Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

On 31 March 1971, the American Steamship Company's RICHARD J. REISS grounded at Stoneport, Michigan, while moving away from the dock. She damaged her number nine tank.

Christening ceremonies took place at St. Catharines, Ontario, on March 31, 1979, for d.) CANADIAN PROSPECTOR, lengthened by Port Weller Drydocks Ltd.

ROGER M. KYES (Hull#200) was launched March 31, 1973, at Toledo, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. Renamed b.) ADAM E. CORNELIUS in 1989.

WILLIAM R. ROESCH was renamed b) DAVID Z. NORTON in christening ceremonies at Cleveland, Ohio, on March 31, 1995. The PAUL THAYER was also renamed, EARL W. OGLEBAY, during the same ceremonies.

JOSEPH S. WOOD was sold to the Ford Motor Co. and towed from her winter lay-up berth at Ashtabula, Ohio, on March 31, 1966, to the American Ship Building's Toledo, Ohio, yard for her five-year inspection. A 900 h.p. bowthruster was installed at this time. She would be rechristened as c.) JOHN DYKSTRA two months later.

The steamer b.) J. CLARE MILLER was launched March 31, 1906, as a.) HARVEY D. GOULDER (Hull#342) at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co., for W.A. & A.H. Hawgood of Cleveland, Ohio.

On March 31, 1927, the WILLIAM MC LAUGHLAN entered service for the Interlake Steamship Co. when she departed Sandusky, Ohio for Superior, Wisconsin, on her maiden trip. Later renamed b.) SAMUEL MATHER in 1966, sold Canadian in 1975, renamed c.) JOAN M. MC CULLOUGH, and finally d.) BIRCHGLEN in 1982. Scrapped at Point Edward, Nova Scotia, by Universal Metal Co. Ltd.

On 31 March 1874, E. H. MILLER (wooden propeller tug, 62 foot, 30 gross tons) was launched at Chesley A. Wheeler's yard in E. Saginaw, Michigan. The power plant from the 1865, tug JENNIE BELL was installed in her. She was renamed RALPH in 1883, and spent most of her career as a harbor tug in the Alpena area. She was abandoned in 1920.

1974: The nine-year old Liberian freighter CAPE PALMAS first came through the Seaway in 1969 after it had been purchased from Swedish interests. The vessel was at Bilbao, Spain, undergoing repairs, on March 31, 1974, when a blaze broke out aft and caused extensive damage. This was repaired and the ship resumed trading. It was converted to the cement carrier c) ASANO in 1978 and served until arriving at Shanghai, China, for scrapping on September 10, 1993.

1999: VARADERO was the first new ship of the 1991 season to use the Seaway. It was bound for Toronto with a cargo of sugar. This bulk carrier was sailing as e) MANPOK, and under North Korean registry, when it sank on this date in 1999 following a collision with HYUNDAI DUKE some 500 miles off Colombo, Sri Lanka, while inbound from Jakarta, Indonesia, with a cargo of cement. Two crew members were rescued while another 37 were posted as missing.

2011: BBC STEINHOEFT got stuck in the Seaway on this date in 2011. The Liberian registered freighter had just been renamed at Toronto, having entered the lakes as BELUGA FUSION. It lost power near the St. Lambert Lock and ended up sideways and blocking the channel until she was refloated and realigned


Icebreaker Pierre Radisson on the way to Lake Erie

3/31 - Two Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers will work in tandem to break the ice in the eastern end of Lake Erie before the start of the 2015 shipping season, said Coast Guard communications officer Carol Launderville.

Launderville said the CCGS Pierre Radisson is headed toward the Welland Canal, and will change crews in Port Weller Tuesday morning, before heading down the canal to Lake Erie.

She said the Radisson will work with CCGS Griffon which, according to the Marine Traffic location system, was somewhere between Point Pelee National Park and Pelee Island on the west end of Lake Erie Monday night.

“The Canadian Coast Guard’s icebreaking crews are working hard to open shipping lanes on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. A number of large winter storms in February, accompanied by strong winds and cold temperatures, have contributed to the rapid development of thick ice,” said Launderville.

According to Environment Canada ice specialist Jacques Collin, while Great Lakes ice coverage does not quite match last year’s peak of 92.5 percent, it is still widespread and thick in many places.

“While last year’s coverage at this time was higher than this year — 78 percent vs 52 percent — it is still well above the median average of 18 percent,” said Collin. He said the difference between last year and this year, was that last year at this time temperatures were warm and the winds were calm

“This year we are still experiencing colder than normal temperatures that are forecast to remain cold. I don’t expect much ice decay for this next week,” said Collin.

In February, severe ice in southern Lake Erie prevented access to some ports, forcing icebreakers and commercial vessels to change sail plans.

“So far this year, CCGS Griffon and CCGS Samuel Risley have completed about 180 escorts through the ice for commercial ships between Lake Erie and Lake Superior,” said Launderville.

The CCGS Samuel Risley, a familiar sight around Manitoulin Island waterways, is currently working on Lake Superior.

“The Risley will start its first escorts on Lake Superior with a couple of vessels.”

Launderville said the CCGS Martha L. Black, which shares a home port of Quebec City with the Pierre Radisson, is conducting harbor breakouts at Bath and Picton on Lake Ontario.

She said another icebreaker, CCGS Amundsen, will be deployed from Quebec to the Great Lakes in the days to come. That would bring the number of Canadian Coast Guard vessels working on the Great Lakes to five.

The U.S. Coast Guard also has a number of icebreakers on the lakes. The two agencies work closely together throughout the winter season, ensuring marine traffic can move safely through or around ice-covered waters.

Eriemedia.ca

[yachtsmanwilly]

U.S. Steel to idle some production at Minntac, affecting hundreds of workers

4/1 - Duluth, Minn. – The string of bad economic news on the Iron Range compounded Tuesday when U.S. Steel announced that it will dramatically slow production at its Minntac taconite facility in Mountain Iron starting June 1.

Local union officials said the move will put 700 Steelworkers off the job, nearly half of the nearly 1,500 people who work at Minnesota’s largest taconite mine and processing plant.

The Pittsburgh-based steel giant said the move was forced by an oversupply of iron ore due to continued low demand for its American-made steel — a problem made critical in recent weeks by the ongoing flood of foreign steel made with cheap foreign iron ore.

“Global influences in the market, including a high level of imports, unfairly traded products and reduced steel prices, continue to have an impact,” the company said in a brief statement Tuesday.

State Rep. Jason Metsa, DFL-Virginia, said he’s been told that three of the plant’s five production lines will be shut down in an effort to reduce a backlog of 3.2 million tons of taconite. Union officials said they had not yet been told which employees will be laid off.

The move comes less than three weeks weeks after U.S. Steel said it would shut down production at its Keetac facility in Keewatin starting in May, putting 412 Steelworkers off the job. The Minnesota cuts join a series of layoffs — now estimated at more than 4,000 workers — at U.S. Steel facilities across the country.

In addition to Minntac and Keetac, Magnetation earlier this year announced it will idle its Plant 1 in Keewatin because of decreased demand and the continued depressed price for iron ore globally.

“The problem is, even with Keetac shutting down, domestic iron ore is still piling up on the ground because there's still too many companies in the U.S. buying foreign steel that’s being dumped in the U.S. illegally,” Metsa said. “We have companies in the U.S. buying steel. But they aren’t buying steel that’s made with Minnesota iron ore.”

Metsa and others on Tuesday expressed frustration over the lack of progress at slowing the flood of foreign steel.

Minnesota lawmakers in Washington met with White House officials last week and secured a promise that the hateful muslim traitor administration would help solve the steel trade problem, But it’s not clear how, or when, those efforts might advance. Minnesota lawmakers want the U.S. government to take faster action against steel that’s dumped below cost on U.S. shores in violation of international trade laws.

“Right now there’s just no way to enforce it, and it’s killing us on the Iron Range,” Metsa said.

Jon Malek, president of United Steelworkers Local 1938 that represents Minntac workers, said his office has been in contact with the governor’s office on unemployment benefits and accessing MNsure for workers who may lose insurance coverage. In a notice to union members, Malek said Local 1938 has “not been given any details on who is getting laid off, manning levels in each department, or if they will keep stripping in the mine.”

“The magnitude of this first round of layoffs came as quite a blow and the logistics of this will be quite a lot to deal with,” Malek added.

The Minntac slowdown “is not only devastating to the laid-off employees and their families, but also to the economic well-being of the entire region,” said U.S. Sen Al Franken, D-Minn., in a statement. “It’s another sign that we must continue our fight to level the playing field for our steel and taconite producers by ending the unfair dumping of foreign steel that is pushing down ore prices, cutting demand for American steel, and taking jobs away from Minnesota.”

State officials already are working to make sure that U.S. Steel employees who are laid off will have access to full state unemployment benefits, which could amount to more than $650 per week for workers at the top pay scales, Metsa said. The state unemployment insurance fund is fully stocked, he noted, but no one knows how long the layoffs will last.

Metsa said it’s unclear if other Minnesota taconite operations might also be affected by the downturn. But he said the U.S. Steel layoffs on the Range will almost certainly have a ripple effect on the local economy, with mining industry suppliers, retail stores and service industry jobs also threatened, especially if the layoffs linger.

“There’s always light at the end of the tunnel. But first you have to walk through the tunnel,” Metsa said. “I fear that we are getting ready for a long, dark walk.”

Minnesota’s Iron Range has seen the boom and bust cycles of iron ore mining for more than a century. But the latest downturn seems to have happened fast and caught some by surprise. As recently as September, Minntac officials were moving ahead with a major expansion, increasing the size of the mine and promising 120 new jobs after securing state permits for the expansion.

“U.S. Steel’s layoffs at Minntac and Keetac will cause economic hardships and emotional distress for thousands of hard-working Minnesotans and their families. Now is a time for everyone to come together and support one another,” Gov. Mark Dayton said in a statement. “The Range has endured these industry downtowns before and each time has come back even stronger. My administration stands ready to do everything possible to help do so again.”

The layoff situation is the worst on the Iron Range since 2009, when all of the state’s major mining operations were briefly shut down at once due to the global economic recession. That downturn was relatively short, lasting only a few months, but Minnesota taconite production didn't fully recover until about 2011.

Before that, the cyclical mining industry saw major downturns in 2000-2001, when LTV Steel Mining permanently closed in Hoyt Lakes, and a massive downsizing in the early 1980s when taconite production was halved, entire plants permanently closed and the Iron Range saw an outmigration of thousands of residents who never returned.

Global iron ore prices have dropped by more than 50 percent in the past 18 months, with slower demand in China and huge increases in iron ore output in Australia. Since 2011, iron ore prices have dropped by two-thirds, from nearly $190 per ton to about $57 per ton Tuesday. That's less than the price of production for some Minnesota operations. The lower ore prices have helped push steel prices down, especially in foreign nations where economies have soured. Those nations are looking to get rid of excess steel where economies continue to grow — namely the U.S.

Minntac produced and shipped more than 13 million tons of taconite iron ore pellets in 2013, the most recent year for which state statistics are available. That’s nearly double the size of any other Minnesota mining operation.

Duluth News Tribune


Federal and state leaders call for Soo Lock replacement

4/1 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Federal and state officials are asking the United States Army Corps of Engineers to put a project slated to replace the Soo Locks at the top of the list. A letter, signed by the majority of the Michigan Congressional delegation, including both U.S. Senators, urges the Army Corps to prioritize replacing the Locks before maintenance issues interrupt shipping business.

The letter also urges the Army Corps to make the results of a recent sensitivity analysis publicly available. The analysis would help determine the need for a lock replacement at Sault Ste. Marie.

The requested study's findings should assist in moving the Army Corps towards completing a new Benefits Cost Ratio, which would eventually move the Soo Locks up on the priority funding list at the Army Corps. All Army Corps projects are ranked based on critical need.

There are four locks at the Soo Locks, but two are available for use. The Poe opened in 1968 and the MacArthur opened in 1943.

According to officials, 70-percent of commercial goods transported through the Soo Locks, must use the Poe Lock due to size restrictions. If an outage occurred at this lock, the economic impact could reach about $160-Million in thirty days.

"The Locks are absolutely critical to jobs and industry not only in Northern Michigan, but around the entire country. If the Locks were out of commission for even a day, the economic impact would be severe," said Congressman Dr. Dan Benishek. "If you've ever seen a laker move through the Locks, you know how narrow that passageway is, and that there is no room for error. So many industries, like steel and auto, depend on the Soo Locks, making them a priority for our national security and our economy."

According to the Army Corps of Engineers website, a new lock has been authorized by Congress but not yet funded. As soon as the project is funded construction will begin. Meanwhile most major design work and much preparatory work has already been completed. The project, once funded, would take seven to 10 years to complete based on uninterrupted construction.

UpNorthLive


Lake Superior, harbor, southern lakes all losing ice

4/1 - Duluth, Minn. – The ice has been off most of western Lake Superior for a couple weeks now. Ice in the Duluth harbor and lower St. Louis River is going fast. And several lakes in southern and central Minnesota already are ice-free.

Winter is fading in the Northland, as it always does, but markedly faster than the past two years. Satellite photographs clearly show the western half of Lake Superior ice-free, except for a few bays, with ice now gone from even the western tip of the lake in Duluth. That didn't happen until May last year.

In southern Minnesota, ice is leaving lakes from one to two weeks ahead of normal — and a month ahead of last year — according to records kept by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Pioneer Lake north of the Twin Cities, in Chisago County, lost its ice March 25 this year, 16 days before its April 10 average.

It's too soon to tell if the early ice-out trend will continue north, but the forecast calls for highs in the 50s and 60s for the next few days.

Big Sandy Lake near McGregor on average loses its ice on April 21, according to 85 years of data kept by the DNR. But the lake has seen ice-out as early as March 26, 2012, and as late as May 12, in 2013. If the warm March trend holds into April this year, Big Sandy should lose its ice by mid-April this year.

But ice-out can vary wildly, as the Northland has seen in recent years.

Just three years ago the state saw its earliest ever ice-out dates, with Saganaga ice-free on April 2, 2012 — more than a month ahead of normal. Last year winter hung on for weeks longer, and ice did not leave the big Ontario border lake until May, 19, 2014, the latest ever on record and nearly two weeks late.

On Lake Superior, satellite photos show the eastern half of the lake is still holding ice. But that ice appears to be cracking and pulling away from shore, and Great Lakes freighters haven't reported as much difficulty traversing the lake as they did last spring.

Duluth News Tribune


Crude oil spilled into Lake Michigan from BP refinery, Coast Guard says

4/1 - Whiting, Ind. – A BP incident management team said an initial visual estimate showed between 377 and 755 gallons of crude oil spilled into Lake Michigan when a malfunction occurred at an Indiana refinery Monday, U.S. Coast Guard representatives said.

A cleanup team of eight people returned to the shore of BP's Whiting Refinery for three hours Wednesday, March 26. The crew observed "minimal" oiling along the shoreline, according to a Coast Guard release. More oil was manually cleaned from the shoreline after crews removed 1 centimeter tarballs from the sand on Tuesday.

The company notified the Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency and Indiana Department of Environmental Management after discovering the spill late Monday afternoon. It's believed a malfunction occurred with a crude oil distillation unit, sending oil into the refinery's cooling water outfall and into the lake.

BP representatives said crews have recovered the majority of oil that was visible in the cove-like area along the shoreline between the refinery and a nearby steel mill. Booms and vacuum trucks were used to contain and remove surface oil. Crews also manually collected oil that was pushed to shore by wind.

A view from a Coast Guard helicopter Tuesday showed the spill appeared to be contained to the cove area on BP property.

Coast Guard representatives said BP's team will continue engineering analyses to determine the exact amount of oil discharged.

A spokesperson for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management on Tuesday said the environmental impact appeared minimal and there were no indications that drinking water was threatened.

Philip Willink, senior biologist with Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, said Lake Michigan wildlife should not suffer any long-term effects based on information released by BP and the federal agencies handling the spill. Prolonged ice cover on the lake kept many native fish species off-shore, he said.

"Right now the fish are still in deeper water and haven't come back in yet," Willink said. "I think BP kind of got lucky with their timing. If it happened earlier, if (Lake Michigan) was still ice-covered, it probably would have been hard to do something about." Fish typically return closer to shore in April, Willink said.

Very low levels of petroleum can impact fish and other wildlife, causing birth defects. Willink said the spill sounds minor, but wildlife and environmental experts hope preventative measures are taken.

MLive



Today in Great Lakes History - April 1

On 01 April 1887, W. T. Botsford & Company of Port Huron, Michigan bought the COLORADO (wooden propeller package freighter, 254 foot, 1,470 gross tons, built in 1867, at Buffalo, New York). She was added to their two other vessels: DEAN RICHMOND and ROANOKE.

STEWART J. CORT was commissioned on April 1, 1972.

In April 1965, Interlake's steamer J. A. CAMPBELL was renamed c.) BUCKEYE MONITOR after being purchased by the Buckeye Steamship Co.

Realizing that the bulk trades were too competitive, Captain John Roen's Roen Transportation Co. sold the CAPTAIN JOHN ROEN to the American Steamship Co. (Boland & Cornelius, mgr.) on April 1, 1947, for $915,000.

ROY A. JODREY started her first full season opening navigation at the Soo Locks April 1, 1966, with a load of stone for Algoma Steel.

Dismantling of the G. A. TOMLINSON, a.) D. O. MILLS, began in Ashtabula, Ohio, on April 1, 1980, and was completed eight months later.

April 1, 1903 - Gus Kitzinger of the Pere Marquette Line steamers, acquired the PERE MARQUETTE 3 & 4 from the Pere Marquette Railway Co.

Sailors at Chicago went on strike on 1 April 1871, for an increase in pay. They were getting $1.50 a day. Some ship owners offered $1.75 but when word came that the Straits of Mackinac were clear of ice, the sailors demanded the unheard of daily wage of $3.25. Although some ships stayed in port, the $1.75 wage was accepted and the barks MARY PEREW, J G MASTEN and C J WELLS, along with the schooners DONALDSON, PATHFINDER and CHAMPION set sail on 1 April 1871

On 1 April 1904, CONDOR (2-mast wooden schooner, 58 foot, 22 gross tons, built in 1871, at Sheboygan, Wisconsin), while lying at anchor in the Kalamazoo River at Singapore, Michigan, was crushed by ice moving out in the spring breakup.

1941: ROBERT W. POMEROY had served the Eastern Steamship Co. as well as Upper Lakes & St. Lawrence Transportation Co. while on the Great Lakes from 1923 to 1940. It went overseas and worked for the British Ministry of War Transport hauling coal on coastal routes. While north bound on April 1, 1942, the ship hit a mine and, four minutes later, a second mine and went down in the North Sea off Norfolk, U.K. Twenty-two survived although two were injured when the boiler exploded.

1942: The Norwegian salty GUDVANG came to the Great Lakes in 1939. It was intercepted by a German patrol boat between Denmark and Norway, while trying to escape to England, on this date in 1942. The ship was sunk by gunfire and the crew became prisoners of war.

1968: GHISLAIN was more at home on the St. Lawrence, but had delivered pulpwood to the Great Lakes in the late 1960s. It had several escapades during these years including a grounding while entering Yarmouth, NS with 1400 tons of herring on this date in 1968. The vessel was repaired at Liverpool, NS. It was listed as g) ANIK in 1974 and in need of repairs. While it was not deleted from LR until 1986, the ship was likely broken up in the mid-1970s.

1983: REGENT MARIGOLD visited the Great Lakes in 1975 under Panamanian registry. It was sailing as d) LEXINGTON when the hull fractured in a storm while en route from Bukpyong, South Korea, to Bangladesh. It went down on this date about 200 miles northwest of Penang, Malaysia.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Former W.J. Crosby lost by enemy action on April 2, 1942

The World War 1 laker W.J. Crosby was built at Ashtabula, Ohio, and completed in 1919 as Crabtree. The vessel left the Great Lakes for service under the United States Shipping Board. It was part of the reserve fleet when sold for a return to the Great Lakes in 1922.

Renamed b) W.J. Crosby, the ship worked in the pulpwood and coal trades and often traded between the Canadian Lakehead, Nipigon and Port Huron. Capt. George Hindman owned the ship between 1931 and 1935.

The 261-foot-long vessel was sold for East Coast coal service in 1935 and renamed c) David H. Atwater. The ship spent the rest of its career on saltwater.

It was 73 years ago today that the ship was lost by gunfire from U-552 about 10 miles off the coast of Virginia. The steamer was loaded with 3900 tons of coal and on a voyage from Norfolk, VA to Fall River, MA. The crew was able to escape to the life boats only to be machine gunned by the enemy. The wireless operator remained on his post and went down with the ship. There were only three survivors.

Canadian Coast Guard’s Ann Harvey strikes bottom off Newfoundland

4/2 - Two non-essential crew members and two cadets were evacuated from the stranded Canadian Coast Guard vessel Ann Harvey, which struck bottom near Burgeo Wednesday with other crew members remaining onboard.

The vessel was five nautical miles southwest of Burgeo doing routine work on buoys when it ran aground, the coast guard said.

"She steamed away from the area but because where the damage occurred it flooded the propulsion motor room," Jim Chmiel, superintendent of regional operations centre, Atlantic region, told CBC News.

Chmiel said crew closed watertight doors, confining the area were water leaked in the ship. Twenty-six crew and two cadets were onboard at the time. All are safe onboard the ship, the coast guard said.

The CCGC W.G. George, based in Burgeo, will remove two non-essential personnel and two cadets from the ship. The rest of the crew will stay on for now. The Canadian Coast Guard is assessing the situation hourly.

A coast guard helicopter and the CCGS Louis S. St.-Laurent, a heavy icebreaker, are heading to the vessel, with the help of the Joint Rescue Centre in Halifax. The icebreaker should reach the stranded ship around midnight to tow it to safe haven, and will stay there until the CCGS Telost arrives Thursday.

The coast guard said the weather in the area is favorable.

CBC


Icebreaking operations in full swing

4/2 - With the official opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway April 2nd the Canadian Coast Guard continues to ensure marine traffic can move safely through or around ice-covered waters.

The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Samuel Risley is escorting ships though very challenging ice conditions on Lake Superior. The attached photos of the Samuel Risley were taken April 1st during a Canadian Coast Guard ice reconnaissance mission over Whitefish Bay, where the Risley was escorting two ships. So far this year, CCGS Griffon and CCGS Samuel Risley have completed over 180 escorts through the ice for commercial ships between Lake Erie and Lake Superior. That number is about to go up, significantly, with the official opening of the Seaway tomorrow and with the Soo Locks now open.

The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Pierre Radisson, from Quebec City, has transited through the Welland Canal and is now icebreaking on Lake Erie. The icebreaker CCGS Griffon is now on the Welland Canal at Port Colborne, to assist vessels and maintain aids to navigation along this major marine transportation corridor.

The Canadian Coast Guards icebreaking crews continue to work tirelessly to open shipping lanes on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. A number of large winter storms in February, accompanied by strong winds and cold temperatures contributed to the rapid development of thick ice. In fact on southern Lake Erie extreme ice conditions prevented access to some ports, forcing icebreakers and commercial vessels to change sail plans.

CCGS Martha L. Black broke out harbours at Picton and Bath on Lake Ontario, is now working in the Seaway, and will be deployed from Quebec to the Great Lakes in the days to come.

Canadian Coast Guard


St. Lawrence Seaway set to reopen today

4/2 - Montreal, QC – All hands are on deck as the St. Lawrence Seaway’s 57th navigation season sets sail today.

CWB President and CEO Ian White will be on hand for the unveiling of the CWB Marquis, the first of two environmentally advanced Canadian Great Lakes bulk carriers to trade in the region. The ceremony takes place 11 a.m. today at St. Lambert Lock.

After being the first upbound passage of the season, CWB Marquis has an ETA of Hamilton on April 4 to unload its maiden voyage cargo of iron ore, loaded after China delivery voyage.

White’s speech will cover ground on CWB’s future and investments in the Seaway system. He will be joined by Terence Bowles, CEO of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, to address the 2015 shipping season.

Also speaking will be Ken Lerner, Manager of Lafarge’s Eastern Canadian operations and Betty Sutton, Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation in the United States.

For more information, visit www.greatlakes-seaway.com.


4/2 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The icebreaking season for U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Mackinaw may be over. The vessel has suffered unexplained water leakage in her port azipod, with the situation currently being assessed by representatives from the azipod’s manufacturer, the Swiss firm ABB.

“The Mackinaw’s future for the ice season is unclear at this point,” confirmed Mark S. Gill, director of traffic services for the U.S. Coast Guard in Sault Ste. Marie, on Wednesday.

The damage was sustained last Friday while the Mackinaw was working with vessels in Whitefish Bay. She was able to make it back to Sault Ste. Marie, where she has been tied at the West Pier since Saturday.

“They are currently in the midst of an assessment to determine what the long-term prognosis is. The motor on the pod is not damaged, but there is water intrusion, which may mean a seal leak or maybe something with the impeller,” Gill speculated.

“I don’t know what the long-term fix is – the drydock seems to be in her future,” he added.

Until the results of the mechanical assessments are in, the question of further service during this year’s ice-season remains up in the air. The Mackinaw was able to make it to the Soo on her own power and seemed to be fully maneuverable, Gill added, although operating on one pod carries some risk.

He said there’s also a chance the Mackinaw may be sent to her Cheboygan, Mich., home port to work aids to navigation, then go to drydock in May or June.

“It’s definitely not an in-water repair, it’s something they will have to lift the boat to get to. But if they do it sooner or postpone it, that’s an engineering question,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Samuel Risley has taken over the Mackinaw’s duties for the time being, with the USCG Alder also working above the locks.

As far as ice conditions go, Gill said eastern Lake Superior is the main trouble spot, from the locks up to about 15 miles west of Whitefish, with 24-30 inch plate ice and stacked ice at the outer edges at the 4-5 foot range.

“That’s what’s been giving us trouble last week into this week,” Gill said. “We’ve got a southeast wind today and tomorrow that’s going to blow fairly strong and that should allow us to move some vessel traffic.

“I see us doing one-way escorts in eastern Superior for the next week or so. Whitefish Bay we’ve got two-way tracks. The lower river is in great shape – I don’t expect any delays up or down through the locks,” said Gill.

“The Seaway opens today, they’ve got their own problems. The eastern area is a big hot mess,” Gill added. The Canadian Coast Guard cutter Pierre Radisson will be working in that area.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Mackinaw may be back at work today

4/3 - A small leak is creating a big problem for the Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw. Crews hope to have the Mackinaw fixed and sailing again by Friday morning.

The problem is a leaking azipod propulsion unit. "We discovered there's a small hole 10 feet below the waterline, causing water to come into the pod. A wet pod with an electric motor is not a good mix," said Rebecca Follmer, assistant operations officer, U.S. Coast Guard.

That tiny pinhole couldn't have come at a worse time, smack dab in the center of ice breaking operations.

"This is right in the middle of spring break and we have vessels coming in. It’s our business time of the year and were down a pod for now. We're drying it out, taking tests, making sure everything operational, then we should be ready to go," Follmer said.

9 & 10 News


Divers find puncture in coast guard icebreaker Ann Harvey

4/3 - St. John’s, N.L. – Divers who examined an icebreaker that struck a rocky shoal off Newfoundland and began taking on water found a 20 centimetre-wide puncture in its hull, the coast guard said Thursday.

There were plans to use a remote operated vehicle for a closer look at the Ann Harvey to prepare for temporary repairs, said spokeswoman Jan Woodford.

Capt. Jim Chmiel said the light icebreaker was anchored in a sheltered harbor off Newfoundland's southwest coast near Burgeo after being towed early Thursday by the coast guard ship Louis S. St-Laurent. He said pumps were working to remove water from the propulsion motor room and the after-sewage compartment that had flooded.

Two cadets were taken off the icebreaker late Wednesday, but the remaining 26 crewmembers stayed on board. There were no injuries reported.

Chmiel said it's not yet clear why the ship struck the shoal, but an investigation will begin once repairs are done and the ship is towed back to St. John's.

The Ann Harvey is a light icebreaker built in Halifax in 1987. The diesel-electric ship can carry 47 people. Its other duties include tending buoys, search and rescue missions, and fisheries enforcement. The ship was moving navigation buoys when it hit bottom but it was not considered in danger of sinking.

Its removal from service during one of the worst ice seasons in decades is not expected to affect passenger ferries "given existing ice conditions," Woodford said. "There may be some delays with our harbor breakout schedule," she said of how icebreakers are used to help clear ports where commercial services aren't available.

Otherwise, the coast guard will move light icebreakers throughout the region as required, Woodford said.

Conditions have improved in the last couple of weeks since a Marine Atlantic ferry was stuck for more than two days in thick pack ice off Cape Breton. The MV Blue Puttees was about 35 kilometres from port in North Sydney with 40 passengers and commercial freight onboard.

Marine Atlantic spokesman Darrell Mercer said it's never a good time for the coast guard to lose even a lighter icebreaker.

"It just adds extra challenges to their decision-making process of where they allocate resources at any particular time," he said in an interview. "There's a lot of ice that's still in the Cabot Strait area. While wind conditions over the past number of days have been favorable, the forecast of course can change at a moment's notice. We'll continue to watch those and keep our fingers crossed that maybe Mother Nature's finally going to give us a break."

Randy Edmunds, the provincial Liberal critic for Labrador affairs, has repeatedly raised concerns about inadequate coast guard services that leave passengers stranded and store shelves empty.

"It's unfortunate to lose an icebreaker in a situation where we were pressed for icebreakers to start with," he said in an interview. "We've come to depend on the ferries for passenger service as well as freight delivery. And once those vessels can't get there, everyone is compromised."

CTV News


Great Lakes ice coverage causes minor shipping delays

4/3 - For the second spring in a row, the amount of ice on the Great Lakes is higher than normal, according to environmental researchers.

But the commercial fishing and shipping season has been only slightly delayed, and higher lake levels could be beneficial for recreational boaters.

According to data from the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) of the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration in the U.S., lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario collectively had 57.6 per cent ice coverage on March 25.

While the ice coverage is less than the 73.5 per cent it was this time last year, it's still well above average, said George Leshkevich, a scientist with GLERL in Ann Arbor, Mich. The normal amount of ice coverage for this time of year is 19 per cent, according to Denis Dubé, senior ice forecaster with Canadian Ice Services, a government agency.

Heavy ice coverage that stays on the Great Lakes into spring can make lake travel difficult, if not impossible, and can postpone the delivery of cargo such as grain, coal and manufactured goods.

While the ice cover has stayed longer than usual, it's starting to break up, which is a good sign for ports on the Great Lakes. The St. Lawrence Seaway opened Thursday, with the CWB Marquis being the first ship to leave the Port of Montreal.

Guy Jarvis, harbormaster at the Thunder Bay Port Authority, the end point for many Great Lakes ships, said that while transport has been affected by the ice cover, "delaying systems by a week isn't a huge hurdle."

Jarvis admits that the ice coverage has created "extreme challenges," but said the port learned from last year, and brought in icebreakers earlier. "Experience makes a big difference," he said.

The icebreaker CCGS Samuel Risley arrived April 2 to open the entrances to the Thunder Bay harbor, according to Carol Launderville of the Canadian Coast Guard. The Welland Canal, which connects Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, opened Thursday to allow ship transit.

Jarvis expects the first vessels from Lake Ontario to arrive in Thunder Bay at the end of next week, although it depends on how well the ice breaks up in Lake Erie.

According to GLERL data on the Great Lakes for March 25, Lake Erie had the most ice coverage, at 87.8 per cent, while Lake Ontario had the least, at 24.5 per cent.

CBC


Plant breeding should boost grain crops, test transportation networks

4/3 - St. Lambert, Que. – The ability of Canada’s transportation network to move Western Canadian grain will likely be tested again in the future as higher-yielding crops continue to add volume to the system, according to the head of the Canadian Wheat Board.

“I think we could see the grain production in Western Canada be on a good, steady growth path and that means that we’re going to have to find the logistical means to get that crop from the Prairies to customers,” Ian White said before participating in Thursday’s opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Western farmers have grown large grain crops in the past few years, especially in the record 2013 season when a bumper crop later prompted complaints about the shipping performance of Canada’s two major railways and resulted in intervention last year by Ottawa.

Transport Minister Lisa Raitt and Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced Saturday that the government wouldn’t extend the unprecedented step taken a year ago to impose minimum grain volumes, adding that grain now is moving adequately through the system and the new grain crop is of average size.

Although the grain shipping system now is back to normal, White said the move “focused everybody’s attention” on the need to ensure the supply chain functions well as pressures grow to deliver more grain for export.

Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway have been critical of the federal government’s decision to impose minimum shipment volumes. They moved more than 50 million tonnes of grain in 2014, exceeding the minimum volume requirement by 5.5 million tonnes.

The wheat board, which is in the process of developing a privatization plan to be implemented in the next two years, is investing up to $200 million to buy new Great Lake ships and grain-handling terminals.

The Chinese-built CWB Marquis is making its maiden voyage and became the first vessel to pass through the seaway in 2015. A second Equinox-class vessel, CWB Strongfield, costing about $30 million, will arrive later this year, joining other new ships being added by several companies as part of an overhaul of the Great Lakes fleet.

Terrence Bowles, chief executive of St. Lawrence Seaway Management, said he expects the waterway to benefit from an improving U.S. economy and recovering Canadian manufacturing sector.

Increased automobile manufacturing and construction activity should accelerate demand for steel, concrete and aggregate. And a cold winter should also mean another good year for restocking road salt inventories, but shipments of iron ore continue to suffer from rock-bottom prices, he said.

The seaway expects to handle 40 million tonnes of total cargo in 2015, the same as in 2014, but could easily handle 50 per cent more volume, he said, adding that efforts to accelerate grain shipments could help.

“Demand is only going up in the world so we think that’s a very positive development and good for the seaway for sure.”

Heavy ice in the Great Lakes is causing the latest seaway opening since 1997. However, Bowles doesn’t expect the same problems that caused weeks of shipping delays early last year. The late start to the season shouldn’t affect overall tonnage for the year, added Seaway marketing director Bruce Hodgson.

“We’re going to lose a bit of time at the opening but it’s more than likely that we’ll make it up as the season goes on,” he said.

However, Stephen Brooks, president of the Chamber of Marine Commerce, said ship owners and industrial customers are concerned by delays in parts of the Great Lakes due to ice conditions. “The harsh winters of the last two years have highlighted serious systemic flaws,” Brooks said.

“Instead of a system driven by industry demand, timely transportation of North America’s valuable commodities is held back by a limited supply of icebreakers that are stretched too thin across too large an area.”

Montreal Gazette


On 03 April 1969, RALPH MISENER (steel propeller bulk freighter, 730 foot, 19,160 gross tons, built in 1967, at Montreal, Quebec) suffered serious fire damage to her engine room during fit-out at Port Colborne, Ontario. She went overseas for scrap in 2012 as b.) GORDON C. LEITCH (ii).

On April 3, 1991, the pilothouse of the WILLIAM CLAY FORD of 1953 was moved by a barge towed by Gaelic tug's CAROLYN HOEY and placed on a specially built foundation at the Dossin Museum for display facing the Detroit River as a fully equipped pilothouse.

The tanker a.) TEMBLADOR (Hull#15) of the Barnes Ð Duluth Shipbuilding Co., was launched April 3, 1943, for the Creole Petroleum Corp, for off lakes use. She later sailed on the lakes as b.) LIQUILASSIE.

On 3 April 1872, the passenger/package freight steam barge ROBERT HOLLAND was launched at Marine City, Michigan. She was towed to Detroit by the propeller TRADER to have her machinery installed.

On 3 April 1876, the Port Huron Times reported "The wreck of the schooner HARMONICA, which has been missing for a month or more, has been discovered on the beach near Whitehall, Michigan completely buried in the ice. Four are supposed to have perished."

On 3 April 1894, WILLIAM H. BARNUM (wooden propeller freighter, 219 foot, 937 gross tons, built in 1873, at Detroit, Michigan) was carrying corn on her first trip of the season. She was reportedly in poor condition and was insured only for this voyage. Her hull was cut by floating ice and she sank in the Straits of Mackinac about two miles east of present Mackinac Bridge. The tug CRUSADER got her crew off before she sank.

1942: The second TABORFJELL to visit the Great Lakes for the Fjell Line was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic east of New Jersey on this date by U-576. The vessel was en route from Matanzas, Cuba, to New York and Montreal with sugar. The three survivors waited for 20 hours before being rescued. Another 17 crewmates perished. The 1339 gross ton vessel first came inland shortly after being delivered in August 1938.

1975: The self-unloader J.W. McGIFFIN of Canada Steamship Lines was blown aground in the Welland Canal near Thorold. Two holes were punched in the hull and they were repaired at Port Weller Dry Docks. The ship was rebuilt as CSL NIAGARA in 1999.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Whitefish Point ice causing problems for laker convoy

4/6 - Sunday ended pretty much as it began, with a small flotilla of upbound lakers stuck in the ice to the east of Whitefish Point. The vessels include Herbert C. Jackson, Lee A. Tregurtha, Edgar B. Speer, Cason J. Callaway, Burns Harbor, James R. Barker, Presque Isle and John G. Munson.

Late Sunday the USCG Mackinaw was headed to the area to offer assistance, while Katmai Bay was working to the north and Hollyhock was to the west of Point Louise. Philip R. Clarke and Kaye E. Barker, with the USCG Alder, were downbound just to the west of the Whitefish Point and Mesabi Miner and Algoma Olympic were off the Keweenaw Peninsula.

In the lower river, Paul R. Tregurtha was having difficulty making the turn at Stribling Point. There appeared to be no icebreaker resources available for her, and she will spend the night in that location.





Lake levels in good shape heading into boating season

4/6 - Detroit, Mich. – Two years removed from some of the lowest water levels ever recorded, the Great Lakes have bounced back and are headed into another boating season in good health.

Each of the lakes ended March near or above their historical averages for this time of year. Those levels will likely hold for the next six months as Michigan residents head outdoors, according to projections from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

"Most folks I've talked to were quite pleased a year ago with conditions of the lakes," said Keith Kompoltowicz, the chief of watershed hydrology for the Army Corps. "With high levels again this year, if boating is your thing, I'd say you'll be happy."

At the end of March:
• Lake Superior was 7 inches above last year's level and 8 inches above its long term historical average. In September, forecasters predict it will be 4 inches above average.

• Lake Michigan was 21 inches above last year's levels and 7 inches above its long-term average. By September, the lake should remain an estimated 7 inches above average.

• Lake Huron was 21 inches above last year's levels and 7 inches above its long-term average. By September, the lake is expected to remain 7 inches above average.

• Lake St. Clair was 6 inches above last year's levels and 1 inch above its long-term average. By September, the lake should be an estimated 8 inches above the long-term average.

• Lake Erie was roughly at the same level as the previous year and 3 inches below the long-term average (partly due to ice restricting water flow along the St. Clair and Detroit rivers). By September, the level is projected to be 4 inches above the long-term average.

• Lake Ontario's levels are partially managed, and the lake finished March 11 inches below its long-term average. By September, the level should be near its long-term average.

The lake levels of the past two years are a drastic departure from the previous dozen. Low water levels plagued Michigan's harbors, forcing the state and many private operators into emergency dredging operations.

The loss of water also drastically reshaped shorelines and forced the shipping industry to reduce its payloads. But experts see smoother sailing for the spring and summer.

Detroit News



06 April 1880 The GOSHAWK (2-mast wooden schooner-barge, 180 foot, 501 gross tons, built in 1866, at Cleveland, Ohio) left Chicago, Illinois with a load of grain for Buffalo, New York on her first trip of the season. At dusk, sailor Frederick Cook fell overboard, off the boom of the mizzenmast. A plank was thrown to him and the anchor was dropped to stop the vessel. The lifeboat was launched with four men in it to rescue the sailor but they could not find him. The lifeboat got lost in the dark. The GOSHAWK waited through the night without any word of a rescue. At dawn, the captain decided to return to Chicago but the three men left onboard could not raise the anchor. Meanwhile, the lifeboat landed south of Chicago, flagged down a passing train and rode it to Chicago. The GOSHAWK flew the distress signal and a Chicago tug steamed out and towed her back into the harbor where the four rescuers got aboard. The GOSHAWK then resumed her journey. Sailor Cook was never found.

The KENNEBEC was launched on 06 April 1901, by the Jenks Ship Building Company (Hull #18) at Port Huron, Michigan, for Mssrs. F. B. & F. P. Chesbrough of Detroit. She lasted until 1921, when she sank off the coast of New Jersey.

ALGOLAKE (Hull#211) of Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., was christened April 6, 1977, she was the first maximum-sized ship of this type in Algoma's fleet with all cabins aft.

The a.) HON PAUL MARTIN (Hull#228), departed Collingwood April 6, 1985, on her maiden voyage for Canada Steamship Lines to load grain at Thunder Bay, Ontario, bound for Quebec City, Quebec. She was the largest vessel built at Collingwood as a result of the new Seaway regulations that allowed increased hull lengths beyond the previous maximum overall of 730 foot to transit the lock systems. She sails the Lakes today as b.) ATLANTIC ERIE.

PRAIRIE HARVEST sailed on her maiden voyage in 1984. On April 6, 1990, Paterson's CANADOC of 1961, was laid up at Montreal, Quebec, never to sail again.

NOTRE DAME VICTORY, b.) CLIFFS VICTORY was delivered to Interocean Steamship Co., on April 6, 1945, under charter from the U.S. Maritime Commission.

The a.) LOUIS R. DAVIDSON (Hull#95) of the Great Lakes Engineering Works was launched April 6, 1912, for the American Steamship Co. Later renamed b.) DIAMOND ALKALI in 1932, c.) DOW CHEMICAL in 1939 and d.) FERNDALE in 1963. She was scrapped at Castellon, Spain in 1979.

April 6, 1931 - The CITY OF FLINT 32 set a world record sailing 101,000 miles in her first year of service.

On 6 April 1872, the schooner I.N. FOSTER was launched from the Fitzgerald & Leighton yard at Port Huron, Michigan. She was classified as a "full-sized canaller" since she was as large as a vessel could be to pass through the Welland Canal. Her dimensions were 143 foot overall, 26 foot inch beam, 11 foot 6 inch depth, 437 tons.

1942: The CANADIAN FARMER was Hull 65 of the Collingwood shipyard and it was launched there on December 27, 1919. The vessel was sailing as c) SHIN KUANG when it was sunk by Japanese surface naval forces on the Bay of Bengal.

1949: FORT WILLDOC of the Paterson fleet and the JAMES E. McALPINE of the Brown Steamship Co. collided in Lake Superior, above Whitefish Point, on this date. Both ships were damaged and needed repairs.

1972: The freighter STAR OF REWIAH had been built at Collingwood as Hull 105 and launched as the corvette H.M.S. COMFREY on July 28, 1942. The ship was later converted to a cargo carrier and was sailing under this sixth name when it ran aground off the Ashrafi Lighthouse in the Gulf of Suez and declared a total loss on this date in 1972. It was traveling in ballast from Suez, Egypt, to Safaga, Egypt, at the time.

1978: The self-unloader TARANTAU was blown aground due to the wind and shifting ice pack in Lake Huron above Port Huron and had to be freed by the tug BARBARA ANN.

1979: A violent spring storm found LABRADOC (ii) on Lake Erie where the cargo shifted and the vessel took on a precarious list. All on board were removed fearing the ship would roll over and sink. But it survived and was towed to safety eventually undergoing repairs at Port Weller Dry Docks. The vessel left Great Lakes service in 1988 and operated on deep sea runs as b) FALCON CREST until scrapping at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, in 1994.

1992: An explosion and fire in the tunnel of HALIFAX occurred while the CSL ship was upbound in the St. Marys River. One sailor was killed and two more injured while the ship sustained internal damage. It went to Thunder Bay for repairs.


Challenger pilothouse may be part of marine museum expansion

4/5 - Toledo, Ohio – When it sailed its last voyage as a steamship in 2013, the St. Marys Challenger was the oldest vessel on the Great Lakes.

And now the pilothouse from that venerable vessel, which was converted to a barge between the 2013 and 2014 shipping seasons, has joined the collection at the Toledo museum and may become the focal point of a modest expansion project.

The museum piece arrived Friday aboard the Paul R. Tregurtha, the modern Queen of the Lakes — the lakes’ largest ship at 1,013 feet long.

The pilothouse, from which the officers of the St. Marys Challenger directed its operation, is planned to be part of the second floor of a 2,000-square-foot addition to the museum, said Christopher Gillcrist, president of the Great Lakes Historical Society, which operates the museum.

An elevator and other accommodations can be provided to make the pilothouse accessible to elderly and people with disabilities for whom access to the adjacent museum ship Col. James M. Schoonmaker is difficult, if not impossible, Mr. Gillcrist said. As part of the museum building, it would also be open year round, while the museum ship is closed during winter.

“We can’t make the Schoonmaker handicap-accessible – it’s never gonna happen,” he said. “But Challenger pilothouse accessibility doesn’t overburden the structure historically. It [the addition] also fills the need for a temporary exhibit hall, instead of using our community room for that purpose.”

In its final years, the Challenger was the last U.S.-flag freighter built before World War II still in service. By 2013, operating the Challenger as a self-propelled vessel was deemed no longer economical, and plans were made to convert it to a barge.

During barge conversion the following winter at Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., the ship’s pilothouse was saved and stored. After the Toledo museum was chosen to receive it, the pilothouse was loaded last month aboard the Tregurtha before it left Sturgeon Bay at the end of its winter lay-up. The pilothouse was placed on the Tregurtha’s foredeck for its voyage to Toledo, which included stops in Escanaba, Mich., for loading iron-ore pellets for delivery to the Lakefront Dock in Oregon and for unloading at the latter facility.

Interlake Steamship, which owns the Tregurtha as well as being a past owner of the Challenger, provided the transportation to Toledo for free.

“It’s an important part of our history, and what the Great Lakes have done for American history,” said Mark Barker, Interlake’s president and a member of the Great Lakes Historical Society’s board.

“Manufacturing has grown up around the Great Lakes for a reason: access to raw materials and efficient water transportation,” Mr. Barker said, noting Interlake celebrated its corporate centennial in 2013.

The Tregurtha and its historic cargo arrived Friday morning at the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority’s general-cargo dock on the Maumee River — itself a rare upriver appearance by a “Thousand Footer,” because Toledo river terminals’ traffic is typically handled either by smaller lakers or ocean-going ships.

“It seemed like the natural thing to do,” said Jason Lowery, vice president of corporate development for Midwest Terminals of Toledo, which donated its work Friday unloading the pilothouse from the Tregurtha and will also store it at no cost until the planned museum expansion is ready.

Mr. Gillcrist said the museum addition is expected to cost $600,000-$800,000, which the Great Lakes Historical Society plans to finance with a donation drive. City and port authority approvals will be needed for the project, which the society hopes to complete by the end of next year, he said.

Besides of its enhancement to the museum’s exhibits, Mr. Gillcrist said, the pilothouse will open up part of the museum’s interior to the river and boost its visibility to motorists passing nearby on the I-280 Veterans’ Glass City Skyway.

“It will be a real interesting addition, visually, to the building,” Mr. Gillcrist said.

Toledo Blade



Cold War-era sub at center of controversy in tiny Ontario town

4/5 - Port Burwell, Ont. – In the unlikeliest of tiny Ontario towns looms a giant Cold War ghost. After the Second World War, there was much debate about whether Canada still needed submarines, until the Cuban Missile Crisis settled the question for the government of the day.

Today, one of Canada’s Cold War-era subs is at the center of a different debate raging in the southwestern Ontario municipality of Bayham. The controversy center on the HMCS Ojibwa, a five-story, football-field-long vessel that became a tourist attraction in the little hamlet of Port Burwell.

Last month, the Royal Bank of Canada called on the municipality to pay the $6-million loan used to cover the cost of hauling the 52-year-old Ojibwa from Halifax to the north shore of Lake Erie in 2012. The defaulted loan sent shockwaves through quiet Elgin County.

“We sold the farm and bought a sub,” area resident Mary Fisher, who recently moved into the area, told the St. Thomas/Elgin Weekly News at an information session packed with 300 “grumbling townsfolk. My grandchildren are going to be paying for this, if they’re still in Bayham.”

A blogger named John uses wry humor to convey his dismay over the sub situation, calling it a “monstrosity of a project.”

“There are so many things wrong with all this. . . . Why is it Bayham gets stuck with paying the bill?”

“We will still find a way to pay them back,” responds Melissa Raven, director of communications for the Elgin Military Museum (which brought the sub to Port Burwell), after taking a small group on an hour-long tour of the Ojibwa on Good Friday. She doesn’t want to get into specifics about a rescue plan. “We’re open to all kinds of ideas, all kinds of concepts, all kinds of partnerships.”

She’s well aware of critics like blogger John. “We brought a submarine into a small community. There’s no guarantee everybody’s going to like it,” she says unapologetically.

“A lot of what we need to do is to let people know we’re here, to get more people coming,” says Raven, who has a background in marketing.

“We’re very determined. It’s a bunch (of people that) if you put a roadblock in front of us we’ll find a way around that, and if it leads to a mountain we’ll climb the mountain, and if that slips us down into an ocean, we’ll figure out a way to swim across it.”

Raven thinks municipal leaders over-estimated how many tourists would initially visit the vessel. The business plan suggested 100,000 visitors per season and so far, after a season-and-a-half, about 40,000 people have taken the tour.

“Because we’re really strapped for cash, we don’t have a marketing budget — not to sell us, but to let people know that we’re here. That’s been a challenge throughout,” she says.

“It’s a building process. People, I think, looked at the end of our five- to 10-year plan and thought that was what it would be like in year one, but every business needs to build. So we really only had one-and-a-part season before the plug got pulled on us.”

Raven is still hopeful the federal government may step in. The Ojibwa’s sister boat, the HMCS Onondaga, is in Rimouski, Que., and does quite well as a tourist attraction. “We’re kind of saying, ‘How come there isn’t federal support for the Ojibwa?’” she says.

“We’re doing everything we can to keep it open and we worked so hard to get her here.”

Toronto Star

[yachtsmanwilly]

Icebreakers working to free 10 ships caught in heavy ice

4/7 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Ice coverage on eastern Lake Superior is proving difficult for the start to the shipping season, says the U.S. Coast Guard. As of late Monday morning there were 10 ships stuck in the Whitefish Point area, waiting to be escorted by icebreakers from the Canadian and U.S. coast guards.

Eight of the ships will continue further up Lake Superior, while two are planned to travel downbound and through the Soo Locks.

“We have had some difficulties and weather is not co-operating and much of the ice that’s packed into the eastern end of Lake Superior is making it very difficult to move east and west,” said Mark Gill, director of vessel traffic services for the US Coast Guard.

The Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Pierre Radisson has been called to assist and will be arriving from Montreal late Tuesday or early Wednesday. It will join United States Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Mackinaw, USCGC Alder, USCGC Hollyhock and the CCGS Samuel Risley, which are already operating in the area.

“We should be able to increase some movement up there,” said Gill.

Gill likened Lake Superior to a bathtub, where Whitefish Bay would act as the drain where much of the loose ice flows. “The last couple of days we’ve had a strong westerly wind, which acts like tipping the bathtub, so we have a clog,” he said.

Although the ice is being stubborn, especially in eastern lake Superior, Gill said the conditions are not nearly the worst he has seen. The 2013-2014 ice boasted a four-foot plate thickness and stacks of 1-20 feet, which compares to two to two and a half-foot plate this season with six to eight-foot stacks.

“It’s problematic, but nowhere in comparison to what we were dealing with last year,” he said.

Aside from Whitefish Bay and parts of eastern Lake Erie, freighters are moving mostly unhindered though U.S. and Canadian waters this month, a relief to shipping companies that started the 2014 shipping season well behind normal schedules due to historic ice cover and brutal weather that plunged the Great Lakes into a lengthy deep freeze.

Although this winter was no picnic, a faster melt has allowed shipping to resume on a more normal schedule. Ports locked in ice until early May in 2014 have already begun accepting vessels. Ships began moving through the St. Lawrence Seaway and Welland Canal last week, and the Soo Locks the week prior.

The Lake Carriers Association said the ice-related shipping slowdown last year cost 4,000 jobs and about $705 million in economic losses in steelmaking, power generation and construction industries around the Great Lakes basin.

Although the pace of shipping traffic is quickening, Gill said only four vessels have transited the Soo Locks since opening March 25, said Gill. By comparison, it took two weeks to get the first ships through the locks in 2014.

"I think we're in a less critical economic state than we were at this time last year."

The Coast Guard asked shippers to delay initial voyages this season by a week, a request that most companies complied with, he said. "Industry's willingness to heed warnings and delay sailing has made a significant difference in our ability to move them now," he said. "We're grateful they were able to hold off."

Gill anticipated the Coast Guard will cease icebreaking by April 30.

Soo Today, M Live


South Channel to open

4/7 - The Captain of the Port, Sault Ste. Marie, will open the waters between Cheboygan Michigan and Bois Blanc Island, known as South Channel, effective 6 a.m. April 9.



Passenger ships have long history on Great Lakes

4/7 - Port Huron, Mich. – While a new passenger ship cruising the Great Lakes makes news, passenger ships once were about as common on the lakes as passenger buses and freight haulers on freeways.

And they served much the same purpose.

“The only way to get Up North from Detroit was to take passenger ships,” said Roger LeLievre, a maritime historian and author of “Know Your Ships.”

Advances in transportation, including air travel and modern interstates, killed off floating palaces such as the Tashmoo and Owana that traveled between Detroit and Port Huron, he said.

Brian Martin, a local historian, said the steamers from the White Star Line could carry 2,500 passengers each — and two steamers would offload their passengers on the same day with people waiting to catch a train or another ship for points north

“The effect that 5,000 people had on Port Huron was immediate,” he said. “These people got off, they had to wait for a train to Chicago, they had to get a hotel, they had to get something to eat ... The effect of the White Star Line was beneficial to Port Huron.”

LeLievre said the Tashmoo was known as the White Flyer because of its speed and the Glass Hack because of its many windows. It sank at Amherstburg, Ontario, in 1936 after hitting a rock and was scrapped.

Some ships were able to hang on until the 1960s, LeLievre said.

“The North American and the South American, the Keewatin, those were pretty much the last of the U.S. and Canadian overnight passenger ships on the Great Lakes,” LeLievre said.

The Keewatin was a museum ship in Douglas in western Michigan from 1968 until 2012 when it was moved to Port McNicoll, Ontario. The North American sank in the Atlantic in 1967, and the South American was scrapped in 1992.

“Nowadays it’s pleasure,” LeLievre said. “Back in the old days, it was a good way to get from Point A to Point B.” It cost 25 cents to ride from Detroit to Port Huron, he said.

The latest cruise ship on the Great Lakes, the M.S. St. Laurent, with its staterooms ranging from $4,000 to nearly $8,000, is oceans away from the quarter crowd, but it does evoke an old-school feel — and LeLievre said he’s glad to see it.

“It will be nice to see her on the Great Lakes and to follow her around.” he said. “The Great Lakes are beautiful. What’s not to like about cruising on them?”

Port Huron Times Herald




Today in Great Lakes History - April 7

On April 7, 1997, LEE A. TREGURTHA suffered an 18-foot hull fracture in her port bow near the bowthruster tunnel while downbound in the upper St. Marys River due to heavy ice. She proceeded to the De Tour Coal Dock, where repairs were made overnight and she continued on her trip on April 8, 1997.

On 07 April 1906, the Goodrich Transportation Company, which was incorporated under the laws of the State of Wisconsin in 1868, was dissolved and a new company, the Goodrich Transit Company, was incorporated under the laws of the state of Maine. This was just for financial reasons, and other than the name and the port of registry of the vessels, everything else remained the same. The vessels in the company at the time were CHICAGO, CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, CITY OF RACINE, GEORGIA, INDIANA, IOWA, SHEBOYGAN, VIRGINIA, and tug ARCTIC.

Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd.'s new CANADIAN TRANSPORT was christened April 7, 1979.

The tanker ROBERT W. STEWART, b.) AMOCO MICHIGAN was delivered to Standard Oil Co. on April 7, 1928, as the second largest tanker in service at the time of her launch.

JAMES LAUGHLIN (Hull#16) of the Great Lakes Engineering Works was launched April 7, 1906, for the Interstate Steamship Co., Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. Later renamed b.) HELEN EVANS, she was scrapped at Cartagena, Columbia, in 1983.

The EMORY L. FORD was sold on April 7, 1965, to the Reiss Steamship Co., and renamed b) RAYMOND H. REISS, the last vessel purchased by Reiss.

TEXACO BRAVE of 1929 arrived at Ramey's Bend from Toronto on April 7, 1975, in tow of tugs G. W. ROGERS and BAGOTVILLE for scrapping.

In 1974, the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.'s steamer THOMAS W. LAMONT loaded the initial shipment of ore for the season at the D.M. & I.R. ore docks in Duluth.

On 7 April 1871, the tug S.V.R. WATSON was towing the schooner S.G. SIMMONS out of Chicago harbor at noon when the WATSON stalled. The schooner plowed into her broadside, causing the tug to tip on her beam ends, take on water and sink. Four men were trapped below decks and drowned; two survived. The WATSON was later raised and returned to service.

On 7 April 1873, the contract for the building of a new carferry, MICHIGAN, for the Great Western Railway was awarded to the Jenkins Brothers of Windsor, Ontario. The new vessel was planned for service on the Detroit River. Her engines were built at Montreal by Canada Engine Works for a cost of $100,000. The hull alone cost $600,000.

Although the locks are not scheduled to open until Thursday, 12 April 1962, the Canadian Sault harbor was officially opened Saturday, 7 April 1962, when the tanker IMPERIAL LONDON pulled into the Imperial dock between the two hospitals. Captain Russell Knight accepted the traditional silk top hat. The IMPERIAL LONDON, carrying almost 1,000,000 gallons of gasoline, led the IMPERIAL SIMCOE, loaded with 19,000 barrels of fuel oil for household heating, up the St. Marys River to the Sault.

1941: The PORTADOC had been requisitioned by the British Ministry of War Transport and was en route from Saint John, NB, to Sierra Leone with a cargo of coal when it was torpedoed by U-124 off the coast of Africa. The crew spent six days on the open sea before landing at French Guinea. They were taken prisoner by the Vichy French forces and the Chief Engineer died before there was a prisoner of war exchange. The vessel, part of the Paterson fleet, had also sailed on the Great Lakes as a) EUGENE C. ROBERTS and b) JAMES B. FOOTE.

1968: CAPTAIN LEONIDIS ran aground in the Messier Channel, Chile, while travelling from Santos, Brazil, to Valparaiso, Chile. The vessel stranded April 7, 1968, and became a total loss. It had first come to the Great Lakes as the Norwegian freighter d) FANA in 1964 and returned as e) CAPTAIN LEONIDIS in 1966. The hull remains aground and appears to have been used by the Chilean Navy for target practice.

1979: GEHEIMRAT SARTORI dated from 1951 and had been a pre-Seaway caller to the Great Lakes. It returned through the new waterway for three trips in 1959 and was sailing as c) SEA ROVER when it was lost on this date in 1979. The cargo shifted in heavy weather on the Mediterranean while the ship was en route from Civitavecchia, Italy, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It sank about eight miles off Punta Cornacchia.

[yachtsmanwilly]

08 April 1871, NAVARINO (wooden propeller passenger-package freight steamer, 184 foot, 761 tons, built in 1871, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin) entered service for the Goodrich Transportation Company. She only lasted until 09 October 1871, since she burned in the Great Chicago Fire.

BAY CITY (wooden propeller stem barge, 152 foot, 262 gross tons, built in 1867, at Newport [Marine City], Michigan) had just been rebuilt at Bay City and then refitted at Fitzgerald & Leighton’s yard in Port Huron, Michigan. On 08 April 1871, (some sources give the date as 10 April 1871), on her first trip out from the shipyard, she caught fire and burned to the water line. She was rebuilt again and lasted until 1891, when she burned again.

The sea trials for AMERICAN REPUBLIC were conducted in Green Bay on April 8 thru 10, May 4 thru 11 and 18, 1981.

Interlake Steamship Co.’s steamer J. A. CAMPBELL of 1913, was the first bulk carrier to load taconite pellets that were shipped from Reserve Mining’s Davis Works at Silver Bay, Minn., on April 8, 1956.

In 1957, Great Lakes Steamship stockholders voted to sell the entire 16-ship fleet to four fleets.

In 1977 at Toledo, G.A. TOMLINSON required an estimated $235,000 to outfit her machinery for the upcoming season.

On April 8, 1905, Pittsburgh Steamship Co.’s steamer a.) ELBERT H. GARY (Hull#66) was launched by the Chicago Ship Building Co. Renamed b.) R.E. WEBSTER in 1963, she was scrapped in 1973 at Santander, Spain.

In 1969, LEON FALK JR. entered Duluth harbor to become the first vessel to arrive from the lower lake region opening the 1969, shipping season at the head of the lakes. She loaded almost 20,700 tons of iron ore bound for Great Lakes Steel’s Zug Island in Detroit.

April 8, 1998 - An unidentified worker was injured in a fall aboard the CITY OF MIDLAND 41, while it was being converted to a barge in Muskegon.

April 8, 1871, was a bad day on the St. Clair River. The schooner A MOSHER had favorable winds, so the captain decided to save the cost of a tow and sail up the St. Clair River without assistance from a tug. In the strong current at Port Huron, the vessel hit some old dock timbers, went out of control and collided with the down bound 3-masted schooner H.C. POST. The POST's main and fore masts were carried away in the collision. After some vehement arguing, the MOSHER sailed on while the POST anchored in mid-river while her skipper went ashore. The schooner JESSE ANDERSON then sailed out of the Black River and rammed right into the side of the POST. This finished the wrecking of the POST's aft mast. The ANDERSON went out of control and went aground on the riverbank. The tug GEORGE H. PARKER tried to assist the ANDERSON, but she also got stuck on the mud bank. It was several hours before everything got cleaned up and river traffic was back to normal.

The steam ferry JULIA, owned by C. Mc Elroy of St. Clair, Michigan, started running between St. Clair and Courtright, Ontario on 8 April 1878. She was formerly named U S SURVEYOR. Before JULIA took over this service, the ferries R.F. CHILDS and MARY MILLS served in this capacity.

The steamer f.) MANCOX (steel propeller crane freighter, 255 foot, 1,614 gross tons, built in 1903, at Superior, Wisconsin, as a.) H.G. DALTON) of Yankcanuck Steamship Lines was first through the Soo Locks for the 1958, season at 7:05 a.m. on 8 April 1958. In locking through the Canadian lock, the MANCOX became the first ship to come through the new lock gates, which were installed during the winter months. The American Soo Locks had been ready for traffic since March 26, but the Canadian lock had the first ship.

1941: The newly-built PRINS WILLEM II first came to the Great Lakes in May 1939. There was a mutiny on board at Sandusky, Ohio, in June 1940, as the crew did not want to return to their now-occupied homeland. The ship was torpedoed off Cape Farewell, Greenland, on April 8, 1941, while travelling from Halifax to London. An estimated 10-12 members of the crew perished.

1942: The first NOVADOC was sailing as g) ARA when it hit a mine and sank off Borkum, Germany, while en route from Gothenburg, Sweden, to Rotterdam, Holland in 1942. The ship had been built as CANADIAN PATHFINDER and was listed as Hull 69 of the Collingwood shipyard. It had also sailed the Great Lakes as b) NORMAN M. PATERSON and c) NOVADOC (i) before being sold to British interests in 1927.

1982: The Canadian-owned QUEBEC came through the Seaway in 1969. It had been built in 1959 as ALICE BOWATER but never came inland under that name. It was sailing as d) BLUE SEA when there was an engine room explosion and fire on April 8, 1982, in the Mediterranean near the Kerkennah Islands in the Gulf of Gabes off Tunisia. The gutted hull was towed to Sfax, Tunisia, on April 12. It was sold for scrap and arrived at Bizerta, Tunisia, for dismantling on July 7, 1984.

2001: The CHERYL C., the fifth name for the ship, was carrying a cargo of steel when it sank on April 8, 2001. The vessel ran aground near Peniche, Portugal, north of Lisbon, due to a navigational error. The 1597 gross ton ship had been built in 1983 and came through the Seaway, under Barbados registry, for the first time on April 22, 1998, with clay for Ashtabula. It made its last inland voyage in November 1999.


4/8 - The first Prins Willem II in the Oranje Lijn fleet to come to the Great Lakes was completed at Fredriksstad, Norway, in January 1939. The 250 foot, 4 inch long general cargo carrier began trading through the old St. Lawrence Canals in May 1939.

The vessel made several journeys into the lakes and, in 1940, the crew staged a three week mutiny at Sandusky, Ohio. Netherlands had been overrun by the German Army and they did not want to return to their occupied homeland.

The sailors were also requesting danger pay and some left the ship out of fear. Several were arrested in Port Colborne and four deserters were found hiding out in a cottage in the Cardinal, ON area. A Canadian crew took the ship to England and the regular sailors were apparently deported.

Their fears were not unwarranted as the seas had become a dangerous place for an unarmed merchant ship. Prins Willem II was found by U-98 of the German Navy and sunk, via torpedo, 74-years ago today. It went down east of Cape Farewell, Greenland, and between 10 and 12 sailors were lost. The ship was carrying sugar from Halifax to London when it was found by the enemy and sent to the bottom of the Atlantic on April 8, 1941.

Another Prins Willem II came into the Great Lakes between 1955 and 1967.


4/8 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Efforts to bring the ice-damaged Kaye E. Barker down into Waiska Bay to transfer cargo to Lee A. Tregurtha appeared to have been unsuccessful on Tuesday and will continue on Wednesday.

After the transfer takes place, the Tregurtha will head downbound to Indiana Harbor, according to Mark Gill, director of vessel traffic services for the U.S. Coast Guard at Sault Ste. Marie. The Barker will go to the Carbide Dock in the Soo for inspection. Damage to the Barker is in the forepeak, Gill said, and the vessel is in no danger.

“The healthy west wind we got over the weekend has packed what was left of Lake Sueprior’s ice down on top of Whitefish Bay,” Gill said in a Tuesday phone interview with BoatNerd.com. “We’ve got about a 35-square-mile slug of ice that is between the point and open lake transit.”

The icebreakers Samuel Risley, Alder, Katmai Bay and Mackinaw have all been working in the area, with the big Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Pierre Radissson expected on the scene Wednesday to join in the icebreaking effort.

Gill said the Mackinaw is working at diminished capacity, with only one of her two azipod propulsion units working. “She still gives us some support even though she’s not at full capacity,” said Gill.

“We’ve been chipping away at this since Saturday a little bit at a time. It’s been described to me as stretching from Whitefish Point to the Canadian shoreline, so that’s some 20 miles wide, and roughly 11 miles long. It’s broken plate ice that’s 24-30 inches thick and it’s just piled up. Some of the plates are the size of pickup trucks (compared to) the Risley. It’s a pretty challenging field of ice. It’s fluid in that it’s got free flow to it. You hit it and it kind of bounces around and folds back in.”

He said the effort to bring the Tregurtha and Barker together have been challenging.

“You move two steps and you have to take a step back. It’s not something you can back and ram through, you have to try and draw a line through it then keep the line open while you bring the vessels down,” he said.

A shift in the wind, or even some rain, would be helpful, Gill added.

“Any component other than west or northwest is fine by us,” he said. “This ice isn’t anywhere near where it was last year, but it is significant for this time of year. The slug of ice we have out there is tremendous.”

On Tuesday, Paul R. Tregurtha, Tecumseh, Roger Blough and Edwin H. Gott all locked up to join the convoy and await the arrival of the Pierre Radisson. The downbound Stewart J. Cort, Algoma Olympic and Mesabi Miner are holding off Keweewaw Point.

[yachtsmanwilly]

4/9 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Vessels stuck for days in heavy ice east of Whitefish Point were on the move Wednesday as the big Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Pierre Radisson arrived from the East Coast to lend a hand to the other cutters already on the scene. By late Wednesday, the vessels were located west of the point.

The Radisson joined CCGS Samuel Risley and American U.S. Coast Guard vessels Mackinaw and Alder, already in the area, said the Radisson’s Capt. Stéphane Julien from on board the icebreaker.

“We are going there to help the Risley … and give a hand wherever needed,” said Julien. “We may have to go to Thunder Bay to break ice inside the bay there.”

The Coast Guard said there were six downbound and 12 upbound vessels in the Whitefish Bay area waiting to move through the ice.

The Samuel Risley helped clear two of the six downbound vessels Wednesday afternoon, as the Pierre Radisson crossed into Lake Superior with seven upbound lakers following behind it.

Efforts Wednesday to move the ice-damaged Kaye E. Barker into Waskai Bay, west of the locks, so it could offload some of its cargo into fleetmate Lee A. Tregurtha were also successful. At 5 p.m., the Barker was approaching the Tregurtha above Light 26 in the St. Marys River. By 5:30 p.m., both vessels had booms raised and the Barker was unloading into the after hatches of the Tregurtha.

The Barker will likely head for repairs in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., after stopping for inspections in Sault Ste. Marie. The 767-foot-long Barker was not in danger. Minor flooding was controlled with pumps and temporary patching.

Though Radisson, which calls Quebec City, QC, home, normally conducts icebreaking operations on the St. Lawrence River from Trois-Rivières, QC to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the ship and her crew are not strangers to the Great Lakes.

“We took the ship up through Lake Erie and into Lake Superior last year. This year was much easier,” said Julien, of the trip through lakes Ontario and Erie. He said last year, when the ship arrived in late March, ice on Lake Erie was still crunchy, very thick and solid; still in winter conditions.

Arriving on Lake Erie this year on April 1, the crew found very different ice conditions. “The ice was already rotting due to some rain in the area. It’s not as thick as last year, but it still required some icebreaking.”

Julien said rain on the ice decreases its reflectively and the sun will start to melt the ice. In a period of four or five days, hard ice can become soft and start to decay.

Last year, when the Pierre Radisson worked Lake Erie, Julien said the crew saw ice pushed onshore at Long Point more than two metres thick. “We sailed close to Long Point this year and saw nothing that compared.”

While there were some thick ice ridges on the lake in 2014, Julien said other than some small ridges outside of Port Colborne, the Pierre Radisson faced no major problems on Lake Erie this year. As the ship was headed toward Lake Superior, Julien didn’t know the conditions he would be facing. Last year, he said there were ice ridges between three and four metres high.

“It was very impressive to see on Lake Superior,” he said, adding the ice conditions on the Great Lakes can’t compare to what he’s faced in the Canadian Arctic. “It never gets as thick as Arctic ice.”

Ice in the Arctic is multi-year, which means when the summer ice melt happens, fresh water forms on top of the ice and when it freezes back up, there is less salt and more air pockets form inside. Less salt in the water and the air pockets create harder ice. As the process continues year after year, it makes for very hard, very dangerous ice.

Ice on the Great Lakes can be very strong, especially if it forms into ridges, which are pieces of broken ice piled in different directions and heights. The ridges are thick, full of air and very hard to crack, said Julien.

“We have to go full speed and hit the ridges. It can six, seven, or eight shots to through a ridge. It all depends on the ice and the time of year.”

Ramming ice ridges is dangerous enough, but trying to ram through them while escorting ships adds another level of danger. Julien said if an icebreaker comes to a sudden stop while hitting a ridge, and a ship is too close behind, there is the possibility of a collision.

Normally, the captain, who has been with the Canadian Coast Guard for 35 years, said the Pierre Radisson’s hull pushes through it the ice on the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes.

If the ice is thicker, and not a ridge, the ship will ride up on top of it and its weight will crush the ice.

Information on ice conditions, such as thickness, is provided to Canadian Coast Guard ships on the lakes by Environment Canada’s Canadian Ice Service.

“We receive all the information on what the conditions are. They can tell me ice is two or three feet thick, but we still have to go through it. If they are telling me the ice is really piled up in one area, we’ll stay away and detour around,” said Juilen, he makes his decisions based on what he sees in front of him.

Assisting the Pierre Radisson, and adding another layer to the Environment Canada information, is helicopter on board the ship that can fly out and check on the conditions and find the best way through the ice.

Julien said he’ll always choose the easiest path through the ice, and doesn’t always stick to the shipping lanes.

“You have to choose your track … go where the conditions are easier. Last year we had to be really careful, it was very difficult,” said Julien, who has made 28 trips to the Arctic and spent time on CCGS Amundsen and CCGS Des Groseilliers.

In restricted waters, though, the ship, with a crew of 35, has to stick to certain paths so as not to run aground. Not wanting to run into an ice ridge either, Julien said the Pierre Radisson will only run ship escorts during the day.

While the Pierre Radisson joined the Samuel Risley on Lake Superior, the CCGS Martha L. Black moved from breaking ice at harbors on Lake Ontario into the Welland Canal and Port Colborne. The Martha L. Black was docked in the city, ready to assist ships on eastern Lake Erie until ice conditions improve.

CCGS Griffon was moved into the St. Lawrence Seaway to assist ships near locks in the Montreal area, as was the CCGS Amundsen.

ErieMedia.ca, Jim Brimley





Westcott Company returns to 24-hour service

4/9 - Detroit, Mich. - The J. W. Westcott Co. returned to 24-hour operations Wednesday morning with a delivery to the Dorothy Ann and barge Pathfinder. The U.S. mail boat J. W. Westcott II then returned to the company's dock below the Ambassador Bridge on the Detroit River for the new season.

The back-up mail boat Joseph J. Hogan will return to the Westcott dock later in the month from the winter lay-up dock at Gregory's Marina. This marks the company's 120th season on the river. Winter work on the Westcott fleet included normal maintenance, steel work and painting.



09 April 1890 - W.H. SAWYER (wooden propeller freighter, 201 foot, 746 gross tons) was launched by F. W. Wheeler (Hull #66) at West Bay City, Michigan. She lasted until 1928, when she sank off Harbor Beach, Michigan.

On 09 April 1868, SEABIRD (wooden side-wheel steamer, 638 tons, built in 1859, at Newport (Marine City), Michigan, was sailing on her first trip of the season from Manitowoc to Chicago. At 6 a.m. off Waukegan, Illinois, the porter cleaned out the ashes in the cabin stove and threw the hot coals overboard into the wind. The coals were blown back aboard and a blaze quickly engulfed the vessel. Only two survived. They were picked up by the schooner CORNELIA. 102 were lost. The vessel was uninsured and this was a severe financial blow to the new Goodrich Transportation Company.

On April 9, 1960, Canada Steamship Lines Ltd.'s a.) MURRAY BAY (Hull#164), of Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., entered service as the first Canadian 730-footer. Renamed b.) COMEAUDOC in 1963, she was scrapped at Port Colborne in 2003.

LAWRENDOC (Hull#174) was christened jointly with her Collingwood-built sister ship MONDOC (Hull#173) on April 9, 1962.

The Wilson Marine Transit Co., Cleveland purchased the b.) FINLAND, a.) HARRY COULBY (Hull#163) of the Detroit Ship Building Co., on April 9, 1957, and resold her the same day to the Republic Steel Corp., Cleveland with Wilson Marine acting as manager. Renamed c.) PETER ROBERTSON in 1969 and d.) MARINSAL in 1975.

On April 9, 1930, the CITY OF FLINT 32 entered service under the command of Estan Bayle.

On 9 April 1871, the wooden "rabbit" BAY CITY (152 foot, 372 gross tons, built in 1867, at Marine City, Michigan) had just loaded 270,000 feet of lumber in Bay City for Tonawanda, New York, when a fire broke out ashore. The ship was set adrift at 11 a.m. to get away from the lumberyard blaze. However, as the crew watched the shore fire, sparks smoldered in the ship's cargo. At 2 p.m., she burst into flame. Four tugs and a steam-powered fire engine brought alongside on a lighter fought the blaze to no avail. The vessel was scuttled to put out the fire. A few days later she was raised and repaired at a cost of $4,000.

On 9 April 1885, the laid-up vessels BURLINGTON and CHURCH were hit by the barge ALLEN and forced into the Military Street bridge at Port Huron, Michigan, crashing into the structure and completely blocking the Black River and disabling the bridge. The blame was placed on the spring thaw.

1913: Ice sliced through the wooden hull of the steamer UGANDA in the Straits of Mackinac and the vessel sank near White Shoal. The crew was rescued by the JOHN A. DONALDSON, and there was no loss of life.

1962: On November 28, 1961, fire had broken out aboard the IQUITOS off the coast of Mexico while the ship was en route from Callao, Peru, to Manzanillo, Mexico, with a cargo of fishmeal. The vessel had been a pre-Seaway trader as RUTENFJELL beginning in 1936 and as POLYRIVER beginning in 1951. The blazing freighter was abandoned by the crew. The ship did not sink and drifted for weeks before being spotted February 2, 1962. The hull was considered a hazard to navigation and was sunk on this date, southeast of the Christmas Islands by a U.S. destroyer, in 1962.

1968: MENIHEK LAKE was in a minor collision with the anchored PETITE HERMINE in the Lake St. Francis section of the St. Lawrence, and the latter's anchor chain damaged the propeller of MENIHEK LAKE.

[yachtsmanwilly]

10 April 1868 The ALPENA (wooden side-wheel passenger-package freight steamer, 653 tons, built in 1867, at Marine City, Michigan) was purchased by Capt. A. E. Goodrich from Gardner, Ward & Gardner for $80,000.

On 10 April 1861, UNION (wooden propeller, 170 foot, 465 tons) was launched and christened at the Bates yard in Manitowoc, Wisconsin for the Goodrich Line. She cost $19,000. The engines, machinery and many of the fittings were from the OGONTZ of 1858. This was the first steamer built by the Bates yard.

The tanker TEXACO CHIEF (Hull#193), was christened April 10, 1969. She was renamed b.) A G FARQUHARSON in 1986 and c.) ALGONOVA in 1998. She was sold Panamanian in 2007 and renamed PACIFICO TRADER.

The d.) GODERICH of 1908 was sold April 10, 1963, to the Algoma Central & Hudson Bay Railway Co. and renamed e.) AGAWA. Renamed f.) LIONEL PARSONS in 1968, and served as a storage barge at Goderich, Ontario until 1983, when she was scrapped at Thunder Bay, Ontario.

The keel was laid April 10, 1952, for the steamer WILLIAM CLAY FORD (Hull#300) of the Great Lakes Engineering Works.

The SINCLAIR GREAT LAKES (Hull#1577) of the Ingalls Iron Works, Decatur, Alabama, was christened on April 10, 1963.

On April 10, 1973, the ARTHUR B. HOMER departed the shipyard at Lorain, Ohio, with a new pilothouse. She had suffered extensive damage on October 5, 1972, in a head on collision with the saltie NAVISHIPPER on the Detroit River.

April 10, 1912 - ANN ARBOR NO 5 struck her stern against the channel in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, bending her rudder, and damaging her port shaft.

On 10 April 1875, the propeller EMMA E. THOMPSON was launched at East Saginaw, Michigan. She was built for Capt. D.F. Edwards of Toledo and cost $20,000. Her dimensions were 125 feet x 26 feet x 10 feet. In 1880, she was rebuilt as a schooner and then returned to a propeller in 1881, when she was given the engine from the propeller AKRON.

On 10 April 1882, ESPINDOLA (wooden schooner, 54 tons, built in 1869, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin) was carrying railroad ties when she was overwhelmed by a storm and went to pieces one mile north of the Chicago waterfront. No lives were lost, but four crewmen were rescued by a tug after having been in the water for some time.

MANZZUTTI (steel crane ship, 246 foot, 1558 gross tons, built in 1903, at Buffalo, New York as a.) J S KEEFE) of the Yankcanuck Steamship Ltd., was the first vessel through the Canadian locks at the Soo for the 1954 navigation season. She entered the Canadian canal on 10 April about 8:15 a.m. The locking of the MANZZUTTI was not considered the official opening of the season at the Soo since she wintered in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and the first vessel must come up the St. Marys River from Lake Huron or Michigan. President Dave Bows of the Kiwanis Club, pointed out the club’s $1,000 marine contest is based on the first such vessel though the Michigan Sault locks only. The U.S. Coast Guard reported six-inch ice in the lower St. Marys River.

1905: The 400-foot steel-hulled bulk carrier GEORGE B. LEONARD arrived in Cleveland with ice damage and leaking bow seams.

1941: The first CEDARBRANCH ran aground at the mouth of the Etobicoke Creek, west of Toronto and had to be lightered to float free.

1949: The former J.H. PLUMMER, once part of Canada Steamship Lines, was reported wrecked, due to stranding in fog, while six miles southwest of Shaweishan on this date in 1949. The vessel was sailing as f) TUNG AN, and was en route from Tsingtao to Shanghai, with scrap steel.

1953: The Finnish freighter ANGELA came to the Great Lakes in 1952 and was wrecked on April 10, 1953, at Frisland, Isle of Coll, due to heavy weather. The vessel was travelling in ballast from Larne, Northern Ireland, to Goole, UK, and was a total loss.

1965: A collision in the Lake St. Peter section of the St. Lawrence involved the TRANSATLANTIC and HERMES. The former, a West German freighter, caught fire and capsized with the loss of three lives. The vessel was salvaged in August and eventually scrapped at Sorel. It had been coming to the Great Lakes for the Poseidon Line since 1961. The latter, a Dutch carrier, never came through the Seaway and was scrapped at Calcutta, India, as NIKI R. in 1985-1986.

1977: HILDA MARJANNE ran aground on a sandbar at Sarnia after leaving the Government Dock with a cargo of corn. It was released the next day with the help of the tug DARYL C. HANNAH.

1989: The canal-sized bulk carrier IROQUOIS, b) TROISDOC (ii), was built in 1955 but left the Seaway as c) KOBA in 1983. That vessel foundered in the Gulf of Mexico, near Isla de Lobos, on this date in 1989 while en route from Tampico to Progresso, Mexico


4/10 - Cleveland, Ohio – Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled an anemic 800,000 tons in March, the lowest level for the month since 2010. The March ore float was also nearly 60 percent below the month’s five-year average.

Heavy ice and lack of icebreaking resources on both sides of the border were the culprits.

“The winter of 2014/15 was again brutal,” said James H.I. Weakley, president of Lake Carriers’ Association. “The ice formations were so formidable that a number of LCA’s members chose to delay getting underway rather than risk a repeat of last spring when ice caused more than $6 million in damage to the vessels.

“Compounding the problem is that both U.S. and Canadian icebreakers have experienced a number of mechanical issues. The Mackinaw, the U.S. Coast Guard’s most powerful icebreaker, is operating at less than full power. Other icebreakers have suffered casualties that have taken them out of service for various periods of time,” he said.

Weakley noted that with foreign steel imports again reducing operating rates at American mills to perilous levels, it is even more critical that raw materials move as efficiently as possible. “Right now American steel mills need every competitive advantage they can get. A slow start to resupplying the mills after the winter closure is a worry the industry could do without. This is just another clear indication that the lakes need, at a minimum, another heavy icebreaker to pair with the Mackinaw, and another 140-foot-long icebreaking tug to cover for the one that has been sent to the Coast Guard yard in Baltimore for service life extension.”

Weakley also called on Canada to review its icebreaking resources dedicated to the Lakes. The country used to have seven icebreakers stationed on the lakes, but now just two are permanently assigned here.

Lake Carriers’ Association

[skycheney]

They should have fired up the old ice breaker Mackinaw. That thing could run circles around the new one. And it wouldn't have a pod failure like the new one either. What a joke.