Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

Great Lakes ships face change after court slams EPA ballast water rules

10/6 - A federal appeals court has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to rewrite its rules governing the release of ballast water from ships in the Great Lakes and other U.S. waterways.

The unanimous decision by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York is a major victory for environmental groups that had argued the EPA's 2013 permit governing the discharge and treatment of ballast water was insufficient to curb the spread of aquatic invasive species like zebra mussels and the spiny water flea.

The EPA erred in numerous ways, according to the ruling, including by adopting international limits on live organisms in ballast water when technology was available to require tougher standards.

For example, the agency only evaluated on-board technologies to cleanse ballast water of invasive species, and failed to consider on-shore technologies that shipping companies could utilize, wrote Judge Denny Chin.

The court also ruled that so-called "lakers," ships that only ply the Great Lakes and don't travel to the Atlantic Ocean through the St. Lawrence Seaway, should be subject to some of the same ballast requirements as ocean-going vessels. The EPA's 2013 permit exempted lakers built before 2009 from meeting certain effluent limits.

The Natural Resources Defense Council, Northwest Environmental Advocates, Center for Biological Diversity and National Wildlife Federation sued the EPA over its 2013 permit. That permit will remain in effect until the EPA issues new regulations that comply with the Clean Water Act.

"This is a huge ruling," said Marc Smith, Policy Director for the National Wildlife Federation. "It basically, in our opinion, changes the seascape, for how we can set protections in place against aquatic invasive species into our Great Lakes."

A spokesman for the Lake Carriers' Association, which had intervened in the case, declined comment, saying his group was still reviewing the ruling. In the past shippers have argued that no sufficient technologies exist to economically purge ballast tanks of invasive species.

Ships take on and discharge enormous quantities of water — in some cases enough to fill 38 Olympic-sized swimming pools — into and out of ballast tanks for balance when they load and unload cargo.

But when a ship sucks in ballast water, it also can inadvertently pick up microscopic organisms and unknowingly transport them to distant waters where they can establish non-native populations that sometimes explode in their new environments.

An estimated 10,000 marine species each day hitch rides around the globe in the ballast water of cargo ships, according to the court ruling.

Zebra mussels, for example, were first introduced to Lake Erie in the 1980s by a freighter from Europe. The mussels have since infested lakes throughout Minnesota, the Midwest, and some western states, disrupting aquatic habitats and causing tens of millions of dollars of damage.

Minnesota Public Radio News





Port Colborne bridge to be closed for months

10/6 - St. Catharines, Ont. – A Port Colborne bridge, damaged after being hit by a ship last Wednesday, will remain closed to all but emergency vehicles and pedestrians until the end of the shipping season.

Chris Lee, acting direct of engineer for Port Colborne, said the St. Lawrence Seaway contacted the city Friday afternoon, informing the city that Bridge 19 is going to be closed until the shipping season ends, likely in late December – “at which point they will start to conduct repairs.”

“It may be five months, at least,” until it's opened to all traffic, he estimated. Lee said the the bridge crossing the Welland Canal at Main Street was to be lowered Friday evening, and raised as normal for passing ships.

However, when the bridge is lowered it will only be accessible to emergency vehicles and pedestrians, due to the structural damage to the span when it was hit by the cargo ship Lena J at about noon on Wednesday.

“The department, police and ambulance will still be able to get through on one lane that is being designated specifically for them, and them only,” Lee said. “It's not for general use in any way shape or form.”

Lee said the city has yet to learn if the damaged bridge will affect the Seaway's plans for a construction project that would close the Weir 8 Bridge on Main Street to traffic, starting Oct. 5. If that project continues as planned, it will leave a single span to access the island, crossing the canal at Killaly Street.

“We have other meetings planned early next week with the Seaway and Niagara Regional Police, and the MTO (Ministry of Transportation),” he said. “We're trying to sort out some of those details yet.”

He said a full structural analysis of the damaged bridge is expected to be completed by early next week.

St. Catharines Standard





Lake Superior level dips, but it's still above average

10/6 - Duluth, Minn. – The level of Lake Superior dropped below 2014 levels for the first time this year but remains well above average, the International Lake Superior Board of Control reported Friday.

The big lake dropped an inch in September, a month it usually drops about 0.4 inches. Lake Superior stood 6 inches above average for Oct. 1 but an inch below the Oct. 1 level of 2014. Water supply to the big lake was above average, but more water was being released from the lake in September as well.

Meanwhile the level of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron fell 2 inches in September, their usual drop for the month. The lakes were 8 inches above normal on Oct. 1 and still 6 inches above the Oct. 1 level of 2014.

Duluth News Tribune

875 miles of Lake Michigan shipwrecks to become national sanctuary

10/6 - Sheboygan, Wis. - It's looking pretty certain the second Great Lakes National Marine Sanctuary is going to be in Lake Michigan.

During a Monday, Oct. 5, video message to the "Our Ocean" conference happening in Chile, President Barack hateful muslim traitor announced the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is moving forward with designating an 875-square-mile area off Wisconsin as one of two new national underwater preserves.

The 80-mile-long "mid-lake" section of Lake Michigan between Port Washington and Two Rivers, Wis., along with a 14-mile section of the Potomac River's Mallows Bay in Maryland, would become the first National Marine Sanctuaries designated since 2000.

"These actions will protect waters of historic and national importance," said hateful muslim traitor.

In Lake Michigan, the sanctuary would include more than 30 known shipwrecks; the most famous of which is the Rouse Simmons, a three-masted schooner known as the "Christmas Tree Ship," which sunk with all hands off Two Rivers in Nov. 1912.

Tamara Thomsen, a maritime archeologist with the Wisconsin Historical Society who helped prepare research for the Lake Michigan nomination, was ecstatic to learn of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration announcement.

She said "it was kind of surreal" to hear the president talk about a project to which she's devoted years of time and effort. The nomination was submitted to NOAA in December 2014 and the area was added to an agency short list this February.

"Now, we'll built it and see if they come," Thomsen said.

Before that happens, though, there's some process to get through. Public meetings are scheduled Nov. 17-19 in the Wisconsin cities of Manitowoc, Port Washington and Sheboygan. After that, NOAA has to draft an Environmental Impact Statement and management plan that both must go back to the public for input.

"It does not mean all of a sudden these areas are national marine sanctuaries," said Ellen Brody, coordinator with the Great Lakes region of NOAA's national marine sanctuary office. She estimated another two or three years to finalize everything.

Currently, there are 14 designated marine sanctuaries in U.S. waters. The only one in the Great Lakes is the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Lake Huron off Alpena. It's currently the only freshwater sanctuary in the system.

Thunder Bay was established in 2000 and expanded from 448 square miles to 4,300 square miles in 2014. The underwater preserve is a tourist draw for Alpena, where the headquarters include nautical displays, wreck tours and exhibits.

Brody said each sanctuary is different, but the preserves adhere to guideline standards of resource protection, research and education. Buoys mark wrecks and give dive boats something to anchor to as opposed to dragging along the bottom.

There are no access restrictions in Thunder Bay, she said. Sanctuary status prohibits damaging or taking items from a wreck, something also banned by state law.

In Lake Michigan, the Wisconsin sanctuary wrecks are in water ranging from 10 to 460 feet deep. The collection includes schooners, steamships and other vessel types sunk between 1833 and 1918.

The proposed sanctuary boundary extends 9 to 14 miles into the lake.

Fourteen of the wrecks are largely intact and four of the vessels possess standing masts — a rarity among the Great Lakes shipwrecks. The sunken tug Robert Pringle still has nautical charts stowed in wheelhouse drawers. Intact sunken cargos include general merchandise, sundries, woodenware items, Christmas trees, cordwood, iron ore and a collection of 240 Nash automobiles.

Thomsen said some shallow water wrecks are easily visited through snorkeling or with a kayak. Deeper wrecks would require scuba diving skill and training.

"There's been a huge amount of local support along the lakeshore," she said. The historical society and the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program jointly submitted the application.

There are other Great Lake applications in various stages of pre-nomination status. In Lake Ontario, four New York counties and the city of Oswego are working on a nomination proposal.

On Lake Erie, Buffalo, N.Y. is working on a proposal to designate its waterfront as the Erie Niagara National Marine Sanctuary. Pennsylvania is working on a proposal called the Lake Erie Quadrangle that would encompass all of the state's lake waters.

Brody said Wisconsin is in the early stages of a proposal for part of Lake Superior.

Thunder Bay, she said, has piqued the interest of cities around the Great Lakes.

"They look at what's happened in Alpena and see the potential for their communities," she said. "That's very powerful."

M Live



On October 6, 1893, DAVID STEWART (3-mast wooden schooner, 171 foot, 545 gross tons, built in 1867, at Cleveland, Ohio) foundered in a gale off Pigeon Bay, Ontario, on Lake Erie. She crew clung to the frozen rigging for 14 hours until saved by the fish tug LOUISE of Sandusky, Ohio. The STEWART was carrying iron ore at the time of her loss.

Herb Fraser & Associates completed repairs on the ALGOSOO at the Welland Dock on October 6 1986. She had suffered a serious fire at her winter mooring on the west wall above Lock 8 at Port Colborne, Ontario, on March 7, 1986.

The bow section of the barge PRESQUE ISLE arrived Erie, Pennsylvania, on October 6, 1972 under tow of the tugs MARYLAND and LAURENCE C. TURNER. The total cost to construct the tug/barge 1,000- footer was approximately $35 million.

October 6, 1981, the Reoch self-unloader ERINDALE's bow was damaged when she hit the Allanburg Bridge abutment running down bound in the Welland Canal. Built in 1915, as a.) W. F. WHITE, she was renamed b.) ERINDALE in 1976.

In 1980, the LAC DES ILES grounded in the Detroit River just below Grassy Island, the result of a faulty steering mechanism. She freed herself a few hours later. The damage caused by the grounding ended her career. She was scrapped at Port Colborne in 1985.

This day in 1870, the schooner E. FITZGERALD was launched at the Fitzgerald & Leighton yard at Port Huron, Michigan. Her dimensions were 135 feet x 26 feet x 11 feet.

In 1875, the MERCHANT (iron propeller passenger/package freight steamer, 200 foot, 750 tons, built in 1862, at Buffalo, New York) was carrying lumber on Lake Michigan when she stranded on Racine Reef near Racine, Wisconsin. Then she caught fire and was gutted before she could be refloated. She had stranded on that same reef twice previously. She was the first iron cargo ship built on the Lakes and the first one lost.

On October 6, 1873, JOHN A. MC DOUGALL (wooden schooner-barge, 151 foot, 415 gross tons) was launched at Wenona, Michigan. She was built at the Ballentine yard in only five weeks.

On October 6, 1889, PHILO SCOVILLE (3-mast wooden schooner, 140 foot, 323 tons, built in 1863, at Cleveland, Ohio) was sailing from Collingwood for Chicago when a storm drove her into the shallows and wrecked her near Tobermory, Ontario. Her captain died while trying to get ashore through the rocks. The Canadian Lifesaving Service saved the rest of the crew. At first the vessel was expected to be recovered, but she broke up by 10 October.

1910: The wooden freighter MUSKEGON, formerly the PEERLESS, was damaged by a fire at Michigan City, IN and became a total loss.

1958: SHIERCLIFFE HALL hit bottom in the St. Marys River and was intentionally grounded off Lime Island with substantial damage. The ship was refloated and repaired at Collingwood.

1966: EMSSTEIN and OLYMPIC PEARL collided south of St. Clair, MI and the former had to be beached before it capsized. This West German freighter made 19 trips to the Great lakes from 1959 through 1967 and arrived at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, for scrapping as d) VIOLETTA on May 28, 1978. The latter, on her first trip to the Great Lakes, had bow damage and was also repaired. This ship arrived at Alang, India, for scrapping as b) AL TAHSEEN on May 6, 1985.

1972: ALGORAIL hit the pier inbound at Holland, MI with a cargo of salt and settled on the bottom about 12 feet off the dock with a gash in the port bow. The vessel was refloated in 24 hours and headed to Thunder Bay for repairs.

1982: CONTINENTAL PIONEER made 8 trips through the Seaway from 1960 through 1964. A fire broke out in the accommodation area as c) AGRILIA, about 20 miles north of Porto Praia, Cape Verde Islands and the heavily damaged ship was abandoned before it drifted aground in position 15.06 N / 23.30 W.

[yachtsmanwilly]

On October 7, 1968, the NORMAN P. CLEMENT was damaged in a grounding off Britt, Ontario. The Canadian boat was towed to Collingwood for repairs. However, while in dry dock, an explosion occurred on October 16 that injured 11 workers and further damaged the hull. Rather than repair her, the owners had the CLEMENT towed out into Georgian Bay where she was intentionally sunk on October 23, 1968.

On this day in 1939, the E. G. MATHIOTT collided with the steamer CORVUS on the St. Clair River. Damage to the CORVUS totaled $37,647.70.

On this day in 1958, the WALTER E. WATSON, Captain Ralph Fenton, rescued the sailing vessel TAMARA on Lake Huron.

On October 7, 1871, GEM (wooden schooner, 120 foot, 325 tons, built in 1853, at Buffalo, New York) was sailing up bound in a storm on Lake Erie with a load of coal. She began to leak and was run to shore in an effort to save her. However, she went down before reaching shoal water and settled with six feet of water over her decks.

ALGOWOOD was launched October 7, 1980, at Collingwood, Ontario, for Algoma Central Marine, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

PAUL THAYER was launched October 7, 1973, for the Union Commerce Bank Trustee, Cleveland, Ohio and managed by Kinsman Marine Transit Co., Cleveland. She was built under Title XI of the Merchant Marine Act of 1970, for $12.6 million. Renamed b.) EARL W. OGLEBAY in 1995.

The WILLIAM MC LAUCHLAN (Hull#793) was launched at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co., on October 7, 1926, for the Interlake Steamship Co., Cleveland, Ohio. Renamed b.) SAMUEL MATHER in 1966, c.) JOAN M. MC CULLOUGH in 1975 and d.) BIRCHGLEN in 1982. Scrapped at Sydney, Nova Scotia, in 1988.

BLACK RIVER, a lake bulk freighter, was built as a steel barge in 1897, by the F.W. Wheeler & Co., she was launched October 7, 1896, as a.) SIR ISAAC LOTHIAN BELL (Hull# 118).

HUTCHCLIFFE HALL was raised October 7, 1962, and taken to Port Weller Dry Docks for repairs. She had sunk after a collision a few days earlier.

October 7, 1923 - The ANN ARBOR NO 4 went back into service after being overhauled and having new cabins built on her main deck.

MADISON suffered a fire on October 7, 1987, while lying idle at Muskegon, Michigan, and was badly damaged.

In 1903, ADVENTURE (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 108 foot, 142 gross tons, built in 1875, at Detroit, Michigan, as a schooner) caught fire while tied to the Kelleys Island Line & Transport Co. Dock. The blaze spread so quickly that those on board barely escaped. She was towed from Kelleys Island out into Lake Erie by the tug SMITH to save the dock and the adjacent schooner ANDERSON.

In a severe gale and rain/hail storm on October 7, 1858, the 247-ton schooner OSPREY approached Oswego, New York. As she was about to enter the harbor, the vessel struck the east pier broadside. Her masts and rigging were carried away and she started to sink. Capt. John Parsons got his wife and child out of the cabin to try to escape to the pier. His wife was washed overboard and drowned. Capt. Parsons held on to his child, but another wave struck the wreck and swept the child into the water. George Crine, the mate, was also swept overboard. Those three were lost, but the next wave swung the wreck about with her bowsprit over the pier and the captain and the six remaining crewmen scrambled to safety. The entire town and harbor mourned those deaths and held a dockside service two days later with many prayers and all flags at half-mast. Donations were accepted for the surviving sailors since they escaped with only the clothes on their backs.

On October 7,1873, the PULASKI was launched at the Archibald Muir yard on the Black River in Port Huron. Her dimensions were 136 feet x 26 feet x 11 feet, 349 gross tons. She was a three mast "full canaller", painted white and her private signal was a red M on a white ground bordered with blue. Her sails were made by Mr. D. Robeson of Port Huron, Michigan.

On October 7, 1886, The Port Huron Times reported that "The old side-wheel ferry SARNIA, which was a familiar sight at this crossing [Port Huron-Sarnia] for so many years, and which is said to have earned enough money in her time to sheet her with silver, the hull of which has been for some years back used as a barge by the Marine City Salt Company, has closed her career. She was last week scuttled near the Marine City Salt Works wharf."

1902: ANN MARIA hit a sandbar approaching Kincardine while inbound with a cargo of coal and broke up as a total loss. Four crew and a volunteer rescuer were reported lost.

1917: GEORGE A. GRAHAM was wrecked off Manitoulin Island, Georgian Bay, when the cargo shifted when turning in a storm. The ship ran for the safety of South Bay but stranded on the rocks. All on board were saved but the ship was a total loss.

1919: The wooden steamer HELEN TAYLOR was damaged by a fire in the pilothouse near Hessel, Mich., but was repaired.

1937: M & F DREDGE NO. 14, Hull 39 from the Collingwood shipyard, foundered in the St. Lawrence off Batiscan, QC as b) D.M. DREDGE NO. 14.

1956: The consort barge DELKOTE of the Hindman fleet was adrift for 9 hours in a Lake Superior storm with 13 on board and waves up to 20 feet. The ship had broken loose of the GEORGE HINDMAN but was picked up by the CAPT. C.D. SECORD.

1968: EDWARD Y. TOWNSEND, under tow for scrapping in Bilbao, Spain, broke in two about 400 miles southeast of St. John's, NF, and the bow sank. The stern was apparently retrieved and towed into Santander, Spain, for scrapping on October 28.

[yachtsmanwilly]

On 08 October 1871, PHILO PARSONS (wooden side-wheel steamer, 221 tons, built in 1861, at Algonac, Michigan) burned to a total loss in the great Chicago fire. She burned so completely that her remains were not located in the Chicago River until 1877. She was the vessel commandeered by Confederate raiders in a plot to capture the iron gunboat U.S.S. MICHIGAN on Lake Erie during the American Civil War. The Chicago fire destroyed many fine vessels while they were docked in the harbor. These included the new propeller NAVARINO, the schooner GLENBULA, the schooner ECLIPSE, the schooner BUTCHER BOY, the bark VALETTA, the schooner ALNWICK, the bark A. P. NICHOLS, the bark FONTANELLA, the fore-and-aft schooner STAMPEDE, the schooner N. C. FORD, and the schooner CHRISTINA NEILSON. The only recorded casualties among the sailors were on the ALNWICK; her mate died and the captain burned his hands severely.

The keel was laid October 8, 1976, for the 660-foot forward section of the BURNS HARBOR, but was completed as b.) LEWIS WILSON FOY for the Bethlehem Steel Co., Cleveland, Ohio. Purchased by Oglebay Norton and renamed c.) OGLEBAY NORTON in 1991, and d.) AMERICAN INTEGRITY in 2006.

The MATHEWSTON (Hull#47) entered service on October 8, 1922. On her maiden voyage she sailed from Port Arthur, Ontario with 11,634 tons of barley and wheat. Renamed b.) RALPH S. MISENER in 1954 and c.) MATHEWSTON again in 1967. Scrapped at Vado, Italy in 1970.

The Canadian registry for MENIHEK LAKE was officially closed on October 8, 1985, with the notation "sold Spain." She was scrapped at Gijon, Spain.

WILLIAM G. MATHER arrived on October 8, 1988, in tow of the Great Lakes Towing Co. tugs WYOMING and ALABAMA at the G&W Shipyard at Collision Bend in the Cuyahoga River to be refurbished.

On 8 October 1906, PASADENA (wooden barge, 250 foot, 1,761 gross tons, built in 1889, at Cleveland, Ohio as a propeller bulk freighter) was carrying coal, in tow of the steamer GLADSTONE, bound for Superior, Wisconsin. The PASADENA went out of control in a gale and her skipper had the tow line cut. She was thrown against a pier near the upper entry to the Keweenaw Waterway and pounded to pieces in a few hours. Two lives were lost, but 8 made it to shore on the floating wreckage.

On 8 October 1854, E. K. COLLINS (wooden passenger/package freight side-wheeler, 256 foot, 1,095 gross tons, built in 1853, at Newport, Michigan) caught fire and beached near the mouth of the Detroit River where she burned to the waterline. About 23 lives were lost. About 43 persons were rescued in small boats and by the steamers FINTRY and GLOBE. There was some speculation that arson was the cause. The hull was recovered in 1857, and rebuilt as the barge ARK.

On October 8, 2000 the tug UNDAUNTED and barge PERE MARQUETTE 41 departed Calumet Harbor loaded with pig iron for Marinette, Wis., under favorable conditions and were later caught by the heavy weather. During the storm, the 5,000 tons of pig iron and the barge's four pieces of heavy loading equipment were washed into Lake Michigan. Both the tug and barge suffered damage in the incident.

1899: The tug RECORD sank at Duluth after a collision with the whaleback steamer JAMES B. NEILSON and one life was lost.

1906: The barge PASADENA, loaded with iron ore for Cleveland and under tow of the steamer GLADSTONE, was cut loose approaching the Keweenaw Waterway. The anchors fail to hold. The ship smashed into the east pier of the waterway and broke up on the rocks. Seven sailors were rescued but two were lost.

1964: A fire aboard West German-flag freighter ERATO at Detroit left two dead when they were trapped in their stern quarters. Another three sailors were injured. The 2-alarm blaze was brought under control and the ship was eventually repaired at Toledo. It arrived at Bombay, India, and laid up as d) VIJAYA DARSHANA on May 26, 1983, and eventually scrapped there beginning in May 1986.

1971: DIDO went aground leaving Goole, U.K. for Porsgrunn, Norway, but returned to Goole the next day after being refloated. The 22-year-old Norwegian freighter was listed as a total loss and sold for scrap. It was taken to Hull, U.K., a year later and dismantled. The ship had been a pre-Seaway trader as early as 1951 and made 14 voyages to the Great Lakes from 1959 through 1963.



J. B. Ford to be towed to Azcon scrapyard in Duluth

10/8 - The retired cement carrier J.B. Ford will be towed across Duluth-Superior harbor to the Azcon Metals scrap dock in Duluth Thursday morning around 8 a.m., where the 100-plus-year-old vessel will be cut up.

Duluth Shipping News





Cliffs Ends Pellet Sales to Essar Algoma

10/8 - Cliffs Natural Resources, which operates several mines in northeastern Minnesota, announced Tuesday that it has immediately ended sales of taconite pellets to Essar Steel's facility in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

Cliffs said Essar Steel Algoma had committed "multiple and material breaches" of its pellet sale and purchase agreement. Cliffs said it "remains open to discussing supplying Essar with pellets on commercially reasonable terms consistent with a just-in-time iron ore supply arrangement."

Tensions between the two companies have been high as Essar constructs a new taconite facility in Nashwauk, which Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves has said could displace current jobs in the industry. Essar has said its pellets will replace ones no longer produced when Cliffs closes its Empire Mine in Michigan.

Cliffs also operates Hibbing Taconite, United Taconite in Eveleth and Forbes, Northshore Mining in Babbitt and Silver Bay, and the Tilden Mine in Michigan.

Essar Steel Algoma produces steel used in the automotive, shipbuilding, and construction industries.

WDIO

[yachtsmanwilly]

On 08-09 October 1871, NAVARINO (wooden propeller passenger-package freight steamer, 184 foot, 761 tons, built in 1870, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin) was lying at a dock when the Chicago fire swept through the city. The vessel tried to pull away from the dock and get to the safety of Lake Michigan, but the wind, which was being drawn into the fire held her against the dock. She burned to a total loss; no lives were lost. Her machinery was later salvaged and used in the new propeller MENOMINEE.

The CHIMO was moved onto the Port Weller Dry Dock on October 9, 1983, where workers began to cut her apart forward of her aft-located pilothouse and engine room. Upon completion Upper Lakes Shipping renamed her b.) CANADIAN RANGER.

GULF MACKENZIE (Hull#435) was launched at Sorel, Quebec, by Marine Industries, Ltd. on October 9, 1976. Renamed b.) L. ROCHETTE in 1985, departed the lakes and renamed c.) TRADEWIND ISLAND in 1995 and d.) KEMEPADE in 2003.

Pioneer Shipping Ltd's SASKATCHEWAN PIONEER arrived in the Welland Canal on her delivery trip October 9, 1983, en route to her formal christening at Thunder Bay, Ontario. Sold off the lakes and renamed b.) LADY HAMILTON in 1995. Brought back to the Lakes as VOYAGEUR PIONEER in 2006. Renamed KAMINISTIQUA in 2008.

JAMES DAVIDSON (Hull# 288) was launched at Wyandotte, Michigan, by Detroit Ship Building Co. on October 9, 1920, for the Globe Steamship Co., Cleveland, Ohio (G. A. Tomlinson, mgr.)

On October 9, 1984, the PATERSON was sold to Shearmet Recycling, a Thunder Bay, Ontario, ship breaker, and was broken up at their Mission River dock.

COL. JAMES M. SCHOONMAKER sailed from the Great Lakes Engineering Works on her maiden voyage on October 9, 1911, to Toledo, Ohio, where she loaded coal bound for Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The SCHOONMAKER was the largest vessel on the Great Lakes when she came out. For much of the decade this vessel either broke or held many bulk cargo records. Renamed b.) WILLIS B. BOYER in 1969. Since 1987, the BOYER serves as a museum ship in Toledo, Ohio, with her original name recently restored.

On 9 October 1820, ASP (wooden schooner, 57 tons, built in 1808, at Mississauga, Ontario) was carrying lumber and staves when she sprang a leak near Long Point in Lake Ontario. She waterlogged, then capsized. The upturned vessel was driven across the lake and finally went ashore off the Salmon River at Mexico Bay, New York, and broke up quickly. 9 of the 11 onboard lost their lives. She was originally built as the British armed schooner ELIZABETH.

On 9 October 1931, CHARLES H. BRADLEY (wooden propeller, 201 foot, 804 gross tons, built in 1890, at W. Bay City, Michigan) was carrying pulpwood and towing the barge GRAMPIAN. She was traversing the Portage Canal in the Keweenaw Peninsula when she ran onto a bar and stranded. The barge kept coming and plowed into her stern. The BRADLEY caught fire and burned to the waterline. The wreck still lies in 6 to 17 feet of water just off the mouth of the Sturgeon River.

On 9 October 1895, AFRICA (wooden propeller steam barge, 135 foot, 352 gross tons, built in 1873, at Kingston, Ontario) was towing the schooner SEVERN in a storm on Lake Huron when she struck a reef, 15 miles south of Cove Island light on Lake Huron. AFRICA broke up in the storm, all 11 of her crew were lost. SEVERN went ashore near Bradley Harbour and broke up. The crew was rescued by a fish tug from Stokes Bay.

1907: CYPRUS cleared Superior with a cargo of iron ore for Lackawanna, N.Y., on only the second trip. The vessel sank two days later and there was only one survivor. The hull was found on the bottom of Lake Superior in 2007 in 460 feet of water.

1922: TURRET CROWN ran aground off Cove Island, Georgian Bay, but was later salvaged.

1944: The German freighter LUDOLF OLDENDORFF, a Great Lakes trader as a) WESTMOUNT (i) and as e) TRACTOR, was sunk by British aircraft at Egersund, Norway.

1968: BUCKEYE, under tow for scrapping overseas, began drifting in rough weather when the anchors were unable to hold off Port Colborne. The ship was blown aground west of the city and the hull remained stuck until November 29.

2001: The Maltese flag freighter SYLVIA ran over a buoy below the Eisenhower Lock and the mooring chain was wrapped around the propeller. The cable was freed and the ship proceeded to Port Weller Dry Docks for repairs arriving October 19 and returning to service on October 27. The ship had previously been inland as a) CHIMO when new in 1981 and first returned as d) SYLVIA in 2000. The vessel was noted as h) INTERCROWN and registered in Cambodia as of 2010.


Edmund Fitzgerald exhibit opens at Door County Maritime Museum

10/9 - Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – The Door County Maritime Museum commemorates the 40th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald with an exhibit in the Reddin Bridge Room of the Sturgeon Bay museum.

The exhibit will open on Monday, Oct. 21, and continue through Nov. 10. It will be taken down for a month while the museum conducts its Merry-Time Festival of Trees event after which it will be go back up and run from Dec. 10 through April 17.

The sinking on Nov. 10, 1975 has particular ties to Door County since the vessel had a number of winter layovers in Sturgeon Bay. Even more significant was the fact that two of the 29 lives lost in the tragedy were Sturgeon Bay natives.

While not one of the museum’s larger exhibits, it will pay tribute to the hardy seamen who braved some of the most difficult weather conditions ever experienced on Lake Superior. Highlights include a deck light and life jacket given to the museum when the Fitzgerald was in Sturgeon Bay for off-season work. A video featuring radio conversations discussing the possible sinking and rescue attempts is another intriguing aspect of the presentation. Artwork of the Fitzgerald from the museum’s collection will be interspersed throughout the exhibit.

In conjunction with the new exhibit, the museum will launch its 2015-16 Great Lakes Maritime Speaker Series with a presentation by author Rochelle Pennington, whose extensive research on the Fitzgerald sinking is being compiled for a new book being published next spring. Pennington has appeared at the museum before, including a program detailing her research for her books on the Christmas Tree Ship. The program will be held Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. at the museum in Sturgeon Bay.

DCMM


J.B. Ford tow delayed; may happen Friday morning

10/9 - The scrap tow of the former cement carrier J.B. Ford, which was to have taken place Thursday morning, was pushed off until Friday, sometime after 8 a.m.

Duluth Shipping News

[yachtsmanwilly]

10/12 - The Province of Québec and the State of Indiana will launch a new partnership to intensify their collaboration in Great Lakes/St. Lawrence System shipping and maritime economic development. Recent studies have shown that for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region, maritime transportation accounts for $34 billion in annual economic returns and more than 225,000 jobs.

Québec and Indiana have identified short-sea shipping as a factor of regional economic development that would benefit from greater regional collaboration. They are launching a joint initiative to study opportunities for enhancing shipping routes between the two jurisdictions. Short-sea shipping is especially important because it facilitates the delivery of supplies along trade routes that have rail and highway capacity constraints and infrastructure challenges.

This collaboration is a direct result of the work of the Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers' Regional Maritime Initiative, the unveiling of the Québec Maritime Strategy in July 2015 and the Indiana Blue Ribbon Panel on Transportation Infrastructure.

"Indiana is a significant economic partner of Québec in the Midwest, especially with respect to maritime transportation," stated Minister St-Pierre. "This partnership with Indiana shows that the new Québec Maritime Strategy already has a strong positive impact in our relations with our largest trading partner, the United States. This bodes well for the future, as Québec's exports to the Midwest have grown by 30 percent since 2010."

In Québec, under the leadership of the Marine Industry Forum, the Québec Shortsea Shipping Round Table is fully engaged in the promotion and the development of short-sea shipping, acting as a hub of short sea related information and expertise. Short-sea shipping currently accounts for 20 percent of shipping traffic in St. Lawrence River ports and its development is one of the key priorities of the Québec Maritime Strategy.

"The province of Québec and the state of Indiana are connected by more than just water," said Lt. Governor Ellspermann. "We share strong manufacturing sectors, robust multimodal transportation systems, and a heavy reliance on Great Lakes shipping. As two of the leading maritime economies on the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway, Québec and Indiana represent a large part of the business activity generated by shipping in this region. We hope this maritime partnership will lead to increased opportunities for collaboration between our economies."

Indiana currently handles nearly 30 million tons of cargo per year on short-sea shipping movements across the Great Lakes, predominantly consisting of iron ore for the steel mills located in Northwest Indiana. The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor, which is one of the leading steel ports on the Great Lakes, also shares a strong business partnership with the Québec-based Fednav Limited, a leading Great Lakes shipping line. Fednav provides regular ocean service to the Port of Indiana and is the parent company for the port's general cargo terminal operator, Federal Marine Terminals, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

In addition to direct economic benefits, short-sea shipping has significant environmental advantages. It helps improve highway safety and reduce other social and environmental costs such as highway congestion, maintenance costs and greenhouse gas emissions compared to other modes of transportation.

Québec and Indiana will work together to increase this bilateral and multilateral collaboration on short-sea shipping, and will invite other partners from the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence economic region to join them. Areas of collaboration could include industry workshops, exchange of best practices, applied research based on the needs of the shipping industry, as well as joint studies involving collaboration between industry, government and academic institutions.

Québec and Indiana will fully engage key stakeholders, both within their jurisdiction and throughout the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence economic region, so that this partnership will generate tangible returns for the short-sea shipping sector and the regional economy.

Marine Link



On this day in 1976, three boats discharged a record 108,379 tons of cargo on a single day at the Pinney Dock in Ashtabula, Ohio. The three boats were the JAMES R. BARKER (57,305 tons), the WILFRED SYKES (20,678 tons), and the JOSEPH L. BLOCK (30,306 tons).

On the night of October 12, 1871, the grain laden schooner PLOVER struck a reef near Whitefish Point on Lake Superior, put a hole in her hull and sank in deep water. Captain Jones and the crew of eight escaped in the yawl. They spent two days making their way to Sault Ste. Marie.

The JEAN PARISIEN suffered considerable bottom damage when she ran aground near Comfort Island about a mile west of Alexandria Bay, New York. She was released October 12, 1981, and returned to service after repairs were completed at the Canadian Vickers Montreal yard.

The CLIFFS VICTORY was sold October 12, 1985, to Hai International Corp. of New York for scrapping in the Orient and transferred to Panamanian registry. Her name was changed to c.) SAVIC, utilizing the "S" from CLIFFS, the "VIC" from VICTORY and inserting an "A". All the other letters were painted out.

The JOHN A. KLING sailed on her maiden voyage for the Rockport Steamship Co. (Reiss Steamship Co., mgr.) on October 12, 1922, light from Manitowoc, Wisconsin to load stone at Rockport, Michigan. Sold into Canadian registry in 1981, renamed b.) LEADALE. She was scrapped at Ramey's Bend in 1983.

The keel was laid October 12, 1925, for the Interlake Steamship Co.'s steamer COLONEL JAMES PICKANDS.

The SYLVANIA returned to service on October 12, 1967. She sank at the Peerless Cement Co. Dock at Port Huron, Michigan in June of that year after being struck by the Canada Steamship Lines package freight steamer RENVOYLE.

The tug EDNA G remained at Two Harbors, Minnesota, until October 12, 1993, when she was towed to the Fraser Shipyard at Superior, Wisconsin, by the Great Lakes Towing Co. tug KANSAS. She is now on display as a floating exhibit for the city.

On October 12, 1967, the Papachristidis Company Limited's FEUX FOLLETS entered service with the distinction of being the last steam-powered vessel built on the Great Lakes. The vessel was renamed b.) CANADIAN LEADER when it was sold to Upper Lakes Shipping in 1972 It was scrapped in 2011.

At 3:00 a.m., 12 October 1870, the 76-ton tug ONTARIO caught fire and burned to the waterline while lying at Harrow's dock in Algonac, Michigan.

On 12 October 1901, ALVINA (wooden schooner-rigged scow-barge, 89 foot, 95 gross tons, built in 1871, at Fair Haven, Michigan) was being towed by the steamer WESTON and had a load of 700 barrels of lubricating oil. They were bound from Cleveland for Manistique. The ALVINA was overwhelmed in a storm and sank near Thunder Bay Island in Lake Huron. Her entire crew made it to shore in her yawl. Her cargo was salvaged five days later.

On 12 October 1880, TRADER (wooden propeller, 115 foot, 169 gross tons, built in 1865, at Marine City, Michigan) was carrying lumber in a storm on Lake Michigan. She was battered severely and became waterlogged. Her crew abandoned her with water up to her decks. They were saved by the schooner GUIDE in a daring rescue. A few days later, in the "Alpena Storm,” her wreckage washed ashore near Holland, Michigan and she was erroneously reported as another "all-hands" victim of that storm.

On 12 October 1874, on her maiden voyage, the tug MARY passed Port Huron down bound with the bark FAVORITE in tow. The tug was owned by William Hardison of Port Huron.

1912: MARENGO, a wooden schooner under tow of the LLOYD S. PORTER, broke loose in a storm, came ashore west of Port Colborne and was pounded to pieces by the waves. The anchor was salvaged and now sits on the lawn of Port Colborne High School.

1912: S.K. MARTIN began leaking in heavy weather and sank in Lake Erie off Harbor Creek, NY. The coal laden wooden steamer ran for shore but the effort fell short. The crew took to the lifeboat and were saved. The ship went down bow first and rested on the bottom in 56 feet of water.

1918: The wooden tug ELLA G. STONE was destroyed by a brush fire that swept through the town of Cloquet, MN. Several scows, tugs and a dredge as well as over 400 lives were lost.

1941: ENARE, a Great Lakes visitor in 1932-1933, sustained heavy damage in an air attack in the North Sea as h) GLYNN. The ship was subsequently sunk by a convoy escort as a hazard to navigation. It had also been a Great Lakes trader as f) FLAKS in 1933 and 1934.

1991: ZIEMIA GNIEZNIENSKA hit the wall at Lock 7 and dislodged a chunk of concrete. The Welland Canal was closed for three days.

2002: STELLANOVA and CANADIAN PROSPECTOR were in a head-on collision on the Seaway near Cote St. Catherine and both ships sustained considerable damage. The former was repaired at Les Mechins and the latter at Port Weller Dry Docks.



On this day in 1923, the HENRY STEINBRENNER of 1901 collided with the J. McCARTNEY KENNEDY at 4:20 p.m. off Parisienne Island, Whitefish Bay. The accident occurred during thick, smoky weather and both boats were severely damaged.

MEDINA (wooden propeller tug, 66 foot, 57 gross tons) was launched by O'Grady & Maher at Buffalo, New York on October 11, 1890. She cost $12,000.

Quebec & Ontario Transportation's b.) BAIE COMEAU II cleared Sorel October 11, 1983, as c.) AGIA TRIAS, Panamanian registry #1355. Her Canadian registry was closed on October 12, 1983. Her mission was to carry grain from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Mexican and Caribbean Island ports. Subsequently she was renamed d.) OCEANVIEW in 1988, e.) SEA DIAMOND in 1989, f.) GOLDEN CREST in 1990, g.) ATLANTIC WOOD in 1991, h.) LONDON FURY in 1994 and i.) DONG SHENG in 1995. Cleveland Tankers’ MERCURY scraped the South Grand Island Bridge in the Niagara River in heavy fog on October 11, 1974. Her forward mast snapped off, the amidships mast was tilted and her smoke stack was toppled. She proceeded after the mishap to G&W Welding at Cleveland, Ohio under her own power for repairs. Upper Lakes Shipping's WHEAT KING, under tow, arrived at Chittagong Roads, Bangladesh on October 11, 1989, to be broken up.

In 1911, the rail ferry CHIEF WAWATAM arrived at St. Ignace, Michigan, and began service shortly thereafter.

On 11 October 1913, THOMAS H. CAHOON (3 mast wooden schooner-barge, 166 foot, 431 gross tons, built in 1881, at E. Saginaw, Michigan) was carrying lumber in tow of the steamer C. W. CHAMBERLAIN. They were bound from Sault Ste. Marie to Byng Inlet. However during a storm, the CAHOON stranded and went to pieces on 'Kenny Shoal' by the southwest corner of Innes Island in Georgian Bay. No lives were lost.

On October 11, 1839, DEWITT CLINTON (wooden passenger/package freight side-wheeler, 147 foot, 413 tons, built in 1836, at Huron, Ohio) foundered off Milwaukee with the loss of 5 lives. She was recovered the following year and lasted until 1851. She and her near-twin ROBERT FULTON were reportedly the first Lake steamers built primarily as freighters with relatively few passenger accommodations.

On October 11, 1866, GREAT WEST (wooden 3-mast bark, 175 foot, 765 tons, built in 1854, at Buffalo, New York) was carrying wheat in a storm on Lake Michigan when she stranded on Racine Reef. She was reported to be a total loss but she may have been recovered and then lost near Chicago in 1876. When launched, she was the largest sailing vessel on the Lakes and much was made of her beautiful lines. She was diagonally braced with iron. She stood 174 feet tall from her deck to her masthead. So if she were sailing today, although she'd be able to sail under the Mackinac Bridge, she'd be stopped at the Blue Water Bridge whose roadway is only 152 feet above the water.

1923: The canal-sized steamer GLENGELDIE, enroute from Killarney to Welland with a cargo of quartz rock, hit bottom in Georgian Bay and had to be towed to Collingwood for over $15,000 in repairs to the starboard side. The ship later sailed for Canada Steamship Lines as b) ELGIN.

1924: SENATOR DARBYSHIRE, a wooden bulk carrier upbound and in ballast, was destroyed by a fire on Lake Ontario, and sank near Point Petre Light. The crew fought the early morning blaze but eventually had to abandon the ship and was picked up by MAPLEBAY. Capt. J.W. Scarrow was later a master for Canada Steamship Lines.

1942: WATERTON was lost due to enemy action in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The former Misener freighter, operating for the Bowater Steamship Co., was attacked with 2 torpedoes from U-106 and went down in the Cabot Strait in 8 minutes. All on board got off safely. The ship was traveling from Cornerbrook, NF, to Cleveland with newsprint and pulpwood.

1982: The Israeli freighter DAGAN made 18 trips to the Great Lakes from 1959 to 1967. It ran aground on Cay Sal Bank, north of Cuba, as f) CORK and was abandoned the next day as a total loss.

One final sail for J.B. Ford as historic laker towed to scrapyard

10/10 - Duluth, Minn. – Mussels by the thousands clung to the portside anchor of the J.B. Ford and Steve Haverty could relate to the feeling. He didn't want to let her go either.

Haverty made the trip from the Twin Cities on Thursday to see the 111-year-old steamship tugged to its final resting place.

"Having spent five years and thousands of dollars trying to save her I felt like it was worthwhile to see her go the last 2 miles," said Haverty, who started the Great Lakes Steamship Society several years ago in a failed effort to save the Ford as a museum ship.

But weather conditions weren't right for the tow across the bay from the Connors Point Storage dock in Superior to Azcon Metals in Duluth.

"It's too windy; we could be fogged in in five minutes," said Heritage Marine owner Mike Ojard, who was successful Friday taking the Ford across Superior Bay. The tow required two tugs.

The Ford will be the first ship scrapped at the Duluth yard in a generation. One scrapyard worker said he's been with the company 20 years and never scrapped a ship, missing it when the Irvin L. Clymer was torched and dismantled from its pilot house down to its hull in 1994.

Like the Clymer, the Ford featured a leaning black smokestack in its stern and a distinguished air about its pilothouse — making her a ship's ship.

"The beauty of that ship is how it melded function with beauty," said Steve Lindsey of Keene, N.H., a onetime Coast Guardsman and "historic preservationist" responsible for a couple of Wikipedia entries on lakers and shipping, as well as campaigns to save theaters, churches and other examples of American heritage.

"It wasn't a slab-sided barge," Lindsey said. "It's almost breathtaking and had that sort of 'Wow' look. It was both creative and functional — profit-making and yet fun to look at, too."

The Ford also was distinguished by its three-cycle reciprocating steam engine. She last sailed the Great Lakes under her own power in 1985 as a cement carrier.

The Ford was launched as the Edwin F. Holmes in Lorain, Ohio, on Dec. 12, 1903. It is 440 feet long, with a beam of 50 feet, a depth of 28 feet and a capacity of 8,000 tons. By comparison, the William A. Irvin, launched 34 years later, is 611 feet long, with a beam of 60 feet, a depth of 32.5 feet and a capacity of 13,600 tons.

For the first several decades of its life, the Ford — sailing first as the Holmes and then as the E.C. Collins — hauled iron ore, coal and grain. It was upbound on Lake Superior during the 1905 Mataafa Storm, during which 29 vessels were lost or damaged. It was downbound on Superior during the 1913 White Hurricane storm, during which 12 vessels were lost and 32 driven aground.

The Ford escaped the breakers-yard fate of many of its contemporaries by finding a specialized niche in the 1950s, when the Huron Portland Cement Co. bought and converted it to a self-unloading cement carrier. It was Huron that renamed the vessel the J.B. Ford. Lafarge bought the Ford in the 1980s and used it as a cement barge, first in Chicago, then in Superior.

Awash with rust now, the Ford still hints at her beauty — a curving hull that drapes inward at the rudder; oak panels and brass fixtures in its cabins. But it would have cost an estimated $1.5 to $2 million to save her.

The loss of the Ford comes at a time when two other iconic vessels appear headed for the junkyard — an iconic cruise ship, the S.S. United States, in Philadelphia that's seen its preservation efforts flatlining, and President Harry Truman's yacht, the Williamsburg, listing in an Italian port as it takes on water in the face of zero interest to save it. All three were paragons of their kind in their day.

"That's three pieces of American history," Lindsey said. "They're reminders, sort of like the Statue of Liberty reminding us of the immigration that made this nation. If you lose that, the populace is cast adrift."

Haverty fell in love with ships as a kid, when his parents would take him to Duluth every month. The family didn't have a lot of money, he said, and the port was his playground. "I loved it," he said. "It became my biggest passion."

He later sailed the Great Lakes and still volunteers with the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps in Duluth. He's trying to save what he can of the Ford's pilothouse, but isn't sure Azcon will cooperate. Azcon did not respond to inquiries for this article.

Standing far up the dock from the Ford on Thursday, Haverty was content to watch from a distance.

"I've said my goodbyes this morning," he said, "and it was emotional."

Duluth News Tribune

[yachtsmanwilly]

Strong winds, up to 10-foot waves expected at part of Upper Peninsula

10/13 - The colder air is coming, and with it wind and waves. A big temperature drop Monday night in the Upper Peninsula will also be accompanied by winds gusting up to 50 mph.

The winds will blow from the northwest, which is a direction that builds big waves on Keweenaw Peninsula's western shore. The waves were expected to increase to seven to 10 feet Monday evening.

This is actually the start of Michigan's wind season. There are two reasons. First, storm systems start to get larger, more powerful and move farther south across Lake Superior. The storms in late summer tend to track farther north, across southern Canada. So the more powerful storms make more wind.

Second, the colder air over the warmer land and water causes a stronger wind. Wind is ultimately caused by density differences in the air. One way to produce a density difference is to have a large temperature difference. Cold air is heavy. Warm air is lighter. That difference in weight stimulates a stronger wind.

So get ready for stronger winds in October, November and December. This Great Lakes weather phenomenon is why you've heard of the gales of November.

M Live





Erosion concerns Lake Superior shoreline residents

10/13 - Paradise, Mich. – Residents near Paradise are growing increasingly concerned about erosion along the Lake Superior shoreline which one local official said could pose a threat to homes in the area.

Whitefish Township Supervisor Bill Mangham says lake levels have been above normal for the last two years and the resulting erosion has hit Paradise hard because it is a “sand-based community.” He also laid blame for the disappearing shore partially on the Army Corps of Engineers, which he believes is not following a plan designed to keep water levels from climbing too high.

The Corps manages the levels by adjusting the flow through a pair of hydroelectric plants and by overseeing a series of gates in the “compensating works,” a dam-like structure near the Soo Locks. The levels are also monitored by the International Lake Superior Board of Control.

“In my opinion, in the last two years the Corps has been partly responsible for the lake levels being where they’ve been,” Mangham said.

The Chief of Great Lakes Hydraulics and Hydrology for the Corps’ Detroit District, John Allis, acknowledged that there have been deviations from the plan. But he said the Corps is spreading out some flows with the intent of keeping water levels closer to normal.

“The intent was to smooth the flows through the St. Marys Rapids,” he said.

Allis added that currently Lake Superior is much higher than it has been over the past 14 years. He said it is six inches above its long-term average, but about 10 inches below its record high for October. According to the Corps website, as of Oct. 2 Superior was one inch lower than at the same time last year. It is expected to drop another 1-3 inches by November.

Mangham said rumors that roads could wash out due to the erosion are probably overblown. But the shoreline is creeping closer to several homes, forcing residents to come up with thousands of dollars to have local contractor Mountain Stone install breakwalls for protection. Mangham said “virtually everybody who lives on Whitefish Point Road” is having the work done.

Mountain Stone owner Jim Bourque said for many of the homeowners, who are retired, it is hard to generate those funds, but they must — or face damage to their house. Over the last few years, his company has installed some 50 breakwalls in the area, and more are likely to come.

However, homeowners face another hurdle in the process — they must have their breakwall approved by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Bourque said that organization is often understaffed the approval process can take a long time.

“You can only move as fast as you get your permit,” he said, and advised anyone thinking of having a wall built to apply to the DEQ as soon as possible.

Soo Evening News





Truck drivers asked to avoid Welland Canal Bridge 19

10/13 - Port Colborne, Ont. – Truck drivers and fleets are being asked to avoid Bridge 19 (Main St. and Hwy. 3) in Port Colborne, after the bridge was struck by a ship Sept. 3.

The bridge will be out of commission to vehicular traffic through the fall shipping season with repairs set to begin in January.

Prior to the closure of Bridge 19, the Weir Bridge was scheduled to receive rehabilitation. It will be closed from Oct. 13 to about Nov. 27, local officials warn.

There are two other bridges crossing the Welland Canal: Bridge 19A at Mellanby Ave. and Bridge 21 at Clarence St. However, officials note trucks are not allowed on Bridge 21.

All truck traffic on Main St./Hwy. 3 crossing the Welland Canal will not have to travel south on Welland Ave., cross Bridge 19A and continue further south on Mellanby Ave. to Killaly St. West, which will then lead them out of the city.

Officials are warning the Bridge 19A crossing will become extremely busy and backed up, especially when Bridge 21 is raised to allow shipping traffic. Trucks will have to wait up to 30 minutes whenever Bridge 19A is raised for shipping traffic.

“We are working with the Region of Niagara and the Ministry of Transportation to develop an alternate truck route to encourage truck traffic that would have previously travelled along Highway 3, to seek an alternate route. We hope that this will help to relieve some of the congestion that may occur at Bridge 19A,” said Ron Hanson, director of engineering and operations.

Truck traffic from the Peace Bridge will be detoured along the QEW to Netherby Rd. and continue west on Townline Rd./Forkes Rd. to the junction of Hwy. 3 at Regional Rd. 24 in Wainfleet. Truck traffic will also be detoured north on Hwy. 58 and Hwy. 140 to Townline Rd. and Netherby Rd. Trucks travelling east on Hwy. 3 in Wainfleet will be detoured to Forkes Rd./Townline Rd./Netherby Rd.

Signage is currently being installed, officials say.

“We hope that members of the trucking industry will understand that these detours will most likely save them time rather than getting stopped in traffic and having to make difficult turns in the middle of the city,” said Mayor John Maloney, “and we look forward to your cooperation.”



On this day in 1893, Chief Engineer J. H. Hogan left the DEAN RICHMOND in Toledo to take care of some family business. One day later, the DEAN RICHMOND burned off Dunkirk, New York, with a loss of 17 lives including the replacement Chief Engineer.

On October 13, 1909, GEORGE STONE (wooden propeller freighter, 270 foot, 1,841 gross tons, built in 1893, at W. Bay City, Michigan) was sailing from Ashtabula, Ohio for Racine, Wisconsin, with cargo of coal when she stranded on Grubb Reef in the Pelee Passage on Lake Erie. She then caught fire and was destroyed. Five of the 18 crewmen were lost.

The SASKATCHEWAN PIONEER made her first trip out of Thunder Bay, Ontario with grain on October 13, 1983. Renamed b.) LADY HAMILTON in 1995, sold to Voyageur Maritime in 2006, and now sailing as c.) KAMINISTIQUA for Lower Lakes Towing.

The tug GLENADA towed the BROOKDALE from Port Colborne to Newman's scrap yard at Port Maitland, Ontario the week of October 13, 1980.

On October 13, 1902, the MAUNALOA collided with her whaleback consort barge 129 on Lake Superior and sank it 30 miles northwest of Vermilion Point, which is between Upper Michigan's Crisp and Whitefish Points. MAUNALOA had been towing the 129, both vessels loaded with iron ore, when the towline parted in heavy seas. While trying to regain control of the barge, they came together and the steamer's port anchor raked the side of the barge, which started taking on water. The crew was taken off the barge before it sank.

On 13 October 1875, off Alpena, Michigan, the tug E. H. MILLER had her boiler explode while racing with the tug CITY OF ALPENA - both in quest of a tow. The ALPENA, who was ahead of the MILLER when she blew up, immediately turned around to pick up survivors. The ALPENA sunk in minutes. The engineer, fireman and a boy were rescued, but the captain and cook were lost. The fireman was in such poor shape that it was thought that he would not live.

On 13 October 1877, The Port Huron Times reported that the tug PRINDIVILLE and the 2-masted schooner PORTLAND had both gone ashore at the Straits of Mackinac and been pounded to pieces.

On 13 October 1886, SELAH CHAMBERLAIN (wooden propeller steam barge, 212 foot, 1,207 gross tons, built in 1873, at Cleveland, Ohio) collided with the 222-foot wooden lumber hooker JOHN PRIDGEON, JR. in heavy fog off Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The CHAMBERLAIN had been towing the schooner FAYETTE BROWN. The CHAMBERLAIN sank quickly. Five of the crew went down with the vessel when the lifeboat davits became fouled and they were unable to launch the lifeboat. The rest of the crew made it to shore in the other lifeboat after a 3-hour pull through the fog.

1902: The wooden steamer C. B. LOCKWOOD was swamped in a storm and sank on Lake Erie with the loss of 10 lives.

1927: The ONTARIO, once the largest carferry on the Detroit River, was later reduced to a barge and it foundered on Lake Superior, near Outer Island, while carrying 1100 tons of pulpwood. It had been under tow of the tug BUTTERFIELD and all on board were saved.

1973: SCOTT MISENER damaged 60 bottom plates when it hit bottom near Whaleback Shoal in the St. Lawrence.

1976: The former T2 tanker and now bulk carrier SYLVIA L. OSSA, remembered on the Great Lakes as the MARATHONIAN that was in a head-on collision with ROLWI in Lake Michigan, disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle with the loss of all 37 members of the crew.

1990: ERNA WITT first visited the Great Lakes in 1958 and returned through the Seaway in 1962. The vessel sank off Port Sudan as k) SHIBA after a collision with the ALTAAWIN ALARABI while inbound from Aqaba, Jordan. Three members of the crew were lost.

[yachtsmanwilly]

It was 30 years today that the Greek-flag, Fortune-class, bulk carrier Amilla went aground in the St. Marys River near Pointe aux Pins. The 537 foot, 2 inch long vessel dated from construction at Tokyo, Japan, in 1972 and had been a Seaway trader since 1975.

The Great Lakes pilot on board Amilla on Oct. 14, 1985, suffered a fatal heart attack while doing his duties and, amid the confusion trying to help him, the ship went aground. After things settled down the Amilla was released from its stranding by shifting ballast.

Amilla had been a frequent caller to the lakes and was one of the rare Seaway Salties to carry its original name to the end of its career. Amilla arrived at Alang, India, on June 25, 1997, and was broken up for scrap.


On this day in 1953, Boston Metals Company of Baltimore, Maryland, submitted a successful bid of $118,111 for six retired lakers to be scrapped by the U.S. Maritime Commission. The six boats were the CHACORNAC, COLONEL, MUNISING, NEGAUNEE, YOSEMITE and AMAZON.

On 14 October 1871, the LEVANT (2-mast wooden schooner, 91 foot, 115 tons, built in 1854, at Chicago, Illinois) was loaded with lumber when she was overtaken by a severe gale and went over on her beam ends off Sheboygan, Wisconsin, on Lake Michigan. The 6-man crew lashed themselves to the vessel so as not to be washed away by the waves. Throughout the night the men died one by one. At daylight, the schooner D P DOBBINS found the wreck with floating bodies tied to it and three still alive (two of them were barely alive). One died during the rescue attempt and another died within minutes of being rescued. Only Peter J. Thornum survived.

DEAN RICHMOND (wooden propeller passenger-package freight steamer, 238 foot, 1,432 gross tons, built in 1864, at Cleveland, Ohio) sailed from Toledo, Ohio, on Friday the 13th of October 1893, with a load of bagged meal, flour, zinc and copper ingots. She encountered hurricane force winds of over 60 mph and battled the storm throughout the night. She was seen on 14 October 1893, off Erie, Pennsylvania, missing her stacks and battling the wind and waves. The following day, wreckage and bodies were washing ashore near Dunkirk, New York. Among the dead were the captain, his wife and three children. A few crewmembers managed to make it to shore however all but one died of exposure. The only survivor was found on the beach near Van Buren Point two days later. During the search for bodies, three volunteers lost their lives. The wreck was found in 1984.

The keel to the JAMES R. BARKER was laid on October 14, 1974. She was to become Interlake's first 1000 footer and the flagship of the fleet for Moore McCormack Leasing, Inc. (Interlake Steamship Co., Cleveland, Ohio, mgr.).

On October 14, 1983, the CHI-CHEEMAUN encountered 48-knot winds after departing Tobermory with 113 passengers bound for South Baymouth. Due to high wind and waves the captain decided to find shelter rather than to continue on or return to port. The ferry made her way around the Bruce Peninsula southeast to Dyer Bay where she dropped anchor for the night, however she had no overnight accommodations. Complimentary meals were served and activities were organized by the crew. The anchor was lifted the next morning and the ferry returned to Tobermory.

The GEORGE A. STINSON departed Detroit on her maiden voyage October 14, 1978, light for Superior, Wisconsin, to load iron ore pellets for delivery to the Great Lakes Steel Division of the National Steel Corp. at Zug Island in River Rouge, Michigan. Renamed b.) AMERICAN SPIRIT in 2004.

On 14 October 1875, it was discovered that thieves had completely stripped the canvass and rigging from the schooner FORWARDER owned by Little & Brown. The schooner was lying about three miles below Port Huron.

On 14 October 1822, APPELONA (wooden schooner, 45 foot, 37 tons, built in 1814, at Henderson, New York) was bound from Oswego for Genesee, New York, when she was struck by lightning in Lake Ontario and sank about 15 minutes. All hands were injured but abandoned her for shore and all survived.

The tug NELSON burned at Chicago on Saturday, 14 October 1876. She was one of the smaller class of tugs and the damage was so great that she was not considered to be worth repairing.

October 14, 1911 - The ANN ARBOR NO 4 ran aground while enroute to Manistique, Michigan, at full speed, damaging several plates. The ANN ARBOR NO 3 pulled her off.

On 14 October 1876, NEW YORK (wooden propeller freighter, 183 foot, 704 tons, built in 1856, at Buffalo, New York) was carrying lumber and towing the schooner BUTCHER BOY and barges NELLIE MC GILVERAY and A. J. CORREY from Cove Island in Georgian Bay to Buffalo when they encountered a severe storm near Pointe aux Barques. The towline parted and the NEW YORK could not regain it in the heavy seas. She then sprang a leak and the water rose rapidly enough to put out her fires. The crew (15 men and one woman) abandoned in the yawl as NEW YORK was overwhelmed and sank. The open boat was adrift for five hours when the 74-foot schooner NEMESIS came upon it. NEMESIS tried twelve times to approach the yawl in the rough seas, losing a portion of her deck load of tanbark each time that she came about, but at last she got alongside the yawl. The NEW YORK's crew managed to get aboard the NEMESIS except for Fireman William Sparks, who fell between the yawl and the schooner and was lost. The other vessels in the tow all made it to Port Huron safely.

On 14 October 1883, NELLIE GARDNER (wooden schooner-barge, 178 foot, 567 gross tons, built in 1873, at Marine City, Michigan) was loaded with 39,000 bushels of corn while being towed by the steamer JOHN PRIDGEON JR in a storm on Lake Huron. The GARDNER released herself from the tow in the heavy weather to run for the shelter of Thunder Bay under sail. However, she was unable to make it, and turned back for Tawas, Michigan, but struck a reef, broke in two and was wrecked 1 mile SE of Scarecrow Island. Her crew made it to shore in her yawl.

1895: The wooden steamer AFRICA struck a reef near Cove Island enroute to Georgian Bay, broke up and sank with the loss of all 13 crew.

1922: ARROW, a steel sidewheeler, partially burned at the dock in Put-in-Bay.

1954: The Dutch freighter PRINS WILLEM V. sank off Milwaukee after a collision with the barge SINCLAIR XII pushed by the SINCLAIR CHICAGO. All 30 sailors on board were rescued but the overseas vessel was never salvaged. It was replaced in 1956 by another PRINS WILLEM V.

1966: The STONEFAX and ARTHUR STOVE collided in the Welland Canal between Allanburg and Port Robinson. The former, a member of the Halco fleet, sank with its cargo of potash and remained on the bottom until November 25. The latter subsequently visited the Seaway as b) TIARET and was scrapped at Nantong, China, as c) CLARET in 1984-1985.

1983: The British freighter HOUSTON CITY visited the Great Lakes in 1966. It ran aground at Mayotte Island, part of the Comoros, while enroute from the Far East to South Africa as c) ALPAC AFRICA. The ship was stuck until October 22 and scrapped at Shanghai, China, in 1984.

1985: FURIA was trapped in Lock 7 when a section of the lock wall collapsed. The Welland Canal was closed until November 7. The vessel arrived at Shanghai, China, for scrapping as b) YRIA on November 1, 2001, after it made a final trip inland as such in 2000.

1987: GEORGE A. SLOAN sustained major bottom damage going aground in the Amherstburg Channel and was repaired at Toledo. The ship is still sailing as c) MISSISSAGI.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Mackinac Island ferry Miss Margy completes maiden voyage

10/15 - Mackinaw City, Mich. – A newly-built ferry for transporting passengers between Mackinac Island and the Michigan mainland has completed its maiden voyage. More than 100 people made the trip Wednesday morning aboard Miss Margy, which embarked from the Shepler's Mackinac Island ferry docks in Mackinaw City.

It's named for the mother of Bill Shepler, CEO of the company that has long provided ferry service to and from the Lake Huron resort island.

The 85-foot vessel is the first ferry built in northern Michigan. It was constructed for $3.8 million at Moran Iron Works Co. in Onaway and obtained U.S. Coast Guard certification this week. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder christened the ferry during a July 12 ceremony. It has a 281-passenger capacity, an air-conditioned cabin and a top speed of about 40 mph.

Associated Press

Fort Gratiot lighthouse gets a facelift

10/15 - Port Huron, Mich. – The 82-foot Fort Gratiot Lighthouse got a bit of a facelift Monday, part of ongoing maintenance work to ensure the 186-year-old structure doesn't fall back into disrepair.

"We're trying to be proactive and keep up with the maintenance so we don't have any damage to the masonry," said Mark Brochu, St. Clair County Parks and Recreation director.

This is the first time the lighthouse has gotten new paint since it underwent intense renovations in 2011. The $555,630 project was funded through grants and money raised by the Friends of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse.

Workers from RJ Hill Painting of Marysville used a lift to spray the outside of the tower with white paint, a fresh coating to keep moisture out of the brick work. Brochu said the work cost less than $5,000, and is a way to ensure the structure stays sound.

Thousands of dollars have gone into restoring the Port Huron lighthouse, the oldest in Michigan, after years of neglect left it closed to visitors. It was closed to the public in August 2008 because of safety concerns after bricks began falling from the structure.

The county acquired the deed for the light station property from the federal government in September 2010. And after a lot of work, it reopened to the public in May 2012. In 2012, more than 12,500 visited the site for tours and programs.

Between October 2014 and this September, about 24,000 people did — bringing the total number of visitors since its opening to nearly 85,000, said Susan Bennett, Port Huron Museum executive director. Bennett noted that number does not include those who were visiting the park but did not take tours inside the lighthouse.

Port Huron Times Herald


Canadian government stops Montreal sewage-dumping plan

10/15 - Montreal, Que. – The Canadian government has ordered Montreal not to dump 2 billion gallons (7.57 billion liters) of raw sewage into the St. Lawrence River as part of a plan to rebuild a riverside expressway.

Federal infrastructure Minister Denis Lebel said Wednesday that an independent review would be carried out after many Montrealers called for the federal government to step in, just a week ahead of national elections. Conservative Prime Minister's government had known about what the city had wanted to do for some time but didn't intervene until now.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer of New York also got involved, asking U.S. environmental regulators to work with Canada to stop it. The EPA said it has no regulatory authority in Canada.

The St. Lawrence River flows from Lake Ontario northeast into the Gulf of Lawrence and borders the U.S. for 114 miles (183 billion kilometers) in New York state, but the river lies entirely in Canada downstream of Montreal.

Schumer had said the river should be treated like a single ecosystem, because fish and birds move up and downstream as do recreational and fishing boats. He noted that the U.S. and Canada have worked together in the past to protect the region's waters in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

Montreal had planned to start dumping the wastewater on Sunday, continuing through Oct. 25, with officials saying it was necessary so that workers can relocate a snow chute, or large opening that brings water from melting snow to a wastewater treatment plant.

A citizen petition with 90,000 names opposed to the project was presented to Mayor Denis Coderre at a city council meeting Tuesday. The environmental group Save the River had argued there must be a way for the city to dispose of its sewage that's not potentially harmful to human health and wildlife.

Coderre said city officials had selected the best option in terms of time and cost and believe drinking water for downstream communities won't be affected by the project that aimed to be completed by mid-November.

ABC News



On this day in 1893, according to reports in Buffalo newspapers, First Mate Ben Lewis was washed off the decks of the JAY GOULD during a storm. A succeeding wave picked him up and dropped him back on the deck of the GOULD.

On October 15, 1871, LA PETITE (wooden schooner, 94 foot, 122 gross tons, built in 1866, at Huron, Ohio) was carrying lumber from Alpena, Michigan, to Huron, Ohio, when she was caught in a terrific gale on Lake Huron. The heavy seas carried away the lumber strapped on deck. Then the vessel sprang a leak and turned on her beam ends. Capt. O. B. Smith, his wife, and four other sailors rode out the storm on the wreck until found by the tug BROCKWAY. The schooner was towed to Port Huron and repaired.

On her maiden voyage, Branch Lines new tanker LEON SIMARD was spotted traveling eastward on the St. Lawrence River on October 15, 1974. Renamed b.) L'ORME NO 1 in 1982. Sold off the lakes, renamed c.) TRADEWIND OCEAN in 1997 and d.) AMARA in 2001.

The self-unloader WOLVERINE departed the American Ship Building Co., October 15, 1974, on her maiden voyage from Lorain, Ohio, light to load stone at Stoneport, Michigan, for delivery to Huron, Ohio.

HERBERT C. JACKSON cleared Fraser Shipyard on October 15, 1988, after having the 1000 h.p. bowthruster motor installed from the JOHN SHERWIN. The motor from the JACKSON was later repaired and placed in the SHERWIN's cargo hold for future use.

The PAUL H. CARNAHAN came out on her maiden voyage October 15, 1961.

On October 15, 1984, JOHN O. McKELLAR of 1952, was sold to P.& H. Shipping of Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd., Mississauga, Ont., and renamed b.) ELMGLEN.

Scrapping began on October 15, 1988, of JOHN T. HUTCHINSON at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, by Li Chong Steel & Iron Works Co. Ltd.

C. H. McCULLOUGH JR was laid up on October 15, 1969, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

COVERDALE (Hull#34) was launched at Midland, Ontario, on October 15, 1949, for Canada Steamship Lines, Montreal, Quebec. Renamed b.) GEORGE HINDMAN in 1973 and c.) MELDRUM BAY in 1979. Scrapped at Lisbon, Portugal in 1985.

SCOTT MISENER of 1954 struck bottom on October 15, 1973, near Whaleback Shoal on the St. Lawrence River reportedly damaging 60 of her bottom plates. She proceeded to the Port Arthur shipyard for drydocking and repairs from October 20th through the 28th.

On October 15, 1980, the NIPIGON BAY, loaded with ore for Hamilton, Ontario, grounded at the "crossover" near Brockville, Ontario, on the St. Lawrence River and sustained a 100-foot rip in her bottom plates. She proceeded to Thunder Bay arriving there on October 24th where repairs were made at an estimated cost of $500,000.

R. P. MASON (3 mast wooden schooner, 115 foot, 155 gross tons, built in 1867, at Grand Haven, Michigan) was bound from Chicago for Detroit when she struck a rocky reef near Waugoshance Point in the Straits of Mackinac on October 8. 1871. Water gushed in an 8-foot hole. However, she was temporarily patched and her cargo of grain, flour and meat was taken off over the next few days. The tug LEVIATHAN took her in tow, going to Little Traverse Bay when, on October 15, they encountered a gale near Cross Village, Michigan. The MASON broke free and capsized. 5 died and 4 were rescued. The MASON drifted ashore upside down. She was eventually salvaged and sailed for another 46 years. She ended her days when she burned in Lake Michigan in 1917.

The tug DOUGLAS caught fire near Wyandotte while going down the Detroit River and sank. The crew all jumped overboard and was saved by the steam yacht JOSEPHINE, except for John Cassidy, one of the firemen, who drowned. A few days later, plans were made to raise and rebuild the DOUGLAS.

On October 15,1871, R. G. COBURN (wooden propeller passenger/package freight steamer, 193 foot, 867 tons, built in 1870, at Marine City, Michigan) was carrying 15,000 bushels of wheat, 3,500 barrels of flour and 30 barrels of silver ore from Lake Superior to Detroit. As she came down Lake Huron, she encountered a terrific gale that had driven most vessels to seek shelter. The COBURN fought the wind at Saginaw Bay throughout the night until she lost her rudder and turned broadside to the waves. Her large stack fell and smashed the cabin area and then the cargo came loose and started smashing holes in the bulwarks. About 70 passengers were aboard and almost all were terribly seasick. As the ship began her final plunge beneath the waves, only a few lifeboats were getting ready to be launched and those were floated right from the deck as the ship sank. 32 people perished, including Capt. Gilbert Demont. No women or children were saved.

On October 15, 1900, the wooden 186-foot freighter F. E. SPINNER was sunk in a collision with the steamer H. D. COFFINBERRY in the St. Marys River. She was raised from 125 feet of water, one of the deepest successful salvage operations to that time. She was later renamed HELEN C and lasted until 1922.

October 15, 1910 - After the sinking of the PERE MARQUETTE 18 of 1902, built at Cleveland, Ohio, the previous September, a new PERE MARQUETTE 18 of 1911, was ordered by the Pere Marquette Railway from the Chicago Ship Building Co.

On 15 October 1871, the EXCELSIOR (3-mast wooden schooner, 156 foot, 374 gross tons, built in 1865, at Buffalo, New York) was struck by a gale near Thunder Bay on Lake Huron. She sailed through the early morning hours only to sink about 4:30 a.m. Only Charles Lostrom survived. He was on the cabin roof, which blew off when the vessel went down. Mr. Lostrom remained on the floating roof-raft for two days and two nights until he was rescued by fishermen near South Hampton light on the Canadian side of Lake Huron.

1916: The wooden bulk freighter L. EDWARD HINES was sold to Nicaraguan owners and left the Great Lakes in 1916. The ship had loaded coal in New Orleans for Venezuela for its maiden voyage on this date in 1916 but got caught in a hurricane and sank with the loss of 17 lives while 45 miles east of Belize, British Honduras.

1971: SINGAPORE TRADER was upbound with general cargo from Japan to Detroit, on its first trip to the Great Lakes, when it ran aground in the Thousand Islands. The vessel was released on November 29 and towed back to Montreal on December 16. The ship was arrested there and offered for sale, by court order. The successful bidder for the 27-year-old vessel was a shipbreaker at Santander, Spain, and the ship arrived there for dismantling on June 22, 1972.

1977: The three-year old Panamanian bulk carrier GOLDEN STAR damaged its rudder when it struck the opposite bank while backing from the dock at Huron, Ohio. The vessel, bound for the United Kingdom, needed four tugs when it was towed out of the Seaway for repairs at Sorel, QC. The vessel was last noted as c) FUN JIN under the flag of Panama in 1993.

1978: The West German freighter FRANCISCA SARTORI made 21 trips through the Seaway from 1959 through 1967. It was lying at Piraeus, Greece, as f) GIOTA S. when the engine room flooded on this date in 1978. The ship departed for Chalkis on October 24, 1979, but further leaks developed and the vessel had to be beached at Laurium, Greece.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Just something creepy to start the day off with...









Bad weather hampers Flinterstar salvage off Belgium

10/16 - Oil removal operations from the wrecked Flinterstar off the coast of Belgium were halted for a third straight day Thursday due to weather.

Dutch ship owner Flinter reports that high winds and an unfavorable sea state has prevented divers from entering the water since Tuesday morning.

The 129 meter Flinterstar, which had been a frequent Great Lakes visitor, has been half submerged on a sandbank since October 6th after it collided nearly head on with the Marshall Islands-flagged LNG Al Oraiq in the North Sea near Zeebrugge, Belgium. The 122,000 DWT Al-Oraiq, managed by K Line LNG Shipping (UK) Limited, was also damaged, but was able to continue to its destination of Zeebrugge with the help of a tug.

All 11 crew members plus 1 pilot made it off the Flinterstar safely, but an estimated that 100 tons of oil was released from the vessel following the accident.

Flinter has contracted SMIT and Multraship to pump the remaining oil from the vessel. The Belgian Coast Guard says that oil removal operations may not resume until Saturday due to continued bad weather at the site.

The approximately 9,000 DWT Flinterstar was built in 2002 and is flagged in the Netherlands. The ship has been declared a total loss.




On this day in 1950, the JOHN M. McKERCHEY of the Kelley's Island Lime and Transport Company sank at 2:30 a.m. while returning from the pumping grounds with a load of sand. Captain Horace S. Johnson went down with the boat, but the remaining 19 crewmembers were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard.

On October 16,1855, SENECA (wooden propeller tug, 92 foot, 73 tons, built in 1847, at Buffalo, New York) was towing the brig LANSING past the foot of Randolph Street at Chicago, Illinois, when her boiler exploded. Her skipper and engineer were killed instantly and several others were injured. The vessel was later recovered.

On October 16, 1990, the JOHN B. AIRD's loop belt caught fire while loading mill scale at Inland Steel Mill, East Chicago, Illinois. Fueled by coal dust left over after unloading coal at the mill, 1,400 feet of the rubber conveyor belt burned causing nearly $500,000 in damages.

ALGOWEST set a cargo record carrying 27,517 tons of grain down the Seaway October 16, 1982, to Port Cartier, Quebec. She was converted to a self-unloader in 1998, and renamed b.) PETER R. CRESSWELL in 2001.

The Cayman Islands-registered tanker RIO ORINOCO grounded off Anticosti Island, Quebec on October 16, 1990, and was abandoned. Later she was salvaged by Le Groupe Desgagnes (1981) Inc., refloated, repaired and renamed d.) THALASSA DESGAGNES.

Sea trials of MERTON E. FARR were successfully completed October 16, 1920.

On October 16, 1954, the SCOTT MISENER of 1954 became the first laker to load a record 800,000 bushels of grain on the Great Lakes when she was loaded with barley at Fort William, Ontario, for delivery to Port Colborne.

WILLIAM G. MATHER of 1925 was towed from her Cuyahoga River berth on October 16, 1990, by the Great Lakes Towing tugs IDAHO and DELAWARE. She was placed next to the 9th Street Pier of Cleveland's North Coast Harbor and now serves as a marine museum.

On October 16, 1912, JAMES BUCKLEY (2 mast wood schooner-barge, 161 foot, 442 gross tons, built in 1884, at Quebec City) was carrying coal and being towed by the tug WILLIAM PROCTOR in consort with the barges H B and MENOMINEE in Lake Ontario. The BUCKLEY separated from this group in a storm and was driven into the shallows off the coast of Jefferson County, New York. The tug PROCTOR delivered MENOMINEE to Cape Vincent, then returned in time to take BUCKLEY’s crew out of the rigging - hand over hand on a heaving line - before BUCKLEY finally sank.

On October 16, 1855, the brig TUSCARORA was carrying coal from Buffalo to Chicago. She anchored off Chicago's Harrison Street, but a storm dragged her in. Volunteers from shore were unable to get to the stricken vessel. A group of 9 ship captains and 4 seamen then organized a rescue party and took two new "Francis" metal lifeboats out and rescued the entire crew of eleven. By 21 October, TUSCARORA was pounded to pieces.

On October 16, 1853, PHILO SCOVILLE (2-mast wooden brig built in 1853, at Sheboygan, Wisconsin) was carrying flour, wheat, pigs and barreled fish when she encountered a gale in the eastern Straits of Mackinac. She was dismasted and drifted ashore where she was pounded to pieces. Her crew was saved by floating ashore while clinging to the floating main mast.

1880: ALPENA, a wooden sidewheel passenger steamer, was lost in Lake Michigan in a violent storm. All 67 on board perished.

1928: PARKS FOSTER ran aground, due to fog, in Lake Huron near Alpena. The ship was lightered, pumped out and refloated. While declared a total loss, the vessel was rebuilt as b) SUPERIOR and eventually dismantled at Port Weller in 1961.

1940: TREVISA was torpedoed and sunk by U-124 while 600 miles off the coast of Ireland. The ship had become a straggler from convoy SC-7 that had been attacked over a period of 3 nights. Seven lives were lost when TREVISA was hit in the engineroom by a single torpedo.

1968: The NORMAN P. CLEMENT was at Collingwood for examination of the grounding damage of earlier in the month when an onboard explosion on this date injured 11. The hull was contaminated with chemicals and declared a total loss.

1969: FREDEN V. came to the Great Lakes in 1958 and returned through the Seaway in 1959. The small tanker was heavily damaged as c) YARIMCA in an engine room fire at Sinop, Turkey, but that was repaired in 1972 and the ship survived until scrapping at Aliaga, Turkey, as f) ORTAC in 2004.

1971: The Cypriot freighter UNION came through the Seaway in 1971 after prior visits as c) MICA beginning in 1965. Fire broke out in the engine room and the ship was abandoned 130 miles off Freetown, Sierra Leone, on October 10, 1971. The vessel sank on October 16 and had been enroute from Gdynia, Poland, to Chittagong, Bangladesh.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Cliffs CEO threatens to close plant if Essar starts production

10/19 - Duluth, Minn. – The leader of Cliffs Natural Resources has threatened to shut down one of the company's Minnesota taconite plants if the Essar Steel Minnesota taconite plant being built near Nashwauk begins production.

In an interview with the Mesabi Daily News published Sunday, in reference to Essar, Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves said "if they go online, I will shut down a plant up there the same day."

Cleveland-based Cliffs owns and operates Northshore Mining in Silver Bay and Babbitt and United Taconite in Eveleth and Forbes, as well as the Empire/Tilden operations in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It also is part owner and manager of Hibbing Taconite.

Most workers at United Taconite have been laid off since the plant went idle earlier this year.

Essar is building the state's first all-new, full-scale taconite iron ore operation in 40 years just outside Nashwauk in Itasca County. The company broke ground for the new, nearly $1.9 billion mine and processing plant in 2008 and has all of the necessary government permits in hand to finish work and start production.

Essar told the News Tribune earlier this month that it's working toward taconite production sometime in 2016.

Goncalves has long been a critic of the Essar project, stating that it will create an oversupply of taconite. Earlier this year, he said the Iron Range would "pay the price" of seeing mining operations close if Essar's proposed taconite production entered the market.

Earlier this month, Cliffs announced it was ending its sale of taconite pellets to Essar Steel Algoma in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, because of what it said were Essar's "multiple and material breaches under the agreement."

Essar responded with a temporary restraining order against the termination, but withdrew its request for that order last week after securing an alternate supply of ore. Essar "continues to pursue resolution through the courts on the matter of breach of contract," the company reported.

In response to Goncalves' latest comments, Essar Steel Minnesota CEO Madhu Vuppuluri told the Mesabi Daily News that he was "very saddened to hear that statement that could have such an impact" on the Iron Range.

Duluth News Tribune





Scrapyard in the sky awaits 111-year-old Great Lakes freighter

10/19 - Duluth, Minn. – The J. B. Ford survived the Mataafa Storm of 1905 and powered her way though the fury of the Great White Hurricane of 1913. But the oldest active freighter on the Great Lakes has finally lost the battle against time.

On Oct. 9, the 111-year-old ship made her final voyage. Under sunrise clouds, a pair of tugboats towed the J.B. Ford two miles across the Duluth harbor. Today, she awaits her fate at Azcon Metals, her last stop en route to the great scrapyard in the sky.

"It's not a terribly happy ending," said Steve Haverty, a Minnesota boat nerd who in 2012 launched the nonprofit Great Lakes Steamship Society in a failed bid to preserve the venerable ship as a museum. "But we gave it our best efforts."

The cost of removing old asbestos insulation was the final nail in the coffin for the Ford. The ship had weathered not only storms, but more than a century of ownership changes and evolution in the Great Lakes shipping industry and cargo markets to remain in active service since her Dec. 12, 1903 launch in Lorain, Ohio.

The raw materials she hauled fed the nation's industrial might for 81 years. The ship moved iron ore south, coal north and picked up an odd cargo of limestone, wheat or grain here and there. That iron ore became steel for early automobiles and war materials in Michigan's "Arsenal of Democracy." Her last year transiting the Great Lakes was 1985, when she was finally benched with engine problems. The Ford has been a dockside cement storage vessel since then.

Her elder years haven't been glorious, but usage as a stationary storage and transfer vessel in Chicago and Superior, Wis., was enough to keep her in the active service category, said Marquette maritime historian Fred Stonehouse.

"Until they put her to the torch, she could be brought out," he said. From an operational perspective, though, "she's too small, too slow and just too old."

Today, the J.B. Ford is the last of her kind, a turn-of-the-century leftover from a class of steam-driven freighters built for the Hagwood & Avery Fleet during a time when advances in iron construction allowed shipbuilders to make larger, safer and more efficient vessels that were easier to maintain.

She outlasted fleet mates like the Henry B. Smith, which sunk with all hands in Lake Superior during the famous Armistice Day Storm of 1913 under the command of Capt. James Olson, who was previously appointed captain of the Ford in 1906 during her early years sailing under the name Edwin F. Holmes.

The ship was named the E.C. Collins between 1916 and 1958, when the Huron Portland Cement Co. of Detroit converted the vessel to a self-unloading cement carrier, painted her hull dark green, and renamed her the John B. Ford.

Cement hauling helped the Ford find work amid competition from larger, newer ships long after her sister ships were cut for scrap, said Stonehouse. Her cargo during those years was eventually molded into the nation's interstate highway system.

"It's truly the passing of an era," he said.

Since 2001, the Ford has occupied the Lafarge North America dock at Conners Point in Superior, Wis. Haverty incorporated the steamship society a few years ago when he learned the company wanted to retire the aging vessel. Lafarge, he said, was willing to donate the ship if $500,000 could be raised to remove asbestos.

To convert the ship to a floating museum would have been a $2 to $3 million endeavor, he said. Unfortunately, Haverty was only able to reach about $50,000 in donations and most of that was pledged money.

Unfortunately, the Ford also faced competition as a museum ship. The William A. Irvin is already moored as a floating museum in Duluth. Other Great Lakes museum ships include the Valley Camp in Sault Ste. Marie, the William G. Mather in Cleveland and the Col. James M. Schoonmaker in Toledo, Ohio.

Most freighters that live a long life undergo major interior upgrades over the years and the Ford was no exception. But the ship's historical integrity was in her living quarters, which retained lots of original 1904 cabin woodwork, Haverty said

The Azcon yard, which hasn't scrapped a ship in decades, has promised to try and save some of the woodwork, he said. "They seem willing to work with us."

Haverty said the Great Lakes Steamship Society hopes to have greater success with preserving other vintage lake freighters. The group has its eyes on the S.T. Crapo, an 88-year-old idled bulk cementer freighter in Green Bay, Wis.

As for the Ford, she may sail again in another way. Scrap steel is often used in fabricating automobiles, aircraft and shipping containers. Stonehouse said her steel could be used in a number of different ways "depending on where it's sold."

MLive


At 2 a.m. October 19, 1901, the Barry line steamer STATE OF MICHIGAN (wooden propeller passenger-package freight steamer, 165 foot, 736 gross tons, built in 1875, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin) sank in 60 feet of water about four miles northwest of White Lake harbor on Lake Michigan. The crew and captain reached shore in boats with the assistance of the White Lake Life Saving crew and the tug MC GRAFF. The vessel was sailing in good weather when a piston rod broke and stove a hole through the bottom of the boat. The water came gushing in. By the time the tug MC GRAFF came and took on the crew, the STATE OF MICHIGAN was in serious trouble. She went down shortly after the tug began towing her toward shore.

On October 19, 1871, ELIZA LOGAN (2-mast wooden schooner, 130 foot, 369 gross tons, built in 1855, at Buffalo, New York) foundered in rough weather about 12 miles off Erie, Pennsylvania, on Lake Erie. She was sailing from Toledo, Ohio, to Buffalo, New York, with a load of wheat when she sank. Captain Lawson and one sailor were lost, but the six others scrambled up the rigging and held on to the crosstrees for 42 hours until they were rescued by the schooner EMU at 6:00 a.m. on the morning of 21 October.

GEORGE A. SLOAN ran aground off Bob-Lo Island in the Amherstburg Channel on October 19, 1987. She was released when she unloaded part of her cargo to the CALCITE II. SLOAN was repaired in Toledo. Purchased by Lower Lakes Towing in 2001, renamed c.) MISSISSAGI.

ALGOSEA, a.) BROOKNES, was christened on October 19, 1976, at Port Colborne, Ontario. She was renamed c.) SAUNIERE in 1982. Scrapped in Turkey in 2011.

BUFFALO was able to leave the Saginaw River once it opened to traffic on October 19, 1990. The river was closed after the tanker JUPITER exploded as the BUFFALO passed.

KINSMAN VOYAGER was launched October 19, 1907, as a.) H. P. BOPE for the Standard Steamship Co., Cleveland, Ohio.

WILLIAM LIVINGSTONE of 1908, had the honor on October 19, 1912, of being the first vessel to navigate the opening of the Livingstone Channel named after the man who helped conceive the idea of a separate down bound channel on the east side of Bob-Lo Island in the lower Detroit River. Mr. Livingstone, President of the Lake Carriers Association at the time, piloted his namesake vessel in the channel on that historic trip. Renamed b.) S B WAY in 1936 and c.) CRISPIN OGLEBAY in 1948. She was scrapped at Santander, Spain, in 1974.

The crew on the stranded WILLIAM C. MORELAND was removed in gale force winds on October 19, 1910, by the Portage life saving crew.

On October 19, 1923, SAMUEL MATHER was driven onto Gull Rock on Lake Superior near Keweenaw Point during a snowstorm and gale winds. The crew was safely removed from the badly exposed steamer on October 21st by the Eagle Harbor life saving crew. Renamed b.) PATHFINDER in 1925, sold Canadian in 1964, renamed c.) GODERICH, d.) SOO RIVER TRADER and e.) PINEGLEN in 1982. Scrapped at Port Maitland, Ontario in 1984.

Michigan Limestone's self-unloader B. H. TAYLOR sailed from Lorain on her maiden voyage on October 19, 1923. She was renamed b.) ROGERS CITY in 1957, and scrapped at Recife, Brazil in 1988.

On October 19, 1868, PARAGON (wooden schooner, 212 tons, built in 1852, at Oshawa, Ontario as a brig) was being towed up the St. Clair River by the tug WILLIAM A MOORE with a load of lumber in the company of four other barges. During a gale, the tow was broken up. While the tug MOORE was trying to regain the tows, she collided with PARAGON causing severe damage. Four were drowned, but two were rescued by the Canadian gunboat/tug PRINCE ALFRED. PARAGON was then towed into Sarnia, but she sank there and was abandoned in place.

October 19, 1919 - ANN ARBOR NO 4, while on the Grand Haven to Milwaukee run, got caught in a gale, stretching the normal 6-hour crossing to 27 hours.

On October 19,1876, MASSILON (3-mast wooden schooner with foretop and topgallant sails, 130 foot, 298 gross tons, built in 1857, at Cleveland, Ohio, as a bark) was sailing from Kelley's Island for Chicago with limestone when she sprang a leak 20 miles above Pointe aux Barques at the mouth of Saginaw Bay. She was abandoned at about 2:00 a.m. and then sank. The crew was in an open boat until 7 a.m. when they were rescued by the tug VULCAN.

On October 19, 1873, JOHN F. RUST (wooden schooner-barge, 161 foot, 347 gross tons, built in 1869, at East Saginaw, Michigan) was carrying lumber in tow of the steamer BAY CITY in a storm when she broke her towline and went ashore a few miles north of Lakeport, Michigan.

1901: The wooden freighter STATE OF MICHIGAN, a) DEPERE sank off Whitehall, MI enroute to Manistee to load salt. A piston rod had broken and fractured the hull the previous day and the vessel went down slowly. All on board were saved.

1905: KALIYUGA foundered in Lake Huron with the loss of 18 lives. The ore laden steamer was enroute to Cleveland.

1905: SIBERIA sank in a storm on Lake Erie while eastbound with a cargo of grain. All on board were saved.

1916: The wooden schooner D.L. FILER, loaded with coal and enroute from Buffalo to Saugatuck, MI, became waterlogged and sank near the mouth of the Detroit River 3.5 miles east of Bar Point Light. The vessel settled in shallow water with the crew clinging to the masts. The forward mast cracked throwing the sailors into the water and all 6 were lost. Only the captain on the after mast survived.

1947: MANCHESTER CITY went aground off Cap Saumon, QC, while inbound from the United Kingdom with freight, 12 passengers and a crew of 50. The ship stranded in fog and the passengers were removed safely before the vessel was lightered. The vessel made 17 trips through the Seaway from 1959 to 1963 before being scrapped at Faslane, Scotland, in 1964.

1981: ELSIE WINCK first came through the Seaway in 1962. It was bombed and sunk at Bandar Khomeini, Iran, as e) MOIRA on this date and was a total loss.

On October 18, 1869, GERALDINE (3-mast wooden schooner, 232 tons, built in 1856, at Wilson, New York as a bark) was carrying coal from Buffalo to Detroit in heavy weather. During the night, she collided with the schooner E. M. PORTCH five miles below "The Cut" at Long Point on Lake Erie and sank in 5 minutes. The PORTCH stood by while the GERALDINE's crew got off in the yawl. No lives were lost.

ALVA C. DINKEY departed Quebec City October 18, 1980, in tandem with her former fleet mate GOVERNOR MILLER, towed by the FedNav tug CATHY B., in route to Vigo, Spain, for scrapping.

Tragedy struck on the WILLIAM C. MORELAND's fifth trip October 18, 1910, Loaded with 10,700 tons of iron ore from Superior for Ashtabula, Ohio, the vessel stranded on Sawtooth Reef off Eagle Harbor, Michigan, on Lake Superior. Visibility had been very limited due to forest fires raging on the Keweenaw Peninsula and the lake was blanketed with smoke as far as one mile off shore. The MORELAND hit so hard and at such speed that she bounced over the first reef and came to rest on a second set of rocks. The stern section was salvaged and combined with a new forward section she became b.) SIR TREVOR DAWSON in 1916. Renamed c.) CHARLES L. HUTCHINSON in 1920, d.) GENE C. HUTCHINSON in 1951, sold into Canadian registry in 1963, renamed e.) PARKDALE. Scrapped at Cartagena, Spain in 1970.

On October 18, 1896, AUSTRALASIA (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 282 foot, 1,829 gross tons, built in 1884, at W. Bay City, Michigan) was carrying 2,200 tons of soft coal when she caught fire, burned to the waterline and sank 3 miles east of Cana Island in Lake Michigan. The Bailey's Harbor Lifesavers saved her crew.

At 8 p.m., on October 18, 1844, the steamer ROCHESTER left Rochester, New York for Toronto. She encountered a severe gale about halfway there. Captain H. N. Throop had the vessel put about to return to Rochester. The gale was so severe that all thought they were lost. When they finally arrived in Rochester, the passengers were so grateful that they had survived that they published a note of gratitude to Almighty God and Captain Throop in The Rochester Daily Democrat on 19 October 1844 -- it was signed by all 18 passengers.

On October 18,1876, the schooner R. D. CAMPBELL filled with water and capsized on Lake Michigan about 10 miles from Muskegon, Michigan. The crew clung to the vessel's rigging until rescued by the tug JAMES MC GORDAN. The schooner drifted to the beach some hours later.

1905: The schooner TASMANIA became waterlogged while under tow of the steamer BULGARIA and sank in the Pelee Passage

1911: ARUNDELL had been laid up at Douglas, MI, for about 2 weeks when fire Poke out, destroying the iron hulled passenger and freight vessel.

1917: ABYSSINIA had been under tow of the MARUBA when both ships stranded at Tecumseh Shoal in heavy seas. The grain-laden vessels had been following the north shore due to high winds when they struck bottom. The barge began leaking and was pounded apart but there was no loss of life but the steamer was refloated.

1933: The wooden steam barge MANISTIQUE caught fire on Lake Huron and the remains either sank or was scuttled.

1973: The AGIOS ANTONIOS first visited the Seaway in 1972 and, as a) SILVERWEIR, had come inland beginning in 1964. The ship had loaded iron ore at Coondapoor, on the southwest coast of India, and went aground leaving for Constanza, Romania. The vessel was abandoned as a total loss.