Today in Great Lakes History

Yeah... on that fateful day, 1980, I was a pup at 25 and for even a few years before that dad would always ask me to lend a hand winterizing and then bottom painting the boat. That made him early to mid 50's (born in 1922)and he always bitched "when yer my age son..." Boy oh boy, at 59 heading into 60 those words were never truer... ws



Port Reports - November 12

Cedarville, Mich. – Jake H.
On Tuesday, the Joseph L Block arrived and began loading.

Calcite, Mich. – Jake H.
On Tuesday, American Mariner arrived and called on the North Dock. Later in the day, her fleetmate Buffalo arrived. The dock she called on was unknown.

Stoneport, Mich. – Jake H.
On Tuesday, the tug Joseph H Thompson Jr. with the barge Joseph H Thompson arrived, but dropped anchor to wait for the Dorothy Ann and Pathfinder to depart.

Ship movements in Quebec/Montreal to Great Lakes – Andre Blanchard
Vessels expected in Montreal then heading to the Great Lakes
Kom - due Nov. 10, then to Hamilton, Ont.
Algoeast - due Nov.11, then on to Sarnia, Ont.
Dimitrios K - due Nov. 11, then on to Hamilton, Ont.
Federal Rideau - due Nov. 11, then on to Ashtabula, Ohio
Labrador - due Nov. 12, then on to Hamilton, Ont.
Sarah Desgagnes - due Nov. 12, then on to Oakville, Ont.
Ziemia Cieszynska - due Nov. 15, then on to Toldeo, Ohio

Vessels in Quebec City departing for the Great Lakes
Birchglen - due to depart Nov. 12, then on to Sarnia, Ont.
Algoma Hansa - due to depart Nov. 11, then on to Oakville, Ont.

Vessels expected in Quebec then heading to the Great Lakes
Brant - due Nov. 14, then on to Toronto, Ont.
Federal EMS - due Nov. 16, then on to Chicago, IL





Great Lakes Shipyard awarded drydocking contract for Nautica Queen

11/12 - Cleveland, Ohio – Great Lakes Shipyard has been awarded a contract for routine drydocking of the motor vessel Nautica Queen The cruise ship was hauled out using the 770-ton capacity Marine Travelift at Great Lakes Shipyard on Monday, Nov. 10. The repair contract includes drydocking, USCG inspection and repairs, hull cleaning and painting, and miscellaneous steel repairs.

The Nautica Queen offers cruises along Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio providing views of historic architecture and the ever-changing skyline of downtown Cleveland.

Great Lakes Shipyard





Petitioners aim to change Welland Canal bridge opening policy

11/12 - St. Catharines, Ont. – Duane Todd and Bill Thorne are on a mission to improve the way the St. Lawrence Seaway Corp. operates bridges at the north end of the Welland Canal. They’ve been at it for nine months and have no intention of stopping.

Todd and Thorne, armed with almost 500 signatures on a petition, have been meeting with Seaway officials and local politicians in an effort to change Seaway policy. It’s been an uphill struggle, Todd said.

“We’ve worked hard with all levels of government but the Seaway keeps delaying and delaying and hoping we will go away,” said Todd, who like Thorne is a retired high school teacher.

“We know that in the past 10 years there have been other attempts to do what we are doing, but eventually the people just give up. It’s big business and bureaucracy.”

Todd and Thorne want to ensure that only one of the Lakeshore Rd. and Carlton St. bridges are closed or raised at the same time. They say it’s a matter of safety for the people living and working in Port Weller East.

“Don’t tell us for a second that you can get emergency services over here,” Thorne said. “It’s just not happening.

“Sooner or later there is going to be an incident, an accident, a fire — some kind of tragedy is going to happen here — and those services will not be able to get here. As far as we are concerned, it will be directly on the Seaway’s head.”

Andrew Bogora of the St. Lawrence Seaway Corp. said their control centre is in direct contact with dispatchers for fire, ambulance and police services.

“The moment there is a need for an emergency vehicle to cross the canal, our traffic control centre is giving their full attention to that need,” Borgora said.

He said during an emergency, immediate priority is given to first-response vehicles to make sure the bridges are available. If a bridge is already in a raised position, efforts are made to bring the bridge back down as soon as possible.

“We will put the emergency responders ahead of any other interest,” Bogora said. “That is our commitment and has always been our commitment.”

Thorne and Todd said the situation gets worse when repairs and maintenance are undertaken on the bridges.

“When we live here in Port Weller East, when the bridge is up, that is part of living here, but the Seaway sees what we want as something that inconveniences them,” Todd said. “They have the traffic to run and they see that as far more important than controlling a few little bridges. If we have to wait 10 to 15 minutes, so be it.”

Bogora said the Seaway has introduced a number of trial measures to lessen the impact of bridge operations on motorists.

The Seaway worked during the summer to try and reduce the instances in which the Lakeshore and Carlton bridges are up at the same time. They also tried to limit times when two ships were allowed to pass, one after another, during a single bridge lift.

There is a website (www.greatlakes-seaway.com) which lists the status of the bridges as well as the CAA’s smartphone app.

“We are closely examining different measures we can as best as possible co-ordinate vehicle and ship traffic,” Bogora said. “Right now, we are still testing these measures.

“Once the navigation season has concluded, which is typically the end of December, our managers will sit down and examine the results. Did we increase efficiency on the road for motorists? Did we incur significant delays in vessel navigation?

“There is no doubt with these two groups of stakeholders, we have to balance their interests. As anyone in leadership can attest, that is always a delicate process.”

St. Catharines Standard





Explorers map shipwrecks with lasers, sonar, photo sleds and robots

11/12 - Alpena, Mich. – Diving is not the only way to get an in-depth look at the mysteries beneath the surface of the Great Lakes. Lasers, underwater robots and other innovative technologies are simplifying the discovery and research of hundreds of shipwrecks at the bottom of the Great Lakes.

Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, a part of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is a 4,300-square-mile shipwreck sanctuary in northwestern Lake Huron near Alpena, Mich. It has one of America’s best-preserved and nationally significant collection of shipwrecks.

There are 92 known wreck sites in the newly expanded sanctuary and four have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, said Sarah Waters, the educational coordinator at the sanctuary.

Thunder Bay still uses divers to study shipwrecks, but recently it began investigating them with lasers.

“This past year we worked with a company called 2G Robotics and produced a laser scan/point cloud data of one of the shipwrecks called the Monohansett,” Waters said. “It’s basically a laser scanning technology and it has been done a lot, but not underwater.”

In museum collections, such as paleontology collections, the laser scans an object and makes a three-dimensional image of it, Waters said. When Thunder Bay teamed up with 2G Robotics this year they made a three-dimensional model of the Monohansett wreck site.

The purpose of the project was to use laser-scanning technology to more fully document sanctuary resources, Russ Green, Thunder Bay’s deputy superintendent and research coordinator, said in an email. It allows sanctuary archaeologists to document complex areas of shipwreck sites that would be otherwise difficult to capture in detail.

Lasers aren’t the only technology used to study shipwrecks at Thunder Bay.

“We use different kinds of sonar, including multi-beam,” Waters said. “That sonar is in the hull of our research vessel and our ships, but we can also tow sonars behind ships too.”

Thunder Bay also studies shipwrecks with remotely operated vehicles—known as ROVs—which run on a tether.

Alpena Community College’s marine technology program brings even larger ROVs to the sanctuary for research, she said. Other researchers at Thunder Bay bring autonomous underwater vehicles—these are known as AUVs— which are not connected by a tether, Waters said.

Mark Schwartz and Mark Gleason, two teachers from Grand Valley State University, demonstrated how they use ROVs to explore shipwrecks at the recent Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative (GLSI) conference. The annual conference is for educators and organizations working to develop stewards of the Great Lakes and its ecosystems.

Gleason and Schwartz have also partnered with Alpena Community College’s marine technology program and Thunder Bay.

Gleason said their team has used several different ROVs and side-scan sonars to explore shipwrecks. Their partnerships with other schools, government agencies and businesses have allowed them access to a wide range of marine gear, he said.

Schwartz said the great thing about ROVs is you don’t need dive certification and you can operate them for as long as you have power. In comparison, divers can spend only a limited amount of time underwater.

New photo technology also gives people a detailed image of a wreck, Waters said. Thunder Bay researchers use photographs and video to create photo mosaics. A camera is mounted onto a special underwater sled that holds it at a fixed level. The images can then be put into Photoshop to make a mosaic of the site.

There is a specific protocol for characterizing and evaluating a site when a shipwreck is discovered, Waters said. Since pieces of the wreck can be scattered, remote sensing is first used to show researchers what the bottom of the lake looks like so they can locate all of the pieces.

Researchers evaluate a site with divers, sonar or robots. Then they use laser-scanned imaging to build a photo mosaic.

The main goal is to identify the ship.

“Not only its name, but what kind of ship it was,” Waters said. “Was it a sailing ship and what type of sailing ship was it? Was it a schooner? Was it motorized or did it have a propeller?”

Those who research shipwrecks at Thunder Bay are interested in finding out more about the people who were on the ship, such as if any of them survived the wreck and if they continued to work on ships, Waters said. Finding out if the ships carried passengers or goods tells researchers more about the commercial activity that was happening in the Great Lakes when they sank.

The most eye-catching characteristic about Great Lakes shipwrecks to experts is that their preservation is unparalleled, Schwartz said.

“You see this kind of preservation in areas like the Black Sea,” Schwartz said. “None of the woods decay as much because you don’t have the kind of organisms that you do in the ocean that eat away the wood.”

And the cold, fresh water also helps preserve them, he said.

The Cornelia B. Windiate, a schooner that is sitting perfectly intact at the bottom of Lake Huron, is one of Waters’ favorites. Typically when a wooden ship sinks, the air trapped inside will push out as it’s going down which causes the hatch covers to come off. What’s unique about the Cornelia is that the hatch covers are still attached to the ship.

“The Cornelia is still in place though and it’s very ghostly—it’s very telling of most shipwrecks in the sanctuary,” Waters said.

As of now, Schwartz said he and Gleason are focused on the archeology aspect of shipwrecks. But the application of ROV technology is widespread. They said they hope to partner with another academic department that would find this technology useful to its own research, such as a department that is looking for invasive species, Schwartz said.

Great Lakes Echo





Dredging shifts to another Buffalo waterway needing to be cleaned

11/12 - Buffalo, N.Y. – With the cleanup of the once toxin-laden Buffalo River finished, the dredging derricks, scows and scoopers will move to another Buffalo location. Starting this week, dredging operations shift to the three-mile-long Black Rock Channel.

Crews will dredge the navigation channel to a 21-foot depth from the mouth of the Buffalo Harbor to the edge of the Black Rock Lock.

Officials project the crews will remove enough contaminated sediment to fill the equivalent of about 77 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The sediment contains the kinds of toxins scrubbed from the Buffalo River: mercury, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls and other chemicals.

The work comes as part of a $2.2 million contract the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded to Luedtke Engineering Inc., the firm that dredged the 6.2-mile corridor of the Buffalo River.

Andrew Lenox, environmental engineer for the Army Corps, said the Buffalo Gas Light Company Works and combined sewage overflows are just a couple of the sources of the contamination in the channel. “There was a lot of industry along that area,” Lenox said.

The navigation channel has been dredged before – it last happened in 2009 – but this time an environmental cleanup element has been added for the first time.

“It’s toxic material and it has to be confined,” Lenox said.

Like the Buffalo River project, the toxic silt will be scooped up, hauled away and interred at a federal disposal facility on the Outer Harbor near the former Bethlehem Steel site.

Unlike the Buffalo River project, this project’s goals are limited. So the crews will not deal with all of the contamination.

“It’s limited to the navigation channel,” Lenox said. “There is legacy material on the banks. Right now, that’s still being looked at.”

Initial sampling for the channel’s cleanup effort began in 2003, but it wasn’t until funding through the EPA’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative became available that designs with the environmental tie-in became feasible.

“The remediation of the Black Rock Canal is a priority due to the significant amount of human activity and ecological value within that waterway,” said Jill Jedlicka, executive director of Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper.

“Historical sources of contamination to the canal include the Buffalo River and Scajaquada Creek, and in turn this degraded waterway ultimately impacts the health of the Niagara River.”

The 2009 routine channel dredging, which is necessary to keep the waterway open to travel, removed about 115,000 cubic yards – or about the volume of more than 35 Olympic sized swimming pools.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding means of sediment will be removed from the channel during this dredging operation.

Jedlicka credited the Great Lakes initiative as “an absolutely critical tool to have to achieve the cleanup of area waterways.”

The cleanup became a priority as more boaters and fishers head to the channel and nearby Squaw Island.

The schedule calls for the dredging to be completed by the end of January. But the weather could delay progress.

“If we do get ice in there – if the weather does get too bad – they will have to stop,” said Capt. Kelly Polashenski, project manager.

Ice in the canal could delay completion until the summer.

Crews would have to wait to continue their work until July 1 – after the nesting season for the protected terns and gulls at the Corps’ facility on the Outer Harbor.

The Buffalo News





Water levels bounce back in Georgian Bay

11/12 - Water levels in the middle Great Lakes have bounced back dramatically, nearly two years after hitting historic lows. But just because the water is higher doesn't mean the problem is solved, say those working to keep the issue of low water levels in the public eye.

In Lake Huron, which includes Georgian Bay, the water level remains 20 inches above chart datum.

It's also about 31 inches above where it was two years ago, as the level of the lake was headed to set a new record low.

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which tracks water levels on the lakes, Huron-Michigan's seasonal rise continued through October due to persistently wet conditions, and was the second consecutive month with above-average water levels after a 15-year stretch of continuously below-average conditions.

The middle lakes also benefited from near-record ice cover this past winter, which helped keep evaporation low.

It's predicted - especially if it's another cold winter - that water levels in Michigan and Huron could stay 16-to-20 inches above chart datum over the next six months.

Drew Gronewold, a hydrologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, says the rise in water levels from a record low in January, 2013, to the current level, is the largest in recorded history.

"The challenge for us is to understand what variables are driving this change," he said from his office in Ann Arbor, Michigan. "There is a combination of factors."

Along with increased precipitation and less evaporation because of ice cover in the winter, the middle lakes have also seen increased flow from Lake Superior, which is 30 cm higher than last year, and above its long-term average.

Collingwood's Ulli Rath, who's made water levels his passion and was instrumental in forming a Collingwood chapter affiliated with Stop The Drop, is not convinced the tide has turned on water levels.

Rath, a geologist by trade, communicates on a regular basis with water level experts at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA, and the International Joint Commission.

"Most of the people I deal with tend to think what we're experiencing is an outlier," Rath said. "We've had 14 years of [low water conditions], and now we've had these extremes in a very condensed period. I don't believe this is the start of a long-tern trend."

Gronewold said NOAA expects Michigan-Huron will follow its current trend for the next six months, but otherwise it can be difficult to predict what water levels will do in six months - especially in the big picture of changing water levels.

"Last June [of 2013], no one could have predicted the cold air mass that gripped the area [last winter], so it's hard to tell where things are going, and it's hard to say what's occurring is some kind of blip," he said. "Historically, the lakes can oscillate in extremes, and can go up or down ... variability is part of the system."

Georgian Bay Forever executive director David Sweetnam cautions that a one-year blip in water levels shouldn't be taken as an indication the issue is solved.

"We're looking at weather impacts, and climate is different - it takes a lot longer to look at those impacts," he said. "In terms of [shoreline] ecology and the economy, we're not out of the woods. We're still trying to understand the science. In five years, we could be back at record lows ... we can't keep starting and stopping the process.

Rath says the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is wrapping up a study that would outline the parameters of a proposal for a long-term solution to maintain water levels in the middle lakes by installing compensation structures in the St. Clair River.

He also wants the Canadian government to take more of an interest, in both the issue, and in the funding of a study.

"I still think is a very relevant process that needs to be done," he said. "I think we should continue to keep the pressure on the politicians. It's nice to see the lake levels up, but I just don't believe it's a responsible approach to say 'that's it'."

Wasaga Sun





Lookback #360 – Belvoir hit submerged object in Gulf of Honduras on Nov. 12, 1974

11/12 - The bulk carrier Belvoir, a sistership to Griffon and Tecumseh, in the Beaconsfield Steamship Co., was built at Port Colborne and launched on Dec. 16, 1954. The 259- foot-long vessel was commissioned on June 10, 1955, and went to work in the canal trades.

The vessel could carry 3,000 tons deadweight or 135,000 bushels of grain. It was powered by Fairbanks Morse diesel engines. It was lengthened by 90 feet with the addition of a fifth cargo hold and deepened by 3 feet, 6 inches. This was carried out by Canadian Vickers Ltd. at Montreal in 1958–1959, making the ship ready for the opening of the Seaway.

Belvoir moved under the banner of sister company Mohawk Navigation in 1963 and was sold to Bamar Marine Ltd. in 1968. It was registered in Nassau, Bahamas, for trading on the Caribbean. The vessel became b) Nazca, with registry in Peru, in 1970 but was sailing again as Belvoir when it was lost 40 years ago today.

Belvoir struck a submerged object, while carrying ore concentrates on a voyage from Puerto Cortes, Honduras, to Corpus Christi, Texas, and sank in the Gulf of Honduras near Halfmoon Cay. Four members of the crew were rescued but 21 were listed as missing and presumed lost.

The two sisterships lasted longer around the Great Lakes. Griffon later sailed as b) Franquelin (ii) and c) Eva Desgagnes before leaving the Great Lakes for Mexican service as d) Telchac. Tecumseh became b) New York News (iii), c) Stella Desgagnes, d) Beam Beginner and e) Wolf River. The latter has been idle at Thunder Bay for many years.

Skip Gillham





Today in Great Lakes History - November 12

In 1920, FRANCIS WIDLAR stranded on Pancake Shoal in Lake Superior and was written off as a total constructive loss of $327,700. The wreck was purchased by Mathews Steamship Company in 1921 and placed back in service as BAYTON. The BAYTON sailed until 1966, and the hull was later used as a temporary breakwall during construction at Burns Harbor, Indiana.

On 12 November 1878, JAMES R. BENTLEY (3-mast wooden schooner, 170 foot, 575 tons, built in 1867, at Fairport, Ohio) was carrying grain when she struck a shoal in heavy weather and foundered off 40 Mile Point on Lake Huron. Her crew was rescued in the rough seas by the bark ERASTUS CORNING.

On 12 Nov 1964, THOMAS F. COLE (steel propeller bulk freighter, 580 foot, 7,268 gross tons, built in 1907, at Ecorse, Michigan) collided with the British motor vessel INVEREWE off the south end of Pipe Island on the lower St. Marys River in foggy conditions. The COLE suffered severe damage to the port bow and was taken to Lorain for repairs.

On 12 Nov 1980, ALVA C. DINKEY (steel propeller bulk freighter, 580 foot, 7,514 gross tons, built in 1909, at Lorain, Ohio) and GOVERNOR MILLER (steel propeller bulk freighter, 593 foot, 8,240 gross tons, built in 1938, at Lorain, Ohio) arrived near El Ferrol del Caudillo, Spain for scrapping in tow of the FedNav tug CATHY B. Demolition by Miguel Partins began on 28 Nov 1980, at Vigo, Spain.

On November 12, 1919, PANAY, upbound on Lake Superior for Duluth, Minnesota, in rough weather, was one of the last vessels to see the down bound JOHN OWEN which, apparently later the same day, disappeared with all hands. Renamed b.) WILLIAM NELSON in 1928, and c.) BEN E. TATE in 1936. Scrapped at Bilbao, Spain in 1969.

On 12 November 1881, BRUNSWICK (iron propeller bulk freighter, 248 foot, built in 1881, at Wyandotte, Michigan) was carrying 1,500 tons of hard coal in a night of fitful squalls in Lake Erie. CARLINGFORD (wooden schooner, 155 foot, built in 1869, at Port Huron, Michigan) was also sailing there, loaded with 26,000 bushels of wheat. They collided. After the skipper of BRUNSWICK made sure that the sinking schooner's crew were in their lifeboats, he ran for shore with his sinking vessel, but sank a few miles off Dunkirk, New York. A total of 4 lives were lost.

On 12 November 1835, the small wooden schooner ROBERT BRUCE was sailing from Kingston, Ontario to Howell, New York when she was wrecked west of Henderson, New York. Her crew of 4, plus one passenger, were all lost.

On 12 Nov 1886, the tug WM L. PROCTOR (wooden tug, 104 foot, 117 gross tons, built in 1883, at Buffalo, New York) left Oswego, New York with the schooner-barges BOLIVIA and E.C. BUCK in tow before a big storm struck. During the snowstorm, the tug got lost and the towline broke. Alone, the PROCTOR finally made it to Charlotte, New York, badly iced up, but there was no word on the barges. They were presumed lost with all onboard.

1881: BRUNSWICK sank in Lake Erie after a collision with the CARLINGFORD. The wooden hulled, coal-laden steamer, made a run for the American shore but the effort fell short. Three lives were lost.

1914: The wooden steamer COLONIAL began to leak on Lake Erie and was beached in Rondeau Bay only to be pounded to pieces by gale force winds. All on board were rescued.

1967: The Swedish freighter TORSHOLM began visiting the Great Lakes as early as 1953. The ship was enroute from the Seaway to Stockholm when it ran aground near Uto, Sweden, and became a total loss.

1968: CLARA CLAUSEN, a Danish freighter, ran aground at Les Escoumins on the St. Lawrence and was abandoned. After being salvaged, the vessel came to the Great Lakes in 1970 and was rebuilt at Kingston as ATLANTEAN.

1974: BELVOIR (ii), enroute from Puerto Cortes, Honduras, to Corpus Christi, Texas, with a load of ore concentrates, struck a submerged object in the Gulf of Honduras and sank. Only 4 crew members are rescued while the other 21 were presumed lost.

1980: The former Lake Michigan rail car ferry PERE MARQUETTE 21 left the Great Lakes in 1974. It was lost on this date as the barge d) CONSOLIDATOR. It was hit by Hurricane Jean off the coast of Honduras while carrying a load of truck trailers.

2005: SPAN TERZA, an Italian freighter, first came through the Seaway in 1977 and returned as b) ANANGEL HORIZON in 1983. It was damaged on this date as d) SALAM 4 in a collision near Dondra Head, Sri Lanka, with SHANGHAI PRIDE and had to go to Colombo for assessment. The ship was repaired and eventually scrapped as e) ALINA at Xinhui, China, in 2009

New laker named after historic wheat variety

11/13 - Canada Wheat Board’s first Equinox-class laker, the CWB Marquis, is on its way to Canada, the Winnipeg-based organization has announced.

The vessel left China on Oct. 31 and is now in international waters. It is expected to the reach the St. Lawrence Seaway, via the Pacific Ocean, Panama Canal and Atlantic Ocean, by the end of December.

In a release, the organization said the CWB Marquis, its first Equinox-class laker, is named after the historic Marquis wheat variety, the first wheat variety bred specifically for the short Canadian growing season.

“Marquis wheat has a long and distinguished history on the Prairies and we are proud to name CWB’s first laker vessel in honor of its legacy,” said Canada Wheat Board president and CEO Ian White.

“Almost every variety of wheat grown on the Prairies since the beginning of the 20th century can be traced back to Marquis wheat.”

Canada Wheat Board’s release said Equinox-class vessels are the next generation of Great Lakes bulk carriers with the ability to carry more cargo, sail faster and consume less fuel than their predecessors.

‘The ships are also more environmentally-friendly with exhaust scrubbing systems designed to remove 97 per cent of sulphur oxide emissions generated by the vessel engines. The CWB Marquis is the third Equinox class vessel constructed at Nantong Mingde Heavy Industries shipyard in Jiangsu province, China. The first two — the Algoma Equinox and the Algoma Harvester — were delivered to Algoma Central Corp.”

The second Canada Wheat Board vessel is scheduled to be completed in early 2015, and both vessels will be managed and operated by Algoma Central Corp. within its vessel pool.

The ships will be used extensively to carry grain eastward out of Thunder Bay, and iron ore on the return trip from seaports back into the Great Lakes.

“Algoma is very excited about the partnership with CWB and is looking forward to managing the vessels and providing continued quality service to our customers,” said Algoma CEO Greg Wight.

White said Canada Wheat Board’s state-of-the-art lakers complements its growing list of assets, and “the ships will play a strategic role in an integrated grain handling supply chain.”

“All of our assets are key to ensuring our Farmer Equity Plan is an attractive reason for farmers to choose CWB as their marketing partner.”

Canada Wheat Board launched the Farmer Equity Plan in 2013, which provides farmers who deliver grain against CWB contracts the opportunity to receive an equity interest in the company after privatization.

“It is the only opportunity for farmers to gain an ownership stake in a Canadian-focused grain company,” the release said.

Canada Wheat Board





Lake Superior coal deliveries lower through October

11/13 - After a "brutal" winter that saw coal traffic on Lake Superior fall as much as 4 million short tons through the end of April, shippers are still behind 800,000 short tons heading into winter, the director of the Lake Carriers' Association said Tuesday.

Coal shipments from Lake Superior ports totaled 13.5 million st through the end of October, down 5.6 percent from 14.3 million st at the same point in 2013, said Glen Nekvasil, vice president of the association.

While still behind, the industry has narrowed the gap mainly by spending $5.7 million to repair damaged hulls and machinery and by boosting load capacity on the lake, Nekvasil said.

"We've had a stroke of luck here," he said. "With all that snow and ice melting, water levels have come up and we've picked up a lot of cargo."

For every inch of draft, another 270 tons of cargo can be loaded on the lake, Nekvasil said. That has allowed coal ships up to 70,000 st compared with the largest ships carrying less than 60,000 st in January 2013, he said.

Coal shippers are eager not to see a repeat of last winter's long freeze, which pushed deliveries back about a month for one utility. Milwaukee-based We Energies had to ship its coal by truck from Marquette, Michigan, to its 431-MW Presque Isle coal-fired plant in the state's Upper Peninsula.

With uncertain winter weather ahead, the company has been able to make sure that its coal inventories are sufficient to last through winter, said company spokeswoman Jessica Williamson.

"We are working with stakeholders to make sure that our coal inventories are where we need them to be so we have sufficient coal to allow (us) to operate the plant at desired levels," she said.

Platts





Twin Ports report

11/13 - Duluth's Port Terminal hosted two oceangoing vessels Tuesday. The German-owned, Liberian-flagged bulker Yulia was in the final stages of discharging kaolin clay at Berth 4. The Dutch multipurpose cargo carrier Muntgracht made a brief visit to Berth 1, discharging machinery reportedly destined for Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Muntgracht arrived Tuesday morning following a similarly quick delivery of general cargo to Thunder Bay, and cleared Duluth later that evening bound for Menominee.

The northerly gale blowing on central and eastern Lake Superior began subsiding late Tuesday. Vessels which had taken shelter in places like Thunder Bay began moving; others which had taken the longer route hugging the Lake's north shore finally neared their destinations. Wednesday brought the flurry of activity that Duluth-Superior often sees as weather abates further east; a number of vessel movements occurred between midnight and noon Wednesday. Before sunrise Paul R. Tregurtha and Arthur M. Anderson cleared Duluth while Burns Harbor and Alpena departed Superior. Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. arrived Duluth at daybreak. Thunder Bay dropped anchor roughly two hours later to wait for the McCarthy to load at Midwest Energy. Herbert C. Jackson was hot on the Thunder Bay's heels. She coasted into Duluth amid intermittent snow squalls, headed for the Riverland Ag. grain terminal just inside the harbor. The Jackson loaded wheat for Buffalo, NY, the first such visit for her in several months. For much of 2014 she has been absent from her occasional trips to Duluth-Superior for grain, loading several Buffalo-bound wheat cargoes at Thunder Bay instead.

As the Jackson secured at Riverland, Yulia got underway from the Port Terminal and quickly made her way out of the harbor. She was in ballast for busy Thunder Bay, where numerous other oceangoing vessels are currently lined up to load grain. She may be joining them, or loading another type of bulk cargo at Thunder Bay Terminals. As the Yulia motored out the Duluth entry the Stewart J. Cort arrived Superior on her usual run to the BNSF dock for iron ore pellets. Yulia turned east out of Duluth to clear an arrival course for the inbound James R. Barker, headed to Calumet Fuel in Duluth and an eventual load of coal at Midwest Energy. The hours after noon were quieter. Algoma Olympic dropped anchor off Superior, waiting to load behind the Cort. Thunder Bay picked up anchor and arrived Duluth just after sunset to position herself to slide into Midwest Energy after the Walter McCarthy, which departed mid-evening.

Up the north shore, American Spirit cleared Two Harbors midday. St. Clair arrived Silver Bay with coal from Superior during the morning, and departed again during the evening headed back to the Twin Ports to load iron ore pellets in Duluth. H. Lee White left weather anchorage in Thunder Bay during the morning headed for Silver Bay to load, but spent the day slow-belling back and forth along the north shore in the vicinity of the port. She had yet to arrive as of late Wednesday evening.

Vessels due at Duluth-Superior Thursday included Lee A. Tregurtha, and Dutch-flagged Volgaborg. Thursday arrivals were originally projected for CSL Assiniboine and John G. Munson, though weather seems likely to change that. Wednesday evening the Assiniboine was slogging into still-significant seas north of Whitefish Point and John G. Munson was anchored in Whitefish Bay, making Friday arrivals more likely for both ships. Also on Thursday American Century is scheduled for a load at Two Harbors, and Sam Laud is expected at Silver Bay after sheltering with the Kaye E. Barker off the Goulais River on the eastern end of the Lake.

Another notable sign of winter appeared as some of Wednesday's arrivals at Duluth-Superior sported light ice accumulations on railings, masts, and bulwarks up forward. More of the same might be expected on some of the other ships that ventured upbound into the middle of Superior's eastern end as seas diminished from their gale-driven magnitude but still maintained significant heights of up to around ten feet.





Port Reports - November 13

Port Inland, Mich. – Denny Dushane
Joseph L. Block is due at Port Inland on Thursday in the early morning and is also due back right away on Friday also in the early morning.

Cedarville, Mich. – Denny Dushane & Jake H.
On Wednesday, the Joseph L Block was back again and began loading.

Drummond Island, Mich. – Jake H.
On Wednesday, the Wilfred Sykes arrived and began loading. She departed after dark.

Calcite, Mich. – Denny Dushane & Jake H.
American Mariner and the Buffalo loaded on Wednesday, with the American Mariner expected to depart around 10 a.m. while the Buffalo was expected to depart around 6 p.m. On Wednesday, the tug Ken Boothe Sr. with the barge Lakes Contender arrived and began loading.

Stoneport, Mich. – Denny Dushane
Joseph H. Thompson arrived on Tuesday during the late evening to load and was expected to depart on Wednesday at about 6 a.m. Also due on Wednesday was the Cason J. Callaway in the late afternoon. Two vessels are due on Thursday, with the first to arrive being the Philip R. Clarke in the early morning followed by the Lewis J. Kuber in the early afternoon. On Friday, Calumet and the Pathfinder are due in the early morning. On Saturday the Joseph H. Thompson returns in the early morning to load. Due on Sunday in the early morning will be the Great Republic. Expected to arrive on Monday, November 17 will be the Pathfinder in the early morning.

Toledo, Ohio – Denny Dushane
Algolake arrived on Tuesday and began loading at the CSX Coal Dock, however loading was stopped late in the evening account of water levels being low. Due next at CSX will be American Mariner on Friday morning. Two vessels are due at CSX on Sunday evening, with the Saginaw arriving first followed by the H. Lee White. There are two vessels due at the Midwest Terminal Stone Dock with limestone. Michipicoten and Algomarine are both expected on Sunday during the morning. Vessels arriving at the Torco Dock with iron ore include the 1,000-footer Mesabi Miner on Saturday in the early morning, followed by the James L. Kuber on Tuesday, during the late morning. H. Lee White wraps up the schedule on Sunday, November 23 in the early morning. American Fortitude and American Valor remain in long-term lay-up. Several other vessels were in port at the time of this report, among them the tug Paul L. Luedtke. Both Anglian Lady with a barge and the saltwater vessel Mandarin of Cyprus registry were at the Midwest Terminal Overseas Dock. The saltwater vessel Maccoa of Cyprus registry and a fleetmate to the Mandarin was upriver loading at one of the grain elevators, as was CSL's Oakglen. Algoway was also upriver, as she arrived sometime on Tuesday to deliver salt.





Lookback #361 – Ocean Sovereign lost steering at Soo Locks on Nov. 13, 1976

11/13 - Ocean Sovereign, a 520-foot-long Liberian-registered bulk carrier, got into trouble at the Soo Locks while downbound 38 years ago today. The vessel lost steering in 35 m.p.h. winds and got wedged against the wall on Nov. 13, 1976.

The vessel was stuck for seven hours and received rudder damage. Once released, arrangements had to be made to tow the ship from the Great Lakes. It departed on Nov. 17 but made slow progress en route to Lauzon, Quebec, for drydocking.

This vessel dated from 1966 and construction at Greenock, Scotland, as Bolnes. It first came through the Seaway in 1970 and returned in 1973, a year after being sold and renamed Ocean Sovereign.

Once repaired, the ship resumed its duties. It was sold again and became Ingapirca in 1978 and then Maria Jose in 1985. Neither of these ships came to the Great Lakes.

Typhoon Vera caught the former lakes visitor unloading at Ulsan, South Korea, on Sept. 27, 1986. It went to anchor as the storm arrived but the anchors failed to hold and the ship was blown aground and was severely damaged.

Once refloated, the only viable option was a sale for scrap. The vessel was broken up by the Hyundai Precision Industry Co. Ltd. beginning Nov. 5, 1986.

Skip Gillham





Today in Great Lakes History - November 13

In 1952, the 626-foot SPARROWS POINT successfully completed her sea trials and departed Chicago on her maiden trip. The new Bethlehem boat, the largest boat to enter the lakes via the Mississippi River Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, was under the command of Captain Wilfred Couture and Chief Engineer James Meinke. She was lengthened to 682 feet in 1958, converted to a self-unloader in 1980, renamed b.) BUCKEYE in 1991, converted to a barge in 2006, renamed c.) LEWIS J. KUBER.

ARAB (2-mast wooden schooner, 100 foot, 158 tons, built in 1854, at Buffalo, New York) beached on 01 November 1883, near St. Joseph, Michigan, during a storm, but quick work by salvagers got her free. However on 13 November 1883, while being towed to Racine, Wisconsin, she capsized and sank well off of Arcadia, Michigan. One man lost his life, an engineer who was desperately trying to start her pumps when she rolled.

On November 13, 1976, the TEMPLE BAR (later LAKE WABUSH and ALGONORTH) arrived at Singapore, where she was lengthened 202 feet.

CONDARRELL was laid up for the last time on November 13, 1981. Built in 1953 as a.) D. C. EVEREST, she was renamed b.) CONDARRELL in 1982.

GEORGE HINDMAN was in collision with the British salty MANCHESTER EXPLORER on Lake St. Louis, above the Lachine Lock in 1956. Built in 1921, as a.) GLENCLOVA, renamed b.) ANTICOSTI in 1927, c.) RISACUA in 1946, d.) GEORGE HINDMAN in 1955, and e.) ELIZABETH HINDMAN in 1962. Scrapped at Duluth, Minnesota, in 1971.

J. P. MORGAN JR (Hull#373) was launched November 13, 1909, at Lorain, Ohio, for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.

HOMER D. WILLIAMS was involved in a collision with the steamer OTTO M. REISS at Duluth November 13, 1917.

In 1984, HOMER D. WILLIAMS was towed to Thunder Bay, Ontario, by the tug MALCOLM for dismantling.

On 13 November 1870, the schooner E. FITZGERALD left Port Huron on her maiden voyage to load lumber at Au Sable, Michigan, for Chicago. She was commanded by Capt. A. McTavish.

On 13 November 1883, H. C. AKELEY (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 240 foot, 1,187 tons, built in 1881, at Grand Haven, Michigan) was carrying corn from Chicago to Buffalo when she encountered a heavy storm off Holland, Michigan. She took the disabled tug PROTECTOR in tow but let her go when her own rudder broke off. AKELEY anchored but started to sink when she fell into the troughs of the waves. The disabled schooner DRIVER managed to save 12 of the crew who had taken to AKELEY's yawl before she went down. 6 lives were lost.

Captain W. H. Van Dyke was born at Escanaba, Michigan, on November 13, 1871, and spent most of his life on the Great Lakes (he joined the crew of a schooner at the age of 15). He first captained the Pere Marquette Line Steamer PERE MARQUETTE 8 then, in 1916, he joined the Pere Marquette carferry fleet. His first command was the str. PERE MARQUETTE 15. Then for 10 years he served as master of the PERE MARQUETTE 17, and after the launch of the CITY OF FLINT 32 in 1929, he served as master of the PERE MARQUETTE 22.

On 13 November 1865, CLARA PARKER (3-mast wooden schooner, 175 foot, 425 gross tons, built in 1865, at Detroit, Michigan) was fighting a losing battle with storm induced leaks, so she was beached 400 yards off shore near the mouth of the Pigeon River, south of Grand Haven, Michigan. The local Lifesaving Service plucked all 9 of the crew from the rigging by breeches buoy after the vessel had gone down to her decks and was breaking up.

On 13 November 1888, LELAND (wooden steam barge, 148 foot, 366 gross tons, built in 1873, at New Jerusalem, Ohio) burned at Huron, Ohio. She was valued at $20,000 and insured for $15,000. She was rebuilt and lasted until 1910.

JAMES DAVIDSON (steel propeller bulk freighter, 587 foot, 8,349 gross tons, built at Wyandotte, Michigan, in 1920) entered service on 13 Nov 1920, for the Globe Steamship Co. (G. A. Tomlinson, mgr.) when she loaded 439,000 bushels of wheat at Duluth, Minnesota, for delivery to Buffalo, New York. She was the last ship built at Wyandotte, Michigan.

An unnamed salty (formerly RANGUINI) arrived at Milwaukee's heavy lift dock on Saturday night, 13 Nov 1999, to load a large desalinization filtration system built in Milwaukee for Korea. The vessel entered the Seaway in ballast for Milwaukee on 09 Nov 1999. The following day, the crew rigged scaffolding over the side so the new name BBC GERMANY could be painted on the ship.

The Toledo Blade published the following vessel passages for Detroit on this date in 1903: -Up- VOLUNTEER, AMAZON, HARLOW, 12:30 Friday morning; ROCKEFELLER, 4:20; MARISKA, 4:40; FRENCH, 5:20; CONEMAUGH, 6; S M STEPHENSON, FAUSTIN, barges, 7:30; OLIVER, MITCHELL, (sailed), 7:50; AVERILL, 8.

1909: The steamers CHARLES WESTON and WARD AMES collided in lower Whitefish Bay. The former, which had been at anchor waiting to head downbound through the Soo Locks, ran for shore but settled on the bottom. The ship was saved, repaired and last sailed as c) SAUCON for Bethlehem Transportation before being scrapped at Hamilton, ON in 1950.

1909: JAMES H. HOYT went aground on a reef about two miles off the northeast corner of Outer Island after the engine was disabled in a snowstorm. The vessel was refloated November 29 and later became the BRICOLDOC.

1929: BRITON was wrecked in Lake Erie off Point Abino. The stranded vessel was battered for two days before being abandoned as a total loss.

1934: WILLIAM A. REISS (i) stranded off Sheboygan while inbound with 7025 tons of coal from Toledo. The ship was refloated November 17 with heavy damage and considered a total loss.

1942: H.M. PELLATT, a former Great Lakes canal freighter, was sailing as f) SCILLIN under the flag of Italy, when it was hit by gunfire from the British submarine H.M.S. PROTEUS while 9 miles off Kuriat, Tunisia, and sank.

1956: The downbound and grain-laden GEORGE HINDMAN and the upbound MANCHESTER EXPLORER collided in fog on the St. Lawrence above Lachine and both ships were damaged.

1958: LUNAN, a Pre-Seaway trader on the Great Lakes, sustained major bottom damage in a grounding on the St. Lawrence near Murray Bay. The ship was refloated, towed to Lauzon for repairs and it returned to service as b) MARIDAN C. in 1959.

1967: SANTA REGINA, the first American saltwater vessel to use the St. Lawrence Seaway, put into San Francisco with boiler problems and machinery damage while headed from Los Angeles to Saigon, South Vietnam as f) NORBERTO CAPAY. The vessel was sold at auction and towed to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, for scrapping in 1969.

1971: The small St. Lawrence freighter C. DE BAILLON, better known as a) DONNACONA NO. 2 and b) MIRON C., went aground at Mont Louis and was a total loss.

1975: There was a boiler explosion on the Egyptian freighter CLEOPATRA after leaving Hartlepool, England, for Alexandria, Egypt, and 8 crewmen were severely injured with at least one fatality. The former Victory Ship first traveled through the Seaway in 1963. It was scrapped at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, in 1981.

1976: OCEAN SOVEREIGN lost steering at Sault Ste. Marie and was wedged into the wall at the Soo Locks. The rudder was damaged and the Greek saltie had to be towed to Lauzon, Quebec, for repairs. The vessel initially traded inland as a) BOLNES in 1970 and returned as b) OCEAN SOVEREIGN for the first time in 1973. It was scrapped at Ulsan, South Korea, as d) MARIA JOSE after being blown aground from the anchorage during Typhoon Vera on September 27, 1986.

1979: A steering failure put VANDOC aground at Harvey Island in the Brockville Narrows. The vessel spent time at Port Weller Dry Docks after being released.

1996: JOLLITY reported it was taking water in the engine room (Pos: 17.47 N / 119.20 E). The ship was was taken in tow two days later and reached Hong Kong on November 18. The vessel was scrapped at Chittagong, Bangladesh, in 1999.

1997: ARCADIA BERLIN visited the Great Lakes in 1971 when it was a year old. The ship was carrying bagged cement and sailing as f) ALLISSA when it collided with and sank the Ukrainian vessel SMENA off Yangon, Myanmar. The former was apparently laid up with collision damage and scrapped at Alang, India, in 1998.

2002: WILFRED SYKES was inbound with a cargo of limestone when it went aground in Muskegon Lake. Some of the cargo was lightered to PERE MARQUETTE 41 and the stranded ship was pulled free.

Palmer Johnson's newest yacht departs Sturgeon Bay

11/16 - Palmer Johnson's newest yacht, the 157-foot-long Khalilah, departed Sturgeon Bay from the CenterPointe Marine dock on Saturday. According to AIS, the vessel's name was still her shipyard number, PJ Hull 265.

The vessel was partially constructed in Russia, and was brought to Sturgeon Bay in the summer of 2013 aboard the Netherlands-flagged heavy-lift vessel Qamutik. It was launched at Bay Shipbuilding earlier this year, and has been undergoing finishing touches, including sea trials, in the past weeks. The ship is definitely different from the yachts we see on the lakes, as she has a very specific and, most likely, fuel-efficient hull design. Khalilah is in the 48M SuperSport class, giving her a top speed of 32 knots. She is also 50 percent more fuel efficient than any other yacht. She isn't hard to miss because of her gold-painted hull. Rumors suggest that the vessel's home port will be in Russia.

At 8 p.m. on Saturday night, Khalilah was eastbound in the Straits of Mackinaw with no updated destination posted.



By far the ugliest yacht PJs ever built IMHO... Even the yard guys hate it; and they take pride in their work!! ws




Today in Great Lakes History - November 17

On 17 November 1884, PHOENIX (wooden propeller wrecking tug, 173 gross tons, built in 1862, at Cleveland, Ohio) caught fire in one of her coal bunkers at 7 a.m. while she was tied up to the C. S. R. Railroad slip at Amherstburg, Ontario. Several vessels, including the Dunbar tug SHAUGHRAUN and the steam barge MARSH, tried to save her. The SHAUGHRAUN finally got a line on her and pulled her away from the dock and towed her near Norwell’s wharf where she burned and sank.

On 17 Nov 1969, the RIDGETOWN (steel propeller bulk freighter, 557 foot, 7,637 gross tons, built in 1905, at Chicago, Illinois as WILLIAM E. COREY) was laid up at Toronto for the last time with a load of grain. In the spring of 1970, Upper Lakes Shipping, Ltd. sold her to Canadian Dredge & Dock Co., Ltd. of Toronto. She was sunk at Nanticoke, Ontario, for use as a temporary breakwater during the construction of harbor facilities in the summer of 1970. Still later, she was raised and sunk again in the summer of 1974, as a breakwater to protect marina facilities at Port Credit, Ontario.

On November 17, 1984, the EUGENE P. THOMAS was towed by the TUG MALCOLM to Thunder Bay, Ontario, for scrapping by Shearmet.

In the morning of 17 November 1926, the PETER A.B. WIDENER (steel straight-deck bulk freighter, 580 foot, 7,053 gross tons, built in 1906, at Chicago, Illinois) was running up bound on Lake Superior in ballast when it encountered strong Northeasterly winds. About six miles Southwest of the Rock of Ages Light on Isle Royale, the captain gave orders to change course for Duluth, Minnesota. There was no response because the wheel chains had parted from the drum, thus disabling the rudder. Repairs cost $4,000.

On 15 Nov 1972, the MICHIPICOTEN (steel straight-deck bulk freighter, 549 foot, 6,490 gross tons, built in 1905, at W. Bay City, Michigan, as HENRY C. FRICK) departed Quebec in tow of Polish tug KORAL for scrapping in Spain. The tow encountered bad weather and the MICHIPICOTEN broke in two during a major fall storm on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Her forward section sank on 17 November off Anticosti Island, and the after section sank the next day.

The propeller JOHN STUART burned about two miles from Sebawaing, Michigan, at 9:00 p.m., 17 November 1872. She had been aground there for some time.

On 17 November 1887, ARIZONA (wooden propeller package freighter, 189 foot, 962 gross tons, built in 1868, at Cleveland, Ohio) was carrying oils and acid used in mining operations when her dangerous cargo caught fire as she approached the harbor at Marquette, Michigan, in heavy seas. Poisonous fumes drove all of the crew topside, leaving the vessel unmanageable. She ran against the breakwater and the crew jumped off. The burning steamer "chased" the crew down the breakwater toward town with the poisonous fumes blowing ashore. She finally beached herself and burned herself out. She was later recovered and rebuilt.

On 17 November 1873, the wooden 2-mast schooner E.M. CARRINGTON sank in nine feet of water at Au Sable, Michigan. She had a load of 500 barrels of flour and 7,000 bushels of grain. She was recovered and lasted another seven years.

On 17 November 1880, GARIBALDI (2-mast wooden schooner, 124 foot, 209 tons, built in 1863, at Port Rowan, Ontario) was carrying coal in a storm on Lake Ontario. She anchored to ride out the storm, but after riding out the gale for 15 hours, her anchor cable parted and her crew was forced to try to bring her into Weller's Bay. She stranded on the bar. One of the crew froze solid in a standing position and his ghost is supposed to still haunt that area. The vessel was recovered and rebuilt. She lasted until at least 1898.

1902: The wooden steamer ROBERT WALLACE sank 13 miles out of Two Harbors while towing the barge ASHLAND.

1922: CITY OF DRESDEN was anchored off Long Point due to high winds and some of the cargo was thrown overboard. The ship beached on the west side of Long Point and broke up as a total loss. One sailor perished.

1922: MALTON went aground on Main Duck Island in Lake Ontario and was stuck until November 30.

1936: The steering cable of the SIDNEY E. SMITH gave way entering the harbor at Fairport, Ohio, and the ship stranded on the break wall. While released on November 22, the heavily damaged vessel was broken up for scrap the following year.

1939: VARDEFJELL, which inaugurated regular Great Lakes service for the Fjell Line in 1932, was torpedoed and sunk as b) KAUNAS 6.5 miles WNW of Noord Harbor, N. Hinder Light, River Schelde.

1996: SEADANIEL went aground at Duluth due to high winds after the anchors dragged. The ship was released, undamaged, by tugs. It last visited the Great Lakes in November 1998 and arrived at Alang, India, for scrapping on May 5, 1999.





Port Reports - November 17

Saginaw River – Stephen Hause & Todd Shorkey
Mississagi arrived in the Saginaw River at about noon Sunday and proceeded up the river to the Sargent Dock at Zilwaukee. Olive L. Moore-Lewis J. Kuber was outbound from Saginaw early Sunday morning after unloading overnight at the Wirt Stone Docks in Bay City and Saginaw. The tug Thomas R. Morrish has been undertaking dredging operations in the river this autumn. The dredge is presently moored near the mouth of Cheboyganing Creek between Bay City and Saginaw.

Toronto, Ont. – Jens Juhl
Early Sunday afternoon the TPA ferry Marilyn Bell departed Terminal 52 and resumed service at Billy Bishop Airport. Apparently the engine room crew spent the weekend swapping out a main engine. The TPA Keating Channel dredging operation is slow slogging. After more than a month of operation the venerable Derrick 50 is still digging away at the east end of the channel at the mouth of the Don River.

Prescott, Ont. – Joanne N. Crack
Algocanada and Algonova cleared town in the early morning Sunday followed by the upbound Brant to Toronto, Ont., Elbeborg to Hamilton, Ont., Manitoba to Thunder Bay, Ont. and Mitiq to Windsor, Ont. The Pineglen passed through headed down to Montreal, Que. The upbound John D. Leitch to Burns Harbor and Dimitrios K to Hamilton, Ont. are expected to sail through later Sunday evening while the upbound CSL Niagara will be up in the late night to the port of Johnstown





Lookback #365 – Former Vardefjell an early casualty of war on Nov. 17, 1939

War in Europe had only been underway for just over two months when the former Vardefjell was torpedoed and sunk 75 years ago today. The ship was sailing as b) Kaunas under the flag of Lithuania, when it was sighted by U-57 and torpedoed not far from North Hinder Light, River Schelde.

The vessel had been a familiar Great Lakes trader shortly after being built at Porsgrunn, Norway, in 1931. The 246 foot, 6 inch long freighter was laid down as Dixie but this name had been changed by the time of completion in July.

Vardefjell saw early service in the North Sea-Baltic coal trade for Olsen & Ugelstad. When they began what was to become regular Great Lakes service in 1932, this was the first of what became known as the Fjell Line to visit the Great Lakes. It left Detroit for Swansea, U.K. on Oct. 13, 1932, and was back again the next year in September from London and Antwerp for Chicago.

On Dec. 7, 1935, Vardefjell was the last saltwater ship of the season to leave the lakes and it departed Montreal the next day requiring icebreaker assistance to reach Quebec City.

Vardefjell was sold and renamed b) Kaunas in 1938 and one life was lost when it was attacked on Nov. 17, 1939.

I could see it being built under the guise of R&D, but I thinks its more of a case of a Ruskie with too much money saying "LUKE AT ME YOU CAPILISTIC AMERKANSKIES..." That dreadnaught bow cutwater "deadrise"(?) really gets me too. Maybe shes as fast in reverse as forward.. ws