Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

Thunder Bay moves through Niagara

8/8 - St. Catharines, Ont. – Canada Steamship Lines’ newest vessel, Thunder Bay, fits snugly in the locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway with just centimetres to spare — and it was designed that way, according to company president Louis Martel.

“It’s called a Seaway max vessel. It’s 740 feet (225.5 metres) long and 78 (23.76 metres) wide,” Martel said at a Wednesday morning ceremony at the Snider Docks on the east side of the Welland Canal in Port Colborne.

Locks in the St. Lawrence Seaway system, which stretches from the St. Lawrence River to Lake Superior, are 233.5 metres long, and 24.4 metres wide.

Martel said Thunder Bay, making its maiden voyage Wednesday transiting the Welland Canal and seaway with a full load onboard, is the third of four double-hulled vessels built for Canada Steamship Lines, part of The CSL Group, and is a Trillium Class ship. The other two vessels in the fleet are Baie St. Paul and Whitefish Bay.

“It was designed and built with all of the latest technology on the market … and designed with the environment in mind. It has the latest engines and is very fuel-efficient.”

It’s expected that the vessel will save about 750 tonnes of fuel a year, amounting to yearly carbon emissions reductions of 2,400 tonnes. Martel said it will be less costly to operate.

“The Thunder Bay is the first ship in the Great Lakes not only to have a bow thruster, but a stern thruster as well. It increases maneuverability.”

It also has a dynamic positioning system, which uses satellites, along with the ship’s propulsion system to keep the ship in position with no assistance from the crew or captain. Martel said Thunder Bay also makes its own fresh water.

Before making it to the fresh waters of the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes, Thunder Bay spent two months travelling the salt waters of the Pacific, Caribbean and Atlantic oceans as it made its way from the Chengxi Shipyard in Jiangyin, China.

Asked why the ships were built in China — a job that takes between 18 and 24 months — Martel said at the time CSL decided to build them, there were no shipyards in Canada capable of building them.

The Canadian government removing a 25% duty imposed on foreign-built vessels also factored into the decision. “The government realized the ships couldn’t be built here.”

Martel said in addition to four Trillium Class self-unloaders, CSL, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary, will also take delivery of two bulk carriers sometime next year as part of its fleet replacement program.

After the ceremony, which saw St. Catharines Conservative MP Rick Dykstra, Port Colborne Mayor Vance Badawey and Martel speak — and all greeted by blasts of Thunder Bay’s horn, the vessel was headed to Quebec City to discharge its load of iron ore pellets that were loaded in Escanaba, Mich.

Welland Tribune






Power switch by Cliffs could affect Midwest Energy

8/8 - Duluth, Minn. – A decision by Cliffs Natural Resources to stop buying electricity from a Michigan power plant could affect the Superior Midwest Energy Terminal.

The terminal ships more than 1 million tons of coal a year to the Presque Isle Power Plant in Marquette via Great Lakes vessels.

“If that plant is shut down it would definitely affect us,” Midwest Energy Resources Co. President Fred Shusterich said.

Midwest Energy shipped about 14.4 million tons during the 2012 shipping season, according to Duluth Seaway Port Authority numbers.

About 80 percent of the power generated at Presque Isle goes to Cliffs’ Tilden and Empire mines. Starting Sept. 1, Cliffs will get electricity from Chicago-based Integrys Energy Services. The change will save Cliffs tens of millions of dollars annually.

“It was really one of economics,” Cliffs Natural Resources Director of Public Affairs Dale Hemmila said of the decision to switch. “In the last five years with We Energies our rates have gone up 110 percent.”

Cliffs’ bill with We Energies totaled $120 million last year, Hemmila said. Going with Integrys will save Cliffs between 17 and 26 percent on electrical costs. The savings will support the viability of Cliffs’ U.P. operations.

Cliffs — which also owns all or part of United Taconite, Northshore and Hibbing Taconite operations in Minnesota — has about 1,600 employees in Michigan, including about 340 who were recalled to the Empire Mine last week. While that mine is slated for closure next year, the future is brighter for Tilden.

“We have an ore reserve at Tilden in the neighborhood of 25 to 30 years,” Hemmila said.

Cliffs believes that its decision to switch power providers “should have no impact on the (Presque Isle) plant whatsoever,” Hemmila said. They believe We Energies will keep the plant operating, feeding its electricity into the multi-state, bi-national Midwest region power grid.

“That’s not necessarily the case,” We Energies spokesman Barry McNulty said. Losing 70 to 80 percent of the plant’s demand is significant.

“We have to look at all our options,” he said. “That’s where we are right now. They just notified at the end of the month of their intent. It goes to reason that we will have to look at the alternatives for us.”

This is not the first time the future of the Presque Isle plant, which employs 160 to 170 workers, was in question. In recent years We Energies was debating whether to close the plant in 2017 or refit it to be fueled by natural gas to meet federal pollution regulations. Late last year We Energies and Wolverine Power Cooperative announced that Wolverine would acquire a minority interest in the facility by funding and building $140 million in required air quality control additions.

The past uncertainties over Presque Isle and the decision by Ontario Power Generation to move away from coal helped spur efforts by Midwest Energy to develop new markets. In 2011 it exported 350,000 metric tons of coal to Europe. That year it signed a three-year deal to export about 1.5 million metric tons annually to Rotterdam.

“We are looking to grow that business, but the economy nationally and the world is kind of flat,” Shusterich said.

Midwest Energy’s Superior terminal has an annual capacity of 25 million tons. It shipped more than 18 million tons a year for several seasons running ending with the 2010 season. It shipped 14.3 million tons in 2011 and 14.4 million tons in 2012.

“Our business this year is probably a half million tons up over last year,” Shusterich said.

Duluth News Tribune





The Love Boat sails on final voyage to Aliaga shipbreakers

8/8 - The MS Pacific, a cruise ship made famous by its appearance in the popular U.S. 1970s television show “The Love Boat,” has sailed its final voyage to a ship-breaking yard on Turkey’s Aegean Sea coast, a shipping group said on Wednesday.

Called the Pacific Princess when it was on the long-running comedy, the iconic 13,500 tonne, 171-m-long (561-foot-) vessel will be stripped for its metal and parts, said Ersin Ceviker of the Ship Recyclers’ Association of Turkey.

Aaron Spelling’s “The Love Boat,” starring Gavin MacLeod as the ship’s captain, ran on the U.S. television network ABC from 1977 to 1986. The show was set on board the Pacific Princess, which mainly sailed from California to the Mexican Riveria.

“This ship has undergone several modifications over its lifespan. It had been decommissioned for five years, and renovation now would have been too costly,” Ceviker said.

Turkey’s Izmir Ship Recycling Co. acquired the 42-year-old Pacific for 2.5 million euros ($3.3 million).

The vintage cruise liner arrived from Genoa, Italy, at the breakers in the seaside town of Aliaga in Turkey late on Tuesday after a difficult trip in a violent storm, Ceviker said.

The Pacific began taking on water and required the help of additional tugboats to make it to Aliaga. It was now listing on its starboard side at Aliaga. ($1 = 0.7513 euros)

Reuters via gCaptain


Tug-turned-tall ship sails into town

8/8 - Buffalo - The usual fleet of retired warships docked at Canalside is playing host to another vessel with World War II credentials early this week – but the newcomer looks nothing like the hulking battleships visitors to Buffalo’s waterfront are accustomed to.

The Empire Sandy, a former British deep-sea tugboat given new life as a replica 19th century tall ship, arrived Tuesday at Canalside for a two-day visit sponsored by the Buffalo & Erie County Naval and Military Park through a grant from the Niagara 1812 Bicentennial Legacy Council.

The tug-turned-tall ship’s backstory is an interesting one. Equipped with anti-aircraft guns and a thick steel hull designed to withstand light shelling, the 200-foot-long tug moved British military equipment as far north as Iceland and as far south as Sierra Leone during World War II.

After the war, the ship was sold, renamed and repurposed several times until it wound up in the hands of Toronto entrepreneur Norm Rogers, who traded its steam engine for sails and converted the ship into the commercial tour vessel it is today. The transformation took five years.

Viewed from Main Street on approach to Canalside, the ship cuts an impressive figure, its three 116-foot steel masts seeming to graze the Skyway overhead. On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, the ship’s many flags fluttered in a light breeze as curious visitors came aboard to tour Canada’s largest tall ship.

Though the Empire Sandy’s seven sails will remain furled and the vessel stationary for the duration of its visit, crew members said the ship moves well for a craft its size.

When its 11,000 square feet of sail catch a strong enough wind, the ship can reach top speeds of 16 knots – “which, for a 338-ton vessel, is flying,” said crew member Ian Clarke.

Deputy Director Bob Pecoraro said proceeds from the ship’s visit will benefit the park’s annual landscaping efforts.

Public tours continue today. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased in the park’s gift shop from 9 a.m. to noon or dockside after noon.

In addition, tickets are still available for the second of two parties aboard the Empire Sandy, which starts at 6 tonight and will be co-hosted by the park and a number of local nonprofits.

Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased at the door – or gangplank, as it may be.

Buffalo News



Today in Great Lakes History - August 8

August 8, 1991 - The excursion ferry AMERICANA has been sold and passed down the Welland Canal bound for the Caribbean with registry in Panama. She was the former East Coast ferry BLOCK ISLAND that arrived in Buffalo just three years ago.

On 08 August 1878, the Buffalo (wooden propeller package freighter, 258 foot, 1,762 gross tons) was launched at the yard of Thomas Quayle & Sons in Cleveland, Ohio for the Western Transportation Company. Her engine was a double Berry & Laig compound engine constructed by the Globe Iron Works in Buffalo, New York. She lasted until 1911, when she was abandoned at Marine City, Michigan.

The JAMES R. BARKER became the longest vessel on the Great Lakes when it entered service on August 8, 1976. It held at least a tie for this honor until the WILLIAM J. DELANCEY entered service on May 10, 1981. The BARKER's deckhouse had been built at AmShip's Chicago yard and was transported in sections to Lorain on the deck of the steamer GEORGE D. GOBLE.

The BUFFALO was christened August 8, 1978, for the Connecticut Bank & Trust Co. (American Steamship Co., mgr.)

The E.B. BARBER along with the motor vessel SAGINAW BAY, a.) FRANK H. GOODYEAR of 1917, arrived August 8, 1985, under tow in Vigo, Spain. Demolition began on August 9, 1985, by Miguel Martins Periera at Guixar-Vigo.

The Soo River Company was forced into receivership on August 8, 1982.

On 8 August 1887, CITY OF ASHLAND (wooden sidewheel tug, 90 feet long 85 gross tons, built in 1883, at Ashland, Wisconsin) was towing a log raft near Washburn, Wisconsin in Lake Superior. Fire broke out near the boilers and quickly cut off the crew from the lifeboat. They jumped overboard and all but 1 or 2 were picked up by local tugs. The burned hull sank soon afterward.

The wooden tug J E EAGLE was destroyed by fire at about 4:00 p.m. on 8 August 1869, while towing a raft of logs on Saginaw Bay to Bay City. Her loss was valued at $10,000, but she was insured for only $7,000.

August 8, 1981 - The Ann Arbor carferry VIKING took part in a ceremony christening a body of water between Manitowoc and Two Rivers as "Maritime Bay".

August 8, 1999 - The KAYE E. BARKER delivered the last shipment of limestone for Dow Chemical, Ludington. The plant later closed its lime plant and began lime deliveries by rail.

On 8 August 1813, the U. S. Navy schooner HAMILTON (wooden 10-gun schooner, 112 foot, 76 tons, built in 1809, at Oswego, New York as a.) DIANA, was lying at anchor off the mouth of the Niagara River on Lake Ontario with her armed fleet-mate SCOURGE awaiting dawn when they planned to attack the British fleet. However, a quick rising storm swamped and sank both vessels. Since they were both built as commercial vessels, it has been suggested that their cannons may have made them top-heavy. The HAMILTON was found by sonar in 1975, sitting upright almost completely intact at the bottom of Lake Ontario. The Cousteau organization has dived to her and she was the subject of a live television dive by Robert Ballard in 1990.

August 8, 1882 - An August snowstorm was reported by a ship on Lake Michigan, dumping 6 inches of snow and slush on the deck. Snow showers were reported at shore points that day.

In 1942, the seven shipyards at Duluth-Superior were in full production and announced three launchings in two days. The submarine chaser SC-671 was launched on August 8, at Inland Waterways, Inc. on Park Point.

1941 An explosion aboard the Canadian tanker TRANSITER at River Rouge resulted in the loss of 2 lives. The ship was towed to Port Dalhousie for repairs and returned to work as b) TRANSTREAM in 1942. It was sold for off-lakes service as c) WITSUPPLY in 1969 and sank in heavy weather off Cabo de la Vela, Colombia, while apparently enroute to Cartagena, Colombia, for scrap, on February 23, 1981.

1964 ELLEN KLAUTSCHE suffered an engine failure while berthing at Toronto and rammed the docked NORDIA after just missing the tugs TERRY S. and WILLIAM LYON MACKENZIE. The West German freighter was towed to Port Weller for repairs by the GRAEME STEWART. Later, as b) VARUNA YAN, it was detained in the Shatt-Al-Arab waterway and then, on April 3, 1984, was shelled becoming a CTL.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Toledo Antique and Classic Boat Show planned for Aug. 24-25

8/9 - Toledo, Ohio – The 2013 Toledo Antique and Classic Boat Show will be held Aug. 24-25 at the Toledo Skyway Marina at 1701 Front Street. The event is an extravaganza of antique, classic, and historical watercraft through the ages, and includes local maritime vendors and artisans. Details at www.toledoboatshow.com


Today in Great Lakes History - August 9

On 09 August 1910, the Eastland Navigation Company placed a half page advertisement in both the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Cleveland Leader offering $5,000 to anyone who could substantiate rumors that the excursion steamer EASTLAND was unsafe. No one claimed the reward.

The keel was laid for the INDIANA HARBOR (Hull#719) on August 9, 1978, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin by Bay Shipbuilding Co. for Connecticut Bank & Trust Co. (American Steamship Co., mgr.).

The HAMILDOC (Hull#642) was christened on August 9, 1963.

The G.A. TOMLINSON (Hull#370) entered service August 9, 1909. Renamed b.) HENRY R. PLATT JR in 1959. Hull used as a breakwall at Burlington Bay, Ontario in 1971.

The SIR THOMAS SHAUGHNESSY with the former CSL steamer ASHCROFT in tow of the Polish tug JANTAR arrived in Castellon, Spain for scrapping in 1969.

On August 9, 1989, the tug FAIRPLAY IX departed Sorel with the FORT CHAMBLY and NIPIGON BAY in tandem tow bound for Aliaga, Turkey for scrapping.

On the night of August 9, 1865, METEOR met her running mate, the propeller PEWABIC, off Thunder Bay on Lake Huron around 9 p.m. As the two approached, somehow METOER sheered and struck her sister, sinking the PEWABIC within minutes in 180 feet of water. About 125 people went down with her, and 86 others were saved.

On 9 August 1850, CHAUTAUQUE (wooden sidewheel steamer, 124 foot 162 tons, built in 1839, at Buffalo, New York) caught fire in the St. Clair River and burned to a total loss. In previous years she had been driven ashore 1844, and sank twice - once in 1846, and again in 1848. In September 1846, she made the newspaper by purposely ramming a schooner that blocked her path while she was attempting to leave the harbor at Monroe, Michigan.

On 9 August 1856, BRUNSWICK (wooden propeller, 164 foot, 512 tons, built in 1853, at Buffalo, New York) was carrying corn, scrap iron and lard from Chicago when she sprang a leak in a storm and was abandoned by the crew and passengers. One passenger drowned when one of the boats capsized, but the rest made it to shore near Sleeping Bear in the three other boats. BRUNSWICK went down in 50 fathoms of water, 6 miles south of South Manitou Island on Lake Michigan.

On 9 August 1875, The Port Huron Times reported that the schooner HERO, while attempting to enter the piers at Holland, Michigan, was driven two miles to leeward and went to pieces. Her crew took to the boats, but the boats capsized. Luckily all made it safely to shore.

August 9, 1938 - The Pere Marquette car ferries 17 and 18 left Milwaukee for Grand Haven carrying 600 United States Army Troops, bound for Army war maneuvers near Allegan and at Camp Custer.

On 9 August 1870, ONTONAGON (wooden propeller bulk freight, 176 foot, 377 tons, built in 1856, at Buffalo, New York by Bidwell & Banta) sank after striking a rock near the Soo. She was initially abandoned but later that same year she was recovered, repaired and put back in service. In 1880, she stranded near Fairborn, Ohio and then three years later she finally met her demise when she was run ashore on Stag Island in the St. Clair River and succumbed to fire.

The 204-foot wooden side-wheeler CUMBERLAND was launched at Melancthon Simpson's yard in Port Robinson, Ontario on 9 August 1871. She cost $101,000. Too large for the Welland Canal, she was towed up the Welland River to Chippewa and then up the Niagara River to Lake Erie. She operated on the Upper Lakes and carried soldiers to put down the Red River Rebellion. She survived being frozen in for the winter near Sault Ste. Marie in 1872, grounding in 1873, sinking in 1874, and another grounding in 1876. But she finally sank near Isle Royale on Lake Superior in 1877.

In 1942, the sea-going tug POINT SUR was launched at Globe Shipbuilding Co. in Superior, Wisconsin and the Walter Butler Shipbuilders, in Superior, launched the coastal freighter WILLIAM BURSLEY.

1968 Labrador Steamships agreed to sell POINTE NOIRE to Upper Lakes Shipping. The vessel was operated by U.L.S. on charter until the sale was approved.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Great Lakes coal trade up 7.3 percent in July

8/10 – Cleveland, Ohio – Shipments of coal on the Great Lakes totaled 2.9 million tons in July, an increase of 2.5 percent over June, and an increase of 7.3 percent compared to a year ago.

Shipments from Lake Superior ports totaled 1.8 million tons, an increase of 16.1 percent compared to a year ago. Included in that total were 215,000 tons loaded in Superior, Wisconsin, and transshipped to Quebec City for loading into oceangoing colliers. Exports to Europe from Superior totaled 844,000 tons through July.

Loadings in Chicago totaled 319,000 tons, a decrease of 33 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments from Lake Erie ports totaled 758,000 tons, an increase of 15.2 percent compared to a year ago.

Year-to-date the Lakes coal trade stands at 11.1 million tons, a decrease of 3 percent compared to a year ago.

Lake Carriers' Association



Today in Great Lakes History - August 10

On 10 August 1890, TWO FANNIES (3-mast wooden bark, 152 foot, 492 gross tons, built in 1862, at Peshtigo, Wisconsin) was carrying 800 tons of iron ore on Lake Erie when a seam opened in rough weather. The crew kept at the pumps but to no avail. They all made it off of the vessel into the yawl just as the bark sank north of Bay Village Ohio. The CITY OF DETROIT tried to rescue the crew but the weather made the rescue attempt too dangerous and only two men were able to get to the steamer. The tug JAMES AMADEUS came out and got the rest of the crew, including the ship's cat, which was with them in the yawl.

On August 10, 1952, the ARTHUR M. ANDERSON entered service for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. Exactly 14 years later, on August 10, 1966, the vessel's namesake, Arthur Marvin Anderson, passed away.

In 1969, the EDMUND FITZGERALD set the last of many cargo records it set during the 1960s. The FITZGERALD loaded 27,402 gross tons of taconite pellets at Silver Bay on this date. This record was broken by the FITZGERALD's sister ship, the ARTHUR B. HOMER, during the 1970 shipping season.

On 10 August 1937, B.H. BECKER (steel tug, 19 tons, built in 1932, at Marine City, Mich.) foundered in heavy seas, 9 miles north of Oscoda, Mich.

In 1906, JOHN H. PAULEY (formerly THOMPSON KINSFORD, wooden propeller steam barge, 116 foot, 185 gross tons, built in 1880, at Oswego, New York) caught fire at Marine City, Mich. Her lines were burned through and she then drifted three miles down the St. Clair River before beaching near Port Lambton, Ont. and burning out.

On 10 August 1922, ANNIE LAURA (wooden propeller sandsucker, 133 foot, 244 gross tons, built in 1871, at Marine City, Mich.) beached near Algonac, Mich., caught fire and burned to the waterline.

1899: The whaleback steamer JOHN B. TREVOR was rammed and sunk by her barge #131 in the St. Clair River. The accident was caused by CRESCENT CITY crossing the towline. The sunken ship was refloated and, in 1912, became the ATIKOKAN.

1967: PAUL L. TIETJEN and FORT WILLIAM were in a head-on collision on Lake Huron about 25 miles north of Port Huron. Both ships were damaged but were repaired and returned to service.

1975: CIMBRIA came through the Seaway for the first time in 1965 under West German registry. The ship was sailing as c) KOTA MENANG when it stranded on Nyali Reef, off Mombasa, Tanzania, due to a steering failure on August 10, 1975. The vessel received severe hull damage and was deemed a total loss.

1979: The Indian freighter JALARAJAN and the British flag LAURENTIC sustained minor damage in a collision at Kenosha, Wis. The former was dismantled at Calcutta, India, in 1988 while the latter was scrapped at Karachi, Pakistan, in 1984.

1992: MENASHA was set adrift and then sank in the St. Lawrence off Ogdensburg, N.Y. The former U.S. Navy tug was refloated and repaired. After some later service at Sarnia, the tug was resold and moved for Montreal for work as c) ESCORTE.

2007: NORDSTRAND came to the Great Lakes in 1990 and sank at the stern, alongside the Adriatica Shipyard at Bijela, Montecaucasianally challenged individual, as c) MEXICA, when the engine room flooded on this date. The ship was refloated on September 1, 2007, and arrived at Aliaga, Turkey, for scrapping on May 5, 2010.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Lakeland shipwreck revisited: Documentation will help to put ship on National Register

8/11 - Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – New clues are being discovered by marine archeologists this week who are currently compiling video of the shipwrecked Lakeland about six miles off the Sturgeon Bay canal in Lake Michigan.

The freighter sank in 200 feet of water in December 1924 with brand-new, Wisconsin-built Nash and Kissel automobiles aboard. A team of archaeologists from the Wisconsin Historical Society's Maritime Preservation and Archaeology Program are in Sturgeon Bay with expert divers and underwater videographers John Janzen and John Scoles from the Minneapolis area for a one-week recording project.

Tamara Thomsen, maritime archaeologist with the Wisconsin Historical Society, said the crew arrived Aug. 2 and will finish filming Saturday. Thomsen, who has seen the Lakeland up close while diving, said they are looking into every hole to get full video documentation and help provide a full history of the ship.

The Lakeland had a capacity to carry 250 cars but was carrying a light load when it sank. About 19 cars are still on the wreck but it’s hard to tell what any of these cars are, she said. The footage will be shown to car experts.

“We are using high-definition video,” she said. “This is the same equipment used by National Geographic and the History Channel, which is important because this wreck is so deep.”

The Lakeland left Kenosha, where the Nash was built, bound for Detroit, but storm warnings forced the crew to spend the night in Sturgeon Bay. It left the canal early the next morning in calm weather then sprung a leak soon after. Captain John McNeely turned the ship around, but it sank where it remains today.

The crew of 27 was rescued. Foul play and insurance fraud were suspected and common on the Great Lakes at the time, but it was never proven and owners recovered part of the loss.

Remains of the cars are visible in underwater footage taken by divers and can be seen in a display at the Door County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay. Thomsen said she is excited that so much more is now being discovered from filming this week.

“We are able to see a lot of artifacts and personal items from the crew,” she said of this week’s dive. “For example next to a drinking fountain there is a sign and you can read it.”

Thomsen is completing the video documentation of the site to write a National Register of Historic Places nomination for the vessel. Another six days of collecting measurements on the vessel will follow later this month and in September. The video will help augment the description of the shipwreck’s current state of preservation and serve as a baseline for measuring deterioration in years to come.

Door County Advocate



Museum tug Edna G. getting some repairs

8/11 - Two Harbors, Minn. – A big year is in store for Two Harbors’ historic tugboat, the Edna G. Some repairs, such as the replacement of rotting wood and hull welding, already have been done — but there’s more to come.

This week, Sea Service, a Superior-based company, installed new mooring lines on the Edna G. According to Ed Montgomery of Sea Service, the tug will have 600 feet of new 2-inch nylon line, which he said is “durable with a little bit of stretch.” Marlinspikes, used by sailors for many years, are used to install the lines.

The rigging had not been redone for about 25 years, but the replacement recently was recommended by the Edna G. Commission. Mel Sando, executive director of the Lake County Historical Society, said that the new mooring lines and installation will cost more than $5,000, which represents just a portion of the expected cost of repairs and updates. “We have new life awakened in us,” Sando said.

He projected that the Edna G. Commission will spend about $50,000 this year on boat assessment and maintenance projects. The most expensive single cost is a hull survey, which took place Wednesday. Divers came and examined the underside of the boat using sonar. “The hull survey will tell us whether or not we need to be concerned about pulling the boat out of the water,” Sando said. “It will tell us how to best preserve the boat.”

Pulling the boat out of the water and making a place for it on land could result in tug tours turning a profit in years to come, he said. “We could triple the volume of visitors,” Sando said. “It’s very difficult to get people to get down to the dock.”
Currently, Sando added, the Edna G. loses money, and the city reimburses the Historical Society through a fund for the boat. The fund, which has been financed through a lodging tax passed by the Minnesota Legislature, doesn’t rely on local taxpayers but on those who stay at motels and inns in the city.

According to Sando, the gap between the costs associated with maintaining the boat and revenues generated by selling boat tours would close considerably with the boat on land. More visitors and locals would be more likely to go on a tour. “It’s surprising how many local people haven’t been on the G.,” Sando said.

The Edna G. is open seven days a week, weather permitting, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Duluth News Tribune



Today in Great Lakes History - August 11

On 11 August 1899, the SIMON LANGELL (wooden propeller freighter, 195 foot, 845 gross tons, built in 1886, at St. Clair, Michigan) was towing the wooden schooner W K MOORE off Lakeport, Michigan on Lake Huron when they were struck by a squall. The schooner was thrown over on her beam ends and filled with water. The local Life Saving crew went to the rescue and took off two women passengers from the stricken vessel. The Moore was the towed to Port Huron, Michigan by the tug HAYNES and placed in dry dock for inspection and repairs.

The H.M. GRIFFITH was the first self-unloader to unload grain at Robin Hood's new hopper unloading facility at Port Colborne, Ontario on August 11, 1987. She was renamed b.) RT HON PAUL J. MARTIN in 2000.

On August 11, 1977, the THOMAS W. LAMONT was the first vessel to take on fuel at Shell's new fuel dock at Corunna, Ontario The dock's fueling rate was 60 to 70,000 gallons per hour and was built to accommodate 1,000- footers.

Opening ceremonies for the whaleback tanker METEOR a.) FRANK ROCKEFELLER, museum ship were held on August 11, 1973, with the president of Cleveland Tankers present whose company had donated the ship. This historically unique ship was enshrined into the National Maritime Hall of Fame.

The T.W. ROBINSON departed Quebec City on August 11, 1987, along with US265808 (former BENSON FORD in tow of the Polish tug JANTAR bound for Recife, Brazil where they arrived on September 22, 1987. Scrapping began the next month.

On 11 August 1862, B F BRUCE (wooden propeller passenger steamer, 110 foot, 169 tons, built in 1852, at Buffalo, New York as a tug) was carrying staves when she caught fire a few miles off Port Stanley, Ontario in Lake Erie. She was run to the beach, where she burned to a total loss with no loss of life. Arson was suspected. She had been rebuilt from a tug to this small passenger steamer the winter before her loss.

On 11 August 1908, TITANIA (iron propeller packet/tug/yacht, 98 foot, 73 gross tons, built in 1875, at Buffalo, New York) was rammed and sunk by the Canadian sidewheeler KINGSTON near the harbor entrance at Charlotte, New York on Lake Ontario. All 26 on board were rescued.

The wooden scow-schooner SCOTTISH CHIEF had been battling a storm on Lake Michigan since Tuesday, 8 August 1871. By late afternoon of Friday, 11 August 1871, she was waterlogged. The galley was flooded and the food ruined. The crew stayed with the vessel until that night when they left in the lifeboat. They arrived in Chicago on Sunday morning, 13 August.

1865: A fire broke out at Sault Ste. Marie in the cargo of lime aboard the wooden passenger and freight carrier METEOR that was involved in the sinking of the PEWABIC on August 9. METEOR was scuttled in 30 feet of water to prevent its loss. The hull was pumped out and salvaged four days later and repaired.

1919: MURIEL W. hit a sunken crib off Port Weller and was partially sunk. An August 15, 1919, storm broke up the hull.

1928: W.H. SAWYER stranded off Harbor Beach Light in a storm. Her barges, A.B. KING and PESHTIGO, were blown aground and broken up by the waves. The trip had run for shelter but the effort ended 100 yards short of safety. The cook was a casualty.

1944: The Norwegian freighter ERLING LINDOE was built in 1917 and came to the Great Lakes for the first time in 1923. The ship struck a mine in the Kattegat Strait, off Varberg, Sweden, and sank with its cargo of pyrites. The number of casualties varies with one report noting the loss at 19 members of the crew, another at 17 and, yet another, had the death toll at 13. There were 6 survivors.

1976: The Panamanian freighter WOKAN was beached off Oman with a fractured hull enroute from the Ulsan, South Korea, to Kuwait. It was declared a total loss and abandoned. The 1952-built vessel first came through the Seaway as b) DAUPHINE in 1968 and returned as d) SPACE KING in 1975.

2001: Bridge 11 of the Welland Canal was lowered prematurely striking the downbound bulk carrier WINDOC taking the top off the pilothouse, toppling the stack and igniting a fire. The massive damage to the ship was never repaired and efforts for find work for the vessel as a barge were not a success. The hull arrived at Port Colborne for dismantling on November 9, 2010.

2004: ONEGO MERCHANT came through the Seaway for the first time in May 2004. Later that summer, the vessel sustained bow damage in a grounding near Larvik, Norway, but was refloated within hours. It returned to the Great Lakes in 2005 and 2006 and has sailed as b) VRIESENDIEP since 2009.

[Avenger]

Aug 11, 2013 6:29:28 GMT -5 yachtsmanwilly said:

“We are able to see a lot of artifacts and personal items from the crew,” she said of this week’s dive. “For example next to a drinking fountain there is a sign and you can read it.”

What do you think it says? "Employees must wash hands" or "Whites only"?

[yachtsmanwilly]

GEEZ... maybe both. In the first class section which was whites only, the "help" was expected to wash their hands, and you just gotta know the water fountain was off limits!
Man I sure misss the old days... in Hammond Louisiana, 1985, we went to the old, no longer used train station, and I noticed, while standing on the station platform, which was level with the Pullman steps, that there was about 5 steps down to a cement pad that was embossed "COLORED". Whitey sure didn't need to be told, but the darkey, who probably couldn't read (aint quite mastered it yet anyways) could always be pointed to that and have it read out loud. "OK Boy... todays word is..." Could been done in "BROLE" too with a watermelon embossed in the 'crete! ws

Even if its a lousy water fountain, they gots it, we wants it...



To bad ol' trayvon didn't try this in Selma in '59!



Was it right? Maybe not, but IT WAS THE LAW

[yachtsmanwilly]

Today in Great Lakes History - August 12

The C&O carferry SPARTAN, in a heavy fog while inbound from Kewaunee on the morning of August 12, 1976, struck rocks at the entrance to Ludington harbor. She suffered severe damage to about 120 feet of her bottom plating. She was taken to Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay on August 18th for repairs. There were no injuries as a result of this incident.

TOM M. GIRDLER was christened August 12, 1951; she was the first of the C-4 conversions.

MAUNALOA (Hull#37) was launched August 12, 1899 at Chicago, Illinois by Chicago Shipbuilding Co. for the Minnesota Steamship Co. Sold Canadian and renamed b.) MAUNALOA II in 1945. She was scrapped at Toronto in 1971.

WILLIAM E. COREY sailed from Chicago on her maiden voyage August 12, 1905, bound for Duluth, Minnesota to load iron ore. She later became b.) RIDGETOWN in 1963. Used as a breakwater in Port Credit, Ontario, in 1974, and is still there.

On 12 August 1882, FLORIDA (3-mast wooden schooner, 352 tons, built in 1875 at Batiscan, Ontario) was carrying 662 tons of coal from Black River to Toronto when she sprang a leak and sank 12 miles from Port Maitland, Ontario. She hailed from Quebec and was constructed mostly of pine and tamarack.

1941: The first EAGLESCLIFFE HALL was attacked by a German bomber from the Luftwaffe and was struck aft. The vessel was two miles east of Sunderland, England, at the time and one member of the crew was killed. The ship reached Sunderland for repairs and, at the end of the war, resumed Great Lakes service for the Hall Corporation. It later joined the Misener fleet as DAVID BARCLAY.

1960: A collision on the Detroit River between the Finnish freighter MARIA and the ALEXANDER T. WOOD damaged both vessels and put the latter aground in the Ballard Reef Channel. After being lightered of some grain by MAITLAND NO. 1, the vessel was released with the aid of the tug JOHN PURVES. MARIA, a pre-Seaway caller to the Great Lakes as BISCAYA and TAMMERFORS, was towed to the Great Lakes Engineering Works at Ecorse for repairs. It was eventually scrapped in Yugoslavia in 1968. ALEXANDER T. WOOD sank as VAINQUER after an explosion in the Gulf of Mexico on March 15, 1969.

1980: An explosion in the crankcase of the bulk carrier RALPH MISENER left one crew member killed and another four injured. One of the injured later died. The ship was loaded with coke and on the Saguenay River bound for Port Alfred. Repairs were carried out at Montreal.



Richelieu headed to Turkey for likely scrapping

8/12 - Montreal, QC - The CSL bulker Richelieu has departed Montreal on her own power and her destination is Aliaga, Turkey. Checking Montreal Harbour's website reveals she was in the harbour on Friday and not listed Saturday. Sunday morning she was moving at 6.2 knots in the lower St. Lawrence and passed the entrance to the Saguenay River about 10 a.m. Richelieu first came to the Great Lakes as Federal Ottawa in 1981, having been launched at Temse, Belgium, the previous year. In 1995 she was renamed Lake Erie and in 2009, after being sold to CSL, she became Richelieu. There is no word on the future of her fleetmates Mapleglen, Saguenay and Oakglen.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Gonna give this a try with all the BS going on... Hope it gets better as Ppat is going N U T S !! ws


Today in Great Lakes History - August 13

Operated by a crew of retired Hanna captains, chief engineers and executives, the GEORGE M. HUMPHREY departed the old Great Lakes Engineering Works yard in Ecorse, Michigan, under her own power on August 13, 1986, for Lauzon, Quebec. The HUMPHREY cleared Lauzon September 3rd with the former Hanna steamer PAUL H. CARNAHAN in tow of the Dutch tug SMIT LLOYD 109. The tow locked through the Panama Canal, September 27-30, and arrived at Kaohsiung, Taiwan December 10, 1986 completing a trip of over 14,000 miles. The HUMPHREY was scrapped in 1987, by Shiong Yek Steel Corp.

On 13 August 1899, H. G. CLEVELAND (wooden schooner, 137 foot 264 tons, built in 1867, at Black River, Ohio) sank with a full load of limestone, 7 miles from the Cleveland harbor entrance.

August 13, 1980 - The ARTHUR K. ATKINSON returned to service after repairing a broken crankshaft suffered in 1973. She brought 18 railcars from Manitowoc to Frankfort.

The 272 foot, 1,740 gross ton, wooden propeller freighter SITKA was launched by F. W. Wheeler (Hull#32) at W. Bay City, Michigan on 13 August 1887.

1986 INDIANA HARBOR set a Toledo and Lake Erie record, loading 55,047 tons of coal at Toledo for Marquette.

1917: The barge MIDDLESEX of the Ontario Transportation and Pulp Company broke loose and stranded at Rapide Plat in the St. Lawrence. The ship was abandoned to the insurers but salvaged and returned to service as b) WOODLANDS in 1918.

1979: IRISH OAK first came to the Great Lakes in 1960 for Irish Shipping Ltd. The vessel went aground near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as c) VEGAS on this date in 1979, while enroute from Piraeus, Greece, to Vietnam. The hull was refloated on October 28, 1979, and reached Jeddah on November 16, 1979. It was sold for scrapping at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, and arrived there on January 29, 1980.

1982: EUTHALIA visited the Seaway for the first time in 1972. It caught fire in the engine room as d) FORUM SPIRIT enroute from Port Said, Egypt, to Piraeus, Greece, and was abandoned by most of the crew. While it was towed into Piraeus on August 14, the vessel was declared a total loss. The ship arrived at Split, Yugoslavia, again under tow, for scrapping on March 6, 1984.

1993: The second CORFU ISLAND to visit the Great Lakes came inland in 1970. This SD14 cargo carrier had been built the previous year and returned as b) LOYALTY in 1980. Later that fall, the ship arrived at Basrah, Iraq, from Duluth with severe missile damage resulting from the Iraq-Iran War. The ship was declared a total loss but remained idle there until being towed away on August 13, 1993. LOYALTY arrived at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, for scrapping on September 22, 1993.


Project complete: Crisp Point Lighthouse to host Aug. 15 celebration

8/13 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The Department of Natural Resources will celebrate the completion of the Crisp Point Project, an acquisition that includes 3,810 acres of forest land and more than 2 miles of Lake Superior shoreline, at a closing ceremony 11 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 15, at the Crisp Point Lighthouse in Newberry. The event is open to the public.

The acquisition of the property was made possible by a $4.5 million federal grant through the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program and a $1.5 million donation from a private donor.

Speakers at the event will include DNR Deputy Director Bill Moritz, Forest Legacy Program representative Dennis McDougall, and Little Traverse Conservancy Executive Director Tom Bailey. Moritz will also sign a ceremonial deed, signifying the acquisition and protection of the property.

“This outstanding acquisition on behalf of the public will guarantee the protection and sustainable management of one of Michigan’s natural resource treasures, while also serving to support tourism, recreation and forest products industry jobs,” DNR Director Keith Creagh said. “I would like to thank the Forest Legacy Program and our private donor for their significant investments on behalf of the state of Michigan, without which this project could not have been possible.”

In addition to the stretch of Lake Superior shoreline, the property is comprised of extensive forests, steep bluffs, streams, an inland lake and sand dunes. It contains approximately 2.5 miles of “snowmobile trail No. 8,” a major trail connector across the northern Upper Peninsula, and offers numerous public outdoor recreational opportunities such as hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, wildlife viewing and kayaking.

The completion of the Crisp Point project not only ensures the protection of wildlife habitat, sustainable forest management, and opportunities for public outdoor recreation, but it will also preserve a portion of Lake Superior shoreline.

The Crisp Point Lighthouse is located on County Road 412 east of Little Lake Harbor. The lighthouse can be reached by following M-123 to County Road 500 and taking County Road 500 to County Road 412 at Little Lake Harbor. County Road 412 ends at the lighthouse.

Soo Evening News




Port Reports - August 13

Marquette, Mich. - Rod Burdick
Kaye E. Barker arrived and loaded ore Sunday evening at the Upper Harbor.

Muskegon, Mich. - Tyler Fairfield and Mark Taylor
Early Monday morning the tug Samuel De Champlain and her barge Innovation came in to Lafarge to unload cement. They were leaving at around 7 p.m. A rare visitor, the Indiana Harbor, also made her way in to unload coal for B.C. Cobb at around 2:45 p.m. She was still unloading as of 10 p.m. Monday and was the first 1,000-foot boat of the year.

South Chicago - Lou Gerard
The Cuyahoga was in South Chicago Monday at Morton Salt.

Alpena, Mich. - Ben & Chanda McClain
Monday morning the tug G.L Ostrander and barge Integrity were in port taking on cement at Lafarge. The tug Defiance and barge Ashtabula was waiting out in the bay for the departure of the Integrity. Once the dock was clear the Defiance tied up and unloaded coal. The Alpena is expected to return late Monday night.

Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey
Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were inbound on the Saginaw River on Saturday, carrying a split cargo. The pair backed into the Bay Aggregates slip in Bay City for a partial unload, then continued upriver to finish at the Buena Vista Dock in Saginaw. The Moore-Kuber were outbound early Sunday morning. Manitowoc was inbound early Sunday, unloading at the GM dock in Saginaw. She was outbound early Sunday evening.

Lorain, Ohio - Phil Leon
Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder at 5 p.m. Monday was about two miles out on her way into Lorain, headed to Jonick's dock No. 3.

Marblehead, Ohio - Jim Spencer
The Interlake tug Dorothy Ann and the barge Pathfinder were back at the Lafarge stone dock Monday, following another trip to Cleveland to off load aggregate.

Buffalo, N.Y. – Brian W.
The Rebecca Lynn - A-397 shifted docks from Noco to Marathon on the Niagara River about 6 a.m. Monday morning.

Panama Canal – Denny Dushane
Baie Comeau, Canada Steamship Lines newest addition to its fleet, along with its last Trillium-class self-unloading bulk carrier, arrived at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal during the morning of Sunday, Aug. 11. Baie Comeau is the last of four new similar vessels CSL has ordered from China. The first of the series, the award-winning Baie St. Paul, arrived late during the 2012 shipping season, while Whitefish Bay and Thunder Bay both arrived in late July. All three vessels are sisterships to the Baie Comeau. The Baie Comeau, after passing through the Panama Canal, is expected to arrive in Montreal sometime either in late August or early September. Upon her arrival, she will have special re-enforcements in her hull removed before she commences Great Lakes/Seaway service. Once the Baie Comeau departs from Montreal, her first stop will be Windsor, Ont., where it will offload ballast stone used to stabilize the ship on her journey across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The arrival of Baie Comeau at the Panama Canal completes the Trillium-class self-unloader additions to the CSL fleet. In 2014 however, CSL will be adding four new Trillium-class straight-deckers to its fleet. These will be built though at the Yangfan Shipyard located in China, and it is expected the new straight deckers will begin service sometime in 2014.



Lakes limestone trade down 13-plus percent in July

8/13 - Cleveland, Ohio – Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.5 million tons in July, a decrease of 2.9 percent compared to June, and 13.6 percent off the pace of a year ago.

Shipments from U.S. ports totaled 3 million tons, a decrease of 9.7 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings at Canadian quarries dipped by more than 30 percent.

Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at 12.85 million tons, a decrease of 8.5 percent compared to a year ago, and 23 percent below the average for the January-July timeframe in recent years.

Lake Carriers Association

[yachtsmanwilly]

New cargoes boost St. Lawrence Seaway commerce

8/14 - Washington, D.C. – Despite a downturn in overall cargo movements through the St. Lawrence Seaway in July (down 12.5 percent over 2012), new cargoes and new vessels signaled continued confidence in the future of the navigation system.

Several U.S. ports welcomed a variety of heavy lift cargoes destined for projects throughout the region. Twice during July, McKeil Marine Ltd. has called at the Port of Monroe to deliver heavy-lift industrial components, said Monroe port director Paul C. LaMarre III. These project pieces were manufactured by Cherubini Metal Workers Ltd in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and will be installed in the last of four Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) Units at DTE Energys Monroe Power Plant. These shipments represent the first Seaway cargo to come to the Port of Monroe in quite some time an event we look forward to repeating.

Delivering the cargo to the Port of Monroe realized efficiencies for the customer in utilizing water to get as close as possible to final destination, said McKeil marketing manager Brent Kinnaird. Our versatile fleet lends itself well to carrying oversized pieces and we expect to further leverage these capabilities with additional ports throughout the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.

At the Port of Cleveland, international cargo volume jumped 77 percent in July compared to the same time last year. Year-to-date, the port is up nearly 4 percent compared to 2012.

We continue to see strong demand for steel from manufacturers in our region, said David Gutheil, vice president of maritime and logistics. We also handled two new types of cargo that both originated in Germany steel beams destined for western Pennsylvania, and manufacturing presses that were sent to Wooster, Ohio.

Gutheil added that the port continues to benefit from last years expansion of its on-dock rail system and expects to see more new types of cargo this year.

In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, a $100 million grid upgrade came a step closer to completion after an ocean-going vessel transported three transformers to the site. The sophisticated electrical equipment made in Sweden by Swiss power giant ABB moved through the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Port of Milwaukee and from there was transshipped by barge to St. Ignace, said Rebecca Spruill, SLSDC Director of the Office of Trade Development.

Spruill added: This shipment is just one of several this month involving over-sized high value cargoes, clearly demonstrating that the Seaway is recognized by the shipping industry as the most reliable and cost efficient route for cargo destined for the heartland of North America.

New business ventures and unique cargoes were not the only highlights last month. U.S. ports also welcomed new, environmentally advanced vessels from Canada Steamship Lines (CSL). The Port of Duluth-Superior welcomed the Whitefish Bay, the second of CSLs four Trillium Class vessels, to Midwest Energy Resources Co. (MERC). She loaded 32,500 short tons of low-sulfur Western coal on its way to Quebec City for transshipment to Rotterdam, Netherlands. MERC president Fred Shusterich welcomed the ship: The high caliber of these state-of-the-art vessels equates to increased efficiency and lower costs for our customers, all of which bodes well for continued export business.

The Thunder Bay, CSLs third new Trillium Class vessel, traveled from Escanaba, Michigan where she loaded iron ore pellets that will be delivered to the Port of Quebec for markets overseas. At a maiden voyage celebration in Port Colborne, Ontario, Louis Martel, President of CSL stated: All Trillium Class vessels were built to meet the high environmental standards expected by the communities in which we operate. They use 15 percent less fuel, release fewer emissions and dust, and provide outstanding operational efficiency.

Between 2012-2016, more than 30 new ships from CSL and other Canadian shipowners, and valued at over $1 billion, will ply the Great Lakes, not only representing a strong commitment to meeting future environmental standards, but also signaling an extremely positive outlook for the future of the shipping industry in the Great Lakes-Seaway System.

As reported by the St. Lawrence Seaway, year-to-date cargo shipments for the period March 22 to July 31 were 15.3 million metric tons. Overall, cargo categories were mixed. U.S. grain continued to be the dominant cargo shipment in July with a 35 percent jump over the same period in 2012. Lower steel production throughout most of the Great Lakes region continues to reduce the need for iron ore and coal. Both commodities were down in July by 16 and 3 percent respectively. Within the dry bulk category, however, scrap metal was up 40 percent as well as pig iron at 7 percent. Additionally, liquid bulk shipments showed a slight increase of 1.5 percent to 1.7 million metric tons.

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway maritime industry supports 227,000 jobs in the U.S. and Canada, and annually generates $14.1 billion in salary and wages, $33.5 billion in business revenue, and $4.6 billion in federal, state/provincial and local taxes. North American farmers, steel producers, construction firms, food manufacturers, and power generators depend on the 164 million metric tons of essential raw materials and finished products that are moved annually on the system. This vital trade corridor saves companies $3.6 billion per year in transportation costs compared to the next least-costly land-based alternative.

Marine Delivers



Minnesota delays ballast rule for lakers

8/14 - Minnesota will give the owners of Great Lakes vessels an extra two years to install ballast treatment technology, but the state remains the only government moving to regulate the freshwater boats.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency on Monday unveiled its new five-year water quality permit regulations for ships that enter Minnesota waters of Lake Superior, giving supporters and opponents until Sept. 11 to comment.

The draft rules delay the previous requirement that existing lakers install ballast treatment technology on Jan. 1, 2016, for at least two years and likely until each vessel goes in for major service dry dock after Jan. 1, 2018.

“It’s acknowledging that we don’t think the technology yet exists for (lakers) to meet the ballast treatment guidelines, but that we think it will” by 2018, Jeff Udd, the PCA’s director of industrial water quality permits, told the News Tribune on Monday.

In 2008 Minnesota became one of the first states to issue its own ballast water regulations, and the only one to target lakers as well as saltwater ships. The permits must be renewed every five years. Each ship that enters state waters must have a ballast plan on file under the rules.

The new permit also makes changes in how saltwater ships will be regulated by the state, essentially deferring to the newly developed federal Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. The change pushes it back from a mandatory Jan. 1, 2016, deadline to the vessels’ first major dry dock after Jan. 1, 2016, which could be several years in some cases.

Udd said the state essentially is allowing the federal rules to govern saltwater ships while the state focuses on lakers.

“We didn’t want to duplicate what the EPA is doing on saltwater ships. We wanted to focus our attention on what we think are gaps in the federal rules,” Udd said, referring to the fact Great Lakes vessels are exempt from the federal ballast guidelines.

The ballast rules are part of a broader effort to reduce the amount of invasive species that hitchhike in ballast water — such as zebra mussels, ruffe and goby — both from foreign ports to U.S. ports and also those spread between Great Lakes ports.

Officials of the Great Lakes shipping industry vehemently oppose the Minnesota regulations, saying their freighters are not responsible for any new species coming into U.S. waters. They also contend that because lakers move so much ballast water in and out so fast at each port, no technology may be possible to meet guidelines for killing nearly all aquatic organisms in their tanks. Opponents are expected to contest the new rules at an upcoming PCA board hearing this autumn and could ask the state Court of

Meanwhile, environmental and conservation groups have called for even stricter guidelines and quicker deadlines, saying invasive species are wreaking havoc with native ecosystems and costing millions of dollars to combat each year.

The state regulations will affect up to 275 oceangoing ships that could visit the Twin Ports, as the federal rules do. But Minnesota’s rules also include up to 130 U.S.- and Canadian-flagged freighters that never leave the Great Lakes.

“Lake Superior is not only valuable as a natural resource but also directly supports the entire region’s economy,” said John Linc Stine, PCA commissioner, in a statement. “This permit continues to make meaningful progress towards reducing the threat of aquatic invasive species while supporting a viable shipping industry.”

In March the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled its ballast rules requiring owners of most all freight-carrying ocean vessels to adopt International Maritime Organization standards for killing living organisms in the on-board ballast tanks. Potential on-board systems include those using chemicals, ultraviolet light, filters, crushing or other technology to kill critters in the tanks.

A copy of the draft permit, fact sheet, and public notice are available for review at the PCA offices in St. Paul and Duluth and online on the Public Notices section of the PCA’s website. To comment contact Beth Gawrys at [e-mail].

Duluth News Tribune




Today in Great Lakes History - August 14

On this day in 1962, the ARTHUR M. ANDERSON departed Conneaut and headed downbound to become the first Pittsburgh boat to transit the Welland Canal and St. Lawrence Seaway.

At 11 p.m., 14 August 1882, the steam barge CHICAGO, 206 foot, 935 gross tons of 1855, was carrying coal on Lake Michigan while towing the barge MANITOWOC, 210.5 feet, 569 gross tons of 1868. In mid-lake, near Fox Island, CHICAGO was discovered to be on fire. Within 15 minutes, she was ablaze. Her crew escaped to her barge-consort MANITOWOC. The CHICAGO burned to the water's edge and sank the following day.

Sea trials for the HENRY FORD II took place on August 14, 1924, and shortly after she left on her maiden voyage with coal from Toledo, Ohio to Duluth, Minnesota and returned with iron ore to the Ford Rouge Plant at Dearborn.

After been sold for scrap, the GOVERNOR MILLER was towed down the Soo Locks on August 14, 1980, for Milwaukee, Wisconsin to load scrap.

On 14 August 1873, CHESTER B. JONES (3-mast, wooden schooner, 167 foot, 493 gross tons) was launched at East Saginaw, Michigan. She was built by Chesley Wheeler. The spars and top hamper ordered for her were broken in a logjam, so the 3-master received her spars at Buffalo, New York on her first trip.

The 149 foot bark MARY E. PEREW was found floating west of the Manitou Islands by the propeller MONTGOMERY on 14 August 1871. The PEREW had been sailing to Milwaukee with a load of coal when a storm came upon her so quickly on 8 August (nearly a week before MONTGOMERY found her) that the crew did not have time to trim the sails. All three masts were snapped and the mizzen mast fell on the yawl, smashing it. So the crew was stuck on the ship, unable to navigate. The MONTGOMERY towed her to Milwaukee where she was rebuilt and she lasted until 1905.

On 14 August 1900, the tug WILLIAM D of the Great Lakes Towing Co. got under the bow of the steamer WAWATAM at Ashtabula, Ohio, and was rolled over and sank. One drowned.

August 14, 1899 - W. L. Mercereau, known as the "Father of the Fleet,” became Superintendent of Steamships for the Pere Marquette Railway.

1936: Registration for the wooden steamer MARY H. BOYCE was closed. The ship, which had burned at Fort William in 1928, was scuttled in deep water off Isle Royale in 1936.The vessel had been an early member of the Paterson fleet.

1950: The Canada Steamship Lines passenger carrier QUEBEC caught fire near Tadoussac, Quebec, and was able to reach the dock. Of the 426 passengers on board, 3 lives were lost. The blaze was considered suspicious as it began in a linen closet. The vessel was a total loss.

1961: The wooden diesel-powered tug NORTH STAR IV had visited the Great Lakes as b) ROCKY RIVER and had been used to handle the barges BLACK RIVER and PIC RIVER for the Quebec & Ontario Transportation Co. The vessel was serving under her fourth name when she stranded on a rock in James Bay while doing hydrographic survey work. The crew was rescued but the vessel was a total loss. The rocky area is now called North Star Shoal.

1986: GABRIELLA came through the Seaway in 1975 when only a year old. The ship capsized at Port Kembla, Australia, while discharging a 227-ton heavy lift on this date. The vessel was turned upside down, refloated in November 1986 and towed 30 miles out to sea and scuttled on December 9, 1986.

2004: FEDERAL MAAS was damaged at the Iroquois Lock when the wing of the pilothouse struck the edge of the bascule bridge.

2005: The Cypriot freighter ULLA visited the Seaway in September 1995 with cocoa beans for Valleyfield, QC and returned, in ballast, in November 1996 for Port Robinson. It was in a collision as f) REEF PEMBA with the GAS VISION and sank off Oman on this date in 2005. The crew was saved.

[Avenger]

Oops! Didn't realize Bill didn't do this yesterday:


Today in Great Lakes History - August 15

On this day in 1899, a major blockage of the St. Marys River occurred. The steamer MATOA was towing the barge MAIDA past Sailors Encampment when the steering chain of the MAIDA parted. The MAIDA ran ashore but the current swung her around to completely block the channel, and she sank. The lower St. Marys River was closed for several days and 80 - 90 boats were delayed.

The whaleback barge 107 (steel whaleback barge, 276 foot, 1,295 gross tons) was launched by the American Steel Barge Co., at W. Superior, Wisconsin. She only lasted eight years. In 1898, she broke free from the tug ALVA B in rough weather and stranded near Cleveland, Ohio and was wrecked.

JOSEPH L. BLOCK sailed light on her maiden voyage from the Bay Ship Building Co., Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin to load 32,600 long tons of taconite ore pellets at Escanaba, Michigan for delivery to Indiana Harbor, Indiana on August 15, 1976.

In 1991, ALGOSTEEL was outbound at Superior when a small, smoky fire broke out in the electrical panel. The ship went to anchor and then returned to port for repairs. The trip resumed on August 24.

The OTTERCLIFFE HALL, the last "straight deck" Great Lakes bulk freighter built with a pilot house forward, was bare boat chartered to Misener Transportation Ltd. on August 15, 1983, renamed b.) ROYALTON. In 1985, renamed c.) OTTERCLIFFE HALL, d.) PETER MISENER in 1988, and e.) CANADIAN TRADER in 1994. She was scrapped at Alang, India in 2004.

Under threat of a strike on August 15, 1978, the uncompleted GEORGE A. STINSON was towed out of Lorain, Ohio by six tugs to River Rouge's Nicholson's Terminal & Dock Co. to finish her fit-out. She was renamed b.) AMERICAN SPIRIT in 2004.

The LEON FALK JR. was laid up for the last time August 15, 1980, at the Great Lakes Engineering Work's old slip at River Rouge, Michigan.

On August 15, 1985, the MENIHEK LAKE sailed under her own power to Quebec City (from there by tug), the first leg of her journey to the cutter’s torch in Spain.

J.P. MORGAN JR arrived in tow of Hannah Marine's tug DARYL C. HANNAH at Buffalo, New York on August 15th where she was delayed until she could obtain clearance to transit the Welland Canal. Permission to pass down the Canal was refused because of the MORGAN JR's improper condition. By September 5, 1980, the situation was rectified and she was towed down the Welland Canal by the tugs BARBARA ANN, STORMONT and ARGUE MARTIN bound for Quebec City.

On 15 August 1856, the WELLAND (sidewheel steamer, wood, passenger & package freight, 145 foot, 300 ton, built 1853, at St. Catharines, Ontario) burned to a total loss at her dock at Port Dalhousie, Ontario. She was owned by Port Dalhousie and Thorold Railroad Co. On 15 August 1873, Thomas Dunford and Frank Leighton announced a co-partnership in the shipbuilding business in Port Huron, Michigan. Their plans included operating from Dunford's yard. When they made their announcement, they already had an order for a large tug from Mr. George E. Brockway. This tug was the CRUSADER with the dimensions of 132 feet overall, 100 foot keel, and 23 foot beam. In 1914, the Panama Canal was officially opened to maritime traffic.