Today in Great Lakes History

[ppat324]

In 1960, The Ludington Daily News reported that the S.S. AVALON, formerly the S.S. VIRGINIA, had been sold to Everett J. Stotts of Artesia, California.

On 03 February 1899, the steamer GEORGE FARWELL (wooden propeller freighter, 182 foot, 977 gross tons, built in 1895, at Marine City, Michigan) burned while laid up near Montreal, Quebec. She had just been taken from the Great Lakes by her new owners, the Manhattan Transportation Company, for the Atlantic coastal coal trade, The loss was valued at $50,000 and was fully covered by insurance. The vessel was repaired and lasted until 1906 when she was lost near Cape Henry, Virginia.

1939: LUTZEN came ashore in dense fog at Nauset Beach, Chatham, Mass., off Cape Cod. The vessel rolled over on its side with its cargo of frozen fish and fruit. The small ship had been built at Fort William, (now Thunder Bay) in 1918.

1970: The tanker GEZINA BROVIG sank 300 miles northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. An explosion in the main engine on January 31 blew a piston through the side of the ship and it gradually sank. The vessel had been a Great Lakes trader beginning in 1965.

1993: The former Spanish freighter MARTA, a Seaway trader in 1981, was sailing as b) PROSPERITY when it began leaking in a storm. The ship subsequently broke in two and sank with the loss of 5 lives. The vessel went down 120 miles west of Sri Lanka while enroute from Jordan to Madras, India.

1996: An engine room fire aboard the C.S.L. self-unloader JEAN PARISIEN at Port Colborne resulted in about $250,000 in damage








What heavy ice coverage means for Great Lakes shipping and water levels

2/3 - Ice formed on the Great Lakes early this year, thanks to the arctic temperatures we’ve been experiencing. And that should be good for lake levels, which have plummeted in recent years. Right?

Well, it turns out the answer to that question is a bit complicated. Lake levels are affected by a number of factors, including temperature, precipitation, evaporation and ice cover.

Heavy ice cover in the winter months acts like a cap on the lakes, preventing water from evaporating. But a study released this week takes a look at some of the mitigating factors. Its author, John Lenters, says it’s true that ice cover cuts down on evaporation, which means more water stays in the lakes.

“The only problem with that argument is that to get to where we are already this year, with all this high ice cover, you need a lot of evaporation prior to that,” he explains.

The lakes sweat, just like you. Here’s what Lenters means. In order for there to be lots of ice on the lakes, the lake has to cool off. And when it cools off a lot, that means there’s a lot of evaporation. Kind of like when you sweat in the summertime.

“The sweat, when it evaporates, it cools your skin quite rapidly. That’s actually one of the most effective ways your body loses heat. And the lakes are really no different. They’re a giant body of water. And so when they evaporate a lot, that’s actually when they’re most effective at cooling the lakes,” Lenters says.

So the fact that there is all that ice on the lakes suggests the lakes lost a lot of water to evaporation. And Lenters says there’s evidence that did, in fact, happen.

“We actually know this from measurements we have out on an island in Lake Superior,” he says. “This past year we’ve actually had really high evaporation rates through today.”

Lenters says that evaporation should be offset by reduced evaporation because of the ice cover. So lake levels should continue to rebound. Lenters says the wild card is precipitation. And there aren’t great models for predicting that.

So what else has this icy winter meant for the Great Lakes? For the shipping industry, it’s meant some major headaches. Great Lakes freighters carry cargo like coal, grain, aggregate (think stone and road salt – kind of important right now), and taconite, which is used to make steel.

It’s the job of the U.S. Coast Guard to keep shipping lanes open in those waterways. And this has been a very busy season for the eight cutters that work the Great Lakes.

“We’ve helped more than 27 vessels stuck in the ice,” said Lt. Kenny Pepper, captain of the USCGC Morro Bay. “It’s been about 150 hours dedicated to those assists, not to mention all the others spent just doing preventative ice breaking.”

Pepper and his crew have been breaking ice since Dec. 16, with only one stop back in home port since.

“A lot of captains say they haven’t seen an ice season like this for at least for 25 years,” said Operations Spec. 1st Class Galen Witham. “With the jet stream that dropped down bringing arctic air, it really became what we call a fast-making ice season.”

Michigan Radio

[Avenger]

You're welcome. It wasn't up on my first try either.

[Avenger]

Mystery of Ottawa River shipwreck revealed

2/3 - Gatineau, Ont. – A satellite has looked deep into the Ottawa River’s nautical past, sending two amateur historians on a search that identified a nearly forgotten shipwreck. Andrew King spotted the piece of our history, a ghostly outline in a satellite image of the Ottawa River that looked like a large boat.

Intrigued, he hiked through the bush and found it. The wreck is the former Jean-Richard, a sturdy wooden cargo boat 98 feet long that became in turns a cruise boat, an illegal casino, a floating cottage, a platform where kids fished, and now a wreck.

King thinks it’s worth preserving. The boat, built with hand tools beside the St. Lawrence River in 1959, is possibly the last of its kind produced.

“I love maps. Each morning I love just studying satellite images like Google Earth,” said King, an artist and cartoonist.

After seeing the picture last fall he trekked across National Capital Commission land in Gatineau to an inlet roughly across from 24 Sussex Drive. The wooden hull is still partly above the water in an area of bush used for outdoor parties.

“My goal was to find out: What is this ship? Is it worth preserving?” he said.

He and Glen Gower, who runs the website ottawastart.com, started detective work. He found the connection while doing research into some old stone buildings, which led to a map of shipwrecks. Through this they traced the sad-looking wreck to a proud working past.

“They called them goélettes,” King said. “These were the workhorse boats for fisherman and freight along the St. Lawrence.

“This boat is significant because it was the last wooden goélette to be built by shipbuilders in that region,” and perhaps the last anywhere. In the past couple of centuries, small shipyards in Quebec’s Charlevoix region built more than 550 such boats.

The website goélettesduquébec.ca says this type evolved steadily, and was an important freight carrier along the St. Lawrence, known for its steady handling and ability to enter shallow waters.

Motors replaced sails, and there was a “golden age” from 1935 to 1960 as hydroelectric development, iron mining and other industrialization swept through the North Shore. But modern trucks and highways displaced shipping. A few boats survive at the Charlevoix Maritime Museum and Quebec City.

The National Film Board commemorated the building of the Jean-Richard with a documentary released in 1963. The retired cargo boat came to Ottawa in 1976 to serve as a river-cruise-and-nightclub boat, renamed Ville de Vanier.

Notoriety followed. In 1980 John Turmel, a gambler who was in and out of court many times on charges of running illegal gaming houses, tried his luck with floating crap games. The Sûreté du Québec shut him down. “It stopped being a cruise ship and became a floating cottage,” King said.

“The story is when they were taking it to be stored for the winter, it caught fire and they just dragged it to where it sits now.” That was about 25 years ago. The hull has slowly fallen apart, which hurts King.

“It’s such an important part of our Canadian heritage, being a country that is surrounded by water and we use water all the time,” he said. “This is something that should be preserved and not just sitting there rotting away, being vandalized.”

Ottawa Citzen


What heavy ice coverage means for Great Lakes shipping and water levels

2/3 - Ice formed on the Great Lakes early this year, thanks to the arctic temperatures we’ve been experiencing. And that should be good for lake levels, which have plummeted in recent years. Right?

Well, it turns out the answer to that question is a bit complicated. Lake levels are affected by a number of factors, including temperature, precipitation, evaporation and ice cover.

Heavy ice cover in the winter months acts like a cap on the lakes, preventing water from evaporating. But a study released this week takes a look at some of the mitigating factors. Its author, John Lenters, says it’s true that ice cover cuts down on evaporation, which means more water stays in the lakes.

“The only problem with that argument is that to get to where we are already this year, with all this high ice cover, you need a lot of evaporation prior to that,” he explains.

The lakes sweat, just like you. Here’s what Lenters means. In order for there to be lots of ice on the lakes, the lake has to cool off. And when it cools off a lot, that means there’s a lot of evaporation. Kind of like when you sweat in the summertime.

“The sweat, when it evaporates, it cools your skin quite rapidly. That’s actually one of the most effective ways your body loses heat. And the lakes are really no different. They’re a giant body of water. And so when they evaporate a lot, that’s actually when they’re most effective at cooling the lakes,” Lenters says.

So the fact that there is all that ice on the lakes suggests the lakes lost a lot of water to evaporation. And Lenters says there’s evidence that did, in fact, happen.

“We actually know this from measurements we have out on an island in Lake Superior,” he says. “This past year we’ve actually had really high evaporation rates through today.”

Lenters says that evaporation should be offset by reduced evaporation because of the ice cover. So lake levels should continue to rebound. Lenters says the wild card is precipitation. And there aren’t great models for predicting that.

So what else has this icy winter meant for the Great Lakes? For the shipping industry, it’s meant some major headaches. Great Lakes freighters carry cargo like coal, grain, aggregate (think stone and road salt – kind of important right now), and taconite, which is used to make steel.

It’s the job of the U.S. Coast Guard to keep shipping lanes open in those waterways. And this has been a very busy season for the eight cutters that work the Great Lakes.

“We’ve helped more than 27 vessels stuck in the ice,” said Lt. Kenny Pepper, captain of the USCGC Morro Bay. “It’s been about 150 hours dedicated to those assists, not to mention all the others spent just doing preventative ice breaking.”

Pepper and his crew have been breaking ice since Dec. 16, with only one stop back in home port since.

“A lot of captains say they haven’t seen an ice season like this for at least for 25 years,” said Operations Spec. 1st Class Galen Witham. “With the jet stream that dropped down bringing arctic air, it really became what we call a fast-making ice season.”

Michigan Radio

Today in Great Lakes History - February 3

In 1960, The Ludington Daily News reported that the S.S. AVALON, formerly the S.S. VIRGINIA, had been sold to Everett J. Stotts of Artesia, California.

On 03 February 1899, the steamer GEORGE FARWELL (wooden propeller freighter, 182 foot, 977 gross tons, built in 1895, at Marine City, Michigan) burned while laid up near Montreal, Quebec. She had just been taken from the Great Lakes by her new owners, the Manhattan Transportation Company, for the Atlantic coastal coal trade, The loss was valued at $50,000 and was fully covered by insurance. The vessel was repaired and lasted until 1906 when she was lost near Cape Henry, Virginia.

1939: LUTZEN came ashore in dense fog at Nauset Beach, Chatham, Mass., off Cape Cod. The vessel rolled over on its side with its cargo of frozen fish and fruit. The small ship had been built at Fort William, (now Thunder Bay) in 1918.

1970: The tanker GEZINA BROVIG sank 300 miles northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. An explosion in the main engine on January 31 blew a piston through the side of the ship and it gradually sank. The vessel had been a Great Lakes trader beginning in 1965.

1993: The former Spanish freighter MARTA, a Seaway trader in 1981, was sailing as b) PROSPERITY when it began leaking in a storm. The ship subsequently broke in two and sank with the loss of 5 lives. The vessel went down 120 miles west of Sri Lanka while enroute from Jordan to Madras, India.

1996: An engine room fire aboard the C.S.L. self-unloader JEAN PARISIEN at Port Colborne resulted in about $250,000 in damage.

[ppat324]

The two sections of the a.) WILLIAM J. DE LANCEY, b.) PAUL R. TREGURTHA) were joined at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. and float-launched on February 4, 1981, (Hull #909).

In 1977, ROGER BLOUGH arrived at the American Shipbuilding Company in Lorain, Ohio for winter lay up and a 5-year hull inspection. She had departed South Chicago after unloading on Jan 25th and the trip took 10 days due to weather and heavy ice.

February 4, 1904 - Captain Russell of the PERE MARQUETTE 17 reported that Lake Michigan was frozen all the way to Manitowoc.

In 1870, The Port Huron Weekly Times reported that “a Montreal company has purchased all the standing timber on Walpole Island Indian Reservation [on the St. Clair River…] A large force of men are employed in hewing, cutting and delivering the same on the banks of the river in readiness for shipment… The proceeds of the sale of timber on Walpole Island will probably amount to $18,000 to $20,000, to be distributed among the Indians of the island to improve their farms.

1964: OCEAN REGINA, which would become a Seaway visitor in 1971, ran aground in the Makassar Strait, Indonesia, while enroute from Geraldton, Australia, to China. The ship was refloated February 11.

1965: The Liberty ship IRINI STEFANOU visited the Great Lakes in 1959 and 1960. It struck a reef, 1 mile west of the San Benita Islands, Baja Peninsula and had to be beached. The vessel was enroute from Vancouver, British Columbia, to London, England, with timber. While abandoned, the hull was refloated on February 25 and taken to Los Angeles for examination. They discovered a serious distortion of the hull and it was broken up at Terminal Island.

1970: ARROW, a Liberian tanker quite familiar with Great Lakes trading, stranded in Chedebucto Bay, while inbound from Venezuela to Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia. The ship broke in two as a total loss on February 8 spilling millions of gallons of oil. This resulted in a major environmental problem and clean up took two years and $3.8 million.

1976: A fire aboard the freighter KERKIS broke out in #3 hold off the northern coast of Sicily. The vessel was brought into Milazzo, Italy, the next day and when the hold was opened on February 12, the blaze flared up again. The hull was beached as a total loss. It had begun Seaway trading as a) BYSANZ in 1959 and was back as b) ALSATIA beginning in 1967.

1984: The former MANCHESTER RENOWN was idle at Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, as c) EDESSA. The ship was being reactivated when a fire broke out and destroyed the upper works. The vessel was sold to Taiwan shipbreakers and arrived at Kaohsiung on April 6, 1984. It had begun Seaway trading as a new ship, in 1964.

1992: PATRICIA was wrecked at Crotone, Italy, and abandoned. The hull was visible years later, partially submerged. The ship began Seaway service as a) RUMBA in 1971 and was back as b) JANJA in 1975, c) JANJE in 1979 and e) FIGARO in 1988.

1999: The former BAUNTON caught fire in #1 hold 350 miles west of Dakar, Senegal, as c) MERSINIA and was abandoned by the crew. The ship, enroute from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, to Amsterdam, Netherlands, with cocoa beans in bulk, was a total loss and was delivered to Spanish shipbreakers at Santander for dismantling on January 21, 2000. It first came through the Seaway in 1981 when it was a year old.

[Avenger]

Today in Great Lakes History - February 5

ASHLAND, in a critically leaking condition, barely made Mamonel, Colombia, on February 5, 1988, where she was scrapped.

February 5, 1870 - Captain William H. Le Fleur of the Pere Marquette carferry fleet, known as "the Bear" was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

On February 5, 1976, the carferry WOLFE ISLANDER III was inaugurated into service between Kingston and Wolfe Island Ontario. Later that night, two blocks over, a Kingston resident noticed the captain turning off the running lights of the 'ol WOLFE ISLANDER as she joined her already winterized sister, the UPPER CANADA.

1972: CHRISTIANE SCHULTE, a West German Seaway trader, went aground at Khidhes Island, Cyprus, while on fire and was abandoned by the crew. The ship was traveling from Lattakia, Syria, to Mersin, Turkey, as b) CITTA DI ALESSANDRIA and was a total loss.

1977: The Israeli freighter TAMAR, a Seaway caller in 1959 and 1961, was gutted by a fire in the Aegean Sea south of Thira Island as c) ATHENA. The vessel, enroute from Mersin, Turkey, to Albania, was towed into Piraeus, Greece, on February 12, 1977. It was a total loss and scrapping began at Eleusis in January 1978.

1982: The Canadian tanker JAMES TRANSPORT spent 10 hours aground in the St. Lawrence near Batiscan, Quebec.

[ppat324]

On 06 February 1952, the LIMESTONE (steel propeller tug, 87 foot 10 inches) was launched at Bay City, Michigan, by the Defoe Shipyard (Hull #423) for the Michigan Limestone and Chemical Company. Later she was sold to U.S. Steel and in 1983, to Gaelic Tug Company who renamed her b.) WICKLOW. She is currently owned by the Great Lakes Towing Company and is named c.) NORTH CAROLINA.

LORNA P, a.) CACOUNA was damaged by fire at Sorel, Quebec, which was ignited by a welder's torch on February 6, 1974.

ALVA C. DINKEY (Hull #365) was launched February 6, 1909, at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co.

HALLFAX (Hull#526) was launched February 6, 1962, at Port Glasgow, Scotland by William Hamilton & Co. Ltd.

On February 6, 1904, the PERE MARQUETTE 19 went aground on Fox Point, Wisconsin approaching Milwaukee in fog. Engulfed in ice and fog, she quickly filled with water.

On 06 February 1885, Capt. William Bridges of Bay City and A. C. Mc Lean of East Saginaw purchased the steamer D.W. POWERS (wooden propeller freighter, 140 foot, 303 gross tons, built in 1871, at Marine City, Michigan) for the lumber trade. This vessel had an interesting rebuild history. In 1895, she was rebuilt as a schooner-barge in Detroit, then in 1898, she was again rebuilt as a propeller driven steamer. She lasted until 1910, when she was abandoned.

[ppat324]

HURON (Hull#132) was launched February 7, 1914, at Ecorse, Michigan by Great Lakes Engineering Works for Wyandotte Transportation Co. She was scrapped at Santander, Spain in 1973.

In 1973, ENDERS M. VOORHEES closed the Soo Locks downbound.

In 1974, ROGER BLOUGH closed the Poe Lock after locking down bound for Gary, Indiana.

1965: The Liberty ship GRAMMATIKI visited the Seaway for one trip in 1960. The vessel began leaking in heavy weather on the Pacific enroute from Tacoma, Washington, to Keelung, Taiwan, with a cargo of scrap. The vessel, also slated to be scrapped, was abandoned by the crew the next day and slowly sank.

[skycheney]

Check this out. It probably means more to me since I just took the boat up the St. Marys River this past summer but it's still cool to see the icebreakers work.

[ppat324]

While in lay-up on February 8, 1984, a fire broke out in WILLIAM G. MATHER's after accommodations killing a vagrant from Salt Lake City, Utah, who started the fire that caused considerable damage to the galley.

On 8 February 1902, ETRURIA (steel propeller freighter, 414 foot, 4,653 gross tons) was launched at W. Bay City, Michigan by West Bay City Ship Building Co. (Hull#604). She was built for the Hawgood Transit Company of Cleveland but only lasted three years. She sank in 1905, after colliding with the steamer AMASA STONE in the fog off Presque Isle Light in Lake Huron.

1983: EAGLESCLIFFE sank in shallow water at Galveston, Texas, while carrying a cargo of cattle freed for Tampico, Mexico. The ship developed hull cracks and subsequently broke in two during an August 1983 hurricane. The canal sized bulk carrier operated on the Great Lakes as a) EAGLESCLIFFE HALL (ii) from 1956 through 1971 and went south in 1974.

1990: LE SAULE NO. 1 received a hole in the bow after striking the Yamachiche Beacon in the Lake St. Peter area of the St. Lawrence and went to Sorel for lay-up. The damage was later repaired at Les Mechins.

[yachtsmanwilly]

That reminded me off the trip Northbound with the SUSAN E. ... we left Chicago 3 days earlier and the first night was 60F on deck and flat as a pancake. By Washington Is. we were in a foot of ice and by the straights we were in 2 feet and thickening in a total white out. We laid over at the Drummond Is ferry dock for the night. Franz kept insisting on making the river run that night but was voted down. The next morning we took off and grounded about 3 miles north of there. Almost needed a tow off. I got off the boat at the Carbide Dock in SSM and flew back to Duluth and drove home from there. What a trip! ws