Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

Yeah... Im glad its been rainy here to dilute the white stuff. Theres a record breaking 54 inch frost line to thaw and if everything melts at once that spells J-A-M-E-S-T-O-W-N in a hurry... All the farmers up here prepped the fields with the late fall we had so the are all chomping at the bits to get planted too... ws



Edwin H. Gott arrives at lower St. Marys River

3/28 - On Thursday, the 1,000-foot Edwin H. Gott of Great Lakes Fleet arrived at the lower St. Marys River off of DeTour, making her the first commercial vessel to arrive in the river for the 2014 shipping season. Anchored in the Straits of Mackinaw and just east of Mackinac Island was the 1,000-footer Stewart J. Cort of the Interlake Steamship Co. Both vessels will transit the lower part of the St. Marys River when conditions are favorable and after getting clearance from the U.S. Coast Guard to head upbound. The Gott departed her lay-up berth in Erie, Pa., on March 23 and arrived in Detroit on March 26 to take on fuel. After fueling, the Gott departed from the Mistersky Fuel Dock and headed up the Detroit and St. Clair rivers, eventually making it into an ice-filled Lake Huron on Wednesday before arriving at DeTour and the lower St. Marys River on Thursday. The downbound convoy of ships escorted from the Twin Ports – Presque Isle, Cason J. Callaway and John G. Munson – remains somewhere on eastern Lake Superior under escort by the USCG Mackinaw.

Denny Dushane





Straits of Mackinac

3/28 - Icebreaking began just after 7:30 a.m. Thursday near St. Helena Island, with the USCG cutter Mobile Bay assisting the Joyce L. Van Enkevort, fracturing ice on the starboard side of the barge to give it relief. Then the Mobile Bay passed the Van Enkevort and led the convoy eastbound to the bridge. Meanwhile, the Biscayne Bay ran down the port side of the Stewart J. Cort and freed it from the ice.

The icebreakers are now using a new visual warning system, likely in response to the Hollyhock collision early in the season. Amber lights are switched on if the icebreaker gets stuck in ice or needs to slow down quickly, followed by a radio warning for traffic behind the icebreaker to stop. Both Biscayne Bay and Mobile Bay tested these lights and got confirmation from the freighters that they saw them.

The passage from Lansing Shoal to Round Island Passage went smoothly without incident, and the vessels were spread out. The Biscayne Bay advised the Cort to stay north on the track, since there is a lot of relief to the south, and the freighter could get sucked to the south of the track.

During the approach to the bridge, the Cort announced its intention of staying in the ice for a couple of days, because Soo Traffic would likely not be ready to escort freighters up the St. Marys River until sometime Saturday. It was recommended that the Cort seek out firm ice to the north of the track east of Round Island, and she is stopped in the ice just north of the westbound 261 track line from DeTour.

The Van Enkevort proceeded downbound on Lake Huron, and after the traffic cleared, the Alpena headed west. Alpena made it nearly to Lansing Shoal by 7 pm Thursday, where she is stopped in the ice. The next eastbound freighters appear to be the Arthur M. Anderson (Two Harbors) and the Roger Blough (AIS destination: Lansing Shoal, which is likely where she’ll stop). Both ships were near Rock Island Passage at 7 pm Thursday.

Robert Bemben





Welland Canal opens today

3/28 - St. Catharines, Ont. – The Welland Canal will open today at 8 a.m. The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. still intends to celebrate the opening of the canal on Friday with its annual ceremony at Lock 3 in St. Catharines beginning at 10 a.m.

The captain of the Welland Canal's first downbound vessel of the season will have to wait a little longer to tip the coveted top hat. Port Colborne's traditional top hat ceremony was scheduled to take place Friday, but has since been postponed until next week.

The ice on Lake Erie has showed no signs of breaking up this week, which has delayed downbound ships. The first is not expected to pass through Port Colborne until sometime next week.

A date and updated time for the delayed ceremony at Lock 8 park has not yet been set.

The canal is generally open water with broken ice above lock 7 up to Port Colborne. Heavy ice conditions exist on Lake Erie. Thursday night the CCG Griffon and Pierre Radisson worked off Port Colborne preparing a track through the heavy ice for the departure of the Frontenac, Baie Comeau and Whitefish Bay.

Welland Tribune, BoatNerd.Com





More salties expected when Seaway opens

3/28 - The list of saltwater vessels continues to grow for next week's opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway on March 31. Expected in Montreal on April 3 is the tanker Stella Polaris of the Netherlands. The tanker is coming from Finland and will be visiting Hamilton after the Seaway opens. In addition to the Stella Polaris, the tanker Harbor Feature of Portugal is expected to depart Montreal on April 1 for Clarkson, Ont. Other salties expected to arrive in Montreal are the Polsteam vessels Lubie and Isolda. Lubie will be heading to Toronto with sugar for Redpath, while Isolda will be heading to Cleveland with steel. Both the Federal Rhine and Federal Saguenay are expected to be in the Seaway sometime in April, bringing in steel from Antwerp, Belgium. Salty traffic may be slow going with heavy ice in the Seaway/Great Lakes region.

Denny Dushane





Freighter ships out, ushering in Great Lakes maritime season

3/28 - Erie, Pa. – Winter repair season is nearing its end at Erie's Donjon Shipbuilding & Repair. Wednesday afternoon, the CSL Laurentien, a 739-foot-long Canadian self-unloading bulk freighter, departed the Erie shipyard, where it had been dry-docked since mid-January for repairs.

The vessel sailed to Conneaut, Ohio, where it was scheduled to pick up a load of coal before continuing to Nanticoke, Ont.

"It's been a very successful winter season, especially under harsh conditions,'' said John Nekoloff, Donjon's subcontracts manager and director of safety and environmental compliance. "It was one of the harshest winters in the last 25 years and we maintained and got the ships out on time.''

The Great Lakes shipping season began on Tuesday with the opening of the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Detroit District.

The Edwin H. Gott, a 1,000-foot American freighter, left the Donjon shipyard on Monday.

The Canadian vessel Kaministiqua is the last freighter remaining at Donjon. The vessel is scheduled to depart Erie between April 6 and April 8, Nekoloff said.

Donjon currently employs about 225 workers. Spring projects at the Erie shipyard will keep that employment number the same, Nekoloff said. Employment will likely increase for Donjon's next major project, which is scheduled to begin in the summer, Nekoloff said.

Donjon officials in February finalized a contract with Seabulk Tankers Inc. to construct part of a 185,000-barrel coastal chemical and petroleum tug and barge unit.

The barge, which will be an estimated 550 to 600 feet in length, will be built at the Erie shipyard, and the tug will be constructed at the BAE Systems Southeast Shipyard in Jacksonville, Fla.

The Erie project is expected to take 18 to 24 months, Nekoloff said.

Erie Times-News





Ice-breaking starts in Thunder Bay harbor

3/28 - Thunder Bay, Ont. – The Coast Guard is warning Thunder Bay residents to stay off the harbor ice, as two ice-breaking vessels from the United States are scheduled to start clearing shipping channels today.

Thunder Bay harbormaster Guy Jarvis said the 42-meter-long Katmai Bay and Morro Bay will open some "tracks" in the harbor.

“What we want to try to do is break some straight lines into the five main entrances into Thunder Bay — the north entrance and the south entrance and the Kam River entrance ... basically trying to make everything straight,” he said. “[We want to] break big ice into little ice and then into ice cubes, finally.”

But this weekend help will arrive in the form of the larger American ice-breaking cutter, the Alder, Jarvis said.

“She just works faster. She's got more horsepower so that, if we are coming into difficulty with these smaller vessels, we've got more horsepower to get things done.”

The minister of Fisheries and Oceans said on Wednesday that the Canadian Coast Guard will re-assign additional ice-breaking vessels to the region to get shipping started as soon as possible.

“This year's frigid temperatures have led to ice conditions that have not been seen in the Great Lakes or Eastern Canada in decades, which are having a direct adverse impact on Canadian products reaching domestic and international markets,” the department stated in a press release issued Wednesday.

“The Government and the Canadian Coast Guard have made an important decision to re-assign additional Coast Guard resources to the Great Lakes, to ensure that Canadian products, resources and agricultural goods get shipped to market.”

Jarvis estimated the first cargo vessel into Thunder Bay will get into port around April 4.

That's roughly a week behind the usual opening of navigation.

CBC News





Lookback #131 - Patrice McAllister caught fire on March 28, 2012

3/28 - The tug Patrice McAllister was on its delivery trip to the East Coast when fire broke out while crossing Lake Ontario two years ago today. The blaze quickly disabled the vessel and the crew had to abandon ship. The Chief Engineer later died from his injuries.

This vessel had been built at Bayou La Barre, Louisiana, in 1999 and came to the Great Lakes as James Palladino. It was up bound in the Welland Canal, on the delivery voyage, on August 7, 1999, and was paired with the barge Kellstone I in the Lake Erie stone trade for five years.

The 110 foot long tug was renamed as Cleveland in 2004 while the barge was renamed Cleveland Rocks. They continued to work together through 2011. After being laid up late in 2011, the tug was sold to McAllister Towing and was leaving the Great Lakes for East Coast service when the fire erupted on March 28, 2012. Following the fire, Patrice McAllister was towed to Clayton, New York, and then cleared the Seaway under tow of the Rowan McAllister for repairs. It has returned to service.

Skip Gillham





Today in Great Lakes History - March 28

On 28 March 1997, the USS Great Lakes Fleet's PHILIP R. CLARKE set a record for a salt cargo on a U.S.-flag laker when she loaded 25,325 tons at Fairport, Ohio, for delivery to Toledo, Ohio. The previous record was 25,320 tons carried by American Steamship's AMERICAN REPUBLIC in 1987.

On 28 March 1848, COLUMBUS (wooden sidewheeler, 391 tons, built in 1835, at Huron, Ohio) struck a pier at Dunkirk, New York during a storm and sank. The sidewheeler FASHION struck the wreck in November of the same year and was seriously damaged.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, “Ahoy & Farewell II” and the “Great Lakes Ships We Remember” series.

[Avenger]

Today in Great Lakes History - March 29

N. M. Paterson & Sons, PRINDOC (Hull#657) of Davie Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., Lauzon, Quebec, was sold off-lakes during the week of March 29, 1982, to the Southern Steamship Co., Georgetown, Cayman Islands and was renamed b.) HANKEY. Later renamed c.) CLARET III in 1990, d.) S SARANTA in 1992, e.) PLATANA IN 1997, Scrapped at Alaiga, Turkey in 1997.

On 29 March 1888, D. D. JOHNSON (wooden propeller tug, 45 foot, 17 gross tons) was launched at E. Saginaw, Michigan. She was built for Carkin, Stickney & Cram and lasted until 1909.

1973: MANCHESTER TRADER, the second ship of this name to visit the Great Lakes, was owned by the Prince Line when it first came inland, on charter to Manchester Liners Ltd., in 1964. The ship was renamed e) WESTERN PRINCE in 1969 and also transited the Seaway that year. It became f) MARINER in 1971 and was abandoned in the Pacific on this date in 1973. The ship was leaking in heavy weather en route from Havana, Cuba, to Kobe, Japan, and was presumed to have sunk about 35.00 N / 152.47 E.

1973: DAVID MARQUESS OF MILFORD HAVEN, one of the longest named saltwater ships to visit the Great Lakes, was the first saltwater ship of the season upbound in the Seaway.

1990: The MAYA FARBER visited the Great Lakes in 1981. It arrived at Alang, India, under tow for scrapping on this date following an explosion and fire off Port Sudan as d) RAAD AL-BAKRY VIII on January 15, 1990.

[ppat324]

The tanker CHEMICAL MAR arrived at Brownsville, Texas on March 30, 1983, in tow of the tug FORT LIBERTE to be scrapped. Built in 1966, as a.) BIRK. In 1979, she was renamed b.) COASTAL TRANSPORT by Hall Corp. of Canada, but never came to the lakes. She was sold by Hall and was renamed c.) CHEMICAL MAR in 1981.

March 30, 1985 - CITY OF MIDLAND's departure was delayed when her anchor snagged one that she had lost in Pere Marquette Lake the previous summer.

March 30, 1900, the carferry ANN ARBOR NO 2, grounded on the rocks east of the approach to the channel at Manistique, Michigan. She was pulled off quickly by the ANN ARBOR NO 3 and the tug GIFFORD. She was found to have bent a propeller shaft and broken rudder, resulting in a trip to the drydock at Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1917: GERMANIC was the last wooden passenger ship built in Collingwood. It was completed there in 1899 and burned there, at the dock, on this date in 1917. The ship was part of Canada Steamship Lines at the time of loss. The hull settled on the bottom but was raised, towed towards Wasaga Beach, and run aground. The remains were torn apart for firewood during the Depression.

1940: The first THORDOC, a) J.A. McKEE, stranded at Winging Point, 10 miles southwest of Louisbourg, N.S., due to heavy fog. The ship was abandoned on April 1 and declared a total loss. This member of the Paterson fleet had been travelling in ballast and had been involved in Great Lakes trading since 1908.

[ppat324]

Ice delays continue on Great Lakes, Welland Canal

3/31 - There’s no new news across the lakes as traffic continues to be delayed and icebreakers slug it out trying to reach the Soo. The USCG Mackinaw and her ice convoy – reduced from three vessels to two – remain battling heavy ice on eastern Lake Superior.

Katmai Bay departed Duluth at 9 a.m. to break out Taconite Harbor. Presque Isle remained in Duluth with her boom swung over the American Spirit to offload her cargo. Presque Isle was part of the Lake Superior convoy and was damaged in the ice. Her offloading of cargo suggests repairs will be significant. Mesabi Miner returned to the Twin Ports at 10:30 p.m. She departed the Twin Ports last week with coal for Taconite Harbor and will remain docked until conditions improve.

At the Welland Canal, vessels remained tied up waiting for ice breaking assistance. Algoma Equinox remains on the wall above Lock 8 with the Baie Comeau. The Canadian heavy icebreaker Des Groseilliers was entering Lake Ontario westbound Sunday night, heading to work Lake Erie.

The heavy Canadian Coast Guard ship Pierre Radisson docked in Windsor for the night Sunday. She will continue upbound Monday to assist in the upper lakes break out.

Around the lakes, reports indicate a number of vessel fit-outs and sailings have been pushed back due to the ice conditions.



On 31 March 1971, the American Steamship Company's RICHARD J. REISS grounded at Stoneport, Michigan, while moving away from the dock. She damaged her number nine tank.

Christening ceremonies took place at St. Catharines, Ontario, on March 31, 1979, for d.) CANADIAN PROSPECTOR, lengthened by Port Weller Drydocks Ltd.

ROGER M. KYES (Hull#200) was launched March 31, 1973, at Toledo, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. Renamed b.) ADAM E. CORNELIUS in 1989.

WILLIAM R. ROESCH was renamed b) DAVID Z. NORTON in christening ceremonies at Cleveland, Ohio, on March 31, 1995. The PAUL THAYER was also renamed, EARL W. OGLEBAY, during the same ceremonies.

JOSEPH S. WOOD was sold to the Ford Motor Co. and towed from her winter lay-up berth at Ashtabula, Ohio, on March 31, 1966, to the American Ship Building's Toledo, Ohio, yard for her five-year inspection. A 900 h.p. bowthruster was installed at this time. She would be rechristened as c.) JOHN DYKSTRA two months later.

The steamer b.) J. CLARE MILLER was launched March 31, 1906, as a.) HARVEY D. GOULDER (Hull#342) at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co., for W.A. & A.H. Hawgood of Cleveland, Ohio.

On March 31, 1927, the WILLIAM MC LAUGHLAN entered service for the Interlake Steamship Co. when she departed Sandusky, Ohio for Superior, Wisconsin, on her maiden trip. Later renamed b.) SAMUEL MATHER in 1966, sold Canadian in 1975, renamed c.) JOAN M. MC CULLOUGH, and finally d.) BIRCHGLEN in 1982. Scrapped at Point Edward, Nova Scotia, by Universal Metal Co. Ltd.

On 31 March 1874, E. H. MILLER (wooden propeller tug, 62 foot, 30 gross tons) was launched at Chesley A. Wheeler's yard in E. Saginaw, Michigan. The power plant from the 1865, tug JENNIE BELL was installed in her. She was renamed RALPH in 1883, and spent most of her career as a harbor tug in the Alpena area. She was abandoned in 1920.

1974: The nine-year old Liberian freighter CAPE PALMAS first came through the Seaway in 1969 after it had been purchased from Swedish interests. The vessel was at Bilbao, Spain, undergoing repairs, on March 31, 1974, when a blaze broke out aft and caused extensive damage. This was repaired and the ship resumed trading. It was converted to the cement carrier c) ASANO in 1978 and served until arriving at Shanghai, China, for scrapping on September 10, 1993.

1999: VARADERO was the first new ship of the 1991 season to use the Seaway. It was bound for Toronto with a cargo of sugar. This bulk carrier was sailing as e) MANPOK, and under North Korean registry, when it sank on this date in 1999 following a collision with HYUNDAI DUKE some 500 miles off Colombo, Sri Lanka, while inbound from Jakarta, Indonesia, with a cargo of cement. Two crew members were rescued while another 37 were posted as missing.

2011: BBC STEINHOEFT got stuck in the Seaway on this date in 2011. The Liberian registered freighter had just been renamed at Toronto, having entered the lakes as BELUGA FUSION. It lost power near the St. Lambert Lock and ended up sideways and blocking the channel until she was refloated and realigned.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Port Reports - April 1

St. Marys River
Monday morning the Biscayne Bay headed up toward DeTour with the Edwin H. Gott following. The Gott stopped at Detour for supplies, delivered via the Drummond Island ferry, while the Biscayne Bay broke a track in the river. Mobile Bay joined the Biscayne Bay about 2:30 p.m. About 3 p.m. the Gott return to wait in the Straits with the Roger Blough and Stewart J. Cort. The cutters broke out the river below Mud Lake and stopped for the night at Lime Island about 8 p.m.

Straits of Mackinac – Robert Benben
The USCG icebreaker Mobile Bay started the day near Lansing Shoal then moved east to northern Lake Huron where the Roger Blough and Stewart J. Cort have spent the past four days in the ice waiting for clearance to head up the St. Marys River. Also waiting was the Edwin H. Gott. The three ships are now grouped together around six miles east of Round Island Passage. The Joyce L. Van Enkevort pushing the barge Great Lakes Trader was westbound on the Straits Monday evening. At 9:30 pm it was moving at over eight knots just north of Garden Island.

Grand Haven, Mich. - Dick Fox
The tug St. Marys Conquest and barge Prentiss Brown came into port very early Sunday morning. She came in light and was still slowly loading cement Monday for shipment out which is very unusual for the St. Marys terminal in Ferrysburg. This is the first boat of the season as it was last season, however, last year it was making a delivery.





Coast Guard investigates damage to icebreaker Morro Bay

4/1 - Duluth, Minn. – An exploratory dive of the disabled U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Morro Bay revealed that several key bolts that attached its rudder to a control post were gone by the time the vessel limped back to Duluth with help from its sister ships, the Katmai Bay and the Alder.

Lt. Kenny Pepper, commanding officer of the Morro Bay, said Sunday that it was too soon to know exactly what had happened. “They’re taking a look at the data and trying to make a determination as to the cause right now,” he said.

The 140-foot ship encountered challenging ice conditions as it joined the Katmai Bay and the cutter Mackinaw in clearing the way for three freighters that left the Twin Ports last week: the Cason J. Callaway, the John G. Munson and the Presque Isle.

The ships were bound for the Soo Locks, but the Morro Bay and the Presque Isle turned back after experiencing difficulties. The Morro Bay and the Katmai Bay went to Thunder Bay to help break ice there. But the Katmai Bay ended up towing the Morro Bay most of the way back to Duluth, before the Alder took over eight miles from its own home port in Duluth.

“Icebreaking may have contributed to the bolts going missing, but no one is drawing any conclusions about that yet. It’s certainly possible that ice conditions may have exacerbated the problem,” Pepper said.

The extent of the repairs required still is being determined, as well.

Pepper said the best-case scenario would involve the fabrication of replacement bolts to facilitate an underwater repair of the rudder. If more complicated and prolonged repairs are deemed necessary, the cutter could be forced into drydock.

“We’re hoping for the best,” he said. “As a captain and crew, we’re itching to get back out there doing what we’re meant to do, and that means breaking ice at this time of year.”

Meanwhile, the Callaway and the Munson continued to make progress following the lead of the Mackinaw on Sunday toward Michipicoten Island in eastern Lake Superior, en route to the Soo Locks, according to Ken Curry, a vessel traffic management specialist for the U.S. Coast Guard sector office in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.

Monday the vessels were south of Michipicoten Island and east of Caribou Island heading east southeast trying to find the open ribbon of water that that satellite photos are showing.

Duluth News Tribune





Lookback #135 – Ghislain aground off Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, on April 1, 1965

4/1 - Ghislain mainly worked as a coastal freighter but visited the Great Lakes in 1969 after an earlier appearance as Ghislain Marie in 1966. The ship was built at Goole, England, as Falster in 1949 and became Sappho in 1960 for coastal work around the British Isles.

The ship came to Canada for Euclide Bouchard as Ghislain Marie in 1966 and took a northern supply trip to Rankin Inlet that summer and also traded into the Great Lakes.

The name was shortened to Ghislain in 1967 and 46 years ago today, on April 1, 1968, the 217 foot, 6 inch long freighter ran aground while approaching Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, with a cargo of 1,400 tons of herring. After being released, the vessel was repaired at Liverpool, Nova Scotia.

Later that year, on December 7, the ship almost capsized when another cargo shifted. The crew was forced to abandon the listing vessel. The captain was the last to leave and he was taken off by a helicopter from HMCS Provider. However, Ghislain was not lost. The ship was taken in tow and beached. It was later righted, repaired, returned to service and brought pulpwood to the Great Lakes in 1969.

Sold and renamed Anik in 1970, the ship became Maya in 1971 and Anik again in 1973. It was noted “in need of repairs” in 1974 and, since then, presumably scrapped.


Today in Great Lakes History - April 1

On 01 April 1887, W. T. Botsford & Company of Port Huron, Michigan bought the COLORADO (wooden propeller package freighter, 254 foot, 1,470 gross tons, built in 1867, at Buffalo, New York). She was added to their two other vessels: DEAN RICHMOND and ROANOKE.

STEWART J. CORT was commissioned on April 1, 1972.

In April 1965, Interlake's steamer J. A. CAMPBELL was renamed c.) BUCKEYE MONITOR after being purchased by the Buckeye Steamship Co.

Realizing that the bulk trades were too competitive, Captain John Roen's Roen Transportation Co. sold the CAPTAIN JOHN ROEN to the American Steamship Co. (Boland & Cornelius, mgr.) on April 1, 1947, for $915,000.

ROY A. JODREY started her first full season opening navigation at the Soo Locks April 1, 1966, with a load of stone for Algoma Steel.

Dismantling of the G. A. TOMLINSON, a.) D. O. MILLS, began in Ashtabula, Ohio, on April 1, 1980, and was completed eight months later.

April 1, 1903 - Gus Kitzinger of the Pere Marquette Line steamers, acquired the PERE MARQUETTE 3 & 4 from the Pere Marquette Railway Co.

Sailors at Chicago went on strike on 1 April 1871, for an increase in pay. They were getting $1.50 a day. Some ship owners offered $1.75 but when word came that the Straits of Mackinac were clear of ice, the sailors demanded the unheard of daily wage of $3.25. Although some ships stayed in port, the $1.75 wage was accepted and the barks MARY PEREW, J G MASTEN and C J WELLS, along with the schooners DONALDSON, PATHFINDER and CHAMPION set sail on 1 April 1871

On 1 April 1904, CONDOR (2-mast wooden schooner, 58 foot, 22 gross tons, built in 1871, at Sheboygan, Wisconsin), while lying at anchor in the Kalamazoo River at Singapore, Michigan, was crushed by ice moving out in the spring breakup.

1941: ROBERT W. POMEROY had served the Eastern Steamship Co. as well as Upper Lakes & St. Lawrence Transportation Co. while on the Great Lakes from 1923 to 1940. It went overseas and worked for the British Ministry of War Transport hauling coal on coastal routes. While north bound on April 1, 1942, the ship hit a mine and, four minutes later, a second mine and went down in the North Sea off Norfolk, U.K. Twenty-two survived although two were injured when the boiler exploded.

1942: The Norwegian salty GUDVANG came to the Great Lakes in 1939. It was intercepted by a German patrol boat between Denmark and Norway, while trying to escape to England, on this date in 1942. The ship was sunk by gunfire and the crew became prisoners of war.

1968: GHISLAIN was more at home on the St. Lawrence, but had delivered pulpwood to the Great Lakes in the late 1960s. It had several escapades during these years including a grounding while entering Yarmouth, NS with 1400 tons of herring on this date in 1968. The vessel was repaired at Liverpool, NS. It was listed as g) ANIK in 1974 and in need of repairs. While it was not deleted from LR until 1986, the ship was likely broken up in the mid-1970s.

1983: REGENT MARIGOLD visited the Great Lakes in 1975 under Panamanian registry. It was sailing as d) LEXINGTON when the hull fractured in a storm while en route from Bukpyong, South Korea, to Bangladesh. It went down on this date about 200 miles northwest of Penang, Malaysia.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Port Reports - April 2

St. Marys River
There was still no sign of the downbound convoy of Cason J. Callaway and John G. Munson, led by the cutter Mackinaw, as Tuesday drew to a close. A week after the locks officially opened, they have yet to see a commercial transit due to ice conditions. Two sure signs of spring are the opening of Clydes and the West Pier drive-ins, favorites of BoatNerds.

Straits of Mackinac - Robert Bemben
The Joyce L. Van Enkevort and barge Great Lakes Trader completed their passage across the Straits and northern Lake Michigan Tuesday morning, apparently unassisted, and arrived in Escanaba Tuesday afternoon. Stewart J. Cort, Edwin H. Gott and Roger Blough (current AIS destination: Ice off Two Harbors) spent Tuesday waiting in the ice east of Round Island Passage. At 9 p.m., they appeared to be drifting to the northeast with strong southwest winds. The Blough turned and was moving at 8 knots to the southeast off of Bois Blanc Island. The Cort appeared to be maneuvering as well.

Escanaba, Mich.
Great Lakes Trader and Hon. James L. Oberstar were at the dock loading Tuesday, with the Burns Harbor waiting her turn. Wilfred Sykes departed in the morning.

Burns Harbor, Ind.
Interlake's Paul R. Tregurtha finished discharging ore pellets at Arcelor Mittal on Tuesday. The Paul R. arrived on spring-like Monday morning with temperatures in the high 50s. Strong south and west winds have cleared the harbor of all ice.

Goderich, Ont. - Robert Jeffrey
Pierre Radisson arrived at Goderich around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to do a quick ice breakout on the outer harbor and alongside Algowood.

Port Huron-Sarnia
The Canadian icebreaker Pierre Radisson left Sarnia Friday and headed for lower Lake Huron escorting the tanker Algocanada. Sam Laud was upbound at Port Huron Tuesday afternoon.

Detroit, Mich.
H. Lee White has departed Toledo layup, and was docked at Zug Island Friday night.





Icebreakers challenged, start of Marquette shipping delayed

4/2 - Marquette, Mich. – U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers challenged by Lake Superior ice as thick as six feet in some places are not expected to make it into Marquette Harbor for several days, delaying the local opening of the shipping season.

"You're not even on our radar," Mark Dobson, vessel traffic controller for the Coast Guard's Operation Taconite in Sault Ste. Marie, said Monday of Marquette's ice-breaking prospects. "We can only imagine what that ice is like in Marquette right now."

Across Lake Superior, Coast Guard cutters were struggling Monday to break this winter's tremendous ice cover, which on Lake Superior is the thickest it's been in two decades. The Great Lakes overall have been almost completely locked in ice for the first time since 1979.

Cutters Katmai Bay and Alder were heading to break out thick ice in Taconite Bay, Minn., continuing north across the Canadian border to Thunder Bay, while the Mackinaw was 45 miles from Whitefish Point Monday afternoon, working to lead a two-ship convoy along the Canadian shoreline, downbound to Whitefish Bay and eventually through the Soo Locks.

Another ship initially in the Mackinaw's convoy - the Presque Isle - was damaged and returned to Duluth Harbor, much like the cutter Morro Bay, which was also in port at Duluth with a damaged rudder. "It's slow going everywhere," Dobson said. "It's just so thick and heavy, there's nothing you can do."

The thickness of the ice, and the preoccupation of the icebreakers, has resulted in a delay of boats into the L.S.& I. Railroad Dock in Marquette's Upper Harbor.

Jennifer Huetter, Cliffs Natural Resources district manager for public affairs in Michigan, said Monday the first boat scheduled to arrive at the coal unloader was the Mesabi Miner, which had been set to arrive Saturday.

The James L. Kuber was initially scheduled to pick up pellets Wednesday as the first ore boat of the season. "The Mesabi Miner did not arrive and the Kuber was rescheduled," Huetter said. Michipicoten, which is laid up on the Canadian side of the Soo Locks, was expected to arrive Wednesday, but that too was put off. Lakes Contender is now scheduled to be the first ore boat of the season, due to arrive Sunday.

"The icebreaker, the cutter, is going to have to lead that boat in," Huetter said. "The guys at the ore dock said that's the only way it's going to get in."

Huetter said ice thickness on the Upper Harbor at the ore dock was estimated at two feet. The first coal boat of the season is now expected to be the James R. Barker, which would be expected to follow the Lakes Contender into port, Huetter said.

Dobson said the ice thickness the cutters are encountering was at least three feet in some places, four feet in others. In the middle of Lake Superior, ice rubble fields six feet thick were being encountered.

As the Mackinaw moves south toward the Soo Locks, additional cutters were to keep the locks cleared, with only single lane downbound traffic operating. Dobson said there were three or four ships waiting to come up into Lake Superior after the Mackinaw convoy clears the locks.

He said the cutters can be moving along decently and then hit a "rock solid" section of ice. In some cases, ships have needed four hours to move one mile.

"They're chugging through it," Dobson said. "But it's very time consuming."

Mining Journal



Lookback #136 – Soodoc opened Seaway season up bound at St. Lambert on April 2, 1979

4/2 - It was 35 years ago today that the 1979 navigation season got underway along the Seaway. The first upbound transit of the year at the St. Lambert Lock was Soodoc of the N.M. Paterson fleet.

The 355-foot, 6-inch-long bulk carrier had been Hull 210 of the Collingwood shipyard and it entered service in 1976. Soodoc carried a wide variety of cargoes over the years and has ventured far from its Great Lakes home with trips to docks in Europe, Vancouver, the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Arctic as well as to Mediterranean and Black Sea ports.

The ship joined Desgagnes Transports Inc. as Amelia Desgagnes in 1990 and remains in their service. It trades in and out of the Great Lakes carrying pig iron, aluminum, coal, grain and salt. This is a handy sized vessel and specializes in delivering small lots to customers when a large quantity is not needed.

Skip Gillham





Today in Great Lakes History - April 2

A total of 60 ore boats departed Cleveland between March 31 and April 2 to start the 1948 shipping season.

On 02 April 1900, the JOHN MINER (wooden 3-mast schooner, 134 foot, 273 gross tons, built in 1866, at Detroit, Michigan as a bark) was purchased by S. R. Chamberlain from Frank Higgie for $800. She only lasted until 19 October 1902, when she was lost in a storm on Lake Huron.

On April 2, 1951, CLIFFS VICTORY was towed, bound for New Orleans, Louisiana, with her deck houses, stack, propeller, rudder and above deck fittings stored on or below her spar deck for bridge clearance. She was outfitted with two 120-foot pontoons, which were built at the Baltimore yard, that were attached to her hull at the stern to reduce her draft to eight feet for passage in the shallow sections of the river/canal system.

LEON FALK JR. was launched April 2, 1945, as a.) WINTER HILL, a T2-SE-Al, World War II, a single-screw fuel tanker for U.S. Maritime Commission.

CLIFFORD F. HOOD was launched April 2, 1902, as the straight deck bulk freighter a.) BRANSFORD for the Bransford Transit Co., (W. A. Hawgood, mgr.).

SENATOR OF CANADA sailed under her own power on April 2, 1985, to Toronto, Ontario, where she was put into ordinary next to her fleet mate the QUEDOC. She was scrapped in Venezuela in 1986.

WHEAT KING was lengthened by an addition of a 172 foot 6 inch mid-section (Hull #61) and received a 1,000 h.p. bowthruster. This work reportedly cost $3.8 million Canadian and was completed on April 2, 1976.

On April 2, 1953, the straight deck bulk freighter J. L. MAUTHE (Hull#298) of the Great Lakes Engineering Works entered service for Interlake Steamship Co. She operates currently for Interlake as the self-unloading barge PATHFINDER.

April 2, 1975 - The State of Michigan filed a Federal Court suit to stop the Grand Trunk Railway from selling the GRAND RAPIDS. It was felt that selling the ferry would build a stronger case for abandonment of the entire ferry service.

On 2 April 1874, A. H. HUNTER (wooden propeller tug, 58 foot, 28 gross tons) was launched at Saginaw, Michigan. She was built for Donnelly & Clark of Saginaw by Wheeler. The engine was built by Bartlett & Co. of Saginaw. Her boiler and some other equipment were from the almost new tug KATY REID that burned at Salzburg, Michigan in October 1873.

1976: WHEAT KING was refloated at Port Weller Dry Docks. It had arrived on December 12, 1975, and was lengthened to 730 feet over the winter. The ship would only sail six years with the new dimensions and was retired at the end of the 1981 season.

[yachtsmanwilly]

WHATEVER you do DO NOT spill even a drop of fuel in the water!!!




On 3 April 1876, the Port Huron Times reported "The wreck of the schooner HARMONICA, which has been missing for a month or more, has been discovered on the beach near Whitehall, Michigan completely buried in the ice. Four are supposed to have perished."





Today in Great Lakes History - April 3

On 03 April 1969, RALPH MISENER (steel propeller bulk freighter, 730 foot, 19,160 gross tons, built in 1967, at Montreal, Quebec) suffered serious fire damage to her engine room during fit-out at Port Colborne, Ontario. She went overseas for scrap in 2012 as b.) GORDON C. LEITCH (ii).

On April 3, 1991, the pilothouse of the WILLIAM CLAY FORD of 1953 was moved by a barge towed by Gaelic tug's CAROLYN HOEY and placed on a specially built foundation at the Dossin Museum for display facing the Detroit River as a fully equipped pilothouse.

The tanker a.) TEMBLADOR (Hull#15) of the Barnes Ð Duluth Shipbuilding Co., was launched April 3, 1943, for the Creole Petroleum Corp, for off lakes use. She later sailed on the lakes as b.) LIQUILASSIE.

On 3 April 1872, the passenger/package freight steam barge ROBERT HOLLAND was launched at Marine City, Michigan. She was towed to Detroit by the propeller TRADER to have her machinery installed.

On 3 April 1894, WILLIAM H. BARNUM (wooden propeller freighter, 219 foot, 937 gross tons, built in 1873, at Detroit, Michigan) was carrying corn on her first trip of the season. She was reportedly in poor condition and was insured only for this voyage. Her hull was cut by floating ice and she sank in the Straits of Mackinac about two miles east of present Mackinac Bridge. The tug CRUSADER got her crew off before she sank.

1942: The second TABORFJELL to visit the Great Lakes for the Fjell Line was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic east of New Jersey on this date by U-576. The vessel was en route from Matanzas, Cuba, to New York and Montreal with sugar. The three survivors waited for 20 hours before being rescued. Another 17 crewmates perished. The 1339 gross ton vessel first came inland shortly after being delivered in August 1938.

1975: The self-unloader J.W. McGIFFIN of Canada Steamship Lines was blown aground in the Welland Canal near Thorold. Two holes were punched in the hull and they were repaired at Port Weller Dry Docks. The ship was rebuilt as CSL NIAGARA in 1999.



Big Canadian Breaker reaches Lake Superior, heads for convoy

4/3 - Sault Ste. Marie - The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Pierre Radisson was upbound in the St. Marys River Wednesday and passed through the Soo Locks about 1 p.m. She will join the Mackinaw to break out White Fish Bay and then continue working Lake Superior. They reached Whitefish Bay about 4:30 p.m. and made steady progress in the heavy ice. By 11 p.m. they were north of Whitefish Point in Lake Superior and had about 35 miles to travel north to meet the downbound convoy that left Duluth seven days ago.





Port Reports - April 3

Sturgeon Bay, Wis. - Mitch Custer
The Edgar Speer left Sturgeon Bay Wednesday evening and the CSL Niagara was headed back in.



St. Marys River -
The USCG cutter Mobile Bay is expected to escort the Algocanada upbound in the river system Thursday during day light hours. Algocanada was stopped in ice at Lime Island in the lower river. Edwin H. Gott, Stewart J. Cort, Roger Blough and Sam Laud remain anchored in the Straits of Mackinac waiting for upbound passage on the St. Marys River and Lake Superior





Marine News Casualties & Demolitions for April 2014

4/3 - April 2014
Marine News, the monthly journal of the World Ship Society, reports the following ships with Great Lakes connections as casualties or going for scrap in the April 2014 issue.

Casualties:
Tibil, a Turkish chemical tanker, suffered fire damage after a tank exploded off Tuzla, Turkey on Jan. 20, 2014. The vessel took on a list and all 19 members of the crew abandoned ship. One later died from his injuries. The vessel first came through the Seaway in 1984 as Brage Nordic. While the 33-year old tanker was taken to Tuzla for inspection, the age an damage to the ship may lead to a one-way tow to a scrapyard.

Demolitions:
Admiral Ushakov was one of ten sister-ships built for use in extreme cold and northern latitudes and was designed to carry ore, bulk or 442 TEU containers. It was built at Warnemunde, East Germany, in 1979 and first traveled through the Seaway in 1983. The ship returned from time to time and will be remembered for an incident at Port Huron on Nov. 6, 1994, when it lost power and hit the seawall damaging about 150 feet of the barrier. The vessel continued Great Lakes trading, at least through 2000, but has now been sold to Chinese shipbreakers. It arrived at Jiangyin Xiagang Changjiang to be broken up.

Al Hadi was a Seaway trader as c) Waldhorn in 1981. The ship dated from 1969 and had a total of six names with its final one coming in 1996. It arrived at Aliaga, Turkey, for dismantling on Nov. 30, 2013. D. Ocean came inland under two of her names. The ship was built at Varna, Bulgaria, in 1983 and visited the lakes that year as Corato under British registry. The bulk carrier was back as b) Clare in 1986 with registry in Bahamas. Since then there have been additional names for the 607'6 long vessel but none ever made it back to the Great Lakes. The final name of D. Ocean was applied in 2011 and, the same year, the ship was sold for scrap and arrived at Chittagong, Bangladesh, on Jan. 11 of that year.

Fadil Rabi II was originally one of the ten ships with Balsa names that traded through the St. Lawrence Seaway. This one was named Balsa 23 when it was built in 1982 and it appeared on the Great Lakes the next year. Since then, it has had five more names with registry in Panama, Jordan and St. Vincent before being sold to Pakistani shipbreakers in 2013. The ship arrived at Gadani Beach for scrapping last June.

Fesco Aleksandrov has been sold to Bangladesh shipbreakers. The ship dated from 1986 and construction at Varna, Bulgaria, as Grigoriy Aleksandrov. The vessel served under the flag of the USSR and first came through the Seaway on June 12, 1996, headed for Chicago with a cargo of steel. It returned for single trips in 2001, 2002 and 2003 carrying fertilizer and calcined bauxite before leaving with grains such oats and canola. It became Fesco Aleksandrov in 2011 and arrived at Chittagong on June 13, 2013.

Fortune Forest had been a Seaway trader as Chada Naree under the flag of Thailand. It headed up bound in ballast for Hamilton to load steel coils on Sept. 3, 1995. The ship was under its fifth name of Fortune Forest when sold to Chinese shipbreakers last year. It arrived at Jiangyin Jiangsu for dismantling by the Jingjiang Xinmin Ship Breaking Co. on Dec. 26, 2013.

Inaya was a Seaway caller as Ikhnaton in 1982. The Egyptian-built, Egyptian-flag freighter was 426 feet, 2 inches long and had only become Inaya in 2012. The vessel arrived at Mumbai, India, for dismantling on Dec. 1, 2013.

Incegul first came to the Great Lakes as Suncaribe in 1979 and returned as Anangel Sky in 1983. It began sailing under a sixth name of Incegul earlier in 2013 and was registered in the Marshall Islands when it arrived at the scrapping berth of Gemi Yan Sanayi ve Ticaret at Aliaga, Turkey, on Nov. 30, 2013.

Lofty Wind-Y dates from 1980 when it was built at Kochi, Japan, as Western Searoad. The 465 foot, 9 inch long Japanese bulk carrier came through the Seaway the next year and was back again, under the flag of Panama, as c) Sitia Bay in 1983. It received its sixth name of Lofty Wind-Y in 2012 and arrived at Gadani Beach on June 6, 2013 for scrapping.

Long An Cheng was built at Aioi, Japan, in 1983 as Agamemnon and visited the Great Lakes the following year under Greek registry. It was up bound again in May 1997 as b) Kent Navigator carrying steel to Cleveland and Chicago. It resumed sailing as c) Agamemnon later in 1997 and visited inland one more time in 1999 for Detroit and Burns Harbor. It has sailed as d) Long An Cheng, under the flag of China, since 2005 and was been sold for dismantling and arrived at Jiangyin Xiagang Changjiang on May 18, 2013.

Mesamar first came through the Seaway in 1998 as the Greek registered Polydefkis P. The vessel's first voyage inbound was held up at the Iroquois Lock on Oct. 28, due to a malfunctioning gyro compass. The ship returned with a cargo of steel for Chicago in 2001 and, after unloading, the 528 foot, 3 inch long Japanese-built bulk carrier proceeded to Duluth to load grain. On an earlier occasion, Polydefkis P. had been in a collision with the Anna Spiratou in fog off Busan, South Korea. The latter was lost with all hands on June 15, 1996. Polydefkis P. was sold and renamed Mesamar in 2010 and resold to Indian shipbreakers for scrap in 2013. The ship arrived at an unidentified port last May 25,for dismantling.

OM Shakti arrived at Alang, India, on Dec. 26, 2013, for dismantling by Bharat Shipbreakers Corp. The 481'1 long bulk carrier was built at Sasebo, Japan as Clipper Hope in 1982 and began Seaway service as b) Skaw Trader in 1989. It had four subsequent names before going for scrap late last year.

Saguenay began Great Lakes service as a) Federal Thames when it was new in 1981. It was a frequent Seaway trader and, beginning in 1995, returned inland a total of 44 times as b) Lake Superior. It joined Canada Steamship Lines in 2008 and was renamed c) Saguenay in 2009. After being idle in 2013, the ship sailed from Montreal on Nov. 6 and was beached at Aliaga, Turkey, on Dec. 1 for dismantling by Izmir Gemi Geri Donusum Ltd.

The tanker Simple was built for the USSR-Georgian Shipping Co. in 1987. Originally Akademik Vekua, it was renamed b) Vekua in 1994 and came through the Seaway in June 1995 to load xylene at Sarnia. This was the first of four trips inland that year and came back on a regular basis for Hamilton, Port Stanley, Sarnia and Clarkson. On Aug. 24, 1997, the vessel hit the lock wall up bound for Hamilton and a quantity of jet fuel escaped. The area was evacuated during the clean-up. The vessel was back as c) Gali in 2001 and as d) Arabian Wind in 2006 while registered in the Marshall Islands. It was known as g) Simple when it arrived for scrapping at Chittagong, Bangladesh, on Dec. 21, 2013.

Star Prince was another former Russian ship, with Great Lakes connections, to go for scrap. It was known as a) Petr Strelkov when it came to the Great Lakes in 1996. The Polish built freighter dated from 1977 and was back inland again in 1997 and 1999. Following a sale in 2009, the ship spent its final years as b) Star Prince and arrived at Alang, India, for dismantling by Shree Gautry Ship Breaking on Dec. 2, 2013.

TK London was the sixth name for this Japanese built cargo carrier. It dated from 1982 and construction at Imabari as La Mancha. Following several sales and renames, the vessel became f) TK London in 1998 and entered the Seaway registered in Malta in 1999. The 31-year old freighter was sold to shipbreakers in 2013 and arrived at Aliaga for scrapping on Dec. 22, 2013.

The former Tuscarora was a regular Seaway trader as Rixta Oldendorff from 1986 through 2004. This Hong Kong flag bulk carrier handled a wide variety of cargoes including steel, titanium slag, potash, peas, wheat and other grains. It also had space for up to six passengers. The ship was sold and renamed b) Tuscarora in 2005 and resumed Great Lakes visits the next year under Liberian registry. The vessel was sold to shipbreakers in Bangladesh and arrived at Chittagong on May 25, 2013.

Compiled by Barry Andersen, Rene Beauchamp and Skip Gillham





Lookback #137 - J.W. McGiffin blown aground in the Welland Canal on April 3, 1975

4/3 - The 1975 navigation season was barely underway when the big self-unloader J.W. McGiffin of the Canada Steamship Lines fleet was blown against the bank in the Welland Canal near Thorold on April 3, 1975. Two holes were punched in the hull 39-years ago today and the vessel required a stop at Port Weller Dry Docks to repair the damage.

J.W. McGiffin was Hull 197 from the Collingwood shipyard and it entered service in April 1972. The vessel set early cargo records for coal and grain and made news on March 28, 1973, for the earliest, to that date, opening of the Welland Canal.

The 730-foot-long self-unloader was rebuilt at Port Weller in 1998-1999 receiving a new forebody. The old section was towed to Port Colborne and scrapped while the newly rebuilt hull resumed trading as CSL Niagara on July 28, 1999.

The ship now measured 740 feet long and was back in the record books for establishing a new standard for wheat taking 29,707 tons out of Thunder Bay on Nov. 26, 1999. CSL Niagara remains an active member of the Canada Steamship Lines fleet.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Today in Great Lakes History - April 4

On 05 April 1890, INDIANA (wooden propeller passenger/package freight steamer, 220 foot, 1,178 gross tons) was launched by Burger and Burger at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, for the Goodrich Transportation Company. The total cost of the vessel was $135,000.

On April 5, 1984, the joined sections of the HILDA MARJANNE and CHIMO emerged from Port Weller Dry Dock Ltd., as the b.) CANADIAN RANGER.

Sea trials for Canada Steamship Lines new bulk freighter, PRAIRIE HARVEST (Hull#227) of Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., were complete on April 5, 1984. She operates on the Lakes today as the self-unloader d.) ATLANTIC HURON.

The a.) LUZON (Hull#54) of the Chicago Ship Building Co. was launched for the Erie Steamship Co., E.D. Carter, mgr., on April 5, 1902. Renamed b.) JOHN ANDERSON in 1924 and c.) G. G. POST in 1933. She was scrapped at Izmir, Turkey, in 1972.

April 5, 1977 - The Chessie System announced that the CITY OF MIDLAND 41 would be withdrawn from service and only the SPARTAN and BADGER would run for the season.

On 5 April 1854, AMERICA (wooden side-wheeler, 240 foot, 1,083 tons, built in 1847, at Port Huron, Michigan) was bound for Cleveland from Detroit. After the captain had set her course and gone to bed, the 2nd mate changed the course to the north. The 1st and 2nd mates disagreed about the course and as they awoke the captain, the ship ran aground near Point Pelee, Ontario. Wave action reduced the vessel to rubble but no lives were lost.

On 5 April 1879, the 3-mast wooden schooner RESUMPTION was launched at the Wolf & Davidson yard in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her dimensions were 143 foot x 29 foot x 10 feet, 294 gross tons, 279 net tons.

April 5, 1962, the tanker ROBERT W. STEWART was renamed b.) AMOCO MICHIGAN, The WILLIAM P. COWAN was renamed b.) AMOCO ILLINOIS, the EDWARD G. SEUBERT was renamed b.) AMOCO WISCONSIN and the RED CROWN was renamed b.) AMOCO INDIANA, after being transferred from Standard Oil Company in a sale to the American Oil Company for $10 for each ship. Each ship traded in their names and their well-known red superstructure for a typical white paint job which stuck with them until their end. The only change came to the AMOCO INDIANA, when she traded in her black hull for the blue paint of c.) MEDUSA CONQUEST, d.) SOUTHDOWN CONQUEST, e.) CEMEX CONQUEST and f.) ST MARYS CONQUEST. She operates today as a self-unloading cement barge.

1921: The Imperial Oil tanker IMPOCO (ii) had combined Great Lakes and coastal trading and had gone as far afield as the Mediterranean Sea and the Falkland Islands during World War One. The eight-year old vessel stranded at Blonde Rock, Cape Sable, Nova Scotia, on this date in 1921 while en route from Halifax to Saint John with a cargo of gasoline. The ship was lightered, salvaged on May 4, and beached at Charles Harbour and then at Halifax as not worth repair. The hull was apparently not scrapped until 1953.

1983: The small Finnish freighter KENITRA visited the Great Lakes in 1957. It was abandoned by her crew in the Red Sea while sailing as d) ALASKA on this date in 1983. It had developed a severe list while traveling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to Mersin, Turkey, and sank the same day.

1996: The Liberian freighter STEEL FLOWER ran aground in the St. Lawrence near Wellesley Island while upbound on this date in 1996 and was stuck for two days. The ship had also been a Seaway trader as a) FEDERAL RHINE (i) from 1978 to 1992, as STEEL FLOWER from 1994 to 1996 and as c) NARRAGANSETT from 1997 to 1999 before going to Alang, India, for scrap later in 1999.

1999: PATERSON (ii) ran aground in Lake St. Francis and was stuck for two days. The ship went to Les Mechins, QC, for repairs and returned to work on May 13. The vessel now sails for Canada Steamship Lines as b) PINEGLEN (ii).

1999: ALGONTARIO ran aground at Johnson’s Point in the St. Marys River while upbound with a load of cement from Clarkson to Duluth. The ship was released April 7 and, after unloading, was laid up at Thunder Bay until eventual repairs and a return to service on October 10, 2004. The vessel was towed to Aliaga, Turkey, for scrapping in 201

Lake Superior convoys make progress, should lock through Friday morning

4/4 - Two cargo vessels, Cason J. Callaway and John G. Munson, led by the Canadian icebreaker Pierre Radisson and the USCG icebreaker Mackinaw, made significant progress toward the Soo Locks on Thursday. They have been battling extraordinarily thick Lake Superior ice since they left the western end of Lake Superior more than a week ago.

At 10 p.m. Thursday, the vessels stopped for the night between Light 26 and Point Iroquois in the upper river. They were expected to get back underway around 7:30 a.m. Friday, according to a spokesman for Soo Traffic. The Callaway is expected to make the first commercial passage, followed by the Munson.

Also beset is the tanker Algocanada, which has been working her way upbound in the lower river for several days. Thursday night she was off Point Aux Frenes.

Once the downbound vessels are moved through the lower river, the icebreakers will begin to escort an upbound convoy to the locks. Five vessels – Stewart J. Cort, Roger Blough, Edwin H. Gott, Arthur M. Anderson and Sam Laud are hove to east of the Mackinaw Bridge waiting for the downbounders to clear. The Cort headed to DeTour to take on supplies Thursday before returning to the anchorage.

Although the Great Lakes' shipping season officially started more than a week ago, the Soo Locks have remained inactive other than locking up the two coast guard cutters.

As of Thursday, no commercial ship had passed through the locks because significant areas of ice still exist across much of the northern Great Lakes, making for an extremely slow start to the season. Coast Guard officials don't expect ice-breaking efforts, which wrapped up on April 27 last year, to end until well into May.

The branch is down to two icebreaking ships after one, the Morro Bay, had to be docked in Duluth, Minn., because of a broken rudder, said Levi Read, a second-class petty officer with the Ninth Coast Guard District External Affairs Office.

Aside from ice already floating on the lakes, several factors are hampering crews' efforts to clear the way for commercial ships, including some chunks up to eight-feet thick and stiff winds. Once crews are able to create an open-water path, Read said the wind closes it by pushing the ice together.

"The commercial shipping season is definitely slowed down, almost to a halt," he said. "There is warmer weather coming, so we hope that helps."

Depending on the ice's thickness, icebreaking ships only can travel at speeds ranging from 3 to 10 knots, which make for long days for its crews, Read said.

The Great Lakes' ice for the season wasn't enough to snag first place but managed to settle behind 1994's and 1979's record at 92.19 percent. Today, ice on Lake Superior alone remains at about 90 percent with all of the Great Lakes just under 70 percent.

Boatwatchers headed to the Soo Friday for the first vessels may want to bundle up. The forecast calls for a wintry mix of sleet, snow and wind.

MLive, Boatnerd.com





Port Reports - April 4

Straits of Mackinac - Robert Bemben
There are now five freighters waiting on northern Lake Huron: Stewart J Cort, Roger Blough, Edwin H Gott, Arthur M. Anderson and Sam Laud. At 10 pm Thursday the Blough was maneuvering at 8 knots east of Cheboygan, while the Cort was heading southeast off Drummond Island at 10 knots. They have both been on northern Lake Huron for a week. One issue now is ice pressure from winds, especially on northern Lake Michigan. There's an area southwest of Lansing Shoal, what I refer to as the Lansing Trapezoid (a trapezoid bounded by the 273 deg. line, the 241 deg. line, the 56.5 deg. line and the 45 deg. 50 latitude line), which has some extremely tough ice and appears to be prone to ice pressure. The group here consists of the Edgar B Speer, Joyce L. Van Enkevort, Alpena, Manitou and CG icebreaker Biscayne Bay. They started Thursday in this area, and after 12 hours of icebreaking they ended the day in essentially the same place, their positions just shifted around a bit. At 10 pm the Biscayne Bay was still breaking ice at 4-5 knots while the other vessels were all stationary. A storm system is forecast to move through with higher winds on Friday and Saturday.

Escanaba, Mich. - Rod Burdick
Wednesday at the CN ore dock, Burns Harbor loaded on the north side of the dock, and Joseph L. Block waited on the south side. Paul R. Tregurtha was anchored in heavy ice north of the dock, waiting to load.





Shipping season frozen as freighters battle thick ice

4/4 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Two freighters bound from Duluth, Minn. are battling their way through what a US Coast Guard spokesperson called “brutal” and “extreme” ice conditions on Lake Superior to reach the Soo Locks.

The vessels, John P. Munson and Cason J. Callaway, are following the USCG Cutter Mackinaw and the Canadian cutter Pierre Radisson. By Thursday night they had made considerable progress and were nearing the locks.

Randy Elliott, vessel traffic manager with the USCG stationed in Soo Michigan, said Tuesday that the convoy left Duluth around the time the Soo locks opened for traffic on March 25.

As of late yesterday, the southbound convoy was confronting ice three to three and a half feet thick with windrows six feet high in some places. The three vessels opted not to use their normal route across the lake, and instead are following the north shore of Lake Superior, Elliott said.

No commercial ships, either north or southbound, have locked through since the official opening a week ago. That also is not normal.

“Usually at this time of the year we would see 12 to 15 vessels north and southbound a day using the locks,” Elliott said.

Meanwhile there are three northbound freighters parked just south of the entrance to the lower St. Marys River.

“They are waiting for the first downbound vessels to clear [the locks] before they head up,” Elliott said.

The Canadian Coast Guard Cutter Pierre Radisson, arrived in the Sault Wednesday to assist its American counterparts, who "are stretched with the resources we have" in opening the shipping channel, Elliott said.

On a separate note, he said Essar Steel Algoma has not had any freighter traffic yet, which is also abnormal. “Their shipping season usually starts around the time the locks open even if the ships were not using the locks.”

As for comparisons with previous years, Elliott, who has been stationed in Sault, Mich. since 2002, said this winter has been the most severe in his memory. He noted weather experts are comparing the extreme conditions this winter to those in 1996 and 1978.

Soo Today





At Houghton, spring is here, but so is the ice

4/4 - Houghton, Mich. – The extremely cold temperatures of January and February froze Portage Lake and the Portage Lake Shipping Canal to depths not seen in years, and the continuing colder-than-normal temperatures mean some activities on those bodies could be delayed beyond their usual start times.

Phyllis Green, superintendent of Isle Royale National Park, said the park's ferry, the Ranger III, is in dry dock in Wisconsin for its five-year maintenance. The plan is for it to return to its mooring site at the park headquarters in Houghton the first week in May, but exactly when it returns will depend on the ice situation on Lake Superior and the shipping canal.

"We'll have to see how it goes," she said.

Green said staff and equipment usually go out to the park before campers and visitors, but this year they will be delayed. "We normally try to get there the second week in April," she said.

Last year, ice on Lake Superior delayed the first trip to the island until the last week in April, Green said. Green said occasionally the United States Coast Guard is asked to break a path in the ice so the Ranger can get to the island.

"We try not to impact the Coast Guard," she said.

Visitors are usually taken to the island for the first time about Memorial Day, Green said.

Exactly when an ice breaker will get to Portage Lake and the shipping canal is uncertain according to Mark Gill, United States Coast Guard director of vessel traffic services in Sault St. Marie, Mich.

Although clearing a path for the Ranger III is on the Coast Guard's list of jobs, Gill said ice breakers are currently working to clear ice on Lake Superior, which is thicker than it's been in decades, with depths of 30 to 60 inches. There are also wind-created "stacks" up to 14 feet high.

"This has been a monumental year," he said.

Although the Soo Locks opened to shipping on March 25, Gill said no ships have been able to travel on Lake Superior, yet. Because of the efforts on Lake Superior, Gill said it's uncertain when work can start on breaking ice on Portage Lake and the shipping canal.

"We're probably three to four weeks away from that," he said.

Gill said the Coast Guard station at Dollar Bay has recorded ice on the shipping canal of 24 to 28 inches, with some spots as deep as 36 inches.

Gill said the ice on Lake Superior is so thick, it may not be completely clear until May or June. "This is one of those once-in-a-generation events," he said.

Mining Gazette





Waiting for a break in Montreal’s icy economy

4/4 - Montreal, Que. – The St-Lawrence seaway is finally open for business – 10 days later than scheduled. The ice-covered maritime route has grounded cargo vessels waiting to ship merchandise between St-Lambert and the Great Lakes.

Five Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers were dispatched to break ice that is three to five feet thick. Normally only two are needed at this time of year. In St-Lambert, two ice breaking tugboats are working overtime to prevent ice jams in the locks.

“It’s been very difficult. Ice is at least three feet thick in the canal between here and Lake Ontario,” Jack Meloche of the St-Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. told Global News.

Opening the seaway as early as possible is of vital national economic interest. Meloche hopes more than 40 million tons of merchandise will pass through the seaway this year – an amount they haven’t seen since the financial crisis of 2008.

“Steel mills want their steel. Wheat companies want to get out their wheat so they’ve been waiting. We had a hard closing in December so it’s just continuing from closing,” Meloche said.

Meloche hopes to make up for lost business this spring and summer.

But first, icebreakers have to do their job and Mother Nature has to bring some heat to help carve the way to more prosperous economic future.

Global News





Ice-breaking operations scheduled for Saginaw Bay

4/4 - Detroit, Mich. – The Coast Guard is scheduled to begin ice-breaking operations in the vicinity of the Saginaw Bay Entrance Channel Sunday beginning at 7 a.m. The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock will be ice breaking from Gravelly Shoal to the entrance of the Saginaw River. Any ice in the vicinity of the cutter or the track that it creates should be considered unsafe and the Coast Guard advises everyone to stay clear. For additional information, contact Lt. Jillian Lamb, public affairs officer at Coast Guard Sector Detroit, at 313-568-9587. The Hollyhock is a 225-foot seagoing buoy tender homeported in Port Huron, Mich.





After 157 years, it’s facelift time for Point Clark Lighthouse

4/4 - Goderich, Ont. – The 157-year-old Point Clark Lighthouse on the shores of Lake Huron at Huron-Kinloss Township is finally getting the makeover it was promised years ago. Limen Group Const. Ltd. will complete the year-long restoration of the 110-foot tall limestone tower this summer.

This restoration will please locals and tourists because the landmark lighthouse — designated a national heritage site in 1966 — and its museum have been closed for some years. The light, however, has remained in service over that time and continues to serve maritime traffic throughout the restoration project.

While there has been previous work to the lighthouse, Limen’s scope of work will conserve and bolster the structure for years to come. Parks Canada is the actual owner and the project is being managed by Public Works and Government Services Canada.

The most unusual element of Limen’s restoration contract is pressure grouting the inner core of the tower to consolidate the walls, which are in “an advanced state of deterioration,” explains Arran Brannigan, vice-president of operations.

The process entails an injection of hydraulic lime grout through portholes at masonry joints. The holes were drilled in each course and plastic tubes inserted to transport mortar to fill voids in the inner wythe rubble core walls, he says. The low-pressure injection (10-15 psi) ensures that the weakened walls don’t sustain further damage.

The injection process was performed starting from the base of the lighthouse and working up, with two crews operating from scaffolding on opposite sides of the tower and working in a counterclockwise direction.

“It is a fairly unique way to do the consolidation process,” says Brannigan, whose firm has plenty of heritage restoration experience.

At the lantern courses near the top of the tower, the exterior walls had to be strapped to pull the pressure “into the building,” while inside the lighthouse shoring and bracing helped “to push it out.” The idea was to “stiffen” the structure prior to grout injection to prevent the walls from “bulging out or pushing in,” he points out.

Installing the scaffolding in itself was tricky because of the round shape of the tower. “We had to assemble it square and then build off pie-shaped inner corners.”

Other responsibilities for the masonry contractor include: replacement of about 400 units of limestone stones; Dutchmen repairs to damaged limestone; crack repairs; and repointing the entire structure with soft lime mortar.

“As conservation best practices were applied, we had to try and conserve or salvage materials where possible.” But to replace limestone units beyond repair, Limen had some help. “The existing limestone was tested and its properties were provided in the contract specifications.”

Limen sourced a compatible replacement stone called Eramosa limestone from a quarry in nearby Wiarton, Ont.

“Quite a few Dutchmen repairs” were required, says Brannigan. The repairs involved cutting out damaged sections of individual limestone pieces and anchoring in new pieces with stainless steel spiral dowels, says Brannigan. Large cracks were filled with hydraulic lime mortar; small cracks with epoxy.

John G. Cooke & Associates Ltd., of Ottawa, was retained for the structural design and engineering of the specialized masonry shoring and bracing required for the project.

The 110-foot tower, one of the taller lighthouses in Ontario, is being completely repointed with a hydraulic lime mortar, he adds. The lighthouse’s location typically faces harsh weather so the complete structure is enclosed in tarps which allows the team to work in all types of weather.

Constructed over two years, the lighthouse was completed in 1859. It was the first lighthouse in Ontario to achieve a national heritage designation.

Daily Commercial News





Mackinac Island named one of world’s best island destinations

4/4 - Mackinac Island, Mich. – Michiganders know that Mackinaw Island is the state’s crown jewel destination and now, others across the world are starting to take notice. Mackinac Island added another gem to its crown after being named the No. 5 Best Island Destination in the world by National Geographic Traveler magazine.

The magazine enlisted a panel of 522 international travel experts to rank islands based on a specific set of criteria. The “best-rated” islands scored 77 or above.

Ranking above many other famous islands, and one of only two American islands in the top 10, Mackinac Island scored 80 and is noted as: “No cars (banned since 1898), no high-rises, and little development pressure earns praise for the iconic isle in Lake Huron. Overall the island is a gem.”

“Word is getting out that Michigan has some of the most spectacular vacation destinations in the world,” George Zimmermann, vice president of Travel Michigan, said in a statement. “Mackinac Island is a perfect example of a Pure Michigan getaway.”

For additional information, visit www.MackinacIsland.org.





Huron, Ohio could scale back on popular Jet Express offerings

4/4 - Huron, Ohio – For Huron officials, the newly-proposed price for boat rides to Cleveland and back is sounding less like a mini excursion on Lake Erie and more like a Caribbean voyage. The Lorain Port Authority more than doubled this year’s rate for Jet Express boat trips out of Huron. The trips are largely scheduled around Cleveland Browns games and casino outings.

In 2013, the inaugural year for the voyages, Huron officials spent $1,300 in taxpayer funds to secure four trips on a 77-foot Jet Express boat. This year, the same four journeys would have cost about $3,200 total, Huron city manager Andy White said.

The reason for the price hike? A year ago, Jet Express operators underestimated the amount of time and fuel needed to get a boat to and from Huron, which is between stops in Port Clinton and Lorain.

It’s almost a straight shot between Port Clinton and Lorain. Because Huron is farther south than these two cities, however, it requires more resources to pick up and drop off passengers there, said Rick Novak, Lorain Port Authority’s executive director. End result: The steep increase will keep Huron from offering four rides this year.

Still, city leaders want to provide the service to some extent, given the apparent popularity in the community.

Two of last year’s trips suffered from poor turnout because of bad weather, but the other two rides were at or near full capacity. On this particular Jet Express boat, full capacity is about 150 passengers. And when the boat was in Huron last year, the majority of the riders were local residents.

City council and administrators are negotiating a new deal, in which the port authority would provide two boat trips at a total cost of $1,600.

“We want to subsidize a recreational opportunity for local residents and establish a presence on the Huron River with the JetExpress for passenger ferry service as we continue to develop the area” White said.

Novak said he’ll cooperate with city officials in hopes of continuing the rides, which load and depart at the Huron Boat Basin.

“We most certainly want to work with the city of Huron” Novak said. “We think this works well for both of us”

Details on the proposal are still being sorted out. A year ago, the port authority charged riders $39 for the 12-hour round-trip. It takes about three hours to travel from Huron to Cleveland, where riders stay about six hours before making the three-hour return trip.

If the plan works out, riders would likely pay the same rate as last year, White said.

Sandusky Register





Lookback #138 – Nakwa River sold for scrap to satisfy creditors on April 4, 1984

4/4 - The Black Star Line of Ghana sent a number of their ships to the Great Lakes in the early years of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The company was operated on behalf of the Government of Ghana and many of their vessels had “River” names.

Nakwa River was built by Barclay Curle & Co., and launched at Glasgow, Scotland, on January 15, 1965. It was completed in May 1965 and first came to the Great Lakes the following year. The 454 foot 6 inch long cargo carrier was registered at 4,979 gross tons and able to handle cargoes of 7,750 tons deadweight.

The ship was outbound from the Great Lakes when fire broke out, just prior to docking at Montreal, on December 4, 1966. The blaze caused extensive, but repairable, damage.

The Black Star Line fell on difficult economic times and Nakwa River was laid up at Hamburg, West Germany, on February 4, 1982. It remained idle and was sold to satisfy creditors 30 years ago today. The vessel arrived at Santander, Spain, under tow, on April 10, 1984, and was broken up for scrap by Desbar.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Port Reports - April 6

St. Marys River
Traffic was close to a standstill Saturday, with only the tanker Algocanda being escorted up the St. Marys River by the Canadian Coast Guard ship Pierre Radisson to a dock in the lower Sault Ste. Marie harbor, where she will unload. When she is finished, icebreakers will take her, Cason J. Callaway and John G. Munson, downbound before bring the convoy now stopped off Lime Island upbound. Callaway and Munson both spent Saturday in the ice in the vicinity of Six Mile Point.

Escanaba, Mich.
Paul R. Tregurtha and Joseph L. Block were loading Saturday night, with Wilfred Sykes and Hon. James L. Oberstar waiting their turns.

Sarnia, Ont. and St. Clair, Mich. - Denny Dushane
Peter R. Cresswell of Algoma Central Corp. was the second of Sarnia's winter lay-up fleet to depart its berth. She left Saturday morning enroute to Bowmanville, Ont., where she will load a cargo of cement clinker. Vessels still in lay-up at Sarnia include Cuyahoga and Calumet, both in the North Slip, along with Algosteel and Algoma Olympic, both at the Government Dock. Algoway and the Algosar are at the Sidney Smith Dock. Algoma Equinox arrived in the North Slip in the last few days, however she is waiting for the St. Marys River to open for vessel traffic before continuing her voyage. Late on Thursday evening, American Integrity became the first official vessel of the season to arrive at the St. Clair Power Plant to offload a cargo of coal. What was unusual about the load was that it was loaded at Toledo, Ohio rather than at Superior, Wis., where most of the coal originates for the power plants. This may not be the first load of coal delivered for the 2014 season from Toledo, as American Century is also scheduled next week for two trips from Toledo, most likely for the power plants in St. Clair, Michigan.

Hamilton, Ont. - Eric Holmes
Algoma Guardian departed at 3:30 p.m. Saturday from Dofasco. Her next port is Port Cartier. Africaborg arrived at 10 p.m.





"Unprecedented" ice conditions cause U.S. Steel curtailments

4/6 - Pittsburgh, Pa. - United States Steel Corp. said the icy conditions that have caused the company to temporarily curtail operations at one of its largest steel mills have not occurred on the Great Lakes in more than 30 years.

In a letter sent to customers April 2, U.S. Steel said the conditions that have led to the temporary halt of its blast furnace and steelmaking operations at the company's Gary Works facility were unforeseen and unprecedented.

"The lakes have been frozen more now that in any time in the last 30 years. Clearly that isn't something that a company can control," said Charles Bradford, a New York-based industry analyst. "Maybe they can blame the Feds for not having enough ice breakers, or maybe they didn't store enough inventory."

As a result of the deep freeze, shipments of iron ore have been delayed for U.S. Steel. Courtney Boone, spokeswoman for U.S. Steel, confirmed that the company is working closely with U.S. and Canadian governmental authorities to expedite and obtain priority passage for its raw material-carrying vessels. She did not disclose information regarding the company's current inventory levels.

The general practice for Great Lakes-area steel producers is to build inventory before the annual closing of the St. Lawrence Seaway's navigation season, which lasts from late December and reopens in late March.

This year, however, ice started forming on portions of the Seaway two to three weeks earlier than normal, according to a report from the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System. Opening has been delayed an additional two to three weeks.

There are nine U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers dedicated to the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway and two Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers in the area, down from seven Canadian vessels that were in service some 20 years ago, according to a report from American Metal Market.

In the meantime, Bradford said delays like this can be costly for U.S. Steel. "These are expensive facilities they are not using, but they are still incurring fixed costs," he said.

Because the furnaces could become damaged if they get cold, energy costs will still be high while production is idled, Bradford said. That could have a negative impact on the company's second quarter financials. Boone said she did not have a time line for when operations at Gary Works would resume.

In addition to the Gary Works halt, production at U.S. Steel's Great Lakes Works in Ecorse, Mich., has been impacted by an unplanned outage when the roof collapsed on one of its basic oxygen process shops on March 28. Immediately after the incident, it was reported that the plant's operations were not affected by the damage, but that hasn't been the case.

"You have to differentiate between production and deliveries," Bradford said. "Just because deliveries haven't seen an immediate impact, it doesn't mean production hasn't been affected."

Bradford said because U.S. Steel had to shut off its basic oxygen furnaces as a result of the collapse, it has certainly impacted operations, but has not affected deliveries.

"This is part of the steel business," Bradfrod said. "There is a lot of risk. Fortunately nobody has been hurt, which is a big plus. When you're talking about things that go wrong in the steel industry that is not usually the case."

These challenges, combined with a tightening market for flat rolled steel will likely drive up the price of steel, Bradford said.

"Clearly the steel producers didn't anticipate the lakes being as frozen as they are," he said. "It's likely we'll see steel prices go up, maybe any minute."

Pittsburgh Business Times





Seaway saltie news

4/6 - Olympic Melody, a one-time former Greek salty built in 1984 and also a regular visitor and trader to the Great Lakes/Seaway system, has been sold for scrapping. She carried the Olympic Melody name until September 2012, when she was renamed Mimar Sinan of Cook Islands registry. Saltwater vessel renames include Michiganborg, which first came inland in 2004 and last visited in 2012, which is now the Paramushir of Russian registry, while her fleetmate Morraborg, which first came inland in 2008 and last visited in 2012, is now the Shantar of Russian registry. Nina, which first came inland in 2005, is now the Karoli of Maltese flag. Three former Polsteam vessels, all regular visitors, have been renamed. Odra, which first came inland in 2002 and carried the name of Odra from 1991-92 and Odranes from 1992-99, is now the Hekmeh from Saint Kitts and Nevis registry. The vessel last came inland during the 2007 season. Rega, which first came inland in 2002, is now the Regal of Belize registry. This vessel was also known as Fossnes.

Denny Dushane





Lookback #140 – Tarantau stuck in ice on April 6, 1978

4/6 - The Canada Steamship Lines self-unloader Tarantau was the first ship of the 1978 season upbound in the Welland Canal and was honored in the traditional “top hat” ceremony on March 30, 1978.

The 730-foot-long vessel was back in the news a week later as it went aground in Lake Huron north of the Bluewater Bridge. High winds and shifting ice forced the vessel out of the navigation channel 36-years ago today.

The tug Barbara Ann came to rescue the 13-year old, Collingwood built vessel, and there was no report of any significant damage.

Tarantau was the largest self-unloader on the Great Lakes when it was built in 1965 and was very active in the coal trade to the Steel Company of Canada in Hamilton as well as to Ontario Hydro Generating Station docks. This was a familiar trader through the Welland Canal and, in 1971, made 68 round trips, 136 transits, of the waterway.

Tarantau was retired at Toronto on December 23, 1996, and remained idle until sold for scrap to International Marine Salvage. It made its last voyage behind the tug Alice A. and arrived at Port Colborne for dismantling on October 31, 1999. Work on breaking up Tarantau did not get underway until January 2001.

Skip Gillham





Updates - April 6

News Photo Gallery





Today in Great Lakes History - April 6

April 7, 1997 LEE A. TREGURTHA suffered an 18-foot hull fracture in her port bow near the bowthruster tunnel while downbound in the upper St. Marys River due to heavy ice. She proceeded to the De Tour Coal Dock, where repairs were made overnight and she continued on her trip on April 8, 1997. On 07 April 1906, the Goodrich Transportation Company, which was incorporated under the laws of the State of Wisconsin in 1868, was dissolved and a new company, the Goodrich Transit Company, was incorporated under the laws of the state of Maine. This was just for financial reasons, and other than the name and the port of registry of the vessels, everything else remained the same. The vessels in the company at the time were CHICAGO, CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, CITY OF RACINE, GEORGIA, INDIANA, IOWA, SHEBOYGAN, VIRGINIA and tug ARCTIC.

Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd.'s new CANADIAN TRANSPORT was christened April 7, 1979.

The tanker ROBERT W. STEWART, b.) AMOCO MICHIGAN was delivered to Standard Oil Co. on April 7, 1928, as the second largest tanker in service at the time of her launch.

JAMES LAUGHLIN (Hull#16) of the Great Lakes Engineering Works was launched April 7, 1906, for the Interstate Steamship Co., Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. Later renamed b.) HELEN EVANS, she was scrapped at Cartagena, Columbia, in 1983.

EMORY L. FORD was sold on April 7, 1965, to the Reiss Steamship Co., and renamed b) RAYMOND H. REISS, the last vessel purchased by Reiss.

TEXACO BRAVE of 1929 arrived at Ramey's Bend from Toronto on April 7, 1975, in tow of tugs G. W. ROGERS and BAGOTVILLE for scrapping.

In 1974, the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.'s steamer THOMAS W. LAMONT loaded the initial shipment of ore for the season at the D.M. & I.R. ore docks in Duluth.

On 7 April 1871, the tug S.V.R. WATSON was towing the schooner S.G. SIMMONS out of Chicago harbor at noon when the WATSON stalled. The schooner plowed into her broadside, causing the tug to tip on her beam ends, take on water and sink. Four men were trapped below decks and drowned; two survived. The WATSON was later raised and returned to service.

On 7 April 1873, the contract for the building of a new carferry, MICHIGAN, for the Great Western Railway was awarded to the Jenkins Brothers of Windsor, Ontario. The new vessel was planned for service on the Detroit River. Her engines were built at Montreal by Canada Engine Works for a cost of $100,000. The hull alone cost $600,000.

Although the locks are not scheduled to open until Thursday, 12 April 1962, the Canadian Sault harbor was officially opened Saturday, 7 April 1962, when the tanker IMPERIAL LONDON pulled into the Imperial dock between the two hospitals. Captain Russell Knight accepted the traditional silk top hat.

IMPERIAL LONDON, carrying almost 1,000,000 gallons of gasoline, led the IMPERIAL SIMCOE, loaded with 19,000 barrels of fuel oil for household heating, up the St. Marys River to the Sault.

1941: PORTADOC had been requisitioned by the British Ministry of War Transport and was en route from Saint John, NB, to Sierra Leone with a cargo of coal when it was torpedoed by U-124 off the coast of Africa. The crew spent six days on the open sea before landing at French Guinea. They were taken prisoner by the Vichy French forces and the Chief Engineer died before there was a prisoner of war exchange. The vessel, part of the Paterson fleet, had also sailed on the Great Lakes as a) EUGENE C. ROBERTS and b) JAMES B. FOOTE.

1968: CAPTAIN LEONIDIS ran aground in the Messier Channel, Chile, while travelling from Santos, Brazil, to Valparaiso, Chile. The vessel stranded April 7, 1968, and became a total loss. It had first come to the Great Lakes as the Norwegian freighter d) FANA in 1964 and returned as e) CAPTAIN LEONIDIS in 1966. The hull remains aground and appears to have been used by the Chilean Navy for target practice.

1979: GEHEIMRAT SARTORI dated from 1951 and had been a pre-Seaway caller to the Great Lakes. It returned through the new waterway for three trips in 1959 and was sailing as c) SEA ROVER when it was lost on this date in 1979. The cargo shifted in heavy weather on the Mediterranean while the ship was en route from Civitavecchia, Italy, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It sank about eight miles off Punta Cornacchia.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Downbound convoy reaches Lake Huron; trip took 11 days

4/7 - About 9 a.m. Sunday the USCGC Mackinaw and CCGS Pierre Radisson departed the Soo downbound to escort Cason J. Callaway and John J. Munson downbound. The convoy made good progress but had a slight delay requiring close escort at the north end of Mud Lake.

CCGS Samuel Risley joined the ice-breaking efforts in the St Marys River. As the Risley approached Detour about 10:30 a.m., she discovered new ice, not a good sign in April. Once around the corner, she was greeted by five ships waiting to go upbound: Edgar B. Speer, Sam Laud, Stewart J. Cort, Edwin H. Gott and Roger Blough. The ice in this area was four feet thick in places with snow cover.

The downbound convoy met the Risley about 2 p.m. and continued on, with the Callaway reaching Lake Huron at 6:20 p.m. The convoy departed Duluth on March 26; the trip took 11 days when normally it would take about 30 hours to make this trip without ice delays.

John G. Munson needed close escort to clear the river and reached Lake Huron at 7:40 p.m. Both the Munson and Callaway are headed to Gary, Ind., to unload iron ore pellets

Meanwhile, Samuel Risley continued to groom the track until the Algocanada arrived downbound, then took the Algocanada to open water. All icebreakers then shut down for the night. Monday an attempt will be made to move the five vessels waiting to transit upbound and to continue improving the track.





Port Reports - April 7

Escanaba, Mich.
The ore loading dock at Escanaba continues to run full tilt as the steel mills on lower Lake Michigan are running out of taconite pellets.

Sturgeon Bay, Wis. - Mitch Custer
CSL Niagara left Sturgeon Bay again after returning for an unknown reason on Saturday.

Milwaukee, Mich. - Chris Gaziano
CSL Niagara came into the inner harbor with the assistance of G-Tugs Arkansas and Oklahoma. They ended up putting her in the spot where the Burns Harbor had been for the winter.

Hamilton, Ont. - Eric Holmes
Tim S. Dool departed her winter lay up Sunday morning.

Kingston Ont. - Brian Johnson
A flotilla of ships needing icebreaker assistance to get by Tibbet's Point, N.Y. dropped the hook off Carelton Island Saturday afternoon. Volgaborg, Radcliffe R. Latimer, Baie St. Paul and Isolda were unable to breach a ridge of ice leading out into Lake Ontario. The CCGS Griffon arrived around 03:00 and started the convoy on its way. In Kingston, the lower field of ice below the Wolfe Island ferry track has let go. The upper field remains fast out to Simcoe Island. All other ferries report no problems.





Major cement makers to merge

4/7 - Switzerland’s Holcim and France’s Lafarge are expected to announce Monday that they will merge. Legally, it is intended for Holcim to purchase Lafarge. The boards of both companies voted for merger over the weekend. As the world's two largest cement producers (Lafarge currently has 12 percent of the U.S. market), it is expected regulatory approval may take some time and that some assets may need to be sold to maintain competitiveness in certain markets. Both company's primary product is cement manufacturing, but both have diversified into other construction related industries. The combined company would have a market value of roughly $55 billion (U.S.).

In the Great Lakes region, Holcim operates a production plant in Mississauga, Ont., and ships powdered cement by boat to a terminal in Duluth. It has numerous other terminals in the Great Lakes region not served by boat. Lafarge is a large user of Great Lakes shipping, with production facilities in Alpena, Mich., and Bath, Ont., and with numerous dockside terminals around the lakes. It also operates a large limestone quarry at Presque Isle, Mich., which ships primarily by boat.

Competitors in the Great Lakes region include St. Marys Cement, owned by Brazilian-based Votorantim, and Essroc, owned by Italian-based Italcementi Group. St. Marys Cement has ship-served production facilities in Bowmanville, Ont. and Charlevoix, Mich., while Essroc ships out cement from a plant in Picton, Ont.

Tom Hynes





Lookback #141 – Portadoc sunk by enemy action on April 7, 1941

4/7 - It was 73 years ago today that a torpedo from U-125 ripped into the hull of the first Portadoc and sent the ship to the bottom of the Atlantic. The vessel was about 150 miles off Freetown, Sierra Leone, when it was attacked during a voyage, without escort, from Saint John, NB to Freetown with a load of coal.

The crew had a difficult time. They spent six days at sea in an open boat before landing in French Guinea. They were questioned by Vichy French authorities and imprisoned. Many got malaria while incarcerated and an engineer died from the disease. Eventually the crewmembers were traded for enemy prisoners and able to return home.

The 261-foot-long bulk carrier was built at Birkenhead, England, and came to Canada in April 1924 to serve in the canal trades as Eugene C. Roberts. It joined the Union Transit Co. Ltd. as James B. Foote in 1926 and N.M. Paterson & Sons Ltd. as Portadoc in 1939.

James B. Foote was not a stranger to trouble. It went aground east of Montreal on November 6, 1928, while carrying a cargo of pulpwood from Godbout, Quebec, to Thorold. It was released November 8. Then, on November 17, 1933, the ship stranded off Wolfe Island, in eastern Lake Ontario, while carrying coal and had to be lightered before floating free. Finally, on May 8, 1938, the vessel hit a dock while under tow at Chicago during an attempt to depart with a load of corn for Sorel, Quebec.


Today in Great Lakes History - April 7

On April 7, 1997, LEE A. TREGURTHA suffered an 18-foot hull fracture in her port bow near the bowthruster tunnel while downbound in the upper St. Marys River due to heavy ice. She proceeded to the De Tour Coal Dock, where repairs were made overnight and she continued on her trip on April 8, 1997.

On 07 April 1906, the Goodrich Transportation Company, which was incorporated under the laws of the State of Wisconsin in 1868, was dissolved and a new company, the Goodrich Transit Company, was incorporated under the laws of the state of Maine. This was just for financial reasons, and other than the name and the port of registry of the vessels, everything else remained the same. The vessels in the company at the time were CHICAGO, CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, CITY OF RACINE, GEORGIA, INDIANA, IOWA, SHEBOYGAN, VIRGINIA, and tug ARCTIC.

Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd.'s new CANADIAN TRANSPORT was christened April 7, 1979.

The tanker ROBERT W. STEWART, b.) AMOCO MICHIGAN was delivered to Standard Oil Co. on April 7, 1928, as the second largest tanker in service at the time of her launch.

JAMES LAUGHLIN (Hull#16) of the Great Lakes Engineering Works was launched April 7, 1906, for the Interstate Steamship Co., Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. Later renamed b.) HELEN EVANS, she was scrapped at Cartagena, Columbia, in 1983.

The EMORY L. FORD was sold on April 7, 1965, to the Reiss Steamship Co., and renamed b) RAYMOND H. REISS, the last vessel purchased by Reiss.

TEXACO BRAVE of 1929 arrived at Ramey's Bend from Toronto on April 7, 1975, in tow of tugs G. W. ROGERS and BAGOTVILLE for scrapping.

In 1974, the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.'s steamer THOMAS W. LAMONT loaded the initial shipment of ore for the season at the D.M. & I.R. ore docks in Duluth.

On 7 April 1871, the tug S.V.R. WATSON was towing the schooner S.G. SIMMONS out of Chicago harbor at noon when the WATSON stalled. The schooner plowed into her broadside, causing the tug to tip on her beam ends, take on water and sink. Four men were trapped below decks and drowned; two survived. The WATSON was later raised and returned to service.

On 7 April 1873, the contract for the building of a new carferry, MICHIGAN, for the Great Western Railway was awarded to the Jenkins Brothers of Windsor, Ontario. The new vessel was planned for service on the Detroit River. Her engines were built at Montreal by Canada Engine Works for a cost of $100,000. The hull alone cost $600,000.

Although the locks are not scheduled to open until Thursday, 12 April 1962, the Canadian Sault harbor was officially opened Saturday, 7 April 1962, when the tanker IMPERIAL LONDON pulled into the Imperial dock between the two hospitals. Captain Russell Knight accepted the traditional silk top hat. The IMPERIAL LONDON, carrying almost 1,000,000 gallons of gasoline, led the IMPERIAL SIMCOE, loaded with 19,000 barrels of fuel oil for household heating, up the St. Marys River to the Sault.

1941: The PORTADOC had been requisitioned by the British Ministry of War Transport and was en route from Saint John, NB, to Sierra Leone with a cargo of coal when it was torpedoed by U-124 off the coast of Africa. The crew spent six days on the open sea before landing at French Guinea. They were taken prisoner by the Vichy French forces and the Chief Engineer died before there was a prisoner of war exchange. The vessel, part of the Paterson fleet, had also sailed on the Great Lakes as a) EUGENE C. ROBERTS and b) JAMES B. FOOTE.

1968: CAPTAIN LEONIDIS ran aground in the Messier Channel, Chile, while travelling from Santos, Brazil, to Valparaiso, Chile. The vessel stranded April 7, 1968, and became a total loss. It had first come to the Great Lakes as the Norwegian freighter d) FANA in 1964 and returned as e) CAPTAIN LEONIDIS in 1966. The hull remains aground and appears to have been used by the Chilean Navy for target practice.

1979: GEHEIMRAT SARTORI dated from 1951 and had been a pre-Seaway caller to the Great Lakes. It returned through the new waterway for three trips in 1959 and was sailing as c) SEA ROVER when it was lost on this date in 1979. The cargo shifted in heavy weather on the Mediterranean while the ship was en route from Civitavecchia, Italy, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It sank about eight miles off Punta Cornacchia.