Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2/1 - Sheboygan, Wis. – When he tried rousing a small audience last year against a proposed Wisconsin-Lake Michigan National Marine Sanctuary, Jim Zeiler turned to a familiar reference.

“What are those nine words that Reagan warned us about? Somebody blurt it out,” Zeiler said from inside the Sheboygan County GOP headquarters building. On cue, a few audience members offered: “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”

That was last July, when Zeiler, president of the Hudson-based Citizens for Responsible Zoning and Landowner Rights, headlined a listening session aimed at highlighting his and other opponents’ concerns about the proposed sanctuary.

Much of the lobbying against the sanctuary is rooted in the fear the federal government will dip more of its toes in the Great Lakes — threatening Wisconsin’s sovereignty.

Sanctuary supporters describe those concerns as outlandish. And leaders of a Michigan community report that no such federal power grab has materialized in the 17 years since a marine sanctuary was established on Lake Huron.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, has outlined plans to create a sanctuary that would cover about 1,075 square miles of Lake Michigan and protect 37 shipwrecks and 80 unexplored potential shipwrecks and other cultural resources off the coasts of Manitowoc, Sheboygan and Ozaukee counties.

An alternative plan would extend the sanctuary to waters off Kewaunee County, expanding the potential sanctuary territory to 1,260 square miles and protecting 38 shipwrecks and 95 unexplored potential shipwrecks.

Views maps and a photo gallery at this link: www.htrnews.com/story/news/2018/01/31/trump-executive-order-noaa-wisconsin-lake-michigan-marine-sanctuary-shipwrecks-manitowoc-sheboygan/1004247001

2/1 - Marquette, Mich. – The lighthouse property overlooking McCarty’s Cove and the Lake Superior shoreline in Marquette will ultimately be turned into a public park for all to enjoy, city officials say.

The final plan, which was prepared by local consultants Sanders and Czapski Associates, was unanimously approved Monday evening by the Marquette City Commission. The park project is estimated to cost between $1.6 million and $2.3 million.

The entire park site will be open to public access during daylight hours, similar to Presque Isle Park, according to the final report. The city will remove the chain link fence; extend Arch Street to Coast Guard Road to reduce vehicle traffic; improve the west parking lot; install a gate at the west end of the gravel driveway, which will be the entry to the lighthouse; install signage to identify historic resources and control circulation; rehabilitate the captain’s residence for a short-term rental unit; relocate the multiuse path partially onto the historical site and more.

Several meetings and public forums were held in 2017 prior to completion of the final report, which is meant to be a “road map” toward renovating the property as time and funds allow, meeting notes state.

“This is a plan that’s going to take a lot of time by itself,” Commissioner Mike Plourde said. “It’s going to cost a lot of money. We’re not going to jump into it with both feet right now and spend a whole lot of money that we don’t have. I think the … commission, as a whole, really wants to develop this property well.”

Plourde said the city will take its time developing the park to ensure construction is done right the first time.

The more than 5-acre waterfront parcel that was previously occupied by the U.S. Coast Guard was deeded to the city in July 2016. The parcel contains four structures, including the historic lighthouse, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a captain’s residence, a Coast Guard Station and storage garage. Most of the structures were built in the late 1800s with the lighthouse being the oldest, dating back to 1866.

The site was formerly a training ground for a large number of Coast Guard personnel after the start of World War II. The last modifications to the lighthouse were made in the early 1960s when the “schoolhouse style” two-story structure was painted red.

In 2002, the Marquette Maritime Museum obtained a 30-year lease from the Coast Guard to begin preservation efforts and to conduct public tours, according to commission meeting documents.

Mining Journal

2/1 - The Great Lakes region is growing 'quite dramatically' as a cruise destination this year while two major new government initiatives are embracing the business with infrastructure development plans.

Eight ships will cruise the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River in 2018, offering 85 departures between May and October. The ships are Pearl Mist, Victory I and Victory II, Hamburg, Jacques-Cartier, Canadian Empress, Grande Mariner and Grande Caribe.

“A solid base of business is appearing now with Pearl Seas Cruises and Victory Cruise Lines establishing themselves,” Stephen Burnett, executive director of the Great Lakes Cruising Coalition, told Seatrade Cruise News. 2018's eight ships will swell to 12 in the coming years, he added.

What's more, in a major development, the Conference of Great Lakes Governors & Premiers has embraced cruising by creating a group to help the business grow. The group met Friday in Detroit and is in the process of developing a “structure, plan and war chest to go forward. “This is a huge thing. It could be a game-changer,” Burnett said.

The Conference of Great Lakes Governors & Premiers unites the chief executives from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Québec and Wisconsin who work together to foster environmentally responsible economic development.

In another boost, mayors of key Canadian Great Lakes cities—from as large as Toronto to as small as Midland, Ontario—have decided to engage in research to better understand the infrastructure and capital needs of ports interested or involved in the cruise business. The province of Ontario has committed $250,000 for this study. A request for proposals is being reviewed and is expected to be issued soon.

Burnett said Ontario offers fabulous destinations for cruise visitors, but if the ships cannot get on the dock, this is a moot point. All in all, “It's an extremely pivotal time,” Burnett said. 'It's quite dramatic to see the level of political interest.'

2018's deployment supplies 11,523 available berths for the season. Each cruise calls at a minimum of seven ports and, in some cases, nine ports, for a total of 720 scheduled in the region. According to Burnett, if the ships sail full, they'll deliver nearly 100,000 passenger port visits.

Looking ahead, Ponant is scheduled to visit the Great Lakes in 2019, and Hapag-Lloyd's new Hanseatic Inspiration in 2020.

Plus, Burnett's talking to a “whole bunch of other cruise lines that are looking for somewhere that doesn't have terrorists. There's a great discomfort with some of the exotic regions and the general world unrest.”

He added the opening of Cuba is “incredibly impactful” since a number of ships that visit the Great Lakes can go there in the off-season, making for lucrative year-round deployment.

A further sign for optimism is all the small ships in the order book. According to Burnett, the St. Lawrence Seaway locks can take vessels carrying up to about 600 passengers.

Seatrade Cruise News

2/1 - In a filing with the SEC Tuesday, Great Lakes operator Rand Logistics, Inc. reported that, along with certain of its U.S. subsidiaries, it had filed voluntary Chapter 11 petitions in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

The bankruptcy filings enable Rand Logistics, which has $236 million of debt, to effectuate a pre-packaged plan of reorganization based on a debt-for-equity swap with Lightship Capital LLC, an affiliate of private equity investor American Industrial Partners.

The subsidiary debtors in the Chapter 11 cases are Rand Finance Corp., Rand LL Holdings Corp., Grand River Navigation Company, Inc., Lower Lakes Transportation Company, Black Creek Shipping Company, Inc. and Black Creek Shipping Holding Company, Inc. None of the company’s Canadian subsidiaries have filed petitions for bankruptcy protection either in the United States or Canada, and they will continue their operations in the ordinary course of business.

The holders of the company’s secured debt have agreed to forbear from taking any action with respect to the Canadian subsidiaries during the expected timeline of the bankruptcy cases.

Marine Log

[yachtsmanwilly]

2/2 - Duluth, Minn. - Coast Guard cutter Alder will sail from its Duluth homeport Friday at 9 a.m. The ship recently underwent repairs to both main diesel engines and now must test them. The cutter will travel the Superior Front Channel and then enter Lake Superior through the Superior Entrance Channel. After several hours of testing in open water, the ship will return to homeport, retracing the path previously travelled. Every precaution will be taken to minimize incidental ice breaking outside the established shipping channels.

... and every SCHVOOGY that gets aboard gets a complimentary can of spray paint and something to scratch gang signs into all the glass with...
2/2 - Michigan City, Ind. – City officials in northwest Indiana have approved plans for a cruise ship that would take fun-seekers out along the Lake Michigan coastline. The Michigan City Port Authority voted to allow a tour ship to operate out of the Washington Park Marina on the Lake Michigan shore, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported

The ship would be similar to those docked at Navy Pier in Chicago.

Michigan City Port Authority Harbormaster Tim Frame said that plans call for a 70-foot, 150-seat ship that would offer tours and dinners cruises to destinations such as New Buffalo, Michigan. "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."

Frame said cruise ships visited the city in 1920s or 1930s, but he said none have operated out of the lakeside city in modern history. "It's a nice feature," Frame said. "It's been quite a while since we've had anything like this."

Frame said that the cruise ship could embark on its maiden voyage on Memorial Day and run through Oct. 31.

Associated Press

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

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

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

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

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

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

[yachtsmanwilly]

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

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

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

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

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

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

1996: A shipboard fire caused extensive damage to the Jean Parisien docked at the stone docks in Port Colborne. No one was injured in the blaze, which took two hours to extinguish and was the second one on board a ship in two days.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2/4 - Marquette, Mich. – A proposed Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. expansion in its mining operations could mean good things for Marquette County and the Empire Mine. The proposed expansion could herald the addition of up to 900 high-paying jobs in Marquette County, Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves told about 100 community leaders at the company’s annual breakfast on Friday.

“It would bring a lot of jobs to the area because we will be restarting a pellet plant, a pellet plant that is totally shut down at this point,” Goncalves said. “We are talking double the number of people employed here in Michigan. The Empire is not operating, but the Empire is not dead. We can bring operations back from idle, anytime we choose to do so.”

But the company still needs to decide which state to expand in — Michigan or Minnesota. A decision, Goncalves said, Cliffs would likely make before the end of the year.

The company expects to be the sole producer of hot briquetted iron, or HBI, in the Great Lakes region by 2020, with the development of its first production plant in Toledo, Ohio. But Cliffs needs enough stock to supply the electric arc furnaces in the the proposed $700 million HBI plant.

Goncalves said Michigan operations have an advantage over the proposed Minnesota expansion. “I can get things accomplished here a lot faster because of established things. We have a mine here, we have a pit — we have everything. We even have a pellet plant at that site,” Goncalves said.

As of the fourth quarter of 2017 Cliffs has 100 percent ownership of both the Tilden and Empire mines, he said.

The biggest obstacle — the removal of a significant amount of rock or soil covering the mineral deposit, known as overburden — has the potential to cost the company hundreds of thousands of dollars more than the proposed Minnesota operation, he said.

In Minnesota, the company has acquired more than half of the available land for a potential mining operation at a site in Nashwauk, Goncalves said, but the area holds a confusing mix of state-owned and privately owned mineral rights.

“It’s cheaper to go through the Minnesota route,” Goncalves said. “(But) it’s longer in terms of time to execute in Minnesota. Especially because there’s not a lot of consensus in terms of what they want.”

The Nashwauk mining operation would be less expensive because the ore is closer to the surface, Goncalves said, but the permitting process in Minnesota could take up to five years,. “The cost to implement Nashwauk is a lot less; however, time is the only thing you can’t recoup. Even money you can recoup, but time you cannot,” he said.

Ultimately, Goncalves said a show of support from local residents and communities might slant Cliffs’ decision in Michigan’s favor.

“If Michigan demonstrates that they have a resolve, a unified resolve behind Cliffs growing mining here, we will be here,” Goncalves said. “Because I don’t feel like I have that type of support in Minnesota, and that’s a lot more important to me than just dollars.”

State Rep. Sara Cambensy, D-Marquette, who attended the breakfast, said the announcement gives her hope. “We all have a role to step up and make sure that we keep Cliffs’ investments here,” Cambensy said. “I am excited to work with them. I have no doubt the leadership can work together to make this happen.”

Cambensy said the focus on building a new economy in the U.P. is necessary as the region evolves. “We still have a $1 billion industry in our backyard. I think some regional economic developers look at mining as an industry of the past, instead of seeing the opportunities in clean, 21st century mining technology,” Cambensy said. “My hope is that we can start to have a conversation about the next generation of iron ore mining in the U.P. and how it could spur further regional growth and development.”

Operations at the Tilden Mine should continue for decades, regardless of where Cliffs decides to expand, Goncalves said.

“The Tilden Mine has a long life of mine ahead of it,” he said. “So we are in great shape with Tilden, and we are going to be producing at the Tilden no matter what for at least the next 30 years.”

Mining Journal

2/5 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay will sail from Sturgeon Bay, WI this Wednesday Feb. 7.

Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay will embark members of the Employees Support of Guard and Reserve and spend a few hours in the ice near the Port of Sturgeon Bay. The cutter will depart mid-morning from their home moorings, travel west into Sturgeon Bay and then return a few hours later. Mobile Bay will limit its activity to the defined ice breaking track. Every effort will be made to minimize the cutter’s wake and subsequent impact on the surrounding fields of ice.

USCG

[yachtsmanwilly]

2/6 - St. Catharines, Ont. – Algoma Central has taken delivery of the Algoma Sault, the second seaway-max Equinox-class self-unloading bulk carrier from Yangzijiang Shipyard in China. The vessel departed China Feb. 3 and is expected to arrive in Canada in late March, resulting in the ship being available for service in the upcoming navigation season.

Algoma Sault will be the seventh Equinox-class vessel to join Algoma’s domestic dry-bulk fleet, which now includes four gearless bulkers and three self-unloaders. Five additional vessels are under development contracts.

“The addition of the Algoma Sault to our domestic fleet will further strengthen our position on the Great Lakes and we look forward to her arrival,” said Ken Bloch Soerensen, President and CEO of Algoma. “The Algoma Sault is the second Equinox- class 740-foot self-unloader to be delivered and she will join her sister ship, the Algoma Niagara, in operations this spring,” he added.

In addition to the two new 740-foot self-unloaders, Algoma Conveyer, which the company acquired in 2017 at auction from the failed Nantong Mingde shipyard, is undergoing refurbishment and final construction at the shipyard, and is expected to be completed and delivered in early 2019.

Algoma Central Corporation


2/6 - Pride of Baltimore II, the tall ship that serves as a goodwill ambassador from Baltimore and Maryland to the world, won’t be able to sail this year unless organizers can raise more than $500,000, its executive director said.

“It’s alarming, to be honest,” said Rick Scott, who heads the nonprofit that owns and operates the Pride. “This is one of the most critical times our organization has experienced in recent decades. We may not be able to fulfill our mission.”

The Pride, which has visited the Great Lakes frequently, received $1.5 million from the state spread over the past three fiscal years, but does not have a “firm commitment” for fiscal 2019 and beyond, he said. The rest of the Pride’s annual operating budget of about $1.2 million comes from private donations, grants, appearance fees, souvenir sales and day sails.

Scott said the nonprofit Pride of Baltimore Inc. is in discussions with the city and state. He plans to speak before the City Council on Monday evening as part of an all-hands-on-deck campaign to seek private and public funding for this year’s sailing season, which generally runs from late March to the beginning of November.

He said he needs to raise $230,000 by March, plus another $300,000 by July, or the ship will not be able to sail this season. Should it be idled, Scott said, the Pride would have to lay off some of its staff. It has a year-round captain, sails with a crew of 11 and keeps a full-time office staff of four.

The topsail schooner is modeled on the Baltimore clippers that were once built in the city and helped the young United States win the War of 1812. The first Pride of Baltimore sank in a sudden squall in 1986, killing its captain and three crew members. Pride II will turn 30 this October.

Scott said the ship already has declined an invitation to the Tall Ships Challenge, a racing series and festival, to be held in the Gulf of Mexico in April to coincide with New Orleans’ tricentennial. The Pride finished first in three of the five races in the Tall Ships Challenge in the Great Lakes in 2016.

“We’re sad the Pride won’t be a part of it this year,” said Bert Rogers, executive director of Tall Ships America, the Newport, R.I.-based organization of more than 150 such vessels that organizes the challenge. “The Pride is one of the stars in our galaxy,” he said. “She’s extremely well regarded not just nationally but internationally.”

Rogers said tall ships require “a big commitment” financially, a challenge for many of his group’s vessels. “While we do great work, we’re not curing cancer,” he said. “It’s largely an industry that relies on discretionary money.”

The Baltimore Sun


2/6 - Thunder Bay, Ont. – More seasonable conditions returned to the Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron basins in January. Nonetheless, both lakes continue to see the effects of a wet spring and summer, and water levels of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron remain well above average as a result.

The monthly mean level of Lake Superior in January was 183.65 m (602.53 ft), the 2nd highest on record (1918 - present) and the highest since January 1986. Lake Michigan-Huron’s mean January level was 176.73 m (579.82 ft), the 15th highest on record and the highest since 1998. The high levels coupled with strong winds and waves have resulted in shoreline erosion and coastal damages across the upper Great Lakes system. Lake ice may provide a level of protection to some areas of the shoreline, but additional shoreline erosion and coastal damages may occur this winter should active weather continue.

In consideration of the continuing high water levels in the upper Great Lakes, the International Lake Superior Board of Control, under authority granted to it by the International Joint Commission (IJC), will continue to release outflows of up to 2,510 cubic meters per second (cms) (88,640 cubic feet per second (cfs)) through the winter. This flow is 100 cms (3,530 cfs) more than the normal winter maximum prescribed by Regulation Plan 2012. Actual outflows may vary depending on hydrologic and ice conditions, as well as maintenance activities at the hydropower plants on the St. Marys River, all of which have been directed to flow at their maximum available capacity.

The gate setting of the control structure will be maintained at the current setting (eight gates open 26 cm each, which is equivalent to approximately one gate fully open) during the month of February. This setting is expected to continue throughout the winter, as is typically the case when gates become frozen in ice. Likewise, there will be no change to the setting of Gate #1, which supplies a flow of about 15 cms (530 cfs) to the channel north of the Fishery Remedial Dike.

The net water supplies to Lake Superior were below average in January. The level of Lake Superior fell 9 cm (4 in) last month, while on average the lake declines 7 cm (3 in) in January. The Lake Superior level at the beginning-of- February is 32 cm (13 in) above average, 17 cm (7 in) above the level recorded a year ago at this time, and the 2nd highest on record. The level of Lake Superior is expected to continue its seasonal decline in February.

The net water supplies to Lake Michigan-Huron were below average in January. The level of Lake Michigan-Huron remained stable last month, while on average the lake declines 2 cm (0.8 in) in January. The level of Lake Michigan-Huron is 46 cm (18 in) above its long-term average beginning-of-February level, 26 cm (10 in) higher than it was a year ago and the 125th highest on record. The level of Lake Michigan-Huron is expected to continue its seasonal decline in February.

Lake Superior News


2/6 - Erie, Pa. – The Flagship Niagara won’t be the only ship in port at the Erie Maritime Museum this summer. The fishing schooner Lettie G. Howard, built in 1893 in Essex, Ma., will offer public day sails, school day sails and sail-training voyages out of Erie while the Niagara is away on its Great Lakes sail-training schedule in 2018 and 2019.

The two-masted schooner is owned by the South Street Seaport Museum in New York City. The vessel’s sparred length is 125 feet. In the early 1990s, the South Street Seaport Museum restored the vessel to its original 1893 appearance, and outfitted the ship to accommodate trainees on educational voyages.

“One of the things we hear all the time in the museum from out-of-town guests is they don’t understand why the Niagara isn’t always here,” Flagship Niagara League Executive Director Shawn Waskiewicz said.

“The museum is beautiful, we have a lot to offer, but the Niagara is our No. 1 artifact here, and people don’t understand why we go to other ports and do other festivals outside of Erie,” he said. “Now they won’t be asking that question anymore.”

Waskiewicz said the two-year collaboration will allow the Flagship Niagara League to expand Erie Maritime Museum visitor services.

“This ship (Lettie) is going to be in Erie all the time, so when the Niagara is gone, there’s always going to be a vessel here,” Waskiewicz said.

Niagara crew will operate the schooner, providing 90- and 120-minute day sails on Presque Isle Bay, sunset cruises, and cruises during Eight Great Tuesdays events. Day sails aboard the Lettie G. Howard will start May 25 and continue through mid-September, and can be booked at www.flagshipniagara.com.

Niagara Capt. Billy Sabatini said 319 day sails are scheduled on the Lettie. Operating both vessels will require the hiring of additional crew, he said.

Waskiewicz said he hopes to have the Lettie G. Howard arrive in Erie no later than May 20. Day sails will be offered five days a week, he said.

The Lettie will sail to Erie in May via the Erie Canal (officially known as the New York State Canal System), expanding the South Street Seaport Museum’s celebration of the Erie Canal’s bicentennial.

GoErie.com


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

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

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

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

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

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

[yachtsmanwilly]

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

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

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

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

[yachtsmanwilly]

2/8 - Autonomous vehicles are making their way towards the highways and streets of America, and between the automakers and the American Center for Mobility at Willow Run, Mich., is playing a big role in developing the technology for autonomous vehicles.

Since Michigan is surrounded by the Great Lakes, what about autonomous vessels on the lakes? Michael Beaulac of the Michigan Office of the Great Lakes, within the Department of Environmental Quality, joined Stateside to talk about the future of autonomous vessels and vehicles on the lakes.

Listen to the full conversation at this link: michiganradio.org/post/ship-without-captain-michigan-working-bring-autonomous-vessels-great-lakes



Coast Guard reminds public to avoid ice near active shipping routes

2/8 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie reminds the public to stay away from active shipping lanes while partaking in recreational ice activities or using ice as a means of transportation. Ice is unpredictable and dangerous, significantly ranging in thickness in even a small area. Transiting the ice near shipping lanes or Coast Guard transit lanes is dangerous.

It is recommended to wear appropriate clothing and be physically capable of self-rescue in case of falling through while venturing out on the ice. It is also best practice to leave an ice plan with someone ashore and to not go out alone.

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 - radios, life jackets and ice awls.

USCG


While in lay-up on February 8, 1984, a fire broke out in WILLIAM G. MATHER's after accommodations killing a vagrant from Salt Lake City, Utah, who started the fire that caused considerable damage to the galley.

On 8 February 1902, ETRURIA (steel propeller freighter, 414 foot, 4,653 gross tons) was launched at W. Bay City, Michigan by West Bay City Ship Building Co. (Hull#604). She was built for the Hawgood Transit Company of Cleveland but only lasted three years. She sank in 1905, after colliding with the steamer AMASA STONE in the fog off Presque Isle Light in Lake Huron.

1983: EAGLESCLIFFE sank in shallow water at Galveston, Texas, while carrying a cargo of cattle freed for Tampico, Mexico. The ship developed hull cracks and subsequently broke in two during an August 1983 hurricane. The canal sized bulk carrier operated on the Great Lakes as a) EAGLESCLIFFE HALL (ii) from 1956 through 1971 and went south in 1974.

1990: LE SAULE NO. 1 received a hole in the bow after striking the Yamachiche Beacon in the Lake St. Peter area of the St. Lawrence and went to Sorel for lay-up. The damage was later repaired at Les Mechins.

Ryan Gazdecki, senior captain of the J.W. Westcott II mail boat, had just been finishing work one day last April when he and his deck hand saw emergency crews gathered along the Detroit River at Belle Isle.

"We just kind of ran down there to see what was going on," Gazdecki said, adding that he and his deck hand, Joseph Buchanan, soon learned that a pregnant woman and police officer had fallen in.

The pair sprinted back to the J.W. Westcott II, untied it, and approached from downstream as the woman and EMT held onto a chain against the current, Gazdecki said. They helped both of them into the boat and were back on shore within 15 minutes.

Last Friday, Gazdecki and Buchanan, both members of the International Shipmasters Association, were given the group's Grand President's Award for their life-saving actions.

Outgoing association president Lee Barnhill presented the award at the group's formal dinner during the 128th Annual ISMA Grand Lodge Convention. The convention, held at the Renaissance Toledo Downtown Hotel, included 200 maritime professionals.

The dramatic rescue also involved Detroit police officers Brian Gadwell and Steven Rauser, along with emergency medic Chris Ward, a certified diver who jumped into the water to help.

The Detroit Free Press

Heddle Marine’s efforts to bring new life to Port Weller dry docks is continuing, despite the financial problems of one of its clients. The Cuyahoga, a 189-metre-long cargo ship operated by Lower Lakes Towing, is currently in the dry dock being overhauled by workers from Heddle Marine – the first ship that has spent winter months at the dry dock since 2015, when Algoma Central Corp. entered a short-term lease to conduct maintenance work on some of its vessels.

Although Lower Lakes Towing’s U.S.-based parent company Rand Logistics Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection on Jan. 30, Heddle Marine spokesman Shaun Padulo said his company’s plans for the dry dock are continuing. “It hasn’t been an issue for us,” he said.

Although Padulo said he could not provide details about the issue, he said suppliers including Heddle were assured they would not be adversely impacted by the bankruptcy protection.

Meanwhile, Padulo said work to restore the dry dock is continuing. “I think having an actual vessel in the facility has been a huge boost to morale, certainly with the personnel that are there.”

He said work on the ship continues on schedule, and “we’re looking forward to re-delivering the vessel on time at the opening of the seaway.” The company expects to hire 43 people at the peak of the project, in addition to 20 contractors. “We’re currently bidding on three additional projects for the facility for this year. There may be some other projects coming in as well,” Padulo said.

“They’re not all ship-repair related. There are a number of other activities going on as well – fabrication work and some other large industrial projects.”

Rand Logistics, which was $236 million in debt, announced its intention to file for bankruptcy protection in November as part of a restructuring plan that included a debt-for-equity swap with its lender, Lightship Capital LLC. Rand is one of the largest bulk freight shipping providers in the Great Lakes region.

St. Catharines Standard

The Alexander Henry could have some company at Pool Six next summer. The Lakehead Transportation Museum Society, which led efforts to have the decommissioned icebreaker back to Thunder Bay, is pursuing plans to have a pair of Brill trolley buses and the James Whalen tugboat relocated to the waterfront later this year.

Charlie Brown, president of the Lakehead Transportation Museum Society, on Monday night told Thunder Bay city council discussions have been ongoing with administration to have the other historical pieces incorporated as a complete site.

“The Brills themselves, we could bring them over actually very quickly if we can extend our area on the lease in a small way and set some pads down. We could set those up and enclose them in a fence protected area,” Brown said.

“We do have the room to shift the (Alexander Henry) back about 30 feet and we believe there’s enough room and enough water we can bring over the James Whalen.”

The Brill trolley buses, built at the former Canadian Car Foundry at the current Bombardier plant location just after the Second World War, were brought back to Thunder Bay in 2001 after being rescued from a scrap yard in British Columbia. The restored vehicles have spent the past several years in storage at the Thunder Bay Transit garage awaiting a permanent home.

The 112-year-old James Whalen tugboat is moored at the Kaministiquia River Heritage Park on the south side of the city.

Kelly Robertson, the city’s manager of community services, said administration has some work ahead before considering a relocation, including tracking down the ownership documents of the ship to pave the way for a potential transfer to the museum society.

“I also need to follow up with the (museum society) on the current mooring of the James Whalen tug,” Robertson said. “It’s appended to the existing dock so I’m not sure what the implications are going to be of removing the ship from that dock. We have to do some homework on that.”

While the status of those two transportation heritage artifacts remains up in the air, Brown said the Alexander Henry is being targeted to be open to the public in late May and a ceremony is planned for July 18 to mark the 50th anniversary of the ship’s dedication at the former Port Arthur Shipyard.

The former Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker arrived in the city in June after being towed across the Great Lakes from Picton, Ont. However, the ship was temporarily docked at the old iron ore pier during a four-month delay while a lease agreement between the museum society, city and Thunder Bay Port Authority was ironed out. The Alexander Henry was finally brought to Pool Six in November.

While the group is planning to host tours and other events onboard the former icebreaker, they have ruled out following the lead of the previous owners of the ship and converting it into a bed and breakfast.

“She’s in excellent condition but the restrictions put on us to run it as an actual hotel, it’s not feasible for us,” Brown said. “Certainly, with the tours we have planned plus the special events, I think we’ll still be doing extremely well as far as the budget is concerned.”

TBNewswatch

2/7 - The Great Lakes Waterways Conference is this week in downtown Cleveland. Sessions over the two-day meeting will focus on autonomous technology, government partnerships, and Great Lakes developments.

Cleveland Cliffs, an iron ore manufacturer, is opening the plant, the first of its kind in the Great Lakes. It produces hot briquetted iron, using new technology. The iron will then travel to steelmaking companies in Ohio and Indiana.

Joe Cappel is Vice President of Business Development for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. He says the new plant will be a boon to marine traffic out of Toledo. “We’ll be in the 10-12 million ton per year category – that makes us one of the largest U.S. ports on the Great Lakes system,” said Cappel. “The 2 million inbound tons will come in on approximately 100 lake trading vessels.”

Representatives from the Toledo Port and Cleveland Cliffs will speak this week at the event. Cappel says it’s an exciting sign of a possible future for the region. “People look at the Great Lakes shipping industry as really a dying industry,” said Cappel. “At least at the Port of Toledo, that certainly is not the case.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will give a navigation system update Wednesday. Josh Feldmann of the Army Corps Buffalo District will speak about some of the agency’s challenges – chiefly having enough money for things like dredging operations and navigation structure maintenance. Feldmann says the aging state of breakwaters and other structures puts ships at risk.

“We’re losing stone – it’s being displaced, it’s settling, it’s moving,” said Feldmann. “Some of them are 100 years old, most of them are more than 50 – stone work and bulk heading work is not cheap work.”

The Corps’ other challenges include the need to replace one of the Soo Locks connecting Lake Superior and Lake Huron, as well as the management and reuse of 3.5 million cubic yards of material dredged from Great Lakes waterways. Great Lakes Today

Ideastream

[yachtsmanwilly]

EAGLESCLIFFE, loaded with 3,500 tons of grain, sank two miles east of Galveston, Texas on February 9, 1983, after the hull had fractured from a grounding the previous day. She began taking on water in her forward end en route to Galveston. To save her the captain ran her into shallow water where she settled on the bottom in 20 feet of water with her bridge and boat deck above water. All 16 crewmembers and one dog were rescued. She was built for the Hall Corp. of Canada in 1957 at Grangemouth, Scotland as a.) EAGLESCLIFFE HALL, renamed b.) EAGLESCLIFFE in 1973.

The ALEXANDER LESLIE was launched February 9, 1901, as a.) J T HUTCHINSON (Hull # 405) at Cleveland, Ohio by American Ship Building Co.

The HOMER D. WILLIAMS suffered extensive fire damage to her side plating and forward lower cabins during her lay-up at Toledo, Ohio on February 9, 1971. The fire was started by a spark from welding that caused the tarpaulins stored in the hold to catch fire.

February 9, 1995 - The founder of Lake Michigan Carferry, Charles Conrad, died at the age of 77.

In 1899, JOHN V. MORAN (wooden propeller package freighter, 214 foot, 1,350 gross tons, built in 1888, at W. Bay City, Michigan by F. W. Wheeler & Co. (Hull#44) was cut by the ice and developed a severe leak during a mid-winter run on Lake Michigan. The iron passenger/package freight steamer NAOMI rescued the crew from the sinking vessel. The MORAN was last seen on the afternoon of 12 February 1899, drifting with the ice about 20 miles off Muskegon, Michigan. She was a combination bulk and package freighter with hatches in her flanks as well as on her deck.

1964: The Collingwood built tug PUGWASH (Hull 85 - 1930) was torn from its moorings at Harbour Grace, Newfoundland. The vessel drifted out to sea and sank.

2009: The SONATA suffered engine failure in the Gulf of Finland and had to be towed to Talinn, Estonia, for repairs. It was arrested there, sold at auction and broken up for scrap locally. The ship had been a Great Lakes visitor first as c) RENTALA in 1988 and was back as d) MARY W. in 1990 and f) LANGESUND in 2000.

[yachtsmanwilly]

UHLMANN BROTHERS was launched February 10, 1906, as a.) LOFTUS CUDDY (Hull#341) at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. The MARKHAM (Twin Screw Hopper Suction Dredge) was delivered February 10, 1960, to the Army Corps of Engineers at Cleveland, Ohio.
In 1998, The Ludington Daily News reported that a private investment group (later identified as Hydrolink) was planning to start cross-lake ferry service from Muskegon, Michigan to Milwaukee running two high-speed ferries.

On 10 February 1890, NYANZA (wooden propeller freighter, 280 foot, 1,888 gross tons) was launched at F. W. Wheeler's yard (Hull #63) in W. Bay City, Michigan by West Bay City Ship Building Co. In 1916, she was renamed LANDBO and she lasted until abandoned in 1920.

In 1975, a fire onboard CRISPIN OGLEBAY a.) J.H. HILLMAN JR of 1943, caused $100,000 damage to the conveyor and tunnel while she was laid up at Toledo. The forward end of CRISPIN OGLEBAY is now ALGOMA TRANSFER (C.323003).

1973: The CUNARD CAVALIER was launched at Seville, Spain. It first appeared on the lakes in 1978.

1981: A pair of former Seaway traders collided in the Mediterranean off Algiers and one sank. The FEDDY had been inland as b) SUNSEA in 1969, c) SAGA SAILOR in 1971 and as d) ELLY in 1976. It went to the bottom with the loss of 32 lives. This ship had been enroute from Boston to Volos, Italy, with a cargo of scrap steel. The second vessel, SOUNION, survived. It had been to the Great Lakes as a) SUGAR CRYSTAL in 1968 and was back as b) SOUNION in 1979. It sailed until scrapping at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, following arrival as c) MED VITORIA on April 17, 1993.

1982: TEXACO BRAVE (ii) was pushed off course by the ice and current and struck the bridge crossing the St. Lawrence at Quebec City damaging a mast and the radar. The vessel still sails as d) ALGOEAST.

1984: Scrapping of the Italian freighter b) VIOCA got underway at La Spezia, Italy. The ship made 8 trips through the Seaway as a) BAMBI from 1959 to 1964.

1984: The AEGIS FURY arrived at Shanghai, China, for scrapping as e) WELL RUNNER. The ship first came to the Great Lakes in 1972.

On 11 February 1994, the tug MARY E. HANNAH and an empty fuel barge became trapped in the ice in the Pelee Passage on Lake Erie. The vessels were freed by the U.S. Coast Guard cutter NEAH BAY and the Canadian Coast Guard ship SAMUEL RISLEY.
E. B. BARBER (Hull#111) was launched in 1953, at Port Arthur, Ontario by Port Arthur Ship Building Co. Ltd.

NIXON BERRY was sold to Marine Salvage for scrap on in 1970, she was the former a.) MERTON E. FARR.

BEN W. CALVIN (Hull#388) was launched in 1911, at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co.

The keel was laid for ROY A. JODREY (Hull#186) on February 11, 1965, at Collingwood, Ontario by Canadian Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd. The tanker IMPERIAL CORNWALL was retired on February 11, 1971.

Albert Edgar Goodrich, the founder of the Goodrich Steamboat Line, was born in Hamburg, New York, near Buffalo on 11 February 1826.

February 11, 1918 - Amid blasts of whistles from nearby ships and factories and the cheers of several hundreds of people, the cargo steamer Asp was launched at the Polson Iron Works. Fears that the launching could not be carried out because of the thickness of the ice proved unfounded. Gangs of men cut away the ice barrier and at 3:20 the vessel slipped easily into the water without any mishap. Curiosity was aroused when one of the ice cutters found a three-foot alligator frozen just under the surface of the ice. Whether or not it escaped from some sailor or from the local zoo is not known.

1987: UNILUCK first came through the Seaway in 1977. The vessel was sailing as b) TINA when it reported water entering the engine room and cargo holds in the Sula Sea off the Philippines. The crew said they were abandoning the ship but no trace of them or their vessel was ever found.

RED WING was launched February 12, 1944, as a.) BOUNDBROOK (Hull#335) at Chester, Pennsylvania by Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., a T2-SE-A1 Ocean Tanker. She was renamed b.) IMPERIAL EDMONTON in 1947. In 1959, she was brought to Port Weller Drydocks for conversion to a bulk freighter for Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd., renamed c.) RED WING. Scrapped at Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 1987.
1965: MARGIT, a Danish vessel, came inland in 1964 for one trip. It suffered an explosion and fire in the engine room about 1,000 miles southwest of Honolulu on a voyage from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Calcutta, India, and had to be abandoned. Three members of the crew were killed and the ship was burning fiercely when last seen. The drifting hull later grounded at Wotje Atoll, Marshall Islands, and was found, still burning, on March 11, 1965. The ship was a total loss.

1975: E.B. BARBER was in winter quarters at Port Colborne when a fire broke out in the engine room. Local fire fighters contained and extinguished the blaze.

2/10 - Detroit, Mich. - You're not the only one who's freezing this winter. With southern Michigan engulfed in another winter storm, the Great Lakes have crossed the halfway point in ice concentration. Combined, they are 54.36 percent covered in ice as of Thursday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association's Great Lakes Coast Watch.

That's the highest ice concentration total on Feb. 8 of a Michigan winter since 2014, when the Great Lakes were 77.97 percent covered in ice. Later that year, in March, the Great Lakes nearly froze over, reaching a staggering 92.19 percent ice coverage.

In 2017, the ice coverage was 15.28 percent. In 2016, it was 4.71 percent.

Here's the breakdown of each of the Great Lakes in ice coverage this year (along with Lake St. Clair), compared to 2017 on the same date:

Lake Superior: 55.63 percent ice coverage (On this day in 2017: 6.97 percent)
Lake Michigan: 38.97 percent (On this day in 2017: 17.29 percent)
Lake Huron: 63.73 percent (On this day in 2017: 19.72 percent)
Lake Erie: 90.42 percent (On this day in 2017: 35.52 percent)
Lake Ontario: 16.38 percent (On this day in 2017: 6.21 percent)
Lake St. Clair: 99.23 percent (On this day in 2017: 92.08 percent)

Detroit Free Press

2/11 - Marine City, Mich. – An online fundraising campaign was launched this week to return the Sombra-Marine City ferry to service. The Bluewater Ferry has been closed since an ice jam in the St. Clair River crushed the causeway linking Sombra and the ferry dock and Canadian Customs building Jan. 11.

That region’s member of Parliament, Marilyn Gladu, has been lobbying national officials to finance repairs. But as of this week, Rob Dalgety, who owns the ferry with his brother, said they hadn’t had any luck.

Ontario resident Helen Cole took the reins, launching a GoFundMe campaign with a steep $2.5 million goal, which is what the brothers have said construction would cost. As of Friday morning, $3,385 had been donated by nearly 50 individuals.

“Someone just donated $500, that’s really exciting,” Cole said on Wednesday. “The goal is a lofty goal. We started out with a small goal to raise seed money, and there were questions, I thought, about how it was going to cost two and a half million (dollars), so we changed it so it what it would actually cost is showing.”

But the brothers said they were leaning toward a less costly option — installing culverts and backfilling limestone, Morgan Dalgety said, in order to meet a mid-March construction deadline. Regulations would prohibit work in the river through sometime in July because of fish spawning. Last week, Gladu said the lag in getting national funding meant the deadline could not be met, potentially leaving the ferry idle another eight months.

Rob Dalgety said even if construction can't start, he and his brother are discussing alternatives. Among those is restarting daily service as a passenger ferry for pedestrians but not vehicles so, he said, people “can at least go and visit” either side of the river.

“We’re throwing options out to get the port running so we’re not closed the whole time,” Dalgety said. “It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but we are talking about it, anyhow.”

On Wednesday, Gladu addressed Canada’s House of Commons about funding for the Bluewater Ferry.

“It’s been 27 days since the border crossing in my riding was crushed by ice from Coast Guard traffic and closed,” she said. “The ferry serves as a much-needed economic link between Canada and the U.S. Now businesses on both sides of the border are threatened with closure, and constituents in my riding are extremely concerned. When will the prime minister take action and get this border crossing open?”

In response, Canadian officials reiterated the belief that the Canadian Coast Guard was on a shipping lane nowhere near the Sombra shoreline on Jan. 11 but agreed to meet with local leaders on the issue. “There’s still meetings, still hope on our side,” Dalgety said. “That even if we can’t get some money and we have to go and get a loan or do something to get up and running because right now, we can’t do anything.”

Do donate to the online campaign, visit www.gofundme.com/savebluewaterferry.

Port Huron Times Herald

[yachtsmanwilly]

2/13 - The clear skies over Michigan today gave us a great look at growing ice on the Great Lakes and the fresh snow over our land.

Great Lakes ice cover percentage has expanded to 69 percent. The ice cover is growing rapidly and very close to doubling in percentage in just the last eight days.

Lake Erie is 91 percent covered with ice. Lake Huron only has 19 percent open water. Lake Superior is now 77 percent covered with ice. Lake Michigan has 51 percent ice cover. Finally, Lake Ontario only has 15 percent ice cover.

This is currently the most ice on the Great lakes since the winter of 2015-2015.

Read more and see the ice map at this link: www.mlive.com/weather/index.ssf/2018/02/view_from_space_shows_growing.html


2/13 - Washington, D.C. – President Donald Trump's budget proposal for next year again calls for drastic cuts in Great Lakes restoration efforts.

Like the budget proposal made about this time last year, Trump is looking to nearly eliminate funding for a $300-million program that helps restore Great Lakes water quality by improving fish habitat, cleaning up polluted waterways and protecting wetlands. Trump's earlier efforts to defund it have so far been rejected, as the program enjoys the support of Republicans as well as Democrats in the Upper Midwest.

Read the full story at this link: www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/02/12/great-lakes-funding-michigan/329654002


POINTE NOIRE was launched February 13, 1926, as a.) SAMUEL MATHER (Hull#792) at Lorain, Ohio by the American Ship Building Co.
February 13, 1897 - PERE MARQUETTE (later named PERE MARQUETTE 15) arrived in Ludington on her maiden voyage, with Captain Joseph "Joe" Russell in command.

1941: The first WESTCLIFFE HALL, overseas to assist in the war effort, was damaged when hit by a bomb while two miles off Whitby High Light. The ship was repaired and returned to the Great Lakes after the war. It last sailed as b) WHEATON in the Misener fleet before scrapping at Hamilton in 1965-1966.

1973: MITERA MARIA loaded street cars on deck during a Great Lakes visit to Toronto in August 1967. The ship sustained fire damage in the engineroom at Karachi, Pakistan, as d) MARBELLA and sold for scrap. The 25-year old vessel was broken up at Gadani Beach in 1974.

[yachtsmanwilly]

2/14 - The new Algoma Central Corp. vessel Algoma Sault departed Davao in the Philippines Feb. 12 as her delivery voyage to the Great Lakes continues. Her AIS is showing an ETA at Balboa for March 17. That would make her arrival in Canada, possibly Sept Iles, around the end of March. The vessel departed the Yangzijiang Shipyard in China on Feb. 3.

This is the Algoma Central Corp.’s third vessel named after Sault Ste. Marie. Her most recent predecessor, Algosoo, which entered service on the lakes in 1974, has been cut up for scrap in Port Colborne, Ont.


2/14 - Toledo, Ohio – Plans for a $700 million iron briquette manufacturing facility along the Maumee River received the green light from state environmental regulators Monday. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency announced it has issued a permit to build the facility, called IronUnits, on part of the former Gulf Oil refinery site on Front Street and Millard Avenue in East Toledo.

The facility, which will be serviced by lake freighter, is to be operated by Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., which has vowed to minimize fugitive dust particles and other forms of pollution.

Local environmentalist Sandy Bihn of Oregon has drawn comparisons to another recently built iron briquette facility in Portland, Texas. There an Austrian steel company called Voestalpine has angered residents for a number of pollution issues, including airborne particles that have settled on area waterways. Loose soot is blamed for turning a stream red.

Both Cleveland-Cliffs and the Ohio EPA are aware of the controversy at the Texas plant and vow a much cleaner, tighter operation at the East Toledo site. The company has said there are many fundamental differences between the Voestalpine plant and the one planned for this area, both in terms of technology and in how material will be stored and managed.

Carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and greenhouse gas pollutants are expected to be emitted along with other pollutants, but the Ohio EPA said none of the emissions will be at levels harmful to public health and the environment. The plant will produce 2.48 million tons of hot-briquetted iron a year, the agency said.

The East Toledo plant is scheduled to begin operation in 2020.

Read more and view photos at this link: www.toledoblade.com/local/2018/02/12/Ohio-EPA-gives-OK-for-iron-briquette-facility-along-Maumee-River.html


MESABI MINER (Hull#906) was launched on this day in 1977, at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. becoming the fourth 1,000-foot bulk carrier on the Great Lakes and Interlake's second. She had been built under Title XI of the Merchant Marine Act of 1970 at a cost of $45.1 million.
Ford Motor Co., looking to expand its fleet, purchased the JOSEPH S. WOOD, a.) RICHARD M. MARSHALL on February 14, 1966, for $4.3 million and renamed her c.) JOHN DYKSTRA. In 1983, she was renamed d.) BENSON FORD. Renamed e.) US.265808, in 1985, she was scrapped at Recife, Brazil in 1987.

On February 14, 1973, the LEADALE’s forward cabins burned during winter lay-up at Hamilton, Ontario and were later repaired. Built in 1910, at Great Lakes Engineering Works (Hull#77) as a,) HARRY YATES, for the American Steamship Co. renamed b.) CONSUMERS POWER in 1934, c.) FRED A. MANSKE in 1958 and d.) LEADALE in 1962. Scrapped at Cartagena, Columbia in 1979.

1997: The SD 14 cargo ship PATRICIA M. was a Seaway trader in 1974 and returned as c) SELATAN in 1991. It was sailing as d) NIKA II when it stranded on a breakwall near Veracruz, Mexico, while inbound, in ballast, to load sugar. The hull was refloated on March 8, towed to an anchorage and declared a total loss. It was broken up for scrap at Tuxpan, Mexico, beginning on April 27, 1997.

2000: ZAFIRO, a Seaway trader in 1984, sank as d) ZAFIR off Calabria, Italy, after a collision with the ESPRESSO CATANIA while carrying 6000 tons of cement clinker. Thirteen sailors were lost or missing.