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Post by yachtsmanwilly on Dec 23, 2014 9:23:39 GMT -5
Mailboat J.W. Westcott II enters winter layup
12/23 - Detroit, Mich. – Monday was the last day of service for the J.W. Westcott Company’s 2014 season. The J.W. Westcott II departed the Detroit dock for Gregory’s Marina behind Belle Isle and was pulled from the water for the winter. The Westcott Company’s back up mailboat the Joseph J. Hogan was laid up earlier in the month. Service returns in April 2015, ice permitting.
The pilot boat Huron Maid departed for Port Huron about 10 a.m., Pilots will now double up at other points with no service at Detroit.
Video of the last day
Duluth-Superior’s international shipping season ends as last saltie departs
12/23 - Duluth, Minn. – This past weekend signaled the beginning of the end of the 2014 shipping season, as the last oceangoing vessel to have called on the Port of Duluth-Superior this year departed just after midnight Friday, passing beneath the Aerial Lift Bridge at 12:26 a.m. Saturday.
The Palmerton had arrived earlier in the week to discharge project cargo at the Clure Public Marine Terminal in Duluth. The 436-foot, Antigua-flag Palmerton will be the last saltie of 2014 to make the full 2,342-mile transit of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway system from the Head of the Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
Both the Welland Canal, which connects Lakes Erie and Ontario, and locks on the Montreal-Lake Ontario section of the Seaway are scheduled to close on Dec. 31.
Laker traffic, however, will continue on the Great Lakes for four more weeks as the Soo Locks won’t officially close to vessel traffic until midnight on January 15. Those locks are scheduled to reopen for the 2015 commercial navigation season on March 25.
Despite coming off the most brutal winter in decades to start the 2014 season and dealing with rail capacity issues, Great Lakes freighters have worked hard to make up for tonnage and transits lost in the ice-choked months of March and April. In fact, on many fronts, year-to-date shipments through the Port of Duluth-Superior have nearly caught up to where they were at this time last year – sitting at 32.4 million short tons through November. Shipments of iron ore (to domestic and Canadian steel mills) are up nearly 6 percent to 15.3 million short tons; and increases in commodities like limestone and salt plus general cargo shipments helped offset declines in coal and grain this season.
“Higher water levels across the system this year helped tremendously in making up time and tonnage. Thousand-footers, for example, were able to load to another foot deeper draft allowing some 3,000 additional tons of iron ore or coal on every downbound delivery,” noted Vanta Coda, Duluth Seaway Port Authority executive director. “General cargo shipments also ranked significantly higher than last year. By the time 2014 ends, we will have welcomed 14 vessels to the Clure Public Marine Terminal here in Duluth, nearly twice as many as last year, representing a tonnage increase of more than 200 percent.”
Although ice has already formed on Lake Superior and elsewhere in the system, shipping has not been significantly impacted so far this winter. Freighters continue their end-of-season push to deliver iron ore to mills on the Lower Lakes to ensure sufficient inventories for steelmaking while locks are closed … to build up stockpiles of coal at utility companies and other customers in that same region … and, on the inbound side, to ensure there are sufficient supplies of limestone, salt and other bulk commodities on the ground here in the Twin Ports to last until the locks reopen in March.
Duluth Seaway Port Authority
U.S.-flag fleets to pump $75 million into Great Lakes shipyards this winter
12/23 - Cleveland, Ohio – U.S.-flag Great Lakes vessel operators plan to spend $75 million this winter readying the fleet for the 2015 shipping season. One vessel is already in drydock undergoing the out-of-water hull inspection required by U.S. law every 5 years. The remainder of the fleet will arrive at their winter berths in early to mid-January.
The $75 million to be spent this winter comes on top of the nearly $6 million required in April and May to repair damages suffered trying to meet the needs of commerce when heavy ice blanketed the Lakes last winter and spring.
The work to be performed stretches from bow to stern. Main engines, which run virtually non-stop from spring fit-out to winter lay-up, will be overhauled. The largest engines on U.S.-flag lakers are capable of generating nearly 20,000 horsepower.
All the U.S.-flag lakers in service this year were self-unloaders and a number of conveyor belts that move the cargo from the holds to the unloading boom will be replaced.
Some cargo holds will be relined with plastic to facilitate the unloading of sticky cargos such as certain coals. One ship will have all 24 cargo hatch covers replaced for the first time since it’s christening in 1976. With the lakes being a freshwater environment, longevity is a hallmark of the fleet.
Navigation, fire fighting and lifesaving equipment will also be carefully checked and replaced or upgraded as necessary.
The major shipyards on the Lakes are located in Sturgeon Bay, Superior and Marinette, Wisconsin; Erie, Pennsylvania; and Toledo, Ohio. Smaller “top-side” repair operations are located in Cleveland, Ohio; Escanaba, Michigan; Buffalo, New York; and several cities in Michigan. The industry’s annual payroll for its 2,700 employees approaches $125 million and it is estimated that an additional $800,000 in economic activity is generated per vessel in the community in which it is wintering.
Maintaining the lakes fleet this winter will require precise planning and coordination by the shipyards. This is a very busy period for Great Lakes shipyards. Several yards are actively engaged in commercial and military construction. In fact, one yard has a 9-vessel backlog that extends into 2017.
Also in the offing are potential conversions of lakers to be fueled with LNG.
Lake Carriers’ Association
Port Reports - December 23
Marquette, Mich. – Rod Burdick
A busy Monday afternoon at the Upper Harbor found Herbert C. Jackson and John J. Boland at the ore dock. Adam E. Cornelius, on her first visit since December 2011, was at anchor waiting to load. On Sunday, Algosteel loaded ore on her second visit of the season.
Calcite, Mich. – Denny Dushane
There are no vessels scheduled from Monday-Thursday. The next vessel due into will be the Great Republic, expected to arrive on Friday in the early morning for the South Dock. This may also be the final vessel for the 2014 shipping season.
Stoneport, Mich. – Denny Dushane
There were no vessel arrivals on Monday. Due in Tuesday will be the Lewis J. Kuber in the early morning. Manistee is due on Wednesday in the late morning. There is nothing scheduled for Thursday.
Toledo, Ohio – Denny Dushane
The barge James L. Kuber and tug Victory arrived at the Torco Dock in Toledo late on Sunday evening to unload iron ore. Also due at Torco will be the John J. Boland on Thursday in the morning, followed by the Adam E. Cornelius, due on Friday in the early morning. Due at the CSX Coal Dock was the James L. Kuber on Monday in the early morning. Joseph L. Block, making her first visit to Toledo since 1998, is now due at CSX on Tuesday in the early morning. Algoma Progress is due at CSX on Thursday in the late evening. Other vessels in port included the tug Petite Forte and barge St. Marys Cement, which were on their way out of Toledo at the time of this report after unloading cement at the St. Marys Cement Dock. The tug John Francis was also in port. Further upriver was CSL's Cedarglen, loading a grain cargo at one of the elevators.
Buffalo, N.Y. – Brian W.
American Mariner departed at 10 a.m. Monday for Lorain.
Prescott, Ont. – Joanne N. Crack
Sunday night the Radcliffe R. Latimer went up, Everlast tug with Norman McLeod barge and Algoma Harvester were both down for Montréal, QC. Early Monday morning, Sloman Hermes went up and into Prescott Anchorage destined for Mississauga, Ont., Wilf Seymour tug with Alouette Spirit up for Oswego, NY, Zelada Desgagnés, out of Prescott Anchorage and down at 3:38am for Montréal, QC. Monday the Vega Desgagnés came out of Prescott Anchorage and down at 5:57am for Montréal, QC, Maria Desgagnés up at 5:48am for Sarnia, Ont. and Whistler down at 12:14pm for Montréal, QC. Monday night the Algoma Discovery was expected up for Hamilton, Ont.
Seaway – Ron Beaupre
The American Fortitude scrap tow will begin again Monday evening. But first the plan is to bring Salvor up through Snell and Eisenhower locks light tug. She will wait above the locks until Evans McKeil brings the American Fortitude up through both locks. Above Ike they will switch lead tugs again and Salvor will take her up the river. But first, we have Algoma Discovery up, Whistler down and John B. Aird up through both locks before the tow will move.
Water levels: Lakes Huron, Michigan unusually high
12/23 - Water levels in Lakes Huron and Michigan are bucking the seasonal trend by remaining high when they normally drop.
And there’s a decent chance they might remain at about these levels, something that hasn’t happened in years, until spring rain boosts their volume for next year.
Since record-keeping began a century ago, water levels in Lakes Michigan-Huron have risen in only seven years, said Derrick Beach, hydrology specialist with Environment Canada.
“It’s fairly rare to see that,” he said, noting the decline generally starts in late summer.
Only a few years ago, the lakes had lost so much water — less rainfall and more evaporation were among the reasons — that many people worried they were destined to remain low for the long haul.
But above-average rainfall and snowfall have fallen on Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron (Michigan-Huron is considered one lake system) for about a year.
Water is flowing out of Superior into Michigan-Huron at 2,410 cubic metres/second, and that’s also making a big difference to lake levels, Beach said.
A few years ago, many lobbyists, especially hard-hit cottagers on Georgian Bay, said lake levels were so low that “speedbumps” should be built in the St. Clair River to keep water in Lake Huron a little longer during dry spells.
Even today’s higher lake levels suggest the same argument can be made to moderate water flows by building flexible underwater structures and covering the riverbed with rock rubble, said Mary Muter, Ontario Great Lakes section chair of Sierra Club Canada.
“Now, with above-average flows in the St. Clair River, we are concerned the erosion has accelerated,” she said.
While some locks moderate flows from Superior, Erie and Ontario, there’s nothing similar for Michigan-Huron, she said.
High levels are a boon for shipping. Low levels mean shippers can’t load boats with as much cargo, while there’s also concern valuable wetland habitat is lost.
Where They Are
Superior, Michigan-Huron and Erie had above-average lake levels in November. Lake Ontario had less rain this fall and dropped to below-average levels. Superior was 8 inces higher than average (and 11 inches higher than November 2013); Michigan-Huron was 7 inches higher than average (21 inches higher than last November); Erie was 6 inches higher than average (7 inches higher than last November); Ontario is 3 inches below average (6 inches lower than a year ago).
London Free Press
Lookback #401 – Tanker Chippewa closed the Seaway twice on Dec. 23
On two occasions, the last saltwater ship to depart the St. Lambert Lock for the season at Montreal was the tanker Chippewa. It was the final transit on Dec. 23, 1988, and repeated the feat four years later on Dec. 23, 1992.
For many years, this was a familiar trader in and out of the Great Lakes. It was launched at Shimonoseki, Japan, in October 1980 and completed as Suncor Chippewa in April 1981.
The 505 foot, 3 inch long tanker was owned by Toronto based Suncor Inc. and arrived there for ceremonies on May 29, 1981. While Canadian owned, the $18 million ship operated under the flag of Liberia.
Suncor Chippewa was designed to operate between Europe and Sarnia carrying chemicals and assorted refined petroleum products. It was a regular trader in and out of the Seaway system.
The ship was sold and renamed b) Chippewa in 1983 but its service changed very little. It retained Liberian registry and made between four and six voyages to the Great Lakes per year until 1994. The ship made its last trip inland through the Seaway on Dec. 14, 1994, bound for Detroit and Sarnia.
Chippewa was sold to The Shipping Corporation of India in 1995 and renamed c) Jhulelal. It spent another 10-years in saltwater service before being sold for scrap. The vessel was beached at Alang, India, as d) Lal on Aug. 24, 2004, and broken up after 23 years of service.
Skip Gillham
Today in Great Lakes History - December 23
IMPERIAL ST CLAIR was selected to participate in the three-year winter navigation experiment during which the Soo Locks remained open all year. On December 23, 1976, at the very onset, she ran aground entering ice-jammed Parry Sound on Georgian Bay in a blinding snow squall. One of her cargo tanks ruptured spilling 1,800 barrels of diesel oil.
The SAVIC, c.) CLIFFS VICTORY was down bound past Detroit, Michigan, December 23, 1985, by-passing a 15,000 ton load of scrap because of the lack of time to clear the Seaway.
CHARLES DICK was sold for scrap to Marine Salvage Ltd., Port Colborne, Ontario, on December 23, 1976.
SIR TREVOR DAWSON was laid up after the Great War until December 23, 1920, when she was sold to Pioneer Steamship Co. and renamed c) CHARLES L. HUTCHINSON.
On 23 December 1905, JAMES B. WOOD (steel propeller freighter, 514 foot, 7,159 gross tons) was launched at W. Bay City, Michigan. In 1913, she was renamed b.) ARCTURUS.
On 23 December 1885, MARY MARTINI (wooden propeller passenger-package freight vessel, 85 foot, 91 gross tons, built in 1877, at W. Bay City, Michigan) stranded on Brule Point, 13 miles east of Grand Marais, Minnesota, on Lake Superior in fair weather. A navigational error was blamed. She became a total loss but her passengers and crew were taken off by the Duluth tug T H CAMP.
In 1903, the PERE MARQUETTE 20 arrived Ludington on her maiden voyage.
1916: A.B. WOLVIN, a former Great Lakes bulk carrier that went to sea in 1911, sank in a gale on the Atlantic southeast of Bermuda. The crew of 26 were picked up by the BRAZIL, a two-year old Norwegian freighter.
1954: The former FEDERAL AMBASSADOR, while not a Great Lakes trader but once part of the Federal Commerce & Navigation of Montreal, foundered in the North Sea as c) GERDA TOFT
1963: The Greek passenger liner LAKONIA caught fire off Madeira with 1041 passengers and crew on board. While 132 lives were lost in the tragedy, another 470 were rescued by the freighters SALTA and MONTCALM. The latter was a regular Seaway trader beginning in 1960 and returned as b) CAPO SAN MARCO in 1971.
1986: MARINE COASTER, a Great Lakes visitor as e) EVA MARIE in the mid-1960s, was scuttled off Newfoundland.
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Post by yachtsmanwilly on Dec 24, 2014 7:25:51 GMT -5
U.S.-flag lakes cargos up in November, but fleet still trails last year
12/24 - Cleveland, Ohio – U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters moved 9.3 million tons of dry-bulk cargo in November, an increase of 6.2 percent compared to a year ago. The total would have been higher, but there were a number of weather-related delays. In fact, the November float actually represents a decrease of nearly 18 percent compared to October’s volume.
Iron ore for the steel industry totaled 4.6 million tons in November, an increase of 22.4 percent compared to a year ago. That increase allowed the year-to-date total for iron ore to inch passed 2013’s end-of-November tally by 350,000 tons.
Coal cargos totaled 1.9 million tons, a decrease of 16.6 percent compared to a year ago. Limestone cargos registered a slight increase – 45,000 tons.
The fleet’s year-to-date total – 80.5 million tons – remains nearly 2 percent off last year’s pace. Despite higher water levels and the activation of three additional hulls, the U.S.-flag Lakes fleet has yet to fully overcome the cargo shortfalls suffered last winter and this spring when glacial ice packed the shipping lanes.
Lake Carriers’ Association
Seaway tolls to increase by 2.0% in 2015
12/24 - The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) announced a toll rate increase of 2.0% for the 2015 navigation season. The new revised tariff will be posted and available on the Seaway website on January 07, 2015.
The Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Seaway navigation system supports over 227,000 jobs and $35 billion in economic activity per year. The SLSMC remains dedicated to promoting the economic and environmental benefits of marine transportation, attracting new cargoes to the Seaway, and leveraging technology to enhance the system’s performance.
St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
Port Reports - December 24
Lorain, Ohio – Phil Leon
Manitowoc departed in the late afternoon.
Oswego, N.Y. – Ned Goebricher
On Tuesday, the English River unloaded cement.
Prescott, Ont. – Joanne N. Crack
Through Monday night was Algoma Discovery up for Hamilton, Ont. Early Tuesday morning was Pineglen down at 3:18 a.m. for Montréal, QC and Algoma Transport down at 4:43 a.m. for Cote St. Catherine, QC.
Tuesday Mapleglen came down at 6:10 a.m. for Montréal, QC., Evans McKeil tug up through at 7:26 a.m. ahead of the American Fortitude tow. The Salvor tugging the American Fortitude, assisted by Jarrett M came up at 7:44 a.m., Algosoo down at 7:55 a.m., Algoma Progress up at 8:20 a.m. for Hamilton, Ont., Cuyahoga down at 8:31 a.m. and Manitoba up at 8:35 a.m. for Thunder Bay, Ont. John B. Aird up at 11:09 a.m. for Burns Harbor, Puffin down at 11:29 a.m. for Québec City, QC, Yankee tug down at 12:10 p.m., Victorious tug with John J. Carrick barge up at 1:39 p.m., Fuldaborg down at 2:52 p.m. for Montréal, QC, Robinson Bay tug with buoy barge and Performance tug assisting down at 3:03 p.m. and into Ogdensburg, NY. reporting to be back in commission Boxing Day, CCGS Griffon up at 3:31 p.m. and into home port, CCG Base Prescott. She will depart Wednesday morning at 8:30 a.m. to work Lake St. Lawrence and the Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin came through at 4:44 p.m. for Québec, QC.
Expected Tuesday evening and night were the downbounders, Tim S. Dool for Baie St. Paul, Adfines Star for Montréal, QC, Vitosha for Lanoraie, QC and Isa for Montréal, QC.
Seaway
The American Fortitude tow passed Brockville Tuesday around 10:30 a.m. She was towed by the tug Salvor, and followed closely behind by the tug Jarrett M. The tug Evans McKeil had gone up before the tow by about half an hour. Following closely behind the tow, probably unable to pass until getting further through the Thousand Islands, were Algoma Progress and Manitoba.
Historic Port Sanilac lighthouse finds new owner
12/24 - Port Sanilac, Mich. – It took Jeff Shook more than a decade, but he finally got his lighthouse.
The Fenton resident and historic preservationist is the new owner of the iconic lighthouse and attached caretaker home in Port Sanilac.
"I've been interested in it for a long time," said Shook, the president of the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy. "I had previously spoken with the owners about 10 years ago, and I kept in touch ever since."
Shook paid $855,000, but he has plans to renovate and preserve the light tower while keeping it as historically accurate as possible. He has no idea how much the renovations will cost.
"The lighthouse does need some TLC; it's got some spalling bricks on the outside," he said. "Basically the tower needs to be stripped of all of its paint, all the brick work needs to be looked at, and there's a lot of the putty glazing compound on the windows that have deteriorated."
Luckily, Shook, 43, is probably the best man for the job. Through the non-profit conservancy he founded, Shook has purchased and renovated lighthouses in Muskegon and Alpena, which has been turned over to a local preservationist group.
Lighthouses are in his blood.
Shook says his ancestors Peter and Catherine Shook were the first lighthouse keepers at Point Aux Barques in 1848. Peter Shook died a year later while sailing to Port Huron with a lighthouse inspector. He shipwrecked off the coast from Lexington, just south of Port Sanilac and decades before the federal government determined it was necessary to have a lighthouse there. Catherine Shook took over as lighthouse keeper, at a time when women typically wouldn't have been given the job.
Jeff Shook is passionate about preserving this part of Michigan history and his family's history. As for the Port Sanilac lighthouse, he's bought it for himself and all the renovation money will be coming out of his own pocket.
"The dwelling portion is structurally in good shape," he said. "My family and I are going to use it as a vacation home."
Unlike many lighthouses in Michigan, which are off the beaten path, this one is located in the heart of Port Sanilac, a village of about 620 people along Lake Huron that's located about 80 miles northeast of Detroit.
The lighthouse was established in 1886 after crews traveling the shipping lanes along the coast complained that the distance between the Fort Gratiot lighthouse and the Pointe aux Barques lighthouse in Port Hope was too far and had too shallow of water to safely navigate without another light in between.
A keeper took care of the light up until it was automated in 1924.
The beacon has been in use as a navigational aid since then, even though the General Services Administration decommissioned the lighthouse in 1928. That's when Ian Aronsson's grandfather Carl Rosenfield, founder of Carl's Chop House in Detroit, bought the property from the government for $4,000.
Aronsson and her husband Tim Conklin have owned the lighthouse since she inherited it in the 1990s. They used it as a weekend and summer home, taking the time to renovate the attached 2,400-square-foot, three-bedroom, 11/2-bath house.
They put the property up for sale a few years ago, trying to get around $1 million for it.
Last year, Conklin told The Detroit News the lighthouse was "a constant living history" for their family. Inside, it was like a time capsule, with family photos and mementos gathered over the years.
"We are very pleased that the Port Sanilac lighthouse has a new owner who shares our passion," the couple said in a message. "We know that Mr. Shook and his family will be excellent caretakers of this historic property."
Now Shook, his wife Lindsay and sons Ryan, 4, and Paxton, 1 , will be making their own memories there. And he's also planning to get the village involved.
Shook says he wants to open up the lighthouse to the public in some way. He says he's going to work with the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association to try to host tours a few times a year.
One major change that could be coming to the lighthouse is something Shook has no control over.
While the property and buildings are privately owned, the original Fresnel lens inside the lighthouse is owned and maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard. Over the past decade, the Coast Guard has been working to replace the antique lenses at lighthouses around the state with modern LED lights, which are easier to find parts for and to maintain.
Fresnel lenses are not common anymore, since so many of them were replaced or damaged and removed, says Wayne Kean, an environmental engineer at the Coast Guard's Civil Engineering Unit, based in Cleveland.
"Back when these lenses were first installed in the late 1800s, they had lighthouse keepers and their sole purpose was to care for these lenses and light the lamps," said Kean. "Once we started modernizing the lights, lighthouse keepers were out of a job and maintenance would only happen a couple times a year or when a mariner reported the light was out."
` There are just seven Fresnel lenses left intact in Michigan's 115 lighthouses, and the Port Sanilac lighthouse could be the the next to be replaced, he said. The Coast Guard and the state's Historic Preservation Office should soon sign an agreement to install LED lights and move Fresnel lens to the Sanilac County Historic Village and Museum. Although nothing is official, Kean said it would be beneficial because it would prevent the historic lens from deteriorating further.
"If we keep them in there, they continue to deteriorate. It takes away from future generations to look at and enjoy," said Kean. "We've made it our goal to preserve these historic lenses and put them places where can people can enjoy them as works of art."
Shook says he would be disappointed if the Fresnel lens was removed from his lighthouse.
"To me, it's nice to see the lens in the tower still in some limited areas in the state rather than having them 100 percent gone from every tower," he said. "It would be nice to see, on the shoreline of the lake, at least one or two that would still retain the lens just to portray the historic appearance of what a lighthouse should look like."
For now, Shook is focusing on what he can control: the condition of the lighthouse.
He's begun taking measurements and coming up with plans so he can submit them to the state. The lighthouse has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984, so any major renovations need to be approved first. Shook is also looking for any old photos of the lighthouse and any artifacts from the past. He hopes it will better help him preserve the history and tell the story of the lighthouse and the village it serves.
"I guess when you look at things in an overall perspective, a major portion of our country's growth took place because of shipping and marine waterways," said Shook. "These are some of our earliest historic structures. They've been around for a long time, and hopefully they'll be around even longer."
Detroit News
Lookback #402 – Tug G.W. Rogers sank at Albany, NY en route from lakes on Dec. 24, 1987
For many years the tug G.W. Rogers was very familiar around the lower Great Lakes. The vessel was owned by the Canadian Dredge and Dock Co. and was used in a variety of construction projects including the building of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
The British built tug dated from 1919 and had originally served The Admiralty as West Hope. It was sold to private interests in 1921 becoming b) Ballindalloch in 1923 and then sailed to Canada for the Saint John Drydock and Shipbuilding Co. as c) Ocean Gull in 1924. It joined the Canadian Dredge Co. as d) G.W. Rogers in 1937.
The vessel towed some old lakers headed for scrapping and had the car ferries John A. McPhail and James W. Curran in tow when they got in trouble and sank in Lake Huron on May 9, 1964.
G.W. Rogers left the Great Lakes, reportedly bound for St. Martin, Netherlands Antilles, in Nov. 1987 and got as far as Albany, NY, before sinking there 27-years ago today. There was one report that the ship was refloated and scrapped at Albany but this was not the case. The hull was spotted at Liberty Park, NY, much the worse for wear, in October 1997 and there was a report that it later sank there but I have not been able to confirm its ultimate fate.
Skip Gillham
Today in Great Lakes History - December 24
In 1973, a crewman from the Cleveland Cliffs steamer FRONTENAC fell overboard at 11:41 p.m. while the boat was at anchor off Stoneport, Mich. The FRONTENAC launched a lifeboat to search for the missing man. When he could not be found and the lifeboat had trouble returning to the FRONTENAC, a distress call went out. The American Steamship Co. steamer McKEE SONS, Captain Robert J. Laughlin, responded and received a Citation of Merit for rescuing the six sailors in the lifeboat on Christmas morning.
December 24, 1969 - The CITY OF FLINT 32 made her last trip out of Ludington, Mich., pulled by two tugs. She was sold to Norfolk and Western Railway Company to be converted into a river ferry barge and renamed b.) ROANOKE by Nicholson’s Terminal & Dock Co. at Ecorse, Mich.
On 24 December 1910, ALASKA (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 165 foot, 348 tons, built in 1879, at Detroit, Michigan) was sheltering from a storm a few miles from Tobermory, Ont., when she caught fire from an overheated boiler and burned to a total loss. She was originally built as a side-wheel passenger vessel, her engine came from the JOHN SHERMAN of 1865 and went into the steamer FRANK E. KIRBY of 1890.
On 24 December 1875, the Port Huron Times listed the following vessels at winter lay-up at St. Clair, Mich. -- Scows: ANNA H MOORE, A MONROE, MYRTLE, CLIPPER VISION, J SNADERS and B MONROE; Steamers: BERTIE DAHLKE and HELEN; Schooners: JOHN RICE and M R GOFFE; Barges: MILLIN and JUSTIN R. WHITING; Tug: C.M. FARRAR; and Dredge: H LIFIAN.
On Christmas Eve 1979, while at her temporary dock in Milwaukee, Wis., the steamer E. M. FORD sank when gale force winds forced her from her moorings and repeatedly slammed her bow into the dock facing. By Christmas morning her stern was settled on the bottom, her engine room flooded. Her storage cargo of powdered cement was partially flooded also. By afternoon, the proud steamer lay sunken at her dock. She stayed on the bottom for several weeks as crews had to remove a solid 3 feet of hardened cement and patch her holed bow. On January 20th, 1980, she was refloated and towed to Bay Shipbuilding where work began on rebuilding her.
1976: The former MARIA K., of 1956, visited the Seaway in 1963. It sustained a fire in the engine room as c) ASTYANAX at Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The vessel was loaded with cement and became a total loss. It was scuttled in the Atlantic south of Abidjan, on November 18, 1977, after the cargo had solidified.
1977: The West German freighter MAGDEBURG began visiting the Seaway in 1959 and had made 31 voyages inland to the end of 1967. It was sailing from Hull, England, and Antwerp, Belgium, for East Africa when it ran aground at Haisborough Sand in bad weather. The ship was refloated the same day but with serious damage. It was sold for scrap and dismantling began in May 1978.
1982: TUKWILA CHIEF came through the Seaway in 1982 after previous visits as a) ESTHER CHARLOTTE SCHULTE as early as 1962. Fire broke out on board, two days out of Souris, PEI, with a cargo of potatoes. The blaze spread through the cabins and the ship was gutted. One sailor was lost but the remainder was rescued. The ship was brought to Sydney and, on September 20, 1983, was towed out into the deep waters of the Atlantic and scuttled.
1983: The Welland Canal pilot boat CISCOE was enroute to Port Dover for the winter when it lost power in heavy seas. The GRIFFON took the small ship in tow but it flipped over, broke loose and eventually sank. The 2 members of the crew were saved.
1987: The tug G.W. ROGERS left the Great lakes in November 1987 but sank at Albany, on this date during the trip south to the Netherlands Antilles. While refloated, it never made it south and was noted at Liberty Park, New York, in October 1997.
1997: The barge DUPUIS No. 10, under tow of the tug TECHNO-ST. LAURENT, sank in Lake Erie while bound from Buffalo to the Welland Canal. There were no casualties.
1999: The BARDE TEAM, enroute from Singapore with steel pipes, began taking on water, developed a list and sank in the Indian Ocean. It first came through the Seaway in 1976 as a) SAMSON SCAN and returned under her final name in 1992.
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Post by yachtsmanwilly on Dec 25, 2014 7:38:29 GMT -5
Port Reports - December 25 Erie, Pa. – Gene P. The saltwater vessel Palmerton arrived in Erie on Tuesday morning to load 7 diesel locomotives made at GE in Erie. Presumably they are headed for Brazil. Wednesday morning there were 4 more to load at the Montfort Terminal. Thunderstorms and a high wind warning may slow the effort to load and leave. Oswego, N.Y. – Ned Goebricher On Wednesday at 11 a.m. tugs Evens McKeil and Jarrett M towed the American Fortitude into Oswego harbor. The tugs then departed possibly leaving the Fortitude for winter lay-up. Prescott, Ont. – Joanne N. Crack Through Tuesday night, Tim S. Dool down for Baie Comeau, Algoma Olympic up for Hamilton, Ont. Wednesday Vitosha came down at 5:47am for Lanoraie, QC. At 8:33am the CCGS Griffon departed Prescott Base heading down to work in Lake St. Lawrence, reporting 2 mile visibility in light rain. Adfines Star down at 9:59am for Montréal, QC, Isa down at 1:24pm for Montréal, QC, Sea Racer down at 2:32pm with a cargo of grain from Riverland Ag, Duluth for Annaba, DZ. The CCGS Griffon arrived back into Prescott Base at 3:00pm. The Federal Danube coming down went into Prescott Anchorage at 4:12pm. Expected through Wednesday night were upbounders Everlast tug with Norman McLeod Barge, Cuyahoga, Algolake and Whitefish Bay for Toledo. Early Christmas morning, expected through was Active up for Oshawa, Ont. Senate blocks $300M funding for Great Lakes 12/25 - Largely lost in the flurry of 11th-hour activity on Capitol Hill before Congress adjourned last week was a major defeat for the Great Lakes due to Senate inaction. Ongoing federal efforts to restore the Great Lakes’ water quality and natural habitat led to approval by the House of a series of $300 million annual allocations for the lakes. But senators eager to end the lame duck session left town – and ended the 113th Congress – without addressing the issue. The Senate approved a wide-ranging budget bill and renewed dozens of tax breaks in a late-night session before calling it quits. But the failure to approve funding for the Great Lakes was one of numerous items that were left on Congress’ plate, pushing them onto the agenda of the 114th Congress that convenes in January. The Senate tried to pass the bill by a process known as unanimous consent after House passage was fairly simple – a voice vote, no roll call -- two weeks ago. But the Senate Republicans objected. “It is extremely disappointing that Senate Republicans blocked a bill that would have paved the way for a long-term Great Lakes Restoration Initiative investment,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat who played a leading role in establishing the initiative as a member of the Senate Budget Committee. “I will continue to lead efforts in the Senate to get the critical funding needed to advance the (GLRI’s) goals and priorities, which address serious challenges facing our Great Lakes and waterways. The GLRI addresses numerous issues: cleaning up toxic hotspots; fighting aquatic invasive species, like the Asian carp; dredging shallow areas; restoring damaged shoreline; and addressing polluted rainwater runoff that contributes to beach closures and harmful algae blooms in the lakes. “Unfortunately, we have not been the best stewards of these magnificent lakes, and we owe it to future generations to help assure they are preserved and protected,” said Rep. Candice Miller, a Harrison Township Republican, at the time of the House vote. “One way to do that is through the continued funding and support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.” The House measure went far beyond spending plans for 2015 –- it called for $300 million per year for the lakes through 2019. Launched in 2010 through the support of the hateful muslim traitor administration, the GLRI has provided $1.6 billion over the past five years to the Great Lakes, which generate billions of dollars in economic activity. In recent years funding has hovered around $300 million. For fiscal year 2015, the administration proposed $275 million but the higher figure was authorized by the House. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers planned to use $500,000 of the allocation to continue work on Great Lakes Mississippi River Interbasin Study, which is looking at options to prevent Asian carp and other invasive species from colonizing the Great Lakes through Chicago-area canals and waterways. The Corps was also in line for funding to deal with nutrients in Lake Erie, where a dangerous algae bloom closed down drinking water systems near Toledo last summer. For the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, the bill called for $25 million to control the sea lamprey population. Oakland Press St. Lawrence Seaway wharfage charges to increase 12/25 - The St. Lawrence Seaway wharfage charges have been revised for the 2015 navigation season. Effective with the commencement of the 2015 navigation season, Wharfage Charges will increase 2%. The revised tariff will be available on January 7th, 2015 at www.media-seaway.com/seaway_handbook/seaway-handbook-en/wharfage.pdf Muskegon divers claim to find elusive "Le Griffon" shipwreck 12/25 - Muskegon, Mich. – Le Griffon, or the Griffin. It's considered to be the holy grail of all shipwrecks lost in the Great Lakes. For more than 300 years, many have searched for it, but since it sunk in 1679, it has decided it hasn't wanted to be found. Until recently, according to some divers. There are roughly 2,000 shipwrecks in Lake Michigan alone, but none have been more sought after than the Griffin. It was a French ship built by the explorer Le Salle. The Griffin disappeared in northern Lake Michigan during a storm on its maiden voyage after leaving Green Bay, Wisconsin. For at least 332 years it has stayed hidden in the deep, but Kevin Dykstra and Frederick Monroe say they believe they found it in 2011. By accident. Dykstra and Monroe set out on a diving expedition three years ago. "We were literally in the water for a couple of hours when we got a hit on the sonar," said Dykstra, who dove the wreck in the 37-degree water. "When I was down there, I turned around and I was literally four feet from this shipwreck and I never saw it on my way down, so my return trip was quite fast." Dykstra and Monroe say that if they had seen the same image on their sonar, they wouldn't have given it a second thought to dive down and investigate it because it was so small. "It really wasn't until we got back to a computer and viewed the photos that I realized I very well could have been photographing the Griffin," added Dykstra. Through extensive research, and consultations with experts, Dykstra and Monroe have concluded that they in fact found the Griffin. "There's no cables, no cabin and no smokestacks," said Dykstra. "It almost looked like the empty hull of a large canoe, and there were no mechanical devices of any kind in the debris." "We researched online to find a 17th-century French Griffin, and the one we came up with, I over-layed on top of the photo and it was really impressive," said Dykstra. "So it's either a 100-to-1 odds that the front of the ship looks exactly like a griffin, and I don't know how that can happen by coincidence, and to know that the wood carvers that built the Griffin carved the likeness of a Griffin in the front of the ship, it kind of lends itself towards that."
For Dykstra and Monroe, finding the Griffin wasn't in their plans. In fact, both will tell you that the Griffin was the shipwreck that got in the way of what they were really searching for that day. "We were looking for $2 million dollars in gold bullion that is somewhere at the bottom of Lake Michigan," said Dykstra. "In the late 1800s, there were box cars crossing the Great Lakes, and some of those box cars were pushed off from car ferries that were hauling them to save the ferries in bad storms."
Dykstra and Monroe say $2 million of Confederate gold coins were being smuggled in one of those box cars that was shoved off the side of the ferry.
During other dives in the area, Dykstra and Monroe have seen broken box cars laying at the bottom of Lake Michigan. They both feel they're getting closer to solving a bigger mystery than the Griffin.
"We found the mystery ship, the Griffin; now we're going to find the gold, " said Monroe.
Dykstra and Monroe say that they waited three years to go public with their discovery of the Griffin because they wanted to contact as many experts as possible to review their pictures and video, and do enough research to make sure.
WZZM
Lookback #403 – Orsula aground near Cape Vincent, NY on Dec. 25, 2013
This time last year the Orsula celebrated Christmas aground off Tibbett's Point near Cape Vincent, NY. The 656 foot, 2 inch long bulk carrier landed on the rocks at 12.37 a.m. Perhaps the crew had been distracted by a sled pulled by flying reindeer but this cannot be verified.
The ship required assistance to be refloated and the barge Lambert Spirit came alongside to take off some of the cargo before it was released on Dec. 29. Orsula finally was able to clear the Seaway on Jan. 1, 2014, and this is the latest closing in the history of the waterway.
Orsula has been a regular trader to the Great Lakes. It was built at Shanghai, China, as Federal Calumet (ii) and delivered to Fednav under their Lake Ontario Inc. on June 28, 1996. The bulk carrier brought bauxite to Thorold on its first trip inland heading up bound through the Seaway on Sept. 3, 1996. After unloading, the vessel sailed to Duluth to load wheat.
On Dec. 14, 1996, the ship went aground at Port Cartier while departing after having “topped up” her cargo to saltwater draft following her second trip to the Great Lakes. Federal Calumet was headed for the anchorage in inclement weather when it hit bottom flooding a double bottom tank. Repairs were needed before the voyage could be completed.
Federal Calumet made three more Seaway transits in 1997 departing Thunder Bay on Nov. 6, with flax seed from Thunder Bay to Morocco. Later in the year it was sold to Atlanska Plovidba of Croatia, renamed Orsula at Antwerp, Belgium, and chartered back to Fednav.
Orsula made its first trip to the Great Lakes in April 1998 bringing overseas steel. It has been a regular inland caller over the years and had made a total of 40 trips through the Seaway to the end of 2013. The ship was back through the Seaway again in 2014 and we hope it has better luck this year than it did a year ago today.
Skip Gillham
Today in Great Lakes History - December 25
E.G. GRACE carried 14,797 tons of taconite ore on her last trip out of Taconite Harbor, Minnesota bound for South Chicago, Illinois and then was laid up at Ashtabula, Ohio on December 25, 1976, with engine trouble which often plagued the six "Al" ships powered with Lentz-Poppet engines. The lay-up of the E.G. GRACE lasted until April 1984, when she became the first Maritimer to be sold for scrap.
On 25 December 1849 the SISKAWIT (wooden schooner, 50 t, built in 1840) was sailing light on Lake Superior when a storm drove her onto a bar near the mouth of the Chocolay River, southeast of Marquette, Michigan, where she was wrecked. Those aboard had “kidnapped” her and her cargo at L’Anse a few days earlier.
1975: GEORGE M. CARL (ii), inbound at Toronto with a winter storage cargo of grain, missed the turn for the Western Gap and stranded in Humber Bay. Tugs pulled the ship free on December 27.
1981: The Halco tanker HUDSON TRANSPORT caught fire 200 miles east of Quebec City enroute from Montreal to the Magdalen Islands with 40,000 barrels of Bunker C. oil. The accommodation area was destroyed and 7 lives were lost. The ship was towed to Sept-Iles, unloaded and then to Montreal where it was declared a total loss. It later saw brief service as the barge b) SCURRY and went to Nigeria in 1992 as c) REMI.
1985: The former CLIFFS VICTORY passed down the Welland Canal as c) SAVIC, enroute to eventual scrapping in South Korea. It does not arrive there until Dec. 12, 1986.
2000: TWINSISTER had come to the Great Lakes in 1985. The vessel was reported to have caught fire in the engineroom as d) MELATI off Vung Tau, Vietnam, with the blaze spreading to the accommodation area. The listing freighter was abandoned by the 18-member crew and the ship was presumed to have sunk. It was located December 31 and found to have been looted by pirates. The ship arrived in Singapore, under tow, on January 4, 2001, and was apparently repaired, becoming e) WIN DUKE in 2003 and f) HAN LORD in 2006.
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Post by yachtsmanwilly on Dec 26, 2014 7:15:13 GMT -5
Algoma Montrealais on final trip
Algoma-Montrealais-12-25-14RL.jpg (87185 bytes)12/26 - Soo Locks Algoma Montrealais locked downbound around noon Christmas day on her final trip down the lakes and Seaway. Algoma Central Corp. recently announced the 1962-built vessel, the last steam-powered laker flying the Canadian flag, will be retired at the end of this season. She was loaded with grain earlier this week at Thunder Bay and is bound for Baie Comeau, Que. Her winter layup port, as well as where she will eventually be dismantled, is at yet unknown.
Lookback #404 – Former Etrog wrecked near Singapore on Dec. 26, 1981
The Israeli freighter Etrog was built at Nantes, France, and completed for Zim Israel Navigation in April 1964. The 443 foot, 6 inch long refrigerated cargo vessel, equipped with six cargo holds and designed to Ice Class III specifications, made its first trip through the Seaway before the year was out.
Etrog was back for three more trips to the Great Lakes in 1965 but that may have been it for inland navigation. It was lengthened to 522 feet, 3 inches in 1971 and continued to serve Zim Israel until being sold to Laurel Navigation Inc. and registered in Panama during 1981.
Renamed b) Roga, the ship did not last long. The vessel was trading in the Far East when it stranded near Singapore on Magdalena Reef on Dec. 26, 1981. The 17-year- old freighter sustained heavy bottom damage 33-years ago today and, after being pulled free, arrived at Singapore Roads on Jan. 12, 1982.
Declared a total loss, Roga was sold to Singapore shipbreakers, delivered on May 26, 1982, and broken up by National Shipbreakers Pte. Ltd.
Skip Gillham
Port Reports - December 26
Kingston, Ont. – Ron Walsh
The highest winds recorded Thursday were at 3 a.m. with gusts to 60 mph at 7:30 a.m. the Federal Mattawa and Claude A. Desgagnes were anchored in Prince Edward Bay. They were joined by Heloise at 10:15 a.m. All three were still there at 9:30 p.m. The Robert S. Pierson was eastbound, giving an ETA of 9:30 p.m. for False Duck Islands, with coke for Picton. She gave an ETA of mid night for Picton and 5 a.m. to depart for Coburg. English River departed Bath at 9 p.m. She said the wind was still gusting to 30 knots.
Updates - December 26
Lay-up list updated
Today in Great Lakes History - December 26
In 1981, the steamer ENDERS M. VOORHEES laid up for the last time at the Hallett Dock #5 in Duluth, Minnesota.
On 26 December 1916, the wreck of the wooden self-unloading freighter TOPEKA was leveled by dynamiting. She sank just off Windsor/Sandwich, Ontario, in the Detroit River on 15 April 1916, in a collision with the small steamer CHRISTOPHER. Her machinery was removed prior to dynamiting.
1909: The former whaleback steamer COLGATE HOYT, operating on the East Coast since 1906, was wrecked as c) THURMOND in a storm at Tom's River Bay, NJ enroute from Newport News, VA to Portland, ME with a cargo of coal.
1973: The Liberian freighter ADELFOI, a Seaway caller in 1972 and 1973, was under tow on the St. Lawrence due to engine trouble. The ship broke loose and came ashore at St. Laurent, Ile d'Orleans and became a total loss. It was refloated on May 9, 1974, and eventually towed to Santander,Spain, for scrapping.
1982: BELMONA was newly built when it visited the Great Lakes in 1962. It sank as e) RHODIAN SAILOR south of Taiwan after the holds were flooded in a storm. The ship was carrying bagged cement and there was only one survivor.
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Post by yachtsmanwilly on Dec 29, 2014 7:14:13 GMT -5
Barge bumps downtown Sturgeon Bay bridge
12/27 - Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – The Maple-Oregon Street Bridge in downtown Sturgeon Bay remains open after the drawbridge was bumped by a barge being towed by two Selvick Marine Co. tugboats on Friday morning.
The Cameron O. and William Selvick were moving the barge Texas from the Bay Shipbuilding Co. at about 9 a.m. to the Centerpointe Yacht Services dock, where the approximately 700-foot-long vessel will be parked for the winter.
According to Mark Kantola, spokesman for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Northeast Region, the front tug could not stop the barge's forward momentum, and it struck the Maple-Oregon Bridge going approximately 2 knots (2.3 mph).
The minor collision partially knocked down a pedestrian rail and caused cosmetic damage to the vessel's bow. DOT engineers inspected the damage and cleared the bridge for vehicular traffic.
The tugs sailed through the Michigan Street Bridge but never asked that the Maple-Oregon Bridge also be opened, Kantola said. The bridge tender started raising the bridge shortly before the bump occurred.
"Our guy started raising the bridge when he saw the collision was about to happen," Kantola said. "He must have seen it and said, 'Oh my God, we've got to raise this.'"
The DOT was arranging for a construction crew to repair the railing. A damage estimate was not available Friday, but Kantola said property damage to state-owned structures is typically the responsibility of the party causing the damage.
Green Bay Press Gazette
Bad year for Cliffs gives way to uncertain future
12/29 - Duluth, Minn. – A bad year is nearly in the rear-view mirror for Cliffs Natural Resources, but the view through the windshield doesn’t look great, either.
The Cleveland-based mining company with a huge presence on Minnesota’s Iron Range has seen its stock value evaporate in 2014, the price for its iron ore halved and Wall Street confidence in its ability to thrive reach rock bottom.
How bad was 2014? In the past 12 months:
• Cliffs’ stock has fallen from $27 per share to about $6, and some analysts say it may go lower. That’s for a stock that hit $100 per share in 2011 and $75 as recently as 2012.
• Cliffs’ management team was ousted in late July when the company became the victim of a hostile takeover by the New York hedge fund Casablanca Capital. Casablanca, which called Cliffs’ old guard an “incompetent and entrenched” board that had “destroyed shareholder value” by expanding too fast and ringing up debt at the expense of profit, said it would downsize the company and sell off many or all of its foreign holdings.
• Cliffs permanently shuttered its Wabush iron ore mine and shipping facilities in Newfoundland and Labrador early in the year. Then in November it announced it was seeking “exit options” to shut down its Bloom Lake operations in Quebec if a buyer didn’t come forward. So far, no buyer has emerged, and the operations appear doomed, at least in the short run. Ironically, closing the plant will cost Cliffs millions more.
• Cliffs’ credit rating was dropped to junk status in October by Standard & Poor’s, and the company took a $5.7 billion write-down on its mining assets.
• Cliffs announced earlier this month that it would sell its struggling Logan County coal operations in West Virginia to Coronado Coal LLC for $175 million and use the money to help pay off some debt. Cliffs said it expected to write off a $425 million fourth-quarter loss on the sale.
Perhaps most dire for Cliffs, and a host of other mining companies, is that the price for the iron ore they produce has dropped from nearly $200 per ton a few years ago to less than $70 per ton today. That’s below what it costs some companies to operate, industry analysts note, and some Australian mines already are closing.
Cliffs’ situation is so dire that Credit Suisse analyst Nathan Littlewood last week downgraded its stock price estimate from $10 to just $1. Cliffs’ debt is just too high to overcome even with the new management team’s best intentions to shed debt and production costs, Littlewood wrote. Furthermore, he blamed rapid expansion plans in recent years — what Credit Suisse calls “a failed empire-building attempt by prior management” — for a mountain of debt that even the company’s new management remains unable to solve.
While Credit Suisse said they were impressed with moves by Cliffs’ new managers to shed costs, including jettisoning the Canadian ore and U.S. coal operations, “the downward pressure on iron ore prices” may be too much to overcome, especially for a company with $2.8 billion in debt. (The same report also predicted bleak times ahead for both Essar Steel and Magnetation, both of which are spending big money on new Iron Range facilities written on business plans with iron ore prices of $80 per ton or higher.)
Cliffs officials declined to comment for this story. But what happens in coming months will be big news for the 1,851 Cliffs employees on the Iron Range and thousands of people who own stock in the company that’s had a presence on the Iron Range for a century and has a $251 million annual payroll here.
The company owns and operates Northshore Mining in Silver Bay and Babbitt and United Taconite in Eveleth and Forbes, as well as the Empire/Tilden operations in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It also is part owner and manager of Hibbing Taconite.
State Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, the Senate majority leader and a member of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board, said Cliffs’ Minnesota operations appear to be weathering the storm so far. Indeed, all three plants are at or near production capacity. Northshore continues to advance a new, added-value iron pellet. United is ready to expand its mine pit into the next 25-year supply of ore. And the new management team in Cleveland insists it’s focusing on its U.S. operations going forward.
“If Cliffs was just a U.S. company we wouldn’t be having this discussion. But the global situation with iron ore is such that Cliffs is just getting hammered in Canada and Australia,” Bakk said. He noted that there’s an estimated 300 million tons of excess iron ore capacity globally with the retail price of iron ore now below Cliffs’ (and other producers) cost to mine the ore in some locations, let alone ship it.
Optimists say Minnesota taconite iron ore should maintain its value as long as U.S. steelmakers continue rolling out products for an expanding economy — things such as automobiles, refrigerators and girders for new buildings.
“Globally, the iron ore industry built up to feed China and India over the past 20 years and now those steel mills aren’t making as much steel, and there’s just too much iron ore out there,” Bakk noted. “But we have a pretty good situation in the Great Lakes, for Minnesota taconite, because no one can get ore to Great Lakes steel mills as cheaply as we can. That’s why Cliffs is looking pretty good as a Minnesota producer. They have contracts for everything they’re producing here.”
Still, state Rep. Tom Anzelc, DFL-Balsam Township, also an IRRRB member, said the global glut of iron ore is bound to have reverberations in Minnesota.
“I think 2015 and 2016 are going to be very bad years for the iron ore business. There’s just too much supply and not enough demand and the falling price is going to kill some of the producers,” Anzelc said.
Cliffs has been especially hard-hit by the rapid free fall of iron ore prices because it has to sell everything it mines. Other Northland producers, such as U.S Steel’s Minntac and Keetac operations and ArcelorMittal’s Minorca mine, produce ore for the company’s own steel mills, so price fluctuations have little impact on the bottom line.
Even as the global market price drops, global mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton are increasing capacity in an effort to push higher-cost competitors in Australia, Canada and maybe the U.S. to quit the game. It’s the same strategy OPEC is using to drive high-cost oil producers out of the market.
Both companies are moving ahead with iron ore mine expansions, even as the price of ore drops. And Australia’s giant Roy Hill mine, with an output of 50 million tons per year — more than all Minnesota production combined — is expected to come online in 2015, leading to an even larger oversupply and even lower prices.
Even India is increasing production of iron ore, with a state-owned mining company announcing earlier this month they will produce 10 million metric tons per year by the end of the decade.
Last week Australian government officials cut their iron ore price estimate for next year by 33 percent. The government is predicting an average of $63 per ton for 2015, down from the $94 it forecast in September and down from an average of $88 this year.
Some analysts are skeptical that Cliffs can weather the storm. Analysts with TheStreet.com on Monday rated Cliffs a “sell.”
“The company’s weaknesses can be seen in multiple areas, such as its deteriorating net income, generally high debt management risk, disappointing return on equity, weak operating cash flow and generally disappointing historical performance,” the report noted.
Forbes predicted Cliffs’ problems earlier this year.
“In the context of the prevailing environment of low iron ore and coal prices, the company’s new management has an extremely tough job on its hands,” Forbes’ analysis noted on Sept. 30. Cliffs “will struggle to find buyers for its iron ore or coal assets, given oversupplied markets for both commodities and weak demand conditions. Further, the company may not realize the best value for its mining assets, even if some sales were to materialize.”
“With an oversupply situation and a low iron ore pricing environment expected to continue in 2015, the situation is looking grim at the moment for Cliffs,” the Forbes report concluded.
Duluth News Tribune
Canadian Coast Guard cleaning up spill after Chaulk Determination sinks
12/29 - Trois-Rivières , Que. – Pumping operations continue at the Trois-Rivières port after the tugboat Chaulk Determination sank on Friday, leaking fuel into the St. Lawrence River.
Government agencies have been on site since Friday afternoon, working to limit the damage caused by the leak.
The boat was holding 22 tonnes of fuel when it sank. Since then, workers have been trying to stop the leakage of the diesel into the water and remove the fuel already in the water.
Canadian Coast Guard spokesman Michel Plamondon told CBC/Radio-Canada that nine tonnes of diesel have been removed from the water since operations began.
The Canadian Coast Guard, Transport Canada and the diving company Seamec are all part of the operation. The cleanup will take at least several days, said Plamondon. "The priority is really to conduct oil containment and recovery operations," he said. "We have no clue to how long it'll take to pick everything up."
Plamondon said the Coast Guard is working on a plan to get the ship back afloat. He said he believes that can be done by the end of December.
A spokesman for Quebec's environment ministry said the owner of the boat will foot the bill for the cleanup. However, Plamondon said the coast guard was called in when it was determined the company that owns Chaulk Determination could not afford to pay the bill.
According to Transport Canada’s website, Cai Marine Inc. owns Chaulk Determination. The business is registered in Moncton, N.B.
At this point, it's unclear how much it will cost, or who will pay the final tab.
The port authority in Trois-Rivières said the leak could have been avoided. Port authority president and CEO Gaétan Boivin said the owner of the boat had been notified several times about its precarious condition. He said the owner was warned it could sink if not cared for.
No one was on the boat, moored in the port for several weeks, when it sank.
The environment ministry is still investigating the cause of the sinking and spill.
CBC
C
12/29 - C - T
Port Reports - December 29
Calcite, Mich. – Denny Dushane
The Port of Calcite loaded its last vessel for the 2014 shipping season on Saturday with the arrival of the Great Republic in the early morning. They departed during the afternoon.
Stoneport, Mich. – Denny Dushane
There are no vessels scheduled from Sunday-Tuesday. Due next will be the Philip R. Clarke on Wednesday in the early evening. Arthur M. Anderson will be the first vessel for 2015, arriving on January 1 in the early afternoon to load. Due on Friday, January 2, is the John G. Munson at noon. Rounding out the schedule will be the Philip R. Clarke, arriving on Saturday, January 3 in the mid-afternoon.
Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – Daniel Lindner, Jim Conlon
CSL Assiniboine arrived in Sturgeon Bay for winter layup on Saturday evening at 8 p.m. She joins her fleetmate CSL Laurentien, where both vessels will be repowered over the winter. Also arriving on Sunday morning was the tug Rebecca Lynn. On Sunday morning, the tug and CSL Assiniboine were in the graving dock, with CSL Laurentien docked in a slip.
Toledo, Ohio – Denny Dushane
Algoma Progress loaded at the CSX Coal Dock on Saturday, while its fleetmate Algoma Olympic was tied-up at the CSX #2 wall awaiting the departure of the Progress. H. Lee White was also due at CSX on Sunday in the late afternoon. At the Torco Dock, the Whitefish Bay unloaded an iron ore cargo on Saturday. Also due at the Torco Dock will be the James L. Kuber on Monday in the early morning. Rounding out the schedule will be the Hon. James L. Oberstar, due in on Tuesday in the early morning. The tug Barbara Andrie with a barge was also in port at the time of this report. American Valor remains in long-term lay-up near the Lakefront Docks.
Prescott, Ont. – Joanne N. Crack
Ships that passed through Saturday night were Thunder Bay up for Conneaut and Algoma Spirit up for Hamilton, Ont.
Ships that passed early Sunday morning, Adfines Sea down at 2:35am for Québec City, QC and Flinter America down at 3:44am for Québec City, QC.
Sunday, Baie St. Paul came down at 6:32am for Montréal, QC, Orla down at 11:11am for Montréal, QC, Federal Elbe down at 11:42am for Montréal, QC, Algoma Montrealais down at 12h27 with a load of grain from Thunder Bay for Baie Comeau, QC, Radcliffe R. Latimer down at 2:28pm for Côte Ste-Catherines, QC. and Sarah Desgagnes down into Prescott Anchorage at 4:23pm, reportedly awaiting a pilot time. She’s headed for Montréal, QC. Nothing was expected through Sunday night.
Early Monday morning, expected through was Algorail up for Sault St. Marie, Ont., Pineglen up for Toronto, Ont. and Flintersky down for Montréal, QC.
Lookback #407 – Agga wrecked off Sweden on Dec. 29, 1935.
The Norwegian freighter Agga was an occasional caller around the Great Lakes in the 1920s and 1930s. The ship had been launched at Bergen, Norway, on Dec. 1, 1905, and completed in January 1906. It served the Wm. Hansen fleet except for 1918-1919 when it was listed as owned by the British Government.
The London Times of Dec. 20, 1922, reported that the Agga , which had run aground 5 nautical miles south of Valencia, Spain, on Nov. 14, 1922, had been released the previous day of Dec. 19, 1922.
The 228.7 foot long by 35.1 feet wide Agga first came through the old St. Lawrence Canal system in 1923. The following year, on Oct. 27, 1924, it went aground off Cratser's Island, above Morrisburg. The vessel returned inland for grain in 1925 and got stuck a second time. The latter occasion was near Chimney Island some four miles below Prescott, Ontario, on Nov. 25.
In 1932, Agga sailed from Toledo for Rouen, France, and in 1933 was noted to have come to Chicago from Fowey, England. The next year shows a trip from Europe to Chicago and, on Nov. 1, 1934, Agga cleared South Haven, MI to head back overseas.
On Dec. 29, 1935, seventy-nine years ago today, this 1,105 gross ton freighter was traveling in ballast from Gdynia, Poland, to Stockholm, Sweden, when it was wrecked at Gunnorstenarne, Sweden.
Skip Gillham
Updates - December 29
Saltie Gallery updated with pictures of the Blue Phoenix I, Flinter America, Flintersky, Active and Sundaisy E.
Today in Great Lakes History - December 29
B. F. JONES was launched December 29, 1906, as a.) GENERAL GARRETSON.
KINSMAN INDEPENDENT was launched in 1906, as a.) WILLIAM B. KERR (Hull#72) at Chicago, Illinois, by Chicago Ship Building Co. for the Weston Transit Co.
Kinsman's new GEORGE M. HUMPHREY was christened on December 29, 1926.
GOLDEN HIND was laid up for the last time on December 29, 1985, at Toronto, Ontario.
On 29 December 1813, ARIEL (4-gun armed schooner, 112 tons, built in 1813, at Erie, Pennsylvania, as part of Perry's fleet) ran aground in a squall at Black River (now Buffalo) and was burned by the British.
CAROLINE (wooden sidewheeler, 71 foot, 46 tons, built in 1822, at New York City, New York) was chartered to transport arms and munitions to Navy Island near Buffalo. On 29 December 1837, she was commandeered by about 60 Canadian rebels under the command of a Royal Navy officer at Schlosser on the Niagara River. In the fight that followed, she was set afire, abandoned and allowed to drift down the river. Some sources say that she went over the falls. This incident caused hostile feelings along the U.S. northeastern frontier for many months.
1935: The Norwegian freighter AGGA came to the Great Lakes as early as 1923 and returned on several occasions until at least through 1934. It had gone aground in the St. Lawrence on October 27, 1924 and again on November 25, 1925. The 1905-vintage cargo carrier was wrecked on this date at Gunnorstenarne, Sweden.
1974: The Swedish freighter RAGNEBORG was newly built when it came to the Great Lakes in 1947 and was a regular inland trader through 1963. The vessel was sailing as c) CHAVIN when the engine broke down and it was towed into Puerto Cortes, (not sure if it was Costa Rica or Honduras), and beached. It never sailed again and was still there as late as 1978.
1979: A spark from a welder's torch spread from the conveyor belt and gutted the pilothouse and officer's quarters of the NICOLET at Toledo. The vessel was rebuilt with a new pilothouse at Lorain and returned to service on April 4, 1981.
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Post by yachtsmanwilly on Dec 30, 2014 7:25:31 GMT -5
Shipping season: Recovery from slow start
12/30 - Duluth, Minn. – The last ocean-going cargo salty has left the Duluth-Superior Harbor, but the Great Lakes shipping season will continue into January.
And after a terribly slow start to the season because of a brutal 2014 winter than stayed around into spring with ice choking watery lanes, shipments have nearly caught up to 2013 levels. That includes iron ore pellets from the Iron Range.
“Higher water levels across the system this year helped tremendously in making up time and tonnage. Thousand-footers, for example, were able to load to another foot deeper draft allowing some 3,000 additional tons or iron ore or coal on every downbound delivery, said Duluth Seaway Port Authority Executive Director Vanta Coda.
A news release from the Port Authority points out that late-season shipping has not been significantly affected so far by the wintry weather.
“Freighters continue their end-of-season push to deliver iron ore to mills on the lower lakes to ensure sufficient inventories for steelmaking while locks are closed,” the release said.
In addition, coal, limestone, salt and other bulk commodities are being shipped ahead of the season’s closing.
Here are the 2014 shipping totals compared to 2013 with about four weeks still left in the season:
• Iron ore and concentrate tonnage: 2013: 10,775,883. 2014 so far: 10,514,527.
• Limestone: 2013: 3,007,670. 2014 so far: 3,213,875.
• Coal and Coke: 2013: 11,235,621. 2014 so far: 9,920,601.
• Bulk Grain: 2013: 264,773. 2014 so far: 141,480.
• Total Domestic Shipping: 2013: 26,100,062. 2014 so far: 24,397,453.
When Canadian exports or iron ore and concentrates are factored in, the total iron ore shipping through the Duluth-Superior Port is up through this year so far over 2013: 15,307,084 in 2014 so far compared to 14,479,788 in 2013.
Mesabi Daily News
Port Reports - December 30
Marquette, Mich. – Rod Burdick
Herbert C. Jackson, Kaye E. Barker and Michipicoten visited the LS&I Upper Harbor ore dock on Monday.
Suttons Bay, Mich. – Al Miller
Tug Prentiss Brown and barge St. Marys Conquest anchored Monday afternoon in Suttons Bay to wait for the dock at Charlevoix.
Oswego, N.Y. – Ned Goebricher
On Monday Stephen B. Roman unloaded cement.
Prescott, Ont. – Joanne N. Crack
Early Monday, Flintersky came down at 4:12am for Montréal, QC, Algorail was up at 4:31am for Sault St. Marie, Ont. and Federal EMS down at 5:55am for Montréal, QC. Later Monday the Sarah Desgagnes, waiting on a pilot time overnight in Prescott Anchorage, hove anchor and came down at 7:19am for Montréal, QC, Pineglen was up at 7:21am, Palmerton was down at 8:09am carrying 7 railroad locomotives loaded in Erie Pa. headed to Vale Mining in Brazil, CCG Griffon departed Prescott Base at 12:35am for Port Colborne, Ont., Algosoo up at 9:43am, Apollon down at 1:44am for Montréal, QC, and Mississagi down at 3:03pm.
Expected through Monday evening/night were Algoma Equinox and Algoma Enterprise both up for Hamilton, Ont., Active down for St. John, New Brunswick and Federal Kushiro down for Montréal, QC.
Expected to head up early Tuesday morning is Tim S. Dool.
Hornblower’s Inaugural season attracts 1.6 million people
12/30 - Niagara Falls, Ont. – It was a season of unknowns for Hornblower Niagara Cruises. It was also a season that turned out to exceed expectations, said general manager Mory DiMaurizio.
“It was a fantastic season,” he said. “No major incidents. No major concerns. And, the customer feedback was spectacular.”
An estimated 1.6 million people took a ride on one of Hornblower’s two catamarans this season.
“We surpassed all our budget targets,” DiMaurizio said. “We had great customer service index scores that far surpassed the benchmarks we set for ourselves.”
Hornblower operated two state-of-the-art catamarans - named Niagara Wonder and Niagara Thunder - in the Niagara River from May until late November.
DiMaurizio admits it was a challenge getting a new business up and running in a relatively short period of time.
“It wouldn’t be fair to say there’s never any hiccups,” he said. “We were really up against a whole bunch of unknowns so it really was an all hands on deck experience for everyone.”
The season began May 15, which was a little bit later than expected due to the amount of ice that had built up in the Niagara River.
On the other side of the coin, the inaugural season was extended to Nov. 30 due to favorable weather conditions.
Early morning cruises and evening fireworks cruises were a success as were private charters for corporate events and weddings. Hornblower plans to expand on those experiences next year.
“We’re not just about tour operations, we want to think of ourselves as much more than that,” DiMaurizio said.
Plans are underway to add amenities at the dock level next year including food and beverage facilities and live entertainment. They’re also looking at developing an education proponent for schools where students can learn about the lower Niagara gorge, hydroelectric power and the geological evolution of the Falls.
“This is not all about Hornblower Niagara Cruises,” he noted.
“We want to build on the experience as a destination for all the stakeholders. In extending the day and extending the season we bring in additional tourism dollars and that drives the economy and drives jobs so it’s good for everybody.”
Notable guests the first year included Archbishop Desmond Tutu, members of the Dutch royal family and a number of celebrities including actor Adam Sandler and comedian Rick Mercer.
Hornblower was awarded a 30-year, $500-million contract by the Niagara Parks Commission in 2012, beating out Maid of the Mist, which had been offering boat tours since 1846.
The Maid of the Mist continues to operate on the U.S. side of the river.
“The Maid of the Mist has been a fantastic boat tour operator for many, many years and we learned a lot from their operation,” DiMaurizio said. “We wish them well and we wish them all the successes.”
DiMaurizio said the relationship between the two companies was “very professional and very cordial” this season. “Safety is paramount and there was good communication between our captains in terms of vessel traffic plans on the water.”
Under the lease with Hornblower, Niagara Parks will receive a guaranteed payment of more than $60 million during the first five years. Revenue the parks commission will receive beyond those first five years depends on attendance.
Other than a late start due to the ice build up in the river, Niagara Parks chairwoman Janice Thomson said very few operational issues arose as Hornblower settled in to Niagara.
“In view of the very difficult ‘polar vortex’ and taking a very long-standing operation over in a few short months, the transition was exceptionally smooth,” she said.
The agencies also worked together at several trade shows in the U.S. to promote the new service.
Niagara Falls Review
Season extended for sections of the Seaway
12/30 - Mariners are advised that due to favorable conditions, the cut-off date for acceptance of vessel transits through the Montreal-Lake Ontario section under special agreement has been modified as follows:
• Any ship calling in downbound at CVC or upbound at CIP2 after 23:59 hours, December 24, 2014 but Before 16:00 hours December 30, 2014 may be accepted to transit the Montreal-Lake Ontario section, under special agreement.
• Any ship calling in downbound at CVC or upbound at CIP2 after 23:59 hours, December 29, 2014, but before 16:00 hours December 30, 2014 will be subject to the addendum to the special agreement for the Montreal-Lake Ontario section. As per Seaway Notice No 11 of 2014, vessels may be allowed to transit the Montreal-Lake Ontario section of the Seaway up to 16:00 December 31st, 2014.
Lookback #408 – John J. Albright sold to Interlake Steamship Co. on Dec. 30, 1915
12/30 - It was 99 years ago today that the Cleveland Steamship Co., one of the Mitchell fleets, sold their 436-foot-long steamer John J. Albright to the Interlake Steamship Co. The vessel had been built by the American Shipbuilding Co. and launched for Mitchell at Cleveland on Nov. 3, 1900.
Following the sale to Interlake, they renamed this vessel b) Regulus and it served their interests until being resold to the Paterson Steamship Co. in 1926. Renamed c) Fort Willdoc, it sailed under their banner to the end of the 1964 season.
Fort Willdoc lost its rudder in a storm near Michipicoten Island, Lake Superior, in 1941. The stricken bulk carrier was spotted by the crew of the Louis W. Hill and towed to the safety of Sault Ste. Marie. The latter steamer still survives as the museum ship Valley Camp.
On April 6, 1949, Fort Willdoc and James E. McAlpine collided in Lake Superior above Whitefish Point and repairs cost close to $70,000 for the Canadian ship.
Fort Willdoc often carried grain for Paterson but in later years frequently handled coal from Lake Erie ports to Toronto. It made its last trip down the Welland Canal on this run on Dec. 2, 1964. After unloading, the ship sailed to Hamilton. It had been sold for scrap to Marine Salvage and resold to the Steel Company of Canada. The hull was broken up at Hamilton in 1965.
Skip Gillham
Today in Great Lakes History - December 30
On December 30, 1987, the THOMAS WILSON, under tow in the North Atlantic heading to be scrapped, parted her towline and sank near position 34.08'N by 61.35'12"W (approximately in line with Cape Hatteras, North Carolina) early the next day.
GEORGE M. HUMPHREY (Hull#796) was launched December 30, 1926, for Kinsman Transit Co. at Lorain, Ohio, by the American Ship Building Co. Renamed b.) CAPT JOHN ROEN in 1945, c.) ADAM E. CORNELIUS in 1948 and d.) CONSUMERS POWER in 1958, scrapped at Taiwan in 1988.
The first steel carferry, PERE MARQUETTE, was launched in nearly completed form on December 30, 1896. The ship was built for the Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad (predecessor to the Pere Marquette) and entered service just a few weeks later.
1981: VISHVA DHARMA came through the Seaway when new in 1970. The vessel was in a collision on this date with the ADMIRAL S. ALTINCAN and sustained damage to the forecastle and sides. The ship reached Istanbul, Turkey, enroute to Russia on January 7, 1982. The damage was repaired and it survived until scrapping at Bombay, India, in 1988.
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Post by yachtsmanwilly on Dec 31, 2014 6:46:01 GMT -5
Algoma Progress ties up at Port Colborne scrap dock
12/31 - Waterfront reports indicate that when Algoma Central Corp’s Algoma Progress tied up Tuesday near the Marine Recycling Corp. (IMS) dock in Port Colborne, Ont., she had completed her last trip. Her last cargo was a load of coal loaded at Toledo for Hamilton. The 1968-built self-unloader had been expected to be retired at the end of the 2013 season but was activated this year due to unexpected tonnage demands. Although Algoma Central has made no official announcement, it is presumed the vessel will be scrapped in upcoming months.
Port Reports - December 31
Whitefish Bay
Westerly gales and waves forecast to 18 feet have White fish Bay filled tonight with vessels anchoring in lee of Whitefish Point. Those waiting out the weather include the John J. Boland, Joyce L. VanEnkevort, Olive L. Moore, Ken Boothe Sr., American Century, Joseph L. Block and Algowood.
Alpena, Mich. - Ben & Chanda McClain
The tug Undaunted and barge Pere Marquette 41 arrived at Lafarge on Christmas night. It was not known what kind of cargo was delivered. On Friday the Great Republic tied up at Lafarge and unloaded coal. Over the weekend, the Alpena and the tug G.L Ostrander with barge Integrity loaded cement at Lafarge.
Saginaw River – Todd Shorkey
Alpena arrived on the Saginaw River early Tuesday morning, calling on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville to unload. She was expected to be outbound early Wednesday.
Toledo, Ohio – Denny Dushane
The CSX Coal Dock is closed for the 2014 season, with the last vessel expected to have been the H. Lee White on Sunday in the late afternoon. The Midwest Terminal Stone Dock also closed for the season. At the Torco Dock, the Lewis J. Kuber is expected to arrive on Friday, January 2 in the early morning to unload iron ore. They will be the first vessel to arrive in Toledo for 2015. The James L. Kuber is due at the Torco Dock on Sunday, January 4 in the early afternoon. Manitowoc is due at Torco on Monday, January 5 in the late morning. Two vessels are due at Torco on Friday, January 9, with the Lewis J. Kuber due in the late morning, followed by the James L. Kuber in the late afternoon. Vessels in port at the time of this report included the Manitowoc and the tug Michigan / barge Great Lakes. American Valor near the Lakefront Docks still remains in long-term lay-up.
Prescott, Ont. – Joanne N. Crack
Through Monday night wdere upbounders Algoma Enterprise and Algoma Equinox both for Hamilton, Ont. Tuesday Sloman Hermes went down at 5:50am for Martas Finland, Tim S. Dool was up at 8:34am, Active at 9:04am for St. John, NB, Lake Ontario down at 10:28am for Montréal, QC, Algoma Harvester up at 10:30am for Hamilton, Ont., and Federal Kushiro down at 11:32am for Montréal, QC. Expected through late Tuesday night was Mississagi up for Sarnia, Ont.
Province seeks help from feds in Canadian Miner cleanup
12/31 - Main-A-Dieu, N.S. – In light of additional contaminants discovered during the cleanup of the former Great Lakes vessel Canadian Miner, the province is seeking more help from the federal government.
Geoff MacLellan, minister of transportation and public works, wants the feds to revisit the issue of the overall costs associated with the cleanup. He is also looking to the federal government for help with some of the logistics associated with the project.
The 12,000-tonne, 223-metre bulk carrier ran aground off Scatarie Island after a tow line snapped in rough seas during transit to Turkey from Montreal in September 2011. Scatarie Island is a provincially protected wilderness area and it is home to a lucrative fishery.
During her visit to North Sydney on Monday, federal Transport Minister Lisa Raitt said her department is aware of the new developments involving the MV Miner cleanup.
"I believe the minister (MacLellan) is going to be working with Gail Shea, the minister of fisheries and oceans, because of the coast guard aspects of the project. We are certainly aware of what is happening with the MV Miner, it is an issue we all take very seriously."
Raitt said the cleanup isn't an impediment to navigation so Transport Canada will not be involved.
"But when it comes to the environmental matters, certainly the coast guard and fisheries are involved. The federal fisheries minister has that file on her desk."
In November, word came that asbestos levels found on the derelict ship stranded off Cape Breton are almost five times more than estimated in federal reports. About 30,000 litres of diesel was also discovered aboard, when a study had indicated it had all been removed.
About 30 tonnes of asbestos was discovered aboard the vessel by the contractor, well in excess of the 6.6 tonnes of asbestos federal reports estimated to be on the ship.
The project was originally expected to cost $11.9 million.
Cape Breton Post
Lookback #409 – C.H. Houson blown from dock at Toronto on Dec. 31, 1937
The C.H. Houson was built at Wallsend, England, and launched on Jan. 25, 1929. The ship sailed for Canada in the spring as part of the Sarnia Steamship Co. of Capt. R. Scott Misener.
Designed for the old canal trades, the ship had an early problem, colliding with the collier Wabana off Cap Saumon in heavy fog on June 28, 1929. The investigation was critical of both captains for the accident.
A collision with the Sierra in Lake Erie on May 8, 1933 pushed the bow back two to three feet when the ships met in fog off Southeast Shoal.
The 259-foot-long bulk carrier was laid up at Toronto for the winter of 1937-1938 when it broke loose in the high winds that swept the region 77 years ago today. The C.H. Houson again sustained bow damage as a result of this storm.
Capt. Misener had this ship renamed Paul Manion in 1949 and it remained in service until the Seaway was opened in 1959. It was sold for scrap and broken up at Deseronto, Ont., by Crawford Metals in 1961.
Skip Gillham
Today in Great Lakes History - December 31
In 1905, B. F. JONES (Hull#15), 530 x 56 x 31 with a capacity of 10,000 tons, slid down the ways at Great Lakes Engineering Works, Ecorse, Mich. The JONES was built at a cost of $400,000 for Jones and Laughlin Steel. She was declared a constructive total loss after a collision with the CASON J. CALLAWAY in the St. Marys River on August 21, 1955. Most of the hull was scrapped at Superior, Wis., in 1956. Part of the hull became the crane barge SSC-1. Her forward cabins and hatch crane and covers were installed on the SPARKMAN D. FOSTER.
In 1952, a total of 35 boats were laid up for the season at Cleveland. The WILLIAM FAIRBAIRN, GEORGE STEPHENSON, and ANDREW S. UPSON had storage cargoes of flax, the MICHAEL GALLAGHER had a storage cargo of wheat, and the remaining 31 vessels were empty.
In 1941, at the close of the shipping season, the Great Lakes fleet consisted of 513 boats of U.S. Registry and 279 boats of Canadian Registry.
At 4:00 p.m., 31 December 1895, the PURITAN (wooden propeller passenger/package freight steamer, 172 foot, 289 gross tons, built in 1887, at Benton Harbor, Michigan) burned at the dock in Oak Hill (Manistee), Michigan. She was a total loss.
Upon suggestion from the U.S. Maritime Commission, surplus World War II cargo vessels, many of which had laid up on the James River, were made available for sale under the Great Lakes Vessel Sales Act of 1950 (enacted September 28, 1950) to be converted for Great Lakes use. The act allowed Great Lakes fleets to purchase up to 10 surplus ships by December 31, 1951, and receive a 90% cost subsidy to convert and refurbish them for lakes use. The first such conversion occurred when the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co. of Cleveland, Ohio bought the NOTRE DAME VICTORY (later CLIFFS VICTORY) on December 10, 1950.
GEORGE M. HUMPHREY of 1953 was laid up for the last time at the old Great Lakes Engineering Works slip at River Rouge, Mich., beginning December 31, 1983.
The QUEDOC, a.) NEW QUEDOC, was laid up for the last time on December 31, 1984, at Toronto, Ont., alongside the SENATOR OF CANADA.
On 31 December 1884, ADMIRAL (wooden propeller steam tug, 49 gross tons, built in 1883, at Chicago, Ill.) had her boiler explode in Chicago harbor. All four of the crew was killed.
In 1884, the PERE MARQUETTE NO 1 ran aground at Ludington, Mich.
December 31, 1919 - The entire Ann Arbor carferry fleet was tied up in Frankfort, Mich., due to bad weather.
On 31 December 1889, H. M. Loud of Oscoda, Mich., sold the 551-ton wooden schooner ANGUS SMITH to Mitchell Brothers of Marine City, Mich., for $16,000. The vessel was built in 1871.
1905: The whaleback Barge 126 had left the Great Lakes earlier in the year and was renamed b) BADEN. It stranded at Buzzard's Bay, Mass., enroute from Newport News, Va., to New Bedford, Mass., with coal and was a total loss. The crew of six was also lost.
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Post by yachtsmanwilly on Jan 1, 2015 7:12:52 GMT -5
Final funding secured to update Duluth docks
1/1 - Duluth, Minn. – The long-awaited $16 million rebuild and expansion of the port of Duluth’s Docks C and D will begin at the end of May.
“We’re really excited about it,” said Deborah DeLuca, the government and environmental affairs director for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, whose Clure Public Marine Terminal rests across a slip from the 28-acre area encompassing Docks C and D. “This is a dock that’s been, for the past 20 years, underutilized or vacant. To put it back to productive use as a marine dock and terminal sets the table for us to attract additional cargo sent through this port.”
A $990,000 contamination cleanup grant secured last month from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development will be matched by the Port Authority and allow for the $16 million project to commence with site cleanup.
The site has been home to a sawmill and a grain elevator and, more recently, was used as a yard to store wind power equipment in transit through the port. The project, much of it funded by the federal Department of Transportation, will include stabilizing the docks with the installation of new steel pilings for a new dock wall.
Additional rehabilitation work will include a new dock surface, or deck, fit for heavy-lift equipment; the addition of a new roll-on, roll-off dock; the dredging of adjacent waters to seaway depth; enhanced security for the area; and the installation of greater truck and rail access points, including turnouts onto the property from the adjacent Canadian National and Burlington Northern rail lines.
“It enhances us as an intermodal facility,” said DeLuca, who added that the Port Authority will, at least initially, operate Docks C and D.
DeLuca called site cleanup “phase one of the redevelopment of the site.”
The cleanup will focus on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, and metals still found in what DeLuca called “hot spots” on the site. Some of the pollutant material will be excavated and disposed of off-site, while other areas have been approved by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to be capped. DeLuca described the capping as geogrid fabric placed over the hot spots and covered with clean fill dirt.
“It’s protective of human health and the environment,” she said. “All exposure pathways are interrupted; they’re no longer there.”
DeLuca praised DEED for helping to pay for the cleanup as part of $4 million in grants the state agency announced last week.
“It’s not at all their normal kind of project,” DeLuca said. “Most are offices and warehouses in the Twin Cities, even light industrial up here. This is something different for them, putting a dock back into productive service. They saw the value in it for Duluth and the region.”
In announcing the grants, DEED Commissioner Katie Clark Sieben said in a release that “DEED’s Contamination Cleanup Grant Program has shown solid performance in stimulating the economic development and helping to generate thousands of jobs in Minnesota.”
The 21-year-old program has reclaimed more than 3,000 acres of blighted property, Clark Sieben said.
DeLuca said it’s estimated that the project will create up to a dozen jobs once Docks C and D are up and running in the fall of 2016. Most positions will be for dock workers, with commensurate managerial and clerical positions. DeLuca also was quick to point out the construction jobs that will be created by the revitalization effort.
When major funding for the project was secured in fall 2013, U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan called it a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to renovate and revitalize our essential Port of Duluth-Superior, making the port and the city of Duluth more competitive by expanding the number of shippers, diversity of cargo, and volume of shipments in and out of the harbor.”
DeLuca agreed, saying simply, “This project will increase shipping through the port.”
Duluth News Tribune
Ferry gets stuck in ice while taking passengers to Mackinac Island
1/1 - St. Ignace, Mich. – A ferry that takes people to and from Mackinac Island got stuck in the ice Wednesday morning. According to an Arnold Line general manager, the ferry had 56 people on board when it got stuck a little after 8 a.m.
On a normal day, the boat should have arrived at the island from St. Ignace by 8:35 a.m. but instead arrived just before 10:30 a.m.
The night before, the water was completely clear but Wednesday, ice drifted into the area. The captain had to maneuver the boat by backing up and going forward multiple times to get the boat out of the ice.
"We spent about an hour back and forth back and forth," said Terry Foley, captain. "Wind was hard the ice was pushing you around and couldn't get the boat to turn the way I wanted it to because the winds and the ice were pushing it."
The last time an Arnold boat got stuck was three years ago and the Coast Guard had to come and help. Arnold usually halts its service in the winter depending on the weather.
Up North Live
Port Reports - January 1
Toledo, Ohio - Denny Dushane
The Lewis J. Kuber is expected to arrive in Toledo to unload iron ore at the Torco Dock on Saturday, January 3 in the late afternoon. Manitowoc is due at Torco on Sunday, January 4 in the late morning to be followed by the James L. Kuber also on January 4 in the late afternoon. Lewis J. Kuber returns on Friday, January 9 at Torco in the late evening and rounding out the schedule will be the James L. Kuber returning to Torco to unload on Saturday, January 10 in the late morning hours. Both the CSX Coal Dock and the Midwest Terminal Stone Dock are closed for the season. American Valor remains in long-term layup near the Lakefront Docks. Tug Barbara Andrie with a barge was in port at the time of this report.
Port Weller, Ont.
Algoma Enterprise was placed in the Port Weller Drydock at noon Wednesday with assistance from Vigilant 1. She will undergo winter repairs there.
Prescott, Ont. - Joanne N. Crack
Our last ship of the season sailed through at 9:52am, being the Sten Bergen, oil/chemical tanker built in 2009 and flagged Gibraltar. Owned/managed by Rederiet Stenersen AS, Bergen, Norway, headed down with an eventual destination of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Algoma Progress: The story behind the boat
The self-unloader Algoma Progress delivered its last cargo of coal from Toledo to Hamilton and, after unloading, passed up the Welland Canal for the last time on Dec. 30. The vessel tied up at the I.M.S. dock in the outer harbor at Port Colborne and will be broken up for recycling in the months ahead.
It has been just over 46 years since the vessel made its first trip, also up the Welland Canal. The ship had been built by Port Weller Dry Docks of St. Catharines, Ontario. The keel was laid on June 5, 1967, the vessel was floated off the drydock on July 8, 1968, commissioned on July 27 and headed up the Welland Canal for the first time on Aug. 23, 1968. The first cargo, like the last, was coal but the initial shipment, which came aboard at Conneaut rather than Toledo, was delivered to Toronto.
The 730-foot-long by 75-foot-wider self-unloader was registered at 21,436 gross tons and 16,608 net tons. It was powered by two Rushton Hornsby diesel engines and had a number of new features. Aluminum, rather than steel, was used for the hatch covers to reduce weight and a single cargo hold, like that on Canadian Century, made for easier cleaning. At the time Canadian Progress was the largest deadweight self-unloader on the Great Lakes.
As a result, the ship set a number of cargo records. These included 32,016 tons of coal from Conneaut to Courtright in Sept. 1969, 26,190 tons of iron ore from Sept-Iles to Lackawanna in Nov. 1969, 32,435 tons of coal from Ashtabula to Courtright in May 1970 and 1,152,000 bushels of barley from Duluth to Trois Rivieres in June 1970. A Lake Erie record of 35,075 tons of coal crossed from Ashtabula to Nanticoke on June 14, 1972 and the ship took on 33,862 tons of coal in a record 8 hours, 10 minutes at Conneaut for Courtright on June 8, 1973.
On May 26, 1983, Canadian Progress unloaded iron ore directly into the American Republic at Cleveland and was the first self-unloader to self-unloader transfer there for Jones & Laughlin Steel.
The ship did not escape its travels throughout the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence system unscathed. There was a fire in the engine room during lay-up at Toronto on Jan. 4, 1973, and a grounding in the St. Lawrence five miles east of Ogdensburg, NY while upbound with iron ore for South Chicago on April 23, 1985.
The ship later stranded on Ballard's Reef on Dec. 11, 1988, while dodging a tug-barge combination. It was carrying coal at the time and had to be lightered before floating free again on Dec. 14.
Two Caterpillar diesel engines were installed at Sarnia over the winter of 1989-1990 and the unloading system was upgraded and computerized at Port Colborne during the winter of 1992-1993.
On March 31, 1989, Canadian Progress opened the navigation season at Port Colborne and was the first ship down bound in the Welland Canal. It also opened the 1993 season at Port Colborne on April 1 and was also the first ship of the year into Hamilton. Finally, on March 20, 2008, Canadian Progress participated in the annual “Top Hat” ceremony at Lock 3 in St. Catharines as the first upbound traveler through the Welland Canal system.
Canadian Progress handled a variety of aggregates over the years with coal and taconite ore often being found on board but the ship also carried stone, salt and a variety of grains. The salt trade kept the vessel busy into February of the 2004-2005 season.
When Upper Lakes Shipping sold its vessels to the Algoma Central Corporation in 2011, the ship was renamed Algoma Progress and served the new owners, as it had the original owners, well. The ship finished the 2014 season trading throughout the Great Lakes and down the St. Lawrence.
Late in 2014, Algoma Progress was sold to International Marine Salvage and made its final journey, under power, on Dec. 30. The ship will be dismantled during 2015.
Skip Gillham
Frozen In #1 – Jackson Princess remained on Great Lakes in 1959 – 1960
Not all of our seasonal saltwater visitors to the Great Lakes make it back to the Atlantic. Some were forced to spend the winter on our inland seas. This begins a series on the Seaway-era saltwater ships that did not make it back to Montreal before navigation ended.
The small tanker Jackson Princess first came to the Great Lakes in 1959. The vessel was owned by L.A. Jackson (Shipping) and operated as part of the Reoch fleet on behalf of the Canadian Vegetable Oil Company.
The ship carried a British crew and often operated between Lake Ontario and the East Coast carrying soybean oil. A lack of contracts resulted in the ship spending the winter of 1959 – 1960 at Hamilton.
This vessel was built at Glasgow, Scotland, and completed in June 1928 as a) Pass of Ballater. The 786-gross-ton British flag tanker was owned by the Bulk Oil Steamship Co. Ltd. It was sold to French interests and renamed b) Raffinage in 1934 but returned to Bulk Oil as c) Pass of Ballater in 1938.
The ship survived war-time service and became Jackson Princess in 1959. It was later laid up until sold and refurbished at Port Dalhousie in 1962. The vessel was renamed e) Holyrood Princess in 1963 and saw some service under the flag of Bahamas.
Following a sale to Spanish shipbreakers, the vessel arrived at Vigo, Spain, in July 1971, for dismantling.
Skip Gillham
Lookback #410 – Great Western entered service on Jan. 1, 1867
Canada was not yet a nation when the rail car ferry Great Western entered service on Jan. 1, 1867. The ship had been fabricated on the River Clyde and the 10,878 pieces were shipped to Windsor, Ontario, for assembly. The "puzzle" had been put together and the ship went to work 148 years ago today.
Great Western had two tracks on deck and could carry 12 rail cars. At 220 feet in length, this was the largest iron or steel ship on the Great Lakes at the time and made, for that era, a great icebreaker.
The vessel first served the Great Western Railway carrying rail cars across the Detroit River between Windsor and Detroit. It moved to the Grand Trunk Railway in 1882 and, after 1912, worked as the spare boat.
The ship was sold in 1923 and converted to a sand and gravel barge for work in the Windsor area. It had several subsequent owners and operated around the Canadian Lakehead for United Towing and Salvage beginning about 1941. It also saw some service beginning about 1957 in the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway but was dropped from Canadian registry in 1965.
Skip Gillham
Happy New Year, best wishes for 2015.
As we enter our 20th year of operation we hope to get back on track with the Weekly Updates and News Photo Gallery. We are in the process of a complete redesign of the site and hope to have the project back on track for launch in the spring, thanks for your support.
Updates - January 1
Lay-up list updated
Today in Great Lakes History - January 1
On this day in 1958, 76-year-old Rangvald Gunderson retired as wheelsman from the ELTON HOYT 2ND. Mr. Gunderson sailed on the lakes for 60 years.
On January 1, 1973, the PAUL H. CARNAHAN became the last vessel of the 1972 shipping season to load at the Burlington Northern (now Burlington Northern Santa Fe) ore docks in Superior, Wisconsin. Interestingly, the CARNAHAN also opened the Superior docks for the season in the spring of 1972.
On 1 January 1930, HELEN TAYLOR (wooden propeller steam barge, 56 foot, 43 gross tons, built in 1894, at Grand Haven, Michigan) foundered eight miles off Michigan City, Indiana. She was nicknamed "Pumpkin Seed," due to her odd shape.
January 1, 1900 - The Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad merged with the Chicago & West Michigan and the Detroit, Grand Rapids and Western Railroads to form the Pere Marquette Railway Co.
On 1 January 1937, MAROLD II (steel propeller, 129 foot, 165 gross tons, built in 1911, at Camden, New Jersey, as a yacht) was siphoning gasoline off the stranded tanker J OSWALD BOYD (244 foot, 1,806 gross tons, built in 1913, in Scotland) which was loaded with 900,000 gallons of gasoline and was stranded on Simmons Reef on the north side of Beaver Island. A tremendous explosion occurred which totally destroyed MAROLD II and all five of her crew. Only pieces of MAROLD II were found. Her captain's body washed ashore in Green Bay the next year. At time of loss, she was the local Beaver Island boat. The remains of the BOYD were removed to Sault Ste. Marie in June 1937.
1943: HAMILDOC (i) went south during World War Two to assist in the bauxite trade. The N.M. Paterson & Sons bulk canaller sank in the Caribbean after a three-day gale. The vessel, enroute from Georgetown, British Guiana, to Trinidad, was at anchor when the hull broke in two. All on board were saved.
2000: WISTERIA was built at Imabari, Japan, in 1976 and came through the Seaway that year. It was taking water in #1 hold as c) AIS MAMAS while enroute from West Africa to India with a cargo of logs. The crew was removed but the ship was taken in tow and reached Capetown, South Africa, on January 5. It was subsequently sold for scrap and arrived at Alang, India, for dismantling on April 23, 2000 and was beached the next day.
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Post by yachtsmanwilly on Jan 2, 2015 6:24:31 GMT -5
Port Reports - January 2
Lake Michigan
On New Year’s Day, Algolake was upbound off Manitowoc, Wis. with a destination of Sturgeon Bay.
Manitowoc Wis. – Korey and Will G
Great Republic was anchored outside Manitowoc on Friday evening due to the weather.
Stoneport, Mich. – Dennu Dushane
Arthur M. Anderson loaded at Stoneport on New Year's Day and was expected to depart around 6 p.m. At anchor and waiting to load was the John G. Munson. Of note, this could be a record to the latest that Stoneport has remained opened and loaded vessels in any shipping season.
Owen Sound, Ont. – Paul Martin
Saginaw arrived at Owen Sound and unloaded grain on Tuesday. She departed but went to anchor in the Sound off Balmy Beach due to high winds in the Cove Island passage off Tobermory. She remained there on New Year's Day.
Toledo, Ohio – Denny Dushane
The tug Victory and barge James L. Kuber are expected to arrive in Toledo on Sunday in the early evening. They will be the first vessel to arrive in Toledo for 2015. Lewis J. Kuber is due to arrive at Torco on Monday in the early morning followed by the Manitowoc. Rounding out the schedule will be a return visit by the James L. Kuber on Sunday, January 11 during the early morning. Tug Barbara Andrie with a barge remains in port at this time possibly for winter lay-up.
Seaway
The new CSL Welland was approaching Les Escoumins in the St. Lawrence on New Year's morning doing just over 9 knots on her way to Montreal. Meanwhile Algoma Montrealais was still at anchor preparing to unload for the final time at Baie Comeau.
Frozen In #2 – Theodoros A. seized by the authorities in November 1959
The Panamanian freighter Theodoros A. was on its second trip to the Great Lakes when it was seized by United States Marshals on Nov. 8, 1959. The vessel was on a voyage carrying grain from Port Arthur, Ontario, to Venezuela when the authorities stepped in due to accumulation of a reported $100,000 in debts.
The vessel was taken in tow but grounded twice while going to a dock to unload the $250,000 cargo. The Greek crew was sent home and the ship was sold at Detroit, via public auction, to pay the creditors.
The winning bid came from National Sand & Gravel and Theodoros A. spent the winter of 1959 – 1960 at Lorain, Ohio. It was resold to Seaforth Navigation and re-registered in Panama as f) Macuto in 1960.
Macuto finally departed the Great Lakes in 1960 only to be seized again at Montreal since the cost of the inbound tolls through the Seaway had not been paid.
Macuto did not last much longer. It was sold to Italian shipbreakers and arrived at La Spezia for dismantling on Sept. 4, 1960. However, it is reported that the ship was then resold to a British filmmaker who needed a World War One vintage steamship for a scene about a vessel being torpedoed in the Irish Sea.
This was indeed a World War One vintage vessel having been built at Oakland, CA in 1918. It served the U.S. Shipping Board as a) Gov. John Lind and then several American owners under the same name.
The 320-foot-long freighter moved under the flag of Italy as b) Vittorin in 1947, c) Concetta in 1954 and d) Vallecrosia in 1956 before becoming e) Theodoros A. in 1958.
Skip Gillham
Lookback #411 – Mammoth Scan heeled over and sank on Jan. 2, 1981
The heavy-lift vessel Mammoth Scan had a short career. The 311 foot, 8 inch long by 59 foot, 4 inch wide vessel was launched at Leer, West Germany, on Sept. 24, 1977, and completed before the end of the year.
The ship served under the flag of Denmark and visited the Great Lakes for the first time in 1979.
On Oct. 15, 1980, Mammoth Scan was unloading a heavy lift cargo”at Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, when the vessel heeled over and settled in shallow water. The hull was righted and refloated on Oct. 28 and in need of repairs.
The tug Groenland took the ship under tow on Nov. 13, 1980, and headed back to the shipyard at Leer. It made good progress until the towline parted in a storm on the Mediterranean off the coast of Algeria on Dec. 28, 1980.
Mammoth Scan took on a severe list but they were able to get the vessel to Malaga Roads off the coast of Spain, 34-years ago today. The 45-degree list worsened and the ship heeled over and sank as a total loss on Jan. 2, 1981. It's position was listed as 36.38 N / 04.15 W.
Skip Gillham
Today in Great Lakes History - January 2
While on the North Atlantic under tow for scrapping, ASHLAND parted her towline but was tracked by U.S. Coast Guard aircraft and was retrieved by her tug on January 2nd, 1988, some 300 miles off course.
The 3-masted wooden schooner M. J. CUMMINGS was launched at the shipyard of Goble & MacFarlane in Oswego, New York. Her owners were Mrs. Goble & MacFarlane, Daniel Lyons and E. Caulfield. Her dimensions were 142 foot 6 inches X 25 foot 2 inches X 11 foot 6 inches, 325 tons and she cost $28,000.
January 2, 1925 - The ANN ARBOR NO 7 (Hull#214) was launched at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Corp. She was sponsored by Jane Reynolds, daughter of R. H. Reynolds, marine superintendent of the railroad. Renamed b.) VIKING in 1983.
1967: The small Norwegian freighter RAAGAN dated from 1919 and had been a Pre-Seaway visitor to the Great Lakes as a) ERICH LINDOE, b) GRENLAND and c) HILDUR I. It sank in the North Sea about 60 miles north of the Dutch coast after developing leaks on a voyage from Egersund, Denmark, to Dordrecht, Netherlands, with a cargo of titanium. The crew was rescued.
1976: The XENY, which was towed into Cadiz Roads on January 1, capsized and sank on her side. The ship had caught fire on December 2 and was abandoned by the crew. It had first visited the Great Lakes as a) PRINS WILLEM II in 1955 and had been back as d) XENY in 1971.
1981: The heavy lift vessel MAMMOTH SCAN had heeled over while unloading at Abu Dhabi on October 15, 1980. The ship was righted and under tow when the towline parted off Algeria on December 28, 1980. The listing vessel was brought to Malaga Roads, Spain, on this date, healed over and sank as a total loss.
1987: A fire in the cargo hold of REMADA at Barcelona, Spain, resulted in heavy damage and the ship had to be sold for scrap. It had made one trip through the Seaway in November 1973 as b) ONTARIO.
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Post by yachtsmanwilly on Jan 5, 2015 7:40:06 GMT -5
Algoeast awaits sale to overseas interests 1/5 - Another Algoma ship has also been removed from Canadian service, pending sale to overseas owners. The coastal tanker Algoeast arrived in Sydney, N.S. Dec. 25 and moved from the government dock to Sydport on Dec. 28. In 2014 Algoma brought the newer tanker Algoma Hansa under Canadian flag, and with Imperial's refinery in Dartmouth closing, there is apparently not enough work to support this ship anymore. No details are available yet on the ship's new owners, flag or name. Algoeast was built in 1997 in Japan as Texaco Brave and rebuilt with a double hull in 2000 while sailing as Imperial St. Lawrence. Mac Mackay / Shipfax St. Marys River icebreaking 1/5 - The USCG cutter Mackinaw joined USCG Katmai Bay Sunday in the lower St. Marys River. They are doing track maintenance and standing by for vessel assists. Help wanted: Unlicensed engineer/QMED USGS is seeking a Marine Machinery Repairer (MMR) to work aboard one of the research vessels stationed out of the USGS Cheboygan Vessel Base in Cheboygan, Michigan. The position description and application instructions may be viewed at USAJOBS www.usajobs.gov/ announcement number ATL-2015-0198. The announcement will close 01/09/2015. Frozen In #5 – Montrose was rebuilt at Toledo in 1962-1963 after sinking in a collision The British freighter Montrose sank beneath the Ambassador Bridge on the Detroit River following a collision with the barge ABL 502. The latter, loaded with cement clinker, was being pushed by the tug B.H. Becker when the accident occurred on July 30, 1962. The 440-foot-long Montrose had been built at Sunderland, England, in 1961 and made one trip through the Seaway that year. It made another early in 1962 and was on its second inland voyage of the season when it sank on its side shortly after clearing the Detroit Terminal on a voyage between Marseilles, France, and Chicago. All 41 sailors on board were rescued. Montrose was refloated by the salvagers Merritt, Chapman & Scott on Nov. 9, 1962, and arrived at Toledo, under tow, on Nov. 19 for winter repair work. The vessel was sold, rebuilt as Concordia Lago and cleared the Great Lakes in 1963. It operated in Norwegian and then Greek flag service into 1981. It was renamed c) Lago in that year and sold for shipbreakers in 1982 clearing Colombo, Sri Lanka, for the scrapyard on May 16, 1982. The destination for the last trip was Gadani Beach, Pakistan, and the ship was beached there on Oct. 7, 1982. Scrapping began on Nov. 17, 1982, and was carried out by Tawakkal Ltd. Skip Gillham Lookback #414 – Gleneagles caught fire during winter work on Jan. 5, 1969 The Canada Steamship Lines bulk carrier Gleneagles spent considerable time in Port Colborne over the years. The vessel passed through the newly built, but not yet officially opened Fourth Welland Canal for the first time on July 8, 1932, carrying grain from Fort William to Kingston and was also engaged in the coal trade to Hamilton. In 1932 alone, the ship made 31 trips through the canal. Gleneagles also spent a few winters in Port Colborne and sustained about $50,000 in fire damage there 46 years ago today. The blaze broke out during winter work on Jan. 5, 1969, and caused damage to an engineer's cabin, the galley and dining room. This was repaired in time for the new shipping season. Gleneagles also hit the ship arrester in Lock 8 at Port Colborne on July 8, 1975, delaying navigation until the damaged equipment was fixed. Then, on April 13, 1977, the boom broke while loading stone below Lock 8 and it took three weeks to repair the damage and allow the ship to resume trading. Gleneagles was built at Midland in 1925 and spent 53 years in the Canada Steamship Lines fleet. It joined Dale Transports as Silverdale in 1978 and continued as part of their fleet until the crew was paid off at Windsor on Nov. 10, 1983. Tugs moved Silverdale from its lay-up berth to the Confederation Coal Dock on June 2, 1984, and the ship was scrapped there in the months ahead. Skip Gillham Today in Great Lakes History - January 5 The keel was laid January 5, 1972, for ALGOWAY (Hull#200) at Collingwood, Ontario, by Collingwood Shipyards, Ltd. The wooden tug A. J. WRIGHT caught fire on 5 January 1893, while laid up at Grand Haven, Michigan. She burned to the water's edge. Her loss was valued at $20,000. She was owned by C. D. Thompson. In 1970, PETER REISS broke her tail shaft while backing in heavy ice at the mouth of the Detroit River. On January 5, 1976, Halco's tanker CHEMICAL TRANSPORT cleared Thunder Bay, Ontario, closing that port for the season. 1976: A.S. GLOSSBRENNER struck bottom entering Port McNicoll and had to be unloaded immediately due to the extensive hull damage. The ship was repaired at Port Weller Dry Docks in the spring. The vessel became b) ALGOGULF (ii) in 1987 and c) ALGOSTEEL (ii) in 1990. 1982: The Norwegian freighter NORHOLT first came through the Seaway in 1962 and made a total of 15 inland voyages. It was renamed b) SALVADOR in 1966 and returned once in 1967. The ship went aground as c) SAN JUAN off Shadwan Island enroute to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on this date. It was refloated January 22, 1982, towed to Suez Bay and laid up. Fire broke out on August 26, 1982, and the ship was abandoned and later beached. It was taken over by the Suez Canal Authority in 1983 and scrapped. |
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