Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

Great Lakes ice growing rapidly; Lake Michigan ice nearly doubles in 1 week

2/18 - The recent cold is making the Great Lakes ice cover grow rapidly. All of the Great Lakes have seen the amount of ice grow in the past week, but Lake Michigan's ice cover has almost doubled in the last seven days.

The amount of ice currently is still behind last winter at this time, but is catching up quickly.

The entire Great Lakes now are 70 percent covered in ice, according to the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. This compares to 47 percent a week ago, and 81 percent last winter at this time.

Lake Superior has 74 percent ice, and was only 42 percent covered just seven days ago. Last year Lake Superior was 91 percent covered with ice.

Lake Michigan has seen the greatest ice growth. The ice on Lake Michigan has gone up 88 percent since last week and now ice covers just over half of Lake Michigan. This currently still is much less than last year, when 81 percent of Lake Michigan was covered with ice.

Lake Huron's satellite image impresses me the most. It looks like the whole lake is starting to ice up. Officially Lake Huron has 79 percent ice. One week ago is was 62 percent ice. However, last year Lake Huron had 91 percent ice cover.

So the ice around Michigan's Great Lakes is expanding rapidly. The ice will continue to grow this week, with the polar vortex bringing another shot of record cold.

Iice cover catch up to last year. One reason is it looks like a light wind pattern starting midday Friday that may last for a few days.







Ferry carrying 230 passengers freed from ice in Quebec

2/18 - An icebound ferry near Matane, Quebec, was freed Sunday after being trapped for hours several kilometres from the coast.

The Camille-Marcoux ferry, which runs between Matane and Baie-Comeau, got stuck in the ice twice this weekend.

At 3 p.m. ET Sunday the ferry became trapped and the icebreaker Terry Fox was sent to help free it. The 230 people on board had to wait until the ship resumed its trip at 7 p.m. It arrived in Baie-Comeau four hours late.

Saturday, the ship had turned back after being stuck in the ice in the Matane wharf for more than two hours.

Normally, the Camille-Marcoux makes the journey between Matane and Baie-Comeau in 2½ hours.

Matane is located on the St. Lawrence River on the Gaspé Peninsula.

CBC News





Updates - February 18

Lay-up list updated





Lookback #458 – Former Manchester Fame arrived at Alexandria, Egypt on Feb. 18, 1980

The arrival of the former Manchester Fame at Alexandria, Egypt, on Feb. 18, 1980 was the beginning of the end for this former Seaway trader. The ship, then known as f) Panagis K., was soon arrested on a court order and left abandoned and aground in the inner harbor.

The hull was struck there by another ship on Jan. 23, 1981, adding to its woes. Vandals eventually took all useful and moveable parts and, on Oct. 12, 1985, what remained was auctioned off for scrap.

The ship had been built for Seaway service and completed by Austin & Pickersgill at Sunderland, England, in October 1959. The 378-foot, 2-inch-long general cargo carrier began Great Lakes service late in the year and was back for three more trips in 1960.

The vessel was chartered to the Cairn Line in 1965-1966 and made another seven voyages to the Great Lakes as b) Cairnglen before becoming c) Manchester Fame again in 1967.

It was sold and renamed d) Ilkon Niki in 1970 and was back on the lakes as such in 1972. Another sale in 1979 led to a rename of e) Efi while it joined Seatime Shipping Inc. as f) Panagis K. in 1980. The vessel operated successfully on their behalf for a number of years but it all began to unravel 35 years ago today on arrival at Alexandria, Egypt.







Today in Great Lakes History - February 18

IMPERIAL ST. CLAIR participated in an historic special convoy with DOAN TRANSPORT, which carried caustic soda, led by C.C.G.S. GRIFFON arriving at Thunder Bay, Ontario on February 18, 1977. The journey took one week from Sarnia, Ontario through Lake Superior ice as much as six feet thick, and at one point it took four days to travel 60 miles. The trip was initiated to supply residents of the Canadian lakehead with 86,000 barrels of heating oil the reserves of which were becoming depleted due to severe weather that winter.

The b.) JOSEPH S. YOUNG, a.) ARCHERS HOPE, was towed to the Great Lakes via the Mississippi River and arrived at the Manitowoc Ship Building Co., Manitowoc, Wisconsin on February 18, 1957, where her self unloading equipment was installed. This was the last large vessel to enter the Lakes via the Mississippi. She was the first of seven T-2 tanker conversions for Great Lakes service. Renamed c.) H. LEE WHITE in 1969, and d.) SHARON in 1974. SHARON was scrapped at Brownsville, Texas in 1986.

The Murphy fleet was sold on 18 February 1886. The tugs GLADIATOR, KATE WILLIAMS and BALIZE went to Captain Maytham, the tug WILLIAM A. MOORE to Mr. Grummond, the schooner GERRIT SMITH to Captain John E. Winn, and the tug ANDREW J. SMITH to Mr. Preston Brady.

1980: PANAGIS K. arrived at Alexandria, Egypt, on this date and was soon placed under arrest. The ship was idle and in a collision there with NORTH WAVE on January 23, 1981. The hull was abandoned aground, vandalized and, on October 12, 1985, auctioned off for scrap. The ship first traded through the Seaway in 1960 as a) MANCHESTER FAME and returned as b) CAIRNGLEN in 1965, again as c) MANCHESTER FAME in 1967 and as d) ILKON NIKI in 1972.

1983: A fire in the bow area during winter work aboard the Canada Steamship Lines bulk carrier RICHELIEU (ii) at Thunder Bay resulted in the death of three shipyard workers.

2010: The sailing ship CONCORDIA visited the Great Lakes in 2001 and participated in the Tall Ships Festival at Bay City, MI. It sank in the Atlantic about 300 miles off Rio de Janeiro after being caught in a severe squall. All 64 on board were rescued from life rafts after a harrowing ordeal.

2010: The tug ADANAC (Canada spelled backwards) sank at the Essar Steel dock at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It was refloated the next day.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Today in Great Lakes History - February 19

The b.) TROY H. BROWNING, c.) THOMAS F. PATTON was towed from the James River with two other C4s, LOUIS MC HENRY HOWE, b.) TOM M. GIRDLER and MOUNT MANSFIELD, b.) CHARLES M. WHITE, to the Maryland Dry Dock Co., Baltimore, Maryland, February 1951, to be converted to a Great Lakes bulk carrier according to plans designed by J.J. Henry & Co., New York, New York.

Wolf & Davidson of Milwaukee sold the JIM SHERIFFS (wooden propeller, 182 foot, 634 gross tons, built in 1883, at Milwaukee, Wisconsin) to Kelley Island Line on 19 February 1887.

1981: The Indian freighter JYOTI VINOD, a Seaway caller as a) JALAZAD beginning in 1969, departed Bombay with a cargo of jute, general freight and school buses. The nightmare voyage, which proved to be its last, did not reach Tema, Ghana, until December 23, 1981

1992: VIHREN, a Bulgarian built and flagged bulk carrier, was driven on the breakwall at Tuapse, USSR, in severe weather. The vessel later broke in two. The ship first came inland in 1983, headed for Thunder Bay. The two sections of the hull were refloated and each arrived at Aliaga, Turkey, for dismantling in August 1992.


Anderson and escort stopped in ice, fourteen day ordeal continues

2/19 - Lake Erie - The Arthur M. Anderson’s late season frustrations continued Wednesday as she remained stopped in ice about 4 miles off Conneaut, Ohio. The Anderson, under escort of the USCG Bristol Bay, has spent the week battling the heavy ice off Lake Erie’s southern shore.

The Anderson is on a late season trip to Conneaut, Ohio to load for Gary, Indiana. The trip began late on February 5 when they departed Indiana and have been stuck in ice on and off throughout the voyage causing delays to what would normally be a 2 day trip.

The pair arrived off Fairport Harbor, Ohio Sunday afternoon and made progress at times measured in feet. By Tuesday the pair had made it about 40 miles.

At 11:30 a.m. Tuesday the USCG Bristol Bay broke off from the Anderson and headed west to try to break out Ashtabula. The efforts continued with minimal progress until the cutter stopping about a half mile off the Ashtabula break walls at 7 p.m. They remained in this spot all day Wednesday.

The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Griffon departed Nanticoke on a course to assist but stopped mid lake about 20 miles to the north at 9 a.m. Wednesday. It is unknown why operations have stopped. The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Samuel Risley was downbound escorting the Peter R. Cresswell in the lower St. Clair River Wednesday night.

Check back for updates.

Click here to view a video of the original Mackinaw trying to break out similar conditions at Conneaut and getting stuck





Arctic blast builds ice, beats last year’s totals

2/19 - The recent arctic blasts have caused the ice cover on the Great Lakes to increase rapidly. As of Tuesday, Feb. 17, the amount of ice on the Great Lakes is more than the same date last year.

The total ice cover on the Great Lakes is now rated at 82.3 percent as of Tuesday. On the same date last year, the Great Lakes had 81.6 percent total ice cover.

The Great Lakes ice cover has grown over 5 percent in the past 24 hours. That's about 4,750 square miles of ice overnight. At that pace of ice growth, the Great Lakes would be almost totally iced over in the next four days.

The blast of arctic cold tonight through Friday will certainly help ice continue to grow.

The cold will come with a 10 mph to 20 mph wind, which could temporarily break up and reduce some ice. But the light wind days in the next 10 days also look very cold.

Here's how each lake stacks up against last year at this time:
Lake Superior 88.8% now - 90.9% last Feb. 17
Lake Michigan 56.9% now - 65.1% last Feb. 17
Lake Huron 91.9% now - 92.7% last Feb. 17
Lake Erie 95.5% now - 95.0% last Feb. 17
Lake Ontario 78.5% now - 31.5% last Feb. 17

Notice the big surge in ice amount on Lake Ontario, which has over double the amount of ice from last year.

The average temperature for the northern lower peninsula of Michigan for January is 17.2° and February 18.4°. So far this year January was 10.6° and February is 4.4°, for a whopping 7.5° average temperature for 2015.

Mark Torregrossa, MLive and NWS Gaylord Michigan





Opening of the 2015 Navigation Season

2/19 - The opening of the 2015 navigation season is scheduled to take place on the following dates and times:
Soo Locks will open March 25
Montreal / Lake Ontario March 27 – 8 a.m.
Welland Canal March 27 - 8 a.m.
Vessel transits will be subject to weather and ice conditions. Restrictions may apply in some areas until lighted navigation aids have been installed.





Lookback #459 – Former Jalazad cleared Bombay on its last trip on Feb. 19, 1981

It was 34 years ago today that the freighter Jyoti Vinod departed Bombay, India, on its last trip. On board was a cargo of jute, general freight and some buses.

A former Seaway trader as Jalazad, the ship was improperly loaded making the vessel difficult to handle. It was delayed at Djibouti, then Dar Es Salem, where it took 24 days to unload 200 tons, then at Mauritius, before spending four months at Luanda, Angola.

Jyoti Vinod arrived at Tema, Ghana, on Dec. 23, 1981, and laid up. The ship was essentially abandoned there for almost two years before local officials arranged for the vessel to be taken out into the Atlantic off Tema and scuttled.

As Jalazad, this ship had been built at Lubeck, West Germany, in 1955 and sailed on deep sea routes until becoming a Seaway caller for the Scindia Steam Navigation Co. in 1969.

It did have an earlier Great Lakes connection as it collided with, and sank, the Swiss freighter Nyon, in heavy fog on the English Channel, five miles off Beachy Head on June 15, 1962. The latter, en route from Antwerp to Montreal, had made three prior trips to the Great Lakes and had been previously rebuilt with a new bow after it broke in two while aground off Scotland, on Nov. 20, 1958.

[yachtsmanwilly]

On February 20, 1959, Interlake Steamship Co.’s HERBERT C. JACKSON (Hull#302) was launched at Great Lakes Engineering Works in River Rouge, Michigan.

The Canadian Coast Guard Icebreaker DES GROSEILLIERS (Hull#68) was launched February 20, 1982, at St. Catharines, Ontario by Port Weller Drydocks Ltd.

On 20 February 1903, the straight-deck steamer G. WATSON FRENCH (steel propeller, 376 foot, 3,785 gross tons) was launched at W. Bay City, Michigan by West Bay City Ship Building Co. (Hull#608). She lasted until 1964, when she was scrapped by Lakehead Scrap Metal Co. at Fort William, Ontario. The other names she had during her career were b.) HENRY P. WERNER in 1924, c.) JOHN J. BOLAND in 1937, and d.) ALGOWAY in 1947.

1940: A fire broke out in the cargo hold of the package freighter KING at Buffalo when insulation, being installed for refrigeration purposes, ignited. Several firemen were overcome by the smoke, but damage to the ship was negligible.

Cliffs CEO: Foreign steel imports are threat to Minnesota mining

2/20 - Virginia - The biggest threat to Minnesota's taconite industry isn't the global glut of iron ore mined in other nations but rather the vast amount of foreign steel that's being imported to build Amercian projects.

That was the warning Monday from Lourenco Goncalves, president and CEO of Cliffs Natural Resources, the largest taconite iron ore producer in the U.S.

Goncalves said no foreign iron ore producer can get their product to U.S. steel mills as efficiently as U.S. producers in Minnesota and Michigan. But the U.S. imported 23 percent of its finished steel in 2013, 28 percent in 2014 "and that number hit 33 percent in January,'' Goncalves told Iron Range business and political leaders Monday.

"The biggest issue we have in this country is imports," Goncalves said at the company's annual mining breakfast to update the region on Cliffs' problems and prospects at its three Minnesota operations.

Goncalves said America is experiencing a relatively booming economy — including automobile manufacturing and construction — but that too many of the new projects are being built with foreign steel that is made from iron ore from Australia or Brazil, not Minnesota.

Demand for steel in the U.S. is up, but taconite and domestic steel production is flat because of the glut of imports.

"We are not enjoying this growth," Goncalves said, adding that while the U.S, has imposed sanctions on specific nations' steel imports, the problem continues to shift to different countries.

Steel mills in the U.S. currently are operating at about 75 percent of their capacity.

U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan, D- Minn., who attended Goncalves' talk, said the problem is "so-called free trade agreements" that don't account for fair wages or equal regulations, such as environmental protection.

The U.S. has imposed some sanctions on some kinds of steel from a few countries "but the problem when we try to protect our industry one at a time, like steel, is that it takes years to get through the system and, by then, the damage is done," Nolan told the News Tribune.

Nolan said he is stepping up efforts to block the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement because he fears it will lead to more below-cost imports from nations that subsidize their industry or offer substandard wages to workers.

"These trade agreements, like the North American agreement, create jobs all right. The problem is that none of them are in the U.S. They end up costing us hundreds of thousands of jobs and the loss of our middle class," Nolan said.

Nolan said he's part of a congressional working group that meets weekly to plot strategy to block the Pacific agreement which is favored by President Barack hateful muslim traitor and others.

Goncalves, speaking at his first public event in Minnesota since taking over the company last summer, said he will tour all three Cliffs operations in Minnesota this week — Hibbing Taconite, United Taconite and Northshore Mining — as well as its two operations in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Empire and Tilden

In other news:

* Goncalves said the company is considering three different directly reduced iron projects. He said Cliffs will almost certainly invest in a Minnesota taconite plant, likely Northshore in Silver Bay, to produce a new kind of taconite pellet that can be used to make directly reduced iron. Goncalves said he expects an announcement within months with a partner that will build a facility in Ohio, adjacent to a steel mill, that will use Cliffs' DRI-ready pellets to feed electric arc mini mills.

"I've been receiving offers," from companies willing to build the Ohio facility, Goncalves said. He said the cost to upgrade Northshore would be relatively cheap, far less than building a new plant. The new type of pellet would add jobs and many years to the life of the facility, he said.

Small-scale tests at the Silver Bay plant in recent years said the local ore works well to make DRI pellets.

Currently, all Minnesota taconite iron ore must be used in traditional blast furnaces. But electric arc mills now account for 60 percent of all steel produced in the U.S., and Iron Range officials for years have wanted inroads into that growing market.

* Goncalves predicted amicable talks with the U.S. Steelworkers this year as the company's current labor agreement with the USW runs out. He said he has excellent relations with national and regional USW leaders and that Cliffs workers understand that they must help him cut costs to keep the company viable.

"The problem needs to be solved in the family, together," Goncalves said. He declined to address any specific concessions he might ask for. Cliffs has some 1,850 employees at the three Minnesota plants, with a payroll of more than $250 million annually.

* The frank-speaking CEO, a native of Brazil who has headed several steelmaking companies, repeated his disdain for the state's proposed loan extension for Essar Steel Minnesota, the India-based company building an all-new taconite plant in Nashwauk. Goncalves said Essar should repay the $67 million state loan on time, this year, and not ask for a legislative extension that's now being considered.

Goncalves said the U.S. steel and iron ore industries are at nearly perfect supply and demand balance right now. He said Essar's proposed production isn't needed and will simply create an oversupply of ore. If that happens, local mining communities on the Iron Range "will pay the price" as existing operations close, Goncalves said.

* Goncalves said he has his company on the right track to become a U.S.-only, iron ore-only mining company after selling off coal operations and shutting Canadian mines. He said the company will sell its remaining coal mines and let its Australian iron ore operation run out of ore and quietly close in a few years, leaving only Minnesota and Michigan taconite mines.

He said his biggest corporate hurdle now is raising the value of Cliffs' stock, which fell from $100 per share in 2011 to just $6 in January. It sat at $7 Monday. Ironically, Goncalves said. Cliffs was teetering on the brink of disaster from unsustainable growth in 2011 when its stock price was highest. Now, as the company becomes leaner and more nimble and poised for success, Cliffs' stock is stuck in the basement.

* Goncalves politely declined an offer to move his newly Minnesota-focused company to Minnesota, saying it would remain in Cleveland for the time being. "We'll help you move those corporate offices'' to St. Louis County, said Keith Nelson, a St. Louis County commissioner.

Duluth News Tribune

Erie shipbuilder buoyed by lots of winter work

2/20 - Self-unloading freighters, barges and a tug inhabit the dry dock and slips at Donjon Shipbuilding & Repair. Winter repair season -- January through mid-March -- is the busiest time of the year at the 44-acre Erie shipyard. An army of welders, shipfitters, finishers and tackers is currently tackling a variety of repair, maintenance and new-build projects.

"We've never turned a ship away,'' said John Nekoloff, Donjon's subcontracts manager and director of safety and environmental compliance. "At the end of the (2014) winter work season, after we got the last of the vessels out, we barely had the dry dock cleared and we had another two vessels waiting to come in that had hull damage from ice damage,'' Nekoloff said. "We never turn anybody away.''

Winter repair work is coinciding with the ongoing construction of part of a 185,000-barrel coastal chemical and petroleum tug and barge unit. The barge, which is 580 feet in length, is being built at the Donjon facility. The tug is being constructed at the BAE Systems Southeast Shipyard in Jacksonville, Fla. Donjon officials finalized a contract in February 2014 with Seabulk Tankers Inc., which is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to construct the barge.

"I hope this project will support our opinions and our evaluations that we have the capabilities and the desire to continue to build and support the Great Lakes maritime community through our shipyard,'' said John Witte, executive vice president of the New Jersey-based marine services provider, Donjon Marine Co. Inc. "We look forward to expanding our areas of expertise.''

Donjon Shipbuilding & Repair's employs about 270 for the winter repair season -- 200 full-time workers and 70 subcontracted workers, Nekoloff said. Shipyard employment from April through December averages about 150 to 175, Nekoloff said. About 200 workers are specifically tasked with the chemical barge build. Nekoloff said the barge project is on schedule for completion in April 2016.

"We've had to ramp up with a lot of outside subcontracted laborers and fitters,'' Nekoloff said.

Donjon Marine Co. Inc. expanded and diversified its operation with the creation of its Erie shipbuilding and repair services division in 2009. Donjon moved into the Erie shipyard in 2010. Shipyard marine services include shipbuilding, barge construction, vessel conversion, repowering, dry docking services, repair, maintenance, steel fabrication and steel assembly.

Donjon's barge project is the first chemical petroleum carrier project the Erie shipyard has handled since it began operating in 2010. "We have gotten other requests and proposals that we're bidding on for other projects in the yard, but this is certainly the biggest and probably the most detailed one that we've ever taken on,'' Nekoloff said. A project of this magnitude "builds a reputation for Donjon,'' Nekoloff said.

"We certainly have the quality people that are here to do this job,'' he said. "We have a high degree of quality assurance, so other customers see that we hold our work to high standards. People see that and we're getting a lot more bids for work.''

Erie's harsh winter has not curtailed production. "We're used to this,'' Nekoloff said. "It's still cold, and we're still frozen in, but not as extreme as it was last year at this time.'' Donjon's first winter-repair vessel arrived in mid-January. Nekoloff said the shipyard averages five or six ship repairs each winter season.

Donjon's chemical barge build and the 606-foot barge Pathfinder currently occupy the shipyard's 1,350-foot dry dock. Pathfinder is receiving its mandatory five-year inspection. "There is some steel work getting done to the bottom, there are some mechanical pumps and machinery repairs, and unloading belt replacement,'' Nekoloff said.

The Dorothy Ann -- the tug that connects to and pushes the Pathfinder -- is docked nearby in Presque Isle Bay. The tug is receiving minor maintenance. Donjon's west slip is occupied by the Thunder Bay, a 738-foot Canadian self-unloading freighter. The Roger Blough, an 858-foot self-unloading American freighter, is docked in Donjon's east slip, and is undergoing steel work. The 1,000-foot Presque Isle, an American freighter, is in the main channel. The vessel is undergoing side hull replacement.

"There's no holdups with winter work,'' Nekoloff said. "We're still on schedule to get the vessels out of the dock on time.''

No additional vessels are due in at Donjon this winter, Nekoloff said. "Short term, the winter repair season is keeping a lot of guys employed here,'' Nekoloff said. "The owners are still looking forward to a productive future. "We have a lot of bids and a lot of companies coming to us for new construction, repairs and conversion,'' he said. "We have a good reputation and I think we're going to be around for a long time.''


Callaway sporting new paint, moved from dock

2/20 - On Wednesday afternoon the Cason J. Callaway was pulled out of the graving dock at Bay Shipbuilding. It received a 5 year inspection and a new paint job. The Selvick tugs worked most of the morning breaking ice around Bayship to make this move.


Frozen in place, no progress made Thursday

2/20 - The Arthur M. Anderson and USCG Bristol Bay remained frozen in place on Lake Erie Thursday. The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Griffon was able to complete repairs Thursday evening and has been making the 20 mile trip south to assist the Bristol Bay at 2 MPH.

The Griffon will likely assist the Bristol Bay into Ashtabula to refuel and then both breakers can open Conneaut for the Anderson.

The northerly winds that have packed the ice into Lake Erie’s southern shore are expected to turn to southerly winds on Friday. The change in direction will alleviate pressure on the ice piled up outside the piers allowing easier access.

The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Samuel Risley was expected to assist on Lake Erie after escorting the Peter R. Creswell through the lower St. Clair River. The Risley spent Thursday working to assist the Creswell and open a track on the river but by nightfall no progress had been made and the vessels were stopped off Harsens Island.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Today in Great Lakes History - February 23

January 23 - The CELTIC (wooden schooner-barge, 190 foot, 716 gross tons, built 1890, at W. Bay City, Michigan) broke away from the steamer H.E. RUNNELS during a fierce gale on Lake Huron on 29 November 1902, and was lost with all hands. No wreckage was found until 23 January 1903, when a yawl and the captain‚s desk with the ship‚s papers was found on Boom Point, southeast of Cockburn Island.

GEORGE A. STINSON struck a wall of the Poe Lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan on January 23, 1979. The damage was estimated at $200,000.

The rail car ferry GRAND HAVEN sailed on her first trip as a roll on/roll off carrier from Port Burwell on January 23, 1965, loaded with 125 tons of coiled steel bound for Cleveland and Walton Hills, Ohio.

1983: The Greek freighter CAPTAIN M. LYRAS visited the Seaway in 1960 and 1961 and returned as b) ANGELIKI L. in 1965. It arrived at Gadani Beach on this date as c) ANAMARIA for scrapping.


Lookback #463 – Algorail caught fire in a stern cabin during lay-up on Feb. 23, 1985

The self-unloader Algorail sustained about $15,000 in damage from a fire that broke out in a stern cabin while the ship was tied up at Point Edward on Feb. 23, 1985. The damage from the blaze of 30 years ago today was soon cleaned up and repaired, allowing the ship to return to service in the spring.

Algorail was built at Collingwood as Hull 189 and launched on Dec. 19, 1967. It entered service on April 4, 1968, and has been an excellent carrier for what is now the Algoma Central Corp. fleet based in St. Catharines, Ont.

Never among the Great Lakes giants, the 640-foot, 5-inch long Algorail is able to service smaller ports and deliver lesser amounts of cargo than what would be profitable in the large lakers. It was one of the first on the lakes to be fitted with a stern thruster, installed in 1988.

On two occasions the boom has buckled while unloading salt. The first time was at Duluth on Aug. 21, 1997, while more recently, on Nov. 6, 2014, it happened at Parry Sound. Swinging the massive boom over the side to discharge the cargo puts severe stress on the equipment and it is not unusual for the occasional breakdown. Fortunately no one was hurt in either incident.

Algorail continues to serve in the Algoma fleet and is spending the current winter undergoing routine work at the shipyard in Toledo. She should be back to work in a matter of weeks.


Lakes Pilots Association Seeking New Pilots

Lakes Pilots Association, based in Port Huron, MI., is seeking applications from those interested in employment as a U.S. Registered Pilot on foreign vessels in District 2 of the Great Lakes. Lakes Pilots provides pilotage service in all the waters and ports from Port Huron, MI to Buffalo, NY, excluding the Welland Canal. Applicants must hold a U.S. Master, Mate or Pilot license with at least 24 months licensed service or comparable experience on vessels or integrated tugs and tows, of 4,000 gross tons, or over, operating on the Great Lakes or Oceans. Those applicants qualifying with ocean service must have obtained at least six months of licensed service or comparable experience on the Great Lakes. A complete list of requirements may be found in CFR Title 46, Shipping, Part 401, Subpart B. Anyone interested must first apply to the Director of Great Lakes Pilotage in Washington, D.C. to determine eligibility. Please contact Lakes Pilots for more information at [phone]

Applications and Information can be obtained on the web at: this link

Lakes Pilots Association
P.O. Box 610902
Port Huron, MI 48061
[phone]

Director of Great Lakes Pilotage
US Coast Guard
2100 2nd St SW
Washington, D.C. 20593-7580
[phone]


2/23 - Toronto, Ont. - This winter's polar vortex was a couple of months late in arriving but it made up for lost time by bringing in sub zero Fahrenheit freezing temperatures and icy winds. This caused a dramatic increase in harbor ice thickness. Early in the week the Ongiara got stuck a couple of times in heavy ice and had to be broken out by the fire boat. Friday the Ongiara was pulled out of service with an ice damaged propeller. The inhabitants of Ward Island now have to use the Billy Bishop Airport ferry to get to the mainland. This requires a bus trip from Wards Island west to Hanlans Point and the airport perimeter. The bus has to wait for an escort vehicle across the airfield and once across there is a further wait for space on the airport ferry. A one way trip can take close to two hours and the bus only runs every two hours.

Anderson nears Detroit River

2/23 - Lake Erie - The Arthur M. Anderson, under escort of the Canadian Coast ship Samuel Risley, made steady progress Sunday crossing Lake Erie and will reach the Detroit River early Monday morning. The The Algosea departed Nanticoke Sunday evening for Sarnia. The CCGS Griffon will escort the tanker across Lake Erie.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Coast guard escorts continue

2/24 - The Arthur M. Ander reached Detroit Monday morning docking at Nicholson Terminal below the Ambassador Bridge. They will remain at the dock until convoy can be arranged to Sturgeon Bay, Wis.

The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Samuel Risley stopped for a few hours after escorting the Anderson to Detroit. Risley got underway at 8:30 a.m. working track maintenance on Lake St. Clair before picking up the Algoma Hansen for escort from Windsor to Sarnia.

The Griffon spent the day escorting the Algosea across Lake Erie.





South Haven lighthouse campaign seeks $300K to restore iconic structure on Lake Michigan pier

2/24 - South Haven, MI - South Haven's iconic lighthouse is in need of some major attention -- about $300,000 worth.

The red, 37-foot-tall lighthouse that has served as a beacon to mariners and tourists for more than a century can be found on banners and signs throughout South Haven, unquestionably the Lake Michigan resort community's most recognizable image.

"If you go on the internet and search for the South Haven lighthouse, you'll literally find millions of pictures," said Ed Appleyard, treasurer of the Historical Association of South Haven. "If we could capture a dollar for every picture that had been taken, we could easily fund the restoration project."

The historical association, which in 2012 took ownership of the South Haven South Pierhead Lighthouse from the Coast Guard, is kicking off a campaign to raise $300,000 to repair and renovate the structure on the pier that channels the Black River into Lake Michigan.

Corrosion threatens the base, seams, windows and stairs of the lighthouse. The cast iron structure has extensive corrosion under the plaster and wood lathe on the second and third floors, according to Appleyard.

The lighthouse also has peeling, lead-based paint that must be removed, as well as asbestos that will require encapsulating the structure during the abatement and restoration process.

The lighthouse was built in 1903 and the lantern portion that contains the light is believed to have come from the original lighthouse that was built in 1872.

With its importance to South Haven and the nostalgia attached to the lighthouse, the historical association hopes the community will help ensure it is preserved for many generations to come.

"When we were kids you took swimming lessons off the pier," Appleyard said of just one nugget of history related to the lighthouse. "People find that remarkable today, but there was no pool locally and swimming lessons were right next to the lighthouse."

A Lighthouse Campaign Preview event, open to the public, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26 at the historical association's museum at 355 Hubbard St., with appetizers and drinks served starting at 5:30 p.m.

More information on the lighthouse and the fundraising campaign can be found on the Historical Association of South Haven website, www.historyofsouthhaven.org.

Mlive





Today in Great Lakes History - February 24

The Pittsburgh Steamship Co.’s RICHARD V. LINDABURY (Hull#783) was launched February 24, 1923, at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. Purchased by S & E Shipping (Kinsman) in 1978, renamed b.) KINSMAN INDEPENDENT. She was scrapped at Aliaga, Turkey in 1988.

The founder of Arnold Transit Co., long-time ferry operators between Mackinac Island and the mainland, George T. Arnold filed the Articles of Association on Feb. 24, 1900.

On 24 February 1920, TALLAC (formerly SIMON J. MURPHY and MELVILLE DOLLAR, steel propeller, 235 foot, built in 1895, at W. Bay City, Michigan) was on a voyage from Colon, Panama to Baltimore, Maryland, when she stranded and was wrecked 18 miles south of Cape Henry, Virginia.

1975: The MOHAMEDIA foundered in the Red Sea enroute from Djibouti to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with a cargo of livestock that included 1300 cattle, 700 sheep and 118 camels. One member of the crew was also lost. The vessel had been a Seaway trader as b) ULYSSES CASTLE in 1969 and c) ITHAKI CASTLE in 1973.

1976: FRAMPTONDYKE visited the Seaway in 1969. It sank following a collision with the ODIN in the English Channel enroute from Rotterdam, Netherlands, to Cork, Ireland, as b) WITTERING. All on board were rescued.

[yachtsmanwilly]

2/25 - Detroit, Mich. – The steamer Arthur M. Anderson, which reached Detroit Monday morning, was still docked at Nicholson Terminal below the Ambassador Bridge on Tuesday. They will remain at the dock until convoy can be arranged to Sturgeon Bay, Wis., likely later this week.

Meanwhile, the Port Huron-based USCGC Hollyhock will continue grooming and track maintenance in the St. Clair River and lower Lake Huron as required. On Tuesday morning, the USCGC Neah Bay was reported en route from Cleveland to the lower St. Clair River for track grooming and vessel assistance as required. The CCGS Samuel Risley will continue track grooming in the lower St. Clair River. Vessels are still having considerable difficulty passing through areas around Harsens and Russell islands. She will also conduct a crew change and logistics in Sarnia. On Tuesday morning, the CCGS Griffon was underway escorting the Algosea upbound in the lower Detroit River. She will conduct track grooming within Lake St. Clair and lower St. Clair River. She will be in port Windsor to conduct logistics and a crew change.

In the Straits, Capt. Henry Jackman continues to be stuck in ice near Mackinac Island, along with fleetmate Algosteel, located a few miles to the west. They have been there since last Thursday. USCG Katmai Bay was working with the vessels on Tuesday.





Lakes Superior, Huron and Erie nearly entirely frozen over

2/25 - The ice continues to grow on the Great Lakes. The next few days of below zero temperatures around the Great Lakes should make the ice expand. But just how close are we to record ice cover on the Great Lakes?

As of Monday, Feb. 23, the entire Great Lakes system combined had 85.4 percent ice cover. The highest ice cover total on the entire Great Lakes was 94.7 percent in 1979. Decent ice cover record-keeping dates back to 1973. Some individual lakes are closer to the record.

Lake Superior's satellite image is pretty amazing. Lake Superior is almost entirely frozen. As of Feb. 23, Lake Superior was ranked as 95.5 percent covered in ice. The record ice cover for Lake Superior is 100 percent in 1996.

Lake Michigan ice is increasing, but seems to be the one lake that has been keeping ice cover from record proportions. On Feb. 23, Lake Michigan had 62.5 percent, increasing from 55 percent in just one day. The record ice cover on Lake Michigan was actually set last year at 93.3 percent.

Lake Huron is almost totally frozen over also, with 95.9 percent ice cover. In 1994, Lake Huron reached 98.5 percent ice cover.

Lake Erie has 95.9 percent of its surface covered in ice. Lake Erie has been entirely frozen over in three winters since 1973.

Lake Ontario has 59.9 percent ice coverage as of Feb. 23. Lake Ontario still has a long way to go to break the record of 85.7 percent ice in 1979.

It's going to be interesting to watch the ice grow in the next two weeks. In looking at the weather data, there really isn't a widespread above freezing temperature pattern expected in the next two weeks. The next few days look brutally cold, and there may even be another outbreak of below zero weather next week.

MLive Chief Meteorologist Mark Torregrossa





Port Reports - February 25

t.





Magnetation idles plant due to global glut of iron ore

2/25 - Duluth, Minn. – Magnetation LLC will indefinitely close its Plant 1 in Keewatin next month due to the growing global glut of iron ore and falling ore prices that are now hitting home on the Iron Range.

The company announced Monday that the plant will be placed into a “maintenance program’’ by late March, the most obvious Minnesota victim so far in what has become a free-falling global iron ore industry.

Some 49 people will lose their jobs at Plant 1, although some may be given positions at other Magnetation operations. It’s not clear if or when Plant 1 might reopen.

Global iron ore prices have dropped by more than 50 percent over the past 18 months with slower demand in China and huge increases in iron ore output in Australia.

Since early 2011, iron ore prices have dropped by two-thirds, from nearly $190 per ton to about $62 per ton today. That’s less than the price of production for some Minnesota operations.

Magnetation President Matt Lehtinen said the rapid increase in iron ore oversupply and the free-falling price of the ore has created a situation that is “volatile and dramatic and completely unexpected.”

“Seven months ago we had industry analysts predicting $90 to $100-per-ton iron ore prices for the foreseeable future. Now, we’re at $62. No one saw this coming,’’ Lehtinen told the News Tribune. “Everyone in this business that sells on the open market is tied to the global price; Minnesota Isn't insulated from that. Plus we also have steel prices falling rapidly at the same time. … It’s a challenging time for everyone in this business right now.”

Grand Rapids-based Magnetation — which sells its Minnesota iron ore concentrate to both U.S. and Mexican steelmakers — so far hasn’t lost any contracts due to the industry shakeup, Lehtinen said. But Plant 1 was Magnetation’s oldest and least-efficient facility, and the company decided to idle the operations to save money and focus on its newer, less costly operations.

“Right now we’re very focused on cutting cost of production. We have to be,’’ Lehtinen said.

Plant 1 has 41 hourly and eight salaried employees that will be laid off.

“We will be working closely with the appropriate governmental agencies to assist the employees who will be laid off as a result of this unfortunate event,” said Larry Lehtinen, Magnetation CEO.

The layoffs are the most visible sign so far that the global iron ore situation will affect Minnesota’s mining industry, although warning signs have been showing up for several months.

Some Iron Range lawmakers who follow the industry closely have been warning for months that the next two years at least will be tough for the industry as supply and demand work to even out.

“I’ve been seeing this coming for a while now and I still believe ’15 and ’16 are not going to be good for iron ore,” said state Rep. Tom Anzelc, DFL-Balsam Township, who represents the western Iron Range where Magnetation has most of its operations. “This is just more proof that mining is such a risky, risky venture.”

Much of the taconite iron ore and iron ore concentrate produced in Minnesota is used in American steel mills owned by the company that mines it, such as U.S. Steel’s Minntac and Keetac operations and ArcelorMittal's Minorca Mine in Virginia. But other Minnesota mining companies, such as Magnetation and Cliffs Natural Resources, must sell their product on the open market, mostly to U.S. mills.

So far, because of the cost of shipping, foreign iron ore producers haven’t made inroads into supplying the U.S. steelmaking industry. But the current oversupply situation has hit some U.S companies, especially Cliffs, which has shuttered all of its Canadian iron ore operations which were closely tied to the dropping global price of ore.

Also, cheaper foreign ore makes for cheaper foreign steel, which has taken an increasingly large share of the the American steel market, thus lowering demand for American steel made out of Minnesota iron ore. Anzelc said the situation will be further complicated by the approaching start of production at Essar Steel’s large taconite mine and processing facility in Nashwauk, which is planned to add 7 million tons of capacity for the U.S. market that's currently not needed.

Idling the Keewatin plant will help Magnetation cut costs and should help keep its remaining operations more viable, the company said Monday. The company said iron ore previously produced by Plant 1 will be replaced by increased production at the company’s other operations and “outside purchases” if needed to keep its customers supplied.

Magnetation also owns and operates Plant 2 in Bovey and Plant 4 in Coleraine that opened late in 2014. Magnetation owns and operates an iron ore pellet plant located in Reynolds, Ind., in a partnership with AK Steel.

Magnetation also built and operates Plant 3 in Chisholm which is co-owned by the parent company of Mesabi Nugget, Minnesota’s only iron nugget plant. But both Mesabi Nugget and the Chisholm processing plant currently are shut down for at least several weeks — also because of an oversupply of raw material.

Magnetation was founded in 2006 and built Plant 1 in 2008. The company uses an innovative and proprietary technology to recover valuable iron ore out of old mine waste piles left behind from iron ore mining efforts a half-century or more ago. The company has been praised as a Minnesota mining success story, growing steadily until now.

Industry analysts note that the global oversupply of iron ore — the amount produced compared to demand to make steel — sat at just 14 million tons in 2013 but rose to 72 million tons last year. This year the oversupply is expected to hit 175 million tons, with another huge jump to 300 million tons by 2017.

Minnesota produces less than 40 million tons annually, with some production also in Michigan, the only U.S. iron-ore producing states. By contrast, one new Australian mine will produce more iron ore than all U.S. producers combined.

Analysts have reported that some foreign producers have production costs as low as $50 per ton. By comparison, Cliffs announced earlier this month it hoped to reduced its cost to about $59 per ton for U.S. ore.

Duluth News Tribune





Governor proposes funding for Aquatic Research Lab expansion at Soo

2/25 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – In his recent budget proposal to the legislature for the 2015-2016 fiscal year, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has recommended that Lake Superior State University receive funding for its planned Center for Freshwater Research and Education.

The center, which is a proposed $12 million expansion of LSSU’s existing Aquatic Research Laboratory, would be housed in a building near the west end of the Cloverland Electrical Cooperative power plant on the St. Marys River. The project would greatly enhance LSSU’s research capabilities and would be an economic driver for the state.

The governor’s recommendation for LSSU is one of five higher education projects that ranked the highest in capital outlay scoring evaluations in their respective categories.

“With our location in the heart of the Great Lakes, along an international border, we have the perfect location for such a facility and we are pleased that the governor and legislature recognize the importance and need for this project,” said LSSU President Tom Pleger.

Since 1977, LSSU’s current Aquatic Research Laboratory has been a model of a public-private partnership in research, education, and outreach, providing economic, educational, and scientific benefits to the region. The lab has been stocking Atlantic salmon in the St. Marys River for more than 25 years, which has created a world-class fishery in the upper Great Lakes that is valued at over $9 million to the Michigan economy. Research efforts have brought in more than $2 million just in the past five years.

All the while, the lab has assisted with the training of hundreds of students who are employed in the fisheries and water resources field. Nearly half of the employees in the Mich. Dept. of Natural Resources Fisheries Division are LSSU alumni.

Soo Evening News





Icebreaking operations this week at Ludington

2/25 - Ludington, Mich. – Commercial vessel traffic will utilize the port of Ludington on 26 Feb until 05 Mar. The tug Spartan will take the barge Spartan II from Lake Michigan to the Port of Ludington utilizing docks near the S.S. Badger.

USCG





DNR taps Douglas boat builder for new Lake Huron fisheries vessel

2/25 - Douglas, Mich. – An Allegan County boat maker has landed a $1.3 million contract to build a new vessel for state fisheries research on Lake Huron.

Andersen Boat Works of Douglas will build a 57-foot, aluminum-hulled boat named after former Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources fisheries chief Howard Tanner, the state agency announced Monday.

The new boat, the research vessel Tanner, will replace the research vessel Chinook, which has been operating on the Great Lakes in various capacities since 1947.

Jeff Diemond, DNR Fisheries Division boat captain, called the Chinook the "senior citizen" of the DNR fleet. The boat, built in Marinette, Wis. and based in Alpena, has operated on Lake Huron and the St. Marys River since 1968.

The Chinook "needs to be replaced with a modern vessel to improve safety for the vessel's crew and significantly upgrade our research capabilities," said Diemond.

The new Tanner was drawn-up by Seacraft Design of Sturgeon Bay, Wis. It will be powered by twin engines and rigged for sampling with nets and trawls. The boat will feature new hydro-acoustic survey equipment, state-of-the-art navigation and a compartmental hull design. It can hold a crew of five to six.

The Tanner will support DNR management of lake trout, walleye and yellow perch fisheries and conduct invasive species surveillance, the DNR said.

Alpena Fisheries Research Station staff said the contract is for $1.315 million. Another $685,000 is being spent outfitting the Tanner. Andersen Boat Works is expected to deliver the boat in April 2016. The boat is expected to last 50 years.

In a statement, the DNR said a "final resting place, including an educational display, is being explored for the R/V Chinook after its decommissioning."

M Live





Port Burwell Marine Museum aims to make ship’s wheelhouse an attraction

2/25 - Port Burwell, Ont. – It was once the control centre of a massive bulk carrier ship that traversed the Great Lakes for parts of the 20th century. But if all goes according to plan, the ship’s wheelhouse will land near the shores of Lake Erie this summer as the latest attraction at the Port Burwell Marine Museum.

“It's really an artifact, and we wanted it as an attraction,” said Charles Buchanan, vice chairman of Museums Bayham and treasurer of the Port Burwell Historical Society. “It fits right in as an outside artifact and an attention-getter to the Port Burwell Marine Museum.”

The wheelhouse is from a ship known most recently as the Fernglen, built in Lorain, Ohio in 1917. The ship sailed under many names before it was retired in 1984 and the wheelhouse was converted into an office for the George Barnes & Sons excavating company of Lowbanks, Ont.

Historical society representatives inquired about the wheelhouse years ago but it wasn’t for sale at the time.

“I guess they kept a record of our visit,” Buchanan said. “And all these years later they came back to the historical society and said, 'Listen. We've now built a new office building and we find that now our wheelhouse is a surplus. Would you people still like to have it for display?'

“So we said, 'Sure we would.' So that's kind of how this got re-ignited.”

The excavating company has donated the wheelhouse, but project organizers expect it will cost at least $25,000 to move it to Port Burwell and refurbish it.

“What we may be able to be successful with is, some of the refurbishing work being donated in kind by people who are able to do that,” Buchanan said.

“Once we get it here, we'll be in a much better position to go out and solicit help and so on.”

If successful, the wheelhouse would be located on museum property at the corner of Pitt and Robinson streets, across from what Buchanan said is Canada’s oldest inland lighthouse. Organizers hope to officially launch the wheelhouse as an attraction on July 1, which is also the 175th anniversary of the completion of the lighthouse.

The historical society has been trying to bring a similar attraction to Port Burwell since at least the mid-1990s, when it arranged to buy the wheelhouse of a larger freighter, the Henry Steinbrenner.

When workers were cutting the wheelhouse off the ship there was slag left from the cutting torches, Buchanan said.

“The wind came up in the middle of the night, fanning it into flames, and it burned that wheelhouse before they got it off the ship,” he said.

The historical society has raised about $3,000 toward moving and refurbishing the Fernglen’s wheelhouse and plans to name it the George Barnes Memorial Wheelhouse. The group also has an agreement in principle with Bayham council to place the wheelhouse on museum property, subject to code regulations, Buchanan said.

“It's not going to be cheap,” he said. “But hopefully we can handle it.”

St. Thomas Times Journal





64th annual Mariner's Sunday this weekend in Superior

2/25 - Superior, Wis. – On Sunday, Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Superior, Wis., will hold its 64th Annual Mariner's at 10 a.m. This worship service recognizes and honors all the people involved with working on the Great Lakes: sailors, and just as much, if not more, their families who stay behind, as well as people working in ports loading and unloading cargo, and people whose work supports and supplies the maritime industry. If you or your loved ones work on or for the boats, or if you are simply interested in shipping, you are welcome to attend. The church is at 820 Belknap Street, Superior, next to UW-Superior. www.plcsuperior.org

[yachtsmanwilly]

Today in Great Lakes History - February 26

The completed hull of the BELLE RIVER (Hull#716) was floated off the ways February 26, 1977, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin by Bay Shipbuilding Corp. Renamed b.) WALTER J. MC CARTHY JR in 1990.

JOSEPH L. BLOCK (Hull#715) was launched February 26, 1976, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin by Bay Shipbuilding Corp.

On 26 February 1874, the tug WILLIAM LIVINGSTONE JR. was launched at Port Huron Dry Dock. Her dimensions were 151 feet overall, 25 foot 6 inches beam, and 13 foot depth. Her machinery was built by Phillerick & Christy of Detroit and was shipped by rail to Port Huron. She cost $45,000. Her master builder was Alex Stewart.

On 26 February 1876, the MARY BELL (iron propeller, 58 foot, 34 gross tons, built in 1870, at Buffalo, New York) burned near Vicksburg, Michigan.

The Liberty ship BASIL II, a Seaway visitor in 1960, ran aground on a reef off the west coast of New Caledonia as EVER PROSPERITY in 1965 and was abandoned as a total loss.

ANGLEA SMITS, a Seaway trader in 1983, was abandoned and believed sunk in the Atlantic en route from Norway to Australia in 1986.

1947: The T-2 tanker ROYAL OAK came to the Great Lakes in 1966 as b) TRANSBAY and was rebuilt at Lorain. The vessel departed later in the year as c) TRANSHURON. But as a) ROYAL OAK, it caught fire on this day in the Pacific off Esmeraldas, Ecuador, and had to be abandoned by the crew. The vessel was later reboarded and the fires extinguished. The listing vessel almost sank but it was salvaged and rebuilt for Cities Service Oil.

1965: The Liberty ship BASIL II came through the Seaway in 1960. It ran aground on a reef off New Caledonia as d) EVER PROSPERITY. The vessel was traveling in ballast and had to be abandoned as a total loss.

1981: A spark from a welder's torch ignited a blaze aboard the MONTCLIFFE HALL, undergoing winter work at Sarnia. The fire did major damage to the pilothouse and accommodations area, but the repairs were completed in time for the ship to resume trading on May 27, 1981. It was still sailing in 2013 as d) CEDARGLEN (ii).

1986: ANGELA SMITS, a Seaway trader for the first time in 1983, developed a severe list and was abandoned by the crew on a voyage from Norway to Australia. The hull was sighted, semi-submerged, later in the day in position 47.38 N / 07.36 W and was believed to have sunk in the Atlantic.

1998: The Abitibi tug NIPIGON was active on Lake Superior and often towed log booms from the time it was built at Sorel in 1938 until perhaps the 1960s. The vessel also saw work on construction projects for different owners, and left the Seaway for the sea on December 12, 1988. It was operating as b) FLORIDA SEAHORSE when it sank in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana. All 5 on board were rescued.

2011: Fire broke out on the bridge of DINTELBORG while enroute from the Netherlands to Virginia. The ship was taken in tow the next day by the ROWAN M. McALLISTER out of Providence, R.I. The repaired Dutch freighter was back through the Seaway later in 2011. The tug was also a Seaway caller in 2012, coming inland to tow the fire ravaged PATRICE McALLISTER back to Providence.


Ice operations continue; Anderson waits to move

2/26 - On Wednesday, the steamer Arthur M. Anderson was still tied up in Detroit awaiting the formation of a convoy so she can resume her upbound trip for Sturgeon Bay and a belated winter layup. The USCG Neah Bay was in Detroit In port Detroit, for fuel. CCGS Samuel Risley was In port at Sarnia for fuel and logistics, while CCGS Griffon was at Windsor for the same. Both vessels will resume track grooming and maintenance in the St. Clair River.

The Capt. Henry Jackman and Algosteel were underway in the Straits of Mackinac Wednesday. The USCG Katmai Bay took up escort about 11:30 a.m. starting with the Algosteel near Mackinac Island. By early afternoon the convoy was downbound on Lake Huron. The Jackman had been waiting since last Thursday for the Algosteel to form a downbound convoy.

USCG Hollyhock departed her berthed in Port Huron stopping off Harbor Beach Wednesday night where they will assist Capt. Henry Jackman and Algosteel downbound to Sarnia.





Shippers fear tough spring season on icy Great Lakes

2/26 - Toronto, Ont. – The prolonged frigid temperatures this winter have left a giant frozen cover over much of the Great Lakes.

If the cold temperatures continue unabated, it could set a record. And that means commercial shipping will likely be impacted this spring – with a later opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway system and slow ramp-up of vessels that can actually get through.

As of this week, 85.6 per cent of the Great Lakes are covered with ice including almost all of Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Superior.

Even Lake Ontario, one of the deepest lakes compared to its surface area, sees ice coverage numbers fluctuating widely, with 82 per cent coverage last Wednesday, to almost 60 per cent coverage this week.

Due to the extreme cold and ice on the inner harbor, ferry service to the Toronto islands is suspended until further notice, with island residents using the airport ferry instead.

“It’s been pretty cold the last few weeks, so the lakes have more ice now than at this time last year,” said George Leshkevich, a physical scientist with the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Mich.

He said it was unusual to have two years in a row of extensive ice cover compared to previous years. “We haven’t seen that in a long while,” he said. “Two cold years, no. Two warm years, yes.”

Last year, 92.5 per cent of the Great Lakes were frozen on March 6, beaten only by the record set in 1979, when ice coverage hit 94.7 per cent.

The higher ice levels may be caused, in part, by the last year’s severe polar cold air mass that settled over Eastern Canada, which was accompanied by a mild summer, where lake temperatures didn’t have a chance to warm up.

Leshkevich says only Mother Nature knows whether this year will be a record, but commercial shipping will be affected.

Shipping across the Great Lakes essentially stops in winter, when the locks at Welland, linking Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, and the locks at Sault Ste. Marie, linking Lake Superior and Lake Huron, close.

Some vessels do continue to operate on some of the lakes, especially to move petrochemical products and road salt, but they can get caught up in the ice.

Last weekend, the Canadian Coast Guard had to dispatch two icebreakers to help free a bulk freighter that had been trapped for days in thick ice of up to 3 metres thick on Lake Erie, near Cleveland.

Thick ice ridges can build up – where ice sheets come together and then are broken by wind and pressure that builds as ice grows. Leshkevich said on Lake Erie ridges are known to be 1.5 metres to 1.8 metres in some areas, and 2.4 metres to 3 metres in others, and can be duplicated below the ice surface.

“The ridges are all over,” he said. “It’s very hard for the ice breaker, once they break through one, there’s another one.”

That amount of ice can pose challenges for commercial vessels. Leshkevich has frequently travelled on U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers that clear a shipping path for vessels on Lake Superior for the first trip in the spring through the Sault Ste. Marie locks.

Last March, he was on aboard for a run from Sault Ste. Marie to Duluth and back —leading three ships in a convoy over Lake Superior.

“It was brutal. I had never seen it like that,” Leskevich said. “A 5- to 7-day trip turned into 16 days.”

As the icebreaker was clearing a path, the wind closed it up, and the work began again. The icebreaker would ram through a ridge, and then stop, and back up and get a running start again, and ram again, he added.

Overnight, the icebreaker would get caught in the ice and wind up back where it was the day before.

The Sault Ste. Marie locks are scheduled to open on Mar. 25, and usually there’s a vessel waiting to cross at midnight, but last year, the first ship didn’t pass until April 4.

The St. Lawrence Seaway — which runs from Montreal to Lake Ontario and Welland — has targeted an opening of March 27, a few days later than usual.

“The expansive ice cover was an important factor in reaching that date,” said Seaway spokesman Andrew Bogora, who noted it can open as early at Mar. 22, but in recent years, it’s been around Mar. 24 or 25.

“Last year when we opened we saw limited activity given how expansive the ice cover was,” he said, adding it could adjust the opening date if necessary. “We will not open the season until it is safe to do so.”

Robert Lewis-Manning, president of the Canadian Shipowners Association, which represents ships that move through the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, expects this year’s situation to be “as bad or worse than it was last year.”

Part of the challenge is the number of ice breakers available – with two from Canada and seven from the U.S. coast guard, to help break a path.

Last year, Canada sent two ice breakers from the Arctic to the Great Lakes to help, but Lewis-Manning says given the brutal winter in the Maritimes, they may not be available this year.

Demand for shipping is so far typical this year for everything from grain to ore, he said. But any delays due to weather could have an impact.

“A slow start will have impact on the supply chain overall and the industries which we support,” Lewis-Manning said. “Winter is not new to Canada or Canadians, but the lack of sufficient numbers of ice breakers, for example, is not supporting commerce sufficiently.”

When asked whether Leshkevich is considering another ride this year on coast guard ice breaker on Lake Superior, he says he is undecided.

“I’m not sure after last year,” Leskevich said, adding he could ask others to collect data and photos.

The Star





Arthur M. Anderson’s Sturgeon Bay arrival delayed until weekend

2/26 - Due to heavy ice in the lower Great Lakes, the steamer Arthur M. Anderson’s transit to the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal has been delayed and is now expected to occur March 1 or 2. The vessel will enter the ship canal from Lake Michigan on its way to Bay Ship Building at Sturgeon Bay, Wis.

USCG

[yachtsmanwilly]

Welding work linked to fire on Mississagi; damage being assessed

2/27 - Hamilton, Ont. – A fire in the cargo hold of a bulk carrier on the Hamilton waterfront is being linked to welding work by a member of the repair crew. "Some combustibles in there ignited," said Hamilton Fire service spokesperson Claudio Mostacci.

Twenty workers on board the Mississagi escaped off the 72-year-old vessel when the fire was discovered, and one was injured. Mostacci said a worker inhaled some smoke and was treated by paramedics at the scene.

Firefighters were called to Heddle Marine Service just before 3:30 p.m. Thursday. Mostacci said when crews arrived, they saw heavy smoke pouring from the top of the Mississagi.

Heddle Marine is at 280 Hillyard St., north of Evans McKeil Way, on Pier 14. The 27-year-old company's website says it's the largest marine repair firm that operates floating drydocks on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes. It employs about 70 people and leases land from the Hamilton Port Authority.

Mostacci said firefighters poured water into the ship and appeared to have it extinguished quickly. He said the Confined Spaces Team had to descend into the vessel and confirmed the fire was out at around 4:40 p.m.

At one point, the fire service had 12 units at the scene. Mostacci said damage was still being assessed.

The Mississagi was built in 1943 and was named the Hill Annex. It was rechristened the George A. Sloan that same year and sailed under that name until 2001. It has been retrofitted numerous times over the years and is owned by Lower Lakes Towing Ltd.

The Heddle website says the firm is also working on three other ships at the yard: the Wilf Seymour, Lambert Spirit and Alouette Spirit.

Hamilton Spectator





Icebreakers continue to help as vessels head to layup

2/27 - As of Thursday at 9 p.m., Arthur M. Anderson had reached Port Huron on her upbound trip to winter layup in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. Algosteel and USCG Neah Bay were off the Vantage Point in Port Huron, with USCG Hollyhock standing by. Capt. Henry Jackman and USCG Katmai Bay were stopped in the ice in the southern end of Lake Huron above Port Huron. Both the Jackman and Algosteel are bound for winter layup in Sarnia. Earlier in the day, CCGS Griffon and Samuel Risley were escorting the tug Victorious and barge James J. Carrick upbound through St. Clair River system.

The U.S. and Canadian cutters are also expected to assist with the eventual escort of Algoma Hansa and Algosea, which were docked at Sarnia Thursday night.





Great Lakes ice coverage reaches 84 percent

2/27 - Chicago, Ill. – February has been anything but kind to Chicago, and for much of the eastern half of the country.

Coming into February, much of the Great Lakes, except for Lake Erie, had less than 50 percent ice coverage. As of February 25, the Great Lakes ice coverage stands at 84 percent. This is the 2nd straight year that the Great Lakes have topped 80 percent. The last time this happened was the late 1970's.

The Great Lakes, at this time last year, were 70 percent covered in ice. When this much ice remains on the lakes, March tend to be cooler than normal.

March of 2014 had an average temperature of 31.7 degrees, which is -6.2 degrees colder than normal along with 12.3 inches of snow.

The outlook for March, according to the Climate Prediction Center, is cooler than normal temperatures with near normal precipitation. However, the longer range forecast for the months April, May, and June are expected to be warmer than normal.

Fox 32 News





U.S. Steel closing Gary Works coke plant

2/27 - Gary, Ind. – U.S. Steel plans to close its Gary Works coke plant in May, displacing about 300 workers. It will mark the end of a coke-making era at the steel plant that once operated three coke batteries.

U.S. Steel spokeswoman Courtney Boone said Thursday the company notified United Steelworkers of America officials on Wednesday of the permanent shutdown. She said it was a strategic decision based on market conditions and the company's long-term coke strategy.

It's unclear where Gary Works will obtain its coke once the plant closes.

U.S. Steel applied for a permit last year to construct an electric arc furnace at its Fairfield Works plant in Birmingham, Ala., to replace an existing blast furnace. U.S. Steel officials say the electric arc furnace will improve its operations so it can adapt to global demand, while reducing its capital spending and maintenance costs related to running a blast furnace.

Made from crushed coal cooked at extremely high temperatures, coke is a key raw material in iron-making, providing heat for the blast furnace. It comes with costly environmental challenges, however, and steel industry experts say coke-making could become obsolete in the future as the steel industry turns to cleaner technology.

USW District 7 director Mike Millsap said he hopes displaced workers can land new jobs in the mill.

"Obviously, it's not something that we want, but they've been slowly taking it down. It's old." He pointed to new $1.2 billion coke plant upgrade at Clairton Plant, in Clairton, Pa., near Pittsburgh.

"They haven't made investments in this facility," said Millsap of Gary Works.

Millsap agreed with steel analysts who say the steel market is softening, as prices are going down while competition from low-priced imports continues.

Last month, U.S. Steel notified state officials it was idling operations at its East Chicago tin plant and laying off 397 workers. The layoffs will begin March 22. The company said it was taking the action because of a significant decline in customer orders due to low-priced imports of tin mill products.

Chicago Tribune





‘Super Mackinac’ Race: 568 miles of Great Lakes sailing

2/27 - Bayview Yacht Club (Detroit, Mich.) and Chicago Yacht Club (Chicago, Ill.) will jointly host the Super Mackinac Race in July. The event will start in the waters of Lake Michigan off downtown Chicago on July 11, with competitors following the traditional course to Mackinac Island before moving east past Bois Blanc Island and then south along the Michigan shore of Lake Huron, finishing offshore the Port Huron Yacht Club for a total rhumb line distance of 568 statute miles.

This year marks the 91st running of the Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race and the 107th running of the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac. This will be the first running of the Super Mackinac since 2009. Over 330 boats participated in the 2014 Chicago Mac while over 220 made it to the line for the Bayview Mac.

Sailingscuttlebutt.com

[yachtsmanwilly]

Arthur M. Anderson icebound in Straits of Mackinac

3/1 - Arthur M. Anderson was either stuck or stopped for the night in the ice just west of the Mackinac Bridge on Saturday evening. She was assisted upbound through Lake Huron throughout the day by the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Katmai Bay, as of 8 p.m. Saturday operations had stopped for the night. The Anderson is bound for winter layup in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. She is expected to arrive there on Sunday, depending on ice conditions. At Sturgeon Bay, tugs are breaking ice in the canal and inner harbor in preparation of her arrival. She will join the fifteen other ships already laid up there for the remainder of the winter.



Ice conditions causing concern for Great Lakes shipping industry

3/1 - Duluth, Minn. – The recent plight of a well-known lake freighter, and satellite images that show the Great Lakes once again almost entirely covered in ice, are causing worry in the Great Lakes shipping industry about the prospects of another difficult spring.

"Obviously it's been another brutal winter," said Glen Nekvasil, vice president of the Lake Carriers' Association. "If it keeps going it will be a challenging resumption to navigation when we get going again in March."

As of Friday, the Arthur M. Anderson was working in convoy toward its winter lay-up in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. — and its journey may be a harbinger of things to come.

The 63-year-old, 767-foot ship endured a difficult time on Lake Erie earlier this month, Nekvasil said. The Anderson had unloaded cargo near Chicago and was on its way to Conneaut, Ohio, last week when it got stuck in ice on southern Lake Erie, according to media reports.

A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientist told the News Tribune that ice on the lake at that time was 1 to 2 feet thick and likely included windblown rubble fields of ice and pressure ridges — resulting from ice plates crashing against each other — that reached up to 10 feet tall and penetrated equally as deep below water.

"We're seeing some real difficult shipping conditions on Lake Erie, with a lot of ridging in the central and south parts of the lake," said George Leshkevich, a research scientist based at NOAA's office in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Anderson was ultimately freed by Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers after spending several days trapped in ice 7 miles offshore from Conneaut, the website boatnerd.com reported.

Because there was no getting into Conneaut — a small port between Cleveland and Erie, Pa. — the Canadian Coast Guard helped the Anderson turn around for refueling and resupplying in Detroit. Its return voyage to Wisconsin has been slow going, requiring escorts and other vessel support. It is expected to arrive this weekend.

The Anderson was the last ship in radio contact with the Edmund Fitzgerald before the Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior in 1975 with the loss of all aboard.

Lake Erie is 95 percent ice covered, according to NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.

"What we are seeing now is a rather severe year," Leshkevich said. "The lakes, at least Superior, Huron and Erie, are 95 or 96 percent covered, and about 85.5 percent total, which is a little more ice this year than at the same time last year."

Last year's ice coverage was considered epic. It topped out at 92.6 percent coverage on March 6, Leshkevich said, while ice out on Lake Superior wasn't declared until June 6. The Great Lakes shipping industry worked overtime and carried extra loads and cargoes into December and January to achieve sterling shipping numbers that had lagged due to ice delays in spring.

Leshkevich said a warm spell in February 2014 kept things from getting even worse last spring. No such warm-up came this February, which didn't get above freezing in the Northland. Leshkevich blamed polar air masses but was reluctant to make forecasts. He would predict only that the Great Lakes haven't yet reached peak ice coverage, which is expected in early March.

"I'm sure shipping folks are on edge right now about what the spring may bring," he said.

Meanwhile, Nekvasil and others are using the second straight season of tough ice conditions to call on the U.S. Coast Guard to improve its icebreaking capabilities by adding an additional heavy icebreaker, to go with its Mackinaw. It's the only heavy icebreaker in the Coast Guard's Great Lakes fleet that also includes several 140-foot icebreaking tugboats. The 140s couldn't free the Anderson, Nekvasil said, requiring the Canadian Coast Guard's intervention.

"We would like to see the Coast Guard build a twin to the Mackinaw," Nekvasil said.

The Coast Guard told a gathering of ship captains on Feb. 12 that they'd be ready for the spring shipping breakout, said Nekvasil, who attended the meeting. But with back-to-back winters fraught with widespread ice cover on the Great Lakes, Nekvasil said the industry is rethinking the term unprecedented.

"We've got 900 miles from Duluth to Buffalo," Nekvasil said. "We need more assets out here on the lakes."

The Coast Guard did not respond in time for this story.

Nekvasil said the interlake cement industry will probably begin shipping March 12, followed by the Soo Locks opening March 25, allowing traffic between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes.

Duluth News Tribune

On 02 March 1889, the U.S. Congress passed two acts for establishment of a light station at Old Mackinac Point and appropriated $5,500 for construction of a fog signal building. The following year, funds were appropriated for the construction of the light tower and dwelling.

March 2, 1938 - Harold Lillie, crewmember of the ANN ARBOR NO 6, stepped onto the apron as the carferry was approaching and fell into the water and suffered a broken neck.

March 2, 1998, a fire broke out on the ALGOSOO causing serious damage to the self-unloading belts and other nearby equipment. Almost 12 years earlier in 1986, a similar fire gutted the aft cabins.

On 02 March 1893, the MARY E. MC LACHLAN (3-mast wooden schooner, 251 foot, 1,394 gross tons) was launched at F. W. Wheeler's yard in West Bay City, Michigan as (Hull #96). The launch turned into a disaster when the huge wave generated by the vessel entering the water hit the freighter KITTIE FORBES (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 209 foot, 968 gross tons, built in 1883, at W. Bay City, Michigan). The FORBES had numerous spectators onboard and when the wave struck, many were injured and there was one confirmed death.

1972 - HARMATTAN, a Seaway trader beginning in 1971, arrived at Karachi, Pakistan, for scrapping after suffering missile damage at sea from Indian Naval units during a conflict between the two countries.

1976 - BROOK, a former Seaway trader as EXBROOk beginning in 1968, arrived at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, for scrapping.


BP to stop sending petcoke to Chicago

3/2 - Chicago, Ill. – A mid pressure from neighborhood groups and Mayor Rahm Emanuel, BP later this year will halt shipments of dusty petroleum coke to Chicago sites across the border from its giant Whiting, Ind., refinery.

A BP spokesman on Wednesday confirmed that by mid-year the company will stop sending petroleum coke to two sites along the Calumet River owned by KCBX Terminals, a firm controlled by industrialists Charles and David Koch. But BP would not say where its high-carbon, high-sulfur material will end up instead.

The company's sprawling Indiana refinery is the world's second-largest source of petroleum coke, or petcoke, a byproduct of the Canadian oil boom that is piling up in huge mountains across the Midwest.

"If necessary for business reasons, BP may consider using limited Illinois-based storage options on a short-term basis if those options are compliant with state and local regulations," Scott Dean, the BP spokesman, said in an email. He declined to elaborate.

For more than a year, Chicago residents in the East Side and South Deering neighborhoods have complained that the Whiting petcoke is handled differently depending on where it's stored.

Under the terms of a federal legal settlement, BP is required to enclose petcoke at the Whiting refinery to keep lung-damaging dust from blowing into surrounding neighborhoods. But KCBX hasn't been required to comply with the same stringent regulations at its Chicago sites — something that Emanuel pushed to change in response to complaints about gritty black dust blowing off the uncovered piles.

Community groups also angrily complained about dump trucks rumbling through the neighborhood between the BP refinery and two KCBX sites, one off 100th Street and another off Burley Avenue between 108th and 111th streets. BP later shifted to moving its petcoke by rail.

Emanuel has vowed to drive petcoke storage operations out of town. During the past year, the city required more aggressive efforts to tamp down dust, imposed limits on the height of uncovered piles and set a 2016 deadline to fully enclose any large quantities.

Earlier this week, the Chicago Department of Public Health rejected a KCBX request to delay building a giant storage shed at the Burley Avenue site for up to 14 months past the city's deadline.

"BP's decision to stop shipping petcoke to Chicago validates our strategy to make the city a less appealing place for storing petcoke," the mayor's office said in a statement.

Environmental groups cautiously welcomed BP's announcement.

"Petcoke is nasty wherever it ends up," said Henry Henderson, Midwest director of the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council. "It is critical that the Southeast Side's problem doesn't just get shifted to somebody else's yard in an unsuspecting community."

While it is losing a high-profile customer, KCBX still plans to dramatically expand its storage of petcoke from other refineries in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota and Wyoming. "We plan to continue competing for our customers' business," said Jake Reint, a KCBX spokesman.

Before KCBX drew the ire of community groups — and eventually Emanuel — state officials had cleared the way for the company to handle up to 11 million tons a year of petcoke and coal at the Burley Avenue terminal. Of that amount, about 2.2 million tons would have come from the Whiting refinery.

Chicago Tribune



WW2 aircraft carriers on Lake Michigan focus of history project

3/2 - Traverse City, Mich. – Loose lips sink ships. The familiar mantra was prevalent around Northern Michigan in the early 1940s, when a pair of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers traversed Lake Michigan on daily pilot training operations the local folks knew about but didn't discuss.

"You didn't know who you could trust," said Amanda Wetzel, assistant director at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum near Northport.

"The belief among everyone up here was that there were German and Japanese spies everywhere," said Wetzel, who has spent months researching the secret naval training on Lake Michigan during World War II.

Wetzel's research is the focus of an upcoming exhibit at the lighthouse museum's Fog Signal building. She will be giving the first of several planned talks about her project this evening at the Grand Traverse Maritime Academy.

She has interviewed numbers veterans of the pilot training as well as people who lived around Northern Michigan and remember the operations and servicemen in town.

"It's become a very big project."

Between 1943 and 1945, two U.S. Navy aircraft carriers stationed at Navy Pier in Chicago functioned as training platform for about 17,000 pilots, signal officers and other personnel. Former U.S. President George H. W. Bush was among the pilots who learned to take off and land on the 500-foot long carrier decks.

The carriers, the USS Sable (IX-81) and USS Wolverine (IX-64), were converted Great Lakes paddle steamers. They had shorter flights decks, no hangar bays, and required enough lake wind for operations.

Lake Michigan was chosen for the secret training because it's the largest body of water within the contiguous United States, said Wetzel.

Wetzel said between 8 and 12 pilots died during the training and about 100 planes now rest on the lake bottom after crashing during training missions.

At the time, the Navy was also experimenting with using drones launched from the USS Sable. The program was developed as response to the Japanese kamikaze pilots following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Wetzel said.

The drones were operated using a spin dial with coordinates, controlled by a manned airplane nearby. The Navy used the abandoned Waugoshance Point Light off Emmet County for drone bombing target practice, she said.

"They would literally drop bombs or fly the drones into it," she said.

Wetzel's presentation takes place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19 at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City. Follow-up talks are planned with the Old Mission Historical Society and Empire Public Library this spring.

The lighthouse museum's exhibit will open with a May 23 ribbon cutting ceremony.

MLive


Ice update

3/2 - The Arthur M. Anderson remained stuck in the ice just west of the Mackinac Bridge all day Sunday. The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Mobile Bay departed from her home base in Sturgeon Bay on Sunday morning, and by 9 p.m. she was approaching the Anderson to assist the steamer to Sturgeon Bay for winter layup. The crews of both vessels, keeping in good spirits, posted destinations of "Kicking Ice" for Mobile Bay and "Home Sweet Home" for the Anderson.

Peter R. Cresswell was still having difficulties in the ice in the St. Clair River near Harsens Island. CCGS Samuel Risley and USCG Neah Bay were assisting.

[yachtsmanwilly]

The keel was laid on March 3, 1980, for the COLUMBIA STAR (Hull#726) at Sturgeon Bay, Wis., by Bay Shipbuilding Corp. She now sails as AMERICAN CENTURY.

At midnight on 3 March 1880, DAVID SCOVILLE (wooden propeller steam tug/ferry, 42 foot, 37 gross tons, built in 1875, at Marine City, Mich.) burned at the Grand Trunk Railway wharf at Sarnia, Ontario. Arson was suspected. No lives were lost.

1947: NOVADOC of the Paterson fleet was lost with all hands (24 sailors) off Portland, Maine, while en route from Nova Scotia to New York City with a cargo of gypsum. The ship had also sailed as NORTHTON for the Mathews and Misener fleets.

1958: The tanker DON JOSE, formerly the ITORORO that operated on the Great Lakes for Transit Tankers & Terminals in the early 1940s, was destroyed by a fire, likely in a loading mishap, at Talara, Peru.


The third Novadoc in the Paterson fleet was lost 68 years ago today. It disappeared with all hands while on a voyage from Deep Brook, NS, about six miles east of Digby, NS, to New York with a cargo of gypsum.

The Captain radioed while about 22 miles off Portland, Maine, that they were battling a storm and had sustained damage. The ship disappeared with all hands, 22 men and 2 women, off New England on March 3, 1947.

This vessel had been built at Newcastle, England, and had previously served the Mathews Steamship Co. and Sarnia Steamship Co. as a) Northton. The 261 foot long bulk carrier had arrived at Toronto, from Swansea, Wales, with 2,245 tons of coal on July 25, 1924, and sailed in the Mathews fleet until they went into receivership in 1932.

It moved to Misener's Sarnia SS Co. in 1933 and to the Paterson fleet as b) Novadoc in 1946. The ship had sunk in the harbor at Port Colborne, while tied up for the winter on Feb. 2, 1939, but was salvaged and headed down the Welland Canal for repairs at Port Dalhousie as soon as the waterway opened.

The vessel headed to saltwater in 1940 and was used in the bauxite trade between the Guianas and Trinidad as well as working on other coastal runs along the Atlantic seaboard.

A life preserver from Novadoc was found on the south shore of Nova Scotia on May 21, 1947, but otherwise the ship went down without a trace. Interestingly, all three ships that carried the name Novadoc ended up as sunk.


Anderson continue to slug it out with Straits ice

3/3 - The Arthur M. Anderson, assisted by the USCG Mobile Bay, didn't make much progress on Monday. By 9 p.m., the steamer was 4 miles north of Hog Island. The crews of both vessels continue to keep in good spirits, as the Mobile Bay changed her destination a few times throughout the day. Her destination as of 9 p.m. Monday was "Laying Highway H20." After clearing the Straits, the Anderson will be escorted to Sturgeon Bay for winter layup.

The Anderson began this trip on February 5 when she departed Indiana and has spent almost a month fighting through the ice . The heavy ice caused her to abandon loading when it prevented entry into Conneaut Ohio.