Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

PICS todayyy !!! Heres the JOHN MARSHALL (ex McCallister boat??) renamed and purchased for Selvick marine Towing as the JOHN SELVICK after the "legend"...
and the yachts looks like the one SKY posted from Bay City on the river in DETROILET...Artagia II.






Today in Great Lakes History - October 24

On October 24, 1886, the wooden steam barge RUDOLPH burned on Lake St. Clair and was beached. She was loaded with lumber from East Saginaw, Michigan, for Cleveland, Ohio.

On October 24, 1902, W. T. CHAPPELL (2-mast wooden schooner, 72 foot, 39 gross tons, built in 1877, at Sebewaing, Michigan) was carrying stove wood from Grand Marais, Michigan, to the Soo in a severe storm on Lake Superior when she sprang a leak. She was blown over and sank four miles from the Vermillion Life Saving Station. The lifesaving crew rescued the two-man crew in the surfboat and took them to the Whitefish Point Lighthouse for the night since the storm was so severe.

THUNTANK 6 (Hull#309) was launched October 24, 1969, at Wallsend, England, by Clelands Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., for Thun Tankers Ltd., London, U.K. Renamed b.) ANTERIORITY in 1972. Purchased by Texaco Canada in 1975, renamed c.) TEXACO WARRIOR. Sold off-lakes in 1984, renamed d.) TRADER, e.) SEA CORAL in 1985, f.) TALIA II in 1985, g.) TALIA in 1985, STELLA ORION in 1995 and h.) SYRA in 2000.

The PHILIP D. BLOCK / W. W. HOLLOWAY scrap tow arrived at Recife, Brazil. October 24, 1986.

THOMAS W. LAMONT and her former fleetmate, ENDERS M. VOORHEES arrived at Alegeciras, Spain on October 24, 1987, on the way to the cutters’ torch. The LAMONT was one of the last bulkers that retained her telescoping hatch covers to the very end.

NIPIGON BAY arrived Thunder Bay, Ontario, on October 24, 1980, where repairs were made from damage caused by her grounding earlier in the month.

On October 24, 1855, ALLEGHENY (wooden propeller, 178 foot, 468 tons, built in 1849, at Cleveland, Ohio) was carrying general merchandise and passengers in a storm, when she anchored near the Milwaukee harbor entrance for shelter. She lost her stack and then was unable to get up steam and was helpless. She dragged her anchor and came in close to the beach where she was pounded to pieces. There was no loss of life. Her engine and most of her cargo were removed by the end of the month. Her engine was installed in a new vessel of the same name built to replace her.

On October 24, 1873, just a month after being launched, the scow WAUBONSIE capsized at St. Clair, Michigan, and lost her cargo of bricks. She was righted and towed to Port Huron, minus masts, rigging and bowsprit, for repairs.

On October 24, 1886, LADY DUFFERIN (3-mast wooden schooner-barge, 135 foot, 356 gross tons, built at Port Burwell, Ontario) was lost from the tow of the propeller W B HALL and went ashore near Cabot Head on Georgian Bay. No lives were lost, but the vessel was a total loss.

On October 24, 1953, the Yankcanuck Steamship Lines' MANZZUTTI (steel crane ship, 246 foot, 1,558 gross tons, built in 1903, at Buffalo, New York as J. S. KEEFE) ran aground south of the channel into the Saugeen River. The tug RUTH HINDMAN from Killarney pulled her free. No damage was reported. 1898: L.R. DOTY foundered off Kenosha in high winds and waves with the loss of 18 lives. The vessel was enroute from Chicago to Midland with a cargo of corn and towing the schooner OLIVE JEANETTE. The latter broke loose and survived.

1948: HARRY T. EWIG stranded off Point Abino, Lake Erie. The ship was lightered to fleetmate BUCKEYE and released with about $40,000 in damage.

1959: WESTRIVER, under tow of the tugs LAURENCE C. TURNER and AMERICA, headed down the Seaway for repairs after being damaged in an earlier explosion on Lake Superior.


Lakes coal up more than 12 percent in September

10/24 - Cleveland, Ohio – Coal shipments on the Great Lakes totaled 3 million tons in September, an increase of more than 12 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings were, however, 6.5 percent below the month’s long-term average.

Shipments from Lake Superior ports totaled 1.7 million tons, an increase of 7.5 percent compared to a year ago, but well off the month’s long-term average.

Loadings on Lake Michigan totaled 250,000 tons, a decrease of 5 percent compared to a year ago, and 26 percent below the month’s long-term average.

Shipments from Lake Erie ports totaled 1 million tons, an increase of nearly 28 percent compared to a year ago, and 8.3 percent better than the month’s long-term average.

Year-to-date the Lakes coal trade stands at 15.7 million tons, a decrease of 7.4 percent compared to a year ago. The gap between this year and last has narrowed considerably since ice released its stranglehold on the Lakes in May. At the end of April, shipments were nearly 50 percent behind the previous year.

Lake Carriers’ Association.





Great Lakes ports rebound to pre-recession levels

10/24 - Cleveland, Ohio – Business is booming at ports along the Great Lakes, a good sign for the economy, port operators said. Cargo volumes this year have reached amounts not seen since 2006, are bouncing back to pre-recession levels, according to the American Great Lakes Ports Association.

“People are buying and selling and there’s product that’s needed and wanted — and it’s being shipped,” said Laura Blades, a spokeswoman for the association.

The amount of international freight coming through the Port of Cleveland is up close to 20 percent over last year. Even smaller ports — like those in Oswego, New York, and Erie, Pennsylvania, are up this year, Blades said.

“It’s kind of the race to make up for the bad weather at the start of the season and the final push to get the shipping done before winter,” Blades said.

The amount of cargo moving through the St. Lawrence Seaway is viewed as a key indicator of economic activity. Seaway traffic is up 5 percent overall, compared to last season. Grain shipments are up by 15 percent.

Rising steel imports are a sign of increased manufacturing, David Gutheil, vice president of maritime and logistics at the Port of Cleveland, told The Plain Dealer.

The port has been handling an unusually large amount of project cargo, including heavy machinery, vehicles and manufactured goods. Exports have included heavy machinery headed to Europe, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Betty Sutton, the administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, said the busiest time of the shipping season usually begins in September. Increases in tonnage were reported by all ports and that is expected to continue through December, she said.

“The cargo moving through the U.S. ports serves as a positive indicator that the regional economy is healthy due in part to the maritime industry,” she said in a statement. “The numbers speak for themselves.”

Associated Press





Port Reports - October 24

Thunder Bay, Ont. – Daniel Lindner
CSL's Thunder Bay arrived in her namesake port on Thursday evening at docked at one of the port's grain elevators. Also in port were the Pineglen and Mississagi, and the salties Ida and Wicko. Drawsko and Federal Weser were at anchor waiting to load.

Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – Jim Conlon, Daniel Lindner
Arthur M. Anderson arrived at Bay Shipbuilding Thursday for repairs. Men were observed working on the self-unloading equipment.

Lorain, Ohio – Phil Leon
Cuyahoga departed Lorain harbor at 2:15 p.m. on Thursday.

Buffalo, N.Y. – Brian W
American Mariner was due with grain for General Mills Thursday evening.

Oshawa, Ont. – Andre Blanchard
The Liberian tanker Chemtrans Elbe arrived early Thursday morning and was assisted by tugs Vigilant I and Lac Manitoba. La Prairie was also present in port but did not provide assistance in this case.





Water levels lift freighter loads, beach-goers

10/24 - Port Huron, Mich. – Rising Great Lakes levels could mean a faster current in the St. Clair River, less beach frontage for lakeside dwellings and heavier loads on freighters.

"There are some people on the lakes who I've talked to whose beaches are getting smaller and smaller," said Keith Kompoltowicz, chief of watershed hydrology for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District.

"However, the commercial boaters like it because they can load to capacity and get much more bang for their buck."

Kompoltowicz said water levels on Lakes Michigan and Huron are 19 to 20 inches above what they were last year at this time. The mean level for October so far is about 579.16 feet above sea level.

September was the first month since December 1998 that Lakes Michigan and Huron were above average.

Kompoltowicz said a six-month forecast predicts lake levels to stay about 15 to 19 inches above last year's measurements. He said those levels are about two to four inches higher than average for the same time period. That's a big change, Kompoltowicz said, considering the shallow waters that plagued the Great Lakes in January 2013.

"We've gone from setting record lows in January 2013 to being above average in September 2014," Kompoltowicz said.

Kompoltowicz said the higher levels are a combination of favorable weather: A wet spring in 2013, a cold 2014 winter whose ice cover and snowpack stopped evaporation and increased runoff, and six consecutive months of higher-than-average precipitation.

Kompoltowicz said the higher levels likely will affect the flow of the St. Clair River.

"Both those lakes are higher, so that would lead us to believe the flow and the levels in the St. Clair River also are higher," Kompoltowicz said. "We're seeing higher flow because of the higher water levels, and that would lead to a faster current."

Carl Wurmlinger, harbormaster for Lexington State Harbor, said rebounding water helps more boaters use the harbor.

"There's quite a few people that are border line whether they can get in or not," Wurmlinger said. "That extra one or two feet helps them get in."

But Wurmlinger said the higher water levels also present challenges this time of year when crews are preparing the marina for winter.

"Right now, what I'm finding at our harbor is its harder to winterize the docks because there's not much room between the dock and the water now," Wurmlinger said. He said the low clearance makes it difficult to get under the docks to winterize hoses and lines.

Jim Weakley, president of the Lake Carriers Association, said higher lake levels are good news for Great Lakes shipping. He said freighters are playing catch-up after losing about a month to significant ice coverage on the Great Lakes this spring.

Weakley said for a 1,000-footer, an extra inch of water typically means about 250 additional tons of cargo.

For smaller lakers or ocean-going ships, an extra inch of water means the freighter is able to hold about 90 more tons of cargo.

While the higher water levels likely will lead to heavier cargo loads, Weakley said freighters still must contend with sediment that's at collected river mouths and the threat that lower water levels might return.

Weakley said money for maintenance dredging decreased when water levels rose in the 1990s. He hopes that doesn't happen again now that water levels are back up.

"It's been a hard slog to get maintenance dollars back to where they needed to be all along," Weakley said.

"We're not calling an end to the dredging crisis. We're having what we call a temporary reprieve."

Port Huron Times Herald





Two tugboats on order to break up ice jams on Niagara River

10/24 - Buffalo, N.Y. – Two new tugboats are on order to help keep winter ice away from power plants on both sides of the border. The tugs will replace older boats in a fleet of four that help with winter operations at the Niagara Hydroelectric Power Plant and at Ontario’s Sir Adam Beck Pump Generating Station.

The tugboats install and remove an 8,800-foot-long floating ice boom made of steel pontoons at Lake Erie’s outlet to the Niagara River. The tugs play an essential role in keeping the water intake clear, said Harry Francois, a New York Power Authority regional manager, in a press release this week.

“So we look forward to christening the new boats, which are highly visible symbols of the power generating process,” he said in the statement.

Each winter the authority works with Ontario Power Generation to keep ice from flooding shoreline property and getting in the way of power production.

Great Lakes Shipyard of Cleveland won the $4.9 million contract to build the boats. One named the Daniel Joncaire II is scheduled for delivery in 2015, the other, the Breaker II, should arrive in 2017.

The New York Power Authority Board of Trustees approved the contract at their meeting this month after enlisting the Bristol Harbor Group of Rhode Island to design the new boats.

The decision to replace the older boats followed a study evaluating the condition of the 30-year-old Daniel Joncaire and the 50-year-old Breaker.

Buffalo News





County legislators endorse St. Lawrence River water level plan

10/24 - Canton, N.Y. – A new plan to better regulate water levels in the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario was unanimously approved Monday by a committee of St. Lawrence County legislators.

The new regulations are known as the International Joint Commission’s Plan 2014. Creating the new plan has been a decade-long process that cost $20 million to develop.

Once adopted by officials from both Canada and the United States, the plan will replace Plan 1958D which has not been updated in more than 50 years.

County Planner Jason Pfotenhauer said the new plan will better control large fluctuations in water levels on the St. Lawrence River, which could, in turn, extend commercial and recreational activity on the river for a longer season.

“The biggest difference is the water level may be evened out,” he said. “This plan also addresses a number of other issues.”

Besides moderating extreme high and low water levels, the International Joint Commission hopes Plan 2014 will benefit the ecosystem, better maintain systemwide water levels for navigation, frequently extend the recreational boating season and slightly increase hydropower production.

Legislator Vernon “Sam” Burns, D-Ogdensburg, said he has spoken with marina operators who support the plan.

“It has been a long time coming,” Mr. Burns said. “I certainly feel 2014 is a much better plan. It allows for more natural increase and decrease in water levels — and that’s a good thing.”

Legislator Scott Sutherland, R-Pierrepont, said, “I believe this plan allows higher water levels in the fall of the year, which extends the water recreation season later in the season.”

Officials in both Canada and the United States have to sign off on the new plan before it takes effect.

Watertown Daily Times





Annual Gales of November begins Nov. 7 at Duluth

10/24 - Duluth, Minn. – The Lake Superior Marine Museum Association (LSMMA), presents its annual maritime conference and fundraiser benefit The Gales of November beginning Friday, Nov. 7. Funds raised support the LSMMA and its mission to celebrate and preserve Lake Superior maritime heritage at the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center.

The two-day educational, fundraising and networking event begins with a joint luncheon with the Duluth-Superior Propeller Club at Grandma’s Sports Garden, 425 Lake Avenue South in historic Canal Park in Duluth. The luncheon’s keynote speaker will be Mark Gill, Director of Vessel Traffic Services ("Ice Ops") for the US Coast Guard at the Soo. Friday afternoon provides various tour options including behind-the-scenes tours at of the Lake Superior Maritime Collections at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, Superior Public Museum’s Fairlawn Mansion and at the Great Lakes Aquarium. The day concludes with an Opening Gala reception, sponsored by Lake Superior Magazine, at the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center in historic Canal Park at 600 South Lake Ave.

Gales of November festivities resume at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center- Lake Superior Ballroom. The day is filled with maritime-related educational breakout presentations, a trade show, and a silent auction. Saturday’s keynote luncheon presentation features James P. Delgado Ph.D., Director of Maritime Heritage, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Sanctuaries.

One of the highlights of the day will be the drawing of the winners in the “Cruise of a Lifetime Raffle.” Two winners will have an opportunity to sail the Great Lakes in style aboard the 1,000-foot Edwin H. Gott. Drawing will take place at 5 p.m. at the DECC in the Lake Superior Ballroom at the main stage. A closing reception will be held at Grandma’s Saloon & Grill in Canal Park.

For more information or tickets to Gales of November visit www.LSMMA.com.





Lookback #341 – Canatco wrecked off Labrador on Oct. 24, 1942

10/24 - The freight carrier Canatco was reported as wrecked at Hamilton Inlet, Labrador, on Oct. 24,1942. The ship had loaded machinery at Montreal for the trip and apparently there was an explosion on board. The next day, Canatco sank off Gannet Rock.

This 261-foot-long vessel had been built as Hull 64 at Collingwood and launched as Canadian Gunner on Oct. 14, 1919. The ship went to work for the Government of Canada in November sailing to Fort William to load grain for Montreal.

Canadian Gunner was often employed bringing sugar and molasses from the West Indies to Halifax. It was sold to the Canada-Atlantic Transit Co. in 1926 and brought 3000 tons of raw sugar to Toronto on its delivery trip.

The vessel was renamed Canatco and the hull was modified at Collingwood for the package freight trade. The number of hatches were increased from four to six and four cargo ports were cut in the side of the hull. In addition, accommodations were upgraded.

During World War II, Canatco was requisitioned by the Government of Canada and served as a supply carrier between St. Lawrence River communities, Newfoundland and Labrador until it became a casualty 72 years ago today.

It should be noted, however, that there is disagreement on the date of this accident. Another excellent source lists October 2 as the time of the incident but I am going with the Miramar Ship Index date of today for the purposes of this report.

[skycheney]

Oct 24, 2014 6:23:18 GMT -5 yachtsmanwilly said:

and the yachts looks like the one SKY posted from Bay City on the river in DETROILET...Artagia II.

That's gotta be her

[yachtsmanwilly]

Lake Michigan Carferry prepares for Badger to store ash

10/27 - Ludington, Mich. – With the final day of the 2014 sailing season scheduled for Sunday, Lake Michigan Carferry is looking ahead to next season when the SS Badger will have to stop discharging coal ash into Lake Michigan.

The Ludington-based carferry service has submitted the order and what Bob Manglitz, LMC president and CEO, describes as a “substantial” down payment for a conveyor system as it prepares to complete renovations to the SS Badger during the winter so it can retain ash.

According to the terms of a U.S. Department of Justice consent decree between LMC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Badger cannot discharge ash into Lake Michigan starting with its 2015 season.

The conveyor system — estimated to cost $600,000 — will be built for the Badger by Hapman Conveyors out of Kalamazoo and was brought to the attention of LMC by Bill Payne of BHE Inc., a consultant for Hapman, who lives in Ludington.

Manglitz calls what is being purchased from the conveyor manufacturing company a better system than what LMC might have designed.

According to Chuck Leonard, LMC vice president of navigation, the conveyor system will move ash from the boiler room to retaining units on the main car deck which will be removed when the Badger docks in Ludington.

During the conveyance process, at some point the ash will be wetted to reduce dust and partially cool it.

Leonard said the conveyor system involves “pucks” being moved through a collection and transfer tube. Ash will fall on the pucks, be wetted and moved to the container units.

Manglitz said he believes the coal ash removed from the Badger in Ludington will be sold and he said he has a customer for it, though he didn’t want to state the name. The State of Michigan has rules, he said, that actually encourage the use of the ash in other products, which helps in finding a market, he said.

Manglitz emphatically said the Badger will sail in 2015 while retaining its ash.

LMC has notified the EPA that it has placed the purchase order for the conveyor and the down payment to make sure that happens.

The U.S. Coast Guard and likely the American Bureau of Shipping will be sent plans for review and approval. After installation, the system will go through an inspection. Leonard said the concept of storing hot ash on board the Badger is nothing new. It’s been done for years under the terms of the EPA’s orders regulating when and where the Badger could discharge the ash in a slurry into Lake Michigan. Those regulations stated a distance offshore and a speed the Badger has to maintain when discharging the ash.

Manglitz and Leonard say this will be a less extensive project than the about $1.8 million combustion control installation completed over the winter of 2013-14. That work has led to the Badger using about 15 percent less coal this season than in previous recent years, Manglitz said. The specific amount of reduction will be determined after the 2014 season is completed, Leonard said.

The consent decree required LMC to this season reduce the amount of coal ash discharged into Lake Michigan. Manglitz said that requirement will have been met due to the combustion control work.

LMC has been filing reports of estimated coal ash discharge with the EPA this season based on last season’s average daily coal use. The Badger’s 2013 amortized average coal use was pegged at 60.1 net tons per day.

The report estimates at that consumption rate using coal this year with 5.7 percent ash content would result in on average, coal ash discharge this year being estimated at 3.43 net tons. However, the equation doesn’t take into account efficiencies realized by the new combustion system so the actual average amount of discharge this year is expected to be lower, as required by the consent decree.

The SS Badger enjoyed a good season, though there were a couple disappointments.

The expected transport of wind component parts didn’t happen because the company that had been using the Badger instead this year had the parts made in Michigan for installation in Michigan, according to Manglitz.

Terri Brown, director of media relations, noted the season also got off to a slow start because of the cold spring.

“However, our data shows a notable increase during the summer months from last season in our adult passenger counts, which is the core of our business. Overall, we’re ahead of last season and we’re very pleased about that,” Brown said.

Nice weather in early October also was giving a nice boost to fall ridership.

Manglitz was especially happy that efforts to get more commercial traffic — oversized loads, tour buses, trucks and so forth — was paying off. It added a nice boost this summer.

“We certainly missed the wind tower business, but we refocused our efforts and resources in securing additional commercial business cargo,” Brown stated. “The new effort placed toward commercial business showed increased growth from last season overall — and especially with motorhomes and campers.”

He and Brown also cited increased travel by foreign tourists, likely in part due to Pure Michigan’s efforts to market to and attract more foreign visitors to explore Michigan.

During the past two months, visitors from Gibraltar, Canada, Holland, Great Britain, Germany, Poland, Luxemburg, Portugal, Thailand, Austria and Brazil have traveled on the Badger, according to LMC.

“I think this is a great representation of how the carferry has been connecting the United States to international travelers,” Brown said.

Ludington Daily News





Badger’s Rodney Ruell, a Great Lakes legend retires

10/27 - Sunday was the last sailing of the S.S. Badger for the 2014 season. The day was historic for the last coal-burning ship on the Great Lakes. After Sunday, the Badger will no longer discharge ash into Lake Michigan. But the significance of the day was more personal for 64-year-old Rodeny Ruell, the oldest maritime fireman on the Great Lakes.

It’s rather fitting that when the Badger arrived in port Sunday about 7 p.m. it marked the last crossing for Rodney. After 44 years he is retiring.

Ruell began his maritime career on the E.M. Ford, a steam-powered cement carrier. He was 19 and he quickly moved up to the rank of fireman. “I started out as a coal passer. We left Alpena and got as far as Muskegon when the fireman quit and got off the ship. So, I was moved up to fireman. I didn’t even have my ratings or anything.”

He worked on various coal-powered ships through the years. In 1997 he was hired by Lake Michigan Carferry.

Life in the lower decks of the Badger is a little different than above. Up above, passengers relax in lounge chairs, recliners or in a stateroom bed. They play Badger Bingo and enjoy the Lake Michigan air. The ship is quiet. Down below, in the area known as the “flicker,” the steam engines are loud. The area is dimly lit.

The coal burners are deep inside the ship. One has to go down a few flights of narrow stairs and then duck under large metal pipes into the noisy, hot, damp power center. This is the real deal. Old school. Flames shoot out of the burners as Ruell stokes the fire, keeping the Badger moving.

“You have to maintain steam pressure on the boiler,” Ruell says. “You need to make sure the steam levels are where they are supposed to be.” It sounds simple, but it’s an art. It’s a fine balance that keeps those passengers — and the captain — happy.

Ruell lives in Grand Lake, between Alpena and Roger City in Presque Isle County. Well, that’s where his house is. For the past 17 years, he has resided on the Badger from May to October. He rarely leaves the ship except to maybe grab a coffee at an establishment in Manitowoc.

When he does get home in October, he enjoys his vintage guitar collection. He has 44 of them. “I listen to a lot of music and do a lot of reading. When the winters aren’t too bad I like to travel,” he says.

This year’s vacation will be a lot longer.

“It’s time. My 64-year-old body has been telling me the past couple of years that it’s time to move on.”

Ruell says he would like to take a train ride across the U.S. “And then I want to go to Rio De Janeiro. I’ve always wanted to go there. I have spent 44 summers on these steamers and want to see a real beach.”

Reflecting back, Ruell has few words:

“I want to see the Badger burn coal forever,” he says. “I hope they get 100 more years out of her. Tree huggers be damned.”

He wanted to part with a short poem: “The captain, the chief, the devil said too: Good God all mighty that iron fireman got the fire aisle blues.”

Mason County Press





Port Reports - October 27

Grand Haven, Mich. – Dick Fox
It was great weekend for boat watchers as three boats came in on successive days all in daylight. Friday the Wilfred Sykes brought in a load for Verplank's dock in Ferrysburg. Saturday afternoon the Pere Marquette 41 and tug Undaunted brought in another load for that dock. On Sunday morning the Manitowoc brought in a load of coal for the power plant on Harbor Island in Grand Haven.

Alpena, Mich. - Ben & Chanda McClain
The tug G.L Ostrander and barge Integrity loaded cement at Lafarge on Saturday. On Sunday fleetmate Samuel de Champlain and barge Innovation were anchored out in the bay during the morning. The pair came into port early afternoon for its turn at the cement silos. Also anchored out in the bay on Sunday was the Kaye E. Barker. It was likely waiting out the gusty winds before heading over to Stoneport. The Alpena is expected to return on Monday.





Left Behind #1 - Wilhelmine

Wilhelmine is one of seven saltwater ships to come to mind that visited the Great Lakes but never made it back to the St. Lawrence due to a calamity on the inland seas. These vessels were either sunk on the freshwater lakes, abandoned to the elements, or sufficiently damaged that they were only fit for scrap.

What became Wilhelmine was one of the earliest deep-sea tankers. It was built by Armstrong, Mitchell & Co. at Newcastle, England, in 1888. The ship was launched as Caucase in April 1888 and soon at work under the British flag for L. Lambert.

The 250-foot-long by 35.2-foot-wide liquid cargo carrier was sold and renamed b) Ioannis Coutzis in 1898, c) Lille, under the flag of Norway, in 1915, d) Thor Minor in 1922 and moved to German registry, although Dutch owned, as e) Wilhelmine in 1933.

The latter was a Great Lakes trader in 1933 and 1934. It was the first ship of the 1933 season through the Strait of Belle Isle and was noted in July of that year as arriving at Toronto with a cargo of peanut oil and coconut oil from Liverpool, England. This liquid was pumped directly from the ship into waiting railway cars.

The last trip inland began in May 1934 and the ship ended up at Chicago where it took on 2,700,000 pounds of lard for delivery to Liverpool. While approaching Port Colborne on the outbound trip, Wilhelmine stranded off Morgan's Point to the west of the entrance to the Welland Canal and the crew and pilot were removed due to the danger.

Wilhelmine was holed and abandoned as a total loss. Later in the month, on June 23, the ship was refloated thanks to the efforts of the Pyke Salvage Co. and the loss was listed at $35,000. The initial plan was to repair the tanker at Port Dalhousie, but instead it was sold at auction to Allied Oil Terminals of Cleveland.

It is believed that Wilhelmine did not travel far and was either cut up for scrap at Port Colborne or may have been towed to Ashtabula, to face a similar fate.

Skip Gillham





Lookback #344 – The tug Chris M. caught fire at Toronto on Oct. 27, 1976

The long-idle tug Chris M. was considered an eyesore and at the end of its days when it caught fire at Toronto 38 years ago today. The ship had been laid up, pending reconstruction, but nothing was being done and it was becoming increasingly unpopular with area residents and businesses.

The blaze broke out in the bilge and destroyed the wiring system for the 143-foot- long, 33-year-old tug. But marine miracles do happen and the rusting, fire damaged hulk was rebuilt and today is the popular sailing ship Empire Sandy.

This was actually the original name of the tug when it was built for the British Admiralty and completed at Willington, England, on July 14, 1943. It was managed by the Overseas Towage and Salvage Co. until 1947 and then became Ashford for salvage work on the Indian Ocean.

Following a sale to the Great Lakes Paper Co. Ltd., the ship arrived at Montreal on Oct. 11, 1951, and was renamed Chris M. in 1952. The owners used the tug to tow log rafts on Lake Superior. It was later purchased by Gravel & Lake Services of Port Arthur but saw little, if any service, on their behalf.

Chris M. saw only a little more work for the Blue Water Towing Co. in 1971-1972 towing the barge Alfred Cytacki (previously the Shell Oil tanker Fuel Marketer) in the fuel trade. It was sold to United Metals for scrap in 1974 and taken to Hamilton for dismantling in September. Before that could be done, the tug was purchased by Norman Rogers and brought to Toronto in 1975 but remained there for years.

But, by 1983, the ship had been converted to a powered 3-masted sailing ship to provide charters, excursions and become a welcome addition to tall-ship festivals around the Great Lakes. It has also gone south to the Bahamas and Caribbean for winter cruise work but in recent years has remained on the Great Lakes.

Skip Gillham


Today in Great Lakes History - October 27

On this day in 1979, the MESABI MINER delivered her first cargo of coal to Port Washington, Wis. The 21- foot draft restriction of the harbor limited the cargo to 39,000 tons.

While in tow of the tug MERRICK on October 27, 1879, the NIAGARA (wooden schooner, 204 foot, 764 gross tons, built in 1873, at Tonawanda, New York) collided with the PORTER (wooden schooner, 205 foot, 747 gross tons, built in 1874, at Milwaukee, Wis.), which was in tow of the tug WILCOX at the mouth of the Detroit River. The PORTER sank but was salvaged and repaired. She lasted another 19 years.

PAUL THAYER was christened on October 27, 1973, at Lorain, Ohio. Renamed b.) EARL W. OGLEBAY in 1995 and MANITOWOC in 2008.

While the JAMES R. BARKER was upbound October 27, 1986, on Lake Huron above buoys 11 & 12, a high-pressure fuel line on the starboard engine failed causing an engine room fire, which was extinguished by on-board fire fighting equipment. Fortunately no one was injured.

On her maiden voyage, the HOCHELAGA departed Collingwood on October 27, 1949, for Fort William, Ontario, to load grain for Port Colborne, Ontario.

FRANCIS E. HOUSE was laid up at Duluth on October 27, 1960, and remained idle there until April, 1966, when she was sold to the Kinsman Marine Transit Co., Cleveland and renamed c.) KINSMAN INDEPENDENT. She was scrapped at Santander, Spain in 1974.

On October 27, 1973, the HENRY LA LIBERTE struck an embankment while backing from the Frontier Dock Slip at Buffalo, New York, and damaged her steering gear beyond repair. As a consequence she was laid up there.

RED WING and FRANK A. SHERMAN departed Lauzon, Quebec, on October 27, 1986, in tandem tow by the Vancouver based deep-sea tug CANADIAN VIKING bound for scrapping in Taiwan.

On October 27, 1869, ALFRED ALLEN (wooden schooner, 160 tons, built in 1853, at Pultneyville, New Jersey, as J. J. MORLEY) was bound for Toledo, Ohio, with 500 barrels of salt when she went on the Mohawk Reef near Port Colborne, Ontario, in a blizzard. She washed free and drifted to the mainland beach where she was pounded to pieces. No lives were lost.

During a snowstorm on the night of October 27, 1878, the propeller QUEBEC of the Beatty Line ran aground on Magnetic Shoals near Cockburn Island on Lake Huron. She was four miles from shore and one of her arches was broken in the accident.

October 27, 1854 - Well-known Pere Marquette carferry captain Joseph "Joe" Russell was born in Greenfield, Wisconsin.

1937: EASTON, of the Misener's Colonial Steamship Co., arrived at Meaford, ON with a cracked cylinder in the engine. The ship was there to load a cargo of baled hay for Fort William and bushels of apples. The trip was canceled and the vessel was sent for repairs.

1965: The Liberty ship PANAGATHOS traded through the Seaway in 1962 and 1963 under Greek registry and was back in 1965 under the flag of Liberia. The vessel ran aground off Ameland Island, 4 nautical miles from the Hollum Lighthouse, Holland, enroute from Amsterdam and Hamburg to the U.S. East Coast with a cargo of steel. The ship was abandoned as a total loss and the hull remained there until at least 1970.

1965: A fire broke out aboard the Egyptian freighter STAR OF SUEZ while upbound in the Seaway east of the Snell Lock. The ship was docked at Cornwall and the local fire company doused the blaze. The cargo of cotton in #3 hold was mostly offloaded. The ship lasted until scrapping at Split, Yugoslavia, in 1980.

1976: A fire in the bilge of the tug CHRIS M. at Toronto destroyed the ship's wiring. The vessel had become unpopular at the waterfront area but was rebuilt as the powered 3-masted schooner EMPIRE SANDY in 1983.

1982: The French ore carrier FRANCOIS L.D., a regular Great Lakes caller since 1962, struck the breakwall at Cape Vincent, NY while westbound in fog. There was heavy damage to the structure and the ship had a dent in the bow.

Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Max Hanley, Russ Plumb, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes at B.G.S.U and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series.






Great Lakes Towing Co. stations upgraded tugs at Duluth

10/26 - Cleveland, Ohio – The Great Lakes Towing Company has replaced the tugs North Dakota and Kentucky with the recently upgraded tugs Indiana and Arkansas in preparation of the upcoming winter ice breaking season at the Port of Duluth.

The tug Minnesota will also be replaced before winter sets in. The tug North Carolina will remain in Duluth and will be the first tug out when ice breaking is needed.

North Dakota and Kentucky were recently towed to Sault Ste. Marie by fleetmate Missouri and are at the MCM Marine yard there.

Captain Dean Olson has called the Port of Duluth home for over 42 years. Olson remembers starting his career in Duluth as a deckhand on the Arkansas. It’s a true homecoming for Olson to see the Arkansas return to Duluth.

Great Lakes Towing Co.

[skycheney]

Reflecting back, Ruell has few words:

“I want to see the Badger burn coal forever,” he says. “I hope they get 100 more years out of her. Tree huggers be damned."

Good for him.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Lakes ore surge continues in September

10/28 - Cleveland, Ohio – Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes topped 7 million tons for the third straight month in September. The 7,014,295 tons moved represented an increase of nearly 14 percent compared to a year ago, and nearly 18 percent when compared to the month’s long-term average.

U.S. Great Lakes ports again powered the trade. Loadings totaled 6.5 million tons, an increase of 17.4 percent. Included in that total were 125,000 tons shipped to Quebec City, Quebec, where they were then loaded into oceangoing vessels.

Shipments from the two active Canadian iron ore ports in the Seaway totaled 500,000 tons, a decrease of 20 percent compared to a year ago. The closure of Wabush Mines has stopped ore loading out of Pointe Noire.

Year-to-date the Lakes ore trade stands at 40.7 million tons, a decrease of 2 percent compared to a year ago. After suffering staggering delays in March and April due to massive ice formations throughout the Lakes, shipments from U.S. ports are now down by less than one percent. However, loadings from Canadian ports in the Seaway have dipped by 14 percent.

Ore transshipments to Quebec City stand at 765,000 tons, a decrease of nearly 70 percent.

Lake Carriers’ Association





Ohio salt supplier imports shipments from Morocco

10/28 - Toledo, Ohio – An Indiana company that supplies road salt to Ohio is importing shipments from the northern Africa nation of Morocco because of the short supply and high prices. Midwest Salt plans to bring in 171,000 tons through the port of Toledo.

"Typically, we're purchasing from domestic producers as well, but this was the next-best option," said Andrew Thiele, president of Midwest Salt, which is based in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Most of the salt that typically comes through the Toledo port is from mines in northeast Ohio or southern Ontario, not from overseas.

The Ohio Department of Transportation's first shipment from Midwest arrived earlier this month.

At least four more ships have been booked, said Joe Cappel, director of cargo development at the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.

The state will provide a trucking service to get the salt to stockpiles as needed so that communities buying salt through the state will need only to pay for the salt itself, said Steve Faulkner, a spokesman for state transportation department.

"We're saving local communities potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in transportation" he told The Blade.

Ohio used more than 1 million tons of salt on state roads last year — a nearly 60 percent increase over the average. The average price per ton was $35 a year ago. This year, it's up to more than $100 per ton. A few counties received no bids from suppliers.

The state employs a complicated buying program that allows counties and communities to join in and receive bids from salt suppliers for their winter supply, although not all communities participate.

The prices, which are bid on by county, were higher than last year in the first round of bidding — between $36 a ton and $81 a ton, compared to the state average of $35 per ton last year. Some communities waited until the second round in hopes of getting a better price but prices went up, including one quote of $165 per ton.

Several loads were also delivered to Michigan.

Associated Press





Great Lakes shippers see sharp rise in Lake Michigan levels this year

10/28 - Muskegon, Mich. – Rising Lake Michigan water levels have translated into increased business for at least one Muskegon-based shipping company.

The reason: With Lake Michigan more than 20 inches higher than at this time last year, Great Lakes vessels can carry more cargo without the fear of running aground as they enter various ports around the lakes.

Port City Marine Services Inc. has picked up an average of 250 tons of extra cargo per trip this year compared to the last few years, said Vice President of Operations Edward Hogan. Over this season, in which the company expects to make 87 trips, the ability to haul additional cargo each trip amounts to five extra boatloads of cement that Port City Marine is able to haul this year at the same cost, he said.

“We’re as busy as I’ve seen it in many years,” Hogan said. “I can’t think of anybody that would be have bad feelings about higher water levels because so many people have suffered with low levels.”

Port City Marine operates two vessels on Lake Michigan, primarily transporting cement from northern Michigan to companies in Milwaukee, Chicago, Grand Haven and other regional ports.

Water levels in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron — which are hydraulically the same lake because of their connection at the Straits of Mackinac — have hovered just north of 579 feet above sea level this month — almost two feet higher than last year, according to data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District.

While Lake Michigan levels have flirted with the long-term average at times in the last decade, the level surpassed the average in September for just the second time since 1998, according to data from the Corps of Engineers. In fact, just 20 months ago in January 2013, water levels on Lake Michigan set a new all-time record low at 576.02 feet — more than three feet lower than the current water level.

If the Corps of Engineers’ six-month projections in its October Great Lakes report hold, the water levels in Lake Michigan could be above the long-term average for the foreseeable future, perhaps breaking the 16-year cycle of below-average water levels.

“For the shippers, obviously this is a boon,” said Alan Steinman, director of the Grand Valley State University Annis Water Resources Institute in Muskegon. “They don’t have to light load their cargo, and it’s certainly advantageous for moving freight throughout the lakes with less dredging and a cascade of benefits.”

For every inch the water level increases, shippers can add between 50 tons to 270 more tons of cargo per load, industry sources said.

Year-to-date total U.S. dry goods cargo shipped on the Great Lakes reached nearly 11 million tons as of August — the latest data available — a 5 percent increase from 2013, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association, a shipping industry group based in Rocky River, Ohio. This year marks a 16 percent increase from the same time in 2012 when shippers moved approximately 9.5 million tons of cargo on the Great Lakes.

While the increased shipping activity has certainly been aided by the water levels — allowing certain freighters to carry an additional 10,000 tons in some cases — the uptick in shipments also reflects an improving economy and pent-up demand, said Glen Nekvasil, vice president of the Lake Carriers’ Association.

Although shippers have embraced the additional cargo capacity this year, 2014 started out with its share of challenges. Last winter, Lake Michigan set a record with over 93 percent of its surface covered in ice, and the conditions delayed the traditional shipping season on the lakes, Nekvasil said.

That led to a 45 percent reduction in cargo in March and April compared to last year, he said. Trips that were scheduled to take three days took as long as eight days, leading to spot shortages of certain commodities across the Great Lakes region, sources said.

“We really started the year late because of the ice buildup,” Hogan said. “Everybody was at the same point: Customers were out of product and the mills up north had a bunch (of product) but couldn’t move it.

Now we end up with the best water levels we’ve seen in a decade, and it’s really helping us get caught up.”

In recent years, low water levels posed navigational challenges for Great Lakes commercial vessels as silt choked off access to even deepwater ports such as Muskegon. In response, shippers had to light-load their freighters, meaning they couldn’t haul as much cargo per trip, which resulted in increased costs per ton for their customers, as MiBiz previously reported. On top of that, federal funding for harbor dredging has become a political football in recent years, effectively delaying action to open some ports for shipping activity.

Even with the higher water levels, the importance of dredging hasn’t been diminished, Nekvasil said. With 18 million cubic yards of sediment throughout the Great Lakes system, ports and shipping channels will still need to be dredged to meet the demand for cargo, he said.

“This is a welcomed development and we needed all the help we could get this year, but we have to recognize that this is Mother Nature,” Nekvasil said. “Water levels are going to go down again and dredging is still the most important thing.”

The same ice that clogged shipping channels and delayed cargo also played a crucial role in the higher water levels shippers are currently enjoying, Steinman said. The ice cover greatly reduced the amount of evaporation from the lake’s surface and kept levels higher than they would have been without the ice cover, he said.

High precipitation levels throughout the Great Lakes basin this year contributed to the increase in water levels as well, Steinman said.

Since numerous factors play into water levels, thinking about them in the context of a checking account makes it more simple, Steinman said. Direct precipitation and runoff represent money coming in, while evaporation shows money going out.

The coming winter will largely determine next year’s water levels, but scientists aren’t eager to forecast exactly what those may be.

“It’s a fools errand to predict what water levels will do in the future,” Steinman said. “One thing that we can be assured of is it’s not going to be stable. Water levels are affected by climate and the climate is changing every day. It’s the extremes that create problems.”

mibiz.com





Great Lakes coal shipments up 12.2 percent from last year

10/28 - Coal shipments originated on the Great Lakes totaled nearly 3 million short tons in September, up 13.4 percent from August and up 12.2 percent from the year-ago month, the Lake Carriers Association said.

Year to date, coal shipments totaled more than 15.7 million st, down 7 percent compared with last year.

The Superior Midwest Energy Terminal, in Superior, Wisconsin, led all Great Lakes ports with September coal shipments of 1.7 million st, up 16.1 percent from the prior month and up 7.8 percent from the year-ago month.

Coal shipments were all strong from CSX’s coal pier in Toledo, Ohio, which shipped 521,448 st during September, up 33.6 percent from August and up 126% from last year. Attempts to reach the terminal’s manager were unsuccessful.

Joe Cappel, with the Toledo-Lucas Port Authority, attributed the increase in tonnage to a pick-up in overall economic activity through the port, which has seen increases in a number of different commodities this year.

“Coal goes up and down, and last year it was down pretty low, so I think it may be more of a return to normalcy than anything else,” Cappel said.

For vessels that stay within the lakes, a full load is typically around 70,000 st, the association said. Ocean-going vessels are constrained by the lakes’ lock system and have a maximum cargo size of roughly 25,000 mt, Cappel said.

Platts



Whatever you do, don't spill a drop of oil on the water !!

Sewer overflows during storm hit 10 billion gallons

10/28 - Detroit, Mich. – Almost 10 billion gallons of sewer overflows poured into southeast Michigan's waters in the historic August flooding, according to a Free Press review of data from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

That number includes more than 44 million gallons of raw sewage from sanitary sewers and almost 3 billion gallons from combined sewer and storm water systems, all untreated, raising concerns about deteriorating water quality in the Great Lakes system.

A full accounting of the total was not available immediately, but the Macomb County Health Department had posted information after the storm indicating 1 billion gallons of overflows had poured into Lake St. Clair or its tributaries, according to an earlier Free Press report. The volume affecting the whole region was 10 times that total, and the number now reported by Macomb County is more than twice the initial estimate.

Detroit Free Press





Obituary: Andrew Francis Rajner Sr

10/28 - Andrew Francis Rajner, Sr., whose three decades sailing the Great Lakes included a voyage aboard the Edmund Fitzgerald just before the freighter sank in Lake Superior in 1975, and who testified at a Coast Guard inquiry into the disaster, died Thursday at Kingston of Perrysburg.

Mr. Rajner, 89, suffered from Parkinson’s and was under hospice care, said his son-in-law, J.P. Smith.

Twelve of those 30 years were as captain for eight Oglebay Norton Co. freighters. Mr. Rajner served on the Edmund Fitzgerald from Sept. 12 to Oct. 3, 1975. His role on the Fitzgerald was relief first mate, who filled in for the regular first mate, Mr. Smith said.

The Edmund Fitzgerald, the largest and fastest ship of its day on the Great Lakes, sank on Nov. 9, 1975, during a gale on Lake Superior. All 29 hands aboard were lost.

The following month he was called to testify in Cleveland before a Coast Guard maritime casualty inquiry. He was the highest-ranking officer with the most recent experience aboard the doomed ship, his son-in-law said.

Mr. Rajner was born in Toledo on Sept. 16, 1925, to Peter and Mary Rajner. He left Waite High School at age 16 in 1942 to serve as a deck hand and within a year joined the Merchant Marine, sailing in the Pacific Ocean supplying war materiel.

His post-war service in the Merchant Marine was sailing to Europe to repatriate German and Italian prisoners of war and to bring U.S. servicemen back home. He joined Oglebay Norton in 1957. He attended navigation school in Cleveland, becoming a first class pilot who was qualified for all five Great Lakes. He earned licenses as third, second, and first mates.

In 1976, a year after the Fitzgerald’s sinking, he received his master’s or captain’s license. He retired in December, 1987, at the end of the shipping season, with 30 years, 8 months with Oglebay Norton, Mr. Smith said. He held command of eight ships, all of which called regularly at the Port of Toledo, Mr. Smith said. He ended his service on the Fred R. White Jr.

A fellow Oglebay Norton skipper, Mike Capser, recalled attending winter meetings of ships’ captains with Mr. Rajner. Mr. Rajner had a reputation as a stern skipper “who followed the rules,” he said.

Although the two skippers never served together, they became friends on the golf course and from bowling leagues, Mr. Capser said. Mr. Rajner and Mr. Capser frequently would golf with other ships’ captains in a league at Collins Park Golf Course, a layout not far from the East Toledo docks where their ships were berthed.

He was a retired member of the International Ship Masters Association.

Toledo Blade





Left Behind #2 - Viator

The Norwegian freighter Viator has been on the bottom of Lake Huron since Oct. 31, 1935. The 231.7 foot long by 33.3 foot wide general cargo carrier went down after a collision with the Ormidale.

The accident occurred about 10 miles south of Thunder Bay Island Light. The saltwater ship was struck amidships, flooded and sank within five minutes. The Captain of the Ormidale held his vessel in place long enough for all on board the foreign ship to be rescued.

Viator had loaded a cargo of cod liver oil and sardines at Oslo, Norway, and was headed to Chicago for discharge.

The lost ship had been built at Stavanger, Norway, and completed in June 1904. It first came to the Great Lakes in 1932 and had always sailed under the flag of Norway.

Ormidale had been built at Manitowoc, WI in 1917 as Motor I and it had originally sailed for Norwegian interests before being requisitioned by the U.S. Shipping Board and renamed b) Lake Mohonk in 1918.

It returned to the Great Lakes as d) Ormidale in 1922 and was converted to a crane ship to carry pig iron and rip-rap stone in 1934. It was down bound from Duluth to Buffalo when the accident occurred.

Ormidale was sunk by U-576 as f) Bluefields on July 15, 1942, while on a voyage from New York to Havana, Cuba. One life was lost in the attack.

Skip Gillham





Lookback #345 – The tug R.P. Reidenbach sank at Ashtabula on Oct. 28, 1939

The tug R.P. Reidenbach was working at the stern of the bulk carrier E.A.S. Clarke when the small ship rolled over and sank 75 years ago today. Two members of the crew were trapped below deck and died in the accident.

The tug went down in about 25 feet of water and it is thought that wash generated by the larger vessel's propeller swamped the tug.

R.P. Reidenbach was part of the fleet of the Great Lakes Towing Co. The 68.8 foot long vessel had been built by the company at Cleveland in 1910 and had served well as a harbor tug for 29 years.

The vessel was refloated and eventually returned to service. The name was changed to b) Cornell in 1941 and the tug operated until about 1947 when it was laid up as too small and too light. It apparently remained idle until being scrapped at Ashtabula in 1964.

The freighter E.A.S. Clarke was part of the Interlake Steamship Co. fleet. It had been built as H.P. Bope in 1907 and was renamed in 1913. It was idle at Erie, PA from 1961 to 1970 when it was refitted for a brief return to service in the Kinsman fleet as c) Kinsman Voyager. It saw sporadic service and then tied up at Toledo on May 25, 1973. This vessel was towed overseas in 1975 but not scrapped until 1978 when it was broken up at Santander, Spain, after some work as a grain storage hull in Germany.

Skip Gillham





Updates - October 28

News Photo Gallery





Today in Great Lakes History - October 28

On this day in 1939, the Pittsburgh steamer D. G. KERR, Captain H. D. Mc Leod, rescued six men from the cabin cruiser FRANCIS J. H. that was disabled and sinking on Lake Erie.

On this day in 1953, the McKEE SONS loaded her first cargo of 17,238 tons of stone at Port Inland for delivery to East Chicago. Originally built as the C-4 MARINE ANGEL, the McKEE SONS was the first ocean vessel converted to a Great Lakes self-unloader.

On this day in 1978, a new 420 foot tanker built at Levingston Shipbuilding, Orange, Texas, was christened GEMINI during ceremonies at Huron, Ohio. The GEMINI was the largest American flagged tanker on the lakes with a capacity of 75,000 barrels and a rated speed of 15.5 mph. Sold Canadian and renamed b.) ALGOSAR in 2005.

On October 28, 1891, DAVID STEWART (3-mast wooden schooner, 171 foot, 545 gross tons, built in 1867, at Cleveland, Ohio) was dragged ashore off Fairport, Ohio, by a strong gale. She was stranded and declared a total loss. However, she was salvaged and repaired in 1892 and lasted one more year.

CANADIAN PIONEER's maiden voyage was on October 28, 1981, to Conneaut, Ohio, to take on coal for Nanticoke, Ontario.

CANADIAN TRANSPORT was launched October 28, 1978, for Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd., Toronto, Ontario.

FRED G. HARTWELL (Hull# 781) was launched October 28, 1922, by American Ship Building Co. at Lorain, Ohio, for the Franklin Steamship Co. Renamed b.) MATTHEW ANDREWS in 1951. Sold Canadian in 1962, renamed c.) GEORGE M. CARL. She was scrapped at Aviles, Spain, in 1984.

D. M. CLEMSON (Hull# 716) was launched October 28, 1916, at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co., Cleveland, Ohio.

CHARLES M. WHITE was launched October 28, 1945, as a C4-S-A4 cargo ship a.) MOUNT MANSFIELD for the U.S. Maritime Commission (U.S.M.C. Hull #2369).

On October 28, 1887, BESSIE BARWICK, a 135 foot wooden schooner built in 1866, at St. Catharines, Ontario, as a bark, left Port Arthur for Kingston, Ontario, with a load of lumber during a storm. For more than ten days, her whereabouts were unknown. In fact, a westerly gale drove her into the shallows of Michipicoten Island and she was pounded to pieces. Her crew was sheltered by local fishermen and then made it to the Soo in a small open boat.

On October 28, 1882, RUDOLPH WETZEL (wooden propeller tug, 23 tons, built in 1870, at Buffalo, New York) was racing for a tow with the tug HENRY S SILL when her boiler exploded 12 miles north of Racine, Wisconsin. She quickly sank. All three on board were killed and none of the bodies were ever found.

1901: The wooden schooner JULIA LARSON sank in a gale a half-mile northeast of Grand Marais, MI. The ship was later recovered and returned to service.

1928: The newly built DEEPWATER ran aground at Sugar Loaf Point, west of Port Colborne, in fog. The ship was lightered and released four days later and went to Montreal for repairs. The vessel later sailed the lakes as b) KEYMONT and c) HAMILDOC (ii) before being scrapped at Port Dalhousie in 1962.

1939: The tug R.P. REIDENBACH, with E.A.S. CLARKE (ii) under tow at Ashtabula, rolled over and sank with the loss of 2 lives. It was refloated, became b) CONNEAUT in 1941 and was scrapped at Ashtabula about 1964.

1959: The tug BROWN BROTHERS, enroute to Port Burwell under tow of the tug LUKE, was overwhelmed by the waves and sank off Long Point with no loss of life. Originally a fish tug, the vessel served as the b) IVEY ROSE from 1946 to 1950 pushing the barge T.A. IVEY in the Lake Erie coal trade.

1964: BORGFRED, a Great Lakes visitor in 1952, caught fire in the engine room as g) GIANNIS and sank off Malta two days later while on a voyage from Romania to Algeria.

1970: WEARFIELD, a British freighter began Great Lakes visits in 1964 as the largest saltwater ship to yet use the Seaway, was blown aground at the entrance to the Soo Locks due to high winds on this date in 1970. It took over 5 hours to release the vessel. Service ended on arrival at Shanghai, China, for scrapping as f) FAIR WIND on March 15, 1985.

1979: PIERSON INDEPENDENT ran aground in the St. Lawrence near Brockville while downbound with a cargo of corn. The ship was released but then beached as it was taking on water. Temporary repairs allowed the vessel to be refloated again on October 31 and it sailed to Trois Rivieres to be unloaded. 2007: SEA MAID, a small Danish freighter, came through the Seaway in 1997 with steel for Cleveland. It was wrecked as d) OMER N. 18 miles west of Gedser, Denmark, and was dismantled in sections at Grenaa, Denmark, in 2008.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Seaway served with strike notice

10/29 - Montreal, Que. – Workers along the St. Lawrence Seaway from Niagara to Montreal could be on strike as early as this Friday, said the union which represents them.

Unifor, which represents 460 members in Locals 4212 and 4211 in Niagara and Cornwall, Locals 4319 and 4320 in Montreal and Local 4323 in Iroquois, served strike notice on the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. Tuesday.

A release from the union said the notice was served at the resumption of contract talks in Cornwall, the first time the two sides had met in months. Unifor filed for federal conciliation in August.

The earliest a strike could begin is Oct. 31 at 12:15 pm., and workers had earlier voted 96% in favor of a strike.

“Traffic is up along the seaway this year. It is difficult for us to understand why the seaway would risk a work stoppage at this point,” said Unifor national representative Joel Fournier.

At issue is a plan to automate the locks along the seaway, eliminating the staff currently working on them, said the union. In April, the seaway announced it had received funding from the federal government to automate the locks, eliminating the staff currently working.

Work has already begun to retrofit Lock 3 on the Welland Canal with the new hands-free system. All locks across the seaway are to be retrofitted by 2018. The union sees the hands-free system as s safety issue.

“We believe that having no one at the lock is not a good idea. The risk of an environmental disaster with all of the dangerous cargo going through the seaway is very real,” said Fournier.

Unifor, he said, is calling for minimum staffing levels on the locks to deal with emergencies.

“The communities along the Seaway benefit both from the good jobs it provides, and the work our members do to keep the waterway safe,” Fournier said.

Erie Media





Port Reports - October 29

Drummond Island, Mich.
Wilfred Sykes, paying a rare visit to the St. Marys River, was anchored Tuesday evening north of Drummond Island, where she is scheduled to take on limestone. Federal Weser was also anchored there, but was spotted outbound at DeTour for Montreal at 10 p.m.

Vessel traffic, Seaway and Great Lakes ports – Andre Blanchard
Ships at Montreal heading to Great Lakes:
Victorious/John J. Carrick to depart on Wednesday for Detroit, Mich., Algoma Spirit to depart on Thursday for Thunder Bay, Ont., Vega Desgagnes to depart Wednesday for Oakville, Ont. , Pochard S to depart Wednesday for Hamilton, Ont.

Ships due in Montreal and onto the Great Lakes:
Maccoa due Oct. 31 for Ashtabula, Ohio, Muntgracht due Nov. 4 for Hamilton, Ont., Sarah Desgagnes due Oct. 28 for Oakville, Ont., Federal Mackinac due Oct. 30 for Burns Harbor, IL, Federal Hudson due Nov. 4 for Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Michigan due Nov. 2 for Detroit, Mich., Great Lakes due Nov. 2 for Detroit, Mich., Adfines Star due Oct. 30 for Mississauga, Ont., Finnborg due Oct. 28 for Hamilton, Ont.

Ships at Quebec City but heading to Great Lakes:
Sedna Desgagnes to depart Oct. 31 for Hamilton, Ont., Cinnamon to depart Oct. 28 for Toronto, Ont.

Ships due in Quebec City but will proceed to the Great Lakes:
Capt. Henry Jackman due Oct. 29 for Chicago, IL, Energy Patriot due Oct. 30 for Montreal, QC, Mottler due Nov. 01 for Toronto, ON, Valle Bianca due Nov. 01 for Montreal, QC, Brant due Nov. 11 for Toronto, ON

Ships Expected in Hamilton, Ont.
Algoma Guardian - Bulk Carrier - Oct.28
Blacky - Bulk Carrier - Oct. 29
Algosteel - Bulk Carrier - Oct. 29
Algoma Progress - Bulk Carrier - Oct. 30
Mapleglen - Bulk Carrier - Oct. 30
Algoma Navigator - Bulk Carrier - Oct. 30

Ships Expected in Sarnia, ON
Sichem Melbourne - Tanker - Oct. 29
Jana Desgagnes - Tanker - Oct. 31

Ships Expected in Clarkson, ON
Algoma Transport - Bulk Carrier - Oct. 29

Ships Expected in Oakville, ON
Vega Desgagnes - Tanker - Oct. 29

Ships Expected in Thunder Bay, ON
Algoma Discovery - Bulk Carrier - Nov. 01
Strandja - Bulk Carrier - Nov. 03

Ships Expected in Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Undaunted - Tug/Barge Combo - Oct. 28-2104
Algosar - Bulk Carrier - Oct. 29
Sharon M I - Tug - Oct. 30

Ships Expected in Goderich, ON
Oakglen - Bulk Carrier - Oct. 29






Detroit voted in Top 10 best American riverfronts

10/29 - Detroit, Mich. – Readers of USA Today have chosen Detroit’s riverfront as one of the best in the nation. Detroit came in at number nine in the top 10 of cities chosen. Wilmington, North Carolina was voted as the top ranked riverfront in the country, while the riverfronts in Spokane, Washington and Davenport, Iowa round out the top three.

“The riverfront redevelopment in Detroit, a city with 14 miles of shoreline along the Detroit River, is one of the city’s most exciting initiatives,” according to the newspaper. “Stretching for 5.5 miles from the Ambassador Bridge to the Bell Isle Bridge, the Detroit International RiverWalk includes a cruise terminal, marina, several parks, restaurants, shops and hotels. In warmer months, the riverfront parks play host to festivals and community literacy and fitness programs.”

As reported by WWJ’s Edward Cardenas, the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy recently opened the new West RiverWalk located just west of Joe Louis Arena in mid-July, which has become a popular spot for running on the extra-wide RiverWalk along with fishing, running, soccer games and other outdoor activities.

WWJ





Left Behind #3 – Prins Willem V

10/29 - The vessels of the Oranje Lijn began Great Lakes trading in 1938. When business conditions picked up after World War Two, they added more ships to their fleet.

Work on building the first Prins Willem V got underway at Hardinxveld, Netherlands, in 1940, but the hull was taken over by the German occupying forces and the uncompleted vessel was scuttled at Rotterdam on Oct. 5, 1944, to try and block the invading Allied ships seeking to liberate the country.

The ship was refloated in 1947, the accumulated mud was pumped out and the vessel completed in 1948. It began its maiden voyage as Prins Willem V on Jan. 8, 1949, and began Great Lakes service once the locks of the St. Lawrence had cleared of ice.

Prins Willem V made 25 trips to the Great Lakes before being lost, via collision, on Oct. 14, 1954. The vessel went down off Milwaukee after it met up with the barge Sinclair XII being pushed by the tug Sinclair Chicago. An 8 foot by 20 foot hole was punched in the starboard side and the Dutch ship went down in 90 feet of water.

The general cargo carrier had loaded at Chicago and the shipment included auto parts, juke boxes, twine, printing presses, musical instruments and televisions.

There was initial hope of salvaging the hull and this persisted for a number of years. It was sold as late as 1965 to a group wanting to use the vessel for storage and demonstration purposes but Prins Willem V never budged from the bottom.

A lawsuit over the sinking was settled out of court with Sinclair paying the Oranje Lijn a reported $200,000. Because of its depth, Prins Willem V proved attractive to some divers but there have been at least four casualties among those exploring the wreck.

Skip Gillham





Lookback #346 – Pierson Independent stuck in the St. Lawrence on Oct. 29, 1979

The Pierson Independent looked splendid painted up in the colors of the Soo River Company. The ship had been purchased by Robert Pierson for his fleet in 1979 and the vessel was upbound in the Welland Canal for the first time under this name on August 22.

Sadly, the ship would only carry a few cargoes. The final load of corn came aboard at Toledo and Pierson Independent headed for the Seaway only to run aground in the St. Lawrence near Brockville, Ont. on October 28, 1979.

The ship was able to release itself from the bottom but then was intentionally beached due to the damage. It was still stuck there 35 years ago today and had to be lightered and patched before being released. Pierson Independent was cleared to go to Trois Rivieres to unload and then returned to Port Weller Dry Docks on Nov. 11 for assessment.

The news was not good. The 552-foot-long bulk carrier was found to be beyond economical repair and sold to United Metals of Hamilton for scrap. The ship was tied up for the winter at Hamilton but was resold in 1980 and headed overseas as f) Company, passing down the Seaway on May 3 between the tugs Salvage Monarch and Cathy McAllister.

Company arrived at Santander, Spain, on June 11, 1980, behind the tug Fairplay X and the 74-year old vessel was dismantled.

Pierson Independent had been built at Ecorse, Mich., in 1906 as a) J.H. Sheadle. Thanks to great seamanship from Capt. Lyons, the vessel rode out the worst of the "Great Storm" of November 1913. It later sailed as b) F.A. Bailey and c) LaSalle before joining Upper Lakes Shipping as d) Meaford in 1966.

Skip Gilham





Today in Great Lakes History - October 29

The whaleback barge 127 (steel barge, 264 foot, 1,128 gross tons) was launched by the American Steel Barge Company of W. Superior, Wisconsin, on 29 October 1892. She lasted until 1936, when she was scrapped at New Orleans, Louisiana.

On 29 October 1906, the schooner WEST SIDE (wooden schooner, 138 foot, 324 gross tons, built in 1870, at Oswego, New York) was carrying pulpwood from Tobermory, Ontario, to Delray, Michigan, when she was caught in a severe gale on Lake Huron. There was no shelter and the vessel was lost about 25 mile off Thunder Bay Island. The skipper and his crew, consisting of his wife and three sons aged 10 to 18, abandoned in the yawl. They all suffered from exposure to the wind and waves, but luckily the FRANK H. PEAVEY (steel propeller freighter, 430 foot, 5,002 gross tons, built in 1901, at Lorain, Ohio) picked them up and brought them to Port Huron, Michigan.

ALGOLAKE (Hull# 211) was launched October 29, 1976, at Collingwood Shipyards, Ltd. for the Algoma Central Railway.

On October 29, 1986, the JAMES R. BARKER, which had suffered an engine room fire, was lashed side-by-side to the thousand-foot WILLIAM J. DE LANCEY and towed to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin for repairs.

The pieced-together CANADIAN EXPLORER (Hull#71) was christened on October 29, 1983, at Port Weller Dry Docks. She was created from the bow section of the NORTHERN VENTURE and the stern of the CABOT. The stern of the EXPLORER is now the stern of the ALGOMA TRANSFER.

The National Transportation Safety Board ruled on October 29, 1991, that Total Petroleum was responsible for the fire that destroyed the tanker JUPITER because of faulty moorings and exonerated the BUFFALO from primary responsibility.

On the afternoon of October 29, 1987, while upbound with coal from Sandusky, Ohio, the ROGER M. KYES went aground on Gull Island Shoal in Lake Erie's Middle Passage and began taking on water. About 3,000 tons of coal was transferred to the AMERICAN REPUBLIC after which the KYES freed herself the next morning. Damage from the grounding required extensive repairs. She was renamed b.) ADAM E. CORNELIUS in 1989.

The tug portion of the PRESQUE ISLE departed New Orleans, Louisiana, on October 29, 1973.

The H. C. HEIMBECKER's last trip started at Thunder Bay, Ontario, with a load of grain bound for Owen Sound, Ontario where, on October 29, 1981, it was discovered that one of her boilers was cracked. When unloading was completed on October 30th, the HEIMBECKER proceeded under her own power to Ashtabula, Ohio, for scrapping.

On 29 October 1892, ZACH CHANDLER (3 mast wooden schooner-barge, 194 foot, 727 gross tons, built in 1867, at Detroit, Michigan) was carrying lumber from Ashland, Wisconsin, in tow of the steamer JOHN MITCHELL when the two became separated in a northerly gale in Lake Superior. The CHANDLER was overwhelmed and broke up on shore about three miles east of Deer Park, Michigan. Five of the crew made it to shore in the lifeboat and the Lifesaving Service saved two others, but one perished. Three years earlier, the CHANDLER stranded at almost the same spot and sustained heavy damage.

On 29 October 1879, AMAZON (wooden propeller freighter, 245 foot, 1,406 tons, built in 1873, at Trenton, Michigan) was carrying "provisions" - 900 tons of freight plus 7,000 barrels of flour - from Milwaukee to Grand Haven, Michigan. She struck the notorious bar off of Grand Haven in a gale and broke up. All 68 aboard survived. Her engine was later recovered.

On 29 October 1880, THOMAS A. SCOTT (4-mast wooden schooner-barge, 207 foot, 1,159 tons, built in 1869, at Buffalo, New York as a propeller) was riding out a storm at anchor one mile off Milwaukee when she was struck by the big steamer AVON (wooden propeller, 251 foot, 1,702 gross tons, built in 1877, at Buffalo, New York). The SCOTT sank quickly. She had been bound from Chicago for Erie, Pennsylvania, with 44,000 bushels of corn. Three of her crew scrambled onto the AVON while the seven others took to the yawl and were towed in by the Lifesaving Service.

1887: VERNON, enroute from Cheboygan to Chicago, foundered off Two Rivers, Wisconsin, in a sudden and violent Lake Michigan storm. Only one on board was saved while another 36 lives were lost.

1907: CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS, a wooden passenger steamer recently brought into Canadian registry, caught fire while stopped at Tobermory for the night while enroute from Wiarton to Manitoulin Island. The blazing ship was cut loose, drifted into the bay and sank.

1917: RISING SUN stranded at Pyramid Point, Lake Michigan, in snow and the 32 on board were rescued before the ship was broken apart by the surf.

1924: GLENORCHY sank in Lake Huron, six miles ESE of Harbor Beach after a collision with the LEONARD B. MILLER. Dense fog mixing with smoke from forest fires were blamed for the accident. All on board were saved. No lives were lost but the GLENORCHY sank and the estimated damage to the two vessels was $600,000.

1926: TORHAMVAN, built at Midland as CANADIAN LOGGER, was wrecked off Newfoundland after going aground in fog enroute to Montreal. Area residents rescued the crew.

1929: The passenger and freight carrier WISCONSIN foundered off Kenosha, Wisconsin, with the loss of 16 lives.

1942: NORLUNA, built at Chicago in 1919 as LAKE GETAWAY, stranded in Ungava Bay, off the coast of Labrador near Fort Chimo, and was a total loss.

1951: After unloading grain at Buffalo, the PENOBSCOT was in a collision on the Buffalo River with the tanker barge MORANIA 130, pushed by the tug DAUNTLESS NO. 12. The barge was carrying gasoline and a terrible fire broke out. A total of 11 sailors, including two on the freighter, died from burns.

1959: MARISCO had visited the Great Lakes as a) MOYRA and b) HEIKA. The ship foundered in the Gulf of Laconia, off Gythion, Greece, after developing a leak in the engineroom. It was enroute from Varna, Bulgaria, to Genoa, Italy, with iron ore.

1968: GLOUCESTER CITY began Great Lakes trading in 1966. The ship was sailing as b) ST. JOHN when it put into Fort Dauphin, Malagasy Republic, with engine trouble on a voyage from Montreal to Djakarta, Indonesia. Two days later the vessel broke its moorings in a gale and was blown on a sandbank as a total loss.

1978: The Swedish freighter FREDBORG, b) FREDRIK RAGNE, a Great Lakes visitor under both names before and after the Seaway was opened, returned as c) ANASTASSIA in 1968. The vessel was towed out of Tema, Ghana, as e) GAYTA on this date in 1978 and scuttled in the deep waters of the Atlantic.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Potential strike could close Seaway Friday

10/30 - St. Catharines, Ont. – The St. Lawrence Seaway could be facing a Friday strike at 12:15 p.m. that would close its shipping operations.

In a release, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. said it was served Tuesday with a 72-hour notice to strike by Unifor.

That union represents the Seaway’s 460 unionized employees in locals covering Niagara and elsewhere in Ontario and Quebec.

"We believe that having no one at the lock is not a good idea," said Unifor's national rep Joel Fournier. "The risk of an environmental disaster with all of the dangerous cargo going through the Seaway is very real."

Unifor says hands-free mooring will eliminate staff currently working at the locks, and is calling for minimum staffing to deal "with emergencies."

Lock staffing is an important source of jobs locally, Unifor says.

The Seaway counters the new technology will still allow shops to pass through locks in a "safe and secure manner."

"This program is essential to ensuring that the Seaway can operate on a basis that is both safe and sustainable," the Wednesday release said.

The Seaway received federal funding earlier this year to automate the locks.

Meanwhile, negotiations will continue with the assistance of a federally-appointed mediator.

The Seaway says the strike notification has prompted the implementation of "detailed plans for an orderly and safe shutdown of the system within the 72-hour notice period."

If the strike happens St. Lawrence Seaway will be closed to all its shipping traffic.

St. Catharines Standard and ErieMedia





Port Reports - October 30

Marquette, Mich. – Rod Burdick
A busy day at the harbors in Marquette found Lewis J. Kuber loading ore and Mesabi Miner unloading coal at the Upper Harbor and Herbert C. Jackson unloading stone at the Lower Harbor. Kuber's visit was a first for 2014.

Drummond Island, Mich.
Wilfred Sykes loaded throughout the day and departed for a southern Lake Michigan port around 8 p.m.

Goderich, Ont.
Oakglen arrived Wednesday to load grain, an unusual port of call for this vessel.





Marina owner to move historic tug Reiss stuck in river

10/30 - Douglas, Mich. – A new effort is underway to remove a historic tugboat that's been stuck in the Kalamazoo River for years.

WZZM 13 went along on the water with a Douglas marina owner who is hoping to finally pull the Reiss out of the sand. It got stuck only a few hundred yards from land.

Tower Marine owner R.J. Peterson is making it his mission to get the Reiss unstuck. WZZM 13 followed along as he took us for an up-close look at the historic boat, which has some parts built more than a century ago.

"The engine is probably 1880, and the tug was built in the 20's sometime," says Peterson.

On-board, there was a one-of-a-kind steam engine, and the boiler room next to it.

"That's down about 15 or 16 feet, so you can understand why the tugboat is stuck in about 9 feet of water," says Peterson.

Peterson says the Reiss became stuck about a decade ago, on its way to a museum in Minnesota. Funding ran out, and it was left in the Kalamazoo River.

"Now, we're going back into a high-water period, so now it's time to move it to the dock," says Peterson.

Last week, Peterson used his own boat to push around the tug to see if it would move.

"We'll be able to spin it directly around so it's headed for the dock; right now, it's headed directly away from the dock," says Peterson.

"Pushed it back two or three times, had it moving pretty good," says John Kiss, the head of maintenance for Tower Marine.

Once the boat is turned around, the next step begins. Back on land, crew members are going to take about 200 yards of cable and tie one end to the boat and another end to the dock. Then, they plan to use a winch to bring the boat in.

Long-term, Peterson hopes to get the historic tugboat into a museum, "to get it someplace where it will be taken care of," he says.

Peterson says he may have a couple museums that are interested in restoring the tugboat. He hopes to have it on land in the next two weeks.

WZZM





Now hiring: BayShip prepares for winter push

10/30 - Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – Bay Shipbuilding is hiring. Of all the marine manufacturing companies in Wisconsin, Sturgeon Bay-based Bay Shipbuilding has the largest and most urgent need as winter closes in. The company is looking for 100 full-time workers and many seasonal workers for its ship repair business.

"We'll have 14 or 15 vessels stacking up like cordwood," human resources manager Bill Behme said of winter repair orders. "It will include all manner of repair and re-powering."

Bay Shipbuilding is one of the most significant large-ship repair yards on the Great Lakes.

"The beauty is, when we get into the winter months, anybody who would like to make lots more money based on overtime, there are ample opportunities," Behme said. "We work seven days a week. It's a narrow window (to get repairs completed). Boat owners don't want to miss deliveries."

Also, the company, which has 600 employees, most of them represented by one of four unions, has an order for nine new vessels in the next three years.

Bay Shipbuilding needs welders, pipefitters, electricians, engineers, CAD designers, supervisors and managers in its production area. It also needs semi-skilled and unskilled workers for its seasonal repair business. Wages range from $14 to $23 an hour.

"In a relatively short period of time, we will have to add on several hundred skilled workers," Behme said.

Green Bay Press Gazette





Left Behind #4 – Monrovia – by Skip Gillham

Monrovia, an Empire ship of the World War Two era, was lost on its first visit to the Great Lakes. It went down on June 25, 1959, following a collision with the Royalton about 11 miles off Thunder Bay Island, Lake Huron.

The accident occurred at 1450 hours after Monrovia had lost its way and wandered into the down bound shipping lane during a period of heavy fog. On board was a cargo of steel loaded at Antwerp, Belgium, and destined for Duluth.

Monrovia received a deep gash on the port side and remained afloat long enough for the crew to safely abandon the ship. As the holds and engineroom flooded, the 29 sailors on board took to the lifeboats and were picked up in about 20 minutes by the Norman W. Foy.

The ship had been built at Glasgow, Scotland, and launched for the British Ministry of War Transport on April 8, 1943, as Empire Falstaff. It carried valuable cargoes to assist the war effort and, when peace had been won, it was sold to the French Government and renamed b) Commandant Mantelet in 1945. The name was changed to c) Commandant Le Biboul in 1951 and it sailed as such until becoming Monrovia for the Eastern Shipping Co. in 1954. Registered in Monrovia, Liberia, the steamer Monrovia operated successfully on saltwater routes until its fateful visit through the newly opened St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959.

The hull of Monrovia rests upright on the bottom in about 140 feet of water. Some of the cargo of steel was salvaged in the 1970s but there would be no refloating the ship.

Skip Gillham





Lookback #347 – Aigle Marin ran aground near Cornwall on Oct. 30, 1973

The coastal freighter and occasional Great Lakes visitor Aigle Marin was built at Collingwood as Hull 88. The 160 foot long vessel was constructed as a minesweeper and commissioned for the Canadian Department of National Defense as H.M.C.S. Fundy on Sept. 1, 1938.

H.M.C.S. Fundy was based at Halifax for minesweeping and escort duty and, among other work, rescued survivors on January 15, 1945, from the torpedoed Liberty ship Martin Van Buren. The latter was on a voyage from Boston to France with vehicles and general cargo when attacked.

After being idle at Sorel for many years, the Fundy was rebuilt by Marine Industries Ltd. for coastal service and repowered. It began commercial trading as Aigle Marin and made occasional forays into the Great Lakes.

It was 41-years ago today that the ship ran aground in the Seaway near Cornwall while carrying 600 tons of ferrous chrome for delivery to Thorold. The vessel was released Oct. 31, 1973, with the aid of the tug Robinson Bay.

Aigle Marin was sold in 1978 and renamed Anne R.D. It also saw Great Lakes service, often in the steel trade out of Sault Ste. Marie and, on Oct. 20, 1981, there was a failure in the main gear box while crossing Lake Huron. As a result, the ship had to be towed to Alpena.

Anne R.D. was idle from 1983 to 1987 and scrapped at La Malbaie, Quebec, in the summer of 1987.

Skip Gillham





Today in Great Lakes History - October 30

On 30 October 1863, TORRENT (2-mast wooden schooner, 125 foot, 412 gross tons, built in 1855, at Newport [Marine City], Michigan) was carrying railroad iron from Buffalo to Little Bay de Noc when she foundered in a storm on Lake Erie, 10 miles east of Port Stanley, Ontario. No lives were lost.

On 30 October 1870, JOSEPH A. HOLLON (wooden barge, 107 foot, 158 gross tons, built in 1867, at E. Saginaw, Michigan) was in tow of the tug CLEMATIS (wooden tug, 179 tons, built in 1863, at Cleveland, Ohio) in a terrific gale on Lake Huron. The barge broke free and drifted off. The waves washed completely over her and the captain was swept overboard. Her cabins were destroyed. The next day the wife of the mate and another crewmember were rescued by the bark ONEONTA (wooden bark, 161 foot, 499 gross tons, built in 1862, at Buffalo, New York) and taken to Detroit, but the HOLLON was left to drift on the Lake. The newspapers listed her as "missing". Five days later the vessel was found and was towed into Port Elgin, Ontario. A total of four lives were lost: three were missing and the fourth was found "lashed to a pump, dead, with his eyes picked out.”

The tugs GLENADA and MOUNT MC KAY towed AMOCO ILLINOIS from Essexville, Michigan, on October 30, 1985, and arrived at the M&M slip in Windsor, Ontario, on November 1st. where she was to be scrapped.

The Maritimers CADILLAC and her fleetmate CHAMPLAIN arrived under tow by the Dutch tug/supply ship THOMAS DE GAUWDIEF on October 30, 1987, at Aliaga, Turkey, to be scrapped.

The ISLE ROYALE (Canal bulk freighter) was launched October 30, 1947, as a.) SOUTHCLIFFE HALL for the Hall Corporation of Canada Ltd. (which in 1969, became Hall Corporation (Shipping) 1969 Ltd.), Montreal.

On 30 October 1874, LOTTA BERNARD (wooden side wheel "rabbit", 125 foot, 147 tons, built in 1869, at Port Clinton, Ohio) was carrying general merchandise from Silver Islet to Duluth when she foundered in a terrific gale off Encampment Island in Lake Superior. Three lives were lost. She was capable of only 4 miles per hour and was at the mercy of any fast-rising storm.

During a storm, the schooner ANNABELLA CHAMBERS was wrecked on the islands off Toronto, Ontario, on 30 October 1873. One sailor was washed overboard and lost. The skipper was rescued, but he had the dead body of his small son in his arms.

On 30 October, 1971 - The PERE MARQUETTE 21 was laid up due to a coal strike. She never sailed again as a carferry.

On 30 October 1877, CITY OF TAWAS (3-mast wooden schooner, 135 foot, 291 tons, built in 1864, at Vicksburgh [now Marysville], Michigan as a sloop-barge) was carrying 500 tons of iron ore when she struck a bar outside the harbor at St. Joseph, Michigan, while attempting to enter during a storm. She drifted ashore with a hole in her bottom and was pounded to pieces. One brave crewman swam ashore with a line and the rest came in on it.

1918: The bulk carrier VULCAN went aground off Point Abbaye, on Lake Superior and the pilothouse caught fire and burned. The ship was enroute to Hancock, MI with coal and, after being released, was towed to Houghton, MI. The vessel was repaired and became b) VINMOUNT in 1919.

1960: JOHN SHERWIN went aground several miles above the Soo Locks and received serious bottom damage. The vessel was pulled free on November 7 and went for repairs.

1973: AIGLE MARIN, enroute to Thorold with 600 tons of ferrous chrome, went aground in the Seaway near Cornwall, ON. The tug ROBINSON BAY helped pull this small coastal freighter, a product of the Collingwood Shipyard, free on October 31.

1974: JOHN O. McKELLAR of the Misener fleet went aground in the St. Marys River and had to be lightered before being refloated. It was stuck for 3 days.

1978: The Cypriot freighter KARYATIS came through the Seaway in 1973. The ship, later under the Greek flag, was damaged in a collision on the Western Mediterranean with the SPRING. The latter, as a) IRISH ROSE, had made been a Great Lakes visitor from 1956 through 1958, and was declared a total loss after the collision. It was scrapped at Santander, Spain, in 1979. KARYATIS was repaired and was later broken up at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, as e) NOURA after arrival on April 7, 1987.

1980: The wooden-hulled former coastal freighter AVALON VOYAGER II, enroute to Owen Sound for planned use as a restaurant, had pump problems, lost power and struck bottom off Cape Hurd. The anchors failed to hold. The ship drifted into Hay Bay and stranded again. All on board were saved but the ship was a total loss.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Gales forecast for Friday; vessels seek shelter

10/31 - Grand Rapids, Mich. – A strengthening storm system will move straight over Michigan Friday, while deepening at the same time. A deepening storm means the wind speeds will increase.

The winds will be straight out of the north, which really builds the wave heights, especially on Lake Michigan. The flow of air down the entire length of Lake Michigan will cause waves to increase heading south on Lake Michigan. Winds are expected to gust over 40 mph on all of the Great Lakes shores. There is a storm warning in effect, and waves could build to 23 feet at the south end of Lake Michigan.

On Thursday evening, likely in anticipation of the blow, the lakers Joseph H. Thompson, CSL Assinibone and Stewart J. Cort were anchored in the lee of Seul Choix Point on northern Lake Michigan, while the Wilfred Sykes was headed to anchor off Manistique. Joseph L. Block was loading at the Port Inland dock.

Lake Huron and Lake Superior will also have big waves. The north wind on Lake Huron will make the tallest waves on the south end of Lake Huron from Harbor Beach to Port Huron, where 14 foot waves are expected. Lake Superior will have about the same situation with 14 foot waves along the southern shore of Lake Superior.

November is a famous month for dangerous storms on the Great Lakes. The basic reason is Great Lakes water temperatures are relatively warm, and the air aloft can turn much colder. The warm air over the lakes is light and wants to rise, much like a hot air ballon rises. The cold air aloft is heavier and wants to fall to the ground. The opposing movement of these different air masses causes part of the wind. This happens at the same time the strength of low-pressure systems is getting stronger.

The combination of stronger large-scale storm systems with the water-to-air temperature difference makes the wind on the Great Lakes a unique weather situation.

The cold air coming will also make it look like winter at times Friday afternoon and evening.

M Live





Strike threat on Seaway could impact most Great Lakes ports

10/31 - Toledo, Ohio – A threatened strike over automation of the locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway could cut off international traffic to Great Lakes ports, including Toledo. The strike, if it happens, could begin as early Friday afternoon.

Unifor, a Canadian union representing workers on the Seaway, recently served a 72-hour strike notice to Seaway management, according to news reports, most of which cited a Unifor news release.

At issue is the automation of the mooring process used in the locks along the Seaway, which includes the Welland Canal linking Lakes Erie and Ontario. The Welland locks raise and lower ships around Niagara Falls. Lock crews handle mooring lines, which secure the ships while they are raised or lowered.

In April, the Seaway announced it had received government funding to automate the process, effectively eliminating the jobs of the lock crews.

“We believe that having no one at the lock is not a good idea,” said Joel Fournier, Unifor national representative, in the news release. “The risk of an environmental disaster with all of the dangerous cargo going through the Seaway is very real.”

The earliest a strike could begin is 12:15 p.m. Oct. 31, according to the news release, which said 96 percent of workers had voted earlier to support a strike.

Increased cargo “throughput” — for example, cargo brought in on ships and sent elsewhere by other means — at Midwest Terminals, which handles most of Toledo’s overseas cargo, resulted in a 54 percent increase in general cargo through September, compared to the same period in 2013, according to the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.

Great Lakes shipping would be less affected, as lake freighter cargo for the most part stays in the four upper lakes. The locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., linking Lakes Huron and Superior, are operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and so would not be affected.

Meanwhile, negotiations will continue with the assistance of a mediator appointed by the Canadian federal government, according to the Welland Tribune newspaper website.

Toledo Free Press





Labor inspectors to visit Canadian Miner cleanup site after worker hurt

10/31 - Sydney, N.S. – A laborer injured Tuesday in a fall at the cleanup site of the Canadian Miner on Scatarie Island will be back at work in a couple of days.

David Macdonald, general manager for RJ MacIsaac Construction of Antigonish, said Wednesday the worker was helping to remove equipment from the derelict freighter when he slipped on some rocks and broke two ribs.

Macdonald said the man, a general laborer from Sydney in his 50s, has been told by his doctor he can return to work after resting for two or three days.

He said work on dismantling the ship has been delayed due to weather, not because of the mishap, and that work would resume as weather permits.

“Operations were suspended due to high seas and wind conditions, and a couple of employees were removing some equipment from the Miner, crossing the breakwater road that we have to access the ship and … due to the high wind and sea conditions, the rocks were wet and one of our employees slipped and fell and broke two ribs,” Macdonald said.

A Cormorant helicopter from 14 Wing Greenwood flew the worker to hospital in Sydney.

On Wednesday, Labour Department spokeswoman Chrissy Matheson said the province has not issued a stop-work order “as of yet,” but inspectors are planning to visit the island as soon as possible to investigate the accident and to ensure the work-site safety plan is adequate.

Macdonald said staff trained in first aid are on Scatarie Island and the company has access to a helicopter, but it was away at the time of the accident.

By the time the company’s chopper arrived, the military helicopter was only a half-hour away, so staff decided to wait for it to arrive, he said.

Maj. Martell Thompson of the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax said a call for medical evacuation was received at about 10:45 a.m. Tuesday and the helicopter from 14 Wing Greenwood arrived at Scatarie at about 3:20 p.m.

The patient was transferred to an ambulance and taken to Cape Breton Regional Hospital at about 4 p.m.

Earlier this year, the province awarded a $12-million contract to RJ MacIsaac Construction to remove the MV Miner from the shore of Scatarie Island after the former Great Lakes freighter ran aground three years ago.

The ship was being towed to Turkey for scrap when it came loose in heavy weather and drifted toward the island, about two kilometres offshore from the community of Main-a-Dieu.

Matheson said the province takes safety seriously at the site, especially since previous work was stopped over safety concerns. The Bennington Group, a New York company, ran afoul of provincial regulations and eventually walked away from the cleanup effort in 2012.

Macdonald said the company still plans to finish the cleanup in about a month. Most of the ship’s superstructures have been removed and work is progressing quickly.

“We’re still moving forward with trying to have it done by the end of November or early December,” he said. “We want to be out of there as contractors as fast as possible. We don’t want to get into winter conditions or winter work.”

The Chronicle Herald





Port Reports - October 31

Lorain, Ohio – Phil Leon
Algolake was at Dock 3 on Thursday.

Buffalo, N.Y. – Brian W
The Luedtke dredger was working in the reach between the piers at the CSX River Bridge Thursday afternoon. While the bridge was in the raised position for the dredge, work crews were refacing the concrete on the counterweight, since it swings low to the ground when the draw is up. The tug Ohio remained at the vising ship dock. Vermont is now rafted alongside. Ohio brought the barge and derrick Farrell 256 from Erie to remove the old Black Rock Lock gates. The gates will be loaded onto the barge, and Ohio will be leaving with the gates headed to Cleveland. They were supposed to leave Thursday afternoon, but the lift of the gates was not yet complete. Weather may affect their departure. Vermont is now reassigned to Buffalo, and will take the place of the New Jersey. New Jersey has been resigned to Toledo. Washington will be staying in Buffalo due to her diesel electric versatility.





Left Behind #5 – Francisco Morazon – by Skip Gillham

The remains of the Francisco Morazon are likely still visible off South Manitou Island, Lake Michigan. The vessel landed there while racing to clear the Seaway on Nov. 29, 1960. Since then, wind, waves, ice and occasional fires have added to the woes of this veteran saltwater ship.

The vessel had been built at Hamburg, Germany, and launched on Sept. 23, 1922. It was soon at work in the Hamburg-America line as Arcadia and was noted to provide fast service to shallow draft ports.

The 246 foot, 9 inch long freighter was equipped with a steam turbine engine. It was sold and renamed b) Elbing in 1934 and served as such until confiscated by the British Ministry of War Transport as a war prize in 1945. Renamed c) Empire Congress, the ship worked for the British until sold to Norwegian interests and renamed d) Brunes in 1946. Another sale led to a rename of e) Skuld in 1947 and then f) Ringas in 1948.

Ringas became a pre-Seaway saltie in 1952 and returned until at least 1956. Stops included Muskegon, Mich., with china clay, and Port Huron with what was listed as general cargo. At some point it also brought a load of pulpwood into the lakes.

Another sale in 1958 led to the rename of g) Los Mayas and this ship visited the Great Lakes again that year bringing more china clay to Muskegon. Now under the flag of Panama, the vessel hit bottom at some point and required a cement patch to stop the leak.



Sold again in 1959 and renamed h) Francisco Morazon, the then Liberian-flagged freighter came to Thunder Bay in 1959 to load grain and was back on the lakes with a stop at Chicago in 1960. It had left there with general cargo for Hamburg, West Germany, and Rotterdam, Holland, and was in a hurry to clear the Seaway when it landed securely on the bottom off South Manitou Island, Lake Michigan, on Nov. 29, 1960. What is left of the ship is still there.

Skip Gillham





Lookback #348 – Eider aground and damaged off Antofagasta, Chile on Oct. 31, 2005

Eider is one of the big, green-hulled ocean ships that come through the Seaway for Canfornav. The 656 foot, 2 inch long, 35,200 ton capacity bulk carrier was built at Xingang, China in 2004.

It came through the Seaway for the first time on Oct. 21, 2004, with a cargo of steel coils for Detroit before going to Thunder Bay to load canola.

The next year there were two more trips inland with Windsor as the destination before returning to Thunder Bay for a load of canola and a second time for peas.

Later that year, on Oct. 31, 2005, Eider ran aground near Antofagasta, Chile, while inbound to load copper ore for Hong Kong. A tank fractured and considerable fuel oil was spilled with reported damage extending along the coast.

Eider was refloated, fined and repaired. It resumed service after the accident of nine years ago today and was back on the Great Lakes later in 2006. It has returned on a regular basis making three trips inland in 2007 with steel and, on one occasion a cargo of sugar for Toronto.

Eider continues to trade for Canfornav and serves their customers along the Seaway and around the world.

Skip Gillham





Today in Great Lakes History - October 31

On this day in 1984, at approximately 10:30 p.m., the international railroad bridge at Sault Ste. Marie went askew and blocked boat traffic until 3:40 p.m. on Nov. 2. Twelve boats were delayed up to 41 hours by the incident, costing the operators an estimated $350,000.

On 31 October 1888, A W LAWRENCE (wooden propeller tug, 72 foot, 51 gross tons, built in 1880, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin) blew her boiler at 2:30 a.m. off North Point near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The tug quickly sank. Four of the six aboard were lost. None of their remains were ever found. The tug MERRILL rescued the cook and a passenger. The LAWRENCE was owned by Capt. Mc Coy & Banner and valued at $5,000.

CANADIAN EXPLORER's sea trials were conducted on October 31, 1983, on Lake Erie where a service speed of 13.8 m.p.h. was recorded.

The EDWIN H. GOTT was christened October 31, 1978.

On October 31, 1973, the H. M. GRIFFITH entered service for Canada Steamship Lines on her maiden voyage bound for Thunder Bay, Ontario to load iron ore for Hamilton, Ontario. The GRIFFITH was rebuilt with a new larger forward section and renamed b.) RT. HON PAUL J. MARTIN in 2000.

The CADILLAC was launched October 31, 1942, as a.) LAKE ANGELINE.

ELMGLEN cleared Owen Sound, Ontario on October 31, 1984, on her first trip in Parrish & Heimbecker colors.

On October 31, 1966, while down bound in the St. Marys River loaded with 11,143 tons of potash for Oswego, New York, the HALLFAX ran aground on a rocky reef and settled to the bottom with her hold full of water. She had grounded on Pipe Island Twins Reef just north of DeTour, Michigan.

The CHARLES L. HUTCHINSON, a.) WILLIAM C. MORELAND, struck a reef the night of October 31, 1925 three miles south of Manitou Island, off the Keweenaw Peninsula, on Lake Superior.

On October 31, 1983, the SYLVANIA was towed out of Toledo’s Frog Pond by the harbor tugs ARKANSAS and WYOMING. She was handed over to the tug OHIO for delivery to the Triad Salvage Co., at Ashtabula, Ohio, arriving there on November 1st. Dismantling was completed there in 1984. Thus ended 78 years of service. Ironically the SYLVANIA, the first built of the 504-foot-class bulkers, was the last survivor of that class. During her career with Columbia Transportation, the SYLVANIA had carried over 20 million tons and netted over $35 million.

On 31 October 1883, CITY OF TORONTO (wooden passenger-package freight sidewheeler, 207 foot, 898 gross tons, built in 1864, at Niagara, Ontario) caught fire at the Muir Brothers shipyard at Port Dalhousie, Ontario and was totally destroyed. She previously had her paddle boxes removed so she could pass through the Welland Canal, and she was in the shipyard to have them reassembled that winter.

On 31 October 1874, the tug FAVORITE was towing the schooner WILLIE NEELER on Lake Erie. At about 10:30 p.m., near Bar Point, the schooner suddenly sheered and before the to line could be cast off, the FAVORITE capsized and sank. One life was lost. The rest of the crew clung to the upper works, which had become dislodged from the vessel, and were rescued by the schooner's lifeboats.

On 31 October 1821, WALK-IN-THE-WATER (wooden side-wheeler, 135 foot, 339 tons, built in 1818, at Black Rock [Buffalo], New York) was wrecked on Point Abino, on the Canadian shore of Lake Erie during a storm. She was the first steam-powered vessel above Niagara and her frequent comings and goings during her career were very much in the newspapers in Detroit but her loss was not mentioned not at all since this steamer was virtually the only source of news from the east. Her engine was installed by Robert Fulton himself. After the wreck, it went into the steamer SUPERIOR and later ran a lumber mill in Saginaw, Michigan.

On 31 October 1880, TRANCHEMONTAGNE (wooden schooner, 108 foot, 130 tons, built in 1864, at Sorel, Quebec) was loaded with rye and sailing in a storm on Lake Ontario. She struck the breakwater at Oswego, New York head-on at about 3:00 a.m. She stove in her bow and quickly sank. The crew took to the rigging, except for one who was washed overboard and rode a provision box from her deck to shore. The Lifesaving Service rescued the rest from the breakwater. The schooner broke up quickly in the storm.

1885: WILLIAM T. GRAVES stranded at North Manitou Island, Lake Michigan, and was a total loss.

1911: The wooden lumber carrier D. LEUTY hit a squall off Marquette. The wooden steamer ran on the rocks off Lighthouse Point while trying to return to the harbor and was a total loss. The crew was saved and later the machinery was salvaged.

1929: SENATOR and MARQUETTE collided in fog on Lake Michigan and the former sank with the loss of 10 lives.

1952: The Swedish vessel RYHOLM was hit portside ahead of the bridge by the Swiss freighter BASILEA and beached 23 miles below Quebec City. The former had been a pre-Seaway visitor to the Great Lakes and was not salvaged until June 6, 1953. It became CARLSHOLM in 1957 and last came inland in 1967. The ship was scrapped at Aviles, Spain, as d) ARCHON in 1972.

1975: The tug JESSE JAMES operated on the Great Lakes from 1923 to 1966. It caught fire and sank as c) BALEEN about 30 miles southeast of Boston. All on board were saved.

1991: The MAHOGANY visited the Seaway in 1978 and as b) CARDIFF in 1981. It was sailing as f) PANAGHIA PHANEROMENI when in collision with the AQUILLA off Piraeus Roads. The ship was repaired at Perama, Greece, before it returned to service in January 1992.

2005: The Canfornav bulk carrier EIDER was only one year old when it ran aground near Famagusta, Chile, while inbound to load copper ore. The ship was damaged but refloated and repaired at Balboa, Panama. It was back through the Seaway in 2006 and has been a frequent caller since then.

[skycheney]

Oct 31, 2014 6:33:44 GMT -5 yachtsmanwilly said:

Left Behind #5 – Francisco Morazon – by Skip Gillham

The remains of the Francisco Morazon are likely still visible off South Manitou Island, Lake Michigan. The vessel landed there while racing to clear the Seaway on Nov. 29, 1960. Since then, wind, waves, ice and occasional fires have added to the woes of this veteran saltwater ship.

The vessel had been built at Hamburg, Germany, and launched on Sept. 23, 1922. It was soon at work in the Hamburg-America line as Arcadia and was noted to provide fast service to shallow draft ports.

The 246 foot, 9 inch long freighter was equipped with a steam turbine engine. It was sold and renamed b) Elbing in 1934 and served as such until confiscated by the British Ministry of War Transport as a war prize in 1945. Renamed c) Empire Congress, the ship worked for the British until sold to Norwegian interests and renamed d) Brunes in 1946. Another sale led to a rename of e) Skuld in 1947 and then f) Ringas in 1948.

Ringas became a pre-Seaway saltie in 1952 and returned until at least 1956. Stops included Muskegon, Mich., with china clay, and Port Huron with what was listed as general cargo. At some point it also brought a load of pulpwood into the lakes.

Another sale in 1958 led to the rename of g) Los Mayas and this ship visited the Great Lakes again that year bringing more china clay to Muskegon. Now under the flag of Panama, the vessel hit bottom at some point and required a cement patch to stop the leak.



Sold again in 1959 and renamed h) Francisco Morazon, the then Liberian-flagged freighter came to Thunder Bay in 1959 to load grain and was back on the lakes with a stop at Chicago in 1960. It had left there with general cargo for Hamburg, West Germany, and Rotterdam, Holland, and was in a hurry to clear the Seaway when it landed securely on the bottom off South Manitou Island, Lake Michigan, on Nov. 29, 1960. What is left of the ship is still there.

Skip Gillham

Oh, she's still there alright. And she really smells bad with all of the cormorants crapping all over her. I mean, really bad. You can't even get within more than 100ft without gagging.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Yeah... last time I was alongside it was about 2005 and looked like a whitewash job! Still had 15 feet of viz to the bottom but the debris field was pretty large, and that would be a lousy place to hole the bottom. ws