Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

U.S. maritime industry stakeholders rally behind strong Jones Act

9/21 - New York, N.Y. A number of U.S. maritime industry stakeholders rallied together in a strong show of support for the Jones Act during an industry event in New York last Wednesday, sending a clear message to opponents that any attempt repeal the 95-year-old law is severely misguided and not in the best interest of the American people.

In his keynote presentation kicking off the third annual Tradewinds Jones Act Shipping Forum, U.S. Maritime Administrator Paul “Chip” Jaenichen offered what some are saying are his strongest words yet in support of the Jones Act, a cabotage law that requires goods shipped between U.S. ports be transported on U.S.-built, U.S.-owned and U.S.-crewed vessels.

Special focus was given to Hawaii and especially Puerto Rico, whose governor, in the midst of an insurmountable debt crisis, is seeking a five-year waiver from the U.S. government that would exempt the commonwealth from the law.

“Pilgrims did not land at Plymouth Rock, Betsy Ross did not sew or design the United States flag and the Jones Act is not responsible for the cost of gasoline, the cost of groceries in Hawaii, the debt in Puerto Rico or snowy roads in New Jersey,” Jaenichen said in his keynote address.

“These are all tall tales. They are embellishments. They are outright falsehoods,” he said.

Perhaps most notable, Jaenichen was very clear that the Jones Act is not about protecting domestic trade, rather the reason the Jones Act exists today, above all else, is to support national defense.

Echoing Jaenichen’s comments, Tom Allegretti, Chairman of the American Maritime Partnership, addressed attendees about the overwhelming support for the Jones Act in Congress. In his remarks, Allegretti said that the strong support is due to the industry’s longstanding positive impact on national, economic and homeland security, noting that any attempt to include an amendment of the Jones Act in pending legislation is a “vote subtractor” that could hurt Congressional progress.

The Jones Act has been criticized this past month by opponents of the law who are actively working to tie the debt crisis in Puerto Rico to the maritime industry, and the Jones Act in particular. Allegretti went on to outline why any connection between the Jones Act and a debt relief package in Congress would actually hurt more than it helps.

“Some in Puerto Rico have suggested that a Jones Act exemption be included in the legislative package under the erroneous theory that the Jones Act is bad for Puerto Rico. But here’s the kicker: If Congress did that include an anti-Jones Act amendment in the package the chances of the overall package getting enacted into llaw would diminish. That’s because the presence of an anti-Jones Act amendment would reduce or subtract the number of members of Congress who would vote for the overall bill. So Puerto Ricans would be undermining and maybe eveen sabotaging their own assistance package by including an anti-Jones Act amenddment in it,” said Allegretti.

Congressional support was apparent earlier this year when Senator John McCain filed a Senate floor amendment to repeal the Jones Act, which was overwhelmingly disputed by members in both chambers of Congress. “Ultimately, several weeks later, facing almost certain defeat, [Sen. McCain] withdrew his amendment and did not offer it. We believe his amendment would have failed overwhelmingly. Even Sen. McCain jokingly admitted that his strategy for repealing the Jones Act was to ‘pray to the patron saint of lost causes.’ In other words, there is no appetite in Congress to change the Jones Act,” said Allegretti.

In fact, support in Congress for the Jones Act couldn’t be any stronger, according to the AMP. Last December, Congress enacted the strongest endorsement of the Jones Act in history in a resolutions included in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2014.

While hosting Wednesday’s “Innovation and Opportunities” panel focusing on prospects in the Jones Act shipbuilding market, Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) President Matthew Paxton hailed the innovation in the U.S. domestic shipbuilding and repair industry and noted the industrial base as a crucial element of America’s national, homeland and economic security.

Kicking off the panel, Paxton talked about current innovations within the industry, saying, “This is an exciting time for the nation’s shipbuilding industry because new LNG-powered vessels under construction are on the cutting edge of maritime innovation. U.S. shipbuilders are driving innovation and investing right here in America with world leading LNG technology.”

Paxton was referring to the recent launch of the world’s first (and second) LNG-powered containerships being built for Tote Maritime at the NASSCO shipyard in San Diego.

According to the American Maritime Partnership, the domestic maritime industry is made up of more than 40,000 American vessels and sustains nearly 500,000 American jobs, $28.95 billion in labor compensation, and more than $92.5 billion in annual economic output. In addition, for every one shipyard job, five more are created and the industry contributes over $6.4 billion in GDP to the U.S. economy every year, according to MARAD.

If there was one take away from the event it was this: the Jones Act as we know it is not going anywhere.

gCaptain


9/21 - Toronto, Ont. - U.S. Steel Canada Inc. is threatening to cease operating in Canada by the end of the year if an Ontario Superior Court judge rejects its request to stop paying municipal taxes, halt payments into pension funds, and cut off health care and other benefits to 20,000 retirees and their dependents.

A decision by the company’s parent, United States Steel Corp., to shift production of high-value-added steel to U.S. mills means the Canadian unit requires a “business preservation order” that will allow it to keep operating, U.S. Steel Canada said in a court filing.

Unless the court approves U.S. Steel Canada’s motion to conserve cash by slashing spending, “we don’t see any way to avoid ceasing operations at the end of 2015,” the company’s president, Mike McQuade, said in a separate memo to employees.

The prospect of a shutdown of operations in Hamilton and Nanticoke, Ont., comes as U.S. Steel and its Canadian unit prepare to enter mediation efforts after a year of protection from creditors under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act.

The companies’ actions are in part a response to a move by the United Steelworkers union to seek an injunction to prevent U.S. Steel from shifting production of 180,000 tons of high-value-added steel to U.S. mills and out of the Canadian operations.

The mediation hearing has been scheduled for next week to examine the proposed shift in production as well as the overall restructuring process, which includes the potential sale of the Canadian assets, possibly back to U.S. Steel.

The proposed actions to be taken if mediation fails will “provide the company with the necessary breathing space to continue its operations while continuing its restructuring efforts,” William Aziz, chief restructuring officer of U.S. Steel Canada, said in a court filing.

The business preservation order would also halt the potential sale of the company, except for operations in Hamilton, which include a shuttered blast furnace and 813 acres of land that are polluted by more than a century of steel making.

Halting benefit payments is an attack on pensioners, the most vulnerable people represented by the union, said Gary Howe, president of Steelworkers Local 1005, which represents about 600 active workers in Hamilton and 9,000 retirees.

“In my view, it’s a ploy to soften us up for mediation so we’re more agreeable with what U.S. Steel’s claims are,” Mr. Howe said.

The court filing said 20,600 former salaried and unionized employees and their spouses and dependents will no longer receive compensation for prescription drugs, dental care, hospital stays and glasses. The move would save U.S. Steel Canada about $3.6-million a month.

Mr. Aziz acknowledged that shifting production will cut the Canadian unit’s revenue by $42-million this year alone and make the operations “significantly less attractive to a potential purchaser.”

Mr. Aziz, who was appointed with the approval of the parent company, complained that Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel would not give U.S. Steel Canada or its lawyer access to additional information it requested on the decision to shift the steel production.

The municipalities of Hamilton and Haldimand will not receive $1.4-million and $896,000 in taxes, respectively, in the fourth quarter of this year if U.S. Steel Canada’s move is approved.

The Ontario government also has a big stake in the outcome because it’s on the hook for a large share of the Canadian unit’s pension deficit of more than $800-million.

Former Toronto-Dominion Bank chairman Ed Clark, a special adviser to Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, said Friday that he preferred to “duck the question” of how negotiations are going and what role the provincial government is playing in seeking a buyer for the company.

Globe and Mail


John Jonathon Boland was born on 20 September 1875, in New York. Along with Adam E. Cornelius, he formed the partnership of Boland and Cornelius in 1903, and was one of the founders of the American Steamship Company in 1907. He died in 1956.

On September 20, 1986, vandals started a $5,000 fire aboard the laid up NIPIGON BAY at Kingston, Ontario, where she had been since April 1984.

GEORGE A. STINSON's self-unloading boom was replaced on September 20, 1983. The boom had 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 until replacement could be fabricated. She was renamed b.) AMERICAN SPIRIT in 2004.

On September 20, 1980, EDGAR B. SPEER entered service for the U.S. Steel Fleet.

CHARLES E. WILSON sailed light on her maiden voyage from Sturgeon Bay September 20, 1973, bound for Escanaba, Michigan, to load ore. She was renamed b.) JOHN J. BOLAND in 2000.

CHARLES M. WHITE was christened at Baltimore, Maryland, on September 20, 1951.

On 20 September 1873, W. L. PECK (2 mast wooden schooner-barge, 154 foot, 361 gross tons) was launched at Carrollton, Michigan.

On 20 September 1856, COLONEL CAMP (3-mast wooden bark, 137 foot, 350 tons, built in 1854, at Three Mile Bay, New York) was carrying wheat to Oswego, New York, when she collided with the wooden steamer PLYMOUTH and sank in just a few minutes. No lives were lost.

1970: MARATHA ENDEAVOUR, enroute from Chicago to Rotterdam, broke down in the Atlantic and sent out a distress call. The ship was taking water but survived. The 520-foot long vessel had been a Seaway trader since 1965 and returned as b) OLYMPIAN in 1971. The ship arrived at Huangpu, China, for scrapping as c) HIMALAYA on January 9, 1985.

1980: The Canadian coastal freighter EDGAR JOURDAIN was built at Collingwood in 1956 as MONTCLAIR. The ship had been a pre-Seaway trader to the lakes and returned as b) PIERRE RADISSON in 1965, c) GEORGE CROSBIE in 1972 and d) EDGAR JOURDAIN beginning in 1979. It was wrecked at Foxe Basin, off Hall Beach in the Canadian Arctic, after going aground. The ship was abandoned, with the anchors down, but disappeared overnight on December 15, 1982, while locked in shifting pack ice. It is believed that the vessel was carried into deeper water and, at last report, no trace had ever been found.

1982: BEAVERFIR served Canadian Pacific Steamships as a Seaway trader beginning in 1961. The ship stranded off Barra de Santiago, El Salvador, as d) ANDEN in a storm on this date in 1982 after dragging anchor. Sixteen sailors from the 26-member crew perished.

2011: MINER, a) MAPLECLIFFE HALL, b) LEMOYNE (ii), c) CANADIAN MINER broke loose of the tug HELLAS and drifted aground off Scaterie Island, Nova Scotia, while under tow for scrapping at Aliaga, Turkey. The ship was a total loss and, in 2013, was still waiting to be dismantled and removed.


On 21 September 1892, the whaleback steamer JAMES B. COLGATE (steel propeller whaleback freighter, 308 foot, 1,713 gross tons) was launched by the American Steel Barge Co. (Hull #121) at W. Superior, Wisconsin. She only lasted until 1916, when she foundered in the "Black Friday Storm" on Lake Erie with the loss of 26 lives.

ALGOWAY left Collingwood on her maiden voyage in 1972, and loaded salt for Michipicoten, Ontario, on Lake Superior.

On 21 September 1844, JOHN JACOB ASTOR (wooden brig, 78 foot, 112 tons, Built in 1835, at Pointe aux Pins, Ontario but precut at Lorain, Ohio) was carrying furs and trade goods when she struck a reef and foundered near Copper Harbor, Michigan. She was owned by Astor’s American Fur Company. She was reportedly by the first commercial vessel on Lake Superior.

On 21 September 1855, ASIA (2-mast wooden schooner, 108 foot, 204 tons, built in 1848, at Black River, Ohio) was carrying corn from Chicago for Buffalo when she collided with the propeller FOREST CITY off the mouth of Grand Traverse Bay. ASIA went down in deep water in about 10 minutes, but her crew just had enough time to escape in her boat. The schooner HAMLET picked them up.

1907: The passenger ship PICTON, a) CORSICAN caught fire and burned at the dock in Toronto. The hull was later converted to a barge and was, in time, apparently abandoned near the Picton Pumping Station.

1907: ALEX NIMICK, a wooden bulk freighter, went aground near west of Vermilion Point, Lake Superior, and broke up as a total loss. The vessel was enroute from Buffalo to Duluth with a cargo of coal and six lives were lost

1921: The 3-masted schooner OLIVER MOWAT sinks in Lake Ontario between the Main Duck and False Duck Islands after a collision with KEYWEST on a clear night. Three lives were lost while another 2 sailors were rescued from the coal-laden schooner.

1924: The whaleback self-unloader CLIFTON, the former SAMUEL MATHER, foundered in Lake Huron off Thunder Bay while carrying a cargo of stone from Sturgeon Bay to Detroit. All 25 on board were lost.

1946: A second typhoon caught the former Hall vessel LUCIUS W. ROBINSON as b) HAI LIN while anchored in the harbor at Saipan, Philippines, on a voyage to China.

1969: AFRICAN GLADE, a Seaway caller in 1963, lost power in the Caribbean as c) TRANSOCEAN PEACE and was towed into Port au Spain, Trinidad. The repaired ship departed for Durban, South Africa, in April 1970 only to suffer more boiler problems enroute. The vessel was sold for scrapping at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, later in the year.

1977: HELEN EVANS suffered steering problems and went aground on Whaleback Shoal while upbound with iron ore in the St. Lawrence. There was minor damage and the vessel was released September 23.

1982: CALGADOC left the Great Lakes in 1975 and saw service in the south as b) EL SALINERO. The ship sank on this date in 1982 on the Pacific off the coast of Mexico.

1985: ELTON HOYT 2ND struck the 95th Street Bridge at Chicago and headed to Sturgeon Bay for repairs. 1988: The small tug MARY KAY sank in a Lake Ontario storm enroute from Rochester to Oswego. The former b) CAPT. G.H. SWIFT had recently been refitted and went down after a huge wave broke over the stern. It had seen only brief service on Lake Ontario after arriving from the Atlantic in 1987.

1993: The tug DUKE LUEDTKE sank in Lake Erie about 12 miles north of Avon Point when the ship began taking water faster than the pumps could keep up. One coastguardsman was lost checking on the source of the leak when the vessel rolled over and sank.


Jack Purvis to be inducted into Great Lakes Marine Hall of Fame

9/20 - Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan - Captain Jack Purvis, who was raised in Gore Bay, is to be inducted into the Great Lakes Marine Hall of Fame later this month in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

“Jack was born in Sault Ste. Marie but was raised here in Gore Bay by his parents,” said local shipping expert Buck Longhurst.

“I worked for him at Purvis Marine Limited (in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario),” said Mr. Longhurst. “He was a good fellow to work for and he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He worked very hard to get his business going and is a shrewd businessman.”

“Jack went from being a teacher of high school chemistry and physics to open this business which is now the second largest Canada flag tug and barge operator on the Great Lakes,” said Mr. Longhurst.

Captain John Wellington, president of the Sault Historic Sites, provided the inscription-information that will be on Mr. Purvis hall of fame museum award.

“Raised on Manitoulin Island, Jack was involved in the family’s commercial fishing business of James Purvis and Son based out of Quebec Harbour at Michipicoten Island. Schooled at St. Andrew’s College and the University of Western Ontario, Jack retired after a ten year career of teaching high school chemistry and physics at Bawating High School (in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) to pursue a full-time hobby of tug boating.”

“In 1967 he purchased the tug Rocket from Abitibi Paper Company and in 1975 he started Purvis Marine Ltd, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario with the small tug ‘Rocket’ and a barge for work on the North Channel building docks and break walls for homeowners,” said Mr. Wellington. ‘Captain Purvis foresight and business acumen developed PML into one of the largest and most versatile marine contracting firms on the Great Lakes. Over the years, PML has accumulated a diverse fleet of tugs, barges and a crane-equipped bulk freighter servicing the Great Lakes, east coast of Canada and the Arctic. This fleet includes a tug moved overland from a remote Canadian inland lake, a tug delivered from England which arrived ice-covered in late December and a barge converted from the former car ferry ‘Chief Wawatam.’

“These vessels all became viable endeavours because of Captain Purvis ability to recognize potential and overcome obstacles,” continued Mr. Wellington. “PML also operates a wharf and tanker terminal, cargo handling facilities, a floating dry dock ship repair and salvage operations. The physical locations of PML stretch from the Upper St. Mary’s River to the lower harbor of Sault, Ontario.”

“As a local business owner and employer, Captain Purvis has received numerous awards from the Sault, Ontario community including the Ontario Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Business Achievement Award, the Sault Ste. Marie Medal of Merit, the Paul Dalseg Community Achievement Award, and the Skipper Manzzutti Award for Business Achievement.

Mr. Wellington explained, “the marine Hall of Fame started in 1955 by the Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Chamber of Commerce to honour an outstanding marine person. A blue ribbon comprised of the marine editors of the marine publications located in the major American and Canadian cities surrounding the Great Lakes submitted names of individuals for consideration and determined who the honoree would be leach year. A banquet was held in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan to honour the individual and was attended by representatives from all facts of the marine industry.”

“In 1968 through the efforts of Thomas Manse, a Sault Ste. Marie resident, marine enthusiast and publisher of “Know Your Ships,” the Republic Steel vessel ‘Valley Camp” was brought to Sault Ste. Marie to become a marine museum,” continued Mr. Wellington. “A marine hall of fame with plaques of the individual honourees was eventually established on the Valley Camp.”

“The Chamber of Commerce continued the Marine Man of the Year tradition until 1983 when it was discontinued,” said Mr. Wellington. “In 1993 Sault Historic Sites celebrated the 25th anniversary of the museum ship ‘Valley Camp.’ It was decided then by Sault Historic Sites to revive the tradition of a Maritime Man of the year. The tradition has continued since then under the auspices of Sault Historic Sites, Sault Locks Visitors Centre Association and the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce. A plaque of each year’s honoree is added to the Marine Hall of Fame on the ‘Valley Camp.’

Manitoulin Expositor

[yachtsmanwilly]

On September 22, 1958, the EDMUND FITZGERALD entered service, departing River Rouge, Michigan for Silver Bay, Minnesota on its first trip. The FITZGERALD's first load was 20,038 tons of taconite pellets for Toledo. The vessel would, in later years, set several iron ore records during the period from 1965 through 1969.

While in ballast, the ROGER M. KYES struck bottom in Buffalo Harbor September 22, 1976, sustaining holes in two double bottom tanks and damage to three others, whereupon she proceeded to Chicago for dry docking on September 27, 1976, for survey and repairs. Renamed b.) ADAM E. CORNELIUS in 1989.

While being towed from Duluth, Minnesota by the Canadian tug TUSKER on September 22, 1980, the D. G. KERR rammed into the breakwater at Duluth causing $200,000 in damages to the breakwater. The tow apparently failed to make the turning buoy leaving Duluth Harbor.

On September 22, 1911 the HENRY PHIPPS collided with and sank her Steel Trust fleet mate, the steamer JOLIET of 1890, which was at anchor on the fog-shrouded St. Clair River near Sarnia, Ontario. The JOLIET sank without loss of crew and was declared a total loss. The PHIPPS then continued her downbound journey and collided with the Wyandotte Chemical steamer ALPENA, of 1909, but incurred only minor damage.

The T.W. ROBINSON and US.265808 (former BENSON FORD) departed Quebec City in tow of the Polish tug JANTAR bound for Recife where they arrived on September 22, 1987. Scrapping began the next month in October.

MATHILDA DESGAGNES was freed from polar ice in the Arctic on September 22, 1988, by the West German Icebreaker Research Vessel POLARSTERN.

September 22, 1913 - The ANN ARBOR No. 5 struck bottom in the Sturgeon Bay Canal and damaged her rudder and steering gear. After undergoing repairs at Milwaukee, she was back in service the following October.

On 22 September 1887, ADA E. ALLEN (wooden propeller steam barge, 90 foot, 170 gross tons, built in 1872, at Walpole Island, Ontario.) caught fire while moored at Amherstburg, Ontario. She was cut loose and set adrift to prevent the fire from spreading ashore. She drifted to Bois Blanc (Bob-Lo) Island and burned to a total loss.

On 22 September 1882, Mr. H. N. Jex accepted the contract to recover the engine and boiler from the MAYFLOWER, which sank in the Detroit River in 1864. He was to be paid $600 upon delivery of the machinery at Windsor, Ontario. He succeeded in raising the engine on 12 October and the boiler shortly thereafter.

1917: The wooden steamer WILLIAM P. REND, a) GEORGE G. HADLEY, foundered off Alpena while carrying livestock. All 9 crewmembers were rescued.

1951: The Liberty ship THUNDERBIRD visited the Seaway in 1959. Earlier, on this date in 1951, the ship received major bow damage from a head-on collision with the Chinese freighter UNION BUILDER (built in 1945 at Brunswick, GA as a) COASTAL RANGER) at the entrance to Colombo, Ceylon. THUNDERBIRD was also a Great Lakes trader as d) NEW KAILING in 1964 and scrapped at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in 1967.

1979: OCEANIC KLIF first visited the Seaway in 1971. The ship stranded near Las Palmas, Canary Islands, while on a voyage from Kamsar, Guinea, West Africa, to Port Alfred, QC with calcinated bauxite and was abandoned by the crew.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Been waiting for this to come out. Its only a week late, but then again Im not a regular subscriber... ws

www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2015/09/the_jupiter_explosion_25th_ann.html





OSHA cites U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for safety violations

9/23 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Saying he welcomes another set of eyes at the Soo Locks, Area Engineer Kevin Sprague of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers indicated the necessary corrections are already underway following a U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection.

OSHA issued a notice on Monday of 23 violations following the inspection earlier this year. The list included a lattice boom crawler and barge mounted crane in disrepair, dangerous confined space hazards, improperly secured scaffolds, guard floor openings, stairways lacking handrails and improperly stored gas cylinders. The citations also address shortcomings in fire extinguisher training, sling, crane and other equipment inspections, inadequate protection from operating machinery parts and inadequate respiratory protection.

"We'll have them all corrected," said Sprague. "We're looking at this as a positive. We want to improve and we welcome that third set of eyes.'

OSHA. In a press release announcing the citations, noted the March 2015 inspection at the Soo Locks was the first of its kind at the facility.

The OSHA press release went on to note that penalties are not imposed upon federal agencies that are found in violation. It further added that the recent violations would have cost a private-sector operation nearly $125,000.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has 15 business days from receipt of OSHA's notice to comply, request an informal conference with the area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Sprague observed that some of the violations date back to the time of construction, when there were fewer rules and regulations to govern what went on inside the facility. For example, the lack of a stairway handrail was found on a short — three-to four step landing.

He further indicated that other violations were easily corrected such as modifying the storage of gas cylinders and conducting fire extinguisher training.

"We do operate under our own safety manual," said Sprague of the safety precautions that have been in place for decades. "We try to comply with all of the rules all of the time."

Soo Evening News





Whistles on the Water Saturday in St. Clair

9/23 - St. Clair, Mich. – The annual Whistles on the Water steam whistle blow will be Saturday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. at Palmer Park in St. Clair.

Whistles on the Water is an annual event along the St. Clair River that loudly celebrates Michigan's maritime history. Over 100 steam whistles, many from ships that serviced ports in the St. Clair River and Lake Huron, will be blown throughout the day, sharing the sounds of a past when lake and river travel was powered by steam.

Kids and kids-at-heart are welcome to take a turn blowing a whistle.

This event takes place at the north end of Palmer Park in downtown St. Clair. Seating is available.

The St. Clair community has built a custom trailer that includes a portable steam boiler and equipment needed to blow steam whistles. Collectors and museums will bring historic ship whistles to the event; many have not been heard in years.



Foreign Steel, Vessel Repairs, and a Broken Lock Combine to Cut U.S.-Flag Lakes Float 10 Percent in August

9/23 - Cleveland, Ohio – Continued high levels of steel imports, coupled with three large vessels idled for repairs and a lengthy closure of the MacArthur Lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, cost U.S.-flag Great Lakes fleets more than 1.1 million tons of cargo in August. The fleet moved 9.9 million tons of raw materials in August, a decrease of 10.3 percent compared to the 11 million tons hauled a year ago.

The iron ore trade was most affected by steel imports and vessels being out of service. Shipments totaled just 4.3 million tons, a decrease of 22 percent compared to a year ago. It takes on average 1.5 tons of iron ore to make a ton of steel in a blast furnace, so with foreign steel corralling more than 30 percent of the market, a downturn was inevitable. Also, the three large vessels idled for some or all of the month are active in the ore trade and have a combined per-trip capacity of more than 200,000 tons. One of the idled vessels returned to service on August 28. The other ships did not sail again until September 19.

Coal shipments were also affected by the temporary loss of carrying capacity. Two of the idled 1,000-footers also regularly work the coal trade. Each can carry more than 60,000 tons per trip, so their temporary lay-ups were a factor in the 12-percent dip in coal loadings.

Limestone was the bright spot in August. Shipments in U.S. bottoms totaled more than 3 million tons, an increase of 14 percent compared to a year ago.

The failure of the MacArthur Lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, on July 29 also impacted the month’s totals. The lock did not reopen until August 17. More than 70 cargos in U.S.-flag lakers totaling 1.6 million tons were delayed more than 150 hours by the closure during August. Vessels are already operating at their most efficient speed, so most of those 150 hours cannot be recouped.

Year-to-date U.S.-flag carriage stands at 52.4 million tons, an increase of 6 percent compared to the same point in 2014, but a decrease of 1.5 percent compared to the 5-year average for the January-August timeframe.

Lake Carriers’ Association



September 23, 1922, the 306-foot NEPTUNE loaded the first Head-of-the-Lakes cargo of pig iron at Zenith Furnace, Duluth, Minnesota. The 5,000 tons of malleable pig iron was delivered to Buffalo, New York.

September 23, 1975, HERBERT C. JACKSON lost power while upbound on Lake Superior. She was towed back to the Soo by the USS straight decker D.G. KERR.

September 23, 1952, the steamer CHARLES L. HUTCHINSON became the first boat christened at Cleveland since the early years of World War II. The 644-foot HUTCHINSON, Captain T. A. Johnson, was the new flagship of the Pioneer fleet and one of 35 boats in the three fleets operated by Hutchinson & Co. Renamed b.) ERNEST R. BREECH in 1962, c.) KINSMAN INDEPENDENT in 1988. Sold Canadian in 2005, and renamed d.) VOYAGEUR INDEPENDENT. She sails today as the motorship e.) OJIBWAY.

On 23 September 1910, the BETHLEHEM (steel propeller package freighter, 290 foot, 2,633 gross tons, built in 1888, at Cleveland, Ohio) was carrying general merchandise when she went ashore in a gale on the SW side of S. Manitou Island in Lake Michigan. Lifesavers and the crew unloaded her over several days. Although battered by several storms while ashore, she was eventually pulled free and repaired. She lasted until 1925, when she was scrapped.

The scow WAUBONSIE was launched at the Curtis yard in Fort Gratiot, Michigan on 23 September 1873. 1935: HURRY-ON was a Great Lakes visitor in 1934 when it loaded bagged flour at Port Colborne. The ship was lost off Port Hood Island, near Judique, NS, after developing leaks and a list. The lifeboat swamped twice and five were lost.

1961: CRYSTAL JEWEL, inbound for London in thick fog, was in a collision with the B.P. Tanker BRITISH AVIATOR. The captain was seriously injured and his daughter was killed. The vessel first visited the Great Lakes in 1960 and was enroute from Duluth to London with a cargo of grain at the time of the accident. The vessel grounded and, after being released, was taken to Rotterdam where the entire mid-ship superstructure was replaced. The ship made many more trips through the Seaway and returned as b) MELTEMI in 1970. It was scrapped at Busan, South Korea, after arriving as d) TETA on July 17, 1979.

1980: FERNLEAF first visited the Seaway in 1965 and returned as b) AALSUM in 1974. The ship was detained at Basrah, Iraq, in 1981 as c) INICIATIVA on this date in 1980 and declared a total loss in December 1981. It was salvaged in 1993 and renamed d) DOLPHIN V but perhaps only for a trip to the shipbreakers. The vessel arrived at Gadani Beach December 27, 2003, and dismantling began at once.

2000: Vandals attacked the museum ship NORGOMA at Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., breaking windows, light fixtures and setting off fire extinguishers, leaving an estimated $15,000 in damage

[yachtsmanwilly]

Bill proposed to ban shipment of crude oil on Great Lakes

9/24 - Lansing, Mich. – The environmental threat to the Great Lakes posed by the transport of oil on and underneath its waters has prompted two Michigan’s U.S. senators to craft a bill aimed at reducing the likelihood of a catastrophic spill.

The legislation calls for a ban on tankers and barges transporting crude oil through the Great Lakes, but U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, said Wednesday no crude oil is currently being shipped through the lakes.

The bill also requires a “top-to-bottom” review of the region’s pipeline system. Oil pipelines, particularly a pair that run beneath the Straits of Mackinac, have become a hot-button issue since a rupture of a pipeline near Marshall five years ago resulted in the largest in-land oil spill in U.S. history.

The Pipeline Improvement and Preventing Spills Act — announced Wednesday by Peters and Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing — would have no immediate impact on the region’s pipelines. Conservation and environmental groups have called for the Mackinac pipelines, operated by Alberta-based Enbridge Energy, to be shut down.

The company also operates the pipeline that ruptured near Marshall in 2010, sending hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo River.

“...Michiganders know all too well that a pipeline break can have devastating consequences for our environment and our economy,” Peters said Wednesday. “One can only imagine what a disaster it would be for a similar oil spill to occur in the Great Lakes, the world’s largest system of fresh surface water.

“This commonsense legislation will help us prevent an oil spill in the Great Lakes, whether it’s a tanker accident or a pipeline leak in the Straits of Mackinac, so that we can protect and preserve this ecological treasure for generations to come.”

The bill also attempts to address what Stabenow and Peters identify as problem areas in spill response planning — preparing for cold weather conditions and the effectiveness in doing oil clean-up in fresh water. Both legislators said U.S. Coast Guard officials have indicated that the region is not prepared for a major spill during winter.

“Given the fact we’ve had nearly complete ice coverage over the Great Lakes the last two seasons ... if you had an spill or break in the middle of winter, it’s difficult to clean up given the currents in the Straits of Mackinac,” Peters said. “How would you clean that up?”

The proposed legislation also:

• Calls for adding all areas in the Great Lakes where pipelines cross open water to the federal government’s list of High Consequence Areas — triggering tighter criteria for new pipeline installations.

• Requires federal studies evaluating the risks posed by pipelines in the Great Lakes and proposing alternatives for the two lines in the Straits of Mackinac.

• Covers an assessment and improvement of oil spill response plans.

• Requires providing more information and transparency on the risks posed by pipelines.

“Another pipeline break like the one that dumped a million gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo River would be devastating for our Great Lakes, waters and wildlife,” Stabenow said in the release. “This bill requires a thorough review and plan to minimize risks and prevent catastrophic oil spills.”

Earlier this month, Gov. Rick Snyder called for the creation of a Pipeline Safety Advisory Board to “ensure safety, upkeep and transparency of issues related to the state’s network of pipelines.”

“While pipelines are an efficient way to deliver necessary energy to power our homes, our communities and our economy, pipeline spills also have negatively impacted our natural resources in the past,” Snyder said in a statement. “We remain fully committed to protecting our Great Lakes and natural resources, and this board will be charged with continuing the important work of safeguarding our environment while ensuring safe, affordable and reliable energy.”

Attorney General Bill Schuette also addressed rising concerns over pipelines in July. He released the findings of a pipeline task force convened the previous year that included a ban on heavy crude oil being transported through Enbridge’s Mackinac pipelines.

The company, however, said it had no plans to ship heavy crude through those lines. An Enbridge spokesman said the submerged pipelines carry only light crude oil and natural gas liquids.

This week, the U.S. Coast Guard, along with local, state and federal officials, will conduct an emergency response drill simulating an oil spill in the straits.

Detroit News





Port of Monroe getting $3M state loan for dredging, other improvements

9/24 - Monroe, Mich. – State officials have announced approval of a loan for improving access and activity at the Port of Monroe on Lake Erie.

The Michigan Economic Development Corp. said Tuesday that the Michigan Strategic Fund is loaning up to $3 million to the city of Monroe to dredge the River Raisin and make other upgrades to the port. The project aims to expand trade routes and cargo opportunities at the port that serves as a gateway to the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway.

The project will get $3.6 million in local and school tax revenue for brownfield redevelopment. That will be used to repay the state.

Officials say the improvements are designed to attract new cargo opportunities and benefit the port's existing tenants. They include DTE Energy and Ford Motor Co.

Associated Press



The EDMUND FITZGERALD's first cargo of taconite pellets was loaded September 24, 1958 at Silver Bay, Minnesota for Toledo, Ohio.

The PERE MARQUETTE 22 entered service September 24, 1924.

In early morning fog on the St. Clair River on September 24, 1962, the J.L. REISS was hit three glancing blows by U.S. Steel's SEWELL AVERY. The AVERY had lost control just below Robert's Landing and crossed the channel from the Canadian side and struck the REISS, which was proceeding slowly by radar on the U.S. side.

On September 24, 1952, the CHARLES L. HUTCHINSON entered service. This vessel was renamed b.) ERNEST R. BREECH when it was sold to the Ford Motor Company in 1962, and it was renamed c.) KINSMAN INDEPENDENT, when it was sold to Kinsman Lines in 1988. Sold Canadian in 2005, and renamed d.) VOYAGEUR INDEPENDENT. She sails today as the motorship e.) OJIBWAY.

On September 23, 1991, J.W. MC GIFFIN rescued several people in a 24-foot pleasure craft off Presque Ile State Park. The group had been disabled since the day before. They were taken aboard the McGIFFIN and their boat taken under tow. The MC GIFFIN was rebuilt with a new forward section and renamed b.) CSL NIAGARA in 1999.

September 24, 1924 - The PERE MARQUETTE 22 arrived at Ludington, Michigan on her maiden voyage.

On 24 September 1902, H.A. BARR (3 mast wooden schooner, 217 foot, 1,119 gross tons, built in 1893, at W. Bay City, Michigan) was in tow of the saltie THEANO with a load of iron ore in a storm 30 miles off Port Stanley in Lake Erie. She broke her towline in giant waves and foundered. THEANO rescued her crew.

On 24 September 1879, the tug URANIA was towing the schooner S V R WATSON into Sand Beach at about noon when the schooner struck the tug amidships, cutting a hole in the hull and sinking her in three fathoms of water. No lives were lost.

1901: M.M. DRAKE was towing the schooner barge MICHIGAN across Lake Superior when the latter began to sink. The steamer came alongside to take off the crew when a towering wave bashed the two vessels together resulting in heavy damage. Both vessels went down, but all except one sailor were rescued by the passing ships NORTHERN WAVE and CRESCENT CITY.

1915: WESTERN STAR ran aground on Robertson Rock, Georgian Bay, while enroute to Little Current with a cargo of coal. The ship was badly damaged and early attempts to refloat the freighter failed. It was not released until September 18, 1917, and was rebuilt at Detroit. The ship returned to service as b) GLENISLA in 1918 and was scrapped at Hamilton as c) PRESCOTT in 1962-1963.

1937: NEEBING foundered with the loss of 5 lives in western Lake Superior while towing the barge COTEAU in a heavy storm. The crane-equipped ship was approaching the Nipigon Strait, with a load of gravel for Red Rock, ON at the time. Nine sailors were rescued.

1947: MILVERTON, downbound with a cargo of coal, and TRANSLAKE, upbound with crude oil, collided near Iroquois, ON. The latter got caught in the current and veered to port resulting in the collision. The former, one of the few oil-burning canal ships, had the fuel lines rupture, caught fire, drifted downstream and grounded at the head of Rapide Plat. The ship burned for two days and 11 sailors were killed. Despite the heavy damage, MILVERTON was refloated, repaired and later sailed as c) CLARY FORAN and d) FERNDALE (i) before being scrapped at Hamilton in 1963.

1952: BAYTON was loading at Pool 4A Elevator at the Canadian Lakehead when there was an explosion at the elevator and chunks of concrete rained down on the deck of the Colonial Steamship Co. (Misener) steamer. One person was killed and nine more were injured.

2008: DRAGOMIRESTI was a Romanian freighter that first visited the Seaway in 1992 to load a food aid cargo in Thunder Bay for Sudan & Yemen. The ship was driven aground as j) CHUN JIANG, about 22 miles from Macao in Typhoon Hagupit. The crew were removed by helicopter.

[yachtsmanwilly]

September 26, 1930, the schooner OUR SON, launched in 1875, sank during a storm on Lake Michigan about 40 miles WSW of Big Sable Point. Seventy-three year old Captain Fred Nelson the crew of OUR SON were rescued by the self-unloader WILLIAM NELSON.

September 26, 1937, the Canadian Seaman's Union signed a tentative wage contract. Sailors would continue a two watch system (working 12 hours every 24 hours) and be paid the following monthly wages: Wheelsmen and Oilers - $72.50, Watchmen and firemen - $67.50, Second Cooks - $52.50, deckhands and coal passers - $50.00, porters - $45.00, Chief Cooks on the Upper Lakes - $115.00, and Chief Cooks on Canal boats $105.00.

September 26, 1957, Taconite Harbor, Minnesota loaded its first cargo of 10,909 tons of taconite pellets into the holds of the Interlake steamer J. A. CAMPBELL.

On 26 September 1892, JOHN BURT (3-mast wooden schooner, 138 foot, 348 gross tons, built in 1871, at Detroit, Michigan) was carrying grain in a strong northwest gale. Her rudder broke and she was blown past the mouth of Oswego harbor and was driven hard aground. Two died when the vessel struck. The U.S. Lifesaving Service rescued the remaining five crewmembers. The vessel quickly broke up in the waves.

CHI-CHEEMAUN cleared the shipyard on September 26, 1974.

H. M. GRIFFITH was christened on September 26, 1973 at Collingwood for Canada Steamship Lines.

C.C.G.S. GRIFFON (Hull#664) was launched September 26, 1969 by Davie Shipbuilding Ltd., Lauzon, Quebec for the Canadian Coast Guard.

ROGER M. KYES returned to service on September 26, 1984; she had grounded off McLouth Steel and ended crosswise in the Detroit River's Trenton Channel a month before. She was renamed b.) ADAM E. CORNELIUS in 1989.

The BELLE RIVER was sideswiped by the Liberian FEDERAL RHINE, of 1977, at Duluth on September 26, 1985. Both vessels received minor damage.

On 26 September 1914, MARY N. BOURKE (wooden schooner-barge, 219 foot, 920 gross tons, built in 1889, at Baraga, Michigan) was docked at Peter's Lumber Dock in St. Mary's Bay, 15 miles north of St. Ignace, Michigan. The crew was awakened at 9:30-10:00 p.m. by smoke coming from her hold and they escaped. The BOURKE burned to the waterline and the fire spread ashore, destroying the dock and a pile of lumber.

At 3 a.m., 26 September 1876, the steam barge LADY FRANKLIN burned while moored near Clark's dock, about three miles from Amherstburg, Ontario in the Detroit River. One life was lost. This vessel had been built in 1861, as a passenger steamer and ran between Cleveland, Ohio and Port Stanley, Ontario. In 1874, she was converted into a lumber freighter, running primarily between Saginaw, Michigan and Cleveland. The burned hull was rebuilt in 1882.

1979: MAHONI, an Indonesian-registered freighter, went aground on the west coast of Taiwan and was abandoned by the crew. The ship was refloated in June 1980 and sold to Taiwanese shipbreakers for scrapping at Kaohsiung. It had been a Seaway saltie as b) CLARI beginning in 1968 and returned as c) ARNIS in 1970.

September 27, 1959: The West Neebish Channel, through which downbound traffic normally passes, was temporarily closed to permit dredging to the maximum Seaway depth of 27 feet. Two-way traffic was instituted in the Middle Neebish Channel until dredging was completed.

On 27 September 1877, the HIPPOGRIFFE (wooden schooner, 295 tons, built in 1864, at Buffalo, New York) had just left Chicago for Buffalo, loaded with oats, on a fine day with clear weather. The crew saw EMMA A. COYNE (wooden schooner, 155 foot, 497 tons, built in 1867, at Detroit, Michigan) approaching from a long way off loaded with lumber. The two vessels' skippers were brothers. The two schooners collided about 20 miles off Kenosha, Wisconsin. The COYNE came along side and picked up the HIPPOGRIFFE's crew a few minutes before that vessel rolled over and dove for the bottom.

The CITY OF GENOA arrived with the first cargo of iron ore for the new factory at Zug Island, reported The Detroit Free Press on September 28, 1903.

The H. M. GRIFFITH experienced a smoky conveyor belt fire at Port Colborne, Ontario on September 27, 1989. Repairs were completed there.

ROGER M. KYES proceeded to Chicago for dry-docking, survey and repairs on September 27, 1976. She struck bottom in Buffalo Harbor September 22, 1976 sustaining holes in two double bottom tanks and damage to three others.

GEORGE M. HUMPHREY under tow, locked through the Panama Canal from September 27, 1986, to the 30th on her way to the cutter’s torch at Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

The tanker IMPERIAL COLLINGWOOD (Hull#137) was launched September 27, 1947, at Collingwood, Ontario by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd. for Imperial Oil Ltd., Toronto, Ontario. Renamed b.) SEAWAY TRADER in 1979, sold off the Lakes in 1984, renamed c.) PATRICIA II, d.) BALBOA TRADER in 1992.

September 27, 1909 - The ANN ARBOR NO 4 entered service after being repaired from her capsizing at Manistique, Michigan the previous May.

On 27 September 1884, WALDO A. AVERY (wooden propeller, 204 foot, 1,294 gross tons) was launched at West Bay City, Michigan. Her construction had been subcontracted by F. W. Wheeler & Co. to Thomas F. Murphy.

On 27-29 September 1872, a big storm swept the lower lakes. On Lake Huron, the barges HUNTER and DETROIT were destroyed. The tug SANDUSKY rescued the 21 survivors from them. The schooner CORSAIR foundered off Sturgeon Point on Saginaw Bay at 4 p.m. on Sunday the 29th and only 2 of the crew survived. The barge A. LINCOLN was ashore one mile below Au Sable with no loss of life. The barge TABLE ROCK went ashore off Tawas Point and went to pieces. All but one of her crew was lost. The schooner WHITE SQUALL was sunk ten miles off Fish Point -- only one crewman was saved. The schooner SUMMIT went ashore at Fish Point, 7 miles north of Tawas with two lives lost.

1911: The water-logged wooden steamer THREE BROTHERS was beached off South Manitou Island, Lake Michigan. The cargo of lumber was salvaged but the 23-year-old vessel was left to rot.

1912: The wooden steamer GEORGE T. HOPE, loaded with 2,118 tons of iron ore, foundered in Lake Superior near Grand Island when it began leaking in heavy weather. All on board were saved.

1934: SASKADOC departed Erie, Pa., for the short run to the Welland Canal with 7,500 tons of coal and the hatches left open. The vessel encountered a storm on the lake, developed a list and arrived 11 hours late.

1943: NORMAN B. MACPHERSON, a small canaller in the Upper Lakes fleet, went aground on Hammond Shoal in the American Channel of the St. Lawrence near Alexandria Bay, N.Y.

1969: OPHELIA was a Great Lakes caller before the Seaway opened. The West German freighter also made 16 trips inland from 1959 to 1964. It was under Greek registry when it was abandoned off Sibu, Sarawak, with a fire in the engine room, on this date in 1969. The vessel was enroute from Sibu to Kuching, China, and the hull drifted aground as a total loss.

1991: OGDENSBURG was built as a barge to ferry rail cars across the St. Lawrence between Prescott and Ogdensburg. The vessel had joined McKeil as a regular deck barge in 1988 and broke loose in a storm on this date in 1991 while working off Blanc Sablon, Q.C. carrying heavy construction equipment. Refloated, the hull was towed to Hamilton and became one of three former railway barges rebuilt as a floating drydock.

9/27 - The bulk carrier Birchglen (ii) departed Montreal under her own power on Sept. 25, 2015. The destination was Aliaga, Turkey, where the vessel will be broken up for scrap. It currently shows an ETA for Aliaga of Oct. 17. This is the first of three ocean/laker sisterships to be dismantled. The other two continue to serve on the Great Lakes as Spruceglen (ii) and Kaministiqua.

Birchglen was built at the Govan Shipyard in Govan, Scotland. The ship was christened Canada Marquis on April 15, 1983, and it departed for the Great Lakes on July 11. The new carrier was upbound in the Welland Canal for the first time on July 23.

Canada Marquis, and her sisterships, were designed to carry a good payload on the Great Lakes while having deep-sea capabilities. This allowed the vessel to operate year around for much of its career.

The ship joined the Misener Transportation Co. fleet and often carried grain from Great Lakes elevators direct to overseas destinations. The 730 foot long by 75.95 foot wide vessel was registered at 21,549 gross tons.

During the first winter, Canada Marquis carried coal from Sydney, NS, to Santos, Brazil, and then loaded grain in Argentina and Brazil for Bremen, West Germany. It also took grain from Quebec City to Tilbury, England, before returning to Seaway service.

The following fall, Canada Marquis loaded grain on the lakes for Leningrad, Russia, and topped off at Baie Comeau for the trip overseas. It arrived for discharge on Jan. 2, 1985. It followed this voyage carrying European grain from Hamburg to Leningrad.

In Dec. 1985, Canada Marquis cleared Toledo with grain for Seaforth, England, and then hauled more European grain to Leningrad before returning to the Great Lakes with a cargo of Swedish steel. On Nov. 26, 1987, Canada Marquis was anchored off Trois Rivieres, QC, when it was struck by the Yugoslavian freighter Split and sustained damage to the port bow.

On Sept. 12, 1988, Canada Marquis was unloading steel at Chicago when the crane collapsed, resulting in damage to the hatch combings and punching a hole in the tank tops. Then, on March 17, 1990, the vessel was rammed from behind by the tanker British Tay when heavy ice stopped forward movement in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The trailing vessel was not as quick to halt its forward momentum. After being repaired at Lauzon, QC, Canada Marquis was placed under the flag of the Isle of Man.

In 1991, this ship joined Fednav as b) Federal Richelieu and made it first trip through the Welland Canal on April 13, 1991. But later in the year, the vessel was resold and registered in the Philippines for Maple Shipping. It continued on charter to Fednav but the name was changed to c) Federal Mackenzie (ii).

Federal Mackenzie was also a regular Great Lakes trader and, on Dec, 7, 1991, loaded the first cargo of sunflower seeds at Superior, Wis., since 1988.

Federal Mackenzie ran aground in the St. Lawrence, not far from Contrecoeur, QC, on July 14, 1993, and had to be lightered to P.S. Barge No. 1 before floating free. There was no hull damage.

On April 10, 1999, this ship was the first deep-sea trader to Duluth-Superior for the season and it took on soybeans for Naantali, Finland. It continued to trade in and out of the lakes carrying various cargoes including flax seed and corn, potash, sand and steel.

The name was changed to d) Mackenzie in 2001 when the ship moved under M. & N. Shipping Corp. with Panamanian registry. It was back through the Seaway for the first time under this name on June 21, 2001, with steel for Hamilton and Burns Harbor. On the second inland voyage later in the year Mackenzie brought sugar to Toronto.

The ship was resold to Canada Steamship Lines late in 2002 and renamed e) Birchglen (ii) at Montreal on March 7, 2003. The latter was upbound in the Welland Canal for the first time on April 2, 2003.

During the winter of 2003-2004, the ship made two trips with bauxite from Amazon River docks to Port Alfred, QC.

On July 10, 2010, Birchglen made history by carrying the largest cargo of windmill components into the Great Lakes. These came aboard at Gros Cacouna, QC, and were stored on deck and in the cargo holds. They were delivered to Burns Harbor, Ind., and were to be used in a windmill farm near Bloomington, Ill. It was reported that the voyage saved the use of 402 highway trucks.

Birchglen operated through the 2014 season and then tied up at Montreal. No work could be found to keep the ship in service and it remained idle until its departure for overseas on Sept. 25.

This is not the first former member of the C.S.L. fleet to end its days at the Turkish scrapyard that has a good reputation for being environmentally friendly. Previous company ships to be broken up at that location have included Fort Chambly, Georgian Bay, Manitoulin, the former French River as Nova, the former Winnipeg (ii) as Algontario, Halifax, Saguenay (iii), and Richelieu (iii), as well as their deep-sea self-unloaders CSL Bergen, CSL Shannon and CSL Tiber.


September 29, 1930, for the first time in the history of Pittsburgh Steamship Company, the boats of the fleet loaded more than one million tons in a seven-day period. The 64 Pittsburgh boats loaded 1,002,092 tons of cargo between 9/23 and 9/29.

The J. H. SHEADLE (Hull#22) of the Great Lakes Engineering Works, was launched September 29, 1906, for the Grand Island Steamship Co. (Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co., Cleveland, Ohio, mgr.) Renamed b.) F. A. BAILEY in 1924, c.) LA SALLE in 1930. Sold Canadian in 1965, renamed d.) MEAFORD, and e.) PIERSON INDEPENDENT in 1979. She was scrapped at Santander, Spain, in 1980.

Henry Ford II, 70, of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, passed away on September 29, 1987. Mr. Ford's namesake was the Ford Motor Company self-unloader.

On September 29, 1986, the Polish tug KORAL left Lauzon, Quebec with the JOHN E. F. MISENER and GOLDEN HIND enroute to Cartagena / Mamonal, Columbia, for scrapping.

September 29, 1892 - The ANN ARBOR NO 1 was launched.

On 29 September 1872, ADRIATIC (3-masted wooden schooner-barge, 139 foot, 129 net tons, built in 1865, at Clayton, New York as a bark) was in tow of the tug MOORE along with three other barges in Lake Erie in a heavy gale. She became separated from the tow and foundered. The entire crew of 7 was lost. The wooden schooner DERRICK was used in salvage operations. On 29 September 1854, she had just positioned herself above the wreck of the steamer ERIE off Silver Creek, New York on Lake Erie when she went down in a gale. She had spent the summer trying to salvage valuables from the wreck of the steamer ATLANTIC.

On 29 September 1900, the steamer SAKIE SHEPARD was re-launched at Anderson's shipyard in Marine City. She had been thoroughly rebuilt there during the summer.

1974: J.A.Z. DESGAGNES and HAVRE ST. PIERRE collided while trying to pass on the St. Lawrence. The former often visited the Great Lakes but was scrapped in Croatia as e) A. LEGRAND in 2003-2004. The latter, originally a Dutch coastal vessel, worked on the St. Lawrence and around Eastern Canada but was deleted from Lloyds Register in 1999.

1982: ATLANTIC SUPERIOR went aground off Wellesley Island in the American Narrows of the St. Lawrence. This new member of the Canada Steamship Lines fleet was released October 1 and repaired at Thunder Bay. It was back on the Great Lakes in 2012.

EASTERN FRIENDSHIP first came to the Great Lakes in 1986. It had been stranded off the coast of Bangladesh as d) TONY BEST since April 10, 1993. While refloated on June 21, the anchors dragged on July 24 and the ship went aground again. The hull later cracked and the ship sank on this date in 1993.


$77,000 lens to be installed Monday in historic Buffalo Lighthouse

9/29 - Buffalo, N.Y. – The long-awaited installation of the Buffalo Lighthouse lens will begin at 9 a.m. Monday, the Buffalo Lighthouse Association announced.

The new Fresnel lens is an example of the classic lighthouse lens used in the mid-19th century. The updated version was made from optical acrylic by Dan Spinella of Artworks Florida, which specializes in Fresnel lens reproductions and restoration, said Michael Vogel, Lighthouse Association president.

The $77,000 lens will emit low-level lighting so it won’t be mistaken for a working aid to navigation. Third-order lenses were used in major harbor lights and could be seen 16 miles out.

The public is invited to watch the placement of the lens, which is expected to take much of the day, said Vogel. A $5 gate fee will be charged to help in restoration efforts. People are asked to bring blankets or chairs to sit on. Active or retired military with ID will be admitted freee. T-shirts marking the 30-year restoration effort will be available for sale.

Buffalo News


Bramble shakes out the bugs in Lake Huron

9/29 - Port Huron, Mich. – Problems with a generator, problems with mooring equipment — the volunteer crew members of the retired U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bramble were having problems Saturday getting the ship ready for sea trials in lake Huron.

“Welcome to the military,” shouted one crew member. “Hurry up and wait.”

Eventually the 71-year-old Bramble, with a crew of 29 volunteers, left its berth at the Bean Dock at about 12:45 p.m. and cruised majestically beneath the Blue Water Bridge and into Lake Huron.

Retired Coast Guard Capt. Charlie Park was happy to be aboard.

Park, who lives in Yorktown, Va., with his wife, Carol, was the captain of the Bramble and was based in Port Huron from 1978 to 1980. “Every old Coast Guardsman is drawn to be back on his old ship,” Carol Park said.

“I’d come back tomorrow if they’d let me,” Charlie Park said.

Bob and Carol Klingler own the Bramble, which was decommissioned in 2003. They purchased it from the Port Huron Museum in 2013.

The ship’s first set of sea trials was in June — the first time it had been under its own power since 2008. “You run everything and quite frankly you shake out the bugs,” Klingler said. “The ship’s been sitting for a while. We shook out the bugs and we repaired the bugs.”

The crew Saturday was able to do tests at the dock and conduct a man overboard drill.

Pat Shirkey, of Marysville, was one of the volunteers aboard the Bramble. “I am very fortunate to be on this,” she said. “It’s fun and it’s a good experience — and I love the water.”

Dan Gallagher, of the Lakes Pilots Association, was in charge of guiding the Bramble through the St. Clair River and into Lake Huron. He said having the ship moored at the Seaway Terminal’s Bean Dock is an asset for the community.

Klingler said the Bramble, because of its history and the history it preserves, is like a time capsule. “It’s been around for 70-some years,” he said. “It actually has been under Coast Guard usage for 60. ...

“It has years of people’s lives that have been on board,” he said. “You’re looking at 60 years of actually having about 50 people on board every day.”

Park said he was having a good time. “I always have fun,” he said. “I’m 73 years old. In a few years when they bring me here in a wheelchair ... I would still want to be here.”

Port Huron Times Herald

Door County Maritime Museum launches tower campaign

9/27 - Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – The Door County Maritime Museum has launched its largest fundraising campaign since the construction of its waterfront museum in Sturgeon Bay nearly 20 years ago.

Calling it a “major step forward,” the museum is expanding its Sturgeon Bay facility with a one-of-a-kind 11-story tower that will serve both as an observation platform for the community’s harbor as well as additional space for an array of state-of-the-art exhibits for all ages.

The campaign “Reaching New Heights in Our Maritime Heritage” will ultimately produce an addition that will promote northeastern Wisconsin’s shipbuilders and maritime-related businesses as well as the world’s most extensive navigable waterways system.

The Sturgeon Bay facility is one of three facilities operated by the museum, the others are open seasonally at Cana Island and Gills Rock. Sturgeon Bay’s museum was first housed in the former Roen Steamship Company offices until the current 20,000 square foot waterfront building opened in 1997. Since then hundreds of thousands of visitors have visited the museum with its emphasis on shipbuilding, lighthouses, marine innovation and the more recently added Great Lakes tug John Purves.

The project will allow the museum to take a major step towards 21st century modernization, joining a growing trend among museum across the country.

The project addresses two major shortcoming with the current building – space and self-sustainability. The new floor plan would increase retail space for an expanded museum store that is key to sustainable development.

While the expansion project will include an expanded lobby and museum store, the highlight will be the elevator ride to the 10th floor observation deck with its 360-degree view of Sturgeon Bay. Guests will be able to see downtown Sturgeon Bay to the north and south as well as seeing commercial and recreational boat traffic in the harbor.

From here, visitors will have a simulated lighthouse experience by climbing the spiral staircase to the 11th floor beacon enclosure and open observation deck. The museum sees the tower project as another piece in the city’s waterfront redevelopment, significantly impacting the economy of the local and greater Door County community.

Door County Marine Museum

[yachtsmanwilly]

September 29, 1930, for the first time in the history of Pittsburgh Steamship Company, the boats of the fleet loaded more than one million tons in a seven-day period. The 64 Pittsburgh boats loaded 1,002,092 tons of cargo between 9/23 and 9/29.

The J. H. SHEADLE (Hull#22) of the Great Lakes Engineering Works, was launched September 29, 1906, for the Grand Island Steamship Co. (Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co., Cleveland, Ohio, mgr.) Renamed b.) F. A. BAILEY in 1924, c.) LA SALLE in 1930. Sold Canadian in 1965, renamed d.) MEAFORD, and e.) PIERSON INDEPENDENT in 1979. She was scrapped at Santander, Spain, in 1980.

Henry Ford II, 70, of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, passed away on September 29, 1987. Mr. Ford's namesake was the Ford Motor Company self-unloader.

On September 29, 1986, the Polish tug KORAL left Lauzon, Quebec with the JOHN E. F. MISENER and GOLDEN HIND enroute to Cartagena / Mamonal, Columbia, for scrapping.

September 29, 1892 - The ANN ARBOR NO 1 was launched.

On 29 September 1872, ADRIATIC (3-masted wooden schooner-barge, 139 foot, 129 net tons, built in 1865, at Clayton, New York as a bark) was in tow of the tug MOORE along with three other barges in Lake Erie in a heavy gale. She became separated from the tow and foundered. The entire crew of 7 was lost. The wooden schooner DERRICK was used in salvage operations. On 29 September 1854, she had just positioned herself above the wreck of the steamer ERIE off Silver Creek, New York on Lake Erie when she went down in a gale. She had spent the summer trying to salvage valuables from the wreck of the steamer ATLANTIC.

On 29 September 1900, the steamer SAKIE SHEPARD was re-launched at Anderson's shipyard in Marine City. She had been thoroughly rebuilt there during the summer.

1974: J.A.Z. DESGAGNES and HAVRE ST. PIERRE collided while trying to pass on the St. Lawrence. The former often visited the Great Lakes but was scrapped in Croatia as e) A. LEGRAND in 2003-2004. The latter, originally a Dutch coastal vessel, worked on the St. Lawrence and around Eastern Canada but was deleted from Lloyds Register in 1999.

1982: ATLANTIC SUPERIOR went aground off Wellesley Island in the American Narrows of the St. Lawrence. This new member of the Canada Steamship Lines fleet was released October 1 and repaired at Thunder Bay. It was back on the Great Lakes in 2012.

EASTERN FRIENDSHIP first came to the Great Lakes in 1986. It had been stranded off the coast of Bangladesh as d) TONY BEST since April 10, 1993. While refloated on June 21, the anchors dragged on July 24 and the ship went aground again. The hull later cracked and the ship sank on this date in 1993.


Ace was one of the World War One “lakers.” It was built at Lorain, Ohio, as a) Lake Frohna and delivered to the U.S. Shipping Board on July 8, 1919. The ship left for the Atlantic and service between U.S. East Coast ports and the United Kingdom.

After being laid up at Staten Island, the Lake Frohna was sold and returned to the Great Lakes in 1924 for the Minnesota-Atlantic Transit Co. and began sailing as b) Ace in 1925. It was rebuilt as a package freighter and saw service between Port Huron and Duluth but later traded east to Buffalo.

The 261 foot long carrier was requisitioned for World War Two service and delivered to the United States Maritime Commission at Boston in Sept. 1941 for work under the U.S. Army Quartermaster's Corp. Renamed c) Brig. Gen. M.G. Zalinski, the ship saw service on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The vessel was on a voyage from Seattle, Wash., to Whittier, Alaska, with army supplies when it stranded in a driving rain during the night of Sept. 28-29, 1946, and sank within 20 minutes near Pitt Island, British Columbia. The crew were rescued by the tug Sally N. and taken to the fishing village of Butedale.

The hull was discovered resting upside down on the bottom in June 2011. The cargo of bombs and munitions remains on board and, although at a depth of over 80 feet of water, they are still considered a hazard.


Time tested: Superior's Fraser Shipyards celebrates 125 years

9/29 - Superior, Wis. – In the shadow of the Blatnik Bridge, with traffic streaming noisily overhead, shipyard mechanics and crewmembers crawled about a rapid response craft belonging to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The vessel was on blocks like a coupe in the driveway, but in the water it can hit upwards of 55 mph. There aren’t many vessels on the water that can outrun it, said James Farkas, senior vice president of operations for Fraser Shipyards Inc.

The twin-engine vessel wouldn’t be finished until it received a fresh coat of paint. “The Coast Guard is very particular about the look of their vessels,” Farkas said.

The Coast Guard craft seemed to stand as a metaphor for Fraser Shipyards. Now celebrating its 125th year, the 60-plus-acre shipyard has experienced a series of iterations — becoming more nimble with each one.

It’s still a home to some of the more modest-sized wintering lake freighters that will anchor or nestle into its two dry docks for maintenance and repairs.

“We’re more of a repair yard now,” said Farkas in talking about lake freighters, “as opposed to a construction yard.”

Lately, Fraser Shipyards also has embraced mining by fabricating steel drums and other structures for the Iron Range. Under the moniker of its Duluth-based corporate holding company, Capstan Corp., the yard has even tackled aluminum construction with the subsidiary Lake Assault Boats — swift craft engineered from scratch that are favored by law enforcement and fire-and-rescue agencies.

The shipyard also will assemble crews at a moment’s notice to work off-site. Their mechanics will pile into a heavy-duty pickup and haul out at any hour to ports across the Great Lakes in the name of service and repair.

Just before Labor Day, Fraser sent a crew sailing down U.S. Highway 2 across Wisconsin to Escanaba, Mich., for repair work there.

“It’s a revenue thing,” Farkas said. “A ship that’s sitting is not making revenue.”

The yard’s ability to jump to work at a moment’s notice recalled a letter it once received in the middle of the last century from the late Henry Steinbrenner, a shipping magnate and father of the late George Steinbrenner, the famous New York Yankees owner.

One of Henry Steinbrenner’s ships was damaged and couldn’t make it to one of his yards in Lake Erie. It docked for repairs in the finger of water called Howard’s Pocket that Fraser calls home in east Superior.

“He was so impressed with the work and speed,” said Joel Johnson, whose family used to own the shipyard. “It was faster out than what his own shipyards would do. Anything coming up this way later he said he’d use Fraser. It was kind of a neat letter.”

Johnson is the owner of Lakehead Boat Basin on Park Point. He was 2 years old when his grandfather and uncle, Henry and Eigil Knudsen, respectively, sold the shipyard. Johnson, 63, learned the maritime industry at the knee of his grandfather. Though never a shipbuilder, Johnson took over the Lakehead marina when he was 14 and has been there since, training generations of his own.

Johnson recalled riding through neighborhoods with his Grandpa Hank. They’d stop and mingle. A one-time shipbuilder, and a primary philanthropist for Superior’s first hospital, Hank always carried a pack of spearmint gum. He would pick out a stick of gum and snap it in two, lighting the nostrils of a young neighborhood kid with the scent.

“We gotta share,” Hank would tell the young boy before handing over the gum.

“I learned a lot from him,” Johnson said. “People nowadays learn business or social skills. Looking back, it was one of those lessons. You gotta share a little bit.”

The Duluth Seaway Port Authority, in its winter 2003 magazine, described Fraser Shipyard as starting when Alexander McDougall moved his whaleback shipbuilding operation from Duluth to the underdeveloped strip in Superior. It rose to prominence after McDougall installed the first of its “graving” or dry docks, built of timber. It was the first dry dock on Lake Superior and, for a while, the largest on the Great Lakes. Thirty lake vessels and 25 oceangoing vessels were built there through World War I.

But after pumping out ships and barges for many years — going from its original American Steel Barge Co., to Superior Ship Building Co., to American Ship Building Co. — it felt its age.

The Knudsen family resurrected the yard when they owned it from 1945 to 1959. They blended their small machine shop, Northern Engineering, into the yard, and that business still specializes in marine repair to this day.

Johnson recalled tales passed down from his grandfather about mid-century glory years at the shipyard. Crews of 400 employees turned the shipyard into a bustling industrial enterprise. There were sometimes up to 20 architects on staff, directing work on an endless stream of vessels.

An employee at the yard, Robert M. Fraser, took over in the late 1950s, following Eigil (Ike’s) death. Bursting with enthusiasm, Fraser led the shipyard into a renaissance — the first vessel-lengthening projects — halving freighters and adding whole new sections in the middle — replacing boilers, converting ships to self-unloaders and installing bow thrusters.

“My grandfather couldn’t run it by himself,” Johnson said, describing how Fraser was chosen over other interested parties for his vigor and ability to keep the yard as local as possible and away from those who would revamp the mission.

“The fact that the company has been rooted in the Twin Ports for 125 years is testament to their craftsmanship and resiliency in riding the commodity cycles we all experience,” said Vanta Coda, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.

Al Jacobson has worked for Fraser since 1971. Outfitted in gray bib overalls, he’s looking forward to the day he retires this December. At 63, he’s sharp-minded and lean in the frame. Working in a steel shop will do that to a man.

“I enjoy it myself,” he said. “I get along with the foreman and I listen to what everyone has to say.”

With the garage doors open on a sunny day, he cut steel on a table using a brilliant blue flame. He’ll also operate rolling machines that bend the heavy metal.

“I made a whole mess of bilge plates last year,” he said.

Fraser might not bustle with 400 employees any longer, but it’s still a viable home for Northland boilermakers, machinists, mechanics and engineers all the same.

“Fraser is a very major industry in our community,” said Superior Mayor Bruce Hagen. “They’ve employed a lot of people over the years and they continue to be a strong member of the community. I appreciate their presence every day.”

The shipyard continues to adapt in the ever-changing industry. Most American shipbuilding has migrated to the Gulf of Mexico. The 1,000-foot vessels that sail the lakes today have pressed the yard to improve, and it’s in the midst of a multiphase, $10 million update that is adding to its total dock footage.

Farkas said he’s just now looking ahead to the winter season, hoping for another shipping offseason of berthings that amount to the busiest time of year at the yard, when 15,000 to 20,000 hours of work comes available.

There’s a sign at the entrance to the Fraser yard that said the company is hiring. Farkas said he figures to be lining up a half-dozen or more ships in the coming months that will berth through the winter at Fraser and at other docks around the Port of Duluth-Superior.

Fraser’s foothold in the largest loading harbor on the Great Lakes helps make it the viable business it continues to be. Repairs can be made on the fly, minimizing downtime for loading and unloading vessels. Ships coming out of winter layup can load and go as soon as the season begins anew every March.

Even after 125 years of familiarity, it’s not taken for granted.

“Fraser Shipyards has played an important role in the evolution of the Port of Duluth-Superior and the entire Great Lakes maritime industry as they’ve built, serviced and repaired multiple generations of bulk freighters,” Coda said. “It’s part of the critical infrastructure needed to operate a port of this magnitude.”

Duluth News Tribune

[yachtsmanwilly]

Coast Guard cutter Morro Bay returns to Cleveland following 14-month overhaul

9/30 - Cleveland, Ohio – Coast Guard cutter Morro Bay returned to homeport in Cleveland Tuesday following a 14-month Service Life Extension Project at the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore.

SLEP is a major mid-life overhaul that is expected to extend the cutter's service life 15 years.

Morro Bay is one of nine 140-foot WTGB icebreaking tugs built between the late 1970s and early 1980s in Tacoma, Wa. Having served on the Great Lakes, mid-Atlantic and New England waterways for more than three decades, the WTGBs were due for a mid-life overhaul. Morro Bay is the first of the class to undergo SLEP.

Major SLEP work items included renewal of the crew's berthing and messdeck, comprehensive navigation and steering systems upgrades, main propulsion motor overhaul, and installation of a new engine room water-mist fire fighting system and a modern small boat davit system.

Additionally, the icebreaking bubbler system located on the fantail was decommissioned, and a new bubbler system was installed in the engine room. This large diesel engine and its compressor required plenty of space, so the ship's service diesel generators were moved to make room. The cutter was also sandblasted and painted top to bottom, stem to stern.

With the cutter in SLEP, Morro Bay's crew maintained icebreaking proficiency by crew-swapping with the cutter's sister ship Neah Bay, also homeported in Cleveland, during the 2014-2015 icebreaking season.

USCG





Bay Shipbuilding tug and barge christening held Tuesday

9/30 - Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – Bay Shipbuilding Co./Fincantieri held a christening for the tug Leigh Ann Moran and the barge the Mississippi Tuesday morning in Sturgeon Bay.

The owner of the tug is Moran Towing Corp., which is leasing the tug for five years to Chevron Shipping Co. The tug is named after longtime Chevron employee Bill Engibous' wife, Leigh Ann Engibous. The Engibouses – who have both worked for Chevron – and their four children attended the event at Bay Ship. The Mississippi is named after the state where Leigh Ann Engibous was born and where the couple met and married.

The ATB type tug Leigh Ann is 121 feet long and 36 feet wide. The tug and barge are expected to head to Corpus Christi, Texas, to be turned over to the Chevron Shipping Co.

A number of local dignitaries, including Sturgeon Bay Mayor Thad Birmingham and state Rep. Joel Kitchens, R-Sturgeon Bay, attended the event along with more than 500 Bay Ship employees.

Paul R. Tregurtha, founder and chairman of Moran Towing Corp., gave the ceremony’s opening address.

"It’s so great to see all of you who have physically have hands on doing the welding, bending the pipe, putting in the electrical things," Tregurtha said to the crowd. “It’s because of your work and pride you obviously take in efficiency, that we have this beautiful tug and barge. I can assure you we will make you proud of how we are going to use it."

Francesco Valente, president and CEO of Fincatieri, praised the Bay Ship workers and called Tuesday a “great day.”

"I say it’s a great day as it marks the continuation of a great partnership between Bay Shipbuilding, Moran and Interlake (Steamship Co.),” Valente said.

Bay Shipbuilding still has another tug and barge to complete for Moran.

Bill Engibous christened the Mississippi and Leigh Ann christened her namesake. The Rev. Anthony Birdsall blessed the tug and barge. Leigh Ann Engibous called the tug being named after her “amazing.”

“It’s something I never thought would happen to me,” she said after the ceremony. A number of her friends came along to witness the ceremony.

Green Bay Press Gazette





CSL retires Birchglen and Mapleglen as part of fleet renewal program

9/30 - Montreal, QC – In the past week, Canada Steamship Lines bid farewell to two distinguished ladies – Birchglen and Mapleglen– as they set sail on their final journey. The two bulk carriers are en route to Turkey, where they will be responsibly recycled at an eco-friendly shipyard.

The dismantling of the two mature vessels is part of CSL's fleet optimization and capacity management programs. Since 2012, the Great Lakes shipping company has introduced six new state-of-the-art Trillium Lakers and taken four older and less efficient ships out of service.

"Great Lakes shipping is a mature market, it isn't growing," said Allister Paterson, President of Canada Steamship Lines. "Our Trillium program has always been about renewing our fleet, not growing it."

As new ships equipped with advanced technology continue to improve the operational and environmental performance of Great Lakes shipping, companies like CSL must adapt to maintain a fine balance between new tonnage and market demand.

"CSL invested in the most efficient, safe, and environmentally-responsible ships for the future of Great Lakes shipping," noted Paterson. "Now it is time to responsibly recycle some of the vessels that have defined our past."

The recycling of Birchglen and Mapleglen is scheduled to begin at a facility in Aliağa, Turkey, in mid-October, and will be conducted in full compliance with international rules and regulations, and with CSL's own rigorous ship recycling policy.

Birchglen was delivered from a Scottish shipyard in 1983 and began serving Canada Steamship Lines in 2002 when CSL bought the vessel from Fednav. The ship made history in July 2010 when she carried the largest cargo of windmill parts into the Great Lakes from Gros Cacouna, Quebec, to Burns Harbor, Indiana. Mapleglen was built in Hoboken, Belgium in 1981 and was purchased by CSL in October 2008. She was a steady workhorse for the company until 2014.

Canada Steamship Lines



On September 30, 1896, SUMATRA (wooden schooner-barge, 204 foot, 845 gross tons, built in 1874, at Black River, Ohio) was loaded with railroad rails in tow of the steamer B.W. ARNOLD in a storm on Lake Huron. The SUMATRA was blown down and foundered off the Government Pier at Milwaukee. Three of the crew was lost. The four survivors were rescued by the ARNOLD and the U.S. Lifesaving Service. The SUMATRA was owned by the Mills Transportation Company.

The 660-foot forward section of the BELLE RIVER (Hull#716) was side launched on September 30, 1976, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, by Bay Shipbuilding Co. Renamed b.) WALTER J. McCARTHY, JR. in 1977.

ARTHUR SIMARD entered service on September 30, 1973, sailing to Montreal, Quebec, to load gasoline.

GOVERNOR MILLER was towed down the Welland Canal on September 30, 1980, in tow of TUG MALCOLM, STORMONT and ARGUE MARTIN on her way to Quebec City.

ROBERT C. STANLEY departed light on her maiden voyage from River Rouge, Michigan, on September 30, 1943, bound for Two Harbors, Minnesota, to load iron ore.

On September 30, 1986, the Canadian Coast Guard vessel CARIBOU ISLE struck a rock in Lake Huron's North Channel and began taking on water. C.C.G.S. SAMUEL RISLEY arrived and helped patch the ship. The pair then departed for Parry Sound, Ontario.

On September 30, 1888, AUSTRALIA (wooden schooner, 109 foot, 159 gross tons, built in 1862, at Vermilion, Ohio) was carrying cedar posts from Beaver Island to Chicago when she encountered a gale. She was laid on beam ends and sprung a leak. She headed for shelter at Holland, Michigan, but struck a bar and foundered in the mouth of the harbor. The wreck blocked the harbor until it was removed on October. 5 Her crew was rescued by the U.S. Lifesaving Service.

On September 30, 1875, AMERICAN CHAMPION (wooden scow-schooner, 156 tons, built in 1866, at Trenton, Michigan) dropped anchor to ride out a gale near Leamington, Ontario, on Lake Erie. The chains gave way and she struck a bar and sank to the gunwales. The crew of eight spent the night in the rigging and the next day a local woman and her two sons heroically rescued each one.

1906: The first FAYETTE BROWN ran into the pier entering Lorain, became disabled and stranded on the beach. The ship was refloated with considerable damage. It last operated as c) GLENMOUNT in 1923 and was scrapped about 1928.

1913: CITY OF LONDON sank off Point Pelee, Lake Erie after a collision with the JOE S. MORROW. The hull was later dynamited as an obstacle to navigation.

1964: DUNDRUM BAY was a pre-Seaway visitor to the Great Lakes on charter to the Hall Corporation. The vessel was driven aground on this date as f) ESITO near Necochea, Argentina, while traveling in ballast. The hull broke in two and was a total loss.

1965: PROTOSTATIS, a Greek Liberty ship, went aground on Traverse Shoal, Lake Ontario, while enroute from Detroit to Genoa, Italy, with a cargo of scrap. The vessel was lightered and refloated with the aid of tugs. It went to Kingston to anchor and reload in the shelter of Wolfe Island

[yachtsmanwilly]

Ship clips bridge 19 in Port Colborne

10/1 - Port Colborne, Ont. – A ship came into contact with Bridge 19 in Port Colborne Wednesday. In a statement to Erie Media from Andrew Bogora, Communications and Public Relations Officer, The Seaway Management Corporation, made details of the incident available.

“At approximately 12 noon today, the vessel Lena J came into contact with Bridge 19. The cause of this incident is currently under investigation,” he said in the statement. “Both the ship and the bridge sustained some damage.”

“Navigation on the Welland Canal in the vicinity of Port Colborne was suspended following the incident, and should resume later this afternoon,” he said.

“The bridge is currently undergoing an inspection. A determination as to the bridge’s ability to resume normal operation to accommodate motorists and pedestrians is pending,” he said.

In the statement he also said: “During the time in which Bridge 19 is not available to motorists and pedestrians, efforts will be made avoid having both remaining bridges (19a and 21) raised at the same time.”

Erie Media





Indiana, Quebec form partnership to boost shipping

10/1 - Portage, Ind. – Quebec's exports to the Midwest have grown by 30 percent over the last five years, and now the Canadian province and Indiana are looking to see how they can build on that trade.

Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann and Quebec Minister of International Relations Christine St-Pierre announced Tuesday Indiana and Quebec will launch a new Great Lakes shipping partnership.

An estimated 40 percent of the business from Great Lakes shipping is generated in Indiana, an entry point to the Midwest, and Quebec, a portal to international markets that can be reached on the Atlantic Ocean. Quebec is looking to invest $9 billion in maritime shipping over the next 50 years.

"Indiana is a significant economic partner of Quebec in the Midwest, especially with respect to maritime transportation," St-Pierre said. "This partnership with Indiana shows that the new Quebec Maritime Strategy already has a strong positive impact in our relations with our largest trading partner, the United States."

The Port of Indiana's stevedore, Quebec-based Fednav, is investing $500 million in new ships and spent $1.3 million last year on upgrades at the deepwater port on Lake Michigan in Portage. Fednav typically ships steel to Portage and then grain from Indiana to Canada and other overseas markets, Government Affairs Director Marc Gagnon said. Other cargoes include European-made brewery tanks bound for Chicago craft breweries such as Laguinitas and Revolution.

A new partnership between Quebec and Indiana could help identify new cargoes and boost existing shipping volumes, Gagnon said. Lake freighters could handle freight that's now traveling by rail or semi-trucks, since the Great Lakes shipping system is only operating at roughly 50 percent of capacity.

The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor is coming off a record year but could easily handle twice as much cargo without any significant investments, Ports of Indiana Vice President Jody Peacock said.

Indiana currently handles about 30 million tons of Great Lakes cargo, mostly iron ore that's bound for the steel mills. The new partnership could boost traffic, creating more opportunity for Indiana business and leading to more investment in the state, Ellspermann said.

"Burns Harbor has never been bigger or better; 2014 was our highest cargo volume with shipments up 30 percent," she said.

The port received more than 500 river barges, a 25 percent increase over the previous year. Ocean vessels were up by 30 percent.

"Together Indiana and Quebec are more than 40 percent of the shipping revenue that goes on between the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway," she said.

"That's quite phenomenal. At this summer's Conference of the Great Lakes, Minister St-Pierre and I discussed how we might take advantage of these waterways, particularly this idea of short-sea shipping, which is a very important advantage that we have in Quebec and Indiana."

NWI Times





$174K in federal grants given for Port of Muskegon development

10/1 - Muskegon, Mich. – More than $174,000 in federal grants for Muskegon County economic development were announced Tuesday, Sept. 29.

U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters announced two Economic Development Administration grants focused on the Port of Muskegon.

A $62,500 grant will pay for studies on how to increase the flow of locally manufactured goods through the Port of Muskegon. The grant would be received by the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission and matched with local money for a total budget of $125,000.

The money would fund two studies centered on the Port. The first study would examine the infrastructure near the port for water, rail, air and road, and the current limits or capacity of that infrastructure. The second study would examine different ways of organizing the Port of Muskegon – everything from a privatized port to a fully public Port Authority, said Commission Executive Director Erin Kuhn.

"One of Muskegon's top priorities is to increase the flow of goods like agricultural products through their Port," Stabenow said in released statement. "This support will help the Commission develop the Port and expand shipping opportunities, which will create jobs, boost the local economy and benefit communities and families throughout the region."

A $111,706 grant would fund study the economic benefits of using the Port of Muskegon to recycle and reuse structural debris from around the Great Lakes for other projects in the region.

The grant would be received by Michigan State University and the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission and matched with other money for a total budget of $223,412, Kuhn said. Just $7,500 would be allocated from Muskegon county, she said.

The idea – a brainchild of Muskegon County Grants Coordinator Connie Maxim-Sparrow – is to study the shipping and re-purposing of structural materials like asphalt, bricks, and concrete from the tear-downs of blighted properties for other projects in the region.

"The Great Lakes are a vital economic engine for Michigan, and we must ensure that our port communities have the resources and infrastructure needed to support commerce throughout the region," said Peters, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. "This funding will help boost the Muskegon Port's position as a logistics hub for moving commercial goods as well as repurposed materials that will help improve our neighborhoods, support business development and create new jobs in West Michigan."

M Live





Carbon debate must consider Great Lakes-Seaway shipping’s environmental advantages

10/1 - As the debate continues at home and abroad on carbon offsetting measures, the Chamber of Marine Commerce is urging stakeholders and governments to carefully consider the environmental advantages and the competitive challenges faced by the bi-national Great Lakes-St. Lawrence shipping industry.

The call comes as the Ontario government develops details of a new cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and federal government negotiators head to Paris in December for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting.

Stephen Brooks, President of the Chamber of Marine Commerce, said that some past Canadian and U.S. regulations arising from international environmental commitments didn’t properly differentiate between domestic and global shipping.

He explained: “Unlike the global shipping fleet, most domestic shipping competes directly with road and rail. The more we unnecessarily burden this short-sea shipping with extra costs, the greater likelihood this freight moves to less environmentally-friendly modes. We also need to think about the negative impact of thousands, even millions of more heavy trucks on our overburdened highways and in neighborhoods where our families live, work and play.”

Ships have the lowest carbon footprint per tonne-kilometre. A recent study done by Research and Traffic Group showed that rail and truck would respectively emit 19 per cent and 533 per cent more greenhouse gas emissions per cargo tonne-kilometre if these modes carried the same cargo the same distance as the Great Lakes-Seaway fleet.

Added Allister Paterson, president of Canada Steamship Lines: “Canadian ship owners are investing over $2 billion in new Great Lakes ships and technologies that significantly further reduce fuel consumption, greenhouse gases and air emissions.”

Great Lakes-Seaway shipping supports 227,000 jobs and $35 billion in business revenues in Canada and the U.S., and contributes to the competitiveness of North American manufacturing, mining, energy and agricultural sectors.

Chamber of Marine Commerce


In 1986, the HERBERT C. JACKSON rescued Carl Ward and his nephew after they had been adrift on lower Lake Michigan for 80 hours.

On October 1,1888, the ST CLAIR (3-mast wooden schooner, 156 foot, 296 gross tons, built in 1859, at Montreal as a bark) was carrying coal in a storm on Lake Huron as part of a 5-barge tow of the tug CHAMPION. She broke loose and came to anchor off Harbor Beach, Michigan. The anchor dragged and she sank near the mouth of the harbor. The crew was rescued by the U.S. Life Saving Service. However, this rescue was ill fated since all were taken in the lifesavers surfboat and the boat was rowed 23 miles to Port Sanilac. 100 yards from shore, just a half mile from Port Sanilac, the surfboat capsized and five lives were lost. The wreck of the ST. CLAIR was later lightered, raised and towed out into the lake and re-sunk.

CHICAGO TRADER, a.) THE HARVESTER of 1911, was laid up on October 1, 1976, at the Frog Pond in Toledo, Ohio.

Dismantling commenced October 1, 1974, on the KINSMAN INDEPENDENT a.) WILLIAM B. KERR of 1907, at Santander, Spain.

October 1, 1997 - The CITY OF MIDLAND 41 was towed out of Ludington to be converted to a barge.

On October 1, 1843, ALBANY (wooden brig, 110 tons, built in 1835, at Oswego, New York) was carrying merchandise and passengers when she went aground in a storm and was wrecked just a few miles from Mackinaw City, Michigan.

The steam barge C. H. GREEN was launched at E. Saginaw, Michigan, for Mason, Green & Corning of Saginaw on October 1, 1881. She was schooner rigged and spent her first year as a tow barge. The following winter her engine and boiler were installed. Her dimensions were 197 feet X 33 feet X 13 feet, 920 tons. She cost $70,000.

On October 1,1869, SEA GULL (wooden schooner, 83 tons, built in 1845, at Milan, Ohio) was carrying lumber in a storm on Lake Michigan. She was driven ashore and wrecked south of Grand Haven, Michigan. The wreck was pulled off the beach a few days later, but was declared a constructive loss, stripped and abandoned. She was owned by Capt. Henry Smith of Grand Haven.

1918: The Canadian bulk carrier GALE STAPLES was blown ashore Point au Sable about 8 miles west of Grand Marais. All on board were saved but the wooden vessel, best known as b) CALEDONIA, broke up.

1942: The former CANADIAN ROVER, Hull 67 from the Collingwood shipyard, was torpedoed and sunk as d) TOSEI MARU in the Pacific east of Japan by U.S.S. NAUTILUS.

1946: KINDERSLEY, loaded with 2074 tons of excess munitions, was scuttled in the deep waters of the Atlantic. The former C.S.L. freighter had been on saltwater to assist in the war effort.

1984: ANNEMARIE KRUGER arrived at Finike, Turkey, as e) BANKO with engine damage on this date and was laid up. The ship, a frequent Seaway visitor in the 1960s, was sold for scrap and arrived at Aliaga, Turkey, under tow on August 3, 1986, and was dismantled.

1998 The tank barge SALTY DOG NO. 1 broke tow from the tug DOUG McKEIL and went aground off Anticosti Island the next day. The vessel was released and it operated until scrapping at Port Colborne in 2005.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Rand Logistics takes delivery of newest Canadian-flagged self-unloader

10/2 - New York, N.Y. – Rand Logistics, Inc. on Thursday announced that it has taken delivery of its newest Canadian self-unloading vessel. The new vessel, which bears the name Manitoulin and which is undergoing finishing touches at a Chinese shipyard, will have the largest carrying capacity of any existing river-class self-unloader and is anticipated to be the most efficient vessel of its class on the Great Lakes.

"This vessel is the first new river-class self-unloader to be introduced into Great Lakes service in over 40 years and will arrive in Canada in approximately 45 days," said Scott Bravener, President of Rand's Lower Lakes Towing subsidiary.

"This additional capacity reaffirms the company's commitment to support the growth of its customers and further solidifies our position as the premier service provider in the Canadian river-class market."

The new addition increases the size of Rand's fleet to 16, including 10 Canadian flagged and 6 U.S. flagged vessels, and supports recent new long-term contracts, which took effect in April 2015.

"As reported in our first quarter fiscal 2016 financials, the new vessel will service existing business that is presently being delivered through a third party time charter, resulting in minimal profit to Rand," said Mark Hiltwein Rand's CFO.

"We anticipate transferring tonnage to our new vessel at or near the time the third party time charter agreement expires. Once fully utilized, we expect per day profitability generated from our newest vessel to exceed that of any of our existing assets."

GlobeNewswire





Collision closes Port Colborne Bridge 19 until Friday

10/2 - Port Colborne, Ont. – Bridge 19 in Port Colborne will remain out of commission until at least Friday afternoon, after the cargo ship Lena J collided with it at about noon, Wednesday.

A bent steel girder supporting the bridge deck as well as other damages were visible on the lift bridge Thursday, while workers dressed in orange coveralls were making temporary repairs to the Lena J – placing sheets of plywood over the broken bridge window, shattered during the collision.

St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation spokesman Andrew Bogora said no injuries were reported as a result of the collision. The cause and extent of the damage was still under investigation, he added.

“I’m not going to speculate as to the nature of the contact, that’s something that the investigators will look at,” he said in an interview from the Seaway’s Cornwall office. “That is a matter for the investigators and we’ll have to wait for them to complete their work.”

Although shipping traffic through the canal resumed Wednesday afternoon, Bogora said the bridge crossing the Welland Canal on Main Street (Hwy. 3) will remain closed to vehicles and pedestrians until at least Friday afternoon.

“At that stage, engineers will be able to reassess the state of affairs and provide an update,” he said. “It may well be that the bridge might reopen (Friday), however that’s not something I can ascertain, today.”

In the meantime, Bogora said the Seaway will try to coordinate ships passing through the waterway, to minimize the impact of traffic. “We’re going to do the best we can to keep one bridge available,” he said. Depending on how badly Bridge 19 is damaged, Port Colborne’s engineer Ron Hanson said the collision could have an impact on another Seaway project.

The Seaway was scheduled to start work Oct. 5, to replace the Weir 8 Bridge on the opposite side of the island, closing the bridge to vehicles for seven weeks.

“Getting Bridge 19 hit kind of complicates the Weir 8 project, given that there’s going to be more traffic diverted and more delays probably at the canal itself,” Hanson said.

If that project goes forward as scheduled before Bridge 19 reopens, it would limit access to the island to only the crossing near Killally Street. Instead, Hansen said he suspects that the start of the Weir 8 Bridge closure would be delayed by a week.

“We’re trying to keep in communication with (the Seaway) so we can keep residents and businesses informed,” Hanson added. “I’m waiting to hear back from the Seaway to see what the decision is for Oct. 5. It’s their call.”

Montreal based Gresco Ltd. is acting as agent for the Lena J, a 8,388 tonne cargo ship from the Caribbean island of Antigua and Barbuda. A representative from Gresco said the company had an investigator aboard the ship Thursday morning assessing the damages. The ship was tied along the east bank of the canal, south of Clarence St., as repairs were underway.

He said the company would not be able to provide further information until after the investigation was concluded. The ship left Montreal at about 2:30 p.m., Sept. 28 en route to Burns Harbor on the southern tip of Lake Michigan, where it was expected to arrive Saturday.

St. Catharines Standard


Ex-Canadian Coast Guard vessel Louisbourg sold

10/2 - The CCGS Louisbourg was laid up at Sorel-Tracy in 2013 . It was then renamed 2013-03 and offered for sale. Its Canadian registry was closed on July 20, 2015 following its sale to Panamanian-flag interests, by whom it was given the new name La Cristy. As of October 1, it was still at Sorel-Tracy at the Coast Guard base. The vessel was built in 1977 at Point Tupper, N.S. René Beauchamp





Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown named Great Lakes Senator of the Year

10/2 - Washington, D.C. – Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown (D) has been named 2015 Great Lakes Legislator of the Year by the largest labor/management coalition representing workers and industries dependent on shipping on America’s Fourth Sea Coast.

The award is presented annually by Great Lakes Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) to a legislator who has helped advance shipping on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway.

“Sherrod Brown’s keen understanding of Lakes shipping has been invaluable to our industry,” said John D. Baker, President of GLMTF. “Whenever the Senate takes up issues that affect us, Senator Brown is like a Captain on the bridge carefully choosing the best course.

The Water Resources Reform and Development Act WRRDA) of 2014 is a case in point. The years of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) amassing surpluses while harbors go un- or under-dredged are over because WRRDA requires the government to incrementally increase expenditures from the HMTF until they reach 100 percent of receipts by 2025.”

Baker, who is also President Emeritus of the ILA’s Great Lakes District Council, noted waterborne commerce on the Fourth Sea Coast is critically important to Ohio’s economy. “Lakes/Seaway shipping supports more than 28,000 jobs in the Buckeye State. Imagine how many more jobs we can generate once the Great Lakes Navigation System is again properly maintained.”

The past two winters have dramatically slowed shipping on the Lakes and Seaway during the ice season. “Senator Brown’s support will be critical when the Senate takes up the House’s Coast Guard Authorization Act which authorizes the Commandant to design and build another heavy icebreaker for the Great Lakes,” said Thomas Curelli, 1st Vice President of GLMTF. “The delays and cancelled cargos during the past two ice seasons cost the economy nearly $1.1 billion in business revenue and 5,000 jobs.”

Curelli, who is also Director of Operations for Fraser Shipyards, Inc. and a retired Coast Guard Commander, praised Senator Brown’s commitment to American manufacturing and his efforts to create a national manufacturing policy. “Great Lakes and Seaway shipping would not exist if it weren’t for heavy manufacturing. It takes 2.2 tons of raw materials that move on the Lakes to make a ton of steel. And now with more scheduled liner services through the Seaway, Great Lakes basin manufactures are finding it easier to export.”

Senator Brown’s political career has been dedicated to protecting American workers from unfair trade and practices, so his support for the Jones Act is unshakeable.

“Senator Brown understands that market-distorting practices have slashed the number of America vessels in the international trades, so he is adamant that our domestic trades must be governed by U.S. laws and regulations so that the playing field is level and the commerce creates jobs for Americans,” said James H.I. Weakley, 3rd Vice President of GLMTF. Weakley, who is also President of the Lake Carriers’ Association, emphasized that the Lakes Jones Act fleet pioneered such innovations as the self-unloading vessel and remains the world’s largest fleet of self-discharged ships and barges.

Lake Carriers’ Association


On October 3,1887, EBENEZER (3-mast wooden schooner-barge, 103 foot, 158 gross tons, built in 1847, at Buffalo, New York) was driven ashore off the breakwater at Holland, Michigan, during a storm. She had sprung a leak in the terrific storm, lost her deck load of shingles and struck the pier trying to get into the harbor. She broke in two but was later raised and rebuilt. She lasted until 1903.

On October 3,1887, CITY OF GREEN BAY (3-mast wooden schooner, 145 foot, 346 gross tons, built in 1872, at Green Bay, Wisconsin) was carrying iron ore from Escanaba to St. Joseph, Michigan, on Lake Michigan and having difficulty in a strong westerly gale. She sprang a leak and anchored four miles from South Haven and put up distress signals. The wind and waves were so bad that the crew could not safely abandon the vessel. She slipped her anchor and was driven on to a bar at Evergreen Point, just 500 feet from shore. The crew scrambled up the rigging as the vessel sank. The South Haven Life Saving crew tried to get a breeches buoy out to the wreck, but their line broke repeatedly. So much wreckage was in the surf that it fouled their surfboat. Soon the masts went by the board and the crew members were in the churning seas. Six died. Only Seaman A. T. Slater made it to shore. The ineffective attempts of the Life Saving crew resulted in Keeper Barney Alonzo Cross being relieved of his command of the station.

The E. G. GRACE was delivered to the Interlake Steamship Co., Cleveland on October 3, 1943. The GRACE was part of a government program designed to upgrade and increase the capacity of the U.S. Great Lakes fleet during World War II. In order to help finance the building of new ships, the U.S.M.C. authorized a program that would allow existing fleets to obtain new boats by trading in their older boats to the government for credit. As partial payment for each new vessel, a fleet owner surrendered the equivalent tonnage of their existing and/or obsolete vessels, along with some cash, to the Maritime Commission.

October 3, 1941 - The CITY OF FLINT 32, eastbound from Milwaukee, collided with the PERE MARQUETTE 22 westbound. The PERE MARQUETTE 22 headed directly for Manitowoc for repairs while the CITY OF FLINT 32 continued to Ludington where she discharged her cargo, then headed for the shipyard in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

The barges BELLE CASH and GEO W. HANNAFORD, owned by Capt. Cash of East China Township, Michigan, were driven ashore on Long Point in Lake Erie on 3 October 1875.

On October 3, 1900, the steel freighter CAPTAIN THOMAS WILSON left Port Huron on her maiden voyage for Marquette, Michigan, where she loaded 6,200 tons of iron ore for Cleveland, Ohio.

ARK (3-mast iron-strapped wooden scow-schooner-barge, 177 foot, 512 tons, built in 1875, at Port Dalhousie, Ontario) was in tow of the steam barge ALBION (wooden propeller, 134 foot, 297 gross tons, built in 1862, at Brockville, Ontario) on Lake Huron when a terrific storm struck on October 3,1887. Both were loaded with lumber. Both vessels were driven ashore near Grindstone City, Michigan. The U.S. Lifesaving Service rescued the crews. The ALBION was pounded to pieces the next day and the ARK was declared a total loss, but was recovered and was sailing again within the month.

1907: The wooden tug PHILADELPHIA dated from 1869 and briefly served in the Algoma fleet. It was wrecked at Gros Cap, Lake Superior, on this date in 1907.

1911: The wooden freighter A.L. HOPKINS had cleared Bayfield the previous day with a full load of lumber and foundered in a storm on this date near Michigan Island, Lake Superior. Buoyed by the cargo, the hull floated a few more days before it disappeared. All 15 on board were picked up by the ALVA C. DINKEY.

1928: The steel bulk carrier M.J. BARTELME ran aground at Cana Island, Lake Michigan. The bottom was ripped open and the ship was abandoned. It was dismantled on site in 1929.

1953: The superstructure of the idle passenger steamer PUT-IN-BAY was burned off in Lake St. Clair and the remains of the iron hull were later dismantled at River Rouge.

1963: The Liberian flag Liberty ship TRIKERI, on her only trip to the Great Lakes, swung sideways in the Welland Canal near Welland, blocked the waterway and delayed traffic for 4 hours. The ship arrived at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, for scrapping as e) DAHLIA on December 27, 1967.

1963: A fire broke out in the cargo hold of the FRED CHRISTIANSEN while downbound at Sault Ste. Marie. The stubborn blaze took 4 hours to put out and was believed caused by some of the grain igniting as it was close to a steam line. The Norwegian freighter began Seaway trading in 1959 and returned as b) HERA in 1964. It arrived at Pasajes, Spain, under this name for scrapping on May 30, 1974.

1969: JOSEPH H. ran aground at Bic Island, in the St. Lawrence while enroute from Milwaukee to Russia with a cargo of rawhides. The Liberian-flag vessel sustained heavy bottom damage. It was refloated on October 6, taken to Levis, QC, and subsequently broken up there for scrap. The ship was operating under her fifth name and had first come through the Seaway as a) GRANADA in 1959.

1980: POLYDORA first came inland for four trips as a) FERNFIORD in 1963 and returned under her new name in 1964 on charter to Canadian Pacific Steamships. The ship had been at Marina di Carrara, Italy, and under arrest as d) GEORGIOS B., when it sailed overnight without permission. A fire in the engineroom broke out the next day and, while taken in tow, the ship foundered east of Tavolara Island, Sardinia.

1999: MANCHESTER MERCURIO traded through the Seaway in a container shuttle service beginning in 1971. It was abandoned by the crew and sank off the coast of Morocco as f) PHOENIX II on this date in 1999.

2000: The tug KETA V. usually operated on the St. Lawrence for Verreault Navigation but came to the Great Lakes with barges for Windsor in 1993. It ran aground and sank near Liverpool, NS on this date in 2000 but all on board got away safely on life rafts.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Public memorial for sole survivor Dennis Hale will be Oct. 25 in Toledo

10/5 - A public memorial service for Dennis Hale, the sole survivor of a Great Lakes shipwreck nearly 50 years ago, will be held Sunday, Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. at the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, Ohio.

Hale, who was well-known and respected in ship, shipping and lighthouse circles, died Sept. 2 in Ashtabula, Ohio, after a battle with cancer. He was 75. In recent years he traveled the Great Lakes region telling his story of rescue after the sinking of the steamer Daniel J. Morrell in 1966 on Lake Huron in which all his other shipmates perished. He often said talking about the tragedy helped him to recover.

Hale wrote the book “Shipwrecked: Reflections of the Sole Survivor” in 2010 about his survival and rescue. It was his second volume on the subject.

The family has chosen to have a public memorial service in Toledo, as it is more centrally located for all the groups that Dennis visited many times throughout the Great Lakes area. The National Museum of the Great Lakes is located at 1701 Front St. (near I-280 freeway and Maumee River).

All are welcome to attend this informal event.





Race to North Pole not hurting Great Lakes – yet

10/5 - Duluth, Minn. – The international race to open up exploration routes through shrinking ice cover in the Arctic Ocean has the White House pressing for greater icebreaking capabilities in and around the North Pole.

Such attention would seem to clash with the well-publicized desire for another heavy icebreaker to aid the Great Lakes’ maritime industry. Heavy icebreakers are incredibly expensive and suddenly in high demand. But the race to fulfill one national prerogative has yet to affect more regionalized desires along the Great Lakes.

Since last spring, both houses in Congress have given attention to a new vessel for use in the Great Lakes.

“The ice coverage we’ve seen on Lake Superior over the past few years has hurt our ability to get Minnesota goods and products to market and underscores the urgent need for another Coast Guard icebreaker on the Great Lakes,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar said in a statement to the News Tribune. “I will continue to work with the Minnesota congressional delegation and my colleagues from the Great Lakes region to make sure that the Coast Guard has the resources it needs to keep shipping lanes open for business.”

Before Arctic expeditions became a trending topic late this summer, the Great Lakes drumbeat to increase icebreaking capacity grew loudly following two straight springs fraught with ice-cover.

Last April, a soup of heavy ice formations in Whitefish Bay on the eastern end of Lake Superior left 18 vessels tied up in the bay. Their extraction required a massive ice-breaking effort that drew in the Canadian Coast Guard.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, including Rep. Rick Nolan, D-Crosby, responded by authorizing the construction of a new freshwater icebreaker — with the hope that it will be included in the 2017 Coast Guard appropriations bill.

Then things grew more complicated in September. A U.S. Coast Guard vessel reached the North Pole unaccompanied — a first for the U.S.

As it did so, President Barack hateful muslim traitor accelerated funding for a new Arctic icebreaker by two years, to 2020 from 2022, so that the United States and its two functioning vessels can attempt to keep up in a new frontier. The President’s decision was not made without pressure. Russia already features a gaudy fleet of 40 Arctic icebreakers, the White House said, with intentions to build more.

The cost for a new Arctic icebreaker has been widely estimated at around $1 billion — significantly more than the $240 million estimated for a vessel similar to the Coast Guard’s existing heavy icebreaker on the Great Lakes, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw.

The Mackinaw fronts a fleet of nine icebreaking vessels on the Great Lakes — an assemblage of buoy tenders, including the Duluth-based Alder, and ice-breaking tugs that are all less capable than the Mackinaw.

“We are supportive of having adequate icebreaking wherever we need it,” said Glen Nekvasil, vice president of the Lake Carriers’ Association, based in Cleveland, that represents 16 American companies operating 56 U.S.-flag vessels. “But in no way should it diminish bringing another icebreaker to the Great Lakes.”

In the Senate, Nekvasil explained that provisions for a new Great Lakes icebreaker are being taken up under the auspice of the Homeland Security appropriations bill. A study has been directed to determine a need for icebreaking assets, but it also indicates the squabble that can ensue over who’s footing the bill. The Coast Guard, the Navy and the Department of Homeland Security have all been drawn into the fray over Arctic icebreaking.

“This is the beginning of what’s going to be a process,” Nekvasil said. “The fact that both the House and Senate clearly illustrated (the need) means we remain hopeful.”

Duluth News Tribune





Charlevoix County ferry damaged in fire

10/5 - Charlevoix, Mich. – A Northern Michigan ferry is out of service after a fire Friday afternoon. The Charlevoix County Sheriff’s Department says a car on the Ironton Ferry caught fire. The ferry is no longer operational due to the damage. The ferry manager said his captain tried to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher, but that didn't work.

She finished the three-minute trip across Lake Charlevoix and got everyone off the ferry safely. But now the ferry will not be taking passengers, possibly for the remainder of the season.

“Fortunately we’re not an island, it means that it's going to add another 25 minutes from their daily commute, It's a great service for people who live close by here that want to go to Charlevoix and vice versa that want to go to Boyne City. It'll be an inconvenience.”

The ferry takes about 200 vehicles a day this time of year. Crews do not know what started the car fire. The ferry captain said the Coast Guard is coming from Sault Ste. Marie to assess the damage.

9 & 10 News


Sturgeon Bay, Wis.
On Saturday, Bay Shipbuilding completed the first day of sea trials on the newbuild tug Leigh Ann Moran. More trials will follow before the final delivery to the customer, Moran Towing Co.

10/5 - Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. – About 100 layoffs will take place at Essar Steel Algoma, beginning Sunday evening. Brenda Stenta, manager of corporate communications with Essar Steel Algoma, confirmed that the general layoff will begin to occur with the Sunday evening shift. Essar Steel Algoma receives its raw materials via Great Lakes freighters. “We've had to match staffing levels to production and we have experienced a sustained drop in steel prices and demand across North America and we can't sustain current production levels. We need to respond appropriately, curtail our costs and our production levels,” Stenta said.

Mike DePrat, president of USWA Local 2251 confirmed that the union has received notice that about 100 layoffs will begin Sunday as the company's response to poor market conditions.

DePrat said the jobs affected will be plant wide but some areas will be reducing operations more than others. The plate mill and cold mill plants will be the most heavily affected, he said.

Stenta said that at this point, there is no indication as to when the employees affected will be called back to work. “We're confident we can weather the cycle but we're not sure when the market recovery will occur,” she said.

DePrat said the employees are bracing for a six month layoff and blamed market conditions on the federal government's slow response to the significant steel dumping issue.

Stenta said more layoffs have not been ruled out in the coming weeks.

Sault Star

September 5, 1899, the DOUGLASS HOUGHTON grounded at Sailors Encampment and sank when rammed by her barge, JOHN FRITZ. The HOUGHTON completely blocked St. Marys River traffic for five days. More than 300 boats were delayed at an estimated loss of $600,000.

On 05 September 1898, the MONTGOMERY (wooden schooner-barge, 204 foot, 709 tons, built in 1856, at Newport [Marine City], Michigan as a passenger/package freight steamer) sank in 21 feet of water on Lake St. Clair after colliding with the whaleback barge 137 (steel barge, 345 foot, 2,480 gross tons, built in 1896, at W. Superior, Wisconsin) which was being towed by the ALEXANDER McDOUGALL (steel propeller semi-whaleback freighter, 413 foot, 3,686 gross tons, built in 1898, at West Superior, Wisconsin). The MONTGOMERY was raised and repaired. She lasted another two years before breaking up in a storm in 1901.

CHI-CHEEMAUN completed her sea trials on September 5, 1974, and then cleared the Collingwood shipyard on September 26th.

BENJAMIN F. FAIRLESS cleared Lorain on her maiden voyage September 5, 1942 for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.

J. P. MORGAN, JR. returned to service September 5, 1948, after repairs suffered in an accident in June.

NEW QUEDOC arrived at McLouth Steel, Trenton, Michigan, on her maiden voyage September 5, 1960, with a load of Labrador iron ore. Renamed b.) QUEDOC in 1963. QUEDOC was scrapped at Curacao Island, Lesser Antilles in 1985.

The WYANDOTTE of 1916, a.) CONNEAUT, was towed down the Welland Canal on September 5- 6, 1973, on her way to the cutter’s torch at Santander, Spain.

On 5 September 1905, ABERCORN (wooden propeller 'rabbit', 126 foot, 261 gross tons, built in 1873, at Marine City, Michigan) burned at the dock at Goderich, Ontario, while unloading coal. She reportedly caught fire from the explosion of a signal lamp.

The schooner CALEDONIA, wrecked the previous autumn near the Fishing Islands on Lake Huron, was raised and arrived in Port Huron, Michigan, on September 5, 1882, under tow to be rebuilt.

1896: The Canadian passenger ship BALTIC, built in 1867 as FRANCES SMITH, burned at the dock in Collingwood. The hull drifted to shallow water and remained there for several years.

1964: A. & J. MID-AMERICA, a Seaway caller in 1963, was driven ashore at Lantau Island near Hong Kong by typhoon Ruby. The vessel was refloated October 5 but came ashore again days later during typhoon Dot on October 13. Refloated October 21, the vessel returned to service and was scrapped as e) UNION TIGER at Inchon, South Korea, after arriving in April 1968.

1964: The former HEMSEFJELL, a pre-Seaway trader, was also blown aground at Hong Kong as d) PROSPERITY during typhoon Ruby but released on October 5. It was scrapped in Thailand during 1972.

1964: The three-year old bulk carrier LEECLIFFE HALL sank in the St. Lawrence, 65 miles below Quebec City, following a collision with the APOLLONIA. Efforts to beach the ship failed and three lives were lost. The hull was dynamited as a hazard to navigation in 1966. The latter, a Greek freighter, had been a Seaway trader in 1964 and was repaired at Levis, QC. The ship was scrapped at Shanghai, China, as c) MAYFAIR after arriving on May 3, 1985.

10/4 - According to the Transport Canada website, Catharine Desgagnes is now owned by the R.J. MacIsaacc Construction Ltd. of Antigonish, N.S. She has been renamed Catherine III. The 410-foot-long vessel was built in 1962 as Gosforth, and also sailed the lakes and Seaway as Thorold before being sold to the Desgagnes interests in 1985.The MacIsaac firm recently handled the removal of the wreckage of the former laker Canadian Miner from Scatarie Island.


On October 4, 1887, ORIENT (wooden propeller tug, 60 foot, 37 gross tons, built in 1874, at Buffalo, New York) foundered three miles west of Point Pelee on Lake Erie in a storm. She was seen going down by the schooners LISGAR and GLENFORD but neither was able to help. All six on the ORIENT were lost. She was out of Marine City, Michigan.

On October 4, 1979, the ST. LAWRENCE NAVIGATOR arrived at the Port Weller Dry Docks, St. Catharines, Ontario, where she was lengthened to the Seaway maximum length of 730-foot overall. A new bow and cargo section was installed including a bow thruster and was assigned Hull #66. New tonnage; 18,788 gross tons, 12,830 net tons, 32,279 deadweight tons. She was renamed c.) CANADIAN NAVIGATOR in 1980 and ALGOMA NAVIGATOR in 2012. She sails for Algoma Central Corp. She was converted to a self-unloader in 1997.

TEXACO BRAVE (Hull#779) was launched October 4, 1976, by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Shimonoseki, Japan for Texaco Canada Ltd., Don Mills, Ontario. Renamed b.) LE BRAVE in 1987, c.) IMPERIAL ST LAWRENCE in 1997, and d.) ALGOEAST in 1998.

On October 4, 1980, Bethlehem's ARTHUR B. HOMER was laid up for the last time at Erie, Pennsylvania. As a result of the collision between the PARKER EVANS and the SIDNEY E SMITH JR, four months earlier, alternate one-way traffic between the Black River Buoy and Buoys 1 and 2 in Lake Huron was agreed upon by the shipping companies on October 4, 1972

The JAMES E. FERRIS' last trip before scrapping was from Duluth, Minnesota, with a split load of 261,000 bushels of wheat for Buffalo, New York, arriving there October 4, 1974.

The JIIMAAN, twin screw ro/ro cargo/passenger ferry built to Ice Class 1D standards had its keel laid October 4, 1991, at Port Weller Drydocks, Ltd. (Hull# 76).

On October 4, 1982, the BENJAMIN F. FAIRLESS laid up for the last time in Duluth, Minnesota. She was towed out of Duluth, on her way to Kahoshiung, Taiwan for scrapping, on June 17, 1988.

October 4, 1940 - The Ludington Daily News reported "The Pere Marquette car ferries handled approximately 95,000 freight cars last year." (1939)

On October 4,1877, BRITISH LION (3 mast wooden bark, 128 foot, 293 tons, built in 1862, at Kingston, Ontario) was carrying coal from Black River, Ohio, to Brockville, Ontario. She was driven ashore at Long Point in Lake Erie by a storm and wrecked. She was the first bark on the Lakes to be wire rigged and she was built for the Great Lakes - Liverpool trade.

On October 4, 1883, JAMES DAVIDSON (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 231 foot, 1,456 gross tons, built in 1874, at W. Bay City, Michigan) was carrying coal and towing the barge MIDDLESEX in a storm on Lake Huron. She was driven onto a reef near Thunder Bay Island and ripped up her bottom. The barge was rescued by the tug V SWAIN. No lives were lost. Financially, the DAVIDSON was the most extensive loss on the Lakes in the 1883, season. She was valued at $65,000 and insured for $45,000. Her coal cargo was valued at $8,000.

1904: CONGRESS burned at the dock at South Manitou Island, Lake Michigan while loading lumber. The ship was towed away, abandoned, burned to the waterline and sank.

1966: ROBERT J. PAISLEY ran aground in heavy weather off Michigan City, IN. The ship was released the next day but went to Sarnia with hull damage and was laid up.

2008: MERKUR BAY came through the Seaway in 1984. It hit a rock as m) NEW ORIENTAL in heavy weather off Tuy An, Vietnam, and settled on the bottom with a large hole in the bow. The crew abandoned ship on October 18 when it showed signs of sinking. It was enroute from Thailand to China with iron ore and was a total loss.


Captain Gary W. Schmidt, master of vessels on the Great Lakes for more than 40 years, died Friday, Oct. 2, at his home in Allouez, Wis. He Schmidt was age 69 and succumbed to cancer. For 13 years at the close of his career, Capt. Schmidt was master of the 711-foot tug-barge combination Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder of the Interlake Steamship Company.

Following service in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Chicago during the Vietnam War and during the USS Pueblo crisis, he started his career in tugs in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. He quickly worked his way up through the ranks because of his skills at sailing and compatibility with crews under him. Capt. Schmidt was a devoted fan of the Green Bay Packers, drawing attention to the Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder when he displayed his 10-foot-tall Packers player balloon in such places as Detroit, Chicago and the Soo Locks. Whether the rugged-looking Packers player balloon was cheered or booed, Capt. Schmidt savored the moments.

He was also co-author of the autobiographical book, “Real, Honest Sailing with a Great Lakes Captain,” describing in detail all the facets of mastering a large freighter on the Great Lakes today. The book won a Silver Award from the Nonfiction Authors Association. At widespread book signings and slide presentations, Capt. Schmidt fascinated audiences with his knowledge of Great Lakes commercial sailing and his personable manner. Folks simply liked him. A presentation at the Neville Public Museum in Green Bay attracted an overflow crowd, requiring a back-by-popular demand second appearance. The first presentation was recorded for posterity, and copies of the DVD are held in university libraries. The title of the book, “Real, Honest Sailing,” is drawn from a crewman’s description of the kind of experience Captain Schmidt provided for all aboard.

Funeral functions will be held in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Visitation is at Malcore Funeral Home, 701 N. Baird St., Friday, Oct. 9, from 5-8 p.m. Visitation continues at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at the funeral home until the time of the memorial service at 11 a.m., followed by military honors. Visit www.malcorefuneralhome.com to share a condolence with the family.


10/3 - Water levels were expected to peak Friday night as strong northeast winds will push water into the western basin of Lake Erie, causing water levels to rise and lead to minor flooding along the lakeshore. Friday many boats had gone to anchor, off Colchester was the H. Lee White, Thunder Bay and Dorothy Ann and Pathfinder, Roger Blough and Atlantic Huron. Manitowoc, Capt. Henry Jackman and John G. Munson were anchored off Point Pelee. The Tug Genesis Victory and her loaded barge were stopped in the Detroit River's Ojibway Anchorage waiting for weather to clear to enter Toledo.

On Lake Michigan strong winds caused the Presque Isle to anchor Friday between St. Ignace and Mackinac Island. Alpena and Algomarine anchored NW of St. Helena Island in Lake Michigan Friday and the Victory/James L. Kuber has been anchored since Thursday off St. Joseph/Benton Harbor. Philip R. Clarke, Cason J. Callaway and Burns Harbor were on the hook near Holland, Mich.

Port of Muskegon container shipping could start as early as 2016, officials say

10/3 - Muskegon, Mich. – Insisting plans to ramp up traffic through the Port of Muskegon are not far-fetched, officials say that container shipping could start as early as next season.

Logistics professional Les Brand – principal and Chief Executive Officer of Supply Chain Solutions in Grand Rapids – has been studying logistic possibilities for the region. Back in June he gave a talk about the possibility of shipping containers through Muskegon to Milwaukee and Cleveland.

But on Tuesday, Sept. 29, he said those plans are closer to reality. An initial survey indicated interest from major West Michigan manufacturers, and now serious conversations are taking place with other potential customers, he said.

"We're starting to have conversations with the agriculture folks, so you've got some big farmer activity," Brand said. He said container shipping could start as early as next season if shipping contracts are signed.

Backing up Brand at a Sept. 29 meeting with elected officials and media was the man proposing to actually purchase the ships and oversee regular shipping runs.

Newaygo's Jon Van Wylen, co-founder and Head of Operations of ECO-Ships – has a history in the merchant marine. He founded ECO-Ships with a partner, Aaron Pitrago of Superior, Wis., about nine years ago, he said.

Van Wylen said he's ready to purchase a couple of offshore support vessel, or OSV's – built to service offshore oil platforms in the gulf or Alaska. The ships are U.S.-built, U.S.-flagged, don't use ballast water and can deal with Michigan ice. He said the ships' modern diesel engines would spend about 30 percent of the energy to deliver a shipment to Milwaukee than it would take to deliver the same shipment to Chicago on trucks.

Van Wylen said the ships only draw about 8 to 15 feet of water – meaning they would be able to access harbors that are shallower than the deep-draw ports in Muskegon and Milwaukee.

"If we do want to take 10 containers out of Manistee, or Grand Haven or Holland, we have a lot of options," he said.

Muskegon would need a staging area for containers and a boom crane, he said. Those operations could start out at the Mart Dock or Verplank, and move or expand later on.

Port of Muskegon planning has sped up recently, in part due to the scheduled shutdown of Consumers Energy's B.C. Cobb energy plant. The plant's April 2016 shutdown means that roughly 140 acres of prime real estate on the port will open while regularly-scheduled shipments of coal will stop coming.

The Muskegon public recently had a chance to give feedback on the Port's future during Vision 2020, a forum hosted by the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Planning Commission.

"As a society, we're much more aware of energy issues that we were years ago," said Muskegon County Board of Commissioners Chairman Terry Sabo. "We've worked very closely with WMSRDC, their environmental people. ... We literally have all hands on deck."

Container shipping through Muskegon appeals to the business crowd because it would bypass the Chicago bottleneck, and truck freight rates are expected to rise, Brand said. Pursuing better logistics through the Port of Muskegon was voted the top priority of the West Michigan Regional Prosperity Region one year ago.

"Really, we're going to try to change the flow of shipping on the Great Lakes," said Dennis Marvin, communications director of Consumers' New Generation Department. "It's not a Muskegon story. It's not a West Michigan story. It's a Michigan story."

M Live