Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

2/27 - Petoskey, Mich. – With this winter's wide weather swings, it may be surprising for some to learn that the Great Lakes saw their ice cover percentage reach well above the average yearly peak.

Although this winter has chilled Northern Michigan residents at times with stretches of below-zero temperatures, those have been punctuated by several mid-season warm-ups featuring numerous days with well-above-normal temperatures.

Although this year's Great Lakes peak ice coverage did not approach the nearly completely frozen-over conditions the lakes saw in the winters of 2013-14 and 2014-15, the lakes did see a peak ice coverage at about 69 percent around Feb. 11, according to data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.

In fact, on that date, the agency reported that Lake Erie was about 91 percent frozen over, Lake Michigan was at 51 percent, Lake Huron was at about 81 percent, Lake Ontario was at 15 percent, Lake Superior was at 77 percent and Lake St. Clair was nearly 94 percent covered.

Indeed, even as of Saturday, the Great Lakes were reported to be nearly 49 percent covered by ice. Last year at the same time, the lakes were just 6.2 percent covered and at the same time in 2016 they were just 12.9 percent covered by ice.

The average peak ice coverage for the Great Lakes since officials began recording data around 1973 is about 55 percent. As for yearly maximum ice coverage, the highest was recorded in 1979 at 94.7 percent and the lowest was in 2002 at 11.9 percent. The second-highest (92.5 percent) and second-lowest (12.9 percent) yearly maximums for ice cover both occurred more recently — in 2014 and 2012, respectively.

Scott Rozanski, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Gaylord, said the Great Lakes owes much of its ice cover this winter to a "perfect storm" of ideal ice-forming conditions that started in to mid- to late- January.

Rozanski explained there are numerous factors that impact how much and how quickly ice forms on the Great Lake.

He said a period of very cold weather in late December and early January primed the Great Lakes to "create a lot of ice very quickly."

He said the two other main factors that come into play are water temperatures and wind. He said the absence of wind during really cold spells not only provides a calm surface on which ice can form more quickly, but also keeps the water temperature at the surface more consistent, because wave action doesn't stir mix the colder layers with warmer layers of lake water.

When those cold temperatures came in, we did not have a lot of waves and ice was able to grow very, very quickly.

This was particularly noticeable during a period in early February from about Feb. 2 to Feb. 12, when daily highs were in the teens or low 20s and overnight lows were regularly in the single digits. During that same approximate time frame, from Jan. 28 to Feb. 12, the ice coverage on the Great Lakes grew from about 15 percent to the season peak of 69 percent.

Rozanski said now, even as ice coverage begins to wane for the season as spring approaches, winter's ice coverage can have multiple impacts that linger into spring and summer.

He said it can have an impact on lake levels, as water is lost by evaporation during the winter when there is more ice cover. Similarly, when ice is in place, it greatly reduces the potential for lake effect snow. He said it will also have an impact on how quickly the lakes warm up when warmer weather arrives. Correspondingly, cooler lakes often translate into somewhat cooler spring temperatures, especially near the lakeshore.

That means the common Northern Michigan springtime weather forecast of "cooler near the lakes" could be especially common this coming spring.

"Generally speaking, when you break a mid-winter pattern that trends toward what we seen recently, you will have a spring that last a little longer and it's a little harder to break toward warmer weather, especially near the lakes," Rozanski said.

Petoskey News Review


GOLDEN SABLE was launched February 27, 1930, as a.) ACADIALITE (Hull#170) at Haverton-Hill-on-Tees, United Kingdom by Furness Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.
In 1916 MOUNT STEPHEN, formerly of Canada Steamship Lines, struck a mine and sank off Dover, England, while carrying coal as part of a convoy but the crew was rescued.

The former Great Lakes trader GEORGETOWN, built at Buffalo in 1900, sank in 1917 as ETRETAT in a storm off the Bay of Biscay while carrying barreled oil although there was some suspicion of enemy action.

In 1966 the Greek Liberty ship EUXEINOS was abandoned in the Atlantic 360 miles southwest of the Azores after developing leaks the previous day. She had made three trips through the Seaway as MOUNT ATHOS in 1959. The crew as picked up by a passing tanker and delivered to Halifax.

[yachtsmanwilly]

2/28 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – This Saturday, the Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay will break up the ice separating Mackinac Island and St. Ignace, Mich.

At the request of Mackinac Island community leaders, Captain of the Port Sault Ste. Marie will open the waters between St Ignace and Mackinac Island at 8 a.m. on March 3. Much of the ice has already deteriorated due to unseasonably warm temperatures.

Mobile Bay will break up the remaining fields of ice to enable local ferries to service Mackinac Island. The U.S. Coast Guard reminds all recreational ice users to plan their activities carefully, use caution on the ice, and stay away from shipping channels.

USCG

2/28 - Jersey City, NJ – Rand Logistics Inc. has expanded its existing vessel maintenance and services business with the introduction of Conneaut Creek Ship Repair Inc., a full-service ship repair, fabrication and industrial maintenance company.

Conneaut Creek Ship Repair is located in Ashtabula, Ohio, and is staffed to manage projects of all sizes, with recent contracts awarded by U.S. government agencies and private industry. CCSR’s capabilities and service offerings include, but are not limited to, heavy fabrication and repair services including steel, stainless steel and aluminum fabrication; ship repair while dockside or underway; vessel construction; U.S. Coast Guard Subchapter M remediation; conveyor and track repairs; engine and generator repowering and new installations; heavy duty winch repair and maintenance; dock fabrication, installation and repair; and commercial diving services.

The Conneaut Creek team is led by Senior Director Joseph Craine, who has more than 35 years of marine and heavy industry repair and maintenance expertise. Besides overseeing capital projects and related winter work on Rand vessels during the 2017-2018 winter season, Conneaut Creek has already been awarded a number of new pieces of business, including a crane barge conversion project for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District and dockside ship repair on a commercial vessel.

Rand Logistics

2/28 - Lorain, Ohio – One of Republic Steel’s blast furnaces could fire again in Lorain, according to a company that hopes to make pig iron there. Lorain Pig Iron LLC on Feb. 21 announced it is “engaging technical service providers necessary to review and submit proposals for the recommissioning of Republic Steel’s Blast Furnace 4,” known as BF4 in Lorain.

The company, known as LPI, is a jointly owned operation of Republic Steel and ERP Iron Ore LLC. LPI announced it expects to commence production of pig iron at BF4 by the end of the year.

“LPI seeks to introduce a new beginning in U.S. steelmaking, where its U.S. blast furnaces will provide pig iron for the growing production of ‘electric arc furnace’ steel and foundries,” the company announcement said. “LPI will fully integrate its affiliated metallurgical coal mines, coke batteries and iron ore mines as it proudly reintroduces merchant pig iron production to North America.”

The announcement referred to blast furnaces and electric arc furnaces, the heating methods for refining iron and other raw materials for use.

The blast furnace will be recommissioned in partnership with the United Steel Workers and is expected to produce and distribute more than 1 million tons of pig iron a year to customers in the United States, according to Lorain Pig Iron LLC.

The company announced it is negotiating agreements with Republic Steel and other groups for the recommissioning and use of BF 4.

Lorain Pig Iron LLC will start evaluating the recommissioning of Republic Steel’s Blast Furnace 3, or BF 3, which could increase production of pig iron in Lorain to more than 2 million tons a year.

The announcement served as a follow-up to the companies’ agreement in summer 2017. In July last year, Republic Steel and ERP Iron Ore LLC announced their memorandum of understanding to partner on producing up to 1 million net tons of pig iron a year at Republic Steel’s Lorain mill.

The joint venture will serve the increasing demand for virgin iron required to produce steel in the electric arc furnace, or EAF, sector, according to the companies’ statement from July 2017.

ERP Iron Ore announced it would send iron ore pellets to Lorain via rail from its plant in Reynolds, Indiana, which was built at a cost of more than $400 million, according to the companies.

Republic Steel made regional news in 2011 when the company announced plans for a new electric arc furnace, an $85 million addition that was expected to create almost 450 jobs at its Lorain mill.

Morning Journal

2/28 - Beaver Island, Mich. – When you live year-round on Beaver Island in the northern reaches of Lake Michigan, running low on fuel supplies can be a little worrisome in the winter. That’s because there's a lot of ice between your island and the boat carrying the fuel.

Two U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers were on their way Tuesday to make sure the much-needed fuel delivery makes it to Beaver Island, which sits nearly 27 miles northwest off the Charlevoix coast.

The Mobile Bay was breaking ice into the island's harbor. On Wednesday the Mackinaw will be escorting a tug pulling a barge loaded with fuel products, according to the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie.

The delivery was supposed to happen Tuesday, but the plan was pushed back because of high winds. The tug Shamrock is pulling the fuel load from Manistique, along the southern rim of the Upper Peninsula.

"The Mobile Bay will prepare tracks to the Old Coast Guard Station near Whiskey Point. The two cutters will then ensure the tug/barge is safely moored before departing," the Coast Guard said. The military alerted people to their delivery plans days in advance. They're reminding anyone who uses the ice for recreational activities to be cautious and to steer clear of the shipping channels.

Beaver Island's few hundred year-round residents were expecting a fuel delivery late last year. But ice coverage grew quickly in northern Lake Michigan and the Straits of Mackinac this winter, meaning that last load of fuel could not reach the island.

"We're running a little short on gasoline for the winter," said Steve West, executive director of the Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce. "We're very appreciative of the Coast Guard for coming out." Beaver Island is about 13 miles long and 6 miles wide. It has two gas stations.

2/28 - Green Bay, Wis. – Two visits by a cruise ship bringing international visitors to Green Bay and Sturgeon Bay this summer are canceled. The Greater Green Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau announced the cancellation Friday.

A letter from the owner of the cruise ship, Victory Cruise Lines, says the ship that was making the two visits to Wisconsin is being remodeled in Europe and won't be ready in time for the planned stops.

The Victory II was scheduled to dock at Green Bay's Leicht Park on July 17 and July 20. Victory Cruise Lines says it won't be ready before July 27, when it begins a cruise in Montreal, Canada, and continues with its planned itineraries from that date on.

Victory Cruise Lines says it's revising its schedules for 2019 and 2020 to include Wisconsin. "With more time and flexibility for the future, I can guarantee that we will be back in your ports within the coming seasons," chairman Bruce Nierenberg said.

The visitors and convention bureau says it will be represented at a cruise industry trade show next month in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to talk with other cruise lines. It says there are seven other cruise companies active on the Great Lakes.

WBAY

VENUS (steel propeller bulk freighter, 346 foot, 3,719 gross tons) was launched on 28 February 1901, by the American Ship Building Company (Hull #307) at Lorain, Ohio for the Gilchrist Transportation Company, converted to a crane-ship in 1927. She was renamed b.) STEEL PRODUCTS in 1958, and lasted until 1961, when she was scrapped at Point Abino, Ontario, the spot where she had run aground and partially sunk while being towed for scrap.
The lighthouse tender MARIGOLD (iron steamer, 150 foot, 454 gross tons, built in Wyandotte, Michigan) completed her sea trials on 28 February 1891. The contract price for building her was $77,000. After being fitted out, she was placed into service as the supply ship to the lighthouses in the Eleventh District, taking the place of the WARRINGTON. The MARIGOLD was sold in 1947, converted to a converted to dredge and renamed MISS MUDHEN II.

The rail ferry INCAN SUPERIOR (Hull#211) was launched February 28, 1974, at North Vancouver, British Columbia by Burrard Drydock Co. Ltd. She operated between Thunder Bay, Ontario and Superior, Wisconsin until 1992, when she left the Lakes for British Columbia, she was renamed b.) PRINCESS SUPERIOR in 1993.

OUTARDE was launched February 28, 1906, as a.) ABRAHAM STEARN (Hull#513) at Superior, Wisconsin by Superior Ship Building Co.

In 1929, the Grand Trunk carferry MADISON, inbound into Grand Haven in fog and ice, collided with the U.S. Army dredge General G.G. MEADE, berthed on the south bank of the river for the winter. Damage was minor.

1965: The bow section of the tanker STOLT DAGALI, broken in two due to a collision with the passenger liner SHALOM on November 26, 1964, departed New York for Gothenburg, Sweden, under tow to be rebuilt. The ship had been a Seaway trader as a) DAGALI in 1961, 1962 and 1963.

1974: The Dutch freighter AMPENAN visited the Great Lakes in 1960 and 1961. It arrived at Busan, South Korea, for scrapping as c) OCEAN REX.

1995: CHEM PEGASUS, a Seaway trader as far as Hamilton in 2012, was launched on this date as a) SPRING LEO.

[yachtsmanwilly]

3/1 - Midland, Ont. – Midland councillors want more time to consider a proposal to move the historic S.S. Keewatin steamship from Port McNicoll to the town. Councillors heard a pitch from Skyline International on Monday night, which would see the town take the ship and $2 million worth of incentives. In exchange, Skyline would get a tax receipt.

“It's a really quick deadline and it handcuffs us. It's going to be a tough one to watch pass by,” says councillor Cody Oschefski. “I hope Skyline can revaluate and move their March 19 deadline.”

Many councillors felt that wasn't enough time for a proper study of the risks and benefits. So, the town is putting together a counter proposal for Skyline, which could involve more time, and a consultant.

“We don't want to put ourselves in a position where we find this becomes a liability to the community at some time in the future," says councillor Glen Canning.

There's no word yet how soon the two sides hope to reach a tentative deal.

CTV Barrie

3/1 - Duluth, Minn. – Another foreign, aquatic invasive species has been found in the Twin Ports harbor — this time a small invertebrate called the bloody red shrimp.

A single bloody red shrimp was confirmed this week after analysis of water samples taken last July by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The critter, which is native to freshwater lakes and rivers of the Caspian region of eastern Europe, was found in Allouez Bay, not far from the Burlington Northern ore docks.

It's the first time bloody red shrimp — hemimysis anomala — have been found in the Lake Superior ecosystem. They were first found in the Great Lakes in 2006 in Lake Michigan at Muskegon, Mich., and have been expanding there as well as in lakes Erie, Ontario and Huron.

"The species, like other invasive species, are known to reproduce and spread, ultimately degrading habitat, outcompeting native species and short-circuiting food webs," the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said in announcing the finding.

The tiny creature, not a true shrimp, is up to a half-inch long and often swims in swarms up to 135 per cubic foot of water.

"The good news is that it was just one. The bad news is they found it here," said Doug Jensen, aquatic invasive species expert for Minnesota Sea Grant at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Jensen notes that it's not yet an official invasion of a new species. Only after multiple, live individuals are confirmed is a species considered established. True invaders also are able to reproduce and expand their range.

"This raises a lot of questions. We really don't even know how it got there. We don't know if it was a ballast introduction or not, or where it came from," Jensen said.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to resurvey the area and update its sampling techniques this summer to see if others are out there.

That another new creature showed up in the Twin Ports isn't surprising. The Duluth-Superior harbor is the busiest inland port in the nation and receives not just saltwater ships from faraway oceans but by far the most Great Lakes shipping traffic. This has been a hot spot for most major invaders on the Great Lakes, including gobies, ruffe, spiny waterfleas, zebra mussels and quagga mussels — all of which are now major players in the St. Louis River estuary ecosystem.

Jensen said it's unclear what the bloody red shrimp might do to the ecosystem if it becomes established here. Like the other invaders, however, it's more likely to remain in the shallower, darker, more-fertile waters of the harbor and not thrive in the colder, clearer, more-sterile environment of Lake Superior itself.

"They don't like light, so they are often hiding down deeper or in the shade until dark," Jensen noted.

Anyone who sees swarms of reddish critters in the harbor is asked to contact Sea Grant or a local DNR office. The swarms can be seen at night near the surface but will disperse quickly if a light is turned on them. During the day they may be seen in shaded areas, such as under docks.

Boaters are asked to continue their efforts not to move any water from lake to lake or from the harbor to inland waters. The shrimp, like other aquatic invaders, could easily hitchhike in bait buckets or livewells to new waters, Jensen noted.

Other non-native species have been found in the Twin Ports harbor in recent years but none so far have become established, Jensen said, including gizzard shad and white bass, both native to waters south of Lake Superior.

But the bloody red shrimp is the first new foreign aquatic invasive species found in the region in years. In fact, after a century of foreign invasive species that swam or hitchhiked across the oceans in the ballast of salties, the Great Lakes haven't seen a confirmed new aquatic invasive species since 2006. (In late 2016 officials confirmed a new form of zooplankton, Thermocyclops crassus, had been found in Lake Erie. But it's still unclear if it is truly established.)

That appears to show that a U.S. Coast Guard-enforced program requiring ships to flush their ballast at sea is working. That so-called "swish-and-spit'' with saltwater generally kills freshwater species that might survive in Great Lakes ports.

Before the rule, some 185 foreign species invaded the Great Lakes. In the 1990s and early 2000s researchers were finding a new species in the Great Lakes on average every 28 weeks — from gobies and ruffe to quagga mussels, spiny waterfleas and the fish-killing VHS virus.

Since the St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959, allowing unfettered access to the Great Lakes by oceangoing ships, more than half of those invading species are believed to have arrived in ships' ballasts. U.S. regulators in 1993 suggested the ballast water exchange program, which became mandatory in 2006 in both U.S. and Canadian waters.

In addition, federal rules are in place requiring saltwater ships entering U.S. ports to have on-board ballast water treatment systems starting in 2021, although efforts are underway in Congress to roll back those regulations.

Duluth News Tribune

HENRY FORD II (Hull#788) was launched on March 1, 1924, at Lorain, Ohio by the American Ship Building Co. She served as flagship of the Ford Motor Company fleet for many years and was eventually sold to Interlake Steamship Company when Ford sold its Great Lakes division. It was renamed b.) SAMUEL MATHER, but never sailed under that name. It was scrapped in 1994, at Port Maitland, Ontario by Marine Recycling & Salvage Ltd.
In 1881 the steamship JOHN B. LYON was launched at Cleveland, Ohio by Thomas Quayle & Son for Capt. Frank Perew. She was a four mast, double-decker with the following dimensions: 255 foot keel, 275 feet overall, 38 foot beam, and 20 foot depth.

On March 1, 1884 the I.N. FOSTER (wooden schooner, 134 foot, 319 gross tons, built in 1872, at Port Huron, Michigan) was sold by Clark I. Boots to E. Chilson. This vessel lasted until 1927, when she was abandoned in Buffalo, New York.

1926 - The passenger ship WHITE STAR of Canada Steamship Lines burned at Hamilton. It then became a coal barge and was rebuilt in 1950 as the diesel powered, self-unloading sandsucker S.M. DOUGLAS. It operated mainly on the St. Lawrence and was sunk as a breakwall at Kingston, ON in 1975.

1972 - The Dutch passenger and freight carrier PRINSES ANNA first visited the Great Lakes in 1967. It was lost in Osumi Strait, 18 miles south of Cape Sata, Japan, as HWA PO while on a voyage from Nagoya to Whampoa, China. The cargo shifted and 20 of the 36 on board were lost when the ship went down.

1980 - The Swedish freighter BARBARA was 4-years old when it first came inland in 1966. It returned through the Seaway as BARKAND in 1968 and as MARIANNA in 1969. The ship was under a fourth name of MARIA BACOLITSA and in bound from Brazil with pig iron for Constanza, Romania, when it went down on the Black Sea with all hands. An S.O.S. had been sent out without giving the location and rescuers were helpless to lend any assistance.

[yachtsmanwilly]

3/2 - Midland, Ont. – The Town of Midland is exploring the possibility of bringing the SS Keewatin to town. While council almost squashed a proposal by Skyline Developments Ltd. to relocate the historic Edwardian steamship from Port McNicoll to the town’s harbor during a Feb. 26 council meeting, discussions are ongoing.

“At this point the deal is not dead. We are continuing the discussion,” said Eric Conroy, president and CEO of the Friends of Keewatin, who pitched details of the deal to council on behalf of Skyline.

The ship, valued at $48.3 million, is being offered to Midland at no cost. Skyline is proposing to fund moving costs to relocate the Keewatin, cover costs associated with renovations and restoration over the next five years, and ensure the ship doesn’t operate at a loss for 10 years. If Midland ever wants to relocate the ship to another location in town, Skyline will donate $1 million to cover the relocation expenses.

All Skyline is looking for is a federal tax receipt for the full $48.3 million.

“Once you factor in the potential financial income and the great impact on tourism, this is a great deal for the Town of Midland,” said Conroy.

While council was clearly intrigued by the proposal, a Skyline-imposed March 19 decision deadline was a sticking point. “We have a lot of work to do. To drop something like this on us at this time … would be unfair to our staff,” said Coun. George MacDonald. “We need to have a budget in early April and we are not going to get distracted by something else.”

According to CAO John Skorobohacz, the town just doesn't have the staff time to properly look into the proposal and meet the March 19 deadline without staff dropping everything. Skorobohacz said he believes it would take a minimum of six months before staff could present council with a reasonable recommendation on the proposal. “This is a concept that has just been presented to the town and, until (Feb. 26), there hadn’t even been a formal discussion,” he said.

A 118-page report, which included an outline of the ship's historical significance, a 10-year financial plan, audited financial statements and letters of support, was part of a package councillors received. Staff have yet to thoroughly go over this report or fully examine any possible locations for the ship.

“They don’t really know how to handle this situation. They have never been offered anything like this before,” said Conroy. “It is a tough decision.”

Council voted 6-1 in favor of a motion requesting Skyline fund an independent study, which would examine all the factors around relocating the ship to town.

“If we don’t at least look at this opportunity to see if it is something that could fit … it would be a shame a year from now (to regret it),” said Coun. Pat File.

The two sides are in the midst of negotiations. Conroy said they are planning on putting together another report with the hopes of going back in front of council in the near future.

Simcoe.com

3/2 - 2nd Assistant Engineer aboard the S.S. Badger. Under the direct supervision of the Chief Engineer and First Engineer, assists by overseeing maintenance and operation of the boilers and related equipment to include close monitoring of boiler water chemistry. Must possess a valid MMC with proper endorsements, including 2nd Assistant Engineer of steam vessels of 7000 horsepower or greater, a valid TWIC card and Coast Guard issued Medical Certificate. Works full season from May to October. Assigned watch: 4 hours on/8 hours off 7 days a week. Eligible for benefits after 60-day probationary period.

Visit www.ssbadger.com Join the Badger Crew to obtain application or email [e-mail] with letter of interest and copies of credentials.


On 02 March 1889, the U.S. Congress passed two acts for establishment of a light station at Old Mackinac Point and appropriated $5,500 for construction of a fog signal building. The following year, funds were appropriated for the construction of the light tower and dwelling.
March 2, 1938 - Harold Lillie, crewmember of the ANN ARBOR NO 6, stepped onto the apron as the carferry was approaching and fell into the water and suffered a broken neck.

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

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

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

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

[yachtsmanwilly]

On 05 March 1997, the Canadian Coast Guard cutter GRIFFON pulled the smashed remains of a 1996 Ford Bronco from the icy depths of the Straits of Mackinac. The vehicle flipped off the Mackinac Bridge on 02 March 1997, and the driver was killed. The U.S. Coast Guard cutter BISCAYNE BAY served as a platform for the M-Rover submersible craft used to locate the Bronco in 190 feet of water.
HARRY L. ALLEN was launched March 5, 1910, as a.) JOHN B. COWLE (Hull#379) at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. She was declared a constructive total loss after a fire on January 21, 1978. The vessel was in winter lay-up at the Capitol elevator in Duluth when part of the elevator complex burned. Debris from the elevator fell on the boat, badly damaging it. The owners decided to scrap it rather than repair it. The ALLEN was scrapped at Duluth in 1978.

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

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

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

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

In 1944, the U.S.C.G.C. MACKINAW (WAGB-83) was launched by the Toledo Ship Building Company (Hull #188) at Toledo, Ohio. Her name was originally planned to be MANITOWOC. MACKINAW was retired in 2006.
CECILIA DESGAGNES, a.) CARL GORTHON, departed Sorel, Quebec, on March 4, 1985, bound for Baie Comeau, Quebec, on her first trip in Desgagnes colors.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The keel was laid on March 3, 1980, for the COLUMBIA STAR (Hull#726) at Sturgeon Bay, Wis., by Bay Shipbuilding Corp. She now sails as AMERICAN CENTURY.
At midnight on 3 March 1880, DAVID SCOVILLE (wooden propeller steam tug/ferry, 42 foot, 37 gross tons, built in 1875, at Marine City, Mich.) burned at the Grand Trunk Railway wharf at Sarnia, Ontario. Arson was suspected. No lives were lost.

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

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

3/3 - Duluth, Minn. – The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alder will conduct operational testing and sail from its Duluth homeport Tuesday morning at 9 a.m.

The cutter underwent repairs to a main diesel engine and must test the engine under load. The cutter will initially visit the Duluth Entrance Channel before traveling east using the Superior Front Channel. After several hours of testing, the ship will return to its dock in Duluth, retracing the path previously travelled. Every precaution will be taken to minimize incidental ice breaking outside the established shipping channels.

3/3 - Montreal, Que. – The Port of Montreal is trying to deal with noise complaints from local condo dwellers frustrated with the hum of generators powering a U.S. warship unexpectedly stuck there since December because of ice. Some of those living near the spot where the USS Little Rock is docked say they are having a hard time with the constant noise.

Local resident Alain Stanke said it sounds like rumbling trucks and can be heard all day and night. "It's like the motor of a large truck that's driving at a high speed," Stanke said, adding that soundproofing hasn't worked as hoped. "Those two generators are detestable."

With the ship stuck in Montreal until the ice melts, Stanke wondered if the vessel could be moved a few hundred metres away to spare locals. Port spokesperson Mélanie Nadeau said the location where the U.S. ship has been since Jan. 19 was chosen with safety and security in mind because the current is less strong.

Nadeau said ship and port officials alike have employed certain measures, and others are being considered. Lights illuminating the ship have been dimmed, and adjustments were made in February to a soundproofing, acoustic barrier wall surrounding the generators, she wrote in an email.

"We continue to work to put in place other mitigation measures to ensure a healthy coexistence with the port's neighbours," she wrote.

The ship has been stuck in Montreal since Christmas Eve, just a few weeks after being commissioned in Buffalo, N.Y. It was headed to Florida when icy conditions forced the $440-million U.S. ship to stay in Quebec. A contingent of sailors who have continued training recently even volunteered at a local food bank.

The Canadian Coast Guard will be involved in ensuring the safe departure of the vessel when the St. Lawrence Seaway clears, likely within a few weeks, Nadeau wrote.

CBC

3/4 - Pushed around by wind, battered by waves and rotting under a week of warm sunshine, Lake Superior's winter ice is quickly disappearing.

A satellite photograph from Friday appears to show open water covering over half the lake, with vast areas of ice thinning and breaking up on the big lake.

There appears to be solid or "fast'' ice only in a few sheltered areas, such as the Apostle Islands, Thunder Bay and the far eastern end of the lake. Only a thin band of ice near the shore remains solid in the western end of the lake.

The Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, which monitors lake ice, says Lake Superior peaked at about 75 percent ice coverage this winter but is now less than 55 percent covered by at least some ice, including floating chunks of ice and very thin ice.

The lab says Lake Michigan is about 15 percent covered in some ice with Huron at about 25 percent, Erie at 30 percent and Ontario at about 10 percent.

Meanwhile, the U.S Coast Guard announced Friday that the cutter Alder will begin spring operations out of the Port of Duluth on Tuesday morning in preparation for the upcoming shipping season.

The cutter is undergoing testing after needing repairs to a main diesel engine.

The Coast Guard is warning ice anglers and others to stay well away from the main shipping channels in the harbor.

The Soo Locks are set to open March 25, signaling the official start of the inter-lake Great Lakes shipping season, although some shipping actually could take place intra-lake before then if ice conditions continue to deteriorate as expected. Oceangoing ships could arrive shortly thereafter.

Duluth News Tribune

[yachtsmanwilly]

Tugs moved USS Little Rock to Section 52 on Monday. Residents of the area where she had been tied since Jan. 19 were complaining of constant generator noise.

EUGENE J. BUFFINGTON (Hull#366) was launched March 6, 1909, at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co., for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. She lasted until 1980, when she was towed to San Esteban de Pravia, Spain, for scrapping.
At noon on 6 March 1873, the steam railroad carferry SAGINAW was launched at the Port Huron Dry Dock Co. She did not get off the ways at first and had to be hauled off by the tug KATE MOFFAT. She was built for use between Port Huron and Sarnia.

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

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

[yachtsmanwilly]

I had to find this on the V8 BuICK forum of all places. Hopefully itll open for yooz guys!

www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/uss-lexington-located.330958/


3/7 - Midland, Ont. – Town council in Midland, Ontario has balked at making a quick decision on whether to accept as a gift the former Great Lakes passenger ship SS Keewatin. The 111-year-old ship once ferried prairie-bound immigrants from Owen Sound to the Lakehead. It was retired from service in 1966, and since 2012 has served as a maritime museum at Port McNicoll on Georgian Bay.

The current owner, Skyline Developments, proposes to relocate the Keewatin to Midland at no cost. The company would cover moving expenses and the cost of setting up a new berth. It would also pay for renovations for the next five years and offset any operating losses for a decade. In addition, Skyline would cover the cost of relocating the ship if Midland decided to move it to an alternate location on the local waterfront in the future.

Eric Conroy, president of the volunteer group Friends of the Keewatin, made a presentation this week on behalf of Skyline. He said that as a maritime museum it has broken even at Port McNicoll, but would do much better at Midland where it would be more accessible to visitors.

Councillors decided it would be unwise to rush a decision without having an independent business study done first. They passed a motion directing town staff to ask Skyline to pay for a third-party evaluation to demonstrate that the Keewatin would be a sustainable acquisition for Midland.

Conroy said Wednesday that he feels Midland is the ideal location for the historic vessel, but if an arrangement can't be made there are other ports interested in hosting it Skyline hopes that by donating the ship, it will qualify for a federal tax receipt for about $48 million, which is close to what Conroy has said is its estimated value.

Thunder Bay News Watch

3/7 - Cleveland, Ohio – The Coast Guard is responding to a report of an oil sheen due to a petroleum product being released into the Black River in Lorain, Ohio, Tuesday. The total amount released is estimated at 20 gallons of mixed petroleum products, which includes hydraulic and waste oils.

The Coast Guard was notified of the release at Republic Steel by the National Response Center shortly after 10 a.m. The reporting source stated a sump pump at the steel manufacturing facility failed and released the product into a creek connected to the Black River.

A contractor has been hired by Republic Steel to begin clean-up operations. The area has been boomed off. The Coast Guard is coordinating with the U.S. EPA and the Ohio EPA to ensure the released product is quickly and effectively removed from the river.

USCG

ALGOSOO suffered a serious fire at her winter mooring on the west wall above Lock 8, at Port Colborne, Ontario on March 7, 1986, when a conveyor belt ignited, possibly caused by welding operations in the vicinity. The blaze spread to the stern gutting the aft accommodations. The ship was repaired at Welland and returned to service on October 6.
TEXACO BRAVE was launched March 7, 1929, as a) JOHN IRWIN (Hull#145) at Haverton-Hill-on-Tees, United Kingdom by Furness Shipbuilding Co.

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

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

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

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

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

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

[yachtsmanwilly]

3/8 - Gwinn, Mich. – Cheryl Lee (Cundy) Rozman, age 70, passed away peacefully at her home in Gwinn, Mich., on March 3.

After the passing of her father, Ransom Cundy, who lost his life on the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975, she and other families worked tirelessly to retrieve the ship’s bell, which now resides as a permanent memorial at the Great Lakes Historical Museum in Whitefish Point, Mich. She assisted in creating laws in Michigan and regulations under the Ontario Heritage Act establishing limits on access to shipwrecks for their protection against pillaging their underwater gravesites on both Lake Superior and Lake Ontario. She regularly visited many local schools to educate children about the Edmund Fitzgerald history as well.

Visitation will be at Pearce Funeral Home in Lake Linden, Mich., on Thursday, March 8 from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.. The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 9 at the Pearce Funeral Home with visitation from 10 a.m. until the start of the service.

In lieu of donations, contributions can be made to the Ahmed Transportation Fund, UP Masonic Center in Marquette, MI or the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society in Sault St. Marie, Michigan. Lastly, in honor of the “1st Annual Spread Goodness Day” on March 9th, we ask that random acts be performed with the hope of creating smiles.

EUGENE P. THOMAS (Hull#184) was launched March 8, 1930, at Toledo, Ohio by Toledo Shipbuilding Co., for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.
March 8, 1910 - A fire from unknown causes destroyed the ANN ARBOR NO. 1 of 1892. The hull was sold to Love Construction Co., of Muskegon, Michigan.

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

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

[yachtsmanwilly]

3/9 - Portage, Ind. – The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor completed a landmark year in 2017 and is poised for significant future growth as a result of several historic developments. In addition to handling an 8 percent increase in cargo shipments in 2017, the port doubled the size of its bulk terminal, attracted a nationally-renowned stevedore in Metro Ports, handled its most valuable cargo ever, and announced a $20 million expansion made possible by earning one of only 10 "FASTLANE" small project grants awarded in the U.S. last year.

"We had a strong year in part because our world-class companies continue to drive new business through our port," said Port Director Ian Hirt. "Going forward, we plan to build on this success and make sure this port is well positioned for the future. The continued growth of general cargo shipments managed by our partners at Federal Marine Terminals, the addition of Metro Ports taking over our bulk cargo operations and our strong labor force are all critical elements in this port's success."

The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor handled 2.8 million tons in 2017 completing the highest four-year total in the port's history, a 27 percent increase over the previous four-year period. Cargoes contributing to the 2017 increase included limestone, steel-related products and heavy lift/project cargoes, such as refinery tanks, laboratory equipment and windmill components.

The most valuable shipment ever to cross the port's dock was called "ICARUS" - the world's largest liquid argon particle hunter - which was unloaded from an ocean vessel in July by Federal Marine Terminals (FMT). Hundreds of Twitter users followed the device via #IcarusTrip as it was shipped in two semi-truck sized containers from Switzerland to the U.S. Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory ("Fermilab") in Batavia, Ill. The port is a preferred hub for oversized cargoes being shipped by ocean vessels into the Midwest.

"FMT strives to meet the needs of all its customers, regardless of shipment size," said Matthew McPhail, FMT's vice president of sales and marketing. "Our ability to handle large-dimensional cargo is due to our safety-conscious staff, our modern equipment and the facilities the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor provides."

In 2017, the port was awarded a $9.85 million grant by the U.S. Department of Transportation that will supplement an approximately $20 million expansion, which includes the construction of two rail yards, a new shipping berth, a truck marshalling yard, a 1,200-foot dock expansion, and a new bulk cargo terminal with multimodal connections for handling transfers between ships, barges, rail cars, and trucks.

"This expansion will allow our current companies to continue to grow and help us attract new business for our port and the Northwest Indiana economy," Hirt said.


3/9 - Sheboygan, Wis. – Gov. Scott Walker has rescinded a nomination to implement a National Marine Sanctuary in Lake Michigan that would have blanketed dozens of offshore shipwrecks with federal protections.

In a letter last week to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s acting administrator, Walker said he was pulling the nomination over “concerns” by citizens and elected officials about the proposal.

“One of the hallmarks of my administration has been to reduce the regulatory burden on the citizens of the State of Wisconsin,” Walker said in the letter, dated Feb. 27. “We believe this designation would create further unnecessary bureaucratic red tape. The addition of another level of federal bureaucracy will not materially advance our shared commitment to protecting shipwrecks.

“The addition of a new level of government for citizens to petition for permits and certifications for normal use of Lake Michigan is too much of a tradeoff for the negligible benefit to protecting shipwrecks,” Walker continued in his letter. “Wisconsin has and will continue to protect our submerged cultural resources.”

Walker had nominated part of the lake for federal sanctuary status in 2014. Steps to implement the sanctuary, which included multiple meetings to field public feedback, had pressed along steadily until last year, when President Donald Trump signed an executive order effectively preventing the naming of most new national marine sanctuaries.

“I don’t believe that this is the final nail in the coffin,” Rolf Johnson, CEO of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc, said Wednesday.

Johnson, as well as others who have supported the sanctuary designation, said they remain hopeful the proposal can keep working forward, though it appeared evident in numerous interviews Wednesday that the governor’s blessing would be key in securing an eventual federal sanctuary designation.

Russ Green, the NOAA official who’d been helping shepherd the designation process in Wisconsin, told a reporter last year that Walker had broad authority to veto a potential sanctuary. And Sheboygan Mayor Mike Vandersteen said Wednesday the proposal couldn’t advance without Walker’s approval.

“The governor’s approval of this is needed in order for it to go ahead,” Vandersteen said.

Sheboygan Post

In 1905, the JAMES C. WALLACE (Hull#334) of the Acme Steamship Co., (A.B. Wolvin, mgr.), was launched at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. Purchased by the Interlake Steamship Co. in 1913, she was scrapped at Genoa, Italy in 1963.
On 09 March 1933, all nine steamers of the Goodrich Transit Company were seized by federal marshals under a bankruptcy petition. These steamers were CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, CAROLINA, ALABAMA, ILLINOIS, CITY OF BENTON HARBOR, CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS, CITY OF ST. JOSEPH, CITY OF HOLLAND, and the CITY OF SAUGATUCK.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[yachtsmanwilly]

The b.) RUTH HINDMAN was launched March 12, 1910, as a.) NORWAY (Hull#115) at Toledo, Ohio by Toledo Shipbuilding Co., for the United States Transportation Co. She was scrapped at Thunder Bay, Ontario, in 1978.
G.A. TOMLINSON was launched March 12, 1907, as a) D.O. MILLS (Hull#29) at Ecorse, Michigan, by Great Lakes Engineering Works for the Mesaba Steamship Co.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The keel was laid March 11, 1976, for the 660-foot-long forward section of the BELLE RIVER (Hull#716) at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin by Bay Shipbuilding Corp. Renamed b.) WALTER J. McCARTHY JR in 1990.
L'AIGLE was launched March 11, 1982, as a.) ERRIA PILOT (Hull#308) at Imabari, Japan by Asakawa Zosen Co. Renamed b.) KOYAMA 3 in 1983, c.) IONIAN EAGLE in 1989. Purchased by Soconav in 1991, renamed d.) LÕAIGLE. Sold, renamed e.) ALAM KERISI in 1996, f.) SALDA in 1999, and sails today as the tanker g.) ARAL.

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

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

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

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

CHARLES E. WILSON (Hull#710) was launched March 10, 1973, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin by Bay Shipbuilding Corp., for American Steamship Co. Renamed b.) JOHN J. BOLAND in 2000.
The ADAM E. CORNELIUS, built by the Great Lakes Engineering Works (Hull#53) in 1908, was renamed b.) DETROIT EDISON on March 10, 1948. In 1954, she was renamed c.) GEORGE F. RAND and in 1962, the RAND was sold to Canadian registry and renamed d.) AVONDALE. She was scrapped at Castellon, Spain in 1979.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3/10 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Coast Guard cutters Mackinaw and Mobile Bay will commence icebreaking operations on the bay of Green Bay Tuesday. The Coast Guard will commence Spring Breakout to prepare regional waterways for the tanker movements. U.S. Oil is scheduled to resume the shipment of fuel products to the Port of Green Bay after Coast Guard ice breaking operations.

These icebreaking operations will likely occur in areas used by recreational users such as, but not limited to, the Fox River Entrance Channel, the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, Menominee River Entrance, and the waters of Little Bay De Noc near Escanaba.

In the coming weeks, these icebreaking efforts will increase in frequency as ice conditions deteriorate and commercial navigation increases. All snowmobile, all-terrain vehicle (ATV) operators, ice fishermen, and other recreational users of the ice should recognize the instability of the ice. Additionally, they should plan their activities carefully and use extreme caution on and near the ice, especially in proximity to charted navigation areas.

USCG

3/11 - Lorain, Ohio – Republic Steel is prepared to restart along the Black River, which could bring jobs for at least a thousand people. According to a news release Thursday, the steel manufacturer announced that it is “positioned to restart its Lorain facility, including its idled electric arc furnace, casters and rolling mills, on short notice as a response to the recent announced steel tariff.”

Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump signed proclamations imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. According to the release, the Canton-based company is ready to respond quickly to an increased demand across the country. It said by restarting the Lorain plant, in addition to its open capacity at its Canton melt shop, it would provide more than 1 million tons of new production back into the market.

“This could result in Republic bringing back 1,000+ jobs to its Lorain, OH facility,” the release said. “Republic anticipates that it would take a few months to hire and train employees and restart its idled equipment.”

Republic Steel President and CEO Jaime Vigil said the facility had been maintained since it was idled at the beginning of 2016 in anticipation that it could be restarted, and “it appears that time is finally here.”

United Steelworkers spokesman Brian Sealy said he was unsure of how many employees would return to work and when but because USW is the union under contract with Republic, many of the laid-off workers “would be recalled accordingly.”

Morning Journal