Today in Great Lakes History

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Marquette Maritime Museum celebrates the Great Lakes

7/26 - Ishpeming, Mich. – While waterways such as the Great Lakes are viewed by modern society as a source of recreation and transportation, it is easy to forget that local history was forged, in large part, by the water that surrounds us.

The Marquette Maritime Museum has chronicled and celebrated life on the Great Lakes for well over a century. The crown jewel of its collection is, without a doubt, the 150-year-old Marquette Harbor Lighthouse.

Museum board member Carolyn Northey said the museum moved into what was the city of Marquette’s Water Works building in 1982. Over the decades, the museum has built a collection of artifacts, including a unique assembly of lighthouse lenses, all procured from lighthouses within a 100-mile radius of the museum.

“I challenge anyone to find a better collection of lenses anywhere on the Great Lakes. Having a 2nd, 3rd, 31/2 and 4th order ‘classical’ Fresnel lenses in the same exhibit hall concurrently is unheard of,” Northey said.

The museum also boasts an enclosed flotation device called a life cart that could transport four to five people stacked on top of one another from a shipwreck until they could get to a rescue ship.

Other exhibits include the Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck, the Henry B. Smith shipwreck and displays about the Stannard Rock Lighthouse, the Big Bay Point Lighthouse and the McClintock Annex, commemorating the World War II battle of Leyte Gulf involving two submarines, the USS Darter and the USS Dace.

The battle, considered the largest in naval history, marked a pivotal point in the defeat of the Japanese.

Museum visitors can peer through an authentic 40-foot-tall WWII submarine periscope, named for the Marquette native Navy Capt. David McClintock who commanded the Darter during the battle.

Children who come to the museum can take part in a treasure trove of activities including the opportunity to dress up as a pirate, or take part in a scavenger hunt just to name two.

Marquette Mining Journal


New commanding officer takes helm at Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Duluth

7/26 - Duluth, Minn. – The crew of Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Duluth held a change-of-command ceremony Friday at the Depot - Great Hall in Duluth. During the ceremony, Cmdr. Erin E. Williams relieved Cmdr. Alan H. Moore Jr. as the commanding officer and assumed the positions of captain of the port and officer in charge, marine inspections.

Capt. Marko R. Broz, the commander of Sector Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, presided over the ceremony.

Moore served as commanding officer since June 2013. He has been reassigned to serve in the Office of Vessel Activities at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington. On hand for the ceremony was Moore’s father, retired Capt. Alan Moore, Sr., who had previously served as the commanding officer of MSU Duluth from 1996 through 1999.

Williams arrived from Coast Guard Activities Europe, in Schinnen, Netherlands. Acting as the executive officer, she assisted the commanding officer with ensuring compliance of U.S. and foreign vessels with relevant regulations and international conventions throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

The change of command ceremony is a time-honored event preserved by the rich heritage of naval tradition. It is a custom that is formal and follows military protocol and is designed to strengthen the respect for the continuity of command that is vital to military organization. The culmination of the ceremony is reached when both officers read their orders, face one another, salute and transfer responsibility for the command. This provides the entire command with the knowledge that the officer, directed by proper authority, is taking command and provides an opportunity to witness this transfer of responsibility.

USCG


Race to Mackinac sailboat sinks, crew rescued

7/26 - Leelanau County, Mich. – Ten crewmembers are safe after their sailboat began to sink during the Race to Mackinac, the Chicago Yacht Club says. The incident happened around 3:50 p.m. Sunday at the Manitou Passage.

According to the Chicago Yacht Club, it was reported to the U.S. Coast Guard that the One Design 48 WhoDo was sinking inside the Manitou Passage after their rudder broke off. The crew of WhoDo located a life raft and all 10 crewmembers boarded safely.

The Chicago Yacht Club says Eric Oesterle’s Heartbreaker came in to help and pulled the entire crew out of the life raft and onto their boat. Mark Bremer’s City Girl also came to help.

Heartbreaker transferred the crew onto the Leelanau County Sheriff Department’s vessel to be taken into Leeland, the Chicago Yacht Club says. No medical attention was requested for the crew of WhoDo.

Up North Live WPBN/WGTU


On July 26, 2005, the salty ORLA ran aground at Kahnawake, Quebec, and the passing rum tanker JO SPIRIT made contact with her. Both vessels were damaged and repaired in Montreal.

ALGOWEST sailed on her maiden voyage in 1982 from Thunder Bay, Ontario, to Quebec City with a 27,308 ton load of barley.

On July 26, 1943 the BRUCE HUDSON caught fire while loading gasoline at East Chicago, Illinois, and four people lost their lives.

CONALLISON departed Windsor, Ontario on her first trip for Johnstone Shipping Ltd. on July 26, 1981.

WILLIAM A. McGONAGLE (Hull#154) sailed light on her maiden voyage from Great Lakes Engineering Works at Ecorse, Michigan on July 26, 1916, to Duluth, Minnesota, to load iron ore. Renamed b.) HENRY STEINBRENNER in 1986. She was scrapped at Port Maitland, Ontario, in 1994.

On 26 July 1885, ISLE ROYALE (wooden propeller passenger/package freight vessel, 92 foot, 92 gross tons, built in 1879) sprang a leak near Susick Island near Isle Royale on Lake Superior. She sank but her passengers and crew made it to the island. She was owned by Cooley, Lavague & Company of Duluth. She was originally built as the barge AGNES.

1910 ZENITH CITY went aground at Au Sable Reef, near Marquette, due to fog. The ore-laden steamer sustained damage to 60 planes.

1943 The Canadian tanker BRUCE HUDSON caught fire loading high-octane gasoline at Phillips Petroleum in South Chicago. The Captain, his son and 2 crewmen were killed. The ship was rebuilt and eventually scrapped at Cartagena, Colombia, by 1983 as c) WITCROIX.

1948 ROGN, a Norwegian tanker, went aground in the St. Lawrence at Toussant Island, near Iroquois, after the steering gear failed. The tugs SALVAGE PRINCE and SALVAGE QUEEN pulled the vessel free. It was in ballast and operated on charter to the McColl-Frontenac Oil Company. The ship was scrapped at Piraeus, Greece, as c) PIRAEUS III in 1981.

1965 The Canada Steamship Lines bulk carrier GEORGIAN BAY stood by the small wooden pulpwood carrier PRINCE QUEBEC on Lake Ontario. Cables were strung to the small ship, enroute to Tonawanda, NY with a cargo of pulpwood, to help keep it afloat. PRINCE QUEBEC was later taken to La Petite Riviere, Quebec, beached and never repaired. Apparently the hull was burned by vandals in the 1970s.

1983 PRA RIVER was registered in Ghana when it came to the Great Lakes in 1963. It went aground, enroute from Las Palmas, Canary Islands, to Lagos, Nigeria, as c) MAYON II on this date in 1983 and was abandoned.

2000 HIAWATHA, a ferry dating from 1895, was sunk by vandals at Toronto. It operated between the mainland and a Toronto Island yacht club. The hull was refloated July 28 and taken to Hamilton for restoration, repairs and a return to service.


Toledo, Ohio – More than 100 WWII aircraft rest on the bottom of America’s Lake Michigan. This is the story of how they got there.

The National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, will host the Ohio premiere of the documentary “Heroes on Deck: World War II on Lake Michigan,” by Emmy award-nominated filmmaker John Davies. The screening will take place on August 4, at 7 p.m. at the Valentine Theatre in Toledo. The hour-long film explores the critical role of the USS Wolverine and the USS Sable, two Great Lakes passenger steamers that were converted into aircraft carriers and used to train thousands of pilots to land at sea in WWII. There will be a VIP reception with the director prior to the screening as well as a sneak preview of an upcoming temporary exhibit on the topic.

"We are pleased to announce that up to 400 veterans and active duty military can receive a free ticket to the screening because of the generosity of an anonymous donor, said Christopher Gillcrist, executive director of the museum. Tickets for the screening are $7.50 for NMGL members and $10 for non-members

The VIP director’s reception will begin at 6 p.m. Tickets are $25 for National Museum of the Great Lakes members and $35 for non-members and includes the screening.

NMGL

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Army Corps says Cuyahoga River shipping channel might not need dredging

7/27 - Cleveland, Ohio – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers argued in a court filing that the money Congress budgeted for the dredging of the Cleveland Harbor and Cuyahoga River shipping channel allows for the Corps to make the ultimate decision on whether to dredge.

And as of now, the Corps has not decided whether dredging is necessary this year.

The document was filed Monday night in response to a request by the state of Ohio to have U.S. District Judge Donald Nugent in Cleveland force the Corps' Buffalo District to fully dredge the six-mile shipping channel and put the sediment in a disposal facility.

Most important is what is known as the "sixth mile" of the channel, which serves ArcelorMittal's steel mill and contains the bulk of the sediment that needs dredging. The state says delays in dredging would harm the business

The Corps, as it did last year, is demanding that a "non-federal sponsor" pay to dump the dredged sediment into a disposal facility. It contends that the sediment is safe to be dumped into Lake Erie. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency says dumping in the sediment in the lake would be harmful to the lake's ecosystem.

Nugent forced the Corps to dredge last year. The Corps' motion, filed by lawyers from the U.S. Justice Department and U.S. Attorney Carole Rendon's office, argues that the judge was mistaken in several parts of his ruling.

According to the Corps, the statutory language associated with federal money allocated for maintaining the Great Lakes Shipping channels does not specifically say the Corps "shall dredge." Rather, it says that the Army secretary "shall expedite the operation and maintenance, including dredging, of the navigation features of the Great Lakes and Connecting Channels."

The filing also says that the Corps' efforts to reduce its federal budget allocation for the Cleveland dredging project — which the state characterized as "an apparent subterfuge to circumvent this Court's ruling" — is a common occurrence.

"Failure to adjust accordingly would have been inconsistent with the Federal Standard and an inaccurate representation of the Corps' budgetary needs," the filing says.

All of these arguments may be moot as the Corps says that the shipping channel might not need to be dredged. The Corps says it surveyed the lake on July 14 and that the channel's waters are high enough for large watercraft to pass.

The state filed a lawsuit against the Corps last year over the Corps' refusal to dredge.

Jade Davis, the Port of Cleveland's vice president of external affairs, said Tuesday that the Corps is not telling the full story when it says the harbor may not need to be dredged. He said there isn't as much sediment on the bottom as in past years because Cleveland's summer has been relatively dry.

However, the harbor must still be dredged because it could impassible if the city sees a lot of rain, Davis said.

"If we get a few rainy days in a row, which is very possible, we will have ships that can't get up the river that day," Davis said.

Nugent was occasionally scathing when ordering the Corps to dredge the harbor in May 2015. The judge implied that the Corps was trying to blackmail the state into footing the bill of dumping sediment into a facility.

The U.S. Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, led by Republican Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, is investigating the actions Army officials took to cut the budget for the Cleveland dredging project.

And an appropriations bill the Senate passed in May included a provision banning the Corps from dumping dredged sediment into Lake Erie.

Cleveland.com


Pride of Baltimore II heads for Chicago, nearly halfway through 4-month expedition

7/27 - Baltimore, Md. – The Pride of Baltimore II departed for Chicago on Monday morning after spending the weekend in Boyne City, Mich., about halfway through a four-month, 8,000-mile journey.

The ship left the Inner Harbor in June and is expected to arrive in Chicago for a five-day tall ships festival at the Navy Pier. Known as the city's "Star-Spangled Ambassador," the Pride II is nearly two months into its first journey outside the Chesapeake Bay since 2013.

July has been a busy month for the topsail schooner, with stops in Toronto, Ohio and Michigan attracting nearly 20,000 visitors to come aboard the Pride II, according to ship officials.

The Pride II also competed in several races with other tall ships. The Baltimore ship took first place on July 3, going through Lake Ontario toward the Welland Canal in the first of five races planned. In the second race on Lake Erie on July 11, the Pride II took third place.

The third race took place on Lake Huron on July 18. Pride II officials said the ship was the first to cross the finish line, though formal winners will be announced Sunday night in Chicago. After leaving Chicago, the ship will compete in another contest across Lake Michigan toward Algoma, Wisc.

Pride of Baltimore Inc., the nonprofit that owns the ship, signed a three-year, $1.5 million partnership with the state in January to promote the economic interests of Baltimore and the state.

After Chicago, the vessel plans to make stops in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ontario before returning to Baltimore in late-September.

Baltimore Sun


Great Lakes pilots threatened, harassed over Viking ship fees

7/27 - Chicago, Ill. – Pilots that help guide ships across the Great Lakes have been threatened and harassed over $400 per hour fees they must charge the Viking ship that is on its way to Navy Pier this week.

“We have been informed that the pilot associations have been receiving threats and being harassed by angry individuals,” wrote the Draken in an open letter signed by Captain Bjőrn Ahlander and 17 crew members, published on the expedition’s website on Monday.

“I hope we can come together and take an approach to this that is with kindness, honesty, and integrity. We respect pilots and their profession. The safety of the Great Lakes, and well-being of all living near these beautiful bodies of water, rely on their tireless skills in navigating these huge ships through difficult waterways in all conditions.”

The crew says they welcome the pilots on board the Draken, but also say they “prefer they not have to take valuable time out of their already overly busy schedules for our relatively tiny Viking ship.”

While tiny compared to commercial ships on the Great Lakes, the Draken is still the largest Viking ship built in modern times, 115 feet long by 26 feet wide.

The pilotage fees, required by United States Coast Guard, will add up, explains the crew, because the journey across the Great Lakes will cover “several thousand nautical miles,” take “many months,” and because the ship must travel by sail much of the time.

“We are a sailing ship designed after traditions dating back to before the year 800 A.D. and constant vibrations from the engines can be detrimental for our riveted oaken hull. While motoring ahead full works in calm weather, there lies a risk of damaging Draken if we were to attempt to motor into any significant head seas.”

Sons of Norway, the Draken’s official fundraising partner, has raised more than $70,000 but it is “at the absolute skimming by the skin of our teeth,” says the crew, still about $100,000 short of the estimated cost to travel beyond Chicago, and well below the $430,000 estimated cost to complete the entire trip.

Loop North News



On 27 July 1884, ALBERTA (steel propeller passenger/package freight vessel, 264 foot, 2,282 gross tons, built in 1883, at Whiteinch, Scotland, by C. Connell & Co.) collided in fog six miles north north west of Whitefish Point on Lake Superior with the JOHN M. OSBORNE (wooden propeller "steam barge", 178 foot, 891 tons, built in 1882, at Marine City, Michigan. The OSBORNE had two barges in tow at the time. ALBERTA stayed in the gash until most of OSBORNE's crew scrambled aboard, then pulled out and the OSBORNE sank. ALBERTA sank in shallow water, 3 1/2 miles from shore. 3 or 4 lives were lost from the OSBORNE, one from ALBERTA in brave rescue attempt while trying to get the crewmen off the OSBORNE. This was ALBERTA's first year of service. She was recovered and repaired soon afterward. She was the sister of the ill-fated ALGOMA which was lost in her first year of service. The wreck of the OSBORNE was located in 1984, 100 years after this incident.

On 27 July 1900, the steel freighter RENSSELAER (Hull#402) was launched in Cleveland, Ohio, by the American Ship building Co. for the Pittsburgh Steamship Company.

1897 – SELWYN EDDY and MARIPOSA collided head-on in dense fog off Manitou Island, Lake Superior. The damage was light, as both ships were proceeding slowly due to the conditions.

1912 – G. WATSON FRENCH, later the first ALGOWAY, was in a collision with the MATAAFA in Lake St. Clair and the latter was heavily damaged and almost sank.

1931 – The Canada Steamship Lines bulk canaller BARRIE went aground at Les Ecureuils Shoal in the St. Lawrence while enroute to Quebec City.

1944 – The FORT PERROT was damaged by a torpedo in the English Channel south of Hastings, while providing support for the ongoing invasion of Normandy and the liberation of Europe. As c) DORION, this ship made two trips to the Great Lakes in 1959. The vessel was scrapped at Yokohama, Japan, as e) ANTONIOS S. after arriving on June 17, 1963.

1987 – The ANDREW H. went aground off Cornwall Island, in the St. Lawrence, after experiencing steering problems. The ship, loaded with steel for Dofasco in Hamilton, was lightered by MAPLEHEATH and released on August 2. The cargo was reloaded at Valleyfield. The ship first came inland as EKTOR in 1976. It arrived at Alang, India, for scrapping as e) BLUEWEST on January 31, 1998.

1999 – The SPIRIT OF 98 went aground on a rock in the Gulf of Alaska 40 miles southeast of Juneau, forcing the passengers to abandon the ship. Flooding was checked and the ship released and repaired. As c) VICTORIAN EMPRESS, the ship saw passenger service on the St. Lawrence and came into the Great Lakes to Lake Ontario beginning in 1990.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Coast Guard to enforce safety zones for Tall Ships Challenge at Navy Pier

7/28 - Chicago, Ill. – The Tall Ships Challenge is scheduled to visit Navy Pier from Wednesday through Monday.

The U.S. Coast Guard has established and will enforce a safety zone around each tall ship participating in the Tall Ships Challenge while navigating in the Great Lakes.

Due to the limited maneuverability of the tall ships and to ensure safe steerage, all spectators and commercial vessels are required to maintain a distance of 300 feet from the ships at all times. The safety zone is in effect whether vessels are transiting, anchored or moored.

Boaters shall adhere to all posted no wake zones, especially in the harbor and channel between the Jardine Purification Plant and the north wall of Navy Pier. Be mindful of the long bowsprits on the front of the large sailing vessels.

All recreational and pleasure boats must carry one wearable lifejacket for each person aboard and children under the age of 13 are required to wear a properly fitting life jacket at all times while aboard a boat. However, the Coast Guard highly encourages all boaters regardless of age or experience to wear a lifejacket at all times.

USCG





Coast Guard Sector Buffalo to hold change-of-command ceremony Thursday

7/28 - Buffalo, N.Y. – A change-of-command ceremony is scheduled for Coast Guard Sector Buffalo Thursday. During the ceremony Capt. Joseph DuFresne will assume command duties and responsibilities from Capt. Brian Roche.

Rear Adm. June Ryan, commander of the Ninth Coast Guard District, will preside over the ceremony. At the conclusion of the ceremony Roche will retire from the Coast Guard after 36 years of service.

DuFresne was previously assigned as the deputy sector commander of Coast Guard Sector North Carolina in Wilmington, North Carolina.

USCG

Michigan town rebrands itself as shipwreck capital of the Great Lakes

7/28 - Alpena, Mich. – Wedged between Fletcher Street and the waterfront is a long row of warehouses. They used to be a paper mill, but these days they are home to Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Inside one of the buildings is a little visitor’s center, with art and artifacts and interactive games that broadcast old sailors' songs to kids playing pirates. But the main attraction is offshore. Hundreds of shipwrecks lie at the bottom of this part of Lake Huron.

Down inside the glass bottom charter boat the Lady Michigan, passengers explore shallow wrecks through clear panes lining the hull.

Brandy Kozlowski squints into the sunken, splintered deck of the Shamrock -- a wooden steam barge that sank in 1905. She grew up here, but left Michigan years ago to find a job. Back visiting family, she says the place has changed a lot.

"The marine sanctuary, it’s all brand new, everything on that side of town is new. It’s good for the area. It really needs a boost in the arm."

This area has collected shipwrecks for centuries, with the help of heavy shipping traffic, shallow water, and the storms that give Thunder Bay its name. But tourism has grown since Alpena was designated the first – and so far only – fresh water national marine sanctuary by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

At Thunder Bay Scuba, Joe Sobczak gets most of his business from tourists. But he used to work in the shipping industry, and isn’t sure tourism jobs are enough to keep people, especially young people, from moving away.

"They aren't the same as a blue-collar industrial job. You don't have the benefits; you don't have the pay scale."

Still, Sobczak thinks it’s the best way to move Alpena forward, and not just for dive shops and charter boats. Downtown is full of shops that have adopted the shipwreck theme. Visitors can buy a maritime blend coffee or a sundae named after a wreck, and new businesses are coming in – including the first waterfront hotel on Thunder Bay River.

The success of Alpena’s rebranding has other communities along the Great Lakes applying for similar national marine sanctuary status from the federal government.

WXXI


On July 28, 1973, the ROGER M. KYES (Hull#200) was christened at Toledo, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. by Mrs. Roger Kyes for the American Steamship Co. Renamed b.) ADAM E. CORNELIUS in 1989.

B.A. PEERLESS (Hull#148) was launched July 28, 1952, at Collingwood, Ontario, by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd. for British American Transportation Co. Ltd. Renamed b.) GULF CANADA in 1969, and c.) COASTAL CANADA in 1984.

The JOHN T. HUTCHINSON was delivered on July 28th to the Buckeye Steamship Co. (Hutchinson & Co., mgr.), Cleveland. The HUTCHINSON was part of a government program designed to upgrade and increase the capacity of the U.S. Great Lakes fleet during World War II. In order to help finance the building of new ships, the U.S.M.C. authorized a program that would allow existing fleets to obtain new boats by trading in their older boats to the Government for credit. The vessel was the ninth Maritimer and fourth of the six L6-S-Al types delivered. "L6" meant the vessel was built for the Great Lakes and was 600 to 699 feet in length. The "S" stood for steam power and "Al" identified specific design features.

On 28 July 1854, BOSTON (wooden propeller, 134 foot, 259 tons, built in 1847, at Ohio City, Ohio) was bound from Chicago for Ogdensburg, New York, with pork, corn, whiskey and produce. On Lake Ontario, about 20 miles off Oak Orchard, New York, she collided with the bark PLYMOUTH and sank in about 20 minutes. No lives were lost. The crew and passengers made it to shore in three lifeboats. The boat that the captain was in sailed 50 miles to Charlotte, New York.

In 1900, the freighter PRINCETON (Hull#302) was launched at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.

On 28 July 1862, CONVOY (2-mast wooden schooner, 130 foot, 367 tons, built in 1855, at Buffalo, New York) was sailing downbound on a dark night on Lake Erie with 18,000 bushels of wheat when she collided with the empty bark SAM WARD and sank quickly in 12 fathoms of water. Her wreck drifted along the bottom and during the shipping season several vessels collided with her.

1922 – The wooden passenger and freight carrier CARIBOU went aground in the North Channel of Georgian Bay near Richards Landing.

1923 – The wooden steamer W.J. CARTER, enroute from Oswego to Cobourg with a cargo of coal, began leaking and sank in Lake Ontario 20 miles south of Point Peter. Nine crewmembers were rescued by the KEYPORT.

1929 – The newly-built canaller C.H. HOUSON was in a collision with the collier WABANA off Cap au Saumon on the St. Lawrence in heavy fog. The investigation of the accident was critical of the operation of both vessels. The former served in the Misener fleet, becoming b) PAUL MANION in 1949, and was scrapped at Deseronto, Ontario, in 1961.

1949 – NORMAN J. KOPMEIER was holed by an underwater obstruction entering Muskegon with a cargo of coal from Chicago. The vessel had to be beached and almost capsized. It was later refloated and repaired. The ship last sailed as e) PINEDALE in 1976 and was scrapped at Hamilton in 1981.

1961 – After loading a cargo of scrap steel for Japan on its first visit to the Great Lakes, the Greek freighter MIHALIS ANGELOS ran aground leaving Toronto harbor. The ship had been one of the “Empire Class” ships of World War Two, being built as a) EMPIRE MASEFIELD. It arrived at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, for scrapping as f) GLORIA on December 6, 1967.

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7/29 - Duluth, Minn. – A one-time "Queen of the Fleet" for the U.S. Coast Guard may find a permanent home in the Twin Ports, if a local fundraising effort is successful.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Acushnet was the last remaining World War II-era ship in active duty when it was decommissioned in 2011. The U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps' Twin Ports Division has launched an effort to raise the $250,000 needed to purchase the cutter and bring it to the Duluth-Superior harbor from its current home in Anacortes, Wash.

The Acushnet would serve as a permanent training vessel for Navy Cadets, but it has the potential to be a point of interest for residents and tourists, a scientific research vessel for universities, an assistance vessel for rescues and large events, and a training vessel for the Coast Guard Auxiliary and Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps, said Ltjg. Davan Scott, commanding officer of the Twin Ports Division.

"(The Acushnet) has quite a storied history behind it. Duluth, being that it's the world's largest freshwater harbor, it makes sense to have something like this in the Twin Ports," Scott said.

The Acushnet began its service as the USS Shackle in the U.S. Navy in 1943, when one of its first missions was to help clear the channels of debris left by the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It became the Acushnet in the U.S. Coast Guard beginning in 1946. Its service included rescuing 18 crewmembers on one of two ships broken in half during the 1952 New England storm that found notoriety in the film, "The Finest Hours."

The Acushnet was created to meet the challenges of World War II, at a time when U.S. citizens were coming together rather than dividing, said Steven Lindsey of Keene, N.H., a former Coast Guardsman with an interest in maritime preservation.

"This was our country at its best, I think," Lindsey said. "This ship comes from a time when everyone pulled together and we were one as a people as we ever were. That ship was one of the products of that time. I think it would be cool for the veterans, if we could keep this reminder around for them."

The training and skills learned in the Navy Cadets is "the real deal," Scott said.

With units in 47 states and more than 12,000 members, the Navy Cadets provides training for teenagers between 13 and 18 years old using the Navy's curriculum, including the completion of boot camp at Camp Dodge, Iowa. The Twin Ports Division specializes in medical and firefighting training, Scott said.

Although Scott spent several years in the Twin Ports Division before enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 2006, the Navy Cadets is a volunteer organization — joining doesn't mean the child has enlisted in the military, he explained. The Twin Ports Division has existed since 2002 and has 23 cadets — with four new cadets soon to join the unit — and four officers, with a fifth officer also joining soon, he said.

The unit trains at the American Legion in West Duluth during the winter, and on the Sundew, a decommissioned Coast Guard cutter now privately owned in Duluth, during the summers. But changing locations seasonally is difficult, Scott said.

Purchasing the Acushnet would provide the Twin Ports Division with a permanent training location and would provide a location for other Navy Cadet units to train as well. Three boats are in use on other Great Lakes for Navy Cadet training, he said.

"As far as the size of the vessel, the specifics of the vessel, after six years, this was the dream vessel we've been looking for, everything and then some that we would require for our training purposes and additional missions we'd use the vessel for," Scott said.

The price tag on the vessel is $250,000 and Scott said they estimate it would cost a total of $550,000 to purchase the ship and the needed items for it, such as insurance, and get it to the Twin Ports.

After being decommissioned in 2011, the Acushnet was sold into the private sector. After sitting in the shipyard for several years, the shipyard has been trying to sell it, he said. Scott and other staff are planning to travel to the shipyard in a few weeks for an inspection of the Acushnet.

If purchased, the Acushnet will be sailed from Washington to the Twin Ports via the Panama Canal and St. Lawrence Seaway.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity we've come across and in six years, this is the first time we've found a vessel in (this) quality, this history and this amount of benefit it can increase not only for our unit, but for Duluth and the region," Scott said.

For more information, visit www.gofundme.com/4rrqkt8k or www.twinportsnscc.com.


7/29 - Duluth, Minn. – The Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center’s “Twin Ports Lighthouse Days” run from Friday, August 5 through Sunday, August 7, featuring lighthouse films, history walks and children’s activities.

Events take place inside the museum and outside in the park from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. All programs are free and open to the public. There is no admission charge to the Visitor Center operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Canal Park, Duluth.

“Twin Ports Lighthouse Days” is a celebration of the five distinctive lighthouses of the Twin Ports and the lighthouses of Lake Superior. This annual event is held around the anniversary of August 7, 1789 - the date President George Washington signed the Ninth Act of Congress federalizing our nation’s lighthouses.

The lighthouses in Canal Park are, not open to the public, although they are each available for exterior viewing and photographs. Use caution, particularly at the Superior Entry, where access is on the rubble mound breakwater, and be aware of poison ivy near the Minnesota Point Lighthouse.

LSMMA


Canal Days start Friday at Port Colborne

7/29 - Port Colborne, Ont. – 2016 marks the 38th annual Canal Days Marine Heritage Festival. Vessels gather in Port Colborne for a four-day celebration of history and heritage along the canal. Explore the decks, try your hand at the wheel, or feel the spray as you cruise the Empire Sandy, Tall Ship, the Hamilton Harbour Queen on Lake Erie or the Edward M. Cotter Fire Boat along the canal wall.

Nestled at the juncture of the Welland Canal and the Lake Erie north shore, Port Colborne is a working marine community, with rich nautical history and welcoming hospitality. At the height of summer, the entire city takes time to celebrate the reasons why this picturesque town has grown and prospered –marine heritage and our connection to the St. Lawrence Seaway and the seafaring world at large.

The Canal Days Marine Heritage Festival encompasses the entire community, with activities at a dozen different venues: HH Knoll Lakeview Park hosts Ontario’s Largest outdoor Classic Car and International kite show. The Seaway Park children’s area has games, entertainment and kid’s activities throughout the weekend. At the Port Colborne Marine Museum the history of the Canal is on display, and heritage artisans can be seen working their trade. At the Roselawn Centre Saturday & Sunday offers two days of live entertainment. Festival guests can ride the free Canal Days shuttle to the Vale Centre where the indoor Craft Show is held. Festival food and shopping kiosks fill historic West Street, and the Market Square concert venue features top notch entertainment nightly.

Each year more than 300,000 people visit the festival over four days. Friends, families, and former residents return and reminisce, and Canal Days continues to grow by bounds. An ever-changing roster of activities has redefined Canal Days again and again, and as the festival moves into its fourth decade, that growth will continue as the festival blooms again. 2016 Canal Days Marine Heritage Festival will feature once again feature fireworks that will light the night sky.

A source of community pride, Canal Days is Port Colborne’s signature event, and it is the scores of local volunteers who work tirelessly that make this unique event Niagara’s premier summer festival. The Canal Days Marine Heritage Festival, Port Colborne: July 29-August 1.



OTTERCLIFFE HALL cleared Lauzon, Quebec, July 29, 1969 on her maiden voyage as the last "straight deck" Great Lakes bulk freighter built with a pilothouse forward.

While at the Manitowoc Ship Building Co. for general repairs and engine overhaul, the CITY OF SAGINAW 31 caught fire on July 29, 1971, destroying her cabin deck and rendering her useless for further use. The blaze was caused by an acetylene torch, and caused over $1 million in damage. She was not repaired. The CITY OF SAGINAW 31 was sold to Marine Salvage Ltd., Port Colborne, Ontario, for scrapping.

On July 29, 1974 the W.W. HOLLOWAY grounded in Lake St. Clair off the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club while running downbound with stone. Lightering into the J.F. SCHOELKOPF JR was necessary before she was freed by four tugs on July 31st.

ENDERS M. VOORHEES departed Great Lakes Engineering Works, River Rouge, Michigan, on her maiden voyage July 29, 1942, bound for Duluth, Minnesota, to load iron ore. She was the second of five "Supers" for the Pittsburgh fleet to enter service.

July 29, 1974 - PERE MARQUETTE 21 was towed to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to be reduced to a barge.

The steam barge MARY ROBERTSON burned near Mackinac on 29 July 1872. Her crew escaped to a schooner-barge they were towing.

The MATERIAL SERVICE foundered in a heavy summer gale in 1936, off the South Chicago lighthouse. She was a canal motor barge not designed for open-lake use.

The side-wheel river steamer DOMINION burned to the water's edge at her dock in the Thames River near Chatham, Ontario, on 29 July 1875. She was built in 1867, at Wallaceburg, Ontario.

1912 – REPUBLIC stranded at Point Louise in the St. Marys River and sustained bottom damage.

1930 – The sandsucker GEORGE J. WHALEN capsized and sank off Dunkirk, N.Y., in heavy seas and 15 sailors perished. Only 6 were rescued and taken aboard the AMASA STONE.

1942 – The first PRESCODOC was torpedoed and sunk by U-160 off Georgetown, British Guiana, with the loss of 15 lives. The bauxite-laden steamer went down quickly, bow first, while enroute to Trinidad and only 5 were saved.

1943 – LOCKWELL and KEYBELL collided above Bridge 11 of the Welland Canal. The former was repaired at Port Dalhousie with $13,450 in damages.

1946 – TEAKBAY went aground on Featherbed Shoal off Carleton Island in the St. Lawrence while bound for Montreal with a load of coal. This member of the C.S.L. fleet was released, with the aid of tugs, the next day and proceeded to Kingston for repairs.

1971 – While undergoing a major refit at Manitowoc, fire broke out aboard the CITY OF SAGINAW 31 destroying the top deck and accommodation area. The damage was listed as between $450,000 and $700,000 and the vessel became a total loss. It was towed to Castellon, Spain, for scrapping.

1979 – The Cayman Islands registered QUIDNET came through the Seaway in 1978 but sank, in a collision with the SEA TIDE at Mamei Curve in the Panama Canal while enroute from Callao, Peru, to Trinidad. The hull was abandoned as a total loss and had to be cut in two before being towed away to a dumping ground. The ship had also been a Great Lakes visitor as b) LUDMILLA C. in 1968.

1993 – The second FEDERAL SCHELDE to visit the Great Lakes was built in 1977 and came inland that year on its maiden voyage with sugar for Montreal and Toronto. The ship received major bow damage after striking the ARARAT in the Orinoco River of Venezuela. It went to Hamburg, Germany, for repairs and resumed service. It became b) TRIAS in 1994 and continued Seaway service until 1999. The ship arrived at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, for scrapping on December 12, 2000.

[yachtsmanwilly]

In 1862, UNION (wooden propeller passenger-package freight steamer, 163 foot, 434 ton, built in 1861, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin) was sold by the Goodrich Line to James H. Mead and J. F. Kirkland for $28,000. This was $9,000 more than Goodrich had paid to have the vessel built just the previous year.

On August 1, 1982, the Canadian tanker L’ERABLE NO 1 entered service. Renamed b.) HUBERT GAUCHER in 1982. Sold foreign in 1996, renamed c.) RODIN and d.) OLYMPIC PRIDE in 2000.

August 1957 - The PERE MARQUETTE 18 of 1911 was sold to Luria Brothers, Chicago scrap merchants, along with the PERE MARQUETTE 14.

On 1 August 1871, the construction of the canal through the St. Clair Flats was finished at a cost of $365,000. It was the first real channel built to help ships through the shallow waters where the St. Clair River empties into Lake St. Clair and where there are seven mouths or passes. It took the Canadian contractor John Brown three years to dig the channel that measures 300 feet wide and 8,421 feet long. The water was 18 feet deep. It was protected on most of its sides by piers and dikes. The new channel was considered too small even as it was being dug. At only 300 feet wide, tows of log rafts were encouraged to sue the old shallower channels. Within 20 years, plans were made to deepen the channel to 20 feet.

On 1 August 1849, CHICAGO (wooden passenger/package freight vessel, 95 foot, 151 tons, built in 1842, at Oswego, New York) burned in Buffalo harbor. No lives were lost.

1911 – Seven lives were lost when the wooden passenger ship SIRIUS capsized and sank in the St. Lawrence 8 miles from Massena, N.Y. There were 75 passengers on board headed for a picnic when the accident occurred. Apparently, many passengers had rushed to one side of the ship to see a woodchuck as the ship was turning in the current and this led to the ship going over.

1951 – The first SAGUENAY to sail for Canada Steamship Lines was built at Govan, Scotland, in 1913 for service between Quebec City and Saguenay River ports. It left Canada for the Far East as b) KIANG YONG in 1946 and became c) YANGTSE PHOENIX in 1949. The vessel dragged her anchors while riding out a typhoon near Tai Po, Hong Kong, on this date in 1951, went aground and was wrecked.

1969 – The British freighter HOPERIDGE made two trips to the Great Lakes in 1959. It sank on this date in 1969 as b) BETHLEHEM due to a collision with the SHOWA MARU while about 30 miles from Singapore. The ship was enroute from Tokyo to Aden and 7 of the crew were lost.

On this day in 1948, in a total elapsed time of 19 hours, the JAMES DAVIDSON of the Tomlinson fleet unloaded 13,545 tons of coal at the Berwind Dock in Duluth and loaded 14,826 tons of ore at the Allouez Dock in Superior.

On this day in 1955, Al A. Wolf, the first Chief Engineer of a Great Lakes freighter powered by a 7,000 hp engine, retired as Chief Engineer of the WILFRED SYKES. Chief Wolf started as an oiler on the POLYNESIA in 1911, became Chief Engineer in 1921, and brought out the SYKES in 1948.

Sea trials took place for the JAMES R. BARKER this day in 1976. She was to become Interlake's first 1000 footer and the flagship of the fleet for Moore McCormack Leasing, Inc. (Interlake Steamship Co., Cleveland, Ohio, mgr.). She was built at a cost of more than $43 million under Title XI of the Merchant Marine Act of 1970. She was the third thousand-footer to sail on the Lakes and the first built entirely on the Lakes.

On July 31, 1974, the Liberian vessel ARTADI approached the dock at Trois Rivires, Que. where she damaged the docked GORDON C. LEITCH's stern.

The CEDARBRANCH was damaged and sunk by an explosion on July 31, 1965, several miles below Montreal, Quebec resulting in a loss of one life. Repaired and lengthened in 1965, she was renamed b.) SECOLA in 1978, and c.) KITO MARU in 1979, and scrapped at Brownsville, Texas, in 1985.

On 31 July 1849, ACORN (wooden schooner, 84 foot, 125 tons, built in 1842, at Black River, Ohio) was struck amidships by the propeller TROY near West Sister Island in Lake Erie. She sank quickly, but no lives were lost since all hands made it to the TROY.

On 31 July 1850, AMERICA (wooden side-wheeler, 240 foot, 1,083 tons, built in 1847, at Port Huron, Michigan) suffered a boiler or steam pipe explosion while sailing on Lake Erie. The explosion immediately killed nine persons and scalded others who died later. The vessel was repaired and sailed for three more seasons.

July 30, 1996 - CSL's self-unloader H.M. GRIFFITH, which was off Whitefish Bay in Lake Superior, and bound for Nanticoke, Ontario, with a load of 22,775 tons of western coal, had a spontaneous combustion fire in her number 2 cargo hold. Water was used to cool the fire and the GRIFFITH used her unloading boom to dump 3,000 tons of coal into Lake Superior. After an inspection by the USCG at the Soo the following day, revealed only minor damage, the vessel was cleared to proceed on her journey. Reconstructed and renamed b.) RT HON PAUL J. MARTIN in 2000.

This News Page on the BoatNerd site was launched in 1996, reporting the coal fire aboard the GRIFFITH.

GORDON C. LEITCH (Hull#36) was launched July 30, 1952, at Midland, Ontario, by Canadian Shipbuilding & Engineering Ltd. for the Upper Lakes & St. Lawrence Transportation Co. Ltd., Toronto, Ontario.

The Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker C.C.G.S. ALEXANDER HENRY entered service July 30, 1959. Since 1985, the HENRY has served as a museum in Kingston, Ontario.

On 30 July 1871, the 162-foot bark HARVEY BISSELL was carrying lumber from Toledo to Tonawanda, New York. When she was on the Western end of Lake Erie, she sprang a leak. Although the crew worked the hand-powered pumps constantly, the water kept gaining at a rate of about a foot an hour. The tug KATE WILLIAMS took her in tow, intending to get her to Detroit to be repaired, but this proved impossible. So the BISSELL was towed close to Point Pelee and allowed to sink in 14 feet of water. The WILLIAMS then left for Detroit to get steam pumps and other salvage equipment. On returning, they pumped out the BISSELL, refloated and repaired her. She lasted until 1905.

On 30 July 1872, the Port Huron Dry Dock launched SANDY, a lighter. Her dimensions were 75 feet x 20 feet x 5 feet.

On 30 July 1873, George Hardison of Detroit announced the beginning of a new shipyard in Port Huron, Michigan. It would be located above the 7th Street Bridge on the Black River on land owned by J. P. Haynes, accessible by River Street. Within 30 days of this announcement, the new yard had orders for two canalers three-and-aft rig for delivery in the spring of 1874. Their dimensions were to be 146 feet overall, 139 feet ¬keel, 26 foot beam and 11 foot 6 inches depth.

On 30 July 1866, CITY OF BUFFALO (wooden propeller, 340 foot, 2,026 tons, built in 1857, at Buffalo, New York as a side-wheeler) was unloading 72,000 bushels of wheat at the Sturgis Elevator at Buffalo, New York, when arsonists set fire to the complex. The fire destroyed the wharf, the elevator, several businesses and the ship. The arsonists were caught. Incidentally, the CITY OF BUFFALO was converted from a passenger side-wheeler to a propeller freighter during the winter of 1863-64. After the conversion, she was dubbed "the slowest steam-craft on the Lakes".


‘Draken’ will make it to Green Bay’s Tall Ships Festival

7/30 - Green Bay, Wis. – The largest Viking ship built in modern times will set sail for Green Bay after all. Thanks to a fundraising effort, the Draken is able to come to the Tall Ships Festival on downtown Green Bay’s riverfront.

The Norwegian Viking ship has been traveling the Great Lakes, but there was concern the crew couldn’t afford to come to Green Bay after finding out they would need a special pilot to navigate the Great Lakes — an unexpected expense.

But the captain says the Draken will be here when the festival starts next Friday, August 5, at Leicht Memorial Park. The Tall Ships Festival then runs through the weekend.

WBAY


7/30 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The dispatch tower above the Soo Locks on a fine July day offers a spectacular view, but there is little time to admire it. There are five telephones and five radios, and at 9 a.m. a radio squawks. “Go ahead, captain,” says Chris Albrough, lockmaster with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“Can I have the upper and lower water levels?” asks someone who turns out to be captain of the Burns Harbor, owned by the American Steamship Co.

“Upper is plus 24 inches, lower is plus 31 inches,” Albrough replies, reading from one of five screens. Translation: the water in Lake Superior today is 24 inches above its mean level, whereas the St. Mary’s River is 31 inches above. He watches as the mammoth bulk carrier ship slips from the Poe Lock into Lake Superior.

Few people ever think about locks. But the two U.S.-owned ones here, the MacArthur Lock and the Poe Lock, are linchpins of the Canadian and U.S. economies. More than 4,000 passages of lake vessels each year haul treasure — especially iron ore and wheat — through the Poe, the only lock large enough to fit the big lakers.

In other words, the Poe is the only link from Lake Superior to the lower Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean beyond, and it’s living on borrowed time. In two years, the Poe turns 50, and, with Congress reluctant to fund a new lock, concerns are growing about its reliability. The lock broke earlier this week, blowing an O ring on a hydraulic line that feeds the gate activator. Luckily, mechanics fixed it in 45 minutes.

It was not a moment too soon. The North American economy needs this lock. The iron ore that passes through here each year becomes more than US$500 billion worth of cars, trucks, fridges, bridges and other things made of steel. A bigger failure would spell catastrophe and it’s an increasing probability.


With freighter approaching, car crashes through Bay City bridge gate

7/31 - Bay City, Mich. Bay City, Mich. – After not making any deliveries along the Saginaw River in 2015, the tug Dorothy Ann and her barge, Pathfinder, have visited us a half dozen times this year. But her visit on Saturday, July 30, was greeted by a little bit of drama.

Before 11 a.m. Saturday, after the Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder made her way through Veterans Memorial Bridge, passing by Wenonah Park in downtown Bay City, a Liberty Bridge tender put down the bridge's gates to stop traffic before lifting the spans. A driver, however, who was heading onto the city's East Side, failed to see the gate and "went right through it," said Jan Bujarski, who was tending Liberty Bridge Saturday.

"It was closed and the next thing I know is that he drove right through it and was on the bridge grate," she said. "Then he got out of the car to check it out, so I had to run out and get him off the grate because we had a freighter coming."

Bujarski said she radioed to the freighter to slow down to ensure she had enough time to lift the bridge spans, which she ultimately did. She said the traffic gate is sagging, but still operates.

The Pathfinder is 606-feet in length, with a capacity of 21,260 tons, according to BoatNerd.com, which tracks Great Lakes vessel passages.

M Live

[yachtsmanwilly]

8/2 - Superior, Wis. – Fraser Shipyard is facing $1.4M in penalties after the US Dept. of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the company with 14 health violations, including exposing workers to lead, according to a news release from the federal agency.

Findings yielded 14 "willful egregious" health violations for each instance of overexposing a worker to lead.

OSHA also cited five additional willful violations for failing to conduct monitoring to assess employee exposure to lead, failing to implement a lead compliance program or a respiratory protection program for lead and for failing to provide training on lead and asbestos hazards.

In addition, the agency issued 10 serious violations to the company, and placed Fraser Shipyards in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program for failing to address safety and health hazards.

Interlake Steamship Company of Middleburg Heights, Ohio, contracted Fraser to modernize the Herbert C. Jackson under a $10 million contract. OSHA opened the February 2016 health inspection after receiving multiple complaints of unsafe working conditions.

The agency determined Fraser Shipyards’ management knew of the presence of lead and asbestos throughout the vessel. Built in 1959, the ship arrived at the shipyards in December 2015 for a six-month retrofit project. The contract required the company to meet specific deadlines to get the vessel back in service for the summer iron ore shipping season.

“Fraser ignored federal regulations, its own corporate safety manuals and worker concerns,” said Ken Atha, OSHA’s regional administrator in Chicago. “Such behavior is unacceptable. No worker should be put at risk from exposure to hazards that can cause permanent health issues to meet a contract deadline.”

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration halted all work aboard the vessel in March. In May, workers filed a lawsuit against the shipyard.

According to the lawsuit, James Holder was among dozens of workers who had started retrofitting work in January 2016, aboard the 57 year-old vessel, when they were exposed to toxic levels of lead. Tests determined the level of lead in Holder's blood was more than 7 times the level recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as being harmful.

According to OSHA's findings, workers were exposed to lead at levels up to 20 times the permissible exposure limit.

OSHA inspectors also found Fraser exposed workers to iron oxide, arsenic, hexavalent chromium, cadmium and lead hazards while performing torch-cutting and welding procedures because the company failed to provide adequate respiratory and personal protective equipment to limit their exposure to these harmful substances. Fraser also failed to conduct required medical evaluations and exposure monitoring for employees.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

OSHA cited the shipyards for exposing workers to asbestos hazards in 2000 and for multiple lead violations in 1993. Since 1972, the agency has inspected Fraser 28 times.

In a press release Monday, Fraser said they're making improvements to protect the safety of workers and contractors.

According to the release, their improvements include:
- Halting work as soon as they were alerted of high lead levels
- Engaging medical and industrial safety experts to advise the company and oversee health testing of workers
- Purchasing safety gear and equipment, including: protective suits, breathing equipment, air scrubbers, decontamination and changing trailers and cleaning supplies

Fraser has requested a settlement conference with OSHA. Northland News Center


8/2 - Sandusky, Ohio – This town on Lake Erie’s southern shore will host Festival of Sail Sandusky on Labor Day weekend. “Sandusky is really experiencing a renaissance,” said festival event producer Ryan Whaley, who is also opening a boutique hotel there.

“I live in Sandusky, and I’ve been witnessing the revitalization firsthand, with more restaurants and bars and shops and the (Sandusky State) Theatre,” Whaley said.

He hopes the festival will draw more attention — and end-of-summer visitors — to town. The featured attractions will be three memorable sailing ships, which will offer dockside tours or day trips.

El Galeon Andalucia is the only sailing full-scale replica of a 16th-century Spanish galleon, the type of ship used 450 years ago to explore the New World. The home port of the 170-foot, 495-ton ship is in Spain.

“It’s a floating museum,” Whaley said. “There are interactive exhibits on board, a lot of great history. And the chance of it being on the Great Lakes again soon is rare.”

Also on hand will be the Niagara, a replica of the brig used by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry to win the War of 1812 Battle of Lake Erie, and the When and If, a 63-foot schooner built in 1939 for U.S. Army Gen. George S. Patton.

The ships will be docked at the Jackson Street Pier. The Niagara will offer tours. Visitors can take a lake cruise on the When and If.

Whaley said that a fourth tall ship, to be announced later, probably will join the lineup. The festival also will include live music and food on the waterfront. Sandusky’s downtown restaurants, shops and attractions will welcome festival visitors, too.

“Sandusky is an amazing vacation spot, with access to Cedar Point and the Lake Erie Islands,” Whaley said. “It’s an exciting place to be right now.”

Especially when the big sailing ships come to call.

A multi-day pass for festival admission and touring the Niagara and the El Galeon Andalucia costs $20 in advance. Tickets that include a day-sail aboard the When and If are available at an additional charge. For information, call 1-877-435-9849 or visit festivalofsailsandusky.com.

Columbus Dispatch


On August 2, 1991, Paterson's 1961-built lake bulk carrier CANADOC, which had been in lay-up in Montreal since April 6, 1990, and sold for scrapping, cleared the port in tow of the Netherlands Antilles tug DALMAR SPIRIT, bound for Mamonal, Columbia, arriving there on August 26, 1991.

On this day in 1880, the new Goodrich propeller CITY OF LUDINGTON was launched at Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The CITY OF LUDINGTON was 170 feet loa x 35 feet x 11 feet, had 44 staterooms and a salon. She was built at a cost of $90,000. The CITY OF LUDINGTON was partially dismantled at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin in 1930-1931, and the hull was towed to Big Summer Island, Lake Michigan in 1933, for use as a breakwall.

On the morning of 02 August 1869, Deputy U. S. Marshall Insley sold at auction the scow AGNES HEAD to pay for debts incurred when she was repaired that spring by Mr. Muir and Mr. Stewart. Bidding started at $500 and ran very lively. Mr. John Stewart of Detroit purchased the vessel for $1,050. The AMERICAN MARINER (Hull#723) was launched on August 2, 1979, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin by Bay Shipbuilding Co. for the Connecticut Bank & Trust Co., (American Steamship Co., Buffalo, New York, mgr.). She was to be named CHICAGO, but that name was removed before launch.

The U.S. Coast Guard's report on the sinking of the EDMUND FITZGERALD was released on August 2, 1977. It cited faulty hatch covers, lack of watertight cargo hold bulkheads and damage caused from an undetermined source as the cause of her loss.

The BENSON FORD's maiden voyage was on August 2, 1924, with coal from Toledo, Ohio to Duluth, Minnesota and returned with iron ore to the Ford Rouge Plant at Dearborn.

On August 2, 1990, the Lightship HURON was dedicated as a National Historic Landmark. LIGHTSHIP 103 had been almost completely restored and was opened to the public in 1974, for tours and remains so at this time.

August 2, 1862 - John C. Ackerman was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin. At the time of his death in 1916, he was commodore of the Pere Marquette carferry fleet based in Ludington.

On 2 August 1877, GRACE A CHANNON (wooden schooner, 141 foot, 266 gross tons, built in 1873, at East Saginaw, Michigan) was bound from Chicago for Buffalo when she collided with the propeller tug FAVORITE and sank 12 miles south of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The young son of the owner of the CHANNON lost his life in this accident.

In 1858, the wooden side-wheeler TELEGRAPH collided with the schooner MARQUETTE and sank 40 miles north of Cleveland.

1909 – GLENELLAH of Inland Navigation struck the east breakwall at Port Colborne, damaging both the ship and the structure. The vessel joined Canada Steamship Lines in 1913 becoming b) CALGARIAN (ii) in 1926. It was broken up at Hamilton in 1960.

1915 – KENORA went aground off Flat Point, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, enroute from Montreal to Sydney. The C.S.L. canal ship was operating on saltwater due to the demands of World War One and was soon refloated.

1931 – The RAPIDS KING took out the gates of Lock 2 of the St. Lawrence Canal at Montreal and SASKATOON was one of 7 ships left on the bottom of the channel.

1967 – The West German freighter JOHANN SCHULTE and the new Canadian self-unloader CANADIAN CENTURY brushed each other in the Welland Canal near Thorold. The former hit the bank and was holed but made it to the tie-up wall before settling on the bottom. The ship was travelling from Duluth-Superior to Poland with wheat. The 4-year old vessel was refloated August 5 and went to Port Weller Dry Docks for repairs. It was scrapped in China as d) SINGAPORE CAR in 1984-1985.

[yachtsmanwilly]

8/3 - Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – Roger Blough was removed from the graving dock at Bay Shipbuilding Tuesday afternoon and was tied up on berth 15. She is due to load at Two Harbors, Minn., on Aug. 8. The Blough was damaged in a grounding on Gros Cap Reef May 27.


IN THE MAIN VEIN OF THE HEART OF THE DARK CONTINENT...


U.S. Steel South Works site back on the market

8/3 - Chicago, Ill. – Looking for some beachfront property close to the Loop? South Works, a massive, long-vacant U.S. Steel site along Lake Michigan, is back on the market.

U.S. Steel, which abandoned redevelopment plans for the 430-acre site earlier this year, is offering it up to potential buyers as a "clean slate," perfect for everything from industrial use to a vacation resort, according to Cushman & Wakefield, the firm newly hired to sell the property.

"This is a complete fresh start for the property," said Larry Goldwasser, senior director of industrial and development services in the brokerage firm's Chicago office.

The sprawling South Side site, between 79th and 91st streets, housed a U.S. Steel plant until 1992. After scraping it clean of buildings and its industrial remnants, U.S. Steel partnered with McCaffery Interests more than a decade ago with plans for an ambitious residential and commercial redevelopment.

Solo Cup flirted with relocating its factory there 10 years ago, and the city offered tax-increment financing for multiuse projects, but redevelopment never got off the ground, and the partnership with McCaffery was dissolved earlier this year.

The Pittsburgh-based steelmaker forged ahead with plans to sell the property outright two weeks ago.

Renamed 8080 Lakeshore, the property touts proximity to downtown Chicago and more than 3 acres of "pristine" Lake Michigan shoreline among its amenities. The construction of a new four-lane extension of Lake Shore Drive, completed in 2013, runs through the site, providing 2 miles of highway frontage.

Early response has been strong, according to Goldwasser. "We have people looking at industrial, retail and residential, and we have people talking about building vacation communities there," Goldwasser said. "We have people talking about building research parks."

Goldwasser said local, national and international investors and developers have expressed interest in the property.

The sales brochure breaks the site into four parcels, but Goldwasser said that's only one option and the whole site can be had — for an undisclosed price.

"We don't really have a preference," he said. "It's whatever makes the most sense for U.S. Steel, once we get the offers in."

Chicago Tribune



On this day in 1960, EDWARD L. RYERSON, new flagship of the Inland Steel fleet, successfully completed her sea trials.

Under tow, the AVONDALE, a.) ADAM E. CORNELIUS of 1908, in tandem with former fleet mate FERNDALE. a.) LOUIS R. DAVIDSON of 1912, arrived at Castellon, Spain for scrapping in 1979.

CANADOC left the St. Lawrence River on August 3, 1991, in tow bound for Mamonal, Colombia, for scrapping.

August 3, 1946 - The third officer of the ANN ARBOR NO 6, drowned while painting her draft marks. He had apparently leaned too far and fell out of the rowboat.

On 3 August 1900, FONTANA (wooden 2-mast schooner-barge, 231 foot, 1,164 gross tons, built in 1888, at St Clair, Michigan as a 4-mast schooner-barge) was carrying iron ore in tow of the steamer KALIYUGA. The FONTANA sheared off and collided with the big schooner-barge SANTIAGO and settled in the mouth of St. Clair River in the St. Clair Flats, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. After salvage was given up months later, she was dynamited several times to flatten and reduce her wreckage. Although officially no loss of life was reported, local newspaper reported that one crewman was drowned. The FONTANA was owned by Cleveland Cliffs Iron Co.

On 3 Aug 1857, R.H. RAE (3-mast wooden bark, 136 foot, 344 tons, built in 1857, at St. Catharines, Ontario) capsized and sank in a "white squall" off Duck's Creek on Lake Ontario. She went down slowly enough for her people to abandon in her small boat. They were later picked up by the propeller COLONIST. There was a big effort to salvage her the next summer, but to no avail. She was a total loss of $20,000. She was reportedly built for the trans-Atlantic trade and looked more like a seagoing schooner. Some sources give the date of the loss as 4 August 1857. The wreck is in very good condition. The Cousteau organization lost a diver on her in 1980.

On 3 August 1915, ALEXANDRIA (wooden sidewheel passenger/package freight, 174 foot 863 gross tons, built in 1866, at Hull, Quebec, formerly a.) CONSORT, was carrying foodstuffs in Lake Ontario when she was blown on a bar in a storm and fog. She broke up by wave action under the Scarborough Bluffs, east of Toronto. Lifesavers worked for hours and rescued the entire crew. GARDEN CITY was caught in the same storm as ALEXANDRIA. This ship sustained smashed windows and a hole in the hull but was able to reach safety.

1920 – The wooden steamer MAPLEGROVE sank in the Welland Canal. The vessel was salvaged and sold for further service as JED. It had been built at Marine City in 1889 as CHEROKEE.

1927 – The bulk canaller CASCO of the Lakes & St. Lawrence Transportation Co. went aground at Pipe Island in the lower St. Marys River and required lightering before floating free and proceeding for repairs.

1962 – MEDINA PRINCESS, a former “Empire ship,” first came to the Great Lakes under British registry in 1959. It made 5 trips through the Seaway but went aground on a reef near Djibouti while enroute from Bremen, Germany, to China. The hull was refloated August 31 but was laid up at Djibouti. It remained idle until breaking loose and going aground on September 4, 1964. The hull was a total loss and, at last report, the wreck was partially submerged.

1978 – The French freighter JEAN L.D. made 37 trips to the Great Lakes from 1959 to 1967. It was sailing as c) CAVO STARAS when the engine room become flooded during a voyage from Port Harcourt, Nigeria, to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the overnight hours of August 3-4, 1978. The vessel was towed to Dakar, Sierra Leone, on August 14 and sold to Spanish shipbreakers, via auction, on May 8, 1979. It arrived at Barcelona, under tow, on June 18, 1978, and scrapping began July 5 of that year.

2010 – SIDSEL KNUTSEN lost power due to a fire in the engine room and went aground off St. Clair, Mich. It remained stuck until August 9 and was then refloated and cleared to proceed to Montreal. It was operating in Canadian service at the time under a special waiver.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Coast Guard to enforce safety zones for Tall Ships Festival in Door County

8/4 - Green Bay, Wis. – The Port of Green Bay will hold its Tall Ships Festival from Friday through Sunday.

The U.S. Coast Guard has established and will enforce a safety zone around each tall ship participating in the festival while navigating in the Great Lakes.

Due to the limited maneuverability of the tall ships and to ensure safe steerage, all spectators and commercial vessels are required to maintain a distance of 300 feet from the ships at all times. The safety zone is in effect whether vessels are transiting, anchored or moored. The vessels will be arriving in Green Bay for the festival on Thursday.

Additionally, on Wednesday, from approximately 4-6:30 p.m., the tall ships will participate in the Parade of Sail in Sturgeon Bay. The parade route starts in the vicinity of the Sturgeon Bay Canal Station, and from there they head inbound to the City of Sturgeon Bay to their mooring.

Crossing the parade is prohibited. If in doubt, please contact the Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan command center on VHF channel 16. Official vessels assisting with the parade may be seen within the zone and will be identified with yellow flags.

Boaters shall adhere to all posted no wake zone boundaries, especially within the Sturgeon Bay Canal. Be mindful of the long bowsprits on the front of the large sailing vessels.

All recreational and pleasure boats must carry one wearable life jacket for each person aboard and children under the age of 13 are required to wear a properly fitting life jacket at all times while onboard a boat. However, the Coast Guard highly encourages all boaters regardless of age or experience to wear a lifejacket at all times.

USCG


OPP rescue 12 after pleasure boat begins sinking on Lake Erie

8/4 - Kingsville, Ont. – Police say the newest vessel in the provincial police fleet was called in to rescue a dozen people on Lake Erie during the long weekend.

OPP say the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre got a distress call from the occupants of a jet boat on Saturday night near Cedar Beach at Kingsville, Ont. The vessel, occupied by 12 people, was returning from a bay between two weather systems, when they reportedly had mechanical issues and began to take on water. The OPP vessel Chris D. Lewis located the pleasure craft just prior to it sinking, took all 12 people aboard and towed the jet boat to the Canadian Coast Guard base in Amherstburg, Ont.

Police say those who were rescued were cold and wet but uninjured.

Canadian Press



On this day in 1896, the whaleback COLGATE HOYT became the first boat to transport a load of iron ore through the new Poe lock. The man at the wheel of the HOYT, Thomas Small, was also at the wheel of the PHILIP R. CLARKE when the second Poe lock was opened to traffic 73 years later.

On this day in 1910, a mutiny occurred aboard the Pittsburgh steamer DOUGLAS HOUGHTON when a deckhand was confined for peeping into the cabin window of 5 female passengers (relatives of officers of the United States Steel Corporation). It required one hour for Captain John Parke, loaded revolver in hand, to quell the mutiny, confine the ringleaders, and clear away the broken furniture.

On the clear, almost perfect night of 4 August 1902, the SEGUIN (steel propeller freighter, 207 foot, 818 gross tons, built in 1890, at Owen Sound, Ontario) collided with the CITY OF VENICE (wooden propeller freighter, 301 foot, 2,108 gross tons, built in 1892, at W. Bay City, Michigan) abreast of Rondeau, Ontario on Lake Erie. The CITY OF VENICE, which was loaded with iron ore, sank and three of her crew were drowned. The U. S. Marshall impounded the SEGUIN for damages

Two favorites of many boatwatchers entered service on August 4 – WILLIAM CLAY FORD on August 4, 1953, and EDWARD L. RYERSON on August 4, 1960.

Paterson’s ONTADOC, built in 1975, sailed to the Netherlands with a load of bentonite from Chicago on August 4, 1979. Renamed b.) MELISSA DESGAGNES in 1990.

The E. J. BLOCK was laid up for the last time at Indiana Harbor, Indiana on August 4, 1984. The E. J. BLOCK was sold for scrap in late May 1987.

The D.M. CLEMSON left Superior on August 4, 1980, in tow of Malcolm Marine's TUG MALCOLM for Thunder Bay, Ont., where she was dismantled.

HOCHELAGA (Hull#144) was launched August 4, 1949, at Collingwood, Ontario by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., for Canada Steamship Lines Ltd., Montreal, Quebec.

On a foggy August 4, 1977, POINTE NOIRE went hard aground near the entrance to the Rock Cut in the St. Marys River and blocked the channel. After her grain cargo was lightered by Columbia Transportation's crane steamer BUCKEYE, POINTE NOIRE was released on August 6. She was reloaded in Hay Lake and continued her downbound trip. Repairs to her bottom damage were completed at Thunder Bay. Ontario.

August 4, 1935 - The only time the ANN ARBOR NO 7 had the full limit of passengers when she ran an excursion from Frankfort, Michigan around Manitou Island and back with 375 passengers on board.

LYCOMING (wooden propeller, 251 foot, 1,610 gross tons) was launched on 4 August 1880, at West Bay City, Michigan by F. W. Wheeler (Hull #7) as a 2-deck package freighter. She was rebuilt as a single deck bulk freighter after she burned in 1905. She was one of the few bulk freighters that still carried her arched hog-braces visible above deck.

HIRAM W. SIBLEY (wooden propeller freighter, 221 foot, 1,419 gross tons) was launched at East Saginaw, Michigan on 4 August 1890. She only lasted eight years. While carrying 70,000 bushels of corn from Chicago for Detroit, she stranded on the northwest corner of South Manitou Island in Lake Michigan during blizzard on 26 November 1898. The tugs PROTECTOR and SWEEPSTAKES were dispatched for assistance but the SIBLEY re-floated herself during high water the following night, then was stranded on the southwest side of North Fox Island to prevent sinking. She broke in half; then completely broke up during a gale on 7 December 1898.

1985 – REGENT TAMPOPO, enroute from Japan to the Great Lakes with steel, was heavily damaged in the Pacific after a collision with the MING UNIVERSE. The vessel, which first came through the Seaway in 1982, was towed to Los Angeles but declared a total loss. It recrossed the Pacific under tow in 1986 and arrived at Hong Kong for scrapping on October 26, 1986.


Yesterday, one of the Tall Ship sortie layed on the wall overnight in Manitowoc. DIL Robin and I got down to see it at 0730 before its 0900 departure for Sturgeon Bay (see above story). If you've been following my posts here (I know everyone jumps outa bed to read this stuff LOL) youll remember that this Viking longboat sailed from Norway only to find itself stuck due to finances and unable to pay for a Great Lakes Pilot,(a Jones Act requirement)like $10,000. The local Sons of Norway stepped up and paid the fees so the ship was able as of yesterday to join the consort on its' way to Green bay. ws

[Avenger]

I wondered what that thing looked like. Thanks for the pics.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Pretty strange that all the deck plates come up and reveal about a 2 foot deep locker for stowage (ships and personnel) and all hands sleep on deck in hammocks under the red canvas. Those get rolled up for running and the only permanent one is for the galley. I don't think theres much below (maybe more stores?) All the hardware is authentic (cast iron) since that was used before the bronze age. You could really smell the tar and oil on the rigging etc when basking in the morning sun. ws