Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

Norwegian Viking ship won't make it to Tall Ships Duluth

8/5 - Duluth, Minn. – It appears the saga of a Norwegian Viking ship's visit to the Great Lakes this summer will end without a stop in Duluth.

A statement posted Thursday on the website of the Draken Harald Hårfagre — which has found itself in ongoing turmoil over the cost of pilots required by U.S. law for foreign ships of its size on the Great Lakes — said it will go no farther than a tall ships festival this weekend in Green Bay.

The replica Viking vessel had been slated to be a part of Tall Ships Duluth, to be held Aug.18-21 — but that meant an additional 800 miles of travel, and pilotage costs, beyond Green Bay.

"We are very sad not to sail all the way to Duluth; it is one of the stops where the Scandinavian communities (have) been the strongest and most involved with promoting and engaging in our ship from the very beginning, and it is a disappointment not to be able to sail all the way," the statement read.

Draken Harald Hårfagre representatives said they consulted with the Superior-based Western Great Lakes Pilots Association, and found that the estimated pilotage costs for the entire trip would be about $250,000 — a big drop from the initial estimate that was in excess of $400,000.

But "even with this significant reduction in cost, we have not been able to raise enough funds to complete our entire expedition," they said.

All the money raised so far — including through a fundraising campaign by the Sons of Norway — will go toward costs already incurred, the ship's statement reported.

"Draken Harald Hårfagre and Sons of Norway deeply appreciate the strong outpouring of support and contributions that put wind in the Draken's sails for several ports and would like to thank all donors who invested in the Draken's journey," the statement read.

After this weekend's event in Green Bay, the ship will set a course to exit the Great Lakes.

"We have had the most amazing time sailing this expedition, meeting all the people and visiting all these places," Draken Harald Hårfagre Capt. Björn Ahlander said in a news release.

Pilotage law has been in place on the Great Lakes since 1960, and requires that foreign vessels welcome aboard local pilots to help guide ships and non-recreational sailing vessels through unfamiliar waters.

Representatives of the Draken Harald Hårfagre have said that before the ship left Norway, its operators worked to understand both American and Canadian rules regulating the Great Lakes — even flying to Canada before the expedition to gain further understanding.

They said they thought they would be exempt from the rules — and the pilotage fees. But something changed after the ship entered the St. Lawrence Seaway and the boat was told to take on a pilot somewhere between Quebec City and Toronto.

Tall Ships Duluth executive producer Craig Samborski said organizers are disappointed that the Draken Harald Hårfagre won't be attending the festival in Duluth.

"Our team at Tall Ships Duluth and the Duluth community did everything in our power to assist the ship in coming to Duluth, but the circumstances leading to the ship's decision were out of our control," Samborski said in a statement.

Although the Draken Harald Hårfagre was "an important part of the event," Samborski said Tall Ships Duluth attendees still will be able to see other attractions including the El Galeon Andalucia from Spain, a replica of the massive 16th- and 17th-century ships that were designed to explore trade routes around the world; the World's Largest Rubber Duck; Gen. George S. Patton's private schooner, the When and If; US Brig Niagara; Pride of Baltimore II; Appledore V; the Denis Sullivan; and the Mist of Avalon, in addition to art vendors, entertainment, food and craft beer.

Duluth News Tribune


Research vessel Chinook will become a museum

8/5 - Alpena, Mich. – The research vessel Chinook, first commissioned in 1947, made its last voyage on Wednesday afternoon before its eventual conversion into an exhibit for the Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan.

The 50-foot Chinook left the Alpena Fisheries Research Station on Wednesday and spent a day on Thunder Bay, the Alpena News reported. Its new home will be the Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan alongside the fishing vessel Katerine V.

Designed and built by Marinette Marine in Wisconsin, the Chinook evolved along with its role for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. From 1947 to 1968, it was an enforcement vessel monitoring commercial fishing. In 1968, it was converted into a research vessel.

Wednesday was an opportunity for the Chinook Committee of the Besser Museum, DNR researchers and guests to be a part of the historic moment and see her cruise one last time.

"It's sort of a catharsis for those of us who worked wit her for so long, to just go out one more time and just listen to her go at cruise speed and get the feel of her again. And for the committee, who had never been on board, this helps the committee as we develop interpretive displays, because now they actually have been aboard and seen how the systems work, they've seen the gill netter, they've seen the trolling system, they know how to boat worked and that will help them as we work together to develop a display," Chinook Committee Board Member Jim Johnson said.

She'll be pulled out of the water in about two weeks time, and will be stationed in the Besser Museum parking lot until monies are raised for an exhibit to be built. Both the Besser Museum and the DNR didn't want to see the Chinook scrapped because she has a great story to tell.

The Chinook's replacement, the Alpena-based R/V Tanner, began operating earlier this year.

WBKB, The Alpena News


8/5 - Port Clinton, Ohio – A restored 120-year-old lighthouse will float down the Portage River to its final destination along the Lake Erie waterfront Aug. 16, completing a years-long volunteer effort to refurbish the structure and relocate it along the lake.

The Port Clinton Lighthouse Conservancy began work to restore the lighthouse in 2011. It will be lifted onto a barge at Brand’s Marina and float down the river to a spot along the east pier. Then, it will be moved to a prepared place along the lakeshore east of Water Works Park.

Organizers expect the lighthouse to be on its river journey by about 10 a.m.

Toledo Blade


26th Annual Classic & Wooden Boat Fest Aug. 12-13 in Sturgeon Bay

8/5 - Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – The Door County Classic & Wooden Boat Festival marks its 26th year with a new look. There will still be plenty of classic vessels and the Sikaflex Challenge boat building competition, but new this year is an art exhibition, “ArtMart,” featuring some of the county’s most accomplished artists.

This year’s event is Friday and Saturday, Aug. 12-13, coinciding with the West Side Business Association and Sturgeon Bay Visitors Center’s Maritime on Madison event. While Maritime on Madison is a one-day event on Saturday, the Boat Festival gets underway Friday evening at 4 p.m. with the building portion of the Sikaflex Challenge.

As in the past, there will be an assortment of watercraft in and out of the water, some dating as far back as the 19th century. In-water boats will be located both in front of the museum as well as along the Harbor Club Marina dock located north of the Michigan Street Bridge. The number of in-water runabouts is expected to increase this year and will share the spotlight with sailboats, kayaks and canoes. Awards will be presented based on people’s choice voting.

The not-so-aesthetically pleasing, but still oh-so fun and colorful Sikaflex vessels always draw a crowd, especially on Saturday when the final decorating work will be completed before they hit the water for the sea trials at 3 p.m. The Sikaflex Challenge involves two-person teams required to build a boat with limited materials and just four hours to do it Friday night in order to garner points which carry over into Saturday’s in-water race. There is voting Saturday for a People’s Choice award and a coveted spot on the Palmer Johnson Trophy.

Meanwhile, “ArtMart” artwork will be located under the big tent on the water side of the museum. Some artists will also be working on plein air pieces around the grounds. Half the proceeds from the sale of the art will benefit the Door County Maritime Museum.

The United States Coast Guard will be well represented, highlighted by tours of the 41-foot utility boat that rests in front of the museum. Adjacent to the boat, children’s activities will be offered by the Coast Guard Auxiliary. There will also the unusual and one of the few remaining “Amphicars” in the United States on display. Demonstrations will take place during the day Saturday. People will have the opportunity to browse the Boathouse Sale, featuring gently used maritime gadgets, printed materials and items of all kinds. Other highlights include demonstrations of a Kahlenberg engine, made famous by its use on commercial fishing tugs. The tug John Purves, the museum’s historic floating vessels, will be open for deck tours Saturday for a nominal fee.

Special boat excursions will be offered Saturday with the Chicago Fireboat making its schedule tours of the bay as well as the arrival of Door County’s Tall Ship, the Edith M. Becker, a 60-foot sailing schooner from Sister Bay. Each will be offering three tours, capped by an evening sunset tour. Visit www.ridethefireboat.com or www.saildoorcounty.com for more information on the tours.

Boat registrations are taken up to Saturday morning at 9 a.m. Call the museum at (920)-743-5958 for more information or visit www.dcmm.org to register a boat.

Door County Maritime Museum



On 05 August 1958, the tug GARY D (steel propeller tug, 18 tons) was destroyed by an explosion and fire near Strawberry Island Light on Lake Huron.

The RICHARD M. MARSHALL, later b.) JOSEPH S. WOOD, c.) JOHN DYKSTRA, d.) BENSON FORD, and finally e.) US265808, entered service on August 5, 1953. From 1966, until it was retired at the end of 1984, this vessel and the WILLIAM CLAY FORD were fleet mates. There is only one other instance of two boats being owned by the same company at some point in their careers with as close or closer age difference. The CHARLES M. BEEGHLY (originally SHENANGO II) and the HERBERT C. JACKSON.

The aft section of the BELLE RIVER (Hull#716), was float launched August 5, 1976. She was American Steamship's first thousand-footer and the first thousand-footer built at Bay Shipbuilding Co. She was renamed b.) WALTER J. MC CARTHY in 1990.

The G.A. TOMLINSON, a.) D.O. MILLS of 1907, was sold outright to Columbia Transportation Div. (Oglebay Norton Co.), on August 5, 1971, along with the last two Tomlinson vessels, the SYLVANIA and the JAMES DAVIDSON.

On 5 August 1850, ST. CLAIR (sidewheel steamer, passenger & package freight, 140 foot 210 tons, built in 1843, at Detroit, Michigan) was reported as lost with no details given whatsoever. The report of her loss was published 3 days BEFORE she was enrolled at Detroit by J. Watkin.

The motor vessel BEAVER ISLANDER completed her maiden voyage to Charlevoix in 1962. At the time, she was the largest, fastest, and most advanced ship built for the run. She served as the flagship for 37 years, a record, until the EMERALD ISLE arrived in 1997.

August 5, 1907 - A female passenger dived off the deck of the PERE MARQUETTE 18 of 1902, on a dare. Two of the 18's officers leapt over to rescue her. One of the officers nearly drowned and was rescued by the passenger.

On 5 August 1866, AUTOCRAT (2-mast, wooden schooner, 345 tons, built in 1854, at Caltaraugus, New York) was carrying 15,000 bushels of corn and was lying off Chicago, waiting for a storm to die down. Just before dawn, the schooner J S NEWHOUSE was also seeking shelter when she ran into AUTOCRAT, sinking her in 7 fathoms of water. The crew was rescued by the tug UNION.

On 5 August 1869, LAURA E. CALVIN (3-mast wooden schooner, 130 foot, 216 tons, built in 1863, at Garden Island, Ontario as a bark) sprang a leak during a storm and foundered 10 miles off Braddock's Point on Lake Ontario. No lives were lost.

1954 – A sudden blanket of fog descended on a section of the St. Lawrence near Waddington, N.Y., resulting in the two ships SELKIRK and DUNDEE losing their way and going aground. The former, a C.S.L. package freighter, was turned part way around by the current and was stuck until September 2. The latter was a British ship and was also spun by the current. The proximity of the rapids made salvage a challenge. The newly-built DUNDEE continued Great Lakes visits to the end of 1962. It foundered in the Mediterranean as g) VLYHO on September 15, 1978, following an engine room explosion.

1955 – FALCO, a pre-Seaway trader, hit a bridge at Montreal. The vessel later visited the Great Lakes as c) LABRADOR and was scrapped at Piraeus, Greece, as f) BONANZA in 1978

1972 – MANCHESTER VENTURE was built in 1956 and was a regular Great Lakes trader from 1956 to 1961. An explosion in the cargo hold as c) BAT TIRAN on this date in 1972 resulted in a major fire. The damaged hull was refloated in September and scrapped in Turkey in 1973.

1980 – The Liberian freighter BERTIE MICHAELS had been a Seaway trader in 1971 and had returned as the Greek flag c) DIMITRIS A. in 1976. It departed Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on August 4, 1980, for Belize City and reported her position on August 5. The vessel was never heard from again and was believed to have been a victim of Hurricane Allen that was in the area at the time. All 27 on board were lost.

1994 – The recently completed French freighter PENHIR began Great Lakes trading in 1971 and returned as b) MENHIR under Liberian registry in 1979. It arrived off Tolognaro, Madagascar, on this date in 1994 with hull cracks as d) WELLBORN and abandoned as a total loss.

[yachtsmanwilly]

8/8 - Washington Island, Wis. – Decades before the Washington Island Ferry Line served as a floating highway to the Door County mainland, islanders relied on the Anderson family to provide that life ring for fetching day-to-day supplies.

But before that fact might be forgotten to history, retired island retailer Jim Anderson sat down and penned "Memories of the American Girl," a fondly recollected, anecdotal account of his family's roughly 75 years in the cargo freighting trade, starting around the birth of the 20th century.

"I started (writing the book) some years ago, thought things out and wrote them down longhand on a legal pad," Anderson said. "I would shelve it for a while, but then after I retired and the other (family members in the business) were gone, I realized I was the last one standing to tell this story."

It was another island ferrying veteran, Dick Purinton, who helped pull the collection of snippets into a richly illustrated, 87-page book. Purinton, the semi-retired president of the Washington Island Ferry Line, is also a freelance writer who runs Island Bayou Press.

The American Girl was the third of four vessels in the family fleet over the years, a 65-foot, steel-hulled lady often twinned with the trailing, fuel-carrying barge Oil Queen. Jim Anderson worked aboard American Girl from 1955, when he was 12 years old, to 1971, interrupted by a five-year hitch in the U.S. Air Force in 1962-67.

The book concentrates on those formative years, though Anderson shares tales from before and after for context. It recalls a bygone era when kids could bring their guns to school and go hunting for physical education class.

The stories are by turn gripping with potential danger, insightful as to how a shipping business operates from the inside and, most of all, warm with nostalgia about Anderson's late crewmates: grandfather John Anderson, father and captain Cecil and uncle Jackie.

"I really wanted to do this for my dad; I really admired him and my uncle and grandpa," Anderson said. "This was really hard work they did."

Purinton correctly describes in the introduction how a reader can't help but feel "sympathetic exhaustion" for the Andersons.

Their labors kept them away from home as much as a long-haul trucker, laying over in other ports four or five times a week. Sturgeon Bay might be only 90 minutes away by ferry and car today, but it was a four-hour sail from the Island.

A trip to Green Bay, the other most common destination, took nine hours. Many of the return voyages took place with running lights at night, after a day of loading and unloading in Sturgeon Bay or Green Bay.

The crew not at the wheel would futilely try to catch some shuteye while being tossed by waves on Lake Michigan, Sturgeon Bay or Death's Door. There was no rest for the weary after hours of hauling off as much as four or five tons of cement, potatoes or other cargo, work that didn't get much easier after a conveyor and winch were introduced. As well as bringing needed supplies back, the American Girl also helped haul goods to market for farmers and other Island businesses.

Other captains besides Cecil Anderson worked the island semi-regularly. But Jim Anderson said his family's was the go-to boat for grocery stores and, in particular, diesel fuel to power the Washington Island Electrical Cooperative.

"We were the only ones running a predictable, regular, full-time schedule all the way to Sturgeon Bay and Green Bay," Anderson said. "There wasn't a lumber yard here then or hardware stores, so everything had to come by boat."

But highway improvements to the tip of the peninsula – coupled with the Ferry Line's ability to carry loaded trailers from semis over the passage – eventually gave it the competitive edge in the cargo competition.

Also, the WIFL, founded in 1940, carried passengers to and from the mainland. This was something the Andersons tried to avoid and, after an unsettling episode that will startle readers, they made no more exceptions to the policy.

Jim Anderson could see the writing on the wall that the old methods of freighting were growing obsolete. That is why he said he had no interest in following the footsteps of his father, who retired in 1974.

"It was apparent this way of transport was going into the past," he said. "The ferry had made progress with its (multiple) bigger boats, and there was just progress in general. We could fit in just two grocery runs (to Green Bay) per week, and that would never fly nowadays."

Plus, the island electric company eventually modernized with an underground cable from the mainland, ending the need for diesel resupply runs.

But in its heyday, American Girl stacked everything imaginable into its holds. In addition to items already mentioned, the venerable boat carried propane tanks; coal for home furnaces; locally caught herring to the Upper Peninsula (and fish-packing boxes for the Islanders on the return trip); perishable meat, fruits and vegetables; and empty beer and soda bottles for deposit in the days before glass recycling.

"Believe me, they drank a lot of beer on the island," Anderson said with a laugh.

The perils of the sea come across vividly: Yarns about running aground and getting attacked by swells while stranded. Riding rollercoasters of waves reminiscent of the movie "The Perfect Storm" and not wanting to risk a possibly fatal U-turn. Struggling home caked with ice, while already weighed down and riding low with cargo.

"Uncle Jackie" was Captain Cecil's only surviving brother, after two others were lost to sailing tragedies before Jim was born. Jim himself almost got killed or seriously injured in a near-accident dockside.

"There were nights we would leave and see the weather on the TV in the galley and just know we were going to get our butts kicked," Jim said. "My dad taught me to tie knots with my eyes closed, because in a snowstorm or rainstorm (emergency) I wasn't going to have the luxury of being able to see."

The skill was invaluable on the rare occasions when a barge or tug being towed broke free in bad weather. Jim had to lash a lifeline to Uncle Jackie, so the latter could leap aboard the drifting vessel and reattach it.

But other memories bring smiles to Anderson's face.

Bull sessions with his relatives in the galley. Fresh smelt dinners, a gift from shore fishermen when the tiny fish were running in Menominee. Looking forward to the nightlife – such as it was for a teenager – during overnights in Green Bay.

The book begins with a flashback to Anderson watching the boat leave the Island for the last time in 1971, sold to a new owner in Beaver Island, Mich. It ends with news that the "Girl" is still working as a freighter as it nears 100 years old.

After years of persistent hints to the new owner around Easter and Christmas, Anderson finally acquired the vessel's metal steering wheel as a gift after it was replaced. He later obtained the original nameboard as well.

"I would think, 'Please don't make a coffee table or something out of that wheel,'" Anderson said. "The wheel came back with the spokes rubbed down, of course, but it's special. I put my hands on those spokes knowing it's my father who wore them down."

Green Bay Press Gazette


Roger Blough departed Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., at 9:10 p.m. Saturday after repairs from her May grounding were completed. She is headed for Duluth to load.

August 8, 1991 - The excursion ferry AMERICANA has been sold and passed down the Welland Canal bound for the Caribbean with registry in Panama. She was the former East Coast ferry BLOCK ISLAND that arrived in Buffalo just three years ago.

On 08 August 1878, the Buffalo (wooden propeller package freighter, 258 foot, 1,762 gross tons) was launched at the yard of Thomas Quayle & Sons in Cleveland, Ohio for the Western Transportation Company. Her engine was a double Berry & Laig compound engine constructed by the Globe Iron Works in Buffalo, New York. She lasted until 1911, when she was abandoned at Marine City, Michigan.

The JAMES R. BARKER became the longest vessel on the Great Lakes when it entered service on August 8, 1976. It held at least a tie for this honor until the WILLIAM J. DELANCEY entered service on May 10, 1981. The BARKER's deckhouse had been built at AmShip's Chicago yard and was transported in sections to Lorain on the deck of the steamer GEORGE D. GOBLE.

The BUFFALO was christened August 8, 1978, for the Connecticut Bank & Trust Co. (American Steamship Co., mgr.)

The E.B. BARBER along with the motor vessel SAGINAW BAY, a.) FRANK H. GOODYEAR of 1917, arrived August 8, 1985, under tow in Vigo, Spain. Demolition began on August 9, 1985, by Miguel Martins Periera at Guixar-Vigo.

The Soo River Company was forced into receivership on August 8, 1982.

On 8 August 1887, CITY OF ASHLAND (wooden sidewheel tug, 90 feet long 85 gross tons, built in 1883, at Ashland, Wisconsin) was towing a log raft near Washburn, Wisconsin in Lake Superior. Fire broke out near the boilers and quickly cut off the crew from the lifeboat. They jumped overboard and all but 1 or 2 were picked up by local tugs. The burned hull sank soon afterward.

The wooden tug J E EAGLE was destroyed by fire at about 4:00 p.m. on 8 August 1869, while towing a raft of logs on Saginaw Bay to Bay City. Her loss was valued at $10,000, but she was insured for only $7,000.

August 8, 1981 - The Ann Arbor carferry VIKING took part in a ceremony christening a body of water between Manitowoc and Two Rivers as "Maritime Bay".

August 8, 1999 - The KAYE E. BARKER delivered the last shipment of limestone for Dow Chemical, Ludington. The plant later closed its lime plant and began lime deliveries by rail.

On 8 August 1813, the U. S. Navy schooner HAMILTON (wooden 10-gun schooner, 112 foot, 76 tons, built in 1809, at Oswego, New York as a.) DIANA, was lying at anchor off the mouth of the Niagara River on Lake Ontario with her armed fleet-mate SCOURGE awaiting dawn when they planned to attack the British fleet. However, a quick rising storm swamped and sank both vessels. Since they were both built as commercial vessels, it has been suggested that their cannons may have made them top-heavy. The HAMILTON was found by sonar in 1975, sitting upright almost completely intact at the bottom of Lake Ontario. The Cousteau organization has dived to her and she was the subject of a live television dive by Robert Ballard in 1990.

August 8, 1882 - An August snowstorm was reported by a ship on Lake Michigan, dumping 6 inches of snow and slush on the deck. Snow showers were reported at shore points that day.

In 1942, the seven shipyards at Duluth-Superior were in full production and announced three launchings in two days. The submarine chaser SC-671 was launched on August 8, at Inland Waterways, Inc. on Park Point.

1941 An explosion aboard the Canadian tanker TRANSITER at River Rouge resulted in the loss of 2 lives. The ship was towed to Port Dalhousie for repairs and returned to work as b) TRANSTREAM in 1942. It was sold for off-lakes service as c) WITSUPPLY in 1969 and sank in heavy weather off Cabo de la Vela, Colombia, while apparently enroute to Cartagena, Colombia, for scrap, on February 23, 1981.

1964 ELLEN KLAUTSCHE suffered an engine failure while berthing at Toronto and rammed the docked NORDIA after just missing the tugs TERRY S. and WILLIAM LYON MACKENZIE. The West German freighter was towed to Port Weller for repairs by the GRAEME STEWART. Later, as b) VARUNA YAN, it was detained in the Shatt-Al-Arab waterway and then, on April 3, 1984, was shelled becoming a CTL.



8/7 - Palmer, Mich. – Upper Michigan’s Empire Mine produced its last ton of iron ore Wednesday when production ended, heading toward a complete shutdown on Aug. 28.

Cliffs Natural Resources confirmed the last day of production, and officials with United Steelworkers Local 4950 posted a layoff notice to the final 266 union employees, according to the Mining Journal newspaper in Marquette. Another 45 supervisors also will lose their jobs.

Company officials say the mine effectively ran out of high-value ore.

“We have moved to an indefinite idle state. The plan is to preserve the optionality of the Empire operating assets and mothball the pellet plant,” Patricia Persico, the company’s spokeswoman, told the News Tribune.

She said the company will abide by its environmental permits for reclaiming the mine and that layoffs will be complete by month’s-end.

The Empire operations near Palmer, Mich., had been producing taconite iron ore for ArcelorMittal steel mills. Most of that production will now shift to United Taconite in Eveleth, Cliffs officials have said. After a one-year shutdown due to low demand, United is reopening later this year and undergoing a more than $60 million upgrade to produce a special pellet for ArcelorMittal. A formal ceremony marking that project is set for Aug. 11, with Gov. Mark Dayton and other dignitaries expected.

Cliffs’ Tilden operations, just a few miles from Empire and the last iron ore mine in Michigan, with about 770 employees, remains in operation and is considered viable for years to come, company officials have said.

The Empire mine began production in 1964 and it was expanded in the mid-1970s. It was producing about 3 to 4 million pallets annually in recent years.

Duluth News Tribune


8/7 - Cleveland, Ohio – The U.S. Coast Guard is alerting boaters of a change coming to the Tawas Point Lighthouse navigational aid in East Tawas, Michigan, in September.

The U. S. Coast Guard will be turning off the light inside the Tawas Point Lighthouse and activating a new lighted aid to navigation about 3,000 feet away at Tawas Point where the fog signal is located, providing better visibility to mariners.

In addition to the new location, the light characteristic will change from an occulting white light that appears red from some areas, called red sectors, to an all-around white light that flashes every four seconds. The GPS position of the new light is 44-14.9040N, 083-27.5477W.

The current light is housed inside a fourth-order Fresnel lens that was installed in the lighthouse in 1901. Lighthouse keepers turned it on and off daily until it was automated in the 1950s. Fresnel lenses are now antiquated, subject to environmental damage and difficult and costly to maintain so the Coast Guard is replacing them with modern aids to navigation.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which owns Tawas Point Lighthouse and the property it sits on, has submitted an application to allow the Fresnel lens to remain unlit inside the lighthouse as a museum display. The application is currently under review by the Coast Guard curator.

The date of the change is based on weather and availability of Coast Guard aids-to-navigation teams, but it is expected to happen some time during the month September. When the change occurs, Coast Guard Sector Detroit will broadcast it over VHF-FM marine radio for two weeks.

U. S. Coast Guard


8/7 - Duluth, Minn. – Dave Campbell typically gets two questions when people learn he runs Duluth's Aerial Lift Bridge.

The first question — Why do you start raising the bridge when cargo ships are still a mile and a half away? — takes a few minutes to answer. The second — "Can I go for a ride?" — is easy. No, you can't. Being a lift bridge operator is a great gig, but it's not a game.

The city's five lift bridge operators pilot the span up and down about 4,500 times every year, 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the Great Lakes shipping season that runs from March to January.

Their office is the pilot house, a one-room cabin perched in the middle of the bridge, above the roadway. It's outfitted with a control panel, computer, radio and satellite systems to monitor and communicate with boat traffic.

On a recent, glorious Duluth day, Campbell offered a look behind the scenes at the delicate, daily ballet between giant boats and bridge.

Read more, and see video and photos at at this link:


Latest American Great Lakes Pilots statement on Tall Ships pilotage issue

8/7 - Port Huron, Mich. – American Great Lakes Pilots are surprised that the Draken Viking Ship Organization has decided to skip the Duluth Tall Ships Festival. To date, the American pilotage fees that the Viking Ship has incurred up to arriving at the Port of Green Bay total $79,000. The latest estimates with the vessel traveling at 8.5 knots speed bring down the total round trip transit costs to $145,000, very near the $140,000 that has already been raised from donations.

They are continuing to claim high pilotage fees and confusion that they were misinformed prior to setting sail from Norway April 26th as the reason they are skipping Duluth. The laws and costs were made very clear to the Tall Ships America organization and the Draken organization in a series of meetings and direct communications with the US Coast Guard and the pilot companies last fall and throughout the winter. The US pilotage regulations base their requirements on whether a foreign flag vessel is conducting commercial activity on the Great Lakes, such as collecting fees to attend events and providing tours for paying passengers, much like cruise ships. The Draken Harald Harfagre is certified as an oceangoing commercial cargo vessel with the Norwegian Maritime Authorities.

In October of 2015, the US pilot companies handling pilotage where the events are scheduled, sent estimates of $192,000 for the Viking Ship’s pilotage costs at the request of Tall Ships America Director, Patricia Lock, for their whole itinerary on the Great Lakes. That figure, based on 6 knots speed, was later revised downward by 15% after the new lower rates were published April 1st. In November the spokesperson of the Draken Expedition, Woodrow Wiest, acknowledged that pilotage was mandatory for the entire Great Lakes in an email circulated to all pilotage districts by the US Coast Guard. In addition, a meeting was held in Cleveland in February attended by Patricia Lock, the US Coast Guard Director of Great Lakes Pilotage Todd Haviland and all three US pilotage district presidents to discuss US pilotage rules and rates. It was made clear that there would be no exceptions to the US regulations for the tall ships.

Great Lakes pilots work for the American people and play an important role in the safety and protection of the largest body of freshwater in the world. Foreign vessels big and small employ pilots to navigate the intricate channels and dangerous shoals to prevent accidents and environmental catastrophes.

We also protect the lives of those on board vessels and regret that we have been classified as useless, over paid and unnecessary in some media articles. The recent groundings of the tall ship Pathfinder, twice in the last 30 days, signify that hiring local pilots can be a good policy to insure safety. The groundings took place July 12th at Southeast Shoal in Lake Erie and August 3rd at Peche Island Light in the Detroit River. In both cases, the vessel was passing on the wrong side of a major navigational light marking a shoal. The vessel again narrowly missed grounding a third time in the Detroit River after being released August 3rd. The tall ship was heading outside of the safe channel but changed course quickly after being warned by a US registered pilot on a passing foreign vessel that they were in danger. The Pathfinder did not have a registered pilot on board and is exempt from pilotage requirements under Canadian law.

Over the last forty years, there have been frequent tall ship events held on the Great Lakes. Foreign flag ships that required pilots have regularly attended them and collected significant fees. They came and left without any public campaign to fund their costs. The Viking Ship organization cannot say that pilotage fees and misinformation is the reason for disappointing the people of Minnesota and Duluth when those people have already funded their pilotage costs.

Lakes Pilots Association



August 7, 1789 - President George Washington signed the ninth act of the first United States Congress placing management of the lighthouses under the Department of the Treasury. August 7 in now "National Lighthouse Day".

On 07 August 1890, the schooner CHARGER (wooden schooner, 136 foot, 277 gross tons, built in 1868, at Sodus, New York) was struck by the CITY OF CLEVELAND (wooden propeller freighter, 255 foot, 1,528 gross tons, built in 1882, at Cleveland, Ohio) near Bar Point near the mouth of the Detroit River on Lake Erie. The schooner sank, but her crew was saved.

The JAMES R. BARKER was christened August 7, 1976. She was to become Interlake's first 1,000 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 1,000-footer to sail on the Lakes and the first built entirely on the Lakes.

On 7 August 1844, DANIEL WHITNEY, a wooden schooner, was found floating upside-down, with her crew of 4 missing and presumed dead. She was six miles off mouth of the Kalamazoo River in Lake Michigan.

August 7, 1948 - Edward L. Ryerson, chairman of Inland Steel Company announced that the new ore boat under construction for Inland will be named the WILFRED SYKES in honor of the president of the company. Mr. Sykes had been associated with Inland since 1923, when he was employed to take charge of engineering and construction work. From 1927, to 1930, he served as assistant general superintendent and from 1930, to 1941, as assistant to the president in charge of operations. He became president of Inland in May, 1941. He had been a director of the company since 1935. The new ship was to be the largest and fastest on the Great Lakes, having a carrying capacity in intermediate depth of 20,000 gross tons. The ship will be 678 feet long, 70 feet wide and 37 feet deep, and will run at 16 miles per hour when loaded.

While lying at the dock at the C & L. H. Railroad Yard in Port Huron on 7 August 1879, the scow MORNING LARK sank after the scow MAGRUDER ran into her at 4:00 a.m., MORNING LARK was raised and repaired at the Wolverine dry dock and was back in service on 20 September 1879.

1912 – A collision in heavy fog with the RENSSELAER sank the JAMES GAYLEY 43 miles east of Manitou Light, Lake Superior. The upbound coal-laden vessel was hit on the starboard side, about 65 feet from the bow, and went down in about 16 minutes. The two ships were held together long enough for the crew to cross over to RENSSELAER.

1921 – RUSSELL SAGE caught fire and burned on Lake Ontario while downbound with a load of wire. The ship sank off South Bay Point, about 30 miles west of Kingston. The crew took to the lifeboat and were saved. About 600 tons of wire were later salvaged. The hull has been found and is upright in 43 feet of water and numerous coils of wire remain on the bottom.

1958 – HURLBUT W. SMITH hit bottom off Picnic Island, near Little Current, Manitoulin Island, while outbound. The ship was inspected at Silver Bay and condemned. It was sold to Knudsen SB & DD of Superior and scrapped in 1958-1959.

1958 – The T-3 tanker GULFOIL caught fire following a collision with the S.E. GRAHAM off Newport, Rhode Island while carrying about 5 million gallons of gasoline. Both ships were a total loss and 17 lives were lost with another 36 sailors injured. The GULFOIL was rebuilt with a new mid-body and came to the Great Lakes as c) PIONEER CHALLENGER in 1961 and was renamed MIDDLETOWN in 1962 and e) AMERICAN VICTORY in 2006.

1964 – CARL LEVERS, a pre-Seaway visitor as a) HARPEFJELL and b) PRINS MAURITS, had come to the Great Lakes in 1957-1958. It had been an early Great Lakes trader for both the Fjell Line from Norway and the Dutch flag Oranje Lijn. The ship was cast adrift in a cyclone at Bombay, India, going aground on a pylon carrying electric wires off Mahul Creek and caught fire on August 24, 1964. The vessel was released and scrapped at Bombay later in the year.

1970 – ORIENT TRANSPORTER first came through the Seaway in 1966. It arrived at Beaumont, Texas, on this day in 1970, following an engine breakdown. The 1949 vintage ship was not considered worth repairing and was broken up at Darica, Turkey, in 1971.

1972 – The small Canadian tanker barge TRANSBAY, loaded with liquid asphalt and under tow of the JAMES WHALEN for Sept Iles, sank in a storm on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. There were no casualties.

1989 – CLARENVILLE, a former East Coast wooden passenger and freight carrier, came to the Great Lakes in 1981 for conversion to a floating restaurant at Owen Sound. The restaurant declared bankruptcy in May 1989 and a fire, of suspicious origin, broke out on this date. It was a long and difficult blaze to control and the ship sank. It broke apart during salvage in September 1989. The bow was clammed out in December 1989 and the stern removed in April 1990 and taken to the city dump.

1991 – FINNPOLARIS first came through the Seaway in 1985. It struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic off Greenland and sank in deep water the next day. All 17 on board were saved.

1994 – GUNDULIC came inland under Yugoslavian registry for the first time in 1971. The ship caught fire as c) PAVLINA ONE while loading at Mongla, Bangladesh, on this date and was abandoned by the crew on August 8. The blaze was extinguished August 9 but the gutted and listing freighter was beached and settled in shallow water. The hull was auctioned to a local demolition contractor in 1996 but was still listed as a hazard to navigation in 1999.

On this day in 1953, a record 176 vessels passed through the Soo Locks.

Early in the morning of 06 August 1899, the WILLIAM B. MORLEY (steel propeller freighter, 277 foot, 1,846 gross tons, built in 1888, at Marine City, Michigan) and the LANSDOWNE (iron side-wheel carferry, 294 foot, 1,571 gross tons, built in 1884, at Wyandotte, Michigan) collided head on in the Detroit River. Both vessels sank. The LANSDOWNE settled on the bottom in her slip at Windsor, Ontario and was raised four days later and repaired. The MORLEY was also repaired and lasted until 1918, when she stranded on Lake Superior.

The BELLE RIVER’s bottom was damaged at the fit-out dock and required dry docking on August 6, 1977, for repairs prior to her maiden voyage. Renamed b.) WALTER J MC CARTHY JR in 1990.

On 6 August 1871, the 3-mast wooden schooner GOLDEN FLEECE was down bound on Lake Huron laden with iron ore. The crew mistook the light at Port Austin for the light at Pointe Aux Barques and steered directly for the Port Austin Reef where the vessel grounded. After 200 tons of ore were removed, GOLDEN FLEECE was pulled off the reef then towed to Detroit by the tug GEORGE B MC CLELLAN and repaired.

On 6 August 1900, the Mc Morran Wrecking Company secured the contract for raising the 203-foot 3-mast wooden schooner H W SAGE, which sank at Harsen's Island on 29 July 1900. The SAGE had been rammed by the steel steamer CHICAGO. Two lives had been lost; they were crushed in her forecastle.

August 6, 1929 - The CITY OF SAGINAW 31 (Hull#246) was launched at Manitowoc, Wisconsin by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. for the Pere Marquette Railway. She was christened by Miss Ann Bur Townsend, daughter of the mayor of Saginaw.

On 6 August 1870, the wooden propeller tug TORNADO had her boiler explode without warning four miles northwest of Oswego, New York. The tug sank quickly in deep water. Three of the six onboard lost their lives. Apparently the tug had a new boiler and it had been allowed to run almost dry. When cold water was let in to replenish the supply, the boiler exploded.

1907 – A building fire at the Toronto Island ferry terminal spread to the ferry SHAMROCK and it was badly burned and sank. Running mate MAYFLOWER also caught fire but was pulled from the dock by TURBINIA and this blaze was extinguished. SHAMROCK, however, was a total loss and was towed to Hanlan's Point. The latter ship was replaced by the still-active TRILLIUM in 1910.

1924 – The Lake Ontario rail car ferry ONTARIO NO. 2 went aground in fog on the beach at Cobourg, Ont., but was refloated the next day.

1928 – HURONIC went aground at Lucille Island and needed hull repairs after being released.

1985 – VANDOC, enroute from Quebec to Burns Harbor, went aground in the St. Lawrence outside the channel near St. Zotique, but was released the following day.

1994 – CATHERINE DESGAGNES, outbound at Lorain, struck about 30 pleasure boats when a bridge failed to open.

2000 – ANANGEL ENDEAVOUR was in a collision with the IVAN SUSANIN in the South-West Pass and was holed in the #2 cargo hold and began listing. The ship was anchored for examination, then docked at Violet, La., and declared a total loss. It was subsequently repaired as b) BOLMAR I and was operating as c) DORSET when it arrived at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, for scrapping on April 24, 2009. The ship first came through the Seaway in 1983.

[yachtsmanwilly]

8/9 - Detroit, Mich. – Jump in, the water’s warm — so warm that at some Great Lakes beaches, the water temperatures are expected to hit 80 degrees this month.

It could be a record year for water temperatures, according to meteorologist Mike Boguth of the Gaylord office of the National Weather Service.

“Average summer temperatures are a couple of degrees above normal,” Boguth said. “We’re coming off a low ice cover year of the lakes, we see a lot of correlation between the ice cover or lack of it, and a nice response in warmer lake temperatures.”

Ice protects the water from the sun’s warming rays, keeping water temperatures low until the ice melts in the spring. Ice cover was so light last winter that the ferry service to Mackinac Island ran all season.

An increased number of clear days also had an impact early in the season. Warm spring weather and open water causes the lakes to warm more quickly.

“We’re a little behind in water temperatures than the spring of 2012,” Boguth said. “We had a historic March heat wave that year with temperatures in the 80s and 90s. The lakes had quite a jump in warming.

“We’ll probably exceed those temperatures this month, as our August heat is expected to continue, where it usually cools some in August.”

George Leshkevich, a staff scientist with the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, said Lake Superior’s surface water temperature was 65.2 degrees Monday. On Aug. 1, 2012, his lab measured Superior’s water temperatures at 67.8 degrees. “We are approaching that temperature and may very well surpass it,” he said.

Leshkevich said last winter just 34 percent of the lakes were covered with ice, “and the lakes have warmed considerably.”

The buoys Friday recorded readings of 81.5 degrees at the Toledo Water Intake to 73.1 at the Straits of Mackinac and 75.2 in Grand Traverse Bay, according to Michigan State University Remote Sensing buoys.

A series of 23 buoys record everything from wind direction and speed, wave heights, solar irradiance, barometric pressure and air and water temperatures. The buoys, which cost between $50,000 and $100,000, are placed in the lakes in May and removed in November.

Temperatures along the Lake Michigan shoreline Wednesday measured 73.2 degrees in Pentwater, 72.7 in Ludington and 71.9 in Manistee, according to the buoys.

The forecast of continued hot days in August will increase the chances of water temperatures staying at near-record highs.

Compared to 2015, when water temperatures in Lake Superior averaged 40-46 degrees, this year the temperatures are averaging 50-58 degrees, with one buoy in the middle of the huge lake hitting 60 degrees in late July, near-record warmth for the largest and deepest of the Great Lakes. By contrast, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan in 2015 averaged 54-60 degrees, and is averaging 65-69 degrees this year.

The National Weather Service says the average air temperatures are up 3 degrees this year, and water temperatures are up an average of 7-10 degrees.

The Detroit News


Notice to Recreational Mariners – Welland Canal

8/9 - Mariners are advised that due to high volumes of commercial shipping traffic on the St. Lawrence Seaway, recreational mariners can temporarily expect delays of 12-24 hours when passing through the Welland Canal. Vessels with air drafts less than 15.6 feet can use the Western Erie Canal instead.



On 09 August 1910, the Eastland Navigation Company placed a half page advertisement in both the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Cleveland Leader offering $5,000 to anyone who could substantiate rumors that the excursion steamer EASTLAND was unsafe. No one claimed the reward.

The keel was laid for the INDIANA HARBOR (Hull#719) on August 9, 1978, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin by Bay Shipbuilding Co. for Connecticut Bank & Trust Co. (American Steamship Co., mgr.).

The HAMILDOC (Hull#642) was christened on August 9, 1963.

The G.A. TOMLINSON (Hull#370) entered service August 9, 1909. Renamed b.) HENRY R. PLATT JR in 1959. Hull used as a breakwall at Burlington Bay, Ontario in 1971.

The SIR THOMAS SHAUGHNESSY with the former CSL steamer ASHCROFT in tow of the Polish tug JANTAR arrived in Castellon, Spain for scrapping in 1969.

On August 9, 1989, the tug FAIRPLAY IX departed Sorel with the FORT CHAMBLY and NIPIGON BAY in tandem tow bound for Aliaga, Turkey for scrapping.

On the night of August 9, 1865, METEOR met her running mate, the propeller PEWABIC, off Thunder Bay on Lake Huron around 9 p.m. As the two approached, somehow METOER sheered and struck her sister, sinking the PEWABIC within minutes in 180 feet of water. About 125 people went down with her, and 86 others were saved.

On 9 August 1850, CHAUTAUQUE (wooden sidewheel steamer, 124 foot 162 tons, built in 1839, at Buffalo, New York) caught fire in the St. Clair River and burned to a total loss. In previous years she had been driven ashore 1844, and sank twice - once in 1846, and again in 1848. In September 1846, she made the newspaper by purposely ramming a schooner that blocked her path while she was attempting to leave the harbor at Monroe, Michigan.

On 9 August 1856, BRUNSWICK (wooden propeller, 164 foot, 512 tons, built in 1853, at Buffalo, New York) was carrying corn, scrap iron and lard from Chicago when she sprang a leak in a storm and was abandoned by the crew and passengers. One passenger drowned when one of the boats capsized, but the rest made it to shore near Sleeping Bear in the three other boats. BRUNSWICK went down in 50 fathoms of water, 6 miles south of South Manitou Island on Lake Michigan.

On 9 August 1875, The Port Huron Times reported that the schooner HERO, while attempting to enter the piers at Holland, Michigan, was driven two miles to leeward and went to pieces. Her crew took to the boats, but the boats capsized. Luckily all made it safely to shore.

August 9, 1938 - The Pere Marquette car ferries 17 and 18 left Milwaukee for Grand Haven carrying 600 United States Army Troops, bound for Army war maneuvers near Allegan and at Camp Custer.

On 9 August 1870, ONTONAGON (wooden propeller bulk freight, 176 foot, 377 tons, built in 1856, at Buffalo, New York by Bidwell & Banta) sank after striking a rock near the Soo. She was initially abandoned but later that same year she was recovered, repaired and put back in service. In 1880, she stranded near Fairborn, Ohio and then three years later she finally met her demise when she was run ashore on Stag Island in the St. Clair River and succumbed to fire.

The 204-foot wooden side-wheeler CUMBERLAND was launched at Melancthon Simpson's yard in Port Robinson, Ontario on 9 August 1871. She cost $101,000. Too large for the Welland Canal, she was towed up the Welland River to Chippewa and then up the Niagara River to Lake Erie. She operated on the Upper Lakes and carried soldiers to put down the Red River Rebellion. She survived being frozen in for the winter near Sault Ste. Marie in 1872, grounding in 1873, sinking in 1874, and another grounding in 1876. But she finally sank near Isle Royale on Lake Superior in 1877.

In 1942, the sea-going tug POINT SUR was launched at Globe Shipbuilding Co. in Superior, Wisconsin and the Walter Butler Shipbuilders, in Superior, launched the coastal freighter WILLIAM BURSLEY.

1968 Labrador Steamships agreed to sell POINTE NOIRE to Upper Lakes Shipping. The vessel was operated by U.L.S. on charter until the sale was approved.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Manitou Island lighthouse up for auction: Would you live there?

8/10 - North Manitou Island, Mich. – If you're on the hunt for an unusual Northern Michigan cottage – or perhaps a really nautical B&B - with unparalleled views of Sleeping Bear Dunes and the Manitou islands, an auction house may have a deal for you.

You'll just have to learn to flip-flop your Up North expectations: Can you live on the water, while gazing at the shore?

The North Manitou Shoal Light, which for decades kept ships safe in the sometimes treacherous Manitou Passage, is on the auction block after no buyers have been found for it in the last year.

The two-story lighthouse crib – with a working light and fog horn in its three-story tower – is located just southeast of North Manitou Island. It boasts four bedrooms, evidence of modern plumbing and generator-powered electrical service, though the condition of the aging utilities are not known.

Read more and see photos at this link


Historic lighthouse threatened by Poverty Island wildfire

8/10 - Fayette, Mich. - The return of dry weather to the northern Great Lakes has increased activity of a wildfire that threatens a historic lighthouse on a small Lake Michigan island.

The Poverty Island Fire, first reported in late June, consumed another 20 acres of the 200-acre island forest since late last week, according to Jeremy Bennett, a U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs firefighter. Bennett is the incident commander for 16 federal firefighters assembling Monday to stop the fire’s progress toward the lighthouse. Believed to have started by lightning, the fire burned 26 acres by the end of July when it stalled.

Bennett led the late July effort to burn out the rest of the island and stop the fire by eliminating the large amount of overgrown and down timber covering the island. Rain and humidity at the time prevented ignition of that burnout.

Over the next few days, Bennett said firefighters will attempt to burn out 70 acres around the lighthouse to eliminate nearby forest vegetation and debris that could spread fire to the brick and wood structure. The lighthouse, which is no longer in use, is now under the care of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The island is located between the Garden Peninsula and the Door Peninsula of Wisconsin.

In July, firefighters left a brushed-out fireline and a hose-and-sprinkler system to protect the lighthouse until weather conditions would allow their return to do a burnout.

This week, a 26-foot Almar search-and-rescue boat from the National Park Service will be used to ferry firefighters to the island from Fayette State Park on the Garden Peninsula. The boat will also be used to ignite the burnout using flares launched into the island’s interior.

Bennett said a smoke column rising from the island this week could be visible from the Upper Peninsula, northwest Lower Michigan and northeast Wisconsin. Once the burnout is completed, smoke and occasional torching of unburned timber will occur until winter precipitation and temperatures extinguish the fire.

Foot travel on Poverty Island is treacherous under any circumstances, Bennett said, and he advised that the public not visit the island until winter cools hot coals left by the fire in crevices and ash-filled stump holes. Dangers and difficulties from timber blowdown and hidden crevices are the main reason why firefighters are burning out around the lighthouse instead of using other methods of stopping the fire, Bennett said.

WLUC



On 10 August 1890, TWO FANNIES (3-mast wooden bark, 152 foot, 492 gross tons, built in 1862, at Peshtigo, Wisconsin) was carrying 800 tons of iron ore on Lake Erie when a seam opened in rough weather. The crew kept at the pumps but to no avail. They all made it off of the vessel into the yawl just as the bark sank north of Bay Village Ohio. The CITY OF DETROIT tried to rescue the crew but the weather made the rescue attempt too dangerous and only two men were able to get to the steamer. The tug JAMES AMADEUS came out and got the rest of the crew, including the ship's cat, which was with them in the yawl.

On August 10, 1952, the ARTHUR M. ANDERSON entered service for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. Exactly 14 years later, on August 10, 1966, the vessel's namesake, Arthur Marvin Anderson, passed away.

In 1969, the EDMUND FITZGERALD set the last of many cargo records it set during the 1960s. The FITZGERALD loaded 27,402 gross tons of taconite pellets at Silver Bay on this date. This record was broken by the FITZGERALD's sister ship, the ARTHUR B. HOMER, during the 1970 shipping season.

On 10 August 1937, B.H. BECKER (steel tug, 19 tons, built in 1932, at Marine City, Mich.) foundered in heavy seas, 9 miles north of Oscoda, Mich.

In 1906, JOHN H. PAULEY (formerly THOMPSON KINSFORD, wooden propeller steam barge, 116 foot, 185 gross tons, built in 1880, at Oswego, New York) caught fire at Marine City, Mich. Her lines were burned through and she then drifted three miles down the St. Clair River before beaching near Port Lambton, Ont. and burning out.

On 10 August 1922, ANNIE LAURA (wooden propeller sandsucker, 133 foot, 244 gross tons, built in 1871, at Marine City, Mich.) beached near Algonac, Mich., caught fire and burned to the waterline.

1899: The whaleback steamer JOHN B. TREVOR was rammed and sunk by her barge #131 in the St. Clair River. The accident was caused by CRESCENT CITY crossing the towline. The sunken ship was refloated and, in 1912, became the ATIKOKAN.

1967: PAUL L. TIETJEN and FORT WILLIAM were in a head-on collision on Lake Huron about 25 miles north of Port Huron. Both ships were damaged but were repaired and returned to service.

1975: CIMBRIA came through the Seaway for the first time in 1965 under West German registry. The ship was sailing as c) KOTA MENANG when it stranded on Nyali Reef, off Mombasa, Tanzania, due to a steering failure on August 10, 1975. The vessel received severe hull damage and was deemed a total loss.

1979: The Indian freighter JALARAJAN and the British flag LAURENTIC sustained minor damage in a collision at Kenosha, Wis. The former was dismantled at Calcutta, India, in 1988 while the latter was scrapped at Karachi, Pakistan, in 1984.

1992: MENASHA was set adrift and then sank in the St. Lawrence off Ogdensburg, N.Y. The former U.S. Navy tug was refloated and repaired. After some later service at Sarnia, the tug was resold and moved for Montreal for work as c) ESCORTE.

2007: NORDSTRAND came to the Great Lakes in 1990 and sank at the stern, alongside the Adriatica Shipyard at Bijela, Montecaucasianally challenged individual, as c) MEXICA, when the engine room flooded on this date. The ship was refloated on September 1, 2007, and arrived at Aliaga, Turkey, for scrapping on May 5, 2010.








Manitou Island lighthouse up for auction: Would you live there?

The former North Manitou lighthouse, circa 1914. The The lighthouse crashed to the ground in October 1942, after being "undermined by the lake," according to the Lighthouse Friends group. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard).


NORTH MANITOU ISLAND, MI – If you're on the hunt for an unusual Northern Michigan cottage – or perhaps a really nautical B&B - with unparalleled views of Sleeping Bear Dunes and the Manitou islands, an auction house may have a deal for you.
You'll just have to learn to flip-flop your Up North expectations: Can you live on the water, while gazing at the shore?

The North Manitou Shoal Light, which for decades kept ships safe in the sometimes treacherous Manitou Passage, is on the auction block after no buyers have been found for it in the last year.

The two-story lighthouse crib – with a working light and fog horn in its three-story tower – is located just southeast of North Manitou Island. It boasts four bedrooms, evidence of modern plumbing and generator-powered electrical service, though the condition of the aging utilities are not known.

Its concrete base is anchored into the bottom of Lake Michigan in about 26 feet of water, according to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the Lighthouse Friends group.

The U.S. General Services Administration, which sells obsolete properties, started the online auction process for the North Manitou crib and three other lighthouse properties in mid-July. It reportedly had an opening bid of $25,000, though a current bid of $10,000 is listed on the GSA auction website.

crib.jpeg

The North Manitou Shoal lighthouse crib (Photo courtesy of the U.S. GSA)



If you're serious about the site, GSA is organizing a group visit to the lighthouse crib on Aug. 30. It's open to registered bidders who have paid the $10,000 deposit. The group will meet at the Leland Marina. Bidders are being advised to bring a flashlight, throwaway shoes, disposable gloves and a camera.

Current pictures on the auction site show it's in rough shape cosmetically. Double-crested cormorants have made it a favorite resting spot. There is peeling paint inside and out. It's been largely vacant since 1980, when the U.S. Coast Guard stopped rotating regular crews onto the light crib.

Lake most Great Lakes lighthouses, it's got an interesting history.

When the North Manitou Shoal Light was built in 1935, it made its neighboring lighthouse and some nearby seasonal lightships obsolete. The North Manitou light's purpose was to keep ships from running into trouble on the island's shoals, which spread miles into the famed passage between North and South Manitou Island and the mainland's Leelanau Peninsula.

While the light crib is not within the boundaries of Sleeping Bear Dunes, it sits about 8 miles off Leland. The National Park Service says it can be easily seen from Glen Haven's shoreline. Here's how the NPS described its working history:

"For forty-two years, the crib was home to a three-man coast guard crew, who lived in the light tower building. Crew members rotated on a three-week schedule: 2 weeks on and 1 week off. The Passage was a busy place during that time with a wide variety of vessels passing each day. The mail boat stopped on a fairly regular schedule and boats from the local coast guard stations were also frequent visitors."

The Lighthouse Friends group added more details about the crews who worked at the shoal light, known as "The Crib."

"To pass time, the men watched television, read books and magazines, played board games, and chatted with passing ship captains by radio. One coastguardsman perfected his rappelling skills by using ropes to descend from the gallery outside the lantern room to the concrete deck below."

The last Coast Guard crew left in 1980 when the crib light was fully automated. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

And any new owner should know: The light is still an active navigational aid operated by the U.S. Coast Guard.

"A red light atop its 63-foot tower flashes on 15 second intervals, its fog horn sounds on 20 second cycles when conditions require, and a RACON (radar transponder beacon) imposes a Morse code character "N" on the radar screen of passing ships," according to Lighthouse Friends.


nmi2.jpg

Another view of the North Manitou Shoal light. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard)



About 16 years ago, a nonprofit group formed to look at the possibility of rehabbing the shoal light, but determined the cost was too high. In May 2015, the Coast Guard declared the site excess property. The auction details were posted online last month.

Three other Lake Michigan lights are also being auctioned. GSA describes them as:

• The iconic White Shoal Light, a major engineering feat at the time of construction in 1901, is located offshore 20 miles west of the Mackinac Bridge on Lake Michigan. The red and white tower has a terracotta, steel, and brick interior, and is featured on a state of Michigan license plate.

• Gray's Reef Light, built in 1936, is located four miles west of Waugoshance Island on Lake Michigan. The historic 82-foot light has a square tower with steel plate construction on a concrete crib. The light is an active aid to navigation operated by the U.S. Coast Guard.

• Minneapolis Shoal Light marks the entrance to Little Bay De Noc in Delta County. The 82-foot high octagonal lighthouse sits on a 32-foot square metal structure that housed the living quarters for the keeper. The light was constructed in 1934 and was the last manned lighthouse to mark an isolated reef. It remains an active aid to navigation operated by the USCG.



Stewards sought for 4 Great Lakes lighthouses


Stewards sought for 4 Great Lakes lighthouses

Federal government seeking caretakers for obsolete properties.


When it comes to excess lighthouse property, the GSA works together with the National Park Service and the Coast Guard to implement the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. Since 2000, 119 lighthouses have been sold or transferred out of federal ownership, with 74 transferred at no cost to preservationists, and 45 sold by auction to the public.

Some of these lighthouses have been turned into maritime museums or classrooms, said Cat Langel, GSA's regional public affairs officer. Others have been purchased and turned into homes, or bed and breakfasts.

Sale prices have varied from as little as $10,000, to $986,000 for the Graves Light Station in Boston.

[yachtsmanwilly]

8/11 - Duluth, Minn. – The freighter Roger Blough was back in the Twin Ports to pick up a load of iron ore pellets this week, a little more than two months after it ran aground in eastern Lake Superior.

The 858-foot Blough, carrying a load of iron ore it picked up in Duluth, ran aground May 27 near Gros Cap Reef in Whitefish Bay, about 10 miles west of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. It spent a couple weeks there, as its cargo was offloaded to other vessels.

The Blough was freed and started traveling down the St. Marys River, escorted by a tugboat, on June 11, eventually reaching Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., for repairs.

The website boatnerd.com reported that the Blough left Bay Shipbuilding on Saturday night and arrived in Duluth on Monday night. The Blough picked up a load of iron ore at the CN docks in Duluth on Tuesday, departing during the early evening hours.

The U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board have been investigating the cause of the Blough's May 27 grounding.

Canadian National Railway, the owner of the Blough, contracts with Keystone Shipping Co. to operate its lake freighters. Keystone officials told the News Tribune in late May that the company was conducting its own internal investigation into the cause of the grounding.

Messages left with the Coast Guard and Keystone on Tuesday, seeking an update on the status of the investigations, were not returned.

Duluth News Tribune


8/11 - Pittsburgh, Pa. – The United Steelworkers on Monday applauded the U.S. Department of Commerce’s determination that seven countries were selling their hot-rolled steel flat products in the U.S. below value.

In announcing the ruling late last week, the federal agency instructed the U.S. Customs and Border Protection “to collect cash deposits equal to the applicable weighted-average dumping margins.”

In a statement, USW International President Leo Gerard said the ruling “levels the playing field with imports to provide fair and sustainable market prices for American steel, a critical step in restoring balance to the market.”

Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel on Friday issued a statement welcoming the federal department’s determinations in cases filed in 2015. President and CEO Mario Longhi said, “The DOC’s thorough investigations have resulted in findings confirming what we knew to be true — that these countries have subsidized and dumped steel products on our shores.”

The antidumping investigation began after six companies — U.S. Steel Corp., AK Steel Corp. in Ohio, ArcelorMittal USA LLC in Illinois, Nucor Corp. of North Carolina, SSAB Enterprises in Illinois and Steel Dynamics Inc. in Indiana — petitioned federal authorities last August.

The companies alleged Australia, Brazil, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Turkey and the United Kingdom were violating international trade laws by selling some hot-rolled steel flat products in the U.S. below market prices.

Both U.S. Steel and the USW said they are now awaiting a final ruling by the U.S. International Trade Commission on the investigation’s finding. That ruling is expected early next month.

Post-Gazette


8/11 - Manitowoc, Wis. – An expanded shipwreck exhibit will open at Wisconsin Maritime Museum at 3 p.m., Friday, Aug. 12.

The exhibit, “Wisconsin’s Underwater Treasures: Revealing Our Maritime Connections,” focuses on the historic and cultural significance of many notable shipwrecks and unique personal stories from communities along Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan shoreline. Admission to the exhibit is free with regular museum admission.

The exhibit expansion includes new technology-based experiences and interactive activities such as visitors exploring touchscreen trade routes, loading cargo, interacting with a shipwreck projection and running a virtual remotely operated underwater vehicle.

Wisconsin’s Underwater Treasures highlights the work underway by the Wisconsin Historical Society’s maritime archaeologists to better document, preserve and understand the shipwrecks that lie beneath the waves of Lake Michigan. The “treasures” are the basis for a regional effort to work with NOAA on the possible establishment of a new National Marine Sanctuary focused on various elements of maritime heritage.

Grants from the Wisconsin Humanities Council and the Ruth St. John and John Dunham West Foundation, along with donations from Peter G. Horton and the Windway Foundation, allowed for the community collaboration and the development of the tech-friendly exhibit area.

Herald Times Reporter


On 11 August 1899, the SIMON LANGELL (wooden propeller freighter, 195 foot, 845 gross tons, built in 1886, at St. Clair, Michigan) was towing the wooden schooner W K MOORE off Lakeport, Michigan on Lake Huron when they were struck by a squall. The schooner was thrown over on her beam ends and filled with water. The local Life Saving crew went to the rescue and took off two women passengers from the stricken vessel. The Moore was the towed to Port Huron, Michigan by the tug HAYNES and placed in dry dock for inspection and repairs.

The H.M. GRIFFITH was the first self-unloader to unload grain at Robin Hood's new hopper unloading facility at Port Colborne, Ontario on August 11, 1987. She was renamed b.) RT HON PAUL J. MARTIN in 2000.

On August 11, 1977, the THOMAS W. LAMONT was the first vessel to take on fuel at Shell's new fuel dock at Corunna, Ontario The dock's fueling rate was 60 to 70,000 gallons per hour and was built to accommodate 1,000- footers.

Opening ceremonies for the whaleback tanker METEOR a.) FRANK ROCKEFELLER, museum ship were held on August 11, 1973, with the president of Cleveland Tankers present whose company had donated the ship. This historically unique ship was enshrined into the National Maritime Hall of Fame.

The T.W. ROBINSON departed Quebec City on August 11, 1987, along with US265808 (former BENSON FORD in tow of the Polish tug JANTAR bound for Recife, Brazil where they arrived on September 22, 1987. Scrapping began the next month.

On 11 August 1862, B F BRUCE (wooden propeller passenger steamer, 110 foot, 169 tons, built in 1852, at Buffalo, New York as a tug) was carrying staves when she caught fire a few miles off Port Stanley, Ontario in Lake Erie. She was run to the beach, where she burned to a total loss with no loss of life. Arson was suspected. She had been rebuilt from a tug to this small passenger steamer the winter before her loss.

On 11 August 1908, TITANIA (iron propeller packet/tug/yacht, 98 foot, 73 gross tons, built in 1875, at Buffalo, New York) was rammed and sunk by the Canadian sidewheeler KINGSTON near the harbor entrance at Charlotte, New York on Lake Ontario. All 26 on board were rescued.

The wooden scow-schooner SCOTTISH CHIEF had been battling a storm on Lake Michigan since Tuesday, 8 August 1871. By late afternoon of Friday, 11 August 1871, she was waterlogged. The galley was flooded and the food ruined. The crew stayed with the vessel until that night when they left in the lifeboat. They arrived in Chicago on Sunday morning, 13 August.

1865: A fire broke out at Sault Ste. Marie in the cargo of lime aboard the wooden passenger and freight carrier METEOR that was involved in the sinking of the PEWABIC on August 9. METEOR was scuttled in 30 feet of water to prevent its loss. The hull was pumped out and salvaged four days later and repaired.

1919: MURIEL W. hit a sunken crib off Port Weller and was partially sunk. An August 15, 1919, storm broke up the hull.

1928: W.H. SAWYER stranded off Harbor Beach Light in a storm. Her barges, A.B. KING and PESHTIGO, were blown aground and broken up by the waves. The trip had run for shelter but the effort ended 100 yards short of safety. The cook was a casualty.

1944: The Norwegian freighter ERLING LINDOE was built in 1917 and came to the Great Lakes for the first time in 1923. The ship struck a mine in the Kattegat Strait, off Varberg, Sweden, and sank with its cargo of pyrites. The number of casualties varies with one report noting the loss at 19 members of the crew, another at 17 and, yet another, had the death toll at 13. There were 6 survivors.

1976: The Panamanian freighter WOKAN was beached off Oman with a fractured hull enroute from the Ulsan, South Korea, to Kuwait. It was declared a total loss and abandoned. The 1952-built vessel first came through the Seaway as b) DAUPHINE in 1968 and returned as d) SPACE KING in 1975.

2001: Bridge 11 of the Welland Canal was lowered prematurely striking the downbound bulk carrier WINDOC taking the top off the pilothouse, toppling the stack and igniting a fire. The massive damage to the ship was never repaired and efforts for find work for the vessel as a barge were not a success. The hull arrived at Port Colborne for dismantling on November 9, 2010.

2004: ONEGO MERCHANT came through the Seaway for the first time in May 2004. Later that summer, the vessel sustained bow damage in a grounding near Larvik, Norway, but was refloated within hours. It returned to the Great Lakes in 2005 and 2006 and has sailed as b) VRIESENDIEP since 2009.

[Avenger]

Aug 11, 2016 6:27:28 GMT -5 yachtsmanwilly said:

2001: Bridge 11 of the Welland Canal was lowered prematurely striking the downbound bulk carrier WINDOC taking the top off the pilothouse, toppling the stack and igniting a fire. The massive damage to the ship was never repaired and efforts for find work for the vessel as a barge were not a success. The hull arrived at Port Colborne for dismantling on November 9, 2010.

And there's video:



Yes, I know I've done it before.

[yachtsmanwilly]

INCREDIBLE!! Like its in slow motion. I wonder if Krusher would've been shook up by that one! ws

[yachtsmanwilly]

8/12 - St. Clair, Mich. – Fire departments from throughout St. Clair County and beyond responded Thursday evening to a massive fire at DTE Energy's St. Clair Power Plant. Rescue crews were called to the power plant shortly before 6:30 p.m.

The plant receives its coal via lake freighter. No vessels were unloading there at the time of the fire.

Among the units responding was the Detroit Fire Department’s fireboat Curtis Randolph. The fireboat arrived Thursday evening and was assisting fighting the fire.

Officials said it is believed everyone was able to escape. The fire was caused by a generation unit catching fire, according to a statement from DTE.

"Employees were evacuated immediately and safely. At this time, there are no known injuries at the facility," according to the statement.

Mary Buslett, who lives on Clark Drive, has lived near the plant for about 12 years. She said she heard something different than normal about 6:20 p.m. "They blow the stacks occasionally, but this was unusually loud," she said.

Officials announced earlier this year 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 in June. It will also be retiring the River Rouge and Trenton plants within the next seven years.

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

Port Huron Times Herald


8/12 - Buffalo, N.Y. – At the H. Lee White Maritime Museum in Oswego, N.Y., a popular exhibit is Derrick Boat 8, which came to rest at the bottom of Lake Ontario in 1984.

“It was about 180 tons so the concept of bringing it out of the water at that time -- we had to have like six bulldozers, one behind the other,” director Mercedes Niess says.

Niess says there are many more stories below the lake's surface that have yet to be told. Now, with the help of the federal government, she may get the chance to tell them.

For the first time in 20 years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is expanding its national marine sanctuary program. For Oswego and other communities on the Great Lakes, that designation would bring federal funding and a boost to tourism.

“We would be able to have all kinds of new educational experiences,” Niess says. “We could take folks that are divers out but we could also take non-divers out and use ROV's so that they could maybe view the wreck.”

Niess is referring to remotely operated vehicles that could show tourists the dozens of shipwrecks located within the 1,746 square miles of Lake Ontario that a local group is proposing for the sanctuary.

There’s now only one freshwater marine sanctuary in the United States – it’s in Alpena, Mich., but NOAA wants to create a network along the Great Lakes, says regional director Reed Bohne.

“We think that there is a continuity of history in the lakes, particularly when you look at the historic resources and shipwrecks that builds an integrated kind of story as you go from one lake to the other,” he says.

There are local educational benefits as well. The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena has changed the area's schools. Students can learn about marine technology in primary school and earn a degree in it at the local community college.

Associate Dean of Education Kristen Munger says officials at the State University of New York in Oswego are exploring similar research and educational opportunities.

“There’s definitely interest about the regional effects that the lake has on us as well as that we’ve been having on the lake,” she says.

Despite the enthusiasm in Oswego and other communities seeking the federal designation, there are some concerns about potential consequences.

The Port of Oswego is still very active, generating more than $40 million in economic impact for the region and port director Zelko Kirincich wants to ensure the sanctuary does not restrict business.

“I understand the value of preserving the shipwrecks, but they got there because they were trading commercial business, right?” Kirincich says. “We’re hoping to coexist with the project because we understand the project is a good thing."

Bohne says many concerns about federal involvement and fishing restrictions are unfounded. The timeline for designating new sanctuaries is open-ended, but Bohne expects NOAA will receive about a dozen applications for the program this year.

WBFO


Reunion brings back original Mackinaw crewmates

8/12 - Cheboygan, Mich. – Coast Guardsmen of all ages gathered by the docked U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw (WLBB-30) on Wednesday to enjoy a reunion of past members who served on the previous Mackinaw (WAGB-83).

The events included a relaxed picnic, tours of the new ship, and conversation between new and old guardsman. Many of the coasties spoke about the friendship and bond that they all shared and how happy they were to see each other once again. The majority of the men served in the 1960s and ‘70s and brought along their wives to enjoy the festivities.

Rene Zimmer, who served two terms on the old Mackinaw (1968-1971, 1978-1981) was one of the veterans reveling in memories. Zimmer started as a chief on the ship and worked his way up the ranks. From 1989-93, Zimmer served as master chief for the Ninth Coast Guard District.

While telling stories of playing games and watching movies in their free time, Zimmer lit up with a smile remembering how they would spend their off-duty time.

Another retired guardsman spoke of a random encounter with a stranger at a grocery store he recently had. A young woman had approached him for a hug after seeing his U.S. Coast Guard hat and told him “we’re family.” This guardsman spoke fondly of the entire reunion and remarked on the truly unique closeness that he and his fellow retirees shared.

Ron Korzecke, of Perry, Mich., was especially happy to be seeing his old friends again. “I haven’t seen this guy in 45 years,” said Korzecke, pointing to a chipper looking guardsman who was enjoying the picnic food.

“Most of us have participated in the five-rear reunions that were held to honor the Mighty Mac’s service and her contributions to the city of Cheboygan but, we’re all in our 60s and 70s now and we are trying to see each other a bit more frequently before it’s too late. Many of us also feel that when the reunions were moved to Mackinaw City, they just didn’t seem as appealing. For my wife and I, we felt that returning to Cheboygan was the most important aspect of the event.”

Newly appointed ensigns helped organize the event, with cooperation from Commanding Officer Vasilios Tasika, and led tours of the newer Mackinaw for the former crew members to see. Ensign Mary Hazen was particularly excited, as she played a major role in organizing the event. More than once throughout the afternoon, Hazen stood on top of a picnic table to address the crowd of men and woman with instructions on what was next on the agenda.

Hazen was interested to talk to the older guardsmen and offer her knowledge of the current operations of the ship. Leading a tour, she showed off the modern day engineer’s room. Korzecke remarked how during his time on the old Mackinaw Cutter, they needed three people in the engineer’s room at all times, while Hazen explained that it was no longer even necessary for one person to constantly be attending the controls.

With leaps in technology, the current cutter operates with a crew of about 47, while there were roughly 160 aboard during the years that many of these returning vets served.

Korzecke expressed the importance of the non-structured reunion-style of the day. “Next, we’ll just hang out,” said Korzecke, as the tours of the ship were winding down. “We all feel honored that the Coast Guard is doing this for us,” said Korzecke.

Cheboygan Daily News



The C&O carferry SPARTAN, in a heavy fog while inbound from Kewaunee on the morning of August 12, 1976, struck rocks at the entrance to Ludington harbor. She suffered severe damage to about 120 feet of her bottom plating. She was taken to Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay on August 18th for repairs. There were no injuries as a result of this incident.

TOM M. GIRDLER was christened August 12, 1951; she was the first of the C-4 conversions.

MAUNALOA (Hull#37) was launched August 12, 1899 at Chicago, Illinois by Chicago Shipbuilding Co. for the Minnesota Steamship Co. Sold Canadian and renamed b.) MAUNALOA II in 1945. She was scrapped at Toronto in 1971.

WILLIAM E. COREY sailed from Chicago on her maiden voyage August 12, 1905, bound for Duluth, Minnesota to load iron ore. She later became b.) RIDGETOWN in 1963. Used as a breakwater in Port Credit, Ontario, in 1974, and is still there.

On 12 August 1882, FLORIDA (3-mast wooden schooner, 352 tons, built in 1875 at Batiscan, Ontario) was carrying 662 tons of coal from Black River to Toronto when she sprang a leak and sank 12 miles from Port Maitland, Ontario. She hailed from Quebec and was constructed mostly of pine and tamarack.

1941: The first EAGLESCLIFFE HALL was attacked by a German bomber from the Luftwaffe and was struck aft. The vessel was two miles east of Sunderland, England, at the time and one member of the crew was killed. The ship reached Sunderland for repairs and, at the end of the war, resumed Great Lakes service for the Hall Corporation. It later joined the Misener fleet as DAVID BARCLAY.

1960: A collision on the Detroit River between the Finnish freighter MARIA and the ALEXANDER T. WOOD damaged both vessels and put the latter aground in the Ballard Reef Channel. After being lightered of some grain by MAITLAND NO. 1, the vessel was released with the aid of the tug JOHN PURVES. MARIA, a pre-Seaway caller to the Great Lakes as BISCAYA and TAMMERFORS, was towed to the Great Lakes Engineering Works at Ecorse for repairs. It was eventually scrapped in Yugoslavia in 1968. ALEXANDER T. WOOD sank as VAINQUER after an explosion in the Gulf of Mexico on March 15, 1969.

1980: An explosion in the crankcase of the bulk carrier RALPH MISENER left one crew member killed and another four injured. One of the injured later died. The ship was loaded with coke and on the Saguenay River bound for Port Alfred. Repairs were carried out at Montreal.

[yachtsmanwilly]

On this day in 1899, a major blockage of the St. Marys River occurred. The steamer MATOA was towing the barge MAIDA past Sailors Encampment when the steering chain of the MAIDA parted. The MAIDA ran ashore but the current swung her around to completely block the channel, and she sank. The lower St. Marys River was closed for several days and 80 - 90 boats were delayed.

The whaleback barge 107 (steel whaleback barge, 276 foot, 1,295 gross tons) was launched by the American Steel Barge Co., at W. Superior, Wisconsin. She only lasted eight years. In 1898, she broke free from the tug ALVA B in rough weather and stranded near Cleveland, Ohio and was wrecked.

JOSEPH L. BLOCK sailed light on her maiden voyage from the Bay Ship Building Co., Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin to load 32,600 long tons of taconite ore pellets at Escanaba, Michigan for delivery to Indiana Harbor, Indiana on August 15, 1976.

In 1991, ALGOSTEEL was outbound at Superior when a small, smoky fire broke out in the electrical panel. The ship went to anchor and then returned to port for repairs. The trip resumed on August 24.

The OTTERCLIFFE HALL, the last "straight deck" Great Lakes bulk freighter built with a pilot house forward, was bare boat chartered to Misener Transportation Ltd. on August 15, 1983, renamed b.) ROYALTON. In 1985, renamed c.) OTTERCLIFFE HALL, d.) PETER MISENER in 1988, and e.) CANADIAN TRADER in 1994. She was scrapped at Alang, India in 2004.

Under threat of a strike on August 15, 1978, the uncompleted GEORGE A. STINSON was towed out of Lorain, Ohio by six tugs to River Rouge's Nicholson's Terminal & Dock Co. to finish her fit-out. She was renamed b.) AMERICAN SPIRIT in 2004.

The LEON FALK JR. was laid up for the last time August 15, 1980, at the Great Lakes Engineering Work's old slip at River Rouge, Michigan.

On August 15, 1985, the MENIHEK LAKE sailed under her own power to Quebec City (from there by tug), the first leg of her journey to the cutter’s torch in Spain.

J.P. MORGAN JR arrived in tow of Hannah Marine's tug DARYL C. HANNAH at Buffalo, New York on August 15th where she was delayed until she could obtain clearance to transit the Welland Canal. Permission to pass down the Canal was refused because of the MORGAN JR's improper condition. By September 5, 1980, the situation was rectified and she was towed down the Welland Canal by the tugs BARBARA ANN, STORMONT and ARGUE MARTIN bound for Quebec City.

On 15 August 1856, the WELLAND (sidewheel steamer, wood, passenger & package freight, 145 foot, 300 ton, built 1853, at St. Catharines, Ontario) burned to a total loss at her dock at Port Dalhousie, Ontario. She was owned by Port Dalhousie and Thorold Railroad Co. On 15 August 1873, Thomas Dunford and Frank Leighton announced a co-partnership in the shipbuilding business in Port Huron, Michigan. Their plans included operating from Dunford's yard. When they made their announcement, they already had an order for a large tug from Mr. George E. Brockway. This tug was the CRUSADER with the dimensions of 132 feet overall, 100 foot keel, and 23 foot beam. In 1914, the Panama Canal was officially opened to maritime traffic.

On this day in 1962, the ARTHUR M. ANDERSON departed Conneaut and headed downbound to become the first Pittsburgh boat to transit the Welland Canal and St. Lawrence Seaway.

At 11 p.m., 14 August 1882, the steam barge CHICAGO, 206 foot, 935 gross tons of 1855, was carrying coal on Lake Michigan while towing the barge MANITOWOC, 210.5 feet, 569 gross tons of 1868. In mid-lake, near Fox Island, CHICAGO was discovered to be on fire. Within 15 minutes, she was ablaze. Her crew escaped to her barge-consort MANITOWOC. The CHICAGO burned to the water's edge and sank the following day.

Sea trials for the HENRY FORD II took place on August 14, 1924, and shortly after she left on her maiden voyage with coal from Toledo, Ohio to Duluth, Minnesota and returned with iron ore to the Ford Rouge Plant at Dearborn.

After been sold for scrap, the GOVERNOR MILLER was towed down the Soo Locks on August 14, 1980, for Milwaukee, Wisconsin to load scrap.

On 14 August 1873, CHESTER B. JONES (3-mast, wooden schooner, 167 foot, 493 gross tons) was launched at East Saginaw, Michigan. She was built by Chesley Wheeler. The spars and top hamper ordered for her were broken in a logjam, so the 3-master received her spars at Buffalo, New York on her first trip.

The 149 foot bark MARY E. PEREW was found floating west of the Manitou Islands by the propeller MONTGOMERY on 14 August 1871. The PEREW had been sailing to Milwaukee with a load of coal when a storm came upon her so quickly on 8 August (nearly a week before MONTGOMERY found her) that the crew did not have time to trim the sails. All three masts were snapped and the mizzen mast fell on the yawl, smashing it. So the crew was stuck on the ship, unable to navigate. The MONTGOMERY towed her to Milwaukee where she was rebuilt and she lasted until 1905.

On 14 August 1900, the tug WILLIAM D of the Great Lakes Towing Co. got under the bow of the steamer WAWATAM at Ashtabula, Ohio, and was rolled over and sank. One drowned.

August 14, 1899 - W. L. Mercereau, known as the "Father of the Fleet,” became Superintendent of Steamships for the Pere Marquette Railway.

1936: Registration for the wooden steamer MARY H. BOYCE was closed. The ship, which had burned at Fort William in 1928, was scuttled in deep water off Isle Royale in 1936.The vessel had been an early member of the Paterson fleet.

1950: The Canada Steamship Lines passenger carrier QUEBEC caught fire near Tadoussac, Quebec, and was able to reach the dock. Of the 426 passengers on board, 3 lives were lost. The blaze was considered suspicious as it began in a linen closet. The vessel was a total loss.

1961: The wooden diesel-powered tug NORTH STAR IV had visited the Great Lakes as b) ROCKY RIVER and had been used to handle the barges BLACK RIVER and PIC RIVER for the Quebec & Ontario Transportation Co. The vessel was serving under her fourth name when she stranded on a rock in James Bay while doing hydrographic survey work. The crew was rescued but the vessel was a total loss. The rocky area is now called North Star Shoal.

1986: GABRIELLA came through the Seaway in 1975 when only a year old. The ship capsized at Port Kembla, Australia, while discharging a 227-ton heavy lift on this date. The vessel was turned upside down, refloated in November 1986 and towed 30 miles out to sea and scuttled on December 9, 1986.

2004: FEDERAL MAAS was damaged at the Iroquois Lock when the wing of the pilothouse struck the edge of the bascule bridge.

2005: The Cypriot freighter ULLA visited the Seaway in September 1995 with cocoa beans for Valleyfield, QC and returned, in ballast, in November 1996 for Port Robinson. It was in a collision as f) REEF PEMBA with the GAS VISION and sank off Oman on this date in 2005. The crew was saved.


Operated by a crew of retired Hanna captains, chief engineers and executives, the GEORGE M. HUMPHREY departed the old Great Lakes Engineering Works yard in Ecorse, Michigan, under her own power on August 13, 1986, for Lauzon, Quebec. The HUMPHREY cleared Lauzon September 3rd with the former Hanna steamer PAUL H. CARNAHAN in tow of the Dutch tug SMIT LLOYD 109. The tow locked through the Panama Canal, September 27-30, and arrived at Kaohsiung, Taiwan December 10, 1986 completing a trip of over 14,000 miles. The HUMPHREY was scrapped in 1987, by Shiong Yek Steel Corp.

On 13 August 1899, H. G. CLEVELAND (wooden schooner, 137 foot 264 tons, built in 1867, at Black River, Ohio) sank with a full load of limestone, 7 miles from the Cleveland harbor entrance.

August 13, 1980 - The ARTHUR K. ATKINSON returned to service after repairing a broken crankshaft suffered in 1973. She brought 18 railcars from Manitowoc to Frankfort.

The 272 foot, 1,740 gross ton, wooden propeller freighter SITKA was launched by F. W. Wheeler (Hull#32) at W. Bay City, Michigan on 13 August 1887.

1986 INDIANA HARBOR set a Toledo and Lake Erie record, loading 55,047 tons of coal at Toledo for Marquette.

1917: The barge MIDDLESEX of the Ontario Transportation and Pulp Company broke loose and stranded at Rapide Plat in the St. Lawrence. The ship was abandoned to the insurers but salvaged and returned to service as b) WOODLANDS in 1918.

1979: IRISH OAK first came to the Great Lakes in 1960 for Irish Shipping Ltd. The vessel went aground near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as c) VEGAS on this date in 1979, while enroute from Piraeus, Greece, to Vietnam. The hull was refloated on October 28, 1979, and reached Jeddah on November 16, 1979. It was sold for scrapping at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, and arrived there on January 29, 1980.

1982: EUTHALIA visited the Seaway for the first time in 1972. It caught fire in the engine room as d) FORUM SPIRIT enroute from Port Said, Egypt, to Piraeus, Greece, and was abandoned by most of the crew. While it was towed into Piraeus on August 14, the vessel was declared a total loss. The ship arrived at Split, Yugoslavia, again under tow, for scrapping on March 6, 1984.

1993: The second CORFU ISLAND to visit the Great Lakes came inland in 1970. This SD14 cargo carrier had been built the previous year and returned as b) LOYALTY in 1980. Later that fall, the ship arrived at Basrah, Iraq, from Duluth with severe missile damage resulting from the Iraq-Iran War. The ship was declared a total loss but remained idle there until being towed away on August 13, 1993. LOYALTY arrived at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, for scrapping on September 22, 1993.




8/13 - Duluth, Minn. – Project Mustang is officially underway at United Taconite. The week that the full workforce of nearly 500 returned to the job, Cliffs Natural Resources hosted a groundbreaking event for the $65 million dollar investment.

State and federal leaders joined in for ceremonial dirt turning. Project Mustang means upgrades and additions to the pellet plant in Forbes, so UTAC can make a custom pellet for steelmaker ArcelorMittal.

"We are starting a new moment for United Taconite," Cliffs' CEO Lourenco Goncalves told the group of about 100 people.

Brian Zarn, president of Local 6860, said, that this pellet contract for Mustang is good for the future. He received a standing ovation after addressing the crowd. "We are ecstatic that our brothers and sisters have been recalled to work. Most have returned, with just a few retirements."

Contractors with Lakehead Constructors are already on site. They will work with steelworkers from UTAC to get the job done, so the new pellet can be rolling off the line in the spring. UTAC will also continue to make their standard pellet as well.

Governor Mark Dayton praised Goncalves for keeping his word about bringing people back to work, and even referenced Goncalves' hope to take over the Essar leases.

"I'm so glad you're leading the resurgence at UTAC here, and we hope to get the Essar leases over to you so you can build there," Dayton said. The state has started the legal proceedings to free the leases from Essar's bankruptcy proceedings.

Goncalves said that is part of his plan. "We are going to produce DRI for the electric arc furnaces. We are going to be in business for the next 100 years," he added.

General manager Santi Romani mentioned that Henry Ford helped start the mine and plant, to help him build his Ford Fairlanes and Thunderbirds.

"Now, 51 years later, the Mustang Project is a nod to our roots. And the longevity of the Mustang, and to the great years ahead for this facility," Romani said. He also welcomed back his full workforce.

They will begin producing their standard pellet again at the end of the month. You may remember the plant was idled in August of 2015, because of the domestic steel industry crisis.

WDIO


8/13 - Thunder Bay, Ont. – Boats large and small are having an easier time on Lake Superior this year due to higher-than-average water levels, says a Great Lakes researcher.

The higher water table is mainly due to the combination of wet weather —both rain and snow — and cold winters over the past couple of years said Andrew Gronewold, a hydrologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Currently, the lake is almost 20 cm higher than the August average, and almost 70 cm higher than the lake's lowest point in August, set in 2007.

Lake Superior's water levels generally follow a yearly cycle, rising to their highest point in July and August before declining through the fall.

"When water levels get extremely low, it can often be hard for commercial vessels or even individual recreational vessels to access narrow channels," Gronewold said, adding that vessels now have easier access to docks, marinas and ports.

Thunder Bay port officials also are saying that the current state of the lake is benefiting larger vessels in the lake. Harbor master Guy Jarvis told CBC News higher levels significantly reduce concerns about access throughout the Great Lakes shipping routes.

"When you have low water and you have silting ... you may have to restrict the loading of a cargo ship, but that hasn't happened in the last 10 years."

While levels this month are higher than average, they've still not reached the lake's high point for August, set back in 1952. Part of the reason why the lake looks so high is the relatively long period of low water that's preceded the past couple of years, Gronewold said.

"Many folks around the Great Lakes have grown accustomed to low water levels," he said. "And one of the areas we've seen an impact there is with beaches."

"Many folks have been used to having these sort of wide expanses of shoreline property, beaches, and they've gotten accustomed to water levels being a particular point and a particular shoreline."

But data shows the lake levels that produced those beaches were well below average. Gronewold said starting in the late 1990s, lake levels declined dramatically and stayed that way for about 15 years.

The International Joint Commission is predicting Lake Superior's water level will remain near or above average

CBC





8/14 - Buffalo, N.Y. – A fourth vessel has been added to a fleet of boats that serve visitors to Buffalo's Inner Harbor. Dignitaries joined members of the Hilliman family Friday morning to christen the Harbor Queen.

The vessel, a custom-built two-level catamaran that measures 63 feet long and 24 feet wide, can carry up to 149 passengers and will host daily 90-minute tours of Buffalo's Inner and Outer Harbor.

It's the fourth vessel to be introduced to Buffalo's waterfront by Buffalo River History Tours. It's the largest of the fleet, which also includes the Spirit of Buffalo sailing ship, River Queen and Queen City Bike Ferry.

Captain Rich Hilliman of Buffalo River History Tours explained that the Harbor Queen will allow the company to use another within the fleet as a second ferry. He revealed the family had pondered adding a fourth boat, but originally planned to acquire it next year.

But with business already booming, the opportunity to introduce a bigger tour boat was too good to pass up.

"How could we not?" Hilliman said during opening remarks at a Friday morning christening ceremony in Canalside. "With the rich history that we have here, from the Erie Canal to over a hundred years of the biggest grain port in the world, and the structures (grain elevators) we have standing behind us."

Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul had the honor of breaking the ceremonial champagne bottle on the hull of the Harbor Queen, while Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation chairman Robert Gioia celebrated what he called the latest success story of public-private partnership on Buffalo's waterfront.

WFBO

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On 18 August 1871, GEN. WINFIELD SCOTT (wooden schooner, 114 foot, 213 tons, built in 1852, at Black River, Ohio) was carrying lumber from Menominee to Chicago when she sprang a leak during a gale and capsized off Spider Island near Death's Door on Lake Michigan. The crew clung to her for 13 hours until rescued by the passing schooner ETHAN ALLEN.

CANADIAN ENTERPRISE (Hull#65) was float launched on August 18, 1979, at St. Catharines, Ontario by Port Weller Drydocks Ltd. for Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd.

On August 18, 1972, $50,000 in bottom damage occurred when the CHAMPLAIN, of 1943, hit an obstruction in the Trenton Channel, on the lower Detroit River.

The NORMAN B. REAM (Hull#70) was launched August 18, 1906, at Chicago, Illinois by the Chicago Ship Building Co. for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co., Cleveland, Ohio. Renamed b.) KINSMAN ENTERPRISE in 1965. She served as a storage barge in Port Huron from 1979 to 1989. She was scrapped at Aliaga, Turkey in 1989.

On 18 August 1907, KATE WHITE (wooden propeller steam tug, 62 foot, 28 gross tons, built at Erie, Pennsylvania in 1885, as a yacht) sank near the harbor entrance at Fairport, Ohio. On 18 August 1878, JAVA (iron twin propeller passenger/package freight vessel, 232 foot, 1,525 gross tons, built in 1873, at Buffalo, New York) was sailing from Bay City, Michigan for Chicago and Milwaukee with mixed merchandise, including 300 tons of fine household goods, parlor stoves, salt, etc. She was a twin-screw and the main theory of her loss in good weather was that her starboard shaft coupling came loose and the shaft slid out the stern, allowing water to flood through the sleeve. Nevertheless, she sank quickly, 15 miles off Big Sable Point on Lake Michigan in over 300 feet of water. The crew escaped in lifeboats and was picked up by passing steamers.

1919 – The former wooden bulk carrier NEOSHO was sold for off lakes service in 1917 and was operating as a barge, under tow of the tug NORFOLK, when she broke loose in a storm on Delaware Bay, got caught in the trough, struck a reef and broke up.

1927 – The first HENNEPIN foundered in Lake Michigan, 18 miles west of South Haven, enroute to Grand Haven to load. The hull was discovered in 2006 and is upright in 230 feet of water.

1966 – BAYGEORGE knocked off a lock fender in the downbound section of the Welland Canal Flight Locks and delayed navigation. Only the upbound side remained in use to handle traffic pending repairs.

1972 – The ocean going general cargo carrier FELTO caught fire at Bata, Equatorial Guinea, while discharging cement. The blaze broke out in the engineroom and spread to the accommodation area before the ship settled on the bottom as a total loss. The vessel had been a Great Lakes trader in 1968 and had previously come inland as a) FERDIA in 1953 and b) FAIRWAY in 1963.

1985 – CHI-CHEEMAUN went aground due to fog while departing South Baymouth and was released the following day. The Georgian Bay ferry went to Collingwood for repairs.

1996 – HERCEG NOVI, a Yugoslavian freighter dating from 1981, first came through the Seaway in 1989 bringing a cargo of newsprint to Detroit. It sank following a collision with the containership MING GALAXY off Singapore on this date in 1996. Local officials ordered the removal of the hull and this was done, in pieces, later in the year.