Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

3/13 - Bridges along the Welland Canal will soon start to go up as the St. Lawrence Seaway gets ready to launch the 2018 navigation season. The canal opens at 8 a.m. Thursday, March 29, with top hat ceremonies at Lock 3 in St. Catharines for the first upbound vessel and at Lock 8 Gateway Park in Port Colborne for the first downbound vessel.

Port Colborne's ceremony starts at 8 a.m. at 163 Mellanby Ave. with a pancake breakfast and students from McKay Elementary School providing entertainment. Mayor John Maloney will present a top hat to the captain of the first downbound vessel at 8:30 a.m.

The ceremony in St. Catharines takes place at 10 a.m. at St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre at 1932 Welland Canals Parkway. Mayor Walter Sendzik will present a top to the captain of the first upbound vessel. A mariner's service will be held Sunday, March 25, at St. James and St. Brendan Anglican Church, 55 Charlotte St., Port Colborne at 7 p.m.

While the canal doesn't open for a couple of weeks, both St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. and Canadian shipowners are finishing off an estimated $114 million in repairs and infrastructure projects, according to the Chamber of Marine Commerce.

In a release, the chamber said the seaway authorities allocated $35 million for infrastructure maintenance over the winter of 2017-18, which included major upgrades to electrical systems and lock-related machinery and gates.

Terence Bowles, the president and CEO of the Canadian seaway authority, said the seaway is steadily advancing its competitiveness as a key gateway for international trade, linking the heartland of North America to markets across the globe.

Canadian shipowners have invested an estimated $79 million to tune up and upgrade their vessels during the winter, the release said. Vessel projects included engine and generator overhauls, steel and mechanical work, cargo belt repairs, navigation equipment and system hardware and software upgrades, safety and environmental equipment upgrades/certifications and various annual inspections.

Several vessels also had five-year dry dock inspections, which are required by Transport Canada and survey all aspects of the ship below the waterline. Three Canada Steamship Lines vessels, the CSL Welland, Baie St. Paul and Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin; Algoma Central Corp.'s Capt. Henry Jackman; and Lower Lakes Towing Ltd.'s Saginaw were all docked in Port Colborne throughout the winter months undergoing maintenance.

"Even when ships are laid up for the winter, the marine sector is helping sustain well-paying, skilled jobs by spending millions of dollars with Canadian equipment suppliers, repair businesses, ship yards, and ports," said Bruce Burrows, president of the Chamber of Marine Commerce.

"This significant investment also demonstrates our industry's commitment to continuously improve and modernize our transportation network to the benefit of Canadian businesses and communities."

Welland Tribune

3/13 - Ottawa, Ont. – Canadian shipowners and The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation have spent an estimated $114 million on repair and infrastructure projects this winter, boosting the economic fortunes of communities throughout the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence and east coast.

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) allocated $35 million for infrastructure maintenance over the winter of 2017-2018. The work includes major upgrades to electrical systems and lock-related machinery and gates, in advance of the Seaway navigation season opening on March 29.

“Our steadfast commitment to maintenance and asset renewal enables the St. Lawrence Seaway to uphold its excellent record of system reliability, consistently registering above 99% year-after-year” says Terence Bowles, the SLSMC’s President and CEO. “Coupled with our modernization program, the Seaway is steadily advancing its competitiveness as a key gateway for international trade, linking the heartland of North America to markets across the globe”.

Canadian shipowners have invested an estimated $79 million to tune-up and upgrade their vessels during the winter months — an annual exercise that keeps their vessels in tip-top shape and on the cutting edge of marine transportation.

Vessel projects include engine and generator overhauls, steel and mechanical work, cargo belt repairs, navigation equipment and system hardware and software upgrades, safety and environmental equipment upgrades/certifications and various annual inspections. Several vessels also had five-year dry dock inspections, which are required by Transport Canada and survey all aspects of the ship below the waterline. The work also includes the “Canadianization” of the Algoma Buffalo and Adam L., two vessels purchased in the U.S. by Algoma Central Corporation that are being re-flagged Canadian.

“Even when ships are laid up for the winter, the marine sector is helping sustain well-paying, skilled jobs by spending millions of dollars with Canadian equipment suppliers, repair businesses, ship yards, and ports,” says Bruce Burrows, President of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. “This significant investment also demonstrates our industry’s commitment to continuously improve and modernize our transportation network to the benefit of Canadian businesses and communities.”

Chamber of Marine Commerce

3/13 - Thunder Bay, Ont. – The Canadian Coast Guard is warning residents in Thunder Bay, Ont., to stay off the harbor ice as icebreaking operations are expected to start on Tuesday. The purpose of this annual operation is to break up the ice on Lake Superior in order to ensure scheduled vessel traffic can move through the shipping channels and into and out of community harbors.

The date for the icebreaking operation is subject to change without any notice, as activities could begin before or after that period, depending on weather conditions and operational requirements.

CBC


The keel for the tanker IMPERIAL REDWATER (Hull#106) was laid March 13, 1950, at Port Arthur, Ontario, by Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co. She was converted to a bulk freighter at Collingwood, Ontario and renamed b.) R. BRUCE ANGUS in 1954. The ANGUS operated for Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd., until she was scrapped at Setubal, Portugal in 1985.
On March 13, 1989, the Rouge Steel Co. announced the sale of its marine operations to Lakes Shipping, Cleveland (Interlake Steamship, mgr.).

1994: SHIPBROKER was built at Varna, Bulgaria, in 1980 as OCEAN SEAGULL and came through the Seaway that year on July 3. It was renamed SHIPBROKER in 1986 and made its maiden voyage to the Great Lakes on November 19, 1991. The ship was in a collision with the Cypriot tanker NASSIA in the Bosporus Strait on March 14, 1994, and caught fire. It burned for days and 29 members of the crew of 33 plus four on the tanker, were lost. Following a sale for scrap, the gutted bulk carrier arrived at Aliaga, Turkey, under tow on December 3, 1994, and dismantling began April 5, 1995.

[yachtsmanwilly]

3/14 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The Coast Guard has started breaking ice in the lower St. Marys River in preparation for the 2018 shipping season.

To date, icebreaking activity was focused in the lower river, south of Munuscong (Mud) Lake. This Friday, the Coast Guard will extend their icebreaking activity into the southern half of the West Neebish Channel, working from Mud Lake Junction Light north to Saw Mill Point. The Coast Guard plans to open the West Neebish Channel in its entirety on March 24th. Coast Guard officials are working with the Eastern Upper Peninsula Transit Authority to ensure the Neebish Island ferry is able to operate throughout the break out process.

USCG


3/14 - Duluth, Minn. – A wetter than normal February across the Lake Superior watershed increased water supply to the big lake and kept the lake’s level much higher than usual, the International Lake Superior Board of Control reports.

Lake Superior dropped only 1.6 inches in February, less than the usual two-inch drop for the month. The lake now sits 13 inches above normal for early March and six inches above the March 1 level in 2017. The current level is the second highest ever recorded for this time of year.

That high water level, if the wet weather trend continues through spring and summer, could lead to all-time record high levels for the lake by August or September, the time of year when Lake Superior generally reaches its highest level. That could spur another round of erosion and flooded shoreland as has happened in and around the Twin Ports and South Shore last summer and fall, especially during high-wind and wave events.

The big lake generally rises from April to September and then falls through March.

The net water supplies to Lakes Michigan-Huron were also above average in February pushing their water level up a small amount during a month it usually drops a little. The level of Lakes Michigan-Huron is 20 inches above the long-term average for early March, 10 inches higher than March 1, 2017 and the 11th highest on record.

Duluth News Tribune


March 14, 1959 - The ANN ARBOR NO 6 returned to service as the b.) ARTHUR K ATKINSON after an extensive refit.
In 1880, the harbor tug GEORGE LAMONT sank with her crew of three off Pentwater, Michigan after being overcome by weather during a race with her rival, the harbor tug GEM. The LAMONT was the only steamer to disappear with all hands during the many races that took place among steamers during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

On 14 March 1873, the new railroad carferry SAGINAW went into the Port Huron Dry Dock Company's dry dock where her engine was installed along with her shaft and propeller. Workmen had to break up the ice in the dry dock to release the schooner MARY E. PEREW so that work could begin on the SAGINAW. The work was done quickly since SAGINAW was needed to fill in for a disabled ferry in Detroit. Mr. Francois Baby was granted a "ferry lease" between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan on 14 March 1843. He built the steamer ALLIANCE for this ferry service and Capt. Tom Chilvers was the skipper. In 1851, Capt. Chilvers leased the steamer from Mr. Baby and ran it on the same route until the late 1850s.

On 14 March 1878, the first vessel of the navigation season passed through the Straits of Mackinac. This was the earliest opening of the navigation season at the Straits since 1854.

1918 ISLAND QUEEN, a wooden-hulled Toronto Island ferry, was destroyed by a fire at Hanlan's Point in Toronto. The ship was valued at $25,000 and the hull was left to rot.

1962: MILLY made one trip through the Seaway in 1959. It had been launched at Stockton, CA on May 13, 1915, as PORTHCAWL and became d) MILLY in 1950. The 295 foot freighter, sailing as f) HEDIA, last reported March 14 near Galita Island on the Mediterranean close to Malta and en route from Casablanca, Morocco, to Venice, Italy, with a cargo of phosphate. It was posted as missing and then lost with all hands.

1993: The Freedom Class freighter SHAMALY was a year old when it came through the Seaway in 1969. It returned December 1, 1990, as c) WALVIS BAY for Ogdensburg, NY to load corn gluten The 9650 gross ton freighter ran aground south of Greece off Cape Morakis in 1993 en route from Piraeus to Scotland as d) LIPARIT BAY. The hull was not worth repairing and sold for scrap. Renamed e) NORA for the delivery tow, it arrived at Aliaga, Turkey, April 4, 1994, for dismantling and work began May 16.

1999: The Panamanian freighter EVANGELIA PETRAKIS was built in Muroran, Japan, in 1978 as N.J. PATERAS. It came through the Seaway in 1988 and was renamed c) AMER VED in 1990. It survived a grounding off Horsetail Bank, UK on November 19, 1996, only to suffer serious damage in a collision with the newly built, 57,947 gross ton, Maltese flag tanker SEAPRIDE I off Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates. The damage to the 21-year old freighter was not worth repairs so it arrived at Alang, India, for scrapping on June 19, 1999.

1964: MARIA G.L. went aground at Suno Saki, Japan, about 30 miles south of Yokohama, in fog. This Liberty ship had been a Great Lakes trader in 1961. It was enroute from Long Beach, California, to Chiba, Japan, with a cargo of phosphates and broke in two as a total loss.

[yachtsmanwilly]

3/15 - Thunder Bay, Ont. – The arrival of the U.S. Coast Guard's icebreaking cutter Alder in the port of Thunder Bay has been postponed. The 225-foot multi-mission vessel was originally expected to begin opening shipping channels in Thunder Bay as early as Tuesday. However, a crewmember on the Alder says ice conditions in the Duluth, Minnesota area have prevented the vessel from heading north to Thunder Bay.

She remains in Duluth for now. The exact date for the Alder's arrival in Thunder Bay has not been determined as yet, but the crew spokesperson said Tuesday it was unlikely to be in the next couple of days.

Thunder Bay Newswatch


WESTCLIFFE HALL (Hull#519) was launched March 15, 1956, at Grangemouth, Scotland, by Grangemouth Dockyard Co. Ltd., for the Hall Corp. of Canada.
March 15, 1949 - The Ann Arbor carferry fleet was laid up due to a strike called by the boat crews. The fleet was idled until March 22nd.

On 15 March 1882, GRACE PATTERSON (wooden propeller tug/freighter, 111 tons, built in 1880, at Grand Haven, Michigan) was carrying lumber and lath when she stranded near Two Rivers Point, Wisconsin on Lake Michigan. She caught fire and was totally destroyed. Lifesavers rescued the crew.

Mr. Russell Armington died on 15 March 1837. He operated the first shipyard at St. Catharines, Ontario from 1828, until his death.

On 15 March 1926, SARNOR (wooden propeller freighter, 228 foot, 1,319 gross tons, built in 1888, at W. Bay City, Michigan, formerly BRITANNIC) caught fire at Kingston, Ontario near the La Salle Causeway. She burned to a total loss.

1942: The first SARNIADOC of the Paterson fleet was lost with all hands on the Caribbean en route from Trinidad to the U.S. Virgin Islands. It was apparently torpedoed by U-161 in the night hours of March 14-15, 1942, while in the south for the wartime bauxite trade.

1969: The bulk carrier ALEXANDER T. WOOD, remembered by many for its regular early Seaway service in the ore and grain trades as well as for a collision with the Finnish flag freighter MARIA in the Detroit River on August 12, 1960, was lost on this day in 1969 as VAINQUER. The latter had been to the Great Lakes in 1968 but sank following a boiler room explosion in the Gulf of Mexico with the loss of one life. It was en route from Vera Cruz, Mexico, to New Orleans with a cargo of sugar.

1976: The rail car barge HURON rolled over and sank at the Windsor dock due to an uneven deck load. The 1875 vintage vessel had operated across the Detroit River as a steamer until March 1971 and then as a barge. It was refloated and returned to service.

1980: The Liberian vessel FRATERNITY was built in 1963. It visited the Great Lakes in 1967 and operated briefly as ARYA NIKU in 1975-1976 before becoming FRATERNITY again under Greek registry. Fire broke out in #1 and #2 cargo holds en route from Hamburg to Karachi on this date in 1980. An explosion followed the next day and the crew abandoned the ship in the Red Sea. The hull was beached March 17 around the border of Eritrea and Sudan but was refloated April 1 and deemed a total loss. After unloading at Sharjah, the hull was towed to Gadani Beach, Pakistan, arriving at the scrapyard on May 19, 1981.

1984: The Greek freighter ELINA likely made only one trip to the Great Lakes, coming inland in 1982 to load frozen meat at Kenosha, WI. It laid up at Emden, West Germany, on June 13, 1983, only to catch fire on March 15, 1984. The damage was extensive and the hull was towed into Gijon, Spain, for scrapping on April 23, 1984.

[yachtsmanwilly]

3/16 - Port Dover, Ont. – A derelict tugboat caught fire in the Harry Gamble Shipyard in Port Dover Wednesday. The alarm was called in to Norfolk Fire & Rescue around 3 p.m. The tug Jiggs was fully involved by time firefighters arrived.

There was initial concern that fire vehicles couldn’t get down to the Lynn River in the area of Lynn Street but they found their way through the scrap vehicles and other waste items that have accumulated in the shipyard over the decades.

Firefighters stood by while a Komatsu excavator tore at the boat. Once the burning wheelhouse was fully exposed, they extinguished the flames with water from a pumper truck. Firefighters vacated the scene around 4:15 p.m.

The website For Posterity’s Sake: A Royal Canadian Navy Historical Project, says the Jiggs was launched in 1911 in Lorain, Ohio, as the tug Baltimore. The steel-hulled boat was 61 feet long and 16 feet in the beam. The tug was renamed the Patricia McQueen in 1936 when it was purchased by a new owner. It saw service in the Canadian navy during the Second World War. In 1970 the boat was renovated into a yacht and renamed Maracaibo II. The boat was renamed again in 1982 as Jiggs.

“Jiggs was last reported as a derelict vessel at a shipyard in Port Dover half submerged in mud and in a state of complete disrepair,” the For Posterity’s Sake website says.

A report from Norfolk Fire & Rescue was not available at press time. A member of the Gamble family declined to comment at the scene.

Attachment Deleted

Simcoe Reformer


3/16 - Erie, Pa. – It's been a long winter for most, but for DonJon Shipbuilding and repair, the season has meant millions of dollars in investment just in time for an uptick in business. Winter is usually the busiest time of the year for ship repair at DonJon, but this season could be one of the busiest ever.

"When the lakes freeze, all the vessels can't sail,” says Richard Hammer, assistant general manager. “So, they want to come in and get repaired. We have a short three-month window to maintain and repair all of these vessels."

Between January and March, they'd usually see four to five vessels. Hammer says before this season ends, they will have seen nine. "Just because of the amount of boats, you have to spread a lot of people out. So, we need a lot of people." That means hiring an additional 70 contractors and seasonal employees on top of the 100 core employees, he says.

Erie, Western Pennsylvania Port Authority owns the shipyard and leases it to DonJon. Sandberg says the 1,250-foot graving dock makes Donjon unique. "From a port standpoint, we have the largest graving dock on the Great Lakes. So, we are able to accept vessels that other ports are not able to accept," he explains.

Improvements over the past year are also helping the cause, he adds. "The total right now is a little over $7 million and that work includes not only the drydock floor, but also some other improvements to the facility including roof-work and gutters and things of that nature.”

DonJon has already seen about five vessels with four more on the way.

YourErie.com


3/16 - Nordika Desgagnés lost steering Thursday off Cape Breton. She was bound from Montreal for Sydney, Australia. CCGS Sir Wilfred Grenfell was on scene and a tug has been dispatched by the vessel owner to tow the Nordika Desgagnés to port.

Halifax Shipping News


Blessing of the Fleet at Mariner's Church of Detroit

3/16 - View a photo gallery of the recent Blessing of the Fleet at this link


Today in Great Lakes History March 16 On 16 March 1901, ARGO (steel passenger/package freight propeller, 173 foot, 1,089 gross tons) was launched at the Craig Ship Building Company (Hull #81) at Toledo, Ohio, for the A. Booth Company. She left the Lakes in 1917, and was last recorded in 1938, out of Brest, France.
BUFFALO (Hull#721) was launched March 16, 1978, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin by Bay Shipbuilding Corp., for the American Steamship Co.

On 16 March 1883, The Port Huron Times announced that the passenger and package freight steamer PICKUP would be built in Marine City, Michigan and would run on the St. Clair River between Port Huron and Algonac. The machinery from the burned steamer CARRIE H. BLOOD was to be installed in her. In fact, her construction was completed that year and she went into service in September 1883. Her dimensions were 80 foot x 19 foot x 7 foot, 137 gross tons, 107 net tons.

The Niagara Harbor & Dock Company, a shipbuilding firm, was incorporated on 16 March 1831, at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

On 16 March 1886, the tug MOCKING BIRD was sold by Mr. D. N. Runnels to Mr. James Reid of St. Ignace, Michigan. Mr. Runnels received the tug JAMES L. REID as partial payment.

1924: MOHAWK of the Western Transit Co. was known as a fast ship. It was built at Detroit in 1893 and was renamed AMERICA in 1916. It was cut in two to exit the Great Lakes and re-assembled at Montreal for East Coast service. The ship was renamed BERMUDEZ in 1921 and sank in the Erie Basin at Brooklyn on March 16, 1924, with the stern resting on the bottom and the bow afloat. The hull was pumped out but scrapped at New York in January 1925.

[yachtsmanwilly]

W. R. STAFFORD (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 184 foot, 744 gross tons, built in 1886, at W. Bay City, Michigan) was freed from the ice at 2:00 a.m. on 19 March 1903, by the Goodrich Line’s ATLANTA. When the STAFFORD was freed, the ice then closed around the ATLANTA and imprisoned her for several hours. Both vessels struggled all night and finally reached Grand Haven, Michigan, at 5 a.m. They left for Chicago later that day in spite of the fact that an ice floe 2 miles wide, 14 miles long and 20 feet deep was off shore.
CARTIERCLIFFE HALL was launched March 19, 1960, as a.) RUHR ORE (Hull # 536) at Hamburg, Germany, by Schlieker-Werft Shipyard.

INDIANA HARBOR (Hull#719) was launched March 19, 1979, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, by Bay Shipbuilding Corp.

CITY OF GREEN BAY was launched March 19, 1927, as a.) WABASH (Hull#177) at Toledo, Ohio, by Toledo Ship Building Co., for the Wabash Railway Co.

ALFRED CYTACKI was launched March 19, 1932, as a.) LAKESHELL (Hull#1426) at Newcastle-on-Tyne, England by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd.

On 19 March 1886, the PICKUP (wooden passenger/package freight steamer, 80 foot, 136 gross tons, built in 1883, at Marine City, Michigan, was renamed LUCILE. She lasted until she sank off the Maumee River Light (Toledo Harbor Light), Toledo, Ohio, Lake Erie, on August 8, 1906.

1916 The canal-sized PORT DALHOUSIE saw only brief service on the Great Lakes. It was built in England as TYNEMOUNT in 1913 and came to Canada as PORT DALHOUSIE in 1914. It left for saltwater in 1915 and was torpedoed and sunk by UB-10 while carrying steel billets to Nantes, France. It went down March 19, 1916, south and west of the Kentish Knock Light vessel and 12 lives were lost.

1978 BELKARIN was a Norwegian cargo carrier that made one trip inland in 1963. It struck a sunken warship in Suez Bay on March 19, 1978, as c) NAHOST JUMBO and the engine room was holed. The vessel, en route from Aqaba, Jordan, to Holland, settled in shallow water. The hull was refloated in January 1979 and sold for scrap.

1990 On March 19, an explosion in a container on board the Norwegian freighter POLLUX at La Baie, QC, killed two sailors, seriously injured a third as well as 7 Alcan dock employees. The ship made its first trip up the Seaway coming to to Port Weller Dry Docks May 18 for repairs. It was renamed there and left the lakes in August as d) NOMADIC POLLUX. This ship returned inland in 1997, 1998 and 1999 and was back as e) BALTICLAND in May 2004.

1993 An explosion and fire rocked the tanker SHIOKAZE in the North Sea en route to Rotterdam killing one member of the crew. The vessel had first been a Seaway trader in 1986 and returned in 1998 as DILMUN TERN bound for Hamilton with palm oil. It was scrapped, after 30 years of service, arriving at Alang, India, on June 14, 2010, as c) THERESA III.

2002 A hull crack of close to 13 feet was found on LAKE CARLING off Cape Breton Island while traveling from Sept-Iles to Trinidad with iron ore. Originally ZIEMIA CIESZYNSKA, the vessel first came to the Great Lakes in 1993 and was renamed LAKE CARLING at Chicago in October. The crack widened to 25 feet before the vessel could reach safety but the damage was repaired and it returned to service. The original name was restored in 2004 and the vessel was last on the lakes in 2009.

2003 A fire in the after end of the CALEDONIA on the Heddle Dry Dock in Hamilton was contained to one deck. The vessel was there for conversion to a sailing ship and the work was eventually completed. The ship had visited the Great Lakes as the coastal freighter PETREL in the late 1970s but was much more at home around Maritime Canada and Hudson Bay. As a sailing ship, it carries 77 passengers and visits Caribbean ports.

In 1967, under the command of Captain Ray I. McGrath, the Columbia Transportation Company's HURON (steel propeller self-unloader bulk freighter, 415 foot, 4,810 gross tons, built in 1914, at Ecorse, Michigan) cleared Fairport, Ohio, and headed to Toledo, Ohio for a load of coal. She was the first freighter to sail in the new season. She sailed on the same day that the U. S. Steel's Bradley Fleet of seven vessels started fitting out.
On 18 March 1906, the Goodrich Line's ATLANTA (wooden propeller passenger/package freight steamer, 200 foot, 1,129 gross tons, built in 1891, at Cleveland, Ohio) was sailing from Sheboygan, Wisconsin for Milwaukee. When she was 14 miles south of Sheboygan, fire was discovered in the aft hold and quickly spread to the engine room. She ran out of steam, making the fire pumps inoperable. There were 65 persons aboard and Capt. Mc Cauley gave the order to abandon. The fish tug TESSLER came to help and only one life was lost. As the TESSLER was steaming to port, the Goodrich Line's GEORGIA came into view and took on all of the survivors. The hull of the ATLANTA was beached by the TESSLER. Later, the burned hull was purchased by D. O. Smith of Port Washington.

ARSENE SIMARD (Hull#404) was launched March 18, 1972, at Sorel, Quebec, by Marine Industries Ltd., for Branch Lines Ltd.

PERE MARQUETTE 21 (Hull#209) was launched March 18, 1924, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. She was christened by Mrs. Charles C. West, wife of the president of Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co.

The straight-deck bulk carrier SYLVANIA (Hull#613) was launched March 18, 1905, at West Bay City, Michigan by West Bay City Ship Building Co., for the Tomlinson Fleet Corp.

On 18 March 1890, CITY OF CHICAGO (steel sidewheeler, 211 foot, 1,073 gross tons) was launched at West Bay City, Michigan by F. W. Wheeler & Co. (Hull#68) for the Graham & Morton Line. CITY OF CHICAGO was lengthened to 226 feet at Wheeler's yard one year later (1891). She was again lengthened in 1905-06, this time to 254 feet. On the same day and at the same yard the 3-mast wooden schooner A.C. TUXBURY was stern launched.

On 18 March 1928, M. T. GREENE (wooden propeller freighter, 155 foot, 524 gross tons, built in 1887, at Gibraltar, Michigan) burned to a total loss near Brigdeburg, Ontario, on the Niagara River.

1923 The wooden steamer JAMES P. DONALDSON was built in 1880 and often worked in the lumber trade. At the end, it was used by N.M. Paterson & Sons Ltd. to bring wet grain to the company elevator for drying. The ship caught fire at the Canadian Lakehead on this date and the remains were sunk off Isle Royale, Lake Superior, on May 6, 1923.

1991 The Canadian Coast Guard ship GRIFFON collided with the fishing trawler CAPTAIN K. sinking it in Lake Erie. Three lives were lost.

On 17 March 1995, a fire started on the AMERICAN MARINER's self-unloading conveyor belt from welding being done on the vessel at the Toledo Ship & Repair Company in Toledo, Ohio. About $100,000 in damage was done. The Toledo fire department had the blaze out in half an hour.
The tanker LAKESHELL reportedly leaked over 21,000 gallons of Bunker C oil into the St. Lawrence River on March 17, 1982, after suffering a crack in her cargo compartment caused by striking an ice floe.

GEORGE R. FINK was launched March 17, 1923, as a.) WORRELL CLARKSON (Hull#174) at Toledo, Ohio, by Toledo Ship Building Co., for the Kinsman Transit Co.

On 17 March 1916, CITY OF MIDLAND (wooden propeller passenger-package freighter, 176 foot, 974 tons, built in 1890, at Owen Sound, Ontario) burned at the Grand Trunk Railway dock at Collingwood, Ontario, while fitting out for the coming season. No lives were lost.

In 1945 Stadium Boat Works of Cleveland Ohio launched the SOUTH SHORE (US. 247657) for Miller Boat Line of Put-In-Bay, Ohio. She carried 6 autos and 120 passengers. In 1973, she was sold to Beaver Island Boat Company until retired at the end of the 1997 season. In April of 1999, sailed to Chicago where she was docked at the foot of Navy Pier as a storage vessel for Shoreline Cruises.

1906: SOVEREIGN, a steel hulled passenger ship that operated on the St. Lawrence in the Montreal area, was destroyed by a fire at Lachine, Quebec. The vessel was rebuilt that year as IMPERIAL and remained in service until 1928 when the boilers and hull were condemned.

1916: CITY OF MIDLAND, a passenger and freight steamer for Canada Steamship Lines, caught fire at the Grant Trunk Railway Dock in Collingwood and was a total loss.

1973: A wild late winter storm swept into Goderich off Lake Huron on March 17-18. Eleven ships got loose, while only the PATERSON (i) remained fast at the dock. It sustained bow damage when struck by fleetmate MONDOC (iii). Varying amounts of damage were inflicted to other ships.

1980: SUNPOLYNA was built in 1956 and provided service for Saguenay Shipping between Eastern Canada and the West Indies. The ship first came through the Seaway in 1963 and, on May 16, 1967, it ran aground near Thorold. It was sailing as d) TEMERAIRE when abandoned by the crew on March 17, 1980, in position 28.16 S / 21.04 W after the hull had cracked. The ship was en route from Santos, Brazil, to Mina Qaboos, Oman, and, after drifting to northwest for several days, sank on March 21.


Manitowoc's USS Cobia submarine celebrates its 75th anniversary

3/17 - Manitowoc, Wis. – The USS Cobia is recognizing her 75th anniversary this year, and the Wisconsin Maritime Museum is planning a year-long celebration of the battle submarine.

The Cobia, which was not built in Wisconsin, served six patrols in the Pacific Ocean during World War II, and during that time sank 13 Japanese vessels and rescued seven downed airmen in April 1945. She came to Manitowoc nearly 48 years ago, and represents both the area’s maritime heritage and its history of building sturdy World War II submarines, said Karen Duvalle, submarine curator of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc.

On March 17, 1943, the keel of the USS Cobia was laid down in Groton, Connecticut, and she was launched on Nov. 28 of that year. To recognize the laying down of the keel, the Wisconsin Maritime Museum on Saturday will have live reenactors on hand for self-guided tours of the Cobia, and is offering a discounted admissions price, plus cake and cupcakes.

Wisconsin Maritime Museum Executive Director Rolf Johnson said Manitowoc is fortunate to have the submarine here, noting many were used in dangerous war operations and did not return home.

In 1944, for example, the Cobia attacked a group of enemy ships going to the Japanese island called Iwo Jima. Cobia sank two ships, including a Japanese troop ship carrying 28 tanks. The U.S. Marines felt this sinking was important to their capture of the island six months later, and sent a letter thanking the crew, according to Wisconsin Maritime Museum officials.

The Cobia was given to the Milwaukee Naval Reserve Center in 1959, where she served as a training submarine for the next 11 years. In 1970, the U.S. Navy retired the Cobia, and the submarine was relocated to Manitowoc on Aug. 17, 1970, to serve as a memorial for the men who served on the Manitowoc boats and also the men and women who built them. The Cobia became a National Historic Landmark in 1986 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Cobia’s move to Manitowoc was a catalyst is creating a Wisconsin Maritime Museum, Johnson said. About 40,000 people visit the museum each year, he said. Scout and school groups, and families, can participate in sleepovers during special events on the submarine, and kids can learn about STEM (or science, technology, engineering and math) while spending time on the Cobia, Johnson noted.

“Tours of the Cobia are popular,” he said. “People get a sense of what the history is. And you have not only the people who built submarines here, but you have a lot of veterans who visit and share their sea stories as well.”

Few people today have links to serving in the military, Johnson said, and the Cobia is a way for the general public to learn that history.

The submarine is one of a handful open to tours throughout the country, and is one of the best preserved, Green said. The Cobia is occasionally pulled out of the water for repairs or to be painted, and for its engines, whistles or hull to be maintained. Its radar has been restored and is one of the oldest in the world, Johnson said.

“It really is fascinating to see and to learn about,” Johnson said. “Manitowoc is lucky to have it.”

Reduced admissions on Saturday will be $7.50 per person. There will be educational displays, crafts and games, a scavenger hunt and a raffle. There will be a cake-cutting ceremony at noon — cut with a saber, as is submarine tradition — and a limited number of cupcakes. Nicole Fuller will perform music at 11 a.m., and 1 and 2 p.m., including 1940s and Irish music in the museum’s Riverview Room. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is at 75 Maritime Drive. Call 920-684-0218 for more details.

Herald Times Reporter

3/17 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Coast Guard cutters Mackinaw and Samuel Risley will open the Pipe Island Passage, north and east of Pipe Island and circumnavigate Drummond Island starting at noon on Monday.

The two ice breakers will travel east, through Potagannissing Bay along the international border, enter the North Channel and exit False Detour Passage east of Drummond Island.

The Coast Guard reminds all recreational ice users to plan their activities carefully, use caution on the ice, and stay away from shipping channels, all of which are being groomed for the opening of the shipping season.

USCG

3/17 - Toledo, Ohio – A shipwreck hunter sponsored by the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo has found the long-sought steam barge Margaret Olwill, which sank in Lake Erie off Lorain during a storm in 1899, the museum announced Thursday.

The vessel is believed to have had 13 people aboard and was carrying 900 tons of limestone loaded at Kelleys Island and destined for Cleveland when it foundered.

“The loss of the Olwill was particularly tragic because not only did the captain and his wife perish, but their son, a friend of the family, and other relatives also died as a result of what appeared to be a family trip on the commercial vessel,” the museum said in its statement announcing the find by a member of the Cleveland Underwater Explorers.

Also reported were the discoveries of two other shipwrecks in the area that have yet to be identified. Those two wrecks, both believed to be sailing ships, were found in July 2016, while the wreck confirmed to be the Olwill was first located July 26, 2017. The Olwill’s identification was confirmed the following month when divers located its steam-powered engine, which matched the vessel’s recorded description.

Rob Ruetschle, the CLUE-affiliated shipwreck hunter who found the Olwill, said the extent of information available about the Olwill’s sinking made it an appealing search target.

Read more and view photo and a map at this link

[yachtsmanwilly]

3/20 - Duluth, Minn. – The anticipated departure of six vessels this week signals a strong start to the 2018 commercial shipping season for the Port of Duluth-Superior and the entire region. All will be leaving their winter berths to load iron ore for delivery to steel mills on the lower Great Lakes.

U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alder made several passes through the ice in the shipping channels last week, and, starting Monday, Heritage Marine tugs began assisting with breakout operations in the harbor.

Exact departure times are difficult to pinpoint during start-up, especially with strong winds and shifting ice conditions plus final onboard inspections in progress. At this point, it appears that the first commercial vessel to leave will be the tug/barge that wintered at the Clure Public Marine Terminal. The crew of the Erie Trader/Clyde S. VanEnkevort hopes to get underway by noon Tuesday, March 20, heading to the CN dock in Two Harbors to load iron ore.

Edwin H. Gott is set to follow suit Thursday morning, while the Kaye E. Barker, which wintered at Fraser Shipyards, is also set to leave light that day as she heads to Marquette, Mich., to load iron ore.

In the meantime, two 1,000-footers are scheduled to load iron ore pellets Thursday in the Twin Ports. James R. Barker will be moving from its berth at the Midwest Energy Terminal across St. Louis Bay to the CN Duluth Dock. Similarly, the Burns Harbor will make its way from Elevator M to the BNSF Railway Dock in Superior and, once loaded, will likely depart via the Superior entry sometime Friday. Last in the line-up is the Lee A. Tregurtha, scheduled to leave Fraser Shipyards next Tuesday to load ore in Two Harbors.

Once loaded, those first five vessels will proceed across Lake Superior toward Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., to await the opening of the Soo Locks at 12:01 a.m. on Sun., March 25. That means, the Port of Duluth-Superior could begin seeing its first inbound lakers arriving a day or two later, depending on ice conditions.

While the Soo Locks open Sunday, the Welland Canal and St. Lawrence Seaway locks are not scheduled to open until March 29. For updates on all vessel traffic, check the schedule posted on www.duluthboats.com. To follow transits in real-time, visit www.marinetraffic.com or ais.boatnerd.com or check mobile apps like Marine Traffic or Ship Finder.

All vessel departure & arrival times are estimates and are subject to change without notice.

Duluth Seaway Port Authority


3/20 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The Soo Locks' three-month closure for winter maintenance is nearing its end. With opening day set for March 25, workers late last week refilled the Poe Lock - the one reserved for the heftiest ships traveling through the St. Marys River on their journeys between Lake Superior and Lake Huron.

When the Soo Locks are full, it takes 22 million gallons of water to raise the level of the Poe Lock by 21 feet and and get freighters moving between Lake Huron and Lake Superior. On Monday, divers were set to go into the Poe Lock to do some finish work.

Read more and see photos at this link: www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/03/water_refills_michigans_soo_lo.html


3/20 - Coast Guard cutter Mobile Bay will fracture ice near the Escanaba ore dock on Thursday. At the request of commercial shippers who wintered in Escanaba, and to support the local commercial ice breaking service, the Coast Guard will establish a track in the ice from Escanaba Light north to the Escanaba ore dock. Every precaution will be taken to leave the northerly portions of Little Bay De Noc undisturbed. The Coast Guard will limit their ice breaking activity to the designated area.

USCG


On 20 March 1885, MICHIGAN (Hull#48), (iron propeller passenger-package freight steamer, 215 foot, 1,183 tons) of the Detroit, Grand Haven & Milwaukee Railroad was sunk by ice off Grand Haven, Michigan.
The sidewheeler NEW YORK was sold Canadian in 1877, hopefully at a bargain price, because when she was hauled out on the ways on 20 March 1878, at Rathburn's yard in Kingston, Ontario, to have her boiler removed, her decayed hull fell apart and could not be repaired. Her remains were burned to clear the ways.

On 20 March 1883, the E. H. MILLER of Alpena, Michigan (wooden propeller tug, 62 foot, 30 gross tons, built in 1874, at East Saginaw, Michigan) was renamed RALPH. She was abandoned in 1920.

1938: ¬ A fire of an undetermined cause destroyed the passenger steamer CITY OF BUFFALO while it was fitting out for the 1938 season at the East 9th St. Pier in Cleveland The blaze began late the previous day and 11 fire companies responded. The nearby CITY OF ERIE escaped the flames, as did the SEEANDBEE.

2011” ¬ The Indian freighter APJ ANJLI was built in 1982 and began visiting the Great Lakes in 1990. It was sailing as c) MIRACH, and loaded with 25,842 tons of iron ore, when it ran aground 3 miles off the coast of India on March 20, 2011. Four holds were flooded and the crew of 25 was removed. The hull subsequently broke in two and was a total loss.

[yachtsmanwilly]

The c.) CHEMICAL MAR of 1966 sustained severe damage when sulfuric acid leaked into the pump room while she was discharging her cargo at the island of Curacao on March 21, 1982. Flooding occurred later and the vessel was declared a constructive total loss. She was scrapped at Brownsville, Texas in 1983. From 1979 until 1981, CHEMICAL MAR was named b.) COASTAL TRANSPORT for the Hall Corp. of Canada. She never entered the lakes under that name.
NOTRE DAME VICTORY was floated from the drydock on March 21, 1951, three months and two days after she entered the dock, and was rechristened b.) CLIFFS VICTORY.

MARLHILL was launched on March 21, 1908, as a.) HARRY A. BERWIND (Hull#40) at Ecorse, Michigan by Great Lakes Engineering Works for G. A. Tomlinson of Duluth, Minnesota.

Pittsburgh Steamship Co.'s GEORGE F. BAKER was sold to the Kinsman Marine Transit Co., Cleveland, Ohio on March 21, 1965, and renamed b) HENRY STEINBRENNER.

On 21 March 1874, the two schooners NORTH STAR and EVENING STAR were launched at Crosthwaite's shipyard in East Saginaw, Michigan. They were both owned by John Kelderhouse of Buffalo, New York.

On 21 March 1853, GENERAL SCOTT (wooden side-wheeler, 105 foot, 64 tons, built in 1852, at Saginaw, Michigan) was tied up to her dock on the Saginaw River when she was crushed beyond repair by ice that flowed down the river during the spring breakup. One newspaper report said that while the vessel was being cleaned up for the new navigation season, a seacock was left open and she sank before the spring breakup.

1959: The retired sidewheel steamer WESTERN STATES, known as S.S. OVERNIGHTER, caught fire while waiting to be scrapped in 1959. The vessel had last sailed in 1950 and had briefly served as a flotel at Tawas, MI, before being sold for scrap. Final demolition of the hull was completed at Bay City later in the year.

1970: The West German freighter WILHELM NUBEL made one trip through the Seaway in 1959. It sustained machinery failure as c) SAN GERASSIMOS following an engine room fire on this date in 1970. The vessel was traveling from Galatz, Romania, to Lisbon, Portugal, with a cargo of maize and had to be abandoned by the crew. While taken in tow by the tanker STAVROS E., the ship sank in heavy weather in the Ionian Sea.

1998: Three crewmembers were killed by phosphine gas when they went to assess flooding damage in #1 hold after the MARIA A. encountered heavy weather on the South Atlantic. The ship, en route from Argentina to Jordan with wheat, put into Paranagua, Brazil for repairs. The ship had been a Seaway caller as RIGHTEOUS beginning in 1979 and as AFSAR in 1986. While renamed ARIA later in 1998, the British built bulk carrier was never repaired and was either scuttled or scrapped.

[yachtsmanwilly]

3/22 - Cleveland, Ohio – Crews are readying the U.S.-flag Great Lakes fleet for another shipping season. Five dry-bulk vessels have already resumed operation, but the bulk of the fleet will get underway once the locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, open on March 25.

Last year U.S.-flag lakers hauled 85.7 million tons of cargo, an increase of 3 percent over 2016. Iron ore for steel production was the largest single commodity carried by U.S.-flag lakers: 46 million tons. Limestone cargos totaled 21.55 million tons. Coal shipments topped 13.3 million tons. Cargos of cement, salt, sand and grain approached 4.9 million tons.

“The fleet is ready,” said James H.I. Weakley, President of Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA). “Our members spent $65 million maintaining and modernizing their vessels during the winter.”

Trade associations cannot be predictive, so LCA cannot forecast cargo movement in 2018. Volumes will be determined by the state of the economy.

LCA is working a number of issues that will affect the future of U.S.-flag shipping on the Lakes. Key among them is having another heavy icebreaker built for service on the Great Lakes. The cargos delayed or cancelled this past December and January because of heavy ice topped 1.5 million tons. Congress has authorized construction of another heavy icebreaker. LCA’s focus is now funding the $240 million vessel.

The association continues its efforts to have a second Poe-sized lock built at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. In 2017, the 48-year-old Poe Lock handled 90 percent of the 75 million tons that passed through the Soo Locks. A Department of Homeland Security report estimates that 11 million Americans would lose their jobs if the Poe Lock was out of service for 6 months.

A second Poe-sized lock was authorized at full federal funding in 2007, but has been stalled by a flawed Corps of Engineers study that significantly understates its benefit/cost (b/c) ratio. A new Corps study should be completed soon which should show a very positive b/c ratio. A 2017 study commissioned by the Treasury Department puts the project’s b/c ratio between 2.0 and 4.0, well above the level required for inclusion in an administration budget.

Passage of federal legislation establishing a uniform, federal discharge standard for ballast water is another LCA priority. Currently both the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. EPA regulate ballast water discharges. In addition, seven of the eight Great Lakes states have their own requirements. The Vessel Incidental Discharge Act would impose the highest ballast water management standard currently achievable and assign oversight and enforcement to the U.S. Coast Guard. The EPA and individual states would continue to have input on raising the standard as technology advances.

Increased funding for dredging has reduced the backlog of sediment clogging Great Lakes ports and waterways, but more than 14 million cubic yards of sediment need to be removed before vessels can consistently carry full loads. Depending on the size of the vessel, ships and tug/barge units lose anywhere between 50 and 270 tons of cargo for each inch loaded draft is reduced by lack of adequate dredging. LCA continues to work with Congress to ensure Lakes dredging is adequately funded.

Lake Carriers’ Association


3/22 - Tugs Wilf Seymour and Lois M departed Trois-Rivières, Que., Wednesday around 5 a.m. headed for the Alouette Spirit, which has been aground on Lac St Pierre since the morning of December 25. Lois M has been up to the site twice in the last few days, Wilf Seymour re-positioned herself on the dock Tuesday and on Wednesday night was showing on AIS on as being at the barge, which has a cargo of aluminum ingots bound for Oswego, N.Y.


3/22 - Huron, Ohio – A major employer in Huron could shut down by next month. Management at Huron Lime Inc. told staff this past week the company sold off to Pennsylvania-headquartered Carmeuse Lime & Stone, according to an employee who spoke with the Register. The person requested anonymity for fear of facing possible retaliation.

“They told us we would keep working until all the stone was gone,” the employee said. “Once we turn the last bit of stone into lime, they told us we would no longer be needed. We believe that’s less than 30 days from now.”

The lime plant in Huron is the last facility in that port that receives regular shipments by vessel. Closure would mark the end of an era for Huron as a Great Lakes shipping port.

The employee provided a bit more context into some behind-the-scenes dealings. “It’s my understanding Carmeuse owns plants up toward Cleveland and down toward Findlay and that they would take the accounts (in Huron) and work on them at other plants,” the worker said.

Added Maria Johnson Pounds, who posted in the “You know you’re from Huron if…” Facebook group: “I am the wife of a supervisor, and I can confirm it is closing. We are heartbroken and saddened by this great loss.”

About 30 people work at the company — known by some locals as the “cloud maker” for producing similar shapes floating above its Meeker Street facility — which started operations in Huron about 50 years ago. Among its service, the lime plant makes an ingredient used in the production of concrete.

Huron Lime Inc. “has a long history of providing excellent quicklime and related calcium products into a variety of applications, including steel processing, chemical manufacturing, construction, agricultural and water treatment,” according to a company statement.

Neither officials working for Huron’s government nor those representing the Erie County Economic Development Corp. could confirm the closing, yet they heard speculation running rampant around town.

Multiple messages left with management, meanwhile, were not returned.

Sandusky Register


3/22 - Kingston, Ont. – The province of Ontario announced on Friday that the new ferries slated for Amherst Island and Wolfe Island will be fully electric. They will also be the first fully electric, non-cable vessels in Canada.

The Ontario government announced a $61-million contract in November with Damen Shipyards of the Netherlands, which they selected to produce the new ferries. That contract was for both design and production.

A news release from the Ontario government stated that the electric ferries will reduce greenhouse gas emissions "by an estimated 7.4 million kilograms of carbon dioxide per year, the same as taking 1,357 cars off the road, compared to conventional diesel ferries."

The ferries are being funded by the federal and provincial governments, and it is expected that they will be operational in early 2020 for Amherst Island and early 2021 for Wolfe Island. Wolfe Island's current ferry will continue working alongside the new electric ferry.

"The Wolfe Islander III will remain in service together with the new electric Wolfe Island vessel, to help speed up the movement of people and goods during peak season," the news release said. "Details of the service to Wolfe Island are being developed with input from ferry users."

The new ferry to Wolfe Island will carry 399 passengers and 75 vehicles, compared to the current capacity of 294 passengers and 55 vehicles. Amherst Island's new ferry will carry 300 passengers and up to 40 vehicles, as compared to the current 33 vehicles.

According to the release, ferries transport approximately 900,000 passengers and 400,000 vehicles between Wolfe Island and Kingston each year, and approximately 300,000 passengers and 145,000 vehicles to and from Amherst Island annually.

"Over the 60-year lifespan of the ferries, Ontario will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 446 million kilograms of carbon dioxide," the release stated.

Whig Standard


On 22 March 1922, the Goodrich Transit Company purchased the assets and properties of the Chicago, Racine and Milwaukee Steamship Company. This sale included two steamers: ILLINOIS (steel propeller passenger/package freight steamer, 240 foot, 2,427 gross tons, built in 1899, at S. Chicago, Illinois) and PILGRIM (iron propeller passenger/package freight steamer, 209 foot, 1,921 gross tons, built in 1881, at Wyandotte, Michigan).
The GULF MACKENZIE sailed light March 22, 1977, on her maiden voyage from Sorel to Montreal, Quebec.

The tanker COMET (Hull#705) was launched March 22, 1913, at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. for the Standard Transportation Co. of New York.

THOMAS W. LAMONT (Hull#184) was launched March 22, 1930, at Toledo, Ohio by Toledo Shipbuilding Co. for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.

March 22, 1885 - The Goodrich steamer MICHIGAN was crushed in heavy ice off Grand Haven, Michigan and sank. Captain Redmond Prindiville was in command, Joseph Russell was the first mate.

On 22 March 1873, TYPO, a wooden schooner/canaller, was launched at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She cost $25,000 and was commanded by Captain William Callaway.

On 22 March 1871, Engineer George Smith and two firemen were badly scalded on the propeller LAKE BREEZE when a steam pipe they were working on blew away from the side of the boiler. They were getting the engines ready for the new shipping season.

On 22 March 1938, CITY OF BUFFALO (steel side-wheeler passenger/package freight vessel, 340 foot, 2,940 gross tons, built in 1896, at Wyandotte, Michigan) caught fire during preparations for the spring season while at her winter moorings at the East Ninth Street dock in Cleveland, Ohio. She was totally gutted. The hulk was towed to Detroit for conversion to a freighter, but this failed to materialize. She was cut up for scrap there in 1940.

On 22 March 1987, the pilothouse of the 1901, steamer ALTADOC, which was used as a gift shop and 2-room hotel near Copper Harbor, Michigan, was destroyed by fire.

1973: The Swedish built NORSE VARIANT first came to the Great Lakes in 1965 just after completion. On March 22, 1973, the vessel was en route from Norfolk, VA, to Hamburg, Germany, with a cargo of coal when it ran into an early spring storm with 40 foot waves southeast of Cape May, N.J. The vessel was overwhelmed and sank with the loss of 29 lives. Only one man survived.

2006: The Collingwood-built Canadian Coast Guard ship SIR WILFRID LAURIER came to the rescue of those aboard the passenger ship QUEEN OF THE NORTH when the latter sank with the loss of two lives off the coast of British Columbia.

[yachtsmanwilly]

3/23 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – U.S. Coast Guard cutters are breaking ice in Lake Superior, Bay of Green Bay, Straits of Mackinac and the St. Marys River as part of spring breakout in preparation for the seasonal opening of the Soo Locks, which are scheduled to open to commercial vessel traffic on Sunday.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw, Coast Guard Cutter Morro Bay and Canadian Coast Guard Ship Samuel Risley entered through the locks prior to the official opening.

Mackinaw and Risley began laying down tracks along charted shipping routes within Whitefish Bay Thursday. The other two vessels will travel west to conduct ice breaking in Thunder Bay, Ontario and Marquette, Mich. The Coast Guard Cutter Alder will break ice in western Lake Superior.

With more than 50 percent of Lake Superior still covered with ice, the majority of ice breaking resources will be positioned above the Soo Locks. This leaves the Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock, Coast Guard Cutter Neah Bay, and Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay to manage the ice remaining in the lower river, Straits of Mackinac, Bay of Green Bay and Georgian Bay.

The U.S. Coast Guard is committed to keeping critical waterways throughout the Great Lakes open to the safe transport of commercial shipments and works closely with the Canadian Coast Guard to achieve that goal.

USCG


3/23 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will allow visitors into Soo Locks Park from 11 p.m. March 24 to 1 a.m. March 25 to watch the first boat lock through. There will be 100 percent bag inspections and visitors are being asked to cooperate with security officers when asked to leave when the park closes, even if the boat is still in the lock. There have been problems in previous years and if they continue this year, the Corps warns that the annual event may not be held in the future.

On Sunday, the Soo Locks Visitor Center will be open from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. to celebrate the first day of the 2018 navigation season with an open house at the Visitor Center Sunday from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Enjoy refreshments, a sneak peek at new exhibits, and updates on vessel traffic. Initial indications are that traffic will be brisk on opening day.


3/23 - Muskegon, Mich. – The Port City Princess cruise boat will continue operating this summer, but under new ownership. The Precious family, which has owned and operated the Princess for about 30 years, announced on Tuesday, March 20, that Sylvia Precious had decided to retire.

"It seems like just yesterday that my mom Sylvia and my dad Ralph and my brother Randy sailed the Port City Princess into Muskegon Lake," reads the Facebook post by Dana Precious. "After 30 years of cruising mom decided it was finally time to retire and enjoy a summer off for once." The post goes on to thank the community. Randy Precious could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Princess is berthed at Mart Dock downtown Muskegon. "It is staying in Muskegon," said Max McKee, president of the Mart Dock. "It was sold and was going to go to Charlevoix, but a local group stepped in to keep it in Muskegon. It will operate this summer."

www.facebook.com/PortCityCruises/photos/a.130409010303645.22169.130403590304187/1849900738354455/?type=3


The National Transportation Safety Board unanimously voted on March 23,1978, to reject the U. S. Coast Guard's official report supporting the theory of faulty hatches in their EDMUND FITZGERALD investigation. Later the N.T.S.B. revised its verdict and reached a majority vote to agree that the sinking was caused by taking on water through one or more hatch covers damaged by the impact of heavy seas over her deck. This is contrary to the Lake Carriers Association's contention that her foundering was caused by flooding through bottom and ballast tank damage resulting from bottoming on the Six Fathom Shoal between Caribou and Michipicoten Islands.
On 23 March 1850, TROY (wooden side-wheel passenger/package freighter, 182 foot, 546 tons, built in 1845, at Maumee, Ohio) exploded and burned at Black Rock, New York. Up to 22 lives were lost. She was recovered and rebuilt the next year and lasted until 1860.

On 23 March 1886, Mr. D. N. Runnels purchased the tug KITTIE HAIGHT.

The 3,280 ton motor vessel YANKCANUCK commanded by Captain W. E. Dexter, docked at the Canadian Soo on 23 March 1964, to officially open the 1964 navigation season for that port. Captain Dexter received the traditional silk hat from Harbormaster Frank Parr in a brief ceremony aboard the vessel. The ship arrived in the Sault from Windsor, Ontario. Captain Dexter said the trip from Windsor was uneventful and he had no trouble with ice. This was the first time a ship from the Yankcanuck line had won the honor of opening the Sault Harbor.

1986: EBN MAGID visited the Seaway in 1970 as a) ADEL WEERT WIARDS and was on the cover of Know Your Ships for 1971. Following 2 explosions and a fire at sea at the end of January, the vessel docked this day at Milford Haven, U.K. to be unloaded. It was then sold to Belgian shipbreakers.

[yachtsmanwilly]

3/26 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Upbound traffic at the Soo Locks Sunday, the first day of the shipping season on the river, included Presque Isle and Cason J. Callaway early, followed later by Hon. James L Oberstar, CSL Welland, Baie St. Paul, Frontenac, and, after dark, Joseph L. Block. Mississagi and Walter J. McCarthy Jr. were stopped for the night in the lower river. Downbounders included Clyde S. VanEnkevort/Erie Trader, Whitefish Bay, CSL Assiniboine, Thunder Bay and, after dark, James R. Barker.

The locks opened at 12:01 a.m. Sunday with the upbound passage of American Century. She was followed by Philip R. Clarke and Edgar B. Speer. The first passage was greeted by around 300 freighter fans gathered in Soo Locks Park and on the locks observation deck, opened specially for the event by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Coast Guard cutters assisting in the spring icebreaking efforts the past several days included USCG Mackinaw, USCG Hollyhock, USCG Mobile Bay and CCGS Samuel Risley.

For the record, Sunday saw the passage of six Canada Steamship Lines’ vessels: Whitefish Bay, CSL Assiniboine and Thunder Bay down; CSL Welland, Baie Comeau and Frontenac up.


3/26 - Midland, Ont. – The deal that would have brought the SS Keewatin to the Town of Midland is dead. The historic Edwardian steamship will not be relocating to town and will spend at least one more summer docked in Port McNicoll, according to Eric Conroy, president and CEO of the Friends of Keewatin.

“The more I’ve thought about it, I’m not so sure it would be a good idea to go (to Midland),” said Conroy. “I feel we were looking for the quickest way to solve the problem, and I don’t think the way we chose to go was the best. I’m almost apologetic that we went as far as we did with the Town of Midland without really understanding how the municipality works.”

The Friends of Keewatin pitched a proposal on behalf of Skyline Developments Ltd. to council on Feb 26.

The ship, valued at $48.3 million, was offered to Midland at no cost. Skyline proposed to fund moving costs to relocate the Keewatin, cover costs associated with renovations and restoration over the next five years, and ensure the ship did not operate at a loss for 10 years. All Midland needed to do was ensure the company received a federal tax receipt.

This proposal came with a March 19 deadline, which has come and gone.

“When you think about what we asked them to do, that was a pretty big order,” said Conroy. “I feel bad for everybody involved. We probably should have looked into it more before we took that leap. I was naïve when I went to council.”

The Friends of Keewatin has switched gears and is now working with Tay Township to try to keep the ship docked at the end of Talbot Street for the foreseeable future. Skyline’s tight deadline to Midland was to ensure it received a federal tax receipt this year. With that deadline already gone, the Friends of Keewatin has the rest of the year to develop a plan to keep the ship local.

Conroy is in the midst of taking the necessary steps to have the Friends of Keewatin take ownership of the vessel. In order for the group to provide Skyline with a tax receipt, the ship would need to become a Class A museum.

“When the government looks at this, they will want us to have a long-term lease for where the ship will be kept and they will want to see that we are financially capable of managing it,” said Conroy, who has a fundraising goal of $1 million in mind. Part of this funding would go toward a substantial advertising budget to attract more visitors and ensure the ship remains profitable.

“We really owe a great deal to the volunteers, and we owe it to them to do the best we can to try and make sure the ship stays here,” said Conroy.

In the end, it will be up to Skyline whether the Keewatin stays local or moves elsewhere in the province. There are two other Ontario cities showing serious interest in the ship.

The Midland Mirror


On 26 March 1922, OMAR D. CONGER (wooden passenger-package freight, 92 foot, 200 gross tons, built in 1887, at Port Huron, Michigan) exploded at her dock on the Black River in Port Huron with such violence that parts of her upper works and engine were thrown all over the city. Some said that her unattended boiler blew up, but others claimed that an unregistered cargo of explosives ignited. She had been a Port Huron-Sarnia ferry for a number of years.
The CITY OF MOUNT CLEMENS (wooden propeller "rabbit,” 106 foot, 132 gross tons) was launched at the Chabideaux yard in Mt. Clemens, Michigan, on 26 March 1884. She was towed to Detroit to be fit out. She was built for Chapaton & Lacroix. She lasted until dismantled in 1921.

1935: A fire destroyed the small wooden bulk carrier ALICE M. GILL that had been laid up at Sandusky since the end of the 1926 season. The ship had been built as a tug for the logging industry and later served as a lighthouse tender and then a small bulk carrier. The remains were scrapped.

1971: The former CLEMENS SARTORI stranded off the coast of Algeria in bad weather as b) PIRAEUS while en route from Antwerp, Belgium, to Mersin, Turkey, and was abandoned by the crew as a total loss. The vessel was a pre-Seaway visitor to the Great Lakes for the West German firm of Sartori and Berger and, in July 1958, was the first westbound salty to use the recently opened American locks at Massena, NY. It made 20 trips to the Great Lakes (1959-1965) mainly on charter to the Hamburg-Chicago Line.

1976: RAMON DE LARRINAGA is remembered as the first Seaway era saltwater vessel into the port of Duluth-Superior, arriving amid great fanfare on May 3, 1959. The ship was sailing as c) MARIAN when it sustained hull damage clearing the port of Lisbon on this date in 1976. Portuguese authorities ordered the vessel towed out to sea and it foundered off Cascais, Portugal, the following day.

HENRY G. DALTON (Hull#713) was launched March 25, 1916, at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co., for the Interlake Steamship Co., Cleveland, Ohio – the company's first 600 footer.
FRANK R. DENTON was launched March 25, 1911, as a.) THOMAS WALTERS (Hull#390) at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. for the Interstate Steamship Co., Cleveland, Ohio.

On March 25, 1927, heavy ice caused the MAITLAND NO 1, to run off course and she grounded on Tecumseh Shoal on her way to Port Maitland, Ontario. Eighteen hull plates were damaged which required repairs at Ashtabula, Ohio.

The steamer ENDERS M. VOORHEES participated in U.S. Steel's winter-long navigation feasibility study during the 1974-75 season, allowing only one month to lay up from March 25th to April 24th.

March 25, 1933 - Captain Wallace Henry "Andy" Van Dyke, master of the Steamer PERE MARQUETTE 22, suffered a heart attack and died peacefully in his cabin while en route to Ludington, Michigan.

1966: The French freighter ROCROI made one trip through the Seaway in 1959. The ship arrived at Halifax on this date in 1966 with interior damage after the 'tween decks, loaded with steel, collapsed crushing tractors and cars beneath. The vessel was repaired and survived until 1984 when, as e) THEOUPOLIS, it hit a mine en route to Berbera, Somalia, on August 14, 1984. The vessel was badly damaged and subsequently broken up in India.

1973: The former MONTREAL CITY caught fire as b) RATCHABURI at Bangkok, Thailand, on March 24, 1973. It was loading a cargo of jute and rubber for Japan on its first voyage for new Thai owners. The vessel was scuttled and sank on March 25 in Pattani Bay, South Thailand. The ship began coming through the Seaway for the Bristol City Line when new in 1963.

ALPENA (Hull#177) was launched on March 24, 1909, at Wyandotte, Michigan, by Detroit Ship Building Co. for the Wyandotte Transportation Co.
IRVIN L. CLYMER was launched March 24, 1917, as a.) CARL D. BRADLEY (Hull#718) at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. the third self-unloader in the Bradley Transportation Co. fleet.

The SAMUEL MATHER was transferred on March 24, 1965, to the newly-formed Pickands Mather subsidiary Labrador Steamship Co. Ltd. (Sutcliffe Shipping Co. Ltd., operating agents), Montreal, Quebec, to carry iron ore from their recently opened Wabush Mines ore dock at Pointe Noire, Quebec to U.S. blast furnaces on Lakes Erie and Michigan. She was renamed b.) POINTE NOIRE.

PETER ROBERTSON was launched March 24, 1906, as a) HARRY COULBY (Hull#163) at Wyandotte, Michigan, by Detroit Ship Building Co. for the L. C. Smith Transit Co., Syracuse, New York.

On 24 March 1874, the 181-foot, 3-mast wooden schooner MORNING STAR was launched at E. Saginaw, Michigan, by Crosthwaite.

On 24 March 1876, CITY OF SANDUSKY (wooden side-wheel passenger/package freight vessel, 171 foot, 608 gross tons, built in 1866, at Sandusky, Ohio) burned and sank in the harbor at Port Stanley, Ontario.

On 24 March 1876, MINNIE CORLETT (wooden scow-schooner, 107 gross tons, built before 1866) was sailing light from Chicago, Illinois, to Two Rivers, Wisconsin, on Lake Michigan when she stranded and then sank. No lives were lost.

1905: The wooden passenger and freight carrier LAKESIDE was built in Windsor in 1888. It spent most of its life operating between Niagara and Toronto. During fit out on this date in 1905, the ship sank at the dock in Port Dalhousie when water was sucked in through the seacock after the engine filling the boiler shut down. The hull was refloated and returned to service until the DALHOUSIE CITY was built in 1911.

1981: The West German freighter ANNA REHDER first came through the Seaway in 1967 when it was two years old. It was sold and renamed LESLIE in 1973. The captain last reported his position on this date in 1981 and that they were encountering heavy weather while en route from Boulogne, France, to Umm Said, Qatar. There was no further word and it is believed that the ship went down with all hands in the Atlantic off the coast of Spain. A ring buoy was later found north of Cape Finnestere.

3/25 - Grand Haven, Mich. – The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Escanaba will return to Grand Haven this summer to commemorate the 75th anniversary of its namesake’s sinking during World War II. The ship will be in town for the 2018 Coast Guard Festival, July 27 to Aug. 5.

Festival Director Mike Smith said details and dates of the ship’s visit are still being finalized. Smith, a retired Coast Guard commander, said he received verification of the visit with a recent call from the Cleveland-based Ninth Coast Guard District commander, Rear Adm. Joanna Nunan.

“I am beyond thrilled that the U.S. Coast Guard has made this special iconic ship available to serve as the focal point for our celebration as we remember the heroic men who served onboard the original Escanaba,” Smith said. “Commanding Officer Cmdr. Michael Turdo worked closely with the Atlantic Area Command to rearrange an otherwise committed sail plan to ensure that the ship stood stoically in the port of Grand Haven once again.”

The third Coast Guard cutter to bear the name Escanaba (WME-907) was commissioned in Grand Haven on Aug. 29, 1987, and sponsored by the late Grand Haven Mayor Marge Boon.

From its homeport in Boston, the Escanaba has patrolled the waters off New England to enforce federal and international fishing regulations, to deep in the Caribbean on migrant interdiction patrols, to more recently through the Panama Canal and to the Eastern Pacific for drug interdiction missions.

Although it is the third Escanaba, it is just the second vessel of that name commissioned in Grand Haven.

The original Escanaba (WPG-77) was commissioned Nov. 23, 1932, in Grand Haven, according to Coast Guard history. The 165-foot vessel was stationed in Grand Haven from 1932-40. Its primary missions were ice breaking and search and rescue on the Great Lakes.

Built by Defoe Boat and Motor Works of Bay City, the original cutter was named for the city and the river. It served in Grand Haven until the beginning of World War II.

In February 1943, the Escanaba rescued 132 men from a torpedoed transport in the North Atlantic. Four months later, the Escanaba set out on its final mission — an Allied convoy bound for St. John’s, Newfoundland.

At 5:10 a.m. on June 13, 1943, convoy members saw a flash of light and dense smoke at the perimeter of their group. The Raritan, which also was stationed in Grand Haven at one time, was one of the two cutters that rushed to the scene. They discovered the Escanaba had been hit by a torpedo and sunk instantly. There was only debris and two survivors: Seaman 1st Class Raymond O’Malley and Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Melvin Baldwin.

The ship’s mast and lifeboat were recovered and are part of a memorial display in Escanaba Park along Grand Haven’s waterfront.

For many years, the two survivors attended the memorial service held in Grand Haven during the annual Coast Guard Festival. Descendants of both men, who are now deceased, plan to attend the memorial service this year, Smith said.

Also expected to attend is Dr. Ralph Nix, son of the ship’s surgeon, also named Dr. Ralph Nix. Smith said the Nix family is coming to town from Mississippi.

The family of Yeoman 2nd Class Clifford Burton Skarin, who was among those lost in the Escanaba tragedy, is coming from Colorado. A sibling of another lost shipmate is coming from California, Smith said.

Smith said it was the hard work of local historian Wally Ewing and Loutit District Library genealogist Jeanette Weiden that enabled the Coast Guard Festival staff to contact descendants of the sailors lost in the World War II sinking.

“The sailors were so young and single,” Smith said. “When they died, they didn’t have families. And their parents and most of their siblings, who would have been in their 90s, are deceased.” Many of those who are coming are cousins, Smith said.

“It’s just incredible that there’s so much interest, even from cousins and second cousins who know the legacy of these men and want to come and celebrate with us,” he said.

Smith said a tribute dinner for “Heroes and Legends” is planned for the families of the sailors and many of the former commanding officers of the Escanaba.

“Part of our legacy as the one and only ‘Coast Guard City USA’ was framed by the sacrifices of the men of the Escanaba,” Smith said. “And to be able to remember them and celebrate with their successors is not only a great honor but in keeping with this year’s festival theme and the Escanaba’s motto, ‘The Spirit Lives On.’”

The festival director said plans are being made to dedicate a new memorial for the Escanaba during a community memorial service on June 13. There are no plans, at this time, for families of the sailors to attend this event.

The second Escanaba was built in San Pedro, California, and commissioned March 20, 1946. The 255-foot gunboat was ported in Alameda, California, until 1954, when it was decommissioned and put in storage until 1957.

It was put back into service in 1957 and stationed at Bedford, Massachusetts. It was decommissioned again on June 23, 1973.

Grand Haven Tribune


3/25 - The barge Alouette Spirit was refloated Friday around 11 a.m. by the tugs Wilf Seymour and Lois M. after being lightered of some of its cargo of aluminum ingots. The McKeil Marine barge, which had been stranded on Lake St-Pierre since Christmas day, was towed to Trois-Rivières, Que.

3/25 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The 1,000-foot American Steamship Co. self-unloader American Century was expected to open the Soo Locks at 12:01 a.m. Sunday by heading upbound into the Poe Lock.

After a challenging trip through the icy St. Marys River, American Century arrived on the pier around 3 p.m. Saturday. At 5 p.m., officials arrived for the annual greeting of the first ship. Representatives of the City of Sault Ste. Marie, the Chamber of Commerce, the Soo Locks Visitors Center Association, and I Love Sault Ste. Marie, gathered to welcome the vessel and present a variety of gifts to the captain and crew to mark the occasion.

The first passage was also greeted by a number of freighter fans gathered in Soo Locks Park and on the locks observation deck, opened specially for the event by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

American Century was followed by Philip R. Clarke and Edgar B. Speer, which moored on the east center and MacArthur Lock piers. By evening Saturday, Presque Isle and Cason J. Callaway were stopped in the vicinity of Nine Mile Point waiting for daylight and permission to proceed up. Hon. James L. Oberstar was inbound at DeTour at 10 p.m. The downbound tug/barge combo Clyde S. VanEnkevort/Erie Trader was parked off Point Iroquois for the night and will head downbound Sunday morning for Detroit.

CSL Welland was expected at the Soo on Sunday. Joseph L. Block was also due Sunday, depending on ice conditions in the Straits. Coast Guard cutters assisting in the spring icebreaking efforts the past several days included USCG Mackinaw, USCG Hollyhock, USCG Mobile Bay and CCGS Samuel Risley.

The Soo Locks Visitor Center will be open from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday to celebrate the first day of the 2018 navigation season with an open house at the Visitor Center from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Enjoy refreshments, a sneak peek at new exhibits, and updates on vessel traffic.