Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

In 1961, HARRY R JONES, a.) D.G. KERR arrived at her final port of Troon, Scotland, where she was cut up for scrap the same year.
1990: The tug LOIS T. was swamped while docked at Hamilton and sank in a storm. The vessel was pumped out, refloated and repaired. It now serves as the Port Colborne based tug CHARLIE E.

1993: BELLE ISLE, an SD-14 cargo carrier, visited the Seaway when new in 1971. It was sailing as g) VAST OCEAN when it reported in on this day as sailing on the Sea of Japan. It was never heard from again and disappeared with all hands on a voyage from Vanimo, Russia, to Shanghai, China.

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2/16 - Indianapolis, Ind. – The Indiana Supreme Court declared Wednesday in a landmark decision that Lake Michigan's shoreline is open to all, and adjacent property owners cannot exercise exclusive control of the beach between their homes and the water.

The 4-0 ruling by the state's high court definitively sets the ordinary high water mark as the boundary between the state-owned land under Lake Michigan and the interests of private property owners.

The high water mark, essentially the edge of the beach, is defined as the line on the shore established by the fluctuations of water and indicated by physical characteristics, such as a clear and natural line on the bank, shelving or changes in the soil's character.

Justice Mark Massa, writing for the Supreme Court, said the land extending from that line and continuing into and under the water of Lake Michigan was granted to Indiana at statehood, and has continuously been held in trust for Hoosiers since 1816.

Within that area individuals are entitled to access the water for the traditional purposes of navigation, commerce or fishing. The court also said, at a minimum, walking on the beach is a protected public use.

Beyond that, however, the justices said it's up to the General Assembly to decide whether to enact "any enlargement of public rights on the beaches of Lake Michigan."

The ruling settles a longstanding dispute that could have dramatically curtailed public access to the lake, and imperiled Northwest Indiana tourism, had the justices sided with the plaintiffs, Don and Bobbie Gunderson, of Long Beach.

The Gundersons claimed the deed to their lake-adjacent property in LaPorte County showed it extending to the water's edge, regardless of where the water's edge is at any given time. As such, they argued they are entitled to exclusive control over that land — meaning no one can use or access the beach by their house without their permission.

In his 29-page ruling, Massa takes apart the Gundersons' argument by tracing the history of littoral and riparian land rights from ancient English common law, through the U.S. Constitution and into the Indiana Code. He finds that land up to the ordinary high water mark consistently has been recognized as the exclusive province of the sovereign — be it the queen of England or the people of Indiana. And while the state has the right to convey that interest, it has not done so along the shore of Lake Michigan, Massa said.

The state high court ruling still potentially could be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court as the exact boundaries of the portion of Lake Michigan that passed to Indiana at statehood is a question of federal law. Justice Geoffrey Slaughter, a Crown Point native, did not participate in the case. He has family members who own lakefront property in Ogden Dunes.

NW Indiana Times


2/16 - St. Clair, Mich. – There may be no greater symbol of the renaissance going on in towns along the St. Clair River than the $35 million restoration of the iconic St. Clair Inn in the city of St. Clair, Mich., which is expected to reopen in March 2019.

The inn was launched during the golden age of Michigan power boating, when the Chris-Craft, Hacker and Gar Wood boat companies, in plants along and near the St. Clair River, made the power boats that captured the country's fancy and brought manufacturing and wealth to the region.

The St. Clair Rotary Club decided in 1925 that the city should have a grand hotel befitting the area's status as the center of the boating world, and the St. Clair Hotel Corp. was formed. In July that year, a public offering raised $180,000 to build a 60-room hotel. When it opened on Sept. 22, 1926, it was the first U.S. hotel with air conditioning. The inn was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

In 2014, after a long decline under a series of ineffectual owners, the inn closed its doors. It was a gut punch to city and county residents. Generations of high school kids got their first jobs bussing tables or washing dishes there. For decades, members of Kiwanis and the Optimists and the Lions Club held their monthly meetings there. Couples got married there, their kids got married there, and their grandkids got married there.

Read the full story and see photos at this link: www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20180211/news/652621/historic-inn-in-heart-of-st-clair-gets-a-35-million-revival


EDWIN H. GOTT sailed on her maiden voyage February 16, 1979, in ballast from Milwaukee, bound for Two Harbors, Minnesota. This was the first maiden voyage of a laker ever in mid-winter. She was in convoy with three of her fleet mates; CASON J. CALLAWAY, PHILIP R. CLARKE and JOHN G. MUNSON each needing assistance from the U.S.C.G.C. MACKINAW to break through heavy ice 12 to 14 inches thick the length of Lake Superior. The GOTT took part in a test project, primarily by U.S. Steel, to determine the feasibility of year around navigation.
JAMES E. FERRIS was launched February 16, 1910, as the ONTARIO (Hull#71) at Ecorse, Michigan by Great Lakes Engineering Works.

On February 16, 1977, a four-hour fire caused major damage to the crews' forward quarters aboard the W.W. HOLLOWAY while at American Ship Building's South Chicago yard.

February 16, 1939 - The state ferry CHIEF WAWATAM was fast in the ice in the Straits of Mackinac. She freed herself the next day and proceeded to St. Ignace.

The little tug JAMES ANDERSON burned on Long Lake near Alpena, Michigan, on the morning of 16 February 1883. Arson was suspected.

1943: WAR OSIRIS was built at Port Arthur, Ontario, now part of Thunder Bay, in 1918. It was mined and sunk as c) LISTO near Spodsbjerg, Denmark, while enroute from Larvik, Norway, to Emden, Germany, with iron ore.

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IMPERIAL ST. CLAIR participated in an historic special convoy with DOAN TRANSPORT, which carried caustic soda, led by C.C.G.S. GRIFFON arriving at Thunder Bay, Ontario on February 18, 1977. The journey took one week from Sarnia, Ontario through Lake Superior ice as much as six feet thick, and at one point it took four days to travel 60 miles. The trip was initiated to supply residents of the Canadian lakehead with 86,000 barrels of heating oil the reserves of which were becoming depleted due to severe weather that winter.
The b.) JOSEPH S. YOUNG, a.) ARCHERS HOPE, was towed to the Great Lakes via the Mississippi River and arrived at the Manitowoc Ship Building Co., Manitowoc, Wisconsin on February 18, 1957, where her self unloading equipment was installed. This was the last large vessel to enter the Lakes via the Mississippi. She was the first of seven T-2 tanker conversions for Great Lakes service. Renamed c.) H. LEE WHITE in 1969, and d.) SHARON in 1974. SHARON was scrapped at Brownsville, Texas in 1986.

The Murphy fleet was sold on 18 February 1886. The tugs GLADIATOR, KATE WILLIAMS and BALIZE went to Captain Maytham, the tug WILLIAM A. MOORE to Mr. Grummond, the schooner GERRIT SMITH to Captain John E. Winn, and the tug ANDREW J. SMITH to Mr. Preston Brady.

1980: PANAGIS K. arrived at Alexandria, Egypt, on this date and was soon placed under arrest. The ship was idle and in a collision there with NORTH WAVE on January 23, 1981. The hull was abandoned aground, vandalized and, on October 12, 1985, auctioned off for scrap. The ship first traded through the Seaway in 1960 as a) MANCHESTER FAME and returned as b) CAIRNGLEN in 1965, again as c) MANCHESTER FAME in 1967 and as d) ILKON NIKI in 1972.

1983: A fire in the bow area during winter work aboard the Canada Steamship Lines bulk carrier RICHELIEU (ii) at Thunder Bay resulted in the death of three shipyard workers.

2010: The sailing ship CONCORDIA visited the Great Lakes in 2001 and participated in the Tall Ships Festival at Bay City, MI. It sank in the Atlantic about 300 miles off Rio de Janeiro after being caught in a severe squall. All 64 on board were rescued from life rafts after a harrowing ordeal. 2010: The tug ADANAC (Canada spelled backwards) sank at the Essar Steel dock at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It was refloated the next day.

The b.) TROY H. BROWNING, c.) THOMAS F. PATTON was towed from the James River with two other C4s, LOUIS MC HENRY HOWE, b.) TOM M. GIRDLER and MOUNT MANSFIELD, b.) CHARLES M. WHITE, to the Maryland Dry Dock Co., Baltimore, Maryland, February 1951, to be converted to a Great Lakes bulk carrier according to plans designed by J.J. Henry & Co., New York, New York.
Wolf & Davidson of Milwaukee sold the JIM SHERIFFS (wooden propeller, 182 foot, 634 gross tons, built in 1883, at Milwaukee, Wisconsin) to Kelley Island Line on 19 February 1887.

1981: The Indian freighter JYOTI VINOD, a Seaway caller as a) JALAZAD beginning in 1969, departed Bombay with a cargo of jute, general freight and school buses. The nightmare voyage, which proved to be its last, did not reach Tema, Ghana, until December 23, 1981

1992: VIHREN, a Bulgarian built and flagged bulk carrier, was driven on the breakwall at Tuapse, USSR, in severe weather. The vessel later broke in two. The ship first came inland in 1983, headed for Thunder Bay. The two sections of the hull were refloated and each arrived at Aliaga, Turkey, for dismantling in August 1992.

2/19 - Washington Island, Wis. – It’s just a two and a half hour drive from Green Bay, Wis., to the tip of the Door Peninsula where the family owned Washington Island Ferry awaits to take you on a five mile, thirty minute boat ride to another world.

There are 600 full time residents on Washington Island, and the heritage of the islanders is dominated by descendants from Norway and Iceland.

Located in Door County, Wisconsin, the derivation of the name Door derives from the pioneers who dubbed the waters off the tip of the peninsula “Death’s Door”.

Listen to the podcast with Richard Purinton at the ferry docks for an insider’s view of island life and the story of operating one of the only family owned year-round ferry services in America.

View photos and view at this link: kcbx.org/post/wisconsins-ice-breaker-ferry-ride-through-deaths-door#stream/0

2/18 - Welland, Ont. – There’s no border when it comes icebreaking and assisting vessels in and out of Canadian and American ports on the Great Lakes.

Canadian Coast Guard vessels, such as CCGS Griffon and CCGS Samuel Risley, can routinely be found clearing shipping lanes on Lake Erie to places such as Erie, Pa., and to Conneaut and Toledo, Ohio, and American coast guard cutters can be found assisting ships to Port Colborne and Nanticoke and clearing out Thunder Bay.

The two coast guards recently joined forces to break up ice jams that posed a high risk of flooding for communities in Michigan and Ontario on the St. Clair River.

Clearing those shipping routes, breaking out ports and breaking up ice jams are duties the two agencies share on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway system. They recently signed an updated memorandum of understanding on those services.

“With our partners at the United States coast guard we are truly one team supporting the safe, economical and efficient movement of ships in the heart of North America,” said Julie Gascon, assistant commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard’s Central and Arctic Region. “Our updated memorandum allows us to better share information, equipment and personnel between countries. By working together we ensure scheduled vessel traffic can move through the shipping channels and into and out of community harbours.”

Gascon recently signed the updated memorandum of understanding with the United States coast guard Ninth District Commander Rear Admiral Joanna Nunan.

The Canadian Coast Guard Central and Arctic region takes in all of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, while the American Ninth Coast Guard District does the same on the U.S. side. Both deliver multi-mission services in search and rescue, maritime safety and security, environmental protection, aids to navigation and icebreaking.

The updated memorandum of understanding strengthens the mutual commitment for ensuring vital icebreaking operations in the Great Lakes region including the main connecting navigable waterways, Georgian Bay and the St. Lawrence River from Tibbetts Point, N.Y., to as far east as Cornwall, a release from the Canadian Coast Guard said. Similar agreements also exist for search and rescue, environmental response, maritime security and marine communications and traffic services.

It also authorizes the exchange of personnel on coast guard icebreakers. Temporary exchanges, when conditions allow, will enhance familiarity with each other’s procedures when cooperating in shared waters, often on joint missions.

“Our partnership with the Canadian Coast Guard is crucial for our mutual success on the Great Lakes and surrounding waterways,” said Nunan. “As the beginning of this winter’s severe conditions have demonstrated, we need to work together to provide seamless service to our communities and keep commerce flowing,” she said.

Bruce Burrows, president of the Chamber of Marine Commerce, said icebreaking is an important government service, supported by industry fees, that helps the Canadian and U.S. economies. “Ship operators, ports and other stakeholders rely on the joint service of Canadian and U.S. coast guards to clear channel choke points.”

He said the chamber is thankful for the hard-working men and women of both 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,” Burrows said in a release.

He said the shipping industry delivers 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.

“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. 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.”

St. Catharines-based Algoma Central Corp. is one of those companies delivering goods throughout the winter. Its freighters carry road salt from Compass Minerals’ mine in Goderich to U.S. cities such as Milwaukee, Green Bay, Chicago and Detroit.

“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,” Rick Ruzzin, Compass Minerals’ senior director of logistics, said in the chamber release.

He said winter shipping also allows the company 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.

The chamber’s release said Algoma also plans to deliver salt from K+S Windsor’s mine in Windsor to Detroit and Chicago.

Algoma CEO Gregg Ruhl said there’s great demand for Algoma’s shipping services in the winter months. “We could do more to support North American industries with expanded ice-breaking services,” he said in the chamber release.

Algoma also operates three double-hulled tankers that carry product between Imperial Oil’s Nanticoke and Sarnia refineries all-year round, allowing it to produce gasoline, heating oil and other fuels for heavy equipment.

Those tankers also transport fuels to Sault Ste. Marie for homes and businesses throughout the region.

View photos and a video at this link: www.wellandtribune.ca/2018/01/31/icebreaking-a-borderless-issue

2/17 - Benton Harbor, Mich. – President Donald Trump’s proposed 2019 budget cuts funding for the Great Lakes in some areas, but it pledges millions more in another. The budget proposed Monday would appropriate $108.7 million for Great Lakes Navigation Operations and Maintenance, $2.5 million more than last year.

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, a longtime advocate for Lake Michigan harbors, said Wednesday this is great news for southwest Michigan. “This funding is critical towards dredging, operations and maintenance of the Benton Harbor/St. Joseph Harbor and the Holland Harbor,” he said in a news release. “Ensuring our harbors remain open and ready for business is essential to jobs and economic activity up-and-down Southwest Michigan.”

Holland Harbor is to get $600,000 and Benton Harbor/St. Joseph Harbor is to get $1.5 million.

Trump’s 2019 budget would cut the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative by 90 percent. Earlier this week, Upton, in a statement to The Detroit News, said that Michigan deserves better than this.

The budget includes $108.7M for Great Lakes Navigation O&M. This is a $2.5M increase over the 2018 Budget.

Overall the budget includes $40M for dredging 21 projects. Repairs to the Poe, Black Rock, and Chicago Locks were also included in the budget.

Trump is proposing a $4 trillion-plus budget that projects a $1 trillion or so federal deficit, according to the Associated Press.

Herald Palladium

2/17 - The St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp (SLSDC) has ordered an ice-class tug for maintaining the key shipping channel between the North American Great Lakes and the Atlantic. It will likely replace the tug Robinson Bay, built in 1958.

It has ordered a TundRA 3600 design tug from Gulf Island Fabrication to be built at a shipyard in Jennings, La. This tug will operate from Q3 2019 in the U.S territorial limits of the St Lawrence Seaway between Lake Ontario and Massena in New York state.

Its primary function will be operating between the Snell and Eisenhower locks, with typical duties being icebreaking and ice-management services in the winter, handling navigation aid buoys and pushing the SLSDC’s buoy and gate lifter barges. It will also have secondary roles in fire-fighting and pollution response.

Robert Allan designed this 36 m tug with a beam of 13.7 m and navigational draught of 4.9 m. It will be classed by ABS as an Ice Class 1A tug and powered by engines that are compliant with US Environmental Protection Agency Tier 4 requirements.

Tug Technology & Business

2/17 - Ogdensburg, N.Y. – It may be a little-known fact, 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 in a press release. “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, Ont., 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.

“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,” Rick Ruzzin, senior director, logistics, Compass Minerals, said.

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 also 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.”

North Country Now

2/17 - Sarnia, Ont. – Sarnia might need to keep closer tabs on the riverbed in its harbor, but measuring its depth costs about $20,000 every time. That’s according to a report to city council from Peter Hungerford, Sarnia’s recently retired director of economic development and corporate planning.

His six-page report details the $3.5-million dredging project that ultimately resulted in at least 31,800 cubic metres of sediment being trucked to land at Sarnia’s airport about a year ago. Ongoing bathymetry is being recommended to see how quickly sediment pushed down from Lake Huron moves into the harbor again.

There’ve been no decisions yet about what the City of Sarnia will do, said city solicitor Scott McEachran. “We’ll have to look at whether we go every other year, what the plan is,” he said. “And if things haven’t changed much, we may try to stretch out that time as well.”

It depends on what the results are, he said. “If there’s almost no change in two years, then we may be able to stretch it out maybe three or four years.”

Hungerford has previously said dredging normally occurs every eight to 10 years. He also recommended 12-18 months lead-up before any future dredging project for permitting, soil sampling, and testing for potential fish species at risk.

The sediment dredged in late 2016 and early 2017 was too contaminated – with hydrocarbons, metals and other compounds – for open water disposal, and was trucked to the airport instead. It met provisions for disposal on land at the airport, city officials have said.

When the harbor was still property of the Government of Canada, about one third of the 25,000 cubic metres dredged in 2008 was contaminated and had to be disposed of on land, Hungerford said, in the report. The balance was tugged to open water about 16 kilometres away, he said.

The harbor and $8.4 million was divested to the City of Sarnia in 2014. About $3.2 million of that sum remains. The recent dredge is the first with the City of Sarnia at the helm.

Hungerford’s report is a result of a recent council request for information about past harbor dredging. It’s anybody’s guess how much if any of the sediment will be too contaminated for open water disposal when dredging is required next, McEachran said.

The latest project brought depth to 8.4 metres below datum – long-term average water level, Hungerford said a year ago. An extra 0.2 metres was dug at the Sydney Smith dock, he said, where computer modeling shows sediment fills in faster.

Meanwhile legal talks are still ongoing between the city and contractors involved in the project, McEachran. Contractor Ocean Dredging DM Inc. has claimed extra costs and issued a $4-million construction lien against the property. The company believes the city underestimated the job when it was put out for tender; Sarnia’s stance is the company overdredged.

Various subcontractors are also involved in the lien. It’s unclear exactly how much sediment was removed.

Sarnia Observer

2/17 - Sturgeon Bay, Wis. – The vessels that have harbored for the winter in Sturgeon Bay are quite a sight to behold, and have attracted the eye of many local residents. Today, Justin Steinbrinck received a rare opportunity to come aboard one of these massive ships to learn more about their use and time in the Great Lakes, as well as hear all about the importance of their connection to Sturgeon Bay.

We were joined by representatives from Ficantieri Bay Shipbuilding, local historian and photographer Chris Winters who has had the opportunity to take images of the vessels to be remembered into the future, as well as members of the Door County Maritime Museum.

Read more and view videos at this link: fox11online.com/good-day-wi/climbing-aboard-a-1000-foot-ship-in-sturgeon-bay

[yachtsmanwilly]

2/20 - Traverse City, Mich. – Consumers Energy will phase out electricity production from coal by 2040 to slash emissions of heat-trapping gases that cause global warming, the Michigan utility's president and CEO told The Associated Press.

The utility plans to generate 40 percent of its power from renewable sources such as wind and solar energy by then, Patti Poppe said in an interview ahead of the public announcement Monday. She said the utility will also will rely on natural gas, hydropower and improved efficiency to meet customer needs.

Consumers Energy and DTE Energy Co., which supply most of Michigan's electricity, are among many U.S. providers moving away from coal even as President Donald Trump's administration boosts fossil fuels and seeks to unravel former President Barack hateful muslim traitor's policies that promoted cleaner power.

"We believe that climate change is real and we can do our part by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, and we also believe it doesn't have to cost more to do it," Poppe said. "We believe we're going to be on the right side of history on this issue."

Coal, some of which moves by Great Lakes freighter, is becoming less competitive as the cost of producing renewable energy steadily falls, she added.

Environmental groups praised the move after the utility officially announced the move Monday. But they also urged the utility to make the transition from coal to renewable sources in less than 22 years.

Power companies are under increasing pressure to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, which are trapping heat in the atmosphere and promoting what scientists describe as a dangerously warming climate that will endanger human health and natural systems.

A 2016 state law set a renewables target for Michigan utilities of 15 percent by 2021. Environmentalists are circulating petitions for a statewide ballot initiative that would require 30 percent by 2030, which Consumers Energy and DTE have criticized as unnecessary.

Poppe told the AP that Consumers Energy will file a plan by June with the Michigan Public Service Commission with a detailed timetable for phasing out coal and supplying its customers with power from a mix of renewable and traditional sources. Commission approval will be needed before the utility can proceed.

The utility closed seven of its 12 coal-fired plants in 2016, which the company said had lowered its carbon generation by 38 percent from 2008 levels. Its long-term strategy will yield an 80 percent reduction in carbon emissions, Poppe said.

Rapidly developing technology and falling prices are making green energy more cost-effective than it was even a decade ago, when many in the industry warned that mandating use of renewables would drive up rates. Particularly helpful are improvements of systems for storing renewable energy for use when the wind isn't blowing or skies are cloudy, Poppe said.

Consumers Energy owns two wind turbine farms and buys power from a third. It co-owns with DTE a hydroelectric plant on Lake Michigan. The utility says it is upgrading its natural gas infrastructure around the state.

The Associated Press


2/20 - Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. – The date, May 4, 1889 marks the launching of a ship that was built by the Detroit Dry Dock company under the name S.S. Manchester.

One of the unique features of this ship was that it had a composite hull meaning that the hull was constructed with iron frames and keel with wooden planking. The Manchester carried a variety of cargo around the ports of the Great Lakes for many years. It was sold several times, undergoing a number of name changes in the following years.

In 1928 it was converted to a crane-equipped vessel. On December 31, 1945 the ship was sold to Captain Feliciano Manzzutti from Sault Ste. Marie.

He made the final name change for this ship on June 3, 1946 when it became known as the Yankcanuck of the Yankcanuck Transportation Company. The ship name relates directly back to the husband and wife owners. Eleanor Manzzutti was an American (Yank) while Captain Manzzutti was a Canadian (Canuck) so a combination of the two terms produced Yankcanuck.

However after sailing the Great Lakes for 70 years, the last composite hulled steamer on the Great Lakes suffered damage forcing the decision to have it dismantled and set on fire at Saw Mill Bay in 1960.

However, it did not take long to resurrect the ship name and construction of a new ship began on September 20, 1962 in Collingwood Ontario when the keel was laid. The M.V. Yankcanuck was built by Canadian Shipbuilding and Engineering for Yankcanuck Steamship Limited.

On April 27, 1963, in front of invited guests, spectators, and officials, the new Yankcanuck was christened with the traditional bottle of champagne.

Read more and view a photo gallery at this link: www.sootoday.com/columns/remember-this/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-the-yankcanuck-842455


2/20 - Portage, Ind. – The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor welcomed a unique visitor Monday. Big Hope 1, a bright pink barge owned by Ceres Barge Line, made its first appearance at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor travelling from the Tulsa Port of Catoosa up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers to reach the port.

The barge’s cargo – a large storage tank measuring 171 feet in length and 342,000 pounds bound for a refinery in the Midwest – is being unloaded by port stevedore Federal Marine Terminals (FMT).

Big Hope 1 has generated more than $861,000 in donations to Mary Crowley Cancer Research since its launch in 2012. The mission of Mary Crowley Cancer Research is to expand treatment options for all cancer patients through investigational vaccine, gene, and cellular therapies. Ceres Barge Line employee, Vince Schu and his wife Julie, conceived Big Hope 1 to bring cancer awareness to the shipping industry as they both have family members affected by cancer.

“‘Big Hope 1’ was built by Ceres Barge and painted pink for cancer awareness,” said Vince Schu. “She launched in 2012 from Jeff Boat in Jeffersonville, Ind., after she received her pink paint, which was donated by Sherwin Williams. Since then, the barge has been traveling the inland waterways raising funds and awareness for cancer research.

“The money is used to help offset costs for patients receiving clinical testing,” he added. “The name ‘Big Hope’ was selected as most of the patients at Mary Crowley have some type of stage 4 cancer and this is their last hope for treatment. Mary Crowley Cancer Research creates a medicine based on patients’ individual DNA and cancer type. They have made great strides and with continued support may someday find a cure.”

Both FMT and the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor contributed a portion of the revenues generated by the shipment to Mary Crowley Cancer Research.

“It’s an honor to have Big Hope 1 at our port,” said Burns Harbor Port Director Ian Hirt. “We are proud to help promote awareness and support for this important cancer research effort.”


2/20 - Washington Island, Wis. – It’s just a two and a half hour drive from Green Bay, Wis., to the tip of the Door Peninsula where the family owned Washington Island Ferry awaits to take you on a five mile, thirty minute boat ride to another world.

There are 600 full time residents on Washington Island, and the heritage of the islanders is dominated by descendants from Norway and Iceland.

Located in Door County, Wisconsin, the derivation of the name Door derives from the pioneers who dubbed the waters off the tip of the peninsula “Death’s Door”.

Listen to the podcast with Richard Purinton at the ferry docks for an insider’s view of island life and the story of operating one of the only family owned year-round ferry services in America.

View photos and view at this link: kcbx.org/post/wisconsins-ice-breaker-ferry-ride-through-deaths-door#stream/0


On February 20, 1959, Interlake Steamship Co.’s HERBERT C. JACKSON (Hull #302) was launched at Great Lakes Engineering Works in River Rouge, Michigan.
The Canadian Coast Guard Icebreaker DES GROSEILLIERS (Hull #68) was launched February 20, 1982, at St. Catharines, Ontario by Port Weller Drydocks Ltd.

On 20 February 1903, the straight-deck steamer G. WATSON FRENCH (steel propeller, 376 foot, 3,785 gross tons) was launched at W. Bay City, Michigan by West Bay City Ship Building Co. (Hull #608). She lasted until 1964, when she was scrapped by Lakehead Scrap Metal Co. at Fort William, Ontario. The other names she had during her career were b.) HENRY P. WERNER in 1924, c.) JOHN J. BOLAND in 1937, and d.) ALGOWAY in 1947.

1940: A fire broke out in the cargo hold of the package freighter KING at Buffalo when insulation, being installed for refrigeration purposes, ignited. Several firemen were overcome by the smoke, but damage to the ship was negligible.

[yachtsmanwilly]

2/21 - Detroit, Mich. – The Coast Guard conducted two ice rescues on Saginaw Bay Sunday, rescuing one man who had fallen through the ice while on an ATV and another man who became stranded while ice fishing.

The Coast Guard was contacted by Bay City emergency 911 stating that an ice fisherman about two miles off of Pinconning State Park, heard someone screaming for help at approximately 7:30 a.m.

A Coast Guard Sector Detroit command center watchstander issued an urgent marine information broadcast and launched a Coast Guard Station Saginaw River ice rescue team and an Air Station Detroit aircrew.

The ice rescue team trailered an airboat to Pinconning State Park and launched onto the ice. With the help of Bay City Fire Department on shore, the ice rescue team was able to locate the 52-year-old within 10 minutes, about two miles offshore. At the same time, the helicopter crew also arrived on scene and deployed a rescue swimmer onto the ice.

The man was pulled out of the water and onto the airboat. He was hoisted and transported by Coast Guard helicopter to St. Mary’s Hospital suffering from severe hypothermia.

In the second case, an ice rescue crew from Station Saginaw River rescued a fisherman at about 4:30 pm. after he became stranded on ice on Saginaw Bay about eight miles east of Pinconning State Park. The man had spent the previous night on the ice and was unable to return to shore after a crack developed around his shanty.

The Coast Guard is urging people to stay off of all ice as warmer temperatures, rain and wind continue to weaken ice. In addition, fog will make it easier for a person to become disoriented. Conditions are becoming extremely dangerous. Decisions to venture out onto the ice can be deadly.

USCG

2/21 - The opening of the 2018 navigation season is scheduled to take place on the following dates and times

Soo Locks March 25.

March 29 at 8 a.m.
• Welland Canal: March 29 at 8 a.m.
• Montreal / Lake Ontario Section. Vessel transits will be subject to weather and ice conditions. Restrictions may apply in some areas until lighted navigation aids have been installed.


2/21 - The Canadian Coast Guard has been called in to help alleviate flooding concerns at the mouth of the Grand River. The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Griffon will arrive Tuesday near Port Maitland, where the Grand flows into Lake Erie, to attempt to break up an ice jam.

If the ice jam were left unchecked, it could cause sudden and unpredictable flooding in the area.

Coast Guard officials say recreational users of the ice around Port Maitland should stay away on Tuesday and remove any fishing huts that may still be in place. Ice conditions will remain unsafe in the area for several days.

The CCGS Griffon was previously brought to the Grand River to break up ice in 2011.

CTV


2/21 - The last of CSL’s lakers was laid up for the 2017-18 season on Saturday, February 17, marking the close of one of the most challenging and dangerous end-of seasons in recent history. Through ice, wind, sleet and snow, CSL crewmembers managed to bring in all ships safely and professionally. In this new video, members of CSL’s shore-side team express their gratitude for a job well done.

www.cslships.com/en/media-center/news-events/end-season-thank-you-csls-canadian-seafarers-behalf-shore-side-team


EDWIN H. GOTT arrived at Two Harbors, Minnesota, (her first trip) February 21, 1979, with the loss of one of her two rudders during her transit of Lake Superior. The other rudder post was also damaged. She was holed in her bow and some of her cargo hold plating ruptured as a result of frozen ballast tanks. Even the icebreaker MACKINAW suffered damage to her port propeller shaft on the trip across frozen Lake Superior.
At Port Weller Drydocks Ltd., the keel of the new bow section for HILDA MARJANNE was laid on February 21, 1961, while at the same time the tanker hull forward of her engine room bulkhead was being cut away.

On 21 February 1929, SAPPHO (wooden propeller passenger ferry, 107 foot, 224 gross tons, built in 1883, at Wyandotte, Michigan) burned at her winter lay-up dock in Ecorse, Michigan. She had provided 46 years of service ferrying passengers across the Detroit River. She was neither repaired nor replaced since the Ambassador Bridge was nearing completion.

[yachtsmanwilly]

2/22 - Shipments rose 7.7 percent last year at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor, which helped set a three-year cargo record for the second straight year.

Steel shipments grew 38 percent last year to the deepwater port on the Lake Michigan shoreline in Portage and Burns Harbor, while large dimensional cargoes increased by 27 percent.

That included the most valuable shipment to ever pass through an Indiana part: the ICARUS liquid argon particle hunter that was shipped from Switzerland to the U.S. Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois, last summer.

Overall, the Ports of Indiana handled 11.8 million tons of cargo in 2017. It was a five person increase over the previous year and the second highest amount in the ports' 57-year history.

It was also the fourth straight year the Ports of Indiana handled more than 10 million tons, a 50 percent increase over the previous four-year period.

"Ports of Indiana experienced a historic year and we look forward to extending our growth spurt in 2018," CEO Rich Cooper said. "The arrival of world-class companies like Metro Ports and POSCO Steel in 2017, combined with unprecedented shipping levels at Mount Vernon and the development of major expansions at Jeffersonville and Burns Harbor, have the Ports of Indiana well positioned to help drive long-term future growth of Indiana businesses and our state economy."

A major expansion is planned at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor, which will get federal funds to build two new rail yards, a new shipping berth, a truck marshalling yard and a new cargo terminal for transfers between ships, barges, rail cars, and trucks.

"Investing in our infrastructure is critical to the ports' ongoing growth," Ports of Indiana Vice President Jody Peacock said. "Developing new cargo terminals, unit train capabilities and intermodal facilities are required to maintain a modern port system that provides our customers with access to global markets and a sustainable competitive advantage. All three of our ports also became 'fiber ready' in 2017, and we're continuing to look for ways our ports can add value for existing businesses and attract new multimodal companies to Indiana."

NW Indiana Times


2/22 - Midland, Ont. – A group is hoping the town of Midland will accept a deal to take in the S.S. Keewatin.

Time may be ticking on a proposal to keep the historic S.S. Keewatin steamship along the shores of Georgian Bay. The Titanic-era steamer was brought to Port McNicoll by Skyline International and restored into a tourist attraction. The harbor lands have since been sold and the Keewatin needs a new home.

“The history of the Great Lakes is focused in this area right around here and the volunteers that helped build the ship and help build this business all come from the Midland area,” says Eric Conroy, a spokesperson with the Friends of the Keewatin.

Skyline is offering to give the ship to Midland, along with $2 million in incentives to help move and maintain it. In exchange, Skyline wants a tax receipt. The ship was recently appraised at $48 million. The mayor says it's a big request to consider.

“Council will review the basic information then decide if it has enough merit to go to staff in which case it will go to staff who will do an analyses,” says Mayor Gord McKay.

Skyline is proposing the ship be moved to the town dock until a permanent home can be created at the former coal docks known as the Unimin site. “We have the best historic area in all of Canada with Sainte Marie, the shrine, Discovery Harbour, Huronia museum and Keewatin all in one place they should be kept all in one place,” says Conroy.

Skyline made its pitch to Midland council on Monday night and wants councillors to make a decision by March 19. It says there are other parties interested in buying the ship and possibly moving it out of the region.

CTV News


2/22 - Marinette, Wis. – On Monday the U.S. Navy awarded five different companies including Marinette Marine Corporation a $15M contract to evolve the design of the FREMM-frigate into the next generation U.S. Navy guided missile frigate. The FREMM design is from Marinette Marine's parent company, Fincantieri, based in Italy. Currently the Italian design is in service as an anti-submarine frigate with the Italian, and French Navies and is part of the next generation of frigates for the Royal Australian Navy.

Closely matched to U.S. Navy requirements, there are six FREMM frigates in service with the Italian Navy and have successfully completed multi-role missions worldwide.

The design changes are being put together by Marinette Marine's American design team. If the company wins the post-design construction contract with the U.S. Navy these future FFG(X) ships would be built at Fincantieri shipyards in the United States.

According to the company's website, the shipyards operated in the United States are at Marinette Marine and Sturgeon Bay, with a repair facility in Ohio.

Marinette Marine's and Fincantieri has been building the Freedom class variant of the U.S. Navy's Litoral Combat Ship (LCS) in Marinette, Wisconsin.

Fincantieri CEO Giuseppe Bono addressed the design contract award by saying “We are committed to continue to play a part in the development of the U.S. Navy’s small surface combatant strategy, central to our customer’s long-term goals for fleet size, and the growth of export for the American shipbuilding industry.”

The navy also awarded 15-million dollar design contracts to Austal USA, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics Bath Ironworks and Huntington Ingalls Industries. The U.S. Navy will evaluate the designs over the next 16 months and send a final request for proposal out in 2019 with an anticipated construction contract awarded in 2020.

WeAreGreenBay.com


On 22 February 1920, the Goodrich Line’s ALABAMA (steel propeller passenger/package freight steamer, 272 foot, 2,626 gross tons, built in 1909, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin) ran aground on a concrete obstruction which was the foundation of the old water-intake crib in Lake Michigan off Belmont Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. The SIDNEY O. NEFF (wooden package freighter, 149 foot, 346 gross tons, built in 1890, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin) took off the ALABAMA’s cargo and then harbor tugs pulled the ALABAMA free. Repairs to her hull took the rest of the winter and she didn’t return to service until May 1920.
February 22, 1925 - The ANN ARBOR NO 7 made her maiden voyage. On 22 February 1878, the 156 foot wooden freighter ROBERT HOLLAND was purchased by Beatty & Co. of Sarnia for $20,000.

1942: The Great Lakes canal-sized bulk carrier GEORGE L. TORIAN of the Upper Lakes and St. Lawrence Transportation Co. had been requisitioned for saltwater service in the bauxite trade in 1941. The ship was torpedoed by U-129 off the coast of British Guiana in position 09.13 N / 59.04 W and sank quickly. Most of the crew were killed.

1945: H.M.C.S. TRENTONIAN was a Flower Class naval corvette that had been built by the Kingston Shipbuilding Company and completed at Kingston, Ontario, on December 1, 1943. It was torpedoed and sunk by U-1004 near Falmouth, England, and went down stern first. Six on board, one officer and 5 enlisted crew members, were lost.

[skycheney]

I guess they should have just left the Keewatin in Douglas.

[yachtsmanwilly]

I give the project 10 years before she goes to the breakers. Vast projects with half vast ideas! ws

[yachtsmanwilly]

2/23 - Cleveland, Ohio – The state of Ohio and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have settled a lawsuit filed over the dredging of the Cleveland Harbor and Cuyahoga River shipping channel in 2016.

The settlement requires Army Corps to bear the cost of placing the sludge from the bottom of the river into containment dikes in 2016 and 2017.

The settlement, noted in a document filed in federal court Wednesday, resolves agreements the state made that it would reimburse the Army Corps for any costs associated with placing sediment into facilities if it lost its lawsuit.

In past years, the Army Corps has fought demands by the state to dispose of sediment dredged from the shipping channel into containment dikes instead of in Lake Erie, arguing that the sediment would not adversely harm the lake's ecosystem. At issue was the sediment dredged of the sixth mile, which serves the ArcelorMittal steel mill.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency said the sludge would pollute the lake. The Army Corps eventually relented, dredging in 2015, 2016 and 2017 and placing the sediment into dikes.

Senior U.S. District Judge Donald Nugent ruled in a separate lawsuit in May that the Army Corps abused its discretion in 2015 when it decided the sludge was suitable to be dumped into Lake Erie.

Ohio EPA spokeswoman Heidi Griesmer said in an email that "we are happy to put this dispute behind us. We hope to work cooperatively with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the future."

The Army Corps has already received a water quality certification for its 2018 dredging project, its spokesman Andrew Kornacki previously said.

Kornacki said Wednesday that he could not address the settlement, but said the Army Corps has worked well with the state over the past year. There are plans to dredge the harbor as early as May 2018 and to place the sediment into a disposal facility, he said.

Cleveland Plain Dealer


EDWIN H. GOTT arrived at Two Harbors, Minnesota, (her first trip) February 23, 1979, with the loss of one of her two rudders during her transit of Lake Superior. The other rudder post was also damaged. She was holed in her bow and some of her cargo hold plating ruptured as a result of frozen ballast tanks. Even the icebreaker MACKINAW suffered damage to her port propeller shaft on the trip across frozen Lake Superior.
At Port Weller Drydocks Ltd., the keel of the new bow section for HILDA MARJANNE was laid on February 23, 1961, while at the same time the tanker hull forward of her engine room bulkhead was being cut away.

On 23 February 1929, SAPPHO (wooden propeller passenger ferry, 107 foot, 224 gross tons, built in 1883, at Wyandotte, Michigan) burned at her winter lay-up dock in Ecorse, Michigan. She had provided 46 years of service ferrying passengers across the Detroit River. She was neither repaired nor replaced since the Ambassador Bridge was nearing completion.

[yachtsmanwilly]

2/26 - Montreal, QC – A crew of American sailors who found themselves stranded in Montreal because of ice in the St. Lawrence River decided to make the best of their unexpected shore leave and lent a hand at a local homeless shelter.

The crew of the newly commissioned USS Little Rock left Buffalo, N.Y. on Dec. 16 to head to Mayport, Fla. through Halifax. But the sudden cold snap just before Christmas led to the early formation of ice on the St. Lawrence Seaway, forcing the ship – which is not designed to operate in ice – to come to a halt in Montreal on Christmas Eve.

With the ice unlikely to break up until the end of March, the 70-member crew has been stuck in the Port of Montreal with little else to do besides practice mission training exercises.

When Nancy Dossous, the volunteer co-ordinator at the local Welcome Hall Mission, heard about the crew, she decided to reach out. “We saw this as a great opportunity. We have over 3,000 people that benefit from the food they receive for free every week here at the Marche Bonne Acceuil. So I thought sailors that are stuck here, let's see if we can make something happen,” she told CTV Montreal.

Last Friday, a few of the sailors arrived to help unload boxes and serve food to some of those who come to the Welcome Hall market to stock up on groceries. The sailors want to keep a low profile while in Montreal and were not able to do interviews, but Dossous says her team gave them a warm welcome.

Sailors have always been close to Dossous’s heart; her own father was a veteran of the U.S. Navy.

“So as an American, I was super-excited to bring these American sailors here, but also as a Montrealer, I'm really excited to show them how we reach out to those in need, how we respond to immigrants, how we respond to families living under the poverty line," she said.

The mission is always in need of volunteers to help with sorting and distributing food and clothing – particularly during the cold winter months. “Sometimes, you feel like you need a small army to get this done -- which is great because we have the Navy today,” she said.

View a video here: www.ctvnews.ca/canada/stranded-u-s-sailors-help-out-at-montreal-mission-1.3817561


The completed hull of the BELLE RIVER (Hull#716) was floated off the ways February 26, 1977, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin by Bay Shipbuilding Corp. Renamed b.) WALTER J. MC CARTHY JR in 1990.
JOSEPH L. BLOCK (Hull#715) was launched February 26, 1976, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin by Bay Shipbuilding Corp.

On 26 February 1874, the tug WILLIAM LIVINGSTONE JR. was launched at Port Huron Dry Dock. Her dimensions were 151 feet overall, 25 foot 6 inches beam, and 13 foot depth. Her machinery was built by Phillerick & Christy of Detroit and was shipped by rail to Port Huron. She cost $45,000. Her master builder was Alex Stewart.

On 26 February 1876, the MARY BELL (iron propeller, 58 foot, 34 gross tons, built in 1870, at Buffalo, New York) burned near Vicksburg, Michigan.

The Liberty ship BASIL II, a Seaway visitor in 1960, ran aground on a reef off the west coast of New Caledonia as EVER PROSPERITY in 1965 and was abandoned as a total loss.

1947: The T-2 tanker ROYAL OAK came to the Great Lakes in 1966 as b) TRANSBAY and was rebuilt at Lorain. The vessel departed later in the year as c) TRANSHURON. But as a) ROYAL OAK, it caught fire on this day in the Pacific off Esmeraldas, Ecuador, and had to be abandoned by the crew. The vessel was later reboarded and the fires extinguished. The listing vessel almost sank but it was salvaged and rebuilt for Cities Service Oil.

1981: A spark from a welder's torch ignited a blaze aboard the MONTCLIFFE HALL, undergoing winter work at Sarnia. The fire did major damage to the pilothouse and accommodations area, but the repairs were completed in time for the ship to resume trading on May 27, 1981. It was still sailing in 2013 as d) CEDARGLEN (ii).

1986: ANGELA SMITS, a Seaway trader for the first time in 1983, developed a severe list and was abandoned by the crew on a voyage from Norway to Australia. The hull was sighted, semi-submerged, later in the day in position 47.38 N / 07.36 W and was believed to have sunk in the Atlantic.

1998: The Abitibi tug NIPIGON was active on Lake Superior and often towed log booms from the time it was built at Sorel in 1938 until perhaps the 1960s. The vessel also saw work on construction projects for different owners, and left the Seaway for the sea on December 12, 1988. It was operating as b) FLORIDA SEAHORSE when it sank in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana. All 5 on board were rescued.

2011: Fire broke out on the bridge of DINTELBORG while enroute from the Netherlands to Virginia. The ship was taken in tow the next day by the ROWAN M. McALLISTER out of Providence, R.I. The repaired Dutch freighter was back through the Seaway later in 2011. The tug was also a Seaway caller in 2012, coming inland to tow the fire ravaged PATRICE McALLISTER back to Providence.

CREEK TRANSPORT was launched this day in 1910, as a.) SASKATOON (Hull#256) at Sunderland, England, by Sunderland Shipbuilding Co.
1964: CISSOULA, a Greek freighter that visited the Seaway in 1961 and 1965, was abandoned after a collision in fog with the Swedish vessel SOLKLINT off Selsey Bill in the English Channel. The damaged freighter was taken in tow and repaired. It was delivered to shipbreakers at Hsinkang, China, on September 24, 1969.

1968: AZAR first came to the Great Lakes as c) CELESTE in 1960 and returned with one trip under this, her fifth name, in 1967. The Liberian-registered, but Canadian-built freighter went aground off Cuba enroute from Venezuela to Tampa, Florida. The ship suffered extensive damage when it caught fire on February 29 and was declared a constructive total loss. It is believed that the hull was dismantled locally.

1978: The Italian freighter ANTONIO was the last saltwater ship to transit the Welland Canal in 1965. It ran aground off Chios Island, Greece, enroute from Constanza, Romania, to Vietnam as e) OMALOS. The ship was refloated on March 1 but laid up at Piraeus, Greece, and subsequently sold, at auction, for scrap. The vessel was broken up at Megara, Greece, beginning on June 13, 1983.

1979: The Panamanian freighter d) FENI was damaged in a collision on the Black Sea at Sulina Roads, Romania, with ATLANTIS STAR and had to be beached. The ship was refloated on February 28 and repaired. It had been a Seaway trader as a) DEERWOOD in 1960 and returned as b) SEBASTIANO in 1969. The ship was scrapped as f) SIRLAD at Split, Yugoslavia, following an explosion off Algeria, on January 3, 1982.

1994: BANDERAS visited the Great Lakes from 1975 through the 1980s. It was abandoned by the crew off the coast of Brazil as b) AEGEAN TRADER due to a fire in the accommodation area. The vessel was towed to Valencia, Spain, to be unloaded and arrived at Aliaga, Turkey, for scrapping as c) EGE TRADE on August 11, 1994.

The Pittsburgh Steamship Co.’s RICHARD V. LINDABURY (Hull#783) was launched February 24, 1923, at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. Purchased by S & E Shipping (Kinsman) in 1978, renamed b.) KINSMAN INDEPENDENT. She was scrapped at Aliaga, Turkey in 1988.
The founder of Arnold Transit Co., long-time ferry operators between Mackinac Island and the mainland, George T. Arnold filed the Articles of Association on Feb. 24, 1900.

On 24 February 1920, TALLAC (formerly SIMON J. MURPHY and MELVILLE DOLLAR, steel propeller, 235 foot, built in 1895, at W. Bay City, Michigan) was on a voyage from Colon, Panama to Baltimore, Maryland, when she stranded and was wrecked 18 miles south of Cape Henry, Virginia.

1975: The MOHAMEDIA foundered in the Red Sea enroute from Djibouti to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with a cargo of livestock that included 1300 cattle, 700 sheep and 118 camels. One member of the crew was also lost. The vessel had been a Seaway trader as b) ULYSSES CASTLE in 1969 and c) ITHAKI CASTLE in 1973.

1976: FRAMPTONDYKE visited the Seaway in 1969. It sank following a collision with the ODIN in the English Channel enroute from Rotterdam, Netherlands, to Cork, Ireland, as b) WITTERING. All on board were rescued.

2/24 - St. Joseph, Mich. – The Coast Guard and local agencies are conducting house-to-house rescues and assisting with evacuations in southwest Michigan experiencing flooding from the St. Joseph River.

A watchstander at Coast Guard Station St. Joseph received a call at 8:15 a.m. Thursday requesting a welfare check on two people living in a mandatory evacuation zone in Sodus Township, approximately three miles east of St. Joseph. The station personnel requested assistance from the Sodus Township Fire Department. Fire department personnel were unable to reach the persons after arriving on scene due to the water level and location of the two people in distress.

Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan command center launched response crews from Station St. Joseph. The Coast Guard crew arrived on scene at 8:45 a.m. and were able to assist the two persons from their flooded residence.

Crews from Coast Guard stations St. Joseph and Michigan City, Ind., and local agencies to include Royalton Township and Sodus Fire Departments, are conducting similar rescues and evacuations from flooded neighborhoods. More than 40 people have been rescued along with numerous pets.

"These operations highlight our inter-agency cooperation and notable working relationship between the Coast Guard and local responders," noted Lt. Cmdr. Bryan Swintek, search and rescue coordinator for Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan. "This is a result of our collective training between Station St. Joseph and partnering agencies."

USCG

2/24 - Cleveland, Ohio – Reporting solid numbers during the 2017 navigation season and looking ahead to an even stronger 2018, the Port of Cleveland has announced developments aimed at continuing to build Northeast Ohio’s global competitiveness.

More than 200 leaders, experts and influencers from across the maritime industry gathered in Cleveland for the 2018 Great Lakes Waterways Conference on February 6 and 7. The annual bi-national meeting between the US and Canada focused on topics including autonomous technology, government partnerships, wind energy and vessel safety.

In 2017, the port saw an overall increase in economic activity including handling 464,000 metric tons of general cargo (iron, steel and steel slabs). “International tonnage increased almost 20 percent compared to 2016 due to increased business in a number of sectors, including non-containerized steel, imported containers, and a number of project cargo moves to various power plants around the Midwest,” says Dave Gutheil, Vice President, Maritime & Logistics at Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority.

In 2017, the port also welcomed nine passenger vessels to Cleveland, which brought 1,500 passengers to the city. “We expect this number to double during the 2018 season,” says Gutheil. “The rise in luxury and sight-seeing cruises speaks to the growing tourism sector in Greater Cleveland.”

These water-based trips, ranging from sightseeing and customized dining to private charters on Lake Erie and along the Cuyahoga River, typically showcase points of interest including historic bridges, lighthouses, a Coast Guard station, Cleveland’s distinctive skyline and more.

Acting as a critical gateway between Northeast Ohio and the global economy, the port handles a variety of cargoes including steel, wind turbine components and bulk products. It is one of the largest ports on the Great Lakes and the first major US port of call on the Great Lakes for ships transiting the St. Lawrence Seaway. Over 20,000 jobs and $3.5 billion in annual economic activity are tied to the roughly 13 million tons of cargo that move through Cleveland Harbor each year.

“Since 1968, the port has been a critical engine for our community, a key to Northeast Ohio’s global competitiveness and an important partner in building Cuyahoga County’s future,” says Jade Davis, Vice President, External Affairs at Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority. “As we prepare to celebrate our 50th Anniversary year, we look forward to continued growth and exciting developments that will impact our region in a positive way.”

American Journal of Transportation


2/24 - Beauharnois, Que. – After about six and a half years, and thanks to the mayor of Beauharnois, the demolition of Kathryn Spirit has been underway since January. But it was only around Feb. 15 that it became more visible with the dismantling of external sections.

Kathryn Spirit was built as Swedish-flag Holmsund in 1967 by AB Lindholmens Varv at Gothenburg, Sweden. In 1997 Holmsund was sold to a Norwegian operator for service between the Great Lakes and Europe and renamed Menominee. McKeil Marine Ltd of Hamilton, Ont., purchased Menominee in 2006, renaming her Kathryn Spirit and transferring her to Canadian registry. She was primarily used for the transport of bulk commodities on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway.

In 2011, after a period of lay-up, Kathryn Spirit was sold to the Groupe St-Pierre for scrapping. The company decided that they would carry out the demolition at Beauharnois in the Greater Montreal area on the shores of Lake Saint-Louis. The mayor of Beauharnois opposed the operation, even though it would take place in an area zoned for industry, due to fears about environmental pollution.

2/24 - Picton, Ont. – There’s a steady rumble on the Sheri Lynn S, one that can easily be heard above the sound of the icebreaking tugboat’s two powerful engines. Thick chunks of ice bounce off the steel hull as it pushes its way through the channel between Amherst Island and the mainland.

Operating out of the H.R. Doornekamp Construction Ltd.’s Picton Terminals, the tugboat is a new addition to local waters. “This is all new for this company,” said Capt. Joe Farish, who this winter has been at the helm of the tug, breaking ice between the Picton area and Howe Island.

Much of the tug’s time has been spent keeping the channels open around the Amherst Island ferry docks during their reconstruction and along the routes being used to move equipment and materials to the island during the construction of the wind turbines there.

The Sheri Lynn S is a Damen Stan Tug 1606 designed to work in ice. There is only one other tugboat like the Sheri Lynn S in Canada. In addition to the weight of the ship, Farish explained that the waves pushed out from the tug help grind up the ice and keep the channels open.

The tug’s two Caterpillar engines generate more than 1,200 horsepower and can push the tug at more than 10 knots. The 16.76-metre-long, 92-ton tugboat was built by the same company contracted to build the new ferries for Amherst and Wolfe islands.

The Whig Standard

2/24 - St. Catharines, Ont. – Algoma Central Corporation has announced that the recently completed Algoma Innovator, the first of two new Equinox Class 650’ self-unloading dry-bulk freighters has commenced its voyage from Croatia to Canada. The vessel departed the 3 Maj shipyard in Croatia on Feb. 23, and is expected to arrive in mid-March carrying a cargo of bauxite.

Algoma Innovator will be the sixth Equinox Class vessel added to the company’s domestic fleet and will be joined by the Algoma Sault in operations this spring, bringing the total vessels in the class to seven, comprising four gearless bulkers and three self-unloaders. Five additional vessels are under development contracts.

“With the addition of the new class-leading vessels to our domestic fleet, the 2018 navigation season is already turning out to be an exciting one” said Ken Bloch Soerensen, President and CEO of Algoma. “The Algoma Innovator will be a leader in the river-class segment and we look forward to being able to offer more flexibility to our customers.”

Algoma has another four ships under development at the 3 Maj shipyard with a fifth ship under construction at Yangzijiang shipyard in China.

Algoma Central Corporation


2/25 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – A Sault Area High School graduate has been assigned to report as the executive officer of the United States Coast Guard’s newest and most technologically advanced polar icebreaker starting this summer.

Michele Schallip graduated from the high school in 1993, and began her maritime journey in the Great Lakes. She is the daughter of Robert Jr. and Mary Ann Schallip of Barbeau, Mich. Since joining the Coast Guard, she has spent the bulk of her career in the Pacific Northwest.

Schallip is currently stationed in Seattle where she serves as Chief of Waterways Management for the USCG’s 13th District. She plans on starting her new duties aboard the USCG Cutter Healy this summer, but has been piloting ice cutters for the better part of 18 years.

She attributes the start to her USCG career to working on ferries and tour boats between high school and college. She has decked on the Neebish Island ferry and Soo Locks tour boats before becoming a pilot.

“I like to come home often, and I’m still involved with the Great Lakes Captain Association and International Ship Masters Association,” she said. “It (early work experience) made the transition to the Coast Guard a lot simpler for those who haven’t worked on maritime cutters going in.”

In between school years at Central Michigan University in the mid 1990s, the USCG commander put her time in on the small vessels in Lake Huron. She accumulated enough time she was able to get her pilot’s license in 1995.

Schallip started out on the law enforcement side of the USCG before moving towards the waterway buoy management side. She compared piloting her cutters to a Soo Locks tour boat. “The first cutter was 370 feet, much bigger than a tour boat,” she said, but admitted. “Ship handling is ship handling. Once you get used to the controls and nuances it’s all pretty much the same.”

Now that Schallip is closer to the end of her USCG than the beginning, she mentioned her assignment to the Healy was a fine time to start giving back to other Coast Guard members. “I’m the person responsible for personnel and budget and making sure the captain has all the resources to complete the mission,” she said. “It’s kind of more about helping the junior and paid officers.”

Shallip concluded, “I take great pride coming from a Great Lakes maritime background, even though I haven’t been stationed there, I still refer back to home.”

Soo Evening News


2/25 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Coast Guard cutters Mackinaw and Mobile Bay will conduct icebreaking operations near Beaver Island, Mich., Tuesday. The Mackinaw will assist the tug Shamrock from Manistique, Mich. to Beaver Island. The Shamrock is pulling a barge loaded with fuel products to replenish Beaver Island’s dwindling supply. The Mobile Bay will prepare tracks to the old Coast Guard Station near Whiskey Point. The two cutters will ensure the tug/barge is safely moored before departing. The Coast Guard reminds all recreational ice users to plan their activities carefully, use caution on the ice, and stay away from shipping channels.

USCG

2/25 - Middleburg Heights, Ohio – The Interlake Steamship Co.’s Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder, an articulated tug-barge unit (ATB), departed winter layup Saturday to begin early-season shuttles of iron ore for ArcelorMittal.

Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder met up with the CCG Griffon, which was hovering a few miles out into the lake. Griffon escorted Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder to about Ashtabula, then the pair was left on their own to get to Marblehead, where they were expected early Sunday.

A workhorse of Interlake’s nine-vessel fleet, the 700-foot Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder is one of Interlake’s two River-Class vessels, a designation given to ships that can traverse the narrowest harbors of the Great Lakes.

“We are excited to kick off our 2018 navigation season with one of the longest River-Class vessels capable of transiting the winding Cuyahoga River,” says Brendan O’Connor, Interlake’s Vice President of Marketing and Marine Traffic. “With its unique Z-drive (360-degree) propulsion systems, the Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder is the most maneuverable vessel in the U.S. Great Lakes fleet.”

While the Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder gets underway, the eight other vessels in the Interlake fleet remain at lay-up docks and shipyards around the Great Lakes for a few more weeks in the final stages of more than $20 million worth of winter work projects. Project highlights include extensive steel renewal, dry dock inspections and an exhaust gas scrubber installation on the longest ship on the Great Lakes, the 1,013.5-foot Paul R. Tregurtha.

Propelled by a long-term vision to create the most efficient and environmentally friendly responsible fleet on the Great Lakes, Interlake committed to an Emission Reduction Program in 2015 to outfit more than half of its fleet with freshwater scrubbers. The Tregurtha retrofit represents the final phase of that program and will become the fifth vessel in the fleet to discharge a signature steam plume when she sails later this spring.

The Interlake Steamship Co., Gene Polaski