Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

5/4 - Duluth, Minn. – Nearly 20 delegates from foreign consulates based in Chicago will tour Duluth on Thursday as local and state officials showcase the city as a vital — and international — port.

"We really wanted to roll out the red carpet and explore the state outside of the Twin Cities," said Kathleen Motzenbecker, executive director of the Minnesota Trade Office based in St. Paul. "Duluth was the perfect location."

While in Duluth, the 19 delegates will tour the port aboard a Vista Fleet vessel and be audience to a presentation led by Duluth Seaway Port Authority Executive Director Vanta Coda. Afterward, the delegation will take in furniture maker Loll Designs before finishing at Cirrus Aircraft.

The delegates will visit the medical technology giant Medtronic in Fridley on Wednesday before traveling by bus to Duluth for a night's stay at Fitger's Inn.

Motzenbecker said the intent is to give delegates from China, Indonesia, the Philippines and more a chance to witness business savvy on scales both large and small. She called Loll "a cool, innovative smaller manufacturer," and tabbed Cirrus for its "wow factor" and being an example of foreign direct investment for having Chinese ownership.

"It unpacks a lot of different economic issues and different examples of what the state has to offer," she said, "and we're excited to show it off for a global audience."

The Port Authority announced the visit at its monthly meeting last week — one of two major efforts designed to drum up future business in the port of Duluth-Superior.

The other is an upcoming new website and branding initiative, Duluth Cargo Connect, that is designed to reduce any confusion for customers of the Port Authority and its longtime operator of the Clure Public Marine Terminal, Lake Superior Warehousing Co.

Developed by Duluth's Flint Group, the website — www.duluthcargo.com — goes live in a couple of weeks and will not replace either organization. Rather, the intent is to consolidate the marketing message of both entities, said Port Authority spokeswoman Adele Yorde.

"We both have long names with lots of letters," she said, before later adding, "This new Duluth Cargo Connect marketing initiative should make it easier to understand us as one enterprise, rather than two completely separate organizations."

Visitors to the website will be routed to the appropriate entity, and both entities will maintain their own websites that will be featured with hyperlinks on the new site. "We put together a real nice branding effort," Coda said at the Port Authority meeting last week. "I'm really proud of how this came together."

Lake Superior Warehousing has operated the Clure terminal and its warehouses under contract with the Port Authority for the past 25 years, Yorde said. The Port Authority, created by state statute in 1955, is primarily responsible for port promotion, government relations and the business development side of the equation — particularly maintaining and upgrading infrastructure, like the current and ongoing $17.7 million reconstruction of Docks C and D.

Lake Superior Warehousing, Yorde explained, executes the business: preparing quotes, securing shipments, hiring crews (to load and unload cargo), overseeing inventories and managing delivery schedules by water, road and rail for its customers.

The Port Authority's burgeoning relationship with the Minnesota Trade Office began more than a year ago, when Motzenbecker heard the since-retired Port Authority Trade Development Director Ron Johnson give an address about the trade merits of the local port. She's continued to work closely with his successor, Kate Ferguson.

"We've made some inroads with the trade organization and this is some of those fruits being born," Coda said.

During the Port Authority's meeting last week, Coda said it was important for the city and its port to get on the radar of the Chicago International Trade Commissioners' Association, which the delegates represent and which has a tendency to perceive the Great Lakes as ending with Lake Michigan, he said.

Motzenbecker agreed, saying, "They live in Chicago and get to know Chicago pretty well; they don't always connect to Lake Superior and we've got to change that. We've got to get people up north to show off all the opportunity — transit and trade-wise — Duluth has to offer."

The delegates' visit is the start of a busy marketing season for the port.

Port Authority representatives will be taking their Duluth Cargo Connect initiative on the road later this month to both Breakbulk Europe 2016 in Antwerp, Belgium, and the American Wind Energy Association's Windpower 2016 conference in New Orleans.

Coda spoke to the News Tribune earlier this year about the boon the port expects from a five-year renewal of federal wind energy tax credits that begins next year. He reiterated that position at last week's meeting, citing major new wind field projects in Iowa and the Dakotas.

"I can see the fallout for us in traffic coming in," he said, projecting the start of an extended period flush with wind cargoes coming into the port.

Duluth News Tribune





Great Lakes Shipyard completes two-day turnaround ferry drydocking

5/4 - Great Lakes Shipyard hauled out the Kelleys Island Ferry Kayla Marie on April 18th for its USCG five-year inspection survey. The yard promptly completed all work, and refloated the vessel just two days later, on April 20th. The vessel was able to immediately return to service, to support its daily auto/passenger ferry operation between Marblehead and Kelleys Island.

“The shipyard prides itself on its ability to provide high quality services that its customers can depend upon. Kelleys Island Ferry Boat Line needed a very quick turn-around, and the yard was glad to accommodate them,” said Chris Henderson, Project Manager.

“With the use of our Marine Travelift, we can offer much more flexibility in our drydocking schedule, and can usually accommodate any customer requirement,” Henderson added.

Great Lakes Shipyard


5/3 - After setting a record low in January 2013, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are above their average levels, and are predicted to increase their depth over the next six months.

Anyone who pays close attention to the Great Lakes may be able to determine whether the water levels are low or high compared to the last year. But to really understand the lake levels, experts say it's important to consider the long view.

Lake levels are monitored by federal agencies like The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Through the 2000s, lake levels were consistently low, for the longest period on record, said Drew Gronewold, a research scientist at NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.

The Lake Michigan and Lake Huron system, which is measured and monitored as one continuous body of water, has an average of 578.8 feet for the entire period that the system has been monitored. Records date back to 1918, according to Keith Kompoltowicz, chief of watershed hydrology Army Corp of Engineers in Detroit.

"It's a short history considering the age of the lakes themselves, but it's a good amount of time to establish ranges," Kompoltowicz said.

While the two lakes are measured together, Kompoltowicz said, and both have similar traits and follow similar patterns, each lake is affected by its own characteristics. An easy analogy would be to compare them as siblings. They may go through similar conditions, but behave differently from their kin.

Historically, water levels tend to cycle between highs and lows (you can explore the full dataset through a website run by NOAA). But from the late 1990s to about 2013, the Michigan-Huron levels have been consistently below the average level, said Gronewold. Both December of 2012, and January of 2013, the levels dropped to record lows for that respective month.

"That was one of the longest periods we have on record that we were consistently at record lows," he said. "What's interesting, though, starting in 2013 water levels in Michigan and Huron have been rising. From 2013 to 2014, they either equaled or exceeded the highest rate of rise in our recorded history," Gronewold said.

Kompoltowicz said that the extreme winter in 2013 with high levels of ice and snow provided more precipitation and less evaporation off the lakes than normal. Along with a wetter than average 2013, it caused the water levels to rise.

"Typically from high to low is about a foot. In 2013, it rose about 16 to 18 inches from the low level in January to the peak in July. Then we had the extreme winter in 2013 and a very wet spring, so the water levels in 2014 climbed above average in September. That was the first time it climbed above the average in 15 years," Kompoltowicz said.

As part of the monitoring service, NOAA also creates forecasts in a range of what could be the future water levels at least six months in advance.

"They use computer models that take into consideration how much it's rained in the past, how much it's expected to rain, how warm or cool it's going to be in the future, and in turn how the anticipated changes in precipitation and temperature are going to affect water flowing in to and out of each lake," Gronewold said.

For Michigan and Huron, the peak of the season may see a high of about 14 to 15 inches above the average of the lake level historically, or about six to nine inches above last year's levels.

"It's very likely water levels will follow the typical seasonal cycle, and then probably begin hitting a peak midsummer and begin their decline around early fall," Gronewold said.

Lake levels have a profound effect on Michigan as a whole, and Kompoltowicz said it's impossible to consider any level "perfect." Freighters and boats want higher lake levels to prevent the possibility of getting stuck in shallow water. Freighters might also carry less cargo per trip with lower lake levels, reducing the potential profit margins. But the beachgoers and property owners have larger beaches to enjoy when levels are lower.

On the other hand, when higher water levels are around, the risk of shoreline damage and property damage near the lake is greater.

"There's always someone who's going to want a different water condition. There's no one optimal water level that will make everybody happy," said Kompoltowicz.

Lake levels average and current Lake Superior: 601.7 feet average. 601.9 feet in March 2016.
Lake Michigan-Huron: 578.8 feet average. 579.4 feet in March 2016.
Lake Erie: 571.3 feet average. 572.2 feet in March 2016.
Lake Ontario: 245.2 feet average. 245.9 feet in March 2016.

Check out an interactive website of data on lake water levels by visiting www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/dashboard/GLWLD.html

The Petoskey News

On May 4, 1958, JOHN SHERWIN entered service. The SHERWIN has now been in lay-up for half of her life on the Great Lakes. She last sailed on November 16, 1981.

On her maiden voyage May 4, 1976, ST. CLAIR departed Sturgeon Bay for Escanaba, Michigan, to load 39,803 gross tons of iron ore pellets for Indiana Harbor, Indiana arriving there on May 5th.

OREFAX ran aground on May 4, 1963, way off course near Manistique, Michigan. She was lightered and pulled off by the Roen Salvage Co. and made her way to Toronto, Ontario, where she discharged her cargo and left for repairs.

The tanker VENUS, a.) MARTHA E. ALLEN of 1928 suffered an explosion on May 4, 1972, when the crew was cleaning tanks while at anchor waiting for the fog to lift about seven miles west of the Eisenhower Lock in the Seaway. Two explosions rocked the ship, killing her skipper, Captain Stanley, and injuring three crewmen.

On 04 May 1839, ATLAS (wooden schooner, built in 1836, at Dexter, New York) was carrying building stone from Chaumont Bay to Oswego, New York, when she foundered 6 miles from Oswego. The steamer TELEGRAPH rushed out of Oswego to assist her but only found a little flotsam. All five on board were lost: Capt. Asahel Wescott, Ortha Little, William Ackerman, John Lee and Asa Davis (a passenger).

1889: The new Canadian Pacific steamer MANITOBA was launched at Owen Sound.

1911: The STEPHEN M. CLEMENT sank the ERWIN L. FISHER in a collision on the Detroit River. The former last sailed as PEAVEY PIONEER and was scrapped in 1968-1969.

1968: The Swedish freighter BRORIVER made 9 trips to the Great Lakes in 1965-1966. It was sold and renamed d) THALIA later in 1966 and caught fire on the Atlantic on this date in 1968. The blaze originated in the engine room but gutted the ship. It was abandoned the next day and was eventually towed to Dakar, Senegal, where it was forced to anchor 8 miles out, as officials did not want it in the port. The vessel later sank at the anchorage.

[yachtsmanwilly]

May 5, 1904 the Crisp Point Light on Lake Superior went into service.

WILLIAM CLAY FORD (Hull#300) was launched at River Rouge, Michigan, by Great Lakes Engineering Works, May 5, 1953, for the Ford Motor Co.

On May 5, 1980, the SHARON, a.) ARCHERS HOPE of 1945, grounded in the Trenton Channel of the Detroit River. She was freed on May 7th and proceeded to Monroe, Michigan, and was laid up there on May 8, 1980. No repairs were made and she never sailed again.

On May 5, 1914, the GEORGE F. BAKER was traveling down bound in Lake Superior in dense fog with 10,500 tons of iron ore from Ashland, Wisconsin. She ran hard aground on Sawtooth Reef off Eagle River, on Upper Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula.

May 5, 1914 - An unusual cargo, two "Jack Johnsons" (Navy guns) were hauled by the PERE MARQUETTE 17.

The small schooner ST PETER was loaded with grain when she sank 35 miles from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on 5 May 1874. The crew reached shore in the yawl.

The steam barge KITTIE M. FORBES was launched in Bay City, Michigan, on 5 May 1883. She was owned by Capt. William Forbes and named for his daughter. Her keel was laid on 1 December 1882. Her dimensions were 195 feet keel, 209 foot overall, 35 foot beam and 14 foot depth. Her engine was built by Samuel F. Hodge.

On 05 May 1902, MILWAUKEE (steel propeller freighter, 325 foot, 3,327 gross tons) was launched at the Chicago Ship Building Company (Hull #55) at South Chicago, Illinois, for the Western Transit Co. She lasted until 1940, when she was scrapped at Hamilton, Ontario.

1960: The coastal freighter FEDERAL EXPRESS had been built at Midland in 1944 as H.M.C.S. WEST YORK. It was hit at the dock in Montreal on this date in 1960 by the Swedish freighter POLARIS, drifted downstream and sank. The stern was raised August 12, 1960, and the remainder of the hull came up in pieces.

1964: The downbound bulk carrier ERNEST T. WEIR sustained damage to the port bow when it collided with tanker MERCURY in Lake St. Clair. The latter had sheered to the left, went aground after the accident and developed a list. Both ships were repaired and ERNEST T. WEIR survives today as the idle self-unloader AMERICAN FORTITUDE.

1978: JALAVIHAR first visited the Great Lakes in 1966 under the flag of India. It ran aground in the Red Sea as d) KATERINA on this date in 1978. After being released it continued to Palermo, Italy, where it was declared beyond economical repair and was eventually scrapped at Split, Yugoslavia.

2009: VICTORIA first came through the Seaway in September 2004. On May 5, 2009, the ship, loaded with 10,000 metric tonnes of rice and its crew of 11 Romanian sailors, were captured by pirates, about 75 miles south of Yemen and held hostage. After the payment of a reported $1.8 million ransom, the vessel was released on July 18, 2009. It was back on the Great Lakes in 2011.

[yachtsmanwilly]

5/6 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – "This is a piece of critical infrastructure that we need to make sure is operating," Michigan Senator Gary Peters said. Peters toured the Soo Locks for the first time Thursday. He got an inside look at how they work and the aging infrastructure.

The Army Corps of Engineers at the Soo Locks is in the middle of a feasibility study that could determine if a new lock is in the future.

"It's not a question of whether or not this lock will need to be shut down during the summer, it's just a question of when and that's why urgency to get this fixed is there and we have to act as quickly as possible," Peters said.

During the tour of the Soo Locks, Senator Gary Peters got an up close look at the aging shipping locks.

"Walking around, it's clear this was something that was built a long time ago," Peters said. "To see that there are pumps that are 100-years-old, it certainly, it's a tribute to the Army Corps of Engineers that they're able to keep this going, but also it's very understandable why we need to make replacements."

Ever since the 20-day shut down of the smaller MacArthur, the urgency is more apparent than ever.

For years there has been talk of a new twin to the Poe Lock. "If anything happens we would have a catastrophic impact on the economy, so we need redundancy," Peters said.

The community hopes this visit helps in the continued push for the new lock.

"For us, it's an attraction, but it's not just an attraction, it's so much more," Sault Ste. Marie Conventions & Visitors Bureau executive director Linda Hoath said. "We see the ships going through. We know what the value is here."

The current feasibility study will likely be completed in the next year, but it will still be years until a new $500 million lock is built.

9 & 10 News





Federal officials join fight to keep Coast Guard station year-round

5/6 - Ashtabula, Ohio – Ashtabula County has allies at the highest level unhappy with the U.S. Coast Guard's proposal to shut down its Ashtabula Station during the winter months starting in 2018.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown is in the fight to maintain year-round operation at the station. In a statement issued Wednesday, Brown said he has sent a letter to U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Paul F. Zuknft requesting he "maintain 12-month operation" at stations in Ashtabula and Lorain, both of which may be seasonalized.

“The coastal waters of Lake Erie are used year-round for trade and industry, and these two stations represent substantial resources to support public safety in the region,” Brown wrote in the letter. “Tourism and recreational fishing are major industries in northern Ohio, and Lake Erie plays a central role in Ohio’s economy. These stations ensure that Ohioans are able to take full advantage of the economic resources of Lake Erie year-round, without fear that their access to public safety assets is limited by the season.”

Brown also cites border security concerns in his letter to Zuknft.

Several local governments have passed resolutions opposing the proposal, including Ashtabula County's three commissioners. Daniel Claypool, board president, said Brown's letter joins documents also sent to the Coast Guard by U.S. Sen. Rob Portman and U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce.

"It's important all our legislators get on board," Claypool said Wednesday. "That's who is going to change it."

Several weeks ago, local leaders learned the Coast Guard was mulling a plan to keep the station open during boating season only. At a meeting in Ashtabula last month, Coast Guard officials said the boating season is roughly defined as May through October and possibly into November. During the winter, operations would be transferred to the Fairport Harbor Station.

At the Ashtabula meeting, an array of government and safety officials said the Ashtabula station is a critical component to life in the county.

Claypool said another meeting, this one to be attended by Brown, is being scheduled.

In April, Joyce publicly opposed the proposal in a posting on his Facebook page.

"I do not agree with the decision to seasonalize the Coast Guard station in Ashtabula and I will be urging the Commandant of the Coast Guard to maintain the current, necessary levels of operation," he wrote at the time.

Geneva City Manager Doug Starkey said Wednesday the campaign to retain year-round service merits attention.

"The Coast Guard Station Ashtabula is a vital resource of our lakefront communities," he said in an email message. "They provide safety inspections, emergency response, ice rescue and other operation to protect our residents and visitors. They also live and become a part of our communities during their time here. Their closing for even a single day, regardless of the time of year, puts people at a greater risk and adds a greater burden to our first responders who are faced with limited staffing and large demands already."

Star Beacon

On May 6, 1984 the CANADIAN RANGER sailed from Port Weller on her maiden voyage to load coal at Toledo, Ohio.

In 1944 the HILDA (2) and the barge MAITLAND NO.1 started the rescue operation of freighter GEORGE M. HUMPHREY (1) which sank in a collision with the D.M. CLEMSON (2) in the Straits of Mackinac.

This day in 1923 the EDWIN E. SLICK was struck by the steamer J. LEONARD REPLOGLE in the ice on Whitefish Bay, Lake Superior.

HARVEY D. GOULDER entered service on May 6, 1906.

On May 6, 1934, ROYALTON (1) helped rescue the steamer TEN, which had lost power in a Lake Superior ice field and required a tow to safety.

On May 6, 1975 while unloading iron ore at Conneaut, Ohio, a leg and bucket from No.2 Hulett gave way and fell into the RALPH H. WATSON's cargo hold. A crane was rigged to remove the wreckage. A nine by twelve foot patch was required on her port side tank, which was holed in the accident.

On 6 May 1847, CUBA (wooden schooner, 89 foot, 139 tons, built in 1844 at Peninsula, New York as a brig) was carrying wheat near Point Breeze, New York in Lake Ontario when she was run down and sunk in a collision with the steamer GENESEE CHIEF. No lives were lost.

On 6 May 1858, the bark E.S. ADAMS began her voyage from Amherstburg, Ontario to London, England with a load of walnut timber. The transatlantic portion of the voyage took only 26 days and the vessel was back on the lakes in September 1858.

EASTLAND was launched on 06 May 1903 at the Jenks Ship Building Company (Hull #25) at Port Huron, Michigan for the Michigan Steamship Company. She was christened by Mrs. Frances E. Perene.

1914: CITY OF ROME caught fire in Lake Erie and the blaze spread quickly. The vessel was run aground near Ripley, NY and the 15-member crew took to the lifeboats and rowed ashore. The 33-year old wooden freighter was a total loss.

1977: The West German freighter SUSANNE FRITZEN made 19 trips through the Seaway from 1963 through 1967. The vessel arrived at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with engine trouble as c) MARGRIT B. on this date in 1977. It remained idle and had to be towed to Piraeus, Greece, and laid up in 1978. The ship left there February 15, 1979, for the scrapyard in Barcelona, Spain.

1988: The Cypriot flag freighter PONTOKRATIS was under tow and downbound in the Little Calumet River at Chicago when the CSX railroad bascule bridge ended up across the stern cabin and pilothouse. There were no injuries and both sides launched a lawsuit. The vessel was released May 16 and continued to visit the Seaway as late as 2006. It renamed NAVIGATOR M. in 2010.

[yachtsmanwilly]

The JOHN J BOLAND (Hull# 417) was launched May 9, 1953 at Manitowoc, Wisconsin by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. for the American Steamship Co. making way for the keel of the DETROIT EDISON (2) to be laid. The BOLAND was renamed b.) SAGINAW in 1999.

On May 9, 1951 the CLIFFS VICTORY arrived at the South Chicago yard of the American Ship Building Co. completing her 37-day, 3,000 mile journey from Baltimore, Maryland. There her deck houses, stack, masts, deck machinery, rudder and propeller were installed and the floatation pontoons removed.

The ROBERT C. NORTON (2) was laid up on May 9, 1980 for the last time at the Hans Hansen Dock at Toledo, Ohio.

PETER REISS (Hull#522) was launched at Superior, Wisconsin by Superior Ship Building Co., on May 9, 1910 for the North American Steamship Co. (Reiss Coal Co.).

On 9 May 1864, AMAZON (2-mast wooden brig, 93 foot, 172 tons, built in 1837 at Port Huron, Michigan as a schooner) was carrying coal from Cleveland for Lake Superior when she went out of control in a storm just as she was leaving the St. Clair River for Lake Huron. She was driven ashore near Point Edward, Ontario and was broken up by the wave action. At the time of her loss, she was considered the oldest working schooner on the Lakes.

May 9, 1900: The carferry PERE MARQUETTE (15) began carferry service to Milwaukee for the Pere Marquette Railway.

On Friday night, 9 May 1873, the schooner CAPE HORN collided with the new iron propeller JAVA off Long Point on Lake Erie. The schooner sank quickly. The only life lost was that of the cook.

On 09 May 1872, the CUBA (iron propeller bulk freighter, 231 foot, 1526 gross tons) was launched at King Iron Works in Buffalo, New York for the Holt and Ensign Commercial Line. Innovations in her design included water-tight compartments for water ballast, 4 water-tight bulkheads that could be closed if the hull were damaged, and a new fluted signal lamp that could be seen for 13 miles. She was powered by two 350 HP engines. She was a very successful vessel and lasted until 1947 when she was scrapped. She was renamed b.) IONIC in 1906 and c.) MAPLEBRANCH in 1920. Converted to a tanker in 1935. Scrapped at Sorel, Quebec in 1946-7.

1906 – The schooner ARMENIA was wrecked in Lake Erie near Colchester Reef when it began leaking in a storm while under tow of the FRED PABST on the first trip of the season. The ore-laden barge was cut loose but all on board were saved. The wreck was later struck by the CHARLES B. PACKARD on September 16, 1906, leading to the latter's demise.

1926 – While backing from the NHB Elevator in Port Colborne, the JOHN P. REISS struck the A.D. MacBETH at the dock, damaging the latter's stem.

1964 – The small ferries JOHN A. McPHAIL and JAMES CURRAN broke loose while under tow of the G.W. ROGERS and sank in a storm off the mouth of Saginaw Bay. They were en-route to Kingston from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., for a new service to Wolfe Island.

1974 – The coastal freighter ST. PIERRE ran aground in the old Lachine Canal at Montreal, was holed, capsized and sank. The vessel was broken up on location later in the year.

2011 – The Erie, Pa.-based passenger excursion ship VICTORIAN PRINCESS sustained major fire damage when a welding torch ignited materials in the engine room. The ship was out of the water and on blocks for maintenance work when the blaze broke out. The vessel missed the 2011 season.


The 1,000-foot COLUMBIA STAR was christened May 8, 1981, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, for Columbia Transportation Div., Oglebay Norton Co.

EDGAR B. SPEER (Hull#908) was launched May 8, 1980, at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. for Connecticut Bank & Trust Co. (U.S. Steel Corp., mgr.), after long delay because of labor strife.

FRED R. WHITE JR was christened May 8, 1979, named for Oglebay Norton's then vice-chairman of the board.

On May 8, 1979, the ASHLAND struck the north entry pier of the Duluth Ship Canal while outbound loaded. Thick ice blowing in from Lake Superior had interfered with her maneuverability. She dropped her anchor to lessen the impact but drifted over the flukes ripping a two by five foot hole in her bottom port side forward. She was inspected and repaired at the Duluth Port Terminal. One anchor was lost.

CHAMPLAIN's starboard side was damaged when she sideswiped the Swedish steamer BROLAND near the lower end of the St. Clair River cut-off, May 8, 1963.

May 8. 1936 – The Pere Marquette Railway Co. announced plans to construct a new $1 million ferry dock at Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The 3-masted wooden schooner FRANK C. LEIGHTON was launched at 10:30 a.m. on 8 May 1875, at Dunford & Leighton's yard in Port Huron, eight months after work on her began. She was launched complete except for her mizzen mast, which was just about ready to go in position. She was named for Capt. Leighton's son. Her dimensions were 138 foot keel, 145 foot overall, 26 foot beam and 12 foot depth. She cost $20,000 and was owned by Dunford & Leighton.

The 254-foot wooden freighter AMAZON was launched at A. A. Turner's yard at Trenton, Michigan, on 8 May 1873.

On 08 May 1929, GEORGE W. PARKER wooden propeller sandsucker, 105 foot, 143 gross tons, built in 1903, at Marine City, Michigan by A. Anderson for Fishback Plaster Co., formerly a.) L. G. POWELL) was destroyed by fire and sank in the channel 6 miles south of Algonac, Michigan. Her crew escaped in the yawl.

1916: S.R. KIRBY was downbound in a Lake Superior storm when it was struck by two huge waves, broke its back and foundered. The composite hulled freighter sank quickly and only two of the 22 on board survived.

1918: The Norwegian freighter POLLUX came to the Great Lakes in 1907. It was torpedoed as b) DUX by U-54 about 7 miles northwest of Godrevy Lighthouse while carrying coal from Swansea, UK to LaRochelle, France.

1934: The hull of the first CANADOC was punctured when the ship went hard aground at St. Joseph's Island. The vessel was later freed, drydocked and repaired.

1938: JAMES B. FOOTE hit a dock at Chicago, under tow of the tug KANSAS, while loaded with corn for Sorel. The rudder, stock and a propeller blade were lost.

1942: The Hall Corp. canaller MONT LOUIS was torpedoed and sunk in the Caribbean by U-162 with the loss of 13 lives. Only 8 survived by clinging to the wreckage. The ship was carrying bauxite from Dutch Guiana to Trinidad when it was attacked and it sank so quickly that the lifeboats could not be launched. 1949: E.C. COLLINS and HENRY FORD II were in a collision in the St.Clair River.

1967 ELIN HOPE had been chartered to the Ontario Paper Company to carry newsprint from Baie Comeau to New York from 1950 to 1953. The ship came to the Great Lakes as b) PROCYON in 1961 and arrived at Madras, India, as c) KR ASHOK with the cargo of coal on fire on this date in 1967. The vessel settled on the bottom during firefighting operations. It was refloated May 19 and eventually scrapped at Madras in 1968.

1978: The third OUTARDE went aground in the St. Lawrence near Buoy 41-M and was not released until May 16. There was only minor damage to the ship.


ALGOPORT (Hull#217) was launched at Collingwood, Ontario, by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., May 7, 1979 for Algoma Central Railway.

HUTCHCLIFFE HALL entered service on May 7, 1954.

A.M. BYERS (Hull#448) was launched May 7, 1910 at Cleveland, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. for the North American Steamship Co. (R.A. Williams, mgr.). Renamed b.) CLEMENS A. REISS in 1959 and c.) JACK WIRT in 1970.

May 7, 1903 - The Benton Harbor, Coloma & Paw Paw Lake Railway was purchased by the Pere Marquette Railroad.

May 7, 1929 - The Pere Marquette notified Ludington it was interested in buying the frontage on Pere Marquette Lake that had been used by the Monroe Body Company. The city council asked $25,000 for the property, and the railroad agreed. Work on the No. 3 slip began a few months later.

On 7 May 1874, the schooner JENNIE MATHEWS was launched at Hardison's yard in Port Huron, Michigan. The launch started very slowly but with the help of men pulling on ropes, the vessel slid into the Black River nicely. Her first skipper was Capt. McGifford and her owner was Mr. Hardison. On 07 May 1954, official ground-breaking ceremonies were held for the Mackinac Bridge. It was completed three and a half years later.

1891: The new Canadian Pacific steamer MANITOBA, although built in 1889, had been laid up due to a recession and finally sailed on her maiden voyage on this date in 1891.

1935: A fire aboard ALEXANDER LESLIE at the port of Erieau, Ont., killed one member of the crew and injured two others.

1965: CEDARVILLE and TOPDALSFJORD collided in fog in the Straits of Mackinac. Ten lives were lost when the former, a self-unloader in the Bradley fleet, sank. The latter, a Norwegian freighter, had been a Seaway trader since 1960. Later, on May 11, 1984, as d) JIN XIAN QUAN, it sank the SEA CARRIER, another former Seaway trader as SVANEFJELL, in the Strait of Formosa off Taishan Island. TOPDALSFJORD was last noted as e) CHANGHI and was deleted from Lloyd's Register in 2005.

1998: CANADIAN ENTERPRISE loaded a record 32,366 tons of road salt at Goderich for delivery to Milwaukee

Soo Locks failure could cripple U.S. economy

5/7 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – They call it the “Achilles heel” of the North American economy: the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie.

Most of the nation’s iron ore passes through the locks, which allow ships to negotiate the 21-foot drop along the St. Marys River between Lakes Superior and Huron. Some of the moving parts are a century old.

A recently released federal study warns that if the locks were to fail, it would cripple the economy — especially the automotive industry.

Most of the iron ore, which is used to make steel, goes through the Poe Lock. Owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and last rebuilt in 1968, it’s the only one big enough for the 1,000-foot lake freighters — more commonly known as lakers — that carry the ore from Lake Superior to steel mills all over the Great Lakes region.

If Poe fails, the impact would be first felt about 180 miles west of Sault Ste. Marie in the mining towns around Ishpeming.

“Everything that comes out of here has to go through the Soo. If it gets transported by ships, it has to go through the Soo,” explained Tony Slawinksi, who runs Handy Grocery out of the front of his home in Palmer, across the street from the mile-wide Empire iron ore mine.

“So yeah, if you shut that down, it would have a trickle effect and shut a lot of things down,” Slawinkski continued.

There are two iron ore mines in the UP, both within a few miles of each other. One of those, Empire, is shutting down soon, putting nearly 400 high-paid miners out of work. The rest of the ore comes from mines in Minnesota.

“If they can’t get their steel from here, then where else are they going to get it from? Because up here and in Minnesota, that’s where the iron mines are,” Slawinski said.

Mining would take the first hit, but that would be just the beginning.

The Poe Lock has never failed, but the U.S. Department of Homeland Security says if it did and remained closed for six months, the U.S. would fall into a deep recession.

Steel mills in Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Ontario and Pennsylvania would shut down. Almost all automobile production in North America would stop. Nearly 11 million people would end up out of work in the U.S. and millions more in Canada and Mexico. Michigan would get hit hardest, the study says, with an unemployment rate of nearly 23 percent.

“There is no alternative. We don’t have rail lines that can take the massive material that is coming through these locks each and every day. We don’t have the trucks that can do it,” U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Hills, said.

Thursday, Peters toured the locks to see firsthand what could go wrong. “This is about the steel industry, it’s about energy, it’s about all the ripple effects,” he said. “It’s a situation that would impact every part of the state of Michigan.”

“If they don’t make steel, we don’t make cars, we don’t make trucks, we don’t make all the products of modern life,” he continued.

While it’s critical to maintain the locks, Peters said Congress will need to come up with the money to build a second large one. “The plan is to take two of these smaller locks and basically make another large Poe Lock,” he explained. That, he says, would cost at least half a billion dollars.

“It’s not a matter of if this lock will need to be shut down during the summer, it’s just a question of when and that’s why urgency to get this fixed is there,” Peters said.

Even if the money is approved, it would take six to 10 years to build a second large lock.

WOOD-TV

[yachtsmanwilly]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[yachtsmanwilly]

5/11 - Cleveland, Ohio – Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 1,947,263 tons in April, an increase of 7 percent compared to a year ago.

Loadings out of U.S. quarries totaled 1,552,490 tons, a decrease of 3.2 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments from Canadian quarries jumped 85 percent to 394,773 tons.

Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at 2,257,604 tons, an increase of 10.6 percent. Shipments from U.S. quarries are up a boatload or two. Loadings out of Canadian quarries have risen 75 percent.

The year-to-date total includes 180,234 tons from U.S. quarries in January and 107,998 tons in March. Canadian quarries shipped 22,109 tons in March.

Lake Carriers’ Association





End of Empire Mine, ‘end of the life’

5/11 - Palmer, Mich. – Mass is ending at Our Lady of Perpetual Help. This is a mining church in a small mining town within sight of a massive iron ore mine.

The 33 worshipers have much to pray for in the 418-person village. The Upper Peninsula’s Empire Mine is closing, symbolic of a fading heritage industry as old as the state. Four hundred of the best-paying jobs in this rugged region will be gone by summer’s end.

Families have spilled blood there. Lyle Larson’s brother, John, was killed at 18 while constructing the mine in 1962. In the church vestibule, gathered among three other lifetime miners, Brad Holman ponders a question: What now?

“Maybe I should get out of the way and give the younger ones a chance,” said Holman, almost 60, who has worked for 33 years at the mine.

Seniority may allow him to bump into a nearby sister iron mine — the last in Michigan. “But when I retire, I want to be able to retire for good,” he said.

Lower production, tumbling iron ore prices and falling revenues and stock shares have plagued the owner of the massive mine, a mile wide and 1,200 feet deep. The industry is also grappling with increased imports from China.

“It’s the end of the life,” said Patricia Persico, spokeswoman for the mine owner, Cleveland-based Cliffs Natural Resources. “There is no ore that is viable to mine anymore.”


5/11 - Leland, Mich. – The harbormaster in Leland says the federal government needs to spend emergency funds to dredge the channel there. The channel is about six feet deep, the minimum needed for large yachts and the Mishe-Mokwa, the largest ferryboat that takes visitors to the Manitou Islands.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ district office in Detroit has recommended that emergency funds be used to dredge the channel between Lake Michigan and Leland, but that decision will be made at the national level.

Recreational harbors in the Great Lakes have had maintenance trouble for at least a decade. In 2007, a yacht trying to get into Portage Lake in Manistee County ran aground and eventually sank.

Since then, Congress has increased the amount of money the Army Corps has to maintain federally designated harbors around the country, but the increase hasn’t made much of a difference for the recreational harbors.

The federal government taxes cargo shipped in the U.S., and those dollars are supposed to be used for harbor maintenance. Not all of that tax money makes it back to the harbors, however. The chair of the Great Lakes Small Harbors Coalition, Chuck May, says about $600 million of harbor maintenance fees still disappear each year into the general budget.

The coalition hopes eventually all the tax money will come to the harbors in the future. But Chuck May is also worried about a new development.

The Corps has traditionally been responsible for the channel in and out of a harbor. Recently, some money has been appropriated to dredge areas inside harbors in large ports, areas that have been maintained by the local government. May says if that trend continues, it will increase demand on the harbor maintenance fund.

“That’s obviously something we feel is inappropriate and wrong, particularly until all federal assets are maintained,” he says.

Interlochen Public Radio


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[yachtsmanwilly]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



PHOTINIA aground off Milwaukee

[yachtsmanwilly]

SS Badger beginning 2016 sailing season — now as a national landmark

5/13 - Ludington, Mich. – The rain stopped, the clouds parted and the sun shone on the words “A National Historic Landmark” on the stern of the SS Badger as it prepared to depart Ludington Thursday morning.

The sailing marked the end of a tumultuous journey for the cross-lake ferry company, as acknowledged by LMC President and CEO Bob Manglitz, who thanked the employees for weathering storms and leaping hurdles to keep the Badger crossing between Ludington and Manitowoc. “You are all can-do people,” Manglitz said.

He acknowledged his partners, Jim Anderson — LMC’s first employee under Charles Conrad – and Don Clingan, who took the lead role in trying to obtain the landmark status for the 410-foot ship.

Manglitz thanked Bill Worden, who was the first to propose the Badger for a National Historic Landmark designation, as well as former Mayor John Henderson and his daughter, Brandy, for the “Save Our Ship” campaign. He also singled out Congressman Bill Huizenga, who he said was a “true champion” of the Badger and a friend.

As Manglitz finished his remarks, a crew raised a flag that had flown over the Capitol above the sea gate bearing the ship’s name. The flag was a gift from U.S. Congressman Bill Huizenga, who was unable to attend, but sent remarks along with his district director, Greg Van Woerkom.

Huizenga noted in his letter that the ship obtaining the designation was an “important victory for hard-working families and small businesses that have relied on the SS Badger for generations.”

Brandon Fewins, the Northern Michigan Regional Manager from Senator Debbie Stabenow’s office passed along her congratulations and read from a letter that noted she was impressed by the passion and dedication of the Lake Michigan Carferry family in working to meet a complex set of challenges.

“Today’s celebration is a fitting tribute to the importance of the SS Badger to Ludington and Manitowoc,” Stabenow wrote. “It is historic landmarks like the SS Badger that make Michigan so unique.”

Dr. William Anderson said while many communities search for an identity, Ludington’s was fated because of its proximity to Lake Michigan and with this designation and the upcoming 2017 opening of the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum, Ludington’s identity as a maritime community is reinforced.

As he spoke, he called it “our ship.”

“I say ‘our ship,’ because the people of Ludington share a spiritual ownership — it’s our boat and our boat is bigger than your boat,’” Anderson said to cheers and applause.

The event drew Kevin Elsenheimer, the director of the Michigan State Housing and Development Authority, which funded a cultural economic development grant for Ludington and Mason County. Those funds have been used to create various trails around the community to highlight the area’s agricultural and maritime heritage.

Rick Plummer, the director of the Mason County Historical Society and the master of ceremonies for the event, noted that National Historic Landmarks “show exceptional value in illustrating and interpreting the heritage of our country.”

The ship, he said, “continues to delight generations of people. Today, the Badger sails out of our nation’s history and into its future.”

Ludington Daily News


5/13 - Toronto, Ont. – Less demand for road salt amid a mild winter drove ship operator Algoma Central Corp. to a deeper loss in the first quarter.

The decline in salt volumes moving on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway compounds the effects of a global slowdown in demand for coal, iron ore and grain, bulk commodities that are key to Algoma Central and other companies that sail the inland waterway.

St. Catharines, Ont.-based Algoma Central said revenue from carrying ore, salt, wheat and other dry commodities fell by 38 per cent in the first three months of 2016, compared with the same period a year earlier.

“This quarter was a little tougher than normal,” said Peter Winkley, chief financial officer of Algoma Central, which owns 25 bulk ships and seven petroleum tankers on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway and the East Coast and has part-ownership of five ocean-going vessels.

“The industry as a whole is feeling that” decline in trade, Mr. Winkley said.

The company’s quarterly loss widened to $24-million in the first three months of 2016, compared with $22-million in the year-earlier quarter, excluding refunds on a shipbuilding contract worth $16-million.

Refined petroleum products revenue fell by 54 per cent after the loss of a customer, Mr. Winkley said by phone. Revenue in the company’s ocean shipping division more than tripled to $20-million with the addition of three ships.

Dry bulk shipping rates on the world’s oceans touched new lows this past winter, amid a glut of ships and slowing steel production in China. Much of the world’s fleet is losing money and idling or scrapping vessels.

Algoma Central said in that February it would retire five bulk ships earlier than planned, faced with plunging demand for ore and steel from the Great Lakes’ mines and mills.

Two of the three major steel makers on the Great Lakes – U.S. Steel Canada and Essar Steel Algoma Inc. – are in bankruptcy protection, leaving Arcelor Mittal SA as Algoma Central’s main shipper of ore and steel.

Overall cargo volumes fell by 9 per cent on the St. Lawrence Seaway in 2015, led by a 41-per-cent drop in coal. Algoma Central does not provide forecasts but Mr. Winkley said 2016 will be “a challenging year” due to weak grain shipments and ample stockpiles of road salt after the unseasonably warm winter.

U.K.-based Drewry Shipping Consultants Ltd. says rates for ships that carry dry commodities will be lower this year than year as market conditions remain “challenging.”

“The dry bulk sector has seen a period of recovery in recent months based on higher iron ore, coal and grain trade,” Drewry wrote in a recent research note. “The boom in iron ore trade that has resulted in record exports out of Australia and Brazil is expected to be a short-term phenomenon as it has mainly been based on iron ore restocking due to low inventories. … Seasonal iron ore restocking activity in China will relax over the next few months as inventories increase.”

Container ship owners are also facing plunging rates amid an oversupply of vessels and slowing economic growth. On Tuesday, Financial Times reported French shipowner CMA CGM is pulling the world’s largest container ship out of the Asia-U.S. West Coast service. The Benjamin Franklin first docked in Los Angeles in December. It is one of the new mega-large ships blamed for the glut in shipping capacity that is depressing rates and causing congestion at ports.

Globe & Mail





Final voyage of the Algomarine: Scrapyard awaits Great Lakes freighter

5/13 - The 48-year-old Great Lakes freighter has been docked since May 3 in Montreal, where the Canadian self-unloading bulk carrier awaits a tow across the salty Atlantic Ocean to the distant shores of the Aegean Sea, for her final fate.

The freighter is being scrapped in Turkey as part of a large scale fleet turnover by owner Algoma Central Corporation, which is retiring several older, "classic," vessels for newer ships constructed in overseas shipyards.

Unfortunately for the widespread Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway boat watching community, that means beloved and photogenic ships of yesteryear are being replaced by standardized bulk carriers that differ little from one another.

"You'll see one on the horizon and won't know one from the other," said Roger LeLievre, publisher of the Know Your Ships guide to Great Lakes boat watching. "It takes a lot of the excitement away from watching boats, I think."

Read more, and view a photo gallery here: www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/05/algomarine.html


5/13 - Cleveland, Ohio – U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters moved 7.3 million tons of cargo in April, an increase of 9.7 percent compared to a year ago. The April float was also 7 percent above the month’s 5-year average.

Iron ore cargos for the steel industry totaled 4.4 million tons, an increase of 30 percent compared to a year. However, coal shipments to power plants and steel mills slipped to 1.2 million tons, a decrease of 11 percent. Limestone loads for construction projects and steel production totaled 1.4 million tons, a decrease of two or three boatloads.

All five Great Lakes are currently above their long-term average for water waters, but full loads remain elusive. The largest coal cargo shipped in April totaled 69,378 tons, but Class X lakers (the U.S.-flag 1,000-footers) have carried as much as 70,903 tons of coal in a single voyage.

Year-to-date U.S.-flag carriage stands at 11.4 million tons, an increase of 9 percent compared to the same point in 2015. Iron ore cargos are up 24 percent, but coal cargos have dipped 28 percent. Limestone shipments are virtually tied with a year ago.

Lake Carriers’ Association

5/13 - Duluth, Minn. – Federal charges have been filed against a German shipping company stemming from an investigation that detained the freighter Cornelia offshore from Duluth for six weeks late last year, the U.S. Attorney's Office for Minnesota announced Wednesday.

MST Mineralien Schiffahrt Spedition und Transport, the German company that operated the Cornelia, was indicted in U.S. District Court on Wednesday on one count of violating the Act to Prevent Pollution From Ships and eight counts of false entries/omissions in records in a federal investigation. A date for representatives of the company to appear in court has yet to be set.

The oceangoing freighter Cornelia was detained offshore from Duluth from early November until Dec. 18 amid an investigation into possible violations of U.S. environmental regulations "related to the discharge of oily water," the U.S. Coast Guard said at the time. The 575-foot Liberian-flagged ship eventually left Duluth carrying a full load of grain, headed to ports along the Mediterranean Sea, after an agreement was reached allowing the saltie to sail while maintaining the integrity of the investigation

The charges allege that the Cornelia and its crew violated the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships by failing to maintain an accurate ship record about the disposal of oil-contaminated waste, in addition to presenting falsified records to the U.S. Coast Guard. The indictment is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

According to the grand jury indictment:

From February through October last year, the Cornelia "experienced significant leakages of oily waste-water from its engines and other onboard machinery and equipment above and beyond the typical leakages that occur during the normal operation of a vessel. As a result, the M/V Cornelia was accumulating a substantial volume of machinery space bilge water."

The Cornelia's chief engineer or second engineer instructed members of the crew on at least 10 occasions to transfer the oily bilge water from a dirty bilge tank to the clean bilge tank — a separate tank intended to contain only clean, oil-free water — and then discharge the oily wastewater overboard. Oily wastewater allegedly was discharged in the Great Lakes on at least one occasion, although court documents don't specify where in the Great Lakes it occurred.

The Coast Guard previously reported that the alleged discharge did not appear to have happened in the Twin Ports.

The Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships mandates that bilge water can't be discharged into the ocean if its oil content is more than 15 parts per million, and requires large ships to maintain records documenting the discharge or disposal of oily bilge water.

Court records don't specify the amount of bilge water or the alleged oil content of bilge water discharged from the Cornelia.

The indictment alleges that the Cornelia's "senior vessel officers, acting within the scope of their agency and employment and at least partly for the benefit of the defendant, aiding and abetting each other, did knowingly fail to maintain and caused the failure to maintain" accurate oil and oily bilge water records.

It also alleges that they knowingly made false entries and omitted facts "with the intent to impede, obstruct and influence" a Port State Control Examination by the U.S. Coast Guard, conducted in part to ensure a vessel is following environmental guidelines. The "false and fictitious" records were presented to the Coast Guard in Duluth in early November, the indictment alleges, at which time the Cornelia was detained.

If convicted, penalties against MST could include forfeiture of property "which constitutes or is derived from proceeds traceable to the violation," the indictment states.

As of Wednesday night, according to online ship-tracking websites, the Cornelia was in the eastern Mediterranean bound for the port of Iskenderun, Turkey.

Duluth News Tribune


Sturgeon Bay museum ties events to Blessing of the Fleet May 21

5/13 - Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – The Door County Maritime Museum will be participating in the Blessing of the Fleet event in Baileys Harbor on Saturday, May 21, highlighted by special restoration tours of Cana Island.

“Tours of Cana Island Light Station include admission to the island, a climb up the historic lighthouse tower and a special detailed overview of our current and future restoration projects,” said the museum’s Executive Director Amy Paul. Tour times will be 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. The cost is $15 per person ($5 for members) with pre-registrations being taken by calling the museum at 920-743-5958.

The museum will also maintain a presence at the festival grounds on County Hwy. F near the Baileys Harbor Town Hall. A museum ship model silent action will take place, the pieces having been donated to the museum through the generosity of museum supporters.

The works of a pair of popular Door County artists will also be for sale with all proceeds benefitting the Cana Island restoration project. Maritime works by Kathy Glasnap will be available as well signed prints by Gerhart Miller of a Cana Island work that is exclusively sold by the Door County Maritime Museum.

DCMM


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[yachtsmanwilly]

Coast Guard, good Samaritan rescue 2 adults, 2 kids from Milwaukee Harbor

5/16 - The U.S. Coast Guard and a good Samaritan rescued four people after their boat capsized in Milwaukee Harbor early Sunday morning.

Just after 7:30 a.m., CDT, the watchstander at Station Milwaukee received a mayday call from a small craft via VHF-FM Ch 16, reporting a 14-foot aluminum boat had capsized outside the main gap in Milwaukee Harbor. They reported another boater had recovered all four, all wearing life jackets, and were taking them to McKinley Marina.

A Station Milwaukee crew aboard a 25-foot response boat launched and the station watchstander contacted Milwaukee 911 Dispatch to request an ambulance meet the rescue vessel at the marina.

"This particular small boat carrying two adults and two children had rough seas for the boat's size, strong wind, and was manned by inexperienced boaters," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Joel Washbond, a boatswains mate at Station Milwaukee. "They basically had everything going against them. Even though the worst of the worst happened with them capsizing and going into the water, they were able to be rescued due to the fact that they were wearing life-jackets. Without the life-jackets this story would have been much different and could have ended with lives lost."

The Station Milwaukee crew and a Milwaukee Police boat crew arrived on scene and righted the vessel. The Station Milwaukee crew towed the boat to McKinley Marina where it was trailered. All four people were treated for hypothermia by EMS and released.

The on-scene weather was reported as 1-2 foot seas, 15-20 knot wind gusts and an air temperature of 37 degrees. The water temperature was less than 50 degrees. There were no reports of pollution from the capsized vessel.

USCG


On 16 May 1894, the SHENANDOAH (wooden propeller freighter, 308 foot, 2,251 gross tons) was launched by J. Davidson (Hull #60) in West Bay City, Michigan. She lasted until 1924, when she was abandoned.

CANADIAN PROSPECTOR passed upbound in the Welland Canal May 16, 1979, with Labrador ore bound for Ashtabula, Ohio. This was her first trip after being reconstructed.

W. R. WOODFORD (Hull#626) was launched May 16, 1908, at West Bay City, Michigan by West Bay City Ship Building Co. for W. A. & M.A. Hawgood. Renamed b.) N.F. LEOPOLD 1911, and c.) E. J. BLOCK in 1943. She was scrapped at Port Colborne, Ontario, arriving in 1998.

IRVIN L. CLYMER departed Superior, Wisconsin, on May 15, 1981, and went to Duluth, Minnesota, to load 11,154 tons of taconite ore for Lorain. On May 16, 1981, having departed Duluth in 35 mph winds and 10-foot seas, the CLYMER began taking on water in her ballast tanks. She returned to Duluth, and was quickly repaired.

On May 16, 1972, in dense fog, the ROBERT HOBSON struck the Peerless Cement dock at Port Huron, Michigan when her bow was caught by the strong current at the mouth of the St. Clair River. Damage to the hull was estimated at to $100,000.

In 1985, the steamer PONTIAC was towed down the Welland Canal by the Mc Keil tugs GLENEVIS, ARGUE MARTIN and STORMONT bound for Quebec City. She would later be scrapped in Spain.

The tug B. W. ALDRICH burned at Ludington, Michigan, on 16 May 1874. The damage was estimated at $5,000 and she was rebuilt.

May 16, 1997 - The BADGER's planned first voyage of 1997 was delayed for one day because of a faulty boiler tube.

E. W. OGLEBAY (steel propeller bulk freighter, 375 foot. 3,666 gross tons) was launched at F. W. Wheeler's yard (Hull #114) at West Bay City, Michigan, on 16 May 1896. She lasted until she stranded on Shot Point, 10 miles east of Marquette, Michigan, on Lake Superior, during a heavy northeast gale and blizzard, on December 8, 1927. Shortly afterwards the hull was gutted by fire and declared a constructive total loss. The hull was removed, partially scrapped, and used as dock at Drummond Island, Michigan.

1905 – The second THOMAS W. PALMER, a composite bulk carrier, collided with HARVARD of the Pittsburgh Steamship Company off Stannard Rock, Lake Superior in dense fog and was nearly cut in two. The crew was able to walk to safety aboard HARVARD before their ship sank.

1919 – D.R. HANNA sank in Lake Huron 6 miles off Thunder Bay Light after a collision with the QUINCY A. SHAW. All hands were saved but the sinking of the grain laden 552-foot freighter was the largest insurance loss on the lakes to that time. The hull has been located upside down in 90 feet of water.

1941 – The Norwegian freighter REINUNGA began Great Lakes visits in 1926 and was forced to spend the winter of 1932-1933 at Dain City along the Welland Canal. The vessel, which dated from 1902, was bombed and sunk by German aircraft as d) KYTHERA at Suda Bay, Crete, on this date in 1941.

1962 – ARGENTEUIL, a former Canadian Coast Guard buoy tender, was rebuilt as a coastal freighter in 1961. It sank in the St. Lawrence near Lauzon, QC, with the loss of 3 lives on this date in 1962.

1975 – MANCHESTER RAPIDO provided a container shuttle service in the Seaway beginning in 1971, went aground off Pasajes, Spain, on March 15, 1975, and then sank. The hull was refloated May 16, 1975, for repairs and a return to service. 1987 – MARIA ANNA SCHULTE first came inland in 1958. It ran aground as e) LUCKY VIRGIN off San Andras Island, Colombia, while en route from Colon, Panama, to Aruba in 1974 and had to be abandoned as a total loss.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



Lake Discovery: Researchers discover lost ships

5/14 - Gills Rock, Wis. – A tedious search and lots of patience leads to the surprise of a lifetime for a team of divers in Door County.

"Years ago we didn't have this technology and many people have been looking for these wrecks," explained Captain Jim Robinson of Shoreline Charters.

Robinson has been diving for shipwrecks around Door County for decades, but this time he partnered with an old friend, Keith Cormican. Cormican runs a Search and Recovery effort off his boat called Bruce's Legacy. He uses state of the art equipment that allows him extremely detailed images of what's at the bottom of hundreds of feet of water.

"This is a four foot long torpedo type thing that's towed on a cable down at depth," said Cormican. The "tow fish" can go up to 500 feet deep and takes pictures of the bottom.

"We see all the debris and the things around them that we normally we don't see when we're diving," said Cormican.

The area they're searching is known as Death's Door. It's where the bay of Green Bay and Lake Michigan meet. It's the strongest current in the Great Lakes. The team has uncovered 7 ships in just 3 days.

"One of them for sure is brand new that I've had no idea was even there," said Robinson.

Now the state underwater archeologist needs to come in to investigate these new found wrecks.

NBC26.com


5/14 - Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed an energy and water appropriations bill that included a provision inserted by Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman that prevents the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from dumping polluted dredged sediment directly into Lake Erie.

Over the past year, the Army Corps has been engaged in a federal lawsuit against the Ohio EPA and the Port of Cleveland seeking permission for open-lake dumping. The agency contends the sediment is clean enough to dispose directly into the lake.

U.S. District Court Judge Donald Nugent blocked the Army Corps' request last year, and ordered the agency to dump the dredged sediment into a confined containment dike as it has for the past 40 years.

"It's essential to the Port of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio businesses that the navigation channel of the Cuyahoga River is maintained," Brown said in a news release. "While dredging is critical for the region's economy, it shouldn't compromise efforts to improve water quality and restore the health of the lake."

Portman said: "The Cleveland Harbor project is vital to all of Ohio and we must ensure that the dredged material is not inappropriately disposed of by dumping it in Lake Erie without approval by the Ohio EPA. I will continue use every tool available to make sure both the City of Cleveland's water supply and Lake Erie's ecosystem is protected."

Brown's and Portman's language in the bill ensures that open-lake dumping can occur only if strict environmental standards set by the Ohio EPA are met.

Earlier this year, the Ohio EPA declined to grant the Army Corps a permit for open-lake dumping, citing tests that found the sediment in the shipping channel too polluted with PCBs to dispose of in the lake.

Meanwhile, Portman is a heading a Senate subcommittee that is investigating allegations that the Army Corps deliberately cut more than $3 million budgeted for dredging Cleveland harbor from its 2016 federal appropriation. Afterward, the Corps claimed it didn't have enough money to dispose of the sediment in containment dikes.

Port of Cleveland President and CEO Will Friedman told Portman that the Cleveland Harbor dredging project was the only example where the Army Corps asked Congress for a cut in funding in the lower 48 states last year.

Cleveland.com

[yachtsmanwilly]

5/17 - Milwaukee, Wis. - Lake Michigan water levels have staged a big comeback, rising more than 4 feet since early in 2013 when they dropped to an all-time low. The increase is due to a combination of factors — more rainfall and runoff, and weather conditions that have slowed evaporation from the surface of the lake.

Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are now 2 inches higher than a month ago; 9 inches higher than the same time a year ago, and 13 inches above the long-term average of May, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Michigan and Huron are considered a single lake, linked by the Straits of Mackinac.

With seasonal conditions filling rivers and streams, the Lake Michigan system is projected to rise another 2 inches in the next month and will likely add a few more inches this summer, according to the corps.

Beaches up and down the shoreline have shrunk. Scientists expect benefits for coastal wetlands. Still, if levels rise too high, newly created spawning grounds might be less hospitable for fish. The need to dredge ports and marinas has declined. And deeper water has allowed commercial shippers to carry more cargo.

In hydrological terms, Lake Michigan has risen from 576.02 feet in January 2013 to 580.09 feet today. The lake is still more than 2 feet below its all-time high of 582.35 in October 1986.

As water levels inch up, so have concerns about the erosion of beaches and bluffs.

State Department of Administration spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said in a statement that "bluff erosion is certainly on (the) radar" of the agency's coastal management officials, adding that they are "closely monitoring Lake Michigan's lake levels."

In Milwaukee, property just north of Bradford Beach has caved into the water recently — a situation that a spokeswoman for County Executive Chris Abele says is also being monitored.

In northern Ozaukee County, residents are calling authorities about permit requirements to engineer the placement of rocks along the shoreline to protect disappearing beaches. The number of calls so far has been small, said Andy Holschbach, the county's director of land and water management.

Weather conditions largely dictate the ebb and flow of Lake Michigan water levels. The springs of 2013, 2014 and 2015 were all wetter than normal, as is this spring, according to Andrew D. Gronewold, a hydrologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Other factors: A complex relationship between the extent of ice cover, air temperature and evaporation — especially in the fall, when cold, dry air settles over the relatively warmer temperatures of the lake.

"When you stack all of those years together, you get this pretty interesting jump in water levels going back to January 2013," Gronewold said.

The situation today is a far cry from when the lake plunged to its lowest level since modern records started being kept in 1918. "It's very scary," dock builder and dredger Mike Kahr of Death's Door Marine Inc., told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in December 2012.

When contacted last week, Kahr painted a different picture. "We're doing less dredging, that's for sure," he said. Now Kahr said he is getting calls asking to assess the impact of rising water levels. Some property owners are asking about having their docks raised.

When Lake Michigan and Lake Huron were at their historic low, some attributed part of the problem to 1960s-era dredging for navigation on Lake St. Clair, which acted to lower lake levels. The lake borders Michigan and Ontario and is the main outlet for the two lakes.

The corps in 2014 allocated $50,000 to study whether water levels could rise with the installation of structures on Lake St. Clair to slow water flows.

The International Joint Commission, which oversees U.S. and Canadian boundary water issues, said it supported an investigation of options that would restore water levels by 5 to 10 inches, according to documents. Knowing that lake levels have historically fluctuated, and could rise again, the commission encouraged the U.S. and Canadian governments to study options for structures that would not cause problems when water levels were higher. But a potential project on Lake St. Clair is no longer being studied, a corps official said last week.

"There was a general lack of support from the (U.S.) State Department and other agencies," said John Allis, chairman of the Detroit district of the corps.

Journal Sentinel


U.S., Canadian Coast Guards save 4 from water in 2 separate incidents on Lake Erie

5/17 - Cleveland, Ohio – U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard crews collaborated to rescue four people in separate cases early Monday morning on Lake Erie.

Just before 3 a.m. watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, New York, heard a mayday call over VHF-FM channel 16 from a 37-foot sailing vessel that was taking on water with one man aboard. Sector Buffalo launched a Station Buffalo crew aboard a 45-foot response boat and requested the launch of a Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Detroit.

After determining the vessels position to be in Canadian waters in shoal water off Pt. Abino, Ontario, Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Trenton, Ontario, took control of the case, launching two surface vessels, a C-130 fixed-wing aircraft and requested that the Coast Guard assets continue en route.

The vessel's master reported he was abandoning ship into a dingy and was being swept out into the lake.

The Buffalo crew arrived on scene and located the man, who is a U.S. citizen, and the dingy. The crew confirmed he was the only person aboard and transported him to awaiting EMS for evaluation in Buffalo. EMS reported the man was cold but alert.

The man was wearing a life jacket and there are no reports of pollution. The sailboat remains sunk off Pt. Abino.

Shortly after that rescue, Sector Buffalo overheard a call on VHF-FM channel 16 that a 42-foot yacht with three people aboard was taking on water 20 nautical miles west of Long Point, Ontario, in Lake Erie. A woman then stated the vessel had capsized and they were clinging to the hull.

JRCC Trenton diverted their surface assets and relaunched the C-130. Sector Buffalo diverted the Air Station Detroit helicopter that had just completed the previous search.

"The sea state was approximately 6-foot swells," said Lt. Rachel Quatroche, the helicopter pilot from Air Station Detroit. "Had the survivors not been wearing their life jackets, it is unlikely they would have been able to remain floating in the rough conditions. It was wise of them to don their flotation devices when it became evident that capsizing was a very real possibility. According to the survivors, they were in the water for approximately two hours."

The Detroit crew located the vessel, but was beginning to run low on fuel. The crew jettisoned the on-board dewatering pump to reduce weight and deployed a rescue swimmer. Because the people were showing signs of hypothermia, the air crew hoisted the three people, who are all Canadian citizens, and took them to awaiting EMS in Erie, Pennsylvania. The swimmer was picked up and returned by a Canadian Coast Guard vessel that had arrived on scene just as the helicopter was departing.

Upon arrival, all three survivors declined medical assistance. Customs and Border Protection was notified and is making arrangements to return the people back to Canada.

The vessel was approximately 2.5 nautical miles offshore of Long Point when it broke apart and capsized. A large amount of debris was reported in the area, and Sector Buffalo is working with JRCC Trenton to recover the debris since forecasted weather may push it toward Dunkirk, New York.

The weather was reported as 20-knot winds, 6-foot seas and a water temperature of 46 degrees.

USCG

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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