Today in Great Lakes History

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Today in Great Lakes History - June 25

The whaleback steamer WASHBURN (steel propeller freighter, 320 foot, 2,234 gross tons) was launched by the American Steel Barge Co. (Hull #124) at W. Superior, Wisconsin on 25 June 1892. She lasted until 1936, when she was scrapped at Cleveland, Ohio.

On this day in June 25, 1892, the American Steel Barge Company, West Superior Wisconsin, Captain Alexander Mc Dougall manager, held the first triple launching on the Great Lakes, which included the whalebacks PILLSBURY, WASHBURN and the small tug ISLAY. A crowd in excess of 10,000 people witnessed the event. Only the tug ISLAY remains.

On 25 June 1892, the PILLSBURY (steel propeller whaleback bulk freighter, 320 foot, 2,234 gross tons) was launched by the American Steel Barge Co., at West Superior, Wisconsin. She was rebuilt at Conneaut, Ohio in the winter of 1918-1919 (315.75 feet x 42.25 feet x 24.16 feet; 2,394 gross tons- 1,465 net tons) when she received straight sides and a flattened deck. In 1927, she was converted to crane vessel, with two cranes on deck. In November 1934, she stranded on the north pier at Muskegon, Michigan in a storm and then broke in half. She was scrapped the following year. In 1927, the B. F. AFFLECK (Hull#178) was launched at Toledo, Ohio by Toledo Shipbuilding Co., for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.

On June 25, 1938, the WILLIAM A. IRVIN began her maiden voyage for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co., leaving Lorain, Ohio for Duluth to load iron ore. INDIANA HARBOR set a record cargo on June 25, 1993, loading 71,369 tons of western low sulfur coal at Superior's Midwest Energy Terminal and transporting it 50 miles to Silver Bay, Minnesota.

At 1:00 a.m. on 25 June 1878, the 161 foot, 3-mast wooden schooner PESHTIGO and the 143 foot, 3-mast wooden schooner ST ANDREW collided and sank near Cheboygan, Michigan and the Straits of Mackinac. Newspapers of the time claimed that forest fire smoke hampered visibility. Both vessels sank quickly. Two of the crew of PESHTIGO were lost, but the rest were rescued by the schooner S V R WATSON. The entire crew of ST ANDREW was rescued by the Canadian propeller OCEAN.

On the afternoon of 25 June 1885, the tug NIAGARA had the schooner MOUNT BLANC in tow while coming rounding to pick up the schooner REINDEER near Stag Island on the St. Clair River. The MOUNT BLANC struck the wreck of the tug B.B. JONES. The JONES had exploded in Port Huron on 25 May 1871, and the wreck was towed to the head of Stag Island where it was abandoned. After striking the wreck of the JONES, the ore laden MOUNT BLANC sank. She was later recovered and repaired and lasted until 1901.

1903 – JOHN CRAIG was seriously damaged in a grounding on Simmons Rock in the Straits of Mackinac. Once refloated, the wooden steamer was taken to St. Ignace and declared a total loss. It was subsequently rebuilt as PANAMA only to be lost in a storm on November 1, 1906.

1950 – Five lives were lost and another 12 passengers injured aboard the passenger ship CITY OF CLEVELAND III when it was in a collision with the Norwegian freighter RAVNEFJELL in fog on Lake Huron. The former was a total loss while the latter was repaired and returned to service. It became b) RINGSTEIN in 1955 and visited the Great Lakes through 1958. It was wrecked near Achona Point, Ghana, on September 11, 1966.

1959 – The Liberian registered MONROVIA became the first saltwater vessel of the Seaway era to sink on the Great Lakes. It went down in heavy fog on Lake Huron after going off course and colliding with the downbound ROYALTON off Thunder Bay Island. The vessel landed upright on the bottom and some of the cargo of steel was salvaged in the 1970s.

1980 – MONTREALAIS of Upper Lakes Shipping and ALGOBAY of Algoma Central collided head-on in heavy fog on the St. Clair River and both suffered massive bow damage. These vessels were repaired and today both sail in the Algoma fleet with the former as ALGOMA MONTREALAIS and the latter, later rebuilt with a new forebody in China, as RADCLIFFE R. LATIMER.

1980 – JEAN LYKES collided with and sank an 18-foot fishing boat in the St. Clair River, 2 miles north of St. Clair, MI. The American flag saltwater vessel was later beached at Alang, India, for scrapping as b) VELMA LYKES on July 9, 1994

1994 – While departing Bay City, McKEE SONS was swept crossways in the Saginaw River and went aground. Four tugs pulled the ship free without damage save for some shoreline erosion.




Explorer says Griffin shipwreck may be found in Lake Michigan

6/25 - Traverse City, Mich. — A debris field at the bottom of Lake Michigan may be the remains of the long-lost Griffin, a vessel commanded by a 17th-century French explorer, said a shipwreck hunter who has sought the wreckage for decades.

Other Great Lakes divers, historians and underwater archeologists would like the discovery to be true, but say that at this point doubts far outweigh proof.

Steve Libert says his crew found the debris this month about 120 feet from the spot where they removed a wooden slab a year ago that was protruding from the lake bottom.

Libert believes that timber was the bowsprit of Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle’s ship, although scientists who joined the 2013 expedition say the slab more likely was an abandoned fishing net stake.

The Griffin is believed to be the first ship of European design to sail the upper Great Lakes. It disappeared with a crew of six on its maiden voyage in 1679 after La Salle had disembarked near the mouth of Wisconsin’s Green Bay.

“This is definitely the Griffin — I’m 99.9 percent sure it is,” Libert said. “This is the real deal.”

He described the bottom land area as littered with wooden planks that could belong to a ship’s bow, along with nails and pegs that would have fastened the hull to the rest of the vessel and what appeared to be sections of a mast.

He acknowledged his dive team had found no “smoking gun” such as a cannon or other artifacts with markings identifying them as belonging to the Griffin.

But the nails and other implements appeared similar to those from La Belle, another of La Salle’s ships that sank near the Gulf of Mexico, Libert said.

“I wish so much for him to have discovered it ... but there’s so little hard information,” said Rick Mixter, a video producer who has visited 150 shipwrecks in the Great Lakes since he began diving in 1991.

“He has nothing to support that it’s the Griffin other than this board, sticking upright from the bottom of the lake for the past 300 years?” said Mixter, 50. “After he left, his own archeologist said it was a part of a fishing stake, as did the state of Michigan.

Dean Anderson, Michigan’s state archaeologist, said Monday he hadn’t been notified of the most recent find and could not speculate about whether the Griffin had finally been located. Anderson supports the theory that the timber discovered earlier was a fishing apparatus.”

Libert said his organization has sent images of the debris to three French underwater archaeologists who took part in last year’s search, and that he hopes state and federal permits can be obtained to excavate in the area in September.

The French team was led by Michel L’Hour, director of the Department of Underwater Archaeological Research in the French Ministry of Culture and an authority on shipwrecks. L’Hour wrote by email Tuesday that the latest findings were “encouraging” but that more evidence was needed to determine the origin of the items.

“The wooden remains that have been observed could correspond to a wreck,” L’Hour said.

They include tree nails with wedges and square nails that have some similarity with La Belle’s fasteners “and a few other details already observed on wrecks dated in the 17th century,” he said.

But he said the artifacts that have been seen could be dated as late as the 19th century and that items such as ceramic shards are needed to provide more certainty.

“We are always interested in participating to assess the site,” L’Hour said, adding that the U.S. and France would need to approve any new involvement in the project by his team, which comprises civil officers of the French government.”

The discovery area is strewn with debris is roughly the size of a football field, said Brian Abbott of Nautilus Marine Group, who joined Libert’s search this month and took sonar readings of the bottom lands. It is near tiny Poverty Island in northwestern Lake Michigan and about 50 feet below the water’s surface.

According to Mixter, the Great Lakes is the graveyard of anywhere from 5,000 to 8,000 shipwrecks, the vast majority of which have never been found.

“But today’s technology is uncovering shipwrecks at an alarming rate,” Mixter said. “I doubt those newly discovered ships — some of which are entire schooners — are getting the protection that they need. Many of us are nervous that ships might be discovered and then taken apart bit by bit by souvenir hunters.”

Mixter — who has visited a number of well-known wrecks, including ore carriers Carl D. Bradley (sank Nov. 18, 1958), Daniel J. Morrell (Nov. 29, 1966) and Edmund Fitzgerald (Nov. 10, 1975 — added the discovered objects need proper care once they are removed from the lake.

“The problem is compounded once the items are taken out of the water, which has preserved them, sometimes for hundreds of years. If they aren’t store properly in preservative solutions, they’ll just fall apart.”

But Mixter is hoping Libert’s find is genuine.

“I have no ill will and wish him the best,” Mixter said. “As soon as he finds the cannons or the figurehead of the Griffin, I will stand up and cheer this great accomplishment.”

The Detroit News





Port Reports - June 25

Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – Daniel Lindner
Philip R. Clarke finally departed winter layup in Sturgeon Bay around 8 p.m. on Tuesday. She posted a destination of Cedarville, Mich. The Clarke was the last ship in Sturgeon Bay's winter layup fleet, and now the only ship in port is the PJ 170 motor yacht Bliss.

Port Inland, Mich. – Denny Dushane
Great Republic loaded a stone cargo on Monday and departed later in the day. Port Inland was also expected to see arrivals by three vessels on Tuesday. The John J. Boland was due to arrive first in the early morning hours followed by the Wilfred Sykes arriving during the mid-afternoon. Great Lakes Trader was also expected to arrive during the late afternoon/early evening but would have to wait and dock after the Sykes' departure. Another three vessels are expected in at Port Inland on Wednesday, with the Mississagi arriving first during the early morning hours, followed later in the morning by the Joseph L. Block and the Pere Marquette 41.

Cedarville, Mich. – Denny Dushane
Wilfred Sykes was due to arrive at Cedarville on Monday during the evening. Both Manitowoc and the Joseph L. Block were expected to arrive at Cedarville on Tuesday, with the Manitowoc arriving during the early morning followed by the Block in the late afternoon to early evening. The Philip R. Clarke is on the schedule for an arrival on Wednesday in the morning. This would be the Clarke's first trip from lay-up in Sturgeon Bay for the 2014 shipping season.

Calcite, Mich. – Denny Dushane
Saginaw loaded at the South Dock on Tuesday and was expected to depart around 1 p.m. American Courage was also expected to arrive Tuesday in the early evening also for the South Dock. Due on Wednesday and also making a very rare appearance will be the 1,000 footer American Spirit, due to arrive in the morning for the North Dock. There are no vessels scheduled to load Thursday and Friday. Expected to arrive on Saturday is the Great Republic in the mid-afternoon for the North Dock. Rounding out the schedule is the Cason J. Callaway, due on Sunday, June 29 in the late afternoon hours.

Stoneport, Mich. – Denny Dushane
Joseph H. Thompson Jr. loaded on Tuesday and was due to depart around 1:30 p.m. Two vessels are due for arrivals on Wednesday, with the Great Republic arriving in the early morning hours followed by the Lewis J. Kuber in the early evening hours. There are three vessels to load on Thursday, with the Cason J. Callaway and John G. Munson arriving in the morning. Rounding out the schedule is the Pathfinder arriving in the early evening hours.

Toledo, Ohio – Denny Dushane
Algoma Progress loaded coal on Tuesday at the CSX Coal Dock #4 Machine. Waiting to load coal at the CSX #2 wall was the H. Lee White, which was expected to load after the Algoma Progress. John D. Leitch is due on Thursday in the morning. There are four vessels due to load at the CSX Coal Dock on Saturday. Due to arrive first is the James L. Kuber and the American Mariner both during the early morning, followed by the Saginaw in the late afternoon. Manitowoc is due in the early evening hours to load on Saturday. American Mariner is expected to load on Sunday in the late morning and the Algoma Progress returns on Monday, June 30 in the early morning at the coal dock. There is nothing due at the Midwest Terminal Stone Dock. At the Torco Dock arriving on Friday in the late afternoon is the James L. Kuber. The Hon. James L. Oberstar is due to arrive on Saturday in the early morning. American Mariner is expected to arrive on Sunday in the early morning, and rounding out the schedule on Monday, June 30 is the Kaye E. Barker in the late afternoon. Two other vessels were also in port Tuesday. The saltie Ruddy remained at the Midwest Terminal Overseas Dock and the tug Avenger IV and a barge were also in port.





Canadian shipping group protests hike in U.S. inspection fees

6/25 - Ottawa, Ont. – Staggering fee hikes being proposed by the U.S. government for inspections of Canadian ships coming from the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence are tantamount to anti-competitive, non-tariff barriers, according to the Chamber of Marine Commerce.

The Chamber of Marine Commerce (CMC), a bi-national marine industry association, has filed a submission to the United States Department of Agricultural Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, opposing a proposed federal rulemaking to significantly increase fees for agricultural quarantine and inspection services.

The rule change would increase the fee from $496 to $825 per inspection and eliminate the annual fee cap of charging a maximum of 15 times per vessel. For Canadian Great Lakes - St. Lawrence shipping, the change could increase their annual inspection costs by as much as 238%.

In its submission, the CMC argues that Canadian Great Lakes - St. Lawrence ships should be exempted from these fee increases as they never leave the bi-national waters of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence navigation system, do not cross oceans, and pose very little risk of introducing pests or infestations to the U.S. Additionally, these vessels predominantly carry inert material such as steel, iron ore, limestone and other bulk cargoes that are non-agricultural, inorganic and with no containers or packing materials.

“It’s clear to us that Canadian Great Lakes - St Lawrence ships have been caught in a system intended to prevent international ships from bringing in pests and infestations from foreign ports,” said Greg Wight, CEO, Algoma Central Corporation. “This does not apply to us as our vessels carry primarily non-agricultural products including minerals in bulk.”

Chamber of Marine Commerce





Lookback #220 – Monrovia first Seaway era saltie to sink on lakes on June 25, 1959

6/25 - The Liberian freighter Monrovia was making its first trip to the Great Lakes when it was lost, via collision, on June 25, 1959. The St. Lawrence Seaway had been open for two months when the accident occurred off Thunder Bay Island, Lake Huron, 55 years ago today.

Monrovia was upbound with a cargo of steel loaded at Antwerp, Belgium, for Duluth when it encountered heavy fog and the grain carrier Royalton. The deep-sea freighter strayed off course in the fog and wandered into the downbound shipping lane. Royalton struck Monrovia on the port side and left a deep gash in the hull above and below the waterline. The holds and engine room were flooded and all 29 sailors quickly abandoned their doomed vessel.

The 448-foot-long Monrovia dated from 1943 when it was built at Glasgow, Scotland, as Empire Falstaff. It came under French registry in 1945 and had been sailing as Monrovia since 1954. In time, part of the cargo of steel was salvaged but the ship was a total loss.

The 550-foot-long Royalton was part of the Misener fleet. It had been built at Collingwood in 1924 and received bow damage in the collision. This was repaired and the ship operated until it tied up at Hamilton on Sept. 11, 1979. Following a sale to Italian shipbreakers, via Marine Salvage, Royalton was towed to La Spezia and arrived there on June 25, 1980.

[yachtsmanwilly]

High Lake Superior level prompts outflow increase at the Soo

6/26 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The brimming water level on Lake Superior has led a Canadian-U.S. regulatory board to increase the outflow through gates on the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie.

The International Lake Superior Board of Control says the flow setting of the control structure at the head of the St. Marys Rapids will increase Wednesday from the equivalent of five gates to the equivalent of seven gates, and it warns anglers to beware of changing flow and water levels.

The board operates under the authority of the International Joint Commission.

It says recent rains have raised Lake Superior 6.3 inches above average. The level on downstream lakes Michigan and Huron is 5.5 inches below average.

International Lake Superior Board of Control





Great Tugboat Parade, race raise funds for challenged children in the Twin Saults

6/26 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Powerful and hard-working tugboats will be prominently featured in the Twin Saults on Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28 as The Great Tugboat Parade and Race take place on the St. Marys River.

Set up for local workboat owners to strut their boats’ stuff and have a little fun, the Great Tugboat Race and Parade celebrate the local marine industry. The events are fundraisers for programs in the Twin Saults that support local challenged children.

“Each year, we raise approximately $20,000,” said Leanne Marlow, the Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. event coordinator. “With a portion of the money, we sponsor the E.U.P. Special Olympic Bowling Program. More than 70 Special Olympian athletes take part in the program in Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace. The sponsorship includes T-shirts, two games weekly for eight weeks and a tournament — consisting of bowling, lunch and trophy awards.”

In the days before and after the main events, pancake breakfasts will take place in both Sault, Ont. and Sault, Mich. For $7, breakfast-goers will be treated to pancakes served with local maple syrup, breakfast sausage links, orange juice and coffee from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. each day. The all you can eat events will be aboard the “Nostalgia” barge at the Bondar Marina in Canada from June 26-28 and at George Kemp Marina in Sault, Mich. on June 29 and 30.

A “Rendezvous with Family & Friends” parade of tugs will begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday evening. The boats will pilot on both sides of the river, heading both upbound and downbound through the American and Canadian Locks. Spectators will have the chance to view big offshore tugs, harbor tugs, fish tugs, yard boats, “boom boats,” “alligator boats,” buoy tenders and more.

The vessels will also be prominently featured in The Great Tugboat Parade at noon on the St. Marys River on Saturday, just before The Great Tugboat Race begins at 12:30 p.m. Workboats of several power classes line up at the Rock Pile on the Canadian side and MCM Marine on the American side. The finish line is the Civic Center on the Canadian Side and the head of the beginning of the lock on the American side. Racing continues until the largest and tiniest workboat has run the course.

Those seeking refreshments on the Michigan side of the river should head to James A. Alford Park on Saturday. Little Caesar’s Pizza will be on hand with food and drink, with a portion of the proceeds going to the cause.

Soo Evening News





Port Reports - June 26

St. Marys River
Philip R. Clarke, making her first trip of the season upbound, tied up at the Carbide Dock in the early afternoon. Waterfront reports indicate there may have been bowthruster problems. She resumed her trip in the late evening.

Milwaukee, Wis. – Chris Gazaiano
Algomarine arrived late in the afternoon Wednesday with a load of salt for the inner harbor.

Port Inland, Mich. – Denny Dushane
John J. Boland loaded at Port Inland on Tuesday and was due to depart around 4 p.m. Great Lakes Trader was also expected to arrive in the mid-afternoon on Tuesday following the Boland's departure. Also due in on Tuesday was the Wilfred Sykes, taking the dock upon the Great Lakes Trader's departure. Rounding out the schedule was the Joseph L. Block, expected to arrive on Wednesday afternoon.

Alpena, Mich. – Ben & Chanda McClain
On Monday the Manitowoc was at Lafarge unloading coal. The Alpena arrived Tuesday afternoon to load cement for Essexsville, Mich. On Wednesday the tug G.L Ostrander and barge Integrity loaded cement under the silos at Lafarge.

Calcite, Mich. – Denny Duishane
American Courage loaded at the South Dock on Tuesday and was due to depart on Wednesday around 6:30 a.m. Expected to arrive on Wednesday in the morning for the North Dock was the American Spirit, making rare appearance.

Stoneport, Mich. – Denny Dushane
Great Republic loaded at Stoneport on Wednesday and was due to depart around 5 p.m. Three vessels are due to load on Thursday with the John G. Munson arriving first in the morning followed later in the evening by the Cason J. Callaway. Algoma Navigator is due late evening on Thursday as well. Friday there are no vessels scheduled. For Saturday the Lewis J. Kuber is expected to arrive in the morning hours to load and the John G. Munson returns in the late afternoon hours.

St. Clair, Mich. – Bob Markus
American Integrity arrived Wednesday morning to unload coal at the DTE St. Clair Power Plant. Paul R. Tregurtha arrived in the afternoon and was anchored below the power plant, waiting for American Integrity to depart.

Toledo, Ohio – Denny Dushane
H. Lee White loaded at the CSX #4 Coal Dock on Wednesday. Due next at the Coal Dock to load is the John D. Leitch due on Thursday during the morning. Four vessels are scheduled to load at the coal dock on Saturday with the James L. Kuber and American Mariner both arriving in the early morning. Saginaw is due in the late afternoon followed by the Manitowoc in the early evening. The Michipicoten is now on the schedule for the Midwest Terminal Stone Dock and is expected to arrive on Thursday in the late afternoon. At the Torco Dock, James L. Kuber is due on Friday in the early evening. Hon. James L. Oberstar is due there on Saturday in the late morning and due on Monday, June 30 is the Kaye E. Barker in the late afternoon. Three other vessels were in port at the time of this report. The salty Ruddy remains at the Midwest Terminal Overseas Dock. Avenger IV with a barge also still remains in port. The salty Irma of Cyprus registry recently arrived to load at one of the elevators up the Maumee River.

Oswego, NY – Ned Goebricher Oswego Palladium Times reports that the Oswego Harbor is being dredged for the first time in many years. USACE will be dredging approximately 60,000 cubic yards of the harbor to remove silt so that the harbor can be proper depth for shipping traffic. Port Board Chairman Hammill noted that the dredging should be completed in three weeks without difficulties





Join us for our Detroit River Freighter Chasing Cruise

On Saturday, August 2, we will repeat the popular Boatnerd Detroit River Cruise aboard the Friendship, with Captain Sam Buchanan. This year’s cruise will be four hours and will go up the Detroit River, and hopefully into the Rouge River. A pizza lunch will be delivered by the J. W. Westcott mail boat, with a cash bar onboard. Advance Reservation Cost is $36 per person. The cruise departs at 10 a.m. from Portofino's On The River in Wyandotte, Mich. Click here for Advance Reservation form.





Lookback #221 – Former Emil Reith attacked by Tamil Tiger rebels on June 26, 2000

6/26 - The West German freighter Emil Reith was two years old when it began Seaway trading in 1970. The small, 290 foot 2 inch long, 1834 gross ton vessel visited the Great Lakes on several occasions through 1977.

In subsequent years, it was sold, resold and had a total of eight names. In addition to the German flag, it had later registry in Singapore, Panama, St. Vincent and Sri Lanka.

The vessel had been sailing as Mercs Uhana since 1987 when it was attacked by Tamil Tiger rebels off northern Sri Lanka 14 years ago today. The ship caught fire and five on board were killed while another 22 were rescued.

Mercs Uhana sank on June 27, while 48 miles off Point Pedro, Sri Lanka. It had been on a voyage from Colombo to Trincomalee, two Sri Lankan ports, with foodstuffs when it became a victim of the war.

Skip Gillham





Today in Great Lakes History - June 26

On this day in 1942, the LEON FRASER, Captain Neil Rolfson, completed her maiden voyage and delivered a record cargo of 16,414 tons of ore to Conneaut. The downbound trip only required 67.5 hours and broke the record of 15,218 tons set by the Canadian freighter LEMOYNE 15 days earlier. The FRASER was shortened and converted to a bulk cement carrier in 1991, and sails today as the b.) ALPENA.

On this day in 1969, the new Poe Lock was dedicated and opened to traffic. The first boat to transit the new lock was the PHILIP R. CLARKE. Captain Thomas Small, a 95-year old retired Pittsburgh captain, was at the wheel of the CLARKE. Thomas Small was also at the wheel of the COLGATE HOYT the first boat to transit the original Poe Lock on August 4, 1896.

On 26 June 1890, the SKATER (wooden propeller excursion steamer, 85 foot, 65 gross tons, built in 1890, at Detroit, Michigan) burned to the water’s edge about 20 miles north of Manistee, Michigan. The crew did not even have time to save their clothes, but they all escaped unharmed. The SKATER had just been fitted out for the season and had started her summer route on Traverse Bay. She was rebuilt in Cleveland and lasted until 1942, when she was abandoned at Michigan City, Indiana.

On 26 June 1895, the GEORGE FARWELL (wooden propeller steam barge, 182 foot, 977 gross tons) was launched by Alexander Anderson at Marine City, Michigan. After leaving the ways, she looked like she would capsize, but she righted herself. About 500 people watched the launch. She was taken to the Atlantic Coast in 1900. She only lasted until 1906, when she stranded on Cape Henry, Virginia and was a total loss.

On 26 June 1867, WATERS W. BRAMAN (wooden propeller tug, 89 tons, built in 1858, at Boston, Massachusetts, for the U.S.Q.M.C. and named RESCUE) was near Pelee Island in Lake Erie when fire started in her coal bunker and quickly spread. Her crew abandoned her in the yawl and were later picked up by the propeller TRADER. She had been sold by the Quartermaster Corps just the previous year and she had come to the Lakes from the East Coast just five weeks before this accident.

On 26 June 1900, Boynton & Thompson purchased the wreck of the NELLIE TORRENT (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 141 foot, 303 gross tons, built in 1881, at Wyandotte, Michigan) to raise her. She had been destroyed by fire at Lime Island near Detour, Michigan, on 22 June 1899.

On 26 June 1882, The Port Huron Times reported that the ARAXES (wooden propeller, 182 foot, 569 gross tons, built in 1856, at Buffalo, New York) sank in the Straits of Mackinac. She was raised on 6 July 1882, and repaired. She was built in 1856, and lasted until the summer of 1894, when she sank 4 miles off Bay City in Saginaw.

1916: The first STORMOUNT, a steel canaller, was wrecked on Gull Ledge, near Marie Joseph, N.S.

1937: Passengers from the SOUTH AMERICAN, stranded on a shoal, were removed with the aid of ALGOMAH II.

1993: The Norwegian tanker BOW ROGN first came through the Seaway in 1970. It was back as b) JO ROGN in 1981 and was leaking sulphuric acid into the pump room on this date as c) BETULA after discharging at Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico. The vessel was towed offshore but later driven aground on a sandy beach north of the port on June 28-29, and then blown over on its side during the passing of Hurricane Calvin on July 7, 1993.

2000: EMIL REITH first came through the Seaway in 1970. It was attacked by Tamil Tiger rebels as h) MERCS UHANA off northern Sri Lanka while carrying foodstuffs from Colombo to Tricomalee. The ship caught fire and five lives were lost. The ship sank the next day about 48 miles off Point Pedro.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Wi-Fi, not whiskey, the new stock-in-trade of Toronto sailor’s mission

6/27 - Toronto, Ont. – The building on the pier has a haunted look, a ramshackle two-storey cottage marooned in a sea of empty lots, covered in what looks like cobwebs (it’s seasonal cottonwood fluff), and drowning in eerie silence just a five-minute walk from the Gardiner Expressway. It seems to be a sanctuary, or abandoned.

As it turns out, the Mission to Seafarers is a bit of both. Sitting on Pier 51 in Toronto’s docklands, the chapel-cum-clubhouse ministers to the needs of sailors docking in the city’s port.

These days, the building is used lightly — about 1,000 seamen cross the mission’s threshold in a typical year. On Tuesday, the eve of International Day of the Seafarer, its only occupants were Rev. Judith Alltree and the organization’s treasurer.

But for sailors who use the cottage, it can be an oasis. Thirty-three saltwater ships, or “salties”, called at Toronto last year, according to the port authority. (Lake boats rarely dock long enough to use the mission.)

Once they’ve deposited their cargos of sugar from Central America or steel pipe from India — two port staples — the men usually have four to eight days off, depending on the weather. Strangers in the city, their first stop is often the mission where the sea dogs relish solid ground, slump in shabby sofas and avail themselves of anachronistic phone booths.

So rarely seasick, sailors are almost always homesick and when they hit dry land, they usually fire up Skype and call their wives. “ ‘Hi sweetheart, I love you’ — I get that in 12 languages,” Alltree says.

The building and its surrounding courtyard have free Wi-Fi, a strong enticement for ABs (able-bodied seamen) who sometimes make as little as $585 a month.

“One of the most important factors in a seafarer’s life is the ability to communicate with their families,” says Alltree. “That and a bottle of beer.”

This prompts the inevitable question: what about a bottle of rum? “No, my dear,” Alltree answers, “this is an Anglican mission: it’s either Scotch or sherry.”

The polyglot cohort of international seamen may not have a lingua franca, but they all know how to order a drink in any port of call, from Toronto to Tonkin: raising a wrist.

“If you don’t understand that, baby, you’re in trouble,” says Alltree, mimicking the gesture.

(In sober tones, she emphasizes that the mission does not have a liquor licence, except occasionally for special events. “Lots of pop in the fridge,” Alltree says, laughing.)

Once thirst has been quenched and families reassured, priorities become a little more esoteric. First: Best Buy, to stock up on tech supplies and make sure they’re able to call home at will. Second: Victoria’s Secret. Like the lingerie company? That’s right, says Alltree — it’s a way to placate long-suffering wives. “No self-respecting Filipino seafarer would go home without something from Victoria’s Secret.”

Lower down on the priority list is religious observance, the ostensible purpose of the mission, whose closet-sized chapel does not look worn from overuse.

Many of the sailors are Polish or Filipino Catholics, for whom the idea of a female priest like Alltree doesn’t fly. Combine that with the traditional worldliness of seafaring men, and the religious temperature of the mission rarely rises above tepid.

As the reverend herself put it, “They don’t come madly dashing in here saying, ‘Please can we have a prayer service.’ ”

Still, Alltree tends to her floating flock with the available means. Beginning in November, before ice clogs the Toronto waterway, she suits up in a hard hat and steel-toe boots to bring Christmas care packages to the sailors before they’ve disembarked.

While she walks the deck, she keeps an eye out for distraught or disgruntled sailors.

“When there’s a problem, they’re usually pretty reluctant to go to the shipmaster,” Alltree explains. “Listening is a big part of our job. . . . First they want to talk to their wives, then they want to talk to you.”

Life at sea provides plenty of fodder for the confessor’s booth, or the shrink’s couch. Rum, sodomy and the lash may be things of the past but tight quarters, lousy food and long spells of loneliness are unavoidable aboard ship. All of this makes the global network of cheap consumer goods possible: employing 20 crew members for an ocean crossing costs chump change for shipping conglomerates.

“We know the ocean from the shore,” Alltree said. “The main thing is to raise awareness about how so few people are working so hard for so many others.

“It’s called the invisible industry. You just don’t see it.”

Toronto Star





Port Reports - June 27

St. Clair – Bob Markus
Thursday: James R. Barker arrived this morning at the DTE St. Clair Power Plant with a load of coal from Duluth.





Lookback #222 – James J. Hill hit wooden ship in fog on June 27, 1916

6/27 - A thick, early summer, fog hung over parts of Lake Superior 98 years ago today. The 497-foot-long ore carrier James J. Hill of the United States Steel fleet plowed into the Panther, a 248-foot-long wooden ship and, in the mismatch, the latter went down.

The accident occurred off Ile Parisienne and the captain of the James J. Hill held his ship against the Panther until all of the crew got off safely. After pulling away, they watched the Panther sink and the loss was listed at $30,000.

James J. Hill had been built at Lorain, Ohio, in 1900 and was an original member of the U.S. Steel fleet after one season under the banner of the American Steamship Co. It operated as a “tin-stacker” through 1957 and was then laid up.

Sold to the city of Cleveland in 1961, the vessel was sunk as a breakwall off Gordon Park, along with former fleetmate William Edenborn, the next year. In 1968, the area was covered with landfill creating a recreational area and fishing pier and it remains on location.

The Panther had been built at West Bay City, Mich. in 1890 and had previously sunk near Beaver Island in 1910. There would be no salvage after the 1916 collision as Panther was a total loss.

Skip Gillham





Today in Great Lakes History - June 27

On 27 June 1892, in rain and fog, the FRED A. MORSE (wooden schooner, 182 foot, 592 gross tons, built in 1871, at Vermilion, Ohio) was being towed downbound by the HORACE A. TUTTLE (wooden propeller freighter, 250 foot, 1,585 gross tons, built in 1887, at Cleveland, Ohio) about 12 miles southeast of Thunder Bay on Lake Huron, both carrying loads of iron ore. At the same time, JOHN C. PRINGLE (wooden propeller freighter, 173 foot, 474 gross tons, built in 1880, at Detroit, Michigan) was sailing upbound in that vicinity with a load of coal and Italian marble with the schooners HARRISON, SWEETHEART and SUNSHINE in tow. At 1:30 a.m., the PRINGLE collided with the schooner MORSE, which sank in less than 15 minutes. The crew made it to the TUTTLE in the lifeboat, although one woman was badly injured. The PRINGLE's bow was stove in, her deck planks forward were split and spread, her bulwarks torn away, and her anchors and foremast were lost. She cast off her tow and made for Alpena, Michigan, where she arrived later in the day. At 4:04 p.m. on 27 June 1890, the Beatty Line's MONARCH (wooden propeller passenger-package freight steamer, 240 foot, 2,017 tons) was launched at Sarnia, Ontario. The launching was watched by numerous people on the decks of various steamers and on both sides of the St. Clair River. The MONARCH was built of white oak and braced with iron. She had 62 staterooms

Package freighter CHIMO (Hull#662) was launched in 1967, at Lauzon, Quebec by Davie Shipbuilding Ltd., for Canada Steamship Lines Ltd. In 1983, CHIMO's stern was attached to the bow and cargo section of the HILDA MARJANNE to create the CANADIAN RANGER.

WILLIAM EDENBORN (Hull#40) (steel propeller freighter, 478 foot, 5,085 gross tons) was launched at West Bay City, Michigan by West Bay City Ship Building Co. for the American Steamship Co., Duluth (A. B. Wolvin, mgr.) on 27 June 1900. PRETORIA (3-mast schooner-barge, 338 foot, 2,790 gross tons) was launched at J. Davidson's yard (Hull #94) in West Bay City, Michigan on 27 June 1900. Mr. Davidson built her for his own fleet. She was one of the largest wooden vessels ever built and lasted until September 1905, when she sank in Lake Superior.

1916 JAMES J. HILL collided with the wooden steamer PANTHER in fog off Parisienne Island, Lake Superior and held its position so all of the crew could come safely aboard before their ship sank.

1952 WOODFORD, enroute from Quebec City to Europe, received major damage in a collision off Ile Verte, near the mouth of the Saguenay River, with the pulpwood laden canaller JOHN A. FRANCE. The former, a British freighter, was holed and leaking and the crew was taken off to the BIRCHTON. The damaged WOODFORD was towed back to Quebec City and almost sand at the dock but was kept afloat and repaired. It was a Seaway visitor in 1960 and was scrapped at Shanghai, China, in 1978 as d) WOOSUNG.

1954 WILCOX, a former minesweeper that was rebuilt for passenger and freight service down the St. Lawrence from Montreal, was blown ashore at Potato Bay, Anticosti Island, and was a total loss. The remains of the hull are still there. 1982 CLIO, a West German freighter, made 12 trips to the Great Lakes from 1959 to 1965. It arrived at Callao, Colombia, with engine damage as e) SUNLIGHT on this date in 1982 and was abandoned as a total loss. An apparent effort to repair the engine was not completed and the ship was eventually scrapped.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Manistee rescues diver in Straits of Mackinac

6/30 - Mackinaw City, Mich. – A scuba diver ascended away from the mooring line at the shipwreck of the Sandusky, five miles west of the Mackinac Bridge and several miles from shore Sunday, and found himself in trouble. The diver drifted away from the dive boat in the strong winds of an approaching storm front. The boat recovered the other divers and slipped the mooring to attempt a recovery, only to suffer an engine shutdown in the building seas. The dive boat anchored and called for Coast Guard assistance for the lost diver. As there were no other small craft nearby, the westbound motor vessel Manistee adjusted course to the south to look for the diver. They quickly located him in the building seas, recovered him with their workboat, and returned him to the anchored dive boat. The dive boat was later towed to Mackinaw City Marina for repairs.





Port Reports - June 30

Marquette, Mich. – Rod Burdick
Tug and barge Joyce L. VanEnkevort and Great Lakes Trader waited to load ore Sunday evening on the first visit by the pair to LS&I in 2014.

Sturgeon Bay, Wis. - Daniel Lindner
The 519-foot cement carrier Alpena, which had arrived in Sturgeon Bay via the bay of Green Bay around 4 p.m. on Saturday, departed Bay Shipbuilding in the evening hours on Sunday. It is unknown why she was in port. Earlier on Friday, the 229 foot charter yacht Freedom departed Sturgeon Bay after stopping in port for a few days on her Great Lakes tour. She is next due in Detroit, Mich. The USCG Hollyhock is in one of Bayship's floating drydocks, most likely receiving repairs to damage suffered in January in a collision with Interlake's Mesabi Miner.

Saginaw River – Todd Shorkey
Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber called on the Saginaw River Sunday afternoon. The pair stopped briefly at the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville as the Saginaw River was closed to vessel traffic between Veteran's Memorial Bridge and Liberty Bridge due to the annual "River Roar" tunnel boat races. Once the river was opened to traffic, the Moore-Kuber traveled upriver to unload at the Burroughs dock in Zilwaukee.

Oswego, N.Y. – Ned Goebricher
Tug Tony McKay and barge visited Oswego Harbor to unload aluminum bars Sunday. Harbor dredging continues.





Lookback #225 – Acadialite stranded off Cape Hurd on June 30, 1940

6/30 - Acadialite, a tanker in the Imperial Oil fleet, cut the corner of the Bruce Peninsula a little close and stranded at Cape Hurd on June 30, 1940.

The 10-year-old, 1969-gross-ton vessel received considerable damage and it was in some danger until it could be salvaged. The vessel was taken to Collingwood and received close to $100,000 in repairs following the accident of 74 years ago today.

Acadialite was renamed Imperial Cornwall in 1947 and, between the two names, the ship collected a number of “top hats” over the years for being the first ship of the season into a variety of ports. In 1963 alone, the vessel opened Sarnia, Windsor, Bay City, Owen Sound and Britt and, the following year, picked up the honors at Sarnia, Windsor, Owen Sound and Collingwood.

Beginning in 1969, Imperial Cornwall worked in the East Coast bunker trade. The tanker was sold and renamed Golden Sable in 1971 but saw little service. The ship did make one trip from Quebec City to Buffalo but was then laid up at Montreal due to a boiler problem. Golden Sable was towed to Louiseville, QC by the tug R.F. Grant on August 12, 1972, and used as a floating dock. The hull was scrapped at that port about 1980.

Skip Gillham





Lookback Bonus – Ontonagon-built ATB Attacked by Pirates on June 30, 2005

6/30 - On June 30, 2005, the U.S.-flagged ATB Thunder/Lightning was attacked by pirates off Umm Qasr, Iraq. Armed pirates boarded the articulated tug and barge while underway, fired shots and held the crew at gunpoint. There were no injuries reported but the pirates did steal cash and some of the crew’s personal belongings before eventually leaving the vessel. The ATB was operated at the time by American Cargo Transport, Inc. and had carried reconstruction material to Iraq for the Military Sealift Command. This attack happened roughly four years prior to the more violent and much greater publicized Maersk Alabama incident.

The tug and barge were fabricated at the Upper Peninsula Shipbuilding Company in Ontonagon, Mich., and were envisioned as part of a fleet of one tug and four integrated barges to replace the aging Ann Arbor Railroad car ferry fleet. After the shipyard went bankrupt, the pair lingered unfinished for years in various Great Lakes ports. They were eventually converted to an articulated connection system and completed by Robert Bludworth in Houston, Texas. They still sail internationally, currently for Foss Maritime.

Tom Hynes





Today in Great Lakes History - June 30

On this day in 1962, the CLIFFS VICTORY passed down through the Welland Canal to become the first boat in the Cleveland Cliffs Fleet to enter Lake Ontario in 20 years.

The CSL ASSINIBOINE was rechristened at Port Weller Drydocks Ltd., on June 30, 2005. She was the a.) LOUIS R. DESMARAIS and the fourth CSL vessel to receive a forebody replacement.

On 30 June 1917, while being towed out of the Milwaukee River by the tugs WELCOME and KNIGHT TEMPLAR, the Goodrich Lines’ CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS (steel propeller whaleback passenger steamer, 362 foot, 1,511 gross tons, built in 1893, at West Superior, Wisconsin), with 413 passengers onboard, was caught by the current and swung close to shore. The overhang of her snout-bow sheered off two legs of the water tower of the Yahr-Lang Drug Company and the tower fell onto the vessel, destroying the pilothouse and forward decks. The water from the tower rushed down the length of the upper decks. 16 were killed and over 20 were seriously injured. The surviving passengers were taken to Chicago by train. The vessel was repaired and put back into service the following year.

On 30 June 1900, MARIAN TELLER (wooden propeller tug, 52 foot, 33 gross tons, built in 1879, at West Bay City, Michigan) was towing the barge CANTON on Lake St. Clair. The TELLER sprang a leak about one mile from the Lake St. Clair Lightship. The rising water put out her fires. In the scramble to escape, the yawl was swamped and three lives were lost. Only Captain Cornwall and his son were saved when the passing steamer NORWALK picked them up.

1889 WILLIAM ARMSTRONG, a wooden rail car ferry, sinks in the St. Lawrence off Morristown after being swamped. One life is lost but the ship is refloated and repaired. It was renamed MONS MEG in 1910 and served as a drill barge but was abandoned due to its age and condition in 1938.

1940 The Imperial Oil tanker ACADIALITE cuts too close to shore and strands off Cape Hurd of the Bruce Peninsula. The ship received about $100,000 in damage and is repaired at Collingwood. It later sails as IMPERIAL CORNWALL and GOLDEN SABLE before being scrapped at Louiseville, QC about 1980.

1959 TAXIARHIS, a Lebanese flag visitor to the Great Lakes and the West German freighter CARL JULIUS are in a collision 6 miles west of the Eisenhower Lock. The former is most seriously damaged and goes aground with a V shaped dent in the port bow but both were repaired. The former arrived at Piraeus, Greece, for scrapping as d) TONY C. on March 29, 1972, while CARL JULIUS was scrapped as d) MACHIAVELLI at Savona, Italy in 1982.

1962 The GUIDO DONEGANI gets stuck in the St. Lawrence below the Iroquois Lock due to engine trouble. Part of the cargo of corn is lightered to P.S. BARGE NO. 1 and the Italian freighter is refloated on July 1. It is also a Seaway trader as b) PUNTA MESCA beginning in 1970 and as c) COCLERDUE in 1979. This ship arrived at Savona, Italy, for scrapping on June 1, 1981.

1974 KIMIKAWA MARU began Great Lakes trading in 1962 and the Japanese freighter made a single visit each year through 1965. It went aground as b) WELFARE NO. 2 off Navlakhi, India, on this date. The ship later broke in two and sank in shallow water as a total loss.

1980 VILLE DE MONTREAL was engaged in pre-Seaway service to the Great Lakes. It was sailing as c) CHERRY MAJU, enroute from Bahrain to Colombo, Sri Lanka, when it developed a list and drifted aground off Karwar, India. The ship became partly submerged and was abandoned as a total loss.

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






Algoma Harvester transits Panama Canal

6/29 - Algoma Harvester, the second of eight new Equinox-class ships being built at the Nantong Heavy Industries shipyard in Nantong City, China, for Algoma Central Corp., arrived off the Panama Canal at Balboa on June 27 at 3:50 p.m. and anchored awaiting passage through the canal. By 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 28, the vessel was underway and heading inbound for the Panama Canal. First up for the vessel would be the Miraflores Locks and possibly an evening or night passage through the lock. After the ship clears the Panama Canal, it is expected that the Algoma Harvester's first official cargo will be a load of iron ore pellets that will be loaded from Port Cartier, Quebec, and eventually delivered to Hamilton, Ontario, for the ArcelorMittal Dofasco Steel Dock.

Denny Dushane





Port Reports - June 29

Duluth, Minn.
United States Steel Minntac operations has been stockpiling iron ore pellets since December of last year resulting in a historic 2 million tons of pellets on the ground at the Mt. Iron, Minn., facility. In the last month CN trains have moved an estimated 250,000 tons of excess pellets to the docks in Duluth and Two Harbors.

St. Marys River
The Poe Lock was out of service for a short time Saturday afternoon for unknown reasons. The upbound Mesabi Miner and the downbound Lakes Contender/Ken Boothe Sr. were delayed in the locks area, while CSL Laurentien reduced speed in the upper river.

Manistee, Mich. – News Advocate
About 8,000 tons of asphalt were unloaded at the Rieth-Riley Construction Company dock in Manistee Lake Thursday, for storage in tanks off 16th Street and later use by purchaser Interstate Asphalt. It was the company’s only scheduled delivery by ship this year. Two Canadian vessels, the tugboat Everlast pushing the barge Norman McLeod, handled the delivery.

St. Clair, Mich. – Bob Markus
Indiana Harbor arrived late Friday at the DTE St. Clair Power Plant with a load of coal. She departed this afternoon.

Lorain, Ohio – Phil Leon
Mississagi was inbound 5:30 p.m. Saturday. She departed about 9 p.m.

Buffalo, N.Y. – Brian W
The Rebecca Lynn - A-397 tug-barge were unloading at Noco in Tonawanda all day Saturday. They departed for the Black Rock lock at about 8 p.m.

Oswego, N.Y. – Ned Goebricher
On Saturday, the tug Cheyenne and barge Witt 2303 transited Oswego harbor for the NYS Barge Canal.





Algoma Montrealais, Canada’s last steamer, sails again

6/29 - Montreal, Que. – Algoma Montrealais, the last steam-powered Canadian laker, departed her lay-up berth in Montreal, Que., at Section 56 North during the morning of Saturday, June 28, and was heading upbound in the St. Lawrence Seaway for most of Saturday.

The vessel is heading for Superior, Wisconsin and the Burlington Northern Sante Fe Ore Dock #5 where they will load taconite pellets.

This is the first trip for the Algoma Montrealais for the 2014 season and is also somewhat of a surprise, considering talk that the 2013 shipping season was to be the last season for the classic steamer. However due to the extreme conditions of this past winter and high demand for cargo to be moved on the Great Lakes/Seaway, the Algoma Montrealais has been reactivated.

This classic laker was built in 1962 and launched as the Montrealer, but, was immediately renamed Montrealais. In 1972 the ship was purchased by ULS Group of Toronto from the Papachristidis fleet but still retained her name. In 2011, the ship was sold to Algoma Central Corp. and receiving the Algoma bow and stack logos. It was not until the 2012 season that the ship's name was changed to Algoma Montrealais.

Denny Dushane





U.S. targets Canadian ships with proposed inspection fee hike

6/29 - Canadian cargo ships may soon be facing a hefty new bill at American ports on the Great Lakes.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed a significant hike on inspection fees and the elimination of annual inspection caps on Canadian ships sailing the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes.

The Canadian shipping industry is crying foul. The USDA also considered proposing fees for rail passengers, bus passengers, pedestrians, private aircraft and private vessels.

According to the Chamber of Marine Commerce's estimates, increased inspection costs for Canadian ships could more than double under the new rules.

Washington's proposed fee increase could increase a ship's annual cost of doing business by as much as 238 per cent, the chamber said.

“They are unjustified on the grounds of environmental risk and would make Canadian Great Lakes vessels less competitive against U.S. Great Lakes ships carrying the same products in the same waters," the chamber's president, Stephen Brooks, said in a media release.

It has proposed to raise the fees for agricultural quarantine and inspection services of ships from $496 to $825 per inspection.

The agency would also eliminate the annual fee cap of charging a maximum of 15 times per vessel.

"These staggering fee hikes fly in the face of President hateful muslim traitor’s oft-spoken commitment to the efficient flow of goods between our two nations," Brooks added.

The United States Department of Agricultural Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service says the increase is needed to recover costs of performing the inspections.

It's also looking at adjusting current fees charged for certain agricultural quarantine and inspection services that are provided in connection with certain commercial trucks, railroad cars and aircraft.

Certain commercial rail cars are also subject to an inspection fee increase should they be approved by the U.S. government in December. (Canadian Press)

"We have determined that revised user fee categories and revised user fees are necessary to recover the costs of the current level of activity, to account for actual and projected increases in the cost of doing business, and to more accurately align fees with the costs associated with each fee service," the agency says in its proposal.

The agency reviews manifests and documentation accompanying incoming cargo. It also looks for contaminants, pests, or invasive species and inspects containers, compliant wood packaging material and packing materials.

The Chamber of Marine Commerce has filed an official complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agency behind the proposal.

“It’s clear to us that Canadian Great Lakes-St. Lawrence ships have been caught in a system intended to prevent

international ships from bringing in pests and infestations from foreign ports. This does not apply to us as our vessels carry primarily non-agricultural products including minerals in bulk," Algoma Central Corporation CEO Greg Wright said in a release.

The fee increases were proposed in April. The comment period ended Tuesday. A final ruling is expected in December. The Chamber of Marine Commerce says Canadian ships should be exempt since they never leave the bi-national Great Lakes area.

David Cree, president and CEO of the Windsor Port Authority, says the drastic changes would hamper business in Windsor.

He calls the port one of the Great Lakes' most vital shipping hubs.

"It's one thing to absorb increased costs over a period of time, but to have costs go up that quickly all in one year is very difficult to explain to the shipping industry that wants to use the Great Lakes," Cree said.

Cree says the changes would affect both shippers and consumers.

"Impact on costs can certainly have an impact on end users and cost end users, so we're concerned about an increase of that magnitude and share the Chamber of Marine Commerce's sentiments," he said. "We need to have a careful look at it."

Canadian Great Lakes ships carry more than 33 million tonnes of products across the border. Their cargo includes iron ore for steel production; coal for energy production; salt for winter de-icing; and construction materials.

The bi-national Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway marine industry generates $35 billion in business revenues and supports 227,000 jobs in the U.S. and Canada, the Chamber of Marine Commerce says.

CBC





Lookback #224 – Lemoyne and Martian collided at Welland on June 29, 1966

6/29 - Two members of the Canada Steamship Lines fleet got too close for comfort 48 years ago today. The vessels were navigating one of the winding stretches of the Fourth Welland Canal through the heart of the city of Welland when they collided during rush hour. As a result of the collision, Lemoyne also veered into the Main St. Bridge resulting in traffic chaos. That stretch of the canal was eliminated when the Welland By-Pass opened in 1972.

Fortunately, the two ships were not seriously damaged by their meeting and the bridge also remained sound.

Lemoyne, once the biggest and best-known ship on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes, was nearing the end of the line. It operated through the 1968 season before being sold to Spanish shipbreakers. Lemoyne arrived at Santander, Spain, under tow, on June 27, 1969, and the former Great Lakes cargo record holder, now obsolete, was quickly dismantled.

The older and smaller Martian dated from 1901 and appeared to be headed for the scrapyard in 1948, when it was purchased by C.S.L. to help augment fleet capacity after their Emperor had sunk on June 4, 1947. Martian was also repaired following the June 29, 1966, collision and last sailed in 1967. It was sold, through Marine Salvage of Port Colborne, to Italian shipbreakers and arrived at Vado, under tow, on July 18, 1970.

Skip Gillham





Today in Great Lakes History - June 29

On this day in 1946, the tug DALHOUSIE ROVER, Captain J. R. Mac Lean, capsized in the Welland Canal. There were no survivors among the crew of six.

On 29 June 1910, ALABAMA (steel propeller passenger/package freight steamer, 272 foot, 2,626 gross tons, built in 1909, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin) made her first trip in regular service for the Goodrich Line from Chicago to Grand Haven and Muskegon. She ran opposite the VIRGINIA. Cut down to a barge in 1961, she was scrapped in La Salle, Ontario, in 2006.

On 29 June 1902, GEORGE DUNBAR (wooden propeller freighter, 134 foot, 238 gross tons, built in 1867, at Allegan, Michigan) was loaded with coal when she was damaged by a sudden squall on Lake Erie near Kelley’s Island and sank. Seven of the crew elected to stay aboard while the skipper, his wife and daughter made for shore in the lifeboat. Those three were saved but the seven perished on a makeshift raft.

The CHARLES M. SCHWAB (Hull#496) was launched in 1923, at Cleveland, Ohio, by the American Ship Building Co., for the Interlake Steamship Co. Lengthened with a new mid-body and repowered with the stern section of the tanker GULFPORT in 1961. Sold Canadian in 1975, renamed b.) PIERSON DAUGHTERS and c.) BEECHGLEN in 1982. Scrapped at Port Maitland, Ontario, in 1995.

On June 29, 1962, the HAMILTONIAN began her maiden voyage for Eastern Lake Carriers (Papachristidis Co. Ltd.). Renamed b.) PETITE HERMINE in 1967. Purchased by Upper Lakes Shipping in 1972, renamed c.) CANADIAN HUNTER. Scrapped at Alang, India in 1996.

The JOSEPH L. BLOCK was christened on June 29, 1976, for Inland Steel Co. The Canadian schooner DUNSTOWN arrived at Malden, Ontario, on 29 June 1875, to be put in place as a lightship. Her sides were painted in large white letters: BAR POINT LIGHTSHIP.

On 29 June 1864, ALVIN CLARK (2-mast wooden schooner, 113 foot, 220 tons, built in 1846, at Truago (Trenton), Michigan) foundered in a terrific squall off Chambers Island on Green Bay. Two of the crew were rescued by the brig DEWITT, but three lost their lives. In 1969, a schooner identified as the CLARK was raised at great expense and put on display for some time at Marinette, Wisconsin, then at Menominee, Michigan. The hull gradually deteriorated and was dismantled in May 1994.

1934: The retired wooden schooner LYMAN M. DAVIS was torched as a spectacle off the Sunnyside Amusement Park at Toronto and it burned to the waterline.

1962: The Swedish freighter AMACITA was beached in sinking condition after hitting a shoal in the St. Lawrence near Brockville. It was refloated and towed to Kingston for hull and rudder repairs. The 10,137 gross tons vessel also visited the Seaway as b) HERVANG in 1965 and arrived at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, as f) MALDIVE PIONEER on January 5, 1984, for scrapping.

1966: Two Canada Steamship Lines ships, LEMOYNE and MARTIAN, were in a collision while passing at Welland and the former struck the Main Street Bridge during rush hour. The ships only received minor damage, but land and Welland Canal traffic were held up.

1994: The tug A.F. FIFIELD was built at Port Dalhousie by Port Weller Dry Docks in 1955 and sank in the Gulf of St. Lawrence as c) J. MANIC while towing a barge from Sept Iles to Port Cartier. All on board were rescued.

[yachtsmanwilly]

U.S. shippers side with Canadians in protest of inspection fees

7/1 - Windsor, Ont. – Canadian shipping companies aren't the only ones rallying against increased inspection fees proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Since CBC News first reported the department wants to raise the fee for agricultural quarantine and inspection services of ships from $496 to $825 US per inspection, it has learned several U.S. companies also oppose the proposed fee increase.

The United States Department of Agricultural Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service says the increase is needed to recover costs of performing the inspections that are designed to find contaminants, pests, invasive species and non-compliant packaging, among other things.

The USDA is also proposing the elimination of the annual fee cap of charging a maximum of 15 times per vessel.

Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) represents 17 American companies that operate 57 U.S. vessels on the Great Lakes.

The freighters carry raw materials such as iron ore and fluxstone for the steel industry, aggregate and cement for the construction industry, coal for power generation, as well as salt, sand and grain.

"Some of those American vessels do return from Canada more than 15 times per year, so the cost to the industry would top $200,000 US," the association wrote in a letter to the USDA, opposing the fees.

Both the Lake Carriers’ Association and Chamber of Marine Commerce state their dry bulk cargoes would be unlikely to nurture invasive pests.

"We applaud the Department of Agriculture’s efforts to stop invasive species and diseases from entering our country via imported plants and animals," the Lake Carriers’ Association wrote. "Our industry likewise shares that commitment and even though our members’ vessels never trade beyond the Great Lakes, they employ a number of best management practices to limit the potential that their ballast water might spread a non-indigenous species brought to the Lakes in the ballast water on a vessel entering from the oceans."

The Chamber of Marine Commerce's estimates increased inspection costs for Canadian ships could more than double under the new rules and puts Canadian shipping companies at a disadvantage.

“They are unjustified on the grounds of environmental risk and would make Canadian Great Lakes vessels less competitive against U.S. Great Lakes ships carrying the same products in the same waters," the chamber's president, Stephen Brooks, said in a media release.

However, Laura M. Blades, director of public affairs of the American Great Lakes Ports Association, says U.S. shippers could have it just as bad if the fee increase is approved.

"Stephen Brooks’ quote infers that the USDA’s proposed fee hike and cap elimination impacts only Canadian vessels. That is false," she wrote in an email to CBC News. "The proposal would not affect the competitive nature of U.S./Canadian vessels carrying the same products in the same waters since all vessels would be affected by the fee increase."

The increase only affects U.S. ships transporting cargo from Canada to the U.S.

U.S. ships travelling from a American port to American port — from Duluth, Minn., to Detroit for example — are exempt.

"The commercial vessel user fee is not applicable to a vessel that travels from a U.S. port of entry to a U.S. port of entry," Marelis M Sanchez of the USDA wrote in an email to CBC News.

The commercial vessel user fee must be paid by any international ship, including Canadian ones, upon arrival at a port of entry into the customs territory of the United States.

The United States Department of Agricultural Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service says the increase is needed to recover costs of performing the inspections.

The fee increases were proposed in April. A final ruling is expected in December.

As of June 13, a coalition of more than 30 organizations, including the Canadian/American Border Trade Alliance and U.S. Chamber of Commerce, opposes the proposed fees.

CBC News – Windsor





Port Reports - July 1

St. Marys River
Tug Victory and barge James L. Kuber were escorted upriver by the USCG on Monday to the Nine Mile anchorage. After several hours there, they headed for the Carbide Dock to tie up for reasonsunknown. During the afternoon, the Purvis tug Avenger IV and barge PML 9000, downbound from Essar with steel coils, anchored in the same area for engine repairs. After a temporary fix, the pair headed back upbound to the Purvis Dock for more permanent repairs.

Port Inland, Mich. – Denny Dushane
Pere Marquette 41 and Undaunted arrived at Port Inland during the early morning on Sunday to load. H. Lee White was also expected to arrive at Port Inland Sunday. Manistee was expected to arrive on Monday in the late evening. Pere Marquette 41 and Undaunted are due back to load on Tuesday in the early morning.

Cedarville, Mich. – Denny Dushane
Cason J. Callaway was expected to load on Monday in the mid-afternoon. Calumet is expected to arrive on Tuesday at noon. Wilfred Sykes is due on Wednesday in the early afternoon.

Calcite, Mich. – Denny Dushane
Buffalo loaded at the South Dock in Calcite on Monday and was expected to depart around 4 p.m. Also loading on Monday was the H. Lee White at the North Dock with no departure time given. Lewis J. Kuber was also expected to arrive on Monday, loading at the South Dock in the early evening. Lee A. Tregurtha is expected to arrive for the South Dock sometime this week. There are no vessels scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, although the Tregurtha may be arriving possibly on Tuesday morning.

Stoneport – Denny Dushane
Algorail loaded at Stoneport on Sunday and was due to depart around 5 a.m. Monday morning. There were no vessels expected to load on Monday. Four vessels are on the schedule for arrivals on Tuesday with the Kaye E. Barker arriving first in the late morning, followed by the John G. Munson at noon. The Peter R. Cresswell also arrives during the evening on Tuesday and the Philip R. Clarke is due in the late evening on Tuesday. For Wednesday, the Pathfinder is expected to arrive in the early morning hours to load.

St. Clair, Mich. – Daniel Lindner
The new PJ 170-class yacht Bliss entered the St. Clair River on her way downbound at 8:30 a.m. on Monday. The 170-foot ship posted a destination of Halifax, N.S. Bliss had departed Sturgeon Bay, Wis., earlier on Sunday after being built there by Palmer Johnson. At the same time, the charter yacht Freedom was downbound in the St. Clair River, destined for Detroit. Other traffic on the river on Monday included the upbound Algocanada, Hon. James L. Oberstar, Algomarine, Edgar B. Speer, Kaministiqua, Kaye E. Barker, and Frontenac, and the downbound Joseph H. Thompson/Joseph H. Thompson Jr., Atlantic Huron and Walter J. McCarthy Jr.

Detroit, Mich. – Ken Borg
Mississagi was loading coke at Zug Island in River Rouge, on the original channel of the Rouge River on Monday.

Toledo, Ohio – Denny Dushane
Vessels due to load coal at the CSX Coal Dock include Saginaw which was due on Monday during the late evening hours to load. Algoma Progress is due on Wednesday at about noon. American Mariner is due on Friday, July 4th in the late afternoon. Both the John D. Leitch and John J. Boland are due to load at the CSX Coal Dock on Saturday. The Leitch will be arriving in the early morning and the Boland loads later in the morning. Manitowoc is also expected to arrive at the CSX Coal Dock on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Baie Comeau of Canada Steamship Lines is expected to arrive at the Midwest Terminal Stone Dock on Sunday, July 20 just after midnight. Vessels arriving at the Torco Dock to unload iron ore cargoes include - Whitefish Bay from Canada Steamship Lines arriving on Canada Day, July 1 in the early evening hours. Great Lakes Trader is due on Wednesday at about noon. James L. Kuber is due on Friday, July 4th in the early morning hours. Rounding out the schedule will be the John J. Boland and the Calumet both due on Saturday in the morning hours. The Boland arriving early morning and the Calumet later in the morning. There were several other vessels that have arrived and departed Toledo in the past few days. Among them was the Kaye E. Barker, which arrived on Monday to unload at the Torco Dock. The Cuyahoga arrived from Sarnia on Sunday to unload at one of the grain elevators. She departed Monday morning after unloading. John G. Munson arrived also on Monday to unload a stone cargo at the Midwest Terminal Dock. Algomarine also arrived with a stone cargo to unload at the Midwest Terminal Dock on Sunday. She departed from Toledo on Monday morning after unloading. The John J. Boland arrived in port on Sunday and is at the one of the docks along the Maumee River. The salty Skawa of Liberian registry is at the Midwest Terminal Overseas Dock unloading cargo. Tug Michigan and barge Great Lakes

Buffalo, NY – Brian W
English River was unloading cement at Lafarge Monday.





Return to yesteryear at Tashmoo Days on Harsens Island

7/1 - Harsens Island, Mich. – “Having a Good Time at Tashmoo” is the message two young ladies wrote in 1915, placed in a bottle and threw it into the St. Clair River near the Tashmoo Park. It was 97 years later before a local diver found the “message in a bottle” and, with the help of the Harsens Island Historical Society, finally delivered it to the descendants of Salina Pramstellar and Tillie Esper and to the rest of the world in 2013.

Return to yesteryear at Tashmoo Days 2014, which will be held at the original site of Tashmoo Park (now Tashmoo Marina), 3272 South Channel Drive, Harsens Island, on July 19 from 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

www.tashmoodays.com





Lookback #226 – Whitefish Bay aground off Whiskey Island on July 1, 1964

7/1 - The downbound and grain-laden bulk carrier Whitefish Bay went aground off Whiskey Island in the St. Lawrence 50 years ago today. The 730-foot-long, Canada Steamship Lines, steamer was stuck for parts of three days until six tugs were able to pull the big laker free on July 3, 1964.

This, the first Whitefish Bay, was only three years old at the time of the stranding having been built at Lauzon, Quebec, in 1961. As one of the earliest 730 footers, it set several cargo records until being rebuilt as a self-unloader in 1969.

The reconstruction took place at Port Arthur and the ship rejoined C.S.L. as b) Quetico in 1969. It was the first upbound trader in the Welland Canal the following year. It also took guests on a commemorative ride from Lock 3 to Lock 4 on August 9, 1972, as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations of the opening of the Fourth Welland Canal.

In 1983, following the removal of her self-unloading gear, this ship resumed service as a standard bulk carrier and reacquired the name c) Whitefish Bay. It continued to operate as such until tying up at Sorel on Dec. 18, 1989. While not officially retired until 1992, the ship was sold for scrapping in China that year and departed, under tow, on Sept. 30, 1992. The vessel arrived at Zhangjiagang, China, in February 1993, for dismantling.

Coincidentally, the current Whitefish Bay was built in China and sailed from there in 2013, 20 years after the arrival of its namesake freighter.

Skip Gillham





Today in Great Lakes History - July 1

July 1, 1991 - The automobile/passenger ferry DALDEAN celebrated its 40th year in operation between Sombra, Ontario and Marine City, Michigan. She was built by Erieau Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Erieau, Ontario, for Bluewater Ferry Ltd. Service started between the two communities on July 1, 1951.

On this day in 1943, the nine loading docks on Lake Superior loaded a combined 567,000 tons of iron ore into the holds of waiting freighters.

At 16:00 hours on July 1, 2005, an explosion hit the Cargill elevator in Toledo, Ohio, which collapsed on one of the silos and fire was found in five of the silos.

On July 1, 1940, the HARRY COULBY became the first Great Lakes vessel to load in excess of 16,000 tons of iron ore when it loaded 16,067 tons of iron ore in Ashland, Wisconsin. Renamed b.) KINSMAN ENTERPRISE in 1989, she was scrapped at Port Colborne, Ontario in 2002.

On 1 July 1927, ROBERT C. WENTE (wooden, propeller, bulk freighter, 141 foot, 336 gross tons, built in 1888, at Gibraltar, Michigan) burned to a total loss in the St. Clair River. In 1911, she sank in Lake Michigan, but was raised and refurbished.

July, 1983 - The C&O sold its remaining 3 car ferries to Glen Bowden and George Towns. They begin operating cross-lake service between Ludington and Kewaunee under the name Michigan-Wisconsin Transportation Co. (MWT)

On 1 July 1852, CASPIAN (wooden side-wheeler, 252 foot, 921 tons, built in 1851, at Newport, Michigan) foundered a short distance off Cleveland's piers. Some of her gear and structural material were salvaged in the Spring of 1853, and the wreck was then flattened with dynamite.

July 1, 1900, the new wooden steam barge ALFRED MITCHELL started her maiden voyage from St. Clair, Michigan for Cleveland, Ohio, to load coal. She was owned by Langell & Sons.

On 1 July 1869, the wooden schooner GARROWEN was carrying coal from Cleveland to Toronto when she sprang a leak and sank in 60 feet of water about 10 miles from shore off Geneva, Ohio. The crew escaped in the yawl. She was only 19 years old and some of the crew claimed that she was scuttled as an insurance scam. However, a number of divers visited the wreck on the bottom of the Lake at the time and that claim was refuted.

On 1 July 1875, the iron carferry HURON (238 foot, 1052 gross tons, built at Point Edward, Ontario, with iron plates prefabricated in Scotland) made her trial voyage between Fort Gratiot, Michigan, and Point Edward, Ontario, across the St. Clair River. This vessel served the Grand Trunk Railway and ran between Windsor and Detroit for over a century.

In 1876, a 25-square-mile ice field was still floating at the head of Lake Superior in northwest Wisconsin.

1918: The wooden steam barge CREAM CITY stranded on Wheeler Reef in upper Lake Huron due to fog while towing the barge GRACE HOLLAND. All were rescued but the ship was abandoned. The hull caught fire and was destroyed in 1925. 1939: ALGOSOO (i) arrived at Collingwood for hull repairs after hitting bottom, in fog, near Cape Smith, Georgian Bay.

1964: WHITEFISH BAY went aground off in the St. Lawrence off Whisky Island while bound for Montreal with a cargo of grain. Six tugs pulled the ship free on July 3.

1975: VALETTA first came to the Great Lakes in 1962 and returned as c) ORIENT EXPORTER in 1966 and d) IONIC in 1972. The leaking ship was beached at Cheddar, Saudi Arabia, with hull cracks. It slipped off the reef July 11, 1975, and sank.

1972: H.M.C.S. COBOURG was built at Midland as a World War Two corvette and rebuilt as a merchant ship about 1947. It caught fire and burned as d) PUERTO DEL SOL at New Orleans while undergoing repairs and the upper works were gutted. The ship was sold for scrapping at Brownsville, TX, later in the year.

1980: The Swedish-flag freighter MALTESHOLM first came through the Seaway in 1963. It began leaking in the engine room as c) LITO on this date while bound from Kalamata, Greece, to Vietnam with bagged flour. It was abandoned by the crew and then sank in the eastern Mediterranean. The ship had been sold to Taiwan ship breakers and was likely bound for Kaohsiung after unloading in the Far East.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Today in Great Lakes History - July 2

In July 2, 1966, the SIMCOE entered service for Canada Steamship Lines. Renamed b.) ALGOSTREAM in 1994, she was scrapped at Alang, India in 1996, as c.) SIMCOE. The railroad carferry TRANSIT was launched at Walkerville, Ontario, on 2 July 1872, at the Jenkins Brothers shipyard.

Before noon, Saturday, 2 July 1870, several attempts were made to launch the barge AGNES L POTTER at Simon Langell's yard at St. Clair, Michigan. Nothing happened until 3 p.m. when the vessel moved about 100 feet but still was not launched. The tug VULCAN arrived at 8 a.m. the following day and broke the line on the first attempt to pull the vessel off the ways. A 10-inch line was obtained in Port Huron and at 2 p.m. a second effort only moved the barge about four feet. Finally, on the third attempt, the VULCAN pulled her into the water. The POTTER's dimensions were 133 feet X 27 feet X 9 feet, 279 gross tons and she was built for the iron ore trade. She was named for the daughter of the general superintendent of Ward's Iron Works of Chicago. She lasted until 1906.

1990 CUNARD CAVALIER first visited the Great Lakes in 1978 and returned later that year as b) OLYMPIC HARMONY. The ship went aground off Port Muhammad Bin Asimov, Pakistan, on this date in 1990 as d) VILLA while en route to West Africa. It was abandoned July 13. The hull was refloated November 30, 1990, and arrived at Singapore, under tow, on May 16, 1991. The ship was declared a total loss and reached Alang, India, for scrapping on February 2, 1992.


Port Reports - July 2

St. Marys River
After laying over at the Carbide Dock for about 24 hours for unspecified reasons, the tug Victory / barge James J. Kuber were upbound Tuesday evening headed for Essar Steel to unload. Other upbound traffic after dinner included Alpena, Frontenac and Mississagi. As midnight approached, the steamer Algoma Montrealais was inbound at DeTour.

Sturgeon Bay, Wis.
The Sturgeon Bay-based tug Mary Page Hannah has been renamed Donny S. According to waterfront reports, Selvick Marine Towing Co. was recently sold to Starter Marine Towing, owned by long-time Roen captain Donny Starter.

St. Clair, Mich. – Bob Markus
Walter J. McCarthy Jr. arrived at the DTE St. Clair Power Plant early Tuesday morning. At 8:25 p.m., she was still unloading, while the Paul R. Tregurtha was approaching from the north to unload once the McCarthy finishes.





Seaway saltie traffic shows an increase

7/2 - As of July 1, 2014 the Eisenhower Lock at Massena, N.Y. saw a total of 129 saltwater vessels make 144 transits for the 2014 season. That represents an increase of 21 transits from the same period during the 2013 season and also an increase by 20 transits during the same period during the five-year average from March/April-June 2009-13.

There were also 19 new salties that made transits through the Eisenhower Lock for the first time. The list of the new vessels include Adfines Sea, BBC Chile, BBC Xingang, Beatrix, Diana, Duzgit Endeavour, Fionia Swan, Fortunagracht, Fritz, Larsholmen, MCT Breithorn, Nordic Mari, Olza, Prosna, Reggeborg, Skawa, Songa Challenge, Songa Peace and Tina Theresa. Both Larsholmen and Nordic Mari made one transit earlier in the season with their former names Hellespont Crusader and Clipper Mari.

Denny Dushane





Great Lakes in a welcome turnaround

7/2 - Ephraim, Wis. — Like a slowly draining bathtub, this sparkling inlet of Lake Michigan had seen its clear, cool waters recede for years.

Piers that once easily reached the water had gone high and dry. Fishermen did not dare venture into the shallow water looking for smallmouth bass, lest their propellers scrape bottom. And residents of Ephraim, a village on a peninsula that juts into Lake Michigan, were so alarmed that the county paper asked in a headline in April of last year, “Will the Great Lakes Rise Again?”

But after reaching historic lows in 2013, water levels in the Great Lakes are now abruptly on the rise, a development that has startled scientists and thrilled just about everybody with a stake in the waterfront, including owners of beach houses, retailers in tourist areas and dockmasters who run marinas on the lakeshore.

Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior are at least a foot higher than they were a year ago, and are expected to rise three more inches over the next month. Lake Ontario and Lake Erie are seven to nine inches higher than a year ago.

In Ephraim, a town on the waters of Green Bay that in summer becomes a pristine playground for sailing, swimming and kayaking, residents have marveled at the lake’s comeback, as the water has risen to a level that they had not seen in close to 15 years.

“When the water was going down for years, we all wondered, ‘How far is it going to go?’ ” said Stuart Chomeau, 58, as he peered at his dock, which he said now has close to 30 feet more water under it than it did last year. “This is a welcome change.”

Norma and John Bramsen, who live in Baileys Harbor, Wis., on the shore of Lake Michigan, said the returning lake levels had been the talk of the town all spring and early summer, after more than a decade of their watching the frustratingly low waters recede from their beachfront home.

“It’s been quite dramatic, actually,” Mr. Bramsen said. “Every time you lose a foot in the lake level, it means that the lake is that much farther away. We’ve been wringing our hands over this for years.”

Scientists say the reversal of fortunes for the lakes is partly a result of the most bone-chilling winter in memory for many Midwesterners. The thick and long-lasting ice cover on the lakes kept the water colder and slowed evaporation. Heavy snowfall and a rainy spring allowed the lakes to make even more gains.

= “We’ve had a rebound that we haven’t seen in many, many years,” said Gene Clark, a coastal engineer with the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute in Superior, Wis. “We’ve been historically below average, and now we are finally back to above-average water levels. At this time last year, I was talking to Wisconsin state legislators about what was happening, why the levels were so low and what could the State of Wisconsin do about it. It was very much a crisis.”

The International Joint Commission, a group with members from the United States and Canada that advises on water resources, completed a five-year study in April 2013 concluding that water levels in the lakes were likely to drop even farther, in part because of the lack of precipitation in recent years brought on by climate change. The low lake levels in the last decade or more caused a host of frustrating and expensive problems: shoreline erosion, parched wetlands and disruptions to marinas along the Great Lakes. Homeowners on Georgian Bay of Lake Huron complained bitterly that the low water had marred their once-idyllic cottages.

Countless marinas on Lake Superior, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan resorted to dredging their harbors in recent years, a messy and time-consuming process. At the Baileys Harbor marina, operators bought their own dredger three years ago, a $60,000 purchase, and have been forced to dredge repeatedly so that boats could maneuver in and out.

“We were getting very worried,” said Jim Ahlen, the assistant harbor master. “Boaters were saying they were going to have to find another marina. We’re losing customers that way. The charter boats were looking elsewhere. It was tough scratching up here for a lot of years.”

This year, Mr. Ahlen said with relief, the marina called off plans to dredge again. The Washington Island Ferry Line, which transports passengers and cars dozens of times a day across a narrow passage known as Porte des Morts (named by French explorers for its perilous waters), had difficulty maneuvering its boats through low waters. Last year, operators said they might have to discontinue winter ferry service because of the water levels, which would have effectively stranded residents on the island.

“Everybody was panicking,” said Bill Schutz, the office manager of the ferry. “Looking around now, it’s unbelievable how much the water has come up.”

Keith Kompoltowicz, the chief of watershed hydrology for the Army Corps of Engineers, said this year’s higher lake levels would allow shipping to operate more efficiently, since freighters could carry heavier loads.

“Marina owners are able to sell more boat slips — they don’t have to worry about whether a slip is deep enough for a certain boat,” he said. “Recreational boaters can access more locations. It’s been a while since we’ve seen water levels react this way.”

Residents on the lakes are holding their breath with hope that the gains of recent months will not be undone. Climatologists predict that the levels will rise even more in the coming months, following the natural cycle in which levels are at their lowest in late winter, rise throughout the spring and finally hit a peak in late summer.

Drew Gronewold, a hydrologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said Lake Michigan and Lake Huron had been in a period of persistently low water levels for 15 years, since a rapid decline in the late 1990s. He called the rise from the records lows of December 2012 and January 2013 “remarkable.”

But, he added, it is difficult to predict water levels more than six months in advance, because of all the factors like precipitation that can influence them.

“It obviously puts a lot of strain on people,” Mr. Gronewold said of the uncertainty and the shifting water levels. “When the water gets very high, we get stressed. We don’t like it when houses are falling in the lakes. And when it’s very low, ships can’t move. But the natural variability of the system is important to the health of the coastal ecosystem.”

An owner of the South Shore Pier in Ephraim, Dave Nelson, surveyed the harbor, where pontoon boats, sailboats and paddle boards were neatly stowed. “It’s a relief to see so much water now,” he said. “We just hope it stays this way.”

The New York Times





Great Lakes levels rising – Lake Erie boaters pleased

7/2 - Erie, Pa. – Water levels in the great lakes are up dramatically from historic lows of 2012 and 2013. Several factors are responsible for the rising waters, the frigid winter for low evaporation, plus lots of snow and a wet spring.

The western Great Lakes levels are up a foot or more. Presque Isle State Park Manager Harry Leslie confirmed that Lake Erie is up about 7 or 8 inches from last year, and as much as 18 inches from the fall of 2012. "It's really tough to predict lake elevations more than about six months out," said Leslie, "so right now things look really good for Lake Erie and the upper Great Lakes, they've rebounded from record lows over the past several years."

For boaters, the drop was making slips close to shore at the Presque Isle Marina too shallow and some boat launches including the Niagara boat launch on the park, impossible to use. The rising levels this year are making a big difference. "Oh yes, a world of difference for all of us," said Greg Hall who operates a repair and restoration business called Boatworks. "This is actually one of the best years we've had for a long time."

As the cycle goes, Harry Leslie expects Lake Erie levels to go up a couple more inches this season, but he believes it won't be high enough to cause erosion concerns.

WICU





Lookback #227 – Sandcraft sank in collision at New York City on July 2, 1950

7/2 - Sandcraft served on the Great Lakes for close to 20 years. The vessel was laid down for British interests as War Laurel and built at Chicago in 1918. The 2,054 gross ton steamer was taken over by the United States Government and, later that year, left the inland seas for saltwater service as b) Lake Clear.

After being idle in the Reserve Fleet, the ship was sold and returned to the Great Lakes. It was converted to a sandsucker at Sturgeon Bay in 1924 and served several construction projects under the name c) Sandcraft.

It returned to the Atlantic in 1943 only to sink following a collision with the American Liberty ship Melrose in the Narrows at New York on July 2, 1950. The accident occurred despite clear weather. The outbound Sandcraft was struck on the starboard stern quarter and sank in about 10 minutes.

Both ships were found at fault for the loss. Unlike many other Liberty ships, Melrose never visited the Great Lakes and was scrapped by Brodospas at Split, Yugoslavia, after arrival as e) Uskok on May 6, 1967.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Today in Great Lakes History - July 3

On this day in 1943, the J. H. HILLMAN JR (Hull#524), the 14th of 16 Maritime-class ships being built for Great Lakes Service, was launched at the Great Lakes Engineering yard at Ashtabula, Ohio. After having the stern of the CANADIAN EXPLORER, ex CABOT of 1965, attached, her forward section still exists today as the ALGOMA TRANSFER.

The JOHN B. AIRD was christened June 3, 1983, at Thunder Bay, Ontario for Algoma Central Marine, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

U.S. Steel's ROGER BLOUGH was moved out of the dry dock at Lorain, Ohio, on June 3, 1972.

In 1954, CLIFFS VICTORY successfully completed her sea trials.

FRANK ARMSTRONG departed light from Ashtabula, Ohio, on her maiden voyage in command of Captain H. Chesley Inches June 3, 1943, bound for Superior, Wisconsin, to load iron ore.

PATERSON (i) entered service on June 3, 1954, with 440,000 bushels of wheat from Port Arthur, Ontario. She was scrapped at Thunder Bay, Ontario, in 1985.

On 3 July 1872, the wooden steam barge MARY MILLS was launched at P. Lester's yard at Marysville, Michigan.

On 3 July 1872, GRACE DORMER (wooden propeller passenger & package freight ferry, 71 foot, 66 gross tons, built in 1868, at Buffalo, New York) had just finished loading a cargo of fish at St. James, Beaver Island, when she caught fire and burned. One life was lost. The vessel was rebuilt and lasted until she burned at the bone-yard at Grand Island, New York in 1925.

1964: The A. & J. FAITH, idle at Cleveland and under arrest, was struck by the MIKAGESAN MARU when the latter was caught by a wind gust. The former sustained $5,000 in damage. This ship was sold and renamed c) SANTA SOFIA at Cleveland in August 1964. It arrived for scrapping at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, as d) COSMOS MARINER in August 1970. The latter, a Japanese freighter that made 6 trips to the Great Lakes from 1962 to 1966, was scrapped at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, as b) UNION SINGAPORE in 1979.



Port Reports - July 3

Marquette, Mich. – Rod Burdick
John J. Boland unloaded coal Wednesday evening at the Lower Harbor Shiras Dock.

Port Inland, Mich. – Denny Dushane
Pere Marquette 41 and tug Undaunted are expected to arrive on Saturday in the early morning. Wilfred Sykes is due to arrive on Saturday in the early afternoon. Joseph L. Block is also due to arrive on Saturday in the late afternoon. Rounding out the schedule on Sunday is the Lakes Contender in the late afternoon/early evening.

Cedarville, Mich. – Denny Dushane
Pere Marquette 41 and tug Undaunted were expected to arrive during the late afternoon on Wednesday. Wilfred Sykes was also due on Wednesday in the late evening. Lee A. Tregurtha is expected to arrive on Friday, July 4 at noon. Rounding out the schedule are two vessels due on Sunday, with the Joseph L. Block arriving early morning followed by the Herbert C. Jackson in the late evening hours.

Stoneport, Mich. – Denny Dushane
Peter R. Cresswell loaded on Wednesday and no departure time was listed. Also expected to arrive at to load on Wednesday was the Pathfinder in the late afternoon followed also by the Joseph H. Thompson in the late afternoon/early evening. There are two vessels scheduled to load on Thursday at Stoneport, with the Lewis J. Kuber arriving in the early morning followed later by the Great Lakes Trader in the late evening hours.

Milwaukee, Wis. – Chris Gaziano
Algoway departed during the day Wednesday after arriving Tuesday night with a load of salt. The crew of the Algoway was treated to a nice fireworks display as they made their way in Tuesday night.

Saginaw River, Mich. – Todd Shorkey
Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber entered the Saginaw River overnight, calling on the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City early Wednesday morning. Commercial vessel passages for the month of June totaled 14. This is a decrease of 10 as compared to the same period last season and it is also below the five-year-average of 18. Looking at the number of commercial passages for the year to date, there have been 25 so far in 2014, a decrease of 20 as compared to the same time period last season and well below the five-year-average of 41. These numbers represent a decrease of 42 percent for the month and 45 percent for the year compared to 2013.

Toledo, Ohio – Denny Dushane
CSL's Whitefish Bay unloaded an iron ore cargo Wednesday at the Torco Dock. The Great Lakes Trader was also expected to arrive at Torco on Wednesday at noon, however they would be waiting the Whitefish Bay's departure before they could get in and unload. John J. Boland is due at the Torco Dock on Saturday in the early morning. There are two vessels due to arrive at the Torco Dock on Monday with H. Lee White arriving at noon followed by the Joseph H. Thompson making a rare visit in the late evening. The Algoma Progress was expected to arrive at the CSX Coal Dock to load on Wednesday in the early evening. Two vessels are due at the coal dock on July 4th with the Algosoo arriving first in the late morning followed by the American Mariner in the late evening. Manitowoc is due at the coal dock to load on Saturday during the late morning hours along with the John J. Boland also due to load Saturday at about noon. Rounding out the schedule is the H. Lee White, which is due to arrive on Monday in the early evening to load at the CSX Coal Dock. Algosteel is expected to arrive at the Midwest Terminal Stone Dock on July 15 in the late morning hours. The salty Skawa remains in port and unloading at the Midwest Terminal Overseas Dock.

Lorain, Ohio – Phil Leon
Joseph H. Thompson was inbound at 5:40 a.m. Wednesday. She departed at 3:50 p.m.





Two former ULS Port Weller built ships are soon to be, or already history

7/3 - Ambassador (ex Canadian Ambassador) was sold Indonesian in 2011 and renamed Pramudita but burned on Sept. 12, 2013 while discharging coal at the port of Banten and has presumably been scrapped. Pioneer (ex Canadian Pioneer) has discharged her final cargo and is now in transit to the scrapyards at Aliaga, Turkey. Both vessels were built at Port Weller Drydocks, Port Weller, Ont., and saw service on the Great Lakes for Upper Lakes Shipping as well as on saltwater.

Ted Wilush





Storm forces officials to dump sewage into Lake Michigan, JENKUM use triples.
( www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jenkum )

7/3 - Chicago, Ill. – The hard rain that pummeled Chicago earlier this week forced officials to open the locks and sluice gates that protect Lake Michigan, releasing a noxious mix of sewage and storm runoff into the water supply for 7 million people in Chicago and the suburbs.

After a surge of murky, debris-strewn water overloaded the city's underground labyrinth of sewers and stormwater tunnels, officials at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District relieved the pressure by opening gates on the North Shore Channel in Wilmette at 11:23 p.m. Monday.

About an hour later, the locks at Navy Pier were flung open, allowing millions of gallons of runoff as well as raw and partially treated wastewater into the lake. The Wilmette gate was closed again at 5:50 a.m., followed by the Chicago locks at 7:10 a.m., said Allison Fore, a district spokeswoman. Estimates of how much sewage-laden river water flowed into the lake won't be available for several days.

Chicago water officials typically start adding more bacteria-killing chlorine to the region’s drinking water in these situations. City officials couldn’t immediately be reached for comment this morning.

Despite construction of the $3 billion Deep Tunnel project, Lake Michigan has been hit harder by sewage overflows in recent years, mostly because of a handful of monsoon-like storms that quickly fill the giant stormwater tunnels winding below Chicago and the Cook County suburbs.

Climate change is projected to increase the frequency of rainfall greater than 2.5 inches a day, the amount that can force runoff into Lake Michigan, according to a study by scientists from the University of Illinois and Texas Tech University. By the end of the century, the number of big storms could jump by a whopping 160 percent.

Chicago Tribune





Lookback #228 – Orient Lakes was struck from U.S. Navy List on July 3, 1946

7/3 - The bulk carrier that came through the Seaway as Orient Lakes in 1962 was constructed as a Liberty tanker. It was built at Los Angeles in 1943 and originally named Sanford B. Dole.

The vessel was immediately taken over by the United States Navy and served the country in wartime as U.S.S. Giraffe. It was assigned to refuel naval ships and saw service around the Ellice Islands, Okinawa and Japan. This vessel carried 108 officers and crew and received two battle stars for its efforts to help secure victory.

The ship resumed its original name after it was struck from the U.S. Naval list on this date 68 years ago today. It was returned to the United States Maritime Commission and laid up until sold for commercial service in 1948.

The vessel was rebuilt as a dry cargo ship at Newport News, Virginia, in 1949 and sailed as d) Eilene, e) Seapender, f) Ragnar Naess, and g) Ocean Daphne before becoming h) Orient Lakes in 1961. Under the flag of Liberia, the latter vessel made five trips inbound through the Seaway from 1962 through 1965.

Following a sale to Japanese shipbreakers, Orient Lakes arrived at Hirao on June 24, 1967, and was dismantled by Matsukura Kaiji K.K. later in the year.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Lookback #229 – Tug Grand Bank sank in Lock 4 Welland Canal on July 4, 1959

7/4 - It was 55 years ago today that the Canadian tug Grand Bank sank in Lock 4 of the Welland Canal. The tug was pushing a scow when it was swamped on the starboard side and went down in the lock. Five crewmembers made it to the safety of their barge but the captain perished.

This was originally a U.S. Army tug. It was built at New Orleans in 1940 and went to work as ST-1923. The small, diesel powered vessel was sold to McNamara Marine in 1957 and renamed Grand Bank.

The sinking of July 4, 1959, was not the first time Grand Bank had gone to the bottom. A few months earlier in the year, while at Toronto, the 53 foot long tug sank after a collision with a dredge.

Grand Bank was refloated and refurbished after each of its times on the bottom. The ship was later sold for West Coast service and headed to British Columbia where it has traded as Nanaimo Clipper and Salvage Warrior. In 1997, it was based in Delta, BC and was again known as Grand Bank. The vessel may still be in service.

Skip Gillham





Today in Great Lakes History - July 4

July 4, 1996 - The veteran Buffalo fireboat EDWARD M. COTTER, built in 1900, was designated a National Historic Landmark by the U. S. National Parks Service.

The WILLIS B. BOYER museum ship was opened to the public at Toledo, Ohio in 1987. She was built by Great Lakes Engineering Works (Hull#82) in 1912 as a.) COL. JAMES M. SCHOONMAKER. Renamed b.) WILLIS B. BOYER in 1969 and COL. JAMES M. SCHOONMAKER in 2011.

In 1976, the SAM LAUD grounded entering Buffalo, New York. She was dry docked at Lorain, Ohio, for repairs to bottom plates of No. 1, 2 and 3 port and starboard tanks. Also on this day in 1976, the H. LEE WHITE struck the Algoma Steel plant dock at the Canadian Soo resulting in damage to her stern amounting to $108,000 at the repair yard of Sturgeon Bay.

The JOSEPH S. YOUNG, a.) ARCHERS HOPE of 1945, was commissioned July 4, 1957. She was the first of seven T-2 tanker conversions for Great Lakes service. The YOUNG was renamed c.) H. LEE WHITE in 1969 and d.) SHARON in 1974. She was scrapped at Brownsville, Texas in 1986.

On July 4, 1953, the JOHN G. MUNSON set a Great Lakes record for limestone by loading 21,011 tons of limestone at Calcite, Michigan. This record for limestone stood until being broken by the Canada Steamship Lines self-unloader MANITOULIN late in the 1966 season.

July 4, 1952 - The PERE MARQUETTE 18 of 1911, was laid up due to railroad strike. She was never to operate again and was scrapped at Hamilton, Ontario, in 1957.

The wooden propeller freighter MAINE, owned by Northern Transportation Co., had sailed from Chicago and was on Lake Ontario on 4 July 1871, when Fireman Orsebius Kelley stoked the fire at 8 p.m. and went to the porter's room to get a lamp. When he returned, the boiler exploded with such force that Kelley was mortally wounded. The blast also killed Engineer M. H. Downer, deckhand Joshua Kelley (the fireman's brother), Halbert Butterfield (a 13 year old passenger) and his mother. The MAINE still floated after the blast. She was repaired and put back in service. Including this boiler explosion, she had four major mishaps in her career. She sank in 1872, burned in 1898, and finally burned again in 1911.

On 4 July 1900, during her maiden voyage from St. Clair, Michigan, to Cleveland, Ohio, the wooden steam barge ALFRED MITCHELL ran aground at Bar Point Light. It was claimed that the steering gear broke which rendered the boat unmanageable. Later that same day the MITCHELL was released by the wrecker SAGINAW.

About 9 p.m. on 4 July 1874, the steam barge W H BARNUM, with the schooner THOMAS W FERRY in tow, collided with the bark S V R WATSON near Point Pelee on Lake Erie. The WATSON sank in 28 feet of water. She was raised about two weeks later by the Coast Wrecking Company.

July 4, 1958 - The keel for the second of two new bulk freighters for Interlake Steamship Co. was laid at Great Lakes Engineering Works shipyard at River Rouge, Michigan on Wednesday morning June 25. Assigned Hull 302, the ship will be 689 feet long, 75 feet beam and 37-1/2 feet molded depth with a designed maximum cargo capacity of about 24,000 tons. H. C. Downer & Associates of Cleveland did the design work. The ship will be powered by a 6,000 shp steam turbine main engine with coal-fired boilers. Hull 302 was eventually named HERBERT C. JACKSON.

Interlake's other new ship, the 710-ft. flagship JOHN SHERWIN (Hull#192) at Toledo, Ohio, joined the Great Lakes bulk cargo fleet in May of that year.

1959: The tug GRAND BANK, pushing a barge, sank in Lock 4 of the Welland Canal and the captain was lost. The vessel, built at New Orleans in 1940 as SST-123, was salvaged and, as of 1997, was operating out of Delta, BC.

1973: The Liberian flag bulk carrier FLORENCE, built as a T-2 tanker and converted in 1962, visited the Great Lakes in June 1973. The ship was outbound when it collided, in fog, with the tanker ST. SPYRIDON, inbound from Venezuela with 32,500 tons of Bunker C oil, off Les Escoumins, QC. Both ships were damaged. All on board were rescued and the two vessels were ultimately repaired. FLORENCE was scrapped at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in 1977 and ST. SPYRIDON at Vigo, Spain, as f) GLOBE MARITIMA in 1982.


Port Reports - July 4

Duluth, Minn. – Daniel Lindner
Algoma Central's 1962-built steamer Algoma Montrealais arrived Superior at 10:15 a.m. on Thursday to load iron ore pellets on her first trip of the 2014 season. Interlake's 1,000 foot Stewart J. Cort had departed from BNSF #5 at 12:45 a.m. with her ore cargo, leaving the dock open for the Montrealais. On Thursday, Algoma Montrealais was at BNSF #5 loading ore, and the chemical barge Spartan II and her tug, Spartan, were at Hallett #8 discharging calcium chloride. On the Duluth side of the harbor, CSL Niagara was at CN, Duluth loading iron ore pellets. John G. Munson was due to arrive in the late evening for Hallett #5 to discharge stone, and then for CN, Duluth to load iron ore pellets. CSL Niagara was expected to depart from CN around midnight. In Superior, Algoma Montrealais was due to depart from BNSF around midnight. For Friday, CSL Assiniboine is expected to arrive Duluth just after midnight to fuel at Calumet Fuel Dock before shifting to BNSF in Superior to load. American Integrity is due to arrive in the early morning for Midwest Energy to load coal. The Spartan/Spartan II is due to depart Duluth from Hallett #8 around noon. Walter J. McCarthy Jr. is expected to arrive mid-afternoon for Midwest Energy to load coal after American Integrity finishes up. The Integrity is then expected to depart from Midwest Energy in the late afternoon on Friday. Algosteel is expected to arrive in the late afternoon for CN, Duluth to load iron ore pellets. Lastly, John G. Munson is due to depart from CN in the evening. In Superior, CSL Assiniboine is expected to depart from BNSF late Friday evening.

Marquette, Mich. – Rod Burdick
A busy Thursday morning at the Upper Harbor found Herbert C. Jackson unloading coal, John J. Boland loading ore and Michipicoten at anchor waiting to load.

Saginaw River – Todd Shorkey
The tug Undaunted, pushing the barge Pere Marquette 41, was upbound on the Saginaw River during the late afternoon on Thursday. The pair called on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City to unload and was expected to be outbound early Friday morning.

Lorain, Ohio – Phil Leon
Algorail was on her way out of Lorain at 8 a.m. Thursday.

Port Colborne, Ont.
The pilothouse and unloading boom have been removed from Algoma Transfer, which is in the process of being scrapped by Marine Recycling Corp.

Seaway
The saltwater bulk carrier Fritz remains at the Wilson Hill anchorage, opposite Upper Canada Village. The vessel has been at anchor since June 12th with undisclosed engine problems. Many locals are annoyed with the constant generator noise, and reports of black smoke and apparent flushing of grey water has many concerned.





Waterspout spotted On Lake St. Clair Thursday

7/4 - Grosse Pointe, Mich. – A “tornado over water” attracted onlookers Thursday morning on Lake St. Clair, when a waterspout appeared near Grosse Pointe. Many people stopped and took photos of the funnel from the shore as it appeared at roughly 8:15 a.m., remaining intact for about 5 minutes among cloudy skies, according to the National Weather Service and the City of Grosse Pointe Farms.

As cool air with light rain showers passed over the warmer water in the lake, the resulting convection caused the waterspout, said Weather Service meteorologist Sara Schultz. She said such features can be dangerous for people on the water.

“They’re a lower-end tornado — a tornado over water,” Schultz said. She said it’s not out of the ordinary to get them this time of year, now that the lake water is warmer.

But there aren’t more in the near forecast: The 4th of July weather looks to be in the mid-70s with sunshine, and warm weather is to continue through the weekend, she said.

Detroit Free Press





Ships with Great Lakes connections going for scrap

7/4 - Marine News, the monthly journal of the World Ship Society, reports the following ships with Great Lakes connections going for scrap in the July 2014 issue.

Daniella first came to the Great Lakes as Stellaprima in 1989, the year the vessel had been built. It returned inland again in 1993 after becoming b) Daniella three years earlier. The heavy lift carrier stopped at Toronto in May 2006 and loaded six railway locomotives. Three were delivered to the United Kingdom and three more to Rotterdam, Holland. Following a sale to Turkish shipbreakers, Daniella arrived at Aliaga on March 6, 2014, and scrapping got underway on March 10 by Simsekler Gida Gemi Sokum.

Demetra came through the Seaway under the first name of Argut in 1995. At the time the five year old freighter was flying the Russian flag and was headed to Chicago, in ballast, to load steel. The vessel had a total of eight names and subsequent registry in Netherlands Antilles, Malta, St. Kitts, Panama and the United Kingdom. The ship was sold to Turkish shipbreakers as h) Demetra earlier this year and arrived at Aliaga on March 16, 2014, and scrapping began on March 24.

Karia was a Seaway trader under several names beginning as Doric Javelin in 1982. It was sold and renamed b) Federal Inger in 1989 and became an annual inland caller from 1989 through 1995. It returned as d) Seaglory in November 1996 and made a total of six trips through the Seaway under this name. The vessel was detained at Toronto in November 1999 and eventually sold. It had three more names but never returned to the Great Lakes. The ship arrived at Alang, India, as h) Katia on March 4, 2014, and scrapping got underway on April 4.

Mistral was the former Trident Venture and Ikan Sepat. Built in 1984, Trident Venture came through the Seaway in July of that year under the flag of Liberia. It was later registered in Greece and, after become Ikan Sepat in 1990, the ship flew the flag of Singapore. Its first trip to the Great Lakes in October 1990 brought steel to Cleveland and Chicago before leaving with a cargo of coal. The ship was a frequent inland caller but did not return after becoming c) Mistral, with registry in Cambodia, in 2012. A sale to shipbreakers at Alang, India, led to the ship's arrival there on March 21, 2014 and scrapping got underway on March 30.

Compiled by Barry Andersen, Rene Beauchamp and Skip Gillham





Toledo’s National Museum to hold Marine Mart Aug. 9

7/4 - Toledo, Ohio – The newly-opened National Museum of the Great Lakes will hold a Marine Mart on Saturday Aug. 9, in its Community Room and exterior patio overlooking the US 280 Bridge. The Marine Mart will feature antiques, collectibles, photographs, books and other material related to the Great Lakes as well as other maritime regions. Admission to the Marine Mart is free with a paying admission to the museum.

The National Museum of the Great Lakes will have a large booth of books and other material that has been de-accessed from its collection over the years. Vendors interested in participating in the Marine Mart should contact James Lundgren at [e-mail]. Interior booth spaces that benefit from air conditioning are limited to approximately eight vendors and are available on a first come first serve basis after the museum approves their request to participate. Exterior booth spaces will be under a tent and will have immediate access to the air-conditioned space. There is a $10 fee to participate, which gives the vendor an eight-foot table and two chairs.

The Marine Mart will open at 10 a.m. to the general public but there will be a special members’ only preview at 9 a.m. for members of the National Museum of the Great Lakes / Great Lakes Historical Society.

National Museum of the Great Lakes

[yachtsmanwilly]

Today in Great Lakes History - July 7

July 7, 1939 - The Bureau of Lighthouses was merged into the U. S. Coast Guard. The BURNS HARBOR's sea trials were conducted on July 7, 1980. JEAN PARISIEN (Hull#684) was launched July 7, 1977, at Lauzon, Quebec, by Davie Shipbuilding Company Ltd. for Canada Steamship Lines. Port Weller Drydocks replaced her entire forward section and she was renamed b.) CSL ASSINIBOINE in 2005.

The DAVID Z. NORTON sailed on her maiden voyage July 7, 1973, as the a.) WILLIAM R. ROESCH. She sailed light from Lorain to Superior, Wisconsin where she loaded 18,828 tons of iron ore on July 9th bound for Jones & Laughlin's Cuyahoga River plant at Cleveland, Ohio. She now sails as d.) CALUMET.

In 1971, the CITY OF SAGINAW 31 went to Manitowoc for a thorough overhaul. While there, a fire broke out July 29, destroying her cabin deck and rendering her useless for further use. The blaze was caused by an acetylene torch, and caused over $1 million in damage.

On 7 July 1895, IDA MAY BROWN (wooden schooner, 53 foot, 20 gross tons, built 1884, at Charlevoix, Mich.) was carrying gravel when her cargo shifted in heavy weather. She capsized and later drifted to the beach near Michigan City, Indiana. Her crew was rescued by U.S. Lifesavers.

On 7 July 1851, GALLINIPPER (wooden schooner, 95 foot, 145 tons, built in 1846 at Milwaukee on the hull of NANCY DOUSMAN) capsized and foundered in a white squall in Lake Mich. The wreck drifted to a point about 10 miles SSE of Manitowoc, where it sank.

1963: The Canadian coastal tanker SEEKONK first came to the Great Lakes in 1951 on charter to the British-American Oil Co. It was later part of the Irving fleet and caught fire in the galley at Charlottetown, PEI. The ship was pulled from the pier by CCG TUPPER and beached at Governor's Island. The blaze burned itself out but the SEEKONK was a total loss and was towed to Buctouche, NB, and scrapped in 1964. 1970: PRINSES EMILIA made 3 trips through the Seaway for the Oranje Lijn in 1967. It sank as c) BOULGARIA on this date 25 miles off Cherbourg, France, after a collision with the HAGEN in dense fog. The vessel was enroute from Hamburg to Istanbul and 17 on board were lost.

1978: The British freighter BEECHMORE began Great Lakes service in 1959 and returned as c) MANDRAKI in 1971 and d) NAFTILOS in 1973. It was sailing as f) MARI when fire broke out on a voyage from Rijeka, Yugoslavia, to Alexandria, Egypt, on July 7. The ship was beached near Dugi Otok Islands the next day and eventually abandoned. The hull was refloated in 1979 and taken to Split with scrapping getting underway on July 19, 1979

1981: CONDARRELL, upbound below Lock 2 of the Welland Canal, lost power and hit the wall, resulting in bow damage. The ship returned to Toronto for repairs but only finished the season before tying up. The vessel, built in 1953 as D.C. EVEREST, has been unofficially renamed K.R. ELLIOTT by International Marine Salvage.



Port Reports - July 7

Marinette, Wis. - Daniel Lindner
The new research vessel Siquliaq departed Marinette on Sunday evening after spending about a month in port. She is due to arrive next in Cleveland, Ohio, at 3 p.m. on July 10.

Buffalo, N.Y. – Brian W
The Rebecca Lynn - A-397 tug-barge combo was eastbound on the lake and headed for Tonawada on Sunday. Defiance-Ashtabula departed around midnight Saturday night, bound for Marblehead, Ohio.





Port Colborne’s Riverland AG sends test load out on Cuyahoga

7/7 - Port Colborne, Ont. – Riverland AG put its new vessel loader system to the test when the Lower Lakes Towing Ltd. vessel Cuyahoga docked at the grain storage facility Sunday morning.

“This makes us more versatile in the grain work we do. This is huge for us,” said facility manager John Robinson, as the ship was being loaded.

The Cuyahoga, he said, would be taking soft winter grain over to a Riverland AG facility in Buffalo, N.Y. “They’re low and we’re making space for a new crop coming in shortly,” said Robinson.

There are nine Riverland facilities in the U.S., the only Canadian location is the one in Port Colborne along the Welland Canal.

The grain being loaded Sunday came from local farmers, and from as far away as Chatham, Goderich and north of Toronto. Though 85% to 90% of the grain that moves in and out of the facility, formerly known as Robin Hood Multifoods, goes by truck, it also moves by rail.

Robinson said the company is looking at using ships more and bringing in a couple of loaded vessels with grain from out west.

Riverland’s Port Colborne location can hold 2.2 million bushels of grain in the elevator portion of the large building that also used to produce flour. Robin Hood Multifoods was taken over by the J.M. Smucker Company in 2004, which sold to Horizon Milling in 2006.

Robinson said the Port Colborne facility was closed in 2008, and purchased by Riverland AG (then known as Whitebox Commodities Holding Corp.) in April 2009.

“We came back in May 2009 and have been shipping and receiving since then. There’s no more production here … just storage, with grain in and out.

Mayor Vance Badawey visited Riverland along with Welland MPP Cindy Forester and Welland MP Malcolm Allen to watch the ship being loaded. “This is great news … it shows Port Colborne is a transportation hub,” said Badawey, who has been promoting the city as a multimodal hub for years.

Erie Media





Lookback #232 – Condarrell lost power and hit the wall at Lock 2 on July 7, 1981

7/7 - The small freighter Condarrell only operated in 1981. The ship had entered service in the spring on May 13 and tied up for good at Toronto on November 17. While it lasted another 33 years, the vessel only moved while under tow.

This ship was upbound in the Welland Canal on July 7, 1981, when it lost power entering Lock 2 and struck the wall. It was damaged in the accident and had to turn back to Toronto for repairs. After years in the pulpwood trade as D.C. Everest, it had begun working as the steel carrier Condarrell at the start of the 1981 season.

Built at Kingston as D.C. Everest in 1953, the ship usually traveled between Marathon, Ontario, on the north shore of Lake Superior, to Green Bay, Wisconsin. Save for a grounding on the St. Marys River in May 1965, the vessel provided consistent and reliable service over the years.

After being retired as a powered carrier, the ship saw duty in a variety of capacities. It was used to train sea cadets, help clean contaminated soil, occasionally lighter stranded freighters and as a fireworks platform off Toronto for Canada Day celebrations.

The name D.C. Everest was returned in later years and the vessel was broken up for scrap by International Marine Salvage in the outer harbor at Port Colborne earlier in 2014.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Today in Great Lakes History - July 8

An apparent steering gear or engine failure caused the salty ORLA, built in 1999, to ground off Marysville on the St. Clair River on July 8, 2005. She was able to dislodge herself.

LOUIS R. DESMARAIS (Hull#212) was launched July 8,1977, at Collingwood, Ontario, by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd. for Canada Steamship Lines Ltd. Cargo hold replaced at Port Weller Drydocks Ltd., and renamed b.) CSL LAURENTIEN in 2001.

In 1918, a slip joint on the main steam line of the ANN ARBOR NO 5 let go, killing four men and badly scalding one other. The dead were Lon Boyd, W.T. Archie Gailbraith, 1st assistant engineer Arthur R. Gilbert, coal passer William Herbert Freeman, 2nd engineer. In 1984, the Michigan-Wisconsin Transportation Company (MWT) resumed service to Milwaukee with disappointing results.

On 8 July 1908, JAMES G. BLAINE (formerly PENSAUKEE, wooden schooner-barge, 177 foot 555 gross tons, built in 1867, at Little Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin) was being towed in Lake Ontario by the tug WILLIAM L. PROCTOR. Her towline broke in a storm and she was driven ashore near Oswego, New York where the waves broke her up. No lives were lost. At the time of her loss, even though she was over 40 years old, she was still fully rigged as a 3-mast schooner.

On 8 July 1863, ALMIRA (2-mast wooden scow-schooner, 85 foot, 80 tons, built in 1849, at Black River, Ohio) was dismasted and capsized in a violent squall on Lake Ontario. All hands were lost. On 27 July, the cargo of barreled fish was found by the schooner M. L. COLLINS. The ALMIRA was found still afloat by the schooner PETREL on 30 July. She was rebuilt and sailed until December 1871, when she foundered in the ice.

On 8 July 1920, MARY WOOLSON (3-mast wooden schooner, 179 foot, 709 gross tons, built in 1888, at Bay City, Michigan) was being towed by the wooden steamer CHARLES D. BRADLEY along with the schooner-barge MIZTEC, when the BRADLEY slowed in mid-lake, causing both tows to ram her. The WOOLSON's bow was heavily damaged and she quickly sank 8 miles northeast of Sturgeon Point on Lake Huron. No lives were lost.

1899: The schooner SOPHIA MINCH, under tow of the JOHN N. GLIDDEN,was is caught in a wild Lake Erie storm and is cut loose. The vessel was blown ashore west of Ashtabula and declared a total loss only to be salvaged July 24, 1899, and repaired.

1923: EDWARD L. STRONG and GLENDOCHART collided between Locks 17 and 18 of the Cornwall Canal with minor damage. The former was scrapped at Port Dalhousie as e) WELLANDOC (ii) in 1963 while the latter was broken up at Hamilton as f) MANCOX in 1970-1971.

1949: NEW YORK NEWS (ii) ran aground on a shoal at the east entrance to Little Current, Manitoulin Island, due to low water and misplaced channel markers. About 800 tons of coal were lightered and the ship is refloated on July 9.

1973: The former BROMALM, a Swedish flag Seaway trader in 1963 and 1964, hit bottom, began leaking and was beached off Kuantan, Western Malaysia, as c) ARISAIOS. On a voyage to Osaka, Japan, with 9,700 tons of iron ore it was completely flooded and a total loss.

1977: AGAWA CANYON hit the abutment to Bridge 12 of the Welland Canal after losing power while downbound with salt for Kingston. The gash in the port bow was repaired by Port Weller Dry Docks.

1992: COMEAUDOC lost power and struck the seawall at Port Huron while upbound, resulting in significant damage to the wall.



Port Reports - July 8

St. Marys River
Due to a problem with the section of the railroad swing bridge that spans the Canadian lock, recreational vessel traffic has been restricted to vessels of 12 feet or less in height. The bridge is in the closed position, permitting train traffic. It may be out of service for a week or more while a new part is machined.

Munising, Mich. – Luke Archer and Rod Burdick
American Mariner was unloading coal for Neenah Paper on a sunny Monday morning.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Chris Gaziano
The Federal Yukina and the Federal Danube both came in Monday morning. The Bradshaw McKee and barge St. Marys Challenger also made their way in during the morning. They were finished up at the St. Mary's terminal by early evening and heading out for the lake.

Saginaw River – Todd Shorkey
The tug Zeus and her tank barge, Robert F. Deegan, called on the Dow Chemical dock in Bay City on Sunday. The pair completed their unload and were outbound for the lake Monday afternoon. Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were inbound on the Saginaw River early Monday morning, calling on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. The pair were back outbound later in the afternoon. Manitowoc entered the Saginaw River Monday afternoon, tying up at the Burroughs North Dock in Essexville. She did not immediately put out her boom and it was still in the cradle hours after arriving.

St. Clair, Mich. - Bob Markus
Monday the American Integrity arrived at the DTE St. Clair Power Plant with a load of coal. At 9:10 p.m. she was still unloading and the Walter J. McCarthy Jr. was anchored in Southern Lake Huron waiting for the American Integrity to finish.





Lookback #233 – Agawa Canyon hit Welland Canal abutment on July 8, 1977

7/8 - Agawa Canyon was carrying a cargo of salt for Kingston when it got into trouble traveling through the Welland Canal on July 8, 1977. The ship lost power approaching Bridge 12 and struck the abutment leaving a gash in the port bow. The workers at Port Weller Dry Docks soon had the repairs completed and the carrier went back to work in the Algoma Central fleet.

This 646 foot, 6 inch long self-unloader was Hull 195 from the Collingwood shipyard. It was launched on August 27, 1970, but an explosion there on September 1 left one worker dead and another seven injured.

Despite the incident, Agawa Canyon began service on Nov. 20, 1970, and managed a few trips before the end of the navigation season. The vessel put in 40 years of trading carrying a variety of aggregates to ports on all of the Great Lakes and down the St. Lawrence Seaway.

The ship was retired at Montreal at the end of the 2009 season and was sold to Turkish shipbreakers the following year. Following a transatlantic and Mediterranean tow, Agawa Canyon arrived at Aliaga, Turkey, to be dismantled on October 17, 2010.