Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

Port Reports - July 9

Cedarville, Mich. - Denny Dushane
The Joseph H. Thompson loaded at Cedarville on Monday. Cason J. Callaway was also expected to arrive during the late evening hours on Monday to load. The Michipicoten was expected to arrive on Tuesday during the early morning hours and rounding out the schedule is the Wilfred Sykes which is due to arrive on Wednesday in the late evening hours.

Port Inland, Mich. - Denny Dushane
The Joseph L. Block was expected to arrive in Port Inland on Monday in the early afternoon hours. Following them and due to arrive on Tuesday in the late morning hours was the barge Lakes Contender & tug Ken Boothe Sr. Rounding out the schedule is the Joseph L. Block returning to load on Wednesday in the early morning hours.

Calcite, Mich. - Denny Dushane
The John J. Boland loaded at the South Dock on Monday and they were due to depart at 3 A.M. on Tuesday. Three vessels were expected to arrive on Tuesday all for the South Dock with the Lewis J. Kuber arriving first in the morning followed by the Buffalo in the early evening and they were to be followed in the late evening by the Arthur M. Anderson. There are no vessels scheduled for Wednesday.

Stoneport, Mich. - Denny Dushane
The barge Pathfinder and tug Dorothy Ann loaded at Stoneport on Tuesday and they were expected to depart around 1:30 p.m. There are two vessels due to arrive on Wednesday both in the morning with the Manitowoc due in first followed by the Philip R. Clarke. For Thursday there are two more vessels scheduled with the Pathfinder returning to load at noon followed by the Lewis J. Kuber in the early evening. Rounding out the schedule is the Joseph H. Thompson which is due to arrive on Friday during the late evening hours.

Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey
After spending the night at the Burroughs North dock in Essexville, Manitowoc proceeded upriver Tuesday morning, stopping at the GM dock in Saginaw to unload. She was expected to be outbound sometime overnight.

St. Clair - Bob Markus
The Walter J. McCarthy Jr spent most of Tuesday at the DTE St. Clair Power Plant, unloading coal. When the McCarthy departed that evening, the Paul R. Tregurtha moored and began unloading.

Toledo, Ohio - Denny Dushane
The H. Lee White loaded coal at the CSX Coal Dock on Tuesday. Also due at the CSX Coal Dock to load is the John B. Aird on Thursday in the early morning hours. The H. Lee White is due back at the CSX Coal Dock to load on Saturday in the late afternoon. Algoma Olympic is expected to arrive at the coal dock on Tuesday, July 15 in the late afternoon. Two vessels are due at the Midwest Terminal Stone Dock with stone cargoes and they are the Algosteel due on Tuesday, July 15 at noon and they are followed by the Baie Comeau of CSL which is due to arrive on Saturday, July 19 in the morning. A flurry of vessels are due at the Torco Dock with cargoes of iron ore and they are the American Mariner due on Thursday during the early morning. Great Lakes Trader is due on Saturday during the early morning. The James L. Kuber is due on Sunday also in the morning hours. Mesabi Miner is due on Monday in the late afternoon hours. Due to arrive on Tuesday, July 14 is the Joseph H. Thompson making a very rare visit and due in the early morning hours. The Hon. James L. Oberstar is also due to arrive on Tuesday, July 14 in the morning hours. Baie St. Paul of CSL is also due to arrive on July 14 during the late afternoon hours. Several other vessels have been in and out of port in the last few days and among them are the Saginaw which arrived on Monday to unload a cargo of grain products from Thunder Bay. The salty Emilie of Panamanian flag arrived also on Monday. The Manitowoc arrived on Saturday and departed on Sunday and finally the tug Huron Service arrived on July 3. There is still no activity aboard the Adam E. Cornelius, American Fortitude and the American Valor all of which are currently in long-term lay-up in Toledo.

Buffalo, N.Y. – Brian W.
Monday the Cuyahoga was on her way down the river after unloading at the Lake & Rail Elevator. The Rebecca Lynn and barge A-397 had departed Buffalo on their way to Detroit.

Sorel-Tracy - René Beauchamp
The departure of Phoenix Sun from Sorel-Tracy seems imminent. The letters TF were recently replaced by two stylised birds on her rusty stack. Although flying the Panama flag, the port of registry Québec was still painted on the stern.





National Museum Funds Discovery of Airforce Plane Wreck

7/9 - The National Museum of the Great Lakes announced the discovery of the wreck of a U.S. Air Force C-45 aircraft abandoned during flight by its crew in 1952 has been located in deep water off Oswego, New York. Crippled by the failure of one of its two engines the plane continued on a 65 mile pilotless flight until it crashed into Lake Ontario. Shipwreck explorers Jim Kennard, Roger Pawlowski and Roland Stevens located the aircraft while surveying a section of Lake Ontario for historic ships. The group is funded by the National Museum of the Great Lakes as part of its efforts to preserve and make known the important history of the Great Lakes.

On September 11, 1952, the C-45 was on a routine flight from Bedford, Massachusetts to Griffis Air Force Base near Rome, New York. The left engine began failing about 40 miles southeast of Utica. The aircraft started to lose altitude about 8 miles from Rome, NY. Believing the plane would crash after one engine was disabled, the pilot, Lt. Col. Callahan, ordered his crew and passengers to parachute. Jumping at an altitude of 2500 feet the three Air Force Officers and two civilians landed safely. It was the first time any of them parachuted from an airplane.

Prior to leaving the plane Callahan set the automatic pilot on a heading he believed would take it clear of any inhabited area. The aircraft, which had been headed towards the earth was now lighter by nearly 1,000 pounds and gained altitude. The increased height changed the course of the C-45 to a northwest heading for the next hour and 10 minutes until its fuel ran out. At 11 PM the aircraft was reported flying very low over Oswego. The owner and an employee of Rudys Refreshment Stand, west of town, saw a plane circling out over the lake just before it plunged into the water. They both reported that, a powerful light, like that of a searchlight, appeared for several seconds after the crash.

The search for the missing plane began immediately by three Coast Guard cutters. In addition, C-45 trainers, C-47 transports, and B-25 bombers combed the crash area for two days. When there was no wreckage to be found the search was called off.

Crew of U.S.A.F C-45
Lt. Col. Charles A. Callahan 32 Pilot (Monticello, Miss)
Lt. Sam Sharff, 31 (New York City)
Lt. Col. G. S. Lambert (Newport News, Va)
William P. Bethke - civilian technician (near Rome, NY)
Joseph M. Eannario civilian observer (Rome, NY)


During the past three years our shipwreck exploration team has focused its search efforts on locating historic shipwrecks in Lake Ontario off Oswego, New York. Last season we reported several significant discoveries that included the oldest confirmed schooner Atlas, lost in 1839, the schooner Ocean Wave, lost in 1890, and the Roberval, one of only two steel steamers lost in Lake Ontario. In addition to shipwrecks there are several aircraft that have been on our watch list including a B-24 lost in the lake in 1944, a C-47 lost near Sandy Pond in 1944, and the C-45 near Oswego. We were quite surprised when the image of an aircraft appeared on our sonar display as it was well beyond the mile offshore as reported by a few eye witnesses.

We obtained detailed sonar images of the wreck of the C-45 by utilizing high resolution DeepVision side scan sonar. These images provide an almost aerial photographic image of the wreck and allow us to understand how the wreckage lies on the bottom of the lake. The sonar search was followed up by deploying a VideoRay Pro IV remote operated vehicle to collect video of the wreck site. We were amazed to see that the C-45 is almost totally intact. The fiberglass nose cone is missing as are the vertical stabilizers. One of the blades of the left propeller broke off and lies nearby on the bottom. Part of the windshield was broken and the left side of the body behind the wing has been torn away. Otherwise it is all there. This probably explains why no debris could be found floating on the surface of the lake during the searches conducted by the US Coast Guard and US Air Force.





Lookback #234 Silver Bay laid up at Toledo on July 9, 1973

Service in the Kinsman fleet ended for the bulk carrier Silver Bay when it tied up at Toledo on July 9, 1973. After 56-years of operation, the ship appeared to be bound for the scrapyard before it got a reprieve.

Robert S. Pierson, grandson of R. Scott Misener, was looking to start a small fleet on the Canadian side of the lakes and decided that the idle Silver Bay would be a good candidate to build on. He purchased the ship early in 1975 and it loaded soybeans at Toledo for Toronto passing down the Welland Canal on March 29 still as Silver Bay.

While at Toronto, the vessel was renamed Judith M. Pierson and thus began the Soo River Company. They added additional tonnage in subsequent years until a change in financial fortunes led to the company going into receivership in 1982.

This first member of Mr. Pierson's fleet joined P. & H. Shipping later in 1982 and was renamed Fernglen for two trips before tying up, this time for good, at Toronto on November 10, 1982. Fernglen was sold for scrap in 1985 and dismantled at Port Maitland.

Prior to becoming Silver Bay, this ship had sailed as William A. Amberg from 1917 to 1932, then as Albert E. Heekin before becoming Silver Bay in 1955. Silver Bay was operated by the Wilson, Republic Steel and Kinsman fleets before tying up for the latter 41-years ago today.

Skip Gillham





Today in Great Lakes History - July 9

WILLIAM R. ROESCH, renamed b.) DAVID Z. NORTON in 1995, loaded her first cargo in 1973, at Superior, Wisconsin where she took on 18,828 tons of iron ore bound for Jones & Laughlin's Cuyahoga River plant at Cleveland.

The BENJAMIN F. FAIRLESS and her fleet mate IRVING S. OLDS passed through the Panama Canal on July 9, 1988, under tow of the German tug OSA RAVENSTURM. The pair was on a 14,000-mile journey to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, arriving there on November 8, 1988, for scrapping by Sing Cheng Yung Iron & Steel Co. Ltd.

On 9 July 1876, ST CLAIR (wooden propeller freighter with some passenger accommodations, 127 foot, 326 gross tons, built in 1867, at Algonac, Michigan) had 14 crew and 18 passengers aboard along with cargo of flour, feed and deck loads of cattle as she sailed on Lake Superior. At 2:00 a.m., she caught fire about five miles off shore from 14 Mile Point. She was a wood burner and had a history of shipboard fires. The fire spread so quickly that only one boat could be launched and being overloaded, it capsized. The cries of those left on the vessel, along with the bellowing of the cattle, were heart rending. Only six survived in the one lifeboat since the cold water took its toll on those who clung to it. Eventually they righted the boat and paddled to shore, leaving the ST CLAIR burned to the waterline.

On 9 July 1891, W A MOORE (wood propeller tug, 119 foot, 212 gross tons, built in 1865, at Detroit, Michigan) burned to a total loss at Cleveland, Ohio.

1917: The bulk carrier WILLIAM S. MACK collided with the passenger freighter MANITOBA in fog off Whitefish Point and had to be beached. It was subsequently refloated and repaired. The ship was renamed HOME SMITH on October 10, 1917, and last sailed as ALGORAIL in 1963 before being scrapped at Toronto.

1967: The NEW YORK NEWS (iii) and the saltwater ship NORDGLIMT collided off Escoumins, QC, with only minor damage.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Today in Great Lakes History - July 10

On this day in 1979, Captain Thomas Small had his license for Master of Steam and Motor Vessel of any gross tonnage renewed at the St. Ignace Coast Guard Station. Captain Small, a retired Pittsburgh Steamship employee and 106 years of age, was the oldest person to be licensed and the issue number of his license is the highest ever issued by the Coast Guard 14-17 (14th masters license and 17th license as a pilot, mate, or master).

On July 10, 2005, noted marine photographer Paul Wiening passed away at his residence in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

G. A. TOMLINSON (Hull#370) was launched at the American Ship Building Co., Lorain, Ohio, on July 10, 1909, for the Douglas Steamship Co (J.J.H. Brown, mgr.), renamed b.) HENRY R. PLATT JR in 1959. The hull was used as a breakwater in Burlington Bay, Ontario, in 1971.

In 1998, the ALGOWEST was re-dedicated at Port Weller Dry Docks. The $20 million conversion of the ship to a self-unloader from a bulk-carrier was completed by 400 shipbuilders at Port Weller Dry Docks during the previous eight months. Renamed in 2001, she sails for Algoma today as b.) PETER R. CRESSWELL.

On 10 July 1866, COQUETTE (1-mast wooden scow-sloop, 90 foot, 140 tons, built in 1858, at Perry, Ohio as a schooner) capsized in a storm on Lake Michigan and was lost with her crew of four. She had originally been built for the U.S. Government.

On 10 July 1911, JOHN MITCHELL (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 420 foot, 4,468 gross tons, built in 1907, at St. Clair, Michigan) was carrying wheat off Whitefish Point on Lake Superior when she was rammed broadside by the coal-laden steel steamer WILLIAM HENRY MACK (steel propeller bulk freighter, 354 foot, 3781 gross tons, built in 1903, at Cleveland, Ohio). The MACK tried to keep her bow in the hole, but the MITCHELL still sank in 7 minutes. Quick work saved most of her crew and all 7 passengers. Three of the 34 onboard were lost. The MACK got most of the blame for the accident. The MITCHELL's wreck was discovered upside-down on the bottom in 1972. (Note: Bowling Green's database gives the date of this accident as 19 July 1911 and Dave Swayze's Shipwreck database gives the date as 10 July 1911.)

1930 YORKTON was beached with only the top of the pilothouse above water after a head-on collision in fog on Whitefish Bay with the MANTADOC. The ship was later salvaged and repaired at Collingwood.

1938 RAHANE ran aground on a shoal in the American Narrows of the St. Lawrence while downbound with steel, package freight and grain. Some cargo was removed by the lighter COBOURG and the ship was refloated with major bottom damage. The vessel last sailed on the lakes as A.A. HUDSON before departing for saltwater service in the fall of 1965.


Lakes iron ore trade down 17 percent at mid-year

7/10 - Cleveland, Ohio - Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes total 19.2 million tons through the end of June, a 17 percent decrease from a year ago and the trades long-term average. Higher water levels have not been able to offset the interminable delays suffered during the winter of 2013/2014.

Shipments from U.S. ports through the second quarter stand at 16.8 million tons, a decrease of nearly 19 percent compared to a year ago. While several cargos in June topped 69,000 tons, even the best loads still represented a shortfall from the vessels rated capacity, and the months top load 69,576 tons was still 2,724 tons shy of the record through the Soo Locks: 72,300 tons.

Iron ore shipments from Canadian ports in the Seaway total 2.4 million tons through June, a slight decrease compared to a year ago. The lack of shipments from Pointe Noire reflects the closure of Wabush Mines in eastern Canada.

Lake Carriers Association





Port Reports - July 10

Marquette, Mich. - Rod Burdick and Bruce Lolmaugh
Tug and Barge Joyce L. VanEnkevort and Great Lakes Trader spent Wednesday at the harbors in Marquette. The pair unloaded stone at the Lower Harbor and moved to the Upper Harbor for ore.

Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey
Manitowoc was outbound from the Saginaw River early Wednesday afternoon after unloading at the GM Dock in Saginaw. Inbound Wednesday evening was the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber, calling on the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City to unload.

Lorain, Ohio - Phil Leon
Saginaw unloaded at the 9th street pier Wednesday and was outbound clearing the Charles Berry Bridge at 8:15 p.m. She departed stern first.

Montreal – Rene Beauchamp
BBC Kibo arrived at the Pointe-aux-Trembles anchorage in Montreal for Seaway inspection on Wednesday. She was expected to leave for Erie a few hours later. She is on her first trip and is a sister ship of BBC Xingang which transited the Seaway in April-May.





Efforts to save oldest Great Lakes ship abandoned

7/10 - The Great Lakes Steamship Society is throwing in the towel on saving the J.B. Ford as a museum ship. A statement released on July 7 read:

“The J.B. Ford’s time on these freshwater oceans is coming to an end. After several years of efforts by the Steamship Society, we sadly decided at last month’s board meeting that we must halt our efforts to save the entire vessel.

“The 1903-built Ford has been the main focus of our Society since its inception and has had successes and failures like any group. However with mounting costs to preserve and stabilize the vessel and waning support for this particular vessel, we decided it would be best to let the venerable old workhorse go.

“We are not, however, abandoning her completely, Lafarge is still working with us to recover artifacts and significant items from the vessel. We are also hoping to be able to save her forward cabins, but this too in the short term may prove unfeasible. But we are trying regardless of the difficulties faced. The board of directors is still working with people in Alpena and also Lafarge at another opportunity that has less question marks and so far seems to be significantly less expensive, but also appears to have a great deal of support behind it. At this point it is not official, but the Great Lakes Steamship Society is exploring the option of focusing its efforts on the former flagship of Huron Cement, the S.T. Crapo, docked in Green Bay, Wis. We hope that soon we will have some news and information regarding this change in direction and that we can continue to count on your support as we have these past several years. If you get a chance to snap a photo of the Ford, be sure to do so, as her scrapping is imminent, and likely to happen before winter sets in. Thank you again for all your support. We will keep the news coming as we have it."





HHL Elbe the latest cargo ship carrying wind turbine parts to arrive in Muskegon

7/10 - Muskegon, Mich. - Muskegon's port is no stranger to large ships, buut people in the area might have noticed a new addition when they woke up on Tuesday, July 8.

The Hansa Heavy Lift (HHL) Elbe, a 454-foot cargo ship, has been docked at the Mart Dock on Muskegon Lake since Monday night. According to witnesses, the ship passed through the Muskegon Channel around 9:30 p.m.

The Liberian flag-flying vessel is owned by HHL and is one of many ships in the German-based company's fleet. According to its website, HHL specializes in the transportation of heavy-lift, project and break-bulk cargoes across all oceans of the world.

Upon its arrival in Muskegon, the Elbe, which was built in 2008, was carrying several wind turbine parts, including 36 blades, 11 generator units called nacelles and four containers with assorted parts.

According to Ed Hogan, vice-president of operations for Port City Marine Services, the parts are bound for the Beebe Community Wind Farm in Gratiot County south of Mount Pleasant and north of Lansing.

This is the first of four shipments expected to take place as part of the project this year. Three more are expected in August, Hogan said.

Seven shipments of wind turbine parts arrived in Muskegon in 2012.

Before arriving in Muskegon, the vessel had made several stops in Canada since departing from Bremerhaven, Germany on June 18, according to Marinetraffic.

"Saltwater vessels come into the Great Lakes all the time, but it's pretty rare for Muskegon these days," Hogan said. "We're working to get more ships in here, though, because there may be opportunities for outbound cargo. Potentially, we can reload these ships with West Michigan products and create some real opportunities."

Hogan said the unloading process got off to a rough start Tuesday morning thanks to storms in the area, but he is hopeful it will only take a couple of days.

MLive Muskegon Chronicle





U.S. investors mulling over purchase of Captain John's Restaurant

7/10 - Toronto, Ont. A potential buyer is kicking the weather-beaten lifeboats of Captain John’s Restaurant on behalf of a group of U.S. investors who think the rusting relic could be revived as a key Toronto-area waterfront attraction.

Entrepreneur John Scales plans to return to the city at the end of July to scout out two possible spots for relocating the ship, both within 40 kilometres of the downtown core. They have great views of the city and show what he says is the ship’s best face ¬from the side rather than the bow.

“It does not belong where it is,” says Scales, 67, who says he has been involved in four other efforts to revive and repurpose old ships.

“We have a business plan that we think could work quite well: It could be a convention centre, a restaurant, an intimate theatre or any number of things.”

But the Yugoslavia-built ship, the Jadran, is being hobbled by a few challenges, quite apart from more than $1.7 million in outstanding mortgage, realty taxes, insurance, berthing and other fees that its owner, “Captain” John Letnik has amassed since 2002.

The largely gutted, 90-metre ship ¬ now technically considered a barge ¬ can’t be towed outside of the Great Lakes because of insurance and maritime restrictions.

Plus there seems to be little enthusiasm among waterfront officials for doing more than just scrapping the ship, says Scales, who was here June 23 with a ship’s surveyor, trying to assess the feasibility of a fix-up.

Since returning to his home in the Boston area, Scales has been trying to get blueprints of the Jadran from Lloyd’s ship registry in London in preparation for making an official offer for the ship and then getting it right into dry dock for repairs and restoration.

But a lot has to fall into place before that: Scales said investors have to be sure they have a firm lease on an alternative waterfront location before spending $3 million to $5 million to breath new life into the 56-year-old ship. They also need assurances that hydro, water and waste removal system can be put in place.

So far, they’ve only scouted out alternative locations via Google Earth.

“I’m having some difficulty with people who are sick and tired of this ship and just want it gone. Their frustration and aggravation is, in my opinion, clouding the imagination and conceptual vision that could go into making it good for the investors and for the city,” he said in a telephone interview Tuesday.

There are other issues, as well: The ship was arrested by a sheriff last spring and a Federal Court has ordered that it be advertised for sale. That just got underway this week with a July 31 deadline for bids, said Toronto Port Authority spokesperson Erin Mikaluk in an email to the Star.

“We’ve recently been in contact with a potential buyer, and have and will continue to work with all buyers who express a genuine interest in purchasing the ship.”

Port Authority officials “have worked very hard” since last May to provide Scales with any information he needs, with the exception of queries around alternative locations because those are outside the authority’s control, said communications vice president Deborah Wilson.

It’s been two years now since city officials turned off water to the long-time waterfront attraction and shut down the restaurant, on which Letnik owed more than $1 million in taxes and other fees as of last December.

He also has $650,000 worth of mortgages outstanding, according to a statement of claim filed by the Port Authority with the Federal Court last December.

Any sale would likely be contingent on waiving those liabilities.

In the meantime, 75-year-old Letnik is pressing ahead with a $1.2 million lawsuit he launched against the Port Authority in January, claiming it has effectively sabotaged his efforts to find a buyer by refusing to provide a long-term lease on its current water slip at the foot of Yonge St. or another site nearby.

Port Authority officials have said there are no sites under their control on Toronto’s waterfront that could accommodate the parking and other services needed.

Waterfront Toronto declined comment saying that the Port Authority is acting as the lead agency in the sale.

Toronto Star





Lake Michigan water level on rise after years of decline

7/10 - Thick winter snowpacks and heavy spring rains that have raised Lake Michigan by about 2 1/2 feet from its record low in January 2013, at least temporarily alleviating more than a decade of persistently low lake levels.

The extra water has slid up shores, helping to replenish wetlands and shoreline habitats, blanketing hazards, cushioning boat launches and boosting cargo ships full of coal, iron ore and limestone.

Although Lakes Michigan and Huron are not projected to hit any record highs in the coming months, scientists predict that they could approach or exceed their historical long-term averages for the first time in more than a decade.

Formed by retreating glaciers more than 10,000 years ago, the Great Lakes hold an estimated 6 quadrillion gallons of water. Water from Lake Superior ¬ the headwater of the system ¬ runs down to Lakes Michigan and Huron before flowing into Lake Erie, over Niagara Falls into Lake Ontario and eventually the Atlantic Ocean.

Lakes Michigan and Huron, which are considered one body of water connected by the Straits of Mackinac, are mostly fed by precipitation and runoff and have drifted beneath their long-term average since the late 1990s.

In January 2013, the average water levels in Lakes Michigan and Huron dipped to 576 feet, the lowest point since modern record-keeping began in 1918.

The all-time high of 582.3 feet was set in October 1986, representing a sizable range of about 6 feet.

The lakes tend to follow yearly cycles, swelling in the spring and summer and shrinking in the fall and winter, but they have never in 95 years of recordings remained below average for so long.

The last two years of relatively heavy winter and spring precipitation, however, have led to this year's stronger-than-usual seasonal rise, according to Keith Kompoltowicz, chief of watershed hydrology for the Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District.

“We saw a tremendous amount of snow,” Kompoltowicz said of this winter. “We haven't seen snow like that in a long time.”

In fact, the snowpack around the Michigan basin this year was 30 percent higher than at any time in the past decade. The past two months have also supplied above-average amounts of rain, quenching parched.

Last month, for instance, the higher water levels meant that one laker leaving from Duluth, Minn., was able to take 2,300 more tons of iron ore onboard than at the same time last year, according to Glen Nekvasil, vice president of the Lake Carriers' Association. Nekvasil estimated that the extra cargo, when turned into steel, would be able to make almost 3,000 more cars.

“Thank goodness we have more water here, because we really need to make up the cargo we lost,” said Nekvasil, pointing out that record-breaking ice cover this winter also slowed Great Lakes shipping down considerably.

“We're not home free,” he said.

Indeed, some scientists have said this year's rise is simply a blip in the context of long-term lake levels that many expect to continue to drop because of climate change. They also point out that given the lakes' tendency to fluctuate, the trend could quickly reverse.

In 2008 and 2009, for example, Lakes Michigan and Huron also were closing in on average levels, but subsequent dry conditions pushed them back down.

Chicago Tribune





How much sewage is in Lake Ontario? The city doesn’t have to say

7/10 - Toronto, Ont. - Raw sewage flows into Lake Ontario and the city doessn’t have to tell the public. One water advocacy group is hoping to get the city to change that.

“There’s two reasons it’s important: one is for health recreational water users know that there is sewage in the water and they can take precaution,” Lake Ontario Waterkeeper’s Mark Mattson said in an interview Monday.

“But secondly, it’s important that the people of the city know there’s a problem.”

During the widespread flooding of Toronto on July 8, 2013, when close to 120 mm of rain fell in the span of a few hours, more than 1 billion litres of raw sewage flowed into Lake Ontario.

The city, in some areas, uses old combined sewer overflows: On one side of the pipe is raw sewage that flows to a treatment plant; on the other is stormwater rushing towards Lake Ontario.

The two streams are separated by a divider but heavy rain can sometimes fill the space above the divider, allowing sewage and stormwater to mix.

The city tracks the leaks and reports them to the province but doesn’t make the information public.

Kingston and Ottawa both release information about raw sewage leaks. So does New York State.

So why the discrepancy? It’s a municipal decision.

Environment Minister Glen Murray said in an interview Monday cities should “absolutely” release the information.

But he wouldn’t say whether the province would force Toronto to do so.

“Every city and town is expected to meet standards and to meet their own plan,” he said.

The city does have a warning systems for Toronto’s beaches, letting recreational users know whether it’s safe to go in the water.

But Mattson says that warning system takes too long to update and only covers the city’s beaches.

“We only have ten beaches in Toronto,” he said. “It might cover two kilometres of waterfront. We have over 55 kilometres of waterfront, so anyone using the waterfront needs to know in those other areas whether the water is fit for recreational water use.”

Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, the group behind the lawsuit, is a Toronto-based environmental advocacy group that focuses on Lake Ontario and the Great Lakes Basin.

The legal appeal was filed at 5 p.m. Monday. Global News has requested comment from the city but has not received a response.

The city can expect more heavy rain events as extreme weather becomes more frequent. Murray said the province should look at upgrading infrastructure so inadvertent overflow doesn’t happen.

“In five or ten years we’re going to be dealing with much more extreme events that are going to lead to more overflows in our sewage system and more pollutants going into our lake,” he said. “We have to start looking at new standards.”

Global News





Historic lighthouse to return waterfront

7/10 - Port Clinton, Ohio - A restored 1896 lighthouse will soon reeturn to the Port Clinton waterfront as a beacon for visitors and history lovers.

The roughly 26-foot-tall wooden lighthouse stood on the Portage River’s west pier until 1952, when it was removed and taken to a local marina.

For the last couple years, a volunteer crew worked to replace rotten boards, install a new copper roof, and repaint the winding, interior gray steps, green accents, and white tower.

The job is nearly complete. A few finishing touches ¬ such as straightening the vent ball atop the octogonal lantern house and hanging the door¬ remain.

The Port Clinton Lighthouse Conservancy, the group in charge of the restoration, hopes to have the lighthouse installed on the north side of Derby Pond at Water Works Park by late summer or early fall.

“These old breakwater lights are almost nonexistent,” said Rich Norgard, conservancy president. “The old, wooden lights either burned or just rotted away. We are just very fortunate.”

The picturesque structure is woven into Port Clinton’s history and appears on the city seal. It is the Lake Erie community’s second lighthouse; an 1833-vintage stone lighthouse was demolished a few years after the wooden one was built.

A kerosene lantern provided its beacon before it switched to electric power and was eventually decommissioned.

Eventually the lighthouse will have non-navigational illumination, but the group will need Coast Guard approval, Mr. Norgard said.

In 1952, a local marina owner was hired to remove the lighthouse from the pier and it was taken to what is now Brands’ Marina. It remained there until recent restoration efforts, work currently taking place in a boat storage facility where the ceilings are high enough to accommodate the tall structure.

The lighthouse’s owner, Darrell Brand, plans to give it to the conservancy, which will enter into an agreement with the city to place it along the waterfront, Mr. Norgard said.

Visitors sought out the lighthouse while it was displayed on marina property.

“It’s amazing how many people are running around this country looking for lighthouses,” said Mr. Brand, who wanted the lighthouse placed in a publicly accessible spot near the water.

He regularly stops by to check on the restoration’ s progress, as a volunteer crew carefully works to complete the project. They examined layers of paint to determine the original color scheme, and devised a way to pick up the structure and move it using a crane.

Volunteers saved everything they could as they paid close attention to historic details. John Smothers, who helped lead the restoration efforts, pointed out a few of the many features preserved in the restoration.

“The engineering is incredible and the workmanship. Thesee joints here, this is original, we didn’t touch these,” he said.

They searched for a window lock that best fit the original hardware and kept the latches that secure cabinet doors on the first floor. They even made special tools to clean out the tongue and groove areas.

Donations funded the work, estimated at $40,000 to $50,000, and the conservancy is accepting money to help with ongoing maintenance and other needs, Mr. Norgard said.

The conservancy’s plan is to build a foundation at the waterfront, where the lighthouse will sit on four piers.

In late May, the city applied to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for a submerged-lands lease of about four acres along the shoreline, according to ODNR spokesman Eileen Corson. The review process typically takes about three months.

The conservancy, which is awaiting federal nonprofit status, would seek to sublease a 25-by-30-foot rectangle of that land near the pond for the lighthouse, Mr. Norgard said. Its location was a previous topic of debate between the city and conservancy.

Port Clinton Mayor Vincent Leone could not be reached for comment.

Those who have dedicated themselves to restoring the lighthouse believe it will attract visitors to Port Clinton.

“This is part of the character of the city, so this is something the city should sort of latch onto. This is our lighthouse, this is part of our identity as a coastal community,” Mr. Norgard said.

Toledo Blade





Lookback #235 – Rahane received severe bottom damage on July 10, 1938

7/10 - Rahane spent its early years under the banner of the Rahane Steamship Co. The ship was built at Wallsend, England, in 1924 and came to Canada for the canal trades. It handled both bulk cargoes as well as package freight.

The ship was sold to the Sarnia Steamship Co., in November 1933 as a replacement for their lost John J. Boland Jr. The name was not changed but the vessel did receive a new stack and cargo boom during these years.

It was 76-years ago today that Rahane ran aground on a shoal in the American Narrows section of the St. Lawrence. The vessel was down bound with cargo that included steel, package freight and some grain. The lighter Cobourg came alongside and removed enough cargo to allow Rahane to float free. However, as a result of the severe bottom damage, the vessel was listed as a total loss.

The ship was repaired and resumed service as A.A. Hudson for the Northwest Steamship Co. in 1939. It operated through the end of the 1962 season and was tied up Owen Sound. Following a sale to offshore interests, the vessel was refitted at Port Dalhousie with work that involved moving the pilothouse aft. Still known as A.A. Hudson, it left for the sea in the fall of 1965.

Saltwater service between Florida and the Caribbean islands was not a success. There were boiler problems and the ship was often idle. Another sale brought a new name of Hudson Trader in 1968 but the ship was impounded at Palm Beach for non-payment of dockage fees.

It likely did not see much additional service and Hudson Trader was reported stripped at Atlantic Beach, near Jacksonville, in 1971. Â It was probably scrapped there later in the year.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Today in Great Lakes History - July 11

On this day in 1962, the EDWARD L. RYERSON carried a record cargo of 24,445 tons of iron ore through the newly opened Rock Cut Channel. The new channel increased allowable depths by 26 inches to 25 feet 7 inches.

On this day in 1943, the new MacArthur Lock was formally opened to traffic. The first boat to lock through during the ceremonies was the upbound CARL D. BRADLEY, Captain F. F. Pearse. There were 250 dignitaries and passengers aboard the Bradley during the lockage. The first downbound vessel was the new Leon Fraser of the Pittsburgh Steamship fleet.

The INDIANA HARBOR was christened July 11, 1979.

On 11 July 1888, the 2-mast wooden schooner JOHN TIBBETS was carrying coal on Lake Erie when she foundered in the shallows near Clear Creek, 7 miles west of Port Rowan, Ontario and then broke up in the storm waves. Her crew made it to shore in the yawl. She was built in 1863, at Clayton, New York on the hull of the Canadian schooner PERSEVERANCE, which was originally built in 1855.

The PERSIA, a 150-foot passenger/package freight vessel, was launched at Melancthon Simpson's shipyard at St. Catharines, Ontario, on 11 July 1873. She was built at a cost of $37,000. She lasted until the 1920's when she was converted to a barge and then abandoned.

MONTEZUMA (3-mast wooden schooner-barge, 341 feet, 2,722 gross tons) was launched at the John Davidson shipyard (Hull #102) in West Bay City, Michigan, on 11 July 1903. She was one of the largest wooden vessels ever built. It was later stated in the press that the reason Davidson's last large vessels took so long to build was the difficulty in obtaining the required large oak timbers and their expense. As steel went down in price, wood went up, and Davidson's last hulls cost as much as comparably-sized steel ones. At the time of launching this vessel the Davidson shipyard announced that it would not build any more wooden freight vessels. 1915: CHOCTAW, enroute from Cleveland to Duluth with a cargo of coal, sank following a collision with the WAHCONDAH in foggy Lake Huron. All on board were saved.

1940: WILLIAM F. STIFEL ran aground in the St. Clair River near Port Lambton and was struck by the ALBERT E. HEEKIN.

1964: CHEMBARGE NO. 4, formerly a) JUDGE KENEFICK and b) H.J. McMANUS was towed out into Lake Huron by ATOMIC and ABURG and scuttled in deep water about 16 miles off Goderich after sulphuric acid began leaking into the bilges of the recently-converted tanker barge.

2007: CANADIAN NAVIGATOR lost power and went aground in mud off Courtright and six tugs were needed to pull the ship free.


Canadian Miner removal to begin in earnest Monday

7/11 - Sydney, Nova Scotia – The real work of removing the former Great Lakes freighter Canadian Miner from the shores of Scatarie Island is about to get underway.

With the impending closure of the local lobster season, the bulk of the work of removing the wreck will begin, said Gary Campbell, president of Nova Scotia Lands. In consultation with RJ MacIsaac Construction of Antigonish, the successful bidder on the project, the decision was made to wait until the fishing season ended to begin that stage of the project. Since the tender award was announced in late May, efforts have been focused on the preparatory work necessary to proceed with removing the derelict bulk carrier from the protected wilderness area, and most of that regulatory work has been completed.

The province awarded the $11.9-million contract to RJ MacIsaac Construction to remove the wreck.

“It will be gearing up big time on Monday,” Campbell said. “Things are starting to look up. … We’re pretty confident that we’re ready to get up and started.”

Waiting for the lobster season to close only affected the timeline by about a week and avoided the complication of forcing fishermen to move their traps, Campbell said. He said fishermen have co-operated with the removal effort.

About 85 per cent of the demolition is to be conducted from land. Campbell said there will be in-filling in the area between the shore and the ship to allow crews to work from a stable base.

There is currently no cellphone service in the area, so technicians are due on site today to take steps to ensure there will be adequate coverage for people working on the project.

The first health and safety meeting on the project is scheduled for Monday and an office has been set up at the Coastal Discovery Centre in Main-a-Dieu.

A camp will be set up on the island for workers, so regulatory approval for installation of water and sewer services for it had to be sought for the protected area.

A technical advisory committee is in place, including representation from the Canadian Coast Guard and Environment Canada.

Campbell said no unanticipated challenges have been experienced to date and RJ MacIsaac Construction hasn’t reported any difficulty in obtaining qualified workers. In addition to equipment operators, cooks and labourers will be needed. Local fishermen will also help transport people to the site by boat. Department of Natural Resources helicopters, as well as helicopters from a private company, will also be available.

“There are some pretty good companies already here in the Sydney area, construction companies with heavy equipment and that kind of thing,” Campbell said.

The shipwrecked bulk carrier broke free of its towline as it was being hauled by a Greek oceangoing tug across the Atlantic to Turkey in 2011, where it was to be used for scrap. It's been stranded in the protected wilderness area ever since.

A previous attempt by a New York-based company to salvage the Canadian Miner resulted in the company walking away from the job, blaming government bureaucratic hurdles it said were put in place by the previous NDP government.

Cape Breton Post





Port Reports - July 11

Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – Daniel Lindner
USCG Hollyhock departed Sturgeon Bay on Thursday and was eastbound in the Mackinac Straits at 7 p.m. on Thursday. The 225-foot buoy tender/icebreaker suffered stern and fantail damage after a collision with the 1,004 foot Mesabi Miner on Jan. 5. The damage, however, did not affect the ship's operation, so she did not arrive Sturgeon Bay until May for repairs. The cutter did not have a destination listed at the time of this report.

St. Clair River – Bob Markus
Thursday morning, the Indiana Harbor was unloading at the DTE St. Clair Power Plant.

Lorain, Ohio – Phil Leon
Thompson was entering Lorain harbor at 12:45 p.m. Thursday.

Oswego, N.Y. – Ned Goebricher
On Thursday the tug Everlast and barge Norman McLeod unloaded fuel oil for the Oswego steam station.





Lakes water levels coming back, but not full laker loads

7/11 - Cleveland, Ohio – The rise in Great Lakes water levels has yet to translate into full loads for the U.S.-flag freighters moving iron ore, coal, limestone, cement and other cargos. Vessels continue to routinely leave port with less than a full load on board.

The largest iron ore cargo moved by a U.S.-flag laker through the Soo Locks in June totaled 69,576 tons. The record iron ore cargo for the “Head-of-the-Lakes Trade” is 72,300 tons and was carried in 1997, a period of near record-high water levels.

The deepest draft ever recorded for a transit of the Poe Lock is 29’ 03” in 1986. If a 1,000-foot-long U.S.-flag laker could transit the lock that deep today, the vessel would be carrying 72,727 tons.

Vessels in the coal trade continued to depart loading docks with capacity to spare. The largest coal cargo through the Soo Locks totaled 67,992 tons, nearly 5 percent less than the record of 70,903 tons.

Vessels in the short-haul trades below the Soo Locks likewise are still unable to maximize their carrying capacity. A river-class laker that delivered 13,000 tons of limestone to a dock along the Saginaw River was still 3,000 tons short of its rated capacity. A 14,000-ton cement cargo discharged in Detroit and Cleveland represented only 80 percent of the vessel’s rated capacity.

“The rise in water levels has allowed vessels to carry larger cargos than a year ago,” said James H.I. Weakley, President of Lake Carriers’ Association. “However, water levels will begin their seasonal decline in the fall, so the fact even more carrying capacity will be unusable makes the recent passage of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act even more important to the Great Lakes Navigation System. That legislation designates the Lakes as a system in terms of dredging and increases spending from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund.

“Passage could not have come at a better time, for it is clear higher water levels cannot themselves restore the Great Lakes Navigation System to even functional, let alone project dimensions,” he said. “Only increased funding will end the dredging crisis on the Great Lakes. It was gratifying to see the House of Representatives add nearly $58 million to the Corps’ national budget yesterday. Surely some of those dollars will come back to the Lakes.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates approximately 18 million cubic yards of sediment clog Great Lakes ports and waterways and pegs the cost of dredging that volume at more than $200 million. The Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, the depository for a tax levied on cargo to pay for dredging, has a surplus of more than $8 billion.

Lake Carriers’ Association





Lakes legislators play key role in boost to Corps funding

7/11 - Toledo, Ohio – Great Lakes legislators played a key role in Wednesday’s vote in the House of Representatives to increase the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ national budget by nearly $58 million.

Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI), along with Rep. Janice Hahn (D-CA), authored the amendment to the House’s FY15 Energy & Water Appropriations bill and Representatives Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Dan Benishek (R-MI) and Rick Nolan (D-MN) took the floor to support the measure.

The additional funds will push the Corps’ national dredging budget to the level specified in the recently enacted Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA), which should result in more dredging dollars for the Great Lakes.

Following passage of the amendment, Congressman Huizenga said “Properly dredged harbors along the Great Lakes are critical to Michigan’s economy and vital to job creation throughout West Michigan. Passage of this amendment demonstrates that harbors, including those in the Great Lakes, are a priority.”

During the floor debate, Congresswoman Kaptur stressed that “waterborne shipping is the most efficient mode of moving goods in and out of this country.” Rep. Benishek stated “All Americans depend on the Great Lakes for transportation of goods and services.” Rep. Nolan focused on the dredging crisis, noting the Great Lakes “are operating at 80 percent of capacity. It’s costing us $3 billion in annual business, jobs, growth and income.”

“Passage of the Hahn-Huizenga amendment was a litmus test,” said James H.I. Weakley, President of Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, the largest labor/management coalition ever to promote shipping on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. “This sends a clear message that the House is serious about keeping the promise it made when passing WRRDA just seven weeks ago.”

Weakley, who is also President of Lake Carriers’ Association, thanked all 30 Great Lakes House members who voted for the amendment. “Support for ending the dredging crisis has always been bipartisan and this vote is another sterling example of our delegation coming together for a common good.”

John D. Baker, 1st Vice President of GLMTF and President Emeritus of the ILA’s Great Lakes District Council, stressed the need for dredging has never been as great as it is right now. “The brutal winter of 2013/2014 has everyone on the Lakes trying to play catch up. Cargo movement in March and April was a fraction of normal volumes and the St. Lawrence Seaway recorded its latest opening ever. Every ship needs to utilize every inch of draft available to it.”

Tom Curelli, 2nd Vice President of GLMTF and Director of Operations for Fraser Shipyards, Inc., cautioned that the higher water levels have not lessened the need for dredging. “Even the best loads right now still represent a loss of 3-4 percent of the vessel’s carrying capacity. The gap will start to grow again when water levels begin their seasonal decline in autumn. Dredging is still the only way to restore the Great Lakes Navigation System.”

Paul Doell, 3rd Vice President of GLMTF and Legislative Director for American Maritime Officers, urged continued adherence to the funding levels called for in the WRRDA. “It will take several years to fully remove the dredging backlog on the Lakes. More than 18 million cubic yards of sediment clog our ports and waterways. Congress must again and again insist that the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund only be used for its intended purpose: Dredging.

Great Lakes Maritime Task Force





Lookback #236 – Chembarge No. 4 scuttled in Lake Huron on July 11, 1964

7/11 - It appeared that the steamer H.J. McManus had gained a reprieve when it was converted to an acid tanker barge and renamed Chembarge No. 4 in 1964. The ship did not survive the year.

Originally a bulk canaller in the Eastern Steamship Co. fleet, it was built at Hull, England, in 1925 and crossed the Atlantic for the canal trades as Judge Kenefick. Eleven years later, it was part of Eastern's original ten ship sale to the Upper Lakes & St. Lawrence Transportation Co. in 1936 and the vessel retained the same name in their service.

The 261 foot long Judge Kenefick operated until the opening of the Seaway and then sold to the Mid-Lake Line in 1960. It returned to service the next year as H.J. McManus and carried considerable coal and some grain over a two-year period.

Following a sale to Marine Salvage, the ship was towed to Ramey's Bend in Port Colborne and stripped to the deck. It was resold to Tank Truck Transports and taken to Sarnia during the week of May 28, 1962. There the hull was converted to carry sulfuric acid. It may have operated briefly under tow but also saw service as a storage hull.

Acid began leaking into the bilges so it was decided to scuttle the ship in Lake Huron as a safety precaution. The tugs Aburg and Atomic took Chembarge No. 4 to a deep part of the lake and the barge went down, bow first, 50-years ago today. At last check, the pilothouse still survived. It was used at Ramey's Bend for many years as a storage shed but was last noted surrounded by grown up trees and bushes.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Port Reports - July 14

Marquette, Mich. – Rod Burdick
Joseph H. Thompson unloaded stone into the Upper Harbor hopper on Sunday. An ore load was scheduled before departure.

St. Marys River
High wind from the WNW dropped the water level in the Rock Cut low enough that the downbound Paul R. Tregurtha went to anchor at Nine Mile Point in the late afternoon Sunday to await improved conditions. She hove anchor in the evening. The saltie Emilie also dropped the hook for a short time after dinner, waiting for congestion at the locks to ease.

Milwaukee, Wis. – Chris Gaziano
Algosteel arrived during the morning Sunday with a load of salt. The G.L Ostrander with barge Integrity departed for South Chicago after arriving in Milwaukee late Saturday night. Shortly after the departure of the G.L. Ostrander, the Samuel de Champlain with barge Innovation arrived from South Chicago and took their place alongside the LaFarge terminal. Three out of the four Great Lakes Fleet steamers were in the river Sunday: Philip R. Clarke, Arthur M. Anderson and John G. Munson.

Detroit River
Algoma Montrealais was upbound Sunday with a cargo of cement for Duluth.

Buffalo, N.Y. – Brian W.
The US brig Niagara was open for tours at the Central Wharf this past weekend.





Long winter affecting Lake Michigan water temperature

7/14 - The long, cold winter of 2013-14 is having a chilling effect on Lake Michigan. The National Weather Service said last Thursday that the surface water temperature of the Great Lake is about 5 degrees colder than the 20-year average.

The surface temperature is based on satellite imaging of the water.

The temperature varies depending on location, with temperatures in the 40s shown in the northern part of the lake, in the mid-50s in the central part and in the low to mid-60s in the southern part.

Below the surface temperatures taken by equipment on buoys are also below normal, dropping down to near 40 60 feet below the surface.

Temperatures are not expected to warm up anytime soon.

"As the long range forecast is calling for below normal temperatures to settle over the western Great Lakes next week, no significant warming of Lake Michigan is expected through mid-July," the weather service said.

madison.com





Shipwreck hunters find Air Force plane that went down in '53

7/14 - Rochester, N.Y. – They hunt shipwrecks for fun, but explorers Jim Kennard, Roger Pawlowski and Roland Stevens recently added a new category to the list of discoveries they've made on the floor of the Great Lakes: a C-45 Air Force plane.

The trio, from Rochester, N.Y., found the aircraft at the bottom of Lake Ontario, solving a mystery that has endured since 1952. The plane went down unmanned after its five-man crew parachuted to safety when its engine failed. The Coast Guard searched for the plane at the time, but where it failed, Kennard, Pawlowski and Stevens succeeded.

"We were quite surprised when the image of an aircraft appeared on our sonar display as it was well beyond the mile offshore as reported by a few eyewitnesses," Kennard said on the group's website, Shipwreckworld.com.

The plane, at a depth of more than 200 feet, was found with a remote-operated vehicle the men control from their boat.

"Part of the windshield was broken and the left side of the body behind the wing has been torn away," Kennard said. "Otherwise it is all there. This probably explains why no debris could be found floating on the surface of the lake during the searches conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Air Force."

The plane crashed during a routine flight from Massachusetts to Griffis Air Force Base in upstate New York on Sept. 11, 1952. It was about 8 miles south of its destination when it began losing altitude because one of its two engines had failed. Fearing a crash, Lt. Col. Charles Callahan and his four-man crew parachuted from the plane at an altitude of 2,500 feet. With one engine still functioning, the plane flew pilotless for another 65 miles before plunging into Lake Ontario.

Before he jumped, Callahan set the plane on autopilot and aimed it towards the coast, fearing the plane might otherwise crash into an inhabited area. Reportedly, the plane flew very low over the town of Oswego and circled over Lake Ontario before hitting the water.

Pawlowski told FoxNews.com the plane will stay where it went down.

"We don't even touch it," he said. "We just take pictures and video and leave it there for others to enjoy. Each one of those wrecks is like a museum of its own."

Kennard and the shipwreck exploration team has worked Lake Ontario off Oswego for the last three years, making several important finds. Last season, the team found the schooner Atlas, lost in 1839, the schooner Ocean Wave, lost in 1890 and the Roberval, one of only two steel steamers to sink on Lake Ontario.

Pawlowski, a retired electrical engineer, says hunting shipwrecks is a dream retirement hobby. The men don't dive more than 130 feet or so, but do most of their searching with computers and the remote vehicle.

"We sit up on the boat with a beer in one hand and watch the ROV do its work," Pawlowski said. "You can't beat it."

FoxNews.com





World record attempt for the longest crossing of Lake Erie

7/14 - Vessel crews are asked to watch out for 16-year-old Annaleise Carr as she attempts a 75-kilometre swim across Lake Erie from Erie, Pa., to Port Dover, Ont., on July 25-26.

Carr will be accompanied by 1 kayak, 2 Zodiacs and 4 support boats. During daylight hours, a pacer will be allowed to swim with Annaleise. The flotilla will be moving in a diamond-shaped pattern around Annaleise as she swims.

She must complete the entire swim on her own. She cannot get out of the water. She can’t touch a boat or another swimmer. She must exit the water unassisted, under her own power.

Lake freighters are asked to slow down and divert as far from the group as possible. Cold water churned up by freighters can make or break a swimmer’s chances of crossing.





Lookback #239 – Daniel Pierce aground at Guanica, Puerto Rico, on July 14, 1964

7/14 - The American tanker Daniel Pierce spent most of its life in saltwater service. It was built at Wilmington, Delaware, for the Sinclair Refining Co. and entered service as E.W. Sinclair in April 1921.

The 391 foot, 6 inch long vessel had 22 cargo tanks. It was renamed Daniel Pierce in 1941 and taken over by the United States Navy as U.S.S. Shikellamy in 1943. The ship served in a refueling capacity in the South Pacific during World War Two and was decommissioned on Jan. 14, 1946.

It was returned to Sinclair and resumed trading as Daniel Pierce. Daniel Pierce was brought to the Great Lakes under tow through the Mississippi system in November 1951. The tanker was usually based on Lake Michigan but did make at least one trip to Toronto during her tenure on the lakes.

Daniel Pierce operated inland through 1963 and then, following a sale, left for the south. It had carried caustic soda and some petroleum products on the Caribbean and arrived at Guanica, Puerto Rico, in ballast from Guadeloupe to its first cargo of sulfuric acid on July 10, 1964. Over a period of days some acid began leaking into the bilges. The mix of acid and salt water led to the fear of an explosion and the vessel was beached as a safety precaution 50 years ago today.

Fortunately, the vessel did not blow up but it was soon condemned and broken up for scrap. The investigation of the incident questioned why such an old ship would be loading this type of cargo but things could have been much worse.




Today in Great Lakes History - July 14

The AMERICAN REPUBLIC (Hull#724) was launched July 14, 1980, by the Bay Shipbuilding Co., Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, for the American Steamship Co. She was renamed b) GREAT REPUBLIC in 2011.

While upbound in the St. Lawrence River on July 14, 1970, for Saginaw, Michigan, with a load of pig iron from Sorel, Quebec, the EASTCLIFFE HALL, of 1954, grounded in mud near Chrysler Shoal six miles above Massena, New York, at 03:00 hours but was able to free herself. A few hours later, approaching Cornwall, Ontario, she struck a submerged object and sank within a few minutes in 70 feet of water only 650 feet from the point of impact. The submerged object was believed to be an old aid to navigation light stand. Nine lives were lost. Divers determined that her back was broken in two places. After salvaging part of the cargo, her cabins were leveled and her hull was filled.

In 1988, the JOHN T. HUTCHINSON and tow mate CONSUMERS POWER passed through the Panama Canal heading for the cutter’s torch in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. On 14 July 1908, MENTOR (wooden propeller tug, 53 foot, 23 gross tons, built in 1882, at Saugatuck, Michigan) burned south of Chicago, Illinois. No lives lost. Her original name was HATTIE A. FOX.

On 14 July 1891, T H ORTON (wooden barge, 262 gross tons, built in 1873, at Buffalo, New York) anchored off Marblehead, Ohio, on Lake Erie to ride out a storm. She dragged her anchors and was driven ashore where she was declared a total wreck. She may have been recovered though. Just two years earlier, this vessel went through a similar incident at the same spot.

1891: ATHABASCA and PONTIAC collided head-on in the Sugar Island Channel of the St. Marys River and the latter settled on the bottom. The former arrived at Sault Ste. Marie, with wreckage draped across her bow. Both ships were repaired and returned to service.

1931: The bulk canaller TEAKBAY hit a rock in the Brockville Narrows of the St. Lawrence and went aground while enroute from Sandusky to Quebec City with coal. It was refloated but was listing and in need of repairs.

1964: DANIEL PIERCE, a former Great Lakes tanker, ran aground at Guanica, Puerto Rico. The ship was leaking sulphuric acid into the bilges mixing with salt water. The town was evacuated due to the potential for an explosion. The hull was condemned and eventually scrapped.

1966: The Israeli freighter ELAT, on her second trip to the Great Lakes, and LEMOYNE were in a collision near Lock 2 of the Welland Canal, with only minor damage. ELAT arrived at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, for scrapping by September 7, 1982, while LEMOYNE was broken up at Santander, Spain, in 1969.

1993: CALCITE II lost steering and ran aground in the Amherstburg Channel of the Detroit River. The ship was lightered, released with the help of the tugs PATRICIA HOEY, OREGON and STORMONT and, after unloading at Ecorse, headed for Toledo to be repaired.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Port Reports - July 15

St. Marys River
The research vessel Spencer F. Baird was downbound from the MCM drydock Monday morning, heading back to Cheboyagn, Mich. Algoma Montrealais, Canada’s last steam-powered vessel, was upbound for Duluth in the early afternoon.

St. Clair, Mich. – Bob Markus
Paul R. Tregurtha arrived at the DTE St. Clair Power Plant at about 4:45 Monday with a load of coal from Duluth.

Buffalo, N.Y.
On Monday, American Mariner was on her way to Lackawanna with an ETA of about 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Oswego, N.Y. – Ned Goebricher
On Monday, Stephen B. Roman unloaded cement.





Minnesota Power, Duluth Port reach wind shipment milestone

7/15 - Duluth, Minn. – Minnesota Power and the Duluth Port reached a milestone this past weekend when the 15th ship bearing wind generation equipment destined for Minnesota Power’s growing renewable energy installation in North Dakota sailed into the harbor beneath the Aerial Lift Bridge.

The BBC cargo ship Peter Roenna was expected to arrive in Duluth late Sunday night carrying over two dozen renewable wind energy components after a voyage from Brande, Denmark, where the equipment is manufactured by Siemens A.G. Two other shiploads of Siemens wind equipment bound for North Dakota arrived at the port in June; two more are expected before the end of September.

Since the port first started handing these project cargoes for Minnesota Power, a total of 15 shiploads of wind energy equipment – including these nacelle cooling units and generators – have crossed the Atlantic Ocean, sailing through the St. Lawrence Seaway and across the Great Lakes into Duluth. The components are then loaded onto trucks for delivery to the Bison Wind Energy Center near New Salem, N.D.

Duluth Seaway Port Authority





Lookback #240 – Manitoulin went aground at Sandusky on July 15, 1986

7/15 - The self-unloader Manitoulin was a frequent caller at the coal-loading ports on the south shore of Lake Erie. The vessel loaded there for steel making plants or electric generating stations. It was 28 years ago today that the ship lost power and went aground near Cedar Point at Sandusky, Ohio. Manitoulin was released with the aid of tugs and operated to the end of the 2000 season.

Manitoulin was built at Lauzon, Quebec, and delivered to Canada Steamship lines on July 6, 1966. The 730-foot-long self-unloader brought manganese ore from Contrecoeur, Quebec, to Ashtabula, Ohio, on its first trip.

Over the years the ship endured a collision with the salty Saint Marcel in the Welland Canal in December 1971, a minor fire to the conveyor while undergoing winter work at Port Weller on Jan. 24, 1977, and another grounding west of Montreal on Sept. 18, 1986.

Manitoulin opened the shipping season along the Welland Canal on April 4, 1977, and was the first laker up bound in the Seaway, second ship overall, for the 2000 season.

The ship tied up at Sorel on Dec. 27, 2000, and remained idle until sold to Turkish shipbreakers. It departed under tow of the tug Akhtiar on June 11, 2002, and arrived at Aliaga, on July 23. Scrapping got underway immediately.


Today in Great Lakes History - July 15

July 15, 1991 - The Spanish, 1975-built, 7,311 gross ton, ocean motor bulk carrier MILANOS, anchored in the Detroit River since July 2, began the long slow trip home. Auxiliar de Transporte Maritimos, the ship’s owners, decided it would be cheaper to tow the crippled ship home for repairs rather than have the repairs performed locally. The ship's engine seized after the crankshaft broke. She departed Detroit, bound for Montreal under tow of Malcolm Marine's TUG MALCOLM and McKeil's tug ARGUE MARTIN. The tow passed down the Seaway on July 19.

On July 15, 1961, the d.) WALTER A. STERLING, now f.) LEE A. TREGURTHA), entered service on the Great Lakes for Cleveland Cliffs Steamship Co., after conversion from a T-3 tanker. The next day, on July 16, 1961, the d.) PIONEER CHALLENGER, now f.) AMERICAN VICTORY, entered service for the Pioneer Steamship Co (Hutchinson & Co., mgr.).

The CHICAGO TRADER was launched as a.) THE HARVESTER (Hull#391) at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. in 1911, for the Wisconsin Steel Co.

In 1946, the NORISLE (Hull#136) was launched at Collingwood, Ontario, by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd. for the Dominion & Owen Sound Transportation Co. Ltd. In 1934, the ANN ARBOR NO 4 collided with the steamer N. F. LEOPOLD in a heavy fog.

On Saturday, 15 July 1871, an argument between Captain James Bradley and Mate John Reed started while the schooner ROBERT EMMETT was docked at Erie, Pennsylvania unloading iron ore. They were still shouting at each other as the ship sailed out of the harbor. In short order, the ship turned around and anchored in the harbor. At 3 the following morning, Reed rowed ashore, went directly to the police station and charged that Capt. Bradley had assaulted him with a knife. At dawn, as the police were on their way to question Capt. Bradley, they found him stepping ashore from the deck of a tug, fuming that Reed had stolen the ship's only small boat. Bradley and Reed were at each other again and the police arrested both men. Bradley then filed charges against Reed for mutiny, assault and theft of the ship's boat. The case went to court the very next day. Justice of the Peace Foster saw his courtroom packed with curious sailors and skippers. Reed and Bradley were both still fuming and after listening to just a little testimony, Foster found both men guilty, fined them both and ordered both to pay court costs. The matter didn't end there since Reed later had to get a court order to get his personal belongings off the EMMETT. There is no record of what the disagreement was that started this whole mess.

The iron side-wheel steamer DARIUS COLE (201 foot, 538 gross tons) was launched at the Globe Iron Works (Hull #10) in Cleveland, Ohio on 15 July 1885. During her career, she had two other names b.) HURON 1906 - 1921, and c.) COLONIAL 1921 - 1925. She burned off Barcelona, New York, on Lake Erie on 1 September 1925, while on an excursion. The hull was beached and later towed to Dunkirk, New York, for scrapping.

1885: The rail car ferry LANSDOWNE and the CLARION were in a collision on the Detroit River.

1895: CIBOLA caught fire and burned at the dock at Lewiston, NY, with the loss of one life. The hull was towed to Toronto and used in a fill project.

1943: GEORGE M. HUMPHREY sank off Old Point Mackinac Light following a collision with the D.M. CLEMSON. The ship was salvaged in 1944 and rebuilt at Sturgeon Bay as b) CAPTAIN JOHN ROEN in 1945 and became c) ADAM E. CORNELIUS in 1948 and d) CONSUMERS POWER in 1958.

1977: The ore- laden CADILLAC went aground in the St. Marys River after missing a turn in fog. It was released the next day with the help of 3 tugs.

1986: The C.S.L. self-unloader MANITOULIN went aground at Sandusky, off Cedar Point, after losing power. The ship was released with the help of tugs.

1998: LITA hit the knuckle at the Eisenhower Lock and sustained damage to the starboard side. The vessel later hit bottom of the channel near the Snell Lock but there was no additional damage. The ship was enroute from Toledo to Algeria. The 11,121 gross ton saltwater vessel was still in service as of 2012.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Today in Great Lakes History - July 16

DETROIT EDISON, of 1955, departed Quebec City July 16th 1986, along with former fleet mate SHARON, in tow of the U.S. tug PRUDENT, to Brownsville, Texas for scrapping.

The SAGINAW BAY departed Quebec City on July 16, 1985, in tandem with the E.B. BARBER, towed by the Polish tug KORAL for scrapping at Vigo, Spain.

NORTHERN VENTURE, a.) VERENDRYE of 1944, entered Great Lakes service July 16, 1961, upbound light for the Canadian lake head to load grain.

On July 16, 1935, the BRUCE HUDSON capsized on Lake Ontario off Cobourg, Ontario, while in tow of the wooden-hulled tug MUSCALLONGE.

Keel-laying of the CHI-CHEEMAUN (Hull#205) was on July 16, 1973, at Collingwood, Ontario by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd. for Ontario Northland Transport Commission.

CATARACT (wooden propeller, 15 foot', 352 tons, built in 1852, at Buffalo) caught fire on 16 July 1861, 5 miles off Erie, Pennsylvania. She became an inferno astern in just a few minutes and this prevented her boats from being launched. Four died. Some were saved by clinging to floating wreckage and some others were rescued by a small fishing boat. The schooner ST PAUL picked up some survivors. Among those picked up by Captain Mosher of the ST PAUL, were Captain McNally and the CATARACT's carpenter. Capt. Mosher had rescued these same two men in 1858, when the propeller INDIANA was lost in Lake Superior.

On 16 July 1873, the new barge MINNEAPOLIS was towed to Detroit for outfitting. She had just been launched four days earlier at Marine City, Michigan. While on the way to Detroit, a Canadian man named Sinclair fell overboard and drowned. On 16 July 1874, The Port Huron Times reported that "the old steamer REINDEER has been rebuilt to a barge by L. C. Rogers at H. C. Schnoor's shipyard at Fair Haven, [Michigan]. Her beautiful horns have been taken down, [she carried a set of large antlers], her machinery and cumbersome side-wheels removed, and she has been fully refitted with center arch and deck frame complex."

July 16, 1961, the PIONEER CHALLENGER entered service. Built in 1943, as a T-3 tanker a.) MARQUETTE, renamed b.) U.S.S. NESCHANIC (AO-71) in 1943, c.) GULFOIL in 1947, d.) PIONEER CHALLENGER in 1961, e.) MIDDLETOWN in 1962, and f.) AMERICAN VICTORY in 2006.

1911 ¬ MAINE, upbound with a load of coal, caught fire in the St. Clair River and was run aground on the Canadian shore. The crew escaped.

1958 ¬ The Swedish freighter ERHOLM and the FRANK ARMSTRONG of the Interlake fleet were in a collision in northern Lake St. Clair with minor damage to both ships. ERHOLM had earlier been a Great Lakes caller as a) ERLAND and later came through the Seaway in 1959-1960. It returned inland again in 1961 and 1962 as c) OTIS. The ship arrived at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, for scrapping as h) DIMITRA K. on August 25, 1980.



Plans for removing the Canadian Miner from off Cape Breton are underway

7/16 - Cape Breton, N.S. – Nova Scotia Land has met with a contractor to discuss work safety and hazardous waste on the former laker Canadian Miner as plans to move the wrecked ship are put into action. It ran aground on Scatarie Island in Cape Breton, N.S., three years ago. The environmental, transportation and health and safety permits are all in place.

Nova Scotia Land, the Crown corporation overseeing the $12 million project, said it’s a potentially dangerous job.

“The main material that has to be removed is the asbestos. There’s asbestos wrap on a lot of the plumbing that's in the vessel and that has to be removed,” said Chief Operating Officer Joel MacLean.

The Miner was being towed to Turkey when it broke its line near Nova Scotia. The ocean and rocky coast have shredded the steel hull.

Crews will build a base camp on the island and set up an access road from the shore to the ship. Some 40 people will work a four-day rotation to do the job.

“The Miner will be broken down from the top down to maintain the stability as they go down towards the water,” MacLean said. “The access road will give them access to use heavy equipment. The equipment will be large excavators with long reach arms and shears on the end of them.”

The steel will be loaded onto a barge and sold for scrap. Antigonish-based R J MacIsaac Construction has until November to remove the wreck.

CBC News





Port Reports - July 16

St. Marys River
Tim S. Dool was tied at the southwest wall above the locks Tuesday afternoon undergoing an inspection and unspecified repairs. Herbert C. Jackson was also tied up for a short time at the Carbide Dock. Both vessels resumed their upbound trips later in the day.

Lorain, Ohio – Phil Leon
Saginaw cleared the Charles Berry bridge and was on her way out into the lake at 7:50 a.m. Tuesday.

Hamilton, Ont. – Ted Wilush
Algoma Harvester arrived Tuesday on her maiden voyage with ore from Port Cartier for Dofasco. She will proceed to pier 26S for a christening ceremony on Thursday morning, and then be unloaded.





U.S.-flag lakers’ cargo total trails 2013 by 17 percent at mid-year

7/16 - Cleveland, Ohio – U.S.-flag cargo movement on the Great Lakes stood at 27 million tons through the end of June, a decrease of 17.4 percent compared to the same point in 2013. The brutal winter of 2013/2014 is the overriding factor behind the decrease. Vessels lost significant time due to the heavy ice formations, and then some vessels had to be removed from service to repair damage suffered in the ice.

Shipments of iron ore for the steel industry total 14 million tons at the end of the second quarter, a decrease of 21.4 percent, or 3,816,000 tons. The 3.8-million-ton shortfall is more than a season’s work for a 1,000-foot-long vessel.

Coal cargos stand at 5.1 million tons through June, a decrease of 9.4 percent, or 532,000 tons.

Limestone loadings total 6.2 million tons at the end of the first half of 2014, a decrease of 16.6 percent, or 1,231,000 tons. Winter’s grip on the stone trade was so tight that only one limestone cargo had moved by mid-April.

Lake Carriers’ Association





Groups still looking for Asian carp solution

7/16 - Washington, D.C. – Six months after the Army Corps of Engineers outlined strategies for keeping Asian carp out of Lake Michigan, policymakers, environmentalists and businesspeople are no closer to any kind of agreement on an acceptable long-term solution.

But while disagreement over the prospect of physically separating Lake Michigan from Chicago-area waterways hasn’t softened, there are indications the various interested parties are moving toward consensus on short-term measures which could slow the invasive species’ spread toward the lake.

Specifically, an advisory group comprised of more than 50 organizations representing interests for and against physical separation appears largely in agreement about testing potential control measures at a spot in Joliet, Ill., the southernmost choke point leading to the Chicagoland waterways.

It’s uncertain what those controls at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Joliet would be, what they would cost and their ultimate effectiveness, but it still represents a budding consensus for a divided group that has hired outside facilitators to help it search for agreement on a long-term solution.

“Give us a year and I’d hope we’d be able to produce some consensus around a solution,” said Tim Eder, executive director of the Great Lakes Commission and a member of the advisory board. “I wish it were a lot quicker than that, but people are kind of dug in.”

When it comes to the spread of Asian carp, everyone involved seems to agree it needs to be stopped before the voracious species reaches the Great Lakes. But finding agreement beyond that — from businesses, environmentalists, Congress or the Corps — has proven agonizingly slow.

Environmentalists represented by the Great Lakes Commission, the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiatives and others argued in a 2012 paper for “Restoring the Natural Divide,” and physically separating the Mississippi River system and Chicagoland waterways from Lake Michigan.

But business groups in Illinois and Indiana have voiced grave concerns about what such a vast undertaking would mean not only to their bottom lines — with barge traffic needing to be shifted to road and to rail — but also how it could exacerbate flooding and environmental concerns.

“That remains the sticking point. It’s one that’s always in the back of everyone’s mind,” said Benjamin Brockschmidt, with the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. “It’s not as simple as putting down a barrier ... The way physical separation has been described to us, it does not work.”

“We have way oversimplified how this can be resolved,” added Kay Nelson, with the Northwest Indiana Forum, a regional business group in that state, and a member of the advisory panel, whose work is monitored and supported by government groups looking for a permanent solution.

Nelson said even if physical separation could be worked out, it could require two to four decades of environmental remediation and flood-control measures to ensure contaminated runoff doesn’t seep into the lake.

“It’s difficult for John Q. Public to understand,” she said. “None of it is easy. ”

Environmentalists argue that opponents of separation are exaggerating the hurdles, time frame and costs. But the Corps of Engineers has refused to take sides. Its long-awaited, congressionally mandated report came out in January outlining eight options, including physical separation, but made no recommendation.

After a public comment period drew petitions and letters signed by thousands in favor of separation, the Corps — after reviewing all the comments it received — said no “clear consensus” was identified.

For some policymakers, the pace is too slow. U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., has been pushing for separation for years, and told the Free Press last month that it’s “critical” that a regional consensus be reached soon, even with interim controls under consideration.

Both she and U.S. Rep. Dave Camp, a Midland Republican, are looking into legislation that, in Camp’s words, could help take “the vital first steps” toward a permanent solution — though getting that passed in both the House and Senate may be a challenge.

Funding, too, could be a hurdle, though the Corps is constructing a new permanent electric barrier with a portion of $29 million in the hateful muslim traitor administration’s budget proposal. Some critics argue that some fish have been able to broach the electronic barriers already in place, however.

Eder said the hope is that funding can be found quickly once an agreement is reached for the Joliet project. Any number of control methods could be tested there, he said: from guns firing sound waves that steer fish into nets to chemical agents that sterilize the fish and more. None may be 100% effective, he said, but they could go a long way toward slowing the spread of the fish.

“We’re talking about stuff that’s pretty much ready to go,” he said. It could begin while he and others — like David Ullrich, with the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative — continue to push for physical separation, an option which the Corps’ report said could cost as much as $18 billion — a figure Ullrich and Eder dispute.

“It’s still very much on the table, but we’re not talking about that yet (on the committee),” said Ullrich, adding facilitators are trying to determine what common ground can be found among the parties. “It’s not just to separate or not to separate. We need to see what other alternatives are there.

Detroit Free Press





Boat picks up trash from Lake Michigan after heavy rains

7/16 - Milwaukee, Wis. – There's a boat on Lake Michigan picking up all the trash and debris now lurking underwater from the heavy rain this year.

It's tough to tell what's in the water, but if it's not supposed to be there, the captain of the Lynyrd Skymmr, Scott Cassavant, will get it out. With heavy rains this summer he and his crew have been scooping up debris eight hours a day.

"When there is a heavy rain with a lot of current flow, what is a living, thriving tree will become uprooted and ends up in the river," Cassavant said.

It's important to remove the large logs because they are a navigational hazard to boats out on the water. It's also important to remove smaller pieces of plastic.

"They don't bio-degrade. They take hundreds, if not thousands, of years to break down," Cassavant said. The plastics are also a source of bacteria. Logs are natural; however, if you hit one with your boat, it will likely cause major damage.

Crew member Khalid Evans said the boat's conveyor belts do a lot of the work. "It's easy because the boat, it do it by itself, and we just guide it," Evans said.

When you're on the water you never know what you'll find. "One of the most unique items, I think was a call that I got, and it turned out to be a floating port-a-john," Cassavant said.

Last year, the sewer district collected enough trash to fill 61 20-cubic-yard dumpsters.

WISN.com





Seaway sorting potential suitors for dry docks

7/16 - St. Catharines, Ont. – While St. Catharines' dry docks remain without a tenant, its owner says there's been interest expressed in locating there.

"We have at this stage the task of examining what interest has been declared," said Andrew Bogora, spokesman for the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp.

"I can confirm the July 4 date has come and gone … we have received some limited interest in this site and we are pursuing that."

Its previous tenant, Seaway Marine and Industrial went bankrupt last year, throwing about 160 people out of work.

Kyle Groulx, business representative for International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 128, said some laid of workers had "held out, to see what's going to happen at the shipyards."

Groulx said a number have taken temporary work elsewhere, including a wind-turbine manufacturing operation and ship repair firms.

"As for the liquidated (Seaway Marine) property, we don't know where that's going to go," Groulx said.

"The trail's gone cold. The contractors that were calling me to inquire about the bargaining unit have stopped."

St. Catharines Standard





Ferry owner backs Detroit River bridge that may sink his job

7/16 - Detroit, Mich – In the shadow of the mighty Ambassador Bridge, Gregg Ward operates the little ferry that could.

For two decades, he and his father, John Ward, have run a plucky, small but important freight operation, carrying trucks with hazardous or oversized cargo banned from the Ambassador Bridge by law.

The tiny, little known Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry fills a conveyance gap five days a week, as 18-wheelers carrying whisky or paint or gasoline drive onto the ferry – a barge and tugboat combination, piloted by Captain Dave Seymour, and Jazzy, a Labradoodle.

Last week, this primitive ferry delivered 120 huge windmill stanchions and blades to the Windsor bank of the river. But the ferry’s owner is his own worst advocate.

“It’s ridiculous,” says Ward, who sees his ferry as part of the antiquated infrastructure of the Detroit River crossing system. “If the Ambassador Bridge is shut down for any reason, this is what you have as a backup: our little ferry.”

Here’s where the pluck comes in: Ward is an advocate for a government-built second bridge, one that would, he believes, “provide redundancy and resiliency to the most important international border crossing we have.”

And that pits him against the incalculable fortune and indomitable will of bridge owner Manuel “Matty” Moroun.

But the proposed bridge, now stalled by a lack of federal funding for a customs plaza in Detroit, would likely spell the end of the truck ferry, wouldn’t it?

“It would,” says Ward, as he steers his own vehicle onto the 120-foot-long barge. “We opened to fill a niche and if that niche is no longer there, I would probably have to do something else.”

To Ward, 53, a Dearborn resident who has a master’s degree in finance and an entrepreneurial spirit, the antiquity of the bridge and tunnel system are apparent. And so is the need for the government to own the next bridge, rather than leave international transportation at the mercy of a billionaire.

What’s in it for Ward? “Nothing,” he says.

He has long been judged credible and public-spirited by community activists in the area.

State Rep. Rashida Tlaib calls Ward “a great leader on the issue of hazardous materials. He’s been an amazing partner for the community because he understands the dynamic of commerce.”

Ward and Moroun have been at odds since Ward opened the ferry on Earth Day in 1990. At that point, the ferry was jeered as the “toxic barge” by environmentalists.

Since then, Ward’s own landing plaza was paved on the Windsor side courtesy of the Ontario government. He’s steeped himself in the lore and law of the international crossing.

Dan Stamper, president of the Ambassador Bridge Co. questions Ward’s intentions, saying: “There has to be some kind of agreement to buy him out, there has to be.”

But Ward says the only party that has ever offered to buy him out is Moroun himself, a claim that Stamper didn’t dispute. (“It must have been at least 15 years ago,” Stamper said.)

Two years ago, Moroun tried to get the regulations changed so that trucks could carry hazardous materials across the bridge. Although that effort failed, Stamper said Monday that “there are certain commodities on the hazardous (list) that the Ambassador Bridge has historically allowed,” despite laws to the contrary.

For now, Ward’s quaint truck ferry provides a crucial, legal and safe commercial link between two mighty nations.

The Detroit News:





House bill would help shipping on Lake St. Clair, river

7/16 - A water resources bill adopted by the U.S. House for the coming fiscal year would provide more than $1.5 million for dredging operations and sediment disposal on Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River.

The House passed a $34 billion water and energy spending bill last Friday after two days of marathon debate. The $5.5 billion appropriations list for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers includes $6 million for the Detroit River but it’s biggest Michigan project by far is an allocation of $40 million to upgrade the Soo Locks on the St. Mary’s River.

U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, a Harrison Township Republican, praised the 253-170 House vote.

“Our waterways play host to recreational and commercial activity essential to our local and national economy,” said Miller, a veteran sailor.

“Although it must still be approved by the Senate, House passage of this legislation is an important and encouraging first step, as this bill would provide federal funding for dredging and other water resources projects that would help ensure future generations can continue to enjoy the recreational and economic benefits provided by our Great Lakes.”

Dredging has become increasingly important because the low water levels on the Great Lakes over the past decade. Though levels are up this year, a report published last month in Canada predicted the Great Lakes economy would lose $20 billion by 2050 if an extensive reprieve is not realized.

According to the Corps of Engineers, the loss of just one to two feet of channel depth in the St. Clair River increases transportation costs for the shipping industry from between $4.7 million and $15.8 million.

Legislation adopted by Congress earlier this year will boost federal funding for dredging and other improvements at Great Lakes ports and harbors. The $1.6 million St. Clair River project approved by the House would benefit the ports of Marysville, St. Clair and Marine City. The routine maintenance planned for portions of the shipping lanes in Lake St. Clair, at a cost of $179,000, will provide smooth passage for vessels navigating the river and lake.

The channels in Lake St.Clair are 800 feet wide, 14.5 miles long and 27.5 feet deep.

The rock and sediment that is excavated from the lake and river, some of which is likely to include contaminated soil, would be disposed at nearby Dickinson Island, a dump site for more than 30 years.

As the Senate prepares to take up its own legislation, the House version of the House Energy and Water appropriations bill faces a potential veto from President hateful muslim traitor due to several Republican provisions that the White House opposes.

Most of those GOP amendments that were tacked onto the main measure have no bearing on the Great Lakes, but one controversial rider would reportedly block the Corps from working on a rule with the Environmental Protection Agency to clarify its jurisdictional authority over streams and wetlands in the U.S.

Oakland Press





Cruises take enthusiasts to hard-to-find Lake Superior lighthouses

7/16 - Copper Harbor, Mich. – Passengers aboard the Isle Royale Queen IV had to brave some rain and clouds recently to get a good look at the Manitou Island and Gull Rock lighthouses, but it wasn't nearly enough to keep them away from that rare opportunity. Some of them, in fact, wouldn't have had it any other way.

"This weather shows why the light station exists," said Evan McDonald, executive director of the Keweenaw Land Trust, which owns and maintains the Manitou Island Light Station on an island about three miles off the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula. "I like people to experience it under these conditions."

The Land Trust was one of two beneficiaries of a recent charity cruise, along with the Gull Rock Lightkeepers, which owns and maintains the Gull Rock Lighthouse on an exposed rock just west of Manitou Island. The cruise was hosted by Captain Ben Kilpela and the Isle Royale Line, with profits dedicated to restoring the two lighthouses. It was the first of two charity lighthouse cruises scheduled this month, with the second cruise on July 19.

Jeremiah Mason, archivist at the Keweenaw National Historic Park, is a member of the Gull Rock Lightkeepers. For him, getting a look at the lighthouses was more personal than professional. That's because his great-great grandfather, James Corgan, was one of the first lighthouse keepers to serve at both the lights, in the 1870s and 1880s.

"The first time I went to Gull Rock I noticed tool racks in the basement rock that had been signed by James Corgan," Mason noted. "That was pretty cool."

By the end of his career, Corgan had served more years than anyone in the U.S. Lighthouse Service, about 50, according to Peter Annin, executive director of the Gull Rock Lightkeepers.

Annin also discussed the process that placed Gull Rock Light into the Lightkeepers' hands, and some of the work that's been done since.

He said the process started in 2000 when Congress passed the Lighthouse Preservation Act, which turned over historic lighthouses the Coast Guard couldn't afford to maintain to local government, nonprofit or private hands.

"Gull Rock was going to be orphaned," he said. "In '04 the Gull Rock Lightkeepers were formed and partnered with the Michigan Conservancy to receive and restore it."

McDonald said the Manitou Island Light was turned over to the Keweenaw Land Trust through the same process.

Since then, Annin said, the Lightkeepers have invested around $200,000 and 1,000 man-hours in the light station, with about three quarters of that money coming through grants. Last year's single lighthouse cruise, he said, raised about $1,500 each for his group and the Land Trust's Manitou Island restorations.

"Generally speaking we can get $2 for every $1 from private sources," he said.

Since 2004, he said, the Lightkeepers have replaced the roof and the floors, which had pancaked into the basement of the building, despite the logistical difficulties of bringing materials to the remote island.

The Manitou Island property, which the Land Trust, working with the Audubon Society, has also recognized as a bird habitat, is being renovated with a slightly different goal — to make the building useful again as a secure overnight stop for bird observers, while maintaining as much history as possible.

Currently, said McDonald, the trust is raising funds to repair the crib dock on the North Bay of Manitou — the only dock on the island — and hope to complete work on the dock next summer.

"Once we get the dock repaired, it will make the rest of the work easier," he said.

Captain Kilpela said he was happy to be able to help the lighthouse restoration effort. For mariners, he said, the lighthouses are "a symbol of the old ways of navigating."

Brian Jentoft, the son of a Great Lakes sailor who drove up from L'Anse for the cruise, said he was glad he'd been able to make the trip, rain or no rain.

"I think these things are national monuments worth preserving," he said of the lighthouses.

The Daily Mining Gazette





Lookback #241 – Maine burned near Marine City on July 16, 1911

7/16 - The wooden steamer Maine caught fire and burned in the St. Clair River while up bound with a cargo of coal on July 16, 1911. The blaze was discovered in the cargo hold at about 10:30 p.m. and the Captain chose to run the ship aground on the Canadian side of the river. This enabled all of the crew to reach safety.

Maine had been built at Cleveland in 1862. Initially, the 138 foot, 9 inch long vessel carried both passengers and freight. It was valued at $22,000 in 1866 but it burned, for the first time, while docked at Port Huron in 1880. The hull was rebuilt as a bulk freighter by Dunford & Alverson and often used in the lumber trade where it carried 300,000 board feet at capacity.

Maine burned to the waterline again at Buffalo on April 15, 1898, but was rebuilt at Bay City and resumed service.

The third fire finished the Maine and some time after the blaze of 103 years ago today, the remains of the hulk were towed into deeper water and scuttled.

Skip Gillham





Help wanted: City of Toronto: Marine Engineer 2

Job Classification Title: Marine Engineer 2 Requisition # 1977276X
Work Location: Jack Layton Ferry Terminal Toronto
Job Type: Seasonal, Full-Time
Temporary Duration: 13Weeks
Salary/Rate: $28.91 / Hour
Number of Positions Open: 2
Interested applicants are requested to send their resume and cover letter to the City of Toronto's website. Please visit www.toronto.ca/jobs, by July 24 to view entire job postings referenced above.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Cargo ship stranded in Oshawa now back on its way

7/17 - Oshawa, Ont. – For two days, the cargo ship Fritz had been on the fritz - unable to leave the Port of Oshawa. Sailors aboard the Fritz, a German-owned cargo ship, were not supposed to be there at all.

First the boat sat in another unscheduled stop at Kingston, Ont., and now has come west. After going three months without pay, and with supplies running low, the crew members say they had no choice but to stop and seek help.

"Personally for me, it's been six months on board. It's a long time," said ship captain Boris Nikirov.

The ship flies a Liberian flag, but it was the German owners of the ship who ran into financial difficulties. Since last week, members of St. Stefan The Great Romanian Orthodox Church have been providing whatever they can to these reluctant visitors — many of whom are Romanian.

"They didn't have food...they had to fish in Lake Ontario to survive," said Dan Grebenisan of St. Stefan the Great.

The ship is carrying a heavy load of steel rods that was purchased by a company in Ohio. To complicate matters, the crew on board says they're now having mechanical issues.

But late Tuesday afternoon, the tide turned.

"The way it's going now, I think it's going to work out great for everybody," Donna Taylor of the Oshawa Port Authority said.

The Port Authority announced that a new foreign investor stepped forward to pay the crew and get the ship moving again.

"Thank you very much ..." said Nikirov as he geared up the Fritz to leave Ontario shores.

CBC News





Port Reports - July 17

Marquette, Mich. – Bruce Lolmaugh
Herbert C Jackson unloaded stone at the WE Energies and moved to the LSI South Dock to load iron ore pellets on a beautiful blue 60-degree day.

Oswego, N.Y. – Ned Goebricher
Tuesday the tug Wilf Seymour and barge Alouette Spirit unloaded aluminum bars.





U.S. auto industry buoys Seaway steel shipments

7/17 - Shipments of steel products through the St. Lawrence Seaway to U.S. ports have increased significantly this season due to demand by the U.S. automobile industry and an improving American economy.

According to the Seaway corporation, general cargo shipments including steel slabs and coils and aluminum totaled 872,000 metric tons from March 25 to June 30, a 44 percent increase over 2013. The steel was shipped through the St. Lawrence Seaway to the ports of Cleveland, Detroit, Indiana-Burns Harbor and Milwaukee. The specialty steel is either further processed by U.S. manufacturers to produce fenders or internal components or sent directly to the auto assembly plants. Some steel is also used in construction.

A Canadian grain rush has also helped shipping rebound considerably after a crippling start to the season due to ice coverage. However, total cargo shipments through the St. Lawrence Seaway from March 25 to June 30 were 11.1 million metric tons, down 7 per cent compared to 2013 due to decreases in iron ore exports and coal traffic.

Marine Delivers





Suspected shark sighted on Lake Ontario, but professor says it’s probably a porpoise

7/17 - A restaurant on Wolfe Island, where the St. Lawrence River meets Lake Ontario, has a patio overlooking the water and around the tables lately, there’s been a lot of talk about a shark in the lake.

There was a sighting at the Big Sandy Bay beach, and one near the docks where the ferry comes in from Kingston, Ont., according to waitress Erin Whalen, a mother of three who says she won’t be letting her children in the water after a video purportedly showing the shark popped up on Youtube last week and compounded the rumor.

“I think a lot of people aren’t sure if it’s a true story or not,” she said. “But it’s got a lot of parents being wary.”

According to what Ms. Whalen has heard from her patrons at the Wolfe Island Grill, it is believed to be a bull shark — an aggressive carnivore not adverse to freshwater and known to travel inland.

But a marine biologist at the University of Guelph, who specializes in sharks in fresh water and watched the video Wednesday, said he believed it was actually a harbor porpoise — the dolphin’s smaller cousin.

“I haven’t heard of porpoises in fresh water but it’s possible,” said Prof. Jim Ballantyne, adding that the marine mammal could have swum into Lake Ontario from the Atlantic Ocean via the St. Lawrence River.

“I teach a course in New Brunswick and we see them all the time. There’s a basic difference between the way sharks move and the way porpoises move.”

The video, posted to Youtube on Thursday, shows a young man standing on a dock and reeling in a fish before the “shark in Lake Ontario” jumps out of the water and steals it. Zooming in on the footage, what appears to be a dorsal fin is visible.

“A shark never comes up like that,” Prof. Ballantyne said. “Sharks move side to side like a snake swimming. Porpoises move up and down through the water.”

National Post





Warship models on display at Port Colborne museum

7/17 - Port Colborne, Ont. – The Port Colborne Historical and Marine Museum is delivering big on history in a rather small way.

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War, the museum has opened “Warships,” a new exhibit at the museum showcasing remarkably detailed scale models of World War II Canadian warships until December.

“We’re really fortunate to have these amazing ship models,” said assistant curator Michelle Mason, noting several of the five ships represented in model form have links to Port Colborne in one way or another.

Cpt. J.W. Sharpe built two of the models, the HMCS Digby and HMCS Orillia. During the war he captained both of those ships, a Bangor-class minesweeper and a Flower-class corvette. After the war he settled in Port Colborne and worked for the Misener shipping company.

“He donated a lot, he gave us much of his collection,” said Mason. “A lot of people are really interested in this,” said Mason, noting the details on the ship are remarkably accurate.

For example the model of the HMCS Port Colborne took 17 members of the West Island Ship Modeler’s Club nine months to complete.

“It’s quite detailed,” she said, explaining the frigate was first built in 1943. One of its crew members, Murray Sherwin, still lives in St. Catharines and donated photos of the crew in addition to his uniform and rucksack for the exhibit.

Another area namesake ship, the HMCS Humberstone, is also on display. That model was built by Joseph Vella after being commissioned by the museum in 2010 to honor the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Navy.

“We’re lucky to have two (ships) named after us,” said Mason, noting the final ship in the exhibit, the HMCS Haida, currently sits in Hamilton Harbor as a heritage site.

She pointed out with Port Colborne’ marine history it made sense for the museum to honor the 75th anniversary of the second World War with a display of warships. She pointed out it is a piece of history many individuals in town are interested in.

The museum is located at 280 King St. in Port Colborne and is open Monday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Niagara This Week





$40,000 fine, court order levied for commercial fishing violations

7/17 - A Lake Erie commercial fishing boat captain has been fined a total of $40,000 for commercial fishing violations.

Melchiorre Pace of Leamington, captain of the commercial fishing vessel “AD-CO II”, pleaded guilty to violating the terms and conditions of a commercial fishing licence. Pace was fined $40,000 for submitting Daily Catch Reports (DCRs) with false information. Pace also pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an accurate and complete commercial fishing logbook. He received a court order requiring him, for a period of three years, to only operate commercial fishing vessels that have a Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry monitored GPS unit installed.


Court heard that between May 24 and July 16, 2013, conservation officers investigated the commercial fishing activities of Pace. The investigation revealed that Pace was submitting DCRs containing false information in relation to the location where he was conducting his commercial fishing activities. He was also falsely reporting the length of time that he left his gill nets in the water and he declared less than half of the total length of gill nets that he was actually using. The investigation also showed that Pace had entered false information in his commercial fishing logbook. On multiple occasions, Pace declared in his logbook that he set gill nets in areas where he did not. He also set gill nets in locations that he failed to record in his logbook.

Justice Lucy C. Glenn heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Chatham, on July 10, 2014.

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources





“Know Your Ships” editor to speak in Sault Ste. Marie Saturday

7/17 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – This Saturday, from 1-3 p.m., the Chippewa County Historical Society will hold an open house at its headquarters, 115 Ashmun St.

Roger LeLievre, editor/publisher of the annual Great Lakes shipping field guide “Know Your Ships,” will discuss the book’s history and the annual process he goes through to put it together. The 2014 volume (the 55th) will be available for purchase and signing after his brief talk that will begin at about 1:30 p.m. A display of past “Know Your Ships” volumes will be on display.

LeLievre was a longtime Michigan newspaper writer and editor (his earliest job was at the Sault Evening News). Besides his work on “Know Your Ships,” which got its start in Sault Ste. Marie, he also writes for “Great Lakes/Seaway Review” magazine and other publications.

The open house is also being held to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the News Building, built in 1889 by Chase S. Osborn for his newspaper, The News. The public will be able to tour the first floor of the building. A birthday cake and refreshments will be available.

For more information, check www.cchsmi.com or contact [phone].

Soo Evening News





Obituary: Captain Liel Osell

7/17 - Captain Liel Osell, 94, of De Pere, Wis., died Monday July 14, at home. He was a member of the Green Bay Shipmasters and was still active as a tug captain well into his 80s.

He was born in Duluth, Minn., and first went to work on the Lakes in 1940 at the age of 19 for The Interlake Steamship Co. From 1943 to 1948 he sailed the Pacific Ocean for the U.S. War Shipping Administration. From 1948-1958 he sailed as deckhand / fireman for about two years, then eight years as captain, aboard tugs for The Great Lakes Towing Co. out of Duluth, back when deckhands stood four-hour watches shoveling coal followed by four-hour watches on deck. The next decade, Captain Osell sailed as captain for C. Reiss Coal & Steamship Co. on Lake Michigan.

From 1968 to 1973 he sailed as third mate, working his way up to captain, on car ferries for the Ann Arbor Railroad. In 1980 he moved on to work aboard tankers for The Standard Oil Co. and aboard ore freighters for Bethlehem Steel Co., Interlake Steamship Co., and Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. From 1980 to 1985 Captain Osell returned to the oceans, taking assignments out of union halls in New Orleans and working on ships for Lykes Brothers Steamship Co. and Gulf Oil Co., and also on supply boats servicing the oil rigs and platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.

In 1985, he returned to tug duties for The Great Lakes Towing Co. in the company's consolidated ports of Milwaukee and Green Bay.





Lookback #242 – Tall ship Sheila Yeates sank July 17, 1989, after hitting pack ice

7/17 - The small tall ship Sheila Yeates was built at Lunenbourg, Nova Scotia, in 1976. It was constructed with oak frames, cedar planks, and mahogany plywood cabins. The design was to be a replica of a small commercial vessel of the American Civil War era. It was equipped with a wood-burning stove for cooking and heating.

Sheila Yeates came through the Seaway in 1984 and made inland calls on the Niagara River and was later based at Duluth. It made a stop at Toronto on the way out of the lakes.

In 1985, the ship traveled to Greenland, Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom. It returned west in 1986 via the Azores and U.S. Virgin Islands.

On July 17, 1989, 25 years ago today, the ship sank south of Greenland. The vessel had been working through fog south of Greenland when it ran into an ice pack. The vessel was taken in tow by the Kiviuq, a Danish trawler, but the leaking ship could not be saved. Fortunately, all on board were rescued when their vessel went down 430 miles south of Greenland.


Today in Great Lakes History - July 17

On this day in 1974, Interlake Steamship decommissioned the COLONEL JAMES PICKANDS after 48 years of service due to continuing problems with her boilers and engines.

AGAWA CANYON struck an abutment at Welland Canal's Bridge 11, at Allanburg, Ontario, on July 18, 1977, while downbound with salt for Kingston, Ontario, and sustained a 30-foot gash just above the waterline at the port bow.

The canal tanker COMET (Hull#705) of the American Ship Building Co., at Lorain, Ohio, entered service on July 18, 1913, for ocean service. Sold Mexican and renamed b.) COMETA in 1928. She returned to the lakes in 1936, renamed c.) COMET for Cleveland Tankers. She was lengthened in 1940. She was scrapped at Ashtabula, Ohio, in 1973.

The WILLIAM J. FILBERT was in collision with the KINSMAN INDEPENDENT, of 1907, at the Burlington Northern Dock on July 18, 1970, when the Steel Trust steamer lost control in the current entering the slip.

The entire forward superstructure of the b.) JOHN DYKSTRA, a.) BENSON FORD of 1924, including the forecastle deck, was delivered to South Bass Island in Lake Erie on July 18, 1986, on the barge THOR 101 towed by the tug GREGORY J. BUSCH. The superstructure was moved for use as a summer home where it remains. The hull of the DYKSTRA was sold to Marine Salvage, Port Colborne, Ontario and was towed from Cleveland, Ohio, July 10th by the tugs ARGUE MARTIN and GLENBROOK to Ramey's Bend arriving there on July 12, 1986, where she was scrapped.

WILLIAM A. REISS was launched July 18, 1925, as a.) JOHN A. TOPPING (Hull#251) at River Rouge, Michigan, by Great Lakes Engineering Works for the Columbia Steamship Co.

WILLIAM G. MATHER completed her sea trials on July 18, 1925.

On 18 July 1858, ANDROMEDA (2-mast wooden schooner, 112 foot, 568 tons, built in 1848, at Madison Dock, Ohio) was carrying 800 barrels of salt from Oswego to Chicago. She sprang a leak suddenly and foundered 20 miles from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The crew escaped in her boat, many just in their underwear. They arrived at Manitowoc the next day.

On 18 July 1872, the schooner D. L. COUCH of Detroit (formerly AVCORN) sank about 10 miles from Long Point on Lake Erie. Two lives were lost.

The wooden propeller freigjhter N. K. FAIRBANK (205 foot, 980 gross tons) was launched in Marine City, Michigan by W. B. Morley on 18 July 1874. She was then towed to Detroit, where her engines were installed by William Cowie. She had two direct-acting condensing engines 34 foot x 32 inches on one shaft and her boiler was installed on her main deck. She only lasted until 1895, when she stranded and burned near Port Colborne, Ontario. The remains of the hull were sold to Carter Brothers of Port Colborne and it was rebuilt and enrolled as a new vessel with the name ELIZA H. STRONG. The STRONG lasted until she burned in 1904.

1911: The wooden steamer TAMPA sank in the Detroit River after a collision with the JOHN W. GATES of U.S. Steel. The former was raised and moved to Marine City and then, after being partially dismantled, was sunk in 1915 as a breakwall to halt erosion off the Belle River.

1938: ISLET PRINCE (ii), enroute to Owen Sound for a new service, stopped for the night behind Chantry Island, Southampton, and was struck by lightning. The ship caught fire, but all on board were rescued before the vessel sank the next day.

1954: LAKE GADSDEN was built at Manitowoc, in 1919, and lost near Corrubedo Light, off the coast of Spain, as g) SAN NICOLAS after going aground. The vessel slid back into deep water and sank.

1960: IRISH MAPLE, a Great Lakes visitor beginning in 1966, sank the 479 gross ton DENBIGH COAST in the River Mersey after a collision. IRISH MAPLE remained in service until reaching the scrapyard at Karachi, Pakistan, as c) ANNOOR on October 24, 1981.

1967: NEW YORK NEWS (iii) buckled and sank while loading salt at Pugwash, NS. The ship was raised and towed to Halifax in two sections for repairs. It survives in 2012 as e) WOLF RIVER, but has not operated for years.

1984 PANAGIOTIS S., a Seaway trader beginning in 1975, suffered severe fire damage aft in the Gulf of Aden, while on a voyage from Antwerp, Belgium, to Calcutta, India. The ship was a total loss and, while sold and renamed d) OTIS, it was taken to Gadani Beach, Pakistan, for scrapping. PANAGIOTIS S. had also visited the Great Lakes as a) VIZCAYA in 1972 and EMILIA LOVERDOS in 1975.

[yachtsmanwilly]

New Algoma Harvester christened at Hamilton

7/18 - St. Catharines, Ont. – Algoma Harvester, the Algoma Central Corporation’s second Equinox-class bulk cargo vessel, was christened at Pier 26 South in Hamilton Harbor Thursday morning. The ceremony was observed by an audience that included local dignitaries and members of the marine industry.

Kathy Baske, wife of Jim Baske, President and CEO of ArcelorMittal Dofasco, imparted the traditional blessing. As is customary for these ceremonies, a bottle of champagne was broken against the bow of the ship, a banner revealing the ship’s name was dropped, and Father David Mulholland of the Mission to Seafarers offered prayers and other words of inspiration to the Canadian crew of the ship.

The Equinox class represents the next generation of Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway bulk cargo vessels. The ships have been designed to optimize fuel efficiency and operating performance thus minimizing environmental impact. A 45 percent improvement in energy efficiency over Algoma’s current fleet average is expected, resulting from the use of a modern Tier II-compliant engine, increased cargo capacity, and an improved hull form.

In addition, a fully integrated IMO approved exhaust gas scrubber will remove 97 percent of all sulfur oxides from shipboard emissions. Algoma is the first company to use an IMO approved integrated scrubber on a Great Lakes – St. Lawrence vessel class.

“We have been extremely pleased with the performance of the first Equinox-class vessel, the Algoma Equinox, since she joined the Algoma fleet last November,” said Greg Wight, President and CEO of Algoma. “We are also very pleased to host the Algoma Harvester christening in Hamilton today with our major customer, ArcelorMittal Dofasco.

“The Equinox Class bulkers have been designed to optimize performance in the movement of iron ore for companies like ArcelorMittal Dofasco and for the movement of grain products. We expect the ship to move 1 million tonnes per year of these commodities,” Mr. Wight continued.

“Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway marine transport is integral to our business and fleet renewal is critical for a sustainable supply chain,” added Jim Baske. “Sustainability is a core value for our company and a main area of focus. The range of environmental improvements that we see on this fleet aligns with our efforts to continuously improve our productivity, efficiency and environmental footprint. It‘s a win-win when one of our partners is able to achieve the kinds of improvements that Algoma has with this new fleet, effectively reducing the environmental impact of our supply chain, from raw material inputs to shipping of finished products.”

Algoma took delivery of the Algoma Harvester on May 13th and the vessel departed from the shipyard in China on May 18th. The Algoma Harvester picked up its first load of cargo at Port Cartier, Quebec on July 11th, following a 54-day voyage across the Pacific and through the Panama Canal to get to Canada. The first cargo of iron ore, which has set a new record size, will be delivered to ArcelorMittal Dofasco in Hamilton immediately following the ceremony.

The vessel joins its sister ship, the Algoma Equinox, as part of Algoma’s 32-vessel Canadian flagged Great Lakes fleet. Algoma is investing $300 million to construct six state of the art Equinox class vessels with two additional Equinox Class vessels currently under construction for CWB Inc. These CWB Inc. vessels will be managed by Algoma as part of the fleet serving our customers in and around the Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Waterway.

Algoma Harvester will serve primarily agricultural and iron and steel industry customers, making regular voyages from lakehead ports on Lake Superior such as Thunder Bay and Superior/Duluth to Port Cartier, Quebec City, and Baie Comeau in the St. Lawrence. In between, this maximum seaway-size bulker also visits other ports such as Contrecoeur, Hamilton, Toledo, Chicago, and Milwaukee during the course of a navigation season.

She is expected to depart from Hamilton for Thunder Bay on July 18th. The vessel is expected to make approximately 10 grain and iron ore trips on the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Waterway over the balance of 2014.

Algoma Central Corp.





St. Lawrence Seaway grain shipments surge, offsetting iron, coal weakness

7/18 - Montreal, Que. – Western Canada's bumper crop, as well as output from Ontario, have boosted grain shipments through the St. Lawrence Seaway by 50 per cent to 2.7 million tonnes so far this shipping season.

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp., the agency that manages the waterway, says combined U.S. and Canadian grain shipments were up 38 per cent from March 25 through June 30.

Despite the increased grain traffic, however, overall shipments through the seaway are down seven per cent to 11.1 million tonnes due to decreases in iron ore and coal traffic.

The Seaway Management Corporation says shipments of grain from Western Canada and Ontario have surged by 50 per cent to 2.7 million tonnes so far this shipping season.

Meanwhile, the Port of Thunder Bay, Ont., had its busiest June in 17 years as domestic and ocean carriers loaded more than 965,000 tonnes of grains in June.

Grain shipments through the Port of Hamilton soared 70 per cent to more than 380,000 tonnes this season.

While western grain traders are using the seaway to export a bumper grain crop, Ontario farmers are using Hamilton's expanded facilities to ship canola, corn, soybeans and wheat, mainly to international markets in Europe and the Middle East.

Bruce Hodgson, director of market development for the Seaway, says the corporation anticipates higher grain activity will continue throughout the summer.

Last year's bumper grain crop of 76 million tonnes — 50 per cent more than average — should allow Seaway shipments to increase throughout the year after slipping 3.2 per cent in 2013 because the crop, although a record, was quite late.

Times Colonist





Port Reports - July 18

St. Marys River
Lakes Contender / Ken Boothe Sr. spent the day at the Carbide Dock undergoing unspecified repairs. They were still there in the late evening.

Toronto, Ont. – Jens Juhl
Frontenac departed Wednesday night after unloading a load of salt at Cargill. Over at Terminal 52, the German-flagged heavy lift vessel BBC Switzerland unloaded heavy electric power plant components: large transformers and high pressure steam generators.





St. Lawrence Seaway cargo shipments rise at U.S. ports

7/18 - Washington, D.C. - U.S. ports throughout the Great Lakes uniformly saw increased tonnage in several cargo categories during the month of June.

“Salt, chemicals, and steel all posted excellent tonnage numbers through June when compared to last year’s figures,” said Rebecca Spruill, director of trade development for the SLSDC.

“We’re rapidly making up ground for the slow start to the season imposed by a winter lasting well into April. Our U.S. ports are encouraged by the increase in traffic, most notably salt, registering a double digit percentage increase, dry chemicals which saw a threefold tonnage increase, and high value general cargo on track to top 2.5 million tons.”

The Port of Cleveland is off to an outstanding start to the 2014 shipping season. “Our international tonnage is up approximately 23 percent through June compared to 2013. In addition, the Cleveland-Europe Express, our new liner service between the Port of Cleveland and the Port of Antwerp that started in April, more than doubled our revenue in June compared to both April and May,” said David Gutheil, vice president of maritime and logistics.

“We continue to see positive momentum in the market for this service, and the interest is coming from a much broader geographic base than we originally anticipated. We have handled cargo from as far away as Iowa, and to countries in southeast Asia and the Middle East in addition to the European continent.”

“Industry spirits were buoyed by strong gains in cargo movements during the month of June,” added Vanta Coda, Duluth Seaway Port Authority executive director. “We had two ships from Europe arrive loaded with energy-related project cargo destined for North Dakota and Alberta, Canada. Coal and iron ore tonnages were up by 16 and 7 percent respectively over May. And both commodities were running ahead of where they stood a year ago – coal up 17 percent in June 2014 and iron ore up nearly 48 percent compared to the same month’s totals in 2013.”

Coda acknowledged that the year-to-date snapshot is a bit more sobering – total tonnage for the port is still off 17 percent. However, he was quick to point out, “We’re moving in the right direction, having made double digit gains in most commodity groups during June.”

Shipments at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor were up over 40 percent from the previous year, driven primarily by steel-related cargoes that more than doubled the 2013 mid-year totals. Ocean shipments remained steady through the first half of 2014, up slightly from the previous year as a result of continued steel trade with European ports and fertilizer deliveries to local farmers. Through June, the Port handled significant increases in steel (up 130 percent), grain (up 70 percent), limestone (up 25 percent), and minerals (up 20 percent). “The increases are certainly a good sign for the regional economy, especially in the manufacturing sector,” said Rick Heimann, port director.

“Despite this year's late start due to ice conditions, we have managed to catch and surpass last year's tonnage total. The surge in May and June can be attributed to more coal, general cargo and dry bulk shipments moving through Toledo. So far this year we have seen more overseas traffic than in previous years,” said Joe Cappel, director of cargo development for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. “Diversified overseas trade including inbound sugar, pig iron, fertilizer and steel and outbound corn, soybeans, and bulk materials has helped make a difference this year. We hope that the momentum will continue for the balance of the 2014 season.”

“The Port of Oswego has accepted shipments of approximately 16,000 metric tons of aluminum in June contributing toward a year record projected to be 100,000 tons in 2014,” said Zelko Kirincich, executive director at the Port. “The growth of the Novelis automotive business has continued to fuel the growth of aluminum shipments through the Seaway System contributing to the diversity of the Port’s cargo base.”

Tonnage at the Port of Green Bay was up 28 percent over 2013 to 350,654 metric tons. “June’s increase is helping to close the gap on year-to-date numbers which are now only four percent below last year’s mark,” said Dean Haen, director of Brown County Port and Resource Recovery Department. “The biggest jump was the shipment of limestone, which increased by 63 percent to 147,072 metric tons compared to 2013.”

The Port of Muskegon, a new member of the AGLPA, is looking forward to the August arrival of three additional shipments of wind turbine components from Germany. “The Port of Muskegon not only has a significant historical past, but will play an important role as new technologies such as wind energy generation and other large scale or bulk cargoes representing new business and industry interests require water based transportation assistance,” said T. Arnold Boezaart, Muskegon County Port Advisory Committee member.

The St. Lawrence Seaway reported that year-to-date total cargo shipments for the period March 28 to June 30 were 11.2 million metric tons, down 7 percent over the same period in 2013. Iron ore and coal – usually solid performers – were both down by 37 and 21 percent respectively.

General cargo was up 44 percent overall with steel and project cargo shipments posting increases of 111 and 119 percent over 2013. U.S. grain shipments were down by 8 percent in June over last year. The liquid bulk category posted a downturn of 25 percent to just over 1 million metric tons. The dry bulk category was also down by 2.5 percent over 2013. However, within that category, stone, salt, cement and gypsum were all in the positive column, with stone at a 78 percent hike. Cleveland-Europe Express showing growth Cleveland, Ohio – The Port of Cleveland has announced that its Cleveland-Europe Express, the dedicated monthly liner service that launched in April, had its best month to date in June. This start-up service doubled its revenues in June when compared to either April or May.

“The Port of Cleveland is booming and we are very encouraged by the performance of the new Cleveland-Europe Express service, which is still in its infancy,” said William D. Friedman, president and CEO. “The large increase in volume in June bodes well for the remainder of the year as we continue to offer companies and shippers throughout the interior U.S. a faster, more cost-effective and greener shipping alternative to Europe and the world.”

The Port’s traditional maritime and development finance services are also seeing increased demand and are forecasted to have a record year. Vessel calls at the Port of Cleveland are up 75% through June, another indicator that the Greater Cleveland economy continues to grow. Additionally, revenues from the Port’s financing business are forecasted to be at an all-time high.





Effort abandoned to save 111-year-old freighter as museum ship

7/18 - Duluth, Minn. – The laker J.B. Ford’s days as a survivor appear to be numbered. Having made it through the storms of 1905 and 1913 that counted dozens of ships among its casualties, the Ford will succumb to old age.

The Great Lakes Steamship Society last week abandoned its effort to save the 111-year-old craft as a museum ship. The Ford is docked in Superior.

“It’s a real shame we can’t save her,” said Steve Haverty, founder and president of the society. “But with this economy it’s been real tough getting the money together. We gave it a good effort and bought her a couple more years.”

It had been estimated that $1.5 million to $2 million was necessary to save the J.B. Ford from the scrapyard. Lafarge North America owns the ship. When the News Tribune reached its communications department, the company spokesperson gave “no comment” on the ship’s future.

Haverty’s group still is working with Lafarge to salvage certain artifacts, including the forward cabins. The Great Lakes Steamship Society is turning its attention to saving another vessel, possibly the S.T. Crapo docked in Green Bay, Wis.

Other vessels are considered more feasible to salvage.

The J.B. Ford was distinguished by its three-cycle reciprocating steam engine — the last of its kind in existence — and last sailed in 1985 as a cement barge.

Paul Mattson worked for 16 years for Lafarge in Superior, and spent many days working in and around the J.B. Ford after it had been relegated to floating cement storage. Some workers, including Mattson, considered it haunted, he said.

He recalled it being sold for scrap for $1 in 2007, before the society stepped it to try and save it.

“It was an amazing ship in its day,” Mattson said. “She’s got an amazing history. I spent many hours working on the J.B. Ford, but it’s had its time.”

The J.B. Ford was launched as the Edwin F. Holmes in Lorain, Ohio, on Dec. 12, 1903. It is 440 feet long, with a beam of 50 feet, a depth of 28 feet and a capacity of 8,000 tons.

By comparison, the William A. Irvin, launched 34 years later, is 611 feet long, with a beam of 60 feet, a depth of 32.5 feet and a capacity of 13,600 tons.

For the first several decades of its life, the Ford — sailing first as the Holmes and then as the E.C. Collins — hauled iron ore, coal and grain. It was upbound on Lake Superior during the 1905 Mataafa Storm, during which 29 vessels were lost or damaged. It was downbound on Superior during the 1913 White Hurricane storm, during which 12 vessels were lost and 32 driven aground.

The Ford escaped the breakers-yard fate of many of its contemporaries by finding a specialized niche in the 1950s, when the Huron Portland Cement Co. bought and converted it to a self-unloading cement carrier. It was Huron that renamed the vessel the J.B. Ford.

Lafarge bought the Ford in the 1980s and used it as a cement barge, first in Chicago, then in Superior.

Steve Lindsey of Keene, N.H., informed the News Tribune of the latest development in the life of the J.B. Ford. He’s a one-time Coast Guarder (1984-91) and self-described “historic preservationist” responsible for a couple of Wikipedia entries on lakers and shipping, as well as campaigns to save churches and other examples of architecture. With the Coast Guard, he helped break ice for ships like the J.B. Ford and developed an affinity for the shipping trade. He laments the inability of places like the National Trust for Historic Preservation to salvage more ships from what he called, “the Golden Age of steamers.”

“We got to know and love these ships,” Lindsey said. “Someday, all we’re going to have are motorized barges — without character, without stories. They’ll be like drones, and we won’t have ships as living entities anymore. It’s important to save a little of it, because this is stuff we’ll never see again.”

The Duluth News Tribune





Help wanted: Marine engineers

7/18 - Lower Lakes Towing Ltd. is looking for competent, practically skilled Marine Engineers with 2nd Class Motor TCMS certification and 4th Class Motor TCMS certification to join our team. Canadian Great Lakes dry bulk experience or related experience, a good work ethic and the ability to work in a fast paced environment are considered prerequisites for this position. Strong interpersonal and communication skills are a must, as is a leadership style based on mutual respect of all Officers and Crew within a proactive, team oriented work environment. Candidates must be bondable, possess a valid passport and will have all applicable certificates and Transport Canada medical in good order.

If you are a leader or potential leader that is looking for a change we offer a very competitive wage and benefit package, positive work environment and an industry leading leave system with a Month On, Month Off work rotation on a year round basis for Engineers with 2nd Class.

Applicants who meet the job requirements for these positions are encouraged to send a resume and cover letter to: Personnel Manager, Lower Lakes Towing Ltd. PO Box 1149 – 517 Main Street, Port Dover, ON Ph: [phone] Fx: [phone], email: [e-mail]





Help wanted: City of Toronto: Marine Engineer 2 and Deck Hand

7/18 - Job Classification Title: Marine Engineer 2
Requisition # 1977276X
Work Location: Jack Layton Ferry Terminal Toronto
Job Type: Seasonal, Full-Time
Temporary Duration: 13 Weeks
Salary/Rate: $28.91 / Hour
Number of Positions Open: 2

Job Classification Title Deckhand
Requisition # 1946448
Job Type Non-Seasonal, Full-Time
Temporary Duration 19 Weeks
Salary/Rate $26.37 / Hour
Hours of Work (bi-weekly) 80.00
Shift Information Rotating Shift
Number of Positions Open 2

Interested applicants are requested to send their resume and cover letter to the City of Toronto's website. Please visit www.toronto.ca/jobs, by July 25 to view entire job postings referenced above.





Call for photos for Duluth Seaway Port Authority calendar

7/18 - The Duluth Seaway Port Authority is hosting its 38th annual calendar contest to find the perfect photo, painting or illustration to feature on its wall calendar for next year. The group is looking for stunning, captivating images of ships or scenes that highlight the port from unique perspectives in a variety of seasons that tell engaging stories at a glance.

The winner’s image and name will be featured prominently on 12,000 calendars, distributed in the Twin Ports, across the Great Lakes and around the world. A grand prize of $250 will be awarded. A story about the entrant will be featured in the winter issue of our North Star Port magazine.

• Photographs, paintings and/or illustrations are eligible for consideration.
• Submit up to 10 high-resolution images on a CD/DVD or USB flash drive
• Entries must be received by August 25, 2014
• Label images (and disc/stick) with your name/initials. Provide phone number email & snail mail address.
• Due to file sizes, please do Not send images via email.
• All photos/artwork must be original in design and execution, taken/created within the past three years and not published elsewhere or sold to other clients prior to submission.

Other rules apply. If you are interested in submitting an entry or have questions, please direct them to:

Adele Yorde, Public Relations Manager Duluth Seaway Port Authority 1200 Port Terminal Drive Duluth, MN 55802 218.727.8525







Lookback #243 – New York News buckled while loading salt at Pugwash on July 18, 1967

The New York News (iii), had only recently been added to the Quebec & Ontario Transportation Co. fleet and did not get off to a good start in their colors. On July 9, 1967, the ship was in a collision with the Nordglimt off Escoumins, Quebec, but only suffered light damage. Things got worse 47 years ago today.

The bulk carrier was at Pugwash, Nova Scotia, loading salt when the hull buckled amidships at the dock on July 18, 1967. Later, the hull was cut in two by divers to facilitate salvage operations. The sections were refloated separately and towed to Halifax, Nova Scotia, for repairs.

New York News resumed trading but occasionally ran into more trouble. She went aground at the mouth of the Detroit River on Sept. 18, 1979, but was freed two days later. She also stranded on a sandbar off Ogdensburg, NY on Aug. 11, 1982, and required tug assistance.

This ship was Hull 19 from Port Weller Dry Docks and joined Beaconsfield Steamships in 1956 as Tecumseh. Originally 259 feet long, it was lengthened to 349 feet overall in 1959-1960.

New York News stayed with Q. & O. until the company carriers were sold to Desgagnes in 1984. This ship became Stella Desgagnes in 1986. Following a sale for saltwater service, it became Beam Beginner in 1993 but the deal was not completed.

The vessel was resold and renamed Wolf River at Hamilton in 1995 and has seen only limited service on Lake Superior in subsequent years. Wolf River is still intact at Thunder Bay, Ont., but has been idle for years.

Skip Gillham





Today in Great Lakes History - July 18

On this day in 1974, Interlake Steamship decommissioned the COLONEL JAMES PICKANDS after 48 years of service due to continuing problems with her boilers and engines.

AGAWA CANYON struck an abutment at Welland Canal's Bridge 11, at Allanburg, Ontario, on July 18, 1977, while downbound with salt for Kingston, Ontario, and sustained a 30-foot gash just above the waterline at the port bow.

The canal tanker COMET (Hull#705) of the American Ship Building Co., at Lorain, Ohio, entered service on July 18, 1913, for ocean service. Sold Mexican and renamed b.) COMETA in 1928. She returned to the lakes in 1936, renamed c.) COMET for Cleveland Tankers. She was lengthened in 1940. She was scrapped at Ashtabula, Ohio, in 1973.

The WILLIAM J. FILBERT was in collision with the KINSMAN INDEPENDENT, of 1907, at the Burlington Northern Dock on July 18, 1970, when the Steel Trust steamer lost control in the current entering the slip.

The entire forward superstructure of the b.) JOHN DYKSTRA, a.) BENSON FORD of 1924, including the forecastle deck, was delivered to South Bass Island in Lake Erie on July 18, 1986, on the barge THOR 101 towed by the tug GREGORY J. BUSCH. The superstructure was moved for use as a summer home where it remains. The hull of the DYKSTRA was sold to Marine Salvage, Port Colborne, Ontario and was towed from Cleveland, Ohio, July 10th by the tugs ARGUE MARTIN and GLENBROOK to Ramey's Bend arriving there on July 12, 1986, where she was scrapped.

WILLIAM A. REISS was launched July 18, 1925, as a.) JOHN A. TOPPING (Hull#251) at River Rouge, Michigan, by Great Lakes Engineering Works for the Columbia Steamship Co.

WILLIAM G. MATHER completed her sea trials on July 18, 1925.

On 18 July 1858, ANDROMEDA (2-mast wooden schooner, 112 foot, 568 tons, built in 1848, at Madison Dock, Ohio) was carrying 800 barrels of salt from Oswego to Chicago. She sprang a leak suddenly and foundered 20 miles from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The crew escaped in her boat, many just in their underwear. They arrived at Manitowoc the next day.

On 18 July 1872, the schooner D. L. COUCH of Detroit (formerly AVCORN) sank about 10 miles from Long Point on Lake Erie. Two lives were lost.

The wooden propeller freigjhter N. K. FAIRBANK (205 foot, 980 gross tons) was launched in Marine City, Michigan by W. B. Morley on 18 July 1874. She was then towed to Detroit, where her engines were installed by William Cowie. She had two direct-acting condensing engines 34 foot x 32 inches on one shaft and her boiler was installed on her main deck. She only lasted until 1895, when she stranded and burned near Port Colborne, Ontario. The remains of the hull were sold to Carter Brothers of Port Colborne and it was rebuilt and enrolled as a new vessel with the name ELIZA H. STRONG. The STRONG lasted until she burned in 1904.

1911: The wooden steamer TAMPA sank in the Detroit River after a collision with the JOHN W. GATES of U.S. Steel. The former was raised and moved to Marine City and then, after being partially dismantled, was sunk in 1915 as a breakwall to halt erosion off the Belle River.

1938: ISLET PRINCE (ii), enroute to Owen Sound for a new service, stopped for the night behind Chantry Island, Southampton, and was struck by lightning. The ship caught fire, but all on board were rescued before the vessel sank the next day.

1954: LAKE GADSDEN was built at Manitowoc, in 1919, and lost near Corrubedo Light, off the coast of Spain, as g) SAN NICOLAS after going aground. The vessel slid back into deep water and sank.

1960: IRISH MAPLE, a Great Lakes visitor beginning in 1966, sank the 479 gross ton DENBIGH COAST in the River Mersey after a collision. IRISH MAPLE remained in service until reaching the scrapyard at Karachi, Pakistan, as c) ANNOOR on October 24, 1981.

1967: NEW YORK NEWS (iii) buckled and sank while loading salt at Pugwash, NS. The ship was raised and towed to Halifax in two sections for repairs. It survives in 2012 as e) WOLF RIVER, but has not operated for years.

1984 PANAGIOTIS S., a Seaway trader beginning in 1975, suffered severe fire damage aft in the Gulf of Aden, while on a voyage from Antwerp, Belgium, to Calcutta, India. The ship was a total loss and, while sold and renamed d) OTIS, it was taken to Gadani Beach, Pakistan, for scrapping. PANAGIOTIS S. had also visited the Great Lakes as a) VIZCAYA in 1972 and EMILIA LOVERDOS in 1975.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Port Reports - July 21

St. Marys River
When the 1,014-foot Paul R. Tregurtha locked downbound Sunday morning, it was the last trip for Captain Timothy Dayton. According to radio traffic, the veteran and well-liked Interlake skipper is retiring.

Alpena, Mich. – Ben & Chandra McClain
After loading cement at Lafarge on Friday morning, the Alpena was seen heading out onto the lake. The Manitowoc was in port on Saturday unloading at Lafarge. On Sunday the tug Samuel de Champlain and barge Innovation took on cargo at Lafarge. Fleetmate tug G.L Ostrander and barge Integrity were delayed getting to the dock on Sunday because of fog out in the bay.

Lorain, Ohio – Phil Leon
Joe Thompson was inbound Lorain at 15:18 Sunday, headed to the Jonick Dock.

Toronto, Ont. – Jens Juhl
The Canadian Coast Guard inshore patrol vessel CCGS Corporal Teather CV is currently alongside over at Terminal 52. At about 9:30 Sunday morning the island ferry Sam McBride was pulled out of service when the hinge mechanism that connects the hydraulic ram to one of the passenger ramps failed. Engineers using an acetylene torch and a very big hammer removed the defective bits and pieces and then welded replacement parts into place. The vessel was back in service at before noon.





Lookback #246 – Marquette caught fire and abandoned in Atlantic on July 21, 1964

7/21 - The French freighter Marquette was on a voyage from Chicago to Marseilles, France, when it caught fire 800 miles ESE of Cape Race, Newfoundland, on July 21, 1964. The crew of about 25 sailors was forced to take to the lifeboats and all were saved.

Marquette had been a frequent Great Lakes trader since being built at Arnhem, Netherlands, in 1953. It came inland on three occasions that year and was back on a regular basis. It was lengthened from 257'4” to 304'10” in 1959, to coincide with the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The ship made another 15 voyages to the Great Lakes before catching fire 50 years ago today.

On board at the time of the blaze was a mixed cargo that included calcium phosphate, bales of jute, newsprint, aluminum ingots and wood pulp. The burning ship was taken in tow of the French ore carrier Pentellina and arrived at Brest, France, on July 29, 1964. The cost of repairs could not be justified. Instead, Marquette was sold to French shipbreakers and broken up for scrap in Brest.

The three-year-old Pentellina was not a Seaway traveler. However, it did come inland in 1976 under its third name of Unimar. The latter is remembered for running aground leaving Thunder Bay on Dec. 7, 1976, and was one of the last ships out of the Seaway that year. This vessel was scrapped at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, after arriving on Sept. 10, 1984.

Skip Gillham





Today in Great Lakes History - July 21

The JAMES DAVIDSON and KINSMAN INDEPENDENT arrived under tow at Santander, Spain, on July 21, 1974, for scrapping.

On July 21, 1975, the GEORGE D. GOBLE arrived at Lorain, Ohio, with an unusual deck cargo loaded at American Ship Building Company's yard at South Chicago, Illinois. She was carrying the deckhouses for two Interlake Steamship Company thousand-foot self-unloaders being built at AmShip's Lorain yard. These vessels were completed as the JAMES R. BARKER and MESABI MINER.

On 21 July 1875, the schooner ELVA, which was built in Port Huron, Michigan, in 1861, for Capt. Sinclair, was sailing from Holland, Michigan, for Milwaukee, Wisconsin loaded with stove bolts. She capsized 12 miles from Milwaukee. Her crew took to the boats and made a landing in Kenosha and then rowed to Milwaukee. A tug was sent for the schooner and she was recovered.

In 1900, R. J. GORDON (wooden propeller passenger-package freighter, 104 foot, 187 gross tons, built in 1881, at Marine City, Michigan) was placed back in service carrying freight and passengers between Chicago and Grand Haven. She had burned in September 1899 at Chicago but was rebuilt during the winter.

On 21 July 1875, the old barge HURON, which had been in use for a number of years as a car ferry for the Grand Trunk Railroad at Port Huron/Sarnia, was sold to Sandie and Archie Stewart. They planned to convert her to a dry-dock by adding three feet to her sides and removing her arches. The sale price was $1,500 in gold.

1910 TRUDE R. WIEHE was destroyed by a fire at Portage Bay, Green Bay.

1911 Thirty plates were damaged when the WACCAMAW went aground in the St. Lawrence. The ship was later repaired at Buffalo.

1959 A collision in western Lake Erie between the CHARLES HUBBARD and the Swedish freighter SIGNEBORG resulted in damage to both ships. Both were repaired and continue in service. The latter is scrapped at La Spezia, Italy, after arriving as d) ALFREDO, on November 10, 1971. The former was sunk as a breakwall at Burns Harbor in 1966 after being idle at Milwaukee for several years. The hull was reported to have been subsequently scrapped there.

1964 The French freighter MARQUETTE began Great Lakes trading in 1953 and was lengthened in 1959 with the opening of the Seaway. Fire erupted enroute from Chicago to Marseilles, France, and the vessel was abandoned in the Atlantic. The gutted ship was towed to Brest, France, and was sold to French shipbreakers. All on board were saved.

1965 A smoky fire, that could be seen for miles, broke out in the cargo of rubber aboard the ORIENT TRADER at Toronto and the hull was towed into Toronto Bay and beached while firefighters battled the blaze. The Greek flag vessel was sold for scrap but before it departed for overseas, is was used in several episodes of the CBC television series “Seaway.” The hull was towed into Valencia, Spain, on July 11, 1966, for dismantling.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Today in Great Lakes History - July 22

On this day in 1961, the barge CLEVECO, originally lost with a crew of 22 during a December 02, 1942, storm on Lake Erie, was floated by salvagers, towed outside the shipping lanes, and intentionally sunk.

PERE MARQUETTE 22 (Hull#210) was launched on July 22, 1924, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. for the Pere Marquette Railway Co. One hundred years ago on 22 July 1900, the tug MATT HESSER was launched at Lorain, Ohio, by H. D. Root for Captain Burke of Erie.

The M.I. MILLS (wooden propeller tug, 122 foot, 152 tons, built in 1867, at Marine City, Michigan), which sank in a collision with the bark UNADILLA on 9 May 1873, was found on 22 July 1873, in 90 feet of water in Lake Huron off Sand Beach, Michigan. Plans were made to raise her at the cost of $5,000. This effort was unsuccessful as was another abortive attempt in 1895.

1965 MARIVIKI dated from 1940 as a) TEMPLE INN and visited the Seaway in 1960. The ship was beached in Colla Bay, near Mormugao, India, after developing leaks on a voyage from Madras, India, to Constanza, Romania. The hull later broke in two and was a total loss.

1967 A small fire erupted in the machine shop of the West German freighter TRANSAMERICA while a crewman was welding in Milwaukee. The blaze was soon brought under control. The ship last operated in 1978 as f) ARISTOTELES before being broken up at Gadani Beach, Pakistan.

1968 The Paterson bulk carrier CANADOC, loading at the Continental Elevator in Chicago, was struck on the starboard side by the Belgian vessel TIELRODE as it passed upsteam under tow. The latter returned through the Seaway as c) GEORGIOS C. in 1977 and was scrapped at Huangpo, China, as e) OPORTO in 1985.

1970 ULYSSES REEFER caught fire in Toronto resulting in an estimated $30,000 in damage. The ship first came inland in 1969 and returned as c) ITHAKI REEFER in 1972 prior to being scrapped at Blyth, Scotland, in 1973.

1989 MAR CATERINA, downbound at the Snell Lock, struck the fender boom and all Seaway navigation was temporarily delayed. The ship began Seaway trading as b) ASTORGA in 1985. As of 2012, the vessel is apparently still operating as e) ASPHALT TRADER.


Severstal steel plant sale comes amid pollution worries, lawsuit

7/22 - Dearborn, Mich. – Severstal, the steel company Henry Ford launched as an anchor of the historic Rouge complex, will return to American ownership as Ohio-based AK Steel agreed purchase its Dearborn plant for $700 million just two months after the Russian owner won a revised state permit to release higher levels of certain pollutants into the air.

Christopher Bzdok, an attorney representing residents opposed to the new air permit, said he hopes AK Steel will take a fresh look at the issue and agree to make changes to meet residents’ concerns.

Bzdok was part of a coalition of community and environmental groups that filed a suit earlier this month challenging the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s decision to issue the revised permit.

“The right way to do this is to invest in pollution-control technology. Not to increase your emission limits,” Bzdok said.

It’s too early to know what the Dearborn sale, which is expected to close by the end of this year, means for the 1,800 workers there. But James Wainscott, AK Steel CEO said the deal should mean more work for the plant.

“Let me offer a hearty AK Steel welcome to the employees ... we look forward to having you with us as part of our organization,” Wainscott said. “AK Steel’s acquisition is not about rationalization. It is about expansion and optimization of our combined assets.”

AK also is buying a coke-making plant in West Virginia and three joint ventures that process flat-rolled steel products.

Severstal, which is owned by billionaire Alexey Mordashov, has been exploring a possible sale since mid-2013. Severstal also reached a separate agreement to sell its Columbus, Miss., operations to Ft. Wayne, Ind.-based Steel Dynamics for $1.63 billion.

The company receives its raw materials via Great Lakes freighters.

The steel industry continues to grapple with the problem of too many mills for the current and near-future demand. Competition from low-cost imported steel and the trend of automakers’ push for lighter-weight alternatives such as aluminum are hurting demand in the U.S.

Larger steelmakers, including ArcelorMittal, Tata Steel and ThyssenKrupp, have been cutting production, jobs and idling or selling plants in the last few years in response to oversupply and lower steel prices.

The current unrest between Russia and Ukraine, and economic sanctions the U.S. has imposed on Russia, was not a reason for the sales, Mordashov has said.

“Severstal has not experienced any pressure whatsoever to sell the U.S. business,” the company said in a statement provided to the Free Press on Monday. “We made this decision on the basis of what is right for the business and shareholder value.”

Wainscott said AK Steel’s top priority is to serve the auto industry, and especially Ford.

“Ford will remain a major consumer of steel. We are very focused on developing that next generation of high-strength steels,” Wainscott said.

The legal skirmish between Severstal and a coalition of environmental and citizen groups that are challenging the seller’s pollution permit did not discourage AK Steel.

“The decision to grant this permit to pollute violates the Clean Air Act and means families living in Dearborn and Detroit will be breathing more toxic air for years to come,” Rhonda Anderson, Sierra Club’s senior Detroit organizer, said in a statement Monday.

Severstal said it has worked closely with the Michigan DEQ on the permit.

“We look forward to working through the permit appeal process with the MDEQ in demonstrating the robust nature of the permit application and appropriateness of the permit as approved,” the company said in a statement.

Detroit Free Press





Unsecured lenders accepted Essar Steel Algoma restructuring plan

7/22 - Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. – Essar Steel Algoma and a group of unsecured noteholders have agreed to a restructuring plan to refinance the money-losing Sault Ste. Marie steel maker.

After missing a June 15 interest payment on unsecured bonds, the company began negotiations last month with creditors representing 70 per cent of the 9.875 per cent of US$385 million in senior unsecured notes.

Under the agreement, the Essar Global Fund – a unit of the parent company Essar Global in Mumbai, India – will provide as much as $300 million in new equity to the Canadian operation.

The company provided no further details of the restructuring plan. Essar receives its raw materials via Great Lakes freighters.

The former Algoma Steel was once one of the most efficient and profitable North American steel mills after emerging from bankruptcy protection in 2002. The Mumbai, India-based Essar Group purchased the operation in 2007.

The steel plate and sheet manufacturer has lost money over the last nine consecutive quarters.

Company CEO Kalyan Ghosh was understandably pleased.

“This path offers the best means to maximize long-term value while offering certainty of supply for customers and continued security for our employees, retirees, vendors and all other important stakeholders, which were key considerations.”

Northern Ontario Business





Seaway steel shipment boost largely due to auto industry demand

7/22 - Massena, N.Y. – A large jump in steel product shipments through the St. Lawrence Seaway this season has been due to demand from the U.S. automobile industry, among other factors.

According to a news release sent out by the Chamber of Marine Commerce, the shipments to ports of Cleveland, Detroit, Indiana-Burns Harbor and Milwaukee also are a result of the improving American economy.

“In addition to an upbeat auto industry and an improving economy, robust oil and gas industries depend upon manufactured iron and steel goods,” St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. spokeswoman Nancy T. Alcalde said.

General cargo shipments, including steel slabs and coils and aluminum, totaled 872,000 metric tons from March 25 to June 30, according to the Seaway Corp.

This represented a 44 percent spike from 2013.

“We are seeing exports as well as imports. Advance notifications from industries suggested 2014 would be a good year, and we’re heading in that direction,” Ms. Alcalde said. “An example is that 20 high-value GE locomotives have been shipped through the Seaway to Mozambique and 30 more are set to leave this summer. Wind component movements to Duluth and Muskegon are on the rise. The new liner service between Cleveland and Antwerp has also resulted in new cargo tonnage for this navigation season.”

A Canadian grain rush is another factor behind the increase, according to the Marine Commerce release. “However, total cargo shipments through the St. Lawrence Seaway from March 25 to June 30 were 11.1 million metric tons, down 7 percent compared to 2013 due to decreases in iron ore exports and coal traffic,” it read.

Ms. Alcalde said that the Seaway Corp. is expecting the steel shipment increase to continue in the foreseeable future.

“The slow start to the navigation season was due to the lengthy winter that lasted well into April” she said.

We expect cargo tonnage to continue to increase for the remainder of 2014 and improve upon last year’s tonnage performance,” Ms. Alcalde said.

Watertown Daily Times





Port Reports - July 22

St. Marys River
Algoma Harvester made its maiden voyage through the Soo Locks upbound for Thunder Bay in the late afternoon Monday.

St. Clair, Mich. – Bob Markus
James R. Barker was unloading at the power plant on Monday.

Buffalo, N.Y. – Brian W.
The Luedtke #16 dredge rig was working between the CSX lift bridges on the Buffalo River this past weekend.





Lookback #247 – Ulysses Reefer caught fire at Toronto on July 22, 1970

7/22 - Ulysses Reefer was a refrigerated general cargo carrier that dated from 1950. It was built at Copenhagen, Denmark, and completed on Dec. 13, as Jessie Stove. It operated under the Danish flag for Lorentzens Rederi Co. before being sold to Erling Hansens Rederi A/S of Norway in 1958. They renamed the 336 foot 6 inch long vessel Ranhall.

It moved under the flag of Greece as Ulysses Reefer in 1966 and began Seaway service in 1969. The first year went well but the next two presented problems. Ulysses Reefer caught fire at Toronto on July 22, 1970, and the blaze of 44 years ago today did a reported $30,000 in damage. Most of this was confined to the cargo and the ship was able to resume service.

While back on the Great Lakes in 1971, the vessel was in a collision with the cement carrier J.B. Ford on June 4 in Lake Huron off Forty Mile Point. Again, the damage was not significant and both ships continued trading.

Resold and renamed Ithaki Reefer in 1972, the ship returned to the Great Lakes that year still under the Greek flag. It was sold for scrap in 1973, and broken up by Hughes Bolckow Ltd. at Blyth, Scotland.

The long idle, 110-year old J.B. Ford, second ship in the June 4, 1971, collision, may soon be headed for scrap as well after years of use as a cement storage barge.