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Post by yachtsmanwilly on Apr 13, 2015 7:08:51 GMT -5
13 April 1872 - The schooners MARY TAYLOR and ANTELOPE wooden were racing to Oswego, New York, trying to beat a large block of drifting ice. The ice won and blocked the harbor entrance. The ANTELOPE became icebound about a quarter of a mile from the piers and remained there for one day. The MARY TAYLOR got within 500 feet of the pier and remained there for five days until the tug MAJOR DANA broke through the ice.
RICHARD REISS lost her boom April 13, 1994 when it collapsed at Fairport, Ohio.
On 13 April 1872, the wooden schooner-barge JOSEPH PAIGE was launched at the Wolf & Davidson yard in Milwaukee. Her dimensions were 190 feet x 32 feet x 12 feet, 626 gross tons.
The passenger/package freight vessel OCEAN was launched at Andrews & Sons shipyard in Port Dalhousie, Ontario, on 13 April 1872. She was placed in service on 27 April 1872, loading iron at Kingston for Chicago.
1917: The steel canaller STRATHCONA was built at Dundee, Scotland, in 1900 and came to the Great Lakes that summer. The ship had several owners before being requisitioned for war service in 1915. It was stopped by U-78 near Ronaldshay, England, while traveling from Tyne, England, to Marseilles, France, with a cargo of coal on this date in 1917. Enemy bombers attacked sinking the ship. Nine crew members were lost while another 3 were taken prisoner.
1937: The Norwegian freighter REIN was a frequent pre-Seaway caller to the Great Lakes. It had been built in 1900 and was inland as early as 1908. The ship was carrying wood pulp when it was wrecked off Helman Island, 2 miles south of Wick, Scotland, while traveling from Lyngor, Norway, to Preston, UK on this date in 1937. REIN was a total loss.
1956 Winds and ice pushed the ore laden GEORGE M. HUMPHREY on a shoal in Whitefish Bay en route from Superior to Zug Island. The vessel was salvaged and taken to Lorain for repairs.
1959: GLENEAGLES was proceeding through ice in Lake Erie when it abruptly stopped. The trailing WESTMOUNT could not stop as quickly and rammed the stern of its CSL fleetmate. GLENEAGLES had to be towed to Lorain for repairs that included a new rudder.
2010: The rebuilt ALGOBAY went aground while upbound in the St. Marys River on its first trip to the upper lakes. The vessel had to go to Port Weller Dry Docks for repairs.
The Indian flag bulk carrier Chanda was a Great Lakes visitor in 1978. It was ten years old at the time having been built at Horten, Norway, as Cape Wrath in 1968. The 527-foot, 9-inch-long vessel carried British registry for Lyle Shipping but was sold and re-registered in India as Chanda in 1976.
The ship was strengthened to carry heavy cargoes and was equipped with six holds and six hatches. It came through the Seaway in 1978 but sustained machinery damage on the way back across the Atlantic for Rotterdam, Holland, and had to be towed to Falmouth, England, arriving Dec. 27, 1978.
The ship was laid up there but eventually repaired and returned to service. It was laid up again, this time at Bombay, India, on May 5, 1988, and never sailed again.
Following a sale for scrap, Chanda was towed to the local Powder Bunder Shipyard on April 11, 1991, and scrapping got underway by the Kalyanji Jethlal Shah Co. A fire broke out in the engine room as dismantling got underway 24 years ago today and did considerable interior damage. Once extinguished, the shipbreakers resumed their work and the Chanda was demolished for recycling.
On 12 April 1896, PETER DALTON (propeller tug, 63 foot 49 gross tons, built in 1880, at Grand Haven, Michigan) caught fire off Grosse Pointe, Illinois, while returning to Chicago with the salvaged schooner A.J. DEWEY in tow and the boiler of the JOHNSON. The fire burned her in two before she finally sank. The DALTON's crew and the DEWEY were rescued by the tug WELCOME.
On 12 April 1874, the tug D.N. RUNNELS was launched Runnel's yard at the north end of the 7th Street Bridge in Port Huron, Michigan. As the tug splashed into the Black River, the flag at her bow was unfurled with her name on it. Commodore Runnels distributed oranges to the crowd of onlookers.
The tanker a.) LANA (Hull#151) was launched April 12, 1967, by Aktiebolaget Lodose Varv A/B at Lodose, Sweden. Renamed b.) NEW ORLEANS in 1988 and c.) NANCY ORR GAUCHER in 1989, she departed the Lakes in 1994. Renamed d.) PETRAWAK in 1996 and e.) TONGA in 2000.
Tanker LAKESHELL (Hull#389) of Marine Industries Ltd., Sorel, Quebec, was launched April 12, 1969, for Shell Canada Ltd.
Pioneer Steamship's steamer a.) A.A. AUGUSTUS (Hull#374) of American Ship Building Co., Lorain, Ohio, departed Cleveland on her maiden voyage April 12, 1910, bound for Green Bay, Wisconsin, with a load of coal. She was sold to Canadian registry in 1961, and renamed b.) HOWARD HINDMAN. She was scrapped at Bilbao, Spain, in 1969.
Hall Corp. of Canada's tanker HUDSON TRANSPORT (Hull#629) of the Davie Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Lauzon, Quebec, was launched April 12, 1962.
On April 12, 1955, while upbound from Monroe, Michigan to load iron ore at Duluth, the ENDERS M. VOORHEES had the honor of opening the second century of navigation through the St. Marys Falls Ship Canal, celebrated with great pomp and ceremony.
On 12 April 1880, the wooden 2-mast schooner-barge JUPITER was launched at Marysville, Michigan, after being rebuilt under the supervision of James Bowers. She was originally built in 1857, at Irving, New York, and after this rebuild, she lasted another 21 years.
On 12 April 1892, UGANDA (wooden propeller, 291 foot, 2,053 gross tons) was launched at W. Bay City, Michigan, at F.W. Wheeler's yard (Hull #88).
1949: The corvette H.M.C.S. BATTLEFORD was Hull 95 from the Collingwood Shipyard and it was commissioned at Montreal on July 31, 1941. The ship was sold to the Venezuelan Navy becoming b) LIBERTAD in 1946 and was wrecked on this date in 1949.
1991: CHANDA hailed from India and first came to the Great Lakes in 1978. The ship was laid up Bombay, India, on May 5, 1988, after 20 years of service. It was moved to the scrapyard on April 11, 1991, but a major fire erupted in the engine room April 12 during dismantling operations.
1993: MELISSA DESGAGNES ran aground in the St. Lawrence, two miles east of the Eisenhower Lock, at 2352 hours. The ship was en route from Windsor to Newfoundland with wheat and floated free, after being lightered, on April 15.
2009: SCARAB was 16 years old when it first came through the Seaway in 1999. The ship was sold and renamed JASPER in 2002 and never returned to our shores. It was anchored off Fatsa, Turkey, when it got blown aground on this date in 2009. Some 2000 tons of fertilizer had to be removed for the ship to float free and it went to Tuzla, Turkey, for repairs.
4/11 - Cleveland, Ohio – Cargo movement in U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters in March fell to its lowest level since 2009. Shipments totaled only 825,000 tons, a decrease of more than 60 percent compared to the month’s 5-year average. Another brutal winter, coupled with a number of casualties to U.S. and Canadian icebreakers, slowed the resumption of navigation.
A number of vessels delayed their fit-out because of the heavy ice. Only 26 U.S.-flag lakers were in service on April 1. In some years, nearly 50 hulls are underway by that date.
Iron ore felt the brunt of the delays. Loadings totaled just 535,000 tons, a decrease of 66 percent compared to the month’s 5-year average.
This is the second year in a row a harsh winter has stalled the new shipping season. Lake Carriers’ Association has called on the U.S. government to build another heavy icebreaker to pair with the Mackinaw and assign another 140-foot-long icebreaking tug to the lakes while the 140s already stationed here are rotated to the Coast Guard yard in Baltimore for service life extension.
Lake Carriers’ Association
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Post by yachtsmanwilly on Apr 14, 2015 6:24:28 GMT -5
Compass Minerals out of Goderich port expansion
4/14 - Goderich, Ont. – Compass Minerals will no longer be involved with the Goderich port expansion. The company sent a letter to the town last month notifying that it is no longer interested in pursuing the $47 million project.
Tara Hart, external communications manager for Compass Minerals, said the company decided to back out due to its cost share in the expansion projected to be $26.4 million, much higher than the $18.9 million figure in the expansion agreement. The decision was made March 24, Hart said.
“As the Town of Goderich’s largest employer, we are dedicated to the local community and we are very grateful for the infrastructure improvements to the port buildings and break wall,” Hart said.
Hart said there was an escape clause for Compass Minerals within the agreement. At press time, Hart could not confirm how much the company had spent on the project so far.
The provincial government has committed $7.1 million toward the project, while the Goderich Port Authority will kick in $9.5 million.
Goderich Signal Star
Wolfe Islander III to enter dry dock at Hamilton
4/14 - About two weeks ago, the CG Martha L. Black cut a path through the north channel passing Kingston heading to Picton. Once the way was clear, the Glenora ferry Quinte Loyalist made her way to Amherst Island to replace the Frontenac II. She, in turn, would replace the Wolfe Islander III for the Wolfe Island run. The exchange of ferries was to allow Wolfe Islander III to depart for Hamilton for her annual refit with modifications at Heddle Marine. She departed Kingston on Wed. April 8. The work is expected to take several weeks.
14 April 1965 The GEORGE A. SLOAN (steel propeller bulk freighter, 603 foot, 9057 gross tons, built in 1943, at River Rouge, Michigan) was the first commercial vessel through the Soo Locks. The SLOAN recieved Sault Ste. Marie's official tri-centennial flag to fly all season. The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce in turn received the Pittsburgh Fleet flag, and it flew below the United States flag on the flagpole on top of the Ojibway Motor Hotel all season.
On 14 April 1872, the MESSENGER (wooden propeller passenger/package freight steamer, 150 foot, 444 gross tons, built in 1866, at Cleveland, Ohio) left Manistee, Michigan in a storm for Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After battling ice flows near shore, she made it to open water but the heavy seas snapped her rudder post. She was unmanageable and four members of the crew left in the yawl to try to get help. Although they were only a few miles from port, the men struggled for hours against the wind, waves and ice before they finally made it back to Manistee, Michigan, where they got a tug to go out and tow the MESSENGER in for repairs.
On April 14, 1961, FORT CHAMBLY departed Toronto, Ontario, on her maiden voyage bound for the Canadian Lake head.
Interlake Steamship's COLONEL JAMES PICKANDS (Hull#791) sailed on her maiden voyage April 14, 1926, clearing Lorain for Toledo, Ohio, to load coal.
CSL's steamer GLENEAGLES lost her self-unloading boom April 14, 1977, while unloading at the CSL stone dock at Humberstone, Ontario. Renamed b.) SILVERDALE in 1978, she was scrapped at Windsor, Ontario, in 1984.
On April 14, 1984, vessels around the Great Lakes were battling one of the worst season openers for ice in recent memory. The ERNEST R. BREECH (now OJIBWAY) and HERBERT C. JACKSON spent the entire day battling ice off the Duluth entry, while the St. Clair River was choked with ice.
On 14 April 1873, The Port Huron Daily Times gave the following report of shipbuilding work going on in Port Huron: "Mr. Fitzgerald is up to his eyes in business with a large barge in process of construction and a good sized schooner still on the stocks. Mr. Thomas Dunford has in hand the repairs of the large scow T S SKINNER and she is being rapidly healed of the damage done to her in the collision with the INTERNATIONAL last fall. At Muir's yard the [schooner] canaller on the stocks is rapidly approaching completion. At the [Port Huron] Dry Dock Company's yard, they are busy as bees docking and repairing vessels and work upon the new tug for Moffat & Sons is [being] pushed ahead very rapidly." Unfortunately, later that year the "Panic of 1873" struck and all shipyard work was stopped while the country tried to recover from that economic depression.
1965: Fire broke out in the #2 hold of the CAPETAN VASSILIS en route from Madras, India, to Rotterdam with a cargo of sunflower seeds while 60 miles off the Mediterranean island of Crete. The crew abandoned the vessel and it sank on April 16. The ship had been built at Superior, Wisconsin, as TULLY CROSBY in 1944 and returned to the lakes as c) SPIND in 1952-1953, as d) HEILO in 1953 and e) CAPETAN VASSILIS in 1956.
1977: CANADIAN OLYMPIC ran aground in the St. Lawrence off Heather Point near Brockville. The ship was loaded with ore and en route from Sept Iles to Ashtabula. The navigation channel was blocked. The vessel was lightered to MAPLEHEATH and released at 1057 hours on April 16. The ULS self-unloader spent three weeks at Port Weller Dry Docks undergoing repairs to the damage.
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Post by yachtsmanwilly on Apr 15, 2015 5:23:53 GMT -5
4/15 - Thunder Bay, Ont. – One of the next generation of Great Lakes cargo ships has made its debut stop in the city. CWB Marquis, a $40 million massive laker, arrived at the Mission Terminal on Monday morning to receive its first load of grain from a Thunder Bay elevator.
Capt. Seann O’Donoghue said the 225-metre long ship can transport 30,000 metric tonnes of cargo, which is about 25 per cent more than the older class of lakers. It also has far more modern amenities.
“We have a lot of high degree, sophisticated equipment on board like electronic charts, electronic engine monitoring systems, fire monitoring systems, closed circuit TV, and infrared cameras. We have a whole gamut of electronic equipment to help us safely navigate the ship,” he said.
The ship will haul prairie wheat from Thunder Bay east, then turning around to transport Labrador iron ore west to Hamilton before heading back up to the Lakehead. Thunder Bay Port Authority chief executive officer Tim Heney also toured the ship and said the technology is a significant step forward.
“The old lakers are pretty primitive by today’s standards. This is a whole new world for sailors on the Great Lakes,” Heney said.
“This ship was built specifically to go to Thunder Bay. This is a Wheat Board elevator here in Thunder Bay and they also have one in Trois-Rivieres, Que. This ship will mostly run between those two elevators.”
He said the Marquis is one of a number of new ships that will be travelling across the Great Lakes in the coming years. Changes making grain companies responsible for shipping their product, rather than the Canadian Wheat Board, created questions about the sustainability of the local grain shipping industry but it seems to have a bright future.
“It’s a major investment in the future of the seaway,” Heney said. “There was a lot of concern when that monopoly broke up there would be issues for Thunder Bay but so far it’s turning out very positive for us. We’re seeing a lot more throughput ocean ships and last year we had the best year in 16 years.”
The Marquis had a little bit of extra excitement before arriving at the elevator. O’Donoghue and his crews discovered early in the morning a massive ice sheet from the Welcome Islands had come loose and was heading right for their ship.
“Once that wind catches the ice it moves it and there’s quite a lot of horsepower to it,” he said. “It was going to push the ship the wrong way so we had to stop and break the ice before we could come in this morning.”
The ship has only been in Canadian waters since the beginning of the year and is expected to have a working lifespan of 40 years.
TBNewswatch.com
Still too much ice on Lake Erie to remove ice boom
4/15 - Buffalo, N.Y. – Though temperatures finally have warmed up, there’s still too much ice on Lake Erie to remove the ice boom, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Tuesday.
A photograph released Tuesday by the agency shows there is far more than 250 square miles of ice remaining. Under the International Joint Commission’s current order, the ice boom must be opened by April 1 – unless there is more than 250 square miles of ice remaining in the eastern end of the lake.
An “ice flight” is scheduled for Wednesday to determine the coverage, nature and character of the remaining ice, said Bruce I. Sanders, spokesman for the Army Corps.
The boom — made up of steel pontoons linked together from the Buffalo Harbor to near the Canadian shore — is designed to keep ice chunks from flowing down the Niagara River and damaging the intakes of the authority’s Niagara Power Project.
The latest ice boom opening was May 3, 1971. Last year, boom opening began April 29.
BuffaloNews.com
15 April 1907 - The Rutland Line’s OGDENSBURG (steel propeller package freighter, 242-foot, 2329 gross tons, built in 1906, at Cleveland, Ohio) was carrying 50,000 bushels of corn, a big consignment of flour and general merchandise from Chicago to Ogdensburg when she stranded on Point aux Barques on Lake Huron in a storm. Although she was leaking in her forward compartment, she was freed after some cargo was jettisoned.
15 April 1907 - The Welland Canal opened for the season with the first vessel being the SAMUEL MATHER (steel propeller bulk freighter, 530 foot, 6,751 gross tons, built in 1906, at Wyandotte, Michigan) carrying coal from Cleveland, Ohio to Prescott, Ontario.
On 15 April 1881, the Market Street Bridge in Mount Clemens, Michigan, was taken down to allow the newly built VIRGINIUS to pass down the Clinton River to Lake St. Clair, where she was taken in tow by the CITY OF NEW BALTIMORE. The VIRGINIUS was towed to Port Huron where her engine was installed and she was fitted out for service.
Misener's CANADA MARQUIS (Hull#257) of Govan Shipyards Ltd, Govan, Scotland, was launched April 15, 1983. Renamed b.) FEDERAL RICHELIEU in 1991, c.) FEDERAL MACKENZIE in 1991, d.) MACKENZIE in 2001 and CSL's e.) BIRCHGLEN in 2002.
American Steamship Co.'s SAM LAUD was christened April 15, 1975.
On April 15, 1977, the CONALLISON's, a.) FRANK C. BALL of 1906, self-unloading boom collapsed while unloading coal at the Detroit Edison Trenton, Michigan, power plant in the Trenton Channel on the lower Detroit River.
W. W. HOLLOWAY suffered a fire in the fantail while in dry dock following her re-powering at AmShip on April 15, 1963, causing $15,000 damage.
Pittsburgh Steamship's steamer J. P. MORGAN JR left Lorain in ballast April 15, 1910, on her maiden voyage to load iron ore at Duluth, Minnesota.
Masaba Steamship's steamer JOE S. MORROW entered service April 15, 1907.
The steamer JOHN P. REISS left Lorain, Ohio on her maiden voyage on April 15, 1910 with coal for Escanaba, Michigan. She was the first of three bulkers built in 1910 for Reiss interests. The other two were the steamers A. M. BYERS and the PETER REISS.
The tanker IMPERIAL COLLINGWOOD began service April 15, 1948.
On April 15, 1955, American Steamship's steamer DETROIT EDISON entered service, departing Manitowoc, Wisconsin, for Port Inland, Michigan, on her maiden trip.
On April 15, 1985, the e.) WILLIAM CLAY FORD, formerly d.) WALTER A. STERLING and presently f.) LEE A. TREGURTHA) departed Fraser Shipyards for the D. M. & I. R. ore docks in West Duluth for her first load in Ford Motor Company colors.
April 15, 1930 - While going up the Manitowoc River to dry dock, the WABASH rubbed the parked steamer THEODORE ROOSEVELT and damaged her upper works forward.
On 15 April 1862, ELISHA C. BLISH (wooden propeller tug, 81 foot, 107 tons, built in 1857, at Black River, Ohio) sank near shore at Algonac, Michigan, when a steam pump was accidentally left in an open position and she flooded. She was raised and lasted another two years when she "went missing" on Lake Huron.
On 15 April 1872, The Port Huron Daily Times announced that the HURON was chartered by a circus company for the season. They intended to perform at many lakes ports throughout the summer.
1967: MAPLE HILL began visiting the Great Lakes in 1959. The British-flag freighter had been built at Montreal in 1943 as a) FORT VERCHERES and was renamed c) DIOPSIDE in 1966. It collided with and sank the Swedish freighter IREVIK in the Baltic Sea on this day in 1967. MAPLE HILL was renamed d) ENTAN in 1969 and arrived at Hirao, Japan, for scrapping on June 30, 1970.
1987: An attempt to steal navigation equipment using a cutting torch resulted in a fire that caused major damage to the upper deck of the GRAND RAPIDS. The retired Lake Michigan carferry had been idle at Muskegon since 1971. It was eventually sold for scrap in 1989 and broken up at Port Maitland, ON in 1994.
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Post by Avenger on Apr 16, 2015 9:25:37 GMT -5
Lookback #515 – Eugene Zimmerman sank during maiden voyage on April 16, 1906
4/16 - The first trip of the newly-built bulk carrier Eugene Zimmerman ended abruptly 109 years ago today. The ship was upbound in the St. Marys River with a cargo of coal when it was struck on the port bow by the downbound steamer Saxona on April 16, 1906.
The 500-foot-long Zimmerman, fresh from the Craig Shipyard in Toledo, sank into the mud, but fortunately the bulkhead held. The ship was refloated on May 20, 1906, returned to Toledo for repairs and resumed service on July 10, 1906.
Eugene Zimmerman joined the Cleveland Cliffs fleet in 1915 and became Grand Island in 1916. It was often in the ore trade out of Marquette, Mich., and served the company well save for another collision on Oct. 14, 1946. The latter occurred in the St. Clair River near Courtright, and also involved the Philip Minch. This time damage was not as serious.
Grand Island tied up at Buffalo in 1960 and saw some service as a grain storage barge. The name was changed to Poweraux Chris in 1963 but it was sold for scrap that year and then resold to West German shipbreakers. The vessel was loaded with a partial cargo of scrap steel and came down Welland Canal between the tugs Foundation Valiant and Foundation Vibert on Aug. 28, 1964.
Following arrival at Hamburg, on Nov. 9, 1964, the old laker met the same fate as its final cargo.
Skip Gillham
Today in Great Lakes History - April 16
16 April 1907 - In a blinding snowstorm, the LOUIS PAHLOW (wooden propeller package freighter, 155 foot, 366 gross tons, built in 1882, at Milwaukee, Wisconsin) was towing the DELTA (wooden schooner, 134 foot, 269 gross tons, built in 1890, at Algonac, Michigan) on Lake Michigan. She went off course and ran onto the rocks at the Clay Banks, six miles south of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. The DELTA made it to anchorage before she also grounded. The Lifesaving Service rescued both crews. Both vessels were eventually freed, repaired and put back in service.
On 16 April 1872, the THOMAS W. FERRY (wooden schooner, 180 feet) was launched at the J. Jones yard at Detroit, Michigan. She cost $40,000 and was owned by P. J. Ralph & Son and A. C. Burt.
ALGOWOOD departed on her maiden voyage April 16, 1981, from Owen Sound, Ontario, in ballast for Stoneport, Michigan, taking on limestone there for Sarnia, Ontario.
ALGOLAKE's sea trials were held April 16, 1977.
BURNS HARBOR's keel was laid at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, as (Hull#720) for Wilmington Trust Co., Bethlehem Steel Co., manager, on April 16, 1979.
CEMENTKARRIER (Hull#175) of the Furness Shipbuilding Co. Ltd at Haverton Hill-on-Tees, England, was launched April 16, 1930, for Canada Cement Transport Ltd.
Reiss Steamship Co.'s a.) W.K. BIXBY entered service on April 16, 1906. Renamed b.) J. L. REISS in 1920 and c.) SIDNEY E. SMITH JR in 1971. She sank in a collision with the Hindman steamer PARKER EVANS under the Blue Water Bridge on June 5, 1972.
On April 16, 1986, U.S. Steel's steamer WILLIAM A. IRVIN was sold for $110,000 to the Duluth Convention Center Board.
On 16 April 1870, the fore-and-aft schooner L.W. PERRY was launched at the Fitzgerald & Leighton yard in Port Huron, Michigan. She was owned by J. L. Woods of Lexington, Michigan and commanded by Capt. M. Hyde. Her dimensions were 128 foot keel, 133 foot overall, 26 foot beam and 9 foot depth. She cost $29,000 and was built for the lumber trade.
On 16 April 1873, DAVID BALLENTINE (wooden propeller, 221 foot, 972 gross tons) was launched at Bangor, Michigan. She was built by Thomas Boston.
1897: The wooden schooner INGEBORG FORREST was a total loss in a spring gale near the entrance to Pentwater, Michigan, on this date in 1897.
1906: EUGENE ZIMMERMAN was upbound with coal on its maiden voyage when it collided with the SAXONA in the Mud Lake section of the St. Marys River on this day in 1906. The new bulk carrier was hit on the port bow and sank. The hull was raised on May 20, repaired and returned to service. It was renamed b) GRAND ISLAND in 1916 and last operated in 1960. After work as a grain storage hull named c) POWEREAUX CHRIS, the vessel was towed to Hamburg, West Germany, for scrapping in 1964.
1959: T.R. McLAGAN of Canada Steamship Lines ran aground on a shoal off Amherst Island, Lake Ontario, and was released on April 18.
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Post by yachtsmanwilly on Apr 17, 2015 6:27:50 GMT -5
Thanks for taking over Scrod... We had to pull outa here at 0500 hrs yesterday and couldn't get MST that early ;-)) ws
The Halco tanker Chemical Transport found the bottom near Dark Island, in the St. Lawrence, on April 17, 1982. The 391-foot-long vessel received hull damage to the forward part of the ship and once released, proceeded to Prescott to be lightered by fleetmate James Transport.
Due to the pressure of ice flows and high winds, the channel markers were out of position and there was a minor spill to clean up. The damaged ship was repaired at Sorel, Quebec, before resuming regular service.
Chemical Transport was built at Lauzon, QC, in 1969. While it generally operated around the Great Lakes and Maritime Canada, the ship did go south in 1973-1974 for winter trading on the Gulf of Mexico. It also saw Arctic service in Aug. 1985 visiting Repulse Bay and Hall Beach.
The ship joined Enerchem Transports Inc. in 1986 as b) Enerchem Fusion and received considerable damage as such in the Saguenay River on July 19, 1990. It did not resume trading until 1991.
In the spring of 1991, the ship departed Montreal for the sea under the name c) Real Progress. It was reported as laid up with surveys overdue in Oct. 1997 but returned to work in the Nigerian coastal trade. There was an explosion and fire at the Ijora Fishing Jetty, Lagos, Nigeria, on June 1, 2001, that left perhaps as many as 10 dead. The abandoned hull was still lying burned out and derelict in 2009.
17 April 1871 - The wooden brig ST. JOSEPH was carrying lumber from Ludington, Michigan, to Chicago, Illinois. Her hold was filled and lumber was stacked on deck so she was indeed overloaded. A gale developed and the deck load shifted, then was lost. ST. JOSEPH became waterlogged in mid-lake. Her crew remained with her until 19 April when the propeller ST. LEWIS found them 35 miles southwest of Pentwater, Michigan, and took them there. The tug ALDRICH towed the waterlogged brig in for repairs.
The first vessels through the Straits of Mackinac for the 1870 season were the CITY OF BOSTON and the CITY OF NEW YORK, both owned by the Northern Transportation Company. They passed through the Straits on 17 April 1870. The following day they passed Port Huron but could only go as far as Algonac, Michigan, since the St. Clair River had an ice jam which raised the water level by two feet and was causing flooding.
The Collingwood-built, 610-foot aft section of the JOHN B. AIRD passed up bound through the St. Marys Falls Canal on April 17, 1983, in tow of the tugs WILFRED M. COHEN and JOHN MC LEAN heading for Thunder Bay, Ontario, where it was assembled with the 120-foot bow section.
Canada Steamship Lines a.) STADACONA (Hull#24) was launched April 17, 1929, by Midland Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. She was renamed b.) NORDALE in 1969 and was scrapped at Port Colborne, Ontario, in 1983. She was the first vessel scrapped at the old Algoma Steel Dock in Port Colborne.
April 17, 1970 - CITY OF FLINT 32 was sold to the Norfolk & Western Railway for $100,000.
On 17 April 1840, the wooden side-wheeler CATARAQUI was burned to a total loss during a great fire, which destroyed much of the waterfront area of Kingston, Ontario.
On 17 April 1874, CHARLES J. KERSHAW (wooden propeller, 223 foot, 1,324 gross tons) was launched at the Ballentine shipyard at Bangor, Michigan.
1961: FREEMAN HATCH was built at Sturgeon Bay and completed in December 1942. It left the Great Lakes the following spring for service for the British Ministry of War Transport. It was sold and renamed b) CHARLES M. in 1950 and became c) HOUSTON in 1953. The vessel was sunk on this date in 1962 during the attempted, anti-Castro, Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba.
1982: CHEMICAL TRANSPORT ran aground in the St. Lawrence near Dark Island as channel markers were out of position due to the wind and ice conditions. The vessel lightered some cargo to fleetmate JAMES TRANSPORT and then went to Sorel for repairs. In 2009, the ship was reported as lying burned out and derelict near Lagos, Nigeria, after an explosion and fire as c) REAL PROGRESS on June 1, 2001.
1990: RESERVE ran aground in the St. Marys River while downbound with a load of iron ore for Toledo on this date in 1990. The ship stranded in a snowstorm and had to be lightered to the WILLIAM R. ROESCH before going to Fraser Shipyard for repairs.
1997: ALGOLAKE got stuck on Vidal Shoal, St. Marys River while bound for Algoma Steel with a cargo of iron ore. The ship was lightered and released. After unloading, the vessel went to Thunder Bay for repairs.
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Post by yachtsmanwilly on Apr 20, 2015 5:31:50 GMT -5
19 April 1884 - The KASOTA (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 246 foot, 1660 gross tons, built in 1884 at Cleveland, Ohio) was launched by Thomas Quayles & Sons at Cleveland, Ohio for Capt. Thomas Wilson of Cleveland, Ohio. The hull was painted green with white bulwarks and upper works.
On 19 April 1956, the newly-converted cement carrier E.M. FORD had her steering equipment break when she was abeam of Harsens Island on the St. Clair River. She plowed head-on into the down bound freighter A.M. BYERS which was loaded with dolomite for Buffalo, New York. The BYERS sank in just 17 minutes and the FORD anchored. No lives were lost.
Sea trials were completed for Upper Lakes Shipping's CANADIAN TRANSPORT on April 19, 1979, and she departed Port Weller Dry Docks Ltd., on her maiden voyage the next morning.
The GEORGE A. STINSON's self-unloading boom collapsed onto her deck due to a mechanical failure on the night of April 19, 1983, at Detroit, Michigan. No injuries were reported. She continued hauling cargoes without a boom most of the year until it was replaced on September 20. She sails today as b.) AMERICAN SPIRIT.
On April 19, 1951, the CLIFFS VICTORY began her much publicized 1,000 mile journey up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers through the Illinois Waterway pushed by a towboat to Lockport, Illinois where two Great Lakes Towing Co., tugs took up the tow through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.
Hall Corp. of Canada's a.) HUTCHCLIFFE HALL (Hull#261) by Canadian Vickers Ltd., Montreal, Quebec, was launched April 19, 1954.
Pittsburgh Steamship's steamer RICHARD TRIMBLE (Hull#707) of the American Ship Building Co., Lorain, Ohio, was launched April 19, 1913. She was scrapped at Duluth, Minnesota between 1978 and 1981.
On April 19, 1950, the WILFRED SYKES entered service, departing Lorain, Ohio for Toledo to load coal on her maiden voyage. The SYKES also became the largest vessel on the Great Lakes, taking the honor from Pittsburgh Steamship Company's LEON FRASER class (the "Supers"), which had held it since June 21, 1942.
April 19, 1917 - ANN ARBOR NO 5 broke off her starboard shaft and bent the rudder stock on the rocky corner of the old Goodrich dock in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
On 19 April 1880, the Port Huron Times reported the results of a severe gale: "The schooner CHRIS GROVER, ashore near Oscoda, Michigan, is reported going to pieces. The crew is aboard. The schooner ATHENIAN, lumber laden, is reported to have gone ashore off Au Sable and to be a complete wreck. The schooner HATTIE JOHNSON is abandoned on Goose Island shoal. The cabin and part of her deck are gone. The stern is gone from her mizzen and the gale probably broke her up completely and her outfit and cargo may prove a total loss." The GROVE and the JOHNSON were later recovered and put back in service.
On 19 April 1884, EUROPE (wooden propeller, passenger/package freight vessel, 136 foot, 628 gross tons, built in 1870 at St. Catharines, Ontario) was almost totally destroyed by fire at St. Catharines. The remains of her hull were later rebuilt as the barge REGINA.
1915: PALIKI of the Algoma Central Railway fleet was carrying steel rails to Chicago when it ran aground on Simmons Reef near the Straits of Mackinac.
1922: LAMBTON, a steel lighthouse tender, was last seen on the date by the MIDLAND PRINCE. It was lost with all hands on Lake Superior somewhere south of Michipicoten Island while delivering lighthouse keepers to their stations. Wreckage was later located but no bodies were ever found.
1927: DAVID S. TROXEL was damaged in a storm on Lake Superior. Plates and rivets worked loose and there were problems with the rudder. The ship was renamed c) SONOMA later in 1927 and was scrapped by Stelco in Hamilton as d) FRED L. HEWITT in 1962.
1938: REDRIVER had loaded coal at Charlotte, NY and was crossing Lake Ontario when it ran aground, due to fog, near Point Petre.
1939: VALLEY CAMP ran aground on Cole's Shoal, near Brockville, due to fog and part of the cargo of coal had to be lightered before the ship was refloated with the help of the tug SALVAGE PRINCE on April 24.
1940: SANDLAND battled through heavy ice to open the port of Port Colborne on this date in 1940. The ship had a cargo of scrap steel from Detroit for the Algoma Steel mill.
1956: A.M. BYERS was loaded with limestone and bound from Drummond Island to Buffalo when it sank in the St. Clair River following a collision with the E.M. FORD on this date in 1956. The ship was hit on the port side abreast of the pilothouse but all on board were rescued. The ship was later salvaged and repaired becoming b) CLEMENS A. REISS (ii) in 1959 and c) JACK WIRT in 1970.
Ice has been a problem in getting the shipping season underway in 2014 and 2015. This is not a new scenario, but we now have powerful icebreakers and steel-hulled steamers to take on the challenges of spring. It was 102 years ago today that the wooden steamer Uganda met its match.
Uganda was attempting to navigate the ice-clogged Straits of Mackinac when the hull was cut open. The 310-foot-long wooden vessel, sank near White Shoal, Lake Michigan. No lives were lost, and the nearby John A. Donaldson was able to take the sailors to safety.
Uganda was built by F.W. Wheeler and launched at West Bay City, MI on April 12, 1893, and was designed for the coal and grain trades.
The ship had survived an earlier grounding near Whitefish Point, Lake Superior, on Sept. 19, 1898, and only received minor damage in the incident.
On 20 March 1885, MICHIGAN (Hull#48), (iron propeller passenger-package freight steamer, 215 foot, 1,183 tons) of the Detroit, Grand Haven & Milwaukee Railroad was sunk by ice off Grand Haven, Michigan.
The sidewheeler NEW YORK was sold Canadian in 1877, hopefully at a bargain price, because when she was hauled out on the ways on 20 March 1878, at Rathburn's yard in Kingston, Ontario, to have her boiler removed, her decayed hull fell apart and could not be repaired. Her remains were burned to clear the ways.
On 20 March 1883, the E. H. MILLER of Alpena, Michigan (wooden propeller tug, 62 foot, 30 gross tons, built in 1874, at East Saginaw, Michigan) was renamed RALPH. She was abandoned in 1920.
1938: ¬ A fire of an undetermined cause destroyed the passenger steamer CITY OF BUFFALO while it was fitting out for the 1938 season at the East 9th St. Pier in Cleveland The blaze began late the previous day and 11 fire companies responded. The nearby CITY OF ERIE escaped the flames, as did the SEEANDBEE.
2011” ¬ The Indian freighter APJ ANJLI was built in 1982 and began visiting the Great Lakes in 1990. It was sailing as c) MIRACH, and loaded with 25,842 tons of iron ore, when it ran aground 3 miles off the coast of India on March 20, 2011. Four holds were flooded and the crew of 25 was removed. The hull subsequently broke in two and was a total loss.
The wooden steamer Eber Ward loaded 55,000 bushels of corn at Milwaukee as its final cargo. The shipment was valued at 60 cents a bushel and was to be delivered to Port Huron, Mich.
The ship crashed into a heavy wall of ice west of Mackinac City punching a huge hole in the bow, causing the vessel to plunge to the bottom on April 20, 1909. Five sailors were lost while the rest of the crew was picked up by the steel steamer Bennington. The final location of the Eber Ward was forgotten for years but was rediscovered by divers in 1980.
Eber Ward was built at West Bay City, Mich., and completed in July 1880. It carried pig iron from St. Ignace to Buffalo on its first trip and had several owners over the years without a change in name.
Ironically, on April 29, 1895, the crew of the Eber Ward was able to rescue those aboard the A. Everett, which had been sliced open by ice and sank off Point aux Barques, Lake Huron.
The ship had served the various owners well until it was holed by the ice and sank 106 years ago today.
4/20 - Lorain, Ohio – Unbeknown to some, Lorain is home to its very own “ghost ship” – a 90-foot vessel that mysteriously showed up on the Black River in the early 2000s having run aground underneath the Lofton Henderson Memorial Bridge. It has sat there derelict ever since.
Last registered in 2008, the boat, now named the Upper Canada, has puzzled officials from the U.S. Coast Guard as well as the Lorain Port Authority for over a decade. “At this point, the boat is not officially registered to anybody and no one knows who owns it,” said Ed Favre, marine patrol officer of the Lorain Port Authority.
A 1997 article by the Owen Sound Sun Times states that the boat was built in Owen Sound, Canada, by Russel Brothers Limited as an automobile and passenger ferry for a company called Restigouche Ferries. She was originally named the Romeo and Annette and entered service in 1949 under command of Capt. Romeo Allard, who ran a ferry service between Bathurst, New Brunswick and Quebec’s Gaspe Peninsula. A Russel Brothers newsletter published in 1949 states that the ship could carry 12 cars, hold up to 40 passengers, was operated by a crew of six and came equipped with two life boats.
The vessel was built large enough that it was constructed with living quarters below the forward deck, complete with air conditioning. She was powered by twin diesel engines that were rated at 550 horsepower, powering a 50-inch three-blade propeller with an average speed of 10 knots. When she was built, she was hailed as “one of the most modern and completely equipped vessels operating in Canada.”
Records show that in 1965, ownership of the vessel was transferred to the Ministry of Highways and was renamed the Upper Canada where she continued operation, carrying passengers and automobiles between Wolfe Island and Kingston, Ontario.
In the 1970s, she was removed from service after being replaced by another ferry, the Wolfe Islander III, and was taken to Leamington, Ontario, to be used as a back up boat for the Pelee Islander. During the early 1990s, her route was once again changed when she was leased to the Beausoleil First Nation for Christian Island Service, where she served until the late 1990s.
According to the Great Lakes Vessels Online Index, maintained by Bowling Green State University, a man named Al Johnson took ownership of the Upper Canada sometime in 1999. City officials are unsure how or why a Canadian registered boat ran aground in Lorain, and with no way to contact the owner, there seems little that can be done at this point.
Even the Coast Guard has no record of how or why it came to rest on the Black River, Bosun Mate First Class Eric Eberl said. “The tough thing for us, is that we rotate every three or four years, so no one really knows about it or when exactly it was left there,” Eberl said.
Eberl said that after it did show up and was finally considered abandoned, the Coast Guard inspected the ship to make sure that it did not pose an environmental hazard by leaking pollution. But beyond that, it doesn’t fall under their responsibility.
“We try not to get in the practice of dealing with abandoned vessels,” Eberl said. “It doesn’t fall under our responsibility unless it became a hazard of some sort, or it broke free of its moorings and posed a navigation problem on the river.”
Since the boat still technically sits in the river, although it has run aground, the legal aspect of what to do with it is complicated, said Maritime Attorney James Reinheimer. In order to salvage the boat or remove it, someone would need to have a claim against the vessel to try and get a title for it, he said. Somebody would need a monetary claim to do anything with it, Reinheimer said.
“Just running aground and abandoning the boat doesn’t give any individual or company a claim against the vessel,” Reinheimer said. The legalities would be less complicated if it was sitting on land.
“For instance, if it was sitting in a marina, they would be owed storage fees,” Reinheimer said. “That would give them a right that could be enforced in court to take the vessel and sell it for payment of the storage fees.”
Favre said that the Lorain Port Authority has renewed its interest in finding the last registered owner of the ship, but the issue is complicated since it was never re-registered after the registration expired in 2008. So the owner may not even be the same person, he said.
“We have this boat just sitting here on the river and no one knows who currently owns it,” Favre said. “It’s not that we want to go after the owner, but just as a point of information, we have this vessel here and we need to know who to get ahold of incase of an emergency.” Until that time, the fate of the ferry is as mysterious as the reason it came to rest in Lorain.
Lorain Morning Journal
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Post by yachtsmanwilly on Apr 21, 2015 6:40:09 GMT -5
Thousand Islands shipping halted after sugar freighter runs aground
4/21 - Alexandria Bay, N.Y. – Shipping along the St. Lawrence Seaway remained halted Monday night after a freighter carrying sugar ran aground under the Thousand Islands Bridge early Monday.
Lt. Brian T. Hillman, a spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard based in Buffalo, said the 621-foot-long freighter Juno called for help about 1 a.m. Monday. No cargo or fuel was spilled into the waterway, he said, and no crew injuries were reported. The vessel was listing slightly to port with 18 feet of water in the forward peak of the vessel.
The ship, flagged in the Bahamas, was heading toward Toronto. It is owned and operated by Polsteam. The pilot onboard was fully licensed. Lt. Hillman said Coast Guard and company crews are investigating the cause of the stoppage, assessing damage to the vessel as they wait for a salvage team that is en route including two Groupe Ocean tugs that should be on scene Tuesday.
At 6:30 p.m. Monday, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Levi A. Read, based in Cleveland, said three ships were stopped because of the Juno’s grounding. He said the Juno might not be able to leave the area until Wednesday, and the crew will stay on board the freighter in the interim.
The river is closed to traffic. Atlantic Huron was the first ship to stop above the bridge. She is anchored near Carleton Island. Radcliffe R. Latimer is anchored below Brockville. Algoma Olympic has unloaded at Johnstown and is waiting at the dock.
Watertown Daily Times
The Italian freighter Donatella Parodi was a Great Lakes trader in 1965. The ship had been built at Genoa, Italy, and completed in April 1957 for Amicizia Soc. Di Nav. The 483 foot, 3 inch long by 62 foot, 9 inch wide cargo carrier was registered at 8629 gross tons and able to handle 12540 tons per trip.
It was sold and renamed b) Agua Marina in 1968 and then c) Valencia in 1970. Both sailed under the flag of Liberia. It moved to Panamanian registry as d) Europa in 1976, as e) Maratona in 1978 and finally as f) Marika L. in 1981.
A fire broke out in the engine room while trading from Varna, Bulgaria, to Karachi, Pakistan, on April 21, 1981. The blaze of 34 years ago today erupted on the Mediterranean about 60 miles east of the island of Crete.
Marika L. was abandoned by the crew but was brought into Eleusis, Greece, under tow, on April 25. The vessel was, in time, arrested and partially sank. It was sold, via auction, on Jan. 26, 1986, and resold to Turkish shipbreakers.
21 April 1907 Peter West, a fireman on the JOHN C. GAULT (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 218 foot, 519 gross tons, built in 1881, at Buffalo, New York, converted to a bulk freighter in 1906, at Detroit, Michigan) fell overboard and drowned in Lake Huron. The news was reported to Capt. J. W. Westcott when the GAULT sailed past Detroit, Michigan, on 23 April 1907.
On 21 April 1863, SEABIRD (wooden side-wheel steamer, 638 tons, built in 1859, at Newport [Marine City], Michigan) was purchased by Capt. A. E. Goodrich from Capt. E. Ward for $36,000. She served primarily on the Lake Michigan west-shore and Lake Superior routes until she burned in 1868.
EDWIN H. GOTT cleared Two Harbors, Minn., with her first cargo, 59,375 tons of iron ore, on April 21, 1979, bound for Gary, Indiana.
Interstate Steamship's a.) WILLIS L. KING (Hull#79) by the Great Lakes Engineering Works, departed on her maiden voyage with a load of coal from Toledo, Ohio on April 21, 1911, bound for Superior, Wisconsin. Renamed b) C. L. AUSTIN in 1952 and was scrapped at Ashtabula, Ohio, in 1985.
On April 21, 1988, P & H Shipping Ltd.'s, d.) BIRCHGLEN, a.) WILLIAM MC LAUGHLIN, was towed off the Great Lakes by the tugs ELMORE M. MISNER and ATOMIC bound for Sydney, Nova Scotia, to be scrapped. Panda Steamship Co., G. A. Tomlinson, mgr.'s a.) WILLIAM H. WARNER (Hull#784) by American Ship building Co., was launched April 21, 1923. Renamed b.) THE INTERNATIONAL in 1934, c.) MAXINE in 1977, d.) J. F. VAUGHAN in 1981 and e.) OAKGLEN in 1983. Scrapped at Aliaga, Turkey, in 1989.
Pittsburgh Steamship Co's, HOMER D. WILLIAMS (Hull#720) by American Ship Building Co., Lorain, Ohio, was launched in 1917.
April 21, 1998 - PERE MARQUETTE 41 (former CITY OF MIDLAND 41) was towed to Sturgeon Bay from Muskegon for the remainder of the conversion. She was towed by the tugs MARY PAGE HANNAH and the CARL WILLIAM SELVICK.
On 21 April 1868, GERTRUDE (2-mast wooden schooner, 137 foot, 268 tons, built in 1855, at Cleveland, Ohio) was carrying corn from Chicago to Buffalo when she was cut by the ice four miles west of Mackinaw City and sank in deep water. Her crew made it to shore in the yawl.
1963: The hull of the Swedish freighter HELGA SMITH cracked en route from Montreal to Kristiansand, Norway, and the crew abandoned the ship. The vessel was taken in tow but sank April 23 while ten miles off Cape Broyle, Newfoundland. The ship had been completed in December 1944 and had been a Seaway trader since 1960.
1981: The Italian freighter DONATELLA PARODI first came inland in 1965 at the age of 8. It was sailing as f) MARIKA K. when a fire broke out in the engineroom on this day in 1981. The vessel was en route from Varna, Bulgaria, to Karachi, Pakistan, when the blaze erupted on the Mediterranean some 60 miles east of Crete. The ship was abandoned by the crew but towed to Eleusis, Greece. It was laid up, later put under arrest and was partially sunk. Following an auction, the hull was pumped out, towed into Aliaga, Turkey, on May 18, 1987, and broken up.
1986: ALGOPORT was inbound at Grand Haven, MI with a cargo of salt when it hit the seawall.
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Post by yachtsmanwilly on Apr 22, 2015 4:11:18 GMT -5
22 April 1873 - ST. JOSEPH (wooden propeller passenger-package freight steamer, 150 feet, 473 gross tons, built in 18,67 at Buffalo, New York) was sold by the Goodrich Transportation Company to Charles Chamberlain and others of Detroit, Michigan, for $30,000.
On 22 April 1872, Capt. L. R. Boynton brought the wooden propeller WENONA into Thunder Bay to unload passengers and freight at Alpena, Michigan. The 15-inch-thick ice stopped him a mile from the harbor. The passengers got off and walked across the ice to town. Later, because of the novelty of it, a couple hundred people from Alpena walked out to see the steamer. In the evening, Capt. Boynton steamed back to Detroit without unloading any of the cargo.
American Steamship Co.'s, ST. CLAIR (Hull#714) was christened April 22, 1976, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin by Bay Shipbuilding Corp.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE of 1930, laid up for the last time at Toronto on April 22, 1986.
CSL's HOCHELAGA lost her self-unloading boom during a windstorm at Windsor, Ontario, on April 22, 1980. As a consequence, she made 10 trips hauling grain as a straight-decker.
CHARLES M. WHITE was commissioned April 22, 1952, at South Chicago, Illinois. She was soon recognized as one of the fastest ships on the Great Lakes because of her ability to reach speeds in excess of 17 knots (19.6 mph).
On 22 April 1871, the 210-foot, 4-masted wooden schooner JAMES COUCH was launched at Port Huron, Michigan. She was named for a prominent Chicago businessman of the time.
On 22 April 1872, EVA M. CONE (wooden schooner, 25 tons, built in 1859, at Oconto, Wisconsin) was carrying lumber from Port Washington to Milwaukee on an early-season run when she struck on ice floe, capsized and sank just outside of Milwaukee harbor. Her crew made it to safety in her lifeboat.
1917: NEEPAWAH, formerly part of Canada Steamship Lines, was captured by U53 a German submarine and sunk by timed bombs. The vessel had been carrying pyrites from Huelva, Spain, to Rouen, France, and went down about 120 miles west of Bishop's Rock.
1924: BROOKTON lost her way in heavy snow and ran aground on Russell Island Shoal near Owen Sound. The vessel was released the next day with the help of a tug. Her career ended with scrapping at Hamilton as g) BROOKDALE (i) in 1966-1967.
1947: HARRY YATES (ii) stranded on Tecumseh Reef, Lake Erie, but was soon released. The vessel became c) BLANCHE HINDMAN (ii) in 1960 and was scrapped at Santander, Spain, in 1968.
1955: Fire destroyed the historic wooden passenger steamers MAID OF THE MIST and MAID OF THE MIST II at their winter quarters in Niagara Falls, ON. The blaze broke out due to an errant welding spark during the annual fit-out and the Niagara Falls Fire Chief suffered a heart attack and died at the scene.
1968: ALHELI, a Lebanese registered Liberty ship, made three trips to the Great Lakes in 1964. The vessel began leaking 900 miles east of Bermuda while en route from Almeria, Spain, to Wilminton, DE, with fluorspar on this date and was abandoned by the crew. The ship went down April 24.
1972: CHAMPLAIN arrived in Canada from overseas in 1959 and saw occasional Great Lakes service. It became f) GILANI in 1970 and toppled on her side at Vercheres due to the swell from a passing ship on April 22, 1972. The ship was refloated several days later.
1973: An explosion in the engine room of the C.P. AMBASSADOR blew a six-foot-hole in the side of the hull during a storm about 420 miles east of Newfoundland. The ship was abandoned, save for the captain and chief engineer, and was towed into St. John's, NF on May 4. It had been a Great Lakes visitor as a) BEAVEROAK beginning when new in 1965. The damage was repaired and the vessel resumed service on July 14, 1973. It was eventually scrapped as f) FLAMINGO at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, following arrival on April 30, 1984.
The tug Patricia B. McAllister came through the Seaway in 1989 to help in the salvage of a sunken barge. The vessel is believed to have hit solid ice off the Gaspe Peninsula, sinking to a depth of 320 feet in the early morning hours of April 22, 1991.
The hull was later located on the bottom and found to have a 30-foot hole. Only one of the six sailors on board survived the tragedy of 24 years ago today.
The 120- foot-long Patricia B. McAllister was built at Fort George Island, Florida, and completed as Esso Santa Cruz in 1976. It was used at Aruba assisting large tankers at the local Esso refinery. The name was changed to Santa Cruz in 1987 and it operated as such until the sale to McAllister in 1988.
On arrival at Montreal on July 17, 1988, the ship was renamed and given an extensive refit. After operating on the tropics, one of the needs was a heating system and it was also given ice strengthening for winter work on the St. Lawrence.
Patricia B. McAllister first came to the Great Lakes in April 1989, to help free the 275-foot barge OLS-30 that capsized and sunk near Rogers City, Mich., in October 1988 with a cargo of calcium chloride. This was one of the tugs used to tow the upside down hull into Calcite, Mich., where it was off loaded, then taken back into deep water and righted.
4/22 - Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. – City council rejected several funding requests to whittle the tax levy increase down to 1.89 percent at its 2015 budget meeting Monday. One of those requests was for $15,000 to assist with operation of the Museum Ship Norgoma.
The Norgoma, anchored on Sault Ste. Marie's waterfront, has relied partly on financial support from council for several years to assist with operational costs.
"We're very disappointed," said Gord Smedley, St. Mary's River Marine Heritage Centre board chair, speaking to SooToday Tuesday. "It means we'll have to put off some of our necessary maintenance on the ship."
"Specifically, the wheelhouse and the captain's cabins have been very nicely restored in the past, there's a lot of fine woodwork in them and they're in extremely mint condition, but the deck above them is not in such good condition and we're afraid leakage of that deck is going to cause damage to the restored areas, which would be a step backwards," Smedley said.
"Certainly the $15,000 would have been very useful to us…to repair the decks over top of those cabins, that would run in the range of $15,000 to $20,000."
However, Smedley said all is not lost for the vessel as an operational tourist attraction. "As far as our operations for this year is concerned we're in good shape because we had a very good 2014 (though Smedley did not have dollar figures immediately available)."
"We're looking forward to an even better year in terms of attendance and events this year and hopefully some of that revenue can go into ongoing maintenance of the ship."
Smedley said the Norgoma group has gained approval, through other sources of funding, to hire two students to paint the ship this summer and is hopeful of being able to hire a third student. "We just hope we'll able to find enough money to provide the raw materials for them." The Norgoma group also hopes to hire another paid assistant manager (as it did in 2014) to help generate funds through organizing special events aboard the vessel, but was not at liberty to say what the funding source for that assistant manager position would be.
Smedley said the Norgoma group already has a number of wedding receptions planned for 2015, and hopes to repeat a magic show event and a Halloween event, as well as hosting a trade show.
Smedley said he anticipates another application for funding will be made to council in 2016.
"I think after 2014 and another good year in 2015 we'll be able to show (council) we're making real progress and proving our financial stability…we've appreciated council's support in the past and we look forward to renewal of it."
Plans to turn the Norgoma into a bed and breakfast is "a long way away," Smedley said. "We've done a study and we know exactly what we have to do to meet building code requirements, we know roughly what it's going to cost, so it's a long way in the future," Smedley said.
Soo Today
4/22 - Collins Landing, N.Y. – Coast Guard officials are reviewing a plan to move the grounded Juno, which has been stranded under the Thousand Islands Bridge since early Monday morning.
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Christopher M. Yaw, based in Cleveland, said it was unclear when the vessel might be moved. “The main thing right now is making sure everything is done safely,” he said.
Crews have spent the last day assessing the damage to the Juno, which grounded around 1 a.m. Monday as it carried sugar to Toronto. Around noon Tuesday, the Canadian tugboats Ocean Georgie Bain and Ocean Ross Gaudreault arrived at the scene to help move the ship.
The grounding of the Juno has held up nearby shipping on the St. Lawrence Seaway. The Coast Guard said Tuesday afternoon seven vessels are waiting for the channel to re-open.
The 621-foot bulk carrier, flagged in the Bahamas, is owned and operated by Polska Zeg Luga Morska P.P., a subsidiary of the O’Brien’s Group.
The vessel is slightly listing to port with 18 feet of water in its forward peak, the Coast Guard said. No cargo or fuel was spilled into the waterway, and no crew injuries were reported.
The cause of the grounding is still under investigation, Petty Officer Yaw said. Crews were still at the site as of about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, he said.
Also aiding at the scene were officials from the Canadian Coast Guard, the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, Polsteam USA, Seaway Traffic, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Jefferson County.
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Post by yachtsmanwilly on Apr 23, 2015 5:24:28 GMT -5
23 April 1907 - The SEARCHLIGHT (wooden propeller fish tug, 40 foot, built in 1899, at Saginaw, Michigan) capsized and sank while returning to Harbor Beach, Michigan, with a load of fish. The vessel had been purchased by Captain Walter Brown and his son from the Robert Beutel Fish Company of Toledo, Ohio, just ten days before. The sale agreement stated that the tug was to be paid for with fish, not cash. All six crew members drowned.
On 23 April 1883, STEPHEN S. BATES (wooden schooner, 97 foot, 139 tons, built in 1856, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin) was bound from Horne's Pier, Wisconsin, with posts and hardware for Chicago when she was driven into the shallows just north of Grosse Point, Illinois, by a storm and broke up. No lives were lost.
In 1953, the PERE MARQUETTE 22 was cut in half, then pulled apart and lengthened by 40 feet, as part of a major refit at Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Also during this refit, her triple-expansion engines were replaced with Skinner Unaflows, and her double stacks were replaced with a single, tapered stack. The refit was completed August 28, 1953.
On April 23, 1966, the b.) JOSEPH S. WOOD, a.) RICHARD M. MARSHALL of 1953, was towed to the Ford Rouge complex at Dearborn, Michigan by her new owners, the Ford Motor Company. She was renamed c.) JOHN DYKSTRA.
Canada Steamship Lines’ FORT YORK was commissioned April 23, 1958.
On April 23, 1980, the ARTHUR B. HOMER's bow thruster failed while maneuvering through ice at Taconite Harbor, Minnesota, resulting in a grounding which damaged her bow and one ballast tank.
The a.) GRIFFIN (Hull#12) of the Cleveland Ship Building Co. was launched April 23, 1891, for the Lake Superior Iron Mining Co. Renamed b.) JOSEPH S. SCOBELL in 1938, she was scrapped at Rameys Bend, Ontario, in 1971.
On April 23, 1972, PAUL H. CARNAHAN arrived at the Burlington Northern Docks at Superior, Wisconsin, to load 22,402 gross tons of iron ore bound for Detroit, opening the 1972, shipping season at Superior.
On 23 April 1859, at about midnight, the schooner S. BUTTLES was fighting a severe gale. She was carrying staves from Port Burwell, Ontario, to Clayton, New York, and sprang a leak while battling the gale. While manning the pumps, one man was washed overboard, but his shipmates quickly rescued him. Capt. Alexander Pollock beached the vessel to save her about 10 miles east of the Genesee River.
On 23 April 1882, GALLATIN (2-mast wooden schooner, 138 foot, 422 tons, built in 1863, at Oswego, New York) was carrying pig iron from St. Ignace, Michigan, to Erie, Pennsylvania, when she sprang a leak in a storm on Lake Erie. She struck bottom on Chickanolee Reef and foundered in shallow water at Point Pelee. Her crew was saved from the rigging by the fishing sloop LIZZIE.
1916 The grain laden COLLINGWOOD stranded in Whitefish Bay due to ice and fog and was not released until April 27.
1929 The canaller IMARI was on its delivery trip from Port Talbot, Wales, to Canada when it lost the propeller blades, due to ice, off Scaterie Island, Nova Scotia. The vessel later sailed the Great Lakes as b) DELAWARE, d) MANICOUAGAN, e) WASHINGTON TIMES HERALD and f) MANITOULIN.
1945 EFTYCHIA, a Greek freighter, came to the Great Lakes for one trip in 1961. Earlier, as the British freighter RIVERTON, it had been torpedoed by U-1023 off southwest England on April 23, 1945, and three lives were lost. The vessel arrived at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, as c) BOAZ ESPERANZA for scrapping on March 20, 1969.
1975 WESTDALE (ii) ran aground at the entrance to Goderich harbour while inbound with grain and was stuck for 15 hours before being pulled free.
1988 QUEDOC (iii) was upbound in the Seaway when it was in a collision with the BIRCHGLEN (I) under tow for scrap, and went aground in Lake St. Louis near Buoy 2A. Four tugs were needed to pull the ship free and it went to Port Weller Dry Docks for repairs.
1991 MARINE TRANSPORT operated around Maritime Canada but had come to the Great Lakes as c) C. OMER MARIE. It ran into ice and sank on April 23, 1991, about 10 miles off Cape Race, NF. The vessel was under R.C.M.P. surveillance when it was lost and all on board were rescued only to be arrested.
Coast Guard says no to river-barge route from Mississippi to Muskegon
4/23 - Muskegon, Mich. – A year and a half after it was initially proposed, the U.S. Coast Guard has made its ruling on a proposed river barge route to Muskegon.
Michigan Agri-Business Association President Jim Byrum confirmed April 22 that the Coast Guard has denied the Lansing-based organization's petition to allow barges from the Mississippi River system to travel on Lake Michigan along the western shore of Michigan.
"We're extraordinarily disappointed," Byrum said. "But frankly, we're a trade association and the real losers in this are the citizens of Muskegon and the surrounding areas. There are many businesses that would have embraced the barge opportunity. I'm sure there will be efforts to fill the void in the transportation infrastructure that exists on west side, unfortunately, it's not going to be water born."
The MABA's proposal was similar to the situation permitted between Calumet, Ill. and Burns Harbor, Ill., and between Calumet and Milwaukee, but the Coast Guard found some "significant differences," according to its report.
The reasons for denying the proposal include a history of more severe weather on the eastern side of Lake Michigan, the lack of ports of refuge on the West coast of Michigan and the lack of quantified potential economic benefits.
The Coast Guard also considered comments made during a 90-day comment period. Twenty-three of the 92 total comments opposed the barge route to Muskegon, citing concerns about the catastrophic environmental impact cargo lost into Lake Michigan would have.
Other opposing comments expressed concern that the route would cause the spread of Asian carp and/or other invasive species from the Mississippi River system. The volatile weather on the east side of Lake Michigan was also a sticking point for many, according to the report.
"I think they hung their hat on safety," Byrum said. "We've always embraced safety as a major issue from the start. The biggest challenge is they talk about three-barge towing that we had never suggested as an option. I've expressed to the Coast Guard my disappointment that we didn't have the opportunity to react to some of their concerns. Perhaps we could have pooled resources that could have helped them make a more comprehensive decision."
The immediate impact on Muskegon could be large. Combined with the closing of the B.C. Cobb plant in April of 2016, the lack of tonnage to the Port of Muskegon could mean the Army Corps of Engineers could stop dredging the port.
The Army Corps of Engineers has a freight tonnage threshold, with harbors over 1 million tons annually classified as a high-use commercial harbors, qualifying them for dredging.
It's not an end-all-be-all classification however; funding for dredging could still be provided if the Port of Muskegon fell under the million-ton threshold. Special legislation is also a possibility.
Byrum said MABA doesn't have immediate plans to fight the decision, but will be "taking a deep breath" to explore options and talk with supporters. He thanked U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga and U.S. Rep. Fred Upton for their support throughout the process.
4/23 - The saltwater vessel Juno is headed to Toronto, Ont., under her own power after being freed by tugs Wednesday morning.
The Polsteam bulker ran aground early Monday under the Thousand Islands Bridge near Alexandria Bay in New York state. The vessel suffered damage to its bow and was taking on water.
According to the industry publication TradeWinds, the incident was a result of a rudder failure caused by an electrical fault. Damage was limited to the forepeak ballast tank.
The Juno will discharge its sugar cargo in Toronto, then head to a yet-to-be-named shipyard for repairs.
Coast Guard responding to grounded Mississagi
4/23 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The Coast Guard continues to respond to a 603-foot bulk carrier which ran aground near De Tour Village, Mich., early Wednesday.
The Mississagi was entering the downbound channel of the St. Marys River from Bruce Mines, Ont. after loading stone, when it ran aground in Potagannissing Bay approximately 4 miles northeast of De Tour Village early Wednesday. She is located near Big Trout Island Shoal Buoy #4 in the Turkey Trail, north of Drummond Island, in U.S. waters.
The Coast Guard responded with a 25-foot Response Boat-Small from Station Sault Ste Marie as well as a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium from Station St. Ignace, Michigan. At first light a helicopter crew from Air Station Traverse City, Mich., aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter flew over the vessel to confirm there was no pollution.
The bow of the vessel is aground and the fuel tanks are located near the stern of the vessel. Vessel navigation is unimpeded. The crew of the Mississagi is working with the Northeast Tech Salvage Company to create a salvage plan. The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Buckthorn is scheduled to conduct aids to navigation verification.
The Coast Guard is also establishing a 500-yard safety zone around the vessel. There were no reported injuries to the crew and no reported pollution.
USCG
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Post by yachtsmanwilly on Apr 24, 2015 5:51:34 GMT -5
24 April 1882 - The ferry HAWKINS (wooden propeller ferry, 73 foot, 86 gross tons, built in 1873, at Au Sable, Michigan) was renamed JAMES BEARD. She had received a thorough overhaul and was put in service between Port Huron, Michigan, and Sarnia, Ontario, on 25 April 1882. She lasted until 1927, when she was abandoned.
On 24 April 1872, the 3-mast wooden schooner JENNIE GRAHAM was sailing up Lake Huron to pick up a load of lumber. She was light and at full sail when a sudden squall caused her to capsize. Two crewmembers were trapped below decks and died. Captain Duncan Graham was washed away and drowned. The remaining seven crewmembers clung to the overturned hull for about an hour and then the vessel unexpectedly turned upwards and lay on one side. The crew was then able to cut away a lifeboat and get in it. They were later picked up by the schooner SWEEPSTAKES. The GRAHAM was salvaged and taken to Port Huron for repairs.
ONTADOC sailed from Collingwood, Ontario, on her maiden voyage on April 24, 1975, for Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario to load steel for Duluth, Minnesota. She was renamed b) MELISSA DESGAGNES in 1990. Pittsburgh Steamship Co.'s D.M. CLEMSON (Hull#716) of the American Ship Building Co., departed Lorain on her maiden voyage April 24, 1917, to load iron ore at Duluth, Minnesota.
The B.F. JONES left Quebec on April 24, 1973, in tandem with her former fleet mate EDWARD S. KENDRICK towed by the Polish tug KORAL heading for scrapping in Spain. The wooden schooner WELLAND CANAL was launched at Russell Armington's shipyard at St. Catharines, Ontario. She was the first ship built at St. Catharines and the first to navigate the Welland Canal when it opened between St. Catharine's and Lake Ontario on 10 May 1828.
1948 A collision between the HARRY L. FINDLAY and the Canadian tanker JOHN IRWIN occurred in the St. Clair River, near Recors Point on this date. The stem bar was twisted and plates set back on the American bulk carrier and these were repaired at Lorain. It later sailed as c) PAUL L. TIETJEN. The tanker saw further service as c) WHITE ROSE II, d) WHITE ROSE and e) FUEL MARKETER (ii).
1975 The Canadian self-unloader SAGUENAY sustained minor damage in a collision in Lake St. Clair with the Panamanian freighter FESTIVITY on this date. The latter had begun coming to the Great Lakes in 1966. It had been damaged in a grounding on July 18, 1977, and arrived at Bilbao, Spain, for scrapping on November 9, 1977.
1989 GENERAL VARGAS arrived at Green Bay and was being towed by the tug MINNIE SELVICK when the latter was crushed against pilings around a railway bridge and sank. All on board were rescued but the tug was a total loss. The Philippine registered freighter had begun Great Lakes trading as a) BRUNTO in 1977 and reacquired that name in 1994. It was scrapped at Aliaga, Turkey, as f) LINDEN after arriving on July 19, 2011.
U.S. Coast Guard continues to investigate grounded Mississagi
4/24 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The Mississagi remains stuck after running aground in the St. Marys River Wednesday. Now crews are working to tirelessly to get it moving again.
The Coast Guard's was on scene all day Thursday trying to figure out how it got stuck
"Why they found themselves there is still part of the investigation. But unfortunately that’s where they are. There's a shoal charted at four feet so it's a hazardous shoal. The location they grounded is outside the normal path for that particular area, so there's a channel between two buoys," said Mike Hjkerstedt, Chief of Investigations, USCG.
“The freighter is sitting in four feet of water. So far, it looks like there's no damage. But crews must make sure nothing is leaking out of the freighter before they start to move it.”
Divers are expected on-scene sometime Friday. They say they hope to have a plan of action by this weekend.
The Mississagi was entering the downbound channel of the St. Marys River from Bruce Mines, Ont. after loading stone, when it ran aground in Potagannissing Bay approximately 4 miles northeast of De Tour Village early Wednesday. She is located near Big Trout Island Shoal Buoy #4 in the Turkey Trail, north of Drummond Island, in U.S. waters.
9 & 10 News
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