Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

On 02 March 1889, the U.S. Congress passed two acts for establishment of a light station at Old Mackinac Point and appropriated $5,500 for construction of a fog signal building. The following year, funds were appropriated for the construction of the light tower and dwelling.

March 2, 1938 - Harold Lillie, crewmember of the ANN ARBOR NO 6, stepped onto the apron as the carferry was approaching and fell into the water and suffered a broken neck.

March 2, 1998, a fire broke out on the ALGOSOO causing serious damage to the self-unloading belts and other nearby equipment. Almost 12 years earlier in 1986, a similar fire gutted the aft cabins.

On 02 March 1893, the MARY E. MC LACHLAN (3-mast wooden schooner, 251 foot, 1,394 gross tons) was launched at F. W. Wheeler's yard in West Bay City, Michigan as (Hull #96). The launch turned into a disaster when the huge wave generated by the vessel entering the water hit the freighter KITTIE FORBES (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 209 foot, 968 gross tons, built in 1883, at W. Bay City, Michigan). The FORBES had numerous spectators onboard and when the wave struck, many were injured and there was one confirmed death.

1972 - HARMATTAN, a Seaway trader beginning in 1971, arrived at Karachi, Pakistan, for scrapping after suffering missile damage at sea from Indian Naval units during a conflict between the two countries.

1976 - BROOK, a former Seaway trader as EXBROOk beginning in 1968, arrived at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, for scrapping.

3/2 - Cleveland, Ohio ¬– Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 2,468,706 tons in January, an increase of 14.4 percent compared to a year ago. However, shipments were 10.3 percent below the month’s 5-year average.

Lake Carriers’ Association


3/2 - Escanaba, Mich. – The new names for the tug/barge combo Ken Boothe Sr./Great Lakes Trader will be Clyde S. VanEnkevort for the tug and Erie Trader for the barge. Workers were applying the new names earlier this week. The vessels are laid up at Donjon Shipbuilding yard in Erie, Pa., for the winter.

Clyde S. VanEnkevort entered the marine industry in the late 1960s. He was a specialist in integrated tug/barge design, with one of his biggest accomplishments being the building of the tug Joyce L. VanEnkevort and the barge Great Lakes Trader. He died Feb. 20, 2016.

The tug and barge were built by Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair LLC at their shipyard in Erie, Pa. The tug was completed in February 2011 and the barge was completed in April 2012. The combined tug/barge unit entered service under charter to American Steamship Company in May 2012. That charter was not renewed allowing the VanEnkevort firm to acquire the pair.

[yachtsmanwilly]

3/3 - Cleveland, Ohio – Thursday was opening day for the 2017 Great Lakes shipping season as Interlake Steamship Co.'s Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder made its way up the Cuyahoga River through downtown Cleveland with a load of iron ore bound for ArcelorMittal.

3/3 - Superior, Wis. – OSHA has opened another investigation at Fraser Shipyards. This time, it's because an employee suffered burns. According to OSHA, the employee had been working in a cargo hold in Duluth harbor on Feb. 6. The burn injury required hospitalization. According to Essentia Health, the man is still hospitalized, and is listed in fair condition.

OSHA was notified about the incident on Feb. 7. Details about the investigation are not public at this time, including which vessel the man had been working on.

This news comes two months after Fraser announced a settlement with OSHA over alleged lead exposure. The investigation into the lead exposure began in February of 2016. OSHA cited Fraser with 14 health violations. 14 workers had lead levels up to 20 times the exposure limit, according to the agency.

The original civil penalty was nearly $1.4 million dollars, but the settlement cut it in half. The settlement also included Fraser establishing a new safety plan, as well as additional worker protections, and working with OSHA for three years to monitor safety.

Local union leaders were unable to comment on this recent burn accident. Fraser said in a statement: "Fraser Shipyards is not able to comment on personal medical conditions of our team members." OSHA has six months to complete this new investigation.

WDIO

MONICA GETS TO BUST THE BOTTLE...
3/3 - Buffalo, N.Y. - Former President Bill Clinton will be invited and it is hoped he will attend in September the commissioning of the USS Little Rock in Buffalo, one of the Navy's newest and swiftest combat vessels, a law enforcement source and two members of the area's military community told The Buffalo News.

"If President Clinton does come, it will be a fantastic honor," Col. Patrick J. Cunningham, executive director of the Buffalo & Erie County Naval and Military Park, said when asked about the visit. However, Moe Naylon, chairman of the commissioning committee, pointed out that official invitations have not yet been sent out, because a firm date for the ship's commissioning has not been finalized. The tentative date is Sept. 30.

"When we get a firm date, we will invite all of the living presidents to the commissioning," Naylon said. "We're hopeful that President Clinton will come, but we have no expectation at this point."

The invitation to Clinton will be extended because he is a native of Arkansas and the state's former governor and because the ship is named for the state's capital. Already scheduled to attend the commissioning is outgoing Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who served on the decommissioned Little Rock. In fact, it was Mabus who named the new Little Rock.

Cunningham said the commissioning of the ship will not only be a major event for Buffalo but also historic: "At no time in history has any other Navy ship bearing the name of its predecessor been commissioned while alongside its predecessor."

This is the first time a Navy ship is being commissioned in Buffalo. The original USS Little Rock was commissioned at the end of World War II.

The new USS Little Rock is a littoral combat ship, which allows it to navigate closer to shorelines and can take on illicit-trafficking operations in places such as the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, as well as counter-piracy operations in places such as around the Horn of Africa.

A core crew of 50 will operate the new ship, plus 20 to 23 more sailors depending on the mission-specific equipment brought aboard. That means the total size of the crew will peak at fewer than 100, compared to the original Little Rock, which had a crew of up to 1,400. The new Little Rock can also move at speeds of up to 40 knots, which makes it one of the fastest ships in the Navy's fleet.

Buffalo News


Another gig for KRUSH... He's a Hatterasss owner now and cant be bothered LOL...
Help Wanted: S.S. Badger

3/3 - 2nd Assistant Engineer: Under the direct supervision of the Chief Engineer and First Engineer, assists by overseeing maintenance and operation of the boilers and related equipment to include close monitoring of boiler water chemistry. Must possess a valid MMC with proper endorsements, including 2nd Assistant Engineer of steam vessels of 7000 horsepower or greater, a valid TWIC card and Coast Guard issued Medical Certificate. Works full season from May to October. Assigned watch – 4 hours on, 8 hours off 7 days a week. Eligible for benefits after 90-day probationary period. Visit www.ssbadger.com >Join the Badger Crew to obtain application or email [e-mail] with letter of interest and copies of credentials.

3rd Mate: Supervises a navigational watch and is responsible for assisting the First Mate in daily duties including maintenance, maintaining logbooks, safety inspections and unloading/loading of cargo and passengers as directed. Candidates must possess, at minimum, a valid MMC with License as Mate-Great Lakes and Inland – Any Gross Tons”, USCG Medical Certificate, and valid TWIC card. Visit www.ssbadger.com >Join the Badger Crew to obtain application or email [e-mail] with letter of interest and copies of credentials.

Lake Michigan Carferry


The keel was laid on March 3, 1980, for the COLUMBIA STAR (Hull#726) at Sturgeon Bay, Wis., by Bay Shipbuilding Corp. She now sails as AMERICAN CENTURY.

At midnight on 3 March 1880, DAVID SCOVILLE (wooden propeller steam tug/ferry, 42 foot, 37 gross tons, built in 1875, at Marine City, Mich.) burned at the Grand Trunk Railway wharf at Sarnia, Ontario. Arson was suspected. No lives were lost.

1947: NOVADOC of the Paterson fleet was lost with all hands (24 sailors) off Portland, Maine, while en route from Nova Scotia to New York City with a cargo of gypsum. The ship had also sailed as NORTHTON for the Mathews and Misener fleets.

1958: The tanker DON JOSE, formerly the ITORORO that operated on the Great Lakes for Transit Tankers & Terminals in the early 1940s, was destroyed by a fire, likely in a loading mishap, at Talara, Peru.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Traverse City aircrew rescues injured snowmobiler from remote area in Canada

3/6 - Traverse City, Mich – A helicopter crew from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City rescued an injured snowmobiler suffering life-threatening injuries from a remote area in southern Canada Saturday.

Personnel at Canada’s Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Trenton, Ontario, received a report of the emergency from the Ontario Provincial Police Department and Sault Ste. Marie Ontario Fire Department late Saturday afternoon. Due to the nature of the injuries and close proximity to the U.S. border, JRCC Trenton requested assistance from the Coast Guard’s District Nine Command Center in Cleveland.

The rescue crew from Air Station Traverse City was launched at 6:45 p.m. EST. After a brief fuel stop at the Sault Ste. Marie Ontario Airport, the helicopter crew continued on its mission and reached the injured snowmobiler in a remote area near Chapleau, Ontario, about 10 p.m.

The man was located in a heavily wooded area covered in waist deep snow. He had been traveling alone when his injury occurred. Another group of snowmobilers on the same trail found the man. Some of the snowmobilers traveled to a lodge several miles away to phone for help and provide a GPS location, while the others built a fire to keep the man warm.

Despite the deep snow, steep slope, and winds in excess of 25 miles per hour, a member of the Coast Guard aircrew was lowered from the helicopter, which was hovering about 125 feet above the ground, and quickly prepared the man to be hoisted to the aircraft.

The Coast Guard helicopter crew then transported the man to Sault Ste. Marie Airport in Ontario where an awaiting ambulance took him to a nearby hospital for further evaluation and treatment.

Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City operates four helicopters for search and rescue operations for Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Huron and the surrounding Great Lakes region.

USCG



Hospital ship is a calling for marine engineer

3/6 - St. Catharines, Ont. – It seems that her first experience aboard the Africa Mercy made quite an impression on St. Catharines resident Sara Wegener. A year ago the now 28-year-old returned from spending just over two months on the world’s largest hospital ship while helping people in Madagascar.

The marine engineering graduate said that initially she felt that sea-time was more important than a 9 to 5 job and that volunteering was a good way of giving back. She recalled it as a life-changing experience – so when they messaged her to come back, she was quick to answer.

“I must have made an impression, I was home for a month, and they just emailed, ‘Can you come back?’ “I wanted to do a longer stint the first time, but I wasn’t prepared to extend it.” She was this time.

Promoted to the ship’s third engineer, the holder of an honors bachelor degree in biological physics said she has found her ideal job. “I grin like an idiot when I step on a ship.”

But she admitted that the honeymoon period was over the second time around. With the promotion came a lot more work and she oversaw a team of seven people. Wearing overalls and plaid shirt, she with her team performed major generator overhauls while the ships were in dock. And those times when they weren’t working on the ship they would help out in areas of South Africa that were very impoverished.“

There was a whole bunch of Canadian girls that liked to make clothing and supplies so we set up a table in the middle of nowhere in an area that looked very impoverished and the children lined up, I wasn’t part of that the first time.”

She recalled being asked one time to donate blood because of an emergency need in the hospital.The floating hospital includes five operating theatres, recovery, an intensive care unit and 80 patient beds.

The 16,500-tonne vessel is the largest operated by global charity Mercy Ships, a faith-based organization delivering free health-care services to people in the developing world. As well the ship has laboratory services, an X-ray unit and CT scan.

“We went from Madagascar to Durban in South Africa while a team goes forward and does an advance screening. It’s months of work to have whole towns line up and to be screened,” she said.

Wegener said she helped in one community where 700 people had lined up for one day. It took three weeks in total to screen the town. “In the hospitals, you have to pay for water, pay for mosquito netting, for the bed, most people can’t afford it.”

She hopes to encourage others to volunteer, adding that it’s not just doctors and nurses that they need. “So many skills that can be used, technical teams, electricians even laundry services, everyone is needed.”

Just now settling in back at home, she is planning to pursue the next level of her marine engineering, but she knows she already has an open invitation on the hospital ship.

St. Catharines Standard


EUGENE J. BUFFINGTON (Hull#366) was launched March 6, 1909, at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co., for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. She lasted until 1980, when she was towed to San Esteban de Pravia, Spain, for scrapping.

At noon on 6 March 1873, the steam railroad carferry SAGINAW was launched at the Port Huron Dry Dock Co. She did not get off the ways at first and had to be hauled off by the tug KATE MOFFAT. She was built for use between Port Huron and Sarnia.

On 6 March 1892, SAGINAW (wooden 4-car propeller carferry, 142 foot, 365 tons, built in 1873, at Port Huron, Michigan) burned at the dock in Windsor, Ontario where she had been laid up since 1884. The hull was later recovered and converted to an odd-looking tug, a well-known wrecker in the Detroit River area until broken up about 1940.

1982 INDIANA was chartered to Swedish interests when it made four trips to the Great Lakes in 1962. It was sailing as d) ZOE II, under Liberian registry, when it was abandoned in the Adriatic Sea, south of Pula, Yugoslavia, (now Croatia) after a severe list had developed while on a voyage from Koper, Yugoslavia, (now Slovenia) to Ancona, Italy, on March 6, 1982. No further trace of the ship was ever found.

On 05 March 1997, the Canadian Coast Guard cutter GRIFFON pulled the smashed remains of a 1996 Ford Bronco from the icy depths of the Straits of Mackinac. The vehicle flipped off the Mackinac Bridge on 02 March 1997, and the driver was killed. The U.S. Coast Guard cutter BISCAYNE BAY served as a platform for the M-Rover submersible craft used to locate the Bronco in 190 feet of water.

HARRY L. ALLEN was launched March 5, 1910, as a.) JOHN B. COWLE (Hull#379) at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. She was declared a constructive total loss after a fire on January 21, 1978. The vessel was in winter lay-up at the Capitol elevator in Duluth when part of the elevator complex burned. Debris from the elevator fell on the boat, badly damaging it. The owners decided to scrap it rather than repair it. The ALLEN was scrapped at Duluth in 1978.

LEADALE was launched March 5, 1910, as a.) HARRY YATES (Hull#77) at St. Clair, Michigan, by Great Lakes Engineering Works. Scrapped at Cartagena, Columbia in 1979.

March 5, 1932 - In distress with a broken steering gear off the Ludington harbor, S.S. VIRGINIA entered port under her own power.

On 05 March 1898, the WILLIAM R. LINN (Hull#32) (steel propeller freighter, 400 foot, 4,328 gross tons) was launched at the Chicago Ship Building Company in South Chicago, Illinois. In 1940, she was sold, renamed b.) L.S. WESCOAT and converted to a tanker. She was scrapped in Germany in 1965.

1997 - The former Greek bulk carrier ANTONIS P. LEMOS had been built at Osaka, Japan, in 1976, and visited the Great Lakes that year. As c) ALBION TWO, the ship departed Gdynia, Poland, for Kingston, Jamaica, with a cargo of steel products and was reported as missing on March 5. Wreckage was later found off the coast of France and identified as from the missing vessel. All 25 crewmembers were lost. The ship had also been through the Seaway as b) MACFRIENDSHIP in November 1993 with a cargo of steel for Hamilton.


In 1944, the U.S.C.G.C. MACKINAW (WAGB-83) was launched by the Toledo Ship Building Company (Hull #188) at Toledo, Ohio. Her name was originally planned to be MANITOWOC. MACKINAW was retired in 2006.

CECILIA DESGAGNES, a.) CARL GORTHON, departed Sorel, Quebec, on March 4, 1985, bound for Baie Comeau, Quebec, on her first trip in Desgagnes colors.

March 4, 1904 - William H. Le Fleur of the Pere Marquette car ferries was promoted to captain at the age of 34. He was the youngest carferry captain on the Great Lakes.

In 1858, TRENTON (wooden propeller, 134 foot, 240 gross tons, built in 1854, at Montreal, Quebec) burned to a total loss while tied to the mill wharf at Picton, Ontario, in Lake Ontario. The fire was probably caused by carpenters that were renovating her.

On 4 March 1889, TRANSIT (wooden 10-car propeller carferry, 168 foot, 1,058 gross tons, built in 1872, at Walkerville, Ontario) burned at the Grand Trunk Railroad dock at Windsor, Ontario on the Detroit River. She had been laid up since 1884, and the Grand Trunk Railroad had been trying to sell her for some time.

In 1871, FLORENCE (iron steamer, 42.5 foot, built in 1869, at Baltimore, Maryland) burned while docked at Amherstburg, Ontario at about 12:00 p.m. The fire was hot enough to destroy all the cabins and melt the surrounding ice in the Detroit River, but the vessel remained afloat and her engines were intact. She was rebuilt and remained in service until 1922 when she was scrapped.

1976 - The former British freighter GRETAFIELD of 1952, a Great Lakes visitor for the first time in 1962, hit the breakwall entering Cape Town, South Africa, as c) SIROCCO I and received extensive bow damage. It was sold to Taiwanese shipbreakers and departed May 15,1976, arriving at Kaohsiung July 5 for dismantling.

1983 - The former Danish freighter MARIE SKOU of 1962, inland for the first time in 1966, caught fire in the engine room and was abandoned by the crew south of Sicily as b) CLEO C. The vessel was towed to Malta on March 9 and scrapped there beginning in April.

1986 - The onetime Greek freighter YEMELOS, built in 1962 as MIGOLINA and renamed in 1972, first came inland in 1973. It was abandoned as e) TANFORY off Trincomolee, Sri Lanka, en route from Kandla, India, to Chittagong, Bangladesh, with salt and bentonite. The ship was presumed to have sunk.

1995 - The tug ERIE NO. 1, a) DUNKIRK, b) PEGGY M., c) RENE PURVIS sank at the dock in Toronto. It was raised by a crane June 18, 1995, but the cable snapped, dropping the hull on the dock breaking the tug’s back. The vessel was broken up at that location in late 1995.

2011 - LOUIS JOLLIET caught fire at Montreal during winter work. The ex-St. Lawrence ferry was being used as an excursion vessel.


3/4 - Grand Rapids, Minn. – There was a positive update on Friday from the owner of ERP Iron Ore, Tom Clarke, a Virginia-businessman who's purchased the former Magnetation assets.

"I signed an agreement this week for concentrate, and need to start delivering in May," he said over the phone. "It will be three trains a month, so it's small, but it's a start. It gets all the systems up and running and everything."

So Clarke and his team have to get going. There are teams on the ground in Grand Rapids at Plant 4 and in Reynolds, Ind., at the pellet plant, preparing for a restart. The facilities have been shutdown since last fall, when a bankruptcy court approved the end of Magnetation.

Some of the people back on site are former employees of Magnetation, according to Clarke. He anticipates needing to hire about 100 people for Plant 4. "There will be a website soon, where people can apply," he said.

There’s also a contractor on site. As for the plants being union shops, he said that hasn't come up yet, but he would welcome that conversation. "I believe 7 out of 9 of our facilities are union, and we have United Steelworkers and United Mine Workers," he observed.

Clarke gets a progress report each day about what's happening at the plants, and said it's exciting. He said they are participating in regional meetings too, to get their name out there.

WDIO


3/4 - Thunder Bay, Ont. – As many as 80 people will work at the Thunder Bay Shipyard after the new owners of the property put it into operation this spring.

The new owners of the idled Thunder Bay shipyard—which operated for decades as the Port Arthur Shipbuilding Company—say they will be up and running soon with 25 full-time employees, and up to 80 workers during peak periods.

Hamilton-based Heddle Marine is a ship repair and service business offering a wide range of services including dry docking, fabrication, mechanical, machining, electrical and hydraulic work to a diverse range of clients including maritime vessel operators, offshore/onshore oil and gas operators, the military and the Coast Guard.

Besides Thunder Bay and Hamilton, it has facilities in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. An agreement to acquire the Thunder Bay site was finalized last June, but not made public until last September.

Now, Heddle Marine has announced that it will operate in the city as a start-up company known as Current River Holdings Inc., in collaboration with local partner Fabmar Metals Inc. The shipyard is expected to become operational sometime this spring.

In a news release, spokesperson Shaun Padulo says the venture has received support from the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission as well as the Thunder Bay Port Authority.

Padulo said Fabmar "will form the cornerstone of Heddle's operations at the Thunder Bay Shipyard."

He added that although it plans to begin with 25 workers, the company hopes to increase the full-time staff by diversifying its product offerings to areas such as fabrication work for infrastructure projects in northwestern Ontario.

TBNewswatch.com


Proposed budget slashes Great Lakes EPA funding to 10 million in early budget plan

3/4 - Detroit, Mich. – The White House is proposing to slash Environmental Protection Agency funding that pays for Great Lakes pollution cleanup by 97 percent, according to a budget document obtained by the National Association of Clean Air Agencies.

The potential cuts are part of President Donald Trump's initial 2018 budget proposal, detailed in a U.S. Office of Management and Budget "passback" to the EPA that outlines drastic cuts to an agency Trump has called a "job killer" and promised to reduce to "tidbits" as a candidate.

The proposal would virtually eliminate annual Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funding, slashing it from $300 million to $10 million among other cuts that would altogether reduce the EPA's total budget by a quarter.

Specific program cuts were reported by the Oregonian and have been confirmed by other news agencies like the Detroit Free Press.

The Trump administration says it will release its final budget the week of March 13. The EPA and State Department are expected to take major blows to meet Trump's goal of increasing military spending by 10 percent.

The EPA has the option to appeal the cuts before the budget is sent to Congress, but has not yet made any public statements about a counter proposal.

The Great Lakes funding cut is the largest total dollar reduction on a list that includes major cuts to climate change programs, restoration funding for Puget Sound and Chesapeake Bay, research into chemicals that disrupt human reproductive and developmental systems, enforcement of pollution laws and funding for Brownfield cleanups.

Read more at this link: www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/03/trump_great_lakes_epa_cuts.html

[yachtsmanwilly]

ALGOSOO suffered a serious fire at her winter mooring on the west wall above Lock 8, at Port Colborne, Ontario on March 7, 1986, when a conveyor belt ignited, possibly caused by welding operations in the vicinity. The blaze spread to the stern gutting the aft accommodations. The ship was repaired at Welland and returned to service on October 6.

TEXACO BRAVE was launched March 7, 1929, as a) JOHN IRWIN (Hull#145) at Haverton-Hill-on-Tees, United Kingdom by Furness Shipbuilding Co.

On 7 March 1874, the wooden tug JOHN OWEN (Hull#28) was launched at Wyandotte, Michigan, by the Detroit Dry Dock Company for J. E. Owen of Detroit, Michigan.

On 7 March 1896, L. C.WALDO (steel propeller freighter, 387 foot, 4,244 gross tons) was launched at W. Bay City, Michigan by F. W. Wheeler (Hull #112). She had a long career. She was rebuilt twice, once in the winter of 1904-05 and again in 1914, after she was stranded in the Storm of 1913. She was sold Canadian in 1915, and renamed b.) RIVERTON. In 1944, she was renamed c.) MOHAWK DEER. She lasted until November 1967, when she foundered in the Gulf of Genoa while being towed to the scrap yard at La Spezia, Italy.

ANN ARBOR NO 1 (wooden propeller carferry, 260 foot, 1,128 gross tons, built in 1892, at Toledo, Ohio) got caught in the ice four miles off Manitowoc, Wisconsin in February 1910. She remained trapped and then on 7 March 1910, she caught fire and burned. Although she was declared a total loss, her hull was reportedly sold to Love Construction Co., Muskegon, Michigan, and reduced to an unregistered sand scow.

1969: The British freighter MONTCALM, a Seaway trader when new in 1960, made 29 trips to the Great Lakes to the end of 1967. A truck in #1 hold got loose on this date in an Atlantic storm 420 miles southeast of Halifax in 1969 causing a heavy list and a 12 foot gash in the hull. A U.S.C.G. helicopter dropped extra pumps and the ship reached Halifax and safety. The vessel later became a livestock carrier and arrived at Chittagong, Bangladesh, for scrapping as c) SIBA EDOLO on August 8, 1988.

1973: BISCAYA was a Danish flag freighter that first came inland in 1965. It was sailing as c) MARGARITA, and under Greek registry, when it sank following a collision with the ANZOATEGUI, a Venezuelan reefer ship, while in bound about 39 miles off Maracaibo, Venezuela on March 7, 1983. It was carrying barytes, a mineral used in oil-drilling fluids, from El Salvador.

1982: OCEAN LEADER came to the Great Lakes in 1980 and ran aground upbound near Sault Ste. Marie on November 11 when the radar malfunctioned. Later, in 1982 as c) FINIKI, the then 7-year old ship hit an underwater obstruction 10 miles west of the Moruka Light, while en route to Paramaribo, Suriname. The vessel reached Georgetown, Guyana, and was declared a total loss. It was reported as scuttled in the Atlantic off Jacksonville, Fla., on or after December 9, 1982.

[yachtsmanwilly]

3/8 - Ottawa, Ont. – Canadian shipowners and the St. Lawrence Seaway have spent an estimated $160 million on repair and infrastructure projects this winter, boosting the economic fortunes of communities throughout the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence and east coast.

Canadian shipowners have invested an estimated $70 million to maintain and upgrade their vessels during the winter months — an annual exercise that keeps their vessels in tip-top shape to safely and efficiently deliver goods for North American businesses.

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation also allocated $90 million for infrastructure modernization and maintenance projects in 2016-2017, the vast majority of which were carried out in the last few months in advance of the Seaway opening on March 20.

“Even in the off season, Canadian shipowners and the St. Lawrence Seaway spend millions of dollars with equipment suppliers and repair businesses, helping to sustain well-paying, highly skilled jobs in communities all over the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region,” says Bruce Burrows, president of the Chamber of Marine Commerce.

Vessel projects include engine and generator overhauls, steel and mechanical work, navigation equipment and system hardware and software upgrades, accommodation and safety equipment upgrades and various annual inspections. Several vessels also had five-year dry dock inspections, which are required by Transport Canada and survey all aspects of the ship below the waterline. Winter lay-up and vessel repairs took place in Sarnia, Hamilton, Port Colborne, Thunder Bay, Windsor, Sault Ste. Marie, Nanticoke, Midland, Isle-aux-Coudres (Quebec), Montreal, Quebec City, Les Méchins (Quebec), Shelbourne (Nova Scotia) and Halifax (Nova Scotia).

Notable rehabilitation and upgrades by the St. Lawrence Seaway over the past few months include:

• Reconstruction of the Upper Lock 1 tie-up wall in the Welland Canal
• Rehabilitation of gates at locks 1 and 7 in Niagara and at Lock 7 in Maisonneuve
• Bank protection in the Welland Canal
• Rehabilitation of lock and weir valves in both regions
• Rehabilitation of the swing bridge in Beauharnois and of Bridge 3A in Niagara
• Rehabilitation of approach walls and fendering at St-Lambert Lock
• Deployment of Hands Free Mooring units in the Flight Locks in Niagara
• Locks and bridges lighting upgrades

"The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation's ongoing investments in asset renewal and modernization ensure that our waterway continues to process ship transits safely, efficiently and reliably,” said Terence Bowles, president and CEO of The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation.

“With a system availability rate approaching 100 per cent over the last 10 years, the Corporation and its staff have done an excellent job in managing the Seaway's locks and channels, which form the core of a vital trade artery that connects the heartland of North America to markets across the globe.”

Chamber of Marine Commerce


Great Lakes / Seaway group releases 2016 ballast water management report

3/8 - Cleveland, Ohio – The U.S. Coast Guard has announced the release of the Great Lakes Seaway Ballast Water Working Group's 2016 Summary of Great Lakes Seaway Ballast Water Management activities.

The Great Lakes Seaway Ballast Water Working Group is a bi-national collection of representatives from the United States Coast Guard, the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, Transport Canada - Marine Safety & Security, and the Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation. The group’s mandate is to develop, enhance, and coordinate bi-national compliance and enforcement efforts to reduce the introduction of aquatic invasive species via ballast water and residuals.

In 2016, 100 percent of vessels bound for the Great Lakes Seaway from outside the Exclusive Economic Zone received a ballast water management exam. In total, the BWWG assessed all 8,488 ballast tanks, during the 466 vessel transits in the 2016 navigation season.

This is the seventh consecutive year that BWWG agencies ensured the examination of 100 percent of ballast tanks entering the Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the group anticipates continued high ship compliance rates for the 2016 navigation season.

For more information, please contact U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Christopher Tantillo at 216-902-6049 or Christopher. J. [e-mail]

USCG

3/8 - Buffalo, N.Y. – The ice boom is coming out early again. New York Power Authority marine crews began work Monday morning to remove the 22-span barrier where Lake Erie flows into the Niagara River.

“The last time I talked to them, they’d removed a couple sections before noon,” said Andrew Kornacki, chief of public affairs for the Buffalo District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Complete removal of the boom usually takes two or three days, he said, weather permitting. Current images of the boom can be seen online at iceboom.nypa.gov.

The warmest February on record in Buffalo and lack of ice on Lake Erie has led to one of the earliest dates for the removal of the boom. The earliest ever removal was Feb. 28, 2012. “For the second consecutive year, mild weather conditions for most of this winter season have resulted in little to no ice cover on Lake Erie,” according to an International Joint Commission statement issued Monday. “Considering the lack of ice cover on the lake and the absence of an ice buildup in the Maid-of-the-Mist Pool below Niagara Falls, preparations are underway for the removal of the Lake Erie-Niagara River Ice Boom.”

Last year, which was also an abnormally warm winter, the ice boom removal started March 8. There is currently no ice on Lake Erie, according to data from the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. There has been less than 1 percent ice on the lake since Feb. 22, the data shows. That’s dramatically below average.

Usually, about half of Lake Erie is still encrusted in ice during the first week in March. Ice coverage on Lake Erie, and the Great Lakes at large, has run below average most of this winter.

The Lake Erie-Niagara River Ice Boom has been a winter fixture at the outlet of Lake Erie since 1964. The boom is designed to prevent ice from entering the Niagara River to reduce chances for ice jamming, which could impact shoreline properties along the Niagara River and hydro-electric production, the IJC reported.

Buffalo News


Video documents delivery trip of Colleen and Katie G. McAllister tugs

3/8 - This travelogue was compiled for the Port City Marine Services company meeting. The presentation highlights the trip from New York to Muskegon with the newly purchased Colleen and Katie G. McAllister tugboats. Credits for photos include tugboatgraffiti.com/, Nelson Brace Photography, and Brenda Benoit Photography.




EUGENE P. THOMAS (Hull#184) was launched March 8, 1930, at Toledo, Ohio by Toledo Shipbuilding Co., for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.

March 8, 1910 - A fire from unknown causes destroyed the ANN ARBOR NO. 1 of 1892. The hull was sold to Love Construction Co., of Muskegon, Michigan.

On 8 March 1882, the tug WINSLOW left Manistee to tow the NORTHERN QUEEN to Marine City for repairs. NORTHERN QUEEN had collided with LAKE ERIE the previous autumn and then sank while trying to enter Manistique harbor. Robert Holland purchased the wreck of NORTHERN QUEEN after that incident.

1981 MEZADA of the Zim Israel Line first came to the Great Lakes in 1966 after it had been lengthened to 676 feet. The vessel had been built in 1960 and foundered after breaking in two about 100 miles east of Bermuda on March 8, 1981. The 19,247 gross ton bulk carrier was traveling from Haifa to Baltimore with a cargo of potash and 24 lives were lost while only 11 sailors were rescued.

[yachtsmanwilly]

3/9 - According to the Transport Canada website, Canadian registry was opened March 8, 2017 for Algoma Strongfield, with the registered owner as Algoma Central Corp. This is the vessel that was caught in the 2015 financial collapse of its builder, Nantong Minde Heavy Industry Co., based in Jiangsu Province, China. The mostly- completed Equinox-class vessel was sold to Singapore interests in early February. It now appears to have been resold to Algoma.

The vessel was originally intended to run for the Canadian Wheat Board, now the Global Grain Group (G3), as CWB Strongfield under Algoma management. Given the new name, it seems unlikely Algoma Strongfield will join her sistership G3 Marquis under G3 ownership.


Proposed budget cuts would hit Great Lakes beach safety, Coast Guard, fishery research

3/9 - Grand Rapids, Mich. – Proposed budget cuts at the National Atmospheric & Oceanic Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Coast Guard could have a huge impact on Great Lakes fishery research, beach and boater safety, environmental protection, algal bloom monitoring, icebreaking, maritime security and rescue capabilities.

The Washington Post reported this weekend the Trump administration wants to cut the nation's top weather and climate agency $5.6 billion budget by 17 percent, citing a leaked memo from the White House Office of Management and Budget.

The NOAA cuts come on the heels of a proposed 97 percent cut to an Environmental Protection Agency grant program that funds Great Lakes pollution cleanup, invasive species management and watershed projects in eight states.

Politico also reported that the U.S. Coast Guard is facing a 14 percent cut to its $9.1 billion budget as part of Trump's effort to boost immigration enforcement.

Read more and view a photo gallery at this link: www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/03/trump_noaa_coast_guard_cuts.html



3/9 - Mackinaw City, Mich. – Reservations are open for an all-inclusive, five-day ferry excursion that includes a visit to 32 different Great Lakes lighthouses. There are 80 spots available for the trip which takes place in the northern part of Lake Michigan June 5-9. It is presented by the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, which oversees the care of two lighthouses in the region.

Guests travel aboard the Shepler's Ferry vessel Hope and stay at different resorts along the way, including Weathervane Terrace Inn & Suites in Charlevoix and Stone Harbor Resort in Sturgeon Bay, Wis.

"It's an awesome thing to do," said Terry Pepper, executive director. "Lighthouses were built for the mariners so by going out to see them the way they were designed for from the water is unique."

The price for the trip is $1,395 per person for double occupancy, or $1,645 per person single occupancy. Non-members will also need to purchase a membership in order to participate. The price includes all costs of transportation, lodging, food, soft drinks, and gratuities from the time the boat is boarded.

All proceeds will benefit the GLLKA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the care and promotion of all lighthouses, especially those in the Great Lakes.

Read more, and view photos at this link: www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2017/03/ferry_trip_offers_waterborne_v.html


Sarnia’s ‘Ghost Fleet’ of shipwrecks featured in new book

3/9 - Sarnia, Ont. – Hidden on the bottom of Lake Huron just north of Sarnia lies a “Ghost Fleet” of shipwrecks being featured in a Canada sesquicentennial project. The book, ‘Canada’s 150 Most Famous Great Lakes Shipwrecks,’ was written and photographed by Windsor-based scuba divers Cris Kohl and Joan Forsberg.

“The goal (is) to educate people, to let them know that quite frankly a lot of places like Toronto, Thunder Bay and Sarnia wouldn’t exist if it hadn’t been for ships,” said Kohl. “That’s how they got their start.”

The ‘Ghost Fleet’ is comprised of four ships that went down in the St. Clair River in the early 1900s but wound up at rest in the lake about 12 kilometres northwest of Sarnia. The shipwrecks all lie within three kilometres of each other in about 70 feet of water.

Sarnia council agreed to sponsor a page in the 224-page book, which is set for release in mid-April and will be available at The Bookkeeper for $19.95.

Kohl said he discovered the ‘Ghost Fleet’ in 1993 while searching for the Wexford, a ship that disappeared during the Great Storm of 1913. Though he didn’t find the Wexford he was able to locate and identify the Aztec, the Sachem, the Province, and the Yakima.

Kohl’s colleague Jim Stayer coined the nickname ‘The Ghost Fleet of the St. Clair River.’

All four ships sank in the river and were scuttled in Sarnia Bay, which was then the place ships went to die, he said. As wrecks began to accumulate in the bay a decision was made to move some of them to open water.

“In those environmentally worry-free days they didn’t care as long as they got them out of sight. Out of sight, out of mind,” he said.

The book, Kohl’s 17th, is a way to recognize Canada’s 150th birthday while paying tribute to the ships and their fearless sailors, he said.

“Because of the cold, fresh water of the Great Lakes we have something very unique. We have the best preserved shipwrecks in the world,” said Kohl, who has been scuba diving since 1974. “In the Great Lakes, you can dive on a shipwreck that went down 150 years ago and it looks like, if it could be raised to the surface, it would float again.”

Sarnia Journal




In 1905, the JAMES C. WALLACE (Hull#334) of the Acme Steamship Co., (A.B. Wolvin, mgr.), was launched at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. Purchased by the Interlake Steamship Co. in 1913, she was scrapped at Genoa, Italy in 1963.

On 09 March 1933, all nine steamers of the Goodrich Transit Company were seized by federal marshals under a bankruptcy petition. These steamers were CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, CAROLINA, ALABAMA, ILLINOIS, CITY OF BENTON HARBOR, CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS, CITY OF ST. JOSEPH, CITY OF HOLLAND, and the CITY OF SAUGATUCK.



AMOCO ILLINOIS was launched March 9, 1918, as a) WILLIAM P. COWAN (Hull#724) at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co.

NOTRE DAME VICTORY (Hull#1229), was launched on March 9, 1945, at Portland, Oregon, by Oregon Shipbuilding Co., just 42 days after her keel was laid. She became the b.) CLIFFS VICTORY and sailed on the Great Lakes from 1951 until 1985.

WIARTON was launched March 9, 1907, as a) THOMAS LYNCH (Hull#73) at Chicago, Illinois, by Chicago Ship Building Co., for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. She was used as part of a breakwall at the Steel Co. of Canada Dock in Hamilton. The GROVEDALE of 1905, and HENRY R. PLATT JR of 1909, were also used.

March 9, 1920 - The PERE MARQUETTE 3 sank off Ludington after being crushed by ice.

On 9 March 1858, the propeller ferry GLOBE was being loaded with cattle at the Third Street dock at Detroit, Michigan. In the rush to get aboard, the cattle caused the vessel to capsize. All of the cattle swam ashore, although some swam across the river to the Canadian side.

1985: The Norwegian freighter TRONSTAD first came to the Great Lakes as a pre-Seaway visitor in 1957. It returned on another 12 occasions after the new waterway opened in 1959. The vessel was sailing a d) CRUZ DEL SUR when it was confiscated by U.S. authorities for drug smuggling and brought to Miami on this date in 1985. The 30-year old ship was towed out into the Atlantic and scuttled off Miami on December 19, 1986.

2007: The Greek freighter WISMAR was built in 1979 and came through the Seaway in 1980. It lost power below Lock 2 of the Welland Canal while upbound on August 30, 1980, and had to drop anchor. It was sailing as h) GRACIA from Thailand to Dakar, Senegal, with a cargo of rice, when the engine failed in heavy weather in the Indian Ocean on February 27, 2007. The crew took to the lifeboats and was rescued. The former Great Lakes visitor was last seen on March 7, adrift, with a 20-degree list to port, and likely soon sank.

[yachtsmanwilly]

St. Marys River
USCG icebreaker Mackinaw was working in the lower river above DeTour on Thursday.

Escanaba, Mich.
Joyce L. VanEnkevort / Great Lakes Trader left winter layup Thursday and were loading ore at CN.

Milwaukee, Wis.
Samuel de Champlain and barge Innovation were in port Thursday unloading the cement cargo brought aboard earlier this week at Alpena.

Cleveland, Ohio
The steamer Alpena has been moved from her wintering slip at Lafarge cement to the nearby Great Lakes Towing facility to be readied for the 2017 shipping season.





Coast Guard to open the waters between Cheboygan, Bois Blanc Island

3/10 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. - Captain of the Port Sault Ste. Marie will open the waters between Cheboygan, Mich., and Bois Blanc Island, Mich., known as South Channel, effective 8 a.m. local on March 12.

USCG


3/10 - Grand Haven, Mich. – State Rep. Jim Lilly, R-Park Township, has announced Grand Haven is this year's recipient of the Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program Grant. The City of Grand Haven received $60,000 in funding to assist with restoring the South Pier Lighthouse.

State legislature established the Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program in 1999 to help preserve and protect Michigan's lighthouses, according to a statement. The program was created alongside the Michigan Lighthouse Project's efforts to maintain the historic nature of the state's many lighthouse stations.

Lilly said in a statement the Grand Haven lighthouse is often used as a symbol of the community and he is happy to see the state playing a role in its preservation.

"The funds awarded to the city of Grand Haven show our state's commitment to maintaining these historic structures and an investment in our community's future," Lilly said. The grant funding will be used to reconstruct and stabilize the entrance light's and inner light's porthole windows and to apply a weather stripping to the lantern doors.

Read more and view a photo gallery at this link: www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2017/03/grand_haven_announced_lighthou.html#incart_river_home



3/10 - Cleveland, Ohio - The Board of Directors of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority (Port of Cleveland) met Thursday to review and approve a development finance agreement that will link $38 million in private party investment funds to Charter Steel’s expansion of its Cuyahoga Heights facilities through the Port’s development finance program.

Charter Steel, North America’s leading producer of carbon and alloy steel wire rod, is building a new rolling mill to serve the growing cut-to-length steel bar market. The new facility will be built adjacent to Charter Steel’s existing coil mill and steelmaking operations in Cuyahoga Heights, and adds an additional 25 jobs, bringing Charter’s local employment total to approximately 355 employees. Total project cost of the expansion is $146.6 million, representing the largest investment in the company’s history.

In maritime matters, the Board approved a one-year agreement authorizing Federal Marine Terminals, Inc. (FMT) to continue as terminal operator for Warehouses A, 24, 26, and the Maintenance Shed. The new deal also expands FMT’s role to Dock 22 and Warehouse 22, including providing stevedoring services to the Cleveland-Europe Express (CEE), the only scheduled container vessel service between the Great Lakes, Europe, and points beyond.

“FMT has proven itself a strong service provider on the Port of Cleveland’s docks,” said Dave Gutheil, Port Vice President, Maritime & Logistics. “This new agreement will help streamline and improve efficiencies at our facilities.” Gutheil also stated that the deal represents a meaningful increase of 5.5% in lease revenue from the 2016 agreement.

Port of Cleveland



CHARLES E. WILSON (Hull#710) was launched March 10, 1973, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin by Bay Shipbuilding Corp., for American Steamship Co. Renamed b.) JOHN J. BOLAND in 2000.

The ADAM E. CORNELIUS, built by the Great Lakes Engineering Works (Hull#53) in 1908, was renamed b.) DETROIT EDISON on March 10, 1948. In 1954, she was renamed c.) GEORGE F. RAND and in 1962, the RAND was sold to Canadian registry and renamed d.) AVONDALE. She was scrapped at Castellon, Spain in 1979.

FORT HENRY (Hull#150) was launched March 10, 1955, at Collingwood, Ontario by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., for Canada Steamship Lines Ltd.

KINSMAN VENTURE was launched March 10, 1906, as a.) JOHN SHERWIN (Hull#617) at West Bay City, Michigan by West Bay City Ship Building Co.

On 10 March 1881, the propellers MORLEY and A. L. HOPKINS were purchased by the Wabash Railroad Company from the Morley Brothers of Marine City, Michigan.

The N. K. FAIRBANK (wooden freighter, 205 foot, 980 gross tons, built in 1874, at Marine City, Michigan) was sold by Morley & Morse to Captain H. Hastings on 10 March 1884.

The tug RIVER QUEEN sank at her dock in Port Huron, Michigan during the night of 10 March 1885. She was raised the following day and one of her seacocks was discovered to have been open that caused her to fill with water.

CADILLAC (steel ferry, 161 foot, 636 gross tons) was launched on 10 March 1928, by the Great Lakes Engineering Works in River Rouge, Michigan (Hull #260) for the Detroit & Windsor Ferry Company. The ferry company claimed that she was the largest and most powerful ferry in North American waters. When she was launched, the Ambassador Bridge and the tunnel, which connects Detroit and Windsor, were being constructed. She was placed in service on 25 April 1928, and had a varied history. From 1940 to 1942, she ran as a Bob-lo steamer. In 1942, she was sold to the U. S. Coast Guard and renamed b.) ARROWWOOD (WAGL 176) and used as an icebreaker. She was rebuilt in 1946, renamed c.) CADILLAC, and served as a passenger vessel on Lake Erie. At the end of the 1947 season, she was tied up to the dock for use as a restaurant. She went through a couple of owners until she finally arrived at the scrappers' dock in Hamilton, Ontario on May 26, 1962 for breaking up.

In 2000, the HARMONIOUS, a Panamanian freighter dating from 1977, visited the Great Lakes in 1978 and returned on several occasions through 1986. It was lost on the Arabian Sea as c) KASTOR TOO while traveling from Aqaba, Jordan, to Visakhapatnam, India, with a cargo of phosphate on March 10, 2000. The crew of 18 were rescued by the nearby container ship MILDBURG.

[yachtsmanwilly]

The keel for the tanker IMPERIAL REDWATER (Hull#106) was laid March 13, 1950, at Port Arthur, Ontario, by Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co. She was converted to a bulk freighter at Collingwood, Ontario and renamed b.) R. BRUCE ANGUS in 1954. The ANGUS operated for Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd., until she was scrapped at Setubal, Portugal in 1985.

On March 13, 1989, the Rouge Steel Co. announced the sale of its marine operations to Lakes Shipping, Cleveland (Interlake Steamship, mgr.).

1994: SHIPBROKER was built at Varna, Bulgaria, in 1980 as OCEAN SEAGULL and came through the Seaway that year on July 3. It was renamed SHIPBROKER in 1986 and made its maiden voyage to the Great Lakes on November 19, 1991. The ship was in a collision with the Cypriot tanker NASSIA in the Bosporus Strait on March 14, 1994, and caught fire. It burned for days and 29 members of the crew of 33 plus four on the tanker, were lost. Following a sale for scrap, the gutted bulk carrier arrived at Aliaga, Turkey, under tow on December 3, 1994, and dismantling began April 5, 1995.

The b.) RUTH HINDMAN was launched March 12, 1910, as a.) NORWAY (Hull#115) at Toledo, Ohio by Toledo Shipbuilding Co., for the United States Transportation Co. She was scrapped at Thunder Bay, Ontario, in 1978.

G.A. TOMLINSON was launched March 12, 1907, as a) D.O. MILLS (Hull#29) at Ecorse, Michigan, by Great Lakes Engineering Works for the Mesaba Steamship Co.

March 12, 1941 - The ferry CITY OF MIDLAND 41 arrived in Ludington, Michigan, on her maiden voyage. She loaded cars of paper at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and then picked up some cars of canned milk at Kewaunee, with Captain Charles Robertson in command.

On 12 March 1883, the steam barge R. MC DONALD was renamed IDA M. TORRENT.

1917: ALGONQUIN was built at Glasgow, Scotland, in 1888 and saw service for several companies on the Great Lakes. The ship was torpedoed by U-62 when it was 65 miles off Cornwall, England, while west of Bishop's Rock and en route from New York to London with general cargo. It was the first American merchant ship lost due to enemy action in World War One.

1942: ¬CRAIGROWNIE was a World War One Laker and had been launched at Ashtabula on April 12, 1919. It was sailing as d) OLGA when torpedoed by U-126, 20 miles off Nuevital Light, Cuba, while en route from Port Everglades, FL, to Beracoa, Cuba. One crewmember was lost but 32 were rescued and taken to Cuba.

1947: EXANTHIA struck a mine in the Mediterranean while 12 miles from the island of Elba while traveling from Istanbul to New York. The ship was flooded and abandoned but reboarded and eventually towed to New York for repairs. The ship sailed for the American Export Lines and came to the Great Lakes on nine occasions from 1959-1961. After a few years in the James River Reserve Fleet, the vessel was taken to Brownsville, Texas, in 1975 and broken up.

1971: SUNCLIPPER, a Seaway trader in 1966, was built in 1953 as BOW BRASIL. It ran aground at Haifa Bay as f) CLIPPER when the anchors dragged in a storm. The ship was refloated April 10, and taken to Perama, Greece. It was sold “as lies” to Turkish ship breakers, and arrived at Istanbul, Turkey, for scrapping on August 29, 1972.

1985: LETITIA was the 96th and final addition to the British flag Donaldson Line. It made four trips through the Seaway in 1966 and three more in 1967. It was sailing as d) TEPORA when it caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico en route to Veracruz, Mexico, on March 12, 1985. The Honduran-flagged freighter was abandoned by the crew. The fire was apparently extinguished and the vessel reboarded. It was taken in tow but the blaze broke out again and the ship sank on March 14.

The keel was laid March 11, 1976, for the 660-foot-long forward section of the BELLE RIVER (Hull#716) at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin by Bay Shipbuilding Corp. Renamed b.) WALTER J. McCARTHY JR in 1990.

L'AIGLE was launched March 11, 1982, as a.) ERRIA PILOT (Hull#308) at Imabari, Japan by Asakawa Zosen Co. Renamed b.) KOYAMA 3 in 1983, c.) IONIAN EAGLE in 1989. Purchased by Soconav in 1991, renamed d.) LÕAIGLE. Sold, renamed e.) ALAM KERISI in 1996, f.) SALDA in 1999, and sails today as the tanker g.) ARAL.

Sea trials were conducted on March 11, 1956, on Paterson's new canaller LACHINEDOC.

The tug RIVER QUEEN was sold to Ed Recor of St. Clair, Michigan on 11 March 1886.

1904: The wooden-hull Lake Erie car ferry SHENANGO NO. 1 caught fire and burned following an engine room explosion on March 11, 1904. The vessel had been frozen in the ice off Conneaut since January 1 and one member of the crew perished in the blaze.

1912: FLORA M. HILL sank in Lake Michigan en route to Chicago after being caught in an ice floe that crushed the iron hull. The vessel had been built as at Philadelphia in 1874 as the lighthouse tender DAHLIA and rebuilt and renamed at Milwaukee in 1910 for Lake Michigan service.


Coast Guard urges caution during ice breaking operations on bay of Green Bay

3/11 - Green Bay, Wis. – The Coast Guard is urging residents and people recreating on the bay of Green Bay to use caution during ice breaking operations scheduled for Monday. The Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw is scheduled to break ice in areas near the Fox River Entrance Channel, the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, the Menominee River entrance and the Little Bay De Noc near Escanaba.

USCG


$160 million invested in Seaway over winter; March 20 opening looms

3/11 - Ogdensburg, N.Y. – An estimated $160 million has been invested in repair and infrastructure projects along the St. Lawrence Seaway System this winter, according to a report issued by the bi-national association representing more than 135 marine businesses and organizations.

The Chamber of Marine Commerce, headquartered in Ottawa, represents major Canadian and American shippers, ports, terminals and marine service providers, according to the organization’s website.

In a report published Wednesday, the group said that during the winter of 2016-17, approximately $160 million has been invested in repair and infrastructure projects, boosting economic activity in communities throughout the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River corridor.

The report calculated that Canadian shipowners have invested an estimated $70 million to maintain and upgrade vessels and that the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation allocated another $90 million for infrastructure modernization and maintenance projects during the same period.

The vast majority of the investment and upgrades were carried out in the last few months in preparation of the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway shipping season that begins on March 20, the report said.

Vessel projects included engine and generator overhauls, steel and mechanical work, navigation equipment and system hardware and software upgrades, accommodation and safety equipment upgrades and annual inspections, according to the chamber’s report.

Notable rehabilitation and upgrades along the St. Lawrence Seaway corridor over the past few months have included reconstruction work and improvements at Welland Canal and rehabilitation of the gates at locks one and seven in Niagara, officials said,

The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway shipping system creates 227,000 jobs in Canada and the United States and generates revenues of $35 billion annually, according to figures provided by the Chamber of Marine Commerce.

The organizations says shipping in the region contributes $4.6 billion in tax revenue yearly and supports a consumer market of more than 100 million people.

Watertown Daily Times


3/12 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The weather may be frigid right now, but the first sign of spring is approaching. Every winter, the Soo Locks close for 10 weeks to do maintenance work and repairs.

The Soo Locks sit on the U.S. and Canadian boarder and play a crucial role in allowing ships to carry materials like iron and coal that largely feed the steel industry from the lower Great Lakes to Lake Superior. The locks closed on Jan. 15 for annual maintenance.

Kevin Sprague with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told 7&4 News what they had to get done this year.

"Done a lot of work with sandblasting, painting our dewatering bulkheads, and also a lot of replacement work on really, really large bevel gears. Those are the type of things they work on every winter, but one piece is only replaced every 50 to 100 years. The gate anchorages, or hinges for the doors on the Poe Lock.

"It's like a hinge that you'd put on a door, only it's very large and the embedment's go very deep in to the concrete. The original embedment's go 16 feet deep," said Sprague.

"Actually, people ask 'what do you guys do in the winter? There's no boats running, there must not be anything to do,' but actually this is our busiest time of the year. We have a tight schedule to fit these jobs into, and there's no forgiveness for not opening on time, there is no other way," said Sprague.

The locks bring a lot of people to the area to visit, but its also important to national trade and commerce.

"Locally, it's important for our community that we have a fairly large tourist attraction. We have a lot of people come visit our park, come visit Sault Ste. Marie because of that. Nationally, it's important, because the cargo that goes through here feed primarily the U.S. steel industry, integrated steel mills, so that's important to make automobiles, tractors, you name it," said Sprague.

Despite the looks of the weather, Sprague says this winter has been easier than usual for the working on the locks. The Soo Locks reopen one minute after midnight on March 25.

7&4 News

[yachtsmanwilly]

USCG Alder to begin spring breakout at Duluth-Superior on Thursday

3/14 - Duluth-Superior – U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alder will commence spring break out operations in the Duluth-Superior area Thursday March 16. These operations will continue periodically over the next few days and weeks to prepare regional waterways for the start of the Great Lakes commercial navigation season.

Initially, icebreaking operations will occur inside the Duluth and Superior harbors. The icebreaking work will expand in the following days to prepare Two Harbors, Minn., Taconite Harbor, Minn., Silver Bay, Minn., and Thunder Bay, Ont. for commercial ship movements.

Unlike some previous winters, this year was unseasonably warm. Regional ice cover is not as expansive nor did it reach traditional thicknesses. The forecast for the next 7-10 days calls for temperatures conducive to rapid deterioration of ice.

USCG


3/14 - Ashland, Wis. – After celebrating its centennial last year, the lighthouse that serves as a beacon on Chequamegon Bay is ready for a new job, though it still plans to keep the lights on.

The Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light, as it is officially known, began service as an aid to navigation in 1916. It became automated in 1962 and continues to serve as a navigation beacon today. This year, it will be tasked with a heavier workload, receiving upgrades in technology that have transformed the lighthouse into a weather station.

Since last fall, the station has monitored lake levels and water currents. The new equipment will allow it to monitor weather conditions such as precipitation, wind speed and temperatures. The water-monitoring gear will track lake levels, currents and waves. Another upgrade in the spring will allow water quality to be measured. The new information is being collected through a real-time data stream by the U.S. Geological Survey at its Middleton, Wis., facilities.

Paul Reneau, a hydrologist with the USGS who is described as a "modern-day lighthouse keeper" by the National Park Service, will keep tabs on the data. He described the new capabilities as being similar to the buoys in the lake. "It is sort of a standalone," he said. "The closest would be the buoys run by NOAA, (of) which there are about a dozen."

Reneau estimated the cost of the new weather equipment to be about $30,000, plus an additional $20,000 for the water quality sensors. The cost of the original lighthouse, keeper's dwelling and boathouse, when constructed more than 100 years ago, was $24,943.80, according to the Lighthouse Friends website. Great care has been taken not to allow the modern equipment to take away from the lighthouse's historic character.

Mark Vinson, the USGS Lake Superior Biological Station chief, can see the lighthouse from his office in Ashland.

"Its central location in the western part of the bay makes it a good spot for evaluating incoming waters from Fish Creek and other small tributaries along with water the bay exchanges with Lake Superior," he said in a news release.

The station already has seen the new equipment pay off: It tracked what are described as "significant" changes in lake levels during a storm in November 2016. The changes are being attributed to a so-called seiche (pronounced "saysh") that was the result of wind and pressure-driven sloshing of the lake. Time-lapse photographs taken recently also show how quickly ice and water conditions on the lake can change.

The new mission is a cooperative venture between the National Park Service and the USGS. The park service received support to make the improvements from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Duluth News Tribune



March 14, 1959 - The ANN ARBOR NO 6 returned to service as the b.) ARTHUR K ATKINSON after an extensive refit.

In 1880, the harbor tug GEORGE LAMONT sank with her crew of three off Pentwater, Michigan after being overcome by weather during a race with her rival, the harbor tug GEM. The LAMONT was the only steamer to disappear with all hands during the many races that took place among steamers during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

On 14 March 1873, the new railroad carferry SAGINAW went into the Port Huron Dry Dock Company's dry dock where her engine was installed along with her shaft and propeller. Workmen had to break up the ice in the dry dock to release the schooner MARY E. PEREW so that work could begin on the SAGINAW. The work was done quickly since SAGINAW was needed to fill in for a disabled ferry in Detroit. Mr. Francois Baby was granted a "ferry lease" between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan on 14 March 1843. He built the steamer ALLIANCE for this ferry service and Capt. Tom Chilvers was the skipper. In 1851, Capt. Chilvers leased the steamer from Mr. Baby and ran it on the same route until the late 1850s.

On 14 March 1878, the first vessel of the navigation season passed through the Straits of Mackinac. This was the earliest opening of the navigation season at the Straits since 1854.

1918 ISLAND QUEEN, a wooden-hulled Toronto Island ferry, was destroyed by a fire at Hanlan's Point in Toronto. The ship was valued at $25,000 and the hull was left to rot.

1962: MILLY made one trip through the Seaway in 1959. It had been launched at Stockton, CA on May 13, 1915, as PORTHCAWL and became d) MILLY in 1950. The 295 foot freighter, sailing as f) HEDIA, last reported March 14 near Galita Island on the Mediterranean close to Malta and en route from Casablanca, Morocco, to Venice, Italy, with a cargo of phosphate. It was posted as missing and then lost with all hands.

1993: The Freedom Class freighter SHAMALY was a year old when it came through the Seaway in 1969. It returned December 1, 1990, as c) WALVIS BAY for Ogdensburg, NY to load corn gluten The 9650 gross ton freighter ran aground south of Greece off Cape Morakis in 1993 en route from Piraeus to Scotland as d) LIPARIT BAY. The hull was not worth repairing and sold for scrap. Renamed e) NORA for the delivery tow, it arrived at Aliaga, Turkey, April 4, 1994, for dismantling and work began May 16.

1999: The Panamanian freighter EVANGELIA PETRAKIS was built in Muroran, Japan, in 1978 as N.J. PATERAS. It came through the Seaway in 1988 and was renamed c) AMER VED in 1990. It survived a grounding off Horsetail Bank, UK on November 19, 1996, only to suffer serious damage in a collision with the newly built, 57,947 gross ton, Maltese flag tanker SEAPRIDE I off Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates. The damage to the 21-year old freighter was not worth repairs so it arrived at Alang, India, for scrapping on June 19, 1999.

1964: MARIA G.L. went aground at Suno Saki, Japan, about 30 miles south of Yokohama, in fog. This Liberty ship had been a Great Lakes trader in 1961. It was enroute from Long Beach, California, to Chiba, Japan, with a cargo of phosphates and broke in two as a total loss.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Tentative vessel departure dates from Sturgeon Bay

3/15 - John G Munson - 4/24/17
Edwin H Gott - 03/23/17
Cason J Callaway - 03/23/17
Indiana Harbor - 04/10/17
Walter J. McCarthy - 04/21/17
Mesabi Minor - 04/26/17
James R Barker - 03/23/17
Joseph L Block - 03/22/17
Wilfred Sykes - 04/04/17

Indications are that they will depart out the West Entrance into the Bay of Green Bay.


Advocates for Soo Locks optimistic about Pres. Trump

3/15 - Some supporters of building a new Soo Lock are hopeful that President Trump could finally be the one to deliver the goods. Groups like the Lake Carriers’ Association have been trying to get a new lock built at Sault Ste. Marie for decades.

They say an additional lock is needed for the sake of redundancy. The lakes’ 1,000-foot freighters are currently limited by size to one lock – the Poe Lock – to move between Lakes Superior and Huron.

“I’m optimistic that President Trump will cut through the bureaucratic obstacles and that we’ll start constructing this project during his administration,” says Jim Weakley, the president of the Lakes Carriers’ Association.

In 2015, a report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said a failure at the Poe Lock could cause a national recession. That’s because the manufacturing economy is dependent on iron ore coming out of the mining regions of Michigan and Minnesota. Without the big iron boats moving freely between the upper and lower lakes, the flow of ore to steel plants would slow to a trickle.

Congress first authorized the building of a new Soo Lock in the mid-1980s, but since then has not appropriated the estimated $600 million it would cost to complete the project.

Weakley says a lot is riding on a benefit-cost study that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is doing right now. With a high enough rating, the program would be fundable in the president's budget.


But Weakley says he’s worried the Army Corps could bury the project in its analysis. The benefit-cost study is not expected to be completed until 2018. NPR Morning Edition



Build new lock: Great Lakes Commission

3/15 - Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. – An interstate agency wants the American government to build a new large lock at the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Nearly 4,000 vessels pass through the locks annually, Great Lakes Commission says. About 70 per cent of the American flag fleet can only use the Poe Lock.

“Our sole reliance on this single, 50-year old lock puts our regional and national economies at risk,” a release says. “Congress should provide funding to begin construction of a new large lock to safeguard our regional economy and national security.”

Great Lakes Commission members are eight Great Lakes states. Ontario and Quebec have associate status. In October 2015, Department of Homeland Security found a six-month closure of the Poe Lock would cause a recession in the United States.

Sault Star Nothing’s too thick for the Great Lakes’ only heavy ice-breaker It's a mighty tall order: maintaining navigation channels through the Great Lakes all winter long. That mission is fulfilled by a mighty ship: the USCGC Mackinaw. She's the only heavy ice-breaker the U.S. Coast Guard has on the Great Lakes.

She docks in Cheboygan, and during the winter months she maintains navigation channels through the Great Lakes by splitting ice.

Vasilios Tasikas, the commanding officer of the Mackinaw, spoke to Stateside about his ship’s unique mission. The economic viability of the Great Lakes is based on the movement of ships, Tasikas said. Ice can bring that transportation to a dead stop.

That's where the Mackinaw comes in.

The massive weight of the ship does most of the work to break up thick ice. When the ship hits the ice, the impact causes it to crack.

“And the bow kind of slides up on the ice and the ice is pushed down under the ship, causing a kind of bend in that ice plate and when the ship continues on the ice, it crushes under the weight of the ship and causes the plate ice to break up into small pieces,” he said.

He said the impact shakes the entire ship and can be rather violent. The ship is “punching and riding on top and breaking and crushing and smashing,” from sunrise to sunset," Tasikas said.

To hear more about the Great Lakes’ only icebreaker, listen to the full interview at this link: michiganradio.org/post/nothing-s-too-thick-great-lakes-only-heavy-ice-breaker

Michigan Radio


WESTCLIFFE HALL (Hull#519) was launched March 15, 1956, at Grangemouth, Scotland, by Grangemouth Dockyard Co. Ltd., for the Hall Corp. of Canada.

March 15, 1949 - The Ann Arbor carferry fleet was laid up due to a strike called by the boat crews. The fleet was idled until March 22nd.

On 15 March 1882, GRACE PATTERSON (wooden propeller tug/freighter, 111 tons, built in 1880, at Grand Haven, Michigan) was carrying lumber and lath when she stranded near Two Rivers Point, Wisconsin on Lake Michigan. She caught fire and was totally destroyed. Lifesavers rescued the crew.

Mr. Russell Armington died on 15 March 1837. He operated the first shipyard at St. Catharines, Ontario from 1828, until his death.

On 15 March 1926, SARNOR (wooden propeller freighter, 228 foot, 1,319 gross tons, built in 1888, at W. Bay City, Michigan, formerly BRITANNIC) caught fire at Kingston, Ontario near the La Salle Causeway. She burned to a total loss.

1942: The first SARNIADOC of the Paterson fleet was lost with all hands on the Caribbean en route from Trinidad to the U.S. Virgin Islands. It was apparently torpedoed by U-161 in the night hours of March 14-15, 1942, while in the south for the wartime bauxite trade.

1969: The bulk carrier ALEXANDER T. WOOD, remembered by many for its regular early Seaway service in the ore and grain trades as well as for a collision with the Finnish flag freighter MARIA in the Detroit River on August 12, 1960, was lost on this day in 1969 as VAINQUER. The latter had been to the Great Lakes in 1968 but sank following a boiler room explosion in the Gulf of Mexico with the loss of one life. It was en route from Vera Cruz, Mexico, to New Orleans with a cargo of sugar.

1976: The rail car barge HURON rolled over and sank at the Windsor dock due to an uneven deck load. The 1875 vintage vessel had operated across the Detroit River as a steamer until March 1971 and then as a barge. It was refloated and returned to service.

1980: The Liberian vessel FRATERNITY was built in 1963. It visited the Great Lakes in 1967 and operated briefly as ARYA NIKU in 1975-1976 before becoming FRATERNITY again under Greek registry. Fire broke out in #1 and #2 cargo holds en route from Hamburg to Karachi on this date in 1980. An explosion followed the next day and the crew abandoned the ship in the Red Sea. The hull was beached March 17 around the border of Eritrea and Sudan but was refloated April 1 and deemed a total loss. After unloading at Sharjah, the hull was towed to Gadani Beach, Pakistan, arriving at the scrapyard on May 19, 1981.

1984: The Greek freighter ELINA likely made only one trip to the Great Lakes, coming inland in 1982 to load frozen meat at Kenosha, WI. It laid up at Emden, West Germany, on June 13, 1983, only to catch fire on March 15, 1984. The damage was extensive and the hull was towed into Gijon, Spain, for scrapping on April 23, 1984.