Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

One boater rescued, 1 presumed dead in Saginaw River accident

5/9 - Zilwaukee, Mich. - Police searching for two men who jumped overboard from a small boat in the Saginaw River say one person was rescued and the other person is presumed dead.

The two men were in the boat sometime before 11 a.m. Friday, May 8, when investigators believe a tug and barge approached and the pair believed a collision would occur due to engine trouble on their boat. The men then jumped into the river, the Michigan State Police reports.

Earlier information that the larger has been updated because investigators believe it was a tugboat or different type of large watercraft.

A 911 call about 10:50 a.m. Friday sent area firefighters and members of the Saginaw County Sheriff's Department to the Saginaw River near the Bay-Saginaw county line after someone on shore saw a man clinging to a buoy and calling for help, Saginaw County Sheriff's Sgt. Mark Garabelli said.

The Zilwaukee Fire Department was first on scene and rescued the man. He was transported to a hospital where he is recovering, police said.

"He was pretty badly hypothermic but he was conscious and able to talk," U.S. Coast Guard Spokesman Lt. Davey Connor said, noting the Coast Guard assisted the search-and-rescue operation with a helicopter.

"They were afraid they were going to get hit so they dove in the water." - USCG Spokesman Lt. Davey Connor said.

Saginaw News





U.S. Coast Guard hits Saginaw River and Bay for annual buoy inspections

5/9 - Hampton Township, Mich. - U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Hannah Amos was in for a battle on the Saginaw River Wednesday. Her opponent: a 4,000-pound anchor holding down Buoy 6, located near the mouth to Saginaw Bay in Bay County's Hampton Township.

Revving the engines of a 49-foot stern loading buoy boat, Amos maneuvered the vessel back and forth, working in a circular pattern, its bow rising up out of the water, until the giant anchor gave way, dislodging itself from the bottom of the river.

Cheers rang out as Chief Petty Officer Brian Sieg used the boat's hydraulic lift to raise the massive anchor.

"Just wait for the smell now," joked Petty Officer 2nd Class Cameron Mayasich, as those on board watched the anchor -- covered in mud and muck -- surface.

It was all part of a routine day for members of the U.S. Coast Guard's Aids to Navigation Team working out of the Coast Guard Station Saginaw River. Each spring, the team is charged with inspecting 37 buoys placed in the river and bay.

Six members of the team -- Sieg, Amos, Mayasich, Petty Officer 1st Class Andrew Tetrault, Petty Officer 2nd Class Scott Blue and Petty Officer 3rd Class Kennith Paige -- spent three hours on the Saginaw River on Wednesday, May 6, inspecting buoys 2, 5 and 6 and the heavy chains that hold them in place.

Buoy 6 was the only one that gave the team -- which also oversees lighthouses and range lights from Alpena to Port Huron -- any trouble.

"Our job is to make sure it's where it's supposed to be and working correctly," said Sieg, explaining that every buoy has to be touched at least once a year.

Buoy inspection requires lifting each buoy from the water, replacing worn lettering, checking position and inspecting the chain for wear.

"I love this job," said Tetrault, who hails from Rhode Island and has been in Bay County for two years. "I think Aids to Navigation is the most rewarding job you could have in the Coast Guard."

As the Coast Guard vessel departed its harbor on Wednesday, Tetrault's love for the job was obvious. "Lets go slay some buoys," he said.

One of the more important parts of each inspection, Sieg said, involves checking the chains. Each chain must be measured for chafe and inspected for wear. Typically, sections of the chain are covered with what Sieg calls "buoy critters."

The chains typically can be hauled up using the boat's hydraulic lift, but sometimes -- about 1 in 4 -- the entire anchor must be raised in order to properly inspect the chain, Sieg said. That was the case on Wednesday with buoys 5 and 6.

The crew of the Aids to Navigation Team uses Global Positioning System technology to ensure the buoys are properly placed.

The team is relatively new to the Coast Guard Station Saginaw River having been established there in July 2014, according to Sieg. The team -- once part of the search and rescue and law enforcement team -- has 11 crew members.

After three hours on the water Wednesday, crew members were wet, tired and partially covered with muck. But Tetrault wouldn't have it any other way.

"It's good hard work and the camaraderie is fantastic," he said. "It's always a lot of fun."

M Live



1923 –H.A. ROCK of the Forest City Steamship Co. went aground in Georgian Bay. The vessel was taken to drydock where the plates were removed, re-rolled and put back. The ship was idle May 18 to June 1 and the cost was $13,707.60.

Steamer COLUMBIA (Hull#148) was launched in 1902 by the Detroit Ship Building Co., Wyandotte, Michigan. The steamer was built for day excursions between Detroit and Bob-Lo Island. The vessel has been in lay-up since September 2, 1991 at Nicholson's Terminal.

On May 10, 1981, WILLIAM J. DELANCEY entered service for Interlake Steamship Co.. She became the largest vessel on the Great Lakes at that time, and at least in the last 130 years, she has held the honor of being the largest vessel on the Great Lakes longer than any other vessel. Renamed b.) PAUL R TREGURTHA in 1990.

On 10 May 1858, LEMUEL CRAWFORD (3 mast wooden bark, 135 foot, 450 tons, built in 1855, at Black River, Ohio) was carrying wheat from Chicago to Buffalo. She ran into a heavy gale and went out of control near Pelee Passage and struck a reef 1-1/2 miles off East Sister Island in Lake Erie. She began to sink immediately and the 13 onboard scrambled up her masts and lashed themselves to her rigging. After two days, they were finally rescued by the tug R R ELIOTT out of Detroit.

May 10, 1922 - The ANN ARBOR NO 4 ran aground at Green Isle. She was released with no damage.

The first Welland Canal was opened between St. Catharine's and Lake Ontario on 10 May 1828. The first vessel to navigate this route was the schooner WELLAND CANAL. This was a new vessel having been launched at St. Catharines, Ontario on 24 April 1828.

On 10 May 1898, ISAAC LINCOLN (wooden propeller freighter, 134 foot, 376 gross tons) was launched at Anderson's yard in Marine City, Michigan for A. F. Price of Freemont, Michigan and Capt. Egbert of Port Huron, Michigan. She cost $40,000. She lasted until 1931, when she was abandoned


On May 11, 1953, the HENRY STEINBRENNER went down in Lake Superior near Isle Royale with 17 of her 31 crewmembers. The storm followed an unseasonably warm and humid stretch of weather in northern Minnesota for that time of year, which fueled the storm's fast growth. The high temperature of 87 degrees set in Grand Marais, Minnesota on May 8, 1953, still stands as that town's all-time record high for the month of May, and it is just eight degrees shy of the town's all-time record for any month.

The 144 foot, 3-mast, wooden bark JESSE HOYT was launched at East Saginaw, Michigan, by Smith & Whitney on 11 May 1854. Later in her career, she was converted to a schooner and lasted until 1896, when she sank in Lake Michigan in a collision.

The A. WESTON (wooden steam barge, 164 foot, 511 gross tons) left Mount Clemens, Michigan on her maiden voyage on 11 May 1882. She was built by William Dulac. Her hull was painted black. She was powered by a single 28 inch x 32 inch engine and she was designed for the lumber trade. She was sold Canadian in 1909, and was renamed CONGERCOAL. She lasted until she burned to a total loss at Fair Haven, New York on 10 May 1917.

On 11 May 1886, OSSIFRAGE (wooden propeller passenger-package freight steamer, 123 foot, 383 gross tons) was launched by F. W. Wheeler & Co. (Hull #26) at West Bay City, Michigan. She was rebuilt a number of times and ended her days on salt water. While being towed in the Northumberland Strait in the Atlantic Ocean, she struck a shoal and foundered in September 1919.

1934 – KEYBAR ran aground above the Canadian Lock at Sault Ste. Marie and was stuck for 12 hours. Part of the cargo of grain was lightered before the ship floated free. The vessel was scrapped at Port Dalhousie in 1963.

1945 – MOYRA began Great Lakes trading in 1931. It was owned by the Government of Newfoundland when fire broke out in the St. Lawrence east of Quebec City on this date in 1945. The ship was beached off Ile d'Orleans and was heavily damaged. The vessel was rebuilt at Montreal and sold to Norwegian interests as b) HEIKA returning to the Great Lakes in 1953. It also visited as c) MARISCO in 1957 and foundered in the Gulf of Laconia, Greece, while en route from Varna, Bulgaria, to Genoa, Italy, with iron ore on October 20, 1959.

1974 – While outbound in the Cuyahoga River, a fire broke out aboard the GEORGE D. GOBLE. The Kinsman Lines bulk carrier was docked and the blaze was extinguished with about $2,500 in damage.

1987 – LONDON FUSILIER, an SD-14, was a year old when it first came through the Seaway in 1973. Fire broke out in #5 hold while unloading at Hamburg, West Germany, as c) HER LOONG on this date in 1987 resulting in extensive damage. The ship was towed to Valencia, Spain, in July 1987 and scrapped.

[yachtsmanwilly]

The CABOT (Hull#649) was launched May 12, 1965, at Lauzon, Quebec by Davie Shipbuilding Ltd., for Gulf Ports Steamship Co. Ltd. (Clarke Steamship Co. Ltd., mgr.). In 1983, the CABOT's stern was attached to the bow section of the NORTHERN VENTURE to create the CANADIAN EXPLORER.

The THOMAS WALTERS, American Shipbuilding, Lorain (Hull#390) entered service on May 12, 1911, with coal from Sandusky, Ohio to Duluth, Minnesota. Renamed b.) FRANK R. DENTON in 1952, she was scrapped at Ashtabula, Ohio in 1984.

The carferry GRAND HAVEN was sold to the West India Fruit & Steamship Co., Norfolk, Virginia on May 12, 1946, and was brought down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, Louisiana for reconditioning before reaching Port Everglades and the Port of Palm Beach, Florida.

On 12 May 1875, the scow-schooner SEA BIRD of Chicago was driven onto the beach a half-mile south of the harbor at Holland, Michigan by a Northeaster. After the storm, she was high and dry on the beach.

The wooden J.S. SEAVERNS stranded near Michipicoten Island on Lake Superior on 12 May 1884. She had been carrying passengers from Chicago to Port Arthur. She was pulled free by a tug, but then sank. She was formerly a steam barge, being built on the bottom of the side-wheel tug JOHN P. WARD in Saugatuck, Michigan in 1880. The WARD dated back to 1857, had burned in 1865, was then rebuilt as a schooner, and in 1880, was finally rebuilt as the SEAVERNS.

1975 – The tug TARA HILL was damaged by a fire set by vandals at New Orleans. This vessel had operated on the Great Lakes as NORTHERN, CHARLES R. RANDLE SR., HELEN HINDMAN, SUSAN HINDMAN and HERBERT A. Lloyds notes “continued existence in doubt” in 1997, but the hull was likely dismantled much earlier.

1978 – PHOTINIA ran aground off Milwaukee in rough seas and the crew was rescued. The ship was refloated but declared a total loss. It was towed to various Lake Michigan ports in the next two years and was eventually dismantled at Kewaunee, Wis., in 1981.

(Note) PHOTINIA was the ship that my dad was wrecking when the LAUREN CASTLE tow came in. Still have some soft goods off the ship like curtain materials and pillows etc... ws

[yachtsmanwilly]

5/13 - Toronto, Ont. – Ports Toronto refuses to disclose how much it is paying a veteran scrapper to tow Captain John’s floating restaurant from the foot of Yonge Street and cut it into tiny, rusting pieces, other than to stress it won’t cost taxpayers a dime.

The costs of the complex tow by two specialized tugs through the Welland Canal to Port Colborne — estimated by some marine experts at well over $400,000 — are being shared by the federal port authority, Waterfront Toronto and Cityzen Developments.

Waterfront Toronto, which gets most of its funding from the three levels of government, said its share will come from the sale of waterfront land.

Ports Toronto stressed that it is financially self-sufficient through its port and island airport operations and that the bid details are proprietary.

Cityzen, which couldn’t be reached for comment, is a private development company which is building the waterfront Residences of Pier 27 condo complex immediately to the east of the rusting relic and had been promised the ship would be gone last year. It’s launching sales soon for a new, 35-storey condo tower on the parking lot adjacent to Captain John’s.

Federal court justice Kevin Aalto approved a deal Monday that will see the ship sail one last time — by May 26, weather willing — tied to two massive tugs that will take it to the Port Colborne scrap yard of Marine Recycling Corp.

Alto approved the sale — after a first auction last summer ended in failure — after being warned that the aged ship, the Jadran, is in “shocking” condition and has almost sunk twice in the last month.

“This is clearly a case that requires closure,” Aalto said, adding that Marine Recycling’s bid was the most credible of four proposals, two of them “negative bids” that will see waterfront officials pay, rather than get paid, money.

The other was an offer from Priestly Demolition in partnership with entrepreneur James Sbrolla to remove it for $250,000.

Sbrolla agreed to pay $33,501 for the ship last summer, but failed to meet some payment deadlines and later partnered with Priestly in hopes of starting demolition at the foot of Parliament St. Ports Toronto eventually rejected the plan and returned Sbrolla’s money.

“I’m sure they don’t want the number made public because they overpaid so badly to have it taken away,” Sbrolla said outside the court, referring to the Marine Recycling bid.

But it’s been clear from the start that this is no easy feat: Marine surveys have shown the ship is top heavy, polluted with asbestos and now weighed down by about 10 feet of oily water.

The biggest risk is that the ship could “turtle” as it’s being angled out of Toronto’s harbor and become a new kind of landmark — a costly impediment to seaway traffic, salvage master Wayne Elliott of Marine Recycling told court.

“The vessel is ripe,” Elliott testified Monday. “That doesn’t refer to a nice ripe piece of fruit. It’s more like a rotten piece of fruit.”

“This is not a vessel that anything else wants to go wrong with,” he added.

Of course, it was far from smooth sailing right up until the end for the once fine-dining establishment that was shut down by public health officials almost three years ago. It has been the subject of legal wrangling and two court auctions since then aimed at somehow recovering more than $1 million in back taxes, berthing and other fees that “Captain” John Letnik owes to Ports Toronto, Waterfront Toronto and the City of Toronto.

Letnik, 76, was pressing the court to look at other options, widely seen as long dead, that might give the ship a new life as an entertainment venue and help pay off his debts.

But as the desperate, last-ditch effort to save his life’s work came to an end, Elliott reached out his hand to Letnik, calling him “a gentleman.” He even offered Letnik a spot on the Jadran as it’s towed away from its prime waterfront real estate later this month.

“I would like to be part of the last voyage,” Letnik said outside court, fighting back tears. “I’m very much honored that he has invited me.”

The Toronto Star



The tanker GEMINI (Hull#746) was launched at Orange, Texas by Levingston Ship Building Co. in 1978, for Cleveland Tankers Inc., a subsidiary of Ashland Oil. Renamed b.) ALGOSAR in 2005.

The tanker JUPITER made her maiden voyage May 13, 1976 from Smith's Bluff, Texas loaded with lube oil bound for Marcus Hooks, Penn. She was destroyed after exploding in the Saginaw River on September 16, 1990.

On May 13, 1913, Pittsburgh Steamship's THOMAS F. COLE collided with the barge IRON CITY on Lake St. Clair. The barge was cut in two.

Delivered May 13, 1943, THOMAS WILSON departed under the command of Captain Henry Borgen on her maiden voyage from Lorain, Ohio, bound for Duluth, Minnesota, to load iron ore.

The green-hulled schooner EMMA C. HUTCHINSON was launched at 4 p.m. on 13 May 1873, at the E. Fitzgerald yard in Port Huron. She was the largest vessel built at that yard up to that time. She was named for the wife of Mr. J. T. Hutchinson of Cleveland. Her dimensions were 195foot keel, 215 feet overall, 35 foot beam, 14 foot depth, 736 tons. She cost $55,000. Frank Leighton was her builder and Matthew Finn the master fitter. She was outfitted by Swan's Sons of Cleveland. Her painting was done by Ross & Doty of Port Huron.

On 13 May 1874, the Port Huron Times reported that someone had stolen the schooner ANNIE FAUGHT and that John Hoskins, the owner, was offering a reward for her recovery.

May 13, 1898 - The steamer JOHN ERICSSON, having in tow the barge ALEXANDER HOLLEY, bound down with ore, went aground while making the turn at the dark hole in little Mud Lake. She is on a sand bottom. Tugs and lighters have gone to release her. When the steamer grounded the barge ran into her, damaging the latter's bow and causing a large hole above the water line on the starboard side of the ERICSSON. Both were repaired temporarily.

On 13 May 1871, NORTHERNER (wooden barge, 220 foot, 1,391 gross tons) was launched by Capt. Wescott at Marine City, Michigan. Her master builder was John J. Hill. She was towed to Detroit to be fitted out and there was talk of eventually converting her to a passenger steamer. She remained a barge until 1880, when she was converted to a propeller freighter in Detroit. She lasted until 1892, when she burned at L'anse, Mich.

1914 – The package freight carrier CITY OF OTTAWA was upbound in the Cornwall Canal when it sheered over and struck the downbound S.N. PARENT on the port side at #2 hatch. The former was part of Canada Steamship Lines but was best known as the INDIA of the Anchor Line.

1915 – VALCARTIER and A.W. OSBORNE collided in Lake Huron above Corsica Shoal.

1933 – CALGARIAN, en route from Toronto to Montreal with automobiles and general cargo, stranded at Salmon Point in Lake Ontario, and was refloated two days later. 1943 – The caustic soda tanker DOLOMITE 4 was in and out of the Great Lakes via the New York State Barge Canal system. The vessel was torpedoed and sunk by U-176 off the north coast of Cuba on the date in 1943 as b) NICKELINER.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Badger readied for 2015 sailing season with new ash retention system in place

5/14 - Ludington, Mich. - The SS Badger is expected to sail from Ludington to Manitowoc, Wisconsin Friday, putting its new ash retention system to use.

Lake Michigan Carferry has spent an estimated $2.4 million over the past two years in adding a new combustion control system before the 2014 season and the ash retention system over this past winter in order to meet the requirements of the U.S. Department of Justice approved consent decree between LMC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The consent decree required the Badger, the last coal-fired, steam-powered vessel operating on the Great Lakes, to stop discharging ash into Lake Michigan before sailing in 2015.

LMC had planned to show the media how the new system works, but Tuesday canceled a media event scheduled for Thursday afternoon. According to Terri Brown, LMC director of marketing and media relations, “the new ash retention system has been completed and is waiting for testing, but the ship’s original steam generators that were sent to the East Coast to be refurbished took longer to complete than we had anticipated. This delayed the startup of the boilers and our ability to test run the new ash retention system. The new system will be operational for the first day of sailing on Friday, May 15.”

Work was under way Tuesday reinstalling the steam generators.

A planned press conference on the Wisconsin side of the lake for Friday afternoon will continue as scheduled, at which time the new ash retention system’s operation will be explained in detail, Brown said.

“It was laborious, but it is in place and it is ready,” Brown said of installation of the ash retention system made by Kalamazoo-based Hapman, a manufacturer of standard and custom bulk material handling equipment and systems. Brown told the Ludington Daily News the installation “was as difficult as we thought it would be, but it is done.”

The system transports ash from the four boilers to four retention bins on the car deck. Like almost everything else on the ship, first placed in service in 1953 and the largest carferry ever to sail the Great Lakes, the conveyor was designed and built especially for the historic ship.

LMC says the ash will be recycled through approved methods.

The Badger was undergoing some annual inspections Tuesday afternoon. The new ash retention system will undergo ABS and U.S. Coast Guard inspection prior to sailing Friday.

Ludington Daily News





Project moves ahead to generate energy from St. Clair River current

5/14 - Port Huron, Mich. – A project to generate energy from the St. Clair River's strong current is moving forward with plans to install four energy-harnessing devices in the river this year.

Vortex Hydro Energy will install the devices between August and September near Dunn Paper in Port Huron, the Times Herald of Port Huron reported. The river is used by commercial traffic and recreational boaters and connects Lake Huron with Lake St. Clair.

Vortex Hydro Energy, a spinoff company hoping to commercialize technology invented and patented at the University of Michigan, placed prototypes in the St. Clair River near the paper mill north of the Blue Water Bridge in August 2010 and September 2012.

The devices — which stand about 18 feet high, 10 feet wide and nearly 12 feet long — have cylinders that move back and forth, creating energy on the river bottom. That energy is harnessed by what those involved in the $1.25 million project call an oscylator and is sent to a generator that converts it to electricity.

The devices are expected to be a few feet from the surface and buoys will indicate their presence to boaters.

Eight more are to be installed in May 2016 and will stay in the water two to three months.

Michael Bernitsas, a professor of naval architecture, marine engineering and mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan, invented the technology that's being used in the St. Clair River. It's called VIVACE, or Vortex Induced Vibrations for Aquatic Clean Energy.

Judy Ogden, a member of the Blue Water Sport Fishing Association, voiced concern that the devices could pose a hazard to recreational boaters.

"This is a high traffic area at certain times of the year," she said. "There are people from outside the community who would not be aware of these buoys."

There were no navigational issues in 2012 when a device was left in the river for about three months, Bernitsas said.

Associated Press



On 14 May 1881, CITY OF ROME (wooden propeller freighter, 268 foot, 1,908 gross tons) was launched by Thomas Quayle & Sons in Cleveland, Ohio. She was the largest vessel on the Lakes when she was launched. She lasted until 1914, when she burned near Ripley, New York on Lake Erie.

On May 14, 1959, the SHENANGO II and the HERBERT C. JACKSON both entered service. While the vessels have been fleet mates since 1967, the SHENANGO II was built by the Shenango Furnace Company. She operates today as the c.) HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR, renamed last spring.

On May 14, 1943, the THOMAS WILSON entered service as the first of the sixteen vessels in the "Maritime" class.

The HOCHELAGA's self-unloading boom was installed on the RICHARD REISS, which had lost her boom April 13, 1994, when it collapsed at Fairport, Ohio. The REISS’ replacement boom was installed on May 14, 1994 by Port Weller Drydocks Ltd.

BLACK HAWK (wooden schooner, 98 foot, 178 gross tons) was launched in East Saginaw, Michigan on 14 May 1861. Thomas A. Estes was her builder. She was active until abandoned in the Kinnickinnic River at Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1908. On 13 October 1913, she was filled with flammable material and burned off Milwaukee as a public spectacle for the Perry Centennial Celebration.

On May 14, 1905, the new Anchor Line passenger steamer JUNIATA made her maiden voyage from the yards of the American Shipbuilding Company in Cleveland, Ohio to Detroit, Michigan. Sailing under the command of Capt. Edward J. Martin she left Cleveland at 7:05 in the morning and arrived at Detroit shortly before 4. On board, in addition to several officials of the line was her designer, Frank E. Kirby. Detroiters were treated to the sight of seeing both the JUNIATA and TIONESTA together for the first time as TIONESTA was loading for Duluth, Minnesota when the JUNIATA arrived from Cleveland and tied up alongside her older sister. The JUNIATA later departed for Chicago where her furnishings were installed.

On 14 May 1861, COMET (wooden side-wheeler, 174 foot. 337 gross tons, built in 1848, at Portsmouth, Ontario) collided with the 2-mast wooden schooner EXCHANGE, ten miles off Nine-Mile Point on Lake Ontario. Then an explosion rocked the COMET and she was destroyed by fire 2 or 3 lives were lost, but the survivors reached Simcoe Island in a lifeboat.

Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., May 14, 1900. - The tug W.A. ROOTH of the Great Lakes Towing company fleet was caught between the barge JOHN A. ROEBLING and the steamer HENRY C. FRICK in the American canal last night and sunk. The crew escaped without injury. The tug was towing the barge ROEBLING out of the canal and in some manner got between the ROEBLING and the big steamer FRICK. Her sides were crushed in and she went down immediately in twenty feet of water.

1917 – SAXONA and PENTECOST MITCHELL collided head-on in the St. Marys River near Detour and both ships sank with their bows locked together. The former was refloated and repaired as LAKETON while the latter was also salvaged and remained in the U.S. Steel fleet.

1921 – The barge MIZTEC broke loose of the steamer ZILLAH in a storm and sank with all hands in Lake Superior northeast of Vermilion Point.

1952 – JAMES NORRIS began her sailing career, loading a cargo of grain at Fort William.

1991 – The Yugoslavian bulk carrier MALINSKA ran aground off Main Duck Island, Lake Ontario, while outbound from the Great Lakes with a cargo of steel coils. It was lightered and released. The ship had been a Seaway trader since 1987 and now sails in the Algoma fleet as c) ALGOMA DISCOVERY.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Fishing trawler makes unusual catch of the day

5/15 - Port Dover, Ont. – A piece of nautical history has been lifted from the bottom of Lake Erie. The top-half of a wooden mast — believed to date from the 1800s — was brought up from one of the deepest points of the lake, near Long Point, when it got caught in the net of the fishing trawler Iron Fish last Friday.

It is not known what shipwreck it was attached to, though Iron Fish Captain Glenn Spain says his local diving pals have suHispanic dirtbagions it is from a three-mast vessel. But, whatever it was, Michael McAllister of the City of Hamilton — who is co-ordinator of the War of 1812 Hamilton and Scourge shipwrecks in Lake Ontario — says the estimated 23-metre mast section is part of a very large ship.

"At the very least, we could say that," McAllister said Wednesday. "If I'm right, this would be a substantial vessel, for sure. This would be one heck of a big mast. Typically, the top mast is shorter than the bottom."

Spain, 53, was fishing with a two-man crew when the net snagged the mast Friday morning. He says the Iron Fish was about six kilometres east of the tip of Long Point and, the corked-line net was about five metres off the bottom of the lake. Spain said they did not know what they had scooped up.

"The net did not want to come up," he said. "We tried to pull it aboard, but there was no way. There was no way we could lift it anymore."

They headed for home at a reduced speed towing the mystery object and, at one point, the net came to the surface and he could see it. He said it looked like a pipe and he suspected it might have fallen off the barge of a natural gas company. Spain said once he got into harbor, he tied up alongside the east pier and called a friend for help.

"He came up with the little tug boat that he has, with the crane on the barge, and lifted my net up to the point that we could get a better line on it, and get my net off of it, and, lo and behold, it was the head of a mast," he recalled. "It was not what I thought it was. We all kind of went 'holy crap!'"

Spain said, like other fishermen, he has caught everything from trees to a ladder off the side of a freighter, but said the mast is by far the biggest. He has been fishing for about 25 years. Spain believes the mast is "pretty old" because its pulleys and blocks are made of wood and the metal pieces are wrought iron.

There are believed to be hundreds of shipwrecks surrounding Long Point. Some call it "The graveyard of ships."

The mast is now sitting on the east pier and has created a buzz in town. George Gibbons, a fisherman who operates the Pleasant Port Fish Company, said people are coming by to view it and take pictures. He says the mast appears to be in good condition.

"It looks like it sank to the bottom yesterday," said Gibbons, who says he has caught anchors in his nets. "It's a massive piece of wood."

The Crown owns the lake bottom, and therefore shipwrecks. Its future is for the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports to decide. Angela Wallace, curator of the Port Dover Harbour Museum, is visiting it Thursday with a volunteer to take photos and measurements for the ministry. She calls the discovery "pretty exciting" and says, "It's amazing what gets caught in fishing nets."

Hamilton Spectator



On 15 May 1901, the GILCHRIST (Hull #603) (steel propeller freighter, 356 foot. 3,871 gross tons) was launched at the West Bay City Ship Building Co. in West Bay City, Michigan, for the Gilchrist Transportation Company of Cleveland, Ohio. She lasted until 1943, when she was sunk in a collision on Lake Superior.


The PHILIP R. CLARKE, first of the AAA class of vessel, began her maiden voyage from Lorain, Ohio, on this date in 1952.

After extensive renovation at Fraser Shipyard, the IRVIN L. CLYMER departed Superior, Wisconsin on May 15, 1981, and went to Duluth, Minnesota, to load 11,154 tons of taconite ore for Lorain, Ohio.

On May 15, 1971, the STONEFAX was sold and was scrapped at Santander, Spain.

On 15 May 1854, GARDEN CITY (wooden passenger/package side-wheeler, 218 foot, 657 tons, built in 1853, at Buffalo, New York) was sailing from Chicago to the Soo in a storm when she went on Martin Reef, west of Detour, Michigan, and was wrecked. Her passengers were picked up by the steamer QUEEN CITY.

May 15, 1992 -- The BADGER was rededicated and began a new career as a non-railroad carferry.

At 3:30 a.m., 15 May 1874, the tug TAWAS came along side of the schooner ZACH CHANDLER several miles off shore from Sand Beach, Michigan on Lake Huron. The boiler of the TAWAS exploded and she sank. Capt. Robinson, 2nd Engineer Dyson, Firemen Thomas Conners and James McIntyre, and Lookout Dennis Burrow were all on the tug and died in the explosion. The blast tore the CHANDLER's sails and rigging, and caused the death of one of her officers when he was struck on the head by a flying piece of debris. The CHANDLER drifted away in the heavy seas, but returned to pick up five survivors from the water. The TAWAS was built at Vicksburg, Michigan by Myron Williams in 1864. Her dimensions were 95-foot x 18-foot, 6-inches x 8-foot, 6-inches. She carried the two old engines from the tug BLISH, which when new were 11-1/2 inches x 20 inches, but having been bored out several times, were 15 inches x 20 inches at the time of the explosion. Her boiler was built by Mr. Turnbull of Corunna, Ontario.

1907 – SAXON ran aground near Caribou Island, Lake Superior, and dumped about 1,000 tons of ore overboard before being released. The ship went to the Atlantic in 1918 and was scrapped at Copenhagen, Denmark, as c) ANNE JENSEN in 1927.

1923 – PERE MARQUETTE 4 and PERE MARQUETTE 17 collided in fog off Milwaukee and the former sustained severe damage above the waterline and was laid up.

1929 – RALPH BUDD stranded at Saltese Point, near Eagle Harbor, Mich., and was abandoned to the underwriters. The grain-laden vessel was released by Reid and sold to Canadian interests. It was scrapped at Hamilton as b) L.A. McCORQUODALE of the Upper Lakes Shipping fleet in 1966.

1963 – LOBIVIA, WESTMOUNT and ROGERS CITY were in a three-way collision in the St. Clair River at Port Huron but there was only minor damage.

1967 – GOLDEN HIND was loaded with grain when it stranded off Cassidy Point, Lake Erie, and was holed in the forward compartment.

1968 – The stern cabins of HOMER D. WILLIAMS were damaged from a collision with WHEAT KING in the St. Marys River and this ship was repaired at Lorain. The latter vessel received bow damage that was repaired at Port Weller.

1972 – The Dutch freighter COLYTTO first came through the Seaway in 1963 and made 8 trips to the end of 1966. It was swept ashore by a typhoon near the mouth of the Limpopo River off the coast of Mozambique as b) CAPE NERITA on this date in 1972. All on board were rescued but the ship was abandoned on the beach as it was not feasible to dig the ship out by a canal. The nearest road was 25 miles away so the hull was not scrapped either.

1999 – The former sandsucker NIAGARA II was scuttled as an attraction to divers off Tobermory, ON.

[Avenger]

Okay class, be seated. Today we're going to have a lesson in Unintended Consequences.

Who can spot the untintended consequence of overmoderation in this paragraph?

May 15, 2015 6:21:40 GMT -5 yachtsmanwilly said:

It is not known what shipwreck it was attached to, though Iron Fish Captain Glenn Spain says his local diving pals have suHispanic dirtbagions it is from a three-mast vessel. But, whatever it was, Michael McAllister of the City of Hamilton — who is co-ordinator of the War of 1812 Hamilton and Scourge shipwrecks in Lake Ontario — says the estimated 23-metre mast section is part of a very large ship.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Kida weird there scrod... this is a direct copy and paste again, yet it shows OK in the BN text. Hmmmm ws

It is not known what shipwreck it was attached to, though Iron Fish Captain Glenn Spain says his local diving pals have suHispanic dirtbagions it is from a three-mast vessel. But, whatever it was, Michael McAllister of the City of Hamilton — who is co-ordinator of the War of 1812 Hamilton and Scourge shipwrecks in Lake Ontario — says the estimated 23-metre mast section is part of a very large ship.

CORRECTED:

It is not known what shipwreck it was attached to, though Iron Fish Captain Glenn Spain says his local diving pals have suHispanic dirtbagions it is from a three-mast vessel. But, whatever it was, Michael McAllister of the City of Hamilton — who is co-ordinator of the War of 1812 Hamilton and Scourge shipwrecks in Lake Ontario — says the estimated 23-metre mast section is part of a very large ship.

Even the 2nd copy and paste showed the error without self correcting...


RE-EDITED... must be here because it wont correct at all...make me kind of suHispanic dirtbagious (susticious??) too. I wonder if a pigmentally gifted individualotomy would help?? Thought so...

[Avenger]

It's here. It's a result of a certain moderator creating a censored word without being specific enough. Even being specific you still wouldn't be able to use the name of a certain floor cleaner (and no, I don't mean Jose or Miguel or some other inbred cracker racist assumption about the ethnicity of the custodian) without it being censored.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Coast Guard stresses importance of free vessel safety checks

5/18 - Cleveland, Ohio – As National Safe Boating Week continues, the Coast Guard 9th District is reminding boaters to get a free vessel safety check from the Coast Guard Auxiliary before going out onto the lakes this boating season.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary is an all-volunteer force that keeps the nation’s waterways safer and more secure by providing vessel safety checks and boating education courses.

The Coast Guard recommends that all recreational boaters, including personal watercraft users and paddlers, take advantage of these free offers. Boaters who have undergone a vessel safety check recently may also find that vessel boardings by Coast Guard boarding officers could be expedited.

“Getting a vessel safety check is the best way of learning about problems that might put you in violation of state or federal laws,” said Mike Baron, the recreational boating safety specialist for the Coast Guard 9th District. “And a boating course will teach you not only how to properly navigate on the lakes, but what to do in emergencies.”

According to the Coast Guard Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety's 2014 Recreational Boating Statistics, of the 610 deaths across the nation, more than 250 boat operators had not taken a safety class.

Qualified volunteer organizations, such as the Coast Guard Auxiliary, U.S. Power Squadrons, and others sponsor many boating courses and state boating agencies also provide classes.

Boaters should go to cgaux.org/vsc/ to schedule vessel safety checks or cgaux.org/boatinged/ to find available boating courses nearby.

Boaters can also request safety checks through the new U.S. Coast Guard smartphone app, available to download on the Apple App and Google Play stores. Features of the app include: state boating information; a safety equipment checklist; free boating safety check requests; navigation rules; float plans; and calling features to report pollution or suspicious activity. When location services are enabled, users can receive the latest weather reports from the closest National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather buoys as well as report the location of a hazard on the water.

USCG


On 18 May 1872, the 3-mast wooden schooner MARQUETTE was holed in northern Lake Huron by a floating log. The crew manned the hand-operated bilge pumps but could not keep up with the incoming water. The steamer ANNIE YOUNG took the MARQUETTE in tow even though she was sinking and headed for Cheboygan, Michigan. During the tow, the schooner stopped sinking and arrived in port no lower in the water than she had been earlier. An investigation revealed that a large fish got caught in the hole and plugged it.

The WILLIAM C. ATWATER departed Sandusky, Ohio May 18, 1925, on her maiden voyage loaded with coal bound for Duluth, Minnesota. She was the first freighter on the Great Lakes equipped with a gyro compass. She was renamed b.) E. J. KULAS in 1936, c.) BEN MOREELL in 1953, d.) THOMAS E MILLSOP in 1955, e.) E. J. NEWBERRY in 1976, and f.) CEDARGLEN in 1982. She was scrapped at Port Maitland, Ontario in 1994.

Bethlehem Steel's steamer JOHNSTOWN cleared Erie May 18, 1985, for Quebec City under tow bound for Spain for scrapping. This vessel was the first post-war built U.S. laker to be scrapped.

On May 18, 1903, the MAUNALOA hit and sank the 69-foot wooden tug EDWARD GILLEN at Superior, Wisconsin.

May 18, 1992 -- The BADGER made her maiden voyage for the newly formed Lake Michigan Carferry Service.

On 18 May 1853, CITIZEN (wooden schooner, 54 tons, built in 1847, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin) was driven aground 6 miles north of Chicago. The U. S. Navy steamer MICHIGAN tried in vain to pull her off, breaking a 14" hawser in the process. She was reportedly the first vessel built at Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

On 18 May 1882, AMERICAN EAGLE (wooden propeller, passenger packet & tug, 105 foot, 161 gross tons, built in 1880, at Sandusky, Ohio) was racing off Kelley's Island on Lake Erie when her boiler exploded. Six lives were lost. She was later raised and repaired and lasted until 1908.

18 May 1894: A big storm swept the Lakes on 18 May 1894. The next day, the Port Huron Times gave the following account of the shipwrecks in that storm: "The big storm on Lake Michigan has cost the lives of many men. Only 2 men were saved from the schooner M J CUMMINGS, 6 lost. The C C BARNES is ashore at Milwaukee but the crew was saved. The schooner MYRTLE was wrecked just outside the government pier within a half mile of Michigan Blvd. in Chicago with 6 lost. The schooner LINCOLN DALL went to pieces at Glencoe, 8 miles north of Chicago. She was 196 tons. The schooner JACK THOMPSON, 199 tons, wrecked off 25th Street. The schooner EVENING STAR, 203 tons, wrecked off 27th Street but her crew was saved. The schooner MERCURY of Grand Haven, 278 tons, wrecked off 27th Street and her crew rescued. The schooner J LOOMIS McLAREN, 272 tons, wrecked off 27th Street. The schooner RAINBOW of Milwaukee, 243 tons, wrecked off 100th Street; the crew was rescued. The schooner C J MIXER, 279 tons, wrecked off 100th Street; crew rescued. The schooner WM SHUPE waterlogged and ashore at Lexington, Michigan on Lake Huron. Four were drowned in an attempted rescue. The scow ST CATHARINES is ashore at Rock Falls near Sand Beach. The crew reached shore safely but the boat will fare badly."

1919 – CITY OF MEAFORD, a wooden-hulled passenger freighter was destroyed by fire at the dock in Collingwood.

1922 – GLENFINNAN, downbound with grain, and MIDLAND KING collided in fog southeast of Passage Isle, Lake Superior, and both masters received two-month suspensions.

1928 – The whaleback steamer JOHN ERICSSON was heavily damaged in a collision with the A.F. HARVEY of the Pittsburgh SS Co. in fog on Lake Huron. The latter was lost as b) CEDARVILLE in another collision on May 7, 1965.

1971 – TRANSPACIFIC was entering the harbor at the island of St. Pierre in the Gulf of St. Lawrence to get technical help for a malfunctioning radar when the ship stranded on the rocks. The West German freighter, a regular Seaway trader since 1959, was abandoned. The hull has gradually broken apart by the elements over the years.


On 17 May 1887, WILLIAM RUDOLPH (wooden propeller "rabbit,” 145 foot, 267 gross tons. built in 1880, at Mount Clemens, Michigan) was raised from Lake St. Clair. She sank in the fall of 1886. She was towed to the Wolverine Drydock in Port Huron, Michigan where she was repaired. She lasted until 1913, when she was beached as shore protection near Racine, Wisconsin.

ALTON C. DUSTIN (Hull#708) was launched May 17, 1913, at Lorain, Ohio by the American Ship Building Co. for Cleveland Steamship Co. (John Mitchell, mgr.) Renamed b.) J.A. CAMPBELL in 1915 and c.) BUCKEYE MONITOR in 1965. Sank on December 16, 1973, in position 43.3N x 30.15W, in Atlantic Ocean, while in tandem tow with ROBERT S. MCNAMARA and German tug SEETRANS I, bound for scrapping at Santander, Spain.

NORTHCLIFFE HALL collided with the Cuban salty CARLOS MANUEL DE CESPEDES in the St. Lawrence River above the Eisenhower Lock on May 17, 1980. Built in 1952, by Canadian Vickers as a,) FRANKCLIFFE HALL (Hull#255), renamed b.) NORTHCLIFFE HALL in 1959, and c.) ROLAND DESGAGNES in 1976, she sank after running aground on May 26, 1982, near Pointe aux Pic, Quebec.

E.G. GRACE arrived at Ramey's Bend May 17, 1984, in tow of the tugs GLENEVIS and GLENSIDE for scrapping.

On May 17, 1941, The Ludington Daily News reported that the former carferry PERE MARQUETTE 17, which had been purchased by the State of Michigan for use at the Straits of Mackinac, was to be renamed b.) CITY OF PETOSKEY. She was scrapped at Ashtabula, Ohio in 1961.

The schooner ST. ANDREWS was launched at A. Muir's shipyard on the Black River in Port Huron, Michigan on 17 May 1875. This was a rebuild job, but Mr. Muir stated that it was the most complete rebuild he ever undertook since there was only a portion of the keel and bottom left from the old hull. Her new dimensions were 135 foot keel x 30 feet x 14 feet, 425 tons (an increase of 102 tons).

At about 9 a.m., 17 May 1885, the tug E.T. CARRINGTON (wooden side-wheel tug, 76 foot, 57 gross tons, built in 1876, at Bangor, Michigan) was towing a raft of logs from L'Anse to Baraga, Michigan, when she caught fire and burned to the water's edge. The crew was rescued by the steam yacht EVA WADSWORTH. The CARRINGTON was later rebuilt and lasted until 1907.

1916 – ROCK FERRY, a wooden steamer, ran aground due to fog off Main Duck Island, Lake Ontario but was salvaged and repaired.

1924 – ORINOCO sank about 6 miles off Agawa Bay, Lake Superior, while upbound with coal. The wooden steamer had sought shelter behind Michipicoten Island while towing the barge CHIEFTAIN, but then tried to return to Whitefish Bay. ORINOCO began to leak under the stress and was lost.

1957 – The composite hulled steamer YANKCANUCK ran aground in mud at Whitby but was released in what proved to be her final season. She was laid up at Sault Ste. Marie at 1014 hours on June 27.

1969 – The tug COLINETTE sank in Toronto Bay after the hull was punctured while docking the freighter ATLANTIC HOPE at Pier 35. All on board were saved and the vessel was raised and repaired. It apparently survives as a private yacht named NOMADA.

[yachtsmanwilly]

5/19 - Superior, Wis. – Wheat gushed from metal chutes connecting giant concrete elevators to the ship's hold as workers wearing goggles and hard hats leveled the great mounds of golden kernels destined — in one form or another — for dinner plates in Italy.

As 765,000 bushels of wheat poured into the ship, a tiny portion was diverted to a nondescript building at the port of Superior where Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection employees inspected the valuable commodity.

Grown on the North Dakota and Canadian prairies, the wheat had been shipped by rail to Superior, where it was loaded into grain elevators while waiting for a ride across the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Seaway and Atlantic Ocean. Before grain leaves the Wisconsin port, though, it's first tested to make sure it's top quality.

And that decision is up to the 11 Wisconsin grain inspectors.

"We ensure that both the buyer and seller are getting an independent quality check of the grain," said Greg Ukkola, manager of the Grain Inspection Service for Wisconsin DATCP.

It's a task that affects commodities valued at millions of dollars flowing through the port. This year's season started April 15 when the first ship arrived in Superior.

Wisconsin grain inspectors travel by boat to the large oceangoing vessels that line up in the Superior port waiting to fill up cargo holds. They check holds for rust, standing water, insects and cracks that can allow grain to spill out. If a ship doesn't pass muster — which seldom happens — it must be cleaned or repaired and re-inspected before it's allowed to load grain.

Meanwhile, inspectors and a dozen employees who work from spring through the fall harvest check every shipment for bugs, stones and other impurities as well as grade the grain for quality. Grade determines price.

"It takes many years before someone is allowed to grade grain," said Ukkola.

Wisconsin inspectors handle grain for both the Superior and Duluth, Minn., sides of the port, where each side has three massive export grain elevators. In the 2014 shipping season a total of 1,303,437 tons of grain moved through the port, with all but 190,000 tons heading overseas. That's down slightly from 1,319,996 tons of grain in 2013 but an increase from 2012 when 1,065,348 tons of grain were handled.

Grain is a small percentage of the cargo passing through Duluth-Superior. Iron ore and coal — about 30 million tons last year — account for the majority of commodities.

Wisconsin grain inspectors have an impeccable reputation, said Ron Johnson, trade development director for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.

"There are a number of countries that supply the world with grain, and you want to protect the reputation of your exports," said Johnson. "One of the things buyers are worried about is if the grain is inspected to No. 1 or No. 2 grade, that it needs to be that when it gets to their facility."

Testing a load As grain poured through the chutes on a recent day, every 30 seconds a mechanical sampler cut across the stream diverting a small portion into the inspection building where it flowed into buckets. That's done to evenly test a load of thousands of bushels.

Moisture is checked. Protein levels are evaluated. A Falling Number test determines if a grain kernel has sprouted, which means a change in enzyme. The more vitreous — or glassy appearance — the higher the quality and price.

In a room in another building near the port, Dave Martin used large tweezers, a scale and his eyes to ogle a batch of durum wheat from North Dakota.

"I'm looking at the color, ones without white spots," Martin said, holding up a tiny grain. "I'm also looking for damage, stones, bugs."

Martin has worked for the Wisconsin grain inspection service since 1974. He admits it can get a bit tedious looking at individual grains all day, especially at the peak of the season when shippers are trying to move their grain quickly through the port.

But despite looking at grain throughout his work shift, Martin occasionally dines on pasta for supper.

"I still eat it after seeing it all day," said Martin.

On a wall across from Martin's workstation is a large color poster of grain-loving pests, including the granary weevil, saw-toothed grain beetle and lesser grain borer. According to state and federal regulations, only one bug is allowed per 10,000 bushels of grain. Any more than that and inspectors will not give the load a passing grade, and without the inspection certificate, sellers cannot deliver their grain to buyers.

Grain sellers can appeal inspectors' decisions, which is why half of each 8-pound sample is stored in cloth bags for further testing if required. Inspecting grain from a 110-car train can take up to four hours until the inspection certificate is issued. Grain left over from testing is put back into the shipment.

About 95% of grain handled by Wisconsin inspectors is wheat, with the majority headed to Europe and northern Africa, said Ukkola. Several years ago a lot of corn and soybeans flowed through the port of Superior but much of the corn is now diverted for ethanol production with soybeans shipped down the Mississippi River.

Spring is busy with grain stored during the winter getting loaded onto ships. It's grain that either arrived too late for shipping last season or because sellers wanted to wait until prices improved. This spring, elevators on the Superior side held 375,000 tons, mostly spring wheat, said Superior Terminal manager Richard Carlson.

There's usually a lull in the middle of the summer after elevators are emptied and before the harvest comes in. Then it picks up again in the fall as shippers try to get their product out before winter ices up Lake Superior and inspectors are back at work grading and testing every shipment.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On 19 May 1894, LORETTA (wooden propeller freighter, 140 foot, 395 gross tons, built in 1892, at Sebewaing, Michigan as a schooner) was driven ashore near the mouth of the Au Sable River at Oscoda, Michigan in a terrible gale. She was heavily damaged but the crew was rescued. She was salvaged and put back in service but only lasted for two more years when she burned.

SIR THOMAS SHAUGHNESSY (Hull#164) was launched May 19, 1906 at Wyandotte, Michigan by Detroit Ship Building Co. for the National Steamship Co. She was scrapped at Castellon, Spain in 1969.

On May 19, 1973, the whaleback tanker METEOR was moved from the Pipeline Tankers dock to a permanent berth on Barkers Island at Superior, Wisconsin to serve as a museum ship.

B.F. JONES and EDWARD S. KENDRICK, towed by the Polish tug KORAL, arrived for scrapping at Castellon, Spain, near Barcelona on the Mediterranean Sea, on May 19, 1973, a trip of over 4,000 miles. The LAKE WINNIPEG in tow of the tug IRVING CEDAR arrived in Portugal on May 19, 1985. She was the largest Canadian laker and the first Seaway-sized ship, as of that date, to be scrapped.

On 19 May 1835, PARROTT (wooden 2-mast schooner, 43 foot, 20 tons, built in 1834, at Ashtabula, Ohio) sailed for Detroit, Michigan carrying iron, glass, whiskey, and hogs on deck. She never made it. The following day, west of Ashtabula, many of the hogs swam ashore and later a lot of gear from the boat drifted to the beach. No storm was mentioned and all six onboard lost their lives. She had been enrolled to a new owner the day before she set sail.

On 19 May 1876, the Port Huron Times reported that Capt. Alexander McDougall, formerly master of the steamer JAPAN, had built a large steam fish boat named SASKIWIT at Buffalo during the winter and was then sailing from there to Marquette, Michigan.