Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

Port Reports - July 23

Suttons Bay, Mich. - Al Miller
Tug Leonard M. anchored off Omena, Mich., in the lee of the Leelanau Peninsula on Tuesday night as a windy weather front moved through the region. AIS showed the vessel as bound for Ludington.

St. Clair, Mich. – Bob Markus
Indiana Harbor arrived Tuesday at the power plant with a load of coal.

Toronto, Ont. – Jens Juhl
Pearl Seas Cruises new cruise ship Pearl Mist arrived early Monday morning and moored at the International Marine Passenger Terminal. The 200-passenger vessel is on its maiden voyage into the Great Lakes system beginning with an inaugural Great Lakes and Georgian Bay cruise to Chicago. Also Monday morning the Stephen B. Roman was back at the Essroc Villiers Street facility unloading cement.





Ex-laker Pioneer beached at Aliaga scrapyard

7/23 - The self-discharging bulk carrier Pioneer, built at Port Weller Dry Docks as Canadian Pioneer in 1981 was run up on the beach at Aliaga, Turkey, for scrapping on July 22. The ship had been at anchor off Aliaga since arriving under her own power from Lake Charles, Louisiana, on July 18.

Skip Gillham





Proposed ferry service would link Buffalo’s Canalside to outer harbor

7/23 - Buffalo, N.Y. – A ferry service linking Canalside to the outer harbor could begin by next summer. The ferry would carry between 50 to 100 people on trips between Canalside’s Central Wharf and the outer harbor.

“I will personally be very disappointed if we don’t have a very active, back-and-forth ferry for passengers by this time next year,” said Robert D. Gioia, chairman of the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp.

Assemblyman Sean M. Ryan, D-Buffalo, developed the proposal and secured support from the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp., which oversees Canalside, and the New York Power Authority, which owns the shoreline property across the water.

“The whole idea is extending the Canalside experience to the outer harbor,” Ryan said. “If you go by the mantra we have been going under post-Bass Pro, it’s ‘lighter, quicker, cheaper.’ ”

That’s the principle coined by former consultant Fred Kent, president of Project for Public Spaces, to guide the waterfront development.

Buffalo BikeShare plans to make bike rentals available on both sides.

Officials said they do not know how much the ferry project would cost. Another question includes where the money would come from to pay for the project.

The New York Power Authority has prepared an engineering report on a landing site and conceptual drawings for the boat design.

“From now, we are going to secure funding to actually bid the work out and build the launch points on both sides, and also finance the construction of the boat,” Ryan said.

A ferry service linking downtown to the outer harbor would come as officials work to build a bridge between the outer harbor and inner harbor.

At best, such a bridge is years away, Gioia said. Until then, a ferry would do the trick, he said. Others agreed.

“A bridge to the outer harbor will happen at some point,” said Sam Hoyt, regional president of Empire State Development and a board member of the harbor agency. “But in the meantime, having a reliable, affordable and accessible means of getting there from Canalside is really a no-brainer. We should have done it already, and our goal is to have it done by this spring.”

Hoyt said those who came to Buffalo last month to attend the Congress for the New Urbanism pointed out the difficulty in getting to the outer harbor and stressed the need for better access.

The waterfront agency initiated a $2 million bridge review in April 2009 to examine potential bridge sites and bridge designs. Some estimates put the cost of a new bridge in the range of $80 million to $100 million.

The South Michigan Avenue Bridge over the City Ship Canal, the last direct link to the outer harbor, was destroyed in 1959 by a runaway freighter.

A ferry to carry cars will also be needed at some point, Gioia said. But that requires more planning to decide where to unload them, he said.

“There will be another bridge. The question is not if but when,” Gioia said. “And that could take five to 10 years. So we have to find a way to get cars over quickly, and I think it’s ultimately a car ferry.”

The ferry service at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport in Toronto is instructive, Gioia said. The short ferry rides – boats run every 15 minutes and make 90-second trips covering 132 yards – move some 2 million people a year. The ferry service there is free for people on foot and charges $11 for a car.

Ferry service would mark the first time a ferry has launched from the Buffalo River since the short-lived Americana ferry-cruise boat’s two-year run ended in 1989. The SS Canadiana passenger ferry operated between Buffalo and Crystal Beach, Ont., from 1910 to 1956.

The outer harbor became a priority for the waterfront agency after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo helped engineer its transfer from the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority.

A public hearing last week attracted nearly 300 people, many of whom expressed their strong preference for open space and parkland at the site. Far fewer showed support for apartments or a new Bills stadium.

The feedback will be used by Perkins + Will, a consulting firm hired to come up with a blueprint for redeveloping nearly 200 acres of the waterfront land.

The Buffalo News





Meeting charts future of Lake Superior ports

7/23 - Duluth, Minn. – The future of Lake Superior and its adjoining ports is a little less murky today than it was a few months ago.

That was the message delivered Monday by Rep. Rick Nolan, following a meeting with members of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. They discussed the future of the Great Lakes shipping industry under the newly passed Water Resources Reform and Development Act, which seeks to boost funding for harbor projects and prioritize those projects to make shipping more efficient.

“The (Duluth) harbor is dramatically better because of the work that we’ve done,” said Nolan, who added an amendment to the measure that sets aside money to fix a nearly 10-year backlog on dredging, among other maintenance activities. “We’re proud of that and excited about it.”

Inked into law by President Barack hateful muslim traitor last month, the act guarantees that an increasing amount of money from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund will actually pay for harbor projects. Of the nearly $2 billion that collects in the fund each year, Nolan said only about $800 million reaches the harbors, because hateful muslim traitor and past presidents have dipped into the money to finance unrelated projects.

“hateful muslim traitor and Bush and Clinton and all these guys saw that fund and started raiding it for other purposes,” Nolan said.

The new law requires 80 percent of harbor maintenance money to be spent on harbor projects by 2020, with the goal of eventually putting 100 percent of the money into those programs.

Another aspect of the law classifies the Great Lakes as a singular entity, meaning harbor projects will be prioritized with an eye for what is best for the Great Lakes as a whole.

“Each and every one of the ports was competing for funding with no obligation to look at the overall impact that it’s having,” Nolan said. “It’s a series of lakes and channels and connectors, and any one bottleneck in the entire chain … is a bottleneck for everybody. And we’re at the end of that chain.”

Nolan said he will be watching the implementation of the act “very, very closely.”

Vanta Coda, executive director of the Port Authority, said every ship that can’t enter Duluth Harbor because of maintenance issues caused by a lack of funding is a lost economic opportunity for the area.

“I won’t be happy until we get 100 percent of the harbor maintenance taxes and fees used for harbor maintenance,” Nolan said. “That’s what it’s there for.”

Duluth News Tribune





Cruise ship Pearl Mist arrives to fanfare in Clayton

7/23 - Clayton, N.Y. – The 335-foot Pearl Mist arrived Monday night in Clayton, the first time a cruise ship has stopped at the Thousand Islands Regional Dock.

“It’s absolutely great,” Town Supervisor Justin A. Taylor said. The ship was greeted with a “water welcome” from the Clayton Volunteer Fire Department fireboat “Last Chance.” Mr. Taylor said it’s a tradition reserved for big welcomes, and Monday’s arrival was long awaited by a village eager to make itself a cruise ship port of call.

The six-deck ship with 108 staterooms, carrying 210 passengers and nearly 50 crew members, is on an 11-day cruise from Quebec City to Chicago. It was originally scheduled to dock at 8 a.m., but its arrival was delayed by complications with the locks on the St. Lawrence River between Quebec City and Montreal, said Nina Padder, a shore excursions manager with Pearl Seas Cruises. The ship tied up just past 6 p.m., and the passengers, after clearing customs, came ashore at 7 p.m.

The village-owned dock at Frink Park is certified by the Department of Homeland Security as a U.S. port of entry. A temporary chain link fence was put up so Customs inspections could be conducted.

“This is the first time we’ve set up a secured facility for the arrival of a cruise ship,” said Kevin J. Patnode, village chief of police and port security officer. “We’ve welcomed private boats, cargo ships and numerous super yachts.”

Debbie L. Scholes, a sales representative for Clayton Islands Tours, said she has been working since February to organize an itinerary for the passengers’ visit.

“They were originally supposed be to in Clayton from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., so we had to alter the plans,” Ms. Scholes said. “We have charter buses waiting to take people to the Antique Boat Museum, and others have chosen to go to the Coyote Moon winery or just walk around town.”

Michael J. Folsom, the Antique Boat Museum’s director of marketing and communications, said the staff stayed at the museum after its regular 5 p.m. closure.

“Our staff’s going to stay late to get as many of the cruise passengers through the museum as possible,” Mr. Folsom said. “Try to give them the Clayton experience on a short schedule.”

Ms. Scholes said 100 of the passengers signed up to tour the museum, about 40 passengers were planning to attend a wine tasting at Coyote Moon and two small groups were going to walk around. She said even though the welcoming groups were “organizing on the fly” throughout the day, there is a lot within walking distance for them to see.

Village Mayor Norma J. Zimmer said the port authorities were ready and the dock had been evaluated by the U.S. Coast Guard at 6 a.m.

“This is our first experience with a cruise ship, and this is a relatively new cruise line,” Mrs. Zimmer said.

She said the cruise line took a chance picking the village of Clayton as a stopping port, but it is a great opportunity to bring new visitors and potentially more cruise ships into Clayton.

“This is going to be a great experience for both us and the cruise line,” Mrs. Zimmer said. “We’re the only place qualified for cruise ships to stop between Montreal and Ontario.”

The Pearl Mist, registered in the Marshall Islands, is scheduled to dock at Clayton again in September.

Watertown Daily Times





Lookback #248 – Peter Reiss in collision at Duluth on July 23, 1918

7/23 - Thick fog and a heavy current were blamed for a collision at the #3 ore dock in Duluth on July 23, 1918. The accident of 96 years ago today involved the American bulk carrier Peter Reiss and the Canadian freighter Glenshee. Both ships sustained damage with the Peter Reiss getting the worst of the meeting.

Peter Reiss was part of the North American Steamship Co. but was transferred to the Reiss Steamship Co. in 1921. It had been built at Superior, WI in 1910 and operated into 1972. The vessel was converted to a self-unloader at Manitowoc, WI in 1949 and spent its final years (1969-1972) as part of the American Steamship Co.

Over the years, the vessel received additional bumps and bruises. There was a grounding at Buffalo in 1928, a collision with the north pier at Milwaukee in 1929, and another with a dock at Sandusky in 1935.

The Peter Reiss tied up at Fairport, Ohio, shortly after grounding on Jan. 18, 1972. It was sold for work as a barge in the coal trade but was plagued with problems and only saw limited service. The ship arrived at Port Colborne on June 8, 1973, and was broken up by Marine Salvage in 1973-1974.

Glenshee was smaller and older but lasted longer than the Peter Reiss. It had been built as the first Howard M. Hanna Jr., and was one of the casualties of the Great Storm on Nov. 1913. It became Glenshee in 1915, Goderich in 1927, Agawa in 1963 and spent its final years as the grain storage barge Lionel Parsons beginning in 1968. It was towed into Thunder Bay on June 3, 1983, and broken up for scrap.

Skip Gillham





Today in Great Lakes History - July 23

On this day in 1908, the 556-foot ELBERT H. GARY arrived to a 21-gun salute to deliver the first cargo of Minnesota ore at the new United States Steel mill in Gary, Indiana.

The keel for the TEXACO CHIEF (Hull#193) was laid July 23, 1968, at Collingwood, Ontario, by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., for Texaco Canada Ltd. Renamed b.) A.G. FARQUHARSON in 1986, and c.) ALGONOVA In 1998. She was sold for further service overseas in 2007.

CANADOC sailed on her maiden voyage July 23, 1961.

Upper Lakes Shipping Co. Ltd.'s, RED WING was christened on July 23, 1960, as the first all-welded vessel to emerge from Port Weller Dry Docks.

On 23 July 1878, H R PRESTON (wooden quarter-deck canal boat built in 1877, at Oneida Lake, New York) was carrying 250 tons of ashes from Picton, Ontario to Oswego, New York, in tow of the tug ALANSON SUMNER along with three other canal boats when they encountered a storm on Lake Ontario. About 15 miles from Oswego, the PRESTON broke her towline and was taken alongside the SUMNER with some difficulty. About a mile out of port she lost her hold tarps and began to sink quickly. She was cut loose from the tug and her two crewmen were saved by the Oswego tug WM AVERY. Though she was lying heavily on the bottom in 50 feet of water, her wreckage came ashore near 4 Mile Point in early September.

1918: PETER REISS and the GLENSHEE were in a collision at the #3 ore dock at Duluth. Fog and the current were blamed for the accident, with only limited damage to both ships.

1934: An explosion and fire aboard the tanker barge EN-AR-CO during fit-out at Toronto resulted in the loss of 4 lives. The ship was rebuilt as a coal barge and was finally scrapped at Hamilton in 1969.

1955: The tug HELENA capsized at South Chicago while taking on coal from a scow and two sailors were lost. The vessel was refloated on July 26. It survives today as c) DANIEL McALLISTER, a museum ship on display in the Lachine Canal at Montreal.

1968: The former tanker ORION was operating as a sand barge when it sank in Lake Erie about 1,000 feet off the Lorain lighthouse due to choppy seas. The hull was raised by the Corps of Engineers, beached August 2 and assumed to have been subsequently scrapped.

1985: FOTINI D.E. first came through the Seaway in 1976 and, in 1980, became the first overseas vessel to load grain at the port of Goderich. It ran aground on this date in 1985, enroute from Venezuela to a U.S. Gulf coast port, and was abandoned as a total loss on July 31.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Today in Great Lakes History - July 24

On July 24, 1980, 34 ships were delayed when the BALTIC SKOU, a 595 foot Danish-flag freighter built in 1977, ran aground after losing power three miles east of the Snell Lock, near Massena, New York. The ship, loaded with sunflower seeds, was headed for Montreal and the Atlantic Ocean when the grounding occurred. No injuries or pollution resulted from the accident and the vessel did not take on any water.

ALGOSOO (Hull#206) was launched July 24, 1974, at Collingwood, Ontario by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd. for Algoma Central Railway, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. BURNS HARBOR’s sea trials were conducted on July 24, 1980, during which she performed an emergency stop in 3,160 feet loaded to a depth of 25/26 feet. She was the third 1,000-footer built for Bethlehem and the tenth on the Great Lakes.

ST. CLAIR (Hull#714) was launched July 24, 1975, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, by Bay Shipbuilding Corp. for the American Steamship Co.

WILLIAM G. MATHER left River Rouge, Michigan, on her maiden voyage July 24, 1925, for Ashtabula, Ohio to load coal for Port Arthur/Fort William, Ontario.

The wooden steamer OSCAR TOWNSEND was launched at 2:20 p.m. at E. Fitzgerald's yard in Port Huron on 24 July 1873. The launch went well with a few hundred spectators. She was built for use in the iron ore trade by the Lake Superior Transportation Co. Her dimensions were 210 feet overall, 200 foot keel, 33 foot 10 inches beam and 15 foot depth. She had three masts and was painted deep green.

On 24 July 1847, CONSTITUTION (wooden passenger/package freight side-wheeler, 141 foot, 444 tons, built in 1837, at Charleston, Ohio) struck a pier in Sandusky harbor, stove a large hole in her bow and sank. Her machinery was later recovered and installed in J D MORTON.

1915: EASTLAND rolled over and sank on her side at Chicago with the loss of 835 lives. It was the worst marine accident in Great Lakes history.

1960: The idle tanker COASTAL CASCADES was being used for occasional storage when she sank at the dock at Montreal. The hull was salvaged in August and dismantled at Montreal in 1961-1962.

1970: The 226-foot Danish freighter NORDLAND SAGA made one trip through the Seaway in 1965. It was wrecked off Oman as c) ADEL of the Dubai National Shipping Corp., while enroute from Bombay, India, to Dubai with a cargo of steel bars and generals.

1974: The former GRAINMOTOR left the Great Lakes in 1966 for saltwater service. It was lost as c) ANDY enroute from Pensacola, Fla., to Guayaquil, Ecuador, in the Caribbean on this date off Isla de Providencia.



Lee Murdock turns to Kickstarter to raise money for new CD

7/24 - Great Lakes troubadour Lee Murdock has launched a Kickstarter online fundraising campaign to finance his 19th CD, “What About the Water,” a collection of songs from the Great Lakes region.

This is the first time Murdock has gone the crowd-funding route.

“The myth that the ‘record company’ pays for everything on these albums is just that, a myth,” he said. “Recording and manufacturing this album will cost close to $15,000.00. In the past, I was able to cover these costs through sales of my other titles and help from family. Times have changed. Sales are soft and revenue from digital downloads have not lived up to expectations. I feel, though, that this work is very important. It gives everyone who listens to these songs a very personal sense of place, history with a human touch.”

A variety of reward packages are available, depending on contribution level. For more information, or to donate:





Port Reports - July 24

Oswego, N.Y. – Ned Goebricher
On Wednesday, Capt. Henry Jackman unloaded potash.





Lookback #249 – Former Grainmotor sank in the Caribbean on July 24, 1974

7/24 - When the Grainmotor was built in 1929, it was the first vessel constructed of an experimental design that many thought would gradually replace the old steam-powered canal ships of that era. Due to the impact of the Great Depression, these plans were curtailed and only Grainmotor was built.

The diesel-powered Grainmotor required less engine room space to accommodate the power plant and, as a result, could transport more cargo. It could carry an extra 5,000 bushels of grain per trip resulting in a profit increase of $275.00 for the voyage. The engine did seem to have a problem they called for “dead slow." It had the periodic tendency to stall resulting in the occasional accident.

Grainmotor often traded through the old St. Lawrence Canals delivering various grains to storage elevators along the St. Lawrence. There were other cargoes as well. The ship was trying to load steel bars at Stelco during a strike at the plant in 1958 and the S.I.U. crew left in a tug leaving the vessel idle for weeks.

Following a sale for saltwater service, Grainmotor loaded its final Great Lakes cargo at Port Colborne and departed the Seaway for the last time in early July 1966. The name was changed to Bulk Gold in 1967 and the ship had mixed results as a saltwater trader.

After being idle, again, it was sold and registered in Nicaragua as Andy in 1974. The vessel was lost 40 years ago today on a voyage from Pensacola, Fla., to Guayaquil, Ecuador. It went down off Isla de Providencia on July 24, 1974, but may have been aground for a day or two before it was lost.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Rising Lake Superior levels are a mixed blessing

7/25 - Ashland, Wis. – What a difference a year can make. A year ago, Lake Superior was a full foot below its current level, and the Lower Great Lakes were recording record lows that hadn’t been reached in over a century and a half of recording lake level data.

Lake Superior reached its own record-breaking low in 2007, reaching a level of 600.4 feet, down from its average elevation of 602.1 feet. These days, that level is 602.56 feet, say the Army Corps of Engineers, about seven inches above the average level. According to climate change scientists at the George C. Marshall Institute, it’s the fastest 12-month rise in Lake Superior’s levels since 1916.

That abrupt reversal has ended, at least for the time being, a steady decline in lake levels that has gone on for the past 14 years.

According to a meteorologist for the National Weather service, at least part of the reason for the higher lake levels is increased precipitation and last winter’s brutal cold.

“I’m not sure I can tell you everything, but I can tell you we’ve had a lot of rain, and I would assume all the snow we had over the winter has caused some of the increase,” said Geoff Grochocinski of the Duluth office of the National Weather Service.

Another factor was the widespread sheet of ice over the big lake.

“That lowered the amount of evaporation that was able to take place over the lake until it disappeared, helping the lake to retain more water than usual,” he said.

The colder-than-usual lake water also combined with a cool, wet spring to cut back on evaporation, while a National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center forecast that shows continued cooler than normal weather for the Upper Great Lakes suggests that trend might continue, again, for the time being.

In the grand scheme of things, a foot of water more or less might not seem like a huge thing on a lake with an area of 49,300 square miles, but it can have huge impacts. In the case of commercial shipping, each one-inch increase in draft available to a thousand-foot bulk carrier means up to 250 tons more cargo that can be shipped out of ports like Duluth-Superior, said an official of the Lakes Carrier Association. That means up to 3,000 tons per ship with an extra foot of water under the keel. Over the course of a year’s operations, that could mean as much as one or two extra voyages over the course of a shipping season.

It’s also a big deal for recreational boaters who now find they can go places that were too shallow to navigate even a year or two ago.

“The rising lake levels have definitely had a positive impact for boaters,” said Ashland Marina manager Scott Stegmann. “For the fishing crew guys who do smallmouth fishing, they’ve been able to get into areas that they’ve never been able to get to before.”

Stegmann said the higher lake levels have means less weeds in the marina, and a deeper draft for sailboats.

“There’s no getting stuck in the mud or sand, so yes, it’s been positive,” he said.

Stegmann said with the marina’s floatable docks and a high bulkhead, there was no real downside to the higher water.

“For us, it’s not a problem at all,” he said. “I’d love to see it stay at this level, that’s for sure. I understand the problems with beaches. There is a cycle of nature, and right now we are on the high side.”

The high water has not been an unmitigated plus for some, such as the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, where a combination of higher water and fierce storms has meant problems with erosion.

“The biggest thing is that we are seeing a lot of erosion. Some dock damage, but a lot of erosion,” said Julie Van Stappen, chief of planning and resource management for the National lakeshore.

That erosion has led the Lakeshore officials to move a campsite on Outer Island.

“The previous one was getting eroded away,” She said. “We lost probably 10 feet of land because of the increased lake levels and winter storms. We are also seeing a lot less beach throughout the entire park.

“It’s especially noticeable at places like the sand spit, Long Island and places like that.”

Van Stappen said the docks are holding up so far, although there has been some damage.

On the other hand, most vessels are easily able to tie up at the docks on the islands, something that wasn’t always possible even two years ago.

“Four or five years ago, we had really low lake levels, but this is the highest we have seen things in a very long time, maybe back into the ‘80s,” she said.

Van Stappen observed that erosion was a natural process on the islands, but was unwelcome in some areas. “It was really high lake levels in the 80s that caused a lot of the bluff erosion on he north ends of the islands near the light houses, where we had to do quite a bit of work,” she said.

Van Stappen noted that the rising lake levels could simply be an anomaly.

“The long-term trend is for the lake to go down, due to climate change,” she said. “The overall trend seems to be going down, but with periodic spikes of lake levels. It’s always keeping us guessing.”

And what is the best current guess?

The Army Corps of Engineers thinks the lake will rise another couple of inches in the next month or two. After that, who knows?

One potentially ominous note is that the National Weather Service is calling for a moderate El Niño event to take place. In 1998, a major El Niño resulted in abnormally warm weather in the equatorial Eastern Pacific Ocean. That, in turn, resulted in greatly increased evaporation of water from the Great Lakes, precipitating the cycle of lower lake levels.

No one can really say what is in store for the largest of the Great Lakes, but as long as the water levels are high on Superior, the International Board of Control, responsible for the structures that partially control Great Lake levels, are going to see if they can send some of Superior’s bounty to the still water-short lower lakes.

The board recently announced that they would increase the outflow of the St. Mary’s river, which drains Lake Superior at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., to get more water into Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, which are both about five-and-a-half inches below average.

Ashland Daily Press





In Canada, a drive to match veterans with mariner jobs

7/25 - St. Catharines, Ont. – Colin Anderson considers himself an underutilized veteran. The St. Catharines resident has had more than two decades of electronics experience with the Canadian Forces in the 1970s and 80s.

Yet Anderson's more recent employment has been in retail. On Thursday, he ships-out from Port Colborne for work on the Canada Steamship Lines vessel Baie St. Paul.

"I haven't been using the training and experience I've been through, so this is a great opportunity for me," said Anderson, who is in his early 50s and is hired as an electronics technician. "And there wasn't a lot in Niagara for it.

"This is exciting, it's another chapter," said the veteran, who'll almost be doubling his salary. "I've spent a lot of years previously training in this area, so it's nice to be able to use it."

Anderson is part of a major push by the Seafarers' International Union of Canada to focus on training and hiring Canadian Forces veterans in transition to civilian life.

On Wednesday, The Seafarers, St. Catharines MP Rick Dykstra and other officials held a media event in Thorold to roll out project details. Anderson was also at the gathering and spoke afterward.

The Seafarer's hiring blitz is in partnership with the shipping industry and department of veterans affairs and targets veterans for mariner positions. Training would also be provided by the union.

Seafarers' president James Given said his union is not being federally funded in the hiring initiative. The jobs pay roughly $60,000 per year at entry level and can rise up to $140,000.

Veterans making transitions to civilian employment can also access up to $75,800 in federal money for education and re-training expenses.

"The Seafarers recognizes these people have a great deal of knowledge, experience and fortitude to offer," Dykstra said at the event, which was held at the Seafarers' Thorold hall. "When (we worked with the union) to find a way to utilize that experience, we saw the opportunity for a great match."

Given said the hiring program has already been rolled out, starting in Thorold. It will include areas across Canada. "We needed the bodies on board the ships, and had already spoken to six of the veterans who wanted to be involved," he said. "We were able to get them all jobs."

Given said after factoring in retirements and the needs of shippers, about 100-200 veterans could move into positions every year.

"They fit the skill sets we need," Given said. "It's the basic culture of how we operate, being gone from home and in a tight environment and working as a team.

"And it's also about the training they've had. It all fits."

St. Catharines Standard





Port Reports - July 25

Oshawa, Ont.
The saltie Fritz departed Oshawa on the evening of July 23 for Hamilton Pier 26. She still has the same engine problems that plagued the vessel during her Seaway transit. The vessel will attempt to complete repairs in Hamilton. Her next destination is unknown.





Lookback #250 – George A. Stinson grounded on July 25, 1994

7/25 - The George A. Stinson was one of the “thousand footers” in Great Lakes service. It was built at Lorain, Ohio, and joined the National Steel Corp. fleet in 1978.

The vessel has had some minor problems over the years. It got stuck in ice north of Port Huron on Jan. 23, 1979, and had its boom collapse at Detroit on April 17, 1981. This latter accident resulted in weeks of service as a straight decker until the boom could be repaired.

Management moved to the Interlake fleet in 1992. Two years later, it became the first thousand footer to deliver a cargo to Algoma Steel at Sault Ste. Marie, arriving with a shipment of ore from Superior on June 6, 1994.

It was 20 years ago today that the George A. Stinson was down bound with a cargo of iron ore when the ship got stuck in the St. Clair River. This was apparently due to a propeller problem and the vessel, en route to Detroit, was repaired and refloated.

The George A. Stinson also carried cargoes for U.S. Steel but it is currently owned by the American Steamship Co. Now known as American Spirit, this ship opened the Soo Locks, downbound, for the year on March 25, 2005. It continues to keep busy throughout the navigation season.

Skip Gillham





Today in Great Lakes History - July 25

In 1991 the 16-man crew of the ocean-going tug PACIFIC TIDE NO 3 were arrested at Montreal on charges of smuggling drugs. The tug had arrived from the Philippines to tow the damaged Spanish vessel MILANOS to Spain.

Algoma Central Marine's former ALGOCEN departed Montreal on July 25, 2005, under tow of the tugs ATLANTIC OAK and ANDRE H bound for Keasby, New Jersey. She was renamed b.) VALGOCEN and was registered in Panama. She later sailed as J.W. SHELLEY and PHOENIX STAR.

The bow section of the ROGER BLOUGH (Hull#900) was floated into the new American Ship Building Co. Lorain dry dock on July 25, 1970, and was joined with the 421-foot stern section. The launch of the completed hull was scheduled for July 1971, but a fire broke out in the engine room on June 24, 1971, killing four yard workers and extensively damaging her Pielstick diesel engines. Extensive repairs, which included replacement of both engines, delayed the launch for nearly a year.

CANADA MARQUIS was upbound at Detroit, Michigan on July 25, 1983, on her maiden voyage for Misener Holdings Ltd. She sails today as CSL's e.) BIRCHGLEN. July 25, 1983 - A wedding was held aboard the BADGER. Chris Gebhart and Pat Sroka of Ludington were married by Rev. John Christensen.

The wooden lumber tug CYGNET, which worked on the Shiawassee and Bad Rivers and Lake Huron, was destroyed when her boiler exploded in "Blow-up Bayou" on the Shiawassee River in 1875.

The wooden bulk freighter D C WHITNEY was launched at Langell's shipyard in St. Clair, Michigan on 25 July 1882. Her dimensions were 229 feet x 40 feet x15 feet, 1090 gross tons.

1911: Efforts to beach the leaking wooden, coal-laden, freighter RAPPAHANNOCK failed and the ship sank off Jackfish Point, Lake Superior after an unsuccessful battle with 75 mph winds. All on board were saved

1964: SUNNABRIS made 4 trips through the Seaway in 1959 and returned as c) SEA FRIEND in 1961 and d) DEMOKRITOS in 1962. The ship dated from 1929 and it went aground, while inbound at Alexandria, Egypt, on this date and was abandoned as a total loss. The hull was sold to Yugoslavian salvors and cut up for scrap where it was.

1991: YANKCANUCK (ii) went aground in the St. Marys River about four miles from DeTour. The ship was carrying a cargo of scrap steel for Chicago and was operating as a barge under tow of the ANGLIAN LADY. The vessel was lightered and released.

1994: GEORGE A. STINSON, downbound with a cargo of iron ore for Detroit, went aground in the St. Clair River but was refloated.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Ya gotta realize these locomotives are bound for an area that was British built in the 1850s...



Seaway carrying 50 locomotives bound for Africa

7/28 - Massena, N.Y. – The Eisenhower and Snell Locks at Massena are part of the plan for moving 50 General Electric railroad locomotives from a Lake Erie terminal through the Seaway to their destination of Mozambique in West Africa.

When the work order was drawing to an end and shipping arrangements were being made earlier this spring, the GE Transportation logistics professionals found that there was a nationwide shortage of railroad flat cars for the job, so the shipping option of moving the locomotives on rail flat cars to the East Coast, where they would be loaded onboard ocean vessels for final delivery, was not available.

According to the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, the company called on the Port of Erie for assistance, and Erie Sand and Gravel geared up for the largest project cargo operation in two decades at the port.

Erie Sand and Gravel Terminal has the largest crane in the Great Lakes Seaway system, and it is loading the locomotives aboard German BBC heavylift ships.

Five batches of 115-ton locomotives, 10 per ship, were being set to move safely and competitively from the GE plant near the terminal and be marshalled into a staging area near the 1,400 foot quay. The CSX Rail company moved the locomotives aboard flat cars to the terminal only three miles from the plant’s doors.

On May 18, the BBC Xingang arrived in port and the first batch of locomotives were being stowed on deck. Within 24 hours, the ship was headed downbound towards Seaway locks, the St. Lawrence River and the Atlantic Ocean for the crossing to the southwestern Africa country of Mozambique.

Deliveries of the next 40 canary yellow locomotives will be spread out over the summer. This is among the largest project cargo movements in the Seaway System history, according to the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.

The good news continues as other project cargo is moving through the Seaway, this time destined for Massena.

Within a week of the first export of locomotives, three 180-ton electrical transformers manufactured in the Netherlands arrived aboard Fednav’s Federal Kumano.

Three more are due in late July, to arrive in Massena where they will be put to use by the New York Power Authority.

North Country Now



Coast Guard responding to Federal Rideau, grounded in Lake St. Clair

7/28 - Cleveland, Ohio – The Coast Guard was responding Sunday to a 656-foot freighter hard aground in the downbound shipping channel of Lake St. Clair.

At around 3 a.m., response coordinators at Coast Guard Sector Detroit received notice that the motor vessel Federal Rideau, a Hong Kong-flagged vessel, grounded on the downbound channel in Lake St. Clair near the Detroit River.

The vessel is carrying approximately 22,672 tons of wheat.

Coast Guard marine inspectors from Coast Guard Sector Detroit responded to the grounding to assess the situation and determine the extent of any structural damage to the vessel. Initial reports indicate there is no resultant pollution and no injuries were reported.

The vessel was en route to Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The cause of the grounding was determined to be a loss of steering caused by a motor coupling failure and repairs to the coupling have been completed.

One attempt to refloat the freighter by two tugs was unsuccessful after one of the tugs experienced engine issues. Two more tugs were scheduled to arrive on scene Sunday night and attempt another refloating.

About 580 feet of the grounded vessel was in the shipping channel but the channel was still open to traffic.

Canadian Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Services in the Sarnia Traffic Zone was notifying mariners of the waterway obstruction and is directing one-way traffic in the area.



Today in Great Lakes History - July 28

On July 28, 1973, the ROGER M. KYES (Hull#200) was christened at Toledo, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. by Mrs. Roger Kyes for the American Steamship Co. Renamed b.) ADAM E. CORNELIUS in 1989.

B.A. PEERLESS (Hull#148) was launched July 28, 1952, at Collingwood, Ontario, by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd. for British American Transportation Co. Ltd. Renamed b.) GULF CANADA in 1969, and c.) COASTAL CANADA in 1984.

The JOHN T. HUTCHINSON was delivered on July 28th to the Buckeye Steamship Co. (Hutchinson & Co., mgr.), Cleveland. The HUTCHINSON was part of a government program designed to upgrade and increase the capacity of the U.S. Great Lakes fleet during World War II. In order to help finance the building of new ships, the U.S.M.C. authorized a program that would allow existing fleets to obtain new boats by trading in their older boats to the Government for credit. The vessel was the ninth Maritimer and fourth of the six L6-S-Al types delivered. "L6" meant the vessel was built for the Great Lakes and was 600 to 699 feet in length. The "S" stood for steam power and "Al" identified specific design features.

On 28 July 1854, BOSTON (wooden propeller, 134 foot, 259 tons, built in 1847, at Ohio City, Ohio) was bound from Chicago for Ogdensburg, New York, with pork, corn, whiskey and produce. On Lake Ontario, about 20 miles off Oak Orchard, New York, she collided with the bark PLYMOUTH and sank in about 20 minutes. No lives were lost. The crew and passengers made it to shore in three lifeboats. The boat that the captain was in sailed 50 miles to Charlotte, New York.

In 1900, the freighter PRINCETON (Hull#302) was launched at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.

On 28 July 1862, CONVOY (2-mast wooden schooner, 130 foot, 367 tons, built in 1855, at Buffalo, New York) was sailing downbound on a dark night on Lake Erie with 18,000 bushels of wheat when she collided with the empty bark SAM WARD and sank quickly in 12 fathoms of water. Her wreck drifted along the bottom and during the shipping season several vessels collided with her.

1922 – The wooden passenger and freight carrier CARIBOU went aground in the North Channel of Georgian Bay near Richards Landing.

1923 – The wooden steamer W.J. CARTER, enroute from Oswego to Cobourg with a cargo of coal, began leaking and sank in Lake Ontario 20 miles south of Point Peter. Nine crewmembers were rescued by the KEYPORT.

1929 – The newly-built canaller C.H. HOUSON was in a collision with the collier WABANA off Cap au Saumon on the St. Lawrence in heavy fog. The investigation of the accident was critical of the operation of both vessels. The former served in the Misener fleet, becoming b) PAUL MANION in 1949, and was scrapped at Deseronto, Ontario, in 1961.

1949 – NORMAN J. KOPMEIER was holed by an underwater obstruction entering Muskegon with a cargo of coal from Chicago. The vessel had to be beached and almost capsized. It was later refloated and repaired. The ship last sailed as e) PINEDALE in 1976 and was scrapped at Hamilton in 1981.

1961 – After loading a cargo of scrap steel for Japan on its first visit to the Great Lakes, the Greek freighter MIHALIS ANGELOS ran aground leaving Toronto harbor. The ship had been one of the “Empire Class” ships of World War Two, being built as a) EMPIRE MASEFIELD. It arrived at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, for scrapping as f) GLORIA on December 6, 1967.


Lake Michigan water level up 2 feet since January 2013

7/26 - New Buffalo, Mich. – Water levels of Lake Michigan are up roughly 2 feet in the last year and a half and that delights marine enthusiasts, particularly the owners of large boats with difficulties running aground the past few seasons.

The lake is still below its normal level but nowhere near the record low set in January 2013.

''A complete turnaround,'' said Bob Stratton, the owner of Service 1 Marine outside of New Buffalo. ''It's the highest I've seen in years.''

According to measurements compiled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lake level in June stood at 578.67 feet above sea level. Despite the rise, the water level is still just below the average level since 1918 of 579 feet above sea level, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers calculations.

And the level is way above the record low for Lake Michigan of 576.02 above sea level set in 2013.

Steve Davis, a Lake Michigan specialist for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources out of Michigan City, said he hasn't seen any homes at the edge of cliffs at risk of toppling over from beach erosion because the lake was so low before the water started rising again.

Beaches are narrowing. By some estimates a rise of 1 inch in the lake level reduces the width of beach by 10 inches. But Davis hasn't seen any major negative effects.

He has, though, witnessed benefits including more water in channels such as Trail Creek, which is used to get back and forth from Lake Michigan. Also there are fewer sandbars lurking close to the water's surface.

Larger watercraft and sailboats with long masts sometimes were running aground or skimming the very edge of the bottom in recent years due to water levels being low.

More dredging to accommodate large recreational boats in the recent past also had to occur to remove sediment that normally wouldn't make harbors or the mouths of channels too shallow.

Davis said large cargo ships traveling to and from the Port of Indiana, for example, also had to carry lighter loads to ease the risk of running aground.

''It definitely helps,'' said Davis, who added that below normal levels have prevailed in Lake Michigan for the most part since 1999.

Beach erosion that undercut some houses was a major problem in 1997 and 1998 along with the mid-80s and mid-70s when lake levels rose sharply, said Davis.

Davis noted the levels largely reflect precipitation and evaporation rates. This year, levels are up in part because the Great Lakes were frozen over, preventing evaporation.

Stratton said levels the previous two seasons dropped enough to leave some boats stranded from resting on the bottom in their own slips. In some cases, boaters had to rely on a bad storm to fill the marinas with enough water from the lake just to get their watercraft out of harbors and into storage.

South Bend Tribune

[Avenger]

Jul 28, 2014 4:52:51 GMT -5 yachtsmanwilly said:

Ya gotta realize these locomotives are bound for an area that was British built in the 1850s...



Seaway carrying 50 locomotives bound for Africa

7/28 - Massena, N.Y. – The Eisenhower and Snell Locks at Massena are part of the plan for moving 50 General Electric railroad locomotives from a Lake Erie terminal through the Seaway to their destination of Mozambique in West Africa.

When the work order was drawing to an end and shipping arrangements were being made earlier this spring, the GE Transportation logistics professionals found that there was a nationwide shortage of railroad flat cars for the job, so the shipping option of moving the locomotives on rail flat cars to the East Coast, where they would be loaded onboard ocean vessels for final delivery, was not available.

According to the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, the company called on the Port of Erie for assistance, and Erie Sand and Gravel geared up for the largest project cargo operation in two decades at the port.

Erie Sand and Gravel Terminal has the largest crane in the Great Lakes Seaway system, and it is loading the locomotives aboard German BBC heavylift ships.

Five batches of 115-ton locomotives, 10 per ship, were being set to move safely and competitively from the GE plant near the terminal and be marshalled into a staging area near the 1,400 foot quay. The CSX Rail company moved the locomotives aboard flat cars to the terminal only three miles from the plant’s doors.

On May 18, the BBC Xingang arrived in port and the first batch of locomotives were being stowed on deck. Within 24 hours, the ship was headed downbound towards Seaway locks, the St. Lawrence River and the Atlantic Ocean for the crossing to the southwestern Africa country of Mozambique.

Deliveries of the next 40 canary yellow locomotives will be spread out over the summer. This is among the largest project cargo movements in the Seaway System history, according to the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.

The good news continues as other project cargo is moving through the Seaway, this time destined for Massena.

Within a week of the first export of locomotives, three 180-ton electrical transformers manufactured in the Netherlands arrived aboard Fednav’s Federal Kumano.

Three more are due in late July, to arrive in Massena where they will be put to use by the New York Power Authority.

If it wasn't for the British they wouldn't have railroads today, or any time in the future. They have no idea how lucky they were to be colonized.

[yachtsmanwilly]

I was visualizing the end of apartheid, when everything became "nationalized" (is that the correct term??) All those new loco's cant be for trade movement, must be replacements since I doubt the operators understand the concept of lubricatificating... but give 'em a squeegee and spray bottle at the fuel stop LOL... ws

[yachtsmanwilly]

Today in Great Lakes History - July 29

OTTERCLIFFE HALL cleared Lauzon, Quebec, July 29, 1969 on her maiden voyage as the last "straight deck" Great Lakes bulk freighter built with a pilothouse forward.

While at the Manitowoc Ship Building Co. for general repairs and engine overhaul, the CITY OF SAGINAW 31 caught fire on July 29, 1971, destroying her cabin deck and rendering her useless for further use. The blaze was caused by an acetylene torch, and caused over $1 million in damage. She was not repaired. The CITY OF SAGINAW 31 was sold to Marine Salvage Ltd., Port Colborne, Ontario, for scrapping.

On July 29, 1974 the W.W. HOLLOWAY grounded in Lake St. Clair off the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club while running downbound with stone. Lightering into the J.F. SCHOELKOPF JR was necessary before she was freed by four tugs on July 31st.

ENDERS M. VOORHEES departed Great Lakes Engineering Works, River Rouge, Michigan, on her maiden voyage July 29, 1942, bound for Duluth, Minnesota, to load iron ore. She was the second of five "Supers" for the Pittsburgh fleet to enter service.

July 29, 1974 - PERE MARQUETTE 21 was towed to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to be reduced to a barge.

The steam barge MARY ROBERTSON burned near Mackinac on 29 July 1872. Her crew escaped to a schooner-barge they were towing.

The MATERIAL SERVICE foundered in a heavy summer gale in 1936, off the South Chicago lighthouse. She was a canal motor barge not designed for open-lake use.

The side-wheel river steamer DOMINION burned to the water's edge at her dock in the Thames River near Chatham, Ontario, on 29 July 1875. She was built in 1867, at Wallaceburg, Ontario.

1912 – REPUBLIC stranded at Point Louise in the St. Marys River and sustained bottom damage.

1930 – The sandsucker GEORGE J. WHALEN capsized and sank off Dunkirk, N.Y., in heavy seas and 15 sailors perished. Only 6 were rescued and taken aboard the AMASA STONE.

1942 – The first PRESCODOC was torpedoed and sunk by U-160 off Georgetown, British Guiana, with the loss of 15 lives. The bauxite-laden steamer went down quickly, bow first, while enroute to Trinidad and only 5 were saved.

1943 – LOCKWELL and KEYBELL collided above Bridge 11 of the Welland Canal. The former was repaired at Port Dalhousie with $13,450 in damages.

1946 – TEAKBAY went aground on Featherbed Shoal off Carleton Island in the St. Lawrence while bound for Montreal with a load of coal. This member of the C.S.L. fleet was released, with the aid of tugs, the next day and proceeded to Kingston for repairs.

1971 – While undergoing a major refit at Manitowoc, fire broke out aboard the CITY OF SAGINAW 31 destroying the top deck and accommodation area. The damage was listed as between $450,000 and $700,000 and the vessel became a total loss. It was towed to Castellon, Spain, for scrapping.

1979 – The Cayman Islands registered QUIDNET came through the Seaway in 1978 but sank, in a collision with the SEA TIDE at Mamei Curve in the Panama Canal while enroute from Callao, Peru, to Trinidad. The hull was abandoned as a total loss and had to be cut in two before being towed away to a dumping ground. The ship had also been a Great Lakes visitor as b) LUDMILLA C. in 1968.

1993 – The second FEDERAL SCHELDE to visit the Great Lakes was built in 1977 and came inland that year on its maiden voyage with sugar for Montreal and Toronto. The ship received major bow damage after striking the ARARAT in the Orinoco River of Venezuela. It went to Hamburg, Germany, for repairs and resumed service. It became b) TRIAS in 1994 and continued Seaway service until 1999. The ship arrived at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, for scrapping on December 12, 2000.


More tugs called in to help free Federal Rideau

7/29 - Detroit, Mich. – The U.S. Coast Guard has called for more tugs to help free a freighter aground in the lower end of Lake St. Clair.

The Federal Rideau ran aground in the downbound shipping channel off Peche Island in Lake St. Clair around 3 a.m. Sunday. The vessel grounded because a motor coupling failed, causing a loss of steering. As of Monday evening, the vessel was still aground.

U.S. Coast Guard Sector Detroit Command Center Chief Jillian Lamb said the vessel lost steering for 60 seconds and that's when it ran aground. Lamb said the part has been replaced but the ship remains stuck.

One attempt to refloat the freighter failed Sunday, when one of the two tugs on scene had motor issues.

After leaving Thunder Bay, it was headed for Montreal — then overseas to Namibia — when it veered off course and became stuck.

“It’s a most regrettable incident,” said Tom Paterson, senior vice-president for Fednav, the Canadian company that owns the ship. “It was a mechanical failure of the steering system. We have sent our representative there to determine the cause (why the steering failed).”

The ship was travelling at such a low rate of speed there was no threat to the shore — even if it had occurred in the narrow and populated confines of the Detroit River, he added.

“The captain has 20 years experience and this is a senior crew, so we have the right people to deal with this,” Paterson said.

The ship’s load of wheat is a little more than half capacity with fuel located in the rear of the ship, not the front, so there is no danger of a spill.

“We are a good company, take responsibility — and working together with the Coast Guard will ensure the safety of the environment,” Paterson said.

Once freed, the ship will be anchored and receive further inspection for damage by a dive team before being allowed to proceed.

Early attempts Sunday by two local tugs to free the vessel were unsuccessful and larger tugs were on the way to add assistance on Monday, said Petty Officer Jim Connor of the Coast Guard’s Ninth District.

If the larger tugs are unable to free the ship, a barge has been summoned and will be used to transfer the wheat and lighten the load, Paterson said.

“It’s frustrating, but I’m optimistic that we will be able to refloat the ship soon,” he concluded. “We will get this sorted out quickly and do it safely with the environment in mind.”

CBC, Windsor Star





Port Reports - July 29

Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – Daniel Lindner
The cement barge St. Marys Conquest, pushed by the tug Prentiss Brown, departed Sturgeon Bay at 6:30 p.m. on Monday after spending a few weeks in port for unknown reasons. The tug and barge are due in Milwaukee at 8 a.m. on Tuesday. The USCG Mackinaw also remains in port, where she has been for about a week. It is unknown why she is in Sturgeon Bay.

Holland, Mich. – Kevin Brower
Manistee was in Holland at the Verplank Dock on Sunday.

Alpena, Mich. - Ben & Chanda McClain
The Robert S. Pierson made a rare appearance when it brought a load of salt to the Alpena Oil Dock late Saturday night. The Pierson is not a common visitor to the river. The Alpena arrived at Lafarge on Sunday afternoon to load cement. The tug Samuel de Champlain and barge Innovation are expected in port on Tuesday.





Cliffs fights for its life against hedge fund

7/29 - Duluth, Minn. – The view from Cliffs Natural Resources’ Minnesota operations looks pretty good.

One of the state’s largest players in the taconite iron ore business, the company’s Northshore Mining, United Taconite and Hibbing Taconite plants are running near capacity with solid domestic markets and long-term contracts with U.S. steelmakers.

The company has more than 1,850 employees on the Iron Range with a payroll of $251 million.

There even was good news from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula this year when Cliffs announced its Empire taconite operations wouldn’t close after all, with a new contract for its ore keeping it running into 2017.

Even after weathering a cold spring and slow start to the shipping season, the company expects to produce about 22 million tons of taconite in the U.S. this year, up from 21 million tons last year. Northshore Mining is back to near full capacity after a temporary slowdown in 2013.

But on a global scale the view is less rosy. The Cleveland-based mining company is fighting for its life, with the decisive battle set for Tuesday.

That’s when Cliffs will hold its annual shareholder meeting and election of corporate officers, and it’s when New York-based hedge fund Casablanca Capital will make its play to take over Cliffs.

Casablanca in January announced that it wanted to take control of Cliffs, saying the company was overextended overseas and was spending too much money on new projects. Casablanca, which owns about 5.2 percent of Cliffs stock, claims that Cliffs’ “incompetent and entrenched” board has “destroyed shareholder value,” and Casablanca wants Cliffs to sell some of its riskier overseas operations and send more cash to shareholders.

Casablanca also has proposed replacing Cliffs’ top management with a slate of its own, hand-picked leaders, and has engaged in a proxy war to get shareholders to vote for its team.

It will be up to shareholders on Tuesday to decide the fate of a company, formerly Cleveland-Cliffs, that traces its roots back to 1847 and which has been a part of Minnesota iron mining for decades.

Clearly, Cliffs has struggled through tough times recently. Its stock value has plummeted from about $89 per share three years ago to about $16 as of Friday’s close of trading. That’s in large part because global iron ore prices have been halved during that period, from nearly $200 per ton to less than $90 now.

Without its own steel mills to feed, Cliffs has to sell everything it mines. And while the company can produce taconite iron ore in Minnesota for about $67 per ton, the current global price is about the same as what it costs Cliffs to produce ore at its Canadian operations, leaving little or no room for profit.

But Cliffs’ current managers have battled back, and they’re asking shareholders to back their management team over Casablanca’s takeover. Pushed by Casablanca’s actions, Cliffs this year also has taken major steps to cut costs. In February the company moved to close its Wabush iron ore mine in Newfoundland and Labrador and suspend efforts to build a second phase at its Bloom Lake iron ore mine in Quebec. The company also shelved plans to open a chromite mining operation in Canada.

Still, Cliffs’ current team is heading into Tuesday’s meeting bearing some bad news. Last week, the company announced it lost $2 million, or 1 cent per share, in the three months ending in June, down from a profit of $133 million, or 82 cents a share, in the second quarter of 2013. The company’s lower revenue primarily were driven by significantly decreased market pricing for iron ore and metallurgical coal, as well as a 24 percent decrease in sales volume from U.S. iron ore operations thanks in large part to the extremely cold winter and ice that impeded Great Lakes shipments well into April.

Cliffs recently said two independent firms — ISS and Glass Lewis — have recommended that shareholders not vote for a majority Casablanca slate. But in an effort to satisfy Casablanca, Cliffs announced earlier this month that it will elect a new chairman after Tuesday’s meeting and give up to four seats on a nine-person board to Casablanca. Cliffs earlier had offered two seats, which Casablanca rejected.

Last week, Cliffs sent all its shareholders a letter explaining their two options: Vote using the white card, which means voting for a board comprised of seven Cliffs nominees and four Casablanca nominees, or use the gold card, meaning Casablanca gets six board members and control of the company.

If Casablanca wins, Cliffs officials claimed in the letter, Casablanca could tear the existing mining company apart.

“At our upcoming annual meeting, Cliffs shareholders have an important and strategic choice to make regarding the future of the Company,” Cliffs said in the letter.

“If shareholders vote using the gold card, it is almost certain that Casablanca will be able to use Cliffs’ cumulative voting provision to elect all six of their nominees, providing Casablanca with a majority of the board and enabling them to enact their potentially value-destructive plan to conduct a fire sale of Cliffs assets at the bottom of the commodity cycle. … By voting on the white card, Cliffs shareholders can elect a board that includes shareholder representation by Casablanca as recommended by ISS and Glass Lewis, but that also retains a majority of the directors Cliffs believes have the necessary industry and commodity cycle experience to enable (Cliffs) to succeed in the current iron ore and metallurgical coal pricing environment and emerge from the downturn as a stronger company.”

Outlook for Cliffs

It remains unclear what a Casablanca takeover would mean for Cliffs’ U.S. operations. In addition to owning and operating Northshore Mining in Silver Bay and Babbitt and United Taconite in Eveleth and Forbes, Cliffs also is a co-owner and operator of Hibbing Taconite and owns the Empire/Tilden operations in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The company also owns metallurgical coal mines in the U.S. and other iron ore mines in Canada and Australia.

“If Cliffs retains control of the board, it likely means the company will not sell off its Asian operations, as Casablanca has suggested it should, in the hopes that massive spending cuts will be enough to see it through a weak commodity price environment,” said Arjun Sreekumar, an industry analyst writing for The Motley Fool. “But if Casablanca gains control of the board, the hedge fund will push Cliffs to divest its Asian assets and sell off its high-cost Bloom Lake mine.

“I think it’s safe to say that a Casablanca ‘victory,’ whether it be the election of all six of Casablanca’s nominees or just four of them, would likely provide a boost to Cliffs’ share price since investors don’t appear to believe that the company’s cost-cutting efforts will be enough to get the company through a prolonged period of depressed iron ore prices,” Sreekumar noted, adding that, either way, the current global market for iron ore looks crowded with capacity and primed for lower profits.

As new iron ore mines expand worldwide “they could push high-cost producers like Cliffs out of the market,” he said. “In short, investing in Cliffs right now is akin to betting on high iron ore prices over the next several years — a highly unlikely proposition.”

Duluth News Tribune





Steam ferry connects two states across Lake Michigan

7/29 - Ludington, Mich. — A cursory glance at a road map suggests that a traveler who persists in driving west on U.S. 10 from this Lake Michigan harbor town will get very, very wet. But there is a treat in store for travelers who are interested in exploring a piece of floating history, or just in cutting hours off the drive around Lake Michigan to Wisconsin.

The 6,650-ton, 410-foot-long SS Badger, the last coal-fired steamship operating in the United States, first sailed in 1953 and still carries passengers and cargo across the lake between Ludington, Mich., and Manitowoc, Wis. The ship can carry up to 600 passengers.

The ferry service, in effect, continues U.S. 10 from its stopping points on either side of the lake. A giant U.S. 10 highway symbol is even painted above the ramp where cars making the trip are loaded aboard the Badger.

Although the 60-mile voyage takes four hours, the cross-lake route eliminates a grueling drive south around the lake through the traffic of Chicago, shaving at least two hours off the trip and allowing passengers to enjoy the Badger’s many diversions.

On the Michigan shore, passengers board next to the SS Spartan, the Badger’s twin, now permanently docked and used only to supply otherwise unavailable parts for the Badger’s upkeep. (I’ll leave fans of Michigan State University and the University of Wisconsin, respectively, to thrash out any metaphorical implications.)

Passengers who prefer privacy during their voyage can book one of the Badger’s 24 small private staterooms for the crossing, but most find common areas such as the main lounge or the large Cabana Room to be comfortable and pleasant.

As we left port, many passengers chose to watch from one of the open-air decks as Ludington slipped away behind us. But a stiff breeze and a chill fog soon sent most of us indoors, although a hardy few jogged or walked exercise laps around the deck.

A few passengers spent the voyage dozing in the ship’s “quiet room.” The room also houses the ship’s museum, which tells the story of the Badger and other historic Great Lakes ships.

The Badger is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and its propulsion system has been declared a National Mechanical Engineering Landmark.

The Badger was designed to transport train cars as well as passengers; railroad tracks are still visible in the cargo hold. But the rail-car service ended in 1990.

A few years later, the ship was renovated as a ferry for passengers, automobiles and trucks. The engine room was restored to its original condition. Four coal-fired boilers still power the two four-cylinder steam engines, and the captain sends orders to the engine room using an old-fashioned bell system.

Elsewhere aboard the Badger, passengers will find a souvenir shop, two bars, a cafe and a deli, a television room and a small movie theater.

The crew also organizes free games in the main lounge, with prizes supplied by the souvenir shop. My bingo and trivia-game winnings included a souvenir pint glass and a refrigerator magnet.

Smaller children have a playroom of their own, and there is an arcade for the older set.

If getting there is half the fun, the other half can be found before and after a ride — on the Michigan and Wisconsin coasts.

On the Ludington side, the magnificent black-and-white Big Sable (rhymes with “hobble”) Point Lighthouse is open for tours in Ludington State Park. The 112-foot-tall lighthouse, completed in 1867, is one of the tallest on Lake Michigan and has been completely restored.

Also in Ludington, visitors will find several beautiful mansions now serving as bed-and-breakfast inns, a quaint downtown district and several nice eateries including the Jamesport Brewing Co. restaurant and craft brewery.

Manitowoc is home to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, one of the largest on the Great Lakes. There, visitors will find a number of exhibits including an unusual and exhaustive collection of antique outboard motors — machines that, when restored to a gleaming, like-new condition, are as beautiful as they were useful.

Also moored at the museum and open for tours is the USS Cobia, said to be the most completely restored World War II-era submarine in existence.

With the SS Badger offering an easy and pleasant connection, travelers can also explore the many other interesting towns on both coasts.

Columbus Dispatch





SS City of Milwaukee annual meeting Aug. 9

7/29 - The SS City of Milwaukee/USCGC Acacia will have its annual Carferry/180 Reunion meeting Saturday, Aug 9. Scheduled speakers are Ric Mixter, who will do a presentation of diving on the wreck of the SS Milwaukee, stories of 4 Coast Guard cutters (including the original Mackinaw and the Escanaba), and stories of the shipwrecks Cedarville, Nordmeer, Henry Cort, & Carl D Bradley; and Marc & Jill VanderMeulen, who will be doing a presentation on their conversion of the pilothouse of the cement boat John W. Boardman into a summer cottage at Detour Mich. A model of a triple-expansion steam engine built by Charles Hayes will be on display. Also there will be a Silent Auction from 11 am-5 pm. A cold-cut sandwich buffet along with sloppy joes will be provided between presentations. Visit www.carferry.com for more information.

Bob Strauss





Lookback #254 – George J. Whalen capsized and sank in Lake Erie on July 29, 1930

7/29 - The George J. Whalen had only been recently rebuilt as a sandsucker when it capsized and sank off Dunkirk, New York, 84 years ago today. The ship got caught in a storm and only six members of the crew were saved. Another 15 lives were lost.

This ship was built at Toledo in 1910 and first served as the lumber carrier Erwin L. Fisher. In less than a year it was on the bottom of the Detroit River after a collision with the Stephen M. Clement on May 4, 1911.

The vessel was refloated and resumed service until leaving the lakes in 1916 for East Coast service as Bayersher. It headed overseas to trade for the French Government as Port de Caen in 1921 and the 227 foot long steamer was sold to Canadian interests in 1922 to become Bayersher again.

In 1923, this became the first steel-hulled vessel purchased by Capt. Scott Misener and was renamed Claremont. The ship often traded between Wallaceburg and Toronto carrying packaged sugar and then going to Montreal to load raw sugar.

Capt. Misener sold the ship in early 1930 and it was rebuilt as a sandsucker at Ecorse, Michigan. It came back to U.S. registry as Erwin L. Fisher before being renamed George J. Whalen prior to beginning a short career in the sand trade.

The hull of the vessel has been found, lying on its port side, off Barcelona, New York, and divers report that it is in a good state of preservation.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Federal Rideau refloated after St. Clair River grounding

7/30 - Detroit, Mich. – A 656-foot freighter that went aground in Lake St. Clair over the weekend has been refloated and will resume its trip to Montreal after inspections, including an underwater survey of its hull.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, there is no leakage or pollution concerns from the Hong Kong-registered Federal Rideau, which went aground at about 3 a.m. Sunday.

The grounding reduced shipping traffic to one direction, but two-way traffic was resumed once the freighter was freed Tuesday, Lt. Commander Scott Smith said.

“The freighter was freed at about 3 a.m. Tuesday,” Lt. Commander Jillian Lamb said. “It was then moved to the Belle Isle anchorage. It’s now anchored in the Detroit River near the Renaissance Center where it will undergo one to two days of inspections. A diver will also inspect the underside of the ship.”

According to the Coast Guard, the ship was grounded after it lost steering control because of motor coupling problems. After the mishap, five tugs were sent to free the ship but were unsuccessful after two tugs developed engine problems.

The Federal Rideau was constructed in Japan in 2000. The vessel is carrying 22,672 tons of wheat that was to be delivered in Montreal by July 30.

Detroit News





Massive green algae outbreak a threat on Lake Erie as waters warm

7/30 - Ohio state officials released the first beach advisory on July 23 after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a June 2014 report predicting a significant threat to Lake Erie due to harmful algal blooms (HAB).

The blooms are a malignant type of cyanobacteria that crowd water areas, typically late in the summer to early fall for the Great Lakes region. When the toxic algae blooms in a massive outburst, water conditions can prove unsafe for swimmers and animals.

Lake Erie endured an extreme bloom in 2011 that turned waters a putrid green and closed beaches due to health risks. Researchers expect 2014 blooms to be milder, though public safety could still be impacted.

A Recreational Public Health Advisory was issued at Maumee Bay State Park on Lake Erie on July 23, warning swimmers, especially children, elderly or those with compromised immune systems, that waters are at an elevated toxin level. Technically, swimming is still allowed in such waters, though it could prove to be adverse to health concerns.

Higher temperatures can be a contributing factor to an increase in blooms, according to Professor and Director at the Graham Sustainability Institute at the University of Michigan Don Scavia. However, he explained that the key factor is the amount of phosphorus flowing into the lakes from agricultural watersheds.

When an excess of minerals, such as phosphorus, and other factors such as higher temperatures, the mix can create hazardous conditions.

According to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the primary sources of nutrient pollution are runoff of fertilizers, animal manure, sewage treatment plant discharges, storm water runoff, car and power plant emissions and failing septic tanks.

AccuWeather.com





Lookback #255 – Vares damaged while loading at Cleveland on July 30, 1970

7/30 - The Yugoslavian freighter Vares was an early user of the St. Lawrence Seaway. It made one trip inland when the waterway was opened in 1959 and returned for a total of 23 visits to the end of 1967. It continued to trade inland until becoming Branco in 1971.

The 352 foot, 10 inch long general cargo carrier had been built at Landskrona, Sweden, in 1951, and first sailed under Swedish registry as Paranagua. It joined Jadranska Slobodna Plovidba as Vares in 1959.

On July 30, 1970, Vares was loading a press at Cleveland when the heavy piece of equipment dropped damaging both the press and the vessel. Fortunately, no one was in the way as it crashed to the bottom of the hold 44 years ago today.

The vessel had four more names and did not come back to the Great Lakes. It was renamed Branco in 1971 for service under the flag of Panama, Athina with Cypriot registry in 1973, Sitia (Greek flag) in 1976 and Appolon (Liberian registry) in 1977. The latter was sold to Pakistani shipbreakers. It arrived at Gadani Beach and the dismantling of the hull got underway on Jan. 22, 1981.


Ronna, Reestborg, and Reggeborg.





Today in Great Lakes History - July 30

July 30, 1996 - CSL's self-unloader H.M. GRIFFITH, which was off Whitefish Bay in Lake Superior, and bound for Nanticoke, Ontario, with a load of 22,775 tons of western coal, had a spontaneous combustion fire in her number 2 cargo hold. Water was used to cool the fire and the GRIFFITH used her unloading boom to dump 3,000 tons of coal into Lake Superior. After an inspection by the USCG at the Soo the following day, revealed only minor damage, the vessel was cleared to proceed on her journey. Reconstructed and renamed b.) RT HON PAUL J. MARTIN in 2000.

This News Page on the BoatNerd site was launched in 1996, reporting the coal fire aboard the GRIFFITH.

GORDON C. LEITCH (Hull#36) was launched July 30, 1952, at Midland, Ontario, by Canadian Shipbuilding & Engineering Ltd. for the Upper Lakes & St. Lawrence Transportation Co. Ltd., Toronto, Ontario.

The Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker C.C.G.S. ALEXANDER HENRY entered service July 30, 1959. Since 1985, the HENRY has served as a museum in Kingston, Ontario.

On 30 July 1871, the 162-foot bark HARVEY BISSELL was carrying lumber from Toledo to Tonawanda, New York. When she was on the Western end of Lake Erie, she sprang a leak. Although the crew worked the hand-powered pumps constantly, the water kept gaining at a rate of about a foot an hour. The tug KATE WILLIAMS took her in tow, intending to get her to Detroit to be repaired, but this proved impossible. So the BISSELL was towed close to Point Pelee and allowed to sink in 14 feet of water. The WILLIAMS then left for Detroit to get steam pumps and other salvage equipment. On returning, they pumped out the BISSELL, refloated and repaired her. She lasted until 1905.

On 30 July 1872, the Port Huron Dry Dock launched SANDY, a lighter. Her dimensions were 75 feet x 20 feet x 5 feet.

On 30 July 1873, George Hardison of Detroit announced the beginning of a new shipyard in Port Huron, Michigan. It would be located above the 7th Street Bridge on the Black River on land owned by J. P. Haynes, accessible by River Street. Within 30 days of this announcement, the new yard had orders for two canalers three-and-aft rig for delivery in the spring of 1874. Their dimensions were to be 146 feet overall, 139 feet ¬keel, 26 foot beam and 11 foot 6 inches depth.

On 30 July 1866, CITY OF BUFFALO (wooden propeller, 340 foot, 2,026 tons, built in 1857, at Buffalo, New York as a side-wheeler) was unloading 72,000 bushels of wheat at the Sturgis Elevator at Buffalo, New York, when arsonists set fire to the complex. The fire destroyed the wharf, the elevator, several businesses and the ship. The arsonists were caught. Incidentally, the CITY OF BUFFALO was converted from a passenger side-wheeler to a propeller freighter during the winter of 1863-64. After the conversion, she was dubbed "the slowest steam-craft on the Lakes".

[yachtsmanwilly]

Port Reports - July 31

Alpena, Mich. – Ben & Chanda McClain
The tug Samuel de Champlain and barge Innovation arrived at Lafarge Tuesday afternoon to load for South Chicago, Ill. Wednesday morning the G.L Ostrander along with the barge Integrity tied up under the silos at Lafarge and loaded cement for Superior, Wis. Once the Integrity departed the dock and headed out into the bay, the Alpena made its way into port.

Holland, Mich. – Jim Lindholm
The new cruise ship Pearl Mist visited on Monday.

Saginaw River – Todd Shorkey
After unloading at the Bay Aggregates and Buena Vista docks on Saturday, the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were back on the Saginaw River again Tuesday with a cargo for the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw. The pair stopped in Bay City at the Wirt Stone dock for a number of hours before heading upriver to unload, however. A work truck and trailer were seen along side, as well as a diver in the water. The reason why is unknown. The pair was outbound for the lake early Wednesday morning.

Lorain, Ohio – Phil Leon
Great Lakes Trader unloaded on Tuesday and was outbound in mid-afternoon.

Toronto, Ont. – Jens Juhl
At Redpath Tuesday the bulker Mandarin was almost finished discharging and will sail Wednesday evening. The tugs Ocean Golf and Laprairie were on standby alongside at Sugar Beach.





Ex-Seaway salties sold for scrap

7/31 - Marine News, the monthly journal of the World Ship Society, reports the following ships with Great Lakes connections going for scrap in the August 2014 issue.

Ariadne of Loriet Navigation Co., Greece, has been sold to shipbreakers in Bangladesh. The 606 foot, 11 inch long bulk carrier arrived at Chittagong and was beached on April 23, 2014. This ship was a Great Lakes trader under four of its six names and had a long history of inland service.

The vessel was built as LT Argosy at Sedota, Japan, and completed in 1984 for Larsen Toubro Ltd. It was initially registered in India and began Seaway service that year. The ship was a regular inland trader, often on time charter to Fednav, and delivered steel while departing with grain. It went aground in the Saginaw River on Oct. 17, 1992, and was released with the aid of the tug Missouri. Following a sale in 1998, the ship returned inland as Millenium Hawk in 1998 with registry in the Cayman Islands. The bulk carrier made eight visits to our shores under this name to the end of 2001. It returned through the Seaway again as c) Cashin in May 2002 bringing sugar to Toronto. It was registered in Hong Kong and China.

Its fifth and final trip to the Great Lakes ended on Dec. 26, 2003, when the vessel was the last saltwater ship to exit the St. Lambert Lock that year. Another sale and another name in 2004 brought the ship under the flag of Malta as d) Oneida. As such, it remained off-lakes but it suffered damage when there was an explosion in the gas exhaust boiler while on the River Plate in South America on July 24, 2004. There were no casualties and Oneida was repaired at Montevideo, Uruguay. In 2005, the ship was sold and registered in Malta as e) Antikeri and made another 13 trips through the Seaway with its last up bound transit for the lakes on June 28, 2010. The ship was bound for Oshawa and Thunder Bay at the time. Before the end of the 2010 season, Antikeri was sold to Greek interests and renamed f) Ariadne. As such, it never came to the Great Lakes finishing its career in saltwater service before the trip to the scrapyard last April.

Jin Yuan Hu was built at Sunderland, England, as the SD-14 freighter Grand Faith. It was completed on April 25, 1980, and came through the Seaway for the first time in 1982. It was sold to China Ocean Shipping in 1984 becoming An Yang Jiang. Then, in 2009, it was renamed Jin Yuan Hu and remained under the flag of China until it was sold for scrap in 2012. The vessel arrived at Fanchang County, Anhui, China, and was broken up.

Kinship Bangar arrived at Mumbai, India, on March 18, 2014. Dismantling of the 32-year old vessel began on April 11. As b) Barbara E., the ship first entered the Seaway Aug. 31, 1995, carrying steel to Detroit. On the trip back to the Atlantic, the 336 foot, 4 inch long freighter loaded a press and press parts for overseas delivery. The ship had been built in 1982 as Finn Sif and was scrapped under her fourth name.

Yong Xiang came through the Seaway as Clipper Spirit in 1986. It had been built in Japan that year and first sailed under the flag of Panama. The 328 foot, 9 inch long bulk carrier was sailing as f) Yong Xiang when it was sold for scrap earlier this year. It arrived at Chittagong, Bangladesh, on March 25, 2014, and scrapping got underway on April 12.

Aniva was a Seaway trader under two names. Built as Yiannis L. in 1981, the ship began Great Lakes service in 1985 with Panamanian registry. It returned as d) Kuciste, Yugoslavia flag, in 1989 and as f) Baltic Trader (St. Vincent) in 1998 bound for Hamilton. The 399 foot, 9 inch long bulk carrier was sold to shipbreakers in India and arrived at Alang on April 22, 2014. Scrapping began a week later.

Compiled by Barry Andersen, Rene Beauchamp and Skip Gillham





Hedge fund claims victory in Cliffs Natural Resources board vote

7/31 - Cleveland, Ohio – Casablanca Capital triumphed on Tuesday in its proxy battle with Cliffs Natural Resources Inc., preliminary estimates show, putting the hedge fund in a position to replace Cliffs’ chief executive and sell off underperforming assets.

Shareholders of Cleveland-based Cliffs voted onto the company’s board all six nominees put forward by Casablanca, the New York-based fund said, citing estimates from its proxy solicitor. That means they will make up a majority of the 11-person board.

Cliffs CEO Gary Halverson said at the company’s well-attended annual meeting in Cleveland that because of the contested nature of the elections, the results would be announced in the next three business days.

Shares in Cliffs, a producer of iron ore and metallurgical coal, jumped as much as 10.4 percent to $18.33 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Cliffs is a major player in Minnesota’s taconite iron ore business and among the largest employers in Northeastern Minnesota. The company owns United Taconite in Eveleth and NorthShore Mining in Silver Bay and Babbitt, and is part owner and operates Hibbing Taconite. It also owns and operates the Tilden-Empire operations in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula along with iron ore mines in Canada and Australia and several coal mines in the U.S. and abroad.

The vote outcome “is a culmination of years of frustration on behalf of shareholders,” said Garrett Nelson, a mining research analyst at BB&T Capital Markets.

Casablanca began a proxy fight in March against Cliffs, of which it owns 5.2 percent, accusing the company of destroying shareholder value through an ill-conceived expansion strategy. In the face of pressure from the hedge fund, Cliffs has cut costs and spending in recent months by closing its Wabush mine in Canada and scuttling plans to expand its Bloom Lake mine in Quebec.

Cliffs shares have fallen about 85 percent in the past three years, at a time when iron ore and coal prices have plunged.

The vote by Cliffs shareholders has “sent a resounding message of support for our efforts to drive meaningful change at Cliffs, bring true accountability to the company’s leadership, and restore shareholder value,” Casablanca Chairman Donald Drapkin said in a statement.

Casablanca has said it wants to replace Cliffs’ CEO with its preferred candidate, Lourenco Goncalves, a former CEO of Metals USA.

Other than naming a new CEO immediately, Casablanca will probably pursue the sale of three of Cliffs’ four operating segments: its Asia-Pacific iron ore business, its Eastern Canadian iron ore operations and its North American coal unit, said Nelson, the mining research analyst.

In recent weeks, Cliffs has made a series of concessions to Casablanca, cutting down its slate of director nominees so that at least four of Casablanca’s candidates were likely to win seats, and promising to elect a new chairman after the annual meeting.

Casablanca called these moves “a desperate attempt to resist change.”

Cliffs has been critical of Casablanca’s CEO candidate, arguing that he does not have enough experience.

To be sure, three proxy advisory firms — Glass Lewis, Institutional Shareholder Services and Egan-Jones — had recommended that Cliffs retain a majority of the board, Cliffs said last week.

The six Casablanca nominees put forward for the board were: Goncalves, Robert Fisher, Joseph Rutkowski, James Sawyer, Gabriel Stoliar and Douglas Taylor, Casablanca’s CEO.

Duluth News Tribune





National Museum Marine Mart to be held Saturday, Aug. 9

7/31 - Toledo, Ohio – The National Museum of the Great Lakes will hold a Marine Mart on Aug. 9 at the museum in Toledo, Ohio. Members of the museum as well as the general public have been invited to attend. The museum will be selling a wide variety of items including Great Lakes books and memorabilia as well as a large collection of general maritime books. Over 2000 volumes will be offered for sale. The museum will be selling such items as a 19th century ship’s wheel from a Great Lakes schooner, several models and the name board to the South American. Over 800 local members of the museum have been invited to a special members’ only sneak preview buying opportunity that begins at 9 a.m. The general public will be invited in at 10 a.m. Admission to the museum at any level includes admission to the marine mart.

Vendors interested in participating should contact James at [e-mail] as space is limited.





Michigan divers discover wreck of World War II plane

7/31 - Port Huron, Mich. – David and Drew Losinski are struck by the coincidence. They took a photo on April 11, from the surface of Lake Huron, of the wing of a World War II-era fighter plane that crashed during a training exercise, killing its pilot.

“That plane actually crashed April 11, 1944, which was 70 years to the date that the picture was taken,” Drew Losinski said. “We thought that was kind of unbelievable.”

The Losinskis are divers — David has been diving since 1977; his son, Drew, since 2002 — and both are former members of the St. Clair County Dive Team. They’ve seen lots of things underwater, but the story of the P39 fighter lost just off the Port Huron beachfront touched them.

“It was eerie,” David Losinski said. “We didn’t know really what we had.”

What they had was a one-seat warplane piloted by 2nd Lt. Frank H. Moody of Los Angeles. He was training with fellow pilots out of what was then Selfridge Field when his plane crashed.

“All four of the guys that were in that flight were from Tuskegee,” Losinksi said. “I didn’t know anything about the Tuskegee Airmen until we got into this.”

The Tuskegee Airmen were African-American members of the 332nd Fighter Group and 477th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Army Air Force who fought in Europe during World War II. They also were known as the Red Tails because they painted the tails of their aircraft red.

The Losinskis found an account of the crash in the Times Herald. The story stated Moody and three other pilots were taking gunnery practice about three miles north of Port Huron.

Cecil V. Fowler saw the crash, according to the Times Herald article. “It was the most horrible thing I have ever witnessed,” she said. “There were four planes, and I was watching them from our front window, as I usually do when they’re engaged in gunnery practice.

“Then everything happened so fast it seems unbelievable.

“Smoke started coming from the tail of the second plane, and I could see it was in trouble. The pilot apparently noticed it and tried to lift his ship.

“It was a feeble effort, for the plane seemed to lift for only a few feet and then it crashed, nose first, into the water. I saw a big splash, and then the plane went out of sight.”

Moody’s body was not recovered until it washed ashore in Port Huron on June 4, 1944 — two days before D-Day and the invasion of Normandy. David Losinski said he and his son were assisting the state Department of Environmental Quality with a barge that sank in Lake Huron in July 2012. During those efforts, they noted several areas they wanted to investigate, including one about four miles north of the Blue Water Bridge.

Superstorm “Sandy came along and moved things around,” David Losinski said. They resumed the investigation last spring.

“This year, we went out diving, and we could see these points of interest from the surface,” Losinski said. “Drew said, ‘Dad, that’s an airplane.’

“You could see the wings. We knew we had some kind of plane.”

He said the wreckage from the plane is scattered across the lake bottom. Pieces include the engine, the tail, part of the door and the 37-millimeter cannon that fired through the propeller hub.

The P-39 had a unique configuration with the engine placed behind the pilot and the drive shaft running under the cockpit to the propeller. The plane was equipped with the cannon and four .50-caliber machine guns — two mounted on the wings, two more just behind the propeller and timed to fire through the spinning blades.

“We came across the gauge cluster, which had the radio call tag,” David Losinski said. “Once we brought that up and cleaned the tag, we knew it was the 221226 serial number.”

The Losinskis said they want to preserve the site for people to dive on. “In a nutshell, this is what we’re trying to do — get permission to relocate the parts so they would resemble a plane,” David Losinski said.

That’s been easier said than done.

“The state says, ‘We don’t have jurisdiction over that; it’s the Air Force,’” Losinski said. “The Air Force says, ‘Any aircraft before 1961, we’ve abandoned it.’”

The Losinskis haven’t abandoned their quest to bring this long-forgotten chapter in the history of World War II to light. They’re looking for other divers who can assist with the effort. “We’ve done quite a bit of documenting and measuring,” David Losinski said.

They want the site to remain a memorial divers can visit.

“All the artifacts that were taken off were replaced in their original position and original situation except for the tag we cleaned up,” he said.

Port Huron Times Herald





Lookback #256 – Teeswood capsized due to heavy seas in the English Channel on July 31, 1956

The British freighter Teeswood had only a three-year career but it included some Great Lakes service in the Pre-Seaway era. It was lost 58 years ago today.

Teeswood had been built at Middlesborough, England, and launched on June 25, 1953. It was competed on Sept. 4, 1953, for the Jos. Constantine Steamship Line Ltd. and designed for service between Newfoundland and the Great Lakes.

The 226 foot long freighter was spotted on the Detroit River on April 28, 1954, with a cargo of British-made automobiles. It also became the first saltwater trader since 1940 to call at the Lake Erie community of Port Stanley when it arrived there in the spring of 1954.

On July 31, 1956, Teeswood encountered heavy seas from a storm on the English Channel about 4 nautical miles off Dungeness, Kent, England. The vessel was carrying coal loaded at Blyth, Scotland, for Shoreham, England, and was abandoned by the crew.

Teeswood capsized and went down about two miles off Dover. One member of the crew was lost.

Skip Gillham





Today in Great Lakes History - July 31

On this day in 1948, in a total elapsed time of 19 hours, the JAMES DAVIDSON of the Tomlinson fleet unloaded 13,545 tons of coal at the Berwind Dock in Duluth and loaded 14,826 tons of ore at the Allouez Dock in Superior.

On this day in 1955, Al A. Wolf, the first Chief Engineer of a Great Lakes freighter powered by a 7,000 hp engine, retired as Chief Engineer of the WILFRED SYKES. Chief Wolf started as an oiler on the POLYNESIA in 1911, became Chief Engineer in 1921, and brought out the SYKES in 1948.

Sea trials took place for the JAMES R. BARKER this day in 1976. She was to become Interlake's first 1000 footer and the flagship of the fleet for Moore McCormack Leasing, Inc. (Interlake Steamship Co., Cleveland, Ohio, mgr.). She was built at a cost of more than $43 million under Title XI of the Merchant Marine Act of 1970. She was the third thousand-footer to sail on the Lakes and the first built entirely on the Lakes.

On July 31, 1974, the Liberian vessel ARTADI approached the dock at Trois Rivires, Que. where she damaged the docked GORDON C. LEITCH's stern.

The CEDARBRANCH was damaged and sunk by an explosion on July 31, 1965, several miles below Montreal, Quebec resulting in a loss of one life. Repaired and lengthened in 1965, she was renamed b.) SECOLA in 1978, and c.) KITO MARU in 1979, and scrapped at Brownsville, Texas, in 1985.

On 31 July 1849, ACORN (wooden schooner, 84 foot, 125 tons, built in 1842, at Black River, Ohio) was struck amidships by the propeller TROY near West Sister Island in Lake Erie. She sank quickly, but no lives were lost since all hands made it to the TROY.

On 31 July 1850, AMERICA (wooden side-wheeler, 240 foot, 1,083 tons, built in 1847, at Port Huron, Michigan) suffered a boiler or steam pipe explosion while sailing on Lake Erie. The explosion immediately killed nine persons and scalded others who died later. The vessel was repaired and sailed for three more seasons.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Captain John's restaurant ship sold for $33,501

8/1 - Toronto, Ont. – A Toronto businessman has bought Captain John’s restaurant for $33,501 on condition he have the ship moved out of its prime slip at the foot of Yonge St. by Aug. 22.

Entrepreneur James Sbrolla says he has no firm plans for the derelict ship yet, and says he’s open to partnering with anyone willing to try to restore it to its former glory as a floating restaurant.

There were two bids for the ship before federal court Thursday, one asking the Toronto Port Authority, in essence, for $303,756 to cover the cost of towing it away to a ship recycling centre. A third bid became a source of much hand-wringing because it was filed four minutes after the 9 a.m. Thursday deadline for bids.

In the end, Madame Justice Glennys McVeigh ordered that the bid be opened despite a last-minute scrawl on the back of the envelope that said the offer was conditional on the ship staying in the Toronto Harbour. That bid, for $150,000, was rejected by the court because it violated a key condition of an earlier court order that the ship be removed by Aug. 22.

Toronto Star





Cleveland ready to welcome a growing Great Lakes cruise ship industry

8/1 - Cleveland, Ohio – To a city accustomed to seeing mighty lakers and international freighters steam past the harbor lights, a different kind of ship will present itself Monday.

The Grande Mariner, a sleek luxury liner, will sail into Cleveland Harbor around noon and send 88 passengers strolling down gangplanks into the West Bank of the Flats.

They'll be met by a greeting party and serenaded by a choir. It's not every day a cruise ship calls upon Cleveland – although that's expected to happen more often as the Great Lakes cruising industry expands and as Cleveland becomes better known as a port of call.

"You have a marvelous city to visit," said Stephen Burnett, executive director of the Kingston, Ontario-based Great Lakes Cruising Coalition, which supports the blossoming industry. "Your lovely waterfront. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. You're definitely on the radar."

The Grande Mariner is one of two cruise ships scheduled to visit Cleveland twice this summer on tours that reflect the growing diversity and adventure of Great Lakes pleasure cruises. The three-deck, 184-foot vessel was specially designed by Blount Small Ship Adventures of Rhode Island to traverse the inland seas and coastal waterways.

It left Chicago on July 27 on its Great American Waterways tour. That includes a stop in Manitowoc, Wis., and bucolic Mackinac Island, Mich., en route to Lake Erie and a one-day, one-night excursion in Cleveland.

From Cleveland, the ship sails on to Buffalo, allowing passengers to visit Niagara Falls, before threading the Welland Canal into Lake Ontario.

Along the coast of New York, the nimble craft will make a right turn up the Oswego Canal to meet the Erie Canal near Syracuse. A retractable pilothouse allows it to pass under low bridges, and the ship will ply the historic canal to the Hudson River, then sail down to the ocean and on to its home port in Warren, R.I.

These are people who have a lot of time to travel and they want to travel the Great Lakes.

Passengers are paying $5,000 to $7,000 for the 16-day, 15-night voyage.

"These are people who have a lot of time to travel and they want to travel the Great Lakes," said Lynde Vespoli, whose company, Discover My Cleveland, plays a key role in the Cleveland port of call.

Her buses will meet the Grande Mariner at its berth aside the Nautica Queen near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River and motor them off on an eight-hour tour. The itinerary includes visits to the West Side Market, the Rock Hall and the Cleveland Museum of Art. It climaxes with dinner in Amish country in Geauga County.

Vespoli plotted a similar town and country tour for the cruise ship Yorktown, which one day last August unloaded 160 sightseers at once.

"People loved it," she said. "They were just like, 'Wow, look at all this. What a great city.'"

The city's convention and visitors bureau also learned from the Yorktown visits. Positively Cleveland will again send its ambassadors and staff to stage what it calls a pop-up party. Members of the Singing Angels, the region's renowned choral group, will sing a greeting.

Burnett suspects such welcomes will become more common for Cleveland and other Great Lakes cities as one of the region's oldest industries reawakens.

A century ago, Great Lakes passenger cruises were wildly popular, mostly as a practical form of transportation, he said. His coalition formed in 1997 to begin to promote vacation cruises, which are catching on. This summer, five ships from four cruise lines are offering tours on the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence Seaway.

The Great Lakes cruise ships are much smaller than the titanic vessels that sail the ocean, but they offer private cabins, full meals, and on-board entertainment in addition to frequent ports of call.

"What we have on the Great Lakes is a surprising tourism environment," Burnett said. "People see a completely different set of attractions every day and scratch their heads and say, 'I had no idea this was here.'"

Cleveland Plain Dealer





U.S. Steel says Hamilton plants are "challenged" money losers

8/1 - Hamilton, Ont. – U.S. Steel's president says the struggling company's Canadian plants are "challenged" money losers that have to be reshaped.

Mario Longhi told industry analysts Wednesday the former Stelco operations in Hamilton and Nanticoke are squarely in the sights of the company's cost-cutting plan, but "no decisions have been made" yet about restructuring.

Longhi spoke to analysts in a conference call to explain the company's $18-million second-quarter loss — a sharp improvement from the $60-million loss stock watchers predicted and the $78-million loss for the same period last year.

Jefferies & Co. analyst Luke Folta asked why the company was rewriting credit and factoring agreements in the United States, a move he said "looks like an initial step to distance yourself from that business in case you did want to pursue some kind of restructuring up there."

Longhi said the move "will give us the additional levels of flexibility that in this kind of business are necessary. We have been looking at every angle of our business and Canada is one that is challenged.

"We are working on it and are going to keep working on it," he said, adding the Canadian branch "unfortunately is not generating a profit."

In an email exchange company spokesperson Courtney Boone said U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rules prohibit the company from revealing plant-by-plant financial results. She refused to answer other questions beyond what Longhi said.

In a recent SEC filing, U.S. Steel reported it had amended agreements with American lenders to ensure a debt default in Canada would not trigger defaults in the U.S. That move is seen by some as a first step in a plan to exit this country at the end of 2015. That's when promises to operate in Canada expire, along with a special pension funding arrangement with the Ontario government.

The moves take place against the background of a company-wide cost-cutting drive dubbed the Carnegie Way. It is expected to shave $435 million in costs by the end of this year.

Independent steel analyst Chuck Bradford said there have been persistent Wall Street rumors that U.S. Steel intends to close some or all of its Canadian branch and recent events hint something is coming.

"It certainly looks like they're getting set up to do something, but I don't know what," he said. "I'm a little surprised at all this talk about them closing something in Canada."

Bradford was also doubtful that the Canadian plants are true money losers.

In Hamilton, the company operates a coke oven battery, cold mill and the Z Line coating facility Bradford said is popular among automakers. It may be suffering now because of business lost during an 11-month lockout of Hamilton workers in 2010-11.

"There could be a number of things they're doing to make it appear to be a loser," he said. "Everything I've heard is that the Z Line is one of the best around, that it's a very specific and unique entity."

Rolf Gerstenberger, president of United Steel Workers Local 1005, added it's small wonder the Hamilton plant is losing money given the amount of time it has been closed and the way its operations have been slashed.

"We were profitable in 2008 when we were running at 100 per cent, but it's hard to be profitable when you're not operating," he said. "It's almost like they've designed this to fail."

He also agreed orders were lost during the lockout.

Hamilton Spectator





Ferry parent continues to search out ways of increasing ridership

8/1 - Owen Sound, Ont. – The Owen Sound Transportation Company is always looking at ways to increase its ridership on the Chi-Cheemaun, says OSTC President and CEO Susan Schrempf.

“Compared to 2013 at the same time (as of July 10) we are up in terms of vehicle numbers by 10 percent, but last year we lost 10 days at the start of the season,” stated Susan Schrempf, of the OSTC, in an interview with the Recorder recently.

“If you compare our numbers this year against 2012 for the same number of operating days we are down 11 percent. We had one day where the ship was down and we lost 406 potential vehicles so we would still be down 2,000 vehicles over the same time period as 2012.”

“I understand from talking to other tourist operators the numbers are depressed universally,” said Ms. Schrempf. “They are attributing a lot of this due to the late spring.” As well, another big factor, “is the exorbitant fuel prices. People can’t afford to drive like they could in the past, and of course guess what we want people to do– drive to either Tobermory or South Baymouth to take the ferry to the other side.”

“We have been providing discounts for passengers for retail and accommodation businesses for people who use the ferry through the Destination Manitoulin program and it seems to be working well,” said Ms. Schrempf.

“We have also been doing as much promotion and advertising in areas like southern Ontario, the GTA and the Golden Horseshoe as we can,” continued Ms. Schrempf.

Ms. Schrempf explained, “on a trip by trip basis, for the 7 am out of Tobermory and the 10 pm sailing from South Baymouth, the numbers of users of these services are almost invisible. It seems 7 am is too early for people to drive up and ferry. In the early days of the ferry, people would come up the night before and stay at a hotel and couldn’t get the middle sailings because they were on a first come first served basis. But now they can reserve a spot on the middle sailings so customers aren’t worried about getting here that early in the morning to catch the Chi-Cheemaun in Tobermory. And hotel rooms are generally full in Tobermory and even if you can find a room customers don’t want to pay about $150 a night for a room and then another $40 to use the ferry service as well. So instead they are making reservations on the ferry at 11:20 am and not driving around.”

“Our board of directors are quite aware of the problems we are having this year, but what’s the solution?” asked Ms. Schrempf. She explained the OSTC has put in place a stargazing cruise for walk-on traffic for the month of August (starting in Tobermory at 8 pm and returning from South Baymouth at 10 pm (except for Wednesdays). She pointed out, “in the past we’ve been criticized for allowing for this, but these customers may come back in the future and it adds passengers to the ship.”

The OSTC is also going to be requesting the municipality of Tobermory change its current bylaws to allow for the ferry lot to be used for recreation vehicles, to allow people to park there overnight and take the first sailing over to South Baymouth in the morning. “With the dry camping, people could bring in their RVs and park them on the lot. They wouldn’t be connected to hydro or anything else, they would just be allowed to sleep in their RV’s on the lot. “This is a market that we have no access to right now, and there would need to be municipal bylaws changed, but we will be making an application to the municipality to allow for this.”

“We look at all avenues, all the time, to find markets to promote and help fill the ship,”said Ms. Schrempf.

Manitoulin Expositor





Lookback #257 – Former Saguenay wrecked by Typhoon Louise on Aug. 1, 1951

8/1 - Three ships have carried the name Saguenay in the Canada Steamship Lines fleet. Their first was a passenger carrier that was part of the original fleet in 1913.

This ship had been built at Govan, Scotland, in 1911, and came to Canada for the Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Co. This was the last ship built for this company and it could accommodate 240 passengers in cabins for the trip between Quebec City and the beautiful Saguenay River. The vessel was finished with fine rugs and curtains and mahogany paneling.

Saguenay was laid up in 1929 as new ships (Tadoussac, Quebec, Richelieu and St. Lawrence) took over the route but Saguenay was reactivated for freight only service between Montreal and Quebec City in 1934 before returning to lay-up in 1941.

The idle ship was sold to the Wah Shang Steamship Co. of China and left Canada in 1946 as Kiang Yong for service in the Far East. The name was changed to Yangtse Phoenix in 1949.

On Aug. 1, 1951, this vessel was anchored off Hong Kong when Typhoon Louise, a Category 4 storm, swept the area. The anchors failed to hold and the ship came aground near Tai Po and was wrecked 63 years ago today. What remained of the ship was broken up for scrap in the months after the storm subsided.


Today in Great Lakes History - August 1

On 01 August 1862, UNION (wooden propeller passenger-package freight steamer, 163 foot, 434 ton, built in 1861, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin) was sold by the Goodrich Line to James H. Mead and J. F. Kirkland for $28,000. This was $9,000 more than Goodrich had paid to have the vessel built just the previous year.

On August 1, 1982, the Canadian tanker L’ERABLE NO 1 entered service. Renamed b.) HUBERT GAUCHER in 1982. Sold foreign in 1996, renamed c.) RODIN and d.) OLYMPIC PRIDE in 2000.

August 1957 - The PERE MARQUETTE 18 of 1911 was sold to Luria Brothers, Chicago scrap merchants, along with the PERE MARQUETTE 14.

On 1 August 1871, the construction of the canal through the St. Clair Flats was finished at a cost of $365,000. It was the first real channel built to help ships through the shallow waters where the St. Clair River empties into Lake St. Clair and where there are seven mouths or passes. It took the Canadian contractor John Brown three years to dig the channel that measures 300 feet wide and 8,421 feet long. The water was 18 feet deep. It was protected on most of its sides by piers and dikes. The new channel was considered too small even as it was being dug. At only 300 feet wide, tows of log rafts were encouraged to sue the old shallower channels. Within 20 years, plans were made to deepen the channel to 20 feet.

On 1 August 1849, CHICAGO (wooden passenger/package freight vessel, 95 foot, 151 tons, built in 1842, at Oswego, New York) burned in Buffalo harbor. No lives were lost.

1911 – Seven lives were lost when the wooden passenger ship SIRIUS capsized and sank in the St. Lawrence 8 miles from Massena, N.Y. There were 75 passengers on board headed for a picnic when the accident occurred. Apparently, many passengers had rushed to one side of the ship to see a woodchuck as the ship was turning in the current and this led to the ship going over.

1951 – The first SAGUENAY to sail for Canada Steamship Lines was built at Govan, Scotland, in 1913 for service between Quebec City and Saguenay River ports. It left Canada for the Far East as b) KIANG YONG in 1946 and became c) YANGTSE PHOENIX in 1949. The vessel dragged her anchors while riding out a typhoon near Tai Po, Hong Kong, on this date in 1951, went aground and was wrecked.

1969 – The British freighter HOPERIDGE made two trips to the Great Lakes in 1959. It sank on this date in 1969 as b) BETHLEHEM due to a collision with the SHOWA MARU while about 30 miles from Singapore. The ship was enroute from Tokyo to Aden and 7 of the crew were lost.