Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

See previous page for regular news; now this...


Just in case yer interested in the story of the NEW towboat that went over the dam on the upper Mississippi River earlier, theres a news story and a bunch of imbedded links about is as well... ws

www.news8000.com/news/capsized-tugboat-moved-from-lock-dam-no-7/-/326/21004706/-/4aldyjz/-/index.html

[yachtsmanwilly]

Sails on the St. Marys at Sault Ste. Marie this weekend

7/18 - Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. - Visitors from throughout the area can enjoy three days of historical tourism Friday-Sunday, when three War of 1812 Tall Ship replicas dock in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

Produced in partnership with the Tall Ships Challenge Great Lakes 2013 series, the Sails on the St. Marys Tall Ships 1812 Tour commemorates the War of 1812.

Three ships, replicas of War of 1812-era American vessels Lynx, Pride of Baltimore II and U.S. Brig Niagara, will dock at Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., in front of the Roberta Bondar Pavilion Friday. Visitors will be able to tour the Tall Ships and enjoy History Fest at the Pavilion.

Tours of the Tall Ships and History Fest activities at Bondar run July 20 and 21. Re-enactors, dressed in War of 1812-era clothing, will fill Bondar Pavilion and surrounding areas. Admission will be $18 for a family for two days, $8 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, with children five and under admitted for free.

Soo Today




Today in Great Lakes History - July 18

On this day in 1974, Interlake Steamship decommissioned the COLONEL JAMES PICKANDS after 48 years of service due to continuing problems with her boilers and engines.

AGAWA CANYON struck an abutment at Welland Canal's Bridge 11, at Allanburg, Ontario, on July 18, 1977, while downbound with salt for Kingston, Ontario, and sustained a 30-foot gash just above the waterline at the port bow.

The canal tanker COMET (Hull#705) of the American Ship Building Co., at Lorain, Ohio, entered service on July 18, 1913, for ocean service. Sold Mexican and renamed b.) COMETA in 1928. She returned to the lakes in 1936, renamed c.) COMET for Cleveland Tankers. She was lengthened in 1940. She was scrapped at Ashtabula, Ohio, in 1973.

The WILLIAM J. FILBERT was in collision with the KINSMAN INDEPENDENT, of 1907, at the Burlington Northern Dock on July 18, 1970, when the Steel Trust steamer lost control in the current entering the slip.

The entire forward superstructure of the b.) JOHN DYKSTRA, a.) BENSON FORD of 1924, including the forecastle deck, was delivered to South Bass Island in Lake Erie on July 18, 1986, on the barge THOR 101 towed by the tug GREGORY J. BUSCH. The superstructure was moved for use as a summer home where it remains. The hull of the DYKSTRA was sold to Marine Salvage, Port Colborne, Ontario and was towed from Cleveland, Ohio, July 10th by the tugs ARGUE MARTIN and GLENBROOK to Ramey's Bend arriving there on July 12, 1986, where she was scrapped.

WILLIAM A. REISS was launched July 18, 1925, as a.) JOHN A. TOPPING (Hull#251) at River Rouge, Michigan, by Great Lakes Engineering Works for the Columbia Steamship Co.

WILLIAM G. MATHER completed her sea trials on July 18, 1925.

On 18 July 1858, ANDROMEDA (2-mast wooden schooner, 112 foot, 568 tons, built in 1848, at Madison Dock, Ohio) was carrying 800 barrels of salt from Oswego to Chicago. She sprang a leak suddenly and foundered 20 miles from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The crew escaped in her boat, many just in their underwear. They arrived at Manitowoc the next day.

On 18 July 1872, the schooner D. L. COUCH of Detroit (formerly AVCORN) sank about 10 miles from Long Point on Lake Erie. Two lives were lost.

The wooden propeller freigjhter N. K. FAIRBANK (205 foot, 980 gross tons) was launched in Marine City, Michigan by W. B. Morley on 18 July 1874. She was then towed to Detroit, where her engines were installed by William Cowie. She had two direct-acting condensing engines 34 foot x 32 inches on one shaft and her boiler was installed on her main deck. She only lasted until 1895, when she stranded and burned near Port Colborne, Ontario. The remains of the hull were sold to Carter Brothers of Port Colborne and it was rebuilt and enrolled as a new vessel with the name ELIZA H. STRONG. The STRONG lasted until she burned in 1904.

1911: The wooden steamer TAMPA sank in the Detroit River after a collision with the JOHN W. GATES of U.S. Steel. The former was raised and moved to Marine City and then, after being partially dismantled, was sunk in 1915 as a breakwall to halt erosion off the Belle River.

1938: ISLET PRINCE (ii), enroute to Owen Sound for a new service, stopped for the night behind Chantry Island, Southampton, and was struck by lightning. The ship caught fire, but all on board were rescued before the vessel sank the next day.

1954: LAKE GADSDEN was built at Manitowoc, in 1919, and lost near Corrubedo Light, off the coast of Spain, as g) SAN NICOLAS after going aground. The vessel slid back into deep water and sank.

1960: IRISH MAPLE, a Great Lakes visitor beginning in 1966, sank the 479 gross ton DENBIGH COAST in the River Mersey after a collision. IRISH MAPLE remained in service until reaching the scrapyard at Karachi, Pakistan, as c) ANNOOR on October 24, 1981.

1967: NEW YORK NEWS (iii) buckled and sank while loading salt at Pugwash, NS. The ship was raised and towed to Halifax in two sections for repairs. It survives in 2012 as e) WOLF RIVER, but has not operated for years.

1984 PANAGIOTIS S., a Seaway trader beginning in 1975, suffered severe fire damage aft in the Gulf of Aden, while on a voyage from Antwerp, Belgium, to Calcutta, India. The ship was a total loss and, while sold and renamed d) OTIS, it was taken to Gadani Beach, Pakistan, for scrapping. PANAGIOTIS S. had also visited the Great Lakes as a) VIZCAYA in 1972 and EMILIA LOVERDOS in 1975.

[yachtsmanwilly]

U.S. Coast Guard evacuates crew member off John B. Aird

7/19 - Cleveland, Ohio - The Coast Guard medically evacuated a Canadian woman suffering from signs of a heart attack from a boat in Lake Erie, Thursday morning.

At 5 a.m., a search-and-rescue controller at Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, N.Y., was contacted by a SAR controller at Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Trenton, Ontario, Canada, who reported a Canadian woman suffering from signs of a heart attack aboard the 730-foot John B. Aird in Lake Erie.

The SAR controller from JRCC Trenton requested U.S. assistance, and a rescue aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Detroit was directed to launch aboard an MH-65C Dolphin helicopter. The aircrew launched from Niagara Airport, since it had already been responding to earlier emergencies and hadn't been able to return to Air Station Detroit yet.

Once on scene, the rescue aircrew hoisted the woman into the helicopter and transported her to a Windsor, Ontario, airport, where emergency medical services were waiting to take her to a local hospital. The woman was last known to be in good condition.




Former Canadian Provider arrives for scrapping

7/19 - The former Algoma Provider arrived at Aliaga, Turkey, behind the tug VB Artico and was beached at the scrapyard on July 12, 2013. The tug had pulled the retired laker out of Montreal on June 9.

The 730-foot long bulk carrier lasted for a half century. It was built at Collingwood as Hull 177 and departed the shipyard on July 18, 1963, 50 years ago Thursday. It first sailed for Canada Steamship Lines as Murray Bay and was active in the ore and grain trades. The initial cargo was 23,967 tons of iron ore taken aboard at Taconite Harbor for the Steel Company of Canada plant at Hamilton.

The vessel joined Upper Lakes Shipping as Canadian Provider in 1994 and Algoma Central Corp. as Algoma Provider in 2011. It tied up at Montreal last December and remained idle there until being sold for scrap. One of the last steamships on the Great Lakes, the name was shortened to OVI for the successful tow overseas.



Come sail away, Duluth to Chicago

7/19 - Duluth, Minn. – Want to sail on a tall ship but missed out on getting a ticket for a day sail during next week’s Tall Ships Duluth festival? Don’t despair, there’s still space to sail from Duluth to Chicago aboard the Sorlandet.

Participants will spend 12 days aboard the full-rigged ship, boarding in Duluth on July 28 and leaving the ship in Chicago on Aug. 9. From July 29 to Aug. 7, they will sail across Lake Superior, through the Soo Locks and down Lake Michigan to Chicago. Once there, they’ll take part in the parade of sail for Tall Ships Chicago and receive crew passes to the festival. Costs are $1,800 for adults 22 years and older or $1,500 for those ages 12-21, and includes three meals and snacks daily.

For more information or to register, go to sailtall.com and click on “Dates/Fees.”

The 210-foot-long, three-mast Sorlandet was launched in Norway in 1927. Built as a schoolship for the merchant marine, it served as the Norwegian pavilion during the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1933.



Beaver Island ferry Emerald Isle repaired, returns to service

7/19 - Beaver Island, Mich. – Officials with the Beaver Island Boat Company and the Beaver Island Transportation authority report that the Beaver Island ferry Emerald Isle, which has been disabled by a failed engine since June 20, has been repaired and returned to service.

Barb Schwartzfisher the authority's executive director, said repairs were completed Wednesday, followed by on-water testing and inspection by U.S. Coast Guard officials.

"This is great news," Schwartfisher wrote in an update email to the Charlevoix Courier. "The men and women of the Beaver Island Boat Company deserve great praise and credit in this. This, once again, shows us why we live on Beaver Island. These people are my heroes."

The Emerald Isle has been out of commission since one of its two engines failed shortly after departing the island late in the day on June 25. Since then the island has been relying on its secondary ferry, the Beaver Islander, with help from Keweenaw Excursions and St. James Marine barges to handle the island's marine passenger and freight transportation needs.




Today in Great Lakes History - July 19

On this day in 1970, ARTHUR B. HOMER established a new Great Lakes loading record when she loaded 27,530 tons of ore at Escanaba. This eclipsed the previous record of 27,402 tons set by the EDMUND FITZGERALD.

EDWIN H. GOTT (Hull#718) was float launched July 19, 1978, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin by Bay Shipbuilding Co. for U. S. Steel Corp.

CLARENCE B. RANDALL sailed light on her maiden voyage July 19, 1943, from Ashtabula, Ohio, bound for Two Harbors, Minnesota. She was renamed b.) ASHLAND in 1962. The ASHLAND was scrapped at Mamonel, Columbia, in 1988.

N. M. Paterson & Sons, CANADOC (Hull#627) was christened on July 19, 1961.

The registry of GORDON C. LEITCH, of 1954, was closed on July 19, 1985, as 'sold foreign'. She was scrapped at Setubal, Portugal, in 1985.

JOHN P. REISS in tandem tow with the carferry CITY OF SAGINAW 31 arrived at Castellon, Spain, prior to July 19, 1973, for scrapping.

JOSEPH S. YOUNG, a.) ARCHERS HOPE, was christened at Buffalo, New York, on July 19, 1957. The YOUNG was the first of seven T2 tanker conversions for Great Lakes service.

On 19 July 1831, the wooden schooner HENRY CLAY was carrying 800 barrels of salt and passengers from Oswego, New York to the Welland Canal on her maiden voyage when she capsized in a squall and sank about 10 miles off Port Dalhousie, Ontario, on Lake Ontario. About 11 persons were aboard and at least 6 of them lost their lives. Three were saved by the steamer CANADA.

On 19 July 1900, the name of the Toledo tug A. ANDREWS JR was changed to PALLISTER.

On 19 July 1871, J. BARBER (wooden propeller steamer, 125 foot, 306 tons, built in 1856, at Cleveland, Ohio) was carrying fruit from St. Joseph, Michigan, to Chicago when she caught fire and sank 14 miles off Michigan City, Indiana. Five lives were lost.

1893: LIZZIE A. LAW stranded in the Pelee Passage, Lake Erie, following a collision with the DAVID VANCE. It was refloated September 14.

1921: After losing her way in fog, the BINGHAMPTON stranded on Gannet Rock Ledge, near Yarmouth, NS enroute from Boston to Reval, France, and Riga, Latvia, with relief supplies. The vessel was abandoned and later caught fire. The ship had been built at Buffalo as H.J. JEWETT in 1882 and left the lakes, in 2 pieces, in 1915 for saltwater service.

1981: BERGFALCK was registered in Singapore when she first came through the Seaway in 1976. The ship was sailing as b) BERGLIND when in a collision with the CHARM off Cape Breton Island. It was taken in tow but sank July 20. The hull was later refloated and taken out to sea and scuttled in the fall.

1982: FARO, a Norwegian freighter dating from 1960, visited the Seaway in 1970. It was gutted aft from a fire that began in the galley at Ghazawet Roads, Algeria, as b) ARGOLICOS GULF. It was sold for scrap and arrived as Castellon, Spain to be dismantled on October 1, 1982.

1992: ROSARIO, a Greek flag SD 14, visited the Great Lakes in 1978. It began leaking in the Indian Ocean as c) AL RAZIQU on this date in 1992 and was escorted into Mombasa, Tanzania, on July 29. The ship was allowed to sail to Alang, India, for scrapping and, after a resale, to Karachi, Pakistan. However, the vessel was sold again, taken to Dubai for repairs, and resumed trading as d) DELTA III. It developed a heavy list as e) CHALLENGE on August 2, 1993, after leaving New Mangalore, India. Attempts to tow the ship to shallow water fell short when the hull rolled over and sank with the loss of 3 lives.

[yachtsmanwilly]

BOATNERD is off line for maintenance.... ws

[yachtsmanwilly]

Power Outage at data center knocks BoatNerd off-line

7/20 - At approximately 6:35pm Friday, July 19, our data center lost power due to a downed power line, caused by heavy storms that were in our area. The data center battery backup system kicked in immediately, followed shortly thereafter by our diesel generator.

Our hosting facility was powered by diesel generator until approximately 4:00am, when it failed, causing the data center to lose power and network connection. In turn, all equipment in the facility had a loss of service. Technicians were dispatched immediately and found the generator inoperative. The initial thoughts of depleted diesel fuel from our tank were in fact, wrong. While filling the tank, we found the fuel pickup line in the tank had developed a small hole in the lower portion of the line and had sucked in enough air that it would not suction the existing fuel in the tank. We removed the pickup line and replaced it with a new, stiffer anti-kink line that will not allow the problem to reoccur.

Some of our AIS station remain off line, we hope to have all restored by Sunday night.


U.S. Coast Guard evacuates crew member off John B. Aird

7/19 - Cleveland, Ohio - The Coast Guard medically evacuated a Canadian woman suffering from signs of a heart attack from a boat in Lake Erie, Thursday morning.

At 5 a.m., a search-and-rescue controller at Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, N.Y., was contacted by a SAR controller at Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Trenton, Ontario, Canada, who reported a Canadian woman suffering from signs of a heart attack aboard the 730-foot John B. Aird in Lake Erie.

The SAR controller from JRCC Trenton requested U.S. assistance, and a rescue aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Detroit was directed to launch aboard an MH-65C Dolphin helicopter. The aircrew launched from Niagara Airport, since it had already been responding to earlier emergencies and hadn't been able to return to Air Station Detroit yet.

Once on scene, the rescue aircrew hoisted the woman into the helicopter and transported her to a Windsor, Ontario, airport, where emergency medical services were waiting to take her to a local hospital. The woman was last known to be in good condition.


Former Canadian Provider arrives for scrapping

7/19 - The former Algoma Provider arrived at Aliaga, Turkey, behind the tug VB Artico and was beached at the scrapyard on July 12, 2013. The tug had pulled the retired laker out of Montreal on June 9.

The 730-foot long bulk carrier lasted for a half century. It was built at Collingwood as Hull 177 and departed the shipyard on July 18, 1963, 50 years ago Thursday. It first sailed for Canada Steamship Lines as Murray Bay and was active in the ore and grain trades. The initial cargo was 23,967 tons of iron ore taken aboard at Taconite Harbor for the Steel Company of Canada plant at Hamilton.

The vessel joined Upper Lakes Shipping as Canadian Provider in 1994 and Algoma Central Corp. as Algoma Provider in 2011. It tied up at Montreal last December and remained idle there until being sold for scrap. One of the last steamships on the Great Lakes, the name was shortened to OVI for the successful tow overseas.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Lay-up list tells story of a slow shipping season

7/22 - If you think shipping traffic is down this season, you’re right. Several vessels that operated in 2012 are not sailing at all this year, while others have been in and out of layup due to business conditions.

Vessels that sailed last year but haven’t fit out this season include Mapleglen, Richelieu, Saguenay, Oakglen, John G. Munson, John J. Boland, the tug-barge combo McKee Sons/Invincible, the tug-barge combo Cleveland Rocks/Bradford McKee, Phoenix Sun and Algoma Quebecois.

Vessels that did sail this season but are currently in layup include Algosteel, Algorail, Manitoba, CSL Tadoussac, Frontenac, Spruceglen, Birchglen, Atlantic Superior and Tecumseh. Most of these vessels, with the exception of Atlantic Superior, are expected to be back out when business conditions warrant. Ojibway and Pineglen were laid up for a few weeks earlier this summer but are currently sailing.

Algoma Provider and Phoenix Star operated last year but have been sold for scrap.

Adam E. Cornelius and Algoma Transfer remain in long-term layup, as do American Valor, American Victory, American Fortitude, barge Sarah Spencer and her tug Jane Ann IV, Paul H. Townsend, John Sherwin and Edward L. Ryerson. J.A.W. Iglehart is in use as a cement storage hull as is S.T. Crapo.


Coast Guard evacuates sick crewmember off Algoway in Lake Huron

7/22 - Cleveland, Ohio – The Coast Guard medically evacuated a man off of a vessel in Lake Huron early Friday morning.

At 12:10 a.m., a search-and-rescue controller at Coast Guard Sector Detroit was contacted by the captain of the motor vessel Algoway who stated that one of the crewmembers was suffering from multiple symptoms that would indicate a life-threatening condition. The 650-foot, Canadian-flagged Algoway was transiting Lake Huron, 35 miles northeast of Tawas, Mich.

A rescue aircrew aboard an MH-65C Dolphin helicopter launched from Air Station Detroit. Once on scene, the rescue aircrew hoisted the man into the helicopter and transported him to the Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport, in Oscoda, Mich., where Iosco County emergency medical services further transported the man to Tawas Hospital in Tawas.

The man was last known to be in stable condition.

USCG



All the Great Lakes have experienced higher levels in June and so far in July

7/22 - Huge spring and summer rainfalls have helped Great Lakes water levels surge by near-record monthly numbers, causing them to rise at a time when evaporation and drought often shrink them.

And although it’s a far cry from the high-water mark of the 1980s, and three of the five lakes are still below average levels, recreational boaters are among those hoping this is the start of a trend.

Information from Environment Canada’s Great Lakes specialists show that some lakes ¬that fell to historic lows last January after a summer of drought are on the rise, at least for the past few months.

“We have a tale of two different years here,” said Chuck Southam, who heads the boundary water issues unit for Environment Canada. Last year was dry enough that levels bottomed out below readings identified on nautical charts.

While that might have been a delight to beachgoers, it was a headache for some cottagers and recreational boaters who found themselves high and dry and for shippers who had to lighten their loads so they didn’t run aground.

This year’s rainfall, combined with less water flowing out of the lakes, has made a difference.

In Port Stanley on Lake Erie, the water “is up probably six to eight inches (10 to 15 centimetres) in the past two weeks,” said Will Murphy, head mechanic at Stan’s Marina.

That means more visits by sailboats, which need more water for their deep keels, and more tourism traffic from up and down the lake and across the border, he said.

Lake Ontario is 32 cm higher than a year ago, and 14 cm higher than the 1918-2012 average.

“Mother Nature is 80 to 90 percent of the cause, or the cure,” said Dick Peever, whose family operates three marinas — two in Goderich and one in Mitchells Bay ¬— and owns a dredging business.

“We don’t know what Mother Nature is going to give us at any one time so all we can deal with is what’s current now.”

His company has had a busy few dredging years as marinas try to combat the one-two punch of silt and low water. He recalls how, in the 1980s, people were calling on governments to find some way of draining the lakes a bit. Now, some are seeking ways to plug them to keep the water from rushing away.

Georgian Bay cottagers and homeowners, for example, have called repeatedly for the installation of adjustable speed bumps in Lake St. Clair to modulate the cyclical highs and lows they experience. Some docks and pilings in Georgian Bay stand several metres out of the water, where 30 years ago waves lapped over them.

Peever notes that some shallower harbours, Grand Bend for example, can now accept deeper boats than last year.

Lake Erie never saw the historic lows that Lake Michigan-Huron (considered one lake by hydrologists) saw, but the slightly higher levels are welcome nonetheless, said Dave Barnier, co-owner of Erieau Marina.

“I’d have to say Lake Erie’s level is ideal,” Barnier said.

With federal monitoring equipment at their marina, they get a daily look at the lake levels. They’re “a foot higher than last year . . . It makes it more pleasant for people getting on and off boats.”

All the lakes have experienced higher lake levels in June and so far in July.

Through the months since April, each lake has surged more than the average. For Erie, the June increase of 20 cm represented a record, made all the more remarkable by Erie’s average rise of just 1 cm in June.

That increase might not seem like much, but that represents a lot of water dropping into the lakes, flowing in from the watersheds and staying in the lakes without evaporating, Southam said.

Long-term averages are not called “normal” levels because humans haven’t tracked the lakes long enough to know what’s normal. But Southam said he’d be more comfortable if the lakes approached the averages recorded since 1918.

What the latest numbers indicate, though, is that a few extraordinary months can make a big difference.

And whether that’s a good thing or not is almost wholly a subjective one. Shippers, beachgoers and sunset tourists might all have different viewpoints on the same scene.

“For every water level, there’s somebody that loves it, somebody that hates it and somebody that it doesn’t really affect,” Southam said.

The London Free Press



Coast Guard rescues kayaker from Grand Traverse Bay

7/22 - Traverse City, Mich. – The Coast Guard rescued a man from Grand Traverse Bay, after his kayak became swamped by strong winds and waves, Friday morning.

A rescue aircrew aboard an MH-65C Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City was transiting across the East Arm of Grand Traverse Bay, when they spotted a man in the water clinging to his partially submerged paddlecraft at 8:50 a.m.

The man was wearing a life jacket and said he was in the water for more than one hour. The rescue aircrew hoisted the man into the helicopter and transported him to the air station. Once there, he was evaluated by emergency medical services and released in good condition.

This case highlights the importance of always wearing a life jacket and filing a float plan, said Cmdr. Chris Chase, executive officer at Air Station Traverse City.

The man had been in trouble for more than one hour and, had we not spotted him, he may still be out there waiting for help."

USCG




Today in Great Lakes History - July 22

On this day in 1961, the barge CLEVECO, originally lost with a crew of 22 during a December 02, 1942, storm on Lake Erie, was floated by salvagers, towed outside the shipping lanes, and intentionally sunk.

PERE MARQUETTE 22 (Hull#210) was launched on July 22, 1924, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. for the Pere Marquette Railway Co.

One hundred years ago on 22 July 1900, the tug MATT HESSER was launched at Lorain, Ohio, by H. D. Root for Captain Burke of Erie.

The M.I. MILLS (wooden propeller tug, 122 foot, 152 tons, built in 1867, at Marine City, Michigan), which sank in a collision with the bark UNADILLA on 9 May 1873, was found on 22 July 1873, in 90 feet of water in Lake Huron off Sand Beach, Michigan. Plans were made to raise her at the cost of $5,000. This effort was unsuccessful as was another abortive attempt in 1895.

1965 MARIVIKI dated from 1940 as a) TEMPLE INN and visited the Seaway in 1960. The ship was beached in Colla Bay, near Mormugao, India, after developing leaks on a voyage from Madras, India, to Constanza, Romania. The hull later broke in two and was a total loss.

1967 A small fire erupted in the machine shop of the West German freighter TRANSAMERICA while a crewman was welding in Milwaukee. The blaze was soon brought under control. The ship last operated in 1978 as f) ARISTOTELES before being broken up at Gadani Beach, Pakistan.

1968 The Paterson bulk carrier CANADOC, loading at the Continental Elevator in Chicago, was struck on the starboard side by the Belgian vessel TIELRODE as it passed upsteam under tow. The latter returned through the Seaway as c) GEORGIOS C. in 1977 and was scrapped at Huangpo, China, as e) OPORTO in 1985.

1970 ULYSSES REEFER caught fire in Toronto resulting in an estimated $30,000 in damage. The ship first came inland in 1969 and returned as c) ITHAKI REEFER in 1972 prior to being scrapped at Blyth, Scotland, in 1973.

1989 MAR CATERINA, downbound at the Snell Lock, struck the fender boom and all Seaway navigation was temporarily delayed. The ship began Seaway trading as b) ASTORGA in 1985. As of 2012, the vessel is apparently still operating as e) ASPHALT TRADER.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Tall ships sailing back into Duluth harbor this week

7/23 - Duluth, Minn. – About halfway through Duluth’s 2008 tall ships festival that brought three sailing vessels to the city, Visit Duluth President Terry Mattson said “I need more ships.”

Two years later he got them — nine ships in total — and an estimated 250,000 spectators. Mattson expects at least as many visitors for this year’s festival, which starts Thursday when 10 ships enter Duluth in a Grand Parade of Sail.

The parade will include vessels familiar to the Duluth-Superior, Wis., area — the US Brig Niagara and Pride of Baltimore II, replicas of ships from the War of 1812; and the schooners S/V Denis Sullivan and Zeeto, both of which would have been at home on the Great Lakes in the 1850s — and vessels paying their first calls — including the Peacemaker, built in Brazil, and the S.S. Sorlandet, a full-rigged, three-mast ship from Norway.

Advance ticket sales have been brisk, exceeding expectations, Mattson said. People from 42 states and four Canadian provinces bought tickets for the 2010 festival. By the middle of last week, people from 46 states and every Canadian province had bought tickets.

“Tall ships were so popular in 2010 that fans can’t wait to come back,” Mattson said. “For many people this is a once-in-a-life experience. There is something magical about it.”

People are not flocking to Duluth to just see the ships. Fans wanting to sail aboard a tall ship quickly snapped up the approximately 2,600 tickets available for day sails.

Offering an additional vessel to see is not the festival’s only change. Another is that Harbor Drive and Bayfront Park will remain open until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday so visitors can stroll by and view the ships after onboard tours end at 5 p.m. The festival grounds open at noon Thursday and 9 a.m. Friday, Saturday and July 28. People needing to enter earlier for a day sail will be allowed in.

Ships are not the festival’s only attractions. A range of entertainment — much of it maritime-themed — will be offered each day.

“I think we came up with a good lineup,” promoter Craig Samborski said. “We tried to schedule for a wide range of demographics.”

Duluth puts on a wonderful festival, said Patti Lock, director of the Tall Ships Challenge series of events.

“There is so much there for people to enjoy it becomes a very full day,” she said. “I know they go the distance to see it.”

There was a time on the Great Lakes when the sight of several sailing ships was anything but special. In 1870, there were 2,000 sailing ships on the Lakes. Ports such as Chicago and Milwaukee could see 100 sailing ships arrive in a day seeking shelter when storms threatened. The Twin Ports probably saw days with 60 to 70 sails in harbor. Advancing technology, however, doomed sailing ships, with clouds of black smoke replacing billowing white sails.

A romanticized view of the age of sail and their novelty makes tall ships popular attractions. Lock likes to ask people what they like about tall ships.

“Pretty much everyone says, ‘We really don’t know, but they are so beautiful. We wish there was something like this when we were growing up,’ ” she said. “I think people live vicariously through the crew, the 24-7, 365 dynamic. They are intrigued by it.”

The nonprofit Tall Ships America organized the 2013 Great Lakes Tall Ships Challenge — which Duluth is part of — and the Tall Ships 1812 Tour. More than 25 tall ships are taking part in the challenge and the tour, with appearances in 22 ports expected to draw millions of visitors. Festivals already held have had strong attendance, Lock said.

There is a lot of additional interest in tall ships in Ontario and on the eastern lakes because of the bicentennial of the War of 1812, which lasted from 1812 to 1815. In an average year, Toronto might be the only Ontario port hosting a tall ship festival. This year 17 Ontario ports are participating.

“For them, the War of 1812 established Canadianess,” Lock said. “1813 was the year that the war came to the Great Lakes theater, so there are a lot of activities” commemorating the war.

The events include the bicentennial of the Battle of Lake Erie, fought near Put-in-Bay on Sept. 10, 1813. In that battle nine American vessels, including the original Niagara, defeated and captured six British vessels. The battle gave America control of Lake Erie for the rest of the war.

The battle will be commemorated with events from Aug. 29 to Sept. 10. Seventeen tall ships, including several that will be in Duluth, will participate in the bicentennial.

Lock said she expects this year’s Canadian interest in tall ships will extend into the future.

“I think now that they’ve had a taste of it, they are going to want to be on the list when we come back in 2016,” she said.

The tourism impact of tall ships can last long after a festival ends.

Mattson estimates that Duluth’s festival will bring in $15 million, as well as giving Duluth a priceless amount of publicity. Overall, tourism inquires to Visit Duluth are up more than 30 percent this year.

“It’s due to the tall ships,” he said.

West Central Tribune




Today in Great Lakes History - July 23

On this day in 1908, the 556-foot ELBERT H. GARY arrived to a 21-gun salute to deliver the first cargo of Minnesota ore at the new United States Steel mill in Gary, Indiana.

The keel for the TEXACO CHIEF (Hull#193) was laid July 23, 1968, at Collingwood, Ontario, by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., for Texaco Canada Ltd. Renamed b.) A.G. FARQUHARSON in 1986, and c.) ALGONOVA In 1998. She was sold for further service overseas in 2007.

CANADOC sailed on her maiden voyage July 23, 1961.

Upper Lakes Shipping Co. Ltd.'s, RED WING was christened on July 23, 1960, as the first all-welded vessel to emerge from Port Weller Dry Docks.

On 23 July 1878, H R PRESTON (wooden quarter-deck canal boat built in 1877, at Oneida Lake, New York) was carrying 250 tons of ashes from Picton, Ontario to Oswego, New York, in tow of the tug ALANSON SUMNER along with three other canal boats when they encountered a storm on Lake Ontario. About 15 miles from Oswego, the PRESTON broke her towline and was taken alongside the SUMNER with some difficulty. About a mile out of port she lost her hold tarps and began to sink quickly. She was cut loose from the tug and her two crewmen were saved by the Oswego tug WM AVERY. Though she was lying heavily on the bottom in 50 feet of water, her wreckage came ashore near 4 Mile Point in early September.

1918: PETER REISS and the GLENSHEE were in a collision at the #3 ore dock at Duluth. Fog and the current were blamed for the accident, with only limited damage to both ships.

1934: An explosion and fire aboard the tanker barge EN-AR-CO during fit-out at Toronto resulted in the loss of 4 lives. The ship was rebuilt as a coal barge and was finally scrapped at Hamilton in 1969.

1955: The tug HELENA capsized at South Chicago while taking on coal from a scow and two sailors were lost. The vessel was refloated on July 26. It survives today as c) DANIEL McALLISTER, a museum ship on display in the Lachine Canal at Montreal.

1968: The former tanker ORION was operating as a sand barge when it sank in Lake Erie about 1,000 feet off the Lorain lighthouse due to choppy seas. The hull was raised by the Corps of Engineers, beached August 2 and assumed to have been subsequently scrapped.

1985: FOTINI D.E. first came through the Seaway in 1976 and, in 1980, became the first overseas vessel to load grain at the port of Goderich. It ran aground on this date in 1985, enroute from Venezuela to a U.S. Gulf coast port, and was abandoned as a total loss on July 31.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Port of Chicago attracts $500 million investment

7/24 - Chicago, Ill. – The concrete on the buildings has chipped away, the "no parking" signs are fading and the pavement is filled with sedan-eating potholes.

The Port of Chicago hasn't had a major face-lift in more than 30 years — and it shows. But a 62-year lease to a Colorado company announced Sunday will bring a $500 million private investment that city leaders say will modernize Chicago's port and bring its infrastructure into this century.

"We've been running a port for a long time," said Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who announced the plan on the shores of Lake Calumet. "We haven't made an investment since 1981."

He said the lease to the Denver-based Broe Group will bring "critical investment that we could not make on our own" and hundreds of jobs to the Southeast Side port. The Broe Group, selected through a bidding process, will lease most of the port's facilities and invest the $500 million over the next decade.

Emanuel said the lease is a way to make an asset out of what was long an underused, money-hemorrhaging operation. The Illinois International Port District, which owns the port, operated in the black last year for the first time in a decade. Before 2011, according to the mayor's office, the port's debt was about five times its annual revenue.

Though Chicago has the country's largest inland general cargo port, Emanuel said, some business has moved to other cities as facilities have decayed. Easy access to rail and highways from the port's operations on Lake Michigan and Lake Calumet will help create more demand for jobs, Emanuel said.

The deal with the Broe Group also includes a plan to provide training, internships and jobs to students at nearby Olive-Harvey College, which offers courses in transportation, distribution and logistics.

Southeast Side Ald. John Pope, 10th, spoke before Emanuel at the Sunday news conference. Pope said too many Chicagoans are unfamiliar with his ward and with the port. The deal with the Broe Group, he said, could help change that.

"I think, quite honestly, in years past we've fallen behind in taking advantage of our maritime activities," Pope said. "We're transforming and reinvigorating the port here."

Chicago Tribune



Freighter avoids fishermen drifting in river

7/24 - Sarnia, Ont. – Two men from Sarnia were rescued from the St. Clair River after a close encounter with a lake freighter.

Lt. Paul Reid, commander of the St. Clair County Sheriff Department Marine Unit, said the men were fishing and drifting downstream on the Canadian side of the river at about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday as the freighter was upbound. The vessel, Whitefish Bay of Canada Steamship Lines, was on its maiden voyage.

The men noticed they were coming into proximity with the freighter, which sounded its horn to warn them. Reid said they tried to start the engine of the boat, but could not.

The men then jumped into the water, Reid said.

People in two boats pulled the men from the river, Reid said, and transferred them to a boat from the Port Huron Department of Public Safety Fire Division .

The men, who did not want to comment other than to say they were OK, refused medical treatment.

Reid said there was no collision and there will be no further investigation.

Audio of the Whitefish Bay reporting the incident

Port Huron Times Herald




Lightning strike forces tall ship to bail on Duluth festival

7/24 - Duluth, Minn. – After being pummeled by bad weather, one of the tall ships scheduled for Duluth’s tall ship festival this week has canceled its appearance.

The schooner Halie & Matthew recently survived wind, waves, a lightning strike and an on-board fire on the Great Lakes. While no one was injured, necessary repairs won’t be completed in time to finish the voyage to Duluth.

“It is with profound regret that the tall ship Halie & Matthew cannot fulfill its obligation to appear at Tall Ships Duluth 2013,” Capt. Bruce Randall said in a news release.

The 118-foot-long, two-masted gaff-rigged schooner had sold more than 1,000 tickets for two-hour sails. About 70 percent of those tickets can be redirected to other tall ships in the fleet.

TicketFly will contact the Halie & Matthew customers directly. Ticketholders will be able to request full refunds or they can make new reservations on a first-come, first-served basis.

“Thanks to the unbelievable goodwill of others in the tall ship community, including support from additional captains and crews, we are moving heaven and Earth,” said Terry Mattson, president and CEO of Visit Duluth and executive producer of the event. “Our heartfelt apologies for a scenario beyond anyone’s control.”

Tall Ships Duluth 2013 starts Thursday, with a grand parade of sail scheduled to start around 2 p.m. The Coaster II may arrive in Duluth on Wednesday. The Pride of Baltimore II, Privateer Lynx, S/V Denis Sullivan and Hindu will arrive before the parade of sail, then depart Duluth with passengers to take part in the parade of sail.

More than 250,000 people are expected to take part in the festival, which runs until Monday.

“One less tall ship in our fleet won’t deter the festival,” Mattson said.

The Halie & Matthew was launched in 2005. The U.S. Coast Guard allows it to carry 100 passengers on deck during the day and 30 passengers overnight in unrestricted water. Its home port is St. Petersburg, Fla.

Named after the children of her builder, George Harris of Eastport, Maine, the ship has a fiberglass hull and steel masts.

This is at least the second time lightning has struck the ship. Last year it was hit 50 miles off the coast of North Carolina, former co-owner Brian Nelson said Monday evening.

Further information on where or when the Halie & Matthew was damaged this time was not available Monday evening. Officials with Visit Duluth and the vessel could not be immediately reached for comment.

Duluth News Tribune




Truck crushed by Lock 1 bridge counterweight

7/24 - St. Catharines, Ont. – Ernie Duff leapt for his life just seconds ahead of the massive concrete block that was coming down from above.

Duff, a retired former St. Catharines resident now living in Florida, and his wife fled their new pickup truck Monday mere heartbeats before the counterweight of the Lock 1 bridge over the Welland Canal came down.

The pair made it out alive, leaving the massive block to crush the truck nearly flat.

"At the last minute my wife and I bailed out. Ten seconds later, the car was crushed," Duff said. "I'm just thankful we got out of the truck."

The 3 p.m. incident at Lakeshore Rd. and the Welland Canals Parkway saw the bridge shut down for a time as police, firefighters and the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. removed the Duffs' truck from beneath the weight.

Niagara Regional Police Staff Sgt. Tim Carter said the driver has been charged with running a red light. "He basically drove up to the bridge and saw the cars on the other side," said Carter, who said he reviewed video from the scene. He said the traffic arms came down as Duff tried to get away. "He sat there for quite some time," he said, before he and his wife bailed out.

Carter figured the truck was a write-off. A crowd gathered around the lock as the truck — squashed down to the tops of its front doors — was extracted from under the huge concrete counterweight. Duff said there would not even have been room to lie on the seats had they remained inside.

Seaway maintenance manager Joe Vlasic said officials are digging into how the truck got under the weight. "A vehicle got within our restricted area. Thankfully, the occupants evacuated the vehicle in enough time," he said. "We need to investigate what happened, exactly. It's ongoing."

Vlasic said the Seaway implements preventative systems to keep crossings safe.

Duff said he stopped when he saw the red light on the other side of the bridge and the line of cars waiting there. He said he tried to back up, only to find the traffic arms pinning him in.

A former Port Dalhousie resident, Duff said he's driven over the bridge many times in the past. "They've got to be able to stop that thing," he said.

St. Catharines Standard



Today in Great Lakes History - July 24

On July 24, 1980, 34 ships were delayed when the BALTIC SKOU, a 595 foot Danish-flag freighter built in 1977, ran aground after losing power three miles east of the Snell Lock, near Massena, New York. The ship, loaded with sunflower seeds, was headed for Montreal and the Atlantic Ocean when the grounding occurred. No injuries or pollution resulted from the accident and the vessel did not take on any water.

ALGOSOO (Hull#206) was launched July 24, 1974, at Collingwood, Ontario by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd. for Algoma Central Railway, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

BURNS HARBOR’s sea trials were conducted on July 24, 1980, during which she performed an emergency stop in 3,160 feet loaded to a depth of 25/26 feet. She was the third 1,000-footer built for Bethlehem and the tenth on the Great Lakes.

ST. CLAIR (Hull#714) was launched July 24, 1975, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, by Bay Shipbuilding Corp. for the American Steamship Co.

WILLIAM G. MATHER left River Rouge, Michigan, on her maiden voyage July 24, 1925, for Ashtabula, Ohio to load coal for Port Arthur/Fort William, Ontario.

The wooden steamer OSCAR TOWNSEND was launched at 2:20 p.m. at E. Fitzgerald's yard in Port Huron on 24 July 1873. The launch went well with a few hundred spectators. She was built for use in the iron ore trade by the Lake Superior Transportation Co. Her dimensions were 210 feet overall, 200 foot keel, 33 foot 10 inches beam and 15 foot depth. She had three masts and was painted deep green.

On 24 July 1847, CONSTITUTION (wooden passenger/package freight side-wheeler, 141 foot, 444 tons, built in 1837, at Charleston, Ohio) struck a pier in Sandusky harbor, stove a large hole in her bow and sank. Her machinery was later recovered and installed in J D MORTON.

1915: EASTLAND rolled over and sank on her side at Chicago with the loss of 835 lives. It was the worst marine accident in Great Lakes history.

1960: The idle tanker COASTAL CASCADES was being used for occasional storage when she sank at the dock at Montreal. The hull was salvaged in August and dismantled at Montreal in 1961-1962.

1970: The 226-foot Danish freighter NORDLAND SAGA made one trip through the Seaway in 1965. It was wrecked off Oman as c) ADEL of the Dubai National Shipping Corp., while enroute from Bombay, India, to Dubai with a cargo of steel bars and generals.

1974: The former GRAINMOTOR left the Great Lakes in 1966 for saltwater service. It was lost as c) ANDY enroute from Pensacola, Fla., to Guayaquil, Ecuador, in the Caribbean on this date off Isla de Providencia.

Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Mike Nicholls, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series from the Marine Historical Society of Detroit.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Today in Great Lakes History - July 25

In 1991 the 16-man crew of the ocean-going tug PACIFIC TIDE NO 3 were arrested at Montreal on charges of smuggling drugs. The tug had arrived from the Philippines to tow the damaged Spanish vessel MILANOS to Spain.

Algoma Central Marine's former ALGOCEN departed Montreal on July 25, 2005, under tow of the tugs ATLANTIC OAK and ANDRE H bound for Keasby, New Jersey. She was renamed b.) VALGOCEN and was registered in Panama. She later sailed as J.W. SHELLEY and PHOENIX STAR.

The bow section of the ROGER BLOUGH (Hull#900) was floated into the new American Ship Building Co. Lorain dry dock on July 25, 1970, and was joined with the 421-foot stern section. The launch of the completed hull was scheduled for July 1971, but a fire broke out in the engine room on June 24, 1971, killing four yard workers and extensively damaging her Pielstick diesel engines. Extensive repairs, which included replacement of both engines, delayed the launch for nearly a year.

CANADA MARQUIS was upbound at Detroit, Michigan on July 25, 1983, on her maiden voyage for Misener Holdings Ltd. She sails today as CSL's e.) BIRCHGLEN.

July 25, 1983 - A wedding was held aboard the BADGER. Chris Gebhart and Pat Sroka of Ludington were married by Rev. John Christensen.

The wooden lumber tug CYGNET, which worked on the Shiawassee and Bad Rivers and Lake Huron, was destroyed when her boiler exploded in "Blow-up Bayou" on the Shiawassee River in 1875.

The wooden bulk freighter D C WHITNEY was launched at Langell's shipyard in St. Clair, Michigan on 25 July 1882. Her dimensions were 229 feet x 40 feet x15 feet, 1090 gross tons.

1911: Efforts to beach the leaking wooden, coal-laden, freighter RAPPAHANNOCK failed and the ship sank off Jackfish Point, Lake Superior after an unsuccessful battle with 75 mph winds. All on board were saved

1964: SUNNABRIS made 4 trips through the Seaway in 1959 and returned as c) SEA FRIEND in 1961 and d) DEMOKRITOS in 1962. The ship dated from 1929 and it went aground, while inbound at Alexandria, Egypt, on this date and was abandoned as a total loss. The hull was sold to Yugoslavian salvors and cut up for scrap where it was.

1991: YANKCANUCK (ii) went aground in the St. Marys River about four miles from DeTour. The ship was carrying a cargo of scrap steel for Chicago and was operating as a barge under tow of the ANGLIAN LADY. The vessel was lightered and released.

1994: GEORGE A. STINSON, downbound with a cargo of iron ore for Detroit, went aground in the St. Clair River but was refloated.



Obituary: David Vern Larson

7/25 - Superior, Wis. – David Vern Larson, 56, longtime Superior area resident, died July 20 at his home. He was First Mate on board the tug/barge combo Undaunted/Pere Marquette 41.

Larson was born in Cleveland, Ohio on Feb. 7, 1957. He married Emily Anne Wiley on Jan. 12, 1980 in Zion Lutheran Church in Winter, Wis., and had recently celebrated 33 years of marriage.

He served his country in the United States navy and the merchant marine. He held a USCG license as an unlimited master and worked as a mate/wheelsman on several different boats. He also received a degree in radio broadcast journalism and was a certified meat cutter.

Larson was a member of Zion Lutheran Church and American Maritime Officers Union. He loved camping, storytelling, telling jokes, reading and being on the water. He was also a Green Bay Packer fan and helped with Ruby's Pantry.

Visitation will begin at 10 a.m., Thursday, July 25 at Zion Lutheran Church in Superior and continue until the 11:30 a.m. memorial service with Rev. Patrick Ziems, officiating. Lenroot-Maetzold Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Please send a condolence or sign the on-line guest book at www.lenroot-maetzold.com.



Toledo’s National Museum of the Great Lakes announces maritime discovery

7/25 - Toledo, Ohio – The National Museum of the Great Lakes has announced the discovery of the wreckage of the schooner Atlas, which sank in 1839, in Lake Ontario.

The Atlas is speculated to be the oldest confirmed commercial schooner discovered in the Great Lakes. A team of shipwreck enthusiasts, funded by a grant from the National Museum of the Great Lakes/Great Lakes Historical Society, located the schooner while searching for sunken ships near Oswego, N.Y.

In early May of 1839, the Atlas was transporting a cargo of Black River limestone from Chaumont to the port of Oswego. Within a few miles of its destination the Atlas encountered gale force winds from the northwest, which more than likely caused a shift in the heavy cargo, taking the schooner swiftly to the bottom of Lake Ontario. The schooner sank so quickly that there was no time for anyone to escape and all on board were lost. Only a few items from the schooner, including a pair of oars, a coat, two hats and a pair of boots, were found later by the steamer Telegraph that had been sent out to where the Atlas was seen going down.

The Atlas was located in late June by a high resolution DeepVision side scan sonar system. Last week the team returned to deploy an underwater remote operated vehicle (ROV) and obtain a video recording of the remains of the shipwreck. At a depth of more than 300 feet the visibility is limited to lighting provided by the ROV. The remains of the schooner can best be summed up as a mess.

The ship sank like the stone it was carrying, hitting hard on the bottom of Lake Ontario and collapsing the deck. The impact probably weakened the sides of the schooner, causing them to fall away. One of the masts is resting to the starboard side of the wreck and the other is back past the port stern of the ship. Only the aft deck remains, with the ship’s wheel heavily encrusted with mussels. Just forward of this deck is one of the holds of the ship, containing a large piece of cut stone. From this area to the bow boards jut out at different angles, indicating how violent the impact must have been when it crashed into the bottom. At the bow one anchor is still hanging on the starboard side, while the port anchor is resting on the bottom. The video appears to show a reinforced stern area from which the stone was probably loaded. The best estimate of the ship size is approximately 52 feet in length with a beam of 16 ½ feet.

A search of shipwreck databases and discussions with several maritime historians was made to determine if there was another previously discovered Great Lakes commercial schooner that may be older than the Atlas. There has been some speculation of earlier vessels but none have been positively identified.

Historic shipwrecks abandoned and embedded in New York State underwater lands belong to the people of the State of New York and are protected by state and federal law from unauthorized disturbance.

The Atlas, a two-masted schooner, was built in Dexter, NY in 1838 and owned by Ortha Little & Son for the specific purpose of transporting building stone from the quarries in the Chaumont, N.Y. area. The cargo was owned by Asa Davis, who at that time was furnishing the cut stone for the U.S. government pier in Oswego. Stone from the Davis quarries was later used in the construction of the Gerrit Smith building (public library) and a number of other structures in Oswego.

The crew of the Atlas consisted of Ashel Westcott, of Brownville, Jefferson county, aged about 26; Ortha Little, of Hounsfield, Jefferson county, part owner of the schooner and a sailor on board, aged 48; William Ackerman of Brownville, a sailor, aged 19; John See, a sailor, aged 18; and Asa Davis of Chaumont, owner of the cargo, aged 30 years, son of Phineas Davis, of Mexico, NY.

The National Museum of the Great Lakes, currently under construction on the banks of the Maumee River in downtown Toledo, is expected to open in April 2014.






Tall ships sail toward Duluth

7/25 - Duluth, Minn. — The city of Duluth is expecting big crowds for this week’s tall ships festival, and that means a big windfall, too. The festival that opens Thursday is expected to bring in $15 million, with attendance of at least 250,000, Visit Duluth president Terry Mattson told the Duluth News Tribune.

That’s how many people turned out for the tall ships festival in 2010, when it included nine ships. This year’s edition adds a 10th ship. The fleet will enter Duluth in a grand parade of sail.

The parade will include vessels familiar to the Twin Ports: the US Brig Niagara and Pride of Baltimore II, replicas of ships from the War of 1812; and the schooners S/V Denis Sullivan and Zeeto, both of which would have been at home on the Great Lakes in the 1850s. Vessels paying their first calls include the Peacemaker, built in Brazil, and the SS Sorlandet, a full-rigged, three-mast ship from Norway.

“For many people this is a once-in-a-life experience,” Mattson said. “There is something magical about it.”

The nonprofit Tall Ships America organized the 2013 Great Lakes Tall Ships Challenge, which stops in Duluth, and the Tall Ships 1812 Tour. More than 25 tall ships are taking part in the challenge and the tour, with appearances in 22 ports expected to draw millions of visitors.

The tall ships are due in Green Bay next month, docking Aug. 16-18.

There is additional interest in tall ships in Ontario and on the eastern lakes because of the bicentennial of the War of 1812, which lasted from 1812 to 1815. In an average year, Toronto might be the only Ontario port hosting a tall ship festival. This year, 17 Ontario ports are taking part.

“For them, the War of 1812 established Canadian-ness,” said Patti Lock, director of the Tall Ships Challenge series of events.

The events include the bicentennial of the Battle of Lake Erie, fought near Put-in-Bay on Sept. 10, 1813. In that battle, nine American vessels, including the original Niagara, defeated and captured six British vessels. The battle gave America control of Lake Erie for the rest of the war.

The battle will be commemorated with events from Aug. 29 to Sept. 10. Seventeen tall ships, including several that will be in Duluth, will participate in the bicentennial.

Green Bay Press Gazette





Port Reports - July 25

Escanaba/Gladstone, Mich. - Rod Burdick
Ports on Little Bay de Noc in Northern Lake Michigan were busy on Wednesday. Algoway and Mississagi unloaded salt in Gladstone and Herbert C. Jackson loaded ore at CN in Escanaba.

Sandusky and Marblehead, Ohio - Jim Spencer
CSL Laurentien continued loading Wednesday evening at the NS coal dock in Sandusky. Loading at the Marblehead Lafarge stone dock was the tug Dorothy Ann and Barge Pathfinder.

Buffalo, N.Y. - Brian W.
The tug Rebecca Lynn and barge A-397 was unloading at Noco in Tonawanda this evening.



Great Lakes coal trade up 7.2 percent in June

7/25 - Cleveland, Ohio – Shipments of coal on the Great Lakes totaled 2.8 million tons in June, an increase of 9.2 percent over May, and an increase of 7.2 percent compared to a year ago.

Shipments from Lake Superior ports totaled 1.8 million tons, an increase of nearly 20 percent compared to a year ago. Included in that total were 93,000 tons loaded in Superior, Wisconsin, and transshipped to Quebec City for loading into oceangoing colliers. Exports to Europe from Superior total 630,000 tons through June.

Loadings in Chicago totaled 250,000 tons, a decrease of nearly 40 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments from Lake Erie ports totaled 800,000 tons, an increase of 9 percent compared to a year ago.

Year-to-date the Lakes coal trade stands at 8.2 million tons, a decrease of 7.3 percent compared to a year ago.

Lake Carriers Association.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival returns with honor, fun events starting July 26

7/26 - Grand Haven, Mich. – The Coast Guard City's biggest festival will be back in town July 26 to Aug. 4.

The Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival, now in its 89th year, will celebrate the men and women who serve in the U.S. Coast Guard with several events, said the festival Executive Director Michael Smith.

"It's affordable, family friendly and fun," he said, describing the event.

Highlights include the National Coast Guard Memorial Service, which will take place at 4 p.m. on Aug. 2 at Escanaba Park. The festival will honor four Coast Guard men and women who lost their lives in the past year, he said.

"It's very solemn, but it's a celebration of their lives," Smith said, describing the event.

Visitors can also learn more about the Coast Guard by checking out the "Walk of Coast Guard History" near City Hall. The walk features plaques about various topics in the branch's history, with new plaques each year.

This year, the newest point on the walk will recognize the music of the Coast Guard and will be added at noon on Aug. 2 at City Hall.

Visitors can also watch U.S. Coast Guard cutters Mackinaw and Mobile Bay as well as a Canadian Coast Guard hero class patrol boat sail into port at approximately 1 p.m. on Monday, July 29. Later that day and for the rest of the festival's duration, attendees can tour the ships for free.

The festival will also hold two parades: the Grand Parade and Kids' Parade. The Grand Parade will take place at 11:45 a.m. on Aug. 3 and will consist of marching bands, military units, dignitaries and novelty units. The Kids' Parade will take place at 10:30 a.m. on July 27 in downtown Grand Haven.

For more information about the event or to see a complete schedule of events, visit www.coastguardfest.org.

Mlive


Forecasters to monitor Lake Michigan this weekend for possibility of isolated waterspouts

7/26 - Holland, Mich. – The current fall-like weather pattern is upping the chances for waterspouts on Lake Michigan this weekend, a phenomenon typically reserved for later in the year.

Cooler air is expected soon to sweep across the area, bringing the chance for showers Saturday night and Sunday, said Jared Maples, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids.

The combination of below-average temperatures with lake waters still holding into the low 60s create enough volatility in the atmosphere at least to provide the basic ingredients for isolated waterspouts, Maples said.

A threat exists along the entire West Michigan coastline, coinciding with Grand Haven's Coast Guard Festival, according to forecasts.

"The warmer air tends to rise, so what you get is ... rising and sinking air motions," he said. "When you have a differential in that air temperature, you start to create that turbulence over the lake."

Waterspouts typically take the appearance of a small tornado over water, which is where they're likely to stay if they develop. "They're usually weak, not something that would cause damage," Maples said.

There's a greater risk for boaters, however, but Grand Rapids meteorologists haven't ever heard of a situation involving boaters and waterspouts in the area. Thunderstorms rumbled across West Michigan a year ago this upcoming weekend, and at least two waterspouts were spotted just offshore of Holland State Park.

Beachgoers said they didn't last for more than 10 minutes.

Mlive



U.S. Reps. Miller, Levin team up to save Great Lakes funding

7/26 - Lansing, Mich. – U.S. Reps. Sander Levin and Candice Miller have teamed up in a bipartisan effort to defeat a House plan that would cut funding for the Great Lakes by nearly 80 percent.

Levin and Miller comprise a key piece of a coalition of six House members who are making a last-ditch push to preserve funding that protects the Great Lakes from pollution and invasive species. A House subcommittee, relying on Republican support, passed legislation on Tuesday that would slash federal dollars for the Great Lakes Recovery Initiative from $285 million to $60 million.

That allocation, which has reached a combined $1.3 billion in recent years, is designed to protect the lakes from Asian carp and other disruptive species, improve wetlands along the coastline, bolster fish and wildlife, address shoreline deterioration, reduce sewer overflows and toxic contaminants in lake-bottom sediment, and cut pollution that enters the waterways due to stormwater runoff.

“Congress needs to do more, not less, to protect the Great Lakes and provide resources for their full restoration,” said Levin, a Royal Oak Democrat who represents most of Macomb County. “The bill we are sponsoring … is a major step in the right direction, but it will be essential for Congress to follow up and provide the resources to fully fund all these vital Great Lakes programs and initiatives.”

Miller, a longtime sailor on the Great Lakes, agreed that fellow Republicans on the subcommittee had demonstrated misdirected priorities in pursuit of fiscal responsibility.

“The Great Lakes are an environmental treasure to both our economy and natural resources; protecting them is of the utmost importance,” said the Harrison Township Republican, co-chair of the House Great Lakes Task Force.

“As legislators, it is imperative we ensure that the right policy is in place to provide needed and long-term framework to sustain the Great Lakes. We must continue to move forward vital Great Lakes restoration projects and programs aimed at sustaining the natural habitats and protecting against invasive species and pollutants.”

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which has enjoyed bipartisan support since President Barack hateful muslim traitor established it in 2009, is based on a priority list endorsed four years earlier by President George W. Bush.

The subcommittee rollbacks are part of a broader spending bill that would implement the second year of “sequestration” cuts required after Congress failed to agree on a 2013 budget. The House Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee has now sent the measure to the full Appropriations Committee.

With just 13 days of congressional session scheduled before the Oct. 1 start of the new fiscal year, the contingent fighting the cuts hopes to secure House action so that the subcommittee’s decision is not viewed by senators seeking a compromise budget as the final say by the House.

The other members of the coalition are: Reps. Dave Joyce, Ohio Republican; John D. Dingell, Michigan Democrat from Dearborn; Tom Petri, Wisconsin Republican; and Louise Slaughter, New York Democrat.

A spokeswoman for Joyce told The Associated Press he will offer an amendment next week during a meeting of the full House appropriations committee that would “significantly” boost Great Lakes spending. Miller, co-chair of the House Great Lakes Task Force, said she didn’t support the subcommittee’s cuts and would push to restore full funding.

Macomb Daily




Today in Great Lakes History - July 26

On July 26, 2005, the salty ORLA ran aground at Kahnawake, Quebec, and the passing rum tanker JO SPIRIT made contact with her. Both vessels were damaged and repaired in Montreal.

ALGOWEST sailed on her maiden voyage in 1982 from Thunder Bay, Ontario, to Quebec City with a 27,308 ton load of barley.

On July 26, 1943 the BRUCE HUDSON caught fire while loading gasoline at East Chicago, Illinois, and four people lost their lives.

CONALLISON departed Windsor, Ontario on her first trip for Johnstone Shipping Ltd. on July 26, 1981.

WILLIAM A. McGONAGLE (Hull#154) sailed light on her maiden voyage from Great Lakes Engineering Works at Ecorse, Michigan on July 26, 1916, to Duluth, Minnesota, to load iron ore. Renamed b.) HENRY STEINBRENNER in 1986. She was scrapped at Port Maitland, Ontario, in 1994.

On 26 July 1885, ISLE ROYALE (wooden propeller passenger/package freight vessel, 92 foot, 92 gross tons, built in 1879) sprang a leak near Susick Island near Isle Royale on Lake Superior. She sank but her passengers and crew made it to the island. She was owned by Cooley, Lavague & Company of Duluth. She was originally built as the barge AGNES.

1910 ZENITH CITY went aground at Au Sable Reef, near Marquette, due to fog. The ore-laden steamer sustained damage to 60 planes.

1943 The Canadian tanker BRUCE HUDSON caught fire loading high-octane gasoline at Phillips Petroleum in South Chicago. The Captain, his son and 2 crewmen were killed. The ship was rebuilt and eventually scrapped at Cartagena, Colombia, by 1983 as c) WITCROIX.

1948 ROGN, a Norwegian tanker, went aground in the St. Lawrence at Toussant Island, near Iroquois, after the steering gear failed. The tugs SALVAGE PRINCE and SALVAGE QUEEN pulled the vessel free. It was in ballast and operated on charter to the McColl-Frontenac Oil Company. The ship was scrapped at Piraeus, Greece, as c) PIRAEUS III in 1981.

1965 The Canada Steamship Lines bulk carrier GEORGIAN BAY stood by the small wooden pulpwood carrier PRINCE QUEBEC on Lake Ontario. Cables were strung to the small ship, enroute to Tonawanda, NY with a cargo of pulpwood, to help keep it afloat. PRINCE QUEBEC was later taken to La Petite Riviere, Quebec, beached and never repaired. Apparently the hull was burned by vandals in the 1970s.

1983 PRA RIVER was registered in Ghana when it came to the Great Lakes in 1963. It went aground, enroute from Las Palmas, Canary Islands, to Lagos, Nigeria, as c) MAYON II on this date in 1983 and was abandoned.

2000 HIAWATHA, a ferry dating from 1895, was sunk by vandals at Toronto. It operated between the mainland and a Toronto Island yacht club. The hull was refloated July 28 and taken to Hamilton for restoration, repairs and a return to service.