Today in Great Lakes History

[yachtsmanwilly]

6/29 - The Victo (American Victory) arrived Montreal, Quebec, at 10:36 p.m. Wednesday under tow of the tugs Tim McKeil and Evans McKeil from McKeil Marine. The Victory will wait for an unnamed saltwater tug to tow her to Turkey for scrap. She left Duluth, after long-term layup since 2008 in Superior, on June 17 in the early morning from Fraser Shipyards. The Tim McKeil has been with the Victory since she left Duluth.

6/29 - Great Lakes steel production rose to 640,000 tons last week, a 1.58 percent increase. Steel mills in the Great Lakes region made 630,000 tons of metal the previous week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. Most of the steel made in the Great Lakes region is produced around the southern shore of Lake Michigan in Lake and Porter counties in Northwest Indiana.

Overall, domestic steel mills made 1.77 million tons of metal last week, a 1.83 percent increase from the 1.74 million tons made the previous week.

U.S. steel mills have run at a capacity utilization rate of 75.4 percent so far this year, up from 74.4 percent at the same point in 2017, according to the AISI.

Domestic steelmakers used about 75.6 percent of their steelmaking capacity in the week that ended June 23, up from 74.9 percent at the same time a year ago and up from 74.2 percent a week prior, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Some analysts say steelmaking capacity utilization of about 90 percent is considered financially healthy for the industry, at least for the larger integrated mills like those around Lake Michigan, because of their high fixed costs.

U.S. national steel output is up by 1.7 percent so far this year, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Production in the Southern district, a wide geographic swath that includes many mini mills, shot up to 660,000 tons last week, up from 644,000 tons the previous week. Steel output in the greater Midwest rose to 185,000 tons last week, up from 172,000 tons the previous week.

NW Indiana Times

On this day in 1946, the tug DALHOUSIE ROVER, Captain J. R. Mac Lean, capsized in the Welland Canal. There were no survivors among the crew of six.
On 29 June 1910, ALABAMA (steel propeller passenger/package freight steamer, 272 foot, 2,626 gross tons, built in 1909, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin) made her first trip in regular service for the Goodrich Line from Chicago to Grand Haven and Muskegon. She ran opposite the VIRGINIA. Cut down to a barge in 1961, she was scrapped in La Salle, Ontario, in 2006.

On 29 June 1902, GEORGE DUNBAR (wooden propeller freighter, 134 foot, 238 gross tons, built in 1867, at Allegan, Michigan) was loaded with coal when she was damaged by a sudden squall on Lake Erie near Kelley’s Island and sank. Seven of the crew elected to stay aboard while the skipper, his wife and daughter made for shore in the lifeboat. Those three were saved but the seven perished on a makeshift raft.

The CHARLES M. SCHWAB (Hull#496) was launched in 1923, at Cleveland, Ohio, by the American Ship Building Co., for the Interlake Steamship Co. Lengthened with a new mid-body and repowered with the stern section of the tanker GULFPORT in 1961. Sold Canadian in 1975, renamed b.) PIERSON DAUGHTERS and c.) BEECHGLEN in 1982. Scrapped at Port Maitland, Ontario, in 1995.

On June 29, 1962, the HAMILTONIAN began her maiden voyage for Eastern Lake Carriers (Papachristidis Co. Ltd.). Renamed b.) PETITE HERMINE in 1967. Purchased by Upper Lakes Shipping in 1972, renamed c.) CANADIAN HUNTER. Scrapped at Alang, India in 1996.

The JOSEPH L. BLOCK was christened on June 29, 1976, for Inland Steel Co. The Canadian schooner DUNSTOWN arrived at Malden, Ontario, on 29 June 1875, to be put in place as a lightship. Her sides were painted in large white letters: BAR POINT LIGHTSHIP.

On 29 June 1864, ALVIN CLARK (2-mast wooden schooner, 113 foot, 220 tons, built in 1846, at Truago (Trenton), Michigan) foundered in a terrific squall off Chambers Island on Green Bay. Two of the crew were rescued by the brig DEWITT, but three lost their lives. In 1969, a schooner identified as the CLARK was raised at great expense and put on display for some time at Marinette, Wisconsin, then at Menominee, Michigan. The hull gradually deteriorated and was dismantled in May 1994.

1934: The retired wooden schooner LYMAN M. DAVIS was torched as a spectacle off the Sunnyside Amusement Park at Toronto and it burned to the waterline.

1962: The Swedish freighter AMACITA was beached in sinking condition after hitting a shoal in the St. Lawrence near Brockville. It was refloated and towed to Kingston for hull and rudder repairs. The 10,137 gross tons vessel also visited the Seaway as b) HERVANG in 1965 and arrived at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, as f) MALDIVE PIONEER on January 5, 1984, for scrapping.

1966: Two Canada Steamship Lines ships, LEMOYNE and MARTIAN, were in a collision while passing at Welland and the former struck the Main Street Bridge during rush hour. The ships only received minor damage, but land and Welland Canal traffic were held up.

1994: The tug A.F. FIFIELD was built at Port Dalhousie by Port Weller Dry Docks in 1955 and sank in the Gulf of St. Lawrence as c) J. MANIC while towing a barge from Sept Iles to Port Cartier. All on board were rescued.

[yachtsmanwilly]

In July 2, 1966, the SIMCOE entered service for Canada Steamship Lines. Renamed b.) ALGOSTREAM in 1994, she was scrapped at Alang, India in 1996, as c.) SIMCOE. The railroad carferry TRANSIT was launched at Walkerville, Ontario, on 2 July 1872, at the Jenkins Brothers shipyard.
Before noon, Saturday, 2 July 1870, several attempts were made to launch the barge AGNES L POTTER at Simon Langell's yard at St. Clair, Michigan. Nothing happened until 3 p.m. when the vessel moved about 100 feet but still was not launched. The tug VULCAN arrived at 8 a.m. the following day and broke the line on the first attempt to pull the vessel off the ways. A 10-inch line was obtained in Port Huron and at 2 p.m. a second effort only moved the barge about four feet. Finally, on the third attempt, the VULCAN pulled her into the water. The POTTER's dimensions were 133 feet X 27 feet X 9 feet, 279 gross tons and she was built for the iron ore trade. She was named for the daughter of the general superintendent of Ward's Iron Works of Chicago. She lasted until 1906.

1990 CUNARD CAVALIER first visited the Great Lakes in 1978 and returned later that year as b) OLYMPIC HARMONY. The ship went aground off Port Muhammad Bin Asimov, Pakistan, on this date in 1990 as d) VILLA while en route to West Africa. It was abandoned July 13. The hull was refloated November 30, 1990, and arrived at Singapore, under tow, on May 16, 1991. The ship was declared a total loss and reached Alang, India, for scrapping on February 2, 1992.

[Avenger]

Sorry, I was supposed to do this earlier. Can't get my head out of my @$$ today:

Thunder Bay port improvements get multi-million dollar boost from Ottawa

7/5 - Thunder Bay, Ont. – Federal officials have announced over $7 million in funding for the Thunder Bay Port Authority that Ottawa says will help improve the country's transportation network during a period of trade uncertainty with the United States.

The money comes from the federal National Trade Corridors Fund, a $2 billion initiative that the government said is designed to help improve the national transportation network and better Canada's ability to trade internationally.

The improvements are designed to help reduce "bottlenecks" and congestion in the system, according to a written release issued on Tuesday in conjunction with the funding announcement. Transport Minister Marc Garneau told reporters in Thunder Bay that improving the ease with which goods are transported helps Canada stay competitive in the global market.

"The movement of goods across the country ... how effectively we do that is literally counted almost down to the hour," he said.

"There are ships waiting, and when ships don't get the goods that need to arrive and to be transported very efficiently, they lose money, their customers get annoyed, and we potentially lose business."

In Thunder Bay, the money is earmarked for a pair of projects: the construction of a 50,000 square foot heated storage facility to house a variety of cargo while en route through the port, and an expanded rail yard that will increase the port's capacity to load and unload rail cars.

The total cost of the project is about $15 million, port CEO Tim Heney said. Ottawa is covering $7.5 million. The province in 2016 committed $1 million, and the port will pay for the rest.

The improved rail capacity will help the port make further inroads in handling steel, Heney said. "More car spots, it means you can load more cars in one day more efficiently," he said. "It takes a lot of room, a lot of rail lay-down area, so that's what we're shooting for in the future."

With steel coming from the United States now subject to tariffs of 25 per cent, Heney said diversifying where Canada gets the material from will be beneficial.

"Our [steel] imports are directly from Luxembourg and Europe," he said. "Interesting the way trade's going right now, Canada gets most of its structural steel from the U.S., so this could actually increase our shipments through Thunder Bay to Western Canada.

Garneau added that type of thinking is part of the reason the government is committing to improving the country's transportation system, with more focus being put on European and Asian markets.

"Our whole objective — because we're a trading nation — is to do it as efficiently as possible," he said. "We continue to diversify our markets and there is a great demand for Canadian products. That's good for our economy, good for Canadians, good for jobs."

CBC



2 oldest freighters on Great Lakes pass each other at Soo Locks

7/5 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The Great Lakes' two oldest freighters shared a special moment this week, passing each other at the Soo Locks.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the massive lock system, shared a picture of Tuesday's meet-up of the 826-foot Lee A. Tregurtha and the 519-foot Alpena.

View the image at this link: articles.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/07/2_oldest_freighters_on_great_l.amp



Today in Great Lakes History - July 5

PAUL H. CARNAHAN was launched in 1945, as a.) HONEY HILL, a T2-SE-Al World War II tanker, for U.S. Maritime Commission.
July 5, 1991 - Charles Conrad announced he had formed a corporation to purchase the Ludington, Michigan, carferry operation from Michigan-Wisconsin Transportation Company.

JUSTIN R. WHITING was launched on 5 July 1874, at Langell's yard at the mouth of the Pine River in St. Clair, Michigan. Her dimensions were 144 feet X 26 feet 2 inches X 11 feet 6 inches. Although built to be a self-powered steam barge, she was towed as a regular barge during her first season of operation.

IDA CORNING (2-mast wooden barge, 168 foot, 444 gross tons) was launched in East Saginaw, Michigan, on 5 July 1881. She was built for L. P. Mason & Company of East Saginaw. In 1858, her rig was changed to that of a 2-masted schooner. She lasted until abandoned at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, in 1928.

1940: MAGOG, part of convoy HX-52, was hit by gunfire from U-99, torpedoed and sank stern first. The crew was eventually rescued by the Finnish freighter FIDRA. There are conflicting dates for this event but many sources agree on this date for the loss of the former C.S.L. canaller.

1969: The crew of the W.F. WHITE rescued eight from a foundering pleasure boat off Southeast Shoal, Lake Erie.

1973: The British freighter TRELEVAN visited the Seaway in 1961. It caught fire while pumping oil bilge in the engineroom at Halifax as d) BAFFIN BAY and was a total loss. The ship was sold for scrap to Marine Salvage of Port Colborne but resold to Spanish shipbreakers and arrived at Valencia, Spain, under tow for dismantling, on October 4, 1973.

1975: The T-2 tanker NASSAU CAY, formerly the IMPERIAL TORONTO, visited the Seaway in 1960. It was converted to a dry bulk carrier in 1961 and was abandoned by the crew, in sinking condition, as f) NICHOLAS C. some 200 miles off Beira, Somalia, and was not seen again. The ship was enroute from Sorel to Basrah, Iraq, when it ran out of fresh boiler water and had been drifting.

1979: The Swedish freighter MONICA SMITH was built in 1952 and came to the Great Lakes that year. It returned on a regular basis through 1966 and again, as b) MONICA S. in 1967. It sank in the Mediterranean soon after leaving Cartagena, Spain, for Port Said, Egypt, as c) MESSINA II.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Thats OK Scrod, I cant get my ass outa my head today... "The year man! Whats the damn year???" Kinda hard to believe the first volume of Willy's Kampf is outa print and starting volume #2. Even I am gonna keep this one as it'll be a first edition and in 200 years will be $$$$$ ha the fork ha! ws



7/6 - St. Ignace, Mich. – Enbridge Energy is suing the shipping company whose tugboat anchor allegedly dented their controversial Line 5 oil and gas pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac earlier this year.

The Canadian energy company seeks to recoup costs of repairs and assessments made after the suspected April 1 anchor strike that renewed calls to shut down the aging pipeline.

The strike dented the 65-year-old twin pipelines in three places and scraped it in a fourth. In a company statement on the lawsuit, Enbridge reiterated Line 5 "remains fit for service" and stated work to reinforce the damaged sections is "progressing."

Filed Tuesday, July 3 in U.S. District Court for Michigan's Western District, Enbridge's lawsuit is the third such one against Escanaba-based VanEnkevort Tug and Barge Inc.

A VanEnkevort spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying the company cannot discuss ongoing litigation.

American Transmission Company, the owner of two power cables which were severed by the alleged anchor strike and spewed an estimated 600 gallons of dielectric fluid into the Straits, filed suit against VanEnkevort on Tuesday as well.

Read more at this link: www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2018/07/enbridge_sues_shipping_firm_in.html


7/6 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – The city of Sault Ste. Marie looking to re-open the waterfront section of the once-popular Alford Park. The city closed off the section in October 2016, and is hoping that if approved, a federal grant will allow them to get it back open. With concrete caving in, the dock and waterfront area were deemed unsafe and a fence was put up, blocking off a very popular fishing and freighter viewing spot.

“When they had to close it, it was really, really tough on the community,” Sault CVB Director Linda Hoath, said. Hoath says it feels like a piece of the Sault has been missing.

“It’s been very sad for the Sault cause this has been place that people come to just sit and watch the freighters, eat their lunches, eat their dinners, kids are down here fishing,” Hoath, explained.

The city has not had the around $17 million it would cost to fix the dock, but now they are working to secure a BUILD grant, part of $1.5 billion in federal money available for infrastructure upgrades.

“The goal is to keep part of it waterfront public access,” City Engineer Linda Basista, said. Basista says the city is applying for about $20 million to fix the dock and the nearby road.

But the project is not just for recreation, Basista hopes the feds see how this project could help facilitate another potentially major project in the Sault, a new Soo Lock.

“For freighters tying up, and especially in anticipation for the lock project, we expect that would be a useful area for construction staging,” she, explained. “We hope that this is right in line with that, so if we can convince Washington that this is a needed project, it would be great to have,” Basista, added.

9 & 10 News


7/6 - Massena, N.Y. – If U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer has his way, Eisenhower Lock will sport a new visitors’ center in the coming years, replacing a facility that’s been in place for more than half a century.

“When a facility has waited half a century for upgrades, you know it’s not going to be tip top,” he said during a Tuesday afternoon stop at Eisenhower Lock.

Sen. Schumer said the current building, which was constructed during the Eisenhower administration, is too close to the locks. “That makes it impossible for a crane to safely fit in between the center of the lock, and that’s no good,” he said. He said the facility also “lacks the 21st-century amenities that tourists like, and that makes the experience a little less.”

“It needs to be upgraded and upgraded significantly, and everyone can agree here,” said Sen. Schumer, who was flanked by Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne, Massena Mayor Timmy J. Currier, Massena Town Supervisor Steven D. O’Shaughnessy and St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Brooke Rouse.

He said Eisenhower Lock was an integral part of the tourism industry in the north country.

“Shipping is not the only commerce the Seaway is responsible for. Specifically, Dwight D. Eisenhower Lock Visitors’ Center hosts thousands of visitors every year to the region. It’s great for tourism,” he said. Sen. Schumer said 60,000 visitors from 49 states and 21 countries came to Eisenhower Lock last year.

The senator said St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation officials have made investments in the infrastructure “to make sure the locks are in tip-top shape. They ensure safe, reliable and efficient transportation. If one of these locks goes bad, our whole economy would go into a recession.”

At the same time, however, they haven’t received funding to take care of other items like the visitors’ center, he said.

The new visitors’ center will be constructed an appropriate distance from the lock to ensure operational safety, and will also be compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

“The center will be equipped with a full slate of 21st-century amenities — public space for meetings, cultural exhibits, a concession area and, of course, up-to-date running water and restrooms,” Sen. Schumer said.

Watertown Daily News


CACOUNA's bow was damaged in a collision with the Greek tanker CAPTAIN JOHN on the fog-shrouded St. Lawrence River July 6, 1971. The CACOUNA of 1964, was repaired by replacing her bow with that of her near sistership the SILLERY, which was being scrapped. Later renamed b.) LORNA P and c.) JENNIFER, she foundered 20 miles Northeast of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on December 1, 1974.
Canada Steamship Lines’ ASHCROFT was used to haul ore, grain and coal only on the upper Great Lakes until July 6, 1932, when she was able to enter Lake Ontario through the newly expanded Welland Canal. On that trip ASHCROFT, loaded with grain from Fort William for Kingston, Ontario, was the largest vessel to traverse the canal to date.

The keel was laid for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.'s, GOVERNOR MILLER (Hull #810) in 1937, at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Company.

COLUMBIA STAR set a record for the Head-Of-The-Lakes coal trade. The vessel loaded 70,903 net tons of low-sulfur coal at Superior Midwest Energy Terminal in Superior, Wisconsin, on July 6, 1997. She was renamed b.) AMERICAN CENTURY in 2006.

On 6 July 1836, YOUNG LION (2-mast, wooden schooner, 73 foot, 83 tons, built in 1830, at Buffalo, New York) was carrying railroad iron and lumber. About 12 miles from Erie, Pennsylvania, in rough weather, her seams opened and she quickly sank with just her topmasts left above the water. 3 died, but 5 managed to clamber up the masts and hold on until the schooner NEW YORK rescued them.

On 6 July 1871, CASTALIA (2-mast wooden schooner, 119 foot, 242 gross tons, built in 1847, as a brig at Sandusky, Ohio) was on her way to pick up lumber at the camp at Bying Inlet, Georgian Bay, when she came too close to Cove Island Reef and stranded in 3 feet of water. Although not badly damaged, she was about a mile from deep water. Tugs could not get to her and she was sailing light, so there was no cargo to lighten. She was stripped and abandoned. She finally broke up in a storm on 12 July 1871.

On 6 July 1871, the Detroit newspapers (Detroit Free Press and Detroit Daily Post) both published articles stating that there were rumors on the docks regarding the tug TAWAS having her boiler explode on Saginaw Bay. The rumors originated with sailors from Port Huron and proved to be unfounded. However, in a sense this rumor turned into a prediction since TAWAS did blow her boiler about three years later (14 May 1874) on Lake Huron off Rock Falls, Michigan. At that time 6 crewmembers perished.

1893: ROSEDALE, upbound and light, ran aground off Knife River, Lake Superior, in dense fog and was almost on dry land. The vessel was released July 10 and went to Superior for repairs. It combined Great Lakes and ocean service until sunk in the Bristol Channel, via collision, on April 8, 1919.

1941: RAPIDS PRINCE, enroute from Prescott to Montreal, went aground in an awkward position in the Lachine Rapids and was stuck for 2 months. The 218 passengers were removed in motorboats.

1965: LAKE TRAVERSE, built at Duluth in 1918, sank off Tortuga Island, in the Caribbean after hull plates were sprung.

[yachtsmanwilly]

WILLIAM R. ROESCH, renamed b.) DAVID Z. NORTON in 1995, loaded her first cargo in 1973, at Superior, Wisconsin where she took on 18,828 tons of iron ore bound for Jones & Laughlin's Cuyahoga River plant at Cleveland.
The BENJAMIN F. FAIRLESS and her fleet mate IRVING S. OLDS passed through the Panama Canal on July 9, 1988, under tow of the German tug OSA RAVENSTURM. The pair was on a 14,000-mile journey to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, arriving there on November 8, 1988, for scrapping by Sing Cheng Yung Iron & Steel Co. Ltd.

On 9 July 1876, ST CLAIR (wooden propeller freighter with some passenger accommodations, 127 foot, 326 gross tons, built in 1867, at Algonac, Michigan) had 14 crew and 18 passengers aboard along with cargo of flour, feed and deck loads of cattle as she sailed on Lake Superior. At 2:00 a.m., she caught fire about five miles off shore from 14 Mile Point. She was a wood burner and had a history of shipboard fires. The fire spread so quickly that only one boat could be launched and being overloaded, it capsized. The cries of those left on the vessel, along with the bellowing of the cattle, were heart rending. Only six survived in the one lifeboat since the cold water took its toll on those who clung to it. Eventually they righted the boat and paddled to shore, leaving the ST CLAIR burned to the waterline.

On 9 July 1891, W A MOORE (wood propeller tug, 119 foot, 212 gross tons, built in 1865, at Detroit, Michigan) burned to a total loss at Cleveland, Ohio.

1917: The bulk carrier WILLIAM S. MACK collided with the passenger freighter MANITOBA in fog off Whitefish Point and had to be beached. It was subsequently refloated and repaired. The ship was renamed HOME SMITH on October 10, 1917, and last sailed as ALGORAIL in 1963 before being scrapped at Toronto.

1967: The NEW YORK NEWS (iii) and the saltwater ship NORDGLIMT collided off Escoumins, QC, with only minor damage.

July 7, 1939 - The Bureau of Lighthouses was merged into the U. S. Coast Guard.
The BURNS HARBOR's sea trials were conducted on July 7, 1980. JEAN PARISIEN (Hull#684) was launched July 7, 1977, at Lauzon, Quebec, by Davie Shipbuilding Company Ltd. for Canada Steamship Lines. Port Weller Drydocks replaced her entire forward section and she was renamed b.) CSL ASSINIBOINE in 2005.

The DAVID Z. NORTON sailed on her maiden voyage July 7, 1973, as the a.) WILLIAM R. ROESCH. She sailed light from Lorain to Superior, Wisconsin where she loaded 18,828 tons of iron ore on July 9th bound for Jones & Laughlin's Cuyahoga River plant at Cleveland, Ohio. She now sails as d.) CALUMET.

In 1971, the CITY OF SAGINAW 31 went to Manitowoc for a thorough overhaul. While there, a fire broke out July 29, destroying her cabin deck and rendering her useless for further use. The blaze was caused by an acetylene torch, and caused over $1 million in damage.

On 7 July 1895, IDA MAY BROWN (wooden schooner, 53 foot, 20 gross tons, built 1884, at Charlevoix, Mich.) was carrying gravel when her cargo shifted in heavy weather. She capsized and later drifted to the beach near Michigan City, Indiana. Her crew was rescued by U.S. Lifesavers.

On 7 July 1851, GALLINIPPER (wooden schooner, 95 foot, 145 tons, built in 1846 at Milwaukee on the hull of NANCY DOUSMAN) capsized and foundered in a white squall in Lake Mich. The wreck drifted to a point about 10 miles SSE of Manitowoc, where it sank.

1963: The Canadian coastal tanker SEEKONK first came to the Great Lakes in 1951 on charter to the British-American Oil Co. It was later part of the Irving fleet and caught fire in the galley at Charlottetown, PEI. The ship was pulled from the pier by CCG TUPPER and beached at Governor's Island. The blaze burned itself out but the SEEKONK was a total loss and was towed to Buctouche, NB, and scrapped in 1964. 1970: PRINSES EMILIA made 3 trips through the Seaway for the Oranje Lijn in 1967. It sank as c) BOULGARIA on this date 25 miles off Cherbourg, France, after a collision with the HAGEN in dense fog. The vessel was enroute from Hamburg to Istanbul and 17 on board were lost.

1978: The British freighter BEECHMORE began Great Lakes service in 1959 and returned as c) MANDRAKI in 1971 and d) NAFTILOS in 1973. It was sailing as f) MARI when fire broke out on a voyage from Rijeka, Yugoslavia, to Alexandria, Egypt, on July 7. The ship was beached near Dugi Otok Islands the next day and eventually abandoned. The hull was refloated in 1979 and taken to Split with scrapping getting underway on July 19, 1979

1981: CONDARRELL, upbound below Lock 2 of the Welland Canal, lost power and hit the wall, resulting in bow damage. The ship returned to Toronto for repairs but only finished the season before tying up. The vessel, built in 1953 as D.C. EVEREST, has been unofficially renamed K.R. ELLIOTT by International Marine Salvage.

7/6 - Detroit, Mich. - Noon Update-

7/7 - Detroit, Mich. – Officials said former Boblo boat the Ste. Claire is a total loss after flames engulfed the iconic steamer Friday on the Detroit River. A welder working on renovations for the boat may have sparked the fire, officials said.

The boat was docked at Riverside Marina in Detroit. Crews had the blaze under control by 1 p.m. Friday, according to Detroit Deputy Fire Commissioner Dave Fornell. But it was doubtful the boat could be salvaged, said Detroit Police Chief James Craig and Detroit Fire Commissioner Eric Jones.

The owners of the ship - Ron Kattoo and Saqib Nakadar - looked on at their two-year investment with pain on Friday afternoon, vowing to rebuild if possible. “It’s heartbreaking,” said Kattoo watching giant water hoses from the Detroit fireboat douse the historic vessel.

The men said they had plans to turn the ship into a dockside attraction for public tours as well as a Halloween Haunted House. “We know everyone loved it and we’re going to do everything we can to bring it back,” Nakadar said Craig, addressing media members nearby, mourned the loss of the former passenger ship. “It’s an iconic piece of history,” Craig said. “A lot of history.”

No one was injured in the fire. Jones said a worker was on the boat at the time of the fire, working on a restaurant on the ship. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

Mike Nevin, president of the Detroit Fire Fighters Association union, said calls came in around 11:45 a.m. and firefighters got to the boat as soon as they could. Fornell said those dispatched “went on the defensive,” because fire made the vessel unsafe to board.

The Detroit Fire Department also dispatched its fireboat on the river to put out the blaze. Firefighters who man the fireboat are also tasked with operating a fire station, and that could have delayed the fire boat from arriving sooner.

Detroit security guard Cliff Jones said he called 911 when he saw the flames and called emergency dispatch. He said it took about 20 minutes for ground forces to arrive. The fireboat took 45 minutes to get to the scene. Within 10 minutes, the fire had already spread, devastating the 25,000-square-foot vessel, Jones said. Locals who had been part of multiple failed efforts to save the ship were also heart- broken Friday, but it wasn’t entirely surprising to some. “It’s a sad day” said Lori Feret, a Madison Heights resident who’d worked through the years to save both the Ste. Claire and her sister ship, the SS Columbia. “I was like ‘Oh my God, it finally happened.’’”

The SS Ste. Claire is one of the oldest steamships in the country. The Columbia had been towed to Buffalo, New York, for repairs nearly three years ago. The ships ferried people to the Boblo Island amusement park on the Detroit River for 89 years, but ceased operation in 1991.

While the Columbia was saved and moved for restoration in 2015, the future of the Ste. Claire has been uncertain for years.

The Ste. Claire was left tattered, but floating, for years in various spots along the Detroit River. Most recently, the ship was stuck in shallow waters near Riverside Marina after being towed from a spot on the Rouge River in Dearborn roughly two years ago.

Feret said the volunteer effort to save the boat that emerged in 2015, around the time the Columbia was moved to New York, had mostly disappeared. Bill Worden, a maritime historian and the man formerly in charge of historic designations within the city, said fire was the biggest risk for the antique vessel. “I’m not especially surprised,” he said. “A lot of people think of sinking as the biggest risk. Fire is really the big risk. It’s been 27 years. The loss of a national historic landmark is never a good thing. She and the Columbia together are the last classic excursion boats in the nation. They’re really the last of their type.”

Both Worden and Feret said they hope the assumed loss of the Ste. Claire spurs action for the Columbia, which is currently docked in Buffalo, New York, awaiting transport to New York City for a restoration.

“We’re all in love with the whole memory of Boblo Island,” Feret said. “This is a very sad end for the poor old Ste. Claire.”

Read more and view photos at these links: www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2018/07/06/boblo- boat-burns-detroit-marina/763257002
www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2018/07/06/boblo- boat-fire-ste-claire-future/764256002/

A lasting piece of Detroit nostalgia went up in flames Friday: The Boblo boat Ste. Claire caught fire on the Detroit River. The boat was docked outside a marina in Detroit. Crews were working to extinguish the blaze Friday afternoon, according to a Channel 4 live stream.

At 12:30 p.m. the fireboat Curtis Randolph had arrived on scene. Shoreside firefighters could do little but watch the Ste. Claire go up in flames as most of their hoses could not reach the dock where the boat was berthed.

The Ste. Claire is one of the oldest steamships in the country. Its sister ship, the SS Columbia, had been towed to Buffalo, New York, for restoration nearly three years ago.

The ships ferried people to the Boblo Island amusement park on the Detroit River for 89 years. The ferries ceased operation in 1991.

While the Columbia was saved, the future of the Ste. Claire has been uncertain for years. When the Columbia was moved for a restoration in 2015, there were some pushing to raise money to save the Ste. Claire. The Ste. Claire was left tattered, but floating, for years in various spots along the Detroit River.

7/8 - Detroit, Mich. – Ken Horner had the honor of being the captain of Boblo Island's S.S. Ste Claire for two years. Now Horner works as captain of Detroit Fire Department's fireboat, the Curtis Randolph, and was one of the firefighters that attempted to save the historic boat.

While bystanders watched the vessel from shore, Horner witnessed his own memories burn. "It's my first vessel I've ever stepped foot on," Horner said.

The S.S. Ste Claire holds an important place in Horner's heart. He even met his wife on the ship when she was working in the souvenir shop. "I started as a deck hand in 1971," Horner said. "I worked my way to the top."

Decades later, Horner is still able to see the beauty in the charred and destroyed ship. "I don't know if you ever saw the dance floor," Horner said. "It was all finished wood."

The ship first sailed the 18 miles from Detroit to Boblo Island in 1898. "It was a family thing," Horner said. "It was a Detroit thing." The park closed in 1993

Similar to Detroit, S.S. Ste Claire was on track for a comeback, but the restoration attempts ignited the fire, and memories are all Horner and others can rely on. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do," Horner said.

Read more and view a video at this link: www.clickondetroit.com/news/local-4-news-at-11/former-ss-ste-claire-captain-battles-historic-boat-s-flames-as-detroit-firefighter

The Detroit News

7/8 - Thunder Bay, Ont. – A historic tugboat that was docked in the Thunder Bay harbor for about half a century is getting ready to leave the Lakehead for the final time on Saturday, thanks to the organizers at the Marathon and District Historical Society and Museum.

The Peninsula has a long history that dates back to the Second World War, according to Gerald Graham. Graham's father was the shipping superintendent in Marathon when the tug was in operation after the war.

"The Peninsula was built originally for the Canadian navy in 1943 ... and it was used out of Halifax," Graham said.

During the war, he said, the Peninsula 's purpose was to go out to the north Atlantic and rescue ships that were broken down or had been attacked. After the war in 1945, a mill in Marathon needed a boat and ended up buying the Peninsula the following year.

"They named it after the former name of Marathon, which was Peninsula.... and it was used for many years to rack up all the wood that had come down the Pic River."

In 1968, after many years of hauling logs through the harbor, the Peninsula was sold to a company in Thunder Bay called Western Engineering.

"It's an iconic image of the early days of the pulp and paper industry, which was instrumental in the starting of the town of Marathon," Graham explained, "and I think it's just a connection that's been lost for a long time."

On Saturday, Graham said the tug will journey back to its home community of Marathon. Once it arrives, he said, the organizers plan to take the boat out of the water and place it in the heart of the town's downtown core as a way to attract tourists.

CBC


7/8 - Duluth, Minn. – The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a 26-year-old swimmer in Duluth Harbor Saturday. The man stated that he was swimming alone in the harbor when he became overtaken by the currents.

At approximately 7 a.m., local, the Coast Guard received notification of a person yelling for help in Duluth harbor. Coast Guard Station Duluth launched a 29-foot response boat - small crew and within 10 minutes of searching one of the crewmembers was able to see someone bobbing in the water. The crew pulled the individual into the boat and brought him to Pier B in Duluth Harbor where he was transferred to local EMS.

In this case, the Coast Guard was notified right away and was able to get on scene quickly, but precautions should always be taken to ensure safety when swimming in the Great Lakes in case first responders are not able to be on scene right away.

The Coast Guard reminds swimmers to be aware of water conditions and temperatures and to use the buddy system when swimming. Additionally, telling someone onshore where you are going and when you are coming back can increase the probability of rescue if a swimmer were to become distressed. Having a point to start a search from can make the difference between a successful or unsuccessful rescue.

USCG


7/7 - Ludington, Mich. – More than a year after a Grayling man intentionally grounded an aging, 76-foot yacht in Lake Michigan near the shoreline of Ludington State Park - which later broke apart into a massive debris field - he has pleaded guilty in court to littering and agreed to pay more than $116,000 in restitution.

Randall West, 51, initially was charged with reckless operation of a vessel after abandoning the Tica when she started taking on water near the Big Sable Point Lighthouse on April 15, 2017.

Last week, a Mason County judge dismissed the initial charge in exchange for West’s guilty plea for littering, the Associated Press said. The judge ordered West to pay the hefty fine, and perform 100 hours of community service.

Authorities say the debris damaged the Lake Michigan ecosystem. They faulted West for not arranging salvage of the damaged boat, left in 3 feet of water, before Lake Michigan turned it into a pile of jagged junk. West had to be helped off the Tica by the U.S. Coast Guard after the grounded boat began to list from the weight of the water inside it.

The boat was headed from Pentwater to Traverse City when it began taking on water. Five to 8-foot waves quickly went to work on the old boat, pulling her apart and sending a flotilla of wooden debris onto the Lake Michigan shoreline for days. Large sections of the boat - as well as sharp screws still anchored in wood - were found half-buried in the sand all the way from Nordhouse Dunes, south to Mears State Park in Pentwater.

Read more and view images at this link: www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/07/man_ordered_to_pay_116k_for_l i.html

www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/07/man_ordered_to_pay_116k_for_li.html

[yachtsmanwilly]

7/10 - Monroe, Mich. – The Port of Monroe has established an exclusive partnership with The Great Lakes Towing Company and Great Lakes Shipyard in an effort to further expand their commercial maritime and transportation offerings with the addition of full service towing and shipyard services.

The Great Lakes Towing Company has relocated the tug Wisconsin, and it is now permanently stationed in the Port of Monroe. This strategic positioning will allow for more responsive and efficient operations for harbor assist, ice breaking, and outside towing of project cargos. With the on-site presence of Great Lakes Shipyard, the Port of Monroe now offers fabrication and repair services for a variety of vessels. Available services include layup and winter work, topside repair, haul out, fabrication, emergency service, and more.

As a deep-water port with 3,000 linear feet of improved dock space, extensive laydown area, and centralized location on the Great Lakes, this new collaboration capitalizes upon strategic positioning, an underserved regional market, and long-standing industry partnerships. The port and the towing company plan to expand on existing relationships by offering the best location, efficiency, and economics to new and existing customers.

“The Port of Monroe is extremely proud to partner with The Great Lakes Towing Company and Great Lakes Shipyard to broaden our maritime service capabilities. With increased waterborne commerce comes an ever-present need for safe and efficient towing services as well as the opportunity for year-round vessel repairs and maintenance. Their highly respected reputation and proactive approach to sustainability make them the perfect partner for our rapidly growing port,” comments Paul C. LaMarre III, Port Director, Port of Monroe.

The Port of Monroe is Michigan’s only port on Lake Erie and serves as the gateway to Michigan’s multimodal transportation network. Located on the deep-draft frontage of the River Raisin with direct rail Class 1 rail access and immediately access to I-75, the Port of Monroe represents the closest convergence of major freight assets anywhere in the region. This accessibility coupled with efficient cargo handling, economic freight rates, and a highly accommodating port management team have made the Port of Monroe one of the fastest growing seaports on the Great Lakes.

Port of Monroe


7/10 - Isle Royale, Mich. – The mystery behind a missing lifeboat belonging to one of Isle Royale's most famous shipwrecks was solved earlier this summer - just in time to mark the 90th anniversary of the America's demise.

The questions surrounding the ship's lifeboat began in the spring of 2017, when staff prepping the national park in Lake Superior for its annual opening noticed the small boat that had survived the America's 1928 shipwreck was no longer on one of the park's docks.

"It was suspected to have been washed off the dock during one of the many winter storms, but there were many possibilities to its fate," park staff said in a recent social media post. This spring, the mystery was solved:

"The America Lifeboat was spotted a couple hundred feet north-northwest of the America dock in Snug Harbor in the Rock Harbor Channel. The boat is about 23 feet below the surface, but can be seen from the surface on a clear, calm day."

After it was found, there was a bit of debate among the park's ardent fans and shipwreck devotees. Would it be better to leave the America's lifeboat where it was found, giving it the same watery fate as its mother ship? Or should it be raised and put back on display?

There's been no word yet on any plans to raise the lifeboat. In the meantime, the National Park Service has shared some pictures of the America before and after its wreck. We'll also share a bit more of the story behind the America, which ferried passengers on Lake Michigan and Lake Superior before her abrupt end.

Read more and view photos at this link: www.mlive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2018/07/mystery_of_missing_lifeboat_so.html


7/10 - Toledo, Ohio – It’s a piece of maritime history with a Toledo connection. The S.S. Ste. Claire went up in flames Friday in Detroit. The Ste. Claire was built at the Toledo shipyard and launched in 1910.

The boat, a National Historic Landmark, had been forced to move several times while preservationists tried to raise enough money to restore the vessel. Fire dashed all hope of doing that at a marina where she rested.

“They were made with a steel hull but had a tremendous amount of wood on top. That was part of the deterioration of these boats. Massive amount of wood, super structure above the hull,” said Anna Kolin of Toledo’s National Museum of the Great Lakes.

Ste. Claire spent her life whisking passengers from Southeast Michigan and Northwest Ohio to and from Boblo Island, eighteen miles southwest of Windsor. The now defunct amusement park took the boat out of operation in 1993. The island is now a community of homes and condos serviced by a private ferry.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

WTOL


7/10 - 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. She is expected at Quebec City on July 16 from Boston, en route to the Great Lakes.

Festival Director Mike Smith said details and dates of the ship’s visit are still being finalized.

“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


On this day in 1979, Captain Thomas Small had his license for Master of Steam and Motor Vessel of any gross tonnage renewed at the St. Ignace Coast Guard Station. Captain Small, a retired Pittsburgh Steamship employee and 106 years of age, was the oldest person to be licensed and the issue number of his license is the highest ever issued by the Coast Guard 14-17 (14th masters license and 17th license as a pilot, mate, or master).
On July 10, 2005, noted marine photographer Paul Wiening passed away at his residence in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

G. A. TOMLINSON (Hull#370) was launched at the American Ship Building Co., Lorain, Ohio, on July 10, 1909, for the Douglas Steamship Co (J.J.H. Brown, mgr.), renamed b.) HENRY R. PLATT JR in 1959. The hull was used as a breakwater in Burlington Bay, Ontario, in 1971.

In 1998, the ALGOWEST was re-dedicated at Port Weller Dry Docks. The $20 million conversion of the ship to a self-unloader from a bulk-carrier was completed by 400 shipbuilders at Port Weller Dry Docks during the previous eight months. Renamed in 2001, she sails for Algoma today as b.) PETER R. CRESSWELL.

On 10 July 1866, COQUETTE (1-mast wooden scow-sloop, 90 foot, 140 tons, built in 1858, at Perry, Ohio as a schooner) capsized in a storm on Lake Michigan and was lost with her crew of four. She had originally been built for the U.S. Government.

On 10 July 1911, JOHN MITCHELL (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 420 foot, 4,468 gross tons, built in 1907, at St. Clair, Michigan) was carrying wheat off Whitefish Point on Lake Superior when she was rammed broadside by the coal-laden steel steamer WILLIAM HENRY MACK (steel propeller bulk freighter, 354 foot, 3781 gross tons, built in 1903, at Cleveland, Ohio). The MACK tried to keep her bow in the hole, but the MITCHELL still sank in 7 minutes. Quick work saved most of her crew and all 7 passengers. Three of the 34 onboard were lost. The MACK got most of the blame for the accident. The MITCHELL's wreck was discovered upside-down on the bottom in 1972. (Note: Bowling Green's database gives the date of this accident as 19 July 1911 and Dave Swayze's Shipwreck database gives the date as 10 July 1911.)

1930 YORKTON was beached with only the top of the pilothouse above water after a head-on collision in fog on Whitefish Bay with the MANTADOC. The ship was later salvaged and repaired at Collingwood.

1938 RAHANE ran aground on a shoal in the American Narrows of the St. Lawrence while downbound with steel, package freight and grain. Some cargo was removed by the lighter COBOURG and the ship was refloated with major bottom damage. The vessel last sailed on the lakes as A.A. HUDSON before departing for saltwater service in the fall of 1965.

[yachtsmanwilly]

7/11 - Detroit, Mich. – The two owners of the historic Boblo boat SS Ste. Claire that caught fire last Friday have vowed to go forward with its restoration. Now they're asking for help.

The boat’s owners, Ron Kattoo and Saqib Nakadar, both Metro Detroit physicians, lamented the destruction of the boat they have worked on for about 10 years.

"Like anything that someone has put their own energy into it and blood and sweat, that’s the part you can’t get back," Nakadar said. "Besides that, we also feel the weight of everyone else who supported us and encouraged us, and this boat is something that’s way beyond just him and I."

A GoFundMe page was made by a friend of Nakadar and Kattoo on July 6. After concerns from the public asking whether or not the campaign was legitimate, Kattoo decided to end the campaign, which raised $325 over three days, and create another campaign under his own name with the same goal of raising $500,000.

The insurance the men purchased for the boat will not cover the fire damage.

“Our coverages included coverage for the hull, so had there been damage to the hull, had the ship sank, if those things had happened, we had coverages for those things,” Nakadar said. “But she wasn’t really insurable otherwise.”

He said much of the wooden structure had rotted and needed repair. The goal was to repair it and then there would be something to insure. “There won’t be any coverages on that end,” Nakadar said.

The Ste. Claire was docked at Riverside Marina on the Detroit River last Friday when it caught fire.

Read more and view photos at this link: www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2018/07/10/owners-boblo-boat-restoration-fire/769091002


7/11 -Montreal – The Canadian Coast Guard's annual Arctic operational season is underway and includes a maiden voyage to the Arctic by the CCGS Samuel Risley. The season will run into late November, providing extended vessel presence in the Arctic under investments from the $1.5-billion Oceans Protection Plan.

The CCGS Samuel Risley will depart July 11 from Quebec City for her maiden voyage to Arctic waters, where she will participate in Operation Pacer Goose, which is the annual resupply mission for the Thule US Air Force base in Greenland. Six other Coast Guard icebreakers deploy this season to support Coast Guard operational and program commitments, such as providing safe escorts of ships through ice-covered waters.

• May 25: CCGS Amundsen departed Quebec City for BaySys (Hudson Bay System) Study
• June 20: CCGS Martha L. Black departed Quebec City for Arctic operations including Aids to Navigation
• June 24: CCGS Pierre Radisson departed Quebec City for icebreaking
• July 5: CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier departed Victoria for science programming and Aids to Navigation
• July 11: CCGS Samuel Risley to depart Quebec City in support of operation Pacer Goose and to support Arctic initiatives
• July 12: CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent to Halifax for icebreaking and science programming, and to relieve the CCGS Martha L. Black
• August 16: CCGS Henry Larsen to St. John's, NL to conduct icebreaking

Quick Facts
• In 2017, seven icebreakers were deployed to the Arctic, from Iceland to the Beaufort Sea, from Rankin Inlet to Eureka
• Annual reopening of the Marine Communication and Traffic Services Centre (MCTS) in Iqaluit was on May 15, and will remain open until December 23, 2018, at which time NordReg services will be provided by Prescott MCTS until the 2019 Arctic season
• The Coast Guard is opening an Inshore Rescue Boat station in Rankin Inlet, NU, to be operated by Indigenous students from the Arctic
• As our ships approach communities where fast ice is present, CCG crews will contact the community to ensure that hunters and other residents are advised to avoid the area during operations
• CCGS Henry Larsen and CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier are delivering bicycles to Ulukhaktok, NWT and Cape Dorset, NU in partnership with the Po

Fisheries and Oceans Central & Arctic Region


7/11 - Torch Lake, Mich. – Three men from northern Michigan are about to attempt something that's never been done. They plan to paddleboard across Lake Superior - the largest, coldest and most dangerous of the five Great Lakes.

They call themselves the "Three Standup Guys," because they stand on their paddleboards, and because they are co-founders of a non-profit charity called, "Stand Up for the Great Lakes," which was set up to protect the Great Lakes and educate others about freshwater resources.

"The waves can pick up like crazy in a matter of seconds on Lake Superior," said Kwin Morris, who will be one of the paddleboarders involved in this adventure. "Superior's weather and waves have taken thousands of sailors and their ships to the grave."

Morris, along with Joe Lorenz and Jeff Guy, make up the trio known as "Three Standup Guys." This isn't the first time they will cross one of the Great Lakes on paddleboards. "We decided to cross Lake Michigan in 2015," said Morris. "We started in Algoma, Wisconsin and finished in Frankfort, Michigan.

"Then in 2017, we decided to cross Lake Huron. We started in Alpena, Michigan and our destination was Tobermory, Ontario [Canada.]"

They plan to paddleboard across all five of the Great Lakes, but chose Superior as their conquest for 2018. "People don't realize, it's 70 degrees on the shore, but when you get out there, the water is 37 degrees," said Morris. "Mentally and physically, this will be the most challenging thing I've ever done."

The men have targeted July 9 through July 20 as the best weather window to make their treacherous trek across Superior. "We're making it about the journey and not the destination," said Joe Lorenz, co-founder of Stand Up for the Great Lakes. "I have some fear, but I also respect that lake."

The paddleboard journey will begin from Sinclair Cove, Ontario, Canada and will finish at Whitefish Point in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the site of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.

If they don't run into any weather or extremely rough seas, Morris says the 57-mile trip should take the three men just over 30 hours to complete. "It's sobering when you're out there," said Morris. "You're paddling all day, then all night, and when the sun comes up you still can't see land."

The men will each strap on all the necessary supplies they'll need for the trip. Some of the food items will include Espresso beans (to help them stay away during the night), amino acid drinks, dried mangos and ginger. They will also be taking filtered cups with them so they can drink the lake water to stay hydrated.

The men have also taken precautions on the chance there could be a medical emergency during the trip. There will be two boats that will flank them, and one of the boats will have a doctor on board.

Prior to their paddleboard treks across Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, the guys secured charities to generate money for. The goal of this trip is to raise more than $10,000 for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society.

"We plan to make a special stop out on the lake during the paddleboard journey," said Morris. "We will travel over the spot where the Edmund Fitzgerald sank. When we arrive at that spot, we will lay a wreath, pause for a moment, then continue on to Whitefish Point."

The reason why the three guys all care so much about the Great Lakes is because they all grew up on water. "We want to make sure the Great Lakes and all inland lakes are protected," said Jeff Guy, co-founder of the organization. "The three of us go out paddleboarding all the time cleaning up trash on the lakes. We will continue to do that."

Until the weather and lake conditions are conducive for the men to embark on their trip, they'll be practicing on nearby Grand Traverse Bay and Torch Lake, which is close to where all three of them grew up. "I'm super excited, but now that the window is becoming closer, I'm super nervous as well," said Morris.

WZZM


On this day in 1962, the EDWARD L. RYERSON carried a record cargo of 24,445 tons of iron ore through the newly opened Rock Cut Channel. The new channel increased allowable depths by 26 inches to 25 feet 7 inches.
On this day in 1943, the new MacArthur Lock was formally opened to traffic. The first boat to lock through during the ceremonies was the upbound CARL D. BRADLEY, Captain F. F. Pearse. There were 250 dignitaries and passengers aboard the Bradley during the lockage. The first downbound vessel was the new Leon Fraser of the Pittsburgh Steamship fleet.

The INDIANA HARBOR was christened July 11, 1979.

On 11 July 1888, the 2-mast wooden schooner JOHN TIBBETS was carrying coal on Lake Erie when she foundered in the shallows near Clear Creek, 7 miles west of Port Rowan, Ontario and then broke up in the storm waves. Her crew made it to shore in the yawl. She was built in 1863, at Clayton, New York on the hull of the Canadian schooner PERSEVERANCE, which was originally built in 1855.

The PERSIA, a 150-foot passenger/package freight vessel, was launched at Melancthon Simpson's shipyard at St. Catharines, Ontario, on 11 July 1873. She was built at a cost of $37,000. She lasted until the 1920's when she was converted to a barge and then abandoned.

MONTEZUMA (3-mast wooden schooner-barge, 341 feet, 2,722 gross tons) was launched at the John Davidson shipyard (Hull #102) in West Bay City, Michigan, on 11 July 1903. She was one of the largest wooden vessels ever built. It was later stated in the press that the reason Davidson's last large vessels took so long to build was the difficulty in obtaining the required large oak timbers and their expense. As steel went down in price, wood went up, and Davidson's last hulls cost as much as comparably-sized steel ones. At the time of launching this vessel the Davidson shipyard announced that it would not build any more wooden freight vessels. 1915: CHOCTAW, enroute from Cleveland to Duluth with a cargo of coal, sank following a collision with the WAHCONDAH in foggy Lake Huron. All on board were saved.

1940: WILLIAM F. STIFEL ran aground in the St. Clair River near Port Lambton and was struck by the ALBERT E. HEEKIN. 1964: CHEMBARGE NO. 4, formerly a) JUDGE KENEFICK and b) H.J. McMANUS was towed out into Lake Huron by ATOMIC and ABURG and scuttled in deep water about 16 miles off Goderich after sulphuric acid began leaking into the bilges of the recently-converted tanker barge.

2007: CANADIAN NAVIGATOR lost power and went aground in mud off Courtright and six tugs were needed to pull the ship free.

[yachtsmanwilly]

7/12 - Green Bay, Wis. – The Port of Green Bay has welcomed a new, large visitor that's expected to become a more common sight on the Fox River. The 469-foot MV Arubaborg arrived Tuesday morning at KK Integrated Logistics's riverside warehouse with a load of wood pulp and newspaper rolls from Itaqui, Brazil.

"It's always exciting any time we get a boat with a foreign flag," Port Director Dean Haen said of the Dutch ship. Haen said this is the first time in almost a decade that the port has seen the direct delivery of "forest product."

The ship is significantly larger than most vessels that use KK Integrated Logistics' dock south of the Walnut Street bridge. The ship is delivering 9,000 tons of pulp and newspaper rolls, KK Integrated Logistics President Cynthia Kuber said.

In past years, Kuber said, wood pulp and other related products were brought into northeastern Wisconsin by truck or railroad from the East Coast.

She said KK Integrated Logistics began working in 2015 to begin direct delivery by oceangoing ship. The first trial runs of the direct delivery were done in 2016 and 2017 at the company's Menominee, Mich., location. She said direct shipping dramatically cuts the time it takes for product to get to its destination.

While fluctuations in the pulp and paper industry markets can change the economics of shipping products to Green Bay, she anticipates the Arubaborg and other ships like it to more frequently bring loads to the port.

The vessel is owned by the international shipping company Wagenborg Shipping.

Haen said other Wagenborg ships have passed through the Port of Green Bay, but he believes this is the first time for the Arubaborg.

Green Bay resident Chuck Zentmeyer, a self-described "boat nerd" — or avid ship-watcher — went out to the water early Tuesday morning to watch the Auraborg dock, and went back later in the day to snap some photos for his collection.

"It's a cool boat," he said. "That fleet comes here every now and then, but not this specific boat. The number of onlookers I've seen is just crazy — 20 to 30 people just watching. The cranes make it look different . . . It's a sight to see."

The Arubaborg is scheduled to leave Green Bay on Friday, although Kuber said the unloading process is going rather quickly and the ship could leave on Thursday.

View a photo gallery at this link: www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/2018/07/11/large-dutch-ship-docks-fox-river-downtown-green-bay/774544002


7/12 - Detroit, Mich. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, has awarded a contract for dredging at Duluth-Superior Harbor in western Lake Superior on the Minnesota-Wisconsin border.

The $1,933,500 contract was awarded to Roen Salvage Co., from Sturgeon Bay, Wis. The firm will dredge approximately 150,000 cubic yards of material from the harbor and deposit the dredged material at the 40th Avenue West placement site, a shallow cove on the Duluth side of the harbor. The dredging will begin in August and will be complete by mid-November.


7/12 - Buffalo, N.Y. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District, Cleveland Port Authority, and several Cleveland preservation groups signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) June 1, 2018, resolving 20 years of debate over dredging the Cleveland Bulk Terminal and its impact on the Cleveland Huletts.

Hulett Iron Ore Unloaders (Huletts) were enormous ore unloading machines, two of which stand where the Cuyahoga River flows into Lake Erie on the Pennsylvania Railway Ore Dock located on Whiskey Island. These Huletts operated continuously from 1912 to 1992, and were designated a Cleveland Historic Landmark in 1993, a National Register of Historic Places in 1997, and a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1998.

“The MOA states we have three years to work together as a working group and reach an agreement on what to do with the two Huletts,” said Mark Scalabrino, Buffalo District Chief of the Ohio Application Evaluation Section. “If no agreement is reached, the Port Authority will have the right to move the Huletts.”

“We reached a viable solution by considering the wants and needs of each party,” Scalabrino continued. “Everyone did an excellent job improving relationships with the consulting parties, applicant and agencies.” Reaching a solution took nearly two decades.

In 1999, the Port Authority’s dredging needs brought the Huletts and numerous organizations into convoluted legal engagements and mitigation decisions.

“Nobody agreed on how or where to display the Huletts,” said Scalabrino. “They simply continued to rust and deteriorate, which, I believe, gave people a sense of urgency to find a solution.”

“These enormous machines were very influential to the Great Lakes shipping industry,” Scalabrino explained. “Before, people had to offload cargo over several days using wheelbarrows and shovels. Huletts sped up the process to a few hours.”

The MOA requires a written report combining previously published scholarly work relevant to the Pennsylvania Railway Ore Dock and Huletts' history into a single resource. The report will then be filed with the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office and the State Library of Ohio.

“The MOA is a win-win-win scenario,” said Scalabrino. “Local historic organizations will be able to negotiate a solution for the Huletts, the Port Authority will be able to restore the Cleveland Bulk Terminal to suitable navigational depths, and the Army Corps of Engineers will fulfill its responsibility to make a permit decision.”

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District


On this day in 1978, the keel for Hull #909 was laid at Toledo, Ohio, after Interlake Steamship and Republic Steel signed a 25-year haulage contract. Hull#909 was to be named WILLIAM J. DE LANCEY and renamed PAUL R. TREGURTHA in 1990.
On July 12, 2005, the DAY PECKINPAUGH, under tow of the tug BENJAMIN ELLIOT, departed the lakes through the New York State Barge Canal to Lockport, New York for a new life as a traveling history museum.

The BELLE RIVER, renamed b.) WALTER J. McCARTHY JR in 1990, was christened on July 12, 1977, as American Steamship's first thousand-footer and the first thousand-footer built at Bay Shipbuilding.

The H. M. GRIFFITH (Hull#203) was launched July 12, 1973, at Collingwood, Ontario by Collingwood Shipyards for Canada Steamship Lines. Rebuilt with a new cargo section in 2000, renamed b.) RT. HON. PAUL J. MARTIN.

In 1986, when ENDERS M. VOORHEES was chained together with her sisters, A.H. FERBERT and IRVING S. OLDS, a severe thunderstorm struck Duluth, Minnesota, pushing the trio across St. Louis Bay, eventually grounding them near Superior, Wisconsin. It was discovered that the force of the storm had pulled the bollards out of the Hallett Dock No. 5, thus releasing the ships.

On July 12, 1958, Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd.'s FRANK A. SHERMAN entered service, departing Port Weller Dry Docks, for Duluth and a load of iron ore on its maiden voyage.

On 12 July 1871, ADVANCE (wooden scow-schooner, 49 tons, built in 1847, at Fairport, Ohio), was bound for Detroit from Cleveland with a load of coal. She and the steamer U S GRANT collided near South Bass Island (Put-in-Bay) in Lake Erie and ADVANCE sank. Her crew escaped in the yawl.

On 12 July 1852, CITY OF OSWEGO (wooden propeller passenger-package freight vessel, 138 foot, 357 tons, built in 1852, at Buffalo, New York) collided with the steamer AMERICA and sank off Willoughby, Ohio, a few miles east of Cleveland. 15 lives were lost. This was CITY OF OSWEGO's first season of operation.

On 12 July 1889, T.H. ORTON (wooden barge, 262 gross tons, built in 1873, at Buffalo, New York) anchored off Marblehead, Ohio on Lake Erie to ride out a storm. She dragged her anchors and was driven ashore where she was declared a total wreck. She was recovered and just two years later, at the same place, this incident was repeated.

190:9 The ore laden JOHN B. COWLE (i) was struck amidships by the ISAAC M. SCOTT off Whitefish Point, Lake Superior, and sank with the reported loss of 11 lives. 1917: GEORGE N. ORR was wrecked at Savage Point in the Strait of Northumberland, Prince Edward Island, on her way to New York City and wartime saltwater service. The vessel had been cut in two and towed from the lakes to be rejoined at Montreal. 1969: The deep-sea tug MISSISSIPPI arrived at Bilbao, Spain, with the lakers DONNACONA (ii) and BEN E. TATE, for scrapping.

1977: The stern section of the former canaller BIRCHTON was raised at Halifax after the two parts, which had been created for use as pontoons in the construction of offshore drilling platforms, sank at the dock.

1985: MONTY PYTHON first visited the Great Lakes as a) MONTE ZALAMA in 1970. It returned as b) MONTY PYTHON after being renamed in 1985. The ship drifted aground in the St. Lawrence off La Ronde while loading scrap at Montreal and had to be lightered to P.S. BARGE NO. 1 before floating free on July 18. This saltwater vessel was sold for scrap before the year was out and arrived at Dalian, China, on November 3, 1985, to be dismantled.

[yachtsmanwilly]

7/13 - Superior, Wis. – Police are investigating a break-in onboard a bulk carrier docked in Superior. A surveillance camera on the Edward L. Ryerson caught the suspect in the act.

According to Central Marine Logistics, the man allegedly stole a fire ax and walked off with a large bag of items. The break-in happened on July 6.

The company says it's not the first time there has been a break-in on this particular ship.

KBJR6


7/13 - Lake Superior – Three men from a Traverse City organization made the trip of a lifetime to raise money for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society. Joe Lorenz, Kwin Morris and Jeff Guy, from Stand Up for Great Lakes, are paddle boarding across Lake Superior from Sinclair Cove in Canada.

“The new goal of this trip is to raise more than $20,000 for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society,” says Morris, age 31, and a teacher in the Elk Rapids School District.

After 12 hours and 28 miles into their more than 61 mile trip, the trio laid a wreath at the same spot the Edmund Fitzgerald sank more than 42 years ago.

The bio-degradable wreath had 29 white carnations representing the members of the crew that went down in a terrible storm on November 1, 1975 and one single carnation representing all who were lost on the Great Lakes.

The idea of paddling across Lake Michigan first struck the guys when Kwin and Jeff were doing a standup paddle together. They later met Joe Lorenz at a Christmas party, who had a similar idea. He said, “Let’s do it!” So, they put together the team and a plan, formed a non-profit and from that point forward worked to make it a reality.

In 2015, the trio first crossed Lake Michigan, a 60-mile and 23-hour journey, and raised $10,000 for the Great Lake Alliance. In June 2017, they crossed Lake Huron and raised $7,000 for Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The 90-mile paddle journey took more than 28 hours to complete.

Each man carried all of his supplies, which included food, extra clothes and straws that filter drinking water from the lake, on his own paddle board.v There were also two boats following the trio with an emergency medical technician on one and a crew ready to jump in for a rescue on the other.

The trio paddled into Whitefish Point in Michigan's Upper Peninsula the site of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, around 6 a.m. Wednesday.

“I am proud to know these ‘stand-up’ guys and have been educated to their sincere commitment in keeping the ‘great’ in GREAT LAKES,” says Scott Lorenz, Joe’s father. “They’ve planned it out thoroughly and in great detail. Their paddle boarding journeys are an incredible accomplishment.”

Up North Live


7/13 - The Canadian Coast Guard’s annual Arctic operational season is underway and includes a maiden voyage to the Arctic by the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Samuel Risley.

CCGS Samuel Risley departed Quebec City today with 25 officers and crew on board. Their first task will be to support the annual resupply mission for the United States Air Base at Thule Greenland. “My crew and I will be doing the Operation Pacer Goose mission. We are very much looking forward to seeing and working on the rugged coast of Greenland, a place few people ever get to experience,” said Captain John Cork, who is in command of CCGS Samuel Risley for the first month of its eight week Arctic mission. “This is a wonderful opportunity for the crew, and personally I am thrilled to have this as my last assignment before I retire after 34 years with the Canadian Coast Guard”.

1200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, Thule is locked in by ice about nine months out of the year. Icebreaking service is needed to allow for a rapid resupply of food, fuel, construction materials and cargo. After the Operation Pacer Goose mission CCGS Samuel Risley will transit to the eastern Canadian Arctic and the waters of Baffin Bay, the Hudson Strait and northern Hudson Bay.

Captain Signe Gotfredsen notes her crew members are truly looking forward to providing Coast Guard service in the north. Captain Gotfredsen will assume command of the ship during the second half of this mission. “For a number of the crew, this will be their first time plying Arctic waters, so there is a sense of exploration onboard,” said Captain Gotfredsen. “Some of our preparation time has been spent on training including Indigenous Engagement, helicopter slinging operations and environmental response.”

CCGS Samuel Risley joined the Coast Guard fleet in the fall of 1985. During most of the navigational season, the ship operates out of the Canadian Coast Guard base in Parry Sound Ontario. It is multi-tasked and in addition to its icebreaking and aids to navigation duties on the Great Lakes it has also served on Canada’s east coast.

The Canadian Coast Guard’s Arctic operational season will run into late November, providing extended vessel presence in the Arctic under investments from the $1.5-billion Oceans Protection Plan.

CCGS Samuel Risley joins other coast guard ships serving the Arctic this year including CCGS Amundsen, CCGS Martha L. Black, CCGS Pierre Radisson, CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier, CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent and CCGS Henry Larsen.

CCG


Algoma's straight-deck bulk freighter ALGOWEST was christened at Collingwood on July 13, 1982. She was converted to a self-unloader in 1998, and renamed b.) PETER R. CRESSWELL in 2001.
SASKATCHEWAN PIONEER (Hull#258) was launched July 13, 1983, at Govan, Scotland, by Govan Shipbuilders Ltd. for Pioneer Shipping Ltd. (Misener Transportation Ltd., mgr.). Renamed b.) LADY HAMILTON in 1995. Purchased by Voyageur Marine Transport in 2006, she now sails as KAMINISTIQUA.

The LIGHTSHIP 103 was opened to visitors on July 13, 1974, at the city's Pine Grove Park along the St. Clair River.

The rebuilt BOSCOBEL was launched at the Peshtigo Company yard at Algonac, Michigan, on 13 July 1876. Originally built in 1867, as a passenger/package freight propeller vessel, she burned and sank near Ft. Gratiot in 1869. The wreck was raised, but no work was done until January 1876, when she was completely rebuilt as a schooner-barge at Algonac. She sank again in the ice on Lake Erie in 1895, and was again raised and rebuilt. She lasted until 1909, when she sank in the middle of Lake Huron during a storm.

On 13 July 1876, the Port Huron Weekly Times listed the following vessels as being idle at Marine City, Michigan: Steam Barges BAY CITY, D W POWERS and GERMANIA; steamer GLADYS; schooners TAILOR and C SPADEMAN; and barges MARINE CITY and ST JOSEPH.

On 13 July 1876, The Detroit Tribune reported that "the captain of a well-known Oswego vessel, on his last trip to Oswego, found that the receipts of the trip exceeded the expenses in the neighborhood of $250, and stowed $210 of the amount away in a drawer of his desk on the schooner. The money remained there some days before the captain felt the necessity of using a portion of it, and when he opened the drawer to take out the required amount he found that a family of mice had file a pre-emption claim and domiciled themselves within the recess, using the greenbacks with the utmost freedom to render their newly chosen quarters absolutely comfortable. A package containing $60 was gnawed into scraps the size of the tip of the little finger, while only enough of the larger package containing $150 remained to enable the astonished seaman to determine the numbers of the bills, so that the money can be refunded to him by the United States Treasury Department. The captain made an affidavit of the facts, and forwarded it and the remnants of the greenbacks to Washington, with the view of recovering the full value of the money destroyed. He is now on the way to Oswego with his vessel, and no doubt frequently ruminates over the adage, "The best laid schemes of mice and men . . .”

1941: The first COLLINGDOC was inbound with coal for the Thames River when it struck a mine off Southend, England, and sank. There were at least two casualties. The hull was later refloated and sunk along with another ship, believed to be the PONTO, as part of the Churchill Barriers off Scapa Flow, in the northern United Kingdom. In time, sand has blown in and covered much of the hull with only the cement-encased pilothouse visible at last report.

1978: OLAU GORM, best remembered as one of 4 freighters that had to spend the winter of 1964-1965 on the Great Lakes due to ice closing the Seaway, ran aground as f) FAST BREEZE in the Red Sea. The ship was enroute to from Piraeus, Greece, to Gizan, Saudi Arabia, and was refloated, with severe damage, on July 16. It was soon sold to Pakistani shipbreakers and was broken up at Gadani Beach in 1979.

[yachtsmanwilly]

DETROIT EDISON, of 1955, departed Quebec City July 16th 1986, along with former fleet mate SHARON, in tow of the U.S. tug PRUDENT, to Brownsville, Texas for scrapping.
The SAGINAW BAY departed Quebec City on July 16, 1985, in tandem with the E.B. BARBER, towed by the Polish tug KORAL for scrapping at Vigo, Spain.

NORTHERN VENTURE, a.) VERENDRYE of 1944, entered Great Lakes service July 16, 1961, upbound light for the Canadian lake head to load grain.

On July 16, 1935, the BRUCE HUDSON capsized on Lake Ontario off Cobourg, Ontario, while in tow of the wooden-hulled tug MUSCALLONGE.

Keel-laying of the CHI-CHEEMAUN (Hull#205) was on July 16, 1973, at Collingwood, Ontario by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd. for Ontario Northland Transport Commission.

CATARACT (wooden propeller, 15 foot', 352 tons, built in 1852, at Buffalo) caught fire on 16 July 1861, 5 miles off Erie, Pennsylvania. She became an inferno astern in just a few minutes and this prevented her boats from being launched. Four died. Some were saved by clinging to floating wreckage and some others were rescued by a small fishing boat. The schooner ST PAUL picked up some survivors. Among those picked up by Captain Mosher of the ST PAUL, were Captain McNally and the CATARACT's carpenter. Capt. Mosher had rescued these same two men in 1858, when the propeller INDIANA was lost in Lake Superior.

On 16 July 1873, the new barge MINNEAPOLIS was towed to Detroit for outfitting. She had just been launched four days earlier at Marine City, Michigan. While on the way to Detroit, a Canadian man named Sinclair fell overboard and drowned. On 16 July 1874, The Port Huron Times reported that "the old steamer REINDEER has been rebuilt to a barge by L. C. Rogers at H. C. Schnoor's shipyard at Fair Haven, [Michigan]. Her beautiful horns have been taken down, [she carried a set of large antlers], her machinery and cumbersome side-wheels removed, and she has been fully refitted with center arch and deck frame complex."

July 16, 1961, the PIONEER CHALLENGER entered service. Built in 1943, as a T-3 tanker a.) MARQUETTE, renamed b.) U.S.S. NESCHANIC (AO-71) in 1943, c.) GULFOIL in 1947, d.) PIONEER CHALLENGER in 1961, e.) MIDDLETOWN in 1962, and f.) AMERICAN VICTORY in 2006.

1911 ¬ MAINE, upbound with a load of coal, caught fire in the St. Clair River and was run aground on the Canadian shore. The crew escaped.

1958 ¬ The Swedish freighter ERHOLM and the FRANK ARMSTRONG of the Interlake fleet were in a collision in northern Lake St. Clair with minor damage to both ships. ERHOLM had earlier been a Great Lakes caller as a) ERLAND and later came through the Seaway in 1959-1960. It returned inland again in 1961 and 1962 as c) OTIS. The ship arrived at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, for scrapping as h) DIMITRA K. on August 25, 1980

- The Spanish, 1975-built, 7,311 gross ton, ocean motor bulk carrier MILANOS, anchored in the Detroit River since July 2, began the long slow trip home. Auxiliar de Transporte Maritimos, the ship’s owners, decided it would be cheaper to tow the crippled ship home for repairs rather than have the repairs performed locally. The ship's engine seized after the crankshaft broke. She departed Detroit, bound for Montreal under tow of Malcolm Marine's TUG MALCOLM and McKeil's tug ARGUE MARTIN. The tow passed down the Seaway on July 19.
On July 15, 1961, the d.) WALTER A. STERLING, now f.) LEE A. TREGURTHA), entered service on the Great Lakes for Cleveland Cliffs Steamship Co., after conversion from a T-3 tanker. The next day, on July 16, 1961, the d.) PIONEER CHALLENGER, now f.) AMERICAN VICTORY, entered service for the Pioneer Steamship Co (Hutchinson & Co., mgr.).

The CHICAGO TRADER was launched as a.) THE HARVESTER (Hull#391) at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. in 1911, for the Wisconsin Steel Co.

In 1946, the NORISLE (Hull#136) was launched at Collingwood, Ontario, by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd. for the Dominion & Owen Sound Transportation Co. Ltd. In 1934, the ANN ARBOR NO 4 collided with the steamer N. F. LEOPOLD in a heavy fog.

On Saturday, 15 July 1871, an argument between Captain James Bradley and Mate John Reed started while the schooner ROBERT EMMETT was docked at Erie, Pennsylvania unloading iron ore. They were still shouting at each other as the ship sailed out of the harbor. In short order, the ship turned around and anchored in the harbor. At 3 the following morning, Reed rowed ashore, went directly to the police station and charged that Capt. Bradley had assaulted him with a knife. At dawn, as the police were on their way to question Capt. Bradley, they found him stepping ashore from the deck of a tug, fuming that Reed had stolen the ship's only small boat. Bradley and Reed were at each other again and the police arrested both men. Bradley then filed charges against Reed for mutiny, assault and theft of the ship's boat. The case went to court the very next day. Justice of the Peace Foster saw his courtroom packed with curious sailors and skippers. Reed and Bradley were both still fuming and after listening to just a little testimony, Foster found both men guilty, fined them both and ordered both to pay court costs. The matter didn't end there since Reed later had to get a court order to get his personal belongings off the EMMETT. There is no record of what the disagreement was that started this whole mess.

The iron side-wheel steamer DARIUS COLE (201 foot, 538 gross tons) was launched at the Globe Iron Works (Hull #10) in Cleveland, Ohio on 15 July 1885. During her career, she had two other names b.) HURON 1906 - 1921, and c.) COLONIAL 1921 - 1925. She burned off Barcelona, New York, on Lake Erie on 1 September 1925, while on an excursion. The hull was beached and later towed to Dunkirk, New York, for scrapping.

1885: The rail car ferry LANSDOWNE and the CLARION were in a collision on the Detroit River.

1895: CIBOLA caught fire and burned at the dock at Lewiston, NY, with the loss of one life. The hull was towed to Toronto and used in a fill project.

1943: GEORGE M. HUMPHREY sank off Old Point Mackinac Light following a collision with the D.M. CLEMSON. The ship was salvaged in 1944 and rebuilt at Sturgeon Bay as b) CAPTAIN JOHN ROEN in 1945 and became c) ADAM E. CORNELIUS in 1948 and d) CONSUMERS POWER in 1958.

1977: The ore- laden CADILLAC went aground in the St. Marys River after missing a turn in fog. It was released the next day with the help of 3 tugs.

1986: The C.S.L. self-unloader MANITOULIN went aground at Sandusky, off Cedar Point, after losing power. The ship was released with the help of tugs.

1998: LITA hit the knuckle at the Eisenhower Lock and sustained damage to the starboard side. The vessel later hit bottom of the channel near the Snell Lock but there was no additional damage. The ship was enroute from Toledo to Algeria. The 11,121 gross ton saltwater vessel was still in service as of 2012.

The AMERICAN REPUBLIC (Hull#724) was launched July 14, 1980, by the Bay Shipbuilding Co., Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, for the American Steamship Co. She was renamed b) GREAT REPUBLIC in 2011.
While upbound in the St. Lawrence River on July 14, 1970, for Saginaw, Michigan, with a load of pig iron from Sorel, Quebec, the EASTCLIFFE HALL, of 1954, grounded in mud near Chrysler Shoal six miles above Massena, New York, at 03:00 hours but was able to free herself. A few hours later, approaching Cornwall, Ontario, she struck a submerged object and sank within a few minutes in 70 feet of water only 650 feet from the point of impact. The submerged object was believed to be an old aid to navigation light stand. Nine lives were lost. Divers determined that her back was broken in two places. After salvaging part of the cargo, her cabins were leveled and her hull was filled.

In 1988, the JOHN T. HUTCHINSON and tow mate CONSUMERS POWER passed through the Panama Canal heading for the cutter’s torch in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. On 14 July 1908, MENTOR (wooden propeller tug, 53 foot, 23 gross tons, built in 1882, at Saugatuck, Michigan) burned south of Chicago, Illinois. No lives lost. Her original name was HATTIE A. FOX.

On 14 July 1891, T H ORTON (wooden barge, 262 gross tons, built in 1873, at Buffalo, New York) anchored off Marblehead, Ohio, on Lake Erie to ride out a storm. She dragged her anchors and was driven ashore where she was declared a total wreck. She may have been recovered though. Just two years earlier, this vessel went through a similar incident at the same spot.

1891: ATHABASCA and PONTIAC collided head-on in the Sugar Island Channel of the St. Marys River and the latter settled on the bottom. The former arrived at Sault Ste. Marie, with wreckage draped across her bow. Both ships were repaired and returned to service.

1931: The bulk canaller TEAKBAY hit a rock in the Brockville Narrows of the St. Lawrence and went aground while enroute from Sandusky to Quebec City with coal. It was refloated but was listing and in need of repairs.

1964: DANIEL PIERCE, a former Great Lakes tanker, ran aground at Guanica, Puerto Rico. The ship was leaking sulphuric acid into the bilges mixing with salt water. The town was evacuated due to the potential for an explosion. The hull was condemned and eventually scrapped.

1966: The Israeli freighter ELAT, on her second trip to the Great Lakes, and LEMOYNE were in a collision near Lock 2 of the Welland Canal, with only minor damage. ELAT arrived at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, for scrapping by September 7, 1982, while LEMOYNE was broken up at Santander, Spain, in 1969.

1993: CALCITE II lost steering and ran aground in the Amherstburg Channel of the Detroit River. The ship was lightered, released with the help of the tugs PATRICIA HOEY, OREGON and STORMONT and, after unloading at Ecorse, headed for Toledo to be repaired.

7/15 - Chicago, Ill. – For nearly a century, a dam at the head of the St. Marys River near Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., has been used like a faucet, controlling the amount of water flowing from Lake Superior into lakes Michigan and Huron.

In the past five years, following a swift rise in lake levels, the relatively obscure Lake Superior board that regulates the amount of water released has stepped up these discharges, raising an outcry from a group representing property owners along the shoreline of Lake Michigan and potentially harming seasonal tourism.

John Ehret, an Olympia Fields, Ill., resident and a director of the Great Lakes Coalition for Shoreline Preservation, occasionally shows people photos of the broad sandy beaches that once existed outside his cabin in western Michigan. Now, Ehert said, many of his neighbors have fortified their home with boulders, and his property is “damn near in the water.”

Several factors have contributed to rising water levels and shoreline erosion, including increased precipitation and runoff, but Lake Superior outflow is exacerbating the problem, data from the National Ocean Atmospheric Administration and the International Lake Superior Board of Control show. Last year, the amount of water released from Lake Superior into lakes Michigan and Huron was the highest in 32 years.

This month, Lake Superior measured about 9 inches above its long-term average but almost 5 inches below its levels from last July. Lakes Michigan and Huron were recorded at nearly 2 feet above their historic average and a half inch higher than a year ago. Still, the Lake Superior board expects to increase the flow to 2,800 cubic meters per second this month — more than enough to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool each second — and above the amount called for in the most recent regulatory plan for balancing the lakes.

“They have no right ...,” Ehret, 88, said. “They are having the same problem we are. They've lost a lot of their sand. What they want is to lower their lake and dump it downstream — and we don't want it!”