Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

1/18 - Duluth, Minn. – The freighter Edwin H. Gott arrived in Duluth on Wednesday and was the last ship into the Twin Ports for winter layup.

The Gott was the final lake freighter of the 2017-18 shipping campaign to make it through the Soo Locks late Monday prior to the closure of the locks on the St. Marys River. The Soo Locks, which connect Lake Superior with the lower Great Lakes, are now closed until March 25 for annual offseason maintenance and reconstruction by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The American Century had been scheduled to come to Duluth for winter layup, too, but was not moving fast enough to reach the Soo Locks before their closure, and instead was rerouted to Toledo, Ohio, said Adele Yorde, spokeswoman for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. There are six vessels wintering in Duluth-Superior this season — all of them being worked on by crews from Fraser Shipyards in Superior.

In addition to the Soo Locks, the St. Lawrence Seaway System is finally closed for the season. The last foreign-flagged saltie of the season to leave Duluth, the Beatrix, was in the Gulf of St. Lawrence adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday. The Beatrix had been held up by ice in the St. Lawrence River for several weeks. It left Duluth Dec. 19, and the original plan was to be on the ocean by Christmas on its way to the United Kingdom with a load of wheat.

Duluth News Tribune

1/18 - Port McNicoll, Ont. – The owner of the former passenger steamer Keewatin is looking for a new home for the 110-year-old steamship, which originally worked out of the Owen Sound harbor.

Eric Conroy, president and CEO of the Friends of the Keewatin, said Skyline Investments has sold its waterfront property in Port McNicoll where the ship – which was supposed to become a centerpiece of the company's redevelopment project – has been docked since 2012.

He said Skyline and the Friends' group, which leases the historic ship for $1 a year and operates it as a museum, would prefer to have the Keewatin moved to nearby Midland. But if the town declines the offer, he said other options must be explored.

“Certainly if Midland didn't work out, we would absolutely look at Owen Sound,” said Conroy, who spearheaded the return of the Keewatin to Port McNicoll.

“The potential places we could move to that would have a deep-water port and staying in Canada, which is another important thing to us, and staying in the region, which is also important, would be Parry Sound, Collingwood and Owen Sound. They would be the only three locations that would be probable.”

He said Skyline is scheduled to speak at Midland council Feb. 26.

The 350-foot Keewatin is almost fully restored, he said, and has been appraised at about $52 million. Skyline has invested about $2 million in it and the Friends' group has donated about $2 to $3 million in volunteer time to refurbish it. He said revenue from admission to the museum now covers the vessel's operating costs. About 12,000 people toured the vessel in 2017.

“But if it went to Midland, that number would double or triple. If it went to Owen Sound, that number would double,” said Conroy, noting both Midland and Owen Sound welcome far more tourists than Port McNicoll.

The S.S. Keewatin was built in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1907 in the same Edwardian tradition as the RMS Titanic, which launched four years later.

The luxury passenger liner was owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway and she and her sister ship, the S.S. Assiniboia, joined three other ships at their home port in Owen Sound to transport passengers, freight and mail between here and Fort William, now part of Thunder Bay. The ships provided a link between CPR railway lines in southern Ontario and the top of the Great Lakes since there was no highway or railroad, at the time, around Lake Superior.

The Keewatin remained in service until she was retired on Nov. 28, 1965.

The Friends of the Keewatin say the vessel was destined to be scrapped at that time, but was saved in 1967 by an American marina owner and Great Lakes historian who purchased her, towed her to Saugatuck, Mich., and established the ship as a maritime museum. Then, in 2012, Skyline International bought the ship and she was made seaworthy and towed back to Port McNicoll.

Skyline had intended to incorporate the Keewatin into its plan for an 11-kilometre piece of shoreline it purchased in 2006 that also included constructing more than 1,400 homes, a yacht club, marina, retail shops and entertainment facilities. However, Skyline ended up doing little with the property and sold it last spring to a partnership led by Toronto-based Milborne Group. The reported $42-million sale did not include the Keewatin.

Conroy said the Milborne Group, which could not be reached for comment by The Sun Times Wednesday, has not given a deadline for when the ship must be moved. “The new owners of the land are pretty good to us and Tay Township has been good about it as well. It will be done when it's convenient for everybody. There's no real rush to get us out,” he said.

Midland is the group's first choice to receive the vessel because its proximity to Port McNicoll would allow the Friends' group to continue to operate it as a seasonal museum. About 70 per cent of the group's volunteers live in the town, he added.

Owen Sound Sun Times

1/18 - The CSL Group Inc. is looking to partner with other maritime industry organizations to help spread awareness around the niche job market of maritime shipping and transportation. We have several videos being released over the next few weeks regarding positions within the maritime shipping industry. Our videos are titled “Become CSL” to showcase the industry and our organization. Our first video is a call for Captains for the Great Lakes region.

View the video at this link:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[yachtsmanwilly]

1/19 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – An intricate boat ballet plays out each January on the frigid waters of the northern Great Lakes.

Thousand-foot freighters scramble to make final deliveries of iron ore to steel mills. The Coast Guard carves paths through ice-clogged shipping routes. And the Soo Locks, the engineering marvel connecting Lake Superior with points to the south and east, shut down for 10 weeks of maintenance while the weather is at its most brutal.

Last Friday, with the locks’ annual closing looming and temperatures hovering in the single digits, the crew members of the United States Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw were at work before dawn. The day’s first mission: Guide their ship through the locks to free a hulking westbound freighter marooned on the ice.

Read more, and view photos and video at this link: mobile.nytimes.com/2018/01/18/us/great-lakes-ships.html

1/19 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The USCG cutter Biscayne Bay conducted flushing operations south of the Sugar Island ferry Thursday to create space for ice to move downstream away from the crossing. The cutter is now enroute to respond to a waterway restriction in the Straits of Mackinac. The ferry is able to cross in the event of an emergency.

Most of the St. Marys River is covered in ice, making it very difficult for ice to have any space to flow south of the ferry crossing. Delays to the Sugar Island ferry service will continue until river current and wind push the ice downstream away from the ferry crossing. Warming temperatures may help to alleviate the ice blockage in the ferry crossing. If weather conditions do not flush the ice away from the crossing, the Coast Guard will assign another asset to the area when possible.

Two periods of very cold temperatures mixed with two periods of warmer temperatures caused significant ice buildup in the St. Marys River. The ice is breaking away from the shore, flowing to the chokepoint between Sugar Island and Mission Point. A northern wind and the damaged ice boom on the northern side of the St. Marys River is adding additional ice to the area.

The Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw is currently moored and refueling at Sector Sault Sainte Marie. Their next assignment is St. Clair, Mich., for flood control.

USCG

1/19 - Thunder Bay, Ont. – This July will mark the first time since 2012 that a cruise ship has docked in Thunder Bay. What is perhaps equally significant is that the arrival of the Victory II will be the first time ever that the city has hosted a turnaround cruise ship.

Thunder Bay will be the final disembarkation point for one group of 202 passengers who board in Milwaukee, Wis., while another group of 202 will board the vessel for a trip south.

The city's tourism manager, Paul Pepe, sees that as a big deal in terms of economic benefits to the city.

"What that means is that passengers will actually be flying into the city a day or two early and staying overnight in the city before they board the ship. And a lot of the guests that are disembarking will stay a night in the city as well before flying home," Pepe told tbnewswatch.com. "It's the first turnaround we've done here in modern cruising times. It really extends the economic impact more into the community."

The benefits will be broad-ranging, he said.

"That includes the hotel spend. And a lot of these visitors are going to be seeing different attractions in the city. They're going to be chartering buses are using cabs or rental cars. The food scene is certainly up their alley, as well, so they're going to be exploring before and after the cruise."

Pepe said the other important impact will come from the supply side. "The ship will be taking on supplies, groceries. We're working with them on procurement from local farms and suppliers as part of their experience, so the economic impact for us is pretty big."

The Victory II is operated by Victory Cruise Lines and is registered in the Bahamas. She carries a crew of approximately 80. Pepe hopes her visit on July 27 will mark the beginning of a resurgence of the cruise ship business in Thunder Bay.

The high-water mark was reached in 2010 when one vessel made a total of 12 stops at the Lakehead over the course of the season.

In an understatement, Pepe acknowledged that "it's been a bit of a lull" since then, but said more cruise-ship operators are looking at coming to Lake Superior. "We're in discussions with five different companies that are interested in coming into Superior over the next four to five years. We're excited by some of the conversations we're having with ship owners."

According to Pepe, the Victory II will return to Thunder Bay on two occasions in 2019. He's also encouraged by the fact that 45 new cruise ships potentially suitable for traversing the St. Lawrence Seaway are on the order books at various shipyards around the world. Right now, Pepe said, only about 65 ships are capable of getting through the locks.

He added that Thunder Bay is also working with tourism promoters at ports on both sides of the Canada/U.S. border to better position the Great Lakes as a cruising destination.

One of the ports it cooperates with is Duluth, Minn., which will also be a stop for Victory II this year, making it the first cruise ship visit to Duluth since 2013.

Passengers taking the Milwaukee to Thunder Bay cruise will pay $5,512 including airfare from Thunder Bay to Toronto. Passengers embarking at Thunder Bay for the voyage south – with the destination being Detroit/Windsor – will pay $6,199 including airfare from Toronto to Thunder Bay.

Thunder Bay News Watch

Read a related story and view photos from onboard Victory 1 at this link: www.cleveland.com/travel/index.ssf/2018/01/cleveland_is_a_top_port_for_ne.html

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

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

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

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

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

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

[yachtsmanwilly]

1/22 - Duluth, Minn. – Crews worked to gently move the museum ship William A. Irvin away from the west sea wall of the Minnesota Slip in Canal Park late last week. The wall will be undergoing repairs this winter. Meanwhile, the Irvin will rest in the middle of the slip.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1/22 - The St. Lawrence Seaway System, North America’s bi-national marine highway stretching 2,300 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, reported strong gains during the 2017 navigation season including a standout year in iron ore, dry bulk and general cargo shipments. The final tonnage results – 38.1 million tons of goods moved in 2017 – reflect solid increases over the previous year, including a 9 percent overall jump in total cargo traffic.

Top Performing Cargoes via the Seaway:
• Dry bulk goods (including salt, cement, potash, and pig iron) amounted to 10.4 million tons of cargo, representing an 18 percent increase over 2016
• General cargo (including iron, steel and steel slabs) amounted to 3.4 million tons of cargo, representing a 30 percent increase over 2016
• Iron ore shipments amounted to 8 million tons, representing a 29 percent increase over 2016

*All performance metrics above based on cargo traffic for the St. Lawrence Seaway System only, excluding interlake traffic on the Great Lakes.

In addition to the robust traffic in the Montreal-Lake Ontario section of the Seaway, cargo movements were strong across the Great Lakes. Interlake shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 60.3 million tons in 2017, an increase of nearly 11 percent year over year – the highest total recorded since 2012.

“The significant increase in iron ore shipments clearly illustrates that when American steel rebounds, the country depends on lakers to supply its iron ore,” says James Weakley, President of Lake Carriers’ Association. “Without Great Lakes shipping, America would be dependent on foreign steel, jeopardizing hundreds of thousands of family-sustaining jobs that ring the Great Lakes.”

Commercial shipping serves more than 70 individual ports in the eight Great Lakes states. The ports of Duluth-Superior, Toledo and Cleveland, principal points of entry for iron ore in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System, finished the season strong – some reporting record breaking numbers.

“It’s been an extraordinary year of shipments of Minnesota iron ore from the Port of Duluth-Superior,” says Adele Yorde, Public Relations Director for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. “Both domestic and international demand for steel making has remained strong.” Iron ore volumes at the Port of Duluth-Superior amounted to 19.2 million net tons through December 2017 (a 34 percent increase over 2016) – one of the strongest seasons in recent memory.

“Iron ore, which has been our biggest mover in recent years, more than doubled in 2017, coming in at 3.4 million tons over the previous year,” says Joe Cappel, Vice President of Business Development for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, which experienced its best overall tonnage since 2014. “Increases in iron ore is a sign that the manufacturing economy is improving. The more things made out of steel – automobiles, appliances, hardware and car parts, for example – requires the need for more iron ore.”

David Gutheil, Vice President of Maritime & Logistics at the Port of Cleveland, reported an overall increase in economic activity at the Port in 2017, including handling 464,000 metric tons of general cargo, which was up 19 percent over 2016.

The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership

1/21 - Grand Haven, Mich. – With the Great Lakes quickly freezing over, most ships have laid up for the season. Our port was expecting one more shipment of slag aboard the Joseph L. Block, but poor ice conditions at the loading dock prevented that, and the ship instead sailed for Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, for winter layup.

That means that when the St. Marys Challenger/Prentiss Brown visited Grand Haven on Jan. 9, it was our final cargo for the 2017-18 season. We finished with 101 cargoes.

This season’s number is a 31 percent increase when compared with data from the past five seasons. There isn’t a big difference when compared to last season, when we received 100 cargoes, but it’s our port’s third straight year of growth, and our second straight year of triple-digit cargoes.

Eighteen different vessels visited our port this season. Thirteen of them were American-flagged ships and five were Canadian. Those were the Algosteel, Ashtabula/Defiance, Calumet, Cuyahoga, Herbert C. Jackson, Joseph H. Thompson/Joseph H. Thompson Jr, Joseph L. Block, Kaye E. Barker, Manitoulin, Manitowoc, Menominee/Olive L. Moore, Michipicoten, Mississagi, Pathfinder/Dorothy Ann, Pere Marquette 41/Undaunted, St. Marys Challenger/Prentiss Brown, St. Marys Conquest/Bradshaw McKee and Wilfred Sykes.

There are a few interesting things to point out about our visitors this season. The Algosteel, built in 1966, may have visited our port for the final time. It could be sold for scrap next season. Joseph L. Block, which has been heavily covered in the last few Ships Log articles, visited Grand Haven for the first time since 2002, delivering several loads of slag.

The Manitoulin, a ship fairly new to the Great Lakes, visited for the first time ever in July 2017. It visited again in October. It’s a former tanker that had a new cargo section attached to it at a shipyard in China a few years ago. Menominee/Olive L. Moore visited once this season. The barge Menominee formerly visited our port as the Lewis J. Kuber.

Wilfred Sykes was our most frequent visitor. It logged 19 trips into port this season. Close behind was the St. Marys Conquest/Bradshaw McKee, which came in 13 times. The Cuyahoga was our most frequent Canadian visitor, calling on Grand Haven four times.

Shipping usually starts back up in mid-March. Also, if you haven’t heard of the book “Know Your Ships,” you should check it out. The book will be available in March, but pre-orders will start soon. I don’t want to give anything away, but there’s something cool in this year’s edition.

Sam Hankinson / Grand Haven Tribune

1/21 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – State officials say they’ve reached a milestone in the effort to clean up the St. Mary’s River near Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The state Office of the Great Lakes announced Wednesday that it’s lifting dredging restrictions for the river.

For decades, regulators have had special rules for handling material dredged from the river bottom. American and Canadian officials declared the St. Marys River an "area of concern" in 1987.

Rachel Coale, outreach coordinator for the Office of the Great Lakes, says the requirements were due to the historic contamination of the river.

“There was a lot of industry,” Coale says. “It is a working waterfront and … the river ... ended up filled with some heavy metals, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons – which is a fancy way of saying carcinogenic chemicals.”

Local, state and federal partners have spent decades cleaning the waterway. Coale says pollution cleanup is complete on the American side of the river but not yet across the border in Canada.

“We want people to be able to swim in the water, to be able to eat the fish, to be able to work on the side of the river,” Coale says, “and not have to worry … about historic contamination.”

Interlochen Public Radio

1/20 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – While en route to the Straits of Mackinac, a Coast Guard Cutter ship suffered mechanical failure. One of the main diesel engines on cutter Biscayne Bay died Friday afternoon.

The Biscayne Bay was on its way to the Straits of Mackinac to help five ships that were stuck in the ice. No one on board was injured and no pollution has been reported. The ship was headed to St. Ignace for repairs and will be out of service until further notice.

UpNorthLive

1/20 - Escanaba, Mich. – An old fire boat that has been landlocked for over 10 years at North Shore Marine Terminal & Logistics (formerly known as Basic Marine, Inc.) in Escanaba is in the final stages of being taken apart.

The ship sat in the middle of a field off of the 600 block of 1st Avenue North for many years. Some considered it an eyesore. But others thought of the ship as an unofficial city landmark. It was the subject of dozens of photos taken by tourists over the years. A photo of the ship once graced the walls of a local restaurant. An artist even captured its image in an oil painting.

In recent days, though, the ship has been in the process of being dismantled. According to Nick Kobasic, manager at North Shore Marine Terminal & Logistics, the decision to remove the Chicago Fire Department ship was made because the business wanted to clean-up the view of the waterfront. “That’s our goal and our objective,” said Kobasic.

The old ship was used in Chicago to fight fires on the water, but was brought to Escanaba after it was no longer in service and a new one was built as its replacement. In addition to the fire boat, multiple other metal and miscellaneous items will be removed from the south pier of North Shore’s property, noted Kobasic, including another ship that is currently residing next to the fire vessel.

These projects will be started in the next month or two, said Kobasic, adding the removal of these objects is also aimed at the goal of improving the Little Bay de Noc water front.

In order to dismantle the old vessel, Kobasic said crews are cutting it into large sections with torches. The sections will then be brought to a scrap yard and recycled. Multiple scrap yards are bidding on the metal from the ship, noted Kobasic, adding eventually it will go to one of the local yards.

Kobasic said the removal of the aged ship is bittersweet, as it has been an “unmarked landmark” for close to 14 years. Locals and visitors alike would come to see the ship to take photos and just to view the ship that sat on the waterfront. The attraction of the fire ship was almost as equal as an ore boat — the L.E. Block — that used to sit in the harbor at the former Basic Marine, Inc., noted Kobasic.

Kobasic said by removing the old fire vessel and the other items around it, it will hopefully help the aesthetic of the waterfront. Once all of the land is cleared, Kobasic said landscaping efforts will be put forth to try and improve the area even more.

“We hope to continue to improve the waterfront and clean-up its appearance,” said Kobasic. Kobasic noted the fire ship should be fully dismantled by the middle of next week.

Escanaba Daily Press

1/20 - Montreal, Que. – The U.S.S. Little Rock will remain in port in Montreal until wintry weather conditions improve and the ship can safely move through the St. Lawrence Seaway, Lt. Commander Courtney Hillson confirmed Friday.

“Significant weather conditions prevented the ship from departing Montreal earlier this month and icy conditions continue to intensify,” Hillson said. “The temperatures in Montreal and throughout the transit area have been colder than normal, and included near-record low temperatures, which created significant and historical conditions in the late December, early January time frame.”

Keeping the ship in Montreal until waterways are clear will ensure the safety of ship and crew, and will have limited impact on the ship’s operational schedule, Hillson said. “Little Rock, which was commissioned in Buffalo, New York, Dec. 16, will continue her transit to Mayport, Florida, when weather and seaway conditions permit.”

While in port, the crew of Little Rock will continue to focus on training, readiness and certifications. The vessel is located at section B2 at the western end of the harbor.

WIBV Buffalo

1/20 - Detroit, Mich. – The Coast Guard is warning ice sport enthusiasts Friday of potentially unstable ice conditions due to weather forecasts calling for warmer temperatures and anticipated rain and fog over the weekend in much of Michigan and Ohio.

Last week, Coast Guard Sector Detroit's Command Center coordinated the rescue of 10 people and experienced one loss of life on Lake Erie after a similar increase in temperatures.

"The temperature was the major contributing factor in all of the ice rescue cases we had last week," said Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator, Cmdr. Rob Berry. "Higher air temperatures brought unstable ice conditions that caused people and ATVs to fall through the ice, stranded others on ice floes, and created heavy fog that disoriented ice fishermen who couldn't find their way back to shore."

The Coast Guard warns that venturing out onto the ice is extremely dangerous during increases in temperatures.

"We want to see these warnings taken seriously," said Berry. "If you are going out on the ice, preparation is paramount. If you aren't thinking about safety for yourself, think about it for your loved ones."

The Coast Guard urges ice sport enthusiasts to:
• check the forecast and understand local ice conditions before going out
• tell family or friends exactly where you're going and when you'll be back
• dress for the water temperature and wear a life jacket in case you fall in
• choose bright, reflective clothing to aid rescuers in finding you
• bring distress signals such as flares and whistles, as well as a compass, GPS or personal locator beacon
• take a marine VHF radio or cell phone with extra batteries
• bring ice picks or screw drivers to pull yourself out of the water and onto the ice in a worst-case scenario

USCG

[yachtsmanwilly]

1/23 - A mechanical breakdown that kept icebreaker Terry Fox from providing assistance to a trapped ferry between Quebec City and Lévis earlier this week is renewing calls to replace the Canadian Coast Guard's aging icebreaker fleet.

"The fleet of icebreakers is old," said Steven Blaney, the Conservative MP for Bellechasse-Les-Etchemins-Lévis.

The ferry was eventually towed to shore by a private company and the Terry Fox icebreaker is now undergoing repairs so that it can be up and running again. After the incident on Wednesday, the ferry service between Quebec City and Lévis had to be cancelled Friday because of the accumulation of ice along the St. Lawrence River.

"We need icebreakers," said Blaney. "Even with the existing strategy to replace the ships, the fleet will continue to grow old."

While a spokesperson for the coast guard acknowledged the aging vessels, she also defended the entity's work over the last week. "We have deployed all of our ships and we're covering all of our key sectors," said

The criticism raised after the incident involving the Quebec City ferry also failed to mention the efforts made by the coast guard, she added. "I really think it's a shame," she said. "Our teams are working day and night to serve clients."

The Davie shipyard in Lévis has also offered to loan four of its powerful icebreakers to the coast guard to subsidize number of ships available during the winter along the St. Lawrence River. Frédérick Boisvert, the spokesperson for the company, said that this week's incident shows that the coast guard's current icebreakers are at the end of their life cycle.

"The federal fleet is rusting so quickly that it can only be replaced," he said.

The proposed project to replace the ships would also create 300 jobs for the struggling Quebec-based company, he added. Davie Canada laid off nearly 400 employees right before the Christmas holidays.

"I think this is the perfect illustration of the pertinence of the Davie shipyard in what we're calling the debacle of the coast guard because the ships are so old," he said.

Paul Barbeau, a naval architect, warns that simply carrying out repairs to the old icebreakers isn't enough. "Our icebreakers have worked very hard and they are tired," he said. "There is no doubt that if we want to maintain that reliability that we have to get new ones. We can't continue to repair them constantly — work conditions are very difficult."

The aging fleet could lead to higher costs for maritime transport and consumers could end up having to pay more at the end of the day, he added. "The risks for ship owners will be higher so insurance will cost more," said Barbeau. "Ship owners will have to put savings aside for the unexpected."

CBC


USS Little Rock trapped in ice at Montreal

1/23 - Montreal, Que. – The U.S. Navy's newest Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Little Rock (LCS 9) is trapped on the shores of Montreal and unable to set sail until spring.

USS Little Rock was commissioned in Buffalo, New York, on December 16 and was headed for her home port in Jacksonville, Florida, when she got trapped in ice in the St Lawrence Seaway after a routine port visit to Montreal. A sustained cold snap caused ice to form faster than normal in the area, and USS Little Rock is now expected to be able to sail again in March.

The vessel was built by Marinette Marine Corporation shipyard. She is the first of eight Freedom-class littoral combat ships to be homeported in Mayport, Florida. Freedom-class ships are 378.5 feet long with a 57.4-foot beam and have 3,000 metric tons displacement (with a full load). Draft is 12.8 feet and top speed exceeds 40 knots.

USS Little Rock will be the fifth in the fleet of the odd-numbered Freedom variant, featuring a steel double-chine advanced semi-planing monohull design. The even-numbered littoral combat ships are of the Independence-variant featuring stabilized slender monohulls of aluminum.

Manned by a crew of fewer than 100 sailors operating under a concept known as the “3-2-1 plan,” the Navy will rotate three crews for every two ships, keeping one of those ships underway at all times. The ships will have a core crew of about 50 sailors, then a specialized crew for each type of mission.

Smaller than a frigate, the LCS is an agile force multiplier in gaining and sustaining maritime supremacy while conducting operations consisting of freedom of navigation, theater and maritime security, maritime law enforcement, counter-piracy, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, search and rescue and maritime domain patrols.

Maritime Executive

1/23 - Detroit, Mich. – The Coast Guard is advising the public in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan to avoid going on lakes and rivers until ice is more stable after a streak of ice-related incidents. Ice conditions continue to deteriorate.

Coast Guard Sector Detroit’s Command Center recently responded to 21 persons in distress; out of those, three people lost their lives. The instances surrounding the cases included 13 people on vehicles (ATV and snowmobile) breaking through the ice, six fishing incidents and two people walking on or near the ice.

"Last week, we warned people of the increasing temperature and the associated dangers of going out on the ice," said Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator, Cmdr. Kevin Floyd. “We issued the warning after rescuing 10 people and losing one life due to unstable ice conditions and fog.”

The U.S. Coast Guard works closely with Canadian ice specialists and observers to ascertain daily ice conditions on the Great Lakes. "The recent warm period combined with winds have decayed the ice in certain areas," said Environment Canada Ice Specialist Jean-Yves Rancourt.

The Coast Guard continues to encourage people to remember the acronym I.C.E; information - including current weather conditions, clothing - proper for the water temperature, equipment - like radios, life jackets and ice awls; and advise the public not to venture out until the ice is more stable.

"If you add the responses we’ve had over the past week, Sector Detroit rescued 18 people and lost three lives," said Floyd. "These numbers speak for themselves; we want people to stay off the ice until conditions improve and share the information with their friends and loved ones."

USCG

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

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

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

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

[yachtsmanwilly]

1/24 - Detroit, Mich. – The Great Lakes are expected to rise again this spring for the fifth straight year with all five lakes expected to have above-average levels after hitting bottom at record-low levels in 2013.

The recovery is especially strong in Lake Superior, which forecasters estimate will break a record high level set in the mid-1980s, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It recently released its extended forecast for January through June for lakes Erie, Ontario and Michigan-Huron, and for St. Clair, which isn’t considered a Great Lake.

“We’re above average in all of the Great Lakes,” said Lauren Fry, a hydraulic engineer and forecaster for the Corps’ Detroit office. “So Lake Superior is one we’re keeping an eye on. The December levels were about four inches below the record high level.”

The forecast is good news for boaters and the shipping industry, which lobbied for more dredging of harbors and shallow waterways during the lower lake levels earlier in the decade. In addition, property owners can enjoy more traditional shorelines.

The rising lake levels during the past few years has allowed commercial vessels to carry more cargo and recreational boats to better navigate marinas. While lake levels typically dip during the winter, all of the lakes remained above their December long-term average water levels, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.

Five years ago, lower-than-normal lake levels helped trigger a $21 million state emergency dredging program for 58 harbors in Michigan.

Four of the Great Lakes have water levels well above average but Lake Ontario is forecast to be “closer to average for the end of the period” that ends in June, Fry said. Lake Superior levels could “attain or even surpass record high levels by May or June, she said, but “that’s a pretty small chance in our forecast.”

By June, the Army Corps estimates that Lake St. Clair’s level will rise from just more than three feet above average this month to between four and five feet in the summer. Lake Michigan-Huron will fall just short of four feet above average in June if estimates hold, officials say.

A down side to rising lake levels is the increased risk in some areas of erosion along the lakes’ shorelines. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality tracks high-risk erosion areas, which typically erode at an average rate of one foot or more annually during at least 15 years. “They should be prepared for additional issues if we continue to see these higher water levels,” Fry said.

The Detroit News

1/24 - Marysville, Mich. – Enbridge Energy is getting ready to replace a pipeline under the St. Clair River that cuts through Marysville, but it may be more than a year before local residents notice. Right now, it’s mostly about the paperwork.

Line 5 is just one of several the company has that travel through the state from Canada and is one of two that cross the Blue Water area. Line 5 keeps making headlines for the segment that crosses the Straits of Mackinac.

Enbridge and Marysville officials sat down last week to go over its agreement with the state and plans to replace the line where it leaves the river on the north end of River Road.

“The agreement says (as) expeditiously as practicable,” said Paul Meneghini, a senior manager at Enbridge. “We have made a commitment to put all of our applications in by the end of February. So we are working with the various city departments for any type of city-level permits that we would need.”

Meneghini told Marysville City Council members the timeline for the project, which is on North River near where the road curves toward Busha Highway, would depend on permitting on the Canadian side. That is something, he said, that is expected to take longer — “a year, if not more, or so.”

“Throwing a dart right now, but I wouldn’t really expect the construction project itself until late, late ’19,” Meneghini said. “All dependent on permitting. But the intent is to move forward as soon as we can, as practical as we can once all the permits are in hand.”

Activists and officials across the state have called for decommissioning Line 5, and the energy company has faced questions about the line’s condition. Meneghini said the company has had “no indications of any integrity concerns of the Line 5 crossing” under the St. Clair River. Enbridge will use a horizontal, directional drill to tunnel under the river for the new pipe, which will be welded together on the Canadian side.

The pipe will then be pulled through the tunnel from the Marysville side.

Once the work starts, Meneghini said, it would take about two months to complete. “Maybe a couple weeks more, a couple weeks less,” he said. “But that’s a good rule of thumb if everything goes well.”

Port Huron Times Herald

1/24 - Peterborough, Ont. – The Presqu'ile Point Lighthouse Preservation Society may have lost thousands of dollars, but its board of directors refuses to be defeated by that loss.

Last Friday afternoon, chairman Dave Sharp, announced the charitable organization, which aims to restore the lighthouse on Lake Ontario 90 kilometres southeast of Peterborough, had been defrauded of $60,000 to $70,000.

"This is a huge step backwards," Sharp said Friday. "This has been a very emotional 30 hours." Still, the chairman remains hopeful, despite the recent setback and news that the society is likely out some $60,000 to $70,000. Police are investigating.

"We, as the board of directors, remain determined to make this happen," said Sharp.

This year was supposed to be the year to wrap up restoration efforts for the long-cherished and iconic lighthouse. The society has been striving to refurbish and repair the structure originally built in the 1840s since 2012.

Just recently, the society was boasting in its January newsletter about heading into the final chapter of fundraising and board members were confident restoration of the beloved lighthouse would be complete in coming months.

In December, Sharp appeared before Brighton council, to ask if the town would consider helping with a projected shortfall of $12,500 and highlighted the many successes for 2017, as well as reflected on the society's evolution.

But the fraud has set the society back with certainty at least $55,000 and the full review of the financials isn't done, said Sharp. Insurance won't be much help either, as it won't cover "this type of internal fraud."

Nevertheless, the board will push on to complete the project this year. Sharp believes the board can get it done.

The board of directors learned of the loss of money on Thursday. "This person has come forward on his own behalf and claimed responsibility for the fraud," said Sharp in the video. "This theft was by a board member, who will remain nameless at this time, until the police investigation is complete."

On Friday, Northumberland OPP Const. Steve Bates confirmed police have an investigation underway. No other details were provided, as he said it was too early in the investigation.

The Peterborough Examiner

1/24 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – It's a lifeline for the 800 or so year-round residents of Sugar Island, on the St. Marys River just east of Sault Ste. Marie: the car ferry that every runs the 1,200-foot trek every half hour to and from the mainland — to school, to work, to the supermarket, for health care.

But a mixed-up winter of deep freezes and warm-ups has contributed to major ice jams on the river, bringing the ferry boat to a near-halt in recent weeks. To say it's disrupted islanders' lives would be like saying it was a little chilly in Michigan at the end of last month.

"We've got a ton more ice this year than we've ever had," said Amber Horner, who has lived on Sugar Island all of her 30 years.

That means the ferry has run very intermittently, at unpredictable times, sometimes only once or twice a day — or not at all. Walking or snowmobiling across isn't an option.

"Residents would take one boat off the island, and then not know when they would be able to come back," Horner said. "We have a little boy who's 2. We've spent $200 on motels on the mainland. Then you've got to eat out, and you have to worry about your pets at home. Thank God we have friends on the island who could check in on our pets."

On Wednesday, children who live on the island couldn't make it home from Sault Ste. Marie schools, as the school bus couldn't make the crossing. Island resident Jennifer McLeod said her 11-year-old granddaughter had to stay with close friends on the mainland because of it.

Read the full story and view photos at this link

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[yachtsmanwilly]

1/25 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The escort of the tank ship Algonova through the St. Marys River to Soo Harbor will be conducted by the Coast Guard cutter Mobile Bay on Thursday mid-afternoon. She was in the lower river Wednesday night. The ship will be escorted back down the river on Friday.

Every effort will be made to minimize incidental ice breaking in the harbor above the Sugar Island Ferry crossing. The Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay will attempt to clean up any ice that may move downriver between the Sugar Island ferry crossing during the escort of the tanker.



Coast Guard, Sugar Island leadership discuss ice breaking operations

1/25 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie, Captain Marko Broz, met with Sugar Island Township Supervisor Rick Roy and Treasurer Frank Handziak on Tuesday to discuss Coast Guard ice breaking operations and recent service delays to the Sugar Island Ferry.

The Coast Guard and Sugar Island leadership discussed Coast Guard ice breaking as well as the weather conditions, broken ice boom, and ice conditions that led to last week’s Sugar Island ferry service delays.

Coast Guard officials, in a press release, say the agency will continue to partner with the Eastern Upper Peninsula Transportation Authority (EUPTA) and Sugar Island leadership to minimize ferry service delays and to communicate conditions that may cause delays to Sugar Island residents.

Sugar Island residents experienced significant ferry service delays caused by ice that broke away from the shoreline and moved to the chokepoint between Sugar Island and Mission Point on Jan. 11 and 12.

The Coast Guard Cutter Biscayne Bay worked to mechanically flush the ice downriver. Ferry service was restored to a more frequent schedule after warmer temperatures, wind, and current moved the ice.

The Coast Guard encourages Sugar Island residents to continue to prepare for the probability that ferry operations will be disrupted (i.e. pack for overnight contingencies, stock pantries, and prepare for medical needs).

Soo Evening News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[yachtsmanwilly]

1/26 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Winter maintenance season at the Soo Locks offers an entirely different perspective of the hulking transportation system that is the engineering linchpin of Great Lakes shipping.

The locks began its three-month seasonal shutdown on Jan. 15 so crews could address some major repair projects, regular inspections and maintenance.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District office this week is sharing some pictures of the winter work. Among the most impressive shots are a peek at what the locks look like when they're drained of water that's normally used to raise and lower ships as they're transiting between Lake Superior and the lower water level of Lake Huron.

"It took several 300+ horsepower pumps 16 hours, and by Saturday morning the Poe Lock was nearly empty," the Army Corps said in a photo posted to Facebook on Wednesday.

Read more and view photos at this link

1/26 - Green Bay, Wis. The Port of Green Bay's season ran 15 days longer and saw slightly more cargo move through Northeast Wisconsin. Port officials say the season ended Monday, when the tug / tanker combo tanker Michigan / Great Lakes departed. The ship was the first and the last ship to visit the port for the 2017 season. It delivers petroleum products to the area.

The season began last March 21. Overall port tonnage in 2017 totaled 1.833 million metric tons, a one percent increase over 2016.

“Any time we see an increase in shipping, it’s a good season and it’s good for the local economy,” Port Director Dean Haen said in a news release. “Our final months were strong. Overall, the 2017 shipping season saw significant increases in coal, U.S. and Canadian salt, foreign imports and exports of petroleum products, and the growth of ash exports.”

Port officials say 64 percent of the cargo delivered was coal, cement and limestone. Salt imports were up 95 percent.

Shipments of petroleum products from domestic sources were down 40 percent, but shipments from foreign sources were up 124 percent from 2016. The port remains a key location for bringing petroleum to Northeast Wisconsin as a pipeline which brought fuel from Milwaukee to Green Bay remains shut down.

In all, 166 ships passed through the port during the 2017 season, a five percent increase from 2016.

WLUK

1/26 - Michigan City. Ind. – A cruise boat could set sail out of Michigan City this summer, giving people the chance to sip wine while watching the sun set on Lake Michigan. The Michigan City Port Authority board voted to allow a tour boat — similar to those docked at Navy Pier — to operate out of the Washington Park Marina on the Lake Michigan shore. A 70-foot, 150-seat ship would take fun-seekers out on sightseeing tours along the Lake Michigan coastline, on dinner cruises and to destinations like New Buffalo, Michigan, according to Michigan City Port Authority Harbormaster Tim Frame.

The unidentified operator has the city's approval to move forward with the plan and went to Boston to look at a used cruise boat after the U.S. Coast Guard shot down his plan to buy one in Detroit, because it turned out to have been made in Canada, Frame said. The operator has not yet signed a contract but is hoping to be up and running by this summer.

If all goes as planned, the cruise ship should embark on its maiden voyage by Memorial Day and run through Oct. 31 when weather permits, Frame said. In addition to daily excursions, the boat also could be rented out for weddings and corporate functions.

"We're looking at this to bring in tourism, to give people something else to do on the lakefront," Frame said. "There will be wine and beer and dinner. He'll start with dinner cruises and sightseeing and expand from there."

Cruise boats commonly visited or moored in Michigan City as recently as the 1920s or 1930s, but none have operated out of the lakeside city in modern history, Frame said. It would also be a one-of-its-kind attraction in Northwest Indiana.

"It's a nice feature," Frame said. "It's been quite awhile since we've had anything like this."

Chicago's Navy Pier has the Spirit of Chicago, Odyssey Navy Pier Cruises, Mystic Blue and other vessels. The Lake Michigan coastline in Michigan is littered with recreational cruise boats like the Star of Saugatuck, the Holland Princess and Cat's Meow Cruises in South Haven. But most of the boats along Northwest Indiana's shoreline are private vessels or large industrial ships, like lake freighters hauling iron ore to the steel mills.

A cruise ship would help with Michigan City's ongoing efforts to make its lakefront an attraction, Mayor Ron Meer said. The city built the new North Pointe Pavillion at Washington Park and brought in the Fire & Water restaurant with a rooftop bar and sweeping views of the lake. It's also planning $5 million in additional improvements that will increase the parking and make it easier to navigate.

The cruise ship would be docked near the entrance of Washington Park, Meer said. It is expected to operate seven days a week during the spring, summer and fall. The boat would create an unknown number of jobs, including for a captain, crew and ticket takers.

"It's pretty exciting," Meer said. "It'll go to New Buffalo and Mount Baldy. It will offer sunset cruises and other special cruises. I think it will be a big draw to the lakefront, and we're going to market the heck out of it."

NW Indiana Times

Southern Green Bay to be closed to vessel traffic

1/26 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The Coast Guard will close the waters of southern Green Bay Saturday at noon to all navigational traffic for the season. Southern Green Bay is defined as a line extended south from Peshtigo Point to Sherwood Point in the bay of Green Bay.

USCG

[yachtsmanwilly]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1/28 - The Coast Guard released a request for proposal (RFP) Jan. 16 for design, construction and support of a new fleet of cutter boats-large (CB-L). The CB-Ls will replace the current fleet of 36 cutter boats that operate aboard the service’s 210-foot medium-endurance cutters, 225-foot seagoing buoy tenders, and Coast Guard cutters Alex Haley and Mackinaw.

The Coast Guard plans to award one firm fixed-price indefinite delivery, indefinite contract that includes a minimum initial delivery order of two CB-Ls and associated outfit, parts and logistics information. The contract allows for the acquisition of up to 46 boats over five years, including potential foreign military sales, and is worth a total maximum value of $20 million. The RFP is available here.

Proposals are due March 2 at noon eastern time, with boat delivery required within one year from the date of the delivery order.

Prior to releasing the RFP, the Coast Guard conducted extensive market research, including inviting potential offerors to make presentations on their ability to compete for the CB-L award.

“The existing boats on these four classes of cutters are no longer sustainable, since the manufacturer went out of business. The new CB-L will meet this operational need,” said Cmdr. David Obermeier, deputy program manager for boats acquisition.

USCG

[yachtsmanwilly]

1/30 - Two Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers have been busy this past month, travelling some 12,000 kilometres escorting vessels through the ice, clearing out shipping routes and breaking out ports along Lake Erie and Lake Huron.

Carol Launderville, a Canadian Coast Guard communications adviser, said the CCGS Griffon and CCGS Samuel Risley have been working to ensure there are safe, navigable paths for maritime commerce through the ice that rapidly-developed on the Great Lakes.

“Our icebreaking service on the lakes and connecting waterways is delivered in close co-operation with the U.S. Coast Guard,” she said in an email.

Vessels assisted from Dec. 27 through to Jan. 23 on Lake Huron through to Lake Erie carried various cargoes including iron ore, taconite, cement, grain, coal, gas oil, diesel, steel coils, salt, asphalt, gas products and heavy fuel oils.

Information provided by Launderville showed the CCGS Griffon, a frequent visitor to Port Colborne, travelled some 5,788 kilometres as it completed 36 ice escorts. Those escorts were mostly convoys of more than one ship trying to make it through the heavier ice from the Detroit River to ports in the western and central basins of Lake Erie.

The Griffon, in operation since 1970 and classed as a high endurance multi-tasked vessel and light icebreaker, also cleared shipping routes to Erie, Pa., and to Conneaut and Toledo, Ohio.

“Lake Erie, being relatively shallow, forms ice fast as the temperatures dip. This ice is then blown around by the winter winds smashing ice floes into one another creating wind-rows, ridges (lines of jagged, thick compressed ice) and rafting ice floes on top of one another resulting in thicker areas of ice,” said Capt. Adriaan Kooiman of the Griffon.

He said the wind-driven ice also poses challenges to icebreakers as it quickly closes up the tracks behind them, making it difficult for cargo ships to follow.

“This is particularly problematic in the western basin where the water is shallow and the cargo ships have limited room to manoeuvre. As the winter winds on, the predominantly westerly winds push the ice into the east end of the lake creating more wind-rows, ridges and rafting, making the area very challenging to sail through,” Kooiman said.

Launderville said the Risley, in service since 1984 and classed as a medium endurance multi-tasked vessel, icebreaker and buoy tender, was escorting vessels from Lake Huron, through to the St. Clair River and down to Detroit. Like the Griffon, the Risley was assisting convoys and single vessels through or stuck in the ice. It travelled some 6,189 kilometres over the past month.

While Canadian and U.S. coast guard vessels were working to keep marine traffic and commerce moving on the lakes, during the Chamber of Marine Commerce’s annual Marine Club Luncheon, chamber president Bruce Burrows unveiled a wish list for legislative and policy makers on both sides of the border.

His wish list called on the Canadian and American governments to upgrade and expand coast guard icebreaking resources on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system. He said last year “was a year of significant cargo increases fuelled by global economic recovery and new business wins by our members.”

“But the difficult season closing as ships struggled to move through the ice after an Arctic-like cold snap reminded us that challenges can arise even in the good years. It underscored the importance of having a competitive, well-resourced and resilient marine transportation system that advances our ambitions to deliver both economic and environmental progress,” he said at the luncheon.

St. Catharines Standard



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

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

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

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

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

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

[yachtsmanwilly]

1/31 - Washburn, Wis. – For many years, funding to repair the 130-year-old, deteriorated coal dock in the City of Washburn seemed too far out of reach without any cost to taxpayers. When the New Year came rolling in, so did a much needed $1.3 million dollar grant. Now, city officials can focus on their future plans for the dock, which is described as "literally crumbling at this point" according to Wasburn's mayor Scott Griffiths.

The coal dock has seen some rough days over the last 130 years. Most recently, two storms in 2016 and the fall of 2017 have exacerbated the dock's condition.

"It's precarious," said city administrator Scott Kluver. "The storms that have done damage have significantly eroded the dock." Griffiths added, "we find more and more pieces of the actual wall of the dock on top of the dock."

It's become a safety issue with concerns of the north side collapsing and the other side following suit. "It is simply saving a very important structure. If we don't do it the structure won't be usable, will have problems and will affect our marina operations," said Kluver.

For more than a decade, the city has longed to repair the dock.

"It's one of the things people ask me about over and over again since I was elected in 2012 how are we going to fix the coal dock," Griffiths described. "It's just one of those things, it's been difficult to understand how do we do it."

Finding the funds for the $1.6 million project, without costing taxpayers, was the main issue. But on New Years Eve, the city received a long-awaited letter in the mail. It was a $1.3 million dollar Harbor Assistance grant through the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT).

"To receive a grant of this size from the DOT is some of the most welcome news we've received in Washburn in a long time," said Griffiths.

Giving this important piece of the community a chance to stand for many more years to come. "The grant couldn't have come at a better time because if we had any more storms like the ones that we've had over the past couple years, there might not be much left of it," Kluver said.

City officials hope to begin the dock restoration in late summer or fall and to complete it before next winter season.

WBNG.com

1/31 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw will conduct icebreaking operations in Green Bay, north of Sturgeon Bay, Wis., on Feb. 1 and 2. Mackinaw will enter the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal from Green Bay Thursday morning and will moor at Sturgeon Bay’s Graham Park Pier and remain overnight.

Mackinaw will return to Green Bay from the canal and conduct ice breaking operations between Sherwood Point and Chambers Island. The operations will likely occur adjacent to areas traditionally used by recreational ice users such as, but not limited to the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal and central areas of Green Bay, north of Sherwood Point but south of Chambers Island. At no time will the ship travel west of Green Island. Every effort will be made to minimize thecutter’s wake and subsequent impact on the ice.

The U.S. Coast Guard reminds recreational users of the ice to plan their activities carefully, use caution near the ice, and stay away from the tracks created by the ice breaker, especially on the bay side of the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal.

USCG

1/31 - It may not be well known, but ships deliver vital supplies such as road salt, heating oil and construction materials in the winter to cities across the Great Lakes and in the lower St. Lawrence River on behalf of North American industries.

“Every winter, ships deliver products such as road salt to promote safe travel in cities hard-hit by winter conditions, and heating oil for homes,” says Bruce Burrows, president of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. “These deliveries allow mining and energy companies to run their operations in the most cost effective and efficient way, thus safeguarding jobs in their communities.”

“Ship operators, ports and other stakeholders rely on the joint service of Canadian and U.S. Coast Guards to clear channel choke points,” said Burrows. “This is an important government service, supported by industry fees, that helps the Canadian and U.S. economies. We are thankful to the hard-working men and women of the Coast Guards for their efforts this winter. The unusually difficult ice conditions this January underscores the urgency of upgrading and expanding Coast Guard icebreaking resources.”

In addition to Coast Guard services, ship operators contract private ice-breaking services of tugs where ice conditions permit.

This winter, Burlington-based McKeil Marine’s tug and barge units are delivering aggregates (stone) from Picton Terminals (Picton, Ont.) for construction projects in Toronto and Amherst Island. Montreal-based CSL Group’s ships are carrying salt from the Magdalen Islands to Montreal and Quebec City.

St. Catharines-based Algoma Central Corporation’s freighters are carrying road salt from Compass Minerals’ mine in Goderich, Ontario to U.S. cities such as Milwaukee, Green Bay, Chicago and Detroit. Algoma also plans to deliver salt from K+S Windsor’s mine in Windsor, Ontario to Detroit and Chicago.

Rick Ruzzin, Senior Director, Logistics, Compass Minerals, said: “Winter marine shipping and the support of Coast Guard services allows us to more efficiently run our Goderich mining operation all year long. Moving our road salt by ship is by far the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to reach our customers. Winter shipping also allows us the flexibility of delivering salt to cities and municipal customers that may need more product than originally anticipated to help keep people safe during adverse weather.”

Algoma also operates three double-hulled tankers that carry product between Imperial Oil’s Nanticoke and Sarnia refineries all-year round, allowing it to efficiently produce gasoline, heating oil and other fuels for heavy equipment. Tankers then transport fuels to Sault Ste. Marie for homes and businesses throughout the region.

“We’re proud of our crews who work diligently through ice and snow to safely deliver products to the communities we serve,” said Gregg Ruhl, Chief Operating Officer, Algoma Central Corporation. “There’s great demand for our shipping services in the winter months. We could do more to support North American industries with expanded ice-breaking services.”
Chamber of Marine Commerce

1/31 - Rand Logistics Inc., one of the largest bulk freight shipping providers in the Great Lakes region (Grand River Navigation, Lower Lakes Towing), filed for Chapter 11 protection on Tuesday after agreeing to a debt-for-equity swap with lender Lightship Capital LLC.

Rand, with $236 million of debt, said in November it would file for bankruptcy as part of a restructuring support agreement with Lightship, an affiliate of New York-based private equity firm American Industrial Partners.

Chapter 11 means re-organization. Rand Logistics had to file Chapter 11 in order for the sale of Rand Logistics to go thru with AIP and Lighthouse Capital. This also means that the stock will be de-listed with NASDAQ. The ships are expected to operate as usual.

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

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

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