Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

12/19 - American Steamship Co.’s Buffalo left Manistee on Monday morning with a destination of Sarnia, Ont., on AIS. She is expected there about 2 p.m. Although no official statement has been made, members of the crew report they have been told she has been sold to an as-yet unidentified company.

The vessel is not owned by American Steamship Co. She has been leased from State Street Bank and Trust Co., Boston, Mass., and that lease is coming to an end. ASC may have elected to not renew the lease. Buffalo was built in 1978 at Bay Shipbuilding Co., Sturgeon Bay, Wis.

This is a developing story; please check back for details.

12/19 - Cleveland, Ohio – The U.S. Coast Guard is encouraging people to exercise caution in the coming days around ice on the lakes and waterways in the Great Lakes region. Rising temperatures and scattered showers over the next several days can pose significant risks to ice-related activities as the ice weakens and can appear to be more stable than it is.

People are reminded to always wear and use the proper safety equipment and have a means of communication with them at all times. Please inform family and friends of your plans before you go out and let people know when you expect to be back. To aid in remembering what to take into consideration this coming ice season, the following acronym can be helpful:

I – Information: check the weather and ice conditions, know where you are going, and know how to call for help.
C- Clothing: wear the proper anti-exposure clothes with multiple layers. If possible, wear a dry suit to prevent hypothermia, which can occur within minutes after falling through the ice.
E – Equipment: have the proper equipment before venturing out onto ice such as a marine band radio, a Personal Locator Beacon, life jackets and screw drivers or ice picks which can help you pull yourself out of the water if you fall through the ice.

USCG

ASHLAND was launched December 19, 1942, as the L6-S-B1 class bulk carrier a.) CLARENCE B. RANDALL (Hull #523) at Ashtabula, Ohio, by Great Lakes Engineering Works. She laid up for the last time on the same day in 1979.

ELMGLEN ran aground December 19, 1989, near Johnson’s Point in the Munuscong Channel of the St. Marys River. Downbound, loaded with grain, she had been diverted to the Munuscong Channel because of difficulties encountered by her fleet mate BEECHGLEN in the ice-clogged West Neebish Channel.

Because of the increased demand for iron ore during the Korean conflict, more ships were needed and as a consequence the yards on the Great Lakes were operating at capacity. In December 1950, the Republic Steel Corp. bought 70 percent of Nicholson-Universal stock in order to purchase ships from the surplus fleet.

On 19 December 1927, ALEXANDRIA (wooden propeller freighter, 97 foot, 201 gross tons, built in 1902, at Chatham, Ontario) burned in the harbor of Little Current, Ontario, off the Government Dock, where her remains still lay.

1959: The British freighter ALBANO, which had made three trips through the newly opened Seaway earlier in the year, ran aground at Rethymo, Crete, in heavy weather and was not refloated until December 27. It received extensive hull and engine repairs and was back on the Great Lakes in 1960.

1980: The tanker LAKESHELL (III) went aground at Telegraph Rock, near Parry Sound, due to high winds and ice. The vessel was lightered to IMPERIAL SARNIA and released December 21.

1998: SHURA KOBER first came to the Great Lakes under the flag of the USSR in 1971. The vessel went missing on the Mediterranean north of Cyprus as d) MARELIE after sending out a distress call. It disappeared with all hands.

2006: SELNES came through the Seaway in the 1980s after having been inbound as a) RISNES in 1978. The ship went aground off Stafnes, Iceland, as c) WILSON MUGGA and the crew were rescued by helicopter. It was expected to be broken up on location but was salvaged and repaired. It returned to service as d) KARIM in 2007 and became f) RAKAN M. in 2011.

[yachtsmanwilly]

12/20 - Beaver Island, Mich. – As the Beaver Island Boat Company (BIBCO) nears its last sail of the 2017 season, they are recognizing a crucial and beloved staff member on his retirement, Senior Captain Kevin McDonough, for his 47 years of dedicated service.

McDonough starting working for the ferry service in 1970 and has been guiding BIBCO’s ferries safely across Lake Michigan in various weather conditions for 47 years. McDonough has seen BIBCO change through old and new ferries, from the South Shore and the Beaver Islander on to the Emerald Isle built in 1997.

McDonough was instrumental in ensuring the Emerald Isle was built as designed and he sailed her as captain to every dry docking and through every one of her 20 years of service since then. It is through his leadership as senior captain that the boat company’s vessels have been maintained in such pristine condition and that BIBCO is well respected by the USCG and the industry for their safe operations.

McDonough has always approached his challenges with resourceful ideas and has been committed to resolve any issues that may arise. He has helped keep the Beaver Island Boat Company on a steady course for years, through his dedication and loyal service as senior captain and ultimately to the island residents and its many visitors.

“Kevin, we hope the best is yet to come for you in this next chapter of your life,” said Margo Marks, president of Beaver Island Boat Company. “Enjoy your retirement fishing, gardening, hiking the island and most important of all, spending time with your family. Congratulations on a wonderful career, and best wishes. It has been my pleasure to know you and to work with you.”

Beaver Island Boat Company

12/20 - Manitowoc, Wis. - The Arctic shipwreck, in the vicinity of Manitowoc, is the latest Lake Michigan shipwreck to be placed on the State Register of Historic Places, the Wisconsin Historical Society said Monday.

According to a press release from the Historical Society, "The Arctic, built in 1881 and sunk in 1930, is a tug that seems to straddle the two tug categories: harbor tug and lake tug. Although its construction identifies it as a harbor tug, unique to this vessel is that, historic documentation indicates that the strong hull construction of the Arctic allowed for participation in tasks set for wrecking tugs.

"Historic documents indicate that the Arctic participated in tasks designated for both harbor and lake tugs," the Historical Society press release added. "Whether this suggests that the Arctic was a hybrid harbor tug-lake tug vessel, or that the Arctic was built unusually strong for a harbor tug, or that the strength of the Arctic that allowed her to serve as both a harbor and lake tug was not unusual at the time — the answers to these questions are unknown because we simply do not have the comparative data from historic period Wisconsin harbor tugs. These are questions future archaeological study may answer."

State laws protect the shipwreck. Divers may not remove artifacts or structure when visiting the site. Removing, defacing, displacing or destroying artifacts or sites is a crime. For more about the Arctic Shipwreck and other historic Wisconsin shipwrecks, visit wisconsinshipwrecks.org.

Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter

In 1948, the ROBERT HOBSON was blown against the Duluth-Superior breakwall as she tried to enter the harbor during a 68-mph gale. Damage to the vessel was kept to a minimum when Captain John Mc Nellis ordered the seacocks opened to settle the HOBSON on a sandbar. Renamed b.) OUTARDE in 1975, she was scrapped at Port Colborne, Ontario in 1985.

On 20 November 1854, BURLINGTON (2-mast wooden brig, 80 foot, 117 tons, built in 1842, at Cleveland, Ohio) was driven hard aground near Port Bruce, Ontario, on Lake Huron while trying to assist the stranded Canadian bark GLOBE.

SAGINAW was christened at the Government Dock in Sarnia, Ontario, in 1999. Bonnie Bravener and Wendy Siddall broke the traditional bottle of champagne adding the second vessel to Lower Lakes Towing's fleet. The company then opened the vessel for tours to all those in the large crowd that had gathered to witness the event. She was built in 1953 as a.) JOHN J. BOLAND.

Hall Corporation of Canada's EAGLESCLIFFE HALL was launched in 1956, at Grangemouth, Scotland. Sold off the lakes, renamed b.) EAGLESCLIFFE in 1974, she sank two miles east of Galveston, Texas, on February 9, 1983.

The ferry WOLFE ISLANDER was christened on November 20, 1946, at Marysville, Wolfe Island. The new ferry was the unfinished OTTAWA MAYBROOK which was built to serve the war effort in the south Pacific Ocean. She replaced two landing barges which were pressed quickly into service following the condemned steamer WOLFE ISLANDER, a.) TOM FAWCETT of 1904, which had served the community for 42 years. Officially christened WOLFE ISLANDER by Mrs. Sarah Russell, it took five tries before the champagne bottle finally broke on her port side.

Pittsburgh Steamship's steamer RALPH H. WATSON (Hull#285) was launched in 1937, at River Rouge, Michigan, by Great Lakes Engineering Works.

On 20 November 1872, the side wheel steamer W. J .SPICER was finally laid up and the crew dismissed. She had served for many years as the Grand Trunk ferry at Fort Gratiot on the St. Clair River.

On 20 November 1880, BAY CITY (wooden barge, 199 foot, 480 tons, built in 1852, at Trenton, Michigan as the sidewheeler FOREST CITY) was carrying coal when she was cast adrift east of Erie, Pennsylvania by the steamer JAMES P. DONALDSON in a storm. She was driven ashore and wrecked. Her crew was saved by the U.S. Lifesaving Service using breeches' buoy. November 20, 1898. ANN ARBOR #3 left Cleveland, Ohio for Frankfort, Michigan, on her maiden voyage.

November 20, 1924 - Pere Marquette fleet engineer Finlay MacLaren died after 42 years with the railroad. He was succeeded by his brother Robert until Leland H. Kent was named fleet engineer in 1925.

On 20 Nov. 1871, the schooner E. B. ALLEN was sailing from Chicago to Buffalo with a load of corn when she crossed the bow of the bark NEWSBOY about six miles off the Thunder Bay Light on Lake Huron. The NEWSBOY slammed her bow deep into the schooner's hull amidships and the ALLEN sank in about 30 minutes. The crew escaped in the yawl. The NEWSBOY was badly damaged but did not sink.

On 20 Nov. 1999, the Bermuda-flag container ship CANMAR TRIUMPH went aground on the St. Lawrence River off Varennes about 15 kilometers downstream from Montreal. She was the third vessel to run aground in the St. Lawrence River that autumn. The Canadian Coast Guard reported that she was having engine problems and the CBC News reported that the vessel's rudder was damaged in the grounding.

On Saturday morning, 20 Nov. 1999, Marinette Marine Corporation of Marinette, Wisconsin, launched the 175-foot Coast Guard Cutter HENRY BLAKE. The BLAKE was one of the "Keeper" Class Coastal Class Buoy Tenders. Each ship in the "Keeper" class is named after a famous American lighthouse keeper. 1917: JOHAN MJELDE, built at Cleveland in 1916, was sailing as b) STORO when captured by the German submarine U-151 near the Azores and, after 22 tons of copper were removed, the ship was scuttled on November 26.

1920: J.H. SHEADLE ran aground on the rocks at Marquette when the steering failed while backing from the dock. The ship was badly damaged. It last sailed in 1979 as e) PIERSON INDEPENDENT.

1943: The former LAKE FINNEY, later a Pre-Seaway trader in the 1930s as SANTA EULALIA, was torpedoed and sunk by British forces as the enemy ship c) POLCEVERA off Carlovassi, Italy. 1966: The Liberty ship MOUNT EVANS made two trips through the Seaway in 1961. It stranded off Mapingil, Philippines as h) EASTERN ARGO on this date in 1966. The hull was refloated with damage and then towed to Taiwan for scrapping in 1967.

1990: GINA, a Lebanese freighter, began leaking at Varna, Bulgaria. The ship was later taken to Piraeus, Greece, and laid up. The superstructure was removed and installed on a fire damaged vessel while the hull was towed to Aliaga, Turkey, in October 1991 and dismantled. GINA had been a Great Lakes trader as a) MARCOSSA-I in 1972

[yachtsmanwilly]

In 1987, ASHLAND and THOMAS WILSON departed Quebec bound for a Taiwanese scrap yard. The tow line parted on 12/30 and the THOMAS WILSON sank on 12/31 off the coast of North Carolina. The ASHLAND was found 300 miles off course on January 2 1988. Due to sustained damage, the ASHLAND was resold to Columbian ship breakers where she arrived in critically leaking condition on February 5 1988.

On 21 December 1901, the MUSKEGON (composite propeller carferry, 282 foot, 1,938 gross tons, built in 1895, at Toledo, Ohio as SHENANGO NO 2) sank at Ludington, Michigan with a 10-foot crack on her starboard side. She was raised a week later and repaired.

The 437-foot bow section of the ROGER BLOUGH was float-launched December 21, 1968, at Lorain, Ohio, less ballast tanks because the existing dry dock wasn’t wide enough to accommodate her 105-foot width.

WILLIAM G MATHER was laid up for the last time December 21, 1980, at the Hocking Valley coal dock at Toledo, Ohio.

AMOCO ILLINOIS was laid up for the last time at Bay City, Michigan on December 21, 1980.

CSL's HOCHELAGA was laid up on December 21, 1981, for the last time at Cardinal, Ontario.

The OUTARDE of 1906, operated until December 21, 1983, when she was laid up for the last time at Toronto.

On 21 December 1891, the whaleback steamer CHARLES W WETMORE tied up at the dock at Everett, Washington, ending a voyage of 93 days that started in Philadelphia and went around the tip of South America.

On 21 December 1879, CITY OF TOLEDO (wooden propeller package freighter, 413 gross tons, built in 1865, at Ogdensburg, New York) was carrying winter provisions from Milwaukee to Ludington. In a white squall, she struck a reef and was stranded 7 miles north of Ludington, a few hundred yards from shore. Some of the crew made it to shore and sought help. The local Lifesaving Station was only in the planning stages, but a crew captain was on hand. He hastily assembled a volunteer lifesaving crew and over a five-hour period, rescued all on board. None of the 24-person crew was lost.

1908: The AMERICAN EAGLE burned at the dock in Toledo.

1963: The French freighter DOUALA foundered southwest of Newfoundland while enroute from Montreal to Bordeaux, France. The vessel had been a Seaway caller from 1961 to 1963. Twelve sailors died.

1977: The former COL. ROBERT R. McCORMICK was taken out to sea at Miami as d) LINDA and scuttled. The ship had run aground off the Florida Keys in May. Once released, it was brought to Miami, unloaded and then abandoned by the owners.

1989: The second ELMGLEN ran aground in the Middle Neebish Channel when ice forced the ship out of the channel. The damage was serious but the vessel's certificate was extended to June 1990 and then the ship was retired.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Had a "shitty day" lat Friday! Sorry I missed the news!

SAVIC, b.) CLIFFS VICTORY finally arrived at Masan, South Korea, December 22, 1986, for dismantling, which was completed in 1987.

DETROIT EDISON grounded on Gray's Reef in northern Lake Michigan December 22, 1980, inflicting heavy damage to 350 feet of her bottom. She was later sold for scrap.

GORDON C. LEITCH (i), no longer economically able to compete, was laid up on December 22, 1981, and was used for grain storage at Toronto.

RAYMOND H REISS arrived at Ramey's Bend, Port Colborne, Ontario, on December 22, 1980, for scrapping there.

LIGHTSHIP 103 was commissioned December 22, 1920.

On 22 December 1922, CORNELL (wooden propeller tug, 72 foot, 66 gross tons, built in 1888, at Buffalo, New York) foundered somewhere between Cleveland and Erie, Pennsylvania while enroute to new owners in Syracuse, New York. She had a crew of 8. The weather was clear and mild with almost no wind. She had just been put back into service and inspected after several years of idleness. Her ice-encrusted lifeboat was found on 26 December, 25 miles east of Long Point, containing the frozen body of the fireman.

1978: MARTHA HINDMAN hit the breakwall while inbound with a winter storage cargo of grain at Goderich and tore open the hull on the starboard side. The vessel settled on the bottom but was patched, pumped out and unloaded. It returned to service in 1979 as LAC DES ILES.

1982: NETANYA began Great Lakes trading for the Zim Israel Navigation Co. in 1960. It went aground off Diamond Point, Cuba, as c) KRIOS and sustained heavy damage. It was taken over by salvors and, while refloated, only saw brief service as a barge before being dismantled.

2001: The former Fednav bulk carrier FEDERAL SKEENA (i), was too big for the Seaway. It had been sold and was sailing as c) CHRISTOPHER when it disappeared, with all 27 on board lost, in the Atlantic north of the Azores.

2004: CANADIAN PROVIDER hit the dock at Redpath Sugar in Toronto and both the vessel and structure were damaged. The ship was inactive in 2005 but returned to service in May 2006.

IMPERIAL ST CLAIR was selected to participate in the three-year winter navigation experiment during which the Soo Locks remained open all year. On December 23, 1976, at the very onset, she ran aground entering ice-jammed Parry Sound on Georgian Bay in a blinding snow squall. One of her cargo tanks ruptured spilling 1,800 barrels of diesel oil.

The SAVIC, c.) CLIFFS VICTORY was down bound past Detroit, Michigan, December 23, 1985, by-passing a 15,000 ton load of scrap because of the lack of time to clear the Seaway.

CHARLES DICK was sold for scrap to Marine Salvage Ltd., Port Colborne, Ontario, on December 23, 1976.

SIR TREVOR DAWSON was laid up after the Great War until December 23, 1920, when she was sold to Pioneer Steamship Co. and renamed c) CHARLES L. HUTCHINSON.

On 23 December 1905, JAMES B. WOOD (steel propeller freighter, 514 foot, 7,159 gross tons) was launched at W. Bay City, Michigan. In 1913, she was renamed b.) ARCTURUS.

On 23 December 1885, MARY MARTINI (wooden propeller passenger-package freight vessel, 85 foot, 91 gross tons, built in 1877, at W. Bay City, Michigan) stranded on Brule Point, 13 miles east of Grand Marais, Minnesota, on Lake Superior in fair weather. A navigational error was blamed. She became a total loss but her passengers and crew were taken off by the Duluth tug T H CAMP.

In 1903, the PERE MARQUETTE 20 arrived Ludington on her maiden voyage.

1916: A.B. WOLVIN, a former Great Lakes bulk carrier that went to sea in 1911, sank in a gale on the Atlantic southeast of Bermuda. The crew of 26 were picked up by the BRAZIL, a two-year old Norwegian freighter.

1954: The former FEDERAL AMBASSADOR, while not a Great Lakes trader but once part of the Federal Commerce & Navigation of Montreal, foundered in the North Sea as c) GERDA TOFT

1963: The Greek passenger liner LAKONIA caught fire off Madeira with 1041 passengers and crew on board. While 132 lives were lost in the tragedy, another 470 were rescued by the freighters SALTA and MONTCALM. The latter was a regular Seaway trader beginning in 1960 and returned as b) CAPO SAN MARCO in 1971.

1986: MARINE COASTER, a Great Lakes visitor as e) EVA MARIE in the mid-1960s, was scuttled off Newfoundland.

In 1973, a crewman from the Cleveland Cliffs steamer FRONTENAC fell overboard at 11:41 p.m. while the boat was at anchor off Stoneport, Mich. The FRONTENAC launched a lifeboat to search for the missing man. When he could not be found and the lifeboat had trouble returning to the FRONTENAC, a distress call went out. The American Steamship Co. steamer McKEE SONS, Captain Robert J. Laughlin, responded and received a Citation of Merit for rescuing the six sailors in the lifeboat on Christmas morning.

December 24, 1969 - The CITY OF FLINT 32 made her last trip out of Ludington, Mich., pulled by two tugs. She was sold to Norfolk and Western Railway Company to be converted into a river ferry barge and renamed b.) ROANOKE by Nicholson’s Terminal & Dock Co. at Ecorse, Mich.

On 24 December 1910, ALASKA (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 165 foot, 348 tons, built in 1879, at Detroit, Michigan) was sheltering from a storm a few miles from Tobermory, Ont., when she caught fire from an overheated boiler and burned to a total loss. She was originally built as a side-wheel passenger vessel, her engine came from the JOHN SHERMAN of 1865 and went into the steamer FRANK E. KIRBY of 1890.

On 24 December 1875, the Port Huron Times listed the following vessels at winter lay-up at St. Clair, Mich. -- Scows: ANNA H MOORE, A MONROE, MYRTLE, CLIPPER VISION, J SNADERS and B MONROE; Steamers: BERTIE DAHLKE and HELEN; Schooners: JOHN RICE and M R GOFFE; Barges: MILLIN and JUSTIN R. WHITING; Tug: C.M. FARRAR; and Dredge: H LIFIAN.

On Christmas Eve 1979, while at her temporary dock in Milwaukee, Wis., the steamer E. M. FORD sank when gale force winds forced her from her moorings and repeatedly slammed her bow into the dock facing. By Christmas morning her stern was settled on the bottom, her engine room flooded. Her storage cargo of powdered cement was partially flooded also. By afternoon, the proud steamer lay sunken at her dock. She stayed on the bottom for several weeks as crews had to remove a solid 3 feet of hardened cement and patch her holed bow. On January 20th, 1980, she was refloated and towed to Bay Shipbuilding where work began on rebuilding her.

1976: The former MARIA K., of 1956, visited the Seaway in 1963. It sustained a fire in the engine room as c) ASTYANAX at Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The vessel was loaded with cement and became a total loss. It was scuttled in the Atlantic south of Abidjan, on November 18, 1977, after the cargo had solidified.

1977: The West German freighter MAGDEBURG began visiting the Seaway in 1959 and had made 31 voyages inland to the end of 1967. It was sailing from Hull, England, and Antwerp, Belgium, for East Africa when it ran aground at Haisborough Sand in bad weather. The ship was refloated the same day but with serious damage. It was sold for scrap and dismantling began in May 1978.

1982: TUKWILA CHIEF came through the Seaway in 1982 after previous visits as a) ESTHER CHARLOTTE SCHULTE as early as 1962. Fire broke out on board, two days out of Souris, PEI, with a cargo of potatoes. The blaze spread through the cabins and the ship was gutted. One sailor was lost but the remainder was rescued. The ship was brought to Sydney and, on September 20, 1983, was towed out into the deep waters of the Atlantic and scuttled.

1983: The Welland Canal pilot boat CISCOE was enroute to Port Dover for the winter when it lost power in heavy seas. The GRIFFON took the small ship in tow but it flipped over, broke loose and eventually sank. The 2 members of the crew were saved.

1987: The tug G.W. ROGERS left the Great lakes in November 1987 but sank at Albany, on this date during the trip south to the Netherlands Antilles. While refloated, it never made it south and was noted at Liberty Park, New York, in October 1997.

1997: The barge DUPUIS No. 10, under tow of the tug TECHNO-ST. LAURENT, sank in Lake Erie while bound from Buffalo to the Welland Canal. There were no casualties.

1999: The BARDE TEAM, enroute from Singapore with steel pipes, began taking on water, developed a list and sank in the Indian Ocean. It first came through the Seaway in 1976 as a) SAMSON SCAN and returned under her final name in 1992.

E.G. GRACE carried 14,797 tons of taconite ore on her last trip out of Taconite Harbor, Minnesota bound for South Chicago, Illinois and then was laid up at Ashtabula, Ohio on December 25, 1976, with engine trouble which often plagued the six "Al" ships powered with Lentz-Poppet engines. The lay-up of the E.G. GRACE lasted until April 1984, when she became the first Maritimer to be sold for scrap.

On 25 December 1849 the SISKAWIT (wooden schooner, 50 t, built in 1840) was sailing light on Lake Superior when a storm drove her onto a bar near the mouth of the Chocolay River, southeast of Marquette, Michigan, where she was wrecked. Those aboard had “kidnapped” her and her cargo at L’Anse a few days earlier.

1975: GEORGE M. CARL (ii), inbound at Toronto with a winter storage cargo of grain, missed the turn for the Western Gap and stranded in Humber Bay. Tugs pulled the ship free on December 27.

1981: The Halco tanker HUDSON TRANSPORT caught fire 200 miles east of Quebec City enroute from Montreal to the Magdalen Islands with 40,000 barrels of Bunker C. oil. The accommodation area was destroyed and 7 lives were lost. The ship was towed to Sept-Iles, unloaded and then to Montreal where it was declared a total loss. It later saw brief service as the barge b) SCURRY and went to Nigeria in 1992 as c) REMI.

1985: The former CLIFFS VICTORY passed down the Welland Canal as c) SAVIC, enroute to eventual scrapping in South Korea. It does not arrive there until Dec. 12, 1986.

2000: TWINSISTER had come to the Great Lakes in 1985. The vessel was reported to have caught fire in the engineroom as d) MELATI off Vung Tau, Vietnam, with the blaze spreading to the accommodation area. The listing freighter was abandoned by the 18-member crew and the ship was presumed to have sunk. It was located December 31 and found to have been looted by pirates. The ship arrived in Singapore, under tow, on January 4, 2001, and was apparently repaired, becoming e) WIN DUKE in 2003 and f) HAN LORD in 2006.

12/23 - Duluth, Minn. – Complacency "desensitized" the crew of the Roger Blough to the hazards emerging around them and contributed to the ship grounding as it sailed out of eastern Lake Superior two springs ago, the U.S. Coast Guard says in its new and final report on the incident.

The grounding resulted in $4.5 million in damage to the ship and an unknown amount more spent to off-load the crippled freighter at sea — making the May 27, 2016 incident one of the rare modern marine casualties on the Great Lakes.

The grounding produced no injuries — except to bruise careers in a report which concluded crew leadership acted with "negligence" and "professional incompetence."

The 29-page report, issued Dec. 11, was repeatedly critical of the master and second mate — veterans of the Blough — saying at one juncture the bridge leadership was "relying on navigation by 'seaman's eye' rather than through navigational equipment" as it lined up to make a delicate pass of another ship at the mouth of the St. Marys River.

The report concluded by suspending the licenses of the master and second mate, whose names were redacted in the Coast Guard report and left out of the National Transportation Safety Board brief of the same incident. The NTSB report issued this summer came to mostly similar findings as the Coast Guard's.

The Blough belongs to the Great Lakes Fleet of ships owned by Canadian National Railway and operated by Duluth-based Key Lakes Inc. CN spokesman Patrick Waldron said both CN and Key Lakes are declining to comment on the Coast Guard conclusions, citing personnel matters.

The author of the report and its lead investigator, Lt. Daniel Every of Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie, told the News Tribune that complacency is a real concern within sailing. It's one of the reasons the Coast Guard transfers its sailors every few years, he said.

Read more and view illustrations at this link: www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/4377841-coast-guard-complacency-led-2016-grounding-freighter-lake-superior

12/23 - Detroit, Mich. – The Coast Guard commenced Operation Coal Shovel domestic ice-breaking operations Friday. Operation Coal Shovel encompasses ice-breaking in southern Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair / Detroit River system, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers work together to break ice in these waterways as conditions worsen throughout the winter.

The Coast Guard conducts domestic ice-breaking operations for the purposes of search and rescue and other operations such as flood mitigation and the facilitation of navigation to meet the reasonable demands of commerce.

The Coast Guard assists with flood mitigation when assistance is requested from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Other emergency operations include opening channels to icebound communities or breaking ice for the ferries that serve them in order to ensure critical supplies of food, heating oil or access to medical assistance is maintained.

Coast Guard Sector Detroit provides command and control for Operation Coal Shovel, and may place restrictions or close waterways as ice conditions dictate. Due consideration is given to the need for cross channel traffic (e.g. ferries), the availability of icebreakers, and the safety of the island residents who use naturally formed ice bridges for transportation to and from the mainland.

As the 2018 Operation Coal Shovel season begins, U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard will continue to monitor potential hazardous ice conditions and conduct ice-breaking operations throughout the Great Lakes. Phone conferences are conducted regularly with maritime shipping company representatives to coordinate ice-breaking services and facilitate the movement of commercial vessels.

The Coast Guard recommends all recreational ice-users plan their activities carefully, use caution on the ice, and stay away from shipping channels. Waterway-users and island residents should stay tuned to local media resources for the status of channel closures.

To report a person in distress or the need for search and rescue, contact the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Detroit Operations Center 24-hours a day at [phone].

USCG

12/23 - Lansing, Mich. – Silently resting beneath the surface of the Great Lakes are hundreds of shipwrecks, protected by the state and a dwindling crew of volunteers. Michigan has designated 13 underwater preserves, from St. Joseph to the Straits of Mackinac, and from the Thumb to Copper Harbor in the Upper Peninsula. The state also has two federal underwater preserves.

The state preserves, which protect sunken ships and natural features, receive no state money. So protecting these sunken sanctuaries is left largely to volunteers with the nonprofit Michigan Underwater Preserves Council, which is based in St. Ignace and draws many of its members from communities near the protected underwater areas.

“Our volunteer corps is not expanding. It’s declining and it’s going to continue to decline,” said Ron Bloomfield, past president of the council. He also spent eight years on the state’s Underwater Salvage and Preserve Committee, an advisory panel.

Volunteers place marker buoys at the sites of shipwrecks, research the sunken ships, promote the preserves and check on the vessels to “make sure people aren’t stealing stuff off the wrecks,” said Bloomfield, who lives in Kawkawlin Township. The volunteers even raise the money to buy the marker buoys, he said.

“At one time there were approximately 50 to 60 volunteers spread throughout the preserve system,” he said. “I would venture a guess we now have less than 20 active volunteers mostly spread between three preserves, with a few in some of the other area.”

Read more at this link: www.record-eagle.com/news/local_news/perfect-storm-shrinks-volunteer-corps-that-protects-michigan-shipwrecks/article_a3cf5fa7-b46f-5f09-b615-b5c8b7442098.html

12/22 - St. Catharines, Ont. – Algoma Central Corporation has reached an agreement with American Steamship Company of Williamsville, N.Y., to acquire four vessels. The text of a press released issued by Algoma late Thursday afternoon follows:

The Company has acquired the Buffalo, Adam E. Cornelius, American Valor and American Victory. The availability of these vessels presented an opportunity to expand Algoma’s vessel fleet and capacity at extremely attractive values. Both the Buffalo and Adam E. Cornelius will provide efficient capacity to serve customers in the river-class segment of Algoma’s Domestic Dry Bulk market. Both ships will complement the Company’s existing fleet to ship salt, aggregates, and other commodities. These additions enhance Algoma’s versatility in offering its customers different cargo sizes and vessel configurations to meet their specific needs

The steam powered American Valor and American Victory have the potential to be re-powered as motor vessels, converted to articulated tug barges, or have their forebodies mated with existing modern sterns; however, no immediate plan for these two vessels has been confirmed.

“Delivery of the vessels further solidifies our market position in the river-class segment where we see many opportunities”, said Gregg Ruhl, Chief Operating Officer at Algoma. “We are also working with our labour partners to develop a competitive labour structure for this segment.”

All four ships are former U.S. flag lakers that will be transferred to the Canadian registry for service in the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence trade. The Company’s purchase of these vessels and the on-going delivery of new builds combine to make the Company a leader in the marine industry. This acquisition illustrates Algoma’s innovative approach to the current market and highlights the potential for new growth in the Company.

Algoma Central Corporation

12/22 - Port Colborne, Ont. – A U.S. navy warship named for Arkansas’ capital city that was to pass down the Welland Canal for its homeport in Florida docked in Port Colborne Wednesday afternoon due to a reported mechanical issue.

The USS Little Rock is one of a number of Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) the navy will operate in waters close to shore. It was built in Marinette, Wis., at a cost of between US$300 million and $350 million.

It left Buffalo Wednesday morning and after the delivery of two pilots to it in the Port Colborne anchorage, some four kilometres offshore, it tied up along the east wall of the Welland Canal in the city with engine trouble.

The USS Little Rock is headed to Naval Station Mayport, its homeport in Jacksonville, Fla. The vessel resumed its downbound passage ion Thursday.

Welland Tribune

12/22 - Milwaukee, Wis. – The Coast Guard has commenced icebreaking operations in the bay of Green Bay to ensure the safe navigation and overall safe transport of economically-significant commercial shipments. Ice breaking efforts will continue periodically throughout December and January.

In support of the Port of Green Bay, the Coast Guard will establish and maintain tracks through the ice from Rock Island Passage to the Fox River. The tracks through the ice will extend to Marinette-Menominee, Sturgeon Bay and the port of Green Bay. There are two tanker transits destined for the Port of Green Bay planned for the month of December and three additional transits planned for the month of January.

Prior to each movement and any associated ice breaking, a 72-hour advance notice to the public will occur via broadcast notice to mariners on VHF-FM marine radio channel 16, 21 or 23, and public outreach.

Coast Guard waterway managers balance the needs of commercial operators moving the cargoes that fuel industry with those of recreational users enjoying the pristine natural beauty of the Great Lakes. Those who choose to recreate on or near ice-covered waterways may potentially put themselves at increased risk when recreating near still-operational shipping lanes.

These icebreaking operations are a part of Operation Taconite, the U.S. Coast Guard’s largest domestic ice-breaking operation. The operation encompasses Lake Superior, St. Marys River, the Straits of Mackinac, Georgian Bay and all of Lake Michigan, including the bay of Green Bay.

Members of the public who fish, operate a snowmobile, all-terrain vehicle or otherwise recreate on the bay of Green Bay during periods of ice cover should focus on this and future announcements to better inform their preparations.

The Coast Guard recommends all recreational ice users plan their activities carefully, dress appropriately, use caution on the ice, and stay away from shipping channels. Recreational users should stay tuned to local media resources for the status of regional waterway closures.

For more information contact U.S. Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan at [phone]. USCG

[yachtsmanwilly]

In 1981, the steamer ENDERS M. VOORHEES laid up for the last time at the Hallett Dock #5 in Duluth, Minnesota.

On 26 December 1916, the wreck of the wooden self-unloading freighter TOPEKA was leveled by dynamiting. She sank just off Windsor/Sandwich, Ontario, in the Detroit River on 15 April 1916, in a collision with the small steamer CHRISTOPHER. Her machinery was removed prior to dynamiting.

1909: The former whaleback steamer COLGATE HOYT, operating on the East Coast since 1906, was wrecked as c) THURMOND in a storm at Tom's River Bay, NJ enroute from Newport News, VA to Portland, ME with a cargo of coal.

1973: The Liberian freighter ADELFOI, a Seaway caller in 1972 and 1973, was under tow on the St. Lawrence due to engine trouble. The ship broke loose and came ashore at St. Laurent, Ile d'Orleans and became a total loss. It was refloated on May 9, 1974, and eventually towed to Santander, Spain, for scrapping.

1982: BELMONA was newly built when it visited the Great Lakes in 1962. It sank as e) RHODIAN SAILOR south of Taiwan after the holds were flooded in a storm. The ship was carrying bagged cement and there was only one survivor.




Two Harbors-Silver Bay, Minn. – Gary A. Putney
Baie St. Paul departed Two Harbors Monday morning at 02:05 for Quebec City. Cason J. Callaway then shifted from North of #2 to the shiploader and departed on Monday at 0:9:05 for Detroit. Edgar B. Speer arrived Two Harbors on Monday at 10:04 from outside of the Twin Ports. She was assisted to the dock by Heritage Marine's tug Nels J. As of 21:15 on Monday she was still loading. Algoma Guardian anchored off Two Harbors on Monday at 04:30 to await the departure of the Speer. Paul R. Tregurtha will arrive off Two Harbors early Tuesday morning. As of 21:15 on Monday she was NE of Silver Bay running checked down. Also due Two Harbors on Tuesday, tentatively, are American Spirit, American Integrity, and Joyce L. VanEnekvort/Great Lakes Trader. Northshore Mining in Silver Bay saw the arrival of the Herbert C. Jackson on Monday at 05:34. She departed at 15:20 for Cleveland. Due Silver Bay on Tuesday is the American Century.

St. Marys River
Vessels were hugging the north shore of Lake Superior Monday due to weather. Downbound traffic at the locks on Monday included Hon. James L. Obsertar, Victory / James L. Kuber, CSL Assiniboine and Edwin H. Gott. Upbounders included Burns Harbor, American Mariner and Anglian Lady / barge. Kaye E. Barker was inbound DeTour for Algoma Steel around 11 p.m. Manitowoc was at Algoma Steel. Presque was at anchor above DeTour.

Southern Lake Michigan ports
St. Clair was at Buffington Monday. Walter J. McCarthy Jr. was in in Indiana Harbor.

Goderich, Ont.
Algosteel remained at the salt dock on Monday.

Midland, Ont.
Frontenac arrived to unload grain on Monday, assisted by CCGS Samuel Risley.

Detroit, Mich.
Saginaw arrived behind Zug Island on Christmas Eve day to load furnace coke for the Soo.

Regional and Welland Canal transits Monday - Barry Andersen

Long Point Bay anchorage:
Anchored - Dec 25 - G3 Marquis at 1035, Algoma Hansa at 1312, Thunder Bay at 1520 and Algocanada at 1607,

Welland Canal upbound:
Arrivals - Dec 24 - Algoma Hansa at 1709 - Dec 25 -

Welland Canal downbound:
Arrivals - Dec 24 - Robert S. Pierson at 1830, Algoscotia at 2045, Capt. Henry Jackman at 2333 - Dec 25 - Algoma Niagara at 0121, John J. Boland at 0317, Algoma Transport at 1418

Port Weller anchorage:
Arrival - Dec 25 - Patras (Mlt) (ex Gan Sword-10) at 0718 from Hamilton and Algoscotia at 0804 - anchored - Dec 22 - Harbour First (Por) at 1010 and Pacific Huron (Atg) (ex Seven Islands-10) at 1735 - Dec 23 - Finnborg (Nld) at 0021, Three Rivers (Atg) at 1601 approximately, COE Leni (Lbr) (ex Marselisborg-16, Clipper Anne-14, Marselisborg-12) at 2000 - Dec 24 - Federal Biscay at 0059, Sten Moster (Gib) at 0049, Beatrix (Nld) at 0230 and Mitiq (Nld) (ex Emmagacht-13) at 1834 - departures - Dec 24 - Federal Rhine (Bds) at 1655 - Dec 25 - Federal Danube (Mhl) at 1222, Harbour First (Por) at 1425, Yulia (Lbr) (ex Harlequin-11) at 1742 - mechanical issues sent her back to the anchorage - arriving at 1932 approximately

Off of Burlington anchorage:
Anchored - Capt. Henry Jackman at 1202, CSL Laurentien at 1520

Hamilton:
Arrivals - Dec 25 - Ojibway at 1105 (anchored), Robert S. Pierson at 1323, Algoma Niagara at 1747 (anchored) and John J. Boland at 1857 - - docked - Dec 22 - Torrent (Cyp) at 1020 - Dec 24 - Algoma Equinox at 1358 and Billesborg (Pan) at 2007 - anchored - Dec 25 - Algoma Discovery at at 1255 (from dock) - departures - Dec 23 - Sten Moster (Gib) at 2311 - Dec 24 - Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin at 0457, Algoma Harvester at 0550, G3 Marquis at 1430 and Mitiq (Nld) at 1834,

Toronto:
Docked - Dec 23 - Algoma Spirit at 0913 - Dec 24 - Stephen B. Roman at 1827 and CSL Laurentien at 1959 - departed - Dec 23 - CSL Laurentien at 2029

[yachtsmanwilly]

SAVIC, b.) CLIFFS VICTORY cleared the Welland Canal on Christmas night 1985, and finally anchored at Pointe aux Trembles near Montreal, Quebec, on December 27, awaiting another load of scrap. The SAVIC remained there the entire winter, because the underwriters ordered that her hull be re-enforced by welding straps to her stress points for her overseas journey.

THOMAS W. LAMONT as a single tow arrived at Aliaga, Turkey, on December 27, 1987, where she was scrapped. The LAMONT was one of the last bulkers that retained her telescoping hatch covers to the very end.

1985:The wooden sailing ship CIUDAD DE INCA sank in shallow water at Portsmouth, Ontario, during a snowstorm. The vessel was refloated January 10, 1986, with machinery but no structural damage. It had come inland for the Lake Ontario Tall Ships Extravaganza in 1984. Due to an earlier problem, it had to stay out of American waters where it was subject to an arrest warrant due to the sinking of the MARQUES, owned by the same company, in a Tall Ships race from Bermuda to Halifax.

Thunder Bay, Ont.
Tuesday December 26th 16:24 John D. Leitch departed, destination unknown. 16:47 Cuyahoga departed for Hamilton. No other vessels are expected this week.

St. Marys River
With temperatures Tuesday morning around -8, ice was forming fast in St. Marys River. At 11:20 a.m., the upbound James R. Barker reported she could not make the turn at Stribling Point behind Neebish Island. The cutter Biscayne Bay was helping the Saginaw and Joseph L. Block in the vicinity of Lime Island and when finished headed to assist the Barker. Presque Isle had been anchored in that area since Monday, but was making preparations to get under way. Baie St. Paul was downbound and reported some difficulty making the Moon Island turn below the Rock Cut. Tim S. Dool was downbound behind her and the Defiance/Ashtabula were in the locks headed down after paying their last visit of the season to Algoma. Biscayne Bay quickly freed the Barker and she was at Mission Point around 3:30 p.m. followed by Joseph L. Block (for Two Harbors) and Saginaw (for Algoma, assisted by tug Adenac). Indiana Harbor was upbound after dinner. Kaye E. Barker remained at Algoma.

Green Bay, Wis.
Tug G.L. Ostrander and her cement barge were west of the Mackinac Bridge Tuesday night headed for Green Bay. The USCG icebreaker Mackinaw has been dispatched to assist her through rapidly thickening ice.

Southern Lake Michigan ports
St. Clair was at Buffington Tuesday night.

Goderich, Ont.
Algosteel departed Tuesday with a destination of Toronto.

Midland, Ont.
Frontenac was still in port on Tuesday night.

Regional and Welland Canal transits Tuesday – Barry Andersen

Long Point Bay anchorage:
Anchored - Dec 25 - G3 Marquis at 1035, Algoma Hansa at 1312, Thunder Bay at 1520 and Algocanada at 1607,

Welland Canal upbound:
Arrivals - Dec 25 - John J. Boland at 1009, Algoma Discovery at 1303 and Algoma Equinox at 1403

Welland Canal downbound:
Arrivals - Dec 25 - Algolake at 0203, Erik (Atg) (ex BBC Louisiana-17) - (note: last ocean vessel of 2017 season to clear the canal), (ex Algoway at 1023 (note: vessel is on her last trip before heading for lay-up with scrapping to follow - no destination as of yet), Thunder Bay at 1038, Manitoulin at 1559, Salarium at 1840 (stopping at wharf 16) and H. Lee White at 2019 bound for Hamilton and Algoma Olympic at 2215

Port Weller anchorage:
Arrival - Dec 25 - Patras (Mlt) (ex Gan Sword-10) at 0718 from Hamilton and Algoscotia at 0804 - anchored - Dec 22 - Harbour First (Por) at 1010 and Pacific Huron (Atg) (ex Seven Islands-10) at 1735 - Dec 23 - Finnborg (Nld) at 0021, COE Leni (Lbr) (ex Marselisborg-16, Clipper Anne-14, Marselisborg-12) at 2000 - Dec 24 - Federal Biscay at 0059, Sten Moster (Gib) at 0049, Beatrix (Nld) at 0230 and Mitiq (Nld) (ex Emmagacht-13) at 1834 - departures - Dec 25 - Yulia (Lbr) (ex Harlequin-11) at 1742 - mechanical issues sent her back to the anchorage - arriving at 1932 approximately - Dec 26 - Patras (Mlt) (ex Gan Sword-10) at 0718 from anchorage back to Hamilton and Three Rivers (Atg) at 1601 approximately and ERIK (Atg) ex (BBC Louisiana-17) at 2000

Welland Canal docks:
Docked - Dec 26 - Salarium at 1900

Off of Burlington anchorage:
Anchored - Capt. Henry Jackman at 1202, CSL Laurentien at 1520 - departure - Dec 26 - CSL Laurentien at 1021 for Toronto

Hamilton:
Arrivals - Dec 26 - Patras (Mlt) at 1807 (anchored) from Port Weller anchorage - docked - docked - Dec 24 - Billesborg (Pan) at 2007 - Dec 25 - Robert S. Pierson at 1323 - Dec 26 - Algoma Niagara from anchorage at 0445 and Ojibway from the anchorage at 2045 - departures - Dec 26 - John J. Boland at 0756, Algoma Discovery at 1048, Algoma Equinox at 1403, Torrent (Cyp) at 2018 for Sorel and Patras (Mlt) from anchorage at 2036 for Montreal

Toronto:
Docked - Dec 23 - Algoma Spirit at 0913 - Dec 24 - Stephen B. Roman at 1827 - Dec 26 - CSL Laurentien at 1233 - departed - at 1323 - anchored off Toronto at 1420 approximately

[yachtsmanwilly]

12/28 - The saltwater vessel Pacific Huron is aground in the St. Lawrence Seaway just east of Clayton, N.Y. near Fisher's Landing. She is bound for Montreal. Further details as they develop.

12/28 - Reports from a variety of sources on social media, including vessel crewmembers, indicate that the careers of Algolake, Algosteel, Algoma Olympic and Algoway are nearing their ends. Algolake, which recently finished discharging a cargo of salt at Johnstown, Ont., is reported to be headed to layup behind Elevator Four in Montreal, which has been the final resting place for many lakers bound overseas. Algosteel was in the Welland Canal Wednesday night headed to Toronto to unload salt. It will be her last visit to that port. Algoma Olympic was in Lake Ontario headed for Quebec City on what a crewmember has confirmed was her last trip. Algoway was arriving at Hamilton Wednesday night on what is believed to be her final trip, although her ultimate winter layup port is not yet known. All information is subject to change due to weather and other factors.

12/28 - The McKeil Marine tug Wilf Seymour appeared to still be aground Wednesday night on Lac St-Pierre on the St. Lawrence River. Groupe Ocean tugs were in the vicinity Tuesday, however Wednesday night there were no tugs in evidence on AIS. It is unknown if she has her barge Alouette Spirit with her. Information on this event is incomplete

12/28 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The Coast Guard will close Grays Reef Passage Saturday at noon local time. Grays Reef Passage is located south of the Straits of Mackinac near White Shoal Light on Lake Michigan. Further inquiries can be made by phone to Sault Vessel Traffic Service.

HENRY FORD II was laid up in the Rouge Steel slip at Dearborn, Michigan, on December 28, 1988.

On 28 December 1907, CALDERA (steel propeller freighter, 504 foot, 6,328 gross tons) was launched at W. Bay City, Michigan.

On 28 December 1881, the steamer R J GORDON arrived in Port Huron from Marine City on her maiden voyage with a large number of passengers. She was powered with a steam engine with an 18-inch cylinder and 20-inch stroke. Her dimensions were 116 feet long with a 26-foot beam. She cost nearly $20,000 and was built to run between Algonac and Lexington.

1980: DUNAV reported taking water in heavy seas off Central Japan, enroute from Hamilton, Ontario, via Los Angeles, to Tsingtao, China, with steel and was never seen again. Thirty-one sailors perished.

1980: HOLMSIDE, a Seaway trader beginning in 1960, hit a jetty while inbound at Casablanca, Morocco, as b) CABINDA and sank in the outer harbor with the loss of 9 lives.

1980: The former PRINS ALEXANDER, a Seaway trader for the Oranje Lijn beginning in 1959, struck a reef off Shadwan Island as f) POLIAGOS and sank in the Gulf of Suez. It was loaded with bagged cement and enroute from Piraeus, Greece, to Giza, United Arab Republic.

2011: An arson fire gutted the former NORMAC, most recently a restaurant ship at St. Catharines.

2011: MISSISSIPPIBORG ran aground leaving Pictou, Nova Scotia, with paper, but was refloated on the high tide only to go aground again on a second try. It had been a Seaway trader in 2011

[yachtsmanwilly]

12/29 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – It was a tough day Thursday for the Walter J. McCarthy Jr. Beset in ice in the narrow channel on the east side of Neebish Island since Wednesday night, work began in earnest Thursday morning to get the upbound 1,000-footer moving again.

The USCG cutter Biscayne Bay was on the scene at first light, running tracks up the side of the vessel to relieve ice pressure and also venturing ahead to break a path in the ice, which had formed quickly due to a night of sub-zero temperatures. The McCarthy finally made through the worst of the ice and was upbound for the Soo Locks in the early afternoon. Biscayne Bay leading the way. Several vessels that had been stopped behind her got underway upbound, but had to stop again as the McCarthy Jr. continued to have difficulty with ice under the International Bridge and again at Point Aux Pins. Each time she was able to break free without assistance and by 8 p.m. was making good speed in the upper river.

When it was clear the McCarthy Jr. was going to make it out of the locks, other traffic began moving upbound, starting with Hon. James L. Oberstar. Mesabi Miner and G3 Marquis were next in line. Frontenac, Samuel deChamplain / barge Innovation (bound for Heron Bay, Ont.) and St. Clair were waiting their turn in the vicinity of Nine Mile with Algoma Discovery and Algoma Equinox lined up behind them.

Two downbound vessels, Edgar B. Speer and Cason J. Callaway, that had been stuck on the west side of Neebish Island below the Rock Cut, were freed by the CCGS Samuel Risley, which arrived on scene in the afternoon. Two other downbounders, Algoma Guardian and Manitowoc, were then able to continue their way to the lower lakes.

The tug Anglian Lady with her barge PML 2501 were downbound waiting their turn to lock through in the mid-evening, which also caused a delay for the McCarthy. The USCG icebreaker Mackinaw got underway from Green Bay Thursday, where she had been assisting vessels, and was expected on the St. Marys River sometime Friday. Samuel Risley was still assisting vessels in the lower river Thursday night.

Vessels expected downbound Friday include Kaye E. Barker, American Century, American Integrity and Stewart J. Cort. The Whitefish Bay is expected upbound.

“This is a common occurrence for ships to become stuck in the ice and when they do become stuck, the USCG and Canadian Coast Guard, we work together to get those vessels out of the ice as quick as possible,” says Lt. Sean Murphy, USCG Sector Sault.

With the Soo Locks scheduled to close on January 15, freighters waiting to go upbound are losing crucial time to load up on iron ore. “This is an important time of the year for them, they are trying to build up for those stockpiles that they are going to need, after we close the locks they are going to have about 10 weeks where they are not going to be able to move steel, so it’s a really important time of year for them,” added Joanne Gray of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Temperatures in the Eastern Upper Peninsula Wednesday night ranged from -17 at Mission Point to -21 on Lake Nicolet, with some areas reporting even lower readings. Although it was not predicted to be as cold Thursday night, the lows were still expected to be around zero, with more Siberian air on the way for Sunday.

12/29 - Carleton Island, N.Y. – The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to a large cargo ship that has run aground in the St. Lawrence River just west of Clayton, according to the U.S. Coast Guard in Buffalo. The 623-foot bulk cargo carrier the Pacific Huron ran aground Wednesday about 1,000 feet outside the St. Lawrence Seaway channel, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The ship, which is loaded with soybeans, went aground between Carleton Island and Wolfe Island, just west of Wellesley Island, the Coast Guard said. There are no reported injuries to the crew, and no reported leaks, pollution, or flooding on the vessel, the Coast Guard said. The Maple Grove, a workboat used around the 1,000 Islands to transport building materials and backhoes, was seen in attendance on Thursday but there were no tugs reported nearby.

With the imminent closing of the Seaway locks, Pacific Huron may be spending the winter here.

Shipping on the seaway is continuing as traffic can go around the vessel through the navigation channel, the Coast Guard said. Inspectors will board the Pacific Huron, which flies the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, as soon as possible to conduct their initial investigation and additional assessments will be made, the Coast Guard said. On Thursday there did not appear to be any tugs working to free the vessel.

Syracuse.com

12/29 - The tug Wilf Seymour was still aground Thursday night off Yamachiche, Lac St-Pierre. She was bound for Oswego, N.Y. It is unknown if she has her barge Alouette Spirit with her or what efforts are being made to free her. Information on this event is incomplete; if you have additional details please send to [e-mail]

12/29 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Subzero temperatures stopped a Chippewa County ferry for more than five hours Wednesday morning. The cause was a frozen rudder.

It’s a very rare occurrence for the Sugar Island ferry to be shut down due to weather, but we are told that part of the reason was because of just how quickly everything froze. “It’s probably in the case where it got so cold, so quick,” crewmember Bill Wychopen said.

He and his team worked non-stop to free the ferry’s rudder from the ice. “It was a sledgehammer and a torch, basically down the hull there we had to heat it up bang on it a little bit there to get the casing hot enough.” Wychopen explained.

“Once we got a little bit of movement we could then use the prop to kind of help use the water current to erode the ice away and eventually it broke free,” he added. but that’s a little tricky navigating the ice and that in the winter,” Bill, said.

9 & 10 News




B. F. JONES was launched December 29, 1906, as a.) GENERAL GARRETSON.

KINSMAN INDEPENDENT was launched in 1906, as a.) WILLIAM B. KERR (Hull#72) at Chicago, Illinois, by Chicago Ship Building Co. for the Weston Transit Co.

Kinsman's new GEORGE M. HUMPHREY was christened on December 29, 1926.

GOLDEN HIND was laid up for the last time on December 29, 1985, at Toronto, Ontario.

On 29 December 1813, ARIEL (4-gun armed schooner, 112 tons, built in 1813, at Erie, Pennsylvania, as part of Perry's fleet) ran aground in a squall at Black River (now Buffalo) and was burned by the British.

CAROLINE (wooden sidewheeler, 71 foot, 46 tons, built in 1822, at New York City, New York) was chartered to transport arms and munitions to Navy Island near Buffalo. On 29 December 1837, she was commandeered by about 60 Canadian rebels under the command of a Royal Navy officer at Schlosser on the Niagara River. In the fight that followed, she was set afire, abandoned and allowed to drift down the river. Some sources say that she went over the falls. This incident caused hostile feelings along the U.S. northeastern frontier for many months.

1935: The Norwegian freighter AGGA came to the Great Lakes as early as 1923 and returned on several occasions until at least through 1934. It had gone aground in the St. Lawrence on October 27, 1924 and again on November 25, 1925. The 1905-vintage cargo carrier was wrecked on this date at Gunnorstenarne, Sweden.

1974: The Swedish freighter RAGNEBORG was newly built when it came to the Great Lakes in 1947 and was a regular inland trader through 1963. The vessel was sailing as c) CHAVIN when the engine broke down and it was towed into Puerto Cortes, (not sure if it was Costa Rica or Honduras), and beached. It never sailed again and was still there as late as 1978.

1979: A spark from a welder's torch spread from the conveyor belt and gutted the pilothouse and officer's quarters of the NICOLET at Toledo. The vessel was rebuilt with a new pilothouse at Lorain and returned to service on April 4, 1981.

[yachtsmanwilly]

1/2 - On Monday afternoon the Federal Biscay became lodged in the Snell Lock, located near Massena N.Y. She was downbound and had spent several hours anchored at Wilson Hill in very cold temperatures, which caused ice to gather on the hull. She is 77' 11" wide and the lock is 80' feet wide. She stopped moving while passing through the upper gates of the lock. The crew of the tug Robinson Bay was called in to bring the tug over to the stern of the Biscay, where they secured a tow line. After some time pulling, the effort was called off. It was announced over the radio to one of the ships in line waiting to go down the Seaway that a new plan had to be made to get the ship moving again.

Meanwhile, overnight temperatures will plunge to below -20C, causing more ice to form between the ship and the concrete walls. Waiting above Snell lock is Mitq. Anchored in the river above Massena are Beatrix and Billesborg. Pacific Huron may join the lineup Tuesday as she has a pilot arriving at 8 p.m. Monday evening. She is cleared to go down the river after passing inspection yesterday.

Meanwhile, at 8:10 p.m. Monday Florence Spirit called in westbound at Sodus Point. She gave an ETA of 10 a.m. for Hamilton. That is the last upbound vessel for the Montreal-Lake Ontario section.

At 9:30 p.m. Monday, Ocean A. Simard was getting under way to leave Kingston and head down river to assist at Snell Lock. She gave ETAs of 11:30 p.m. for Quebec Head, 0130 for Crossover Island and 8 a.m. for Snell Lock, ice conditions permitting.

1/2 - Midland, Ont. – The Canadian Coast Guard will be conducting icebreaking operations at Midland this week. The CCGS Samuel Risley is expected to be in the area from Jan. 2 through 4, approximately, as part of icebreaking operations on Georgian Bay and McGregor Bay.

Dates, schedules and routes are subject to change with little or no notice due to weather and ice conditions and other unexpected situations.

Residents may also see Coast Guard helicopters in the air. Canadian Coast Guard spokeperson Carol Landerville said the choppers, based in Parry Sound, “provide a birds-eye view of ice conditions, which assists with the planning of icebreaking missions.”

“The Canadian and United States Coast Guards work side-by-side on a daily basis along the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes, coordinating icebreaking activities in order to pool resources and increase efficiency,” said Launderville in an email to Simcoe.com.

On Dec. 28, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Biscayne Bay freed one vessel from the ice near Sault Ste. Marie, while the Samuel Risley freed the the Edgar B. Speer from the ice in the St. Marys River.

Launderville said the Samuel Risley may be at Midland, or it may be another icebreaker. The other icebreaker in the Great Lakes, the CCGS Griffon, is based out of Prescott. “The dates are estimates and adapt to the schedules of the shipping industry,” she wrote.

Simcoe.com

While on the North Atlantic under tow for scrapping, ASHLAND parted her towline but was tracked by U.S. Coast Guard aircraft and was retrieved by her tug on January 2nd, 1988, some 300 miles off course.

The 3-masted wooden schooner M. J. CUMMINGS was launched at the shipyard of Goble & MacFarlane in Oswego, New York. Her owners were Mrs. Goble & MacFarlane, Daniel Lyons and E. Caulfield. Her dimensions were 142 foot 6 inches X 25 foot 2 inches X 11 foot 6 inches, 325 tons and she cost $28,000.

January 2, 1925 - The ANN ARBOR NO 7 (Hull#214) was launched at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Corp. She was sponsored by Jane Reynolds, daughter of R. H. Reynolds, marine superintendent of the railroad. Renamed b.) VIKING in 1983.

1967: The small Norwegian freighter RAAGAN dated from 1919 and had been a Pre-Seaway visitor to the Great Lakes as a) ERICH LINDOE, b) GRENLAND and c) HILDUR I. It sank in the North Sea about 60 miles north of the Dutch coast after developing leaks on a voyage from Egersund, Denmark, to Dordrecht, Netherlands, with a cargo of titanium. The crew was rescued.

1976: The XENY, which was towed into Cadiz Roads on January 1, capsized and sank on her side. The ship had caught fire on December 2 and was abandoned by the crew. It had first visited the Great Lakes as a) PRINS WILLEM II in 1955 and had been back as d) XENY in 1971.

1981: The heavy lift vessel MAMMOTH SCAN had heeled over while unloading at Abu Dhabi on October 15, 1980. The ship was righted and under tow when the towline parted off Algeria on December 28, 1980. The listing vessel was brought to Malaga Roads, Spain, on this date, healed over and sank as a total loss.

1987: A fire in the cargo hold of REMADA at Barcelona, Spain, resulted in heavy damage and the ship had to be sold for scrap. It had made one trip through the Seaway in November 1973 as b) ONTARIO.

On this day in 1958, 76-year-old Rangvald Gunderson retired as wheelsman from the ELTON HOYT 2ND. Mr. Gunderson sailed on the lakes for 60 years.

On January 1, 1973, the PAUL H. CARNAHAN became the last vessel of the 1972 shipping season to load at the Burlington Northern (now Burlington Northern Santa Fe) ore docks in Superior, Wisconsin. Interestingly, the CARNAHAN also opened the Superior docks for the season in the spring of 1972.

On 1 January 1930, HELEN TAYLOR (wooden propeller steam barge, 56 foot, 43 gross tons, built in 1894, at Grand Haven, Michigan) foundered eight miles off Michigan City, Indiana. She was nicknamed "Pumpkin Seed," due to her odd shape.

January 1, 1900 - The Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad merged with the Chicago & West Michigan and the Detroit, Grand Rapids and Western Railroads to form the Pere Marquette Railway Co.

On 1 January 1937, MAROLD II (steel propeller, 129 foot, 165 gross tons, built in 1911, at Camden, New Jersey, as a yacht) was siphoning gasoline off the stranded tanker J OSWALD BOYD (244 foot, 1,806 gross tons, built in 1913, in Scotland) which was loaded with 900,000 gallons of gasoline and was stranded on Simmons Reef on the north side of Beaver Island. A tremendous explosion occurred which totally destroyed MAROLD II and all five of her crew. Only pieces of MAROLD II were found. Her captain's body washed ashore in Green Bay the next year.

At time of loss, she was the local Beaver Island boat. The remains of the BOYD were removed to Sault Ste. Marie in June 1937.

1943: HAMILDOC (i) went south during World War Two to assist in the bauxite trade. The N.M. Paterson & Sons bulk canaller sank in the Caribbean after a three-day gale. The vessel, enroute from Georgetown, British Guiana, to Trinidad, was at anchor when the hull broke in two. All on board were saved.

2000: WISTERIA was built at Imabari, Japan, in 1976 and came through the Seaway that year. It was taking water in #1 hold as c) AIS MAMAS while enroute from West Africa to India with a cargo of logs. The crew was removed but the ship was taken in tow and reached Capetown, South Africa, on January 5. It was subsequently sold for scrap and arrived at Alang, India, for dismantling on April 23, 2000 and was beached the next day.

In 1905, B. F. JONES (Hull#15), 530 x 56 x 31 with a capacity of 10,000 tons, slid down the ways at Great Lakes Engineering Works, Ecorse, Mich. The JONES was built at a cost of $400,000 for Jones and Laughlin Steel. She was declared a constructive total loss after a collision with the CASON J. CALLAWAY in the St. Marys River on August 21, 1955. Most of the hull was scrapped at Superior, Wis., in 1956. Part of the hull became the crane barge SSC-1. Her forward cabins and hatch crane and covers were installed on the SPARKMAN D. FOSTER.

In 1952, a total of 35 boats were laid up for the season at Cleveland. The WILLIAM FAIRBAIRN, GEORGE STEPHENSON, and ANDREW S. UPSON had storage cargoes of flax, the MICHAEL GALLAGHER had a storage cargo of wheat, and the remaining 31 vessels were empty.

In 1941, at the close of the shipping season, the Great Lakes fleet consisted of 513 boats of U.S. Registry and 279 boats of Canadian Registry.

At 4:00 p.m., 31 December 1895, the PURITAN (wooden propeller passenger/package freight steamer, 172 foot, 289 gross tons, built in 1887, at Benton Harbor, Michigan) burned at the dock in Oak Hill (Manistee), Michigan. She was a total loss.

Upon suggestion from the U.S. Maritime Commission, surplus World War II cargo vessels, many of which had laid up on the James River, were made available for sale under the Great Lakes Vessel Sales Act of 1950 (enacted September 28, 1950) to be converted for Great Lakes use. The act allowed Great Lakes fleets to purchase up to 10 surplus ships by December 31, 1951, and receive a 90% cost subsidy to convert and refurbish them for lakes use. The first such conversion occurred when the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co. of Cleveland, Ohio bought the NOTRE DAME VICTORY (later CLIFFS VICTORY) on December 10, 1950.

GEORGE M. HUMPHREY of 1953 was laid up for the last time at the old Great Lakes Engineering Works slip at River Rouge, Mich., beginning December 31, 1983.

The QUEDOC, a.) NEW QUEDOC, was laid up for the last time on December 31, 1984, at Toronto, Ont., alongside the SENATOR OF CANADA.

On 31 December 1884, ADMIRAL (wooden propeller steam tug, 49 gross tons, built in 1883, at Chicago, Ill.) had her boiler explode in Chicago harbor. All four of the crew was killed.

In 1884, the PERE MARQUETTE NO 1 ran aground at Ludington, Mich.

December 31, 1919 - The entire Ann Arbor carferry fleet was tied up in Frankfort, Mich., due to bad weather.

On 31 December 1889, H. M. Loud of Oscoda, Mich., sold the 551-ton wooden schooner ANGUS SMITH to Mitchell Brothers of Marine City, Mich., for $16,000. The vessel was built in 1871.

1905: The whaleback Barge 126 had left the Great Lakes earlier in the year and was renamed b) BADEN. It stranded at Buzzard's Bay, Mass., enroute from Newport News, Va., to New Bedford, Mass., with coal and was a total loss. The crew of six was also lost.

12/31 - Milwaukee, Wis. – The U.S. Coast Guard is scheduled to break ice at approximately 8 a.m. Monday and Tuesday in support of Operation Taconite for two shipments arriving in the Port of Green Bay.

Icebreaking transits will increase in frequency for the first three weeks of January. The Coast Guard will establish and maintain tracks through the ice from Rock Island Passage to the Fox River, to include Marinette-Menominee and Sturgeon Bay. Ice transits will stabilize tracks through the thickening ice to ensure safe navigation and overall safe transport of commercial shipments.

There are four tanker transits destined for the Port of Green Bay planned for the month of January. Those who choose to recreate on or near ice-covered waterways may potentially put themselves at increased risk when recreating near still-operational shipping lanes.

The Coast Guard recommends all recreational ice users plan their activities carefully, dress appropriately, use caution on the ice, and stay away from shipping channels. Recreational ice users should monitor VHF-FM marine radio channel 16, 21, or 23 for ice-breaking information.

These ice breaking operations are a part of Operation Taconite, the U.S. Coast Guard’s largest domestic ice-breaking operation encompassing Lake Superior, St. Marys River, the Straits of Mackinac, Georgian Bay and all of Lake Michigan. For more information contact U.S. Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan at [phone].

USCG

12/31 - Wilf Seymour and her barge Alouette Spirit, loaded with aluminum ingots bound for Oswego, N.Y., remained aground Saturday night on Lac St-Pierre. According to Transport Canada, an electrical fault affected navigation equipment which resulted in the tugboat deviating from the channel. The cause of the failure has been identified and has been repaired.

They have been stranded in Lac St. Pierre since the morning of December 25th. Transport Canada reports that a licensed pilot was at the helm of the tugboat at the time of the incident. The attempts have failed to get the vessels moving. A plan must be developed to lighten the contents of the barge before making another attempt, said Thursday Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

CBC, Tom Hynes

12/31 - NWS Marquette had gale warnings for most of Lake Superior Saturday for northerly gales 25 to 35 knots and waves 12 to 18 feet. In addition, there was a heavy freezing spray warning out, so vessels were taking the north shore route along the Canadian shore.

12/31 - At 7:45 p.m. Saturday, the tugs Ocean A. Simard and Evans McKeil assisted in freeing the Pacific Huron, aground since Wednesday in St. Lawrence River east of Clayton, N.Y. The vessel was moved back into the channel and at 10 p.m. was listed as being at anchor, possibly undergoing inspection before proceeding. The ship is loaded with soybeans. RJ Marine Associates, Donjon Marine Co., Inc. and SMIT Salvage were also active in the salvage effort.

As vessels race to beat today’s closing of the Seaway, the Billesborg of Panama departed Hamilton at 3:30 Saturday afternoon bound for Trois Rivieres, Que. At 6:20 she called Seaway Newcastle to report mechanical problems and was going to anchor north of Niagara-on-the-Lake. As of 10 p.m. Saturday she was still there.

1/1 - Buffalo, N.Y. – The saltie Pacific Huron was successfully refloated Saturday evening from its grounded position in the St. Lawrence Seaway near Wellesley Island, New York.

Under the direction of the Donjon-Smit salvage master, two Canadian tugs, the Evans Mckeil and the Ocean A. Simard, successfully removed the Pacific Huron from its grounded position Saturday at approximately 8 p.m. There were no reports of any injuries or pollution observed. A pilot was put aboard to safely navigate the vessel to its anchorage location at Mason Point.

Divers will conduct an underwater hull survey and the classification society will inspect the Pacific Huron’s propulsion system. She remained at anchor Sunday night.

Coast Guard leaders work constantly with international, federal, state, local and tribal partners to prepare for contingencies like this and to ensure a cohesive and unified approach to resolve the incident and restore the vital components of the maritime transportation system.

USCG

1/1 - Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. – The tug Dispatch II was refloated Thursday and removed from Bellevue Marina. A Canadian Coast Guard environmental response team was present throughout the operation, and officials say there were no signs of pollution from the vessel in the water or along the shoreline.

After refloating, the Dispatch II was pumped of pollutants and lifted out of the water by crane.

On Dec. 24, the MOE Spills Action Centre advised the Canadian Coast Guard of a sunken tug boat at the Bellevue Marina on Pine Street. The Dispatch II is 45 feet in length and contains diesel fuel and lube oil. Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services placed booms at the mouth of the marina to contain any potential pollution.

Sault Star

[yachtsmanwilly]

1/3 - Duluth, Minn. – Bursting with horsepower to spare in what has been a banner season, the Great Lakes shipping industry slowed against its will in the past week. On Lake Superior offshore from Duluth, as many as nine freighters at a time have been anchored and at ease the past several days — mostly waiting turns to load iron ore pellets in the Twin Ports and Two Harbors.

A rush to haul an estimated 1.5 million tons of iron ore pellets out of the Northland in the last half-month of the shipping season stalled when arctic air enveloped the Midwest, sources said.

"There's no way that is going to happen now," said Jim Sharrow, the Duluth Seaway Port Authority's director of port planning and resiliency.

The gears of industry shuddered against the cold, causing dysfunction up and down the supply chain. There are any number of culprits behind the slow loading taking place right now in the Duluth-Superior harbor, Sharrow said, but all of it is traced to the bitter cold.

"The operators and coast guards and all the service organizations that help to keep ships moving are all very well organized to deal as well as they can with things," Sharrow said, "but they can't make it summer sailing."

Read more and view photos at this link

1/3 - Seaway – Efforts to pull the Federal Biscay out of Snell Lock Tuesday were not successful. The tugs Ocean A. Simard and Robinson pulled together for hours and the ship is frozen solid into the lock. The Ocean A. Simard has departed upbound in the Seaway.

1/3 - St. Catharines, Ont. – A snap freeze and very heavy ice conditions on the lower part of the St. Lawrence Seaway system delayed its closing for the season, says St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. spokesman Andrew Bogora.

“We had planned to close on Dec. 31, but given that ships are somewhat behind their original schedules, we extended the closing by a number of days,” said Bogora.

Capt. Adriaan Kooiman, of the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Griffon, said no one was expecting the amount of ice on the lower portion of the seaway, which runs from Kingston up the St. Lawrence River to Montreal. “It’s very heavy for this time of year,” said Kooiman, adding ice was five centimetres thick in some areas.

The St. Lawrence River does not freeze over because of its current, but that current carries ice downstream causing it to pile up in different sections. “We helped a lot of commercials ships. The locks were freezing up,” said Kooiman from the vessel as it sat docked in the Welland Canal along West Street in Port Colborne Tuesday morning.

Ships waiting for the locks — Lock 4 on the Beauharnois Canal specifically — were at anchor and the Griffon, said Kooiman, had to break them out and escort them in a convoy. Bogora said the seaway authority’s operations team is in touch daily with both the Canadian and U.S. coast guard, working very closely to ensure shipping traffic moves through the system.

He said the delay on the lower portion of the seaway also saw the Welland Canal stay open for longer than planned. The canal was to close on Boxing Day, but a number of ships transited both upbound and downbound up to New Year’s Day.

In addition to ice causing a slowdown in travel times for cargo vessels, the recent grounding of the ocean-going vessel Pacific Huron, near Wellesley Island, N.Y., added to challenges, said Bogora. “We still have five vessels waiting to clear the lower portion of the Seaway,” he said, adding the Pacific Huron will be the last to clear the lower portion of the system.

After working to clear ships from the lower portion of the seaway, the Griffon made its way to Port Colborne. “The Griffon is scheduled to transit to Erie, Pa., and Ashtabula, Ohio, to assist vessels into and out of ports. It was working on the St. Lawrence Seaway providing service during critical ice conditions,” said Carol Launderville, Canadian Coast Guard communications adviser, in an email.

She said both the Canadian and U.S. coast guard are conducting icebreaking operations to assist commercial shipping throughout the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Seaway.

Kooiman said the Griffon would move out into Lake Erie once the wind died down, and he expected to find thin lake ice. He also expected ice to keep forming with the cold temperatures being experienced.

Ice reports on the Great Lakes, he said, come to the vessel from sources such as Environment Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard office, U.S. coast guard and others. Ice coverage on Lake Erie is at nearly 40 per cent.

He said the Griffon will move west down Lake Erie at some point to help commercial vessels still carrying cargo.

While the Griffon is on Lake Erie, the CCGS Samuel Risley is icebreaking on southern Georgian Bay, in Midland Harbor, and will then proceed to the St. Clair River. Launderville said the Coast Guard reminds people that all ice on or near the shipping routes and icebreaking operations should be considered unsafe. “Ship tracks may not freeze over immediately and newly-fallen snow may obscure tracks.”

St. Catharines Standard

1/3 - The tug Wilf Seymour is still stranded in Lake St. Pierre, at the height of Louiseville. On Wednesday, McKeil Marine, which owns the tugboat, must develop a plan to move it. Previous salvage attempts did not move the boat.

Wilf Seymour ran aground on December 25 due to an electrical failure affecting the navigation equipment. The tugboat was pushing a barge filled with aluminum ingots when it ran aground. The presence of the boat in Lake Saint-Pierre does not hinder marine traffic, but vessels passing nearby must slow down.

View a photo at this link

For the second year in a row the tanker GEMINI (steel propeller tanker, 420 foot, 5,853 gross tons, built in 1978, at Orange, Texas) was the first vessel of the year in Manistee, Michigan. She headed to the General Chemical dock to load 8,000 tons of brine for Amherstburg, Ontario. The vessel arrived at Manistee in 2002, on January first, and Captain Riley Messer was presented a hackberry cane, crafted by local resident Ken Jilbert. A similar cane was presented to the vessel Saturday morning. Sold Canadian in 2005, renamed b.) ALGOSAR (i).

In 1939, the CHIEF WAWATAM ran aground on the shoals of the north shore near St. Ignace, Michigan.

On Jan 3, 1971, BEN W. CALVIN ran aground at the mouth of the Detroit River after becoming caught in a moving ice field.

In 1972, TADOUSSAC cleared Thunder Bay, Ontario, for Hamilton with 24,085 tons of iron ore, closing that port for the season.

1945: While not a Great Lakes event, what is considered the deadliest marine disaster in world history occurred on this date. The little-remembered event claimed the German passenger liner WILHELM GUSTLOFF loaded with over 10,000 refugees and naval personnel fleeing Germany in the latter stages of World War Two. It was torpedoed by a Russian submarine on the Baltic Sea and a reported 9,343 lives were lost. Another 1,239 reached safety.

1979: KOIKU MARU first visited the Seaway in 1967. It ran aground near Tartous, Syria, in stormy weather overnight and had to be abandoned as a total loss.