Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

6/1 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The U.S. Coast Guard continued to monitor and respond to the motor vessel Roger Blough Tuesday after the vessel ran aground Friday afternoon on Gros Cap Reef in Whitefish Bay in Lake Superior.

DonJon-Smit salvage divers have commenced their underwater survey of the Blough's hull and a completed salvage plan has been submitted to U.S. and Canadian officials for review and approval. Lightering operations are scheduled to begin in the next few days.

Preventative booming remains in place around the Blough and a Coast Guard Auxiliary overflight from Tuesday afternoon revealed no signs of pollution. Canadian Coast Guard Environmental Response personnel are in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, with a large inventory of pollution control equipment. Procedures are in place and equipment is readily available for all possible ship-source spill scenarios.

The Coast Guard-led investigation into the cause of the grounding continues, with the assistance of the National Transportation Safety Board.

The 500-yard safety zone remains in effect around the Blough.

USCG





Coalition files suit against Coast Guard over pilotage rate increases

6/1 - Washington, D.C. – An alliance of U.S. Great Lakes ports, vessel-operating companies and maritime trade associations filed suit Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, challenging the U.S. Coast Guard's 58 percent increase in Great Lakes pilotage rates, the American Great Lakes Ports Association reported in a news release.

"Great Lakes pilotage costs have gone up 114 percent over the last 10 years," said Will Friedman, president of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority. "The Coast Guard wants to increase them another 58 percent by 2017. These increases are unsustainable and will ultimately erode the viability of international trade through Great Lakes ports."

Under federal law, all oceangoing vessels on the Great Lakes Seaway System must hire local pilots — navigators familiar with local conditions — to assist with navigation. The Coast Guard regulates and sets rates for Great Lakes pilotage, which is provided by three private companies.

The American Great Lakes Ports Association, the Shipping Federation of Canada and the U.S. Great Lakes Shipping Association filed the complaint along with vessel-operating companies Fednav International Ltd, Canfornav Inc., Polish Steamship Company, Spliethoff Transport, Brochart Shipping and Wagenborg Shipping.

The coalition argues that the Coast Guard violated the Administrative Procedures Act by making "arbitrary and unsubstantiated decisions during development of the 2016 pilotage rates," the news release stated.

The plaintiffs have asked the court to remand the rulemaking back to the Coast Guard for revision.

Duluth News Tribune





ArcelorMittal signs 10-year iron ore deal

6/1 - ArcelorMittal has reached a new long-term deal to bring iron ore to its steel mills in Indiana Harbor East, West and Cleveland.

The steelmaker, which is headquartered in Luxembourg and whose USA operations are based in Chicago, will retain Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. as its sole outside supplier of iron ore pellets to its U.S. operations through 2026. Cliff's is the sole outside pellet supplier to ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor West. It also supplements supplies at the former Inland Steel mill at Indiana Harbor East.

Iron ore pellets are a crucial input, along with coke and limestone, for making iron in blast furnaces.

"The market-based pricing mechanisms at the core of this agreement provide ArcelorMittal USA with increased financial flexibility, better aligning raw material costs with pricing conditions in the steel market,” ArcelorMittal USA President and Chief Executive Officer John Brett said. "Similar to the previous agreements, the new agreement also allows us to adjust volumes based on market conditions."

Under the contract, the iron ore prices ArcelorMittal will pay will vary based on market indices, as well as general inflation. Neither side is disclosing the exact terms of the deal for competitive reasons.

The new deal replaces previous agreements that expired in December and January. ArcelorMittal's new agreement with Cliffs, which operates mines in Minnesota and Michigan, establishes a minimum iron ore volume of 7 million long tons annually, which is higher than what was agreed to in the two previous contracts combined.

"We arrived at a mutually beneficial agreement, as both companies recognize the importance of bringing sustainable value to our respective businesses," Cliffs' Chairman, President and CEO Lourenco Goncalves said. "The signing of the new supply agreement confirms what we have always stated regarding the strength of the business relationship between Cliffs and ArcelorMittal USA."

The CEO added the new agreement removes any remaining uncertainty about Cliffs, and supports its confidence in a bright future for the company, its employees, its shareholders, and all other stakeholders, including communities.

NW Indiana Times



6/1 - Cliffs Natural Resources CEO Lourenco Goncalves says United Taconite will restart in mid-October, now that the company has reached a much anticipated business agreement with steelmaker ArcelorMittal.

"We are already reaching out to our people. I told them they would begin work by the end of the year, and I am keeping my word. We plan on being up to full production in November," Goncalves said over the phone.

Tuesday morning, Cliffs announced they have reached a 10-year agreement with ArcelorMittal, replacing two existing agreements that expire in December 2016 and January 2017.

Goncalves said that the reopening of UTac, which has facilities in Eveleth and Forbes, hinged on the agreement.

In a statement on Tuesday, he said, "The signing of the new supply agreement confirms what we have always stated regarding the strength of the business relationship between Cliffs and ArcelorMittal USA. The new agreement also removes any remaining uncertainty about Cliffs, and supports our conviction in the bright future of our company, its employees, its shareholders, and all other stakeholders, including the communities in which we operate."

UTAC has been idle since last summer, putting nearly 500 people out of work.

The company is poised to invest $65 million to do upgrades to the plant, so it can produce the custom made pellet required by ArcelorMittal. It's called the Mustang modification. Goncalves said, "We plan on starting that now. We will be hiring contractors to do the work right away, and plan on making the custom pellet by next year."

Cliffs will continue to be the sole outside supplier of pellets for ArcelorMittal.

WDIO


On 01 June 1903, ISAAC ELLWOOD (steel propeller freighter, 478 foot, 5,085 gross tons, built in 1900, at W. Bay City, Michigan) broke the record for ore when she carried a cargo of 8,579 tons out of Duluth harbor. This broke the record held by JOHN SMEATON (steel barge, 458 foot, 5,049 gross tons, built in 1899, at Superior, Wisconsin), which was 8,571 tons of ore.

ASA CHILDS (wooden scow schooner, 125 foot, 204 gross tons, built in 1866, at Mentor, Ohio) was carrying lumber in a storm on Lake Michigan when she was driven ashore at Highland Park just north of Chicago, Illinois on 01 June 1879, and was a total loss. The crew escaped in the lifeboat.

On 01 June 1914, the St. Joseph-Chicago Steamship Company bought the EASTLAND (steel propeller passenger steamer, 265 foot, 1,961 gross tons, built in 1903, at Port Huron, Michigan) from the Eastland Navigation Company for $150,000.

In 1943, IRVING S OLDS collided with the 524 foot steamer CHARLES O. JENKINS in heavy fog 28 miles northeast of Cleveland on Lake Erie and was holed eight feet above the water line. The OLDS was able to help the badly damaged JENKINS back to Cleveland by lashing the two vessels together. After a grueling seven hours the JENKINS was beached in the outer harbor to prevent her from sinking. The OLDS was repaired in time to carry a new record of 17,817 gross tons of iron ore on June 13, 1943. In 1952, the steamer J.L. MAUTHE (Hull#298) was launched at Great Lakes Engineering Works, River Rouge, Michigan, for the Interlake Steamship Co.

The WHITEFISH BAY, loaded with 950,000 bushels of spring wheat, was honored as she carried the billionth metric ton of cargo through the Eisenhower Lock in 1983.

On June 1, 1907, the Great Lakes Engineering Works launched the bulk steamer WILPEN (Hull#28) at Ecorse, Michigan, for the Shenango Steamship Co., a subsidiary of Shenango Furnace Co., Cleveland, Ohio. Renamed b.) DAVID P. THOMPSON in 1926, and converted to a self-unloader in 1957, at Superior, Wisconsin. She was renamed c.) JOSEPH S. YOUNG in 1969, and scrapped at La Spezia, Italy in 1979.

H. LEE WHITE departed Sturgeon Bay in ballast on her maiden voyage for the American Steamship Co., on June 1, 1974, to load iron ore at Escanaba, Michigan for Indiana Harbor.

June 1, 1902 - While northbound for Manistique, Michigan, the ANN ARBOR NO 1 went aground in a heavy fog about noon on South Manitou Island, but was able to free herself and to proceed undamaged.

June 1, 1938 - PERE MARQUETTE 21, under the command of Captain Arthur Altschwager, was released from a sand bar in the outer harbor at Manitowoc at 1:06 p.m. today after being aground for six hours. Her sister ship, the PERE MARQUETTE 22, commanded by J.F. Johnson, freed the ferry after taking a line and pulling the big ship back off the bar.

June, 1958, The ANN ARBOR NO 6 was taken out of service for extensive refitting. She was renamed b.) ARTHUR K. ATKINSON.

On 1 June 1887, LUCINDA VAN VALKENBURG (wooden schooner, 129 foot, 302 gross tons, built in 1862, at Tonawanda, New York) collided with the iron steamer LEHIGH in fog and sank near Thunder Bay Island on Lake Huron. The crew was safely taken aboard the LEHIGH and brought to Port Huron.

On 1 June 1892, the steel bulk freighter CHOCTAW was launched at the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company (Hull #17) in Cleveland, Ohio for the Lake Superior Iron Company. Her dimensions were 207 feet x 38 feet x 18 feet and she had a triple expansion steam engine 17 feet, 29 inches, 47 inches x 36 inch stroke. She was built as "monitor" type vessel based on whaleback design with all her cabins aft. She lasted until sunk in a collision in 1915.

1923: The barge BROOKDALE of Canada Steamship Lines was sunk near Montreal after a collision with MAPLEDAWN. The wooden hulled vessel, originally the schooner MORAVIA, was refloated and scrapped.

1943: A collision on foggy Lake Superior between BATTLEFORD and PRINDOC sank the latter off Passage Island. All on board were saved from the downbound, wheat-laden bulk carrier of the Paterson fleet.

1944: The first NEWBRUNDOC had been built at Toronto in 1921 and had previously sailed as CANADIAN ENGINEER and b) DONALD E.McKAY. The ship became f) SAVLATORE in 1934 and, with the outbreak of war, was now the enemy. It was bombed and sunk by British aircraft as part of a German convoy in the Aegean Sea and all hands were lost.

1966: RIO ALTO, a Liberty ship, came to the Great Lakes under Liberian registry in 1963. It developed leaks on the Pacific while enroute from Manati, Puerto Rico, to China as d) AKTOR and sank on this date 860 miles SSW of San Diego, CA in 1966.

1967: RENVOYLE struck the docked SYLVANIA while turning at Port Huron and the latter sank against the dock. The former, a C.S.L. package freighter, received bow damage and was laid up and then sold for scrap. SYLVANIA was refloated, repaired and returned to service.

1979: GEORGES HERBERT, a wooden goelette that occasionally came to the Great Lakes, sank in the Gulf of Mexico while carrying a cargo of corn.

2011: CANADIAN RANGER, under tow on the St. Lawrence, got spun around 180 degrees by a wind gust above the Iroquois Lock and had to be towed through the lock stern first before being realigned below the lock. It reached the scrap yard at Aliaga, Turkey, on July 13, 2011.

[yachtsmanwilly]

6/2 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Plans are moving forward to refloat the Roger Blough after the vessel ran aground Friday afternoon on Gros Cap Reef in Whitefish Bay in Lake Superior.

The Philip R. Clarke and Arthur M. Anderson are expected to pull along side the Blough where the crew will offload iron ore onto the other vessels until the Blough floats free of the reef. The Blough is aground just outside the navigable channel allowing enough water depth for the unloaded Anderson and Clarke to pull within reach of the Blough's shuttle boom. The Clarke is expected on Thursday with the Anderson on Saturday. Once free the Blough will head to Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wisc. for repairs.

Salvage divers completed an underwater survey Tuesday and a completed salvage plan was submitted to officials for review and approval. The vessel took on water in two forward ballast tanks up to the lake level of 25 feet but there was no pollution discharge from the aft fuel tanks, which are secure on the interior of the ship — away from the hull.

The investigation into the cause of the grounding continues. In its first comments since the incident, Keystone said it was conducting its own internal investigation. There were reports of fog in the area at the time of the grounding, and also reports of the Blough attempting to pass another ship that was under a dead tow.

The 500-yard safety zone remains in effect around the Blough.



USCG and Duluth News Tribune


6/2 - Bay City, Mich. – An engineer aboard a commercial ship has been charged with intentionally discharging oil into Lake Huron in 2014. The U.S. Coast Guard says two oily sheens were spotted by air, east of Cheboygan and east of Alpena, two years ago. Investigators were tipped by a crewmember who worked in the engine room aboard the tug Victory.

Jeffrey Patrick, who was chief engineer on the Victory, is charged with knowingly releasing oily waste. He’ll be arraigned Tuesday in Bay City federal court. A message seeking comment was left for his attorney.

The Coast Guard says bilge waste can be discharged to a site on land or pumped overboard only after oil has been separated.

The Victory is mated with the barge James L. Kuber. The vessels are a part of Rand Logistic’s U.S.-flagged Great Lakes fleet.

Associated Press



On 02 June 1958, the Liberian-flagged freighter MOUNT DELPHI sank enroute to Karachi, Pakistan. She was built by the British American Shipbuilding Company at Welland, Ontario, during the final years of World War I. She had 12 different owners during her career and had been seized by Vichy interests at Casablanca, Morocco, in 1940, and then by the Italian government in 1942.

On 02 June 1893, CORSICAN (wooden schooner, 112 foot, 210 gross tons, built in 1862, at Olcott, New York) was carrying coal from Cleveland, Ohio to St. Ignace, Michigan, on a foggy night on Lake Huron. She collided with the iron steamer CORSICA and sank quickly off Thunder Bay Island. All six onboard went down with her. The wounded CORSICA was beached near Ossineke, Michigan, was later patched and proceeded to Ashtabula, Ohio.

In 1973, the SYLVANIA, downbound light in fog, collided with the FRANK PURNELL just north of the Detroit River Light at 05:23 hours. The SYLVANIA suffered minor bow damage and went to Toledo for repairs.

On 2 June 1855, J.W. BLAKE (wooden scow-schooner, 68 foot, 33 tons, built in 1853, at Dover, Ohio) was carrying lumber in a storm four miles off Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, when she capsized. Her crew escaped in her yawl, but it was a very close call for one who was asleep below decks when she capsized. The vessel was later recovered and put back in service.

June 2, 1988 - The CITY OF MIDLAND 41 took on 17 truckloads of lake trout, which were planted off Beaver Island.

On 2 June 1882, INDUSTRY (wooden schooner, 63 foot, 30 tons, built in 1847, at Michigan City, Indiana) capsized and sank just a half-mile from South Haven, Michigan. The three crewmen clung to the wreck for a while as rescue attempts were made from shore, but they all perished. The wreck later drifted to the beach about five miles south of town and went to pieces.

1943: The W.W. HOLLOWAY and HARRY WM. HOSFORD collided in foggy lower Whitefish Bay and the latter steamer had to be beached at Point Iroquois to avoid sinking.

1958: WAR RACCOON was built at Welland in 1919. It was sailing under Liberian registry as l) MOUNT DELPHI when it hit a rock and was beached at Grand Island, near Mormugao, India, on a voyage from Mouimein, Burma, to Karachi, Pakistan. The ship was a total loss.

1968: CASTALIA, a Greek flag freighter, struck the north pier of the Mackinac Bridge, in dense fog and made a small gouge in the structure. The ship was holed and leaking but cleared to proceed to Chicago. It was on its first trip through the Seaway and was later scrapped as c) NEW ENGLANDER after arriving at Bilbao, Spain, on July 4, 1973.

1978: The bulk carrier ARCTIC was christened in a ceremony at Port Weller Dry Docks in St. Catharines.

1981: The sidewheel Toronto Island ferry TRILLIUM was unable to stop in time at the mainland dock. It struck the restaurant ship NORMAC and the latter sank two weeks later.

2000: ALGOWOOD buckled amidships while loading stone at Bruce Mines. The hull was patched, strengthened, refloated and towed to Port Weller Dry Docks to be lengthened and repaired.

[yachtsmanwilly]

On 03 June 1882, the schooner C. BELL was launched at the yard of Mason, Corning & Company in East Saginaw, Michigan. Her dimensions were 185 feet x 30 feet x 11 feet, and she cost $20,000.

JOHN B. AIRD was christened in 1983, at Thunder Bay for Algoma Central Marine, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

After successfully completing her sea trials on June 3, 1951, CLIFFS VICTORY entered service for Cleveland Cliffs Steamship Co., a little under six months from the time she was purchased from the U.S.M.C.

PATERSON (Hull#113) of the Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., entered service for N.M. Paterson & Sons Ltd., on June 3, 1954, by carrying 440,000 bushels of wheat from Port Arthur, Ontario. She was scrapped at Thunder Bay, Ontario in 1985.

On 3 June 1870, T.F. PARK (wooden side-wheeler, 170 foot, 450 tons, built in 1851, at Chatham, Ontario) caught fire and burned to the waterline at the dock near the Detroit & Milwaukee Grain Elevator at Detroit, Michigan. The hull was later removed after being struck by several vessels.

On 3 June 1875, the iron carferry HURON (238 foot, 1,052 gross tons) was launched at Point Edward, Ontario for the Grand Trunk Railway. Miss Jessie S. Hughes of Toronto christened the vessel with a bottle of wine. The hull's iron plates were manufactured in Scotland and shipped to Point Edward where they were assembled. Work began on 12 August 1874. Her engine and boiler were built at Dundas, Ont. This vessel ran between Windsor and Detroit for over a century. Her hull is still in existence, submerged in the old Great Lakes Engineering Works slip in River Rouge, Michigan.

1911: The passenger steamer NORTH WEST was gutted by a fire while fitting out at Buffalo. The hull remained idle until it was cut in two in 1918 for a tow to saltwater, but the bow section sank in Lake Ontario. The stern was rebuilt on the St. Lawrence as MAPLECOURT and returned to the lakes, again in two sections, in 1922.

1923: WILLIAM B. SCHILLER and HORACE S. WILKINSON collided in Whitefish Bay. The former was anchored when hit on the port side at #5 hatch. The SCHILLER’s captain pulled up the hook and raced for shore so as to sink in shallow water. It went down in about 40 feet and was salvaged on July 2.

1940: JOHN J. RAMMACHER and WILLIAM A. REISS (ii) collided just after midnight beneath the Blue Water Bridge at Sarnia-Port Huron and both ships were damaged.

1999: HOPE I lost power in the Seaway while downbound with wheat and stranded above Morrisburg. The hull was holed and the ship was released with the aid of tugs on June 5. The ship first came inland as a) NOSIRA MADELEINE in 1983 and returned as c) HOPE I for the first time in 1993, and then as d) HOPE in 2004. It was last reported as f) H. PIONEER in 2011.

[yachtsmanwilly]

6/6 - Duluth, Minn. – After the worst year on Minnesota's Iron Range in decades, with a majority of the region's mining operations closed and thousands of people laid off, the worst seems to be over.

At various times in 2015, eight of those 11 mines and processing plants were closed. Now, it's down to five, with the largest operations either up and running or set to open by October.

U.S. Steel's Minntac operations in Mountain Iron, which incurred shutdown with layoffs for a short time last year, is running full bore, as is Hibbing Taconite and ArcelorMittal's Minorca Mine in Virginia —two that never idled — and Cliff's Natural Resources Northshore Mining in Silver Bay and Babbitt, which had been fully closed for several months.

Cliff's United Taconite operations in Eveleth and Forbes are set to reopen in October after a yearlong shutdown, company officials announced last week, and will be expanding to handle a new kind of pellet.

The doomsday predictions by some pundits that this downturn would be different — that it would be permanent — that the traditional cycle of mining's ups and downs was broken for good, didn't pan out.

"It's good news for people in Eveleth and Silver Bay, and good news for the Iron Range, and good news for Cliffs' leadership that they may have saved that company from demise," said State Rep. Tom Anzelc, DFL-Balsam. "It does feel like the bottom may have bottomed out and we are moving up again."

"With United Taconite coming back online, and with Cliffs already having brought its Northshore Mining operation to full production, I'm hopeful that we're seeing the beginning of a real turnaround for our Range economy," U.S. Sen. Al Franken said in a statement on the United Taconite news.

U.S.-based steelmakers are churning out more steel again as foreign-based producers, especially in China, have been knocked back with steep tariffs imposed by the U.S. government after their steel products were found to be sold for below cost — so-called steel dumping.

"It does seem like this trade crackdown — the efforts of Klobuchar, Franken and Nolan — really did help this time," Anzelc added.

Because Minnesota's iron producers are far more tied to domestic steel production than global ore prices, the continuing strong U.S. economy is helping with the Iron Range recovery. Demand remains strong for steel for automobiles and construction steel (not so much for tubular steel for oil pipelines) so U.S. steel mills are gobbling up more Minnesota taconite iron ore and related products.

The American Iron and Steel Institute reported last week that U.S. mills were using 76 percent of their capacity, up 4.2 percent from the same week in 2015 and up 1.1 percent from the week before. (At one point last year nearly 40 percent of U.S.steelmaking capacity sat idle.)

Thanks to U.S. government trade actions "the glut of illegal foreign steel in the U.S. marketplace is declining. Steel imports have dropped by almost 34 percent since the Department of Commerce imposed tough new preliminary tariffs," said U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan., D-Crosby, in heralding last week's United Taconite scheduled reopening. "The cripplingly high tariffs and taxes the (hateful muslim traitor) Administration has imposed on steel from China have helped reduce the glut of foreign steel in the U.S. market. The price of Range iron ore is on the rise."

Despite the string of good news, however, all's not well on the Range.

Five operations that employed more than 800 people as recently as 2014 remain shuttered — including U.S. Steel's Keetac operations in Keewatin, the Mesabi Nugget iron nugget plant near Hoyt Lakes, the Chisholm iron recovery operation that supplies Mesabi Nugget (co-owned with Magnetation) and two of three Grand Rapids-based Magnetation iron recovery and processing operations are closed with no sign if or when they will reopen and the parent company mired in a yearlong bankruptcy.

There are signs that this downturn may have spurred a long-lasting or even permanent downsizing of the Iron Range mining industry, with some demand and production never to return.

"History tells us that every time we go through one of these cycles, one of these major downturns, that when we come back, we come back smaller," Anzelc said.

That happened in the early 1980s, after taconite production peaked in 1979 at more than 54 million tons, it plummeted due to the crash of the domestic steel industry, to just 23 million tons by 1982. Employment tanked at the mines, and across the region people moved away. St. Louis County alone lost 20,000 people in the 1980s and never got them back.

Production and employment bounced back, with production peaking again 45 million tons in 1995, before dropping again since then, with a low of 17 million tons during the global economic crash of 2009. The latest peak was just under 39 million tons in 2012.

Mesabi Nugget's parent company, Steel Dynamics, Inc., said the facility wouldn't open until at least 2017, but also said the closure was indefinite, with the facility never meeting company expectations for production or profit.

Keetac's future appears to be tied to U.S. Steel mills that make tubular steel, an industry sector tied to the sluggish domestic oil industry that has reeled back from unbridled exploration and production.

Magnetation said its two shuttered plants have higher operating costs than its newest and largest plant just outside Grand Rapids that remains operating. Right now, the newest plant is making all the recovered iron ore concentrate the company needs for its single customer, AK Steel, and it's unclear if the Keewatin and Bovey facilities will ever reopen.

There's also no indication if or when Essar Steel Minnesota's proposed all-new taconite iron ore mine and processing plant will open. The plant in Nashwauk sits half finished, with construction at a standstill since December and creditors filing suit for unpaid bills. The company is desperately looking for equity partners, is said to be considering bankruptcy protection, is past-due on more than $60 million owed the state and last week lost its major outside contract for taconite pellets — iron ore that was supposed to go to ArcelorMittal steel mills — to Cliffs Natural Resources.

Investors who hold the delinquent bonds for the Essar project are working with Iron Range officials and businesses to see if the project can be salvaged, with or without Essar's involvement, Anzelc noted.

But even if the project can be completed, it's not clear who would buy the taconite pellets produced at the new facility.

"What was good news (last week) for Cliffs and its steelworkers is bad news for the Nashwauk project and for what Essar was going to be," Anzelc said. "They don't have a customer now to buy their product. That doesn't bode well."

Duluth News Tribune



On 06 June 1891, BAY CITY (wooden propeller freighter, 152 foot, 372 gross tons, built in 1867, at Marine City, Michigan) burned to a total loss while being repaired at the foot of Rivard Street in Detroit, Michigan. She was loaded with 300,000 feet of white pine lumber at the time. Her watchman reported the fire during the night and firemen thought they had it out, but it re-ignited and the vessel burned to a total loss. This ship had previously burned 20 years before on 10 April 1871, when she was on her first trip of the season after being rebuilt over the winter. Then she caught fire and burned nearly to the waterline but was rebuilt again and lasted until this last fire in 1891.

On 06 June 1917, ISABELLA J. BOYCE (wooden propeller sandsucker, 138 foot, 368 gross tons, built in 1889, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin as a freighter) grounded on Middle Bass Island in Lake Erie and then was destroyed by fire. No lives were lost.

In 1944, the C-4 bulk carrier MARINE ROBIN participated in the D-Day invasion at Normandy. In 1952, after conversion into a bulk freighter she began service in the lakes for M.A. Hanna Co., as b.) JOSEPH H. THOMPSON. She serves today as a tug barge combination created from the sections of the original vessel.

E.B. BARBER (Hull#111) of the Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co., entered service on June 6, 1953, for Algoma Central Railway Ltd.

In 1953, ARMCO (Hull#870) began her maiden voyage from Lorain, Ohio, for the Columbia Transportation Div., bound for Superior, Wisconsin, to load iron ore.

On June 6, 1959, ADAM E. CORNELIUS (Hull#) 424) began her maiden voyage for the American Steamship Co., from Manitowoc, Wisconsin. This was the last Great Lakes vessel constructed with telescoping hatch covers. Sold Canadian and converted to a barge she was renamed b.) CAPT. EDWARD V. SMITH in 1988, and c.) SEA BARGE ONE in 1991 and d.) SARAH SPENCER in 1996.

Upper Lakes Shipping's POINTE NOIRE was in collision with Cleveland Tanker's SATURN on June 6, 1977, near Fighting Island in the Detroit River.

On 6 June 1869, ASA COVELL (wooden propeller tug, 20 gross tons, built in 1852, at Buffalo, New York) was towing the brig IROQUOIS up the Cuyahoga River at Cleveland when her boiler exploded and she sank. Her captain was killed when the pilothouse was blown into the river.

On 6 June 1883, HERCULES (wooden schooner-barge, 139 foot, 195 tons, built in 1867, at Algonac, Michigan) was upbound in the south bend of the St. Clair River near Algonac, Michigan when the CLARION (iron propeller package freighter, 240 foot, 1,711 gross tons, built in 1881, at Wyandotte, Michigan) overtook her and collided with her in broad daylight. HERCULES drifted to the bank, capsized and sank. No lives were lost.

1956: NEWBRUNDOC ran aground at Densmore Bay on the southeast side of Wellesley Island in the St. Lawrence after straying out of the channel in fog. The ore-laden vessel, enroute from Contrecoeur to Buffalo, was released the next day.

1964: The Norwegian freighter FRO made 10 trips through the Seaway from 1961 to 1965. It ran aground at Milwaukee after loading 7500 tons of scrap for France on June 6, 1964, and was lightered to the YANKCANUCK before being refloated June 9.

1967: FRANKCLIFFE HALL ran aground off Hare Island, Lake Superior in dense fog and received heavy damage to bottom plates. The ship was lightered and released June 9 and went to the Davie shipyard for repairs. This vessel was scrapped at Aliaga, Turkey, as HALIFAX in 2011.

1967: AUGUSTUS B. WOLVIN struck the bank of the Welland Canal and grounded. A subsequent survey of the damage at Port Weller Dry Docks revealed it was not worth the cost of repairs and the ship was laid up and sold for scrap.

1982: ALGOSEA (i) rammed the west pier at Port Weller entering the Welland Canal in fog turning the bulbous bow by 90 degrees. The damaged ship was allowed to go to Thunder Bay for repairs. It became c) SAUNIERE later in 1982 and was scrapped at Aliaga, Turkey, in 2011.


6/5 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The grounded Roger Blough was freed from a reef in eastern Lake Superior by tugs Saturday morning.

The freighter sailed under its own power to Waiska Bay, east of Whitefish Bay and above the Soo Locks, to be evaluated for repairs and to have its remaining cargo transferred to other vessels. Efforts to lighten the Blough’s full load of iron ore pellets from Duluth began early Friday morning after fleetmate Philip R. Clarke arrived on the scene Thursday afternoon. Another vessel, the Arthur M. Anderson, was enroute Saturday evening and will also take on some of the Blough’s cargo.

The Blough was refloated at 10:45 a.m. with the assistance of the tugs Anglian Lady, W.I. Scott Purvis and Missouri. When the cargo is unloaded, the Blough will head for Bay Shipbuilding Co. in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., for further inspection and repairs.

The 858-foot Blough ran aground May 27 shortly after noon, near Gros Cap Reef, about 10 miles west of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.


6/5 - Two Harbors, Minn. – A bear cub decided to stow away on an ore boat for a while on Friday. Keith Baker was walking back to his room on the Cason J. Callaway after eating lunch when the watchman told him to look over the side of the freighter, docked in Two Harbors to load iron ore pellets at the time.

That’s when he spotted the bear cub attempting to climb up the Callaway’s draft board, which was hanging in the water on the side of the ship, said Baker of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.

The watchman told Baker that the cub swam over to the Callaway from a vacant ore dock. “He grabbed on and wasn’t letting go,” Baker told the News Tribune.

Posting photos on Facebook of the bear playing with the Callaway’s draft board, Baker noted that the Callaway’s “little visitor” stayed on the board for a while and seemed like he was taking a rest.

“He’s got that ‘I ain’t going back in that cold water’ look,” Baker wrote on Facebook, joking that getting a midship draft reading was difficult because “it’s a bit hairy at the moment.”

The cub eventually let go of the draft board and swam back to shore as the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources arrived on the scene, said Baker, who regularly posts photos of his maritime travels on Facebook under the name “Great Lakes Sailor/Keith Baker.”

A report of a bear playing on an ore ship was a first for conservation officer David Schottenbauer.

“I think it was just out scouting around and looking at stuff and being curious and found itself hanging off an ore ship,” Schottenbauer said. “It was a bear cub being a bear cub.”

The ore docks in Two Harbor’s Agate Bay served as a playground for the cub for about an hour around 11:30 a.m. Friday before it ran off along the shore of Lake Superior, said Schottenbauer, who works out of the Silver Bay DNR station.

He explained that the cub was skittish toward humans and wasn’t a public safety threat, so he let it find its way out of the area on its own. The workers were shooing the cub off the ore dock and told Schottenbauer that they’ve had bears in the area before.

The bear was a small cub, weighing an estimated 30 pounds and probably born this past winter. Its mother wasn’t visible, but may have been nearby, he said. The cub appeared healthy as it was running around.

“There was nothing that told me the bear wasn’t normal other than the fact that it was goofing around down there at the dock — more of a curiosity thing than anything,” he said.

Duluth News Tribune



Over the winter of 1960 - 1961, CHARLES M. SCHWAB was rebuilt by joining the forward end of the original SCHWAB with the after end of the former oil tanker GULFPORT. On this date in 1961, Captain Raphael "Dewey" Marsden conducted sea trials with the vessel on Lake Erie between Lorain and Cleveland.

On 05 June 1884, the wooden 3-mast 139-foot schooner GUIDING STAR, which went ashore 12 miles north of Milwaukee on 06 November 1883, was finally abandoned when all efforts to release her had failed. About two-thirds of her cargo of coal was salvaged.

On 05 June 1888, the wreck of the tug FRANK MOFFAT was removed from the St. Clair River at Sombra, Ontario by the Canadian Government. The tug was wrecked when her boiler exploded in November 1885.

In 1972, ROGER BLOUGH (Hull#900) was christened at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. for U.S. Steel Corp.

Also in 1972, PARKER EVANS was in collision with the upbound Erie Sand steamer SIDNEY E. SMITH JR just below the Blue Water Bridge, at Port Huron, Michigan. The SMITH sank in 20 minutes with no loss of life. The EVANS, with bow damage, proceeded to Port Weller Dry Docks for extensive repairs. As a result of this accident, on October 4, 1972, alternate one-way traffic between the Black River Buoy and Buoys One and Two in Lake Huron was agreed upon by the shipping companies. Also a call-in system was initiated to monitor traffic between the Detroit River Light and Buoys 7 and 8 in Lake Huron by the newly established Sarnia Traffic.

On 05 June 1979, while carrying corn on Lake Superior, CARTIERCLIFFE HALL (steel propeller bulk freighter, 730 foot, 18,531 gross tons, built in 1960, in Germany as a.) RUHR ORE) caught fire 10 miles north of Copper Harbor, Michigan. Her crew abandoned ship in two life rafts and one lifeboat. Six died in this tragedy while five were injured; four (including Captain Raymond Boudreault) were injured seriously enough to be flown to the University of Michigan Burn Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. U. S. Steel's THOMAS W. LAMONT rescued 17 at 4:52 a.m. while CSL’s LOUIS R. DESMARAIS rescued two more. The CARTIERCLIFFE HALL was towed to Thunder Bay by the tug PENNSYLVANIA the following day.

June 5, 1947, the Pere Marquette Railway was acquired by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad.

LIGHTSHIP 103, (HURON) had her keel laid June 5, 1918, at Morris Heights, New York by Consolidated Shipbuilding Corp. Upon her retirement in 1971, the lightship was acquired by the City of Port Huron for use as a museum.

On 5 June 1864, COL A B WILLIAMS (2 mast wooden schooner, 110 foot, 150 tons, built in 1856, at Big Sodus, New York) was carrying coal on Lake Huron when she collided with the big ore-laden bark TWILIGHT. The WILLIAMS sank in 85 feet of water, 3 miles below Port Sanilac. Her crew was rescued by the TWILIGHT.

Shortly before midnight, Sunday, 5 June 1870, the WABASH and EMPIRE STATE collided in Lake Huron about 10 miles above Fort Gratiot Light. The WABASH sank and the EMPIRE STATE was damaged. The steamer JAY GOULD took the passengers off both vessels.

1943: FRANK ARMSTRONG, upbound on her maiden voyage, collided with the C.S.L. bulk carrier GODERICH in the St. Mary's River. Both sustained significant damage.

1991: OLYMPIC POWER was a year old when it first came through the Seaway in 1969. The vessel was sailing as c) FREE POWER when a fire broke out in the engine room off Oman on this date in 1991 and the ship had to be abandoned by the crew. One sailor was lost. The hull was a CTL and it reached Alang, India, for scrapping on February 8, 1993.

1998: The small Danish flag freighter, SEA STAR came to the Great Lakes with steel for Cleveland in April 1998. The vessel returned to the sea and sank in the Caribbean two months later on this date after a collision with the tuna boat MASA YOSHI MARU. SEA STAR was traveling from Colombia to Haiti with 2000 tonnes of bagged cement. Two members of the crew were lost.


In 1955, J. L. MAUTHE established a new Great Lakes cargo record for a coal cargo delivered to an upper lakes port. She loaded 18392 tons of coal at the Toledo C&O dock.

1943, BENJAMIN F. FAIRLESS, Captain Harry Ashby, delivered a record cargo of 19343.5 net tons of iron ore at Cleveland. The ore was loaded at Two Harbors, Minnesota.

In 1947, the Canada Steamship Lines steamer EMPEROR, loaded with ore and bound for Ashtabula, hit the rocks off Isle Royale at 4:10 a.m. The vessel sank within minutes but the crew was able to launch 2 lifeboats. Captain Eldon Walkinshaw, First Mate D. Moray, and 10 other crew members drowned when one of the lifeboats overturned. Twenty-one other survivors were rescued by the U.S.C.G. cutter KIMBALL.

On 04 June 1872, while carrying wooden barrel staves from Bay City, Michigan to Buffalo, New York, the bark AMERICAN GIANT encountered rough weather off Port Stanley, Ontario, on Lake Erie. Heavy seas carried off her deck cargo of 25,000 staves and the vessel became waterlogged. As the crew considered abandoning, the steamer MENDOTA saw their plight and took the GIANT in tow for Buffalo where they arrived the following day. For days afterward, other vessels reported the litter of barrel staves floating in the middle of Lake Erie.

At 2:00 a.m., 04 June 1891, in heavy fog, the NORTHERN QUEEN (steel propeller freighter, 299 foot, 2,476 gross tons, built in 1889, at Cleveland, Ohio) struck the schooner FAYETTE BROWN (wooden schooner, 178 foot, 553 gross tons, built in 1868, at Cleveland, Ohio) about ten miles off Dummy Light on Lake Erie. The BROWN, which was loaded with stone blocks, quickly sank in over 60 feet of water. One of the schooner's crewmen climbed aboard the QUEEN while the others barely had time to scramble up the schooner's masts. Accounts of the accident differ. The schooner's skipper claimed that the NORTHERN QUEEN continued on her journey while the schooner's crew clung to the masts while the skipper of the NORTHERN QUEEN claimed that he tried to find survivors, but lost the wreck in the fog and reluctantly continued on his journey, figuring that there were no survivors. Nevertheless, about an hour after the disaster, the steamer ROBERT MILLS (wooden propeller freighter, 256 foot, 1,790 gross tons, built in 1888, at Buffalo, New York) came along, heard the cries of the unfortunate seamen clinging to the masts and rescued them. No lives were lost.

On 04 June 1881, the OGEMAW (wooden propeller freighter, 167 foot, 624 gross tons) was launched at Simon Langell's yard in St. Clair, Michigan for Mr. Wood & Company of Cleveland, Ohio.

CLIFFS VICTORY sailed on her maiden voyage in ballast from South Chicago, Illinois, in 1951.

On June 4, 1968, the keel for OTTERCLIFFE HALL (Hull#667) was laid at Lauzon, Quebec, by Davie Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., for the Hall Corporation of Canada. Renamed b.) ROYALTON in 1983, c.) OTTERCLIFFE HALL in 1985, d.) PETER MISENER in 1988 and e.) CANADIAN TRADER in 1994. She arrived at Alang, India, for scrapping on January 7, 2005.

EDGAR B. SPEER (Hull#908) was christened on June 4th 1980, at Lorain, Ohio, for the Connecticut Bank & Trust Co., Hartford, Connecticut, managed by the Great Lakes Fleet of the United States Steel Corp., Duluth, Minnesota.

In 1988, IRVING S. OLDS departed Duluth under tow of tug SALVAGE MONARCH, headed for overseas scrapping. She was scrapped by Sing Cheng Yung Iron & Steel Co., in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, scrapping began on November 24, 1988.

June 4, 1940 - Oiler George Riemersma, 50, died of a heart attack while at work on the PERE MARQUETTE 21.

June 4, 1942 - John A. Clancey, 58, general manager of the Grand Trunk Western Railway and president of the Grand Trunk Milwaukee Carferry Co. died suddenly of a heart attack while at his desk in Detroit.

The Port Huron Times reported "The new trim and tidy tug, the P L JOHNSON, built for Capt. Sol Rummage, passed up last night with her first tow. She is of medium size and wears the national colors on her smokestack for which some of the boys call her a floating barber shop."

On 4 June 1859, GENERAL HOUSTON (2-mast wooden schooner, 83 foot, 123 tons, built in 1844, at French Creek, New York) was bound from Port Huron for Buffalo with a load of lumber. During a terrific gale, she missed the mouth of the Grand River near Fairport, Ohio and went on the pier where she broke up. Fortunately no lives were lost. The lighthouse keeper on the pier where she broke up later refused to light the lantern while the wreck was in place for fear of drawing other vessels into it. The U. S. Government quickly contracted to remove the hulk from the channel, but a month later, a storm did the job for free, obliterating the wreck so completely that it was reported to have just "disappeared." June 4th is the anniversary of the famous race between the TASHMOO and the CITY OF ERIE, an exciting race that included many thousands of dollars in wagers, great advance publicity, and the use of many other boats to watch the action along the way. The drama was such that carrier pigeons were released at various times to take the latest updates to waiting newspaper reporters. The CITY OF ERIE won the race in a very close match, and the story has been retold in several books about the Great Lakes.

1961: C.A. BENNETT went aground in the Wiley-Dondero Channel of the Seaway while trying to avoid the REDFERN and was released with her own power.

[yachtsmanwilly]

6/7 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Lightering operations continue while the Roger Blough, which grounded May 27 on Gros Cap Reef and was freed Saturday, is anchored in Waiska Bay. Cargo transfer to Philip R. Clarke, which had been ongoing since last Friday, was completed Monday and the Clarke headed downbound for Conneaut, Ohio.

Arthur M. Anderson joined the transfer effort Saturday, and will take on the remainder of the Blough’s pellets.

A detailed damage assessment will be conducted once the iron ore is completely off-loaded from the Blough. Results from the assessment will determine the extent of repairs and mode of transit to its final destination.

The Waiska Bay anchorage area, located just west of the Soo Locks, remains closed to all vessels not part of the operation.

USCG


1958, the largest freighter ever built on the Great Lakes slid down the ways at River Rouge, Michigan. The new freighter was christened by Mrs. Edmund Fitzgerald and named EDMUND FITZGERALD. The 729-foot FITZGERALD was owned by Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company and operated by Columbia Transportation under a 25-year bare boat charter.

In 1977, tugs refused to tow the new MESABI MINER out of the harbor due to high winds. Captain William McSweeney brought the MESABI MINER out under her own power to begin her maiden trip. On 07 June 1890, EMILY P. WEED (steel propeller freighter, 300 foot, 2,362 gross tons) was launched by F. W. Wheeler (Hull #69) at W. Bay City, Michigan for the Hollister Transportation Co. She lasted until 02 September 1905, when she stranded on Sand Island Reef, Apostle Islands on Lake Superior and broke in two.

On 07 June 1862, MORNING STAR (wooden side-wheel steamer, 248 foot, 1,265 gross tons) was launched by A. A. Turner at Trenton, Michigan. She only lasted until 1868, when she sank in Lake Erie in a collision with the bark COURTLAND.

In 1977, WILLIAM A. IRVIN ran into the side of the Rock Cut after a power failure on board. The vessel received only slight damage. (For a more detailed account, read Jody Aho's book "The Steamer William A Irvin: Queen of the Silver Stackers").

On June 7, 1991, the ALPENA, the former LEON FRASER) began her maiden voyage as a cement carrier, departing Superior, Wisconsin, for her namesake port. Fraser Shipyards, which performed the conversion, took out a full-page ad in the Superior Evening Telegram proclaiming "INLAND LAKES MANAGEMENT, YOUR SHIP IS READY" and a picture of the vessel.

On 7 June 1859, COLUMBIA (2-mast wooden brig, 92 foot, 177 gross tons, built in 1842, at Sandusky, Ohio) broke up in a storm near Sherwood Point, Green Bay (Death's Door). She was famous for bringing the first load of copper ore from the Keweenaw Peninsula to through the Soo. She also brought the first locomotive to Marquette.

The METEOR (wooden steam barge, 201 foot, 729 gross tons, built in 1863, at Cleveland, Ohio) burned at Buckley's dock at the foot of 2nd Street in Detroit, Michigan on 7 June 1873. The fire supposedly started in her hold at 1:30 a.m. and was not discovered until it was too late. The ship burned to the waterline and sank. Some docks and warehouses also burned in this catastrophe. The wreck was raised in early September 1875, and towed to the foot of Belle Isle where the machinery and hull were sold at the U.S. Marshall's sale on 24 April 1876. Although originally thought to be the end of this vessel, the hull was purchased by Stephen B. Grummond of Detroit for $480. It was rebuilt as the schooner-barge NELSON BLOOM in 1882 and lasted until abandoned in 1925.

1894: The wooden steamer OCEAN received a massive hole in the bow after a collision with the barge KENT at Alexandria Bay on the St. Lawrence.

1902: The whaleback steamer THOMAS WILSON sank after a collision with the GEORGE G. HADLEY a mile off the Duluth piers while outbound with iron ore and nine lives were lost.

1915: JAMES B. EADS and the CHICAGO collided in the St. Clair River.

1941: The fish tug FINGLO caught fire and burned at Toronto. It was rebuilt for harbor duty as the steam tug H.J.D. NO. 1. In 1956-1957, the ship was unofficially renamed Salamander to star in the Canadian television series Tugboat Annie.

1971: SILVER CREST visited the Seaway in 1971 after previous calls as a) VIGRID in 1959 and 1963. It also returned as b) ROSTO in 1963 before becoming d) SILVER CREST in 1968. The ship stranded on Sisal Reef, in the Gulf of Mexico while enroute from Veracruz to Progresso, Mexico, but was refloated on June 12. The vessel arrived at Whampoa, China, for scrapping in July 1973.

1991: HERMES SCAN, a first time Seaway trader in 1977, sank in the Bay of Bengal as d) BRAUT TEAM after developing leaks the previous day. The heavy-lift vessel was reportedly carrying a Chinese steam locomotive for delivery to New York for the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad. All on board were saved

[yachtsmanwilly]

Crews extinguish fire aboard Herbert C. Jackson in Superior

6/8 - Superior, Wis. – Fire crews spent more than an hour Tuesday extinguishing a fire on a freighter at Fraser Shipyards.

The Superior Fire Department reported that it responded to a fire on the Herbert C. Jackson in the shipyard at 1:16 p.m. The 690-foot lake freighter was in a dry dock undergoing repowering at the time.

Fire crews arrived to find dark smoke coming from several areas of the aft end of the Jackson. It took crews more than an hour and half get the fire under control and extinguished due to poor visibility, extremely high heat and difficult access to the area of the fire's origin, according to the Superior Fire Department. All workers were out of the boat by the time firefighters arrived. Fire crews left the scene at 4:16 p.m.

The fire department reports that welding and torch work being done in the area was likely the cause of the fire.

The Superior Fire Department responded with three engines, a heavy rescue vehicle and a total of nine fighters. Lake assault boats located at the shipyards provided water supply. The U.S. Coast Guard responded to ensure that there were no environmental runoff issues.

There was no report on the extent of damages.

Duluth News Tribune





Roger Blough off-loading complete

6/8 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Lightering operations were completed around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. The cargo on board the Roger Blough was successfully offloaded onto two vessels, the Philip R. Clarke and Arthur M. Anderson. Each of the receiving vessels has departed the Waiska Bay anchorage to deliver the iron ore to its intended destination, Conneaut, Ohio.

A detailed damage assessment of the Blough will be conducted once favorable weather conditions are met. Results from the assessment will determine the extent of repairs and mode of transit to its final destination, which is expected to be Bay Shipbuilding Co. at Sturgeon Bay, Wis. As of Tuesday evening, the Duluth-based tug Nancy J. was still alongside.

The Blough had picked up a load of iron ore in Duluth before it ran aground May 27 near Gros Cap Reef in Whitefish Bay, about 10 miles west of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., in eastern Lake Superior.

USCG





Great Lakes iron ore trade down 9 percent in May

6/8 - Cleveland, Ohio – Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 6 million tons in May, a decrease of 9 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments also trailed the month’s 5-year average by 7 percent.

Shipments from U.S. ports totaled 5.5 million tons in May, a decrease of 8 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings at Canadian terminals dipped by 20 percent to 556,000 tons.

Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 15.4 million tons, an increase of 4 percent. Loadings at U.S. ports are up nearly 8 percent, but shipments from Canadian ports in the St. Lawrence Seaway are down 21 percent.

Lake Carriers’ Association





New Great Lakes icebreaker step closer to reality

6/8 - Toledo, Ohio – The building of a second heavy icebreaker for service on the Great Lakes has taken another step toward reality with Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) including $2 million for initial survey and design work for a vessel that is at least as capable as the current Mackinaw in the committee report on the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill.

The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015 had previously authorized a new heavy icebreaker for lakes service. Senator Baldwin’s provision would provide the first funds specifically targeted toward acquisition of a second heavy icebreaker to partner with the cutter Mackinaw commissioned in 2006.

Cargo movement during the ice season is crucial to meeting the needs of commerce. Ice can begin forming in early December and linger well into April, on occasion, into May. The cargos that move during those months can top 20 million tons, or 15-plus percent of the Lakes/Seaway’s annual total.

Iron ore for steel production and coal for power generation are the primary cargos shipped during the ice season, but limestone, salt, cement, grain, general cargo and liquid-bulk products move as well.

The U.S. Coast Guard has nine icebreakers assigned to the Great Lakes, but one is undergoing modernization at the Coast Guard yard in Baltimore, Maryland. When it is ready, it will return to the Great Lakes and another vessel of its class will undergo service life extension until all of the six 140-foot-long icebreaking tugs have been modernized.

Canada has two icebreakers permanently stationed on the lakes and brings in other assets when required.

“We cannot let the mild winter of 2015/2016 lull us into a false sense of security,” said James H.I. Weakley, 2nd vice president of Great Lakes Maritime Task Force and president of Lake Carriers’ Association.

“Just 16 months ago a U.S.-flag laker with an ice-strengthened bow and 7,000 horsepower engine sat immobile within sight of land for 5 days. The Coast Guard icebreaker dispatched to the scene was unable to free the vessel and its last cargo had to be cancelled. The U.S. Coast Guard must have two heavy icebreakers in order to reliably meet the needs of commerce.”

Lake Carriers Association





Victory Cruise Lines to begin service with former Saint Laurent

6/8 - Victory Cruise Lines has announced it intends to begin sailing from Montreal, Canada, to ports in Canada and on the U.S. Great Lakes July 8, with further plans to sail Florida-Cuba itineraries starting in November, according to a statement.

The 5,000-gross-ton, 300-foot-long Victory I, the former Saint Laurent, has been renovated and has 101 cabins. Shore excursions in port will be included in the cruise fare, along with wine and beer at lunch and dinner at no additional charge.

Victory I's inaugural cruise to the Great Lakes is slated to depart from Montreal, Canada, July 8, 2016, and is scheduled to sail in that region through the summer and early fall of 2016 and 2017.

Cruise Industry News


6/8 - Green Bay, Wis. – The U.S. Coast Guard has decided not to charge anyone involved in a Sept. 5 incident near Chambers Island when more than 30 boats were damaged in a sudden wake from the USS Milwaukee.

The USS Milwaukee is a 378-foot-long Freedom-Class littoral combat ship that was being built at Marinette Marine for the U.S. Navy. At the time of the incident, the vessel had not been turned over to the Navy and was returning from conducting underway acceptance trials.

According to a Department of Natural Resources report earlier this year, a wake that came into North Bay of Chambers Island – probably caused by the Milwaukee – struck the more than 30 boats. Many of the boats near the island’s shore were tethered together.

Videos provided by the DNR at first show large waves gently rocking the boats. Moments later larger waves cause boats to collide and people on the shore of Chambers Island to be knocked over. Screams can be heard as large waves hit the shore.

According to the report, more than 50 people were involved in the incident. Of the boat owners, only 22 people contacted the DNR with information and damage estimates. Those estimates totaled $170,140.98.

The Coast Guard said a marine casualty investigation collects and reviews all available information when a marine incident occurs and causes an injury, a specific level of property damage, harms the environment, affects seaworthiness of the vessel, or results in a loss of life. A marine casualty investigation does not include the determination of fault for damages, the Guard said.

Green Bay Press Gazette


June 8 1951, CLIFFS VICTORY entered Cleveland with a load of iron ore from Marquette. The VICTORY completed the one-way trip in 37 hours - 20 hours faster than the best previous time.

On 08 June 1854, J. YOUNG SCAMMON (2-mast wooden brig, built in 1845, at Chicago, Illinois) was sheltering from a storm at S. Manitou Island on Lake Michigan when she dragged her anchors, stranded and broke in three pieces. She was driven in so close to the shore that the crew was able to use a broken spar to climb to the beach. No lives lost.

On 08 June 1897, RITA MC DONALD (wooden propeller tug, 72 foot, 69 gross tons) was launched by J. Davidson (Hull #84) at West Bay City, Michigan. She lasted until 1920, when she was abandoned in Chicago, Illinois.

In 1978, the LEWIS WILSON FOY was christened for the Bethlehem Steel Co., Cleveland, Ohio. Renamed b.) OGLEBAY NORTON in 1991. She now sails as AMERICAN INTEGRITY.

In 1938, the GOVERNOR MILLER (Hull#810) a sister ship to the WILLIAM A. IRVIN, began her maiden voyage, leaving Lorain, Ohio. The GOVERNOR MILLER was only the second Great Lakes vessel to be powered by a steam turbine with a direct drive to the propeller shaft via reduction gear.

In 1976 - the Midwest Energy Terminal at Superior, Wisconsin, loaded its first cargo of low-sulfur coal. The steamer JOHN J. BOLAND of 1953, took the honors as the first vessel to load at this dock. She was sold Canadian and renamed b.) SAGINAW in 1999.

On this date in 1977, the HARRY .L ALLEN was the first freighter to load at Burlington Northern's Dock #5 in Superior, Wisconsin.

On 8 June 1847, CHESAPEAKE (wooden side-wheeler, 172 foot, 412 tons, built in 1838, at Maumee, Ohio) was fully laden and had 97 aboard when she rammed the schooner JOHN F PORTER on a dark night off Conneaut, Ohio. As she started to sink, she was run to shore in an effort to save her, but she sank a mile short of the beach. Lake Erie was fairly calm and the crew and passengers tried to get to shore in boats and makeshift rafts. Most made it and many were also picked up by the steamer HARRISON. Estimates of the number of dead vary from 7 to 13. The wooden side-wheel tug and upriver packet TRAFFIC (75 foot, 50 tons, built in 1853, at St. Clair, Michigan) sank near Sebewaing, Michigan on 8 June 1868. She was recovered and repaired, but only lasted a little longer than a year since she burned in Saginaw in October 1869.

1933: WILHELMINE, dated from 1888 and was one of the world's earliest tankers, ran aground off Morgan Point, west of Port Colborne, while enroute from Chicago to Liverpool with 2,700,000 lbs of lard. The crew were removed and the ship abandoned. The hull was refloated June 3 but was not repaired and may have been dismantled at Ashtabula.

1954: The tug EDWARD C. WHALEN sank in Lake Superior near Corbeil Point. It was salvaged in 1955 and rebuilt a decade later as b) JOHN McLEAN. It survives in the Purvis Marine fleet as c) ADANAC.

1977: CYDONIA first came through the Seaway in 1962 and returned as b) VERMONT I in 1969. It was under tow due to rudder damage as e) JOY when a fire broke out in the engineroom near the mouth of the Mississippi River. The vessel was rocked by three explosions and sank in the Gulf of Mexico.

[Avenger]

It's lookin' like Fraser's first repower will be their last. Lead poisoning the workers, and now they set it on fire?!?!?

[yachtsmanwilly]

Yeah... when I was working with Franz, the tug guy from Duluth, Fraser was a 5 mile jaunt for a drydock, yet he'd make the 400 mile trip to Da' Soo for a haul out at M&M. I think Frasers small floating dry dock was like $1000 for the blocking job and maybe 2000 a day PLUS any work to be done. Don't ever buy a boat, much less a 150 ton tugboat! ws

[yachtsmanwilly]

6/9 - St. Clair, Mich. – The St. Clair power plant will be shuttered between 2020 and 2023.

The plant in East China Township went into service in 1953 and currently employs 280 people. The St. Clair plant's retirement was not the only one announced by the energy company Wednesday. It will also be retiring the River Rouge and Trenton plants within the next seven years.

All three plants receive their coal by Great Lakes freighter.

The plants together generated about 25 percent of electricity produced by the utility in 2015 or enough to power 900,000 homes, according to the company.

"There will be no job layoff or separation from this announcement, the workers will be transitioned to other DTE facilities," said Brian Corbett, DTE spokesman.

Earlier this year, DTE retired three coal generating units due to age and projected future costs. The utility says it will replace coal generating units with a mix of newer, more modern and cleaner sources of energy such as wind, natural gas and solar power.

"The plants slated for closure served customers, communities and the state for decades, powering an era of rapid growth in Michigan, providing jobs for residents, and contributing significant revenue for municipal services and community activities," DTE said in a statement. "DTE is working with the communities impacted by the plant retirements, and will transition employees working at these plants into new roles at other facilities."

Corbett said the Belle River plant will continue operations. "Belle River is our newest coal plant, so they will continue to operate beyond that 2023 time frame," he said. What will happen to the St. Clair plant property will be discussed with community leaders, Corbett said.

Last fall the Marysville power plant along the St. Clair River was imploded. That coal-fire plant operated between 1922 and 2001. It was decommissioned in 2011.

Port Huron Times Herald


Coast Guard creates safety zone around Navy Pier for America’s Cup races

6/9 - Chicago, Ill. – The Coast Guard will establish a safety zone area in Lake Michigan around Navy Pier in Chicago for the America’s Cup World Series races Friday through Sunday.

The Coast Guard safety zone will be in effect from noon until 4 p.m. daily Friday through Sunday to protect vessels and people from the potential hazards associated with a sailing competition.

The zone runs from Navy Pier on the north to the Monroe Harbor Entrance on the south, all inside the outer Chicago Harbor break wall. Vessels will not be allowed to enter, transit through, or anchor within this safety zone without the permission of the Coast Guard captain of the port or a designated representative.

USCG


TASHMOO (steel side-wheel excursion steamer, 308 foot, 1,344 gross tons, built in 1900, at Wyandotte, Michigan) hosted Admiral George Dewey on her inaugural trip from Cleveland, Ohio, to Detroit, Michigan, on 09 June 1900. Admiral Dewey had just returned from his conquest of the Philippines during the Spanish American War and was a national hero. TASHMOO entered regular service for the White Star Line two days later.

The Lubeck, Germany-built, 305-foot Greek freighter CASTALIA of 1953 struck the north tower pier of the Mackinac Bridge at 7 p.m. on 09 June 1968, in dense fog. The bridge was not damaged and the ship took on water, but was able to proceed to Chicago without assistance.

LIGHTSHIP 103 was delivered to the 12th District Headquarters at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on June 9, 1921, to begin her Great Lakes career.

June 9, 1983, ALGOWEST loaded a record 1,047,758 bushels of wheat at Thunder Bay, Ontario.

ROGER BLOUGH began sea trials in 1972.

June 9, 1911, The ANN ARBOR NO 1 was raised by Smith Wrecking Company of Muskegon after being considered a menace to navigation by the Coast Guard (she had been sunk by the south breakwater at Frankfort, Michigan, after burning on March 8th). She was taken to Muskegon, and repaired sufficiently to become a sand scow for the Love Construction Company. The cost of raising her was $8,000. On 9 June 1884, ANNAPEE (2-mast wooden scow-schooner, 71 foot, 118 gross tons, built in 1867, at Ahnapee (Wolf River), Wisconsin) was bound from Torch Lake, Michigan, for Milwaukee with a load of railroad ties and cordwood when she stranded in fog on North Point in Lake Michigan, 2 1/2 miles from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Later a strong wind blew her into the rocks and she broke up. No lives were lost and part of her cargo was saved.

On 9 June 1882, the LIZZIE A. LAW (wooden schooner, 196 foot, 747 gross tons, built in 1875, at Port Huron, Michigan) collided with the R.B. HAYES (wooden schooner, 147 foot, 668 gross tons, built in 1877, at Gibraltar, Michigan) near the foot of Lake Huron. Although the LAW suffered severe damage, she completed her trip to Buffalo and was repaired there. The LAW lasted until 1908, when she was lost in a storm.

1909 ASSINIBOIA and CRESCENT CITY were washed through the Canadian Lock at Sault Ste. Marie when the upbound PERRY WALKER struck the lower gate. All three ships were damaged but were repaired and returned to service.

1963 The newly built SILVER ISLE of Mohawk Navigation and the PRINS ALEXANDER of the Oranje Line, collided in fog and rain on the St. Lawrence near Kingston. Both ships required repairs. The former was scrapped at Aliaga, Turkey, in 2010 as ALGOISLE while the latter struck a reef and sank in the Red Sea as f) POLIAIGOS on December 28, 1980.

1979 The French freighter MELUSINE first came to the Great Lakes in 1962 and returned as b) LENA in 1978. It sank the French fishing vessel ANTIOCHE III in the English Channel with the loss of 4 lives on this day in 1979. LENA was scrapped at Ferrol, Spain, in 1982, after suffering engine damage on a voyage from Bilbao, Spain, to Detroit.

1998 COMMON VENTURE began Great Lakes trading in 1980. It broke loose of its moorings in a cyclone as f) PEARL OF DAMMAN and grounded at Kandla, India, on this date in 1998. The ship was loaded with sulphur and sustained considerable damage. Following a sale for scrap, the 27 year old carrier arrived at Alang, India, September 12, 1998, for dismantling.

1998 TOKAI MARU was a first time Seaway caller in 1977 and a return visitor as b) EASTERN HERO in 1993. This ship was also blown aground off Kandla, India, by the same cyclone. It was now d) SURPRISE and became a total loss. This ship arrived at Alang October 8, 1998, and was broken up.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Cliffs says United Taconite restart has been moved up two months

6/10 – Duluth, Minn. – Cliffs Natural Resources announced Thursday that it is moving up the reopening of United Taconite from October to August.

Nearly 450 employees have been on layoff from United Taconite's mine in Eveleth and processing plant in Forbes for nearly one year, with the closure coming amid a sagging domestic steel industry in 2015.

But last week Cliffs announced that United would reopen thanks to a 10-year deal to supply steelmaker ArcelorMittal USA with taconite pellets.

The reopening had been slated for October, but on Thursday Cliffs announced in a news release that it would be moved up two months "due to additional business recently contracted with U.S. Steel Canada to supply the majority of their iron ore pellet requirements for the third and the fourth quarters of 2016."

"The vast majority of the steel companies in North America are currently enjoying stronger order books, and their demand for high quality iron ore pellets from a reliable supplier is increasing. With that, Cliffs' business continues to gain very positive momentum, with the improvement of the existing business with our long-established clients and the addition of new ones," Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves said in a news release. "We are very pleased to announce an increase of our pellet supply to U.S. Steel Canada, who became a new Cliffs client in 2016. ... I am happy to bring our entire UTAC team back to work a lot earlier than previously announced last week."

Duluth News Tribune


6/10 – Washington, D.C. – The St. Lawrence Seaway opened two weeks earlier this shipping season and U.S. ports took advantage of the warm weather to move cargo for their customers.

“During the first nine weeks of the 2016 navigation season, ships arrived from 30 countries and delivered high value cargo that supported a wide range of manufacturing,” said Betty Sutton, Administrator of the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.

“Our longshoremen worked diligently to offload cargo ships delivering transformers bound for electric power companies, tanks for beer brewing companies, windmills for power generation, dockside cranes for offloading ships, and kaolin for the manufacturing of paper. With the 58th navigation season well underway, we are excited about the strong mix of cargoes that have moved through the U.S. Seaway locks.”

“The array of salties at our Clure Terminal this spring reflects the versatility and vitality of the Great Lakes-Seaway System,” added Vanta Coda, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.

“We’ve already handled heavy-lift oil and gas refinery equipment for a project in Montana; a load of kaolin clay from Brazil to supply Minnesota paper mills; and a shipment of 62-meter (203-foot) wind turbine blades for a wind energy project in Iowa. Two additional ships are en route with tower sections and nacelles and hubs for that same project. Making these vital connections to the heartland of North America is precisely why we market our services as Duluth Cargo Connect.”

There was positive news at other ports as well, including the Port of Oswego.

“During the month of May the Port of Oswego received three shipments of aluminum totaling 9,079 metric tons, which was delivered to us on the Alouette Spirit and Evans Spirit,” said Zelko Kirincich, executive director and CEO of the Port.

“The Evans Spirit is a shallow-draft vessel with two cargo holds that have a pass-pass loading and discharge arrangement. This is the first time the Evans Spirit, has been to the port with its new loading and discharge system. We have a year-to-date total of 19,507 metric tons of aluminum, which an increase of 86 percent over this time last year. In addition to the aluminum shipments, we have received 8,802 metric tons of potash from Thunder Bay and 11,400 metric tons of corn from Hamilton. We are excited to have had a very busy start to the shipping season and are looking forward to an even busier year ahead with both inbound and outbound cargo.”

“May was a busy month at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor with 15 international ships,” said Port Director Rick Heimann. “Shipments included European beer fermentation tanks as well as organic corn and soybeans to be used for specialty animal feeds in U.S. farms. Since 2014, the port has handled over 80 beer tanks for craft breweries around the Midwest with most of those going to Lagunitas Brewing Co. in Chicago.”

“Steel has arrived at a steady pace for regional manufacturers, matching last year’s strong volumes” said Paul Vornholt, port director of the Port of Milwaukee. “The first part of the 2016 shipping season has also brought steady saltie traffic to the largest grain silos at the port.”

“The Port of Cleveland is currently lagging slightly behind 2015 tonnage numbers at the start of our season for our traditional non-containerized steel business line,” stated David Gutheil, vice president maritime and logistics. “We are optimistic that our numbers will increase moving into the summer months and that the growth we have experienced since 2009 will continue. The Cleveland-Europe Express continues to attract new customers, as evidenced by our recent partnership announcement with Lubrizol for export container business to Europe. We also moved our first cargo to the country of Georgia, a 100-ton transformer from Siemens Energy in Mt. Vernon, Ohio.

“In order to keep with our growing demand for cargo, the port and our terminal operators continue to invest in infrastructure and equipment. The port commissioned two new Liebherr 280 mobile harbor cranes in May, which will significantly increase the speed and efficiency of our operation. Our new 21,000 square foot warehouse will be ready for use in late June, and will enable us to provide transloading services and additional storage capacity. We are also pleased that Federal Marine Terminals has ordered a 2016 Kobelco Hydraulic Crawler Crane with 275-ton capacity. The new crane is expected to arrive at the Port in September and will enhance their ability to handle large and complex project cargoes.”

The St. Lawrence Seaway reported that year-to-date cargo shipments for the period March 21 to May 31 were 6.5 million metric tons, down 4.15 percent over the same period in 2015. The dry bulk category was up nearly 5 percent with salt, potash and gypsum in the positive column at 25, 35, and 108 percent respectively. Iron ore was down 9 percent; coal was down almost 1 percent. While steel products were down 23 percent, other general cargo was up 113 percent.

The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership


6/10 – Muskegon, Mich. – A cruise ship's return to what locals call Port City was the reward for a heavy investment and months of planning.

Pearl Mist, a 108-suite ocean-going cruise ship, pulled into the Muskegon Channel from Lake Michigan about 7:30 a.m. Thursday, June 9. The ship was greeted by a sheriff's safety patrol boat, a barbershop quartet, a group of local officials.

"We at the county are very excited for what opportunities this provides for Muskegon to be able to show off what we have here in Muskegon, and hopefully to be able to entice these visitors to come back and spend some more time here," said Muskegon County Board of Commissioners Chairman Terry Sabo.

During the ship's first visit in September 2015 – an unscheduled stop that reportedly took place because there wasn't docking room in nearby Holland – some locals seemed skeptical of the cruise ship's return. Commenters on MLive.com Muskegon Chronicle voiced concerns about there not being enough to do in Downtown Muskegon and the city's ability to attract tourists.

But fast forward 10 months, and Muskegon has worked out the details. Pearl Seas Cruises has 10 total visits planned to the city for 2016.

Last year, the vessel drew up at the Mart Dock, an industrial facility. This year, officials invested funds into existing infrastructure at Heritage Landing, a park and outdoor event venue owned by Muskegon County at the east side of inland lake.

"Through some grants, we've put in about $350,000 worth of work here at the Heritage Landing to make sure the cruise ships could dock here," Sabo said. The work includes new section of dock, built for $243,000. The cruise ship's gangplank rested on Thursday where the concrete had been poured a few weeks ago.

Law enforcement headed up by the Muskegon County Sheriff's Marine division developed a security plan approved by the Coast Guard. On Thursday, the landing area was fenced off to the public with non-threatening plastic purple fences, and sheriff's boat patrolled the harbor.

In the scrambling visit last fall, Muskegon was just an alternative visit to Holland. During the interim, the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Muskegon Now, and Muskegon Museums put together a menu activities, including "The Art of Food" at the Muskegon Museum of Art with cheese, chocolate and beer tasting. A trolley tour of downtown Muskegon was also offered, as was a shuttle service to the beach and U.S.S. Silversides Submarine Museum.

On Thursday, tourists could take two excursions – the preplanned trip to Holland for the morning, and one in Muskegon during the afternoon.

Tourism is just one part of the community's efforts to develop Muskegon Lake as a multi-use port. The county's port advisory committee has involved business and private interests in an effort to increase commercial shipping through the port.

"I think one of the most important elements of this type of project is, this really is an expansion of our harbor capabilities," said Muskegon Mayor Stephen Gawron. "This will be able to showcase what a great port we do have here in Muskegon, and return us once again to being Muskegon, the Port City.

"Beyond that," he added, "I think it's an excellent opportunity to be able to showcase greater Muskegon, the county of Muskegon, and West Michigan overall by bringing in these new visitors and new friends to the area."

Muskegon Chronicle


6/10 – Saginaw, Mich. – The Saginaw River will receive more than $3 million in dredging his year, according to Saginaw County officials.

A technicality nearly stalled the project, important to keep the shipping channel open for freighters, but the Saginaw County Board of Commissioners made the decision that was needed to move it forward Monday, June 6.

The situation was explained to commissioners Monday by county attorney Bill Smith and Jim Koski, a former county public works commissioner and now a consultant for the Saginaw River Alliance, a group that advocates for commercial shipping interests along the river.

Smith told commissioners that questions were raised about whether a longstanding agreement between the county and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had all the proper documents.

"They have the rights under the current agreement, in my opinion," Smith said. "They felt there was one railroad right-of-way that was not specified to their satisfaction."

The Corps of Engineers, which coordinates the dredging work, asked that the proper documents be provided before the project moves forward, Smith said.

He said the Corps of Engineers reported they were missing a "right of entry" agreement that would make clear that dredging crews have permission to access an easement that provides access to the Dredged Material Disposal Facility, or DMDF. The facility, located along Melbourne Road at the Saginaw-Bay county line, was created to dispose of dredging spoils from the Saginaw River.

Koski said this year's dredging will cost more than $3 million, significantly more than in the past. Its part of the reason he said it was so important to ensure a technicality did not stall the dredging.

Removing material from the shipping channel that runs down the river from the Saginaw Bay to Saginaw, Koski said, is crucial to maintaining the local shipping industry. Saginaw is the dropping-off and distribution point for road salt used on a large portion of the roads in the Lower Peninsula.

In addition to salt, the ports along the Saginaw River are important collection points for agricultural products such as fertilizer and construction products such as sand, asphalt, stone and concrete materials.

Officials said they expect bids to be issued for the dredging work on Wednesday, June 8, and for the project to begin later in the season.

M Live


6/10 – Ottawa, Ont. – Fifteen different law enforcement agencies from Canada and the U.S. have joined forces for a two-day border security blitz along the St. Lawrence River.

Most visible was the NGCC Corporal Teather C.V. – a Canadian Coast Guard mid-shore patrol vessel of the joint Coast Guard/RCMP Marine Security Enforcement Team. It’s basically a 140-foot floating police station. “That’s our base of operations. We live on the ship,” says Cpl. Chris Scott of the RCMP. “This is our floating detachment, and then our so-called police car will be our RHIBs.” (Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boats that can be launched from the ship.)

Other agencies involved in the blitz include the O.P.P., Cornwall Police, Canada Border Services, New York State Police, Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service, and several other agencies from both sides of the border. They are the agencies that routinely patrol Canada/U.S. waterways for signs of smuggling and other criminal activities.

In addition to heightening the visibility of the marine border patrols, the purpose of the blitz was also to remind the public of their role. Officers also went door-to-door along the shoreline asking people to report any signs of suspicious activity. "For example it could be somebody dropping off someone and boating right away off. It could be dropping off some luggage or duffle bags," says Cst. Jean Juneau of the Cornwall Regional Task Force.

Anyone with anything to report can call the Cornwall Regional Task Force at at 1-613-937-2800 or 1-800-387-0020.

CTV Ottawa


6/10 – Pentwater, Mich. – A Coast Guard response to a report of a disabled vessel in Lake Michigan Wednesday evening just north of Pentwater, Mich., resulted in the operator being taken into custody by local police for boating under the influence when alcohol testing revealed his blood alcohol content was 0.194.

Shortly before 9:30 p.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan in Milwaukee were notified via VHF-FM channel 16 of a disabled 20-foot vessel with two people aboard approximately 2 nautical miles north of the Pentwater pier. Communication with the vessel was spotty and there was no working cell phone aboard.

Sector Lake Michigan directed a Station Ludington, Mich., boat crew to respond aboard a 25-foot response boat due to the communication issues and the vessel's proximity to shore. The crew arrived on scene shortly after and towed the vessel to Charlie's Marina.

During the post-search-and-rescue boarding, the Coast Guard boarding officer suspected the operator might have been under the influence of alcohol. Officers from the Pentwater Police and Oceana County Sheriff's Department were contacted and once on scene, administered field sobriety tests. The operator failed four of the six tests.

The Pentwater Police also administered a blood alcohol test on the operator, revealing a 0.194 BAC, more than double the legal limit of .08. The Oceana County Sheriff's Department took the operator into custody. The Coast Guard also cited the operator for operating a vessel without navigation lights and for not having flares or other visual distress signals.

"Boating under the influence of alcohol or drugs is extremely reckless and a danger to everyone on the water," says Mike Baron, the recreational boating safety specialist for the Coast Guard 9th District in Cleveland. "The marine environment can be dangerous enough, without alcohol being involved."

USCG

On 10 June 1891, the tug AMERICAN EAGLE (wooden propeller tug, 46 gross tons, built in 1865, at Buffalo, New York) collided with the tug ALVA B (wooden propeller tug, 73 foot, 83 gross tons, built in 1890, at Buffalo, New York), which was not in motion, about 2.5 miles west of the Cleveland breakwater. The ALVA B hooked up a line and started towing the AMERICAN EAGLE in, but she sank a half-mile from the harbor entrance.

On 10 June 1891, CHARLES W. WETMORE (steel propeller whaleback freighter, 265 foot, 1,399 gross tons) left the shipyard at West Superior, Wisconsin, on her maiden voyage, bound for Liverpool, England with a cargo of grain. During her trip to the Atlantic Ocean, she shot the St. Lawrence River rapids. In Liverpool, she loaded machinery for Puget Sound. She only lasted until September 1892, when she stranded one mile north of Coos Bay, Oregon in fog. Bad weather stopped salvage attempts and the vessel was abandoned.

Bethlehem's LEWIS WILSON FOY loaded her first cargo June 10, 1978, at Burlington Northern #5, Superior, Wisconsin, with 57,952 tons of Hibbing taconite pellets for Burns Harbor, Indiana. Renamed b.) OGLEBAY NORTON in 1991.

In 1892, the keel for the ANN ARBOR NO 1 (Hull#55) was laid at Toledo, Ohio by Craig Shipbuilding Co.

The ANN ARBOR NO 4 was sold to the Michigan State Ferries in 1937, and renamed b.) CITY OF CHEBOYGAN.

On 10 June 1877, while lying at her dock at Detroit, the wooden side-wheeler R N RICE burned. The damage was estimated at $30,000. After this fire, she was rebuilt as a barge.

The propeller MONTGOMERY burned in the early morning hours of 10 June 1878. The fire started while she was laying at the dock in Point Edward, Ontario. The carferry INTERNATIONAL towed her out into the St. Clair River and cast her off to drift. Fortunately there were no injuries. She finally was beached opposite Batchelor's Mill on the Canadian side by the tugs CRUSADER and J H MARTIN. At 10:00 a.m., she was still burning. The MONTGOMERY was a steam barge of 1,104 tons, built in 1856, and owned by Capt. John Pridgeon. She was fully loaded with 29,000 bushels of corn, 320 barrels of flour, 540 barrels of corn meal, 200 bags of timothy seed and 111 bales of broom corn, besides other freight. The local papers claimed that the spectacle presented by the burning vessel as she drifted down the river was "grand and beautiful". The light was so brilliant that the entire city of Port Huron was illuminated and many people came out to watch. The following day, the wreck was towed to the American side of the river just below Avery's Mill. Whatever was left of her cargo was taken off and sold. Her engines and boiler were so badly warped and twisted from the intense heat that they were worthless except as scrap.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineer dredge MARKHAM (Hull#904) was launched in 1959, at Avondale, Louisiana, by Avondale Marine Ways Inc.

1940 – PAIPOONGE was cut in two and left the Great Lakes for saltwater service in 1919. It was registered in Latvia as d) KAUPO when it was sunk as a blockship at Dieppe, France, on this date in 1940. The hull was reported as refloated and scrapped in 1946-1947.

1942 – CONTINENT came to the Great Lakes in 1939-1940. The Newfoundland owned freighter was on a bareboat charter to the U.S. Army when it sank, following a collision with the American tanker BYRON D. BENSON, while enroute from New York to Bermuda.

1967 – The former Norwegian Seaway salty FRO was abandoned in sinking condition as c) WINSOME after a fire broke out in the cargo holds and spread throughout the ship on June 10, 1967. The vessel was enroute to Bangkok, Thailand, when it sank in the South China Sea.

1968 – JOHN T. HUTCHINSON suffered damage above the waterline when it was in a collision with the SUSANNE REITH at the head of Lake St. Clair. The latter, a West German salty, was on her first trip to the Great Lakes. This ship was eventually scrapped after arriving at Alang, India, as m) ALFA I on October 18, 2000.

1977 – RUTHIE MICHAELS came inland in 1970 and last reported in as d) EUROBULKER on June 10, 1977. The ship was enroute from Djibouti, to Bandar Shahpoir, Iran when it disappeared with the entire crew of 29. The ship is believed to have sunk off the coast of Oman perhaps as late as June 12.

1998 – The Greek flag bulk carrier OLYNTHIA first traveled the Seaway in 1978. It ran aground off Veraval, India, as d) OCEAN CRUISER in a tropical cyclone while bound for the United Arab Emirates. While released, it appears that the 26-year-old ship never sailed again and was broken up at Bharnvar, India, due to the damage.