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Post by yachtsmanwilly on May 3, 2013 5:42:34 GMT -5
Today in Great Lakes History - May 3
On May 3, 1959, the first large saltwater vessel to transit the new St. Lawrence Seaway arrived at Duluth. The RAMON DE LARINAGA of 1954, took the honors as the first salty, passing under Duluth's Aerial Bridge at 1:16 p.m., followed by a salty named the HERALD of 1943, sixteen minutes later.
In 1922, the PERE MARQUETTE 16, as the barge HARRIET B, collided with the steamer QUINCY A. SHAW, and sank off Two Harbors, Minnesota.
On 3 May 1840, CHAMPLAIN (wooden side-wheeler, 225 tons, built in 1832, at Chippewa, Ontario) was carrying general merchandise when a storm drove her ashore four miles south of St. Joseph, Michigan. Although abandoned, she was later recovered and rebuilt.
On 03 May 1883, lightning struck and set fire to the barge C F. ALLEN while she was loading at North Muskegon, Michigan. She burned to the water's edge. Her loss was valued at $6,000, but she was not insured.
1905: HESPER was blown aground in 60 mph winds near Silver Bay, MN. The vessel was carried over a reef by a giant wave and broken to pieces. All on board were rescued.
1909: The EDWIN F. HOLMES hit a dredge in the Detroit River. The 108-year-old vessel still survives as the J.B. FORD.
1941: TRAJAN had been built at Ecorse, MI as a) YAQUE in 1915. It returned to the Great Lakes as b) DORIS in 1928 taking out the head gates at Lock 13 of the Welland Canal on September 23 and was back for several trips after becoming c) TRAJAN in 1932. The vessel was bombed and sunk by German aircraft in the North Sea on this date while enroute from Blyth to London with a cargo of coal.
1961: The tug BERT VERGE was towing the retired laker FORESTDALE across Hamilton Bay to the scrapyard at Stelco when it got caught by the wind, pulled over on its beam ends and sank with the loss of 2 lives. The tug was later salvaged and survives today as a pleasure craft out of Port Dover.
1982: A fire in the officer's quarters aboard the rail car barge SCOTIA II broke out at Sarnia. The damage was repaired and the ship resumed cross-river service until making its last run in April 1995.
1987: The Polish freighter ZIEMIA BIALOSTOCKA began Great Lakes service in 1980 after 8 years of deep sea trading. The ship hit the Sidney Lanier Bridge at Brunswick, GA, on this date in 1987 with major damage to the vessel and structure. The ship last visited the Great Lakes in 1996 and arrived at Alang, India, for scrapping on September 20, 1998.
Commercial traffic picking up on Erie Canal
5/3 - The first superhighway tying the Great Lakes to the East Coast, the Erie Canal made New York into the Empire State and turned such canalside communities as Rochester and Buffalo into 19th century boom towns.
But commercial traffic fell off considerably after the 1959 opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway meant cargo ships had a direct route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. And the state’s canal system, which had carried millions of tons of cargo a year at its peak in the 1950s, has been averaging closer to 11,000 tons over the past decade, according to state Canal Corp. figures.
But today, as the canal officially opens for another season, the state’s 524-mile canal system — which is a sizable recreational and tourist attraction with the Erie Canal at the heart — is again seeing a mini-boom as a commercial superhighway.
The canals in 2012 carried slightly more than 43,000 tons of cargo, the biggest year since 1998, according to the Canal Corp. And the state agency overseeing the canal system expects that number to jump to 100,000 tons this year. Most of that will be in the form of Canadian grain entering the Oswego canal spur and heading to the Port of Albany and then down the Hudson River, said Brian U. Stratton, Canal Corp. director. “This year is going to be a tremendous step up,” Stratton said.
Due to issues such as rising fuel costs and regulations on trucking, “There’s a lot of renewed interest in inland waterway transportation,” said Deputy Director John Callaghan.
Unlike more semi traffic on the Thruway, though, more cargo traffic on the Erie Canal won’t necessarily mean more state revenues, as shippers pay a flat, $750 annual permit fee.
The Erie Canal has enjoyed more than one second act.
Before the 363-mile span stretching from Buffalo and Lake Erie to Albany and the Hudson River even was fully open in 1825, it already was overcrowded with boat traffic carrying primarily people, said Daniel F. Ward, curator of Syracuse’s Erie Canal Museum.
And when railroads became more popular, the state’s canal system became primarily a commercial superhighway, carrying finished products and commodities. Today, most of the boating traffic on the state canal system is for pleasure. According to Canal Corp. figures, of the 106,620 vessels recorded in 2012 at the various locks and lift bridges, 88,000 of them were recreational or tour boats.
“You see a constant reinvention” of the canal system, said Ward.
Rensselaer County-based New York State Marine Highway Transportation Co., one of the largest commercial shippers on the canal system, moved about 30,000 tons of cargo in 2012, and expects to more than double that this year, said co-owner Rob Goldman. While the company’s “project cargo” volumes have remained relatively stable in recent years — project cargo being big manufactured goods like industrial turbines or boilers too big to ship by rail or semi — the growth last year and expected this year has been in Canadian corn to the Sunoco ethanol plant in Oswego County, and then U.S. soybeans back to Canada, Goldman said.
In May, New York State Marine plans to do a trial run of Canadian wheat to Albany. “If it works out, I hope to get commitments to continue that,” Goldman said.
With such growing traffic, New York State Marine this year is launching the fourth boat in its fleet. “We’re really getting stretched,” Goldman said.
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Badger shake down cruise Thursday
5/3 - Ludington, Mich. - Lake Michigan carferry Badger slipped through the blue waters of Lake Michigan Thursday on its shake-down cruise in preparation to start its 2013 sailing season Monday.
Everyone in the office and on the ship has been working very hard in preparation of the season, a Facebook post from the SS Badger stated.
The Badger is sailing earlier this year mostly due to a contract to transport wind turbine components from a Manitowoc, Wisconsin manufacturer across Lake Michigan (for) points east. It will carry passengers, too, but services will be limited until May 17, the Badgers customer appreciation day and start of full passenger service.
This is the 60th season for the SS Badger.
Ludington Daily News
Port Reports - May 3
Green Bay, Wis. - Wendell Wilke Thursday the Cuyahoga arrived at Fox River Dock, Green Bay, at 11 a.m. with salt.
Milwaukee Wis. - Chris Gaziano The tug G.L. Ostrander and barge Integrity departed Thursday morning and made their way south for Chicago.
South Chicago, Ill. - Matt M Algocanada arrived Monday morning and made its way to Kinder Morgan. It left Wednesday mid-morning, passing the Lee A. Tregurtha loading at KCBX. On Thursday morning, two G-Tugs assisted the Algowood down the Calumet stern first with a load of salt for a dock below 106th St.
Sandusky and Marblehead, Ohio - Jim Spencer Sam Laud loaded Thursday at Sandusky's NS coal dock. At the LaFarge Marblehead stone dock, Calumet loaded overnight Wednesday and sailed to Cleveland.
Huron, Ohio - Jim Spencer The Philip R. Clarke Great Lakes fleet, was discharging a Stoneport load at the Huron Lime Co. dock.
Buffalo, N.Y. - Brian W. The 635-foot Great Republic made her first trip to Lackawanna with her new name Thursday and was also the first commercial vessel to call at the Gateway Metroport for the 2013 shipping season.
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Post by yachtsmanwilly on May 4, 2013 6:42:16 GMT -5
Today in Great Lakes History - May 4
On May 4, 1958, the JOHN SHERWIN entered service. The SHERWIN has now been in lay-up for half of her life on the Great Lakes. She last sailed on November 16, 1981.
On her maiden voyage May 4, 1976, the ST. CLAIR departed Sturgeon Bay for Escanaba, Michigan, to load 39,803 gross tons of iron ore pellets for Indiana Harbor, Indiana arriving there on May 5th.
The OREFAX ran aground on May 4, 1963, way off course near Manistique, Michigan. She was lightered and pulled off by the Roen Salvage Co. and made her way to Toronto, Ontario, where she discharged her cargo and left for repairs.
The tanker VENUS, a.) MARTHA E. ALLEN of 1928 suffered an explosion on May 4, 1972, when the crew was cleaning tanks while at anchor waiting for the fog to lift about seven miles west of the Eisenhower Lock in the Seaway. Two explosions rocked the ship, killing her skipper, Captain Stanley, and injuring three crewmen.
On 04 May 1839, ATLAS (wooden schooner, built in 1836, at Dexter, New York) was carrying building stone from Chaumont Bay to Oswego, New York, when she foundered 6 miles from Oswego. The steamer TELEGRAPH rushed out of Oswego to assist her but only found a little flotsam. All five on board were lost: Capt. Asahel Wescott, Ortha Little, William Ackerman, John Lee and Asa Davis (a passenger).
1889: The new Canadian Pacific steamer MANITOBA was launched at Owen Sound.
1911: The STEPHEN M. CLEMENT sank the ERWIN L. FISHER in a collision on the Detroit River. The former last sailed as PEAVEY PIONEER and was scrapped in 1968-1969.
1968: The Swedish freighter BRORIVER made 9 trips to the Great Lakes in 1965-1966. It was sold and renamed d) THALIA later in 1966 and caught fire on the Atlantic on this date in 1968. The blaze originated in the engine room but gutted the ship. It was abandoned the next day and was eventually towed to Dakar, Senegal, where it was forced to anchor 8 miles out, as officials did not want it in the port. The vessel later sank at the anchorage.
Port Reports - May 4
Holland, Mich. - Bob VandeVusse Undaunted and Pere Marquette 41 made an unannounced visit to Holland Thursday morning, opening commercial navigation for 2013. The pair delivered a cargo of aggregate from Drummond Island to the Verplank dock.
Grand Haven, Mich. - Dick Fox Wilfred Sykes delivered a cargo to Verplank's dock in Ferrysburg Friday morning. Pere Marquette 41 was expected later and the Mississagi and Manitowoc are expected early next week.
Saginaw River- Todd Shorkey The tug Gregory J. Busch, assisted by a few front-end loaders, moved the USS Edson on Friday about 200 yards further upriver. Edson now rests in front of the North Star dock, up from the Essexville Wirt Sand & Stone Dock, where she has been since she arrived on the Saginaw River last summer. The USS Edson's permanent home, just below the Independence Bridge in Bay City is still not 100 percent complete. It is not known why the short move upriver today, but the water is somewhat deeper there, and it is assumed the move was in preparation for the move to her permanent dock when complete.
Toronto, Ont. - Jens Juhl Friday morning the saltie Whistler departed after discharging a cargo of sugar at Redpath. Early this week, Technicore workers hoisted the tunnel boring machines Chip and Dale out of the airportside tunnel shaft. Working in tandem, the two machines had completed boring service tunnels #6 and #7. This completes the seven service tunnel arch which will form the roof of the pedestrian tunnel.
Montreal – Rene Beauchamp The new Canadian Coast Guard ship Corporal Teather C.V. arrived in Montreal on Friday.
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Post by ppat324 on May 6, 2013 18:31:47 GMT -5
May 5, 1904 the Crisp Point Light on Lake Superior went into service.
The WILLIAM CLAY FORD (Hull#300) was launched at River Rouge, Michigan, by Great Lakes Engineering Works, May 5, 1953, for the Ford Motor Co.
On May 5, 1980, the SHARON, a.) ARCHERS HOPE of 1945, grounded in the Trenton Channel of the Detroit River. She was freed on May 7th and proceeded to Monroe, Michigan, and was laid up there on May 8, 1980. No repairs were made and she never sailed again.
On May 5, 1914, the GEORGE F. BAKER was traveling down bound in Lake Superior in dense fog with 10,500 tons of iron ore from Ashland, Wisconsin. She ran hard aground on Sawtooth Reef off Eagle River, on Upper Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula.
May 5, 1914 - An unusual cargo, two "Jack Johnsons" (Navy guns) were hauled by the PERE MARQUETTE 17.
The small schooner ST PETER was loaded with grain when she sank 35 miles from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on 5 May 1874. The crew reached shore in the yawl.
The steam barge KITTIE M. FORBES was launched in Bay City, Michigan, on 5 May 1883. She was owned by Capt. William Forbes and named for his daughter. Her keel was laid on 1 December 1882. Her dimensions were 195 feet keel, 209 foot overall, 35 foot beam and 14 foot depth. Her engine was built by Samuel F. Hodge.
On 05 May 1902, MILWAUKEE (steel propeller freighter, 325 foot, 3,327 gross tons) was launched at the Chicago Ship Building Company (Hull #55) at South Chicago, Illinois, for the Western Transit Co. She lasted until 1940, when she was scrapped at Hamilton, Ontario.
1960: The coastal freighter FEDERAL EXPRESS had been built at Midland in 1944 as H.M.C.S. WEST YORK. It was hit at the dock in Montreal on this date in 1960 by the Swedish freighter POLARIS, drifted downstream and sank. The stern was raised August 12, 1960, and the remainder of the hull came up in pieces.
1964: The downbound bulk carrier ERNEST T. WEIR sustained damage to the port bow when it collided with tanker MERCURY in Lake St. Clair. The latter had sheered to the left, went aground after the accident and developed a list. Both ships were repaired and ERNEST T. WEIR survives today as the idle self-unloader AMERICAN FORTITUDE.
1978: JALAVIHAR first visited the Great Lakes in 1966 under the flag of India. It ran aground in the Red Sea as d) KATERINA on this date in 1978. After being released it continued to Palermo, Italy, where it was declared beyond economical repair and was eventually scrapped at Split, Yugoslavia.
2009: VICTORIA first came through the Seaway in September 2004. On May 5, 2009, the ship, loaded with 10,000 metric tonnes of rice and its crew of 11 Romanian sailors, were captured by pirates, about 75 miles south of Yemen and held hostage. After the payment of a reported $1.8 million ransom, the vessel was released on July 18, 2009. It was back on the Great Lakes in 2011.
Willy has been too busy....ppat
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Post by ppat324 on May 6, 2013 18:32:21 GMT -5
On May 6, 1984 the CANADIAN RANGER sailed from Port Weller on her maiden voyage to load coal at Toledo, Ohio.
In 1944 the HILDA (2) and the barge MAITLAND NO.1 started the rescue operation of freighter GEORGE M. HUMPHREY (1) which sank in a collision with the D.M. CLEMSON (2) in the Straits of Mackinac.
This day in 1923 the EDWIN E. SLICK was struck by the steamer J. LEONARD REPLOGLE in the ice on Whitefish Bay, Lake Superior.
The HARVEY D. GOULDER entered service on May 6, 1906.
On May 6, 1934 the ROYALTON (1) helped rescue the steamer TEN, which had lost power in a Lake Superior ice field and required a tow to safety.
On May 6, 1975 while unloading iron ore at Conneaut, Ohio, a leg and bucket from No.2 Hulett gave way and fell into the RALPH H. WATSON's cargo hold. A crane was rigged to remove the wreckage. A nine by twelve foot patch was required on her port side tank, which was holed in the accident.
On 6 May 1847, CUBA (wooden schooner, 89 foot, 139 tons, built in 1844 at Peninsula, New York as a brig) was carrying wheat near Point Breeze, New York in Lake Ontario when she was run down and sunk in a collision with the steamer GENESEE CHIEF. No lives were lost.
On 6 May 1858, the barkentine E.S. ADAMS began her voyage from Amherstburg, Ontario to London, England with a load of walnut timber. The transatlantic portion of the voyage took only 26 days and the vessel was back on the lakes in September 1858.
EASTLAND was launched on 06 May 1903 at the Jenks Ship Building Company (Hull #25) at Port Huron, Michigan for the Michigan Steamship Company. She was christened by Mrs. Frances E. Perene.
1914 CITY OF ROME caught fire in Lake Erie and the blaze spread quickly. The vessel was run aground near Ripley, NY and the 15-member crew took to the lifeboats and rowed ashore. The 33-year old wooden freighter was a total loss.
1977 The West German freighter SUSANNE FRITZEN made 19 trips through the Seaway from 1963 through 1967. The vessel arrived at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with engine trouble as c) MARGRIT B. on this date in 1977. It remained idle and had to be towed to Piraeus, Greece, and laid up in 1978. The ship left there February 15, 1979, for the scrapyard in Barcelona, Spain.
1988 The Cypriot flag freighter PONTOKRATIS was under tow and downbound in the Little Calumet River at Chicago when the CSX railroad bascule bridge ended up across the stern cabin and pilothouse. There were no injuries and both sides launched a lawsuit. The vessel was released May 16 and continued to visit the Seaway as late as 2006. It renamed NAVIGATOR M. in 2010.
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Post by ppat324 on May 6, 2013 18:34:12 GMT -5
The Badger sailed today!!
SS Badger boilers fired up, engine crew gets carferry ready for Monday start of season
5/6 - Ludington, Mich. - They’re below deck and out of sight for the most part, but the SS Badger’s 21-person engine department keeps the carferry operating.
On Sunday the engine crew was wrapping up its start-of-season preparations and to getting ready to see how that off-season work will perform.
The season begins at 9 a.m. Monday when the Badger makes its first trip of the year to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and back, returning to Ludington about 7 p.m. The carferry is starting the season earlier than usual this year as it has a job hauling wind turbine parts for a Manitowoc manufacturer.
In preparation for that start, the crew, with a little help from the only two women on board Sunday morning, Patti Klevorn of the Ludington Daily News and Terri Brown, Lake Michigan Carferry’s marketing/media relations director, lit two of the four boilers, with a plan to light the third a little later in the day.
That was a full day before Monday morning’s start of the season.
“We like to get everything up and running and get it settled,” said Senior Chief Engineer Chuck Cart, who’s been running the engine department for 17 years.
Three of the carferry’s four boilers run at a time with the fourth as a backup during the sailing season.
Sunday afternoon the crew switched mode to the routine they’ll have for the sailing season.
They work four-hour watches, then take an eight-hour break before going back on. It helps keep the crew sharp, especially in the heat of the season. And it gets hot in the belly of a coal-fired ship.
The crew tested the boilers last week and had the ship running, then went on its “shakedown” cruise to check that all was working well before making the first cross-lake trip of the year Monday.
It’s no small task to prepare and operate the 60-year-old vessel.
It took 15 to 20 people about 700 man-hours and $300,000 in the off-season, replacing cylinder liners, where the piston rings ride in each cylinder. The original liners have been polished up and even bored out but never replaced until now.
The goal is to increase reliability, efficiency and increase the life of the piston rings, Cart said, which should keep replacement costs down. A set of rings, he said, costs $7,000.
“That allows the flexibility to spend the money somewhere else,” he said.
Cart is eager to find out just how well the newly renovated system works.
“Everything ran well on the (shakedown cruise),” he said. Still, he’ll wonder until the liners have some time under way.
“it’ll be a while before we know if it accomplishes all of our goals,” he said. “We spent an awful lot of the company’s money so we’d like to know (how it’s going to pay off).”
“That was significant,” Cart said of the project.
“This company has been really good about putting money into the ship” he said. “We’ve made a lot of major repairs over the years just due to the age and use of the ship.”
The crew will have a massive project during the next two years, converting the ship to hold onto its waste ash until docking, when it can be hauled away, rather than releasing it into Lake Michigan.
Part of the changeover will include automating the fuel feed system. For now, everything is done manually, but the automation will help reduce the amount of coal used. That’s critical as the U.S. EPA and Lake Michigan Carferry have agreed to a drop in the coal use as part of a consent decree now before the U.S. Department of Justice. The plan calls for coal ash will be fully contained and brought to shore at the end of cross-lake trips within two years.
How does automation help drop the use of coal? Cart gave a truck analogy.
That old 1968 Chevy was easy to work on but was not very fuel efficient. A 2013 is more automated and tougher to tinker with, but it is more efficient, he said.
“It should not actually cost us any positions,” Cart said.
He anticipates he’ll still need his full crew, but their jobs will be a lot different than they are today.
“What we make better on the automation system, we’re going to trade off with extra work on the containment system,” Cart said.
The crew is also using a very high grade of coal, he said.
“We’ll have to be careful with our management,” he said. “It’s very much like driving your car. If you’re concerned with your gas mileage maybe you should not go as fast. There are ways to manage the coal but unlike your car we also have to respond to the conditions on the lake and we also have to maintain a schedule for passengers. If we have a day where the situation asks us to use more fuel then we have to find a day where we can (use less).”
While the lake’s conditions and ship-to-shore schedules play an important role, fuel consumption will be a factor in the speed as well.
The boiler room is a tight fit as it is. Where will the stored coal ash go? Some room will become available as the old coal ash waste system is removed.
But there is much more room needed than that for the new containment system, which will also take space on the car deck. The room is there, but it will take away from what’s available for passenger cars.
During the height of the season and demand for that space is strong, it will mean a loss of that revenue from vehicles that otherwise would have made the voyage.
“It’s going to cost us revenue space,” Cart said.
“The containment system will be partially on the car deck,” he said. “There’s no room in the boiler room and we need to be able to move the containment, so it’ll have to be on the car deck. It’s going to impact our ability in the summertime when we have full loads. It’s going to be less of a load than it was.”
There’s been a lot more attention on the Badger’s fuel system of late since the EPA began permitting (and not permitting) discharges from vessels. Some of the attention has been critical.
That’s OK, Cart said.
Most of the criticism comes from a lack of understanding, he said.
He wants the public to understand the carferry was built to regulation 60 years ago and has been modified to meet every standard since then.
LMC has spent a lot of money and time and recruited a lot of talent looking at every possibility to meet the latest EPA regulations. “I think we’ve done a good job,” Cart said of the plan.
Two of his crew are new to the engine department but not to the Badger. Nick Genter and Josh Bonnett now work below deck. Cart said the department tends to hire from within.
Once employees get jobs with LMC, they tend to stick with them.
“I think that says a lot about the operation,” Terri Brown said.
Ludington Daily News
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Post by ppat324 on May 7, 2013 10:34:57 GMT -5
ALGOPORT (Hull#217) was launched at Collingwood, Ontario, by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., May 7, 1979 for Algoma Central Railway.
HUTCHCLIFFE HALL entered service on May 7, 1954.
A.M. BYERS (Hull#448) was launched May 7, 1910 at Cleveland, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. for the North American Steamship Co. (R.A. Williams, mgr.). Renamed b.) CLEMENS A. REISS in 1959 and c.) JACK WIRT in 1970.
May 7, 1903 - The Benton Harbor, Coloma & Paw Paw Lake Railway was purchased by the Pere Marquette Railroad.
May 7, 1929 - The Pere Marquette notified Ludington it was interested in buying the frontage on Pere Marquette Lake that had been used by the Monroe Body Company. The city council asked $25,000 for the property, and the railroad agreed. Work on the No. 3 slip began a few months later.
On 7 May 1874, the schooner JENNIE MATHEWS was launched at Hardison's yard in Port Huron, Michigan. The launch started very slowly but with the help of men pulling on ropes, the vessel slid into the Black River nicely. Her first skipper was Capt. McGifford and her owner was Mr. Hardison. On 07 May 1954, official ground-breaking ceremonies were held for the Mackinac Bridge. It was completed three and a half years later.
1891: ¬The new Canadian Pacific steamer MANITOBA, although built in 1889, had been laid up due to a recession and finally sailed on her maiden voyage on this date in 1891.
1935: ¬A fire aboard ALEXANDER LESLIE at the port of Erieau, Ont., killed one member of the crew and injured two others.
1965: CEDARVILLE and TOPDALSFJORD collided in fog in the Straits of Mackinac. Ten lives were lost when the former, a self-unloader in the Bradley fleet, sank. The latter, a Norwegian freighter, had been a Seaway trader since 1960. Later, on May 11, 1984, as d) JIN XIAN QUAN, it sank the SEA CARRIER, another former Seaway trader as SVANEFJELL, in the Strait of Formosa off Taishan Island. TOPDALSFJORD was last noted as e) CHANGHI and was deleted from Lloyd's Register in 2005.
1998: CANADIAN ENTERPRISE loaded a record 32,366 tons of road salt at Goderich for delivery to Milwaukee.
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Post by ppat324 on May 8, 2013 12:11:33 GMT -5
The 1,000-foot COLUMBIA STAR was christened May 8, 1981, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, for Columbia Transportation Div., Oglebay Norton Co.
EDGAR B. SPEER (Hull#908) was launched May 8, 1980, at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. for Connecticut Bank & Trust Co. (U.S. Steel Corp., mgr.), after long delay because of labor strife.
The FRED R. WHITE JR was christened May 8, 1979, and was named for Oglebay Norton's then vice-chairman of the board.
On May 8, 1979, the ASHLAND struck the north entry pier of the Duluth Ship Canal while outbound loaded. Thick ice blowing in from Lake Superior had interfered with her maneuverability. She dropped her anchor to lessen the impact but drifted over the flukes ripping a two by five foot hole in her bottom port side forward. She was inspected and repaired at the Duluth Port Terminal. One anchor was lost.
The CHAMPLAIN's starboard side was damaged when she sideswiped the Swedish steamer BROLAND near the lower end of the St. Clair River cut-off, May 8, 1963.
May 8. 1936 – The Pere Marquette Railway Co. announced plans to construct a new million dollar ferry dock at Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The 3-masted wooden schooner FRANK C. LEIGHTON was launched at 10:30 a.m. on 8 May 1875, at Dunford & Leighton's yard in Port Huron, eight months after work on her began. She was launched complete except for her mizzen mast, which was just about ready to go in position. She was named for Capt. Leighton's son. Her dimensions were 138 foot keel, 145 foot overall, 26 foot beam and 12 foot depth. She cost $20,000 and was owned by Dunford & Leighton.
The 254-foot wooden freighter AMAZON was launched at A. A. Turner's yard at Trenton, Michigan, on 8 May 1873.
On 08 May 1929, GEORGE W. PARKER wooden propeller sandsucker, 105 foot, 143 gross tons, built in 1903, at Marine City, Michigan by A. Anderson for Fishback Plaster Co., formerly a.) L. G. POWELL) was destroyed by fire and sank in the channel 6 miles south of Algonac, Michigan. Her crew escaped in the yawl.
1916: S.R. KIRBY was downbound in a Lake Superior storm when it was struck by two huge waves, broke its back and foundered. The composite hulled freighter sank quickly and only two of the 22 on board survived.
1918: The Norwegian freighter POLLUX came to the Great Lakes in 1907. It was torpedoed as b) DUX by U-54 about 7 miles northwest of Godrevy Lighthouse while carrying coal from Swansea, UK to LaRochelle, France.
1934: The hull of the first CANADOC was punctured when the ship went hard aground at St. Joseph's Island. The vessel was later freed, drydocked and repaired.
1938: JAMES B. FOOTE hit a dock at Chicago, under tow of the tug KANSAS, while loaded with corn for Sorel. The rudder, stock and a propeller blade were lost.
1942: The Hall Corp. canaller MONT LOUIS was torpedoed and sunk in the Caribbean by U-162 with the loss of 13 lives. Only 8 survived by clinging to the wreckage. The ship was carrying bauxite from Dutch Guiana to Trinidad when it was attacked and it sank so quickly that the lifeboats could not be launched.
1949: The E.C. COLLINS and HENRY FORD II were in a collision in the St.Clair River.
1967 ELIN HOPE had been chartered to the Ontario Paper Company to carry newsprint from Baie Comeau to New York from 1950 to 1953. The ship came to the Great Lakes as b) PROCYON in 1961 and arrived at Madras, India, as c) KR ASHOK with the cargo of coal on fire on this date in 1967. The vessel settled on the bottom during firefighting operations. It was refloated May 19 and eventually scrapped at Madras in 1968.
1978: The third OUTARDE went aground in the St. Lawrence near Buoy 41-M and was not released until May 16. There was only minor damage to the ship
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Post by ppat324 on May 9, 2013 10:49:34 GMT -5
The JOHN J BOLAND (Hull# 417) was launched May 9, 1953 at Manitowoc, Wisconsin by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. for the American Steamship Co. making way for the keel of the DETROIT EDISON (2) to be laid. The BOLAND was renamed b.) SAGINAW in 1999.
On May 9, 1951 the CLIFFS VICTORY arrived at the South Chicago yard of the American Ship Building Co. completing her 37-day, 3,000 mile journey from Baltimore, Maryland. There her deck houses, stack, masts, deck machinery, rudder and propeller were installed and the floatation pontoons removed.
The ROBERT C. NORTON (2) was laid up on May 9, 1980 for the last time at the Hans Hansen Dock at Toledo, Ohio.
PETER REISS (Hull#522) was launched at Superior, Wisconsin by Superior Ship Building Co., on May 9, 1910 for the North American Steamship Co. (Reiss Coal Co.).
On 9 May 1864, AMAZON (2-mast wooden brig, 93 foot, 172 tons, built in 1837 at Port Huron, Michigan as a schooner) was carrying coal from Cleveland for Lake Superior when she went out of control in a storm just as she was leaving the St. Clair River for Lake Huron. She was driven ashore near Point Edward, Ontario and was broken up by the wave action. At the time of her loss, she was considered the oldest working schooner on the Lakes.
May 9, 1900: The carferry PERE MARQUETTE (15) began carferry service to Milwaukee for the Pere Marquette Railway.
On Friday night, 9 May 1873, the schooner CAPE HORN collided with the new iron propeller JAVA off Long Point on Lake Erie. The schooner sank quickly. The only life lost was that of the cook.
On 09 May 1872, the CUBA (iron propeller bulk freighter, 231 foot, 1526 gross tons) was launched at King Iron Works in Buffalo, New York for the Holt and Ensign Commercial Line. Innovations in her design included water-tight compartments for water ballast, 4 water-tight bulkheads that could be closed if the hull were damaged, and a new fluted signal lamp that could be seen for 13 miles. She was powered by two 350 HP engines. She was a very successful vessel and lasted until 1947 when she was scrapped. She was renamed b.) IONIC in 1906 and c.) MAPLEBRANCH in 1920. Converted to a tanker in 1935. Scrapped at Sorel, Quebec in 1946-7.
1906 – The schooner ARMENIA was wrecked in Lake Erie near Colchester Reef when it began leaking in a storm while under tow of the FRED PABST on the first trip of the season. The ore-laden barge was cut loose but all on board were saved. The wreck was later struck by the CHARLES B. PACKARD on September 16, 1906, leading to the latter's demise.
1926 – While backing from the NHB Elevator in Port Colborne, the JOHN P. REISS struck the A.D. MacBETH at the dock, damaging the latter's stem.
1964 – The small ferries JOHN A. McPHAIL and JAMES CURRAN broke loose while under tow of the G.W. ROGERS and sank in a storm off the mouth of Saginaw Bay. They were en-route to Kingston from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., for a new service to Wolfe Island.
1974 – The coastal freighter ST. PIERRE ran aground in the old Lachine Canal at Montreal, was holed, capsized and sank. The vessel was broken up on location later in the year.
2011 – The Erie, Pa.-based passenger excursion ship VICTORIAN PRINCESS sustained major fire damage when a welding torch ignited materials in the engine room. The ship was out of the water and on blocks for maintenance work when the blaze broke out. The vessel missed the 2011 season.
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Post by ppat324 on May 10, 2013 7:47:57 GMT -5
1923 – The H.A. ROCK of the Forest City Steamship Co., went aground in Georgian Bay. The vessel was taken to drydock where the plates were removed, re-rolled and put back. The ship was idle May 18 to June 1 and the cost was $13,707.60.
Steamer COLUMBIA (Hull#148) was launched in 1902 by the Detroit Ship Building Co., Wyandotte, Michigan. The steamer was built for day excursions between Detroit and Bob-Lo Island. The vessel has been in lay-up since September 2, 1991 at Nicholson's Terminal.
On May 10, 1981, the WILLIAM J. DELANCEY entered service for Interlake Steamship Co.. She became the largest vessel on the Great Lakes at that time, and at least in the last 130 years, she has held the honor of being the largest vessel on the Great Lakes longer than any other vessel. Renamed b.) PAUL R TREGURTHA in 1990.
On 10 May 1858, LEMUEL CRAWFORD (3 mast wooden bark, 135 foot, 450 tons, built in 1855, at Black River, Ohio) was carrying wheat from Chicago to Buffalo. She ran into a heavy gale and went out of control near Pelee Passage and struck a reef 1-1/2 miles off East Sister Island in Lake Erie. She began to sink immediately and the 13 onboard scrambled up her masts and lashed themselves to her rigging. After two days, they were finally rescued by the tug R R ELIOTT out of Detroit.
May 10, 1922 -- The ANN ARBOR NO 4 ran aground at Green Isle. She was released with no damage.
The first Welland Canal was opened between St. Catharine's and Lake Ontario on 10 May 1828. The first vessel to navigate this route was the schooner WELLAND CANAL. This was a new vessel having been launched at St. Catharines, Ontario on 24 April 1828.
On 10 May 1898, ISAAC LINCOLN (wooden propeller freighter, 134 foot, 376 gross tons) was launched at Anderson's yard in Marine City, Michigan for A. F. Price of Freemont, Michigan and Capt. Egbert of Port Huron, Michigan. She cost $40,000. She lasted until 1931, when she was abandoned.
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Post by ppat324 on May 11, 2013 9:15:07 GMT -5
On May 11, 1953, the HENRY STEINBRENNER went down in Lake Superior near Isle Royale with 17 of her 31 crewmembers. The storm followed an unseasonably warm and humid stretch of weather in northern Minnesota for that time of year, which fueled the storm's fast growth. The high temperature of 87 degrees set in Grand Marais, Minnesota on May 8, 1953, still stands as that town's all-time record high for the month of May, and it is just eight degrees shy of the town's all-time record for any month.
The 144 foot, 3-mast, wooden bark JESSE HOYT was launched at East Saginaw, Michigan, by Smith & Whitney on 11 May 1854. Later in her career, she was converted to a schooner and lasted until 1896, when she sank in Lake Michigan in a collision.
The A. WESTON (wooden steam barge, 164 foot, 511 gross tons) left Mount Clemens, Michigan on her maiden voyage on 11 May 1882. She was built by William Dulac. Her hull was painted black. She was powered by a single 28 inch x 32 inch engine and she was designed for the lumber trade. She was sold Canadian in 1909, and was renamed CONGERCOAL. She lasted until she burned to a total loss at Fair Haven, New York on 10 May 1917.
On 11 May 1886, OSSIFRAGE (wooden propeller passenger-package freight steamer, 123 foot, 383 gross tons) was launched by F. W. Wheeler & Co. (Hull #26) at West Bay City, Michigan. She was rebuilt a number of times and ended her days on salt water. While being towed in the Northumberland Strait in the Atlantic Ocean, she struck a shoal and foundered in September 1919.
1934 – KEYBAR ran aground above the Canadian Lock at Sault Ste. Marie and was stuck for 12 hours. Part of the cargo of grain was lightered before the ship floated free. The vessel was scrapped at Port Dalhousie in 1963.
1945 – MOYRA began Great Lakes trading in 1931. It was owned by the Government of Newfoundland when fire broke out in the St. Lawrence east of Quebec City on this date in 1945. The ship was beached off Ile d'Orleans and was heavily damaged. The vessel was rebuilt at Montreal and sold to Norwegian interests as b) HEIKA returning to the Great Lakes in 1953. It also visited as c) MARISCO in 1957 and foundered in the Gulf of Laconia, Greece, while en route from Varna, Bulgaria, to Genoa, Italy, with iron ore on October 20, 1959.
1974 – While outbound in the Cuyahoga River, a fire broke out aboard the GEORGE D. GOBLE. The Kinsman Lines bulk carrier was docked and the blaze was extinguished with about $2,500 in damage.
1987 – LONDON FUSILIER, an SD-14, was a year old when it first came through the Seaway in 1973. Fire broke out in #5 hold while unloading at Hamburg, West Germany, as c) HER LOONG on this date in 1987 resulting in extensive damage. The ship was towed to Valencia, Spain, in July 1987 and scrapped.
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