Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

1/10 - The federal government is seeking comments starting Monday, Jan. 9, through March 31 on proposed national marine sanctuaries in Lake Michigan and the Potomac River – the first such designations since 2000.

While the sanctuaries would promote preservation and tourism, shippers and others want to be sure they don’t hinder dredging and ballasting in the Great Lakes.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) wants to designate a 1,075-sq. mi. area of Lake Michigan adjacent to Wisconsin’s Manitowoc, Sheboygan and Ozaukee counties that holds 37 known shipwrecks. In Maryland, the proposed 52-square mile stretch of the tidal Potomac by Charles County contains more than 100 known and potential shipwrecks, including remains of the ghost fleet built during World War I.

The Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) has said it “welcomes the recreational and educational opportunities” a sanctuary may bring, but “what is currently a legal navigational practice should continue to be allowed once the sanctuary is established.”

It is especially concerned about three areas. “Dredging of federal navigation channels in ports, rivers, and their approaches is essential for our ships’ access to dockside customers. Removal of (dry cargo residue) from a ship’s deck is critical for the safety of crewmembers working on deck. Ballasting is crucial to maintain trim, draft, stability, and structural integrity of a vessel,” LCA wrote last year when NOAA was preparing a draft environmental impact statement.

The Lake Michigan sanctuary would be the second one on the Great Lakes, where a number of other sanctuary nominations are expected. Lake Huron’s Thunder Bay, site of nearly 100 discovered shipwrecks, became a national sanctuary in 2000 and was officially expanded in 2014 from 448 square miles to 4,300 square miles.

Sanctuary regulations are specific to each site, according to Ellen Brody, NOAA’s Great Lakes Regional Coordinator. “Some sanctuaries do include restrictions on discharge and dredging,” she earlier told WorkBoat. Thunder Bay does not. Its regulations focus on protecting shipwrecks.

To comment online, go to www.regulations.gov and use docket number NOAA-NOS-2016-0150 for Lake Michigan, and NOAA-NOS-2016-0149 for the Potomac.

NOAA said it will make a final decision on whether to designate the sanctuaries after reviewing the comments.


On this day in 1952, EDWARD B. GREENE was launched at the American Shipbuilding yard at Toledo, Ohio. The 647-foot vessel joined the Cleveland Cliffs fleet. After lengthening over the winter of 1975-1976 and conversion to a self-unloader in 1981, the GREENE sailed briefly as the b.) BENSON FORD for Rouge Steel. She sails today as the c.) KAYE E BARKER of the Interlake fleet.

ONTADOC (Hull#207) was launched January 10, 1975, at Collingwood, Ontario, by Collingwood Shipyards, Ltd. For N.M. Paterson & Sons. Renamed b.) MELISSA DESGAGNES in 1990.

On January 10, 1977, the CHESTER A. POLING, b.) MOBIL ALBANY) broke in two and sank off the coast of Massachusetts.

January 10, 1998 - Glen Bowden, former co-owner of the Michigan-Wisconsin Transportation Company (MWT) died.

In 1974, the W.C. RICHARDSON was towed from her winter berth in Toledo to assist in lightering the grounded a.) BENSON FORD.

On Jan 10, 1978, the tanker JUPITER became stuck in 3 to 5-foot ridged ice off Erie, Pennsylvania. The U.S.C.G. tug OJIBWA was sent from Buffalo, New York, to free her, but she too became beset in the ice 3 miles from the JUPITER's position. The JUPITER was lost after an explosion at Bay City in 1990. The OJIBWA is now the tug GEN OGLETHORPE in Savannah, Georgia.

On 10 January 1898, Alexander Anderson of Marine City was awarded a contract to build a wooden steamer for A. F. Price of Freemont, Ohio, Isaac Lincoln of Dakota, and Capt. Peter Ekhert of Port Huron, Michigan. The vessel was to be named ISAAC LINCOLN and was to be 130 feet long and capable of carrying 400,000 feet of lumber. The contract price was $28,000. Her engine and boiler were to be built by Samuel F. Hodge of Detroit. The vessel was launched on 10 May 1898, and her cost had increased to $40,000. She lasted until 1931 when she was abandoned.

1967: PRINDOC (iii) was laid up for the winter at Cardinal, Ontario, when it broke its moorings in a storm and drifted down the St. Lawrence. The shipkeeper was able to get the anchor down and they held just above the Iroquois power dam, averting a major problem.

1970: IOANNA stranded near Sete, France, in a gale while inbound from Barcelona, Spain and had to be sold for scrap. The ship had been a Seaway trader as a) A.J. FALKLAND in 1959 and returned as b) PETER in 1960 and 1961.

1971: CATTARO came through the Seaway in 1959 for the Ellerman's Wilson Line. It caught fire in the engine room at Galatz, Romania, as b) VRACHOS and had to be beached. It was subsequently broken up for scrap.

1977: The tanker CHESTER A. POLING broke in two and sank off the coast of Massachusetts in a storm after an explosion in the forward pump room. Two members of the crew were lost. The ship had been a Great Lakes trader as a) PLATTSBURG SOCONY and as b) MOBIL ALBANY.

1981: SOL RIVER came to the Great Lakes in 1968. It ran aground as f) LIZA near Combi, Lemnos Island, Greece. The hull broke in two and sank January 15. The ship was carrying phosphate enroute from Sfax, Tunisia, to Kavalla, Greece, when it went down on the Aegean Sea with the loss of 5 lives.

2001: The Cypriot freighter ARETHUSA first came through the Seaway in 1987. Fire broke out in the engine room and spread to the bridge and accommodation area while the ship was in the northern Great Belt. The vessel, enroute from Casablanca, Morocco, to Gdansk, Poland, with phosphate, was towed to Gydnia, Poland, after the blaze was extinguished. Repairs to the 28-year-old vessel were not worthwhile and it arrived at the scrapyard at Aliaga, Turkey, for dismantling on March 26, 2001.

[yachtsmanwilly]

1/11 - Little Pond, N.S. – An attempt to tow a vessel grounded off Cape Breton ended in failure Tuesday evening when the salvage contractor couldn't remove enough ballast water from the ship, according to the Canadian Coast Guard.

The removal of Arca 1, which ran aground Sunday north of Sydney Mines, had been scheduled to coincide with the evening high tide, around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The ship, which was sailing to Mexico from Montreal, lost engine power in a winter gale and its six-member crew had to be rescued by helicopter. The vessel is carrying 15 tonnes of fuel for its engines. The contractor had been working to pump out ballast water since boarding the Arca 1 Tuesday afternoon, but ran into some trouble with frozen pumps.

Coast Guard officials said additional pumps were brought on board, but the tide began to turn before enough water was removed to give the ship the necessary buoyancy. The tow effort had to be abandoned around 7 p.m. and the Coast Guard said with inclement weather moving in, there will not be another attempt to move the ship on Wednesday.

Tuesday's attempt involved two tugs, two Coast Guard vessels and two DFO conservation and protection vessels. The contractor began pumping ballast water back on to the ship to give it more stability to ride out high seas and officials will monitor the weather for the next window of opportunity.

McKeil Marine Ltd. is the salvage company hired for the towing operation. Vice-president Olous Boag said the company delayed an effort initially scheduled for Tuesday morning to give it more time to assess how the operation could be carried out. The company, which has headquarters in Hamilton, Ont., operates on the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Seaway and the East Coast.

Boag said earlier Tuesday his firm would use its salvage tug Tim McKeil along with a smaller tug, the Kaliutik, to attempt to tow the vessel to Sydney harbor.

He said that while he was optimistic the vessel can be towed off, "it may not come at the first try."

Senior coast guard response officer Keith Laidlaw said Tuesday that the tow process, once successfully completed, "will be very slow." The vessel will be towed to Sydney harbor where it will be secured.

"During the whole operation, the coast guard will be monitoring. We'll have conservation protection vessels out there doing safety and security," said Laidlaw. Once in Sydney, "the vessel will be inspected for why the incident happened to start with," he said.

He could not say if the Arca 1 will be permitted to continue its voyage to Mexico following the inspection.

The prospect of having the ship hauled away just days after it ran aground was music to the ears of Amanda McDougall, the new municipal councillor in the area, who remembers the almost four-year fight to have the former laker Canadian Miner removed from her community of Main-à-Dieu, N.S.

"Time is of the essence," she said. "You have to move fast. The longer that boat stays there idle on the shoreline, the more precarious the situation becomes."

When she heard that the Arca 1 had foundered off Little Pond, near Sydney Mines, she admits to feeling "nervously nostalgic." But those feelings have been somewhat allayed by the quick response of federal authorities who demanded that the Mexican owners of the vessel take responsibility right away.

"Making sure that the shipowner contracts a tug as soon as possible — that in itself was very reassuring, because I know with the Miner that was the biggest problem," she said. "Had that action been taken immediately, we wouldn't have had a vessel stuck on our shores for close to four years."

The salvage team determined Monday night the vessel's flat bottom wasn't damaged and that a large amount of ballast water on the ship could be pumped off to increase the vessel's buoyancy, he said.

The key challenge is to take the vessel off the bottom while the winds are blowing offshore. The Mexican company, Petroil Marine SA, that owns the ship is responsible for the costs of removing the tanker. On Monday, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the owner is co-operating with the Canadian government to organize and pay for the removal costs.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has said that booms are in place around the vessel to protect against environmental damage.

A team from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada is performing a technical analysis to determine what kind of mechanical failure left the boat adrift. The team is also trying to figure out why the boat was sailing in a forecasted storm.

Arca 1 was last used in the Port of Montreal to ferry bunker fuel or diesel to other ships anchored in the port. Previously, it ran fuel to Sarnia, Ont., by way of the Great Lakes.

CBC



The steamer ROBERT S. McNAMARA, under tow, reached her intended destination of Santander, Spain on January 11, 1974, for scrapping.

In 1970, IRVING S. OLDS was the last ship of the season at the Soo Locks as she followed the PHILIP R. CLARKE downbound.

In 1973, ROGER BLOUGH collided with PHILIP R. CLARKE after the CLARKE encountered an ice pressure ridge and came to a stop in the Straits of Mackinac.

On 11 January 1962, ARCTURUS, formerly JAMES B. WOOD, was under tow of the Portuguese tug PRAIA GRANDE on the way to Norway to be scrapped when she foundered off the Azores at position 46.10N x 8.50W.

January 11, 1911 - ANN ARBOR NO 5 arrived in Frankfort, Michigan, on her maiden voyage.

On 11 January 1883, The Port Huron Times reported that a citizens' committee met to help Port Huron businesses. "A. N. Moffat decried the taxation of vessel property. High taxation of vessel property had driven much of it away from Port Huron. He cited the case of Capt. David Lester of Marine City who came to Port Huron a few years ago to live and would have brought here one of the largest fleets on the Great Lakes, but when he found what taxes would be, returned to Marine City."

1919: The laker CASTALIA left the lakes in two pieces and was rejoined at Lauzon, Quebec, for a new career on the Atlantic in 1918. The ship broke in two 65 miles off Sable Island, Nova Scotia, and the crew was rescued by the BERGENFJORD.

1962: The retired Interlake Steamship Company bulk carrier ARCTURUS was under tow of the tug PRIA GRANDE for scrapping in Europe when it sank in the Atlantic in position 46.10 N / 8.50 W.

1965: CELIA B. made 15 trips through the Seaway in 1959-1962 under Liberian registry. The vessel arrived at Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles, as f) SEA MAID with engine damage and having lost its propeller. The ship was ultimately deemed not worth repairing and arrived at Rotterdam, Netherlands, under tow for scrapping on June 22, 1966.

1974: The first FEDERAL HUDSON to visit the Great Lakes was sailing as d) GOLDEN KING when it struck the wreck of the THETIS off Chittagong, Bangladesh, while inbound from Singapore Roads. It was beached in sinking condition and sustained water damage at high tide. The vessel was refloated on February 13, 1974, and taken to Chittagong to unload and get repaired. It was scrapped at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, as d) CHAR HSIUNG in 1980.

1981: ARNA began Seaway trading in 1965. It stranded off Shimonoseki, Japan, as b) IQBALBAKSH and was declared a total loss. The vessel was sold to South Korean shipbreakers and arrived at Busan, under tow on August 2, 1981.

1993: EUROJOY was anchored off Cadiz, Spain, when a spontaneous combustion fire broke out in the cargo of coal that had been bound for Turkey. The ship was listed as a total loss and sold for scrap but was repaired. It sailed additional years until scrapping at Alang, India, as g) LENA II in 1998. It first visited the Seaway as a) ATLANTIC CHALLENGE in 1971 and returned as b) ANGEBALTIC in 1981, c) ASTURIAS in 1986 and e) EUROJOY in 1990.

[yachtsmanwilly]

1/12 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – When clocks turn midnight on Jan. 15, shipping season on the upper Great Lakes will come to an official close as the Soo Locks shut down for their annual winter maintenance period.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers will begin their intensive maintenance period by completing a plethora of projects before shipping season resumes March 25. The winter work blitzkrieg will pack as much work as possible in roughly eight weeks and include maintenance and inspections.

"We stay open for any ship that leaves a Lake Superior port before midnight on the 14th," said Soo Area Engineer Kevin Sprague. "Every year it's the same date."

Sprague added that major projects this winter will include replacing embedded anchors and doing hydraulic work on the Poe Lock, the system's oldest operating chamber. The engineer noted that the scheduled work will be "wet" or done with water in the locks.

"We have a lot of miscellaneous jobs on a smaller scale," continued Sprague. "They add up to take quite a bit of time."

The MacArthur Lock will receive attention through a series of upkeep routines over the two-plus months. A new sand job, welding and paint job are in store of the smaller lock. The lock's dewatering bulkheads will be the primary beneficiary of the care. The bulkheads help drain water from the chamber during the year's when the maintenance is performed in an empty lock.

The manic work pace can condense roughly 10 weeks of work into eight figured Sprague. He expects over 200 contractors to help assist with the repairs and inspections. The Corps tries to finish the work a week before the March 25 opening to help the Coast Guard break ice.

"The last few years we've had good budgets," concluded Sprague, mentioning that the funding has helped complete a lot of work and "recapitalize major equipment."

Soo Evening News


1/12 - Sydney Mines, N.S. – A tanker remains grounded on the sandy bottom of a Cape Breton bay, as a salvage company readies a more powerful tug after a failed attempt to dislodge the boat Tuesday night. The bid to refloat and tow the Arca 1 resulted in only minor movements towards deeper water, Olous Boag, vice president of McKeil Marine, said Wednesday.

Boag said the tow was called off shortly after high tide, and it was determined the larger tug Tim McKeil would be required.

He said in an interview the company had hoped that by pumping out the 300 tonnes of ballast water from the tanker, it would have permitted a smaller tug to pull the vessel off the sand north of Sydney Mines, N.S.

However, difficulties breaking through a half metre of ice to install portable pumps to remove ballast water caused slowdowns – and it turned out additional portable pumps will be needed to fully empty the tanks between low and high tides. Only about half of the ballast water was pumped off in the first attempt.

“It turns out we need the larger horsepower and additional pumps,” said Boag.

The salvage executive says the firm remains optimistic the tanker can be moved in a few days, but it will require bringing in additional steel wire and floating rope because the more powerful tug must stay about a kilometre away from the grounded vessel.

Boag said the vessel is sitting in just 60 centimetres of water. “At low water, you can almost walk around the Arca,” he said.

There will be “challenges” in setting up the next towing effort, he said, including worsening weather and the freezing of ballast water. Tests will also be needed to ensure the force of the tow doesn’t rip off the connection points to the tanker, he added.

The precise timing of the next attempt to move the ship will depend on daily forecasts and wind speeds, and the Canadian Coast Guard must approve the plan, said Boag.

The Arca 1 – which is carrying 15 tonnes of fuel for its own engines – ran aground just north of Sydney Mines on Sunday after losing engine power, and its six-member crew was rescued later that day.

The tanker was en route to Mexico carrying no cargo when it experienced mechanical difficulties.

Global News

[yachtsmanwilly]

1/13 - Little Pond, N.S. – A marine salvage contractor will try again this weekend to move the tanker that ran aground off Cape Breton, according to the Canadian Coast Guard. McKeil Marine Ltd. tried to move the Arca 1, which is owned by Petroil Marine of Mexico, early Tuesday evening but was unsuccessful.

"The first attempt showed a need for a larger tug and additional equipment. There were some mechanical issues with the tanker," said Keith Laidlaw, a coast guard senior response officer.

"Those things have all been considered and we have additional equipment on site to handle it. We have additional pumps, tow lines have been put on board the tanker today to prepare for the next attempt."

Nova Scotia Transportation Minister Geoff MacLellan said he's satisfied the salvage operation is going as smoothly as possible.

"From a technical perspective, it looks like everything is in check. Obviously the longer the vessel sits there, the more opportunity for some kind of catastrophe to take place," he said. "Every hour that goes by, there's obviously a cause for concern."

The provincial Transportation Department is not part of the effort to free the ship, he said. Unlike the former laker Canadian Miner, which spent four years stranded at Scaterie Island before it was removed, the company that owns Arca 1 is taking responsibility,

The Canadian Coast Guard and Transport Canada have reviewed the salvage plan with McKeil Marine and have asked for additional information about the stability of the vessel before the next attempt to remove it, Laidlaw said. "

About 400 tonnes of ballast water will have to be pumped out in order to add a foot and a half of clearance to float the vessel, which ran aground Sunday en route from Montreal to Mexico. The other complication was the 60 centimetres of ice that topped the ballast water tanks, Laidlaw added.

The good news is the Arca 1's hull remains intact and tanks carrying 16,000 litres of fuel are not compromised, he said.

Laidlaw could not give an exact time when the next attempt will be made to move the ship. High tides in the area on Saturday and Sunday are between 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., and 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.

"We are at the mercy of the tide, wind and sea conditions. We need to have all three of those things lining up," he said.

A longer towline is being manufactured and a large tug will move the ship from the sandy bottom where it is lying before switching the line over to a smaller tug that will move the vessel to Sydney harbor.

"We were fortunate there were tugs in the area to start with. Normally we have to wait days, or a week," Laidlaw said.

CBC



13 January 2005 - Genesis? AFRICANS??

GENESIS EXPLORER (steel propeller tanker, 435 foot, built in 1974, at Port Weller, Ontario, formerly a.) IMPERIAL ST. CLAIR & b.) ALGOSAR) sailed from Halifax for Quebec City. She was registered in the Comoros Islands. She was carrying a few members of her former crew for training purposes, but her new crew was African.

On 13 January 1918, the Goodrich Line’s ALABAMA and the Grand Trunk ferries MILWAUKEE and GRAND HAVEN all became stuck in the ice off Grand Haven, Michigan. The vessels remained imprisoned in the ice for the next two weeks. When the wind changed, they were freed but Grand Haven’s harbor was still inaccessible. The ALABAMA sailed for Muskegon and stalled in the 18-inch thick ice on Muskegon Lake.

After lightering 3,000 tons of coal, the a.) BENSON FORD was refloated in 1974 and proceeded to the Toledo Overseas Terminal to be reloaded.

In 1979, the U.S.C.G. tug ARUNDEL was beset by windrowed ice at Minneapolis Shoal in Green Bay. Strong winds piled the ice on her stern and soon she had a 25-degree list. The crew feared that she may sink and abandoned the tug, walking across the ice with the help of a spotlight onboard the ACACIA, which also became beset by the heavy ice. The MACKINAW, SUNDEW and a Coast Guard helicopter were dispatched to the scene, but northwest winds relieved the ice pressure and the crew was able to re-board the ARUNDEL. The ARUNDEL sails today as the tug c.) ERIKA KOBASIC.

On January 13, 1970, the lower engine room and holds of the SEWELL AVERY accidentally flooded, sinking her to the bottom of Duluth Harbor causing minimal damage, other than an immense cleanup effort.

January 13, 1909 - The PERE MARQUETTE 17 was freed after her grounding the previous December.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Anatomy of a grounding: Investigator shares details of Blough casualty

1/16 - Duluth, Minn. – The lake freighter that grounded last spring in the southeasternmost pool of Lake Superior known as Whitefish Bay was attempting to pass a dead ship being towed out of the lake.

In an interview with the News Tribune, the lead investigator of the U.S. Coast Guard's inquiry also revealed that the grounding of the Roger Blough caused so much damage to the ship as to make it the rare "major marine casualty" on the Great Lakes.

"There are different levels of marine casualty," said Lt. Daniel Every of Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie. "A major marine casualty would be something with $500,000 damage or more."

The Roger Blough suffered $4.5 million worth of damages, Every said, based on the cost of steel and labor to replace the parts of the hull impacted by the grounding. The investigation is still considered open and will be until Coast Guard headquarters in Washington, D.C., signs off on the final report, which will include safety and other recommendations directed at the people and companies involved and possibly even the government itself.

"I've written several," said Every, who could not go into detail about those recommendations or answer the question of culpability. What he did do was describe the 858-foot boat skidding to a stop on May 27, requiring the Blough to be unloaded at sea in a complex arrangement that lasted nearly two weeks.

Read more and view photos at this link: www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/4199155-anatomy-grounding-investigator-shares-details-blough-casualty-lake-superior


1/16 - Syndey, N.S. – The grounded bunkering tanker Arca 1 has been freed from the coast of Little Pond, N.S., and is now tied to a dock in the Sydney harbor after being stranded for a week. McKeil Marine Ltd., a marine transportation firm, and the Canadian Coast Guard worked together to remove the vessel during high tide Sunday morning.

"The work was done safely and professionally and proficiently. There were no lives lost, no injuries and no harm to the environment," said Keith Laidlaw, a senior response officer with the Coast Guard's environmental branch.

The Arca 1's crew of six were removed from the tanker in a helicopter rescue last Sunday. The tanker was towed out of the area around 10 a.m. Sunday, after high seas and winds foiled earlier attempts to free the vessel.

First, crews pumped out the ballast water in the hull. Ships carry ballast to increase stability and it was pumped out to make the Arca 1 lighter and easier to tow.

"They took several hundred tonnes (300 tonnes) of ballast water off the vessel...and it floated free," said Stephen Bornais, a spokesman for the Canadian Coast Guard who was at the scene when the ship was removed.

A towline attached to the 53-metre ship was used by a tugboat to pull it into deeper water during high tide Sunday morning.

The Arca 1's engine failed last Sunday during stormy weather north of Sydney Mines. With no propulsion the ship was pushed toward the shoreline and ended up grounded. Laidlaw said Arca 1 is now in the owner's hands.

"The owner has been very cooperative and very available and very responsive up until this point," said Laidlaw.

"Coast Guard is looking at demobilizing our incident command post, probably tomorrow, and, as in all these incidents ... there will be a report."

CBC


COLONEL JAMES PICKANDS (Hull#791) was launched in 1926, at Lorain, Ohio, by the American Ship Building Co.

In 1987, DETROIT EDISON, at Brownsville, Texas, for scrapping, was raised after being scuttled by vandals.

On 16 January 1909, TECUMSEH (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 200 foot, 839 gross tons, built in 1873, at Chatham, Ontario) burned to a total loss at her winter berth at Goderich, Ontario.

In 1978, CANADIAN CENTURY and NORTHERN VENTURE departed Toronto for Hamilton with coal after laying up at that port due to the bridge tender’s strike, which closed the Burlington Lift Bridge to navigation.

On 16 January 1875, The Port Huron Times printed the following list of vessels that were total losses in 1874: Tug IDA H. LEE by collision in Milwaukee, Tug TAWAS by explosion off Sand Beach, Steamer W H BARNUM by collision in the Pelee Passage, Steamer TOLEDO by partially burning at Manistee, Tug WAVE by burning on Saginaw Bay, Tug DOUGLAS by burning on the Detroit River, Steamer BROOKLYN by explosion on the Detroit River, Steamer LOTTA BERNARD by foundering on Lake Superior.

1926: The wooden steamer PALM BAY caught fire while laid up at Portsmouth, Ontario, and was scuttled in Lake Ontario the next year. It had previously sailed as a) PUEBLO and b) RICHARD W.

1988: ASHLAND, enroute to scrapping in Taiwan, dragged anchor off Bermuda and ran aground on the rocks in severe winds. It was pulled free 4 days later with heavy bottom damage and barely made Mamonal, Colombia, for scrapping on February 5.

In 1978, the upbound McKEE SONS, LEON FALK JR, WILLIAM P. SNYDER JR, A.H. FERBERT and CHAMPLAIN became stuck in heavy ice outside Cleveland Harbor. Eventually they were freed with the help of the U.S.C.G. icebreaker NORTHWIND and the U.S.C.G. MARIPOSA.

FORT YORK (Hull#160) was launched January 15, 1958, at Collingwood, Ontario, by Collingwood Shipyards, Ltd.

In 1917, the ANN ARBOR NO 6 left Ecorse for Frankfort on her maiden voyage.

On 15 January 1873, A. Muir began building a wooden 3-mast schooner ("full sized canaller") at his shipyard in Port Huron. Fourteen men were employed to work on her, including master builder James Perry. The schooner was to be the exact counterpart of the GROTON, the first vessel built at that yard. The vessel's dimensions were 138-foot keel, 145 foot overall, 26 foot 2 inches beam and 11 foot 6 inch depth.

On 15 January 1886, the tug KITTIE HAIGHT was sold to Mr. Fisken of Toronto for $3,900.

1986: The former Greek freighter PAULINA C., a Seaway trader beginning in 1976, ran aground off the Dutch coast near Rotterdam as c) RIO GRANDE. It was refloated January 23 and became d) NEPTUNIA later in 1986. It arrived at Bombay, India, for scrapping on December 3, 1986.

1990: The tanker MAYA FARBER came through the Seaway in 1981. It was anchored off Port Sudan as e) RAAD AL-BAKRY VIII when there was an explosion in a cargo tank. Fire broke out and the vessel was gutted. The hull later broke in two and the after end sank. The forebody was sold for scrap and arrived at Alang, India, for dismantling on March 28, 1990.


On this day in 1970, IRVING S. OLDS entered winter layup at Lorain to close the longest season in Great Lakes shipping history.

On 14 January 1945, the W. Butler Shipyard built C1-M-AV1 ship LEBANON (Hull#40) was the last vessel through the Soo Locks. Ice was a serious problem. The newly-commissioned icebreaker U.S.C.G.C. MACKINAW escorted the LEBANON to Lake Huron. The locks had never before been open this late in January. They were kept open to allow newly-built cargo vessels to sail from Superior, Wisconsin, to the Atlantic Ocean where they were needed for the war effort.

Scrapping began on CHICAGO TRIBUNE in 1989, by International Marine Salvage in Port Colborne, Ontario. January 14, 1920 - The Grand Trunk carferry GRAND HAVEN was fast in the ice three miles out of Grand Haven.

In 1977, CANADIAN MARINER laid up at the Consol Fuel dock in Windsor after her attempt to reach Port Colborne was thwarted by heavy ice off Long Point.

On Jan 14, 1978, JAMES R. BARKER departed the Soo Line ore dock in Ashland, Wisconsin, where she had been laid-up since August 7, 1977, due to the iron ore miner’s strike.

1946: The BADGER STATE, a former Great Lakes canal ship as a) FORDONIAN, b) YUKONDOC and c) GEORGIAN, foundered off the mouth of the Grijalva River in the Gulf of Mexico.

1969: SAGAMO, retired former flagship of the Lake Muskoka passenger ships in Central Ontario, burned at the dock in Gravenhurst as a total loss.

1981: The former Lake Erie rail car ferry and later barge MAITLAND NO. 1 rolled over between Yarmouth, NS and Rockland, ME. An attempt to tow the vessel upside down failed and it sank. The ship was under tow of IRVING MAPLE and bound for Port Everglades, FL with a load of scrap. It may have been renamed b) TRIO TRADO at Quebec City on the way south.

[yachtsmanwilly]

1/17 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The Soo Locks officially closed Sunday night at midnight, halting the vessel traffic from Lake Superior to Lake Huron and beyond. The 1,000-foot tug-barge combo Presque Isle made its way slowly into the Poe Lock around 11 p.m. Sunday. It will continue on its journey to northeastern Ohio.

As every shipping season comes to an end in the Soo, "boatnerds" come and bid farewell to the final vessel passing through. “These boats have been a part of my life ever since I was a little guy,” says Don Crawford. “They are just exciting when you stand here when you hear those big engines rumble by!”

The locks will be closed until March 25. During this time, regular maintenance work will be done, while the hydraulic system gets upgraded and crews finish anchorage replacements on the larger of the 2 locks, The Poe Lock.

9&10 News


Lake Michigan catwalk repair decision could be made soon

1/17 - Grand Haven, Mich. – Decisions regarding the repair of Grand Haven's iconic Lake Michigan catwalk are expected to be made soon. City officials met with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers earlier this week to discuss the catwalk repair project.

The meeting involved reviewing proposals from contractors who gave bids on the project. City manager Pat McGinnis said a recommendation will be brought before the council at its meeting Monday, Jan. 16.

Removal of the south pier catwalk began in late August so U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could begin the $2.1 million pier repair project. The catwalk had to be removed for it to be saved. In the meantime, it is being stored at the Verplank docks in Ferrysburg.

Read more and view a photo gallery at this link


1/17 - Duluth, Minn. – For many, it's the sight of the massive ships coming in to the harbor to make the Twin Ports their home for the next couple of months.

"When they (the ships) come in with ice, water spray frozen to the bows, decks and steam rising off the lake it should be a pretty picture," said Jim Sharrow, Director of port planning for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. "It's the last marking of the final transit of the season, which is kind of a benchmark for people."

Already, five ships are docked in the Duluth-Superior Port for winter lay-up this year- with the last four in route. Those include The Roger Blough, Lee A. Tregurtha, Arthur M. Anderson and Phillip R. Clarke, as reported in a story by Hubbard-owned WDIO.

"They're just finishing up their last cargos and coming in for the planned lay-up," said Sharrow."I understand there's quite a bit of steel work this winter and always a lot of work for main engine and power plant repairs."

Fortunately, this year's journey to the Twin Ports will be an easy one. "It's below average in ice accumulations this year," Sharrow said. "There is some ice forming in the connecting rivers but it hasn't slowed down their transits yet."

As for this shipping season, Sharrow says he's optimistic, and hopeful for the next. "We will end up the season at slightly over 30 million tons, which is actually down a little bit from last year. I guess the one bright point is that grain shipments are up 27 percent higher than the last five year average," he added.

"We look like we're going to have a really busy year," Sharrow said. "We're expecting iron ore to be an improved year and we'll see how the rest of it goes."

The Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie closed at midnight Sunday. The first ships will leave for the new season the last week in March.

KSTP

1/17 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – A federal report lists upgrading the Soo Locks shipping complex among 40 proposed infrastructure projects nationwide that would give the economy a significant boost.

The locks network at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, enables vessels to move between Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes. The study says more than 60 percent of the ships in the U.S. and Canadian fleet are so large that they can fit through only one of the locks. If the Poe Lock were disabled, it could cause shortages of raw materials needed by steelmakers, utilities and other industries.

The report says building a second Poe-sized lock would pump up to $1.7 billion into the economy - about three times more than it would cost. The project was authorized in 1986 but hasn't been funded.

The Associated Press.


NORTHERN VENTURE closed the Welland Canal for the season as she passed downbound for Hamilton with coal in 1975.

In 1978, the CLIFFS VICTORY, JOSEPH H. FRANTZ, WILLIAM G. MATHER, ROBERT C. NORTON, CRISPIN OGLEBAY and J. BURTON AYERS formed a convoy in the Detroit River bound for Cleveland.

PHILIP D. BLOCK (Hull#789) was launched at Lorain, Ohio, by the American Ship Building in 1925.

The tanker GREAT LAKES was launched in 1963, as the a.) SINCLAIR GREAT LAKES (Hull#1577) at Decatur, Alabama, by Ingalls Iron Works Co.

JOHN E. F. MISENER was float launched in 1951, as a.) SCOTT MISENER (Hull#11) at St. Catharines, Ontario, by Port Weller Drydocks, Ltd.

January 17, 1902 - PERE MARQUETTE 2 ran aground at Ludington.

PERE MARQUETTE 19 grounded in limited visibility on January 17, 1916, two miles south of Big Point Sable, Michigan, 600 feet off shore. The captain made three unsuccessful attempts to find the Ludington Harbor entrance and on the turn around for the fourth attempt she grounded.

On 17 January 1899, the GERMANIA (wooden propeller freighter, 136 foot, 237 gross tons, built in 1875, at Marine City, Michigan) caught fire and burned to the water's edge at Ecorse, Michigan. The previous day, Norman Reno of Ecorse did some painting inside the cabin and it was presumed that the stove used to heat the cabin may have caused the blaze. The vessel was in winter lay-up at the rear of the home of Mr. W. G. Smith, her owner.

2000: FEDERAL VIBEKE got stuck in the ice on the St. Lawrence and was almost carried into the bridge at Quebec City. The vessel was bound for Sorel with steel. It first came to the Great Lakes in 1993 after previous visits as a) NOSIRA LIN beginning in 1981, b) DAN BAUTA in 1989, and c) KRISTIANIAFJORD in 1991. It was back as e) KALISTI in 2000 and f) NOBILITY in 2004. This bulk carrier arrived at Alang, India, for scrapping as h) OPAL II and was beached on November 14, 2012.

[yachtsmanwilly]

On 18 January 2004, the Great Lakes Fleet’s 1000 footer EDGAR B. SPEER became stuck in the ice in the Rock Cut in the St. Mary’s River. Over the next two days, the U.S.C.G.C. MACKINAW tried to free her, but unsuccessfully. On 21 January, the tugs RELIANCE, MISSOURI, JOSEPH H. THOMPSON JR and JOYCE L. VAN ENKEVORT all coordinated their efforts under the direction of Wellington Maritime’s Captain John Wellington and got the SPEER free.

The CABOT was refloated on January 18, 1967. On December 16, 1966, while loading at Montreal, the CABOT rolled over on her side and sank. The CABOT's stern section, used in the interim as the stern section of the b.) CANADIAN EXPLORER, is now the stern section of c.) ALGOMA TRANSFER.

The MONDOC had her Canadian registry closed on January 18, 1979. The vessel had been renamed b) CORAH ANN and sold to Jamaican company. CORAH ANN was scrapped in 2003.

The National Steamship Co. was incorporated January 18, 1906.

L. P. Mason and Company of E. Saginaw, Michigan sold the steam barge PORTER CHAMBERLAIN (wooden steam barge, 134 foot, 257 gross tons, built in 1874, at Marine City, Michigan) on 18 January 1888, to Comstock Brothers and L. & H. D. Churchill of Alpena, Michigan.

1925: JOHN RUGEE, a wooden steamer in the George Hall Coal Co. fleet, was destroyed by a fire while spending the winter at Ogdensburg.

1938: The passenger ship WAUBIC was damaged by a fire at Kingsville, Ontario, while at winter quarters. It was rebuilt at Port Dover later in the year as b) ERIE ISLE.

1942: LAKE FLAMBEAU was built at Duluth in 1919. It was sailing as c) FRANCES SALMAN when it was sunk by U-552 off the coast of Newfoundland with the loss of 28 lives.

1983: The Greek freighter KIMOLIAKI PISTIS came through the Seaway in 1981. It caught fire on this date in 1983 and was abandoned enroute from Recife, Brazil, to a Black Sea port. The hull was towed into Piraeus, Greece, January 27 and declared a total loss. It first traveled to the Great Lakes as a) MINAS CONJURO in 1969 and then as b) EUGENIO in 1979. The vessel arrived at Split, Yugoslavia, for scrapping on February 21, 1984.

1998: The second MAPLEGLEN caught fire in the engine room while in lay-up at Owen Sound and sustained about $40,000 in damage.


1/18 - Superior, Wis. – Health officials say the majority of more than 200 workers tested for lead exposure at a Superior shipyard had elevated levels of lead in their blood.

Wisconsin and Minnesota health departments began a joint investigation last spring after workers at Fraser Shipyards were exposed to lead while retrofitting the Herbert C. Jackson originally built in 1959.

Wisconsin Public Radio reports Wisconsin Department of Health Services chief medical officer Jon Mieman says about 73 percent of the 233 workers tested had blood lead poisoning. Mieman says short-term effects may include anemia, headache and fatigue.

Fraser said earlier this month that it had agreed to pay $700,000 to settle a fine from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to improve worker safety. Fraser did not admit fault or liability related to the lead exposure.

Associated Press


1/18 - The first large wave of people returning to work at Keetac starts on Tuesday. According to the union, about 100 steelworkers, including both operations and maintenance, will clock back in on Tuesday.

This will mark the first time in 19 months that some of those people will have been on the property. About 30 steelworkers reported to work again last week. U.S. Steel plans on having pellets roll off the line again in March, after idling the plant in May of 2015.

WDIO

[yachtsmanwilly]

On 19 January 1824, the Welland Canal Company was incorporated to build the first Welland Canal.

DAVID M. WHITNEY (steel propeller freighter, 412 foot, 4,626 gross tons) was launched on 19 January 1901, by the Detroit Ship Building Company (Hull #138) in Wyandotte, Michigan, for the Gilchrist Transportation Company of Cleveland, Ohio. Renamed b.) EDWIN L. BOOTH in 1914, c.) G.N. WILSON in 1921, d.) THOMAS BRITT in 1928, and e.) BUCKEYE in 1943. She lasted until 1969, when she was scrapped in Spain.

January 19, 1927 - The Grand Trunk carferry MADISON was christened with a bottle of Wisconsin milk. She entered service in March of 1927.

CLARENCE B. RANDALL, the a.) J.J. SULLIVAN of 1907, was towed to Windsor, Ontario, on January 19, 1987, for scrapping.

1967: The former ELMBAY ran aground near Barra Grande along the coast of northern Brazil as e) SIMANSUR and was abandoned as a total loss. The ship saw Great Lakes service from 1923 until 1942 for several firms including Canada Steamship Lines.

1998: The Cypriot freighter FLARE was south of Newfoundland when it broke in two while inbound in ballast for Montreal. The stern section sank quickly. The bow drifted for several days before it too went down. Four members of the crew clung to an overturned lifeboat and were saved. The ship had been a Seaway trader as a) DORIC FLAME in 1977 and returned as b) FLAME in 1987 and as c) FLARE in 1993.


Help Wanted: Able bodied seaman (Ranger III), Isle Royale National Park

1/19 - Houghton, Mich. – This position functions as an Able Bodied Seaman on the National Park Service vessel Ranger III (R3) at Isle Royale National Park. The Ranger III is a 165’, 650 gross ton passenger (H), tank (D) and miscellaneous cargo (I) vessel that provides logistical support and commercial passenger/freight service during April – October to a wilderness island national park located approximately 75 miles north of park headquarters in Lake Superior.

The Able Bodied Seaman wheels/steers the vessel in all weather conditions under direct supervision of the vessel master and first officer. Performs commercial marine industry AB Seaman duties including standing watch and performing typical operation and maintenance of marine deck machinery. Safely launches and commands a lifeboat, life raft or inflatable buoyancy apparatus in an emergency “abandon-ship” situation and handles mooring lines, towing lines, winches and coordinates securing the vessel to docks with dockside line handlers, and also undocking. Performs walk around fire and maritime security patrol watches and serves as a structural marine firefighter in the event of an onboard fire. This position acts as a crane spotter and performs as a facility person in charge of a USCG regulated, marine transportation-related oil storage facility during petroleum transfers. Leads and directs passengers in a controlled and professional manner and answers passenger questions about the park or vessel.

This is a career-seasonal federal government position (April-October), with a competitive wage and benefits package. Contact Randy Rastello, Chief of Maintenance, at [phone], or Garland Attaway, Master (RIII), at [phone] for further job related information or with questions. Please email resumes/qualifications to [e-mail] or [e-mail] or mail to: Isle Royale National Park, 800 E Lakeshore Dr., Houghton, MI, 49931.


1/19 - Oregon, Ohio – One man is recovering after falling into a hold on a ship in Oregon, near Toledo. Dispatchers confirm that crews had to bring in a crane to rescue him. It happened late Wednesday morning at the CSX docks on Mallard Drive. Police say the man fell into a hold on the Buffalo. Authorities say he suffered minor injuries. Crews took him to an area hospital for treatment.

WTVG

[yachtsmanwilly]

Obituary Carol Johnson

1/20 - Carol Johnson of Williamston, Mich., former long-time calendar editor for the Great Lakes Historical Society’s quarterly journal Inland Seas, died Jan. 16. She was a friend of many Boatnerds and a regular attendee at the annual Boatnerd picnic and gathering at Sault Ste. Marie on Engineer’s Day. Carol was 82. During her career she taught at a one-room country school, was coordinating director of the Keystone Kops Drum and Baton Corp., and was a reporter / photographer /editorial assistant for the Blissfield (Michigan) Advance. Visitation will be this Sunday from 1-4 p.m. at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes Williamston Chapel, 205 E. Middle St., Williamston, Mich.


Michigan governor calls for new Soo lock

1/20 - Lansing, Mich. – In Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's State of the State address Tuesday, he called for a new lock at Sault Ste. Marie. Snyder said without a second 1,000-foot lock, our country's economy is at risk. He said a top priority right now is working with the federal government to get the lock constructed.

A recent study showed more than 60 percent of the U.S. and Canadian fleet is restricted in size to the Poe lock.

"Studies that have been done about the locks indicates that if it does fail it will have a very negative impact on the economy of the United States," said Tom Baldini, former chair of the International Joint Commission for Canada and the United States. "People don't realize that, how much traffic actually does go through the lock at Sault Ste. Marie."

Congress authorized a second Poe-sized lock in 1986, but the project has yet to be funded. According to reports, the new lock would cost roughly $626 million to construct. The same study reported it would provide an estimated net economic benefit of $1.7 billion.

WLUC


1/20 - Cleveland, Ohio – This week marks the start of a break in the Great Lakes shipping season. It’s a time when lakes freeze over, the locks at Sault St. Marie shut down, and crews on big freighters go home to their families. During the 10-week break between shipping seasons, ships undergo repairs and crews are laid off from their jobs.

Near the end of the work day at Great Lakes Towing, a company founded over 100 years ago by John D. Rockefeller, three men secured in harnesses weld on the bow of an upside-down tug boat.

“This tug will be named the tug Cleveland,” says company president Joe Starck. “All the older tugs are named after states, so we decided we’ll name these after our ports.”

The company has tugboats stationed from Duluth, Minn., all the way to Buffalo, N.Y., helping clients reach 40 different ports across the Great Lakes. But when shipping season ends, there’s little use for tugs – and the company changes gears.

“Shipyard work is what balances our annual cycle so that we don’t go completely dark here,” said Starck. “In the old days they would shut down and everybody would go to Florida – that doesn’t happen anymore.”

These days, Great Lakes Towing is not only repairing its own boats, but customer’s boats, too. Starck says the company changed its business model and diversified to make up for a decline in the towing business. “It has been a struggle. You really have to constantly keep your nose to the grindstone.”

Completing tug Cleveland is at the top of a long list of projects Great Lakes Towing will complete this year. Workers will also repair a client’s barge that was damaged in western Lake Erie.

“We have a barge in the yard right now that had some damage to the bottom,” said Starck. “The bottom plate was opened up by rocks that the barge unintentionally landed on.”

The company employs about 100 people, but Starck says that number could double with winter ship repairs. Some workers come to Cleveland year after year for the work.

But what happens to all the ship captains, engineers, and deckhands? “Basically they’re all laid off, and then it’s up to them what they do,” said John Clemons, regional vice president of the American Maritime Officers Union, which has about 400 members. “I myself picked up work working on ships, doing repair work for them. Some of them go on vacation, a lot of people are just happy to be home.”

The life of a sailor is a grueling, 24/7 commitment. Some work what’s called a 60-30 schedule, 60 straight days working, then a 30-day break.

Almost 200 people work aboard the nine vessels of the Interlake Steamship Company, and they have a few options during the winter hiatus.

“There are some that elect to participate in winter maintenance program and that could be a shipyard in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, a shipyard in Superior, a layup dock in Detroit,” said Interlake's Brendan O’Connor.

Everyone – from shipping companies to engineers – is looking for a better season in 2017. They hope President Trump’s promise to rebuild the nation’s roads, bridges and waterways brings new opportunities to the Great Lakes.

“Any project that requires more steel and more building materials will help our business,” said Starck.

Interlake's O’Connor has a good feeling about 2017, too. “People do feel a sense of hopeful opportunity with the focus on infrastructure in the Midwest," he said.

The federal government has already recognized the need to improve the region’s infrastructure. The U.S. Treasury Department recently released a report that lists a renovation of the Soo Locks, which connect Lake Superior to the rest of the Great Lakes, as one of the country’s key projects.

The 2017 shipping season officially begins at the end of March. WBFO – Buffalo


1/20 - Grand Haven, Mich. – Grand Haven’s shipping season carried into January, as one last vessel called on the port. This past Saturday afternoon, Ashton Marine’s tug Candace Elise came into port to break ice upriver. It cleared the ice surrounding the St. Marys Cement terminal.

The articulated tug/barge Prentiss Brown/St. Marys Challenger arrived off the piers at about 8:30 Saturday night. All the ice that the Candace Elise had broken up earlier in the day had flowed out to Lake Michigan by then.

The Challenger came in, with the Elise following behind. Once they reached Harbor Island, the Candace Elise took the lead.

The articulated tug/barge have had their share of icy visits to Grand Haven in the past. Several seasons ago, the Prentiss Brown, when it was paired with the barge St. Marys Conquest, came in on a late-season run to the cement dock. The Prentiss Brown left the barge at the Coast Guard dock and broke the ice at the dock so that the barge could tie up.

Read more and view photos at this link: www.grandhaventribune.com/Local/2017/01/19/Shipping-season-wraps-up.html?ci=stream&lp=2&p=1


1/20 - Emmet County, Mich. – A buyer is looking to purchase the armed sloop Welcome, a replica 18th century fur-trading sloop, from Emmet County to place on display at a Mackinaw City business. If the sale is approved, the ship may be part of a larger display of historical artifacts at a new restaurant under construction on the shoreline of Mackinaw City.

Joe Lieghio and his family own a number of businesses in Mackinaw City and plan to open a new restaurant near the waterfront off of Huron Street. Lieghio recalls the ship being made as part of a celebration from the Mackinac Island State Park Commission in the 1970s as a celebration of the country's bicentennial.

"I'm from Mackinaw City, and I remember when they were building it over at the lighthouse park at Fort Michilimackinac and then when they put it over in the marina. I'd like to put it back. We want to set it up at the Humbard Dock area and make it open for the public to see," Lieghio said.

As long as they receive approval from state officials, Lieghio said the plan is to permanently moor the ship on the dock, allowing visitors to walk on to it, similar to the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw that's now a permanent fixture as a museum.

The restaurant will also feature a museum that's open to the public, with artifacts from the local Mackinaw Area Historical Society and from the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point.

The potential to sell the ship to a private buyer was mentioned Thursday during the county board of commissioners' regular meeting.

The county took ownership of the sloop in 2015, through an agreement with the Maritime Heritage Alliance of Traverse City. The ship was constructed by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission at Mackinaw City's Fort Michilimackinac in the 1970s as a commemoration to the country's bicentennial.

The ship was acquired by the Maritime Heritage Alliance in 1992. The county and the alliance reached an agreement, where the county would purchase the ship for $1. In 2015, the county built a $240,000 facility for storing the ship, a structure that was originally budgeted at $150,000.

Commissioners agreed to meet with the buyers at the last meeting, but also proposed that if they plan to sell, they would want to advertise the sale to multiple bidders. They also hope to bring a representative from the Maritime Heritage Alliance to hear the terms of any potential agreement.

"Right now the boat is in the garage and it's not accessible to the public. It's susceptible to deterioration. It would appear that we have an opportunity for the boat to be restored and made available to the public again," said Emmet County Commissioner Charlie MacInnis.

At the time the county purchased the replica ship, officials agreed that if the county chose to sell and a change in ownership were to occur, they would request input from the alliance before entering into a change of ownership.

Lieghio said the ship would be a great addition to a collection of items on display at the new restaurant.

"The Welcome is a great replica, and it has historical value. But in and of itself, it's not enough to get people to go and see it. If we're able to do this, it will be in the same area as the museum and restaurant. We don't expect that the Welcome is going to make a profit, but it will be a draw to the business and it will be downtown and is something to give back to the community," Lieghio said.

A scheduled date for the parties to meet has not yet been set by the county.

Petoskey News Review


1/20 - Toronto, Ont. – In a speech Thursday in Toronto, new Chamber of Marine Commerce President Bruce Burrows called the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway a vital engine of sustainable growth that would benefit from increased infrastructure spending in Canada and the U.S.

“I believe this sector has enormous untapped potential that can be unleashed to create more marine traffic at lower cost. I’m convinced that inland and coastal shipping in Canada and the U.S. has tremendous capacity to grow. And current economic and political conditions are conducive to seeing this goal realized,” said Burrows at the Chamber’s annual luncheon. “Shipping is efficient, safe and sustainable. Shipping is vital to growth, trade and new jobs.”

Burrows, who took up his new post in December, pointed to promises from incoming President Donald Trump, and the plans by the government of Prime Minister Trudeau, to invest heavily in infrastructure spending.

“New infrastructure investment will generate increased volumes of materials being shipped on the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence and our coasts. Investments in icebreaking resources, waterways, locks and portside infrastructure, and more efficient delivery of marine navigational services would unleash the full sustainable potential of shipping.”

Burrows noted that all signs indicate reduced red tape and business fees under President Trump and that he hoped the U.S. administration would work closely with the Canadian government to address the “hodgepodge of regulations that currently govern the bi-national waters that we work within.”

He also emphasized that marine shipping’s green advantage bodes well in today’s environmentally- and climate-conscious world. “With our fuel-efficient ships, we have a lower carbon footprint than road or rail. And we enjoy low congestion relative to other major trade corridors. Marine shipping is an attractive alternative for governments committed to a sustainable transportation future, with the capacity to do even more to accelerate both economic and environmental progress.”

CMC Chair Wayne Smith also addressed the audience, noting that the Chamber’s recently completed merger with the Canadian Shipowners Association was perfectly timed.

Smith explained: “In the current climate of increasing transportation regulation and cost, it is clear that we need to better coordinate and strengthen our industry advocacy efforts and to build new partnerships while strengthening existing relationships among North American business, government and marine industry stakeholders.”

The luncheon, a signature event during a week of industry meetings, attracted a crowd of more than 200 Canadian and U.S. shipping, industrial and agricultural executives along with federal, provincial and local government representatives. Stuart Rothenberg, one of Washington’s most highly-respected political analysts and commentators, was the keynote speaker. Rothenberg is the founding editor of the Rothenberg Political Report, a weekly columnist with the Washington Post and a regular guest on national network television.

The Chamber of Marine Commerce is a bi-national association that represents more than 150 marine industry stakeholders including major Canadian and American shippers, ports, terminals and marine service providers, as well as domestic and international ship owners. The Chamber has merged with the Canadian Shipowners Association, combining resources to advocate for an efficient regulatory climate that promotes a strong and competitive marine industry for the benefit of all industry stakeholders throughout the bi-national Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region and along the eastern seaboard and northern coasts. Based in Ottawa, Canada, the merged entity will continue to be called the Chamber of Marine Commerce.

Chamber of Marine Commerce


20 January 1980 - The E. M. FORD (406 foot, 4,498 gross tons, built in 1898, at Lorain, Ohio as a bulk freighter, converted to self-unloading bulk cement carrier in 1956, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin) was raised at her dock in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She sank on Christmas Eve of 1979, when gale force winds forced her from her moorings and repeatedly slammed her bow into the dock facing. Crews had to remove a solid three feet of hardened cement and patch her holed bow before she could be re-floated.

NORDIC BLOSSOM was launched January 20, 1981 as the a.) NORDIC SUN.

On January 20, 1917, American Ship Building's Lorain yard launched the steel bulk freighter EUGENE W. PARGNY for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.

January 20, 1911 - The ANN ARBOR NO 5 made her first trip into Kewaunee. On 20 January 1923, CHOCTAW (steel propeller packet, 75 foot, 53 gross tons, built in 1911, at Collingwood) burned at her dock at Port Stanley, Ontario.

On 20 January 1978, HARRY L. ALLEN (formerly JOHN B. COWLE, built in 1910) burned at her winter lay-up berth at Capital 4 grain elevator dock in Duluth. She was declared a total loss.

1907: WILLIAM NOTTINGHAM broke loose in wild winds and flooding at Buffalo. When the storm subsided, the ship had come to rest high and dry about 440 yards from the channel. A total of 12 vessels stranded in the storm but this one was the biggest challenge. A new channel had to be dug to refloat the vessel.

1960: LAKE KYTTLE, under tow as b) JAMES SHERIDAN, foundered in a storm on Long Island Sound. The ship had been built at Manitowoc in 1918 and converted to a barge at River Rouge in 1927 before returning to the sea about 1945.

1962: The Liberty ship FIDES was a Seaway visitor in 1961. It went aground at Grosser Vogelsand, in the Elbe Estuary and broke in two as a total loss.

1975: The tug CATHY McALLISTER sank alongside the dock at Montreal after suffering some grounding damage on the St. Lawrence. The vessel was salvaged on February 13, 1975. It was scrapped at Port Weller as d) DOC MORIN in the fall of 2011.

1979: ZAMOSC first came to the Great Lakes in 1971. It was enroute from Montreal to Antwerp when in a collision with the JINEI MARU off Terneuzen, Holland. The damaged ship was beached but it heeled over in the sand and had to be broken up.

1981: The former SILVER FIR, a Seaway caller in 1977, ran aground and became a total off Libya as d) GALAXY II.

1983: The YDRA sustained an engine room fire and went aground about a mile east of Bizerta, Tunisia, as a total loss. All on board were saved and the hull is still there. The ship first came to the Great Lakes as a) MANCHESTER PORT in 1966 and was back as b) BIOKOVO in 1972.

1990: IMPERIAL ACADIA received major damage at the island of Miquelon due to a storm and had to be transported to Halifax aboard the semi-submersible MIGHT SERVANT for repairs. The vessel arrived at Chittagong, Bangladesh, for scrapping as e) RALPH TUCKER on October 26, 2004.

[yachtsmanwilly]

January 23 - The CELTIC (wooden schooner-barge, 190 foot, 716 gross tons, built 1890, at W. Bay City, Michigan) broke away from the steamer H.E. RUNNELS during a fierce gale on Lake Huron on 29 November 1902, and was lost with all hands. No wreckage was found until 23 January 1903, when a yawl and the captain’s desk with the ship’s papers were found on Boom Point, southeast of Cockburn Island.

GEORGE A. STINSON struck a wall of the Poe Lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan on January 23, 1979. The damage was estimated at $200,000.

The rail car ferry GRAND HAVEN sailed on her first trip as a roll on/roll off carrier from Port Burwell on January 23, 1965, loaded with 125 tons of coiled steel bound for Cleveland and Walton Hills, Ohio.

1983: The Greek freighter CAPTAIN M. LYRAS visited the Seaway in 1960 and 1961 and returned as b) ANGELIKI L. in 1965. It arrived at Gadani Beach on this date as c) ANAMARIA for scrapping.


The c.) WOODLAND, a.) FRENCH RIVER) was sold to International Capital Equipment of Canada and cleared the lakes from Montreal January 22, 1991, under the Bahamian flag with the modified name to d.) WOODLANDS.

GOLDEN HIND was sold on January 22, 1973, to Trico Enterprises Ltd., Hamilton, Bermuda (Quebec & Ontario Transportation Co. Ltd., Thorold, Ontario, mgr.).

January 22, 1913 - SAINTE MARIE (Hull#127) was launched at Toledo, Ohio, by Craig Shipbuilding Co.

1976: INGRID WEIDE first came to the Great Lakes in 1953, and the West German freighter returned on many occasions including 23 trips through the Seaway to the end of 1965. The vessel stranded as c) DENEB B. off Borkum Island, West Germany, while inbound for Emden with a cargo of stone. The hull broke in two and sank but all on board were rescued.

On 21 January 1895, CHICORA (wooden propeller passenger/package freight vessel, 199 foot, 1,123 gross tons, built in 1892, at Detroit, Michigan) was bound from Milwaukee for St. Joseph on a mid-winter run when he foundered with little trace. All 25 on board were lost. The ship's dog was found wandering on the beach by St. Joseph, Michigan, a few days later. A well-organized search for the wreck continued until mid-June. Many small pieces of wreckage were washed ashore in the spring.

On January 21, 1978, the Multifood Elevator #4 at Duluth, Minnesota, caught fire and collapsed onto the deck of the steamer HARRY L. ALLEN, which was laid up beneath the elevator. Her pilothouse was destroyed by fire. Severe warping and cracking of her plating occurred when cold water was poured onto her red-hot deck. Declared a constructive total loss, she was scrapped at Duluth in 1978.

1904: HENDRICK S. HOLDEN was torn loose by flooding on the Black River at Lorain, Ohio, and the vessel smashed a coal dump. It also crushed and sank the tug GULL on its way into Lake Erie. The bulk carrier last sailed as VANDOC (i) in 1965.

1921: G.J. BOYCE had been sold off-lakes in 1916. It was inbound for a Cuban port when it lost its rudder. The wooden schooner stranded near Porto Padre and broke up as a total loss.

1928: The Lake Michigan rail car ferry MADISON struck a sand bar off Grand Haven and went aground with close to $50,000 in damage. High winds and ice were a factor.

1959: High winds at Buffalo tore the MacGILVRAY SHIRAS loose when a heavy current swept the Buffalo River. The wayward vessel struck MICHAEL K. TEWSBURY and MERTON E. FARR and eventually demolished the Michigan Ave. Bridge. The damaged SHIRAS was not repaired and arrived in Hamilton in June 1959 for scrapping.

1978: VESLEFJELL was sailing as e) MARLEN when abandoned by the crew after developing leaks in heavy seas near the Canary Islands. The vessel was enroute to Nigeria with cement when it went down. It had been a Great Lakes trader beginning in 1951 and last called inland in 1962.