 247 foot overall, 223 foot keel and could carry 70,000 bushels of grain. Although designed as a 4-mast schooner, she was built as a 3-master. The fourth mast was added two years later. On 24 May 1875, the schooner NINA was bound from Michael's Bay to Goderich, Ontario, when she sprang a leak and went down in mid-lake. Her crew escaped in the yawl, but was adrift on Lake Huron for two days and two nights with only one loaf of bread to divide among themselves. 1953: The TERNEFJELL of 1948 first came to the Great Lakes that year for the Fjell Line and made 17 inland voyages through 1953. It sank on this date off Start Point in the English Channel following a collision with the DOTTERELL. 1980: LAKE WINNIPEG struck the breakwall at Duluth departing with a cargo of grain, and stranded the next day in the St. Marys River near Detour Village, after a steering gear problem. 1982: CORONADO visited the Great Lakes in 1972 and returned as c) HOLSTENBURG in 1974. It went aground on this date in 1982 as e) ARISTEA T. in the eastern Mediterranean enroute from Port Sudan, Sudan, to Lisbon, Portugal. The ship was refloated on June 6 but deemed a total loss and, on November 2, 1982, was scuttled off Pylos, Greece. 1983: LAKE NIPIGON went aground off Port Colborne following a power failure and was released the next day with bow and bottom damage. The ship was repaired at Montreal. 2005: SEAPRINCESS II first came through the Seaway in 1988 and returned as c) SEARANGER II in 1994. It ran aground as e) STARLUCK off Necochea, Argentina, and about 7,000 tons of wheat had to be removed before the ship floated free. Later in the year, the vessel was sold for scrap and it arrived at Chittagong, Bangladesh, for dismantling on November 21, 2005. Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Pilot error cited in tanker’s near miss with Port Huron boardwalk 5/23 - Port Huron, Mich. – The president of a shipping company said the fisherman who captured a freighter heading toward the Port Huron boardwalk wasn't the only one rather excited Monday night. "The crew on board were excited," said Brian Ritchie, president of Rigel Shipping. Port Huron resident Chad Rickert posted the video on Facebook, showing him quickly moving his fishing gear before fleeing from the railing as the lights of the freighter moved closer. The video had more than 41,000 views as of shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday. Rickert could not be immediately reached for comment. Ritchie said the captain of the Jana Desgagnes provided the ship managing company with a full report. He said a pilot was aboard the vessel when an incorrect command was given out to go to port when it should have been starboard. Ritchie said the captain was on the bridge and quickly corrected the error. "We can't deny it was what we call a near miss," Ritchie said. "It was a close call and we don't like those." He said the pilot who made the error had been on the vessel before. "What's puzzling about the whole thing is, as far as we're concerned, the pilot is a very competent pilot," Ritchie said. He said the vessel is carrying clean refined oil and heading to Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay, Ont. Dan Gallagher, president of Lakes Pilots Associaion, said they did not have a pilot aboard the vessel. He said it is possible it was a Canadian pilot. Port Huron Times Herald |
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Erie’s 2nd tall ship en route to city 5/23 - Erie, Pa. – Erie’s second tall ship will soon be in port following what amounts to a 1,800-mile shakedown voyage to Erie from the vessel’s New York City home. Within the next week, expect to see the fishing schooner Lettie G. Howard, owned by the South Street Seaport Museum in New York City, berthed next to the U.S. Brig Niagara behind the Erie Maritime Museum. The twin-masted schooner, built in 1893 in Essex, Massachusetts, will offer public days sails and school-day sails when the Niagara is away on its Great Lakes summer sail-training schedule this year and next. A collaboration with the South Street Seaport Museum will allow the Flagship Niagara League to operate the Lettie G. Howard with Niagara crew. Flagship Niagara League Executive Director and Fleet Captain Billy Sabatini expects the Lettie G. Howard to arrive in Erie by Memorial Day. Public day sails are scheduled to start June 15 and will go daily through summer. School-day sails will start in September. The Lettie can carry a maximum of 37 passengers, including children under 12 as long as they weigh more than 33 pounds. Starting on June 15, two public day sails will be scheduled daily Monday through Thursday. There will be three public day sails on Fridays, five on Saturdays and four on Sundays. A daily sunset sail is scheduled, and the vessel also will offer private sails. GoErie.com |
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Port Reports - May 23
Two Harbors/Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Port Inland, Mich.
Manitowoc, Wis. Welland canal and regional report - Tuesday May 22 - Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal:
Port Weller anchorage:
Welland canal docks:
Hamilton:
Bronte:
Mississauga:
Toronto:
Oshawa: |
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Museum ship Keewatin to remain in Port McNicoll 5/23 - Port McNicoll, Ont. – Eric Conroy says Owen Sound's inner harbor would have been a “perfect” home for the refurbished S.S. Keewatin, the Edwardian-era steamship-turned-museum that originally operated out of the local port. “I would have loved to see it happen,” the president and CEO of Friends of the Keewatin said Tuesday. “The site right outside of the heritage railway station; the work's all done, the dock is there, the gardens are there. We wouldn't have had to spend a penny. We could have just pulled up, tied up and gone to work. “And the people in Owen Sound – there's a great, built-in organization in terms of volunteers there. Bringing it back to its home base – if I had to leave Port McNicoll – that would be the place I'd want to take it.” But Conroy, who spent this past winter trying to secure a new location for the 111-year-old passenger vessel, said he's also relieved that a deal has been struck that, if awarded final approval, will allow the ship to remain in Port McNicoll. The agreement would mean the Friends' group could continue operating the ship as a museum in the same spot where it spent more than a million dollars last year to build a dock and park to support the vessel as a tourist attraction. “And now I won't have to move the ship. Even though it's a short ride up to Owen Sound, every time you take that thing on the open water, there's a risk involved,” Conroy said. “The other huge thing is the volunteers here. It is what it is because of the people here that made it what it is. The fact that it's going to stay here, I think is fabulous for them.” The S.S. Keewatin was built in Scotland in 1907 in the same Edwardian tradition as the RMS Titanic. The luxury liner was owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway and she and her sister ship, the S.S. Assiniboia, joined three other vessels at their home port in Owen Sound to transport passengers, freight and mail between here and Fort William, now part of Thunder Bay. The ships provided an important link between CPR railway lines in southern Ontario and the top of the Great Lakes. The CPR fleet, including the Keewatin, moved to Port McNicoll after the CPR grain elevator in Owen Sound burned down in December 1911. The Keewatin was decommissioned in 1965. It was then destined to be scrapped, but was saved in 1967 by an American marina owner who purchased her, towed her to Saugatuck, Mich., and established the ship as a maritime museum. Skyline International bought the ship in 2011, made her seaworthy and towed her back to Port McNicoll in 2012. The company intended to incorporate the Keewatin into its plan to develop an 11-kilometre piece of shoreline in Port McNicoll into a community with hundreds of homes, a yacht club, marina, retail shops and entertainment facilities. However, Skyline ended up doing little with the property and sold it last spring to a partnership that includes CIM International. The reported $42-million sale did not include the Keewatin, which forced Skyline and the Friends' group – established in 2012 to save, restore and operate the ship as a museum – to begin searching for a new home for the historic vessel. Conroy told The Sun Times in January that Skyline's first choice for the new location was Midland due to its proximity to Port McNicoll. If that plan didn't work out, the company intended to explore other options, such as moving the ship to Owen Sound, he said. Friends of Keewatin, on behalf of Skyline Investments, presented Midland council with a proposal in late February that would have seen the town receive the vessel and its contents at no cost in exchange for Skyline receiving a federal tax receipt from Midland for the fair market value of the ship, appraised at $48 million. Skyline also offered to fund relocation and renovation costs and ensure the ship didn't operate at a loss for a decade. Midland council didn't accept the offer before a March 19 deadline set by Skyline, saying it needed more time to complete its due diligence. Conroy said while exploring options for the Keewatin's new home, he made a few trips to Owen Sound to give talks on the ship. He was a guest lecturer for the Bluewater Association for Lifelong Learning in December and guest speaker May 1 at the annual general meeting for the Community Waterfront Heritage Centre, which operates a marine and rail museum in the former Canadian National train station on Owen Sound's inner harbour. Conroy said he never heard back from anyone in Owen Sound who was interested in working with the Friends' group to relocate the ship to the Scenic City. He said since his most recent visit to Owen Sound, CIM International has presented Skyline with an offer to acquire the vessel and keep it in Port McNicoll. “They were the ones that said they didn't want the Keewatin and that's what set the whole thing off in the first place,” Conroy said. “But, you see, they weren't from here. They didn't even know what Georgian Bay was. They're from China, mainland China. But over the last six months, I guess they've done research and now realize (the Keewatin) is something they shouldn't let go of and so they came back to us last week with a substantial offer to stay.” He said he expects Skyline will accept the proposal. “The offer is to provide the property, financial support and involvement,” he said. “This is more along the lines of doing what Skyline was going to do – tying it into the marketing of the homes. So they'll be a marketing partner, plus.” The offer must still be signed by Skyline, he said, and ratified by Tay Township since the vessel would remain docked at a township park. Owen Sound Sun Times |
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National Maritime Day celebrates the benefits of waterborne transportation 5/23 - The maritime industry is the lifeblood of United States trade, delivering goods throughout North America and around the world. National Maritime Day, Tuesday, May 22, 2018, recognizes the benefits the maritime industry provides in the U.S. and celebrates those who work on the water. Members of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway shipping industry are among those celebrating National Maritime Day. “National Maritime Day is an opportunity for all to take a moment to appreciate those who work in the marine industry, who protect our waters and deliver resources across the globe,” said Chamber President Bruce Burrows. “The Chamber of Marine Commerce is proud to work with these organizations and individuals every day.” Great Lakes-Seaway ships deliver 164 million metric tons of materials every year for North American businesses. This cargo supports 130,000 jobs in the United States and the successful operations of the country’s mining, steel, manufacturing, agricultural, energy and construction sectors. But the benefits go far beyond economic security and job creation. Marine transport alleviates congested roadways, lowers the risk of accidents and reduces the country’s carbon and air emissions. Shipping is the safest mode of transportation, for both the public and individuals working in the industry. Shipping is about seven times more fuel-efficient than trucks and trains, and has the smallest carbon footprint. (Source: Environmental and Social Impacts of Marine Transport in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway region, Research and Traffic Group.) In North America, marine transportation on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway provides $3.6 billion in annual transportation cost savings, compared to the all-land transportation alternative. This enhances the global competitiveness of North American products and industries and keeps the cost of consumer goods down. The Chamber of Marine Commerce |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 23 UNIQUE (wooden propeller passenger steamer, 163 foot, 381 gross tons, built in 1894, at Marine City, Michigan) was sold to Philadelphia parties for service on the Delaware River. She left Ogdensburg, New York, on 23 May 1901, for Philadelphia. Her name was changed to DIAMOND STATE. In 1904, she was rebuilt as a yacht and lasted until 1915, when she burned in New York harbor.The WILLIAM J. DE LANCEY was re-christened on May 23,1990, as b.) PAUL R. TREGURTHA. She is the largest ship on the Great Lakes and was the last Great Lakes ship built at American Ship Building Co., Lorain, Ohio. American Steamship's H. LEE WHITE completed sea trials on May 23, 1974. FRED R. WHITE Jr. completed her two-day sea trials in 1979. The Tomlinson Fleet Corp.'s steel freighter SONOMA (Hull#610) was launched at West Bay City, Michigan, by West Bay City Ship Building Co. on 23 May 1903. She was 416 feet long, 4,539 gross tons. Through her career she had various names: DAVID S TROXEL in 1924, SONOMA in 1927 and finally FRED L. HEWITT in 1950. She was converted to an automobile carrier in 1928, converted back to a bulk carrier in 1942 and then converted to a barge for grain storage in 1955. She was finally scrapped in 1962, at Steel Co. of Canada Ltd. at Hamilton, Ontario. On 23 May 1889, the wooden steam barge OSCAR T. FLINT (218 foot, 824 gross tons) was launched at the Simon Langell & Sons yard in St. Clair, Michigan. She lasted until 25 November 1909, when she burned and sank off Thunder Bay Island in Lake Huron. 1910: The first FRANK H. GOODYEAR, with a load of ore for Cleveland, was almost cut in two and sank off Pointe aux Barques following a collision in dense fog with the JOSEPH WOOD. Only five sailors survived while another 16 were lost. 1954: EASTDALE, operating on charter to Reoch Transports, ran aground at Collingwood and was refloated May 29. The ship had also visited the Great Lakes as SPRINGDALE and was lost in the Gulf of Bothnia on June 18, 1959, when the cargo of timber shifted in heavy weather. 1959: The Liberian freighter ANDORA, outbound with a cargo of barley, stranded on a shoal below the Snell Lock and proved to be a difficult salvage. The ship initially broke free, spun around and grounded again and was not released until June 18. The cargo was unloaded but ANDORA was deemed not worth repairing and arrived at Savona, Italy, for dismantling on August 15, 1959. 1974: The Canadian tanker CARDINAL, best known as the former IMPERIAL WINDSOR, was badly damaged following a collision with the HENRY STEINBRENNER (iii), in Lake Erie off Point Pelee. The former was never repaired and subsequently scrapped, while the latter went to Lorain for about $100,000 worth of repairs. 1974: A fire broke out in the engine room of the ONTARIO during a voyage from Santos, Brazil, to Montreal and assistance was requested. The Canadian owned vessel had been upbound through the Seaway for the first time on November 8, 1973. The blaze was put out and the ship arrived at Montreal June 6, 1974. It was sold the following month to Tunisian buyers and scrapped as c) REMADA following another fire at Barcelona, Spain, on January 2, 1987. 1988: The first ALGOCAPE, which had run aground in the Lake St. Louis section of the St. Lawrence on May 21, was refloated on this day and cleared to proceed to Baie Comeau, QC, to unload. Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Port Reports - May 22
Duluth/Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors/Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
St. Marys River
Port Inland, Mich.
Milwaukee, Wis.
Southern Lake Michigan
Alpena, Mich. – Ben & Chanda McClain
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas
Detroit, Mich.
Toledo, Ohio Welland canal and regional report - Monday May 21 - Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte:
Mississauga:
Toronto:
Oshawa:
Clarkson: |
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Bridge-it: Port Robinson ferry returns to Welland Canal channel 5/22 - Port Robinson, Ont. – On quiet days, Rick Giammattolla has time to get out his fishing pole while sitting in a "nice comfortable chair" along the canal bank. It can be a laid-back job for the retired banker who spends the summer months at the helm of Bridge-it, the aluminum pontoon boat that carries passengers across the Welland Canal in Port Robinson. "I do have a fishing pole. I do fish here when there are no passengers," says Giammattolla, who retired from a career in the banking industry a few years ago. But as the summer nears, Giammattolla suspects that his fishing pole will remain tucked away more often than not. Despite a rainy start to the season on Saturday, about 20 passengers climbed aboard Bridge-it for the first ferry rides of the season. And Sunday, cyclists arrived by the dozens to enjoy the free ride across the waterway. On a typical day, Giammattolla says as many as 75 passengers will cross the canal aboard Bridge-it, and as many as 150 per day on weekends. About 80 per cent of them are cyclists. The ferry service — that began 1977 to replace the Port Robinson lift bridge that was reduced to a pile of twisted metal in a collision with the Steelton cargo ship three years earlier — has become an integral part of cycling along Niagara's trails over the decades, drawing cyclists from throughout the region. "We've had days where there have been well over 300, the day the Freewheelers had a Bridge-it promotional day, and all of their riders and friends were encouraged to come down and go for a ride. We had 336 (passengers) that day," Giammattolla says, referring to the St. Catharines-based Niagara Freewheelers Bicycle Touring Club. The ferry's fame has even reached beyond Niagara's borders too, attracting a growing number of people from other parts of the province. Giammattolla recalled crossing the canal with a cyclist from Ottawa last summer, who told him he travelled to Niagara specifically to experience the ferry ride. Meanwhile, shops on the far side of the canal have started posting advertisements beside Bridge-it's dock hoping to lure customers over for an ice-cream cone or a cold beer, leveraging the fame of the only active ferry service on the canal. But in addition to the increasing number of cyclists using the ferry, Giammattolla suspects there might soon be an increase in local users, too — as a result of a huge residential development, a little more than a kilometre away. Services and roads have been added to the Empire Legacy subdivision, and the first of more than 1,000 townhouses and single-detached homes planned for the site have been built. In years to come, when people start moving in to those homes, "you're going to need a bigger boat," Giammattolla says, snagging a famous line from Jaws. It's Giammattolla's second season at the helm of Bridge-it — offering rides daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. until the end of August, and then from 9 a.m. until dusk throughout September and October. But even when the canal is frozen over during the winter months, Giammattolla doesn't stray far from his love for boating. "I've always been in love with the water and boating," he says. "I spend the winter on a boat in the Bahamas, and I spend the summer here." Rides on Bridge-it are free, with funding shared by the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. and other nearby entities. Last year the ferry and its two docks were upgraded to allow people with disabilities to take advantage of the service. The St. Catharines Standard |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 22 On 22 May 1901, FRANK H. PEAVEY (steel propeller bulk freighter, 430 foot, 5,002 gross tons) was launched at the American Ship Building Company (Hull #309) in Lorain, Ohio, for the Peavey Syndicate. She lasted until 1934, when she struck the south pier while entering Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and was declared a constructive total loss and scrapped the following year.A.H. FERBERT (Hull#289) was launched this day in 1942, at River Rouge, Michigan by Great Lakes Engineering Works for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. May 22nd was the tenth National Maritime Day and on that day 21 other ships were launched nationwide to celebrate the occasion. The "super" IRVING S. OLDS was launched the same day at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. This marked the last of the "Super Carrier" build program. The others were the BENJAMIN F. FAIRLESS, LEON FRASER and ENDERS M. VOORHEES. SIR THOMAS SHAUGHNESSY sailed under her own power down the Seaway on May 22, 1969, for the last time and arrived at Quebec City. BAYFAIR was launched as the a.) COALHAVEN (Hull#134) at Haverton-Hill-on-Tees, U.K. by Furness Shipbuilding Co. in 1928. While bound for Escanaba, Michigan to load ore, the JOSEPH BLOCK grounded at Porte des Morts Passage, on Green Bay, May 22, 1968, and was released the same day by the Roen tug ARROW. The BLOCK's hull damage extended to 100 bottom plates. Surrendered to the under-writers and sold in June that year to Lake Shipping Inc. Built as the a.) ARTHUR H. HAWGOOD in 1907, She was renamed c.) GEORGE M. STEINBRENNER in 1969, she was scrapped at Ramey’s Bend in 1979. The 143-foot wooden brig JOSEPH was launched at Bay City, Michigan, on 21 May 1867. She was built for Alexander Tromley & Company. CITY OF NEW BALTIMORE was launched at David Lester's yard in Marine City, Michigan, on 22 May 1875. Her master carpenter was John J. Hill. She was a wooden propeller passenger/package freight vessel built for the Detroit-New Baltimore route. Her dimensions were 96 foot keel, 101 feet overall x 20 feet x 6 foot 6 inches, 130 tons. Her boiler was made by J. & T. McGregor of Detroit. Her engine was built by Morton Hamblin & Company of St. Clair, Michigan. She was rebuilt as a tug in 1910, and lasted until abandoned in 1916. 1914: W.H. GILBERT sank in Lake Huron, about 15 miles off Thunder Bay Island following a collision with CALDERA. There was no loss of life. The hull was located in 1982 and rests at a depth of about 200 feet. CALDERA later became b) A.T. KINNEY and c) HILLSDALE. 1942: FRANK B. BAIRD was sunk by gunfire from U-158 on the Atlantic while bound for Sydney, NS with a cargo of bauxite. All of the crew were saved and later picked up by the Norwegian freighter TALISMAN and landed at Pointe Noire, French Equatorial Guinea 1978: AGIOS NICOLAOS, a Seaway caller in 1968, was about 60 miles north of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, enroute to Kuwait, when an explosion and subsequent fire erupted in the engine room. The ship was gutted, towed into Kuwait and abandoned. The vessel was later broken up. As a) BORGHOLM, it began trading to the Great Lakes in 1953 and made 21 voyages through the Seaway from 1959 to 1967. 1979: IRISH PINE made 19 trips through the Seaway from 1960 through 1964 for Irish Shipping. It arrived at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on this date in 1979 as c) ARAMON. The ship had been traveling from Piraeus, Greece, to Port Sudan, Sudan, when the cargo of bitumen solidified in the holds. The vessel was sold for scrap and dispatched to Kaohsiung to be dismantled by the Taiwan Ship Scrap Co. Ltd., with the cargo still on board. Work began on July 18, 1979 Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Port Reports - May 21
Duluth/Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors/Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
St. Marys River
Port Inland, Mich.
Green Bay, Wis.
Milwaukee, Wis.
Southern Lake Michigan
North Channel and Georgian Bay
Alpena, Mich. – Ben & Chanda McClain
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas
Toledo, Ohio Welland canal and regional report - Sunday May 20 - Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte:
Toronto:
Oshawa:
Rochester, N.Y. – Tom Brewer |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 21 On 21 May 1883, SAILOR BOY (2-mast wooden scow-schooner, 75 foot, 76 net tons, built in 1866, at Algonac, Michigan) was carrying wood from Pierport, Michigan to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She anchored outside Milwaukee harbor waiting for a gale to abate but she broke her anchor chains and was driven aground. Her crew of three made it to shore on a line with help from bystanders on the beach.AMERICAN REPUBLIC's maiden voyage was on May 21, 1981, from Sturgeon Bay light to Escanaba, Michigan, to load ore pellets for Cleveland, Ohio. She now sails as GREAT REPUBLIC. Interlake Steamship Co.'s HENRY G. DALTON's maiden voyage was on May 21, 1916. She was scrapped at Vado, Italy, in 1973. UNITED STATES GYPSUM in tow of the German tug FAIRPLAY X was lost in heavy weather on May 21, 1973, near Sydney, Nova Scotia. G.A. TOMLINSON, a.) D.O. MILLS, stranded near Buffalo, New York, on Lake Erie on May 21, 1974, suffering an estimated $150,000 in damage. The 143-foot wooden brig JOSEPH was launched at Bay City, Michigan, on by Alexander Tromley & Company. She was built by the owner. On 21 May 1864, the NILE (wooden passenger/package freight vessel, 190 foot, 650 tons, built in 1852, at Ohio City, Ohio) was sitting at her dock in Detroit, Michigan, with passengers, household goods, and horses and wagons aboard when her boiler exploded, destroying the ship and killing eight of the crew. Large pieces of her boiler flew as far as 300 feet while other pieces damaged houses across the Detroit River in Windsor, Ontario. A large timber was thrown through the brick wall of a nearby shoe store, striking the cobbler in the back of the head and killing him. At least 13 other crew members and passengers were injured. The wreck was moved to the foot of Clark Street in Detroit in July 1864, where it remained until it was finally dynamited in August 1882. May 21, 1923 - ANN ARBOR NO 4 was refloated after sinking at Frankfort, Michigan, the previous February. After spending three weeks in quarantine at Buffalo, New York, because of the discovery of smallpox on board, the steamer JOHN OADES has been released and has started on her way to Duluth. 1919: FERDINAND SCHLESSINGER, enroute from Erie, Pa., to Port Arthur, Ont., with 3,514 tons of coal, began leaking in a storm and sank 15 miles off Passage Island, Lake Superior. The crew was picked up by the ASSINIBOIA 1932: The C.P.R. passenger ship MANITOBA goes aground in Georgian Bay off Cape Croker in heavy fog and has to be lightered before being released the next day. 1942: TROISDOC is the latest member of the Paterson fleet to be a victim of enemy action in World War Two. It was torpedoed by U-558 about 40 miles west of Jamaica and the crew escaped in the lifeboats. The vessel was enroute from Mobile, AL to Georgetown, British Guiana, with 55,700 bags of cement, vegetables, 1600 cases of beer and cigarettes. 1963: The Taiwanese freighter VAN YUNG had visited the Great Lakes in 1960 and 1961. It was laid up at Keelung, Taiwan, on this day due to fire damage and was sold for scrap in October 1963. 1965: Leaks developed in the boiler room of the Norwegian freighter LIONNE and the ship, enroute from Caen, France, to Montreal, sank in the Atlantic. Two members of the crew were lost. The vessel had made 5 trips through the Seaway from 1961 to 1963. 1973: The retired American Steamship Company self-unloader UNITED STATES GYPSUM, under tow for scrapping at Vado, Italy, broke loose in the Atlantic off Sydney, NS and sank. 1979: The second PRINS WILLEM V, a Dutch freighter of 1956 vintage, was damaged extensively by a fire amidships while idle at Port Elizabeth, South Africa as f) ARAXOS. It has been for sale and was scrapped at Durban, South Africa, in 1981. 2007: A fire broke out in the engine room of the Canadian-owned salty UMIAVUT while enroute from Kolundborg, Denmark, to La Corogne, Spain, with 8600 tons of flour. The ship was towed into Brest, France, and repaired. It visited the Great Lakes as b) LINDENGRACHT in 2000 and was back as c) UMIAVUT in 2011. Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series, the Detroit Free Press and the Duluth Evening Herald. |
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Port Reports - May 20
Duluth/Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors/Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
St. Marys River
Port Inland, Mich.
Milwaukee, Wis.
Southern Lake Michigan
North Channel and Georgian Bay
Calcite, Mich.
Stoneport, Mich.
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas
Toledo, Ohio
Fairport, Ohio Welland canal and regional report - Saturday May 19 - Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Port Colborne anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte:
Toronto:
Oshawa: |
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Porthole restoration brings Lake Michigan breeze back to historic lighthouse 5/20 - Ludington, Mich. – A Michigan lighthouse is getting an update that will allow visitors to better experience the historic structure. The Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association is in the process of restoring 14 portholes that adorn the 57-foot Ludington North Breakwater Light on Lake Michigan. The original, circular windows, installed when the lighthouse was first lit in 1924, had begun to leak and been painted over several times, making them inoperable. Furthermore, the glass or Plexiglass in some cases, had become so weather damaged that guests who visited the light in the summer months couldn't see out of them, depriving visitors of a majestic view of Lake Michigan and Pere Marquette Harbor. Prior to the restoration, only one of the 14 portholes would open "The portholes are an integral part of the lighthouse," said SPLKA Executive Director Peter Manting. "This work will make it a lot more comfortable and allow guests to see out of them. Now they can take their camera and take photos of what's passing by the porthole. Plus, we can open them up and get a breeze in the lighthouse." Read more and view photos at this link: http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/05/porthole_restoration_project_b.html |
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Chicago Coast Guard hosts training seminar to discuss illegal boating on Great Lakes 5/20 - Chicago, Ill. – Chicago Coast Guard units hosted a week-long training seminar for Coast Guard stations, prevention departments and intelligence divisions from around the Great Lakes region to discuss the topic of illegal passenger vessel operations. Boarding officers, intelligence officers, marine inspectors and marine investigators from as far away as Michigan, Wisconsin and New York received training on topics that included public outreach and education, how to recognize potential illegal charter vessels, boarding procedures, and Coast Guard regulations. Speakers from Illinois Department of Natural Resources also shared best practices from last summer when the Coast Guard, in coordination with IDNR, terminated the voyages of 22 vessels for conducting illegal charter operations on Lake Michigan and the Illinois River near Starved Rock. “Operators of vessels who are unlicensed and transporting paying passengers put those passengers and other boaters as risk,” said Cmdr. Zeita Merchant, commanding officer of Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Chicago. “Our goal is to educate vessel operators and the public about the concerns, consequences and dangers of this issue. We’re also here to help those vessel operators who are unaware they are operating illegally and who want to come into compliance.” Coast Guard and IDNR will be patrolling the Chicago area waterways this summer, keeping the waterways safe by enforcing federal and state boating regulations. USCG |
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Updates - May 20 Saltie Gallery updated with pictures of the Adfines Sky, Beatrix, Cape Dawson, Drawsko, Federal Caribou, Federal Clyde, Federal Danube, Federal Hunter, Federal Katsura, Federal Kivalina, Kitikmeot W, Lubie, Pochard S, Sloman Hermes and Vancouverborg |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 20 On 20 May 1872, the ironclad passenger/package freight steamer MERCHANT struck a rock and sank at the mouth of the Detroit River. No one was injured. The wrecking tugs MAGNET and HERCULES took off the cargo of railroad iron and general merchandise, then attached two pontoons, but the vessel would not budge. On 26 May, the steamers MACKINAW and SWEEPSTAKES joined the scene and d two more pontoons. With all the steam pumps working, the MERCHANT still would not budge. Two days later, two more pontoons were added and the MERCHANT finally floated free and was towed to Detroit for repairs. She had two holes in her hull, one of which was a gash 23 feet long.On May 20, 1909, while lying at the Lackawanna Coal Dock at Buffalo, New York, the LeGRAND S. DEGRAFF was struck by the SONORA, which caused $4,000 in damage to the DEGRAFF. Later renamed b.) GEORGE G. CRAWFORD in 1911. She was scrapped at Duluth, Minnesota in 1976. The STANDARD PORTLAND CEMENT sank on Lake Huron two miles above Port Huron, Michigan in a collision with the steamer AUGUST ZIESING on May 20, 1960, with no loss of life. On May 20, 1967, during docking maneuvers in the Trenton Channel of the Detroit River, the W.W. HOLLOWAY's KaMeWa propeller shaft sheared off and the propeller reportedly sank to the bottom. The RENOWN (Hull#396) was launched May 20, 1912, at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. for the Standard Oil Co. Renamed b.) BEAUMONT PARKS in 1930 and c.) MERCURY in 1957. WILLIAM A. McGONAGLE (Hull#154) was launched May 20, 1916, at Ecorse, Michigan by Great Lakes Engineering Works for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. Renamed b.) HENRY STEINBRENNER in 1986. On 20 May 1862, BAY CITY (wooden propeller tug, 199 foot, 480 tons, built in 1852, at Trenton, Michigan) sprang a leak in a storm and sank near Port Burwell, Ontario. She then washed in to shallow water. Her crew was rescued by the tug WINSLOW. Her engine and boiler were removed in June and July of that year. On 20 May 1875, the passenger package freight vessel GLADYS was launched at D. Lestor's yard in Marine City, Michigan for the Toledo & Saginaw Transportation Company. Her dimensions were 135 feet overall x 26 feet x 10 feet. She had twelve staterooms and along with ample cargo space. The pilot house was forward, 8 feet square and 11 feet high. The engines, from the old ESTABROOK and, previous to that, from DAN RHODES, were two high-pressure double engines acting on one shaft with an 8 foot propeller. She also had a pony engine to feed water to the boilers and wash the decks. She was sold Canadian in 1877, and renamed NORTHERN BELLE and lasted until November 1898, when she burned on Georgian Bay. 1923 – The steel bulk carrier EDWARD U. DEMMER sank in the deep waters of Lake Huron after a collision with the SATURN at 0740 hours, in heavy fog, while about 40 miles southeast of Thunder Bay Island. All on board were saved. 1924 – STATE OF OHIO, an iron sidewheel passenger steamer, burned at Cleveland on this date in 1924. It was rebuilt as a barge but stranded on the main breakwall at Lorain on December 17, 1929, and became a total loss. 1928 – CLEARWATER stranded near Trinity Bay, in the St. Lawrence while inbound with a cargo of pulpwood and was blown on the beach. The brand-new vessel was abandoned to the insurers but the hull was salvaged in July, repaired and returned to service later in the year as TRENORA. It last sailed as KEYSHEY in 1963. 1942 – TORONDOC of the Paterson fleet went south for the bauxite trade during World War Two. German broadcasts reported that it was torpedoed and sunk by U-69 on this date. All of the 23-member crew were lost when the ship went down in the vicinity of the French island of Martinique. 1945 – CALGARY had operated on the Great Lakes from 1912 to 1916 but left for the sea and was converted to a tanker in 1921. The ship was renamed b) BACOI and served on coastal runs for Standard Oil and even returned to the Great Lakes in 1938. It suffered an explosion and fire while in the Cape Cod Canal on this date in 1945 and had to be beached. It was scrapped at Jersey City in 1948. 1946 – The Georgian Bay area passenger ship MANITOULIN stranded at Clapperton Island but was released the next day by the tug NORTHERN. 1960 – The STANDARD PORTLAND CEMENT settled on the bottom of Lake Huron, with her decks above water, after a collision in fog with the upbound AUGUST ZIESING. The former was refloated, sold to Redwood Enterprises and came into Canadian service as ELMDALE. The latter resumed trading for U.S. Steel after bow repairs. 1960 – PAUL H. TOWNSEND was hit from behind by the British freighter TYNEMOUTH on foggy Lake Huron while trying to avoid the wrecked STANDARD PORTLAND CEMENT and the anchored AUGUST ZIESING. The PAUL H. TOWNSEND had stern plates damaged while the salty sustained bow damage. TYNEMOUTH had become a regular Seaway trader in 1959 and made 18 trips inland through 1967. It ran aground off Fuga Island, the Philippines as b) EASTERN RIVER on April 24, 1971, and became a total loss. 1981 – The West German freighter VIRGILIA made 30 trips to the Great Lakes between 1959 and 1967. It was renamed b) MARIA in 1974 and suffered an engineroom fire in the Red Sea and had to be abandoned while enroute from Mersin, Turkey, to Bombay, India, on this date in 1981. The hull was towed to shallow water and beached about 5 miles south of Suez. It was later sold, via auction, and apparently scrapped as c) FARIDA II at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, in 1989. Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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American Victory moved to Fraser Shipyard in preparation for scrapping 5/19 - Superior, Wis. – The first leg of the scrap tow for the long-idle American Victory began Friday morning when the tugs Kentucky and Arkansas moved her from the old NP ore dock over to Fraser Shipyards in Superior, reportedly to have its unloading boom removed. Once that work is done, it is expected she will be towed down the lakes and eventually overseas for scrapping. |
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Port Reports - May 19
Two Harbors/Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
St. Marys River
Port Inland, Mich.
Muskegon, Mich.
Milwaukee, Wis.
North Channel and Georgian Bay
Calcite, Mich.
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas
Sarnia, Ont. – Brad Kelch
Welland canal and regional report for Friday May 18 - Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Long Point bay:
Welland Canal:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte:
Toronto:
Oshawa:
Rochester, N.Y. – Tom Brewer |
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Help wanted: Ordinary Seaman / Deckhand (Entry Level) 5/19 - Grand River Navigation Company is the U.S. operating subsidiary of Rand Logistics Corporation. Together with our Canadian sister company, Lower Lakes Towing Ltd., we are one of the largest marine transportation service providers operating on the Great Lakes today with a combined fleet of 15 bulk freight vessels in service to over 50 customers across the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. Our company has immediate openings for the position of deckhand aboard our US flagged self-unloading vessels.
Responsibilities
Why Choose Grand River Navigation? Job Type: Permanent
VIA Mail: Human Resources Department VIA email: humanresources@grnavigation.com |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 19 On 19 May 1894, LORETTA (wooden propeller freighter, 140 foot, 395 gross tons, built in 1892, at Sebewaing, Michigan as a schooner) was driven ashore near the mouth of the Au Sable River at Oscoda, Michigan in a terrible gale. She was heavily damaged but the crew was rescued. She was salvaged and put back in service but only lasted for two more years when she burned.SIR THOMAS SHAUGHNESSY (Hull#164) was launched May 19, 1906 at Wyandotte, Michigan by Detroit Ship Building Co. for the National Steamship Co. She was scrapped at Castellon, Spain in 1969. On May 19, 1973, the whaleback tanker METEOR was moved from the Pipeline Tankers dock to a permanent berth on Barkers Island at Superior, Wisconsin to serve as a museum ship. B.F. JONES and EDWARD S. KENDRICK, towed by the Polish tug KORAL, arrived for scrapping at Castellon, Spain, near Barcelona on the Mediterranean Sea, on May 19, 1973, a trip of over 4,000 miles. The LAKE WINNIPEG in tow of the tug IRVING CEDAR arrived in Portugal on May 19, 1985. She was the largest Canadian laker and the first Seaway-sized ship, as of that date, to be scrapped. On 19 May 1835, PARROTT (wooden 2-mast schooner, 43 foot, 20 tons, built in 1834, at Ashtabula, Ohio) sailed for Detroit, Michigan carrying iron, glass, whiskey, and hogs on deck. She never made it. The following day, west of Ashtabula, many of the hogs swam ashore and later a lot of gear from the boat drifted to the beach. No storm was mentioned and all six onboard lost their lives. She had been enrolled to a new owner the day before she set sail. On 19 May 1876, the Port Huron Times reported that Capt. Alexander McDougall, formerly master of the steamer JAPAN, had built a large steam fish boat named SASKIWIT at Buffalo during the winter and was then sailing from there to Marquette, Michigan. Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Salties delayed by labor dispute leave Toledo cargo dock 5/18 - Toledo, Ohio - – Two of three ships delayed at the Port of Toledo by a labor dispute left the dock Wednesday after the U.S. Coast Guard approved a plan to use tugboats to pull the ships into open water, rather than relying on harbor pilots whose refusal to cross a longshoremen picket line had led to the bottleneck. (Editor’s Note: A third vessel, Reggeborg, departed after this article was posted.) Montreal-based Fednav, which owns the freighters Federal Champlain and Federal Kumano, initially sought a waiver from the Coast Guard that would have allowed the company to maneuver its ships away from the docks without the assistance of a pilot. That request was denied. But Coast Guard spokesman Lorne Thomas said a second request to use tugboats to pull the ships about 500 feet away from the dock and then deliver pilots to the vessels so they could continue their voyages to their next ports was given the OK. “That was safe and a legal approach, so we did not object to that plan,” Mr. Thomas told The Blade. The Champlain had been delayed for about 10 days, and the Kumano for a shorter time, when the pilots — required by regulation to guide overseas vessels through unfamiliar harbors and channels — refused to cross a picket line set up by International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1982. The union has been engaged in a long-running dispute with Midwest Terminals of Toledo International, the stevedore company operating the dock under contract with the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. Keeping the ships tied up there had been seen by the union as a key bargaining chip in its battle with Midwest. Union officials have said the delay could cost the shipping companies and the terminal tens of thousands of dollars a day. Local 1982 and Midwest have been embroiled in a long-standing and complex conflict laced with allegations of racial discrimination and unfair labor practices. Having received decertification petitions from a majority of Local 1982’s members, the company no longer officially recognizes the union, while the union has challenged those petitions as the product of Midwest’s allegedly unfair practices. William Yockey, trustee of Local 1982, expressed frustration with the Coast Guard on Wednesday, suggesting it had broken rules that require it to stay out of labor disputes. "We're very disappointed that the 9th Coast Guard District intervened in a labor dispute to let these ships go off the dock without a pilot,” he said. Though the tug operators who moved the freighters also are represented by a union, Mr. Yockey said there were no provisions in their contract that allow them to refuse to cross another union’s picket. Once the Federal Champlain and Federal Kumano were out in the harbor, Mr. Yockey said the pilots were “duty bound” to take the ship. The freighter Reggeborg, another ship affected by the pilots’ refusal to pass the picket line, remained at the port authority dock Wednesday, though Mr. Thomas said the Reggeborg’s owner was working on a plan similar to that of Fednav to get its ship free. Alex Johnson, president of Midwest Terminals, said his company was unaware of arrangements Fednav had made for its ships to depart other than receiving notice that dock workers were needed to assist them in doing so. Marc Gagnon, director of government affairs for Fednav said the company had advised its owner, Royal Wagenborg of The Netherlands, of the means it had used to move its ships. An inquiry to Royal Wagenborg yielded no response by Tuesday evening. The Fednav spokesman said his company was still calculating its costs associated with the incident, which included hiring a tug to come from Cleveland to assist with the departure maneuver as well as the value of the two ships’ lost time. But it was, he said, “an extremely expensive delay for something that is not our case,” and until the specter of similar delay is lifted, Fednav will have to think carefully before booking any cargoes to or from the Midwest-managed dock. “I think it’s fair to say every ship owner will hesitate” to serve that part of the Toledo port, Mr. Gagnon said. While the Kumano headed downriver toward Maumee Bay and its next call in Sarnia, Ont., the Champlain sailed up the Maumee River to the ADM grain elevator on Miami Street, where it was to take on a soybean cargo destined for Italy, Mr. Gagnon said. Toledo Blade |
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Port Reports - May 18
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors/Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
St. Marys River
Owen Sound, Ont. – Paul Martin
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas Welland canal and regional report for Thursday May 17 - Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Long Point bay:
Welland Canal:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte:
Mississauga:
Toronto:
Oshawa:
Oswego, N.Y. – Ned Goebricher |
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Amazing sunsets, Great Lakes scenery captured by Coast Guard crews 5/18 - Some gorgeous images of sunrises, colorful sunsets and big-water scenes have been flowing out from the U.S. Coast Guard crews plying the Great Lakes this spring. As the boats that traverse lakes Michigan, Huron, Superior and Erie have been switching over from ice-breaking duties to working on the big navigational buoys in the last month, those aboard have been getting some great photographs and sharing them on social media. These little nautical gems give us a glimpse into places many of us landlubbers will never get to see. We're sharing a few of them here, with thanks to the Coast Guard members who framed such great shots. For Petty Officer First Class Tom Westfall, the sunrise-to-sunset views aboard the 225-foot U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alder is never something he takes for granted. He grew up amid the mountains of West Virginia, and later marveled at the expanse of Middle East desert when deployed overseas. But it's the Great Lakes he considers his home now - and it's a sight that never gets old. "The Great Lakes have the best sunsets," said Westfall, who manages the Alder's Facebook page and takes many of the pictures featured there. "Just about every sunset or sunrise is about as good as it gets on the lakes." Westfall, 35, has been in the Coast Guard for 14 years. He served for three years on the Hollyhock, another Coast Guard cutter, and expects to serve four on the Alder. The Alder, nicknamed "King of the Waters," is based in Duluth, Minn. It spends much of its time working in Lake Superior. Westfall also likes using his pictures to keep the crews' families in touch when their loved ones are far away. He manages a Facebook page just for the Alder's 50 families, and is always happy to see when parents and siblings like the photos and follow along on their adventures. "I like to share the views that no one else has." View the images at this link: https://www.mlive.com/expo/erry-2018/05/45b622358d4336/coast_guard_crews_capture_amaz.html |
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Coast Guard units to host free and open to the public events 5/18 - Cleveland, Ohio – Several U.S. Coast Guard stations on the Great Lakes are scheduled to host free events for the public this weekend and in the coming weeks. Some of the events will be open houses and will allow the public to tour the station, learn about the crews, equipment and missions of the Coast Guard on the Great Lakes. These events will coincide with the start of National Safe Boating Week, May 19-25. • Coast Guard Station Oswego will be assisting Oswego Fire Department Friday at Wrights Landing Marina in Oswego New York. In support of National Safe Boating Week, Coast Guard Station Oswego will attend with Coast Guard Auxiliary 2-4. Everyone is invited to come meet the crew, and hear about the importance of boater safety and proper life jacket use. When: May 18, 2018 - 11 a.m. to noon. Contact: (315) 343-1551 • Open House Where: Coast Guard Station Fairport, 2 Coast Guard Rd., Fairport, OH 44057 When: May 19, 2018 - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact: (440) 352-3112 • Open House Where: Coast Guard Station Saginaw River, 2405 Weadock Hwy, Essexville, MI 48732 When: May 19, 2018 - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact: (989) 892-7009 • Open House Where: Coast Guard Station Erie, 1 Coast Guard Rd., Erie, PA 16505 When: May 20, 2018 - noon to 4 p.m. Contact: (814) 838-2097 • Coast Guard Auxiliary Boating Safety Class. The Auxiliary "About Boating Safety" certification and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources safe boating certificate programs will be covered. Where: Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 225 East Spruce Street, St. Charles, MI 48655 When: June 9, 2018 - 8 a.m. into the afternoon. Contact: Commodore Mark Simoni, (989) 239-4731. To find a National Safe Boating Week event near you, visit: http://www.safeboatingcampaign.com/ready-set-wear-it USCG |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 18 On 18 May 1872, the 3-mast wooden schooner MARQUETTE was holed in northern Lake Huron by a floating log. The crew manned the hand-operated bilge pumps but could not keep up with the incoming water. The steamer ANNIE YOUNG took the MARQUETTE in tow even though she was sinking and headed for Cheboygan, Michigan. During the tow, the schooner stopped sinking and arrived in port no lower in the water than she had been earlier. An investigation revealed that a large fish got caught in the hole and plugged it.The WILLIAM C. ATWATER departed Sandusky, Ohio May 18, 1925, on her maiden voyage loaded with coal bound for Duluth, Minnesota. She was the first freighter on the Great Lakes equipped with a gyro compass. She was renamed b.) E. J. KULAS in 1936, c.) BEN MOREELL in 1953, d.) THOMAS E MILLSOP in 1955, e.) E. J. NEWBERRY in 1976, and f.) CEDARGLEN in 1982. She was scrapped at Port Maitland, Ontario in 1994. Bethlehem Steel's steamer JOHNSTOWN cleared Erie May 18, 1985, for Quebec City under tow bound for Spain for scrapping. This vessel was the first post-war built U.S. laker to be scrapped. On May 18, 1903, the MAUNALOA hit and sank the 69-foot wooden tug EDWARD GILLEN at Superior, Wisconsin. May 18, 1992 -- The BADGER made her maiden voyage for the newly formed Lake Michigan Carferry Service. On 18 May 1853, CITIZEN (wooden schooner, 54 tons, built in 1847, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin) was driven aground 6 miles north of Chicago. The U. S. Navy steamer MICHIGAN tried in vain to pull her off, breaking a 14" hawser in the process. She was reportedly the first vessel built at Manitowoc, Wisconsin. On 18 May 1882, AMERICAN EAGLE (wooden propeller, passenger packet & tug, 105 foot, 161 gross tons, built in 1880, at Sandusky, Ohio) was racing off Kelley's Island on Lake Erie when her boiler exploded. Six lives were lost. She was later raised and repaired and lasted until 1908. 18 May 1894: A big storm swept the Lakes on 18 May 1894. The next day, the Port Huron Times gave the following account of the shipwrecks in that storm: "The big storm on Lake Michigan has cost the lives of many men. Only 2 men were saved from the schooner M J CUMMINGS, 6 lost. The C C BARNES is ashore at Milwaukee but the crew was saved. The schooner MYRTLE was wrecked just outside the government pier within a half mile of Michigan Blvd. in Chicago with 6 lost. The schooner LINCOLN DALL went to pieces at Glencoe, 8 miles north of Chicago. She was 196 tons. The schooner JACK THOMPSON, 199 tons, wrecked off 25th Street. The schooner EVENING STAR, 203 tons, wrecked off 27th Street but her crew was saved. The schooner MERCURY of Grand Haven, 278 tons, wrecked off 27th Street and her crew rescued. The schooner J LOOMIS McLAREN, 272 tons, wrecked off 27th Street. The schooner RAINBOW of Milwaukee, 243 tons, wrecked off 100th Street; the crew was rescued. The schooner C J MIXER, 279 tons, wrecked off 100th Street; crew rescued. The schooner WM SHUPE waterlogged and ashore at Lexington, Michigan on Lake Huron. Four were drowned in an attempted rescue. The scow ST CATHARINES is ashore at Rock Falls near Sand Beach. The crew reached shore safely but the boat will fare badly." 1919 – CITY OF MEAFORD, a wooden-hulled passenger freighter was destroyed by fire at the dock in Collingwood. 1922 – GLENFINNAN, downbound with grain, and MIDLAND KING collided in fog southeast of Passage Isle, Lake Superior, and both masters received two-month suspensions. 1928 – The whaleback steamer JOHN ERICSSON was heavily damaged in a collision with the A.F. HARVEY of the Pittsburgh SS Co. in fog on Lake Huron. The latter was lost as b) CEDARVILLE in another collision on May 7, 1965. 1971 – TRANSPACIFIC was entering the harbor at the island of St. Pierre in the Gulf of St. Lawrence to get technical help for a malfunctioning radar when the ship stranded on the rocks. The West German freighter, a regular Seaway trader since 1959, was abandoned. The hull has gradually broken apart by the elements over the years. Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Irvin to face tight squeeze: DECC gives preliminary OK on plans to move ship 5/17 - Duluth, Minn. – Plans are being laid to move the museum ship William A. Irvin out of Minnesota Slip for the first time in more than three decades. But the retired laker will face a tight squeeze — with just 15 total inches to spare — as it passes between the abutments of a pedestrian lift bridge that spans the slip. In spite of the Irvin's size — stretching 611 feet from stem to stern with a 30-foot beam — LeRoy Kolenda, a Fraser Shipyards foreman, expressed confidence the vessel can be successfully navigated into the harbor without damage to either it or the bridge. "The key will be to keep the ship under control at all times," he said, adding that wave action, currents and other marine traffic all will need to be closely monitored. The Irvin is owned and operated as a floating museum by the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, an organization that has yet to fully sign off on the move. At a Tuesday afternoon meeting of the DECC Board of Directors, the president of that body, Roger Reinert, expressed concern about potentially causing harm to the recently upgraded bridge. In 2017, Duluth invested about $3 million to overhaul and replace the lifting mechanism for the bridge, which had been plagued for years by breakdowns. In order to make room for the Irvin's transit, that new mechanism will be disengaged, and one side of the bridge will need to be manually pinned in more of an upright position than it can achieve when in operation. Chad Scott, a principal partner of AMI Consulting Engineers, offered assurances that the process should result in no harm to the bridge and predicted it probably would be out of commission for a week at most. If the ship isn't moved, the city could be denied $1.3 million in federal funding set aside to address pollution in the slip, said Jim Filby Williams, Duluth's director of public administration. Filby Williams made a pitch to the DECC Board of Directors Tuesday, asking it for assistance and warning of potential project delays and further disruption without their cooperation. Because of ongoing seawall repairs, the Irvin has been unable to welcome visitors this year. It currently sits idle at anchor in the slip. Contracts for the cleanup work will need to be awarded shortly to keep the project on track said Crague Biglow, a Superfund supervisor for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. He said that work can occur only in the Irvin's absence. The project involves leveling out contaminated sediments that have accumulated in the slip and then hauling in clean dredge materials to cap the pollution in place. Relocating the Irvin will be a labor-intensive ordeal that could cost upward of $600,000. Filby Williams laid out a proposal Tuesday, asking the DECC to cover half of the cost, up to a maximum of $300,000. He said the city would pick up the other half, as well as any unexpected cost overruns.vThe city also has offered to purchase insurance to cover any damage to the ship or bridge. The Irvin is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and plans to move it will require approval by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as well as the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office. If approved, plans call for the Irvin to leave Minnesota Slip in September, then moor temporarily on the harborside seawall in back of the DECC. It would reopen for visitors in time for Halloween, when it operates as a popular "haunted ship." In November, the Irvin would be moved to Fraser Shipyards, where it would be placed in dry dock and repainted for first time in more than 30 years. Filby Williams noted that the ship is overdue for some work and pointed to a recent inspection that revealed portions of the hull had been pitted, leaving steel that was half its original thickness. Filby Williams extended the city's offer to seek a $300,000 historic preservation grant to cover restoration costs incurred at Fraser, with the ship to return to Minnesota Slip in May. The DECC's board unanimously passed a resolution of intent to partner with the city of Duluth, but a final, formal agreement still will need to be approved before the cleanup can progress. Duluth News Tribune |
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Port Reports - May 17
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors/Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Lake Michigan
North Channel and Georgian Bay
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas
Marine City, Mich. – Rod Burdick Welland canal and regional report - Wednesday May 16 - Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Long Point bay:
Welland Canal:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte:
Clarkson:
Mississauga:
Toronto:
Oshawa:
Sydney, N.S. – Jason Day |
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"Wear It" life jacket campaign kicks off National Safe Boating Week 5/17 - Cleveland, Ohio – The Coast Guard Ninth District will be supporting Wear Your Life Jacket to Work Day on Friday. The annual event, hosted by the National Safe Boating Council (NSBC) serves as a fun, educational element just prior to National Safe Boating Week, May 19-25, the official launch of the 2018 Safe Boating Campaign. Educating the boating public about the safety and comfort of life jackets has been a main focus of the campaign. U.S. Coast Guard statistics show that drowning was the reported cause of death in four out of every five recreational boating fatalities nationwide in 2016. In the Great Lakes, where lifejacket use was known, approximately 97% percent of those who drowned were not wearing life jackets versus the national average of 83%. “Visiting the Great Lakes is a once in a lifetime experience; don’t let it be your last," said Mike Baron, recreational boating safety specialist for the Ninth Coast Guard District. "Always wear your life jacket.” The National Safe Boating Council is asking all participants to take a picture of themselves in their life jacket while at work and post it to the Ready, Set, Wear It Facebook page or submit it directly to the NSBC at outreach@safeboatingcouncil.org. Participants are also encouraged to tweet their picture using #RSWI2018. Coast Guard members join boating professionals and outdoor enthusiasts to heighten awareness of different life jacket styles that are available, and demonstrate their comfort and versatility by wearing them to work. USCG |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 17 On 17 May 1887, WILLIAM RUDOLPH (wooden propeller "rabbit,” 145 foot, 267 gross tons. built in 1880, at Mount Clemens, Michigan) was raised from Lake St. Clair. She sank in the fall of 1886. She was towed to the Wolverine Drydock in Port Huron, Michigan where she was repaired. She lasted until 1913, when she was beached as shore protection near Racine, Wisconsin.ALTON C. DUSTIN (Hull#708) was launched May 17, 1913, at Lorain, Ohio by the American Ship Building Co. for Cleveland Steamship Co. (John Mitchell, mgr.) Renamed b.) J.A. CAMPBELL in 1915 and c.) BUCKEYE MONITOR in 1965. Sank on December 16, 1973, in position 43.3N x 30.15W, in Atlantic Ocean, while in tandem tow with ROBERT S. MCNAMARA and German tug SEETRANS I, bound for scrapping at Santander, Spain. NORTHCLIFFE HALL collided with the Cuban salty CARLOS MANUEL DE CESPEDES in the St. Lawrence River above the Eisenhower Lock on May 17, 1980. Built in 1952, by Canadian Vickers as a,) FRANKCLIFFE HALL (Hull#255), renamed b.) NORTHCLIFFE HALL in 1959, and c.) ROLAND DESGAGNES in 1976, she sank after running aground on May 26, 1982, near Pointe aux Pic, Quebec. E.G. GRACE arrived at Ramey's Bend May 17, 1984, in tow of the tugs GLENEVIS and GLENSIDE for scrapping. On May 17, 1941, The Ludington Daily News reported that the former carferry PERE MARQUETTE 17, which had been purchased by the State of Michigan for use at the Straits of Mackinac, was to be renamed b.) CITY OF PETOSKEY. She was scrapped at Ashtabula, Ohio in 1961. The schooner ST. ANDREWS was launched at A. Muir's shipyard on the Black River in Port Huron, Michigan on 17 May 1875. This was a rebuild job, but Mr. Muir stated that it was the most complete rebuild he ever undertook since there was only a portion of the keel and bottom left from the old hull. Her new dimensions were 135 foot keel x 30 feet x 14 feet, 425 tons (an increase of 102 tons). At about 9 a.m., 17 May 1885, the tug E.T. CARRINGTON (wooden side-wheel tug, 76 foot, 57 gross tons, built in 1876, at Bangor, Michigan) was towing a raft of logs from L'Anse to Baraga, Michigan, when she caught fire and burned to the water's edge. The crew was rescued by the steam yacht EVA WADSWORTH. The CARRINGTON was later rebuilt and lasted until 1907. 1916 – ROCK FERRY, a wooden steamer, ran aground due to fog off Main Duck Island, Lake Ontario but was salvaged and repaired. 1924 – ORINOCO sank about 6 miles off Agawa Bay, Lake Superior, while upbound with coal. The wooden steamer had sought shelter behind Michipicoten Island while towing the barge CHIEFTAIN, but then tried to return to Whitefish Bay. ORINOCO began to leak under the stress and was lost. 1957 – The composite hulled steamer YANKCANUCK ran aground in mud at Whitby but was released in what proved to be her final season. She was laid up at Sault Ste. Marie at 1014 hours on June 27. 1969 – The tug COLINETTE sank in Toronto Bay after the hull was punctured while docking the freighter ATLANTIC HOPE at Pier 35. All on board were saved and the vessel was raised and repaired. It apparently survives as a private yacht named NOMADA. Data from: Skip Gillham, John Dunlap, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Union dispute leaves salties stranded at Toledo 5/16 - Toledo, Ohio – A long-simmering labor dispute between a local longshoremen's union and a Port of Toledo stevedore has led to three ocean freighters being waylaid at the Port of Toledo and a fourth boat being turned away – potentially costing the terminal tens of thousands of dollars a day in lost work. Local 1982 of the International Longshoremen’s Association has been holding an informational picket outside Midwest Terminals of Toledo International since the company withdrew its recognition of the 32-member union early this year after saying it had received signatures from a majority of union members who no longer wished for union representation. Local 1982 leadership has challenged the decertification to the National Labor Relations Board. But as the dispute wears on, lake pilots have refused to cross Local 1982’s picket line — which at times has included a boat — to maneuver the freighters back to open water, keeping three oceangoing ships at the docks from being able to leave legally. As of Tuesday, officials said three ships are effectively stuck in Toledo. One, the Federal Champlain, has been held for more than a week, and its arrival in Toledo also was delayed by about 14 hours earlier this month when the pilot then aboard refused to give instructions for docking with the picket boat present. “For the most part the tug boats and the pilots, they honor the pickets,” said William Yockey, trustee of Local 1982. “That’s where the bottleneck has come from, from the members of the marine community sticking together with their longshoreman brothers.” Officials at both Fednav, Ltd., which owns the Federal Champlain and another of the three ships currently stuck in Toledo, and Midwest Terminals declined to estimate how much the ship delays are costing the port or the ships’ owners. Union leadership has said each vessel is losing tens of thousands of dollars for each day it sits idle in port. “Our vessels are being used as bargaining collateral by the parties involved,” Paul Pathy, Fednav’s president and chief executive officer, said in a prepared statement. “We respectfully request that a peaceful and fair settlement be reached in order for our ships to be released from the terminal and end the shipping delays.” The Lakes Pilots’ Association did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Local 1982 and Midwest have been at loggerheads over a labor contract for more than seven years — an impasse tinged by union allegations of racism on Midwest’s part. |
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U.S.-flag cargo movement on lakes down 14 percent in April 5/16 - Cleveland, Ohio – U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters moved 6.1 million tons of cargo in April, a decrease of 14 percent compared to a year ago. The April float also trailed the month’s 5-year average by more than 5 percent. Iron ore cargos for steel production totaled 3.9 million tons, a decrease of 12.6 percent. Some decrease was inevitable. The winter of 2017/2018 was more typical than 2016/2017 and vessels experienced many more ice-related delays this April. In fact, the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards continued to break ice in Whitefish Bay and the St. Marys River that connect Lake Superior to the lower four Great Lakes into May. Coal shipments fell 36.7 percent to 743,000 tons. Limestone cargos dipped 6.5 percent to 1.1 million tons. Year-to-date U.S.-flag carriage stands at 9.4 million tons, a decrease of 17 percent compared to the same point in 2017. Iron ore cargos total 6.75 million tons, a decrease of 16 percent. Coal loadings total 837,000 tons, a decrease of 43 percent. Limestone cargos have actually increased by roughly four loads in river-class vessels to 1.27 million tons. Lake Carriers’ Association |
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Lake Erie, Great Lakes water levels much higher than May historical average 5/16 - Cleveland, Ohio - It's not your imagination; Lake Erie water levels are up. The recent wet spell pushed Lake Erie's water levels this week to 22 inches above the long-term normal for May. But the water is still 4 inches shy of the highest monthly average of the record for May, which is how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers keeps tabs on water levels. Water levels are measured, and forecast, weekly for the Great Lakes. However, water level comparisons and official records are calculated monthly. For May 11, the last weekly update, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicted Lake Erie to reach 573.69 inches. That's right around the level this time last year, but is still short of the May record set in 1986. Lake Ontario is 9 inches above the historical May average, while Lake Michigan-Huron is 17 inches and Lake Superior, 6 inches. The historically high water levels are in part due in part to the region's wet April. Cleveland saw 4.38 inches of rain that month, over 20 percent more than normal. Since May 1, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport has already seen seven days of rain accumulating a total over 2 inches. But temperature plays a part too, as when water warms it expands, raising the water line. Over the past week, said the Army Corps, "temperatures were generally just above normal across the Great Lakes basin." The Corps says Lake Erie is expected to remain at its current level over the next month, but Lake Superior, Lake Michigan-Huron, Lake St. Clair and Lake Ontario could rise 4, 3, 2 and 1 inches, respectively, over the next month. Cleveland.com |
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Port Reports - May 16
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors/Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Lake Michigan
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Houglas
Sarnia, Ont.
Toledo, Ohio Welland canal and regional report for Tuesday May 15 – Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Long Point Bay:
Buffalo:
Welland Canal:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Port Colborne anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte:
Clarkson:
Mississauga:
Toronto:
Oshawa: |
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There is still ice on some of the Great Lakes 5/16 - Two of the Great Lakes still have chunks of ice floating around on May 13, 2018. Lake Superior and Lake Huron both are reporting some ice still remaining. On May 12, 2018, Lake Superior was still 1.23 percent covered with ice. Lake Huron also had a very small area of ice, registering 0.11 percent ice cover. The amount of ice on Lake Superior now doesn't even come close to this time four years ago. On May 12, 2014, Lake Superior still had 22 percent ice cover. Lake Superior ice wasn't totally melted that year until June 6. M Live |
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Animation shows how 2 meteotsunamis formed on Lake Michigan in one day 5/16 - Two meteotsunamis formed on Lake Michigan on one single day last month and thanks to a handy NOAA animation, we not only know that it happened but how they actually formed. For those wondering exactly what a meteotsunami is, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines them as "large waves that scientists are just beginning to better understand." Tsunamis are triggered by seismic activity while meteotsunamis are created through air-pressure changes and disturbances during "fast-moving" weather events. Some meteotsunamis have been recorded as high as 6-feet high, and have been spotted in the Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico, and off the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean and Adriatic seas. Back on April 13 (Friday the 13th for those keeping track), NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory reports that thunderstorms created the duo of meteotsunamis. "Short, extreme bursts of wind and pressure" were said to be the specific cause that resulted in a sudden spike of water levels near Ludington. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 16 On 16 May 1894, the SHENANDOAH (wooden propeller freighter, 308 foot, 2,251 gross tons) was launched by J. Davidson (Hull #60) in West Bay City, Michigan. She lasted until 1924, when she was abandoned.CANADIAN PROSPECTOR passed upbound in the Welland Canal May 16, 1979, with Labrador ore bound for Ashtabula, Ohio. This was her first trip after being reconstructed. W. R. WOODFORD (Hull#626) was launched May 16, 1908, at West Bay City, Michigan by West Bay City Ship Building Co. for W. A. & M.A. Hawgood. Renamed b.) N.F. LEOPOLD 1911, and c.) E. J. BLOCK in 1943. She was scrapped at Port Colborne, Ontario, arriving in 1998. IRVIN L. CLYMER departed Superior, Wisconsin, on May 15, 1981, and went to Duluth, Minnesota, to load 11,154 tons of taconite ore for Lorain. On May 16, 1981, having departed Duluth in 35 mph winds and 10-foot seas, the CLYMER began taking on water in her ballast tanks. She returned to Duluth, and was quickly repaired. On May 16, 1972, in dense fog, the ROBERT HOBSON struck the Peerless Cement dock at Port Huron, Michigan when her bow was caught by the strong current at the mouth of the St. Clair River. Damage to the hull was estimated at to $100,000. In 1985, the steamer PONTIAC was towed down the Welland Canal by the Mc Keil tugs GLENEVIS, ARGUE MARTIN and STORMONT bound for Quebec City. She would later be scrapped in Spain. The tug B. W. ALDRICH burned at Ludington, Michigan, on 16 May 1874. The damage was estimated at $5,000 and she was rebuilt. May 16, 1997 - The BADGER's planned first voyage of 1997 was delayed for one day because of a faulty boiler tube. E. W. OGLEBAY (steel propeller bulk freighter, 375 foot. 3,666 gross tons) was launched at F. W. Wheeler's yard (Hull #114) at West Bay City, Michigan, on 16 May 1896. She lasted until she stranded on Shot Point, 10 miles east of Marquette, Michigan, on Lake Superior, during a heavy northeast gale and blizzard, on December 8, 1927. Shortly afterwards the hull was gutted by fire and declared a constructive total loss. The hull was removed, partially scrapped, and used as dock at Drummond Island, Michigan. 1905 – The second THOMAS W. PALMER, a composite bulk carrier, collided with HARVARD of the Pittsburgh Steamship Company off Stannard Rock, Lake Superior in dense fog and was nearly cut in two. The crew was able to walk to safety aboard HARVARD before their ship sank. 1919 – D.R. HANNA sank in Lake Huron 6 miles off Thunder Bay Light after a collision with the QUINCY A. SHAW. All hands were saved but the sinking of the grain laden 552-foot freighter was the largest insurance loss on the lakes to that time. The hull has been located upside down in 90 feet of water. 1941 – The Norwegian freighter REINUNGA began Great Lakes visits in 1926 and was forced to spend the winter of 1932-1933 at Dain City along the Welland Canal. The vessel, which dated from 1902, was bombed and sunk by German aircraft as d) KYTHERA at Suda Bay, Crete, on this date in 1941. 1962 – ARGENTEUIL, a former Canadian Coast Guard buoy tender, was rebuilt as a coastal freighter in 1961. It sank in the St. Lawrence near Lauzon, QC, with the loss of 3 lives on this date in 1962. 1975 – MANCHESTER RAPIDO provided a container shuttle service in the Seaway beginning in 1971, went aground off Pasajes, Spain, on March 15, 1975, and then sank. The hull was refloated May 16, 1975, for repairs and a return to service. 1987 – MARIA ANNA SCHULTE first came inland in 1958. It ran aground as e) LUCKY VIRGIN off San Andras Island, Colombia, while en route from Colon, Panama, to Aruba in 1974 and had to be abandoned as a total loss. Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Great Lakes water levels on the rise 5/15 - The Great Lakes water levels are above their long-term average May levels with all of them expected to rise — some with bigger spikes than others — into the summer. Lake Superior is expected to rise four inches, Lake Michigan-Huron three inches, Lake St. Clair two inches and Lake Ontario one inch over the next 30 days, according to date from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Only Lake Erie is expected to stay at its current level, officials said. Every lake except for Lake Ontario will experience higher levels than previously in 2017. Then in either August or September, the levels begin to their traditional decline into the fall and winter months, according to the Army Corps data. The Army Corps estimates were released recently for estimated levels through October of this year. Lake levels have been rising with above average amounts since they hit bottom record-low levels in 2013. The Army Corps works with Environment and Climate Change Canada to produce the six-month forecast of the Great Lakes water averages. With an increase in lake levels, experts say, come erosion of shorelines in some areas. The Detroit News |
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Port Reports - May 15
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors/Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Goderich, Ont.
Toledo, Ohio Welland canal and regional report - Monday May 14 - Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Colborne anchorage:
Hamilton:
Toronto:
Oshawa: |
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Coast Guard, ferry crews to conduct training on ferry routes near Marblehead 5/15 - Cleveland, Ohio – The Coast Guard and local ferry crews will be conducting drills and training on local ferry routes between Marblehead and Kelleys Island on Tuesday. The public should be aware of the activity and stay clear of the training area. Who: Coast Guard Station Marblehead, Sector Detroit, Marine Safety Unit Toledo, Kelleys Island Ferry, Miller Ferry, and Jet Express. What: Station Marblehead, with the help of MSU Toledo and Sector Detroit will identify three drills (one for each ferry line) to test the response of Station Marblehead crews and the crews of each ferry line. Where: Each drill will be run on the respective ferry's normal route of transit. When: May 15th (Primary date), May 16th (Secondary date). Why: Conducting these drills will bring familiarity to both the crews of Station Marblehead and the crews of each ferry line in the event of an emergency.
It will help identify: Running drills and exercises of this sort will help prepare our crews and the crews of the ferry lines to respond to a range of emergency situations that could happen at any moment during the ferry line's normal operations. The overarching goal is to reduce the potential for harm in these, or similar situations. USCG |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 15 On 15 May 1901, the GILCHRIST (Hull #603) (steel propeller freighter, 356 foot. 3,871 gross tons) was launched at the West Bay City Ship Building Co. in West Bay City, Michigan, for the Gilchrist Transportation Company of Cleveland, Ohio. She lasted until 1943, when she was sunk in a collision on Lake Superior.On May 15, 1997, the "This Day in History" feature started on this web site. The PHILIP R. CLARKE, first of the AAA class of vessel, began her maiden voyage from Lorain, Ohio, on this date in 1952. After extensive renovation at Fraser Shipyard, the IRVIN L. CLYMER departed Superior, Wisconsin on May 15, 1981, and went to Duluth, Minnesota, to load 11,154 tons of taconite ore for Lorain, Ohio. On May 15, 1971, the STONEFAX was sold and was scrapped at Santander, Spain. On 15 May 1854, GARDEN CITY (wooden passenger/package side-wheeler, 218 foot, 657 tons, built in 1853, at Buffalo, New York) was sailing from Chicago to the Soo in a storm when she went on Martin Reef, west of Detour, Michigan, and was wrecked. Her passengers were picked up by the steamer QUEEN CITY. May 15, 1992 -- The BADGER was rededicated and began a new career as a non-railroad carferry. At 3:30 a.m., 15 May 1874, the tug TAWAS came along side of the schooner ZACH CHANDLER several miles off shore from Sand Beach, Michigan on Lake Huron. The boiler of the TAWAS exploded and she sank. Capt. Robinson, 2nd Engineer Dyson, Firemen Thomas Conners and James McIntyre, and Lookout Dennis Burrow were all on the tug and died in the explosion. The blast tore the CHANDLER's sails and rigging, and caused the death of one of her officers when he was struck on the head by a flying piece of debris. The CHANDLER drifted away in the heavy seas, but returned to pick up five survivors from the water. The TAWAS was built at Vicksburg, Michigan by Myron Williams in 1864. Her dimensions were 95-foot x 18-foot, 6-inches x 8-foot, 6-inches. She carried the two old engines from the tug BLISH, which when new were 11-1/2 inches x 20 inches, but having been bored out several times, were 15 inches x 20 inches at the time of the explosion. Her boiler was built by Mr. Turnbull of Corunna, Ontario. 1907 – SAXON ran aground near Caribou Island, Lake Superior, and dumped about 1,000 tons of ore overboard before being released. The ship went to the Atlantic in 1918 and was scrapped at Copenhagen, Denmark, as c) ANNE JENSEN in 1927. 1923 – PERE MARQUETTE 4 and PERE MARQUETTE 17 collided in fog off Milwaukee and the former sustained severe damage above the waterline and was laid up. 1929 – RALPH BUDD stranded at Saltese Point, near Eagle Harbor, Mich., and was abandoned to the underwriters. The grain-laden vessel was released by Reid and sold to Canadian interests. It was scrapped at Hamilton as b) L.A. McCORQUODALE of the Upper Lakes Shipping fleet in 1966. 1963 – LOBIVIA, WESTMOUNT and ROGERS CITY were in a three-way collision in the St. Clair River at Port Huron but there was only minor damage. 1967 – GOLDEN HIND was loaded with grain when it stranded off Cassidy Point, Lake Erie, and was holed in the forward compartment. 1968 – The stern cabins of HOMER D. WILLIAMS were damaged from a collision with WHEAT KING in the St. Marys River and this ship was repaired at Lorain. The latter vessel received bow damage that was repaired at Port Weller. 1972 – The Dutch freighter COLYTTO first came through the Seaway in 1963 and made 8 trips to the end of 1966. It was swept ashore by a typhoon near the mouth of the Limpopo River off the coast of Mozambique as b) CAPE NERITA on this date in 1972. All on board were rescued but the ship was abandoned on the beach as it was not feasible to dig the ship out by a canal. The nearest road was 25 miles away so the hull was not scrapped either. 1999 – The former sandsucker NIAGARA II was scuttled as an attraction to divers off Tobermory, ON. Data from: Skip Gillham, Jody Aho, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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A quiet start to carferry Badger’s 2018 season 5/14 - Ludington, Mich. – The SS Badger began its 65th season Friday morning with less hoopla than some years, but with high expectations. The Badger sounded its whistle just before 9 a.m., and shortly after it was escorted out of harbor by the U.S. Coast Guard starting its 65th season of service. Perhaps the biggest challenge Lake Michigan Carferry faced in getting the season off to a timely start was having its leased Manitowoc, Wis., dock repaired quickly after wave erosion washed out the dock during the weekend of April 14-15. A little-less-than $800,000 grant from the State of Wisconsin and a pledge by the City of Manitowoc of up to $550,000 to get the repairs started and done enough for the Badger to dock today ensured the season started on time. “The people in Manitowoc have done a nice job in quickly taking care of it,” Chuck Leonard, vice president of navigation, said Thursday afternoon, as the Badger did its shakedown cruise on Lake Michigan. He said finishing touches still have to be done at the repaired dock, but it is ready for service. The State of Wisconsin estimated costs to repair the city-owned dock at about $1 million. Pat McCarthy, vice president of shore operations, said more than 100 passengers and 50 to 60 cars were expected to be onboard for the initial sailing of the season to Manitowoc. He said a similar number is expected for its return trip. Ludington Daily News |
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Port Reports - May 14
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors/Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay Ont.
St. Marys River
Lake Michigan Milwaukee, Wis. – Paul Erspamer
North Channel and Georgian Bay
Toledo, Ohio Welland canal and regional report - Sunday May 13 - Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Colborne anchorage:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte:
Toronto:
Oshawa: |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 14 On 14 May 1881, CITY OF ROME (wooden propeller freighter, 268 foot, 1,908 gross tons) was launched by Thomas Quayle & Sons in Cleveland, Ohio. She was the largest vessel on the Lakes when she was launched. She lasted until 1914, when she burned near Ripley, New York on Lake Erie. On May 14, 1959, the SHENANGO II and the HERBERT C. JACKSON both entered service. While the vessels have been fleet mates since 1967, the SHENANGO II was built by the Shenango Furnace Company. She operates today as the c.) HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR, renamed last spring. On May 14, 1943, the THOMAS WILSON entered service as the first of the sixteen vessels in the "Maritime" class. The HOCHELAGA's self-unloading boom was installed on the RICHARD REISS, which had lost her boom April 13, 1994, when it collapsed at Fairport, Ohio. The REISS’ replacement boom was installed on May 14, 1994 by Port Weller Drydocks Ltd. BLACK HAWK (wooden schooner, 98 foot, 178 gross tons) was launched in East Saginaw, Michigan on 14 May 1861. Thomas A. Estes was her builder. She was active until abandoned in the Kinnickinnic River at Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1908. On 13 October 1913, she was filled with flammable material and burned off Milwaukee as a public spectacle for the Perry Centennial Celebration. On May 14, 1905, the new Anchor Line passenger steamer JUNIATA made her maiden voyage from the yards of the American Shipbuilding Company in Cleveland, Ohio to Detroit, Michigan. Sailing under the command of Capt. Edward J. Martin she left Cleveland at 7:05 in the morning and arrived at Detroit shortly before 4. On board, in addition to several officials of the line was her designer, Frank E. Kirby. Detroiters were treated to the sight of seeing both the JUNIATA and TIONESTA together for the first time as TIONESTA was loading for Duluth, Minnesota when the JUNIATA arrived from Cleveland and tied up alongside her older sister. The JUNIATA later departed for Chicago where her furnishings were installed. On 14 May 1861, COMET (wooden side-wheeler, 174 foot. 337 gross tons, built in 1848, at Portsmouth, Ontario) collided with the 2-mast wooden schooner EXCHANGE, ten miles off Nine-Mile Point on Lake Ontario. Then an explosion rocked the COMET and she was destroyed by fire 2 or 3 lives were lost, but the survivors reached Simcoe Island in a lifeboat. Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., May 14, 1900. - The tug W.A. ROOTH of the Great Lakes Towing company fleet was caught between the barge JOHN A. ROEBLING and the steamer HENRY C. FRICK in the American canal last night and sunk. The crew escaped without injury. The tug was towing the barge ROEBLING out of the canal and in some manner got between the ROEBLING and the big steamer FRICK. Her sides were crushed in and she went down immediately in twenty feet of water. 1917 – SAXONA and PENTECOST MITCHELL collided head-on in the St. Marys River near Detour and both ships sank with their bows locked together. The former was refloated and repaired as LAKETON while the latter was also salvaged and remained in the U.S. Steel fleet. 1921 – The barge MIZTEC broke loose of the steamer ZILLAH in a storm and sank with all hands in Lake Superior northeast of Vermilion Point. 1952 – JAMES NORRIS began her sailing career, loading a cargo of grain at Fort William. 1991 – The Yugoslavian bulk carrier MALINSKA ran aground off Main Duck Island, Lake Ontario, while outbound from the Great Lakes with a cargo of steel coils. It was lightered and released. The ship had been a Seaway trader since 1987 and now sails in the Algoma fleet as c) ALGOMA DISCOVERY. Data from: Skip Gillham, Chuck Truscott, Jody Aho, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Algosteel’s Canadian registry closed 5/13 - Algosteel has been renamed OSTE in preparation of her tow to Turkey for scrapping in a few weeks. Canadian registry was closed May 11. Her new registry is Sierra Leone. Expected late Saturday in Montreal for Seaway inspection is the tug Alice Moran with the barge Montville for delivery at Toledo. Rene Beauchamp |
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Port Reports - May 13
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors/Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Port Inland, Mich.
Lake Michigan
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas
Toledo, Ohio Welland canal and regional report - Saturday May 12 - Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Colborne anchorage:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte:
Toronto:
Oshawa: |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 13 The tanker GEMINI (Hull#746) was launched at Orange, Texas by Levingston Ship Building Co. in 1978, for Cleveland Tankers Inc., a subsidiary of Ashland Oil. Renamed b.) ALGOSAR in 2005.The tanker JUPITER made her maiden voyage May 13, 1976 from Smith's Bluff, Texas loaded with lube oil bound for Marcus Hooks, Penn. She was destroyed after exploding in the Saginaw River on September 16, 1990. On May 13, 1913, Pittsburgh Steamship's THOMAS F. COLE collided with the barge IRON CITY on Lake St. Clair. The barge was cut in two. Delivered May 13, 1943, THOMAS WILSON departed under the command of Captain Henry Borgen on her maiden voyage from Lorain, Ohio, bound for Duluth, Minnesota, to load iron ore. The green-hulled schooner EMMA C. HUTCHINSON was launched at 4 p.m. on 13 May 1873, at the E. Fitzgerald yard in Port Huron. She was the largest vessel built at that yard up to that time. She was named for the wife of Mr. J. T. Hutchinson of Cleveland. Her dimensions were 195foot keel, 215 feet overall, 35 foot beam, 14 foot depth, 736 tons. She cost $55,000. Frank Leighton was her builder and Matthew Finn the master fitter. She was outfitted by Swan's Sons of Cleveland. Her painting was done by Ross & Doty of Port Huron. On 13 May 1874, the Port Huron Times reported that someone had stolen the schooner ANNIE FAUGHT and that John Hoskins, the owner, was offering a reward for her recovery. May 13, 1898 - The steamer JOHN ERICSSON, having in tow the barge ALEXANDER HOLLEY, bound down with ore, went aground while making the turn at the dark hole in little Mud Lake. She is on a sand bottom. Tugs and lighters have gone to release her. When the steamer grounded the barge ran into her, damaging the latter's bow and causing a large hole above the water line on the starboard side of the ERICSSON. Both were repaired temporarily. On 13 May 1871, NORTHERNER (wooden barge, 220 foot, 1,391 gross tons) was launched by Capt. Wescott at Marine City, Michigan. Her master builder was John J. Hill. She was towed to Detroit to be fitted out and there was talk of eventually converting her to a passenger steamer. She remained a barge until 1880, when she was converted to a propeller freighter in Detroit. She lasted until 1892, when she burned at L'anse, Mich. 1914 – The package freight carrier CITY OF OTTAWA was upbound in the Cornwall Canal when it sheered over and struck the downbound S.N. PARENT on the port side at #2 hatch. The former was part of Canada Steamship Lines but was best known as the INDIA of the Anchor Line. 1915 – VALCARTIER and A.W. OSBORNE collided in Lake Huron above Corsica Shoal. 1933 – CALGARIAN, en route from Toronto to Montreal with automobiles and general cargo, stranded at Salmon Point in Lake Ontario, and was refloated two days later. 1943 – The caustic soda tanker DOLOMITE 4 was in and out of the Great Lakes via the New York State Barge Canal system. The vessel was torpedoed and sunk by U-176 off the north coast of Cuba on the date in 1943 as b) NICKELINER. Data from: Skip Gillham, Jody Aho, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series, the Detroit Free Press and the Duluth Evening Herald. |
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Carferry Badger dock repaired just in time for ferry season 5/12 - Manitowoc, Wis. – On Friday, the SS Badger ferry started its 65th season. The April blizzard left part of the dock and loading equipment in rubble, and threatened to delay the start of the car ferry's sailing season. "The local contractors here just fixed that so we could get in, because it was looking pretty bad," Bob Manglitz, president and CEO of Lake Michigan Carferry, said. It was the talk of the town when the blizzard decimated the dock. Thanks to an emergency grant from the state and twenty hard-working contractors, the dock was fixed in days and the car ferry season was saved. "We had just a small amount of time, but the city and construction workers came and really did a great job – a phenomenal job – getting everything prepared," car ferry station manager Del Whitmire said, adding, "actually it's better than it was beforehand. But they did a wonderful job and they expedited things. They worked around the clock to get things ready for us today, and of course we're ready to rock and roll." While the repairs were enough to get the Badger's sailing season started, there's more work to be done, like putting down new blacktop, to get the dock ship-shape. View a video at this link: http://www.wbay.com/content/news/SS-Badger-Ferry-season-starts-after-damage-482369061.html |
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Port Reports - May 12
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors/Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thursday Report:
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Port Inland, Mich.
Lake Michigan
North Channel and Georgian Bay
Toledo, Ohio
Pelee Island, Ont. – Frank Hood
Put-in-Bay, South Bass Island, Ohio – Julene Market
Lorain, Ohio – Drew Leonard Welland canal and regional report - Friday May 11 - Barry Andersen Traffic has resumed through both sides of the flight locks.
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Colborne anchorage:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte:
Oshawa:
Toronto – Barry Andersen and Gerry Ouderkirk |
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Great Lakes' first woman boat captain remembered for steely nerve, sass 5/12 - S. Manitou Island, Mich. – Great Lakes boat captains have always had a reputation for being a little salty. Maybe it's the rough seas or long hours at the helm. But not many skippers can say they've also been their island's midwife, its postmaster, and later a cook and baker catering to millionaires aboard a Lake Michigan carferry. So in honor of Mother's Day - and the upcoming sailing season - we're tipping our caps to the memory of Florence Haas, the first licensed woman captain to pilot a passenger boat on the Great Lakes. Stories of her prowess on the water still linger in Northern Michigan's Leelanau area and offshore on South Manitou Island, where her namesake Florence Lake continues to draw visitors. Vignettes that detail her life show she had a steady hand with her boat, a steely nerve when it came to reading a storm - and more than her share of salty sass. Read more and view photos at this link: http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/05/great_lakes_first_woman_boat_c.html |
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Coast Guard asks public to label barrels used to mark, weigh down docks 5/12 - Buffalo, N.Y. – The Coast Guard is requesting that homeowners mark barrels that are being used to mark and weigh down docks for quick identification. Painting or marking a large red “X” on the barrel allows Coast Guard crews to quickly identify it as a non-hazardous dock barrel and allow its origin and contents to be resolved without the need for further specialized investigation. Within the Lake Ontario region, barrels are being used to mark and weigh down docks to increase the safety of the waterway by helping identify potential hazards posed by otherwise submerged or unseen docks. Unmarked and adrift barrels become a concern that the Coast Guard has to dedicate time, money and resources to recover. Any questions can be answered via phone at the Sector Buffalo Command Center (716) 843-9527. USCG |
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Obituary: Ellsworth Peterson, icon of Sturgeon Bay shipbuilding, left lasting legacy 5/12 - Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – A stiff wind filling the sails and the sun on his face made Ellsworth Peterson a happy man. There was nowhere that he was happier than sailing near his homeport of Sturgeon Bay. Peterson, who died May 2 at the age of 94, was an icon of the city and its shipbuilding legacy. A native son, Peterson, when he retired, could have lived anywhere in the world. But he chose Sturgeon Bay, where he died in his home on the water facing Green Bay. Peterson's father, Fred Peterson, founded the company that later became Peterson Building Inc. in 1933. Under Ellsworth Peterson's guidance, the national reputation of the company fostered and nurtured by his father grew to international fame. Peterson Building Inc. was regarded as one of the premier shipbuilding companies and a place where there was no project too small or too big for its crews of skilled craftsmen and shipbuilders to undertake. While Ellsworth Peterson lived his life in the public eye and was equally at ease and comfortable with government officials, diplomats and international businessmen, he preferred the company of the workers at PBI and savored the moments with family aboard his treasured schooner, Utopia. The success of PBI was a direct reflection of the extraordinarily talented workers in Door County, and her husband cherished and admired each person's contributions, Carla Peterson said. Read more and view photos at this link: https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/local/door-co/news/2018/05/10/sturgeon-bayellsworth-peterson-82-shipbuilding-legacy/591944002 |
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Boatnerd gatherings reservations being taken 5/12 - Boatnerd Badger Gathering: Only three staterooms are still available for the June 1-2 overnight Stay on the S.S. Badger in Ludington, Michigan, followed by a round trip across Lake Michigan. A Wisconsin Shoreline Cruise is an option after the Badger is docked Manitowoc and before the return trip to Ludington. Reservations are a must for this fun event. See the Gatherings page for complete details. Only one week left to get your reservations in. Annual Soo Freighter-Chasing Cruise: This annual 3-hour event during the Engineer’s Weekend at the Soo Locks usually sells out. A buffet dinner is part of the trip to take close-up photos and videos of traffic in the St. Marys River. The cruise is limited to 100 passengers and advance reservations are required. Don’t be left out. See the Gatherings page for complete details. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 12 The CABOT (Hull#649) was launched May 12, 1965, at Lauzon, Quebec by Davie Shipbuilding Ltd., for Gulf Ports Steamship Co. Ltd. (Clarke Steamship Co. Ltd., mgr.). In 1983, the CABOT's stern was attached to the bow section of the NORTHERN VENTURE to create the CANADIAN EXPLORER.The THOMAS WALTERS, American Shipbuilding, Lorain (Hull#390) entered service on May 12, 1911, with coal from Sandusky, Ohio to Duluth, Minnesota. Renamed b.) FRANK R. DENTON in 1952, she was scrapped at Ashtabula, Ohio in 1984. The carferry GRAND HAVEN was sold to the West India Fruit & Steamship Co., Norfolk, Virginia on May 12, 1946, and was brought down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, Louisiana for reconditioning before reaching Port Everglades and the Port of Palm Beach, Florida. On 12 May 1875, the scow-schooner SEA BIRD of Chicago was driven onto the beach a half-mile south of the harbor at Holland, Michigan by a Northeaster. After the storm, she was high and dry on the beach. The wooden J.S. SEAVERNS stranded near Michipicoten Island on Lake Superior on 12 May 1884. She had been carrying passengers from Chicago to Port Arthur. She was pulled free by a tug, but then sank. She was formerly a steam barge, being built on the bottom of the side-wheel tug JOHN P. WARD in Saugatuck, Michigan in 1880. The WARD dated back to 1857, had burned in 1865, was then rebuilt as a schooner, and in 1880, was finally rebuilt as the SEAVERNS. 1975 – The tug TARA HILL was damaged by a fire set by vandals at New Orleans. This vessel had operated on the Great Lakes as NORTHERN, CHARLES R. RANDLE SR., HELEN HINDMAN, SUSAN HINDMAN and HERBERT A. Lloyds notes “continued existence in doubt” in 1997, but the hull was likely dismantled much earlier. 1978 – PHOTINIA ran aground off Milwaukee in rough seas and the crew was rescued. The ship was refloated but declared a total loss. It was towed to various Lake Michigan ports in the next two years and was eventually dismantled at Kewaunee, Wis., in 1981. Data from: Skip Gillham, Jody Aho, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Port Reports - May 11
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Lake Michigan
North Channel and Georgian Bay
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas Welland Canal and regional report - Thursday May 10 - Barry Andersen A mechanical issue at Lock 4 has restricted flight locks to alternating one-way traffic since the morning of May 9. Repairs were ongoing Thursday evening.
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Colborne anchorage:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte:
Mississauga:
Toronto – Barry Andersen and Gerry Ouderkirk
Oshawa: |
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Help wanted: Fettes Shipping Inc. 5/11 - Fettes Shipping is looking for deck officers with dry bulk or tug/barge experience. We offer high salaries and benefits, medical coverage and Family Security Plan all under collective agreement. We expect from candidates strong communication skills and good work ethic. Candidates must be able to travel to the U.S. portions of the Great Lakes area and must have a valid Canadian passport, all applicable Transport Canada certificates and valid medical certificate issues by Transport Canada. Please send your resume to Human Resources
Fettes Shipping Inc. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 11 On May 11, 1953, the HENRY STEINBRENNER went down in Lake Superior near Isle Royale with 17 of her 31 crewmembers. The storm followed an unseasonably warm and humid stretch of weather in northern Minnesota for that time of year, which fueled the storm's fast growth. The high temperature of 87 degrees set in Grand Marais, Minnesota on May 8, 1953, still stands as that town's all-time record high for the month of May, and it is just eight degrees shy of the town's all-time record for any month.The 144 foot, 3-mast, wooden bark JESSE HOYT was launched at East Saginaw, Michigan, by Smith & Whitney on 11 May 1854. Later in her career, she was converted to a schooner and lasted until 1896, when she sank in Lake Michigan in a collision. The A. WESTON (wooden steam barge, 164 foot, 511 gross tons) left Mount Clemens, Michigan on her maiden voyage on 11 May 1882. She was built by William Dulac. Her hull was painted black. She was powered by a single 28 inch x 32 inch engine and she was designed for the lumber trade. She was sold Canadian in 1909, and was renamed CONGERCOAL. She lasted until she burned to a total loss at Fair Haven, New York on 10 May 1917. On 11 May 1886, OSSIFRAGE (wooden propeller passenger-package freight steamer, 123 foot, 383 gross tons) was launched by F. W. Wheeler & Co. (Hull #26) at West Bay City, Michigan. She was rebuilt a number of times and ended her days on salt water. While being towed in the Northumberland Strait in the Atlantic Ocean, she struck a shoal and foundered in September 1919. 1934 – KEYBAR ran aground above the Canadian Lock at Sault Ste. Marie and was stuck for 12 hours. Part of the cargo of grain was lightered before the ship floated free. The vessel was scrapped at Port Dalhousie in 1963. 1945 – MOYRA began Great Lakes trading in 1931. It was owned by the Government of Newfoundland when fire broke out in the St. Lawrence east of Quebec City on this date in 1945. The ship was beached off Ile d'Orleans and was heavily damaged. The vessel was rebuilt at Montreal and sold to Norwegian interests as b) HEIKA returning to the Great Lakes in 1953. It also visited as c) MARISCO in 1957 and foundered in the Gulf of Laconia, Greece, while en route from Varna, Bulgaria, to Genoa, Italy, with iron ore on October 20, 1959. 1974 – While outbound in the Cuyahoga River, a fire broke out aboard the GEORGE D. GOBLE. The Kinsman Lines bulk carrier was docked and the blaze was extinguished with about $2,500 in damage. 1987 – LONDON FUSILIER, an SD-14, was a year old when it first came through the Seaway in 1973. Fire broke out in #5 hold while unloading at Hamburg, West Germany, as c) HER LOONG on this date in 1987 resulting in extensive damage. The ship was towed to Valencia, Spain, in July 1987 and scrapped. Data from: Skip Gillham, Jody Aho, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. The Detroit Free Press and the Duluth Evening Herald. |
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Coast Guard’s ice-breaking Operation Taconite ends 5/10 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Commander, Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie has concluded its domestic ice breaking operation known as Operation Taconite. With the ice throughout the Western Great Lakes nearly melted, ice breaking in support of commercial navigation is no longer required. During the 145 days of the 2018 domestic ice-breaking season (15 Dec - 09 May), the 10 assets assigned to Operation Taconite delivered 3,179 hours of icebreaking to the benefit of 888 vessel transits: 386 of these transits required direct ice-breaking assistance. These same ice-breaking assets put forth an additional 3,588 hours of preventative icebreaking to establish and maintain tracks in the ice-choked waterways of Green Bay, the Straits of Mackinac, the St Marys River, Georgian Bay and the western Lake Superior Ports of Thunder Bay, Duluth, and Superior to name a few. It is estimated that more than 17 million tons of dry bulk and liquid cargoes were shipped during the 145 days of this operational period. This translates to $623 million dollars of cargo critical to power generation, industrial productivity and public safety, moved during the harsh winter months of the 2017-18 domestic ice breaking season. USCG |
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Great Lakes limestone trade down 23 percent in April 5/10 - Cleveland, Ohio – The coldest April since 1997 put a chill on the Great Lakes limestone trade. Shipments totaled just 1,254,226 net tons, a decrease of 23 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings trailed the month’s 5-year average by even more – 33.3 percent. Loadings at U.S. ports totaled 1.1 million tons, a decrease of 19 percent. Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 177,000 tons, a decrease of nearly 41 percent. Year-to-date the limestone trade stands at 1.5 million tons, a decrease of 12.8 percent. Shipments from U.S. ports total 1.3 million tons, a decrease of 7 percent. The year-to-date total for U.S. ports includes 17,664 tons loaded in February and 218,452 tons shipped in March. No limestone moved from Canadian quarries during the first quarter, so the April total is also the year-to-date total for Canadian ports. Lake Carriers’ Association |
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Algoma Olympic scrap tow departs Montreal 5/10 - The Oma (ex-Algoma Olympic) scrap tow departed Montreal Wednesday under tow of VB Hispania. The tow was nearing Quebec City Wednesday night |
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Phone cord may have caused Damia Desgagnés grounding 5/10 - The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says a telephone cord brushing a sensitive touch screen may have caused a fuel tanker to run aground near Cornwall, Ont. last spring. The Damia Desgagnés ran aground between Iroquois, Ont., and Morrisburg, Ont., late June 15, 2017, after what was described at the time as an engine failure. No fuel spilled into the water and the ship suffered no damage in the incident. It was refloated June 17. In a report released Wednesday, the TSB said the engine cut off after the main shutdown button was accidentally pressed. Investigators said the control system's touchscreen is highly sensitive and could have been accidentally activated by a telephone cord located next to it. What's more, the TSB said a message warning that the engine was about to shut down was confusing, and testing after the incident showed the shutdown couldn't have been reversed anyway. "The message did not specify that the engine was about to shut down, nor did it indicate how the shutdown was activated or from where (bridge, engine room, emergency stop, etc.,)" the report said. The incident is a reminder to crews to get to know their vessel's controls, including any warning messages, the TSB said. View photos at this link: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/tsb-tanker-grounding-st-lawrence-1.4654968 |
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Port Reports - May 10
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors – Gary A. Putney
Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
St. Marys River
Port Inland, Mich.
Lake Michigan
Cheboygan, Mich.
North Channel and Georgian Bay.
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas
Erie, Pa. Welland Canal and regional report - Wednesday May 9 - Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Mississauga:
Toronto:
Oshawa: |
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Cruise ship stuck in Trois-Rivières due to swollen St. Lawrence River 5/10 - Trois-Rivères, Que. – The 1,200-passenger cruise ship, the MS Marina, is unexpectedly having to unload all its passengers in Trois-Rivères, Que., because it cannot get them to their final port of call, Montreal. The swollen waters of the St. Lawrence River means the water level has risen so high, the ship can't fit under the Laviolette Bridge that spans the river, connecting Trois-Rivières on the north shore to Bécancour, on the other side. "Everyone is getting off here, with 2,000 suitcases," said Jean Perron, cruise ship co-ordinator for the Trois-Rivières economic development organization, IDÉ Trois-Rivières. Organizers working with the Oceania cruise line have set up a large tent to contain and distribute all the passengers' luggage. Part of the road that runs along the port, the Terrasse Turcotte, has been closed to traffic to deal with the outflow of buses that will whisk cruise passengers to their final destination. A second wave of passengers are also being bused from Montreal and will spend a pre-scheduled day in the city of 114,000 Wednesday before the ship turns around to head across the Atlantic, to Southampton, U.K. It will be forced to make a U-turn in the St. Lawrence – a manoeuvre that has never been tried before in that section of the river. The problems with the high-water levels have spurred some questions about whether cruise ship lines might hesitate to book trips to Montreal in the spring in the future. Perron said the subject is sure to be discussed. CBC |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 10 1923 –H.A. ROCK of the Forest City Steamship Co. went aground in Georgian Bay. The vessel was taken to drydock where the plates were removed, re-rolled and put back. The ship was idle May 18 to June 1 and the cost was $13,707.60.Steamer COLUMBIA (Hull#148) was launched in 1902 by the Detroit Ship Building Co., Wyandotte, Michigan. The steamer was built for day excursions between Detroit and Bob-Lo Island. The vessel has been in lay-up since September 2, 1991 at Nicholson's Terminal. On May 10, 1981, WILLIAM J. DELANCEY entered service for Interlake Steamship Co. She became the largest vessel on the Great Lakes at that time, and at least in the last 130 years, she has held the honor of being the largest vessel on the Great Lakes longer than any other vessel. Renamed b.) PAUL R TREGURTHA in 1990. On 10 May 1858, LEMUEL CRAWFORD (3 mast wooden bark, 135 foot, 450 tons, built in 1855, at Black River, Ohio) was carrying wheat from Chicago to Buffalo. She ran into a heavy gale and went out of control near Pelee Passage and struck a reef 1-1/2 miles off East Sister Island in Lake Erie. She began to sink immediately and the 13 onboard scrambled up her masts and lashed themselves to her rigging. After two days, they were finally rescued by the tug R R ELIOTT out of Detroit. May 10, 1922 - The ANN ARBOR NO 4 ran aground at Green Isle. She was released with no damage. The first Welland Canal was opened between St. Catharine's and Lake Ontario on 10 May 1828. The first vessel to navigate this route was the schooner WELLAND CANAL. This was a new vessel having been launched at St. Catharines, Ontario on 24 April 1828. On 10 May 1898, ISAAC LINCOLN (wooden propeller freighter, 134 foot, 376 gross tons) was launched at Anderson's yard in Marine City, Michigan for A. F. Price of Freemont, Michigan and Capt. Egbert of Port Huron, Michigan. She cost $40,000. She lasted until 1931, when she was abandoned. Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Jody Aho, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Great Lakes/Seaway iron ore trade down 6.3 percent in April 5/9 - Cleveland, Ohio – Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 5.5 million tons in April, a decrease of 6.3 percent compared to a year ago. However, shipments topped the month’s 5-year average by nearly 15 percent. Shipments from U.S. Great Lakes ports totaled 5.1 million tons in April, a decrease of 4.5 percent. This is the first April since perhaps the 1850s that no iron ore was shipped from Escanaba, Mich. The mine that shipped through Escanaba has been permanently idled. This means all the iron ore shipped to U.S. steel mills in April had to transit the Poe Lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. The MacArthur Lock is undergoing maintenance so has yet to open for this season. Loadings at Canadian terminals in the Seaway totaled 380,000 tons in April, a decrease of 18.2 percent. Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 9.4 million tons, a decrease of 13.7 percent compared to the same point in 2017. Year-over-year, loadings at U.S. ports total 8.2 million tons, a decrease of 15.6 percent. Shipments from Canadian ports in the St. Lawrence Seaway have increased slightly to 1.2 million tons. Lake Carriers’ Association |
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Former Algoma Olympic to be towed away for scrap today 5/9 - OMA (formerly Algoma Olympic) has a departure time for Turkey Wednesday at sunset under tow of the saltwater tug VB Hispania, assisted by Ocean Bravo until Les Escoumins. The vessel was built in 1976 as Canadian Olympic at Port Weller Dry Docks, St. Catharines, Ont., for the Upper Lakes Group, Inc., Toronto, Ont. She was named in recognition of the 1976 Olympic Games held in Montreal. In 2011 she became part of the Algoma Central Corp. fleet when that company bought out Upper Lakes. At that time she was renamed Algoma Olympic. When the vessel reaches Turkey she will be scrapped. René Beauchamp |
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Port Reports - May 9
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors – Gary A. Putney
Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Marquette, Mich. – Rod Burdick
Southern Lake Michigan
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas
Toledo, Ohio Welland Canal and regional report - Tuesday May 8 - Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Mississauga:
Toronto:
Oshawa:
Picton:
Rochester, N.Y. – Tom Brewer |
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Turkish shipyard launches another dual-fuel tanker for Desgagnés 5/9 - C Turkish Besiktas Shipyard has launched another dual-fuel LNG IMO-II chemical tanker for the Canadian shipping company Desgagnés Group. The 14,000 dwt tanker, named Rossi A. Desgagnés, was launched on May 5, 2018. The ice-class tanker is the final in a series of four asphalt-bitumen-chemical tankers ordered by Desgagnés. Each of the four vessels can be powered by any of three types of fuel – heavy fuel oil, marine diesel oil or liquefied natural gas (LNG). With 10,000 gross tons, the newbuilding features a length of 135 meters and a width of 23.5 meters. The third ship from the batch, Paul A. Desgagnés, was launched at Besiktas Shipyard’s facilities in July 2017. Mia Desgagnés, the second tanker, was launched in December 2016. Damia Desgagnés, the world’s first dual fuel LNG asphalt tanker, was delivered to the company in April 2017. View a video of the launch at this link: https://worldmaritimenews.com/archives/252136/besiktas-splashes-another-dual-fuel-tanker-for-desgagnes |
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Michigan's Congressional delegation urges Trump to follow through on Soo Locks fix 5/9 - Members of Michigan's Congressional delegation said they appreciated President Donald Trump's interest in upgrading the Soo Locks. Now, they want to make sure he follows through with continued support. In a letter to the president dated May 4, all 13 sitting Michigan U.S. representatives joined more than 50 members of Congress to urge Trump to remain engaged on rebuilding and improving the Soo Locks. The representatives said they were committed to making headway in Congress on the project as well. The letter was led by Michigan U.S. Reps. Paul Mitchell, R-Dryden, Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet and John Moolenaar, R-Midland and Ohio Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur. "We believe this project is consistent with your commitments to rebuilding our nation's infrastructure, and feel that the Soo Locks can be the crowning achievement for this effort," the letter reads. Midwestern lawmakers have been calling for significant upgrades to the Soo Locks, located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, for decades. Those efforts recently got a signal boost when President Donald Trump said he supported revamping the decades-old structure during a rally in Macomb County. M Live |
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CSL expands presence in global cement shipping joint venture 5/9 - Canada's CSL Group has entered into an agreement with Limassol, Cyprus, headquartered SMT Shipping to acquire 50 percent of Eureka Shipping Ltd., SMT's pneumatic cement vessel business. The new joint venture will allow Eureka and CSL to combine expertise, resources and innovative technologies to expand services to customers in the seaborne cement powder and fly ash transportation markets around the world. CSL's Australian cement shipping business is not included in the joint venture. "The joint venture represents an important step in CSL's strategy to increase its presence in the global construction material sector," said Louis Martel, President and CEO of the CSL Group. There will be no change in the day-to-day management and operation of vessels in the Eureka fleet. The transaction is subject to certain regulatory conditions and is expected to close by end of June. Eureka Shipping Ltd. operates a fleet of self-unloading cement carriers in the Baltic Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Caribbean and Asia. The SMT Shipping Group has, over the past 30 years, built a fleet of about 45 vessels through a number of joint venture companies operating in various bulk commodities markets, focusing on highly efficient geared bulk carriers, floating storage/transhipment terminals and belt-unloaders. The CSL Group is the largest owner and operator of self-unloading ships in the world. Headquartered in Montreal with divisions operating throughout the Americas, Australia, Europe and Asia, CSL delivers more than 70 million tonnes of cargo annually for customers in the construction, steel, energy and agri-food sectors. Marine Log |
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Final cables secured, response concludes on Straits of Mackinac 5/9 - Mackinaw City, Mich. – The Unified Command announced that work on the remaining Consumers Energy cables was completed, Tuesday, and that the multi-agency response on the Straits of Mackinac has concluded. Crews contracted by Consumers Energy capped the remaining two retired cables, which featured no free flowing fluid, and returned them to the bottom of the Straits where they were secured by concrete mats placed on top of the cables. Last week, damaged ATC cables were secured with concrete mats after being capped and returned to the bottom of the Straits. “Since the beginning of this response, the Unified Command, together with the many federal, state, local and tribal partners, worked diligently to mitigate any pollution threat to our Straits and precious wildlife, and to be transparent in our efforts, said Cmdr. Shaun Edwards, Incident Commander. “Although our mission is complete, we all remain committed to learning the cause this incident and doing our best to eliminate any threat of something like this happening again.” During the response, the Coast Guard and other agencies continually surveyed the Straits from the water, the air and from the shoreline. There have been no reports of pollution or inured wildlife. The cause of the incident remains under investigation by the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board. Results of the investigation will be made public once investigation has been completed. USCG |
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National Museum honors mothers with free admission this weekend 5/9 - Toledo, Ohio – The National Museum of the Great Lakes has announced that all mothers, accompanied by a paying family member, will be admitted free to the museum this weekend May 12 and 13th . The museum developed the honor as part of its effort to make sure that people know Great Lakes history is for everyone ¬– not just for dads and sons. “The role of women on the Great Lakes cannot be underestimated. Women served in so many capacities including lighthouse keepers, lifesavers, crew members of commercial vessels and even today, Commander of the 9th District of the United States Coast Guard,” said Christopher Gillcrist, Executive Director of the museum. “Our museum seeks to insure that these stories get told as well.” The museum’s offer of free admission to mothers on this weekend includes mothers who are brought to the museum by their children. “Even if the child is below the age of six, and therefore does not pay an admission charge, his or her mom will get into the museum free.” The museum is open on Saturday May 12 from 10AM-5PM and on Sunday, May 13 from 12 noon till 5PM. The museum located at 1701 Front Street Toledo Ohio 43605. For more information call 419-214-5000 extension 0. |
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Buffalo Naval Park begins tourist season with leadership upheaval 5/9 - Buffalo, N.Y. – A leadership upheaval over a 10-day period has resulted in the Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park losing its executive director and two longtime board members just as the summer tourism season begins. The changes follow an investigation into workplace misconduct by Don Alessi and Anthony Diina, board chairman and vice chairman, respectively. A statement issued May 3 by Kathleen Garvey, who was elected as new chair following Alessi’s resignation from the post, said the organization considers workplace misconduct related to the park counter to its mission and values. “We take these allegations seriously and promptly retained outside counsel to investigate the claims made,” she said. “Upon receipt and analysis of a report by outside counsel, the board determined it in its best interest, and in the best interest of the Naval Park, for the chair and vice chair to leave the board.” Diina resigned his post on April 26, the same day as a resignation by Capt. Brian Roche, who had served as executive director for about a year. Both came just weeks after the official start of the season at the park, located at Buffalo's Canalside district. Alessi was removed from his post by the board during the May 3 meeting. Roche, retired after 36 years with the U.S. Coast Guard, was hired to replace longtime leader Col. Patrick Cunningham, who led the park for 25 years and passed away the same evening board members voted to hire Roche. Both Alessi and Diina had been involved with the organization since its start in 1979. Diina, Alessi and Roche did not respond to calls for comment, and park officials refused to comment beyond Garvey’s official statement. The shake-up comes as the park begins its 39th season, and just months after participating in a national military event: The commissioning of the new USS Little Rock next to the old USS Little Rock, a museum ship in the park’s collection. Operating on a budget of about $1 million, the Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park is recognized as the nation’s largest inland naval park. It is home to three museum vessels: USS Little Rock, a guided missile cruiser; USS Sullivans, a destroyer; and USS Croaker, a World War II submarine plus an outdoor exhibit area, a museum building and gift shop. While a search is conducted for a permanent executive director, Paul Marzello has been named to the post on an interim basis. Marzello has served as director of development and special projects for two and half years, helping to lead a $1 million renovation project planned for the downtown organization. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 9 The JOHN J BOLAND (Hull# 417) was launched May 9, 1953 at Manitowoc, Wisconsin by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. for the American Steamship Co. making way for the keel of the DETROIT EDISON (2) to be laid. The BOLAND was renamed b.) SAGINAW in 1999.On May 9, 1951 the CLIFFS VICTORY arrived at the South Chicago yard of the American Ship Building Co. completing her 37-day, 3,000 mile journey from Baltimore, Maryland. There her deck houses, stack, masts, deck machinery, rudder and propeller were installed and the floatation pontoons removed. The ROBERT C. NORTON (2) was laid up on May 9, 1980 for the last time at the Hans Hansen Dock at Toledo, Ohio. PETER REISS (Hull#522) was launched at Superior, Wisconsin by Superior Ship Building Co., on May 9, 1910 for the North American Steamship Co. (Reiss Coal Co.). On 9 May 1864, AMAZON (2-mast wooden brig, 93 foot, 172 tons, built in 1837 at Port Huron, Michigan as a schooner) was carrying coal from Cleveland for Lake Superior when she went out of control in a storm just as she was leaving the St. Clair River for Lake Huron. She was driven ashore near Point Edward, Ontario and was broken up by the wave action. At the time of her loss, she was considered the oldest working schooner on the Lakes. May 9, 1900: The carferry PERE MARQUETTE (15) began carferry service to Milwaukee for the Pere Marquette Railway. On Friday night, 9 May 1873, the schooner CAPE HORN collided with the new iron propeller JAVA off Long Point on Lake Erie. The schooner sank quickly. The only life lost was that of the cook. On 09 May 1872, the CUBA (iron propeller bulk freighter, 231 foot, 1526 gross tons) was launched at King Iron Works in Buffalo, New York for the Holt and Ensign Commercial Line. Innovations in her design included water-tight compartments for water ballast, 4 water-tight bulkheads that could be closed if the hull were damaged, and a new fluted signal lamp that could be seen for 13 miles. She was powered by two 350 HP engines. She was a very successful vessel and lasted until 1947 when she was scrapped. She was renamed b.) IONIC in 1906 and c.) MAPLEBRANCH in 1920. Converted to a tanker in 1935. Scrapped at Sorel, Quebec in 1946-7. 1906 – The schooner ARMENIA was wrecked in Lake Erie near Colchester Reef when it began leaking in a storm while under tow of the FRED PABST on the first trip of the season. The ore-laden barge was cut loose but all on board were saved. The wreck was later struck by the CHARLES B. PACKARD on September 16, 1906, leading to the latter's demise. 1926 – While backing from the NHB Elevator in Port Colborne, the JOHN P. REISS struck the A.D. MacBETH at the dock, damaging the latter's stem. 1964 – The small ferries JOHN A. McPHAIL and JAMES CURRAN broke loose while under tow of the G.W. ROGERS and sank in a storm off the mouth of Saginaw Bay. They were en-route to Kingston from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., for a new service to Wolfe Island. 1974 – The coastal freighter ST. PIERRE ran aground in the old Lachine Canal at Montreal, was holed, capsized and sank. The vessel was broken up on location later in the year. 2011 – The Erie, Pa.-based passenger excursion ship VICTORIAN PRINCESS sustained major fire damage when a welding torch ignited materials in the engine room. The ship was out of the water and on blocks for maintenance work when the blaze broke out. The vessel missed the 2011 season. Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Jody Aho, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Port Reports - May 8
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Marquette, Mich. – Jake Stevens
St. Marys River
Southern Lake Michigan
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas
Toledo, Ohio Welland Canal and regional report - Monday May 7 - Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Welland Canal:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Mississauga:
Toronto: Oshawa: Anchored (off Oshawa) - May 5 - Isabelle G (Por) (ex Eider-18) - at 2100 and Hanse Gate (Atg) (ex CL Hanse Gate-15 Federal Manitou-11) anchored at 2329 - Docked - May 6 - Isabelle G (Por) at 1034 and Hanse Gate (Atg) at 1222
Oshawa, Ont. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 8 The 1,000-foot COLUMBIA STAR was christened May 8, 1981, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, for Columbia Transportation Div., Oglebay Norton Co.EDGAR B. SPEER (Hull#908) was launched May 8, 1980, at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. for Connecticut Bank & Trust Co. (U.S. Steel Corp., mgr.), after long delay because of labor strife. FRED R. WHITE JR was christened May 8, 1979, named for Oglebay Norton's then vice-chairman of the board. On May 8, 1979, the ASHLAND struck the north entry pier of the Duluth Ship Canal while outbound loaded. Thick ice blowing in from Lake Superior had interfered with her maneuverability. She dropped her anchor to lessen the impact but drifted over the flukes ripping a two by five foot hole in her bottom port side forward. She was inspected and repaired at the Duluth Port Terminal. One anchor was lost. CHAMPLAIN's starboard side was damaged when she sideswiped the Swedish steamer BROLAND near the lower end of the St. Clair River cut-off, May 8, 1963. May 8. 1936 – The Pere Marquette Railway Co. announced plans to construct a new $1 million ferry dock at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The 3-masted wooden schooner FRANK C. LEIGHTON was launched at 10:30 a.m. on 8 May 1875, at Dunford & Leighton's yard in Port Huron, eight months after work on her began. She was launched complete except for her mizzen mast, which was just about ready to go in position. She was named for Capt. Leighton's son. Her dimensions were 138 foot keel, 145 foot overall, 26 foot beam and 12 foot depth. She cost $20,000 and was owned by Dunford & Leighton. The 254-foot wooden freighter AMAZON was launched at A. A. Turner's yard at Trenton, Michigan, on 8 May 1873. On 08 May 1929, GEORGE W. PARKER wooden propeller sandsucker, 105 foot, 143 gross tons, built in 1903, at Marine City, Michigan by A. Anderson for Fishback Plaster Co., formerly a.) L. G. POWELL) was destroyed by fire and sank in the channel 6 miles south of Algonac, Michigan. Her crew escaped in the yawl. 1916: S.R. KIRBY was downbound in a Lake Superior storm when it was struck by two huge waves, broke its back and foundered. The composite hulled freighter sank quickly and only two of the 22 on board survived. 1918: The Norwegian freighter POLLUX came to the Great Lakes in 1907. It was torpedoed as b) DUX by U-54 about 7 miles northwest of Godrevy Lighthouse while carrying coal from Swansea, UK to LaRochelle, France. 1934: The hull of the first CANADOC was punctured when the ship went hard aground at St. Joseph's Island. The vessel was later freed, drydocked and repaired. 1938: JAMES B. FOOTE hit a dock at Chicago, under tow of the tug KANSAS, while loaded with corn for Sorel. The rudder, stock and a propeller blade were lost. 1942: The Hall Corp. canaller MONT LOUIS was torpedoed and sunk in the Caribbean by U-162 with the loss of 13 lives. Only 8 survived by clinging to the wreckage. The ship was carrying bauxite from Dutch Guiana to Trinidad when it was attacked and it sank so quickly that the lifeboats could not be launched. 1949: E.C. COLLINS and HENRY FORD II were in a collision in the St.Clair River. 1967 ELIN HOPE had been chartered to the Ontario Paper Company to carry newsprint from Baie Comeau to New York from 1950 to 1953. The ship came to the Great Lakes as b) PROCYON in 1961 and arrived at Madras, India, as c) KR ASHOK with the cargo of coal on fire on this date in 1967. The vessel settled on the bottom during firefighting operations. It was refloated May 19 and eventually scrapped at Madras in 1968. 1978: The third OUTARDE went aground in the St. Lawrence near Buoy 41-M and was not released until May 16. There was only minor damage to the ship. Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Jody Aho, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history. |
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Port Reports - May 7
Duluth-Superior – Daniel Lindner
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Marquette, Mich. – Jake Stevens and Rod Burdick
St. Marys River
Port Inland, Mich.
Sturgeon Bay, Wis.
Southern Lake Michigan
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas
Pelee Island, Ont. – Frank Hood Welland Canal and regional report - Sunday May 6 - Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Long Point bay anchorage:
Welland Canal:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Mississauga:
Toronto:
Oshawa:
Rochester, N.Y. – Tom Brewer
Erie, Pa. – Jeffrey Benson
Rimouski, Que. – Marine Bulletin |
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Partnership offers plan to restore Lake Superior’s Stannard Rock Lighthouse 5/7 - Marquette, Mich. – Michigan’s coastline boasts more lighthouses than any other state. The Superior Watershed Partnership invites the public to a free presentation about Stannard Rock Lighthouse at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Citizen’s Forum in Lakeview Arena. Learn about the history of this remote lighthouse and the plans for its continued preservation. The SWP acquired Stannard Rock Lighthouse from the federal government in 2015 and is working with partners to complete a Historic Structure Report to guide the ongoing rehabilitation of this unique structure. About 42 miles from Marquette in Lake Superior, the Stannard Rock Light Station is the farthest lighthouse from a coast in the United States and often was referred to by the Coast Guard as one of the loneliest places in the country. This presentation will provide an in-depth view of the history and development of the 136-year-old isolated station, as well as its current condition, the work and mission of the Superior Watershed Partnership & Land Trust, and the recommendations established to guide the future of the station. The current challenges and potential solutions for the station will be discussed. Participants will be able to view many historic photographs of this station and footage of the station today, including as seen from a drone. Michigan offshore light stations are difficult to visit and not easily visible to the general public. As a result, nonprofit stewards have a difficult time with fundraising and educating the public on the significance of these resources. To assist these stewards, a comprehensive document such as an HSR is essential for evaluating and identifying existing conditions, providing a solid plan for future rehabilitation projects that fully comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, and collecting important historical information. Everyone is invited to come learn more about Stannard Island Light Station and how to get involved with its rehabilitation. Learn about the key features at the station that were evaluated. Learn about the process of identifying uses and determining the treatments for the historic resources and features, taking into account accessibility, hazardous materials and compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. This presentation also provides continuing education credit through the American Institute of Architects. The presentation is hosted by the Superior Watershed Partnership with support from the Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program in cooperation with the State Historic Preservation Office, OX Studio and the Smay Trombley Architecture firm. For more information, contact the SWP at info@superiorwatersheds.org or call 906-228-6095. Iron Mountain Daily News |
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Lake Superior is six inches above average; outflow will be increased 5/7 - Thunder Bay, Ont. – Lake Superior’s water level declined by a record 3 cm (1 inch) in April, normally the month that it begins its seasonal rise, and at the beginning-of-May, Lake Superior is 15 cm (6 in) above average (1918 - 2017), but 4 cm (2 in) below the level at this time last year. Lake Michigan-Huron saw wetter weather in April and levels resumed their seasonal rise, increasing 10 cm (4 in) last month. Lake Michigan-Huron is currently 41 cm (16 in) above average, 10 cm (4 in) above last year’s beginning-of-May level and the highest since 1998. The seasonal water level rise is expected to begin on Lake Superior and continue on Lake Michigan-Huron in May. Despite the recent decline on Lake Superior, the above-average levels coupled with strong winds and waves continue to result in shoreline erosion and coastal damages across the upper Great Lakes system. Additional shoreline erosion and coastal damages may occur this spring and summer should active weather continue. The Board recently obtained approval from the International Joint Commission (IJC) to temporarily deviate from Regulation Plan 2012 from May through November 2018 in a manner similar to that employed in the past three years, which were also marked by high lake levels and outflows. Over the next several months, the Board expects to adjust the gate settings at the Compensating Works and release flows greater than those prescribed by Regulation Plan 2012 in order to offset the effects of reductions in hydropower flows due to maintenance activities that occurred this past winter and that are expected to continue through the summer and fall. Accordingly, the Board, under authority granted to it by the IJC, has set the Lake Superior outflow to 2,290 cubic meters per second (cms) (80,870 cubic feet per second (cfs)) for the month of May, which is 50 cms (1,766 cfs) more than that prescribed by Regulation Plan 2012. Actual outflows may vary depending on hydrologic and ice conditions, as well as maintenance activities at the hydropower plants on the St. Marys River. The Board continues to monitor ice conditions and will increase the gate setting at the Compensating Works as soon as ice conditions permit, possibly as early as next week. The average St. Marys Rapids flow in May is expected to be approximately 280 cms (9,888 cfs) and the gates are expected to be opened to the equivalent of two gates fully open. Anglers and other users of the St. Marys Rapids need to be cautious of the changing flows and water levels that will be experienced in the rapids in May. The Board stresses that hydrologic conditions are the primary driver of water level fluctuations. Water levels of the Great Lakes cannot be fully controlled through regulation of outflows, nor can regulation completely eliminate the risk of extreme water levels from occurring during periods of severe weather and water supply conditions. It is not possible to accurately predict such conditions weeks in advance, but given the current levels of the lakes and the possibility that wet conditions may continue, the Board advises all those that may be impacted prepare for the possibility of high water levels, should they occur this spring, summer and fall. Lake Superior News |
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Response efforts under Straits resume following days of inclement weather 5/7 - Mackinaw City, Mich. – The Unified Command announced that crews contracted by American Transmission Company have completed laying concrete mats on top of the capped ATC cables, Saturday, while capping of the Consumers Energy cables has also begun. Inclement weather throughout the week, including fog, showers and heavy surf, hindered response efforts. All of the affected utility cables owned by ATC were soldered, capped, sealed and laid on the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac in its original position, April 29. ATC is preparing a long-term plan to remove the damaged cables, under the oversight of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Efforts are now being focused on three, retired-in-place Consumer Energy Cables. Those cables will be brought up from the bottom of the Straits, sampled, and then capped similar to the process used on the ATC cables, and returned to the bottom of the Straits with concrete mats laid on top of the capped cables. Consumers Energy reported to the Unified Command that there is no free flowing fluid within their retired cables. The cause of the incident is under investigation. USCG |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 7 ALGOPORT (Hull#217) was launched at Collingwood, Ontario, by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., May 7, 1979 for Algoma Central Railway.HUTCHCLIFFE HALL entered service on May 7, 1954. A.M. BYERS (Hull#448) was launched May 7, 1910 at Cleveland, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. for the North American Steamship Co. (R.A. Williams, mgr.). Renamed b.) CLEMENS A. REISS in 1959 and c.) JACK WIRT in 1970. May 7, 1903 - The Benton Harbor, Coloma & Paw Paw Lake Railway was purchased by the Pere Marquette Railroad. May 7, 1929 - The Pere Marquette notified Ludington it was interested in buying the frontage on Pere Marquette Lake that had been used by the Monroe Body Company. The city council asked $25,000 for the property, and the railroad agreed. Work on the No. 3 slip began a few months later. On 7 May 1874, the schooner JENNIE MATHEWS was launched at Hardison's yard in Port Huron, Michigan. The launch started very slowly but with the help of men pulling on ropes, the vessel slid into the Black River nicely. Her first skipper was Capt. McGifford and her owner was Mr. Hardison. On 07 May 1954, official ground-breaking ceremonies were held for the Mackinac Bridge. It was completed three and a half years later. 1891: The new Canadian Pacific steamer MANITOBA, although built in 1889, had been laid up due to a recession and finally sailed on her maiden voyage on this date in 1891. 1935: A fire aboard ALEXANDER LESLIE at the port of Erieau, Ont., killed one member of the crew and injured two others. 1965: CEDARVILLE and TOPDALSFJORD collided in fog in the Straits of Mackinac. Ten lives were lost when the former, a self-unloader in the Bradley fleet, sank. The latter, a Norwegian freighter, had been a Seaway trader since 1960. Later, on May 11, 1984, as d) JIN XIAN QUAN, it sank the SEA CARRIER, another former Seaway trader as SVANEFJELL, in the Strait of Formosa off Taishan Island. TOPDALSFJORD was last noted as e) CHANGHI and was deleted from Lloyd's Register in 2005. 1998: CANADIAN ENTERPRISE loaded a record 32,366 tons of road salt at Goderich for delivery to Milwaukee. Data from: Skip Gillham, Jody Aho, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Port Reports - May 6
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
St. Marys River
Cedarville, Mich.
Port Inland, Mich.
Southern Lake Michigan
North Channel and Georgian Bay
Calcite, Mich. Welland Canal and regional report - Saturday May 5 - Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Long Point bay anchorage:
Buffalo:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte:
Mississauga:
Toronto:
Oshawa:
Oswego, N.Y. – Ned Goebricher |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 6 On May 6, 1984 the CANADIAN RANGER sailed from Port Weller on her maiden voyage to load coal at Toledo, Ohio.In 1944 the HILDA (2) and the barge MAITLAND NO.1 started the rescue operation of freighter GEORGE M. HUMPHREY (1) which sank in a collision with the D.M. CLEMSON (2) in the Straits of Mackinac. This day in 1923 the EDWIN E. SLICK was struck by the steamer J. LEONARD REPLOGLE in the ice on Whitefish Bay, Lake Superior. HARVEY D. GOULDER entered service on May 6, 1906. On May 6, 1934, ROYALTON (1) helped rescue the steamer TEN, which had lost power in a Lake Superior ice field and required a tow to safety. On May 6, 1975 while unloading iron ore at Conneaut, Ohio, a leg and bucket from No.2 Hulett gave way and fell into the RALPH H. WATSON's cargo hold. A crane was rigged to remove the wreckage. A nine by twelve foot patch was required on her port side tank, which was holed in the accident. On 6 May 1847, CUBA (wooden schooner, 89 foot, 139 tons, built in 1844 at Peninsula, New York as a brig) was carrying wheat near Point Breeze, New York in Lake Ontario when she was run down and sunk in a collision with the steamer GENESEE CHIEF. No lives were lost. On 6 May 1858, the bark E.S. ADAMS began her voyage from Amherstburg, Ontario to London, England with a load of walnut timber. The transatlantic portion of the voyage took only 26 days and the vessel was back on the lakes in September 1858. EASTLAND was launched on 06 May 1903 at the Jenks Ship Building Company (Hull #25) at Port Huron, Michigan for the Michigan Steamship Company. She was christened by Mrs. Frances E. Perene. 1914: CITY OF ROME caught fire in Lake Erie and the blaze spread quickly. The vessel was run aground near Ripley, NY and the 15-member crew took to the lifeboats and rowed ashore. The 33-year old wooden freighter was a total loss. 1977: The West German freighter SUSANNE FRITZEN made 19 trips through the Seaway from 1963 through 1967. The vessel arrived at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with engine trouble as c) MARGRIT B. on this date in 1977. It remained idle and had to be towed to Piraeus, Greece, and laid up in 1978. The ship left there February 15, 1979, for the scrapyard in Barcelona, Spain. 1988: The Cypriot flag freighter PONTOKRATIS was under tow and downbound in the Little Calumet River at Chicago when the CSX railroad bascule bridge ended up across the stern cabin and pilothouse. There were no injuries and both sides launched a lawsuit. The vessel was released May 16 and continued to visit the Seaway as late as 2006. It renamed NAVIGATOR M. in 2010. Data from Skip Gillham, Jody Aho, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Port Reports - May 5
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Marquette, Mich. – Jake Stevens
St. Marys River
Cedarville, Mich. – Denny Dushane
Port Inland, Mich. – Denny Dushane
Milwaukee, Wis. – Paul Erspamer
North Channel and Georgian Bay
Stoneport, Mich. – Denny Dushane
Calcite, Mich. – Denny Dushane
Toledo, Ohio – Denny Dushane Welland Canal and regional report - Friday May 4 - Barry Andersen Winds reported gusting 35 - 60 knots – traffic delayed
Nanticoke:
Buffalo:
Welland Canal:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte:
Mississauga:
Toronto:
Oshawa: |
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Coast Guard hoists 5 people from breakwall near Harbor Beach 5/5 - Harbor Beach, Mich. – An aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Detroit rescued 5 people from the rocks after their fishing vessel lost power and was blown against a breakwall by high winds Friday. Watchstanders in the Coast Guard Sector Detroit command center received a call at 2 p.m. from the Huron County Sheriff Department about a 25-foot fishing vessel with 5 people aboard against the rocks of the Harbor Beach breakwall. The command center watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and requested an aircrew from Air Station Detroit launch aboard a Dolphin helicopter. Due to seas between five and eight feet, surface assets were not able to launch. The Coast Guard aircrew launched about 2:25 p.m. and arrived on scene at about 3 p.m. to find the passengers, all adult males ranging in approximate age of between 18-55, had made their way safely on to the rocks. With winds gusting up to 45 miles an hour, the Coast Guard aircrew hoisted the five people in two separate missions and brought them to a nearby field to waiting EMS. There were no injuries. Everyone on the boat was wearing a life jacket. “We urge all boaters to check the weather forecast before deciding to venture out into the open waters,” said Lt. Cmdr. Chad Eckhardt, pilot of the aircrew. “If your boat malfunctions in heavy surf and high winds, you can find yourself in a dangerous and life threatening situation real fast. For anyone who falls into these cold waters, their trip can become deadly." The Coast Guard also urges boaters to have their vessels checked to make sure everything is in proper working order, especially before getting underway for the first time after the winter. In addition, make sure there are enough life jackets on board for every passenger, and dress for the water temperature, not the air temperature. The water temperature is still in the 40s. Someone who unexpectedly falls into the cold water can quickly be overcome by hypothermia, if they survive the initial shock of the cold water and the natural gasping reflex which can cause a person to inhale water and drown. USCG |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 5 May 5, 1904 the Crisp Point Light on Lake Superior went into service.WILLIAM CLAY FORD (Hull#300) was launched at River Rouge, Michigan, by Great Lakes Engineering Works, May 5, 1953, for the Ford Motor Co. On May 5, 1980, the SHARON, a.) ARCHERS HOPE of 1945, grounded in the Trenton Channel of the Detroit River. She was freed on May 7th and proceeded to Monroe, Michigan, and was laid up there on May 8, 1980. No repairs were made and she never sailed again. On May 5, 1914, the GEORGE F. BAKER was traveling down bound in Lake Superior in dense fog with 10,500 tons of iron ore from Ashland, Wisconsin. She ran hard aground on Sawtooth Reef off Eagle River, on Upper Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. May 5, 1914 - An unusual cargo, two "Jack Johnsons" (Navy guns) were hauled by the PERE MARQUETTE 17. The small schooner ST PETER was loaded with grain when she sank 35 miles from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on 5 May 1874. The crew reached shore in the yawl. The steam barge KITTIE M. FORBES was launched in Bay City, Michigan, on 5 May 1883. She was owned by Capt. William Forbes and named for his daughter. Her keel was laid on 1 December 1882. Her dimensions were 195 feet keel, 209 foot overall, 35 foot beam and 14 foot depth. Her engine was built by Samuel F. Hodge. On 05 May 1902, MILWAUKEE (steel propeller freighter, 325 foot, 3,327 gross tons) was launched at the Chicago Ship Building Company (Hull #55) at South Chicago, Illinois, for the Western Transit Co. She lasted until 1940, when she was scrapped at Hamilton, Ontario. 1960: The coastal freighter FEDERAL EXPRESS had been built at Midland in 1944 as H.M.C.S. WEST YORK. It was hit at the dock in Montreal on this date in 1960 by the Swedish freighter POLARIS, drifted downstream and sank. The stern was raised August 12, 1960, and the remainder of the hull came up in pieces. 1964: The downbound bulk carrier ERNEST T. WEIR sustained damage to the port bow when it collided with tanker MERCURY in Lake St. Clair. The latter had sheered to the left, went aground after the accident and developed a list. Both ships were repaired and ERNEST T. WEIR survives today as the idle self-unloader AMERICAN FORTITUDE. 1978: JALAVIHAR first visited the Great Lakes in 1966 under the flag of India. It ran aground in the Red Sea as d) KATERINA on this date in 1978. After being released it continued to Palermo, Italy, where it was declared beyond economical repair and was eventually scrapped at Split, Yugoslavia. 2009: VICTORIA first came through the Seaway in September 2004. On May 5, 2009, the ship, loaded with 10,000 metric tonnes of rice and its crew of 11 Romanian sailors, were captured by pirates, about 75 miles south of Yemen and held hostage. After the payment of a reported $1.8 million ransom, the vessel was released on July 18, 2009. It was back on the Great Lakes in 2011. Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Jody Aho, Joe Barr, Father Dowling Collection, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Eight days to make $800K dock repairs for Badger 5/4 - Manitowoc, Wis. – Heavy-duty dock repairs are underway in Manitowoc this week after a storm ripped through Wisconsin just weeks ago. People expecting to ride the S.S. Badger across Lake Michigan are relying on an $800,000 state grant. The money will fix loading equipment needed for the ferry to operate and other damage caused by the storms, but it has to be done in the next eight days. Urban Geimer of Two Rivers looked on as workers re-built Thursday, pointing out to Action 2 News what he’d seen, saying, “that all got washed away, that was all gone.” "For the last eight years I've been here almost every day for the car ferry,” said Geimer, who proudly wears an S.S. Badger jacket every day that he bought on the boat years ago. "I was down at The Fat Seagull tavern down here and somebody told me that there was some damage." "The people that come off the car ferry – they normally will come stop here,” said Newey Boonperm who works at The Fat Seagull. Boonperm is among Restaurant workers nearby also breathing a sigh of relief the S.S. Badger will run its normal season. "We are happy that the dock is getting fixed because it does bring a lot of business towards this way. Manitowoc needs all the business we can get especially downtown." Many in the Manitowoc area couldn't believe their eyes when they first laid eyes on the damage the strong winds, snow and waves brought to the dock. "They're working hard, hopefully they get it ready by the 11th,” said another onlooker, William Rodewald of Manitowoc. For Rodewald, the history on the carferry runs deep. “My first trip on the carferry was December of '65,” he said. Asked if he would be riding the S.S. Badger this season, he responded, “In June my family's going. It's an enjoyable trip, believe me. This is a state highway through here, and the carferry is part of that state highway. So we gotta keep it goin!" WBAY |
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President’s promise to “fix” the Soo Locks resonates with Sault residents 5/4 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – “After spending all that money in the Middle East, can you imagine? And we can’t fix a lock… we’ll get it fixed,” said President Trump who promised federal action during his rally in Macomb County recently to help rebuild the Soo Locks. The president said he was going to immediately look into what needs to be done to fix the aging infrastructure. The comments have put Sault Ste. Marie in the national spotlight and it’s creating quite a buzz among people that live in this area. “Agree or disagree with him it’s very, very cool to hear an official mention the town and the area,” Ben Deatrick, said. Deatrick has lived in the Soo for quite a while, and one thing that hasn’t changed much in that time are the locks. “Your lock isn’t working too well, it’s not working too well, it hasn’t been fixed in 50 years, in all fairness,” Trump added. Those comments resonate with people like Deatrick. “I say great, fantastic, we certainly need a new lock and it could be a great benefactor to our city. A lot of those ships just to have to wait you know at the pier for two to three hours, sometimes all day, they really could use the new lock,” Deatrick added. Larry and Janet Besaw may not agree with a lot of what the president says but can agree with his comments about the locks. “Not just for this area but the country in general, without the locks the shipping stops that tons and tons of shipping so it would be foolish not to,” Janet Besaw said. “It was interesting to hear him say it, considering years ago supposedly they approved the upgrade of the locks so congress had no funding for it so they basically said yea go ahead do it,” she added. That was in 1986. Thursday in Lansing, Gov. Rick Snyder announced that Lt. Gov. Brian Calley is expected to work alongside the White House as they figure out the next steps to rebuild. 9&10 News |
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Chi-Cheemaun ferry starts runs Friday 5/4 - South Baymouth, Ont. – Mother Nature has pulled through at the last minute, banishing the ice from the port of South Baymouth just in time to see the Chi-Cheemaun make her inaugural 2018 crossing this Friday, May 4. As was reported last week, the ‘fast ice,’ or ice fastened to the shore in South Bay, was of concern to the Owen Sound Transportation Company (OSTC), the ferry’s parent company, but these fears have been abated with warm temperatures and good wind conditions. Kaleena Johnson, the OSTC’s manager of customer and media relations, told The Expositor, “At this time, we have no concern. The Chi-Cheemaun will be departing Tobermory at 8:50 am on Friday.” The ferry will arrive at South Baymouth at 10:50 am, undoubtedly greeted by a large group of people who mark her sight as the official start of the summer tourism season. Ms. Johnson said fares are staying the same this year, with the exception of a $5 increase to the dinner and concert series cruises. “This year there was a complete redesign of the aft lounge, which once housed the arcade,” Ms. Johnson explained. “It’s now very vibrant, colorful and inviting for families to come sit and enjoy the passage.” Ms. Johnson said the OSTC has again partnered with Parks Canada and, new this year, Wikwemikong Tourism and will see representatives from both organizations host talks and events in the aft lounge all season long. “There will also be interactive touch screens for the kids with fun kids’ programming,” she added. The OSTC prides itself in giving travellers a truly cultural experience while riding the ferry, Ms. Johnson said, noting that local foods, drinks and crafts, as well as experiences, are sourced whenever possible. Sailors can expect to see Manitoulin Brewing Company and Split Rail Brewing beers on tap, Manitoulin Pizza Company products for sale, whitefish sourced from Island waters, as well as goods like Anchored Jewelry’s hand-stamped jewellery and First Nation crafts from Manitoulin for sale. The Chi-Cheemaun will once again host its popular concert series with the schedule as follows: June 8, Shakura S’Aida; June 16, the Craft Booze Cruise; June 30, Trent Severn; July 18, Samantha Martin with Delta Sugar; July 28, Danny Michel and Emm Gryner; August 16, The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer; and September 14, the Trevor MacKenzie Band. Those travelling on a Sunday in July can look forward to a free event that sees authors and musicians paired. “We will be offering stargazing trips during the height of the Perseids meteor shower in August too,” Ms. Johnson added. “We’re creating an experience in and of itself,” she said. “We’re getting people to come back to enjoy more than just the views.” Manitoulin Expositor |
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Port Reports - May 4
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Marquette, Mich. – Jake Stevens
Green Bay, Wis.
Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – Jim Conlon
North Channel and Georgian Bay
Pelee Island, Ont. – Frank Hood Welland Canal and regional report - Thursday May 3 - Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Buffalo:
Welland Canal:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte:
Mississauga:
Toronto:
Oshawa: |
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Maritime Task Force sees Lakes/Seaway shipping moving forward 5/4 - Toledo, Ohio – Increases in cargo movement on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway in 2017 were but two of several positive developments last year. The 2017 Annual Report of Great Lakes Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) released Thursday highlights progress on maintaining the Jones Act as the foundation of America’s domestic maritime policy; building a second Poe-sized lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan; construction of another heavy icebreaker for the Great Lakes; and increased funding for dredging Great Lakes ports and waterways. The Jones Act requires that cargo moving between U.S. ports be carried in vessels that are U.S.-crewed, -built and -owned. Although the Jones Act was enacted in 1920, the United States has reserved domestic waterborne commerce to U.S.-flag vessels since 1817. Following the hurricanes that battered Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico, there were claims the law was inhibiting relief efforts, particularly in Puerto Rico, but there was no basis in fact. “The docks were jammed with cargo. The problem was the land-based transportation infrastructure was so tattered after the hurricane that cargo could not move inland. Congress wisely rejected making any changes to the Jones Act.” On the infrastructure front, GLMTF continued its efforts to build a second Poe-sized lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The Soo Locks connect Lake Superior to the lower Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway and typically handle 80 million tons of cargo per year, 90-plus percent of which transit the Poe Lock. Although authorized by Congress, the project has been stalled by a flawed benefit/cost analysis by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but President Trump has pledged to get the project moving. The Task Force is also focused on building another heavy icebreaker to partner with the Mackinaw so the U.S. Coast Guard can keep cargo moving during the ice season, typically mid-December to mid- or late-April. The Annual Report notes that in December 2017 and January 2018, U.S.-flag lakers had more than 1.8 million tons of cargo delayed or cancelled by ice. “While the Mackinaw performed well, the Coast Guard’s smaller icebreakers were often overmatched, and some had to be taken out of service for varying periods of time ... The only way the fleet can reliably meet the needs of commerce is if the United States Coast Guard has two heavy icebreakers stationed on the Great Lakes.” The Great Lakes are currently in a period of high water, but it is inevitable that they will fall again, so it is imperative that Congress continue to increase expenditures from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund and give the Lakes their fair share of dredging dollars. “Thanks to GLMTF’s commitment to restoring adequate funding for dredging, the Lakes’ annual appropriation has just about doubled, from $80 million in 2012 to almost $160 million in 2017, but the need remains great. Nearly 15 million cubic yards of sediment still clog the Great Lakes Navigation System.” GLMTF continued to support passage of the S. 168, the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA). This legislation will bring much needed clarity and consistency to governance of ballast water discharges and put oversight where it best belongs: The U.S. Coast Guard. The current patchwork approach of regulations differing from federal agency to federal agency and state to state makes compliance nearly impossible. Great Lakes Maritime Task Force |
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Great Lakes Commission launches online portal for maritime jobs 5/4 - Ann Arbor, Mich. – The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) recently launched a one-stop online portal for information about maritime careers on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. The website, which provides information on types of maritime careers, employers, training and certifications, is also now accepting postings for available jobs. Employers interested in posting a maritime job on the career portal can click here. “In our longstanding role of advocating for the regional water-based economy, the Great Lakes Commission is proud to present this new maritime jobs website,” said Steve Fisher, executive director of the American Great Lakes Ports Association and GLC commissioner from Indiana. “Ports and shippers support real jobs and economic development across the Great Lakes region, and this website will allow them to more efficiently attract talent. With growing demand for jobs both aboard ships and on shore, and a projected shortage in qualified personnel, the maritime industry offers attractive career opportunities in the Great Lakes and beyond.” “We’re strategically focusing our efforts on finding, developing and training a team of professionals for a growing workforce to successfully accomplish current and future contracts,” said Joe Starck, President, The Great Lakes Towing Company. “This starts with hiring world-class talent and the Great Lakes Maritime Careers website would be another great way to find qualified candidates.” A comprehensive online careers website for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River maritime industry was called for as a tool to better connect industry with prospective applicants in the 2016 Strategy for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Maritime Transportation System, developed by the Conference of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers. The strategy recommends actions to maintain and expand the maritime transportation system. As part of its work to support commercial navigation in the Great Lakes region, the GLC developed the online portal with input from regional stakeholders. The maritime industry on the Great Lakes moves 200 million tons of freight each year, generates 227,000 jobs and $34 billion (USD) in business revenue, and supports industries such as manufacturing, steel production, agriculture and power generation. Great Lakes Commission |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 4 On May 4, 1958, JOHN SHERWIN entered service. The SHERWIN has been in lay-up for over half of her life on the Great Lakes. She last sailed on November 16, 1981.On her maiden voyage May 4, 1976, ST. CLAIR departed Sturgeon Bay for Escanaba, Michigan, to load 39,803 gross tons of iron ore pellets for Indiana Harbor, Indiana arriving there on May 5th. OREFAX ran aground on May 4, 1963, way off course near Manistique, Michigan. She was lightered and pulled off by the Roen Salvage Co. and made her way to Toronto, Ontario, where she discharged her cargo and left for repairs. The tanker VENUS, a.) MARTHA E. ALLEN of 1928 suffered an explosion on May 4, 1972, when the crew was cleaning tanks while at anchor waiting for the fog to lift about seven miles west of the Eisenhower Lock in the Seaway. Two explosions rocked the ship, killing her skipper, Captain Stanley, and injuring three crewmen. On 04 May 1839, ATLAS (wooden schooner, built in 1836, at Dexter, New York) was carrying building stone from Chaumont Bay to Oswego, New York, when she foundered 6 miles from Oswego. The steamer TELEGRAPH rushed out of Oswego to assist her but only found a little flotsam. All five on board were lost: Capt. Asahel Wescott, Ortha Little, William Ackerman, John Lee and Asa Davis (a passenger). 1889: The new Canadian Pacific steamer MANITOBA was launched at Owen Sound. 1911: The STEPHEN M. CLEMENT sank the ERWIN L. FISHER in a collision on the Detroit River. The former last sailed as PEAVEY PIONEER and was scrapped in 1968-1969. 1968: The Swedish freighter BRORIVER made 9 trips to the Great Lakes in 1965-1966. It was sold and renamed d) THALIA later in 1966 and caught fire on the Atlantic on this date in 1968. The blaze originated in the engine room but gutted the ship. It was abandoned the next day and was eventually towed to Dakar, Senegal, where it was forced to anchor 8 miles out, as officials did not want it in the port. The vessel later sank at the anchorage. Data from: Skip Gillham, Jody Aho, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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S.S. Badger receives $800K state grant to fix damage from Blizzard Evelyn 5/3 - Manitowoc, Wis. – The S.S. Badger carferry is getting nearly $800,000 in state money to repair its dock, which was damaged by Blizzard Evelyn. Gov. Scott Walker's office says high winds and waves damaged loading equipment and structures and severely eroded the harbor side. The vehicle apron needs to be rebuilt, and a broken counterweight needs to be added. Those repairs are expected to be made by the ferry's opening day, which is set for May 11. In all, the project is expected to cost nearly $1 million. In addition, plans call for an armored retaining wall to be built on the harbor side to protect the facility from future wind and wave damage. Walker's office says the current shoreline structure was not engineered, and is made up of a mix of construction debris and small-diameter quarry stone. “The S.S. Badger is an important aspect of our communities helping with both manufacturing and tourism,” Walker said in a news release. “This grant will help speed up repairs to the harbor and aboard the S.S. Badger, ensuring the ferry is ready to transport passengers, vehicles, and commercial goods as they prepare to open for the upcoming season.” The City of Manitowoc owns the dock and leases it to the S.S. Badger. The state grant comes from the Harbor Assistance Program. Fox 11 |
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Port Reports - May 3
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
North Channel and Georgian Bay
Owen Sound, Ont. – Paul Martin Welland Canal and regional report - Wednesday May 2 - Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Buffalo:
Welland Canal:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Colborne anchorage:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte:
Mississauga:
Toronto:
Oshawa: |
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Aging Soo Locks now a focus of the White House 5/3 - Washington, D.C. – President Donald Trump spoke on the aging Soo Locks at an event in Washington Township, Michigan, on Saturday, April 28. “The Soo Locks are going to hell,” Trump told the crowd. “You know that right? And we’re going to get them fixed up.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimates that a six-month unexpected closure of the Poe Lock would result in dire consequences for the national economy. The DHS projected that 11 million Americans would lose their jobs, and the State of Michigan’s unemployment would reach 22%, exceeding the peak unemployment rate of 15% during the Great Recession of 2008. According to DHS, entire U.S. manufacturing industries would be incapacitated, including automobiles, appliances, construction, farming, and heavy manufacturing. “Businesses located at or near our ports are dependent on commerce through the Soo Locks,” said Steve Fisher, Executive Director of the American Great Lakes Ports Association. "Thousands of jobs in the energy, steel and agriculture sectors rely on this critical waterway.” The Soo Locks were constructed in Michigan in 1855 to allow ships to navigate the 21-foot height difference between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Where once there were four locks to serve Great Lakes shipping, now there are only two, with the largest lock, the Poe, handing over 90 percent of all cargoes. The other lock, the MacArthur, is too small for the larger, modern ships that transport cargo such as iron ore. Trump further stated in his speech that he would immediately talk to the Army Corps of Engineers to jumpstart the process of fixing the Soo Locks. “We depend on the Corps to maintain this marine highway,” said Jim Weakley, President of the Lake Carriers’ Association. “Without the locks connecting Lake Superior to the lower lakes we could not do our job.” Great Lakes Seaway Partnership |
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National Museum begins on-line campaign to excavate schooner 5/3 - Toledo, Ohio – The National Museum of the Great Lakes had begun an on-line fundraising campaign to raise funds to complete up to 10 days of underwater survey and excavation of their recent shipwreck discovery thought to be the long sought Lake Serpent. Christopher Gillcrist, executive director of the museum said that “the internet provides organizations like ours the opportunity to reach out to potential supporters across the world.” Carrie Sowden, archaeologist at the National Museum of the Great Lakes will lead a team of volunteers this summer excavating the bow section of the boat as well as areas that might provide evidence that the vessel is indeed the Lake Serpent. The estimated cost of the project is $13,000. The museum has already raised $10,500 from over 50 contributors so far both on-line and in personal solicitations. The museum has established an on-line funding web site at www.indiegogo.com/projects/lakeserpentproject/ or interested parties can go to the museum’s website at www.inlandseas.org or call 419-214-5000. National Museum of the Great Lakes |
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Study puts $6.3 billion price tag on potential Mackinac Straits oil spill 5/3 - St. Ignace, Mich. – A new study from a Michigan State University researcher estimates an oil spill in the Straits of Mackinac could have an economic impact of more than $6 billion. The study, led by MSU professor Robert B. Richardson, was prepared for For Love of Water (FLOW), a Traverse City-based advocacy group that has advocated for the shutdown and decommissioning of Enbridge Energy's Line 5 oil and gas pipeline. The pipeline, built in 1953, runs 645 miles from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Canada, and transports up to 540,000 barrels of light crude oil and natural gas liquids per day. Groups like FLOW have called for the aging pipeline to be shut down because of the risk a spill could pose to the Great Lakes. FLOW Executive Director Liz Kirkwood called the new study "another compelling reason for the state to take swift action to shut down Line 5." Federal authorities requested the pressure in the oil pipeline be reduced after new damage was found. "This study puts credible numbers behind what common sense tells us, that a Line 5 spill could cause catastrophic economic impacts in addition to environmental destruction," Kirkwood said in a statement. The study assumes a spill of about 2.5 million gallons of crude oil, which amounts to about 59,500 barrels, damaging about 900 miles of shoreline. The study's authors said it is not intended to be a "worst-case scenario," but a "reasonable case that is informed by expert knowledge." "The scenario reflects the real possibility of technological failure and delay in human response," the study states. "In the context of Line 5, the worst-case scenario may be far greater in terms of scale, scope, and the magnitude of impacts." Read more and view images at this link: http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2018/05/study_puts_63_billion_price_ta.html |
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Saltie demolition 5/3 - Vessels with a Great Lakes / Seaway connection reported as a casualty or sold for demolition. Taken from May 2018 issue of Marine News - Journal of the World Ship Society: Casualties: none reported Demolitions: Rakan-M (7341685; Tanzania) (Rakan-M-16, Enas H-11, Karim-09, Wilson Mugga-07, Selnes-04 (1st trip into the Seaway 1980) and Risnes-79 (1st trip into the Seaway 1978) 3,685 / 1975 bulk carrier. By RMM Shipping Co. SA (Industrial Shipping Ltd), Belize to Nagarsheth Shipbreakers, India and arrived Alang 21/09/2017, commenced demolition 5/10/2017. Barry Andersen and René Beauchamp |
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Pirate-themed cruises coming to Munising 5/3 - Munising, Mich. – Pirates are making their way to Munising, and you can join them by taking a ride on the Munising Pirate Cruises. Their pirate ship is currently dry docked in Sault Ste. Marie. As soon as the ice melts, it will begin operations in Munising, they're hoping that's around Memorial Day. There will be different cruise options; a family friendly version, where kids can learn what it takes to become a pirate, and an adults only version at sunset, with drinks served from the ship’s bar. The cruises are currently looking for people to portray the pirates on the ship. “We are looking for social, active people that have a good amount of energy to be able to keep the kids entertained and under control, while also having a good time and staying in character,” said Deidre Phillipson, manager of Munising Pirate Cruises. “They have to be able to work with this environment because it is very social, and it is very customer service.” Upper Michigan Source |
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Boatnerd gatherings reservations being taken 5/3 - Boatnerd Badger Gathering: A few staterooms are still available for the June 1-2 overnight Stay on the S.S. Badger in Ludington, Michigan, followed by a round trip across Lake Michigan. A Wisconsin Shoreline Cruise is an option after the Badger is docked Manitowoc and before the return trip to Ludington. Reservations are a must for this fun event. See the Gatherings page for complete details. Annual Soo Freighter-Chasing Cruise: This annual 3-hour event during the Engineer’s Weekend at the Soo Locks usually sells out. A buffet dinner is part of the trip to take close-up photos and videos of traffic in the St. Marys River. The cruise is limited to 100 passengers and advance reservations are required. Don’t be left out. See the Gatherings page for complete details. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 3 On May 3, 1959, the first large saltwater vessel to transit the new St. Lawrence Seaway arrived at Duluth. The RAMON DE LARINAGA of 1954, took the honors as the first salty, passing under Duluth's Aerial Bridge at 1:16 p.m., followed by a salty named the HERALD of 1943, sixteen minutes later.In 1922, the PERE MARQUETTE 16, as the barge HARRIET B, collided with the steamer QUINCY A. SHAW, and sank off Two Harbors, Minnesota. On 3 May 1840, CHAMPLAIN (wooden side-wheeler, 225 tons, built in 1832, at Chippewa, Ontario) was carrying general merchandise when a storm drove her ashore four miles south of St. Joseph, Michigan. Although abandoned, she was later recovered and rebuilt. On 03 May 1883, lightning struck and set fire to the barge C F. ALLEN while she was loading at North Muskegon, Michigan. She burned to the water's edge. Her loss was valued at $6,000, but she was not insured. 1905: HESPER was blown aground in 60 mph winds near Silver Bay, MN. The vessel was carried over a reef by a giant wave and broken to pieces. All on board were rescued. 1909: The EDWIN F. HOLMES hit a dredge in the Detroit River. The 108-year-old vessel still survives as the J.B. FORD. 1941: TRAJAN had been built at Ecorse, MI as a) YAQUE in 1915. It returned to the Great Lakes as b) DORIS in 1928 taking out the head gates at Lock 13 of the Welland Canal on September 23 and was back for several trips after becoming c) TRAJAN in 1932. The vessel was bombed and sunk by German aircraft in the North Sea on this date while enroute from Blyth to London with a cargo of coal. 1961: The tug BERT VERGE was towing the retired laker FORESTDALE across Hamilton Bay to the scrapyard at Stelco when it got caught by the wind, pulled over on its beam ends and sank with the loss of 2 lives. The tug was later salvaged and survives today as a pleasure craft out of Port Dover. 1982: A fire in the officer's quarters aboard the rail car barge SCOTIA II broke out at Sarnia. The damage was repaired and the ship resumed cross-river service until making its last run in April 1995. 1987: The Polish freighter ZIEMIA BIALOSTOCKA began Great Lakes service in 1980 after 8 years of deep sea trading. The ship hit the Sidney Lanier Bridge at Brunswick, GA, on this date in 1987 with major damage to the vessel and structure. The ship last visited the Great Lakes in 1996 and arrived at Alang, India, for scrapping on September 20, 1998. Data from: Skip Gillham, Al Miller, Max Hanley, Jody Aho, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Coast Guard breaking ice on Portage Lake, Keweenaw 5/2 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Coast Guard cutter Alder will finish the break out of the Keweenaw Waterway, including Portage Lake, later this week. Coast Guard Cutter Alder plans to transit the Keweenaw Waterway from north to south, completing the passage by May 03. |
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Port Reports - May 2
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Marquette, Mich. – Rod Burdick
North Channel and Georgian Bay
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas
Saginaw River – Todd Shorkey
Toronto, Ont. – Gerry Ouderkirk
Oshawa, Ont. Welland Canal and regional report - Tuesday May 1 - Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Long Point bay anchorage:
Buffalo:
Welland Canal:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte:
Toronto:
Oshawa: |
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Point LeBarbe response completed; McGulpin Point response begins 5/2 - Mackinaw City, Mich. – A unified command has been established to assess damage to the Consumers Energy cables near McGulpin Point, Mich. The McGulpin Point Unified Command consists of members from the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, U.S. Coast Guard and Consumers Energy. Consumers Energy is developing a plan, under the oversight of the unified command, to respond to the damage to their de-energized, retired cables in the Straits of Mackinac. The company reported that there is no free flowing fluid within their armored, solid-centered cable. Consumers Energy is working to obtain a sample of the affected line to test for chemical properties within the 46 kV cable. The Point LeBarbe Unified Command completed its operations Sunday and transitioned all new operations to the McGulpin Point Unified Command. USCG |
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Toledo’s Schoonmaker museum ship opens Tuesday 5/2 - Toledo, Ohio – Opening day for the Col. James M. Schoonmaker museum ship is Tuesday. The massive lake freighter that sits on the Maumee River outside the National Museum of the Great Lakes is one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. Tuesday also marks the launch of the museum ship’s smart phone tour app, which you can download for free by searching “Schoonmaker” in the app store. Opening day tours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $14 for seniors, $12 for youth 6 to 17 years old, and free for children 5 or younger. Toledo Blade |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 2 The STEWART J. CORT created a sensation as she passed Detroit/Windsor on mid-day on May 2, 1972, amid throngs of people lining both sides of the Detroit and St. Clair Rivers, whistling acknowledging salutes on her up bound maiden run.ADAM E. CORNELIUS (Hull#53) was launched at St. Clair, Michigan by Great Lakes Engineering Works on May 2, 1908. Renamed b.) DETROIT EDISON in 1948, c.) GEORGE F. RAND in 1954. Sold Canadian in 1962, renamed d.) AVONDALE. She was scrapped at Castellon, Spain, in 1979. On 2 May 1874, the steamer 8TH OHIO was chartered by Magner & Company to carry their circus to various Great Lake ports throughout that season. The 3-mast schooner EDWARD KELLEY was launched at Dunford & Leighton's yard in Port Huron on 2 May 1874. She was built for the Lake Superior Transportation Company of Cleveland, Ohio. A. O. Miller's coronet band played at the launching. On 02 May 1903, ACADIA (wooden schooner-barge, 102 foot, 188 tons, built in 1873, at Smith's Falls, Ontario) was carrying coal from Oswego, New York to Kingston, Ontario, when she went aground in a storm near the Duck Islands on Lake Ontario. She was later recovered, but foundered again in July 1908. Again she was recovered and this time rebuilt as a barge. 1895 N.K. FAIRBANK was traveling from Chicago to Ogdensburg, NY with 50,000 bushels of corn when it stranded, due to fog and smoke, off Morgan's Point 6 miles west of Port Colborne. The wooden steamer caught fire and burned to the waterline. The hull was later refloated and, in 1899, rebuilt as the ELIZA H. STRONG only to burn again in October 1904. 1967 SHELTER BAY went aground in the Brockville Narrows when a bolt in the steering gear sheared off and the vessel veered off course, was holed by rocks and had to be beached off Royal Island. This member of the Q. & O. fleet was bound for Chicago with iron ore, but had to be lightered and then sailed to Port Weller Dry Docks for repairs. Data from: Skip, Gillham, Jody Aho, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history. |
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Interlake Logistics Solutions introduces barge Montville to Great Lakes service 5/1 - Middleburg Heights, Ohio – The Interlake Steamship Co., through Interlake Logistics Solutions, has announced it will time charter an asset from the East Coast to operate on the Great Lakes this spring: The 418-foot Montville, a single-hold, covered hopper barge with a 14,400-short ton capacity that will be able to carry a wide variety of cargoes. The Montville barge will eventually feature a rail-mounted gantry that will support a large material handler capable of digging or lifting cargo out of the cargo hold and onto shore. “We are very excited to bring the Montville into service to provide new maritime logistic solutions for our partners on the Great Lakes,” says Interlake President Mark W. Barker. “We’re seeing an increasing need for moving other types of cargo than the free-flowing bulk cargoes that we have traditionally moved. We felt that it was important to respond and fulfill the needs of our customers.” Brendan O’Connor, Interlake’s Vice President of Marketing and Marine Traffic, says the Montville barge will be able to carry a wide range of cargoes from bulk products to steel to specialty project cargoes such as wind turbines, generators, heavy equipment and other large structural components. “While barge service is available in the region, we believe the Montville is a unique asset,” O’Connor says. “Its sheer size and versatility sets it apart. The Montville will be largest U.S.-flagged barge of its kind on the Great Lakes. With its large, open cargo hold – that is completely covered -- it will be able to carry high cubic cargoes as well as heavy cargoes protected from the environment.” Interlake is partnering with Moran Towing to assist with the operations Interlake Steamship Co. |
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DTE Electric plans to keep Belle River, Monroe coal plants running 5/1 - Louisville, Ky. - Even though it is retiring three of its coal plants by 2023, DTE Electric intends to keep running its 1,395-MW Belle River and 3,000-MW Monroe coal plants until around 2030 and 2040, respectively, Trevor Lauer, DTE president and chief operating officer, said Friday in an interview. Lauer's comments came after Michigan's largest utility received final approval from the state's Public Service Commission to build a 1,100-MW, $951.8 million natural gas-fired plant at the utility's Belle River plant in St. Clair County. Environmentalists opposed the gas-fired plant, urging DTE to replace the coal units with more renewable resources. DTE plans to retire about 2,100 MW of older coal capacity by 2023, using the new gas-fired plant as a partial replacement once it goes into commercial operation in second-quarter 2022. |
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There’s a watch on South Bay ice pack as Chi-Cheemaun’s season draws near 5/1 - Owen Sound, Ont. – The Chi-Cheemaun’s first official sail of the 2018 season is scheduled for Friday, May 4, but the Owen Sound Transportation Co., the ferry’s parent company, is keeping a close eye on the remaining ice in Lake Huron. “The Environment Canada ice chart shows fast ice up inside South Bay, but our dock cameras show it clear at the South Baymouth dock and at the entrance from the lake,” said OSTC President and CEO Susan Schrempf. (‘Fast ice’ refers to ice that remains fastened to the shoreline.) “If the ice north of us is broken up and the wind shifts from southwest to north, the ice will blow down to the dock and entrance, and that will be a problem. We cannot operate the Chi-Cheemaun in ice, broken or otherwise.” Ms. Schrempf did go on to note that “much change can happen in two weeks, and no one is able to predict it with any accuracy. Best case scenario for the ferry is for the ice to deteriorate in the north end of South Bay without being broken up by an ice breaker.” Manitoulin Expositor |
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Port Reports - May 1
Two Harbors-Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Thunder Bay, Ont.
Marquette, Mich. – Jake Stevens
Goderich, Ont. – Bruce Douglas Welland Canal and regional report - Monday Apr 30 - Barry Andersen
Nanticoke:
Long Point bay anchorage:
Welland Canal:
Welland Canal docks:
Port Weller anchorage:
Hamilton:
Bronte:
Oshawa: |
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Summer in store for Minnesota Slip? 5/1 - Duluth, Minn. – The $6.1 million Minnesota Slip seawall reconstruction project has resumed after a lengthy delay, said a city of Duluth news release on Monday. "Seawall installation will be complete by mid-June, but there remains additional landscaping and sidewalk work that will continue the rest of the summer," said a statement from city spokeswoman Pakou Ly. Contractors began steel sheet piling on Monday, making it a good length of the way down the slip, which is home to the 611-foot S.S. William A. Irvin Ore Boat Museum. After a January start, the project had been on hold since early March after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stopped work in order to secure necessary historic preservation approval at the state level. The oversight was corrected this week, when the Minnesota Historic Preservation Office gave clearance to the city, enabling the project to continue. Contractors are reinforcing the old timber construction that dates to the late 1800s. The project will fortify the seawalls and prevent further erosion of the dockwall. Current work is scheduled to be done by Grandma's Marathon, June 16 — one of the busiest days of the year in Duluth as it fills Canal Park and the race route to Two Harbors with thousands of racers, volunteers and spectators. But the project also figures to require season-long work-arounds. "This project is long term," Ly told the News Tribune. "The seawall installation will hopefully be done before Grandma's, but then we have soil, landscaping and sidewalk restoration to do." Ly said the project could stretch well through summer before a scheduled clean-up of the bottom of the slip starts — work scheduled by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. In a twist of good news for the Minnesota Slip, its pedestrian bridge is expected to reopen on Friday, Ly said, having been sandblasted and repainted into a new shade of blue — this time teal. An equipment staging area has reduced Harbor Drive behind the DECC to one lane of traffic. The bridge had been enclosed in plastic since March. Historically plagued by problems, the Minnesota Slip pedestrian bridge remains relatively fresh off of a $3 million mechanical fix in 2017. The new season promises a test of some rewiring required as part of a repair last August, which followed the overhaul. In January, a crew moved the Irvin away from the dockwall and toward the middle of the slip, where it has been floating at anchor ever since. The Minnesota Slip is also set to undergo soil remediation by the MPCA later this fall – a final hurdle to complete an update of the slip. The slip is just part of ongoing work throughout the port, where about half of 14 miles of seawall between Duluth and Superior is in need of new steel sheet pilings and modernization. Work along the seawall behind the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center has been identified since at least 2016, when DECC staff began fencing off areas along the dockwall near the Irvin due to sinkholes in the green spaces and heaving on the sidewalks. The June timeline to reopen the Minnesota Slip figures to hurt the Vista Fleet tour boat operation, which keeps its boats in the slip. Owner Justin Steinbach previously described 30 percent of his business being jeopardized by the six-week delay in work as the fleet is unable to use the smaller of its two vessels, the Vista Queen, without having use of the slip. He could not be reached in time for this story. Duluth News Tribune |
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Cables capped, sealed in Straits of Mackinac as response continues 5/1 - Mackinaw City, Mich. – All of the affected utility cables owned by American Transmission Co. have been soldered, capped, sealed and laid on the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac in their original position. ATC is preparing a long-term plan to remove the damaged cables, under the oversight of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. A total of 625 gallons of mineral oil were recovered from the lines. Consumers Energy is developing a plan, under the oversight of the Unified Command, to respond to the damage to their de-energized, retired cables in the Straits of Mackinac. The company reported to the Unified Command that there is no free-flowing fluid within their retired cables. Consumers Energy is working to obtain a sample of the affected line to test for chemical properties within the 46 kV cable. USCG |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 1 EDMUND FITZGERALD collided with the Canadian steamer HOCHELAGA at the mouth of the Detroit River, May 1, 1970, suffering slight damage at hatches 18 and 19.STEWART J. CORT departed Erie on her maiden voyage at 0400 May 1, 1972. She was delayed by fog in Western Lake Erie. The steel-hulled bulk carrier SHENANGO (Hull#62) was launched on May 1, 1909, by Great Lakes Engineering Works, Ecorse, Michigan. Scrapping began on the CHICAGO TRADER at Ashtabula, Ohio, on May 1, 1978. The JOHN T. HUTCHINSON (Hull#1010) was launched at Cleveland, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. on May 1, 1943. The IRVING S. OLDS sustained an eight-foot long crack across her spar deck and eight inches down one side in a storm on Lake Huron May 1, 1963. LIGHTSHIP 103 (HURON) was launched at Morris Heights, New York by Consolidated Shipbuilding Corp. on May 1, 1920, for the U.S. Lighthouse Service. The SOO RIVER TRADER brought the first shipment of bulk cement to open the $18 million St. Lawrence Cement distribution dock at Duluth, Minnesota on May 1, 1982. May 1, 1903 - The ANN ARBOR NO 1 sighted a burning vessel about 15 miles out of the Sturgeon Bay Ship canal, the steamer JOHN EMERY OWEN. The crew had already been picked off after the fire started, so the ANN ARBOR NO 1 put out the fire with her fire hoses. The NO 1 then towed the abandoned steamer to Sturgeon Bay and tied her up at the west end of the canal. On 1 May 1875, CONSUELLO (wooden schooner, 103 foot, 142 gross tons, built in 1851, at Cleveland, Ohio) left Cleveland with a load of black stone for Toledo. Near Kelley's Island, a storm caused the cargo to shift and the ship capsized and sank. When she hit bottom, she jerked upright so the tops of her masts were above the water. Two of the crew, Fred Donahue and James King, were able to cling to the masts and they were rescued after about an hour and a half. Five others, including the captain and his wife, were drowned. On 1 May 1876, the little steamer W.D. MORTON, which for two years had run as a ferry between Port Huron's Black River and Sarnia, left her dock for the Delaware River where she ran on a centennial excursion route for the exposition held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania She left the Lakes via the Erie Canal. On 01 May 1858, OGONTZ (wooden propeller steamer, 343 tons, built in 1848, at Ohio City, Ohio) was purchased by Capt. A. E. Goodrich and George C. Drew for $5,600. This was the second vessel in the Goodrich Line. Just two years later, Capt. Goodrich had her machinery removed and she was sold to W. Crostin for $500. He converted her to a sailing vessel and she operated for two more years before she foundered in a storm. 1892: CELTIC, enroute from Fort William to Kingston with wheat and general cargo, sank in Lake Erie east of Rondeau after a collision with the steamer RUSSIA. The accident occurred in fog and one life was lost. 1909: ADELLA SHORES foundered with the loss of 14 lives in a Lake Superior storm while enroute from Ludington to Duluth with barreled salt. 1917: CASE began leaking on Lake Erie and was beached at East Sister Island, near Point Pelee and the ship caught fire when a lantern was knocked over. Some cargo was salvaged in August but the hull was left to break up in place and today the remains are scattered on the bottom. 1933: WILLIAM SCHUPP stranded on a shoal off Cockburn Island, Lake Huron, while enroute to Fort William in ballast. Once released, the vessel was repaired at Collingwood. It became MONDOC (ii) in 1945 and was scrapped at Deseronto, ON in 1961. 1940: ARLINGTON foundered in a Lake Superior storm on the second trip of the 1940 season. The wheat laden steamer was bound for Owen Sound went down stern first, taking Capt. Burke to his death. The rest of the crew survived and were picked up by the COLLINGWOOD. 1963: CAPE TRANSPORT was mauled overnight in a wild storm on Lake Huron off Harbor Beach. The steering gear was damaged, the radio knocked out and pilothouse windows were smashed. The HOLMSIDE, and later the RALPH S. MISENER, stood by. The ship reached a safe anchorage on May 2. Fleetmate OREFAX sustained damage to the forward cabins while upbound on Lake Huron in the same storm. Data from: Skip Gillham, Jody Aho, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history. |
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