Today in Great Lakes History

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1/24 - Marinette, Wis. – The John B. Aird is scheduled to deliver a load of salt to the Port of Marinette on Wednesday. The US Coast Guard cutter Mobile Bay will establish a track through the ice from Rock Island Passage to the Menominee Entrance in support of the vessel’s arrival and departure.

USCG


JOHNSTOWN (Hull#4504) was launched January 24, 1952, at Sparrows Point, Maryland, by Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard.

SPRUCEGLEN was launched January 24, 1924, as a.) WILLIAM K. FIELD (Hull#176) at Toledo, Ohio, by the Toledo Ship Building Co.

The steel barge MADEIRA (Hull#38) was launched on January 24, 1900, at Chicago, Illinois, by the Chicago Ship Building Co.

1964: RUTH ANN, a Liberian freighter that came through the Seaway in 1960, ran aground on the Chinchorro Bank off the Yucatan Peninsula enroute from Tampico to Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, as d) GLENVIEW. It later broke up as a total loss.

1967: DAMMTOR, a West German flag pre-Seaway trader, foundered in heavy weather as b) HASHLOSHA while about 80 miles west of Naples, Italy, enroute from Greece to Marseilles, France. A distress call was sent but the vessel went down with the loss of 21 lives before help could arrive. The ship had also made four Seaway voyages in 1959,

1988: ENDERS M. VOORHEES, under tow on the Mediterranean, broke loose in gale force winds and went aground about 56 miles south of Athens off Kythnos Island and broke up. The hull was salvaged in sections and the bow and stern reached the scrapyard at Aliaga, Turkey, in August 1989.

2009: DIAMOND QUEEN sank at the Gaelic Tugboat Co. dock at River Rouge. It was refloated on January 27, 2009.

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In 1994 THALASSA DESGAGNES (steel propeller tanker, 131.43 meters, 5,746 gross tons, built in 1976, in Norway, as the a.) JOASLA, renamed b.) ORINOCO in 1979, c.) RIO ORINOCO in 1982) entered service for Groupe Desgagnes.

The keel for CLIFFS VICTORY, a). NOTRE DAME VICTORY (Hull#1229) was laid on January 26, 1945, at Portland, Oregon, by Oregon Shipbuilding Corp.

THOMAS F. COLE (Hull #27) was launched January 26, 1907, by the Great Lakes Engineering Works, Ecorse, Michigan, for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.

J. F. SCHOELLKOPF JR. was launched January 26, 1907, as a.) HUGH KENNEDY (Hull#349) at Lorain, Ohio, by the American Ship Building Co.

ST. LAWRENCE NAVIGATOR was launched in 1967, as a.) DEMETERTON (Hull#619) at South Shields, United Kingdom, by John Readhead & Sons, Ltd.

On 26 January 1898, the CITY OF DULUTH (wooden passenger/package freight vessel, 202 foot, 1,310 gross tons, built in 1874, at Marine City, Michigan, as a passenger vessel) was carrying passengers, corn, flour and general merchandise from Chicago to St. Joseph, Michigan, during a late season run when she struck an uncharted bar in a storm inbound to St. Joseph. She was heavily damaged and driven ashore 350 feet west of the north pier where she broke up. The Lifesaving Service rescued all 24 passengers and 17 crew members using breeches' buoy.

1986: The saltwater ship f) MARIKA L. was sold at auction to Scrap Hellas Ltd. on this date The vessel had arrived at Eleusis, Greece, under tow, on April 25, 1981, after an engine room fire on the Mediterranean. The ship had been arrested and partially sunk prior to being sold. It made one trip through the Seaway as a) DONATELLA PARODI in 1965 and was ultimately resold for scrapping at Aliaga, Turkey.

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New Soo lock project makes infrastructure list

1/26 - Washington, D.C. – A Trump administration “priority list” of potential targets for federal infrastructure spending reportedly includes a new lock at Sault Ste. Marie.

McClatchy News first published the priority list Tuesday evening, saying it has been circulated within congressional and business communities. The document highlights Michigan projects for which GOP Gov. Rick Snyder has sought federal funding, including a Soo Locks modernization project he told The Detroit News he intended to pitch to Trump.

Snyder attended Trump’s Friday inauguration. He told The Detroit News in December a new shipping channel at the Soo Locks and a customs plaza for a new Detroit River bridge to Canada are two projects for which he is seeking funding after striking out with President Barack hateful muslim traitor’s administration.

The Soo Locks modernization project, which calls for construction of a new lock, would cost $580 million, create 600 direct jobs and generate a total of 15,000 jobs in the Eastern Upper Peninsula, according to the priority list.

The priority list references a Department of Homeland Security report suggesting that an unscheduled, six-month shutdown of the aging Poe Lock could cost 11 million jobs nationally and “shut down almost all North American appliance, automobile, construction, farm and mining equipment, and rail-car production within week.”

Snyder offered a similar warning this month in his State of the State address, telling legislators that pursuing federal funding for the project should be a top Michigan priority.

“We need a second 1,000-foot lock,” the governor said in his Jan. 17 speech. “It was actually authorized by Congress back in 1986 and the money was never appropriated. Our entire economy in this country is at risk with having only one lock.”

The Detroit News


Bankrupt Chinese shipyard has new owner; future of 2 lakers unknown

1/26 - The bankrupt Chinese shipyard Mingde Heavy Industry has been acquired by Nantong Xiangyu Offshore for $83.8 million (US), through online auction on Taobao. The starting price was lowered after several failures and no registered bidders for acquisition of the bankrupted shipbuilder.

The buyer Nantong Xiangyu Offshore is a joint venture between state run logistics and supply chain company Xiamen Xiangyu Group, Nantong Wangzhe Shipbuilding and China Ocean Industry, as well as a trust fund of the three companies.

Two new Algoma Central Corp. vessels have been caught in the bankruptcy. One was being built for Algoma. The other, the nearly completed CWB Strongfield, was being built for the Canadian Wheat Board (now Global Grain Group) and would have been operated by Algoma. There has been no mention so far of the fate of these two ships.

Xiamen Xiangyu Group, via the joint venture, bid for the assets of Mingde and confirmed its purchase. The shipbuilder’s assets on sales include land use rights, property, construction equipment, raw materials, machinery, vehicles, electronics and office equipment, and Nantong shipyard dock and two piers.

The severe slump of the shipbuilding industry led to Mingde applying to a local court for bankruptcy on 31 July 2016, after it failed to attract new investors and did not submit its restructuring plan.

Xiangyu Group is a wholly state-owned enterprise with its headquarters in Xiamen. It has over 200 investment companies, 160 wholly-owned companies and investment holding companies as well as 7,000 employees.

Maritime Herald


In 1994 THALASSA DESGAGNES (steel propeller tanker, 131.43 meters, 5,746 gross tons, built in 1976, in Norway, as the a.) JOASLA, renamed b.) ORINOCO in 1979, c.) RIO ORINOCO in 1982) entered service for Groupe Desgagnes.

The keel for CLIFFS VICTORY, a). NOTRE DAME VICTORY (Hull#1229) was laid on January 26, 1945, at Portland, Oregon, by Oregon Shipbuilding Corp.

THOMAS F. COLE (Hull #27) was launched January 26, 1907, by the Great Lakes Engineering Works, Ecorse, Michigan, for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.

J. F. SCHOELLKOPF JR. was launched January 26, 1907, as a.) HUGH KENNEDY (Hull#349) at Lorain, Ohio, by the American Ship Building Co.

ST. LAWRENCE NAVIGATOR was launched in 1967, as a.) DEMETERTON (Hull#619) at South Shields, United Kingdom, by John Readhead & Sons, Ltd.

On 26 January 1898, the CITY OF DULUTH (wooden passenger/package freight vessel, 202 foot, 1,310 gross tons, built in 1874, at Marine City, Michigan, as a passenger vessel) was carrying passengers, corn, flour and general merchandise from Chicago to St. Joseph, Michigan, during a late season run when she struck an uncharted bar in a storm inbound to St. Joseph. She was heavily damaged and driven ashore 350 feet west of the north pier where she broke up. The Lifesaving Service rescued all 24 passengers and 17 crew members using breeches' buoy.

1986: The saltwater ship f) MARIKA L. was sold at auction to Scrap Hellas Ltd. on this date The vessel had arrived at Eleusis, Greece, under tow, on April 25, 1981, after an engine room fire on the Mediterranean. The ship had been arrested and partially sunk prior to being sold. It made one trip through the Seaway as a) DONATELLA PARODI in 1965 and was ultimately resold for scrapping at Aliaga, Turkey

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In 1912, the Great Lakes Engineering Works' Ecorse yard launched the steel bulk freighter WILLIAM P. SNYDER JR (Hull #83), for the Shenango Furnace Co.

LEON FALK JR. closed the 1974 season at Superior by loading 17,542 tons of ore bound for Detroit.

January 27, 1985 - CITY OF MIDLAND 41 had to return to port (Ludington) after heavy seas caused a 30-ton crane to fall off a truck on her car deck.

On 27 January 1978, ALLEGHENY, the training vessel of the Great Lakes Maritime Academy (built in 1944, at Orange, Texas as a sea-going naval tug) capsized at her winter dock at Traverse City, Michigan, from the weight of accumulated ice. She was recovered but required an expensive rebuild, was sold and renamed MALCOLM in 1979.

On 27 January 1893, Charles Lonsby and Louis Wolf purchased the 161- foot wooden steam barge THOMAS D. STIMSON for $28,000. The vessel was built in 1881, by W. J. Daley & Sons at Mt. Clemens, Michigan, as a schooner and was originally named VIRGINIUS. She was converted to a steamship in 1887.

1972: The Canadian coastal freighter VOYAGEUR D. hit a shoal off Pointe au Pic, Quebec, and was holed. It was able to make the wharf at St. Irenee but sank at the dock. The cargo of aluminum ingots was removed before the wreck was blow up with explosives on November 8, 1972.

1978: A major winter storm caught the American tanker SATURN on Lake Michigan and the ship was reported to be unable to make any headway in 20-foot waves. It left the Seaway for Caribbean service in 2003 and was renamed b) CENTENARIO TRADER at Sorel on the way south.

2002: SJARD first came through the Seaway in 2000. It was lost in a raging snowstorm 350 miles east of St. John's Newfoundland with a cargo of oil pipes while inbound from Kalinigrad, Russia. The crew of 14 took to the lifeboat and were picked up by the BEIRAMAR TRES.

2006: PINTAIL received extensive damage in a collision off Callao, Peru, with the TWIN STAR. The latter broke in two and sank. PINTAIL began Seaway service in 1996 and had been a regular Great Lakes trader as a) PUNICA beginning in 1983. The ship arrived at Chittagong, Bangladesh, for scrapping as c) ANATHASIOS G. CALLITSIS and was beached on September 19. 2012. It had also traded inland under the final name in 2008 and 2009.

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ELMDALE was launched in 1909 as a.) CLIFFORD F. MOLL (Hull#56) at Ecorse, Michigan, by the Great Lakes Engineering Works.

CHIEF WAWATAM was held up in the ice for a period of three weeks. On January 30, 1927, she went aground at North Graham Shoal in the Straits. She was later dry-docked at Great Lakes Engineering Works in Detroit where her forward propeller and after port wheel were replaced.

January 30, 1911 - The second PERE MARQUETTE 18 arrived Ludington, Michigan, on her maiden voyage.

On 30 January 1881, ST. ALBANS (wooden propeller passenger/package freight vessel, 135 foot, 435 tons, built in 1869, at Cleveland, Ohio) was carrying general merchandise, flour, cattle and 22 passengers in Lake Michigan. She rammed a cake of ice that filled the hole it made in her hull. She rushed for shore, but as the ice melted, the vessel filled with water. She sank 8 miles from Milwaukee. The crew and passengers made it to safety in the lifeboats. Her loss was valued at $35,000.

On 30 January 2000, crews began the removal of the four Hulett ore unloaders on Whiskey Island in Cleveland.

1999: The SD 14 freighter LITSA first came through the Seaway in 1977 as a) SANTA THERESA and was the last saltwater ship of the year downbound through that waterway in 1981. It was sailing as e) LITSA when fire broke out in the engine room off Senegal on this date. The blaze spread through the accommodation area and the crew got off safely. The hull was first towed to Dakar, Senegal, and then, after a sale to Turkish shipbreakers, it arrived at Aliaga on August 6, 2001.

BUCKEYE was launched January 29, 1910, as the straight decker a.) LEONARD B MILLER (Hull # 447) at Cleveland, Ohio by the American Ship Building Co.

JOHN P. REISS (Hull # 377) was also launched this date in 1910, at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co.

January 29, 1987 - BADGER almost capsized at her dock due to a broken water intake pipe.

In 1953, RICHARD M. MARSHALL (steel propeller freighter, 643 foot, 10,606 gross tons) was launched in Bay City, Michigan, at Defoe's shipyard (Hull # 424). Later she was named JOSEPH S. WOOD in 1957, JOHN DYKSTRA in 1966, and BENSON FORD in 1983. She was scrapped in 1987 at Recife, Brazil.

1975: RATTRAY HEAD, a Seaway trader first in 1971, ran aground on Black Rock Shoal, Galway Bay, while inbound with a cargo of coal. The ship was a total loss.

SELKIRK SETTLER (Hull #256) was launched January 28, 1983, at Govan, Scotland, by Govan Shipbuilding Ltd. She sails today as SPRUCEGLEN for Canada Steamship Lines.

At 4 a.m. on 28 January 1879, the ferry SARNIA was discovered on fire while lying at Fitzgerald's yard in Port Huron. All of the cabins were destroyed although the fire department had the fire out within an hour. About $3,000 damage was done. She was in the shipyard to be remodeled and to have a stern wheel installed. Arson was suspected.

On 28 January 1889, The Port Huron Times announced that the Toledo & Saginaw Transportation Company went out of business and sold all of its vessel and its shipyard. The shipyard went to Curtis & Brainard along with the PAWNEE and MIAMI. The BUFFALO, TEMPEST, BRAINARD and ORTON went to Thomas Lester. The C.F. CURTIS, FASSET, REED and HOLLAND went to R. C. Holland. The DAYTON went to J. A. Ward and M. P. Lester. The TROY and EDWARDS were sold, but the new owners were not listed.

1965: TRANSWARREN, a T-2 tanker, made three trips through the Seaway in 1960. The vessel began flooding on the Atlantic and sent out a distress call enroute from Bahamas to Ijmuiden, Holland. The ship made it to Ponta Delgada, Azores, for repairs but these were only temporary. On arrival at drydock in Marseilles, France, the vessel was declared a total loss and sold to Spanish shipbreakers at Castellon.

1966: The passenger ship STELLA MARIS came to the Great Lakes in 1959. It caught fire while bunkering at Sarroch Roads, Italy, as e) WESTAR after being refitted for the Alaska trade. Two died, another three were injured and the ship was declared a total loss. It arrived at La Spezia, Italy, for scrapping on April 30, 1966.

1975: CHRISTIAN SARTORI was the closest ship to the CARL D. BRADLEY when it sank in Lake Michigan on November 18, 1958, and helped in the search for survivors. The West German freighter continued to travel to the Great Lakes through 1967 and returned as b) CHRISTIAN in 1968. It ran aground at Puerto Isabel, Nicaragua, on this date after breaking its moorings as e) ROMEO BERNARD. The vessel had to be abandoned as a total loss.

1983: JALAJAYA went aground at the Los Angeles breakwater after the anchors dragged in bad weather. The ship was released and operated until tying up at Bombay, India, on October 3, 1987. It was subsequently scrapped there in 1988. The vessel had not been in service long when it first came through the Seaway in 1967.

1986: ADEL WEERT WIARDS, caught fire as c) EBN MAGID enroute from northern Europe to Libya. The vessel docked at Portland, U.K., on the English Channel, the next day but, following two explosions and additional fire on January 30, it was towed away and beached. The vessel was a total loss and scrapped at Bruges, Belgium, later in the year.


1/29 - Canadian shipyard Davie said it has secured a contract for the upgrade and refit of Canada’s heaviest icebreaker, 50-year-old CCGS Louis St Laurent. The $14 million program will mark the return of the CCGS Louis St Laurent to Davie in February 2017.

The contract represents the fifth Canadian Coast Guard refit and upgrade program for Davie since the shipyard was restarted under new ownership and a new management in 2012. Davie recently completed the refit of another Canadian icebreaker CCGS Henry Larsen, a $16 million job.

Davie CEO Jared Newcombe believes the work positions the shipyard well for potentially securing coast guard shipbuilding programs.

“Working together with the Canadian Coast Guard on the existing fleet has allowed us to fully understand their needs for the future fleet,” Newcombe said. “This has positioned us perfectly in the government’s current solicitation for its interim icebreakers and for future coast guard newbuild programs.”

Laurie LeRue, the Chief Operating Officer of Davie added, “A key tenet of the National Shipbuilding Strategy is that all ship repair and maintenance work is to be competitively tendered.”

LeRue, who was previously the Program Director for the FELEX program for six years went on to add that, “Davie has invested heavily to position itself as Canada’s center-of-excellence for the repair and maintenance of the federal fleet. The work we have been doing for the Canadian Coast Guard as well as work on the Resolve-Class AOR has honed our skills and readied the organization for the large repair and maintenance programs currently being solicited for the Royal Canadian Navy. As builders of the Canadian Patrol Frigates and having performed numerous docking work periods for this vessel class in the past, Davie is particularly interested to now work with the government in their future upkeep.”

Marinelink.com


1/29 - Hamilton, Ont. – McKeil Marine is sailing into its 61st year of business with a new look. “While we feel great affection for our white-horse, we are introducing a new logo to better reflect the McKeil Marine of today.” said Steve Fletcher, president and CEO.

The company named the new logo the M-wave for the stylized M and waves of water on which it is based. Along with the logo, McKeil has a new tagline: 'Better Marine Solutions.’ This not only defines McKeil’s commitment to be the better choice for trusted marine services, but also reflects its firmly established culture of continuous improvement and innovation.

Over the past 16 months the company has expanded its fleet to include two bulk carriers, the Evans Spirit and the Florence Spirit. In October, McKeil announced a new partnership through TorQuest Partners’ equity investment, strengthening the company’s foundation for further growth.

“We’re still the same McKeil Marine, only stronger and better positioned to serve our customers and develop our skilled sailing and shore-based crews,” said Steve Fletcher. “We remain committed to our core values of safety, service, leadership and proactivity and to our family-focused culture.”

Leading the brand update is new Marketing and Communications Manager Heidi Pereira. Heidi joined the McKeil crew in November and works out of the Hamilton head office.

In addition to a new look, McKeil will have a new location for its corporate headquarters as the recent growth has precipitated the need for more space. McKeil has secured new premises in Burlington, Ontario, and will be relocating during the first quarter of 2017.

McKeil Marine

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MANZZUTTI was launched January 31, 1903, as a.) J S KEEFE (Hull#203) at Buffalo, New York by the Buffalo Dry Dock Co.

January 31, 1930 - While the Grand Trunk carferry MADISON was leading the way across Lake Michigan to Grand Haven, she was struck from behind by her sister ship GRAND RAPIDS.

1917: DUNDEE, which left the Great Lakes in 1915 after service in several fleets including Canada Steamship Lines, was torpedoed and sunk by U-55. The vessel was 10 miles north and west of Ives Head, Cornwall, England, while enroute, in ballast, from London to Swansea. One life was lost.


1/31 - Cleveland, Ohio – Great Lakes Shipyard was awarded a contract for drydocking and repairs by Geo Gradel & Co. for tug John Francis on January 18. The tugboat was hauled out using the 770-MT Mobile Marine Travelift on January 19.

Geo Gradel & Co. also awarded a contract to the shipyard for drydocking and repairs for hopper barge Mobro 2000 on December 14. This contract includes significant metal repairs due to due to damages caused during the season. Work on both vessels is expected to be completed in March.

Great Lakes Shipyard

www.boatnerd.com/news/newsthumbsb/images-17-1/01-JohnFrancis-1-23-17-glt_sm.jpg

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Edna G. tug may sink into Lake Superior

2/1 - Two Harbors, Minn. – An iconic feature in Two Harbors is at risk of sinking into Lake Superior if the city doesn’t act on it sooner, rather than later. The Edna G. was built in 1896 and served the Two Harbors shipping industry for decades. It also served on the eastern seaboard during World War I.

The tug has been parked since the 1980s, and has become a fixture in the Two Harbors community. “It’s become an iconic part of the city,” said Miles Woodruff. “It’s on all our banners. It’s on the seal of the city. It’s just an important part of the heritage of Two Harbors.”

Over the years, wear and tear from ice and wind has deteriorated many parts of the boat. Members of the Edna G. Commission say that the boat could sink if not removed and placed on land. The Two Harbors city council has put their support behind the project to save the vessel.

“We have to get our ducks in a row right now, see what we need to do, funding, engineering, all the different steps,” said Woodruff. “ We’re starting the process right now to see what we can do to get her out of the water.”

The Edna G. Commission estimates the boat has two years before the damage causes it to sink.

Fox21Online



On 01 February 1871, the SKYLARK (wooden propeller steamer, 90 tons, built in 1857) was purchased by the Goodrich Transportation Company from Thomas L. Parker for $6,000.

On February 1, 1990, the U.S.C.G.C. MESQUITE was officially decommissioned.

The steamer R. J. GORDON was sold to M. K. Muir of Detroit on 1 February 1883.

In 1904, ANN ARBOR NO. 1 found the rest of the ferry fleet stuck in the ice outside Manitowoc. She made several attempts to break them loose, she became stuck there herself with the others for 29 days.

In 1917, ANN ARBOR NO 6 (later ARTHUR K. ATKINSON) arrived Frankfort, Michigan, on her maiden voyage.

On 1 February 1886, Captain Henry Hackett died in Amherstburg, Ontario, at the age of 65. He and his brother, J. H. Hackett, organized the Northwestern Transportation Company in 1869.

In 1972, ENDERS M. VOORHEES locked through the Poe Lock downbound, closing the Soo Locks for the season.

1966: The Liberty ship IOANNIS DASKALELIS came through the Seaway for one trip in 1962. It was abandoned in heavy weather as d) ROCKPORT on the Pacific and taken in tow. The vessel slowly sank about 600 miles from Midway Island on February 5. ROCKPORT was enroute from Vancouver to Japan and three dramatic photos of the ship sliding beneath the surface appeared in a number of newspapers.

1969: The third LUKSEFJELL to visit the Great Lakes was anchored at Constanza, Romania, as b) AKROTIRI when there was an explosion in the engine room. A roaring fire spread throughout the midships accommodation area and the blaze claimed the lives of 21 of the 25 crewmembers on board. The hull was sold to Romanian shipbreakers and broken up in 1970.

1974: AMETHYST ran aground off River Douro, on the northeast coast of Portugal, while inbound for Leixos with maize from New Orleans. The vessel had been anchored waiting to enter the river when heavy weather swept the area. The vessel dragged anchor, stranded and, on February 6, broke in two as a total loss. It first came through the Seaway in 1971.

1981: The former ANDERS ROGENAES and MEDICINE HAT came inland in 1964. It ran aground as h) YANMAR at Guayaquil, Ecuador, while outbound for Port Limon, Costa Rica. An onboard crankcase explosion followed on February 23. The vessel was a total loss and sold for scrapping at Brownsville, Texas. Work began on dismantling the ship at that location on June 12, 1981.

1988: L'ORME NO. 1, the former LEON SIMARD, struck a pipe while docking at St. Romauld, Quebec, in fog. A fire and explosion followed that damaged the ship and wharf. Repairs were made and the ship was last noted sailing as d) GENESIS ADVENTURER under the flag of Nigeria.

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Sale of Magnetation to new buyer is final

2/2 - Duluth, Minn. – Another chapter of the Magnetation journey has begun. According to the notice filed in bankruptcy court, the sale of the assets to the new buyer closed on Monday. The new buyer, ERP Iron Ore, is owned by Tom Clarke. The Virginia businessman also owns coal mines and nursing homes.

"We are very excited about it. And we are that much closer to reopening the pellet plant and the plant in Grand Rapids (Minn.)," he said Wednesday.

Clarke said he's interviewing now for senior roles in the company. He also hopes others who worked at Magnetation in the past will apply again, since it is a specialized technology.

ERP Iron Ore now has control of the three Magnetation plants and rail yard in Minnesota and the pellet plant in Reynolds. "We are providing security, care, and maintenance, and taking care of things on the environmental side," he added.

The announcement about the new buyer came in December. Magnetation had filed for bankruptcy in 2015, with the hope of finding a new buyer.

Contractors who worked on Plant 4 are still owed about $30 million dollars. Clarke said they have an agreement on repayment. "There are 37 separate contractors. The agreement provides, over time, for the full repayment due to them and the costs associated with filing the mechanics liens and attorneys, and with interest."

He said he hopes to know later this month, more about a timeline on the restart of production.

WDIO


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New urban beach pitched for Detroit riverfront

2/2 - Detroit, Mich. – A new beach on the Detroit River could be created in 2018 if the idea is chosen as a winner in a national grant competition. Atwater Beach, an idea pitched by The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, was named a finalist in the Knight Cities Challenge, along with 20 other Detroit ideas.

More than 4,500 ideas from 26 cities across the country were submitted to the Knight Foundation in the competition for a chance to share $5 million in grant funds. The application asked entrants "What's your best idea to make cities more successful?"

Detroit led all cities with 21 chosen finalists. If funded, Atwater Beach would be located east of Chene Park, on the Detroit River between Atwater Street and Jos Campau.

Mark Wallace, CEO of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, said the riverfront is an important gathering space for the city, and that a new beach would offer another family-friendly area to fill a gap by the park.

"On the riverwalk, you see folks who have been in Detroit for two months and folks who have been here for 85 years," Wallace said. "It's really that special place where everyone feels proud for this city and everyone can get along and be themselves."

The beach would not include a swimming area because of strong currents, conservancy officials said. It would resemble Sugar Beach in Toronto and Spruce Street Harbor in Philadelphia, two urban beaches that inspired this idea.

The beach would include sand with lounge chairs, an interactive zone for children, beach umbrellas and a bar-type area serving food and beverages for children and adults, Wallace said. Currently, city's only beach on the Detroit River is on Belle Isle.

View artist renderings at this link: www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2017/01/new_beach.html


Help wanted: Muskoka Steamships

2/2 - Join our crew in 2017 aboard R.M.S. Segwun or Wenonah II and be a part of a Canadian tourism icon at Muskoka Steamships & Discovery Centre. We are currently seeking applicants for the positions of captain, first mate, marine steam engineer and deckhand. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Please forward your resume and cover letter to:
John Miller
President, Muskoka Steamships
185 Cherokee Lane
Gravenhurst, ON P1P 1Z9
Fax: [phone]
[e-mail]


SAMUEL MATHER, a.) PILOT KNOB (Hull #522) had her keel laid February 2, 1942, at Ashtabula, Ohio, by Great Lakes Engineering Works.

February 2, 1939 - CHIEF WAWATAM went to the shipyard to have a new forward shaft and propeller placed.

1913: The wooden passenger and freight carrier MANITOU sustained fire damage at Owen Sound and sank at the dock. The vessel was refloated, repaired and operated to the end of the 1939 season.

1972: IRISH SPRUCE first appeared in the Seaway in 1960. The ship was enroute from Callao, Peru, to New Orleans with zinc and copper concentrates as well as coffee, when it ran aground on Quinta Suero Bank (14,25 N / 81.00 W) off the coast of Nicaragua. The ship had its back broken and became a total loss.

1981: EDOUARD SIMARD and JAMES TRANSPORT collided in the St. Lawrence River east of Port Neuf, Quebec. Both received bow damage.

1981: ARTHUR SIMARD received extensive bottom damage after going aground in the St. Lawrence. It was enroute from Montreal to Sept-Iles, but returned to Trois Rivieres to unload and then to Montreal for repairs.

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2/3 - The Midwest may be in the throes of winter, but most of the Great Lakes are open water. Right now, roughly 10 percent of the combined surface of the Great Lakes is covered in ice, according to George Leshkevich, research physical scientist for the Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Great Lakes have been experiencing a downward trend in ice cover since 1973, according to Leshkevich. "And it seems like the variability from year to year is becoming greater," he said.

Leshkevich said it’s a far cry from the polar vortex in 2014 that caused a delay in the shipping season and cost millions of dollars in repairs for the shipping industry.

"Superior in 2014, which you remember was a severe winter – 2014 and 2015 were – almost 70 percent ice on Superior at this time and almost 60 percent ice on the Great Lakes as a whole," he said. "Here we have … 5 percent on Superior and roughly 9.5 percent on the Great Lakes as a whole.”

At most, only 34 percent of the Great Lakes were covered in ice last year, which was a strong El Nino year, Leshkevich said. From 1973 to 2016, the average maximum ice cover on the lakes was 55 percent. But, Leshkevich said the lakes have seen mostly below average ice cover since 1998.

The offshore Lake Superior town of Madeline Island began to feel the impacts of less ice cover around that time. In 1998, the Madeline Island Ferry ran all winter long carrying residents from the island to Bayfield on the mainland.

The ferry typically shuts down in the winter when the ice road forms between the island and Bayfield. Mike Radtke, ferry operations manager, said the ice road isn't likely to form this year. If so, Radtke said it’ll be their sixth year-round season in the last 17 years. "There may be a wind sled operation for a short period of time, but, at this point, it doesn’t look like we’ll have much of a break," Radtke said.

Without the ice road, Radtke said they don’t have the same down time to conduct maintenance.

"We’ll, of course, do the maintenance regardless," he said. "But, I think the bigger issue is the ice road. It’s kind of the rhythm of living up here. Those people who live on Madeline Island, they look forward to that road coming in and the freedom that it provides them that short time of the entire year."

Radtke said it could be the second year in a row where they haven’t shut down the ferry line. He said that’s never happened in the company’s history

Wisconsin Public Radio


In 1960, The Ludington Daily News reported that the S.S. AVALON, formerly the S.S. VIRGINIA, had been sold to Everett J. Stotts of Artesia, California.

On 03 February 1899, the steamer GEORGE FARWELL (wooden propeller freighter, 182 foot, 977 gross tons, built in 1895, at Marine City, Michigan) burned while laid up near Montreal, Quebec. She had just been taken from the Great Lakes by her new owners, the Manhattan Transportation Company, for the Atlantic coastal coal trade, The loss was valued at $50,000 and was fully covered by insurance. The vessel was repaired and lasted until 1906 when she was lost near Cape Henry, Virginia.

1939: LUTZEN came ashore in dense fog at Nauset Beach, Chatham, Mass., off Cape Cod. The vessel rolled over on its side with its cargo of frozen fish and fruit. The small ship had been built at Fort William, (now Thunder Bay) in 1918.

1970: The tanker GEZINA BROVIG sank 300 miles northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. An explosion in the main engine on January 31 blew a piston through the side of the ship and it gradually sank. The vessel had been a Great Lakes trader beginning in 1965.

1993: The former Spanish freighter MARTA, a Seaway trader in 1981, was sailing as b) PROSPERITY when it began leaking in a storm. The ship subsequently broke in two and sank with the loss of 5 lives. The vessel went down 120 miles west of Sri Lanka while enroute from Jordan to Madras, India.

1996: An engine room fire aboard the C.S.L. self-unloader JEAN PARISIEN at Port Colborne resulted in about $250,000 in damage.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Damn meteors... I hate when that happens!

Lake Superior January decline less than usual

2/7 - Duluth, Minn. – The level of Lake Superior dropped 2 inches in January, an inch less than usual, according to the International Lake Superior Board of Control. The big lake received more water than usual for January and now sits 6 inches above its long-term average for Feb. 1 but 3 inches below the level at this time in 2016.

Lakes Michigan-Huron also received more water than usual and remained stable in January, a month they usually drop an inch. The lakes now sit 8 inches above the long-term average for Feb. 1 but 2 inches below their level at this time last year.

Duluth News Tribune


HURON (Hull#132) was launched February 7, 1914, at Ecorse, Michigan by Great Lakes Engineering Works for Wyandotte Transportation Co. She was scrapped at Santander, Spain in 1973.

In 1973, ENDERS M. VOORHEES closed the Soo Locks downbound.

In 1974, ROGER BLOUGH closed the Poe Lock after locking down bound for Gary, Indiana.

1965: The Liberty ship GRAMMATIKI visited the Seaway for one trip in 1960. The vessel began leaking in heavy weather on the Pacific enroute from Tacoma, Washington, to Keelung, Taiwan, with a cargo of scrap. The vessel, also slated to be scrapped, was abandoned by the crew the next day and slowly sank.

On 06 February 1952, the LIMESTONE (steel propeller tug, 87 foot 10 inches) was launched at Bay City, Michigan, by the Defoe Shipyard (Hull #423) for the Michigan Limestone and Chemical Company. Later she was sold to U.S. Steel and in 1983, to Gaelic Tug Company who renamed her b.) WICKLOW. She is currently owned by the Great Lakes Towing Company and is named c.) NORTH CAROLINA.

LORNA P, a.) CACOUNA was damaged by fire at Sorel, Quebec, which was ignited by a welder's torch on February 6, 1974.

ALVA C. DINKEY (Hull #365) was launched February 6, 1909, at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co.

HALLFAX (Hull#526) was launched February 6, 1962, at Port Glasgow, Scotland by William Hamilton & Co. Ltd.

On February 6, 1904, the PERE MARQUETTE 19 went aground on Fox Point, Wisconsin approaching Milwaukee in fog. Engulfed in ice and fog, she quickly filled with water.

On 06 February 1885, Capt. William Bridges of Bay City and A. C. Mc Lean of East Saginaw purchased the steamer D.W. POWERS (wooden propeller freighter, 140 foot, 303 gross tons, built in 1871, at Marine City, Michigan) for the lumber trade. This vessel had an interesting rebuild history. In 1895, she was rebuilt as a schooner-barge in Detroit, then in 1898, she was again rebuilt as a propeller driven steamer. She lasted until 1910, when she was abandoned.

ASHLAND, in a critically leaking condition, barely made Mamonel, Colombia, on February 5, 1988, where she was scrapped.

February 5, 1870 - Captain William H. Le Fleur of the Pere Marquette carferry fleet, known as "the Bear" was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

On February 5, 1976, the carferry WOLFE ISLANDER III was inaugurated into service between Kingston and Wolfe Island Ontario. Later that night, two blocks over, a Kingston resident noticed the captain turning off the running lights of the 'ol WOLFE ISLANDER as she joined her already winterized sister, the UPPER CANADA.

1972: CHRISTIANE SCHULTE, a West German Seaway trader, went aground at Khidhes Island, Cyprus, while on fire and was abandoned by the crew. The ship was traveling from Lattakia, Syria, to Mersin, Turkey, as b) CITTA DI ALESSANDRIA and was a total loss.

1977: The Israeli freighter TAMAR, a Seaway caller in 1959 and 1961, was gutted by a fire in the Aegean Sea south of Thira Island as c) ATHENA. The vessel, enroute from Mersin, Turkey, to Albania, was towed into Piraeus, Greece, on February 12, 1977. It was a total loss and scrapping began at Eleusis in January 1978.

1982: The Canadian tanker JAMES TRANSPORT spent 10 hours aground in the St. Lawrence near Batiscan, Quebec

The two sections of the a.) WILLIAM J. DE LANCEY, b.) PAUL R. TREGURTHA) were joined at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. and float-launched on February 4, 1981, (Hull #909).

In 1977, ROGER BLOUGH arrived at the American Shipbuilding Company in Lorain, Ohio for winter lay up and a 5-year hull inspection. She had departed South Chicago after unloading on Jan 25th and the trip took 10 days due to weather and heavy ice.

February 4, 1904 - Captain Russell of the PERE MARQUETTE 17 reported that Lake Michigan was frozen all the way to Manitowoc.

In 1870, The Port Huron Weekly Times reported that “a Montreal company has purchased all the standing timber on Walpole Island Indian Reservation [on the St. Clair River…] A large force of men are employed in hewing, cutting and delivering the same on the banks of the river in readiness for shipment… The proceeds of the sale of timber on Walpole Island will probably amount to $18,000 to $20,000, to be distributed among the Indians of the island to improve their farms.

1964: OCEAN REGINA, which would become a Seaway visitor in 1971, ran aground in the Makassar Strait, Indonesia, while enroute from Geraldton, Australia, to China. The ship was refloated February 11.

1965: The Liberty ship IRINI STEFANOU visited the Great Lakes in 1959 and 1960. It struck a reef, 1 mile west of the San Benita Islands, Baja Peninsula and had to be beached. The vessel was enroute from Vancouver, British Columbia, to London, England, with timber. While abandoned, the hull was refloated on February 25 and taken to Los Angeles for examination. They discovered a serious distortion of the hull and it was broken up at Terminal Island.

1970: ARROW, a Liberian tanker quite familiar with Great Lakes trading, stranded in Chedebucto Bay, while inbound from Venezuela to Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia. The ship broke in two as a total loss on February 8 spilling millions of gallons of oil. This resulted in a major environmental problem and clean up took two years and $3.8 million.

1976: A fire aboard the freighter KERKIS broke out in #3 hold off the northern coast of Sicily. The vessel was brought into Milazzo, Italy, the next day and when the hold was opened on February 12, the blaze flared up again. The hull was beached as a total loss. It had begun Seaway trading as a) BYSANZ in 1959 and was back as b) ALSATIA beginning in 1967.

1984: The former MANCHESTER RENOWN was idle at Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, as c) EDESSA. The ship was being reactivated when a fire broke out and destroyed the upper works. The vessel was sold to Taiwan shipbreakers and arrived at Kaohsiung on April 6, 1984. It had begun Seaway trading as a new ship, in 1964.

1992: PATRICIA was wrecked at Crotone, Italy, and abandoned. The hull was visible years later, partially submerged. The ship began Seaway service as a) RUMBA in 1971 and was back as b) JANJA in 1975, c) JANJE in 1979 and e) FIGARO in 1988.

1999: The former BAUNTON caught fire in #1 hold 350 miles west of Dakar, Senegal, as c) MERSINIA and was abandoned by the crew. The ship, enroute from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, to Amsterdam, Netherlands, with cocoa beans in bulk, was a total loss and was delivered to Spanish shipbreakers at Santander for dismantling on January 21, 2000. It first came through the Seaway in 1981 when it was a year old.



Boater bill advancing

2/5 - Brockville, Ont. – A bill to ease the rules for boaters crossing into Canada without landing here is moving a step closer to passage in the Senate.

And its proponent, Senator Bob Runciman, remains hopeful the measure will become law before the next boating season, despite uncertain relations between Washington and its allies.

Bill S-233, which amends the Customs Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, has passed second reading in the Red Chamber and now moves to the committee stage, said Runciman, the Senator for Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes.

“All the signs are positive,” Runciman said Thursday.

The bill would exempt boaters who cross into Canadian waters from reporting to Canada Customs, as long as they don’t drop anchor or arrive on shore.

On Tuesday, Runciman told the Senate the border “zigs and zags around various islands. It is not marked.”

“In many instances, it’s virtually impossible for boaters to know which side of the border they are on at any given time,” he added.

The senator was spurred to action by an incident in 2011 when Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers charged an American fisherman who strayed into Canadian waters near Gananoque for failing to report.

His boat was seized until he paid a $1,000 fine, which was later reduced to $1 after complaints on both sides of the border.

Runciman said the Tourism-dependent Thousand Islands economy has since been hurt by Americans’ unwillingness to cross into Canadian waters.

The bill now heads to the Senate’s committee on national defence, where Runciman plans to call witnesses whose testimony will include the economic impact of the current border measures.

One potential witness, Gary DeYoung, tourism director at the 1000 Islands International Tourism Council, recalled the bad feelings on the American side after the 2011 incident and the impact it had on the tourism economy.

“There’s a lot of confusion as to what people could do,” said DeYoung.

“This bill will go a long way toward resolving that.”

“Boating is a big deal in the region.”

Currently, a boater in Morristown, N.Y., who takes visitors across the river border to show them the Brockville waterfront, but never stops in Canada, is still required to report to CBSA, DeYoung noted.

To American authorities, he added, it’s as if that boater never left.

Runciman believes the current reporting requirement not only does not enhance Canada’s border security, but in fact threatens security by taking CBSA officers’ attention away from more pressing matters.

The senator has been working with CBSA officials to incorporate their concerns into the bill, he said.

Runciman has also been talking to officials working for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale.

“We’ve worked with them to address any concerns they have and incorporate any suggestions they put forward,” said Runciman.

All of which leaves him feeling encouraged about the bill’s progress.

S-233 may go before the committee as early as next week, or perhaps in March, said Runciman.

If it then passes in the Senate, it will make its way to the House of Commons, where Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes MP Gord Brown, who is sponsoring his own parallel bill on the matter in the House, would instead sponsor Runciman’s bill.

The bill is potentially winding its way through two chambers as relations between Canada and the United States remain an open question in the early days of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.

But Runciman on Thursday played down the suggestion his proposed measure might meet with resistance from a border-conscious White House.

“I think because of that historic relationship we have across the border here, I just don’t see that as a real likelihood,” said the senator.

In an email to The Recorder and Times, a spokesman for Goodale said the minister is currently reviewing the bill.

"His position will be announced in due course," added the spokesman, Scott Bardsley, who also noted "its intent is consistent with CBSA’s priority to ensure an efficient and secure border."

Brockville Recorder & Times