Today in Great Lakes History

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Port Reports - May 1

Duluth, Minn. - Daniel Lindner
The Twin Ports saw a lot of action Wednesday, after a few days with no vessel arrivals. Mackinaw led CSL Assiniboine out of port at 8:30 Wednesday morning, and then arrived again leading a convoy. Hon. James L. Oberstar, Cason J. Callaway, Thunder Bay, Whitefish Bay, Baie Comeau, CSL Tadoussac, and Baie St. Paul all arrived between noon and 1:30 on Wednesday afternoon. For the rest of Wednesday, American Courage was due in the evening with stone, and Baie Comeau was expected to depart from CN also in the evening. For Thursday, Algomarine is due in the morning, and Algoma Olympic is due to arrive in the late evening, both for iron ore cargoes.

Thunder Bay - Justin Eloranta and John Kuzma
Federal Elbe was the first saltie to load in Thunder Bay this year, tying up at Current River Elevator Wednesday morning. Federal Nakagawa made it into the bay late Tuesday evening. Also in port are the Frontenac at Mission Terminal, Kaministiqua at Richardson’s elevator and Mapleglen at Viterra.

Sturgeon Bay, Wis. - Daniel Lindner
Karen Andrie and her barge A-397 departed Sturgeon Bay around 7 p.m. on Wednesday. They had arrived in port on Tuesday night for unknown reasons.

Milwaukee, Wis. - Chris Gaziano
Interlake's tug Dorothy Ann and barge Pathfinder came in Wednesday evening with a load of stone. Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey
Mississagi was outbound from the Saginaw River, early Wednesday morning, after unloading on Tuesday at the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw.

Toledo, Ohio
The long-idle tug Jane Ann IV arrived in Toledo under Wednesday from Detroit under tow of the tugs Kimberly Anne and Andrew J. She is tied up at the old ADM dock. It is not known why she came to Toledo, or what the fate of her barge, Sarah Spencer, will be.

Erie, Pa.
After anchoring in Lake Erie off of Presque Isle State Park for several days in high winds, the CSL Niagara moved into the harbor at 2 p.m. Wednesday to go to Donjon shipyard dry dock for repair. A tug assisted her into the graving dock during wind and rain.

Buffalo, N.Y. - Brian W.
Algorail departed the Gateway Metroport Terminal in Lackawanna around 5 Wednesday evening and was passing C.I.P. 16 Westbound at 7 p.m. The English River came in for LaFarge in the morning and departed in the afternoon.





Proposals for removal of Canadian Miner off Scaterie Island closed Tuesday

5/1 - Glace Bay, N.S. – Requests for proposals to remove the former Canadian Miner, which has been stranded off Cape Breton Island for more than two years, closed Tuesday.

"We're hoping within the next couple days, in the next week, to have some kind of idea who the successful (operator) is going to be to remove the vessel," said Transportation Minister Geoff MacLellan.

The bulk carrier was being towed from Montreal to a scrapyard in Turkey in September 2011 when a line snapped and it became stranded off Scaterie Island. MacLellan, who is also the MLA for Glace Bay, said the time needed to remove the ship will be part of the proposal.

"They will tell us how long and then we’ll go back to the community to find out what they want to do because obviously it will impact the fishing season," he said.

"If the community wants us to wait until after the fishing season that's fine too. We're not going to impact the lobster season, the fishing season, for the boat this year. We’ll let the fishing take place and we'll do it after if that's what's needed."

MacLellan said decisions will be made once the successful bidder has been determined.

"If the successful bidder is ready to go right away they might be able to get a start on it and not interfere with the fishing season. I won't know that until I'm able to have a conversation with them."

The original request for proposals was issued in March and the deadline was April 23. MacLellan said 20 different organizations viewed the vessel earlier this month and some of those groups requested specific information and extra time to produce a proposal which led to the deadline extension.

"That's a good sign, the fact a number of the 20 were coming back for additional information," he said. "It's obviously going to be a very delicate project with the human safety and occupational health and safety realities and the environment. There's lots to it so the fact these companies are being very diligent and working on every last detail is a good sign.”

MacLellan said the government is hoping the price (of removal) is going to be a reasonable value for Nova Scotians.

Cape Breton Post





Marinette ships spared cuts, for now

5/1 - Washington, D.C. – Funding for naval combat ships built by Marinette Marine Corp. has remained largely intact in initial budget legislation released Tuesday by the House Armed Services Committee.

The legislation, which still must pass the committee and House, would authorize funding for two littoral combat ships to be built, one by Marinette, a subcontractor of Lockheed Martin, and another by Alabama contractor Austal USA. It also authorizes funding for each to begin work on a second ship.

The hateful muslim traitor administration had proposed cutting this year’s order of ships from four to three and said production would be paused at 32 ships overall, short of the 52 envisioned. There had been talk on Capitol Hill in recent days that no ships would be funded in the coming year.

Green Bay-area Rep. Reid Ribble, whose district includes Marinette Marine, said he was “cautiously optimistic” about the future of the shipbuilding program.

“This is a step in the right direction,” he said. “This could have been anywhere from zero ships to four full ships. To (AT)get two ships and an advance procurement for two more, that’s a pretty good result. But this is one step in the journey.”

A naval seapower subcommittee is scheduled today to consider the draft legislation, which is part of the National Defense Authorization Act. It must then pass the Armed Services Committee and the full House. The Senate also must pass its version of the defense spending bill.

When multi-ship contracts under the program were awarded in 2010, the Navy’s plan had been to buy four littoral combat ships in fiscal 2015. So, the committee’s authorizing only two complete ships still falls short of what lead contractor Lockheed Martin had expected.

Green Bay Press Gazette





Lookback #165 – Arlington sank on May 1, 1940

5/1 - It was 74-years ago today that the steamer Arlington foundered in Lake Superior. The vessel, loaded with 97,778 bushels of wheat and bound for Owen Sound, had cleared Port Arthur the previous day and was on its second trip of the 1940 season.

The ship began leaking in bad weather en route to the Soo Locks. It is surmised that water caused the grain to swell and a bulkhead gave way flooding the engine room. Arlington sank stern first at 0515 hours on May 1, 1940, and Capt. Burke went down with his ship. The other 16 sailors on board were picked up by the Collingwood.

Arlington was built at Wyandotte, MI in 1913 as F.P. Jones of the George Hall Coal & Trading Co. The 257 foot steamer went to saltwater during World War Two but returned inland late in 1919 after a sale to the Great Lakes Transportation Co. Renamed Glencadam in 1920, the ship was modified at Midland for service carrying sugar on the Caribbean but came back to the Great Lakes without having much success in this trade.

The vessel joined the Mathews fleet as Arlington in 1924. This service ended when the owner went into receivership in 1931. The ship was acquired by the Colonial Steamship Co. on Nov. 28, 1933, but saw only limited service on their behalf. It was chartered to George Hindman for the pulpwood trade in 1935 and sold to the Burke Towing & Salvage Co. in 1936. Arlington continued in the grain and pulpwood trades until being lost on May 1, 1940.


Today in Great Lakes History - May 1

EDMUND FITZGERALD collided with the Canadian steamer HOCHELAGA at the mouth of the Detroit River, May 1, 1970, suffering slight damage at hatches 18 and 19.

STEWART J. CORT departed Erie on her maiden voyage at 0400 May 1, 1972. She was delayed by fog in Western Lake Erie.

The steel-hulled bulk carrier SHENANGO (Hull#62) was launched on May 1, 1909, by Great Lakes Engineering Works, Ecorse, Michigan.

Scrapping began on the CHICAGO TRADER at Ashtabula, Ohio, on May 1, 1978.

The JOHN T. HUTCHINSON (Hull#1010) was launched at Cleveland, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. on May 1, 1943.

The IRVING S. OLDS sustained an eight-foot long crack across her spar deck and eight inches down one side in a storm on Lake Huron May 1, 1963.

LIGHTSHIP 103 (HURON) was launched at Morris Heights, New York by Consolidated Shipbuilding Corp. on May 1, 1920, for the U.S. Lighthouse Service.

The SOO RIVER TRADER brought the first shipment of bulk cement to open the $18 million St. Lawrence Cement distribution dock at Duluth, Minnesota on May 1, 1982.

May 1, 1903 - The ANN ARBOR NO 1 sighted a burning vessel about 15 miles out of the Sturgeon Bay Ship canal, the steamer JOHN EMERY OWEN. The crew had already been picked off after the fire started, so the ANN ARBOR NO 1 put out the fire with her fire hoses. The NO 1 then towed the abandoned steamer to Sturgeon Bay and tied her up at the west end of the canal.

On 1 May 1875, CONSUELLO (wooden schooner, 103 foot, 142 gross tons, built in 1851, at Cleveland, Ohio) left Cleveland with a load of black stone for Toledo. Near Kelley's Island, a storm caused the cargo to shift and the ship capsized and sank. When she hit bottom, she jerked upright so the tops of her masts were above the water. Two of the crew, Fred Donahue and James King, were able to cling to the masts and they were rescued after about an hour and a half. Five others, including the captain and his wife, were drowned.

On 1 May 1876, the little steamer W.D. MORTON, which for two years had run as a ferry between Port Huron's Black River and Sarnia, left her dock for the Delaware River where she ran on a centennial excursion route for the exposition held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania She left the Lakes via the Erie Canal.

On 01 May 1858, OGONTZ (wooden propeller steamer, 343 tons, built in 1848, at Ohio City, Ohio) was purchased by Capt. A. E. Goodrich and George C. Drew for $5,600. This was the second vessel in the Goodrich Line. Just two years later, Capt. Goodrich had her machinery removed and she was sold to W. Crostin for $500. He converted her to a sailing vessel and she operated for two more years before she foundered in a storm.

1892: CELTIC, enroute from Fort William to Kingston with wheat and general cargo, sank in Lake Erie east of Rondeau after a collision with the steamer RUSSIA. The accident occurred in fog and one life was lost.

1909: ADELLA SHORES foundered with the loss of 14 lives in a Lake Superior storm while enroute from Ludington to Duluth with barreled salt.

1917: CASE began leaking on Lake Erie and was beached at East Sister Island, near Point Pelee and the ship caught fire when a lantern was knocked over. Some cargo was salvaged in August but the hull was left to break up in place and today the remains are scattered on the bottom.

1933: WILLIAM SCHUPP stranded on a shoal off Cockburn Island, Lake Huron, while enroute to Fort William in ballast. Once released, the vessel was repaired at Collingwood. It became MONDOC (ii) in 1945 and was scrapped at Deseronto, ON in 1961.

1940: ARLINGTON foundered in a Lake Superior storm on the second trip of the 1940 season. The wheat laden steamer was bound for Owen Sound went down stern first, taking Capt. Burke to his death. The rest of the crew survived and were picked up by the COLLINGWOOD.

1963: CAPE TRANSPORT was mauled overnight in a wild storm on Lake Huron off Harbor Beach. The steering gear was damaged, the radio knocked out and pilothouse windows were smashed. The HOLMSIDE, and later the RALPH S. MISENER, stood by. The ship reached a safe anchorage on May 2. Fleetmate OREFAX sustained damage to the forward cabins while upbound on Lake Huron in the same storm.

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Today in Great Lakes History - May 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.



Barge Sarah Spencer moved at Detroit

5/2 - Detroit, Mich. – The barge Sarah Spencer arrived at the Rouge River complex under tow Thursday afternoon. She has been in lay-up since November 2010 at the Nicholson Terminal dock. The barge – the former laker Adam E. Cornelius – was for sale during this time but no buyers were found. On Wednesday her articulated tug Jane Ann IV was towed to Toledo. It is unknown what the future holds for these two vessels, however both are still registered with Transport Canada.

Paul Huxley





Great Lakes ice blocks flow of grain, iron

5/2 - The biggest ice cover on the Great Lakes in decades is backing up shipments of everything from Canadian grain to U.S. iron and steel in one of North America's most important economic regions. The frigid winter and cool spring have hurt companies like Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. and United States Steel Corp, and also hampered efforts to clear an unprecedented buildup of grain and oilseeds in Western Canada.

The Great Lakes region accounts for nearly one third of combined Canadian and U.S. output, jobs and exports, according to a report by Bank of Montreal on April 25.

Pittsburgh-based US Steel expects reduced second-quarter income from operations due to limited production and slower shipments of raw materials and finished goods, said Chief Executive Mario Longhi on a conference call on Wednesday about first quarter results.

"Ice conditions in the Great Lakes, and particularly Lake Superior, are the worst we have seen in over 30 years," Longhi said.

Vessels traveling across Lake Superior require an escort by ice-cutting equipment, limiting the number of ships and extending travel times, he said.

Cliffs Natural Resources, based in Cleveland, Ohio, said that the Great Lakes experienced more than 70 days of -30 degrees F (-34.4 Celsius) temperatures during the winter, making it hard for Cliffs to ship iron ore pellets to North American steel makers. Some steel makers have had to reduce or idle production, Cliffs’ Chief Executive Gary Halverson said on Friday.

The late ice cover compounds a backlog of Western Canadian grain, which piled up due to the frigid winter and record harvest overwhelming Canadian National Railway Co and Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd, which move crops to port.

At Port of Thunder Bay, Ontario, 20 vessels are waiting to load grain, with about two-thirds of Lake Superior covered in ice, said the port authority's chief executive Tim Heney.

Heney expects a surge of activity for the next three weeks to clear terminals that are nearly full of grain after the port opened to navigation on its latest date on record. By then, the remaining shipping restrictions on Lake Superior should be lifted, Heney said.

Grain handlers including Cargill Ltd, Richardson International Ltd, Viterra and Parrish & Heimbecker own storage terminals at the port. Some coal shipments are also delayed, Heney said.

Vessels using the St. Lawrence Seaway, which connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean, restricted vessels in early April to one-way traffic in certain areas and navigation during daylight only, said Andrew Bogora, spokesman for the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp.

The Seaway is now free of ice, but shipping volumes in April are likely to be light, he said.

Reuters





Great Lakes ice cover from brutal winter could lead to a chilly summer

5/2 - Detroit, Mich. – The winter of 2013-14 demands that it be remembered.

A relatively cool spring will give way to a colder-than-usual summer locally, all because of the continuing impacts of the intensely frigid, snowy winter, scientists said. And at least one Great Lakes ice researcher thinks that the domino effect could continue into a chilly fall and an early start to next winter — and beyond.

The reason is the unusually late ice cover that remains on the Great Lakes. Heading into May, the Great Lakes combined remain 26 percent ice covered, with Lake Superior still more than half-blanketed in ice. By comparison, at this time last spring the lakes were less than 2 percent covered with ice.

The remaining levels of ice cover are amazing, said Jia Wang, an ice climatologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor.

“This prolonged winter will affect summer temperatures. This summer will be cold, and then a cooler fall,” he said.

In addition to wreaking havoc on the Great Lakes shipping industry and impacting fish and other aquatic species, the miles of ice cover serve as a vast, white reflector.

“All that sunlight that would normally heat up the water is just bouncing back up into space,” said Jay Austin, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota-Duluth’s Large Lakes Observatory, who agrees with Wang about the ice cover’s impacts on this summer, but disagrees about its potential impacts on weather beyond that.

And though the impact of Great Lakes water temperatures on local weather is complex, “the two are connected to some degree,” said Steve Colman, director of the Large Lakes Observatory.

“It’s going to tend to be cooler,” he said. “We’ll likely get more fog because of colder water temperatures and warmer air masses.”

The persistent ice led to “an absolutely crippling start to the shipping season,” said Glen Nekvasil, vice president of the Lake Carriers Association, a trade group representing Great Lakes cargo haulers.

Icebreakers are still escorting convoys of barges hauling iron ore, cement and other products through the ice-jammed lakes, making for very slow going, he said.

One iron ore cargo ship that left port in western Lake Superior on March 23 did not deliver its first cargo on southern Lake Michigan until April 23, Nekvasil said.

“In 30 days they normally would have delivered four cargoes,” he said.

Iron ore shipments in March were down 43 percent over last year. The large U.S. Steel plant in Gary, Ind., scaled back production early last month due to its depleted supplies of iron ore.

A normal year has Coast Guard icebreakers logging 3,000 hours breaking channels through the lakes. With at least two more weeks of icebreaking to go, crews have logged 7,000 hours this winter and spring, said Mark Gill, director of vessel traffic services for the Coast Guard at Sault Ste. Marie.

Spring winds are compounding problems. Winds have stacked ice at the vital Duluth, Minn., ports 8-10 feet tall, Gill said.

Some good news came this week when the Coast Guard was able to break through its downbound channel, a preferred, deeper shipping route that allows carriers to haul heavier loads, Gill said.

Because the ice season started so early — the first week in December — and is continuing so late, “we’re going to face a real challenge here to rebuild stockpiles,” Nekvasil said.

Winter’s impact on the Great Lakes will lead to winners and losers in Great Lakes fish species, said Randy Claramunt, Great Lakes research biologist at the state Department of Natural Resources’ Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station.

“Some of the native species — such as lake whitefish — we’ve found cold winters and a long duration of ice cover can actually have a positive impact,” he said. The fish spawn on near-shore, shallow, rocky reefs in the fall, and their eggs incubate all winter long, Claramunt said. Ice cover tends to keep the eggs safe from predators.

Losers can include nonnative, invasive species that aren’t used to such cold, harsh climates, such as the round goby and quagga mussels, he said. But “it would take decades of long winters like this to eradicate them,” he said.

Detroit Free Press





Port Reports - May 2

Duluth, Minn. - Daniel Lindner
The traffic parade continued Thursday, but in reverse order. Most of the ships that had arrived on Wednesday were departing on Thursday. American Courage departed at dawn after unloading stone, and was destined for Silver Bay, MN, for ore. Baie Comeau also departed in the early morning after loading ore. Cason J. Callaway, Thunder Bay, and CSL Tadoussac also departed throughout the day. On Friday, Algomarine is due in the early morning, and Tim S. Dool is due in the late morning with cement. Algoma Olympic, American Integrity, and Stewart J. Cort are also due in the evening, all for iron ore pellets.

Cedarville & Port Inland, Mich. - Denny Dushane
At Cedarville, Lewis J. Kuber loaded on Wednesday and was due to depart in the late evening. Wilfred Sykes also arrived on Wednesday to take the dock following the Kuber's departure. The barge Huron Spirit and tug Leonard M. were due on Thursday in the early afternoon. At Port Inland, Pere Marquette 41 arrived and loaded on Wednesday and departed in the late afternoon. Buffalo was next to arrive on Wednesday in the late afternoon and was to take the dock following the Pere Marquette 41. Wilfred Sykes was expected on Thursday in the early evening. Mississagi is due Friday in the early morning.

Alpena, Mich. - Ben & Chanda McClain
The tug Samuel de Champlain and barge Innovation were in port Thursday morning loading cement for Whitefish, Ontario. The tug Defiance and barge Ashtabula arrived at Lafarge on Thursday to unload coal. The Alpena was expected to enter port sometime overnight after the Defiance departs.

Stoneport & Calcite, Mich. - Denny Dushane
John G. Munson loaded at Stoneport on Thursday and was due to depart around 9 a.m., with Herbert C. Jackson due early afternoon and the Great Republic in the late afternoon. Three vessels are scheduled for Friday, with the Manitowoc arriving in the early morning followed by the Lewis J. Kuber in the early evening and Pathfinder during the late evening. Manitowoc is due to load on Saturday during the late evening and rounding out the schedule will be the Lewis J. Kuber, due in on Sunday in the late evening. At Calcite, Great Lakes Trader loaded on Thursday and was due to depart the dock at about 7 a.m. Due on Friday in the early morning is Sam Laud for the South Dock. Calumet is due on Saturday in the early afternoon for the North Dock.

Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey
With the start to the 2014 commercial shipping season on the Saginaw River one of the latest on record, the first passage not coming until April 29, there were only two passages recorded for the month. This is below the five year average of nine passages at this point of the season. The extreme ice conditions on the Great Lakes have played a huge part in the late start of the season and in the decrease in the number of passages. Ice conditions in fact are still affecting commercial shipping in general and will for weeks to come.

Toledo, Ohio - Denny Dushane
Manitowoc loaded coal at the CSX Coal Dock Thursday. Due next at CSX is John D. Leitch on Sunday in the early morning. Two vessels are due to load coal at the CSX Coal Dock on Tuesday, with the H. Lee White arriving in the morning followed by the James L. Kuber in the early evening. The Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin is due to arrive at the Midwest Terminal Stone Dock on Saturday, May 31, during the early evening. At the Torco Dock, CSL Laurentien unloaded iron ore Thursday. Lakes Contender is expected to arrive on Saturday in the early morning. Lee A. Tregurtha is due on Monday in the late morning, with two vessels due on Tuesday, May 6. James L. Kuber is due to arrive in the early morning, followed by the Atlantic Erie in the late evening. Manistee, the last of Toledo's 2013-14 winter lay-up fleet, departed on Tuesday. Three ASC vessels still remain in long-term lay-up, with the Adam E. Cornelius at Old Interlake Iron Dock and fleetmates American Fortitude and American Valor at the Lakefront Docks.





Great Lakes shipping will benefit from higher water levels

5/2 - Great Lakes water levels are up compared to a year ago, meaning ships will be able to carry more cargo — a silver lining for the ships slowly traversing the ice fields of Lake Superior.

Thanks to all the snow this winter, spring thaw has lifted water levels on all five of the Great Lakes. For the first time in several years, Superior is above its long-term average and lakes Michigan and Huron are up almost a foot from a year ago, albeit still 9 inches below normal.

Duluth Seaway Port facilities manager Jim Sharrow said that will translate into bigger cargoes because the ship’s drafts will be deeper.

“If that difference continues through the year, that will allow them to make up two lost cargoes per ship,” said Sharrow. “That will go a long ways for making up what was lost here with all this ice.”

Lake Carriers’ Association's Glen Nekvasil said ships have been bogged down in ice at a time when ice is usually not a problem, meaning significantly deeper water is great news.

“That would be a blessing right now because the way this season has gotten off to such a horrible start because of the ice,” said Nekvasil. “We are really behind the eight ball. We are going to be facing quite a challenge this year, so if we do get a couple of inches more draft because of higher water levels, that’ll be great.”

Sharrow said the economic recovery is driving higher demand for iron ore and coal. Iron ore orders are projected to be up 4 percent this year. “And coal demand (are projected) to be similar,” said Sharrow. “It might be a little bit higher because supplies are so low after such a cold winter around the Great Lakes. So, it’s going to be a very busy year and we don’t know if we’ll be able to make up all the tonnage that was lost.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects water levels will climb even higher in May, up another 2 to 4 inches on all the Great Lakes.

Wisconsin Public Radio





Bay Shipbuilding announces new contracts

5/2 - There’s good news coming out of Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay. The local division of Fincantieri Marine Group has announced that it has entered into several contracts with Moran Towing Corporation to build three oil/chemical barges and two tugs to be operated together as articulated tug barges or ATBs. Two of the barges will have a cargo capacity of 150,000 barrels, the other 110,000. The new vessels, intended for saltwater service, will be built entirely at the Bayship yard in Sturgeon Bay and are scheduled to be delivered separately over the next 24 months. Construction has already begun on the first units. Moran Towing, a New York corporation with offices in Connecticut, specializes in maritime transportation, harbor tug & towing assistance & currently operates in excess of 120 tugs & barges. Fincantieri is the fourth largest shipbuilder in the world. It’s marine group employs 2,000 people at three Wisconsin sites, Bay Shipbuilding, Marinette Marine & Ace Marine in Green Bay.

WDOR





Gate installation will prompt St Lambert Lock closures

5/2 - Following maintenance work, lock gates N° 7 and 8 of St Lambert lock (lock 1) must be placed back in position at the lock. This operation will necessitate suspensions to navigation at the lock and which are planned for May 8 and 15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.





Chicago stops short of petroleum coke ban

5/2 - Chicago, Ill. – Neighborhood groups on Tuesday failed to persuade Chicago aldermen to ban dusty piles of petroleum coke on the Southeast Side, but Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration scuttled a proposal that would have allowed factories to store and burn the refinery byproduct anywhere in the city.

A revised zoning ordinance from the mayor's office, sent to the City Council for an expected vote Wednesday, outlaws new storage terminals while requiring three existing operations along the Calumet River to file quarterly reports on the amount of petroleum coke and coal shipped through Chicago.

Emanuel aides said the zoning restrictions, combined with regulations that require the three terminals to enclose their piles within two years, will give Chicago the nation's toughest limits on black mounds of petroleum coke rising near refineries that are shifting to thicker, dirtier oil from the tar sands region of Alberta.

"While nothing in this world is perfect, this ordinance gets us closer to what we want," said Ald. John Pope, 10th, who dropped a proposal to ban petroleum coke citywide after Emanuel aides decided it likely wouldn't survive a court challenge.

Several residents bused to City Hall for a Zoning Committee hearing said the Emanuel administration had failed to back up the mayor's tough talk on the issue. They told aldermen that black dust blowing off uncovered piles of petroleum coke, also known as petcoke, pose health threats and create a nuisance that spoils family picnics and Little League games.

"We would like to have the same privileges that you do, to be able to have our windows open during the summer," Maria Diaz, a representative of a Marsh Elementary School parents group, said through an interpreter. "We need clean air to breathe."

Guillermo Rodriguez, another neighborhood resident, said the storage terminals offer a few dozen jobs but bring "stench, scandal and pollution."

Emanuel told local television and radio stations in February that his regulations and zoning changes would drive petcoke operators out of town. But an ordinance his administration presented to the zoning panel last month would have allowed companies to store and burn petcoke in Chicago if "consumed onsite as part of a manufacturing process."

Faced with a public outcry, the administration eliminated that provision in the revised ordinance. It still grants a special exemption tailored for Universal Cement, an arm of Mokena-based Ozinga Bros. that is permitted to use petcoke and coal to fuel a planned cement kiln at 117th Street and Torrence Avenue.

"Under this ordinance, Chicago will not become a dumping ground for petcoke and we are preventing this material from negatively impacting our communities," Bill McCaffrey, an Emanuel spokesman, said in a statement.

The mayor's office also has joined Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Gov. Pat Quinn in fighting two companies that store petcoke and coal on the Southeast Side.

KCBX Terminals, a company controlled by industrialists Charles and David Koch, faces a lawsuit filed by Madigan and Emanuel that accuses the company of violating air pollution laws at its facility off Burley Avenue between 108th and 111th streets. Another state and city lawsuit urges a Cook County judge to cite KCBX for violating water-quality and open-dumping laws by failing to prevent petcoke and coal from washing into the Calumet River at its 100th Street storage terminal.

A separate state order required Beemsterboer Slag Co. to remove petcoke and coal from its 106th Street storage terminal until the company resolves several permit issues.

In a statement, KCBX said it "will continue to ensure that our operations remain compliant with all local, state and federal regulations." Beemsterboer has not responded to requests for comment.

KCBX has a contract to store petcoke generated by the BP refinery just over the Indiana border in Whiting. BP recently completed an overhaul of the refinery that will more than triple its output of petcoke to 2.2 million tons a year.

Chicago Tribune Company





Duluth's Great Lakes Aquarium to launch new exhibit

5/2 - Duluth, Minn. – This summer there will be a brand new attraction at the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth. This popular destination on the north shore of Lake Superior always has a themed exhibit to attract visitors, and this year is a big one.

It’s called “Shipwrecks Alive,” and features a number of displays and video presentations that look into the depths to discover some of the hundreds of ships that lie on the bottom of the lake.

The staff of the aquarium literally immersed themselves in their subject. They took video cameras down to a well-known wreck near Silver Bay to capture shots of how the cold, dark waters of Superior preserve boats for 100 years or more.

Visitors this summer will also be able to see presentations on three of the lake’s most famous shipwrecks, a brand new tank with new colorful fish, even a zebra shark.

The new exhibit, which opens in July at the Aquarium on the lakeshore in downtown Duluth, is expected to cost more than $400,000, the most expensive in the history of this landmark attraction.





Reserve now for May 31 Boatnerd Gathering

5/2 - The 2014 Boatnerd Badger Gathering will include a round-trip crossing of Lake Michigan from Ludington, Mich., to Manitowoc, Wis., on Saturday, May 31, 2014, aboard the Lake Michigan Carferry’s SS Badger.

Join us in traveling aboard the only coal-fired steamer left on the Great Lakes. Visit the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc and see the operating restored forward engine from the legendary railroad ferry Chief Wawatam, and the WWII submarine Cobia, OR re-board the Badger for a two-hour Wisconsin shoreline cruise with live entertainment and a party buffet.

Optional on Friday night, May 30, is an opportunity to stay overnight in a Badger stateroom. Staterooms sleep two at the same price. Includes breakfast buffet on Saturday morning. We need a minimum of 10 room reservations for Friday night, in order for this option to be available. Only 28 staterooms are available. BoatNerds will be the only passengers sleeping on the boat. You will keep your stateroom until we return to Ludington.

Click here to reserve your spot





Brent "Chief" Michaels

5/2 - Brent "Chief" Michaels was taken to his final resting place in the upper St. Mary's river Saturday. He was escorted by his wife Pam son Chad And Grandson Brenton. Brent took his last trip through the ice of Lake Superior aboard the USCGC Mackinaw. We would like to extend our gratitude and thanks to the Capt. and crew for their participation and assistance in making Chiefs last trip possible. As a 28 year veteran of the USCG Brent spent a lot of time in the river ice breaking and it was very fitting that is where he wanted his final resting place to be.

Chad Michaels





Lookback #166 – Shelter Bay went aground on May 2, 1967

5/2 - The second Shelter Bay to sail as part of the Quebec & Ontario Transportation Co. ran aground in the Brockville Narrows of the St. Lawrence on May 2, 1967. The accident was caused when a bolt in the steering gear sheared, sending the vessel off course and on to a rock ledge.

The vessel was en route to Chicago with iron ore when it hit bottom, opening holes in the hull. Two days later, on May 4, the ship was refloated and soon headed to Port Weller Dry Docks for repairs.

Shelter Bay had only joined Q. & O. in 1965 after previous service for the Interlake Steamship Co. as Jay C. Morse. The 552-foot-long bulk carrier had been built at Cleveland and was the largest vessel in company operations when it was launched on July 20, 1907.

Jay C. Morse had been idle at South Chicago from 1960 until sold and renamed Shelter Bay in 1965. The ship resumed service after repairs from the accident of 47-years ago today and traded for Q. & O. through the end of the 1978 season.

Sold to the Goderich Elevator Co., it was known as Shelter B. in 1979 and became D.B. Weldon (ii) later that year. The pilothouse was removed and placed on a cement pad at Goderich as a marine museum in 1981 and the ship continued to serve as a grain storage barge until 1983. It arrived at Thunder Bay on June 11, 1983, under tow of the tug W.J. Ivan Purvis, and was broken up for scrap by the Western Metals Co. in 1983 – 1984.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Today in Great Lakes History - May 3

On May 3, 1959, the first large saltwater vessel to transit the new St. Lawrence Seaway arrived at Duluth. The RAMON DE LARINAGA of 1954, took the honors as the first salty, passing under Duluth's Aerial Bridge at 1:16 p.m., followed by a salty named the HERALD of 1943, sixteen minutes later.

In 1922, the PERE MARQUETTE 16, as the barge HARRIET B, collided with the steamer QUINCY A. SHAW, and sank off Two Harbors, Minnesota.

On 3 May 1840, CHAMPLAIN (wooden side-wheeler, 225 tons, built in 1832, at Chippewa, Ontario) was carrying general merchandise when a storm drove her ashore four miles south of St. Joseph, Michigan. Although abandoned, she was later recovered and rebuilt.

On 03 May 1883, lightning struck and set fire to the barge C F. ALLEN while she was loading at North Muskegon, Michigan. She burned to the water's edge. Her loss was valued at $6,000, but she was not insured.

1905: HESPER was blown aground in 60 mph winds near Silver Bay, MN. The vessel was carried over a reef by a giant wave and broken to pieces. All on board were rescued.

1909: The EDWIN F. HOLMES hit a dredge in the Detroit River. The 108-year-old vessel still survives as the J.B. FORD.

1941: TRAJAN had been built at Ecorse, MI as a) YAQUE in 1915. It returned to the Great Lakes as b) DORIS in 1928 taking out the head gates at Lock 13 of the Welland Canal on September 23 and was back for several trips after becoming c) TRAJAN in 1932. The vessel was bombed and sunk by German aircraft in the North Sea on this date while enroute from Blyth to London with a cargo of coal.

1961: The tug BERT VERGE was towing the retired laker FORESTDALE across Hamilton Bay to the scrapyard at Stelco when it got caught by the wind, pulled over on its beam ends and sank with the loss of 2 lives. The tug was later salvaged and survives today as a pleasure craft out of Port Dover.

1982: A fire in the officer's quarters aboard the rail car barge SCOTIA II broke out at Sarnia. The damage was repaired and the ship resumed cross-river service until making its last run in April 1995.

1987: The Polish freighter ZIEMIA BIALOSTOCKA began Great Lakes service in 1980 after 8 years of deep sea trading. The ship hit the Sidney Lanier Bridge at Brunswick, GA, on this date in 1987 with major damage to the vessel and structure. The ship last visited the Great Lakes in 1996 and arrived at Alang, India, for scrapping on September 20, 1998.


Port Reports - May 3

Thunder Bay - Justin Eloranta & John Kuzma
CCGS Martha L. Black was busy cutting around the harbor Wednesday. She spent the better part of the afternoon past the Welcome Islands, and berthed at Keefer Terminal for the night. Thursday she was back in the harbor cutting inside the Welcome Islands clearing space for the convoy that arrived Thursday evening. The lineup was as follows: Mapleglen out Viterra A at 3 p.m.; Federal Rideau in Mission Terminal's at 6:30 p.m.; Algoma Transport in Thunder Bay Terminal's at 7 p.m.; Algowood in Richardson's Elevator at 7 p.m.; Federal Elbe out Current River Elevator at 10 p.m.; Federal Satsuki in current River Elevator at 10 p.m.

Port Inland & Cedarville, Mich. - Denny Dushane
At Port Inland, Mississagi was expected to arrive in the late evening on Friday to load. Two vessels are due on Monday, with Wilfred Sykes arriving in the mid-afternoon and Pere Marquette 41 in the late evening. At Cedarville, Calumet is expected to arrive on Saturday during the late evening. Joseph H. Thompson is due on Sunday during the early evening, and Algoway rounds out the schedule on Monday in the early afternoon.

Stoneport & Calcite, Mich. - Denny Dushane
Friday saw three vessels arrive at Stoneport. Great Republic loaded first and was expected to depart at 9 p.m. Next in line was the Pathfinder, with Manitowoc following. For Saturday, the Lewis J. Kuber is due to arrive in the early afternoon. Manitowoc is due back on Sunday in the late afternoon. At Calcite, Sam Laud loaded on Friday from the South Dock and was due to depart at about 8 p.m. There are no more vessels scheduled until Thursday, May 8.

Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey
Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber made a return visit to the Saginaw River on Friday, this time with a split cargo for the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City and for the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw. After unloading, the pair were outbound for the lake late Friday night.

Toledo, Ohio - Denny Dushane
Lakes Contender is expected to arrive at the Torco Dock to unload on Saturday during the early morning. Following them is the Lee A. Tregurtha due on Monday in the early morning. At the CSX Coal Dock, the Saginaw is due to arrive on Saturday in the early evening. Rounding out the schedule is the H. Lee White which is due to load at¦nbsp; CSX on Monday in the late morning.

Toronto, Ont. - Jens Juhl
A Polsteam bulker finished discharging and sailed early Friday morning. Earlier this week the tug M.R. Kane and the TPA spud Derrick 50 completed setting out the keep-out buoys in the harbor on the east side of Billy Bishop Airport.

Oswego, N.Y. - Ned Goebricher
Friday the English River offloaded cement.





Chi Cheemaun’s season begins

5/3 - The Coast Guard has surveyed an ice-free route for the ferry Chi Cheemaun to begin its runs between the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island starting Saturday morning. The ferry departed Owen Sound harbor Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

Paul Martin





Lake Huron remains a wet parking lot: Freighters are waiting for ice to clear

5/3 - Port Huron, Mich. – Jeannette Zells, of Avoca, counted the 14 freighters anchored in lower Lake Huron on Thursday while she ate her lunch at Lakeside Beach. The spectacle, which started last week, likely will continue for another week or two.

“I was eating my lunch when I saw them,” Zells said. “First I just counted four, then seven, and then I realized there were 14. I had to take pictures, I love freighter watching, and I have never seen them this backed up before.”

Ice in Lake Superior and the St. Marys River like a traffic accident on a terrestrial highway caused the freighter jam.

“This is very unusual,” said Frank Frisk, Great Lakes Maritime Center in Port Huron consultant. “It has only happened a few times, and it is worse than before.”

Freighter watchers might be getting a treat, but the backup is a problem for industries that rely on freighters for commodities such as iron ore and coal.

“Steel mills are hurting from a lack of iron ore and power plants have reported that their coal inventory is very low,” Frisk said. “And there is currently a big demand for steel right now since the economy is moving in a positive direction – automobiles, bridges, and buildings all need steel to be produced.”

One ship that set sail on March 23 did not deliver its first cargo until April 23, said Glenn Nekvasil, Lake Carriers’ Association vice president.

“Normally a ship would deliver four cargoes in one month,” Nekvasil said. “But this reminds me of the winter of 1994 when we were breaking ice in the St. Marys River until May 18.”

He said some manufacturers have had to curtail production because they lack raw materials.

“Ice is part of sailing the Great Lakes, but this is extreme,” Nekvasil said.

Lake Superior’s ice coverage is 40 percent, a 20 percent decrease from last week, said Mark Gill, U.S. Coast Guard director of vessel traffic services at Sault Ste. Marie. “Each wind event is drawing the ice down more and more,” Gill said. “But some of the floes still have a solid 18 to 24 inches of ice and are several hundred feet in diameter, so it’s still pretty substantial.”

In 2013, ice breaking was done by April 20. Currently, the U.S. Coast Guard has eight vessels working along with two Canadian Coast Guard vessels.

“So far we have had a 60 percent increase from last year in the amount of ice cutting hours logged,” Gill said. “We are probably looking at four more weeks of ice still.”

Gill said the ice could clear sufficiently to allow for normal traffic movement in 10 to 14 days. Until then shipments will continue to take two to three times longer than usual, Gill said.

Nekvasil said Thursday was the last day of convoys led by Coast Guard icebreakers.

“I’m not saying we won’t still have problems,” Nekvasil said. “But it is safe for the freighters to move on their own. We might still need to call the Coast Guard if a freighter gets stuck, but after today they are on their own.”

Freighters have had to wait for a convoy before they could head north, said Donna Wiliamson, Western Great Lakes Pilot District 3 chief dispatcher.

“There have also been delays because we have needed two pilots to accompany each captain through District Three, when normally just one pilot is necessary,” Williamson said. “The pilots from each district help the captains navigate the waters since they are experts of the Great Lakes and its ports.”

District 3, which comprises Lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan, has 13 available U.S. pilots and three Canadian pilots.

“The one good thing is that this summer season the water levels will be raised a considerable amount for commercial traffic,” Frisk said.

Karen Hadden, of Richmond, recalled only seeing so many freighters lined up when they were stuck in ice, and never at this time of year.

“Normally there is not so much ice to the north of us,” Hadden said. “I just wonder what they do out there on the ships all day since they can’t move.”

Port Huron Times Herald





In-bound lakers are fighting for normalcy

5/3 - Duluth, Minn. – The restlessness felt by those in the ports across the Great Lakes shipping system is at its peak on the heels of the Twin Ports' first major in-bound delivery Wednesday.

According to Duluth Seaway Port Authority Manager Adele Yorde, it's a reminder of the workload ahead of them.

"We pretty much lost April," said Yorde, at the Port Authority offices Thursday, "so, we're heading into May, and everybody will be working expediently to get those ships to their docks to load them, to turn them, to get them back out on open water."

The open water is there, but so is the ice, and the wind keeps it moving.

As of Wednesday afternoon, ice floes were still relatively thick in the eastern part of Lake Superior, from Whitefish Bay to Keweenaw.

The main objective is still getting coal and iron ore down to the steel mills and power plants along the lower Great Lakes, which have suffered or even closed temporarily due to the lack of raw materials.

But Yorde says the Arrowhead Region has had needs of its own, like the need for limestone in mining operations along the Iron Range. "There have been just as many folks waiting for those first vessels to arrive, and (Wednesday they) did," said Yorde, "so, we've got limestone on the dock again."

The demand for raw materials is fueling another industry. As the shipping season works around the clock to return to normal, boatwatchers are popping up along the Duluth Harbor piers.

"This is the only place within 2,342 miles that you can watch ships come in of that size," said Gene Shaw of Visit Duluth. Shaw says following vessels through the Great Lakes on on–line tracking maps has only heightened the boat watching buzz.

The Duluth Seaway Port Authority says the Twin Ports could see its first saltie of the season as early as the middle of next week.

Northland News





Coast Guard sets icebreaking dates for Keweenaw, Gray’s Reef

5/3 - At the request of the Isle Royal National Park Service, the United States Coast Guard Cutter Katmai Bay will conduct icebreaking operations in the Keweenaw Waterway Tuesday, May 6, from the east in the lower entry at Keweenaw Bay, through the waterway and Portage lake ending at the open waters in Lake Superior at the upper entry. On May 4 the Coast Guard will open Gray’s Reef Passage at 8 a.m.





Salties with Great Lakes connections go for scrap

5/3 - Marine News, the monthly journal of the World Ship Society, reports the following ships, with Great Lakes connections, going for scrap in the May 2014 issue.

An Kang Jiang came up the Seaway in October 1998 with a cargo of steel for Detroit. The ship returned to Valleyfield and Hamilton in 1999 but spent most of its life trading on saltwater. The Chinese flag general cargo carrier was built at Shimonoseki, Japan, in 1985 and sailed for China Ocean Shipping. It arrived at Ningde, China, on Jan. 8, 2014, for dismantling by Fujian Mindong Saiqu Economic.

Guang Ma 1 was built in 1984 as Silver Happiness and visited the Great Lakes the following year under the original name. In 30-years of trading, the ship carried a total of 11 names, including sailing on three different occasions as Silver Happiness. The vessel, last known as Guang Ma 1, arrived at Ningde, Fujian, China, back on Sept. 10, 2012, for scrapping.

Kaliope had been a Seaway caller as Fjordnes beginning in 1995. It headed was up bound in the Welland Canal for Duluth on Oct. 16, 1995, and returned down bound with magnesite and grain. The vessel was converted to the chemical tanker Kaliope, in 1997 and operated with registry in Bahamas and then the Marshall Islands. Following a sale to Turkish shipbreakers, the ship arrived at Aliaga for dismantling on January 27, 2014.

Kapitan Glazachyev came through the Seaway on Nov. 16, 1996, with a cargo of steel for Detroit. It was the first trip inland for the then, 20-year old Russian freighter. It was still registered in Russia and sailing for the Northern Shipping Co. when sold to Turkish shipbreakers in 2013. The vessel arrived at Aliaga for scrapping by Ege Gemi Sokum ve Tic. AS on Aug. 2, 2013.

Karonga was renamed on seven occasions and three of the renamings were to re-register the ship as Karonga. It came to the Great Lakes in 1997, during its first time under this name. The East German built freighter was scrapped under the eighth name of Lion following arrival at Alang, India, on Jan. 24, 2014.

The general cargo carrier Med Mermaid was built at Gijon, Spain, in 1979 and first sailed as Inma. As such, it came through the Seaway in 1980 and was sailing under a sixth name of Med Mermaid when sold to Turkish shipbreakers in 2014. The vessel arrived at Aliaga on Feb. 8 and scrapping got underway four days later.

Melissa was a small ocean going bulk carrier dating from 1976. The Dutch-built freighter was sailing under her fourth name of Kartho Vision when it entered the Seaway on July 25, 1993. The ship was bound for Erie, with a cargo of manganese ore, at the time. The vessel gained a sixth name of Melissa in 1999 and carried that to the scrapyard at Jingjiang, Jingsu, China, when it arrived on Jan. 26, 2014.

Trader came through the Seaway under three names. It traveled inland as Astorga in 1985, returned as Mar Caterina in October. 1990 and as Asphalt Trader in September 2002. The Spanish built tanker had trouble at the Snell Lock in 1989 and 1991 as Mar Caterina, grounded off Tampico, Mexico, as Asphalt Navigator on Jan. 5, 1999, and caught fire, while under repairs at Perama, Greece, as Asphalt Trader on Dec. 12, 1999. The ship arrived at the scrapping area of Gadani Beach, Pakistan, under a sixth name of Trader, on January 11, 2014.

Lakes related: One member of the Canada Steamship Lines deep-sea fleet has also been scrapped. CSL Atlantic, a self-unloading bulk carrier based on the Pacific and operated by CSL Australia Pty Ltd., arrived at Xinhui, Guandong, China, for scrapping on Dec. 31, 2013.

Compiled by Barry Andersen, Rene Beauchamp and Skip Gillham





Seaway salties renamed

5/3 - The following saltwater vessels have been renamed. Each made at least one visit into the Great Lakes/Seaway during their careers. Bulk Sunset, which came inland in 2012 for the first and only time with that name, is now the Moondy Bay of Bahamas. Maxima, which came inland for the first time in 2009, is now the HCEva Marie of Antigua/Barbuda. CEC Fantasy, which first came inland in 2004, is now Fatima III of Indonesia. Ruth Theresa, which made its only visit in 2011, is now the Slnc Pax of the U.S. flag. Clipper Katja, which first visited in 2008 and made its last visit in 2011, has been renamed Bonaire Trader of Malta. Clipper Tobago, which first visited in 2006 and last visited in 2007, is now the Arin 8 of Indonesia. Miramis, which made its only visit in 2012, is now the GSW Forward of Liberia. Fairchem Stallion, which also made its only visit in 2012, is now the MTM Antwerp of Singapore.

Denny Dushane





Sturgeon Bay marks Coast Guard City designation with weekend-long celebration

5/3 - Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – A host of dignitaries will gather on Saturday morning, May 10 in Sawyer Park to formally honor the City of Sturgeon Bay on its recent designation as a Coast Guard City. The community is invited and encouraged to join in the celebration.

Rear Admiral Fred Midgette, senior commander for all Coast Guard operations throughout the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, will be the presiding official at the proclamation ceremony. The festivities kick off at 10:30 a.m. with patriotic music, followed by the official proclamation ceremony at 11 a.m. A community family picnic hosted by the Sturgeon Bay Fire Department and volunteers from Bay View Lutheran Church will follow immediately after the ceremony.

In addition to displays of Coast Guard boats and equipment, demonstrations, children's games and jump house, a fly-over and search and rescue demonstration by an MH-65C helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Travers City is planned. The H-65 will later land adjacent to Sawyer Park for display, viewing and an opportunity to meet the crew.

All events will take place in or near the Sawyer Park Pavilion at 36 S. Neenah Ave. on Sturgeon Bay's west side adjacent to the Maple-Oregon Bridge. In the event of inclement weather, the celebration and picnic will be moved to the Sturgeon Bay Fire Station/City Hall at 421 Michigan St.

The family picnic will feature brats, burgers, hotdogs, chips and soft drinks. All items will be available for sale individually or in meal specials. The burger or brat special includes a burger or brat, chips, cookie and beverage for only $4. A hotdog meal will be available for $3. Local Coast Guard personnel and their families will be treated to a complimentary picnic meal.

The festivities continue the next morning with a Mother's Day Community Breakfast at the Fire Station at 421 Michigan St. from 8 to 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 11. Enjoy a breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs, fresh Door County cherries, fresh fruit, sausage and beverages at a cost of $5. All mothers, Coast Guard families, and children 3-years of age and under are free of charge. All mothers will also receive a complimentary flower.

The Coast Guard City program recognizes those communities that have made special efforts to acknowledge and support the military service and professional work of the Coast Guard men and women assigned to their area. The designation celebrates Sturgeon Bay's longstanding efforts to make Coast Guard men and women and their families feel at home during their tour of duty in the city. Sturgeon Bay is one of only 16 communities nationwide to be named a Coast Guard City and is the first, and only, in Wisconsin.





Lookback #167 – Bert Verge swamped on May 3, 1961

5/3 - The tug Bert Verge was built on speculation in 1956. While it was classed as Hull 17 of Port Weller Dry Docks of St. Catharines, the ship was actually built at the nearby Port Dalhousie shipyard above Lock 1 of the first three Welland Canals.

With no immediate buyer, the 54-foot-long tug worked in and around the shipyard until is was sold in 1959. The buyer took the tug to Hamilton and it saw limited service there.

On May 3, 1961, 53 years ago today, the Bert Verge was engaged in towing the retired steamer Forestdale on its last trip to the scrap berth at the Steel Company of Canada. Something went terribly wrong and the tug was pulled over on its beam ends and sank with the loss of two lives.

One of the casualties was the owner and, after being salvaged, the Bert Verge was laid up, eventually repossessed and resold. It saw very little additional service and was eventually resold to Nadro Marine. The tug Lois T. towed Bert Verge to Port Dover in July 1998 where it was rebuilt as a pleasure craft. It still serves in that capacity.

[yachtsmanwilly]

ONE OF THE LEGENGDS OF THE LAKES LOL ws


abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local/chicago_news&id=9528166


Tug Kimberly Selvick, barges stuck along Chicago lakefront

5/6 - Chicago, Ill. – A tug and two barges in Lake Michigan were stuck along the Chicago lakefront Monday night.

The four-person crew made it safely off the tugboat, which lost power. The problems were possibly related to high winds and waves. Those conditions made it impossible Monday night to raise the boat.

Monday night, the tugboat Kimberly Selvick was providing a spectacle for lakefront joggers.

"It's crazy, actually," said jogger Jerrard Walker. "I hope it doesn't flip over. I don't know what to say. We don't normally see stuff like this."

The trouble began shortly before 5 Monday evening near 39th and the lakefront. The commercial tugboat was experiencing mechanical problems while tugging two barges in windy conditions from Montrose Harbor to the Calumet River shipyard.

"We know they lost power," said Dep. Dist. Chief Ron Dorneker. "There's severe waves out there today. The waves coming over the front of the boat may have caused the problem."

As the boat took on water, the four-man crew abandoned ship, boarding one of the barges it was tugging, the fire department responding to the boat's distress signal.

"The wind and waves are bad," Dorneker said. "It's pushing that boat into shore right now, so it was a good thing that we got out there as quickly as we did and removed the people."

The crew members were not hurt, the fire department bringing them to dry land as the tugboat continued to drift, eventually grounding itself in shallow water.

An aerial search by the fire department turned up no evidence of any fuel leak.

"It's probably the most exciting thing on the South Side right now," Walker said.

The two barges remain stranded in open water. The tugboat is owned by Calumet River Fleeting, a company based in Chicago. A representative was here at the scene Monday night but declined to comment. The Coast Guard says it's working with the company to salvage the boat. That could happen Tuesday if the winds and waves are a bit calmer.

WGN





Canadian Coast Guard’s Pierre Radisson working way off lakes

5/6 - The Pierre Radisson is finished ice breaking on Lake Superior. She was in the lower St. Marys River Monday and will be working her way out from the lakes bound for the Seaway. The Martha L. Black still remains at Thunder Bay.





Port Reports - May 6

South Chicago - Matt M.
Great Republic, sporting her new colors, loaded coal in South Chicago on Monday bound for Manistee. The barge Innovation and her tug were inbound for Lafarge dock upriver

Alpena, Mich. - Ben & Chanda McClain
Mississagi arrived at the Alpena Oil Dock around 6 p.m. on Monday. Once the lines were secured, she unloaded a cargo of salt from Goderich, Ont.

Straits of Mackinac - Robert Bemben
Although Grays Reef Passage is open to shipping, the only traffic east of Beaver Island has been by the Emerald Isle, a few tugs and most recently the USGS research vessel Sturgeon, which transited southbound via Grays Reef Passage to Charlevoix Monday. Recent westerly wind shifts have created areas of up to 90 percent ice coverage between the Leelanau Peninsula, Beaver Island and Good Hart. So freighters are still favoring the open water west of Beaver Island.

Buffalo, N.Y. - Brian W.
New York State Power Authority crews were delayed in their removal of the Niagara River ice boom during early May by, ironically, the ice itself. Gale-force wind and heavy rainstorms moving through the area were blowing three-foot thick chunks of heavy lake ice all over the place, making for very dangerous working conditions. Operations were suspended multiple times over the first week of the month due to bad weather. In addition to their tugs Joncaire and Breaker, they called in their 77-ton heavy hitter William H. Latham to clear ice from around the derrick boat Hyvasu II. With the extra help on hand the work was finally getting done and all the ice that had been packed into the east end of the lake off Buffalo had flushed itself out by May 4. All the remaining heavy lake ice flushed itself out Monday after the removal of boom and it should be smooth sailing for the ships now, as opposed to last week's issue with the English River getting stuck.





Lake Superior hits highest April level in 16 years

5/6 - Duluth, Minn. – The level of Lake Superior keeps rising, and it started this month 2 inches above the long-term normal and 14 inches above the level at this time last year.

The big lake rose 4 inches in April, a month it usually rises by 3 inches. The lake’s monthly average for April was the highest since 1998, according to the International Lake Superior Board of Control.

The increase is expected to continue through at least May, officials said Friday, with water supplies to the lake well above normal. That means more rain and snow, more water flowing in from rivers and less water evaporating, probably in part because of an unusually broad cover of ice.

The extra water is helping lakes Huron and Michigan, too. Those lakes rose 8 inches in April, double the usual rise for the month.

The level of the Great Lakes is considered important for shipping and recreational boating, which have been plagued in recent years by unusually low water levels. Some iron ore producers have said they hope to load larger shipments of taconite this summer in Great Lakes freighters because of the higher water levels.

Unusually high levels can be a problem as well, especially for increased erosion.

WDAY





Dick Wicklund named Marine Historian of the Year by Detroit group

5/6 - Detroit, Mich. – Author, marine historian and photographer Dick Wicklund was named Historian of the Year by the Marine Historical Society of Detroit Saturday at the group's annual dinner in St. Clair, Mich.

He is co-author of "The Kinsman Lines" and an authority on the history of the Kinsman fleet. A frequent contributor to publications like Lake Huron Lore's "The Lightship," he is also a member of their board of directors. Wicklund has been taking photographs for many years and graciously shares them with others for stories or books they are working on, or for their own collections. He is also active in the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society and contributes to their journal, "The Modoc Whistle."

For more information on the Marine Historical Society of Detroit: www.mhsd.org





Toledo’s newest museum is as great as the Lakes

5/6 - Toledo, Ohio – You don't have to be a sailor or a fisherman to appreciate what the Great Lakes mean to the middle of America — economically, recreationally, historically, even emotionally.

But as someone who once worked on the lakes, I’ve never for a moment doubted their importance. Somebody else who gets it is Paul C. LaMarre III, the man whose sketch on a restaurant napkin seven years ago started a journey that has delivered Toledo’s coolest new attraction: the National Museum of the Great Lakes on the east bank of the Maumee River.

That’s how great ideas are often hatched. J.K. Rowling jotted down her early ideas for Harry Potter on a napkin on a British train. Seattle’s iconic Space Needle was allegedly conceived on a napkin in a coffee house in 1959.

Mr. LaMarre, now director of the Port of Monroe, was out for dinner with his wife in 2007 when he began sketching on a napkin his vision of how best to use the-then S.S. Willis B. Boyer museum ship and the new ferry terminal in the Marina District. He tinkered with the drawing the next day, and that version now hangs in the museum.

Toledo’s newest jewel, which opened nine days ago, has operated for decades in Vermilion, 80 miles to the east, but in far smaller quarters and with far less fanfare. Traveling by car from Vermilion to Toledo takes less than two hours, but there were surely times over the past seven years when it seemed as if this project were on a slow boat to China.

Slow doesn’t come easily for Mr. LaMarre, who once flew jets in the Navy.

“There were frustrations,” he says. In the early days, he was pretty much flying solo. Eventually the City of Toledo, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, and the community rallied to the cause. And a magical moment arrived.

“The only time I wept on this project,” he said, was when the ship floated away from its old dock near the Anthony Wayne Bridge and headed toward its new home at the museum.

The Boyer has been rechristened with its original name, the Col. James M. Schoonmaker. Christopher Gillcrist, the executive director of the museum, calls the ship “perhaps the best restored museum ship in the nation.” He’ll get no argument from me.

So vast is the museum’s collection, barely half of it is displayed. Part of that is a consequence of the building’s size. It was built as a passenger ferry terminal, not a museum. The hope is that passenger ships will one day come calling.

If wishing and unlimited funds were all it took, the place would be bigger. But it is a perfect size for its mission, which includes a major educational component.

Schoolkids are going to love it. They’ll learn the history of the Great Lakes the fun way — hands on — with more than 40 exhibits that involve some form of audience participation.

This is not your grandfather’s museum. It’s not a collection of old stuff sitting in display cases or behind windows.

It’s also plenty big enough to permit the display of items that could not be shown in Vermilion, including the propeller from the freighter John Sherwin. The propeller, which is 22 feet from blade tip to blade tip and weighs 20 tons, was cast in Toledo in the 1950s.

One of the museum’s sections deals with Great Lakes shipwrecks. The centerpiece of the exhibit is an inflatable life raft that broke loose from the Edmund Fitzgerald when it sank in Lake Superior in 1975.

It’s a raft I remember well — it sat just above my quarters when I served as a Fitzgerald crew member in 1963. Museum visitors can even steer a simulated submersible through and around a computer-generated version of the wreckage of the Fitz.

Elsewhere they learn about the Wyandotte, the first lake freighter that could unload itself. They can operate a hand-powered bilge pump and discover what it took to keep a ship afloat.

The museum is by definition Toledo’s newest tourist attraction. Let’s hope the tourists show up by the thousands, including from distant points. Americans, no matter where they live, need to understand what we Midwesterners already know about this marvelous natural resource.

Yes, the Great Lakes have issues. The algae blooms that discolor Lake Erie’s western end are scary and embarrassing. So is the potential for ecological disaster at Facility Three, the man-made landfill in Maumee Bay.

However, and I hope you’ll excuse the bad metaphor, I see the Great Lakes not half empty, but half full. The lakes hold 84 percent of the continent’s fresh water. And all of it, as the promotional items in the museum’s gift shop point out, is “unsalted and shark free.”

Toledo Blade





Obituary: Captain Robert Hull

5/6 - Captain Robert Hull of Wiarton, Ont., passed away in Thunder Bay on May 2 at the age of 59 after piloting his last ship through the ice of Lake Superior. He was a member of the Great Lakes Pilotage Authority and had worked throughout the Great Lakes.

Capt. Hull had been a Captain with Misener and Pioneer Shipping before becoming a pilot. He was an active member of the International Ship Master's Association and Secretary-Treasurer of the Georgian Bay Huronia Lodge 15 as well as Grand Lodge Chaplain.

Capt. Hull had also taught at the Marine College that is part of Georgian College in Owen Sound. He will be remembered as a kind and wonderful gentleman, a person of faith, a skilled mariner, a trusted colleague and a friend. He will be missed.

He leaves his wife Julianne and sons James and Caleb as well as many other family and friends to mourn his passing. The funeral for Capt. Hull will be Saturday May 10 at 11 a.m. at Hepworth Baptist Church in Hepworth, Ontario.

Skip Gillham





Lookback #170 – City of Rome caught fire and was destroyed on May 6, 1914.

5/6 - It was 100 years ago today that the wooden steamer City of Rome was destroyed. The ship caught fire on Lake Erie while traveling from Buffalo to Toledo to take on a cargo of coal for Milwaukee.

The blaze broke out in the dunnage room and spread quickly. The captain ran the ship aground off Ripley, New York, and the crew of 15 sailors took to the lifeboat. They rowed ashore but had trouble finding a place to land due to the terrain. They all survived, however, but the ship became a total loss.

City of Rome was built at Cleveland in 1881 and cost a reported $125,000 to complete. In addition to a pair of compound engines, the ship had four masts with sails to help with travels around the Great Lakes. The 288-foot-long steamer had an interesting career with numerous groundings and a previous fire but all were repairable until the final blaze of a century ago.

Today the remains of City of Rome rest in shallow water. The two anchors have been salvaged and are displayed at the Eaton Reservoir. The propeller was also removed and dragged about 250 yards before being abandoned as the challenge of bringing it up the steep cliff was too great.



Today in Great Lakes History - May 6

On May 6, 1984 the CANADIAN RANGER sailed from Port Weller on her maiden voyage to load coal at Toledo, Ohio.

In 1944 the HILDA (2) and the barge MAITLAND NO.1 started the rescue operation of freighter GEORGE M. HUMPHREY (1) which sank in a collision with the D.M. CLEMSON (2) in the Straits of Mackinac.

This day in 1923 the EDWIN E. SLICK was struck by the steamer J. LEONARD REPLOGLE in the ice on Whitefish Bay, Lake Superior.

HARVEY D. GOULDER entered service on May 6, 1906.

On May 6, 1934, ROYALTON (1) helped rescue the steamer TEN, which had lost power in a Lake Superior ice field and required a tow to safety.

On May 6, 1975 while unloading iron ore at Conneaut, Ohio, a leg and bucket from No.2 Hulett gave way and fell into the RALPH H. WATSON's cargo hold. A crane was rigged to remove the wreckage. A nine by twelve foot patch was required on her port side tank, which was holed in the accident.

On 6 May 1847, CUBA (wooden schooner, 89 foot, 139 tons, built in 1844 at Peninsula, New York as a brig) was carrying wheat near Point Breeze, New York in Lake Ontario when she was run down and sunk in a collision with the steamer GENESEE CHIEF. No lives were lost.

On 6 May 1858, the bark E.S. ADAMS began her voyage from Amherstburg, Ontario to London, England with a load of walnut timber. The transatlantic portion of the voyage took only 26 days and the vessel was back on the lakes in September 1858.

EASTLAND was launched on 06 May 1903 at the Jenks Ship Building Company (Hull #25) at Port Huron, Michigan for the Michigan Steamship Company. She was christened by Mrs. Frances E. Perene.

1914: CITY OF ROME caught fire in Lake Erie and the blaze spread quickly. The vessel was run aground near Ripley, NY and the 15-member crew took to the lifeboats and rowed ashore. The 33-year old wooden freighter was a total loss.

1977: The West German freighter SUSANNE FRITZEN made 19 trips through the Seaway from 1963 through 1967. The vessel arrived at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with engine trouble as c) MARGRIT B. on this date in 1977. It remained idle and had to be towed to Piraeus, Greece, and laid up in 1978. The ship left there February 15, 1979, for the scrapyard in Barcelona, Spain.

1988: The Cypriot flag freighter PONTOKRATIS was under tow and downbound in the Little Calumet River at Chicago when the CSX railroad bascule bridge ended up across the stern cabin and pilothouse. There were no injuries and both sides launched a lawsuit. The vessel was released May 16 and continued to visit the Seaway as late as 2006. It renamed NAVIGATOR M. in 2010.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Today in Great Lakes History - May 7

ALGOPORT (Hull#217) was launched at Collingwood, Ontario, by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., May 7, 1979 for Algoma Central Railway.

HUTCHCLIFFE HALL entered service on May 7, 1954.

A.M. BYERS (Hull#448) was launched May 7, 1910 at Cleveland, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. for the North American Steamship Co. (R.A. Williams, mgr.). Renamed b.) CLEMENS A. REISS in 1959 and c.) JACK WIRT in 1970.

May 7, 1903 - The Benton Harbor, Coloma & Paw Paw Lake Railway was purchased by the Pere Marquette Railroad.

May 7, 1929 - The Pere Marquette notified Ludington it was interested in buying the frontage on Pere Marquette Lake that had been used by the Monroe Body Company. The city council asked $25,000 for the property, and the railroad agreed. Work on the No. 3 slip began a few months later.

On 7 May 1874, the schooner JENNIE MATHEWS was launched at Hardison's yard in Port Huron, Michigan. The launch started very slowly but with the help of men pulling on ropes, the vessel slid into the Black River nicely. Her first skipper was Capt. McGifford and her owner was Mr. Hardison. On 07 May 1954, official ground-breaking ceremonies were held for the Mackinac Bridge. It was completed three and a half years later.

1891: The new Canadian Pacific steamer MANITOBA, although built in 1889, had been laid up due to a recession and finally sailed on her maiden voyage on this date in 1891.

1935: A fire aboard ALEXANDER LESLIE at the port of Erieau, Ont., killed one member of the crew and injured two others.

1965: CEDARVILLE and TOPDALSFJORD collided in fog in the Straits of Mackinac. Ten lives were lost when the former, a self-unloader in the Bradley fleet, sank. The latter, a Norwegian freighter, had been a Seaway trader since 1960. Later, on May 11, 1984, as d) JIN XIAN QUAN, it sank the SEA CARRIER, another former Seaway trader as SVANEFJELL, in the Strait of Formosa off Taishan Island. TOPDALSFJORD was last noted as e) CHANGHI and was deleted from Lloyd's Register in 2005.

1998: CANADIAN ENTERPRISE loaded a record 32,366 tons of road salt at Goderich for delivery to Milwaukee.


Coast Guard continues response to grounded tug



5/7 - Chicago, Ill. – The U.S. Coast Guard is continuing its response to the grounded tug Kimberly Selvick in Lake Michigan off of Burnahm Park.

The vessel remains partially submerged, while the two barges that broke free from the tug Monday afternoon have been removed and towed to port by Calumet Harbor Fleeting.

The tug began taking on water and became partially submerged while trying to retrieve the two barges. Four people aboard the tug were evacuated by a rescue crew from the Chicago Fire Department Marine Unit. No injuries were reported.

Earlier Tuesday morning, a Coast Guard Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, Mich., conducted an overflight of the area and reported a 10-foot by 100-foot sheen near the vessel. Initial inspections indicated that the sheen was caused by small quantities of residual oil waste from the tug's bilge and not from fuel onboard. The Kimberly Selvick has a maximum capacity of approximately 1,400 gallons of fuel.

The environmental response organization, SET Environmental, has deployed approximately 800 feet of hard boom around the vessel to contain the sheen and will start recovery of the petroleum products. Pollution responders from Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Chicago will remain on scene to monitor the situation and to ensure safety of the waterway surrounding the vessel.

Salvage efforts are ongoing as assets and resources are mobilized. The Coast Guard continues to work with the owner of the vessel to ensure a safe and efficient salvage plan.

USCG





First saltie expected today at Duluth

5/7 - Duluth, Minn. – The oceangoing vessel Diana, which flies the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, is expected to be the first saltie into the Port of Duluth-Superior for the 2014 shipping season – anticipated to arrive beneath the Aerial Bridge Wednesday between 7-8 a.m. (or later, as arrival times are estimates and often change without notice).

The Diana will head directly to CHS in Superior to load grain. A second saltie, Zealand Delilah, is traveling in the same group of ships across Lake Superior and plans to enter the Duluth-Superior harbor later Wednesday morning.

Duluth Seaway Port Authority





Soo Locks upgrades announced by Corps

5/7 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – In announcing expenditures $17.8 million for the 2014 work plan, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District has earmarked $7.5 million for work associated with the Soo Locks in 2014.

Chief of Public Affairs Lynn Rose said the bulk of the upcoming expenditure — $4.5 million — will go toward new controls, equipment upgrades and modernization of the MacArthur Lock. An additional $1 million will be spent on the Poe Lock for construction upgrades and electrical improvements.

An additional $2 million has been budgeted for the upcoming fiscal year, according to Rose, for work and upgrades associated with the federal powerhouse. Most of those funds, she explained, will go toward the replacement of the 50-plus-year-old foot bridge that connects the Soo Locks to the plant. Additional money will be spent for electrical upgrades within the hydropower plant.

"The contracts will be awarded this year," said the agency spokesperson after double-checking with those who are overseeing the various projects, "although some of the work may not begin until 2015."

The Detroit District's $17.8 million work plan includes multiple dredging projects and six repair, replacement or construction projects throughout the region. In addition, according to a press release announcing the expenditures, two navigation studies will also be funded.

"We recognize that in this time of economic recovery we are responsible for ensuring the maximum efficient use of the dollars provided for our projects and programs," said Lt. Col. Robert Ells, district engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District. "We will continue to deliver great dividends to the region and to the nation. This 2014 work plan will allow us to fund our highest-priority projects and will assist the Corps in improving the nation's infrastructure and revitalizing the economy."

The work plan came about, according to the press release, when Congress appropriated additional funding for ongoing work in the fiscal year 2014 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act as contained in the 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act.

Soo Evening News





Port Reports - May 7

Toledo, Ohio
The inactive barge Sarah Spencer has joined the tug Jane Ann IV at the ADM grain elevator.

Buffalo, N.Y. – Brian W.
The Defiance-Ashtabula came in through the North Entrance at 10:20 p.m. Monday night and departed around 5 a.m. Tuesday for Ashtabula. This may have been a partial cargo (sand) based on the short unload time.

Toronto, Ont. - Jens Juhl
The tug M.R. Kane and the TPA spud Derrick 50 completed setting out the inner harbor navigation buoys Tuesday morning. The tug Radium Yellowknife has been floated out of the Toronto Drydock. The Galcon Marine push tug David G. and its spud barge are back at work moving construction equipment and material across the harbor from Terminal 52 to Hanlan's Point. This is in support of a major water main upgrade job on the island. Stephen B. Roman spent the early part of the day alongside at Terminal 52 doing maintenance work. At 3 p.m. the cement carrier shifted over to its dock at Essroc.





Badger receives new combustion control system

5/7 - Ludington, Mich. – When the S.S. Badger sets sail on May 16, the venerable and historic car ferry will sport new combustion controls that will enable it to burn coal more efficiently. That should result in less coal being burned and less ash being produced by the Badger.

The more than $1 million upgrade represents the most difficult portion of a two-year process for the last coal-burning, steam-fired vessel in the United States as LMC works to stop the Badger’s coal ash discharge into Lake Michigan.

The 410-foot Badger, operated between Ludington and Manitowoc by Lake Michigan Carferry, will run this season under the terms of a consent decree between LMC and the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice that requires the Badger to reduce its coal ash discharge this season and end it before starting the 2015 season.

According to Bob Manglitz, LMC president and CEO, LMC will learn this season if the work done while docked for the winter in Ludington will result in what LMC estimates to be a 10 to 15 percent improvement in efficiency, and thus a similar reduction in coal burned and coal ash produced.

That kind of reduction would meet the consent decree requirements for this year, Manglitz said. There could be a payback in fuel savings for LMC, too, he said.

Over the winter, contractors and Badger crew have been installing the digital combustion controls on a vessel that began service in 1953 that to date had been controlled by mechanical technology. Soon LMC will know how well the new controls perform, and how much the system improves efficiency and reduces coal ash. Manglitz said the company should have a good idea of the reductions in coal burned and coal ash early in the season, scheduled for May 16 through Oct. 26. Once those amounts are determined, then the coal retention system can be designed to handle expected coal ash. The retention system would be installed next winter.

The Badger’s combustion control work “was a much bigger project than we thought,” Manglitz said.

Chuck Cart, senior chief engineer of the Badger, has spent much time keeping the Badger operating and designed the system being installed.

The Badger, Cart said, originally did have a coal combustion control system when built, but it was no longer usable. Mechanical controls and a lot of operator experience have been the primary ways the crew has tried to burn coal as efficiently and cleanly as possible.

In one sense the process is simple. Air is mixed with the coal and burned to provide fire to heat the boilers to power the Skinner Unaflow engines, which turn the props to move the Badger.

The monitoring process will become a digital one with sensors and relay switches sending signals to operators who still will control the system. It’s not automated, Cart said, noting that’s almost impossible to imagine. The new digital system will provide quicker, more accurate data that in turn will result in quicker and more accurate adjustments.

Some 12,000 feet of wire — about 2 miles worth Manglitz marveled — have been installed on board over winter. The wire connects the sensors, controls, switches, stokers, fans and other assorted pieces of equipment so they can interact with each other. The Badger’s four boilers — each with two stokers of their own — provide the heat to make the steam to power its two engines.

The stokers, made by Detroit Stokers for LMC, are fitted into the boilers on new front plates made by the LMC crew from raw steel plate three-quarters of an inch thick. Coal and air mix as they enter the boiler oven for combustion. That air is called distribution air, one of three types of air used in the combustion process. The second air, “combustion air,” comes in from below the grated area the coal burns on. The third air, “overfire air,” is introduced through nozzles in each boiler to enrich the flame and help combustion. In addition to being part of the combustion process, the distribution air cools the stokers.

The new system, Cart said, changes the mix of air to reflect newer thinking on how coal burns best. More air will be mixed in from the overfire supply, and less from beneath.

Signals from the sensors will provide information to panels so operators can more quickly and accurately adjust the process. New, more powerful fans have been installed to deliver the needed air. Those fans will be controlled by a variable frequency drive — kind of a Star Trekky name for a device that replaces old mechanical controls of switches and valves that have been removed from the Badger.

“This will get more efficient coal burning, less smoke and less ash,” Cart said of the changes.

“To control the process, you have to know what the process is doing,” he said of the purpose of all the technology. “This just makes sure it burns cleaner.”

Also being monitored will be steam demand, steam flow and steam pressure.

Cart said the changes help the Badger be proactive and less reactive on the amount of fuel that needs to be burned at any given time, depending on steam demands. But it wasn’t as simple as downloading an app to a smart phone. Or as comfortable.

Cart and some crew worked in the Badger all winter. Even with furnaces running, he said it was cold, some days never warmer than 34 degrees below deck.

In addition to the control work, the refractory bricks in the Badger’s boilers were removed and reinstalled to accommodate more air nozzles in the boilers. This past week, electricians were busy at work beneath decks on the project.

“A lot of this has gone on concurrently,” Cart said. “It was pretty crowded.”

In addition, the crew had to do normal winter maintenance. Cart said that wasn’t too bad this year since the previous winter the engines had a lot of maintenance done on them.

In all, Chuck Leonard, LMC vice president of navigation, said the entire process took “a considerable amount of work. That was a significant undertaking.”

Like Manglitz, Leonard believes this is the bigger portion of the two-step process to retain coal ash.

“We’ve bitten off the bigger piece this year,” he said, adding he’s very optimistic the work will deliver the efficiencies being sought.

Cart said the Badger and its combustion control changes will go through its preseason U.S. Coast Guard and American Bureau of Shipping dock and sea trial inspections before sailing.

He’s confident the combustion control system will do what it needs to do.

“I’m not concerned,” Cart said. “There will be problems. We will address those as they arise. We will fix them as they arise.”

In 1992, Lake Michigan Carferry began operating the Badger, purchased by the late Charles Conrad out of bankruptcy court and repositioned as a Great Lakes family cruise experience.

The former rail-car ferry service that had an emphasis on freight and a secondary business for passengers, ended rail-car service and put passengers and passenger service at the center of its business model.

Twenty-two years later, Conrad’s son-in-law, Manglitz, said the company is refocusing its sights on that customer service business plan.

This season LMC has added staff on shore and on the Badger to try to make sure customers have an enjoyable time. There will be more entertainers on board and more staff on board and on shore to answer questions and provide information passengers might want.

“We’re going to make waves for the customer this year,” Manglitz said. “This is a year to refocus for us. We have a lot of fun with the passengers. When they’re having a good time, we’re having a good time and we’re out there to have a good time.”

For the past two years, the Badger has also done a nice business transporting wind turbine components from Wisconsin to Michigan. Manglitz said that is expected to happen again this summer, but the start of the transport of the components might be delayed because of the cold and wet spring.

“We’re really looking forward to a good season,” he said, “and we’re really looking forward to giving good customer service.”

He said the goal is for passengers to have an experience that makes the time on the Badger “the best part of their vacation.”

Ludington Daily News





Clayton man's phony boat captain story leaves businessman with an unwanted tug

5/7 - Syracuse, N.Y. – Gus Ognenovski bought into Mark Anselm's story two years ago. Anselm claimed he had big contracts to dredge the Genesee River near Rochester and the Hudson River beneath the Tappan Zee Bridge in downstate New York.

Ognenovski, a Rochester-area businessman, saw the merchant marine pilot's license Anselm presented and assumed the Clayton man was a legitimate, capable boat captain.

Based on those assumptions, Ognenovski invested more than $500,000 in a tug boat and excavating equipment that Anselm told him he was going to lease for those big marine construction jobs. But the U.S. Coast Guard called Ognenovski in the middle of the night June 19, 2012, and Anslem's story unraveled.

He had taken the boat, named the Ronald J. Dahlke, from the Oswego harbor, into the Thousand Islands. He grounded it. The boat got stranded on a sand bar and Anselm needed help getting it unstuck. Anselm had taken the boat without permission and was likely planning to do little side jobs, such as towing boats, said Ognenovski, who owns Dewey Leasing.

Months before that, Anselm had presented Ognenovski with fake documentation, including a phony merchant marine license, when he made his pitch for a business partnership, Ognenovski said.

"He said he had all these contracts," Ognenovski said. "He had all these false documents, and equipment that wasn't his. He was posing. He made a real nice scene."

It became obvious that night that Anselm was a complete phony, Ognenovski said. Anselm's claims of being fully trained as a ship captain could not have been valid. "It's pretty hard to ground a tug," Ognenovski said.

Anselm, 37, was scheduled to be sentenced in federal court Monday. He pleaded guilty in November to six felonies, including making false statements to the Coast Guard, using an altered merchant marine license, and aggravated identity theft.

He admitted holding himself out as a licensed commercial ship pilot to marina owners and other potential employers in 2011 and 2012, when he had no such license. Anselm had altered the licenses by substituting his name on them.

Federal agents discovered multiple instances of Anselm holding himself out as a licensed merchant marine captain based on the forged licenses.

Anselm faces between 4 and 5 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines, according to court papers filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Benedict.

Benedict asked U.S. District Judge Glenn Suddaby to consider increasing Anselm's prison sentence because he has a history of defrauding people. Ognenovski has a $170,000 judgment against Anselm over the losses he suffered as a result of their business partnership.

Anselm's lawyer, Assistant Federal Public Defender James Greenwald, contends that amount is too high and has asked Suddaby not to factor it into the sentence.

Anselm has mental health problems, including diagnoses of bipolar and antisocial personality disorders, Greenwald wrote in a sentencing memorandum. Anselm once went to Alaska for a non-existent position on a professional hockey team as a result of his mental illness, Greenwald wrote.

"Inflating his experience and qualifications to operate a vessel is another example," the memorandum said.

Benedict, in his sentencing memo, wrote that Anselm has a long history of lying and defrauding.

"His efforts to deceive seem to permeate every corner of his life," Benedict wrote. "There simply seems to be little time in his adult life when he was not committing offenses of one sort or another, and misleading nearly everyone he came in contact with."

Anselm has served two prison sentences for forgery and theft. He has a pending grand larceny charge in Jefferson County Court, where he's accused of writing a bad check for $1,200 to a business in Alexandria Bay.

Ognenovski wants to sell the tugboat and excavating equipment, or at least lease it to someone to try to pay off his investment.

"I'm stuck with a tug boat and excavator that I really don't have any use for," he said. "I have all kinds of expenses for this stuff and it's just sitting around. He paid me nothing at all."

Syracuse.com





Coast Guard investigations lead to sentencing of man for piloting ships with fraudulent license

5/7 - Cleveland, Ohio – A Coast Guard investigation has led to the sentencing of a man by the Department of Justice for piloting commercial ships on the Great Lakes with a fraudulent Coast Guard license.

Mark Anselm, 37, of Clayton, New York, was sentenced to seven years in prison by a U.S. District Judge on Monday after having pled guilty to six felony offenses.

Inspectors with Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, New York, initiated an investigation after Anselm grounded his vessel on June 19, 2012. Interviews revealed that Anselm presented himself as a licensed ship captain and was operating on a fraudulent merchant marine license that had been altered to include his name. Additionally, Anselm used the fraudulent license to gain employment at various marinas.

The case was referred to a criminal investigation resulting in Coast Guard Investigative Services conducting multiple interviews with industry members in upstate New York. These interviews, along with information released by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of New York, led CGIS to discover multiple victims of Anselm's scheme to defraud.

According to agents at CGIS Buffalo, Anselm used his fraudulent license to solicit maritime construction contracts, collecting nearly $300,000 in down payments, but never fulfilled contractual obligations to complete the work.

"The Coast Guard enforces mariner credentialing laws to ensure the safety of the public and the marine transportation system," said Cmdr. David Webb of the Coast Guard 9th District's Inspections and Investigations Branch. "Those standards are in place to ensure vessel operators are trained and competent in navigation safety. We are pleased with this ruling, which takes a fraudulent mariner off of the water."





Shipping industry mourns passing of Congressman James L. Oberstar

5/7 - Cleveland, Ohio – U.S.-flag vessels working the Great Lakes will lower their flags to half-mast on Thursday in honor of Congressman James L. Oberstar (D) who represented Minnesota’s iron ore mining and shipping industries in the House of Representatives from 1974 to 2011. Oberstar died on May 3 at age 79 and his funeral will be on Thursday, May 7.

“Great Lakes shipping has lost its greatest friend and staunchest supporter,” said James H.I. Weakley, President of Lake Carriers Association. “He was at the forefront of every effort to make waterborne commerce on the Lakes and Seaway safer and more efficient. When the U.S. Coast Guard proposed to retire its most powerful icebreaker on the Lakes, the Mackinaw, without replacement, Oberstar demanded the cutter remain in service until a replacement was built. The new Mackinaw was launched in 2006.”

Oberstar was also the driving force behind a second Poe-sized lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.

“The project was first authorized in 1986, but was initially stalled by a flawed funding scheme. Congressman Oberstar worked tirelessly to develop a funding plan that recognized the lock’s key role in our nations economic well-being and national security,” said Weakley. Those efforts culminated in 2007 when the Water Resources Development Act authorized the project at full Federal expense. Sadly, the lock remains unbuilt because of an understated benefit/cost ratio. I can think of no greater tribute to Rep. Oberstar than to break the logjam and begin construction of the lock as soon as possible. As this past ice season has illustrated, our inability to move much cargo out of Lake Superior in March and April has threatened steel production and power generation throughout the Great Lakes basin.”

The son of an iron miner, Congressman Oberstar never forgot his blue-collar roots and always fought to protect American workers from unfair competition. When interests tried to destroy the Jones Act back in the mid-1990s and hand over domestic waterborne commerce to foreign companies and foreign mariners, Congressman Oberstar was one of the law’s greatest champions. Thanks in large part to his leadership, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a Continuing Resolution supporting the requirement that cargo moving between U.S. ports be carried in vessels that are U.S.-crewed, U.S.-built, and U.S.-owned, and the Jones Act has remained the foundational law of domestic shipping to this day.

Congressman Oberstar was honored many times during his career. Great Lakes Maritime Task Force named him Great Lakes Legislator of the Year in 1999. Perhaps his greatest tribute came in May 2011 when The Interlake Steamship Company renamed one of its ships in his honor.

“Interlake and all U.S.-flag operators on the Lakes owed Congressman Oberstar a tremendous debt of gratitude and it was our pleasure to place his name on the bow and stern of a Great Lakes freighter,” said James R. Barker, Chairman of Interlake. “It is so fitting that his name graces the hull, for just as he fought for American workers for decades, this ship will for decades to come deliver Minnesota iron ore to steel mills throughout the Great Lakes basin and keep America strong.”

Lake Carriers' Association





Remembering Capt. Robert B. Hull

5/7 - On Friday, May 2, Capt. Robert Hull entered the perfect harbor of rest. The Great Lakes community has lost a champion for doing the right thing and someone who was always concerned for the safety and welfare of others. Bob was a member of the first graduating class of the Marine Navigation Technology program at Georgian College. When he graduated in 1976, he was awarded the Board of Governors gold medal for academic excellence. He sailed with Misener Transportation as an officer and master and also was shore superintendent during his time with this company before Misener amalgamated into Great Lakes Bulk Carriers. In 1991 Bob assumed the role of being a full time professor of Navigation at Georgian College. An opportunity arose and for the last 20 years served as a pilot with the Great Lakes Pilotage Authority in District 3 and the Welland Canal. Bob assisted many students as a teacher, and as a tutor and loved guiding these aspiring officers into reaching their goal. He was a founding member of the Georgian Bay-Huronia Lodge 15 of the International Shipmasters Association and was currently serving as the chaplain for the lodge. He was known throughout the Great Lakes marine community and had many friends and was called the friendly giant. Bob and his wife Julianne hosted a summer get-together at their home for the retired pilots and their spouses for the last few years, an event greatly appreciated by those who attended. Bob will be greatly missed by his wife Julianne and sons James and Caleb.

Philip Visser





Lookback #171 – Topdalsfjord survived collision that sank Cedarville on May 7, 1965

5/7 - Many are familiar with the collision in the Straits of Mackinac that occurred 49-years ago today. The accident between the Cedarville and Topdalsfjord in the foggy channel, two miles east of the Mackinac Bridge, sent the Cedarville to the bottom with the loss of 10 lives. Efforts to beach the ship failed and most consider its loss, and those of so many of the crew, to have been a needless tragedy.

But what became of the Topdalsfjord, a Norwegian salty that had been trading through the Seaway since 1960? The 423 foot, 7 inch long cargo carrier usually made four inland voyages a year and was a familiar trader on all of the Great Lakes.

Following bow repairs, Topdalsfjord resumed Seaway service for a number of subsequent years. It was sold and renamed Boon Krong in 1978, Boonkrong in 1979 and, following a sale to China Ocean Shipping, was renamed Jin Xian Quan in 1981.

It did not return to the lakes under any of these names but was to have one last connection to the inland seas. On May 11, 1984, almost 30 years ago, the vessel collided with and sank the Sea Carrier in the Formosa Strait off Taishan Island. The latter had once been a familiar Great Lakes traveler as the third Svanefjell and came through the Seaway from 1962 until at least 1967 and returned as Concordia Lara in 1971.

Topdalsfjord recovered from this accident as well and became Changhi, while registered in Belize, in 1997. There the trail runs cold and the vessel was deleted from Lloyd's Register in 2005.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Today in Great Lakes History - May 8

The 1,000-foot COLUMBIA STAR was christened May 8, 1981, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, for Columbia Transportation Div., Oglebay Norton Co.

EDGAR B. SPEER (Hull#908) was launched May 8, 1980, at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. for Connecticut Bank & Trust Co. (U.S. Steel Corp., mgr.), after long delay because of labor strife.

FRED R. WHITE JR was christened May 8, 1979, named for Oglebay Norton's then vice-chairman of the board.

On May 8, 1979, the ASHLAND struck the north entry pier of the Duluth Ship Canal while outbound loaded. Thick ice blowing in from Lake Superior had interfered with her maneuverability. She dropped her anchor to lessen the impact but drifted over the flukes ripping a two by five foot hole in her bottom port side forward. She was inspected and repaired at the Duluth Port Terminal. One anchor was lost.

CHAMPLAIN's starboard side was damaged when she sideswiped the Swedish steamer BROLAND near the lower end of the St. Clair River cut-off, May 8, 1963.

May 8. 1936 – The Pere Marquette Railway Co. announced plans to construct a new $1 million ferry dock at Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The 3-masted wooden schooner FRANK C. LEIGHTON was launched at 10:30 a.m. on 8 May 1875, at Dunford & Leighton's yard in Port Huron, eight months after work on her began. She was launched complete except for her mizzen mast, which was just about ready to go in position. She was named for Capt. Leighton's son. Her dimensions were 138 foot keel, 145 foot overall, 26 foot beam and 12 foot depth. She cost $20,000 and was owned by Dunford & Leighton.

The 254-foot wooden freighter AMAZON was launched at A. A. Turner's yard at Trenton, Michigan, on 8 May 1873.

On 08 May 1929, GEORGE W. PARKER wooden propeller sandsucker, 105 foot, 143 gross tons, built in 1903, at Marine City, Michigan by A. Anderson for Fishback Plaster Co., formerly a.) L. G. POWELL) was destroyed by fire and sank in the channel 6 miles south of Algonac, Michigan. Her crew escaped in the yawl.

1916: S.R. KIRBY was downbound in a Lake Superior storm when it was struck by two huge waves, broke its back and foundered. The composite hulled freighter sank quickly and only two of the 22 on board survived.

1918: The Norwegian freighter POLLUX came to the Great Lakes in 1907. It was torpedoed as b) DUX by U-54 about 7 miles northwest of Godrevy Lighthouse while carrying coal from Swansea, UK to LaRochelle, France.

1934: The hull of the first CANADOC was punctured when the ship went hard aground at St. Joseph's Island. The vessel was later freed, drydocked and repaired.

1938: JAMES B. FOOTE hit a dock at Chicago, under tow of the tug KANSAS, while loaded with corn for Sorel. The rudder, stock and a propeller blade were lost.

1942: The Hall Corp. canaller MONT LOUIS was torpedoed and sunk in the Caribbean by U-162 with the loss of 13 lives. Only 8 survived by clinging to the wreckage. The ship was carrying bauxite from Dutch Guiana to Trinidad when it was attacked and it sank so quickly that the lifeboats could not be launched. 1949: E.C. COLLINS and HENRY FORD II were in a collision in the St.Clair River.

1967 ELIN HOPE had been chartered to the Ontario Paper Company to carry newsprint from Baie Comeau to New York from 1950 to 1953. The ship came to the Great Lakes as b) PROCYON in 1961 and arrived at Madras, India, as c) KR ASHOK with the cargo of coal on fire on this date in 1967. The vessel settled on the bottom during firefighting operations. It was refloated May 19 and eventually scrapped at Madras in 1968.

1978: The third OUTARDE went aground in the St. Lawrence near Buoy 41-M and was not released until May 16. There was only minor damage to the ship.



Duluth's first saltie yet to arrive; harbor traffic continues

5/8 - The first saltie of the season expected in Duluth, the Diana of Antigua/Barbuda flag, has not yet arrived. As of 9 pm on Wednesday she, along with Zealand Delilah, were anchored off Duluth. The tug Nels J. was with the vessels, leading to the theory that the ships were experiencing some type of difficulty, possibly ice-related. It is unknown at this time when the vessels will be arriving. At 9 p.m., the Walter J. McCarthy Jr. was coming up behind the salties and was expected to arrive around 10 p.m. for the CN dock. For Thursday, the Arthur M. Anderson is expected in the early morning for Hallett #5 to discharge limestone, and John D. Leitch is due in the morning for the CN dock. Hon. James L. Oberstar is also due in the morning to load iron ore pellets. The ship will be blowing a special salute to the lift bridge as she arrives in honor of the late Congressman James L. Oberstar. For the rest of the day, Sam Laud is due in the late morning with limestone, and the Alpena is due to arrive in the early afternoon with cement. Tim S. Dool, which has been unloading cement at Holcim for the past few days, is due to depart sometime, as well. She has been waiting for weather conditions to improve.

Daniel Lindner





Port Reports - May 8

Houghton, Mich. - Arlyn Arosnon
Late Tuesday afternoon the coast guard cutter Katmai Bay tied up at a Houghton pier to stay overnight.

Marquette, Mich. - Rod Burdick
Sam Laud arrived Wednesday afternoon at an ice-filled Upper Harbor to load ore on her first visit of the season.

Manistee, Mich.
Great Republic arrived about 8 a.m. Tuesday and left that evening.

Seaway – Rene Beauchamp
Two new salties entered the Seaway on Wednesday, MCT Breithorn, seen in Montreal the previous day, and the Beatrix at Beauharnois. Beatrix is the second ship of that name to transit the Seaway. The first one came in 2010 and came back with the name Zealand Beatrix last year.





Coast Guard continues response to grounded tug

5/8 - Chicago, Ill. – The Coast Guard continued its response to the grounded towing vessel Kimberly Selvick in Lake Michigan off of Burnahm Park Wednesday afternoon.

Efforts to salvage the vessel are ongoing and weather conditions are delaying a pre-salvage damage assessment of the vessel and the staging of salvage assets. Until the weather improves, the Coast Guard will continue to work with the responsible party to ensure a salvage plan is prepared and ready for execution.

“Recovering the vessel safely and mitigating potential impacts to the environment are the primary concerns for the planned salvage operation,” said Capt. Jason Neubauer, commanding officer of Marine Safety Unit Chicago.

The Kimberly Selvick remains partially submerged in shallow water near Burnham Park. Two barges that broke free from the Kimberly Selvick were recovered and towed to Calumet Harbor on Monday night.

During salvage planning discussions with vessel representatives, it was determined that the Kimberly Selvick has up to 14,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board. During the initial response to the incident, the Coast Guard reported that the total diesel fuel quantity was 1,400 gallons. Initial inspections show that all fuel tanks remain intact.

SET Environmental has been contracted by the responsible party to monitor and cleanup any pollution from the Kimberly Selvick. On Tuesday morning, an oil sheen, likely originating from the vessel’s bilge, was visible in the vicinity of the vessel and along a short section of the Burnham Park shoreline. SET Environmental deployed 800 feet of hard boom around the vessel to contain the sheen and is using alternate oil remediation methods. Company personnel will remain on scene around-the-clock until the Kimberly Selvick is successfully salvaged.





Getting ready for the tourist season, Maid of the Mist launches two boats

5/8 - Niagara Falls – Niagara Falls’ most iconic tourist attraction is gearing up for a new season that will be unlike any it’s seen in the past. For the first time in the Maid of the Mist’s history, it will share the falls with another operator.

The Maid of the Mist Corp. launched two 600-passenger boats Tuesday morning from its new $32 million winter dry-dock and maintenance facility in the Niagara Gorge.

The company will provide boat rides under the falls only from the American side of the border, at Niagara Falls State Park, having lost the rights to provide the rides from the Canadian side to Hornblower Niagara Cruises as of this year. The Maid of the Mist has not announced an opening date for the attraction, but an announcement is expected later this week.

This season marks 43 years since the Glynn family bought the company, which was founded in 1892.

It will be the first year the company’s had to face competition from another operator on the Ontario side.

Watching as the second of two 250,000-pound boats was picked up by an 85-foot-high crane and placed in the lower Niagara River, Christopher M. Glynn, the company’s president, said he believes the Maid of the Mist has the reputation and experience to succeed.

“People value the Maid. We see now how much people value the Maid. Not everybody did, but over here it mattered and they did, and we appreciate that we’re here. We’ve done a lot of work … and so we’re glad to be here,” Glynn said. “We think that the opportunity for Niagara Falls, N.Y., is good. We think that it’s turned the corner. It has quite a distance to go yet, but it certainly has turned the corner, and I think there’s tremendous upside in the years ahead.”

The Maid of the Mist has no plans to alter what has been its typical daily schedule, even though its competition across the border has promised to start trips earlier in the morning and run cruises later in the evening than the Mist traditionally has. In addition to its two newly built 700-passenger catamarans, Hornblower will also have a third vessel for private charters and special events that can accommodate up to 149 passengers.

During the peak of the tourist season in the past, the Maid of the Mist offered roughly 22 trips per vessel every day. It expects volume to stay in that neighborhood, Glynn said.

This will also be the first year Maid of the Mist will offer customers the chance to buy tickets online.

Seven of the Maid of the Mist’s eight boat captains stayed with the company as it moved to the American side, bringing a combined experience of 111 years of service and roughly 400,000 combined trips, company representatives said.

The two boats launched Tuesday by the company – the Maid of the Mist VI and the Maid of the Mist VII – were built in 1990 and 1997, respectively.

When it operated on both sides of the border, the company saw about 2.5 million passengers per year, with about 60 percent of trips starting on the Canadian side and 40 percent on the American side.

After losing rights to boat trips on the Canadian side, the Maid of the Mist had to find a new place to store its boats in the winter. After a deal was struck with New York State, the company had to jam a lot of work into a short period of time.

Construction on the winter dry-dock facility – which is where the boats will also be docked nightly and refueled during the tourist season – began last year. Work on the site is largely complete, though renovation of the original power plant elevator and other work will continue at least until mid- to late summer, and possibly into early fall, Glynn said.

Having faced legal battles over historic preservation concerns at the site, where part of the former Schoellkopf Power Station once stood, Glynn said it is “very satisfying” to have reached this point.

“Although we own the company and the stock of the company and the brand name and all of that stuff, we have always run the business as if it was stewardship as much as ownership,” he said. “And I think it’s that outlook that is the reason why we’re still here.”

Buffalo News





Excitement of search for 17th century shipwreck in Lake Michigan yields trove of uncertainty

5/8 - Traverse City, Mich. – Excited shipwreck hunters and scientists assembled in a Lake Michigan fishing village last June, hoping to solve a mystery dating back more than three centuries: the fate of a ship sailed by the 17th century French explorer Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, during a voyage of discovery extending from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.

Team members recovered a nearly 20-foot-long wooden slab with signs of human workmanship jammed into the lakebed, but were disappointed to find no buried wreckage. The timber has been examined by U.S. and French experts and underwent a CT scan and carbon dating to determine its age and whether it once was part of a vessel.

Nearly a year later, reports obtained by The Associated Press and interviews with key players reveal sharp divisions over whether the elusive ship has been found.

Mission leader Steve Libert and others with his organization, Great Lakes Exploration Group LLC, contend the timber is a bowsprit from a ship — likely the Griffin, last seen in 1679 with a six-member crew and a cargo of furs near Green Bay in present-day Wisconsin. A report by three French underwater archaeologists says the beam has characteristics consistent with a bowsprit, or pole that extends from a vessel's stem, and apparently was submerged for a century or more. But it stops short of confirming a link to La Salle's ship.

Meanwhile, two U.S. scientists who joined the expedition, project manager Ken Vrana and archaeologist Misty Jackson, say the timber is probably a "pound net stake," an underwater fishing apparatus used in the Great Lakes in the 19th and early 20th centuries. That is also the opinion of Dean Anderson, Michigan's state archaeologist, and Carol Griggs, a Cornell University specialist in using tree rings to determine the age of wooden objects.

"We're not killjoys," said Jackson, a Michigan-based cultural resources consultant. "We'd have all loved for this to be the Griffin. We're just presenting the evidence and that data that we have, and it points away from that."

Libert, a retired military intelligence analyst who has spent three decades and about $1 million hunting for the Griffin, scoffs at the net stake idea. He plans to continue searching this summer for shipwreck debris near uninhabited Poverty Island, where he found the timber while diving in 2001 nearly 50 feet below the lake's surface.

"I'm 99 percent sure the Griffin is in that area and we'll find it," he said.

An excavation permit Libert obtained last year required his team report its findings to the state archaeologist's office. The AP obtained the document through a Freedom of Information Act filing.

A vexing question is why the timber was found almost upright on the lake bottom, with the lower 9 feet buried in thick sediment. The report, written by Vrana and Jackson, says that supports the pound net hypothesis. Libert contends the force of the vessel's sinking during a vicious storm could have wedged the timber into the sediment.

The report includes photographs of another reputed pound net stake found by a fisherman that has features in common with the timber Libert's team recovered, such as peg-like tree nails protruding near one end. But there are differences: The fisherman's slab was probably almost twice as long, and the tree nails were square while those on the Libert slab were tapered or cone-shaped.

Jackson argues that those and other differences between the beams are minor, especially given the history of net stake fishing in the area. Libert says members of Native American fishing families reaching back generations insist such stakes weren't used where his beam was found.

Another point of contention is the timber's age. It had too few tree rings for a definitive answer.

Griggs and Vrana contend an analysis from radiocarbon dating suggest there's a 78 percent chance the beam came from a tree felled between 1820 and 1950. The likelihood it dated to the late 1600s is less than 5 percent, they say.

Darden Hood, president of the company that performed the carbon-14 tests, said the wood could have originated from several periods between 1670 and 1950 and attempting to narrow the time range could produce misleading results.

Both sides agree Poverty Island is a good place to search, based on writings of La Salle and his companions. But the skeptics say Great Lakes Exploration is a long way from proving it has discovered the Griffin's resting place.

Richard Gross, staff historian with Great Lakes Exploration, says the next step is to thoroughly survey the lake bed using sonar, metal detectors and other tools for signs of buried artifacts.

"We've been fooled by this technology in the past, but every step in the process you learn," he said. "We're really encouraged by what we've found."

[yachtsmanwilly]

Today in Great Lakes History - May 9

The JOHN J BOLAND (Hull# 417) was launched May 9, 1953 at Manitowoc, Wisconsin by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. for the American Steamship Co. making way for the keel of the DETROIT EDISON (2) to be laid. The BOLAND was renamed b.) SAGINAW in 1999.

On May 9, 1951 the CLIFFS VICTORY arrived at the South Chicago yard of the American Ship Building Co. completing her 37-day, 3,000 mile journey from Baltimore, Maryland. There her deck houses, stack, masts, deck machinery, rudder and propeller were installed and the floatation pontoons removed.

The ROBERT C. NORTON (2) was laid up on May 9, 1980 for the last time at the Hans Hansen Dock at Toledo, Ohio.

PETER REISS (Hull#522) was launched at Superior, Wisconsin by Superior Ship Building Co., on May 9, 1910 for the North American Steamship Co. (Reiss Coal Co.).

On 9 May 1864, AMAZON (2-mast wooden brig, 93 foot, 172 tons, built in 1837 at Port Huron, Michigan as a schooner) was carrying coal from Cleveland for Lake Superior when she went out of control in a storm just as she was leaving the St. Clair River for Lake Huron. She was driven ashore near Point Edward, Ontario and was broken up by the wave action. At the time of her loss, she was considered the oldest working schooner on the Lakes.

May 9, 1900: The carferry PERE MARQUETTE (15) began carferry service to Milwaukee for the Pere Marquette Railway.

On Friday night, 9 May 1873, the schooner CAPE HORN collided with the new iron propeller JAVA off Long Point on Lake Erie. The schooner sank quickly. The only life lost was that of the cook.

On 09 May 1872, the CUBA (iron propeller bulk freighter, 231 foot, 1526 gross tons) was launched at King Iron Works in Buffalo, New York for the Holt and Ensign Commercial Line. Innovations in her design included water-tight compartments for water ballast, 4 water-tight bulkheads that could be closed if the hull were damaged, and a new fluted signal lamp that could be seen for 13 miles. She was powered by two 350 HP engines. She was a very successful vessel and lasted until 1947 when she was scrapped. She was renamed b.) IONIC in 1906 and c.) MAPLEBRANCH in 1920. Converted to a tanker in 1935. Scrapped at Sorel, Quebec in 1946-7.

1906 – The schooner ARMENIA was wrecked in Lake Erie near Colchester Reef when it began leaking in a storm while under tow of the FRED PABST on the first trip of the season. The ore-laden barge was cut loose but all on board were saved. The wreck was later struck by the CHARLES B. PACKARD on September 16, 1906, leading to the latter's demise.

1926 – While backing from the NHB Elevator in Port Colborne, the JOHN P. REISS struck the A.D. MacBETH at the dock, damaging the latter's stem.

1964 – The small ferries JOHN A. McPHAIL and JAMES CURRAN broke loose while under tow of the G.W. ROGERS and sank in a storm off the mouth of Saginaw Bay. They were en-route to Kingston from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., for a new service to Wolfe Island.

1974 – The coastal freighter ST. PIERRE ran aground in the old Lachine Canal at Montreal, was holed, capsized and sank. The vessel was broken up on location later in the year.

2011 – The Erie, Pa.-based passenger excursion ship VICTORIAN PRINCESS sustained major fire damage when a welding torch ignited materials in the engine room. The ship was out of the water and on blocks for maintenance work when the blaze broke out. The vessel missed the 2011 season.

Canadian author Farley Mowat dies; wrote of ships and the sea

5/9 - Ottawa, Ont. – Farley Mowat, one of Canada’s most popular and prolific writers, who became a champion of wildlife and native Canadian rights and a sharp critic of environmental abuse, died on Tuesday in Port Hope, Ont., where he had lived for several years. He was 92.

Two of his books, “The Grey Seas Under” and “The Serpent’s Coil,” detailed the lives and exploits of the tugs of Canada’s Foundation Maritime in the 1940s and 1950s. Other books included "The Boat Who Wouldn't Float" and "Never Cry Wolf."

Mowat wrote both novels and nonfiction for half a century, turning out 45 books and selling 17 million copies translated into 52 languages. He wrote with great range, from light, humorous fiction to historical accounts and dark tales of injustice, from children’s stories to tales of exploration, whale hunting and deep-sea salvaging.



Finally, Duluth's first saltie arrives

5/9 - At 11:45 p.m. on Wednesday, the Antigua/Barbuda-flagged Diana quietly passed under the lift bridge and went to the CHS terminal to load grain. The ship became the first saltie of the season to arrive at Duluth for this season. She also became the latest arrival for the first saltie of the year. The previous latest saltwater ship was Ramon de Larrinaga, which arrived Duluth on May 3, 1959. Zealand Delilah remained anchored off Duluth waiting for a dock. She will load grain at CHS after the Diana. Diana, operated by Ocean Gate Chartering Inc., Montreal, was assisted by The Great Lakes Towing Company’s tug North Dakota. Daniel Lindner





Port Reports - May 9

Green Bay, Wis. - Jeff Rueckert
Ashtabula will arrive during the early morning Friday with coal for the Fox River Dock. Integrity will arrive in the early morning with cement for Lafarge Terminal. Manitowoc will arrive in the morning with limestone for Graymount Western Lime Dock. Great Republic will arrive later in the day with pet coke for the C.Reiss Coal Terminal.

Lorain, Ohio -
Joseph H. Thompson was inbound to Lorain and headed to dock #3 about 7 p.m. Thursday.

Toronto, Ont. - Jens Juhl
The Polsteam bulker Miedwie is completing unloading out of hold five. At the Sugar Beach dock the icebreaker CCGS Pierre Radisson is making an overnight stop to top up its fresh water tanks. The icebreaker has a severe ding in the aft helicopter flight deck. Last March the Radisson was rear-ended by an overzealous freighter during ice escort duties in the Gulf of St.Lawrence. After a lengthy drydocking the tug Radium Yellowknife is back at work. At 3 pm this afternoon the tug delivered a covered bulk goods barge to Turtle Island Recycling at Marine Terminal 35.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Some of the facts are off on this story... dates etc, but the PHOTINIA was scrapped by Selvick Marine and my old man was running the demo crew. The Lauren Castle left for the ill fated tow from the Kewaunee location about 11-5-80 for Traverse Bay. Pops used to bring home gallons of white ships paint and bolts of material from recovering ships furniture... ws


Lookback #176 Photinia stranded as a total loss off Milwaukee on May 12, 1978

5/12 - Rough seas off Milwaukee battered the British freighter Photinia 36 years ago today and the 17-year-old freighter was blown aground. All on board were rescued but, on May 15, 1978, Photinia was declared a total loss due to the estimated $2.8 million in damage to the hull.

It took six tugs to pull the 480-footer from her perch on July 7 and Photinia was towed to Sturgeon Bay where machinery was removed and eventually auctioned off. In December 1978, the vessel was towed to Chicago and suffered fire damage to the superstructure in September 1979. Next stop was Kewaunee, Wis., and Photinia arrived there in mid-November 1979. Scrapping began at that location in January 1981.

The British built freighter had served the Stag Line and operated briefly in 1961 before being fitted as a cable-laying ship for work between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. This equipment was briefly removed in 1962 and then restored for to more cable work in the South Pacific as well as the Caribbean.

Photinia began Seaway trading in 1966 and was back on occasion in the intervening years, save for another cable trip to New Zealand to correct a fault in the original cable in 1976. Its subsequent return to the Great Lakes had an unfortunate ending.

Forecasting the future of Michigan's great lakes

5/12 - For more than 14 years, lakeshore owners, boat owners, commercial shipping and local businesses have struggled with exceptionally low water levels on the Great Lakes. Following relatively high lake levels into the late ‘90s, the decline was abrupt and significant.

It began with the weather phenomenon known as El Nino during the winter of 1997-98. The upwelling of very warm water in the eastern Pacific resulted in a mild, snowless winter across the Great Lakes. That was immediately followed by a hot, dry summer in 1998.

Evaporation is the most important meteorological factor when it comes to the decline of water levels on a seasonal basis.

After several years of low water, we had another extremely warm year in 2012, and lake levels finally bottomed-out at record low levels in January of 2013.

Since then, the Great Lakes have rebounded very quickly. First, it was heavy rains across the region last spring that resulted in flooding over many parts of our area. All of that water eventually made its way into the lakes. Following that, we experienced a bitterly cold winter with record snowfall, which we are still trying to shake.

In fact, heading into May, Lake Superior had nearly 50 percent ice coverage, while Lake Huron had 10 to 20 percent coverage. Both are records. Of course, in order to have ice, water temperatures have to be cold, and right now, the water temperatures of the Great Lakes are colder than they have ever been this late in the season.

Data just released Monday by the Army Corp of Engineers shows that the level on Lake Huron has risen more than 20 inches in the last 15 months, and for the first time in 15 years, Lake Superior is above its long-term average.

With the rains we have already experienced this spring, and with the current cold water temperatures on the Lakes, the six month forecast for lake levels is good, too. The Corp expects Lake Huron to reach its long-term average level.

When it comes to a long-term forecast, you can expect more ups and downs.

While the forecast for rising lakes levels does look pretty good right now, it does appear that a new El Nino event may be brewing for next winter.


Today in Great Lakes History - May 12

The CABOT (Hull#649) was launched May 12, 1965, at Lauzon, Quebec by Davie Shipbuilding Ltd., for Gulf Ports Steamship Co. Ltd. (Clarke Steamship Co. Ltd., mgr.). In 1983, the CABOT's stern was attached to the bow section of the NORTHERN VENTURE to create the CANADIAN EXPLORER.

The THOMAS WALTERS, American Shipbuilding, Lorain (Hull#390) entered service on May 12, 1911, with coal from Sandusky, Ohio to Duluth, Minnesota. Renamed b.) FRANK R. DENTON in 1952, she was scrapped at Ashtabula, Ohio in 1984.

The carferry GRAND HAVEN was sold to the West India Fruit & Steamship Co., Norfolk, Virginia on May 12, 1946, and was brought down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, Louisiana for reconditioning before reaching Port Everglades and the Port of Palm Beach, Florida.

On 12 May 1875, the scow-schooner SEA BIRD of Chicago was driven onto the beach a half-mile south of the harbor at Holland, Michigan by a Northeaster. After the storm, she was high and dry on the beach.

The wooden J.S. SEAVERNS stranded near Michipicoten Island on Lake Superior on 12 May 1884. She had been carrying passengers from Chicago to Port Arthur. She was pulled free by a tug, but then sank. She was formerly a steam barge, being built on the bottom of the side-wheel tug JOHN P. WARD in Saugatuck, Michigan in 1880. The WARD dated back to 1857, had burned in 1865, was then rebuilt as a schooner, and in 1880, was finally rebuilt as the SEAVERNS.

1975 – The tug TARA HILL was damaged by a fire set by vandals at New Orleans. This vessel had operated on the Great Lakes as NORTHERN, CHARLES R. RANDLE SR., HELEN HINDMAN, SUSAN HINDMAN and HERBERT A. Lloyds notes “continued existence in doubt” in 1997, but the hull was likely dismantled much earlier.

1978 – PHOTINIA ran aground off Milwaukee in rough seas and the crew was rescued. The ship was refloated but declared a total loss. It was towed to various Lake Michigan ports in the next two years and was eventually dismantled at Kewaunee, Wis., in 1981.


Sunken tug raised

5/11 - Chicago — Coast Guard personnel and salvage and cleanup crews completed the salvage of the towing vessel Kimberly Selvick from near Burnham Park on the shores of Lake Michigan, Saturday, and it has been towed to Calumet River Slip.

The Kimberly Selvick became partially submerged Monday afternoon after it took on water trying to retrieve two barges that broke free during a tow.

The salvage company removed petroleum products from the vessel in a process known as lightering, Friday afternoon. Crews lightered the Kimberly Selvick’s forward fuel tank of 9,700 gallons of fuel.

Salvage crews also pumped the aft fuel tank dry Saturday morning, removing 3,900 gallons of fuel for a total of 13,700 gallons of fuel removed from the submerged vessel.

At about 12:30 p.m., the vessel was floating and was secured to the crane barge on scene. The barge was shifted out to deeper water and divers entered the water to complete the hull assessment. The assessment revealed that the keel was split in two locations in the engine room area.

Salvage crews shingled the keel of the vessel and pumped the engine room free of water. They moved the barge and vessel through the Calumet River and moored at the Calumet River Slip, where it will remain until it can enter the drydock, Wednesday, for repairs.

The vessel will be monitored at all times until it is removed from the water.


Lakes’ Ice Halves Ore Trade in April

5/12 ­ Heavy ice formations on the Great Lakes continued to slash iron ore shipments in April. Shipments totaled only 2.7 million tons, a decrease of 52 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings slumped even more – 53.3 percent – when compared to the month’s long-term average.

Lake Superior’s ice was so challenging that the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards had to convoy freighters the entire month. In fact, it was not until May 2 that the U.S. Coast Guard allowed vessels to proceed across Lake Superior unescorted.

The ice field off Marquette, Michigan, barred lakers from loading at the port until April 13.

Another ice-related factor in the decrease was the inability of downbound freighters to transit the Rock Cut, a stretch of the St. Marys River just below the Soo Locks. The Rock Cut was clogged with ice, so vessels had to use the upbound track and this reduced their loaded draft. As a result, even the largest iron ore cargo loaded on Lake Superior in April was less than 60,000 tons. If the largest vessels had been able to transit the Rock Cut, loads would have been 65,000 tons or more.

Through April, the Lakes iron ore trade stands at 6.2 million tons, a decrease of nearly 43 percent compared to both a year ago and the long-term average for the January-April timeframe.

Lake Carriers’ Association

[yachtsmanwilly]

Kimberly Selvick under tow to shipyard in south Chicago









Port Reports - May 13

Duluth, Minn. - Daniel Lindner
Duluth just might have set another saltie record, but this time, it's not for the first saltie. It's for the number of salties arriving in a row. So far, since last Wednesday, when Duluth saw its first foreign-flagged ship, at least one oceangoing vessel has transited the Duluth Ship Canal per day. So far, that's five days in a row, and possibly six. Polsteam's new bulker Olza, on her first trip to Duluth, was expected to depart Duluth from CHS 2 late Monday evening. However, she may have loading delays due to weather conditions that prevent her from departing until Tuesday. Three Rivers continues loading at CHS 1, and should be finishing up to depart on Tuesday or later, weather permitting. Also due on Tuesday is the James R. Barker, due in the early morning for coal. John G. Munson is also due in the early morning with limestone for Hallett #8. After unloading, she will shift to CN, Duluth to load taconite. Lakes Contender and her tug Ken Boothe Sr. are expected to arrive Duluth in the evening with limestone for Graymont. She will also be loading taconite at CN after discharging.

Thunder Bay, Ont. - John Kuzma
Ships loading in Thunder Bay on Monday, the Federal Shimanto at Viterra A, the Fedreal Yukina at Current River and the Ojibway at Richardson.

St. Marys River
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was working Monday to remove the winter ice boom at Mission Point.

Milwaukee, Wis. - Chris Gaziano
BBC Xingang arrived on a dreary Monday morning.

Buffalo, N.Y. - Brian W.
Defiance-Ashtabula were unloading a cargo of stone at the Gateway Metroport Main Dock in Lackawanna Monday.

Toronto, Ont. - Jens Juhl
Monday morning Stephen B. Roman did a test docking at the new Essroc cement unloading/storage facility located at the east end of the ship channel. The Roman cleared the east gap outbound a noon. At 1 pm, Algoma Olympic arrived with a cargo of salt for Cargill. Severe wear and tear caused by operating in heavy ice this winter has put the ferry Ongiara back into Toronto Drydock for repairs. One of its propellers was dinged by ice.





USCG cutter Biscayne Bay hauled out at Great Lakes Shipyard

5/13 - Cleveland, Ohio – Great Lakes Shipyard has hauled out the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Biscayne Bay using its 770-ton capacity Travelift. The repair contract that started on May 7 includes drydocking and routine maintenance.

This is the second of the USCG’s six Great Lakes 140-foot Bay-class icebreaking tugs to be drydocked using Great Lakes Shipyard’s new Marine Travelift. The shipyard’s Travelift has also been used to lift one of the 150-foot buoy barges pushed by the Bay-class tugs, and the USCGC Buckthorn, stationed in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. The Travelift is the largest on the Great Lakes in the United States and Canada, second largest in the Western Hemisphere, and third largest in the world. It was specifically designed and sized for Great Lakes Shipyard to accommodate the Bay-class Coast Guard cutters and other vessels. Work on the Biscayne Bay is to be completed by late July.

www.thegreatlakesgroup.com





Severstal puts North American steel operations up for sale

5/13 - Russian steelmaker Severstal has put its North American operations on the auction block, according to people familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal reported on its website.

Officials at Severstal were not immediately available for comment Sunday afternoon.

Severstal's North American operations, comprised of two steel plants in Michigan and Mississippi, could fetch $1.5 billion or more, some of the people said, the paper reported in an article dated on Friday. The Michigan plant is served by Great Lakes vessels.

Severstal, Russia's second largest steelmaker, has fielded interest from at least two potential buyers, some of the people said, citing United States Steel Corp and Brazil's Companhia Siderurgica Nacional SA, according to the article.

Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel is said to be most interested in Severstal's mill in Dearborn, Michigan. The plant services U.S. automakers in Detroit with long coils of sheet steel, the essential building blocks of cars and trucks, and is near a U.S. Steel facility, the paper said.

Reuters





Lookback #177 – Calgarian aground on May 13, 1933

5/13 - The Canada Steamship Lines package freight carrier Calgarian ran aground in Lake Ontario 81 years ago today. The canal-sized steamship was bound for Montreal with a variety of general cargo and some automobiles on deck when it stranded off Salmon Point.

The 257-foot-long ship was refloated on May 15, put in another 26-years of trading before being laid up and then sold for scrap.

The vessel was built at Dundee, Scotland, in 1905 and came to Canada in ballast that fall as Glenellah. The ship had several owners before becoming one of the original members of the C.S.L. fleet in 1913.

During World War One, Glenellah saw some saltwater service. Other company running mates were not successful and became casualties of weather or enemy action. Glenellah survived the conflict and returned safely to the Great Lakes. The name was changed to Calgarian in 1926.

This was the last upbound traveler of the final year of the St. Lawrence Canals in 1958. It served as the company “spare boat” in 1959 before being laid up for good at Kingston.

Following a sale to the Steel Company of Canada, Calgarian arrived at Hamilton, under tow of the Helen M. McAllister on Sept. 12, 1960, and was broken up in the months ahead.


Today in Great Lakes History - May 13

The tanker GEMINI (Hull#746) was launched at Orange, Texas by Levingston Ship Building Co. in 1978, for Cleveland Tankers Inc., a subsidiary of Ashland Oil. Renamed b.) ALGOSAR in 2005.

The tanker JUPITER made her maiden voyage May 13, 1976 from Smith's Bluff, Texas loaded with lube oil bound for Marcus Hooks, Penn. She was destroyed after exploding in the Saginaw River on September 16, 1990.

On May 13, 1913, Pittsburgh Steamship's THOMAS F. COLE collided with the barge IRON CITY on Lake St. Clair. The barge was cut in two.

Delivered May 13, 1943, THOMAS WILSON departed under the command of Captain Henry Borgen on her maiden voyage from Lorain, Ohio, bound for Duluth, Minnesota, to load iron ore.

The green-hulled schooner EMMA C. HUTCHINSON was launched at 4 p.m. on 13 May 1873, at the E. Fitzgerald yard in Port Huron. She was the largest vessel built at that yard up to that time. She was named for the wife of Mr. J. T. Hutchinson of Cleveland. Her dimensions were 195foot keel, 215 feet overall, 35 foot beam, 14 foot depth, 736 tons. She cost $55,000. Frank Leighton was her builder and Matthew Finn the master fitter. She was outfitted by Swan's Sons of Cleveland. Her painting was done by Ross & Doty of Port Huron.

On 13 May 1874, the Port Huron Times reported that someone had stolen the schooner ANNIE FAUGHT and that John Hoskins, the owner, was offering a reward for her recovery.

May 13, 1898 - The steamer JOHN ERICSSON, having in tow the barge ALEXANDER HOLLEY, bound down with ore, went aground while making the turn at the dark hole in little Mud Lake. She is on a sand bottom. Tugs and lighters have gone to release her. When the steamer grounded the barge ran into her, damaging the latter's bow and causing a large hole above the water line on the starboard side of the ERICSSON. Both were repaired temporarily.

On 13 May 1871, NORTHERNER (wooden barge, 220 foot, 1,391 gross tons) was launched by Capt. Wescott at Marine City, Michigan. Her master builder was John J. Hill. She was towed to Detroit to be fitted out and there was talk of eventually converting her to a passenger steamer. She remained a barge until 1880, when she was converted to a propeller freighter in Detroit. She lasted until 1892, when she burned at L'anse, Mich.

1914 – The package freight carrier CITY OF OTTAWA was upbound in the Cornwall Canal when it sheered over and struck the downbound S.N. PARENT on the port side at #2 hatch. The former was part of Canada Steamship Lines but was best known as the INDIA of the Anchor Line.

1915 – VALCARTIER and A.W. OSBORNE collided in Lake Huron above Corsica Shoal.

1933 – CALGARIAN, en route from Toronto to Montreal with automobiles and general cargo, stranded at Salmon Point in Lake Ontario, and was refloated two days later. 1943 – The caustic soda tanker DOLOMITE 4 was in and out of the Great Lakes via the New York State Barge Canal system. The vessel was torpedoed and sunk by U-176 off the north coast of Cuba on the date in 1943 as b) NICKELINER.