Today in Great Lakes History

[skycheney]

Apr 4, 2019 6:41:55 GMT -5 yachtsmanwilly said:

Hope it goes well SKY! Is that a mesh job? Fork the Ruskies; hope the chinaman didnt make the repair kit! Check back in when yer feeling better!
Bill & Pat

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Thanks Bill. I'm sitting home trying not to get too bored. What was supposed to be a 1 hour or less surgery ended up being 1 1/2. Turns out I had three holes he had to fix. And yes, it was a mesh job. On one side I had a pantaloon hernia (look that one up )

[yachtsmanwilly]

Sounds like a chinaman problem... Wun Hung Lo. Glad yer doing OK... Dont push yourself pal! I used to think thats nothing, then get back to normal after a few days, but any more. The healing (overall) process really slows down after 50ish! Lay off them ROLLS batteries for a year or two! Bill

[skycheney]

Apr 6, 2019 6:01:32 GMT -5 yachtsmanwilly said:

Sounds like a chinaman problem... Wun Hung Lo. Glad yer doing OK... Dont push yourself pal! I used to think thats nothing, then get back to normal after a few days, but any more. The healing (overall) process really slows down after 50ish! Lay off them ROLLS batteries for a year or two! Bill

Ha! Probably that last set of Rolls this fall had something to do with it. So far I haven't left the house. I'm going crazy so I think I'll head to the office tomorrow, at least for a few hours. The insides are starting to feel more like normal. Now its just a constant dull pain. Not really worth taking any pain meds so hopefully that too subsides over the couple of days. Then, I'll really have to watch myself to stay out of trouble.

[yachtsmanwilly]

"Rolls Surrette batteries are known to cause HERNIAS in the state of California..." Hmmm

4/8 - Sault Ste. Marie, MI – At the request of the National Park Service (NPS), Coast Guard Cutter Alder plans to enter the Keweenaw Waterway from the west on Monday. The objective is to establish a track to facilitate the NPS’ access to Isle Royale. This work will not include a transit through Portage Lake. The Alder plans to terminate this work at the park service’s Houghton facility.

Although this work does not intend to disturb ice along the north and south shorelines, icebreaking activity weakens the ice far beyond the tracks created by the icebreakers. The Coast Guard recommends that members of the public who recreate on the ice, particularly those who fish, or operate snowmobiles or all-terrain vehicles on ice-covered waters of the Keweenaw Waterway, plan their activities carefully, use caution on the ice, and stay away from charted shipping channels.

USCG


4/6 - St. Catharines, Ont. – With one in five seafarers set to retire in the next five years, Canada's shipping industry could face some choppy waters, says an official with Seafarers International Union.

The union is looking for hundreds of skilled workers to help overcome a labor shortage, says Vince Giannopoulos, seafarers union's recruitment campaign spokesperson. "When you look at the median age in the industry, it is getting older," says Giannopoulos. "People are retiring faster than others are joining.

"At first glance, it's a negative, but the way I see it, there was a big hiring boom years ago. The guys who were hired stuck around. Now they are all retiring at once. It's a very stable career. We are trying to get ahead of the curve."

The seafarers union represents the majority of unlicensed sailors working aboard vessels on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River as well as the East and West coasts of Canada.

Skilled workers with trades or marine experience have transferable skills needed on board merchant vessels by companies such as and can work for companies such as Algoma Central, which is headquartered in St. Catharines, and Canada Steamship Lines, Giannopoulos says.

"Canada's marine economy is thriving, and more demand for seafarers means skilled workers can earn great pay and benefits in a long and stable career they can be proud of," he says.

Last June, the seafarer's union partnered with the Seafarers' Training Institute to launch a national hiring initiative aimed at recruiting, training and retaining young people.

Giannopoulos grew up in Port Colborne watching ships pass through the canal. He started sailing in 2011 and shipped out of Thorold.

Niagara has played an important role in Great Lakes shipping for centuries. At the dawn of the 19th century, merchants moved goods on a portage around the falls from Queenston to Chippawa. With the completion and expansion of the Welland Canal, the focal point changed to Port Colborne and St. Catharines. Louis Shickluna ran a shipyard that built hundreds of ships over a 40-year period in the mid-1800s at shipyards along the canal. Today, St. Catharines is home to Algoma Central, which owns and operates the largest fleet of carriers on the Great Lakes and has more than 1,400 employees.

"Transportation is such as important part of the economy," Giannopoulos says. "So much comes from ships, whether it is bottles of wine or furniture or cars or salt for the ice on the roads. We are proud of the job we do.

"The money is good. Even if you do it for five or 10 years, who have some cash you can invest in yourself, whether it is going back to school or getting some more training."

Giannopoulos says pay varies with the position. Someone working on a tugboat going home every night is going to make less than a guy going away for three months. "The lowest position would be a deckhand at $23 or $24 an hour. Chief cooks are upwards of $31 an hour."

The union has a website, www.seafarers.ca/careers, with career information.

The St. Catharines Standard


4/6 - Green Bay, WI – Eight of the nine stars have been announced for Nicolet Bank Tall Ships July 26 to 28 in Green Bay.

The following historic vessels, along with the World's Largest Rubber Duck, will be part of the festival:

Pride of Baltimore II: A sailing memorial to the Pride of Baltimore, which sunk just north of Puerto Rico in May 1986. It has sailed to more than 250,000 nautical miles to 40 countries and 200 different ports.

U.S. Brig Niagara: A replica of the relief flagship of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. It is the third reconstruction of the original vessel. It launched in 1988 to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie.

Santa María: A replica of the Spanish ships that traveled across the Atlantic Ocean in the 15th and 16th centuries. The 200-ton, three mast ship is built of iroko and pine wood.

Utopia: The 77-foot staysail schooner made its maiden sea voyage in 1947 when it cruised the North Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea and Caribbean Islands. It has logged more than 60,000 miles.

Picton Castle Picton Castle: The three-masted tall ship is known for its sail training voyages around the world. It has visited the Great Lakes twice, sailed numerous times on tours of the East Coast of the Americas and, in 2008, sailed to Europe, Africa and the Caribbean on a voyage of the Atlantic.

Inland Seas: The schooner is used to give students hands-on education into the basic ecology of the Great Lakes and assist volunteer instructors with the collection and analysis of Great Lakes samples.

Appledore IV: The schooner is operated by nonprofit BaySail to foster environmental stewardship of the Saginaw Bay watershed and the Great Lakes ecosystem.

Bluenose II: A replica of the original Bluenose schooner that was launched in 1921 and raced undefeated in international competition for 17 years. The World's Largest Rubber Duck, known as Mama, will be part of Nicolet Bank Tall Ships this summer in Green Bay.

The World's Largest Rubber Duck, known as Mama, will be part of Nicolet Bank Tall Ships this summer in Green Bay.

Tall Ships will also include food vendors, a maritime marketplace, a children's area and entertainment and education stages by the Port of Green Bay. There will be fireworks on July 26. After the three-day event in Green Bay, there will be a sail through Sturgeon Bay on July 29 and a sail past Algoma on July 30.

Tickets are on sale at tallshipswisconsin.com. General admission to the festival is $15 adults, $10 ages 5-12, $13 veterans, active military and seniors ages 62 and older and free ages 4 and younger. Family Day is July 28, with $5 admission for ages 5-12. Cost for sail excursions varies. More info at tallshipswisconsin.com.

The Tall Ships festival was last in Green Bay in 2016 and was estimated to have a $4.4 million economic impact in Brown County.

Green Bay Press Gazette


The a.) LOUIS R. DAVIDSON (Hull#95) of the Great Lakes Engineering Works was launched April 6, 1912, for the American Steamship Co. Later renamed b.) DIAMOND ALKALI in 1932, c.) DOW CHEMICAL in 1939 and d.) FERNDALE in 1963. She was scrapped at Castellon, Spain in 1979.

April 6, 1931 - The CITY OF FLINT 32 set a world record sailing 101,000 miles in her first year of service.

On 6 April 1872, the schooner I.N. FOSTER was launched from the Fitzgerald & Leighton yard at Port Huron, Michigan. She was classified as a "full-sized canaller" since she was as large as a vessel could be to pass through the Welland Canal. Her dimensions were 143 foot overall, 26 foot inch beam, 11 foot 6 inch depth, 437 tons.

1942: The CANADIAN FARMER was Hull 65 of the Collingwood shipyard and it was launched there on December 27, 1919. The vessel was sailing as c) SHIN KUANG when it was sunk by Japanese surface naval forces on the Bay of Bengal.

1949: FORT WILLDOC of the Paterson fleet and the JAMES E. McALPINE of the Brown Steamship Co. collided in Lake Superior, above Whitefish Point, on this date. Both ships were damaged and needed repairs.

1972: The freighter STAR OF REWIAH had been built at Collingwood as Hull 105 and launched as the corvette H.M.S. COMFREY on July 28, 1942. The ship was later converted to a cargo carrier and was sailing under this sixth name when it ran aground off the Ashrafi Lighthouse in the Gulf of Suez and declared a total loss on this date in 1972. It was traveling in ballast from Suez, Egypt, to Safaga, Egypt, at the time.

1978: The self-unloader TARANTAU was blown aground due to the wind and shifting ice pack in Lake Huron above Port Huron and had to be freed by the tug BARBARA ANN.

1979: A violent spring storm found LABRADOC (ii) on Lake Erie where the cargo shifted and the vessel took on a precarious list. All on board were removed fearing the ship would roll over and sink. But it survived and was towed to safety eventually undergoing repairs at Port Weller Dry Docks. The vessel left Great Lakes service in 1988 and operated on deep sea runs as b) FALCON CREST until scrapping at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, in 1994.

1992: An explosion and fire in the tunnel of HALIFAX occurred while the CSL ship was upbound in the St. Marys River. One sailor was killed and two more injured while the ship sustained internal damage. It went to Thunder Bay for repairs.

On April 7, 1997, LEE A. TREGURTHA suffered an 18-foot hull fracture in her port bow near the bowthruster tunnel while downbound in the upper St. Marys River due to heavy ice. She proceeded to the De Tour Coal Dock, where repairs were made overnight and she continued on her trip on April 8, 1997.

On 07 April 1906, the Goodrich Transportation Company, which was incorporated under the laws of the State of Wisconsin in 1868, was dissolved and a new company, the Goodrich Transit Company, was incorporated under the laws of the state of Maine. This was just for financial reasons, and other than the name and the port of registry of the vessels, everything else remained the same. The vessels in the company at the time were CHICAGO, CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, CITY OF RACINE, GEORGIA, INDIANA, IOWA, SHEBOYGAN, VIRGINIA, and tug ARCTIC.

Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd.'s new CANADIAN TRANSPORT was christened April 7, 1979.

The tanker ROBERT W. STEWART, b.) AMOCO MICHIGAN was delivered to Standard Oil Co. on April 7, 1928, as the second largest tanker in service at the time of her launch.

JAMES LAUGHLIN (Hull#16) of the Great Lakes Engineering Works was launched April 7, 1906, for the Interstate Steamship Co., Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. Later renamed b.) HELEN EVANS, she was scrapped at Cartagena, Columbia, in 1983.

The EMORY L. FORD was sold on April 7, 1965, to the Reiss Steamship Co., and renamed b) RAYMOND H. REISS, the last vessel purchased by Reiss.

TEXACO BRAVE of 1929 arrived at Ramey's Bend from Toronto on April 7, 1975, in tow of tugs G. W. ROGERS and BAGOTVILLE for scrapping.

In 1974, the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.'s steamer THOMAS W. LAMONT loaded the initial shipment of ore for the season at the D.M. & I.R. ore docks in Duluth.

On 7 April 1871, the tug S.V.R. WATSON was towing the schooner S.G. SIMMONS out of Chicago harbor at noon when the WATSON stalled. The schooner plowed into her broadside, causing the tug to tip on her beam ends, take on water and sink. Four men were trapped below decks and drowned; two survived. The WATSON was later raised and returned to service.

On 7 April 1873, the contract for the building of a new carferry, MICHIGAN, for the Great Western Railway was awarded to the Jenkins Brothers of Windsor, Ontario. The new vessel was planned for service on the Detroit River. Her engines were built at Montreal by Canada Engine Works for a cost of $100,000. The hull alone cost $600,000.

Although the locks are not scheduled to open until Thursday, 12 April 1962, the Canadian Sault harbor was officially opened Saturday, 7 April 1962, when the tanker IMPERIAL LONDON pulled into the Imperial dock between the two hospitals. Captain Russell Knight accepted the traditional silk top hat. The IMPERIAL LONDON, carrying almost 1,000,000 gallons of gasoline, led the IMPERIAL SIMCOE, loaded with 19,000 barrels of fuel oil for household heating, up the St. Marys River to the Sault.

1941: The PORTADOC had been requisitioned by the British Ministry of War Transport and was en route from Saint John, NB, to Sierra Leone with a cargo of coal when it was torpedoed by U-124 off the coast of Africa. The crew spent six days on the open sea before landing at French Guinea. They were taken prisoner by the Vichy French forces and the Chief Engineer died before there was a prisoner of war exchange. The vessel, part of the Paterson fleet, had also sailed on the Great Lakes as a) EUGENE C. ROBERTS and b) JAMES B. FOOTE.

1968: CAPTAIN LEONIDIS ran aground in the Messier Channel, Chile, while travelling from Santos, Brazil, to Valparaiso, Chile. The vessel stranded April 7, 1968, and became a total loss. It had first come to the Great Lakes as the Norwegian freighter d) FANA in 1964 and returned as e) CAPTAIN LEONIDIS in 1966. The hull remains aground and appears to have been used by the Chilean Navy for target practice.

1979: GEHEIMRAT SARTORI dated from 1951 and had been a pre-Seaway caller to the Great Lakes. It returned through the new waterway for three trips in 1959 and was sailing as c) SEA ROVER when it was lost on this date in 1979. The cargo shifted in heavy weather on the Mediterranean while the ship was en route from Civitavecchia, Italy, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It sank about eight miles off Punta Cornacchia.

08 April 1871, NAVARINO (wooden propeller passenger-package freight steamer, 184 foot, 761 tons, built in 1871, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin) entered service for the Goodrich Transportation Company. She only lasted until 09 October 1871, since she burned in the Great Chicago Fire.

BAY CITY (wooden propeller stem barge, 152 foot, 262 gross tons, built in 1867, at Newport [Marine City], Michigan) had just been rebuilt at Bay City and then refitted at Fitzgerald & Leighton’s yard in Port Huron, Michigan. On 08 April 1871, (some sources give the date as 10 April 1871), on her first trip out from the shipyard, she caught fire and burned to the water line. She was rebuilt again and lasted until 1891, when she burned again.

The sea trials for AMERICAN REPUBLIC were conducted in Green Bay on April 8 thru 10, May 4 thru 11 and 18, 1981.

Interlake Steamship Co.’s steamer J. A. CAMPBELL of 1913, was the first bulk carrier to load taconite pellets that were shipped from Reserve Mining’s Davis Works at Silver Bay, Minn., on April 8, 1956.

In 1957, Great Lakes Steamship stockholders voted to sell the entire 16-ship fleet to four fleets.

In 1977 at Toledo, G.A. TOMLINSON required an estimated $235,000 to outfit her machinery for the upcoming season.

On April 8, 1905, Pittsburgh Steamship Co.’s steamer a.) ELBERT H. GARY (Hull#66) was launched by the Chicago Ship Building Co. Renamed b.) R.E. WEBSTER in 1963, she was scrapped in 1973 at Santander, Spain.

In 1969, LEON FALK JR. entered Duluth harbor to become the first vessel to arrive from the lower lake region opening the 1969, shipping season at the head of the lakes. She loaded almost 20,700 tons of iron ore bound for Great Lakes Steel’s Zug Island in Detroit.

April 8, 1998 - An unidentified worker was injured in a fall aboard the CITY OF MIDLAND 41, while it was being converted to a barge in Muskegon.

April 8, 1871, was a bad day on the St. Clair River. The schooner A MOSHER had favorable winds, so the captain decided to save the cost of a tow and sail up the St. Clair River without assistance from a tug. In the strong current at Port Huron, the vessel hit some old dock timbers, went out of control and collided with the down bound 3-masted schooner H.C. POST. The POST's main and fore masts were carried away in the collision. After some vehement arguing, the MOSHER sailed on while the POST anchored in mid-river while her skipper went ashore. The schooner JESSE ANDERSON then sailed out of the Black River and rammed right into the side of the POST. This finished the wrecking of the POST's aft mast. The ANDERSON went out of control and went aground on the riverbank. The tug GEORGE H. PARKER tried to assist the ANDERSON, but she also got stuck on the mud bank. It was several hours before everything got cleaned up and river traffic was back to normal.

The steam ferry JULIA, owned by C. Mc Elroy of St. Clair, Michigan, started running between St. Clair and Courtright, Ontario on 8 April 1878. She was formerly named U S SURVEYOR. Before JULIA took over this service, the ferries R.F. CHILDS and MARY MILLS served in this capacity.

The steamer f.) MANCOX (steel propeller crane freighter, 255 foot, 1,614 gross tons, built in 1903, at Superior, Wisconsin, as a.) H.G. DALTON) of Yankcanuck Steamship Lines was first through the Soo Locks for the 1958, season at 7:05 a.m. on 8 April 1958. In locking through the Canadian lock, the MANCOX became the first ship to come through the new lock gates, which were installed during the winter months. The American Soo Locks had been ready for traffic since March 26, but the Canadian lock had the first ship.

1941: The newly-built PRINS WILLEM II first came to the Great Lakes in May 1939. There was a mutiny on board at Sandusky, Ohio, in June 1940, as the crew did not want to return to their now-occupied homeland. The ship was torpedoed off Cape Farewell, Greenland, on April 8, 1941, while travelling from Halifax to London. An estimated 10-12 members of the crew perished.

1942: The first NOVADOC was sailing as g) ARA when it hit a mine and sank off Borkum, Germany, while en route from Gothenburg, Sweden, to Rotterdam, Holland in 1942. The ship had been built as CANADIAN PATHFINDER and was listed as Hull 69 of the Collingwood shipyard. It had also sailed the Great Lakes as b) NORMAN M. PATERSON and c) NOVADOC (i) before being sold to British interests in 1927.

1982: The Canadian-owned QUEBEC came through the Seaway in 1969. It had been built in 1959 as ALICE BOWATER but never came inland under that name. It was sailing as d) BLUE SEA when there was an engine room explosion and fire on April 8, 1982, in the Mediterranean near the Kerkennah Islands in the Gulf of Gabes off Tunisia. The gutted hull was towed to Sfax, Tunisia, on April 12. It was sold for scrap and arrived at Bizerta, Tunisia, for dismantling on July 7, 1984.

2001: The CHERYL C., the fifth name for the ship, was carrying a cargo of steel when it sank on April 8, 2001. The vessel ran aground near Peniche, Portugal, north of Lisbon, due to a navigational error. The 1597 gross ton ship had been built in 1983 and came through the Seaway, under Barbados registry, for the first time on April 22, 1998, with clay for Ashtabula. It made its last inland voyage in November 1999.

[skycheney]

Apr 8, 2019 5:30:24 GMT -5 yachtsmanwilly said:

"Rolls Surrette batteries are known to cause HERNIAS in the state of California..." Hmmm

And Michigan

[yachtsmanwilly]

Youth is wasted on the young... Samuel Clemens or Will Rogers(?)...




Interlake Steamship Co. to build new Great Lakes self-unloader at Bay Shipbuilding

4/9 - Sturgeon Bay Wis. – A U.S.-flagged Great Lakes bulk carrier will be built for the first time in more than 35 years thanks to a historic agreement recently signed between The Interlake Steamship Co. and Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding.

The new River-class, self-unloading bulk carrier is believed to be the first ship for U.S. Great Lakes service built on the Great Lakes since 1983. The ship, which will transport raw materials to support manufacturing throughout the Great Lakes region, also represents hundreds of good-paying jobs for U.S. Merchant Mariners and Wisconsin shipyard workers.

Measuring 639 feet in length (78 feet W, 45 feet H, 28,000 DWT), the vessel will be constructed in Sturgeon Bay, WI. The Interlake Steamship Co., headquartered in Middleburg Heights, OH, is the largest privately held U.S.-flag fleet on the Great Lakes, with nine vessels carrying bulk cargoes and a rich history dating more than 100 years.

“When we approached a historic project of this magnitude – building our company’s first ship since 1981 – we knew it was critical to choose the right partners. Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding is the shipyard that has the experience and skill to execute on our long-term vision,” said Interlake President Mark W. Barker, adding that this specific vessel is being built as the result of listening to and addressing the logistical needs of Interlake’s customers.

“We’ve had a long and positive relationship of partnering with Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding as we have modernized and reinvested heavily in our fleet. They have skillfully handled four repowers, five exhaust gas scrubber installations, as well as regular maintenance and regulatory dry-dockings on our vessels.”

The Interlake Steamship Co., Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Bay Engineering are jointly designing the bulk carrier, complete with advanced vessel and unloading systems automation.

“We are excited to construct this historic large-scale bulk carrier on the Great Lakes for Great Lakes operation,” says Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding’s Vice President and General Manager Todd Thayse.

“We are very proud of our long-term relationship with Interlake, and we appreciate their continued confidence in our shipyard and in our shipbuilding team. This new project and our past work are indicative of the quality and attention to detail that our customers have come to expect from Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding. It brings steady employment to the hundreds of women and men we employ from across the region, and the economic benefit to our suppliers and others is widespread,” he added.

Scheduled for completion in mid-2022, the carrier will be built by Fincantieri’s nearly 700 skilled trade workers and will generate business for partnering contractors, vendors and suppliers. Major partners for the project include American Bureau of Shipping (ABS); Bay Engineering (BEI); EMD Engines; Caterpillar; EMS-Tech, Inc.; Lufkin (a GE Company) and MacGregor.

“The Interlake Steamship Company is also extremely proud to build locally, supporting surrounding communities and states – a legacy that we began more than 100 years ago,” Barker says. “We live and work in the Great Lakes region and promoting growth and the positive economic impact of Great Lakes shipping is integral to our mission and vision as a leader in this industry.”

• Cargo: This newest self-unloading bulk carrier has a unique cargo hold arrangement and cargo hatch covers designed for maximum cubic space and the ability to handle difficult cargoes.

• Maneuverability: The vessel incorporates a flap rudder as well as bow and stern thrusters for high-level of maneuverability.

• Environmentally friendly: All aspects of the vessel have been looked at to ensure that it will have a low environmental impact to the Great Lakes and to those who work aboard. The hull has been optimized for efficacy and all systems have been designed to ensure low energy consumption.

• Power and speed: The vessel is designed for 7,800 shaft horsepower produced by two sixteen-cylinder Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) diesel engines that are EPA Tier 4 and IMO Tier III certified and is expected to have a top speed in excess of 15 m.p.h.

• Propulsion: The vessel will be propelled by a single-screw, 18’ diameter, Konsberg, controllable pitch propeller.

• Electrical Power: For its electrical power requirements, the vessel is provided with one 940 kW ship service diesel generator, two 2500 kW shaft generators and one 274 kW emergency generator.

The Interlake Steamship Co.


4/9 - Midland, Ont. – For the third time this season, an icebreaker has been unable to get through the thick layers of ice on Georgian Bay.

Dozens of people rushed down to the shore on Monday in hopes of seeing the Canadian Coast Guard ship Pierre Radisson in action, but they were left disappointed. “I came to see if it was in, because it was supposed to be here at 10 o’clock (this morning),” one hopeful spectator said.

The U.S. coast guard says there is at least three feet of ice in some areas, and previous attempts to break it up have been unsuccessful. On Monday, the Pierre Radisson also could not get through the unusually thick ice.

The mayor of Midland admits not much can be done, but says the delay in operations is not good news for local business.

“It slows everything down. You know people are getting ready to get resorts open, you’re getting your docks in, you’re doing all your spring maintenance anticipating the tourism season, and this slows it all down,” says Mayor Stewart Strathearn.

The Great Lakes freighter Baie Comeau is still stuck in the harbor, with some crews members being sent home. The Canadian Coast Guard says it’s become a waiting game, and it could be as late as next week until the ice breaker is able to make its way through the harbor.

The Canadian Coast Guard has provided icebreaking assistance to over 400 commercial vessels so far this season.

View a video at this link


4/9 - Boiler Tender: Lake Michigan Carferry is seeking applicants for entry level position in the engine room aboard the historic SS Badger. The Boiler Tender assists the Fireman in operating and maintaining the ships boilers. Expect to live aboard the ship and stand 4 hour watch, 7 days per week from mid-May to mid-Oct. The Boiler Tender is required to hold a USCG Merchant Mariner Credential and a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) Benefit eligible after 90 days probationary period. EOE. Visit www.ssbadger.com, scroll down and click on Employment Opportunities to access employment application. Email [e-mail] with questions.


09 April 1890 - W.H. SAWYER (wooden propeller freighter, 201 foot, 746 gross tons) was launched by F. W. Wheeler (Hull #66) at West Bay City, Michigan. She lasted until 1928, when she sank off Harbor Beach, Michigan.

On 09 April 1868, SEABIRD (wooden side-wheel steamer, 638 tons, built in 1859, at Newport (Marine City), Michigan, was sailing on her first trip of the season from Manitowoc to Chicago. At 6 a.m. off Waukegan, Illinois, the porter cleaned out the ashes in the cabin stove and threw the hot coals overboard into the wind. The coals were blown back aboard and a blaze quickly engulfed the vessel. Only two survived. They were picked up by the schooner CORNELIA. 102 were lost. The vessel was uninsured and this was a severe financial blow to the new Goodrich Transportation Company.

On April 9, 1960, Canada Steamship Lines Ltd.'s a.) MURRAY BAY (Hull#164), of Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., entered service as the first Canadian 730-footer. Renamed b.) COMEAUDOC in 1963, she was scrapped at Port Colborne in 2003.

LAWRENDOC (Hull#174) was christened jointly with her Collingwood-built sister ship MONDOC (Hull#173) on April 9, 1962.

The Wilson Marine Transit Co., Cleveland purchased the b.) FINLAND, a.) HARRY COULBY (Hull#163) of the Detroit Ship Building Co., on April 9, 1957, and resold her the same day to the Republic Steel Corp., Cleveland with Wilson Marine acting as manager. Renamed c.) PETER ROBERTSON in 1969 and d.) MARINSAL in 1975.

On April 9, 1930, the CITY OF FLINT 32 entered service under the command of Estan Bayle.

On 9 April 1871, the wooden "rabbit" BAY CITY (152 foot, 372 gross tons, built in 1867, at Marine City, Michigan) had just loaded 270,000 feet of lumber in Bay City for Tonawanda, New York, when a fire broke out ashore. The ship was set adrift at 11 a.m. to get away from the lumberyard blaze. However, as the crew watched the shore fire, sparks smoldered in the ship's cargo. At 2 p.m., she burst into flame. Four tugs and a steam-powered fire engine brought alongside on a lighter fought the blaze to no avail. The vessel was scuttled to put out the fire. A few days later she was raised and repaired at a cost of $4,000.

On 9 April 1885, the laid-up vessels BURLINGTON and CHURCH were hit by the barge ALLEN and forced into the Military Street bridge at Port Huron, Michigan, crashing into the structure and completely blocking the Black River and disabling the bridge. The blame was placed on the spring thaw.

1913: Ice sliced through the wooden hull of the steamer UGANDA in the Straits of Mackinac and the vessel sank near White Shoal. The crew was rescued by the JOHN A. DONALDSON, and there was no loss of life.

1962: On November 28, 1961, fire had broken out aboard the IQUITOS off the coast of Mexico while the ship was en route from Callao, Peru, to Manzanillo, Mexico, with a cargo of fishmeal. The vessel had been a pre-Seaway trader as RUTENFJELL beginning in 1936 and as POLYRIVER beginning in 1951. The blazing freighter was abandoned by the crew. The ship did not sink and drifted for weeks before being spotted February 2, 1962. The hull was considered a hazard to navigation and was sunk on this date, southeast of the Christmas Islands by a U.S. destroyer, in 1962.

1968: MENIHEK LAKE was in a minor collision with the anchored PETITE HERMINE in the Lake St. Francis section of the St. Lawrence, and the latter's anchor chain damaged the propeller of MENIHEK LAKE.

[yachtsmanwilly]

4/10 - Toledo, OH – As the nation hinged on recession, and unemployment in northwest Ohio edged toward record highs, Paul Toth was part of a team busy negotiating a deal to change the trajectory of manufacturing in Toledo.

It was June 2008, and the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority was getting ready to close on a $3.4 million acquisition of the former Gulf Oil refinery, a 180-acre site that had sat unused since 1982.

Mr. Toth, who later that summer became the Port Authority’s interim president and CEO before assuming the role permanently the next year, had a vision for what the property might become. It would take a few years of improvements and another $18.5 million, but eventually, in 2017, one of the nation’s leading iron ore miners, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., would announce a $700 million investment creating 130 new jobs.

“This is the biggest project on the Great Lakes in the last 50 years,” said Mr. Toth, who plans to retire this fall, before Cleveland-Cliffs opens its new facility in 2020. “This is a huge project when you look at the investment and the impact, and the fact that you’re taking a product that’s currently being imported and producing, domestically, a product to replace it.”

While the timing dovetails with efforts by President Trump to revive manufacturing, determining to what degree Mr. Trump’s policies and presidency have directly impacted projects like the one taking shape along Front Street is tricky. Politically tinged, the answer isn’t clear-cut.

“President Trump promised Ohio workers during his campaign that he would bring manufacturing jobs back to America,” said Ohio GOP Chairman Jane Timken, whose husband, Tim Timken, is CEO of TimkenSteel, one of the state’s largest steel manufacturers. “For the first time in years, manufacturing confidence is at record highs. [Cleveland-Cliffs’] project in Toledo is another testament to the economic activity being promoted under President Trump’s administration.”

Republican Rep. Bob Latta, whose district covers a portion of Toledo and most of northwest Ohio, said: “There’s a direct correlation between the policies we’ve put in place and the return of a growing manufacturing sector in our region.”

Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who has been a supporter of Cleveland-Cliffs’ Toledo project, said drawing the conclusion that Mr. Trump had anything to do with it is “ridiculous.” The Toledo Democrat cited decades of investments and improvements in Toledo’s docks and waterfront making it possible.

“It goes back 30 years all the federal money we brought in to clean up the site on which they’re building their new facility,” said Miss Kaptur, a longtime member of the House Steel Caucus.

“Please don’t claim credit for what others did,” she said. “All the ingredients were purchased, the cake was put in the mixer, it was mixed up, it was put in the oven, the cake was baked, the frosting’s on the cake, we put the candle on the cake, and he wants to light the candle.”

Since beginning construction, Cleveland-Cliffs has increased production capacity at the plant based on market demand, bringing its total investment to $830 million, according to recent SEC filings. The company reported $2.3 billion in revenue in 2018.

The investment positions Toledo as a job creator with a facility making hot-briquetted iron (HBI), a relatively new product made from iron ore pellets that replaces imported pig iron used in electric arc furnaces across the Midwest. Think of HBI as a cog in the supply chain that turns iron ore into steel.

The project is roundly viewed as a win for northwest Ohio. For every Cleveland-Cliffs job, city leaders expect to reap several “multiplier jobs” throughout the region. And while the Port Authority hasn’t put a number on its annual revenue from the deal, the city expects to collect $325,000 in annual tax revenue once the plant opens.

Read more at this link


Northern Lake Huron
Monday, Georgian Bay: After spending the morning trying unsuccessfully to break through very thick ice, CCGS Pierre Radisson departed for McGregor Bay to break out the Lafarge dock. The ice was reported to be 19 to 20 feet thick north of Hope Island and the break out of Midland has been delayed at least until next week. Alpena: 20:35 The cement carrier Alpena departed for Green Bay. Tuesday: Alpena: 2:06 Undaunted arrived to unload. 10:10 she departed for Manitowoc. McGregor Bay: 6:11 CCGS Pierre Radisson began ice operations. 14:18 the Radisson had completed breaking out McGregor Bay and was sailing west south of Manitoulin Island. Port Dolomite: 17:00 Manitoulin arrived to load limestone.


4/10 - Grand Haven, MI – The iconic Grand Haven south pier catwalk will soon return to its rightful home along the Lake Michigan shoreline, according to city officials. But what returns won’t be the 100-year-old catwalk that was removed from the pier in 2016, as nearly 90 percent of the catwalk’s “bents,” or arches, have been refabricated by a Holland-based manufacturing company.

Only a handful of the original bents were able to be salvaged and restored. Grand Haven City Manager Pat McGinnis said King Company, of Holland, will begin rebuilding the structure on the pier in May. Crews plan to complete the project in phases over 25 working days, with some leeway for inclement weather or high water -- both of which caused delays on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ pier resurfacing project.

The plan is to have the catwalk fully reassembled in time for the city’s annual Coast Guard Festival, scheduled this year from July 26 to Aug. 4, said Erin Turrell, chairwoman of the Save the Catwalk Committee.

Crews plan to start installing the catwalk at the foghorn light and will work their way back toward the entrance of the pier, Turrell added. The catwalk lights will be affixed once the structure is rebuilt.

For Turrell, having the catwalk back on the pier is the culmination of a grassroots effort to maintain a vital piece of Grand Haven history.

“It’s been an evolution, and we’re at the point, finally, where she’s going to be back after doing all the detail work and doing every single little (piece of) minutiae," Turrell said. “(Our pitch) wasn’t just, ‘Hey, we need to do this because it needs to be there.’ It was, ‘Hey, we need to do this because it’s part of our history.’

Read more and view images at this link


10 April 1868 The ALPENA (wooden side-wheel passenger-package freight steamer, 653 tons, built in 1867, at Marine City, Michigan) was purchased by Capt. A. E. Goodrich from Gardner, Ward & Gardner for $80,000.

On 10 April 1861, UNION (wooden propeller, 170 foot, 465 tons) was launched and christened at the Bates yard in Manitowoc, Wisconsin for the Goodrich Line. She cost $19,000. The engines, machinery and many of the fittings were from the OGONTZ of 1858. This was the first steamer built by the Bates yard.

The tanker TEXACO CHIEF (Hull#193), was christened April 10, 1969. She was renamed b.) A G FARQUHARSON in 1986 and c.) ALGONOVA in 1998. She was sold Panamanian in 2007 and renamed PACIFICO TRADER.

The d.) GODERICH of 1908 was sold April 10, 1963, to the Algoma Central & Hudson Bay Railway Co. and renamed e.) AGAWA. Renamed f.) LIONEL PARSONS in 1968, and served as a storage barge at Goderich, Ontario until 1983, when she was scrapped at Thunder Bay, Ontario.

The keel was laid April 10, 1952, for the steamer WILLIAM CLAY FORD (Hull#300) of the Great Lakes Engineering Works.

The SINCLAIR GREAT LAKES (Hull#1577) of the Ingalls Iron Works, Decatur, Alabama, was christened on April 10, 1963.

On April 10, 1973, the ARTHUR B. HOMER departed the shipyard at Lorain, Ohio, with a new pilothouse. She had suffered extensive damage on October 5, 1972, in a head on collision with the saltie NAVISHIPPER on the Detroit River.

April 10, 1912 - ANN ARBOR NO 5 struck her stern against the channel in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, bending her rudder, and damaging her port shaft.

On 10 April 1875, the propeller EMMA E. THOMPSON was launched at East Saginaw, Michigan. She was built for Capt. D.F. Edwards of Toledo and cost $20,000. Her dimensions were 125 feet x 26 feet x 10 feet. In 1880, she was rebuilt as a schooner and then returned to a propeller in 1881, when she was given the engine from the propeller AKRON.

On 10 April 1882, ESPINDOLA (wooden schooner, 54 tons, built in 1869, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin) was carrying railroad ties when she was overwhelmed by a storm and went to pieces one mile north of the Chicago waterfront. No lives were lost, but four crewmen were rescued by a tug after having been in the water for some time.

MANZZUTTI (steel crane ship, 246 foot, 1558 gross tons, built in 1903, at Buffalo, New York as a.) J S KEEFE) of the Yankcanuck Steamship Ltd., was the first vessel through the Canadian locks at the Soo for the 1954 navigation season. She entered the Canadian canal on 10 April about 8:15 a.m. The locking of the MANZZUTTI was not considered the official opening of the season at the Soo since she wintered in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and the first vessel must come up the St. Marys River from Lake Huron or Michigan. President Dave Bows of the Kiwanis Club, pointed out the club’s $1,000 marine contest is based on the first such vessel though the Michigan Sault locks only. The U.S. Coast Guard reported six-inch ice in the lower St. Marys River.

1905: The 400-foot steel-hulled bulk carrier GEORGE B. LEONARD arrived in Cleveland with ice damage and leaking bow seams.

1941: The first CEDARBRANCH ran aground at the mouth of the Etobicoke Creek, west of Toronto and had to be lightered to float free.

1949: The former J.H. PLUMMER, once part of Canada Steamship Lines, was reported wrecked, due to stranding in fog, while six miles southwest of Shaweishan on this date in 1949. The vessel was sailing as f) TUNG AN, and was en route from Tsingtao to Shanghai, with scrap steel.

1953: The Finnish freighter ANGELA came to the Great Lakes in 1952 and was wrecked on April 10, 1953, at Frisland, Isle of Coll, due to heavy weather. The vessel was travelling in ballast from Larne, Northern Ireland, to Goole, UK, and was a total loss.

1965: A collision in the Lake St. Peter section of the St. Lawrence involved the TRANSATLANTIC and HERMES. The former, a West German freighter, caught fire and capsized with the loss of three lives. The vessel was salvaged in August and eventually scrapped at Sorel. It had been coming to the Great Lakes for the Poseidon Line since 1961. The latter, a Dutch carrier, never came through the Seaway and was scrapped at Calcutta, India, as NIKI R. in 1985-1986.

1977: HILDA MARJANNE ran aground on a sandbar at Sarnia after leaving the Government Dock with a cargo of corn. It was released the next day with the help of the tug DARYL C. HANNAH.

1989: The canal-sized bulk carrier IROQUOIS, b) TROISDOC (ii), was built in 1955 but left the Seaway as c) KOBA in 1983. That vessel foundered in the Gulf of Mexico, near Isla de Lobos, on this date in 1989 while en route from Tampico to Progresso, Mexico.

[yachtsmanwilly]

Storm warnings send boats to shelter on Lake Superior’s north shore

4/11 - Wednesday morning the upbound convoy of ships that had been delayed by ice at the Soo arrived to take shelter in Thunder Bay. The forecast calls for easterly gales building to 45 knots with storm force gusts to 55 knots late Thursday. Waves are forecast to build to 12 to 17 feet with occasional 21-foot waves Thursday night. Gale warnings are also posted for Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

Arriving in port through the morning Wednesday, with the CCGS Griffon providing ice breaking assistance, were Cuyahoga, American Century, Algoma Niagara, CSL Assiniboine and Walter J. McCarthy Jr.

While some vessels were there to load, others were anchoring in port to wait out the weather that was expected to build overnight. Anchoring were the American Century, Algoma Niagara, CSL Assiniboine and Walter J. McCarthy Jr. Shifting plate ice ran the vessels out of the bay that afternoon. Shortly after 4 p.m. the McCarthy got under way followed by the CSL Assiniboine, which planned on anchoring in the northeast corner of Lake Superior. They passed the inbound CSL Welland about 5 p.m. American Century and John D. Leitch planned on staying behind Isle Royal. Other vessels were upbound from the Soo to anchor in eastern Lake Superior.


4/11 - The Canadian Coast Guard is bringing in a third large icebreaker to help break ice on the Great Lakes. The Des Groseilliers will be assisting the Pierre Radisson, now on the upper Great Lakes, and the Amundsen on Lake Erie near Port Colborne, ON. All three of these icebreakers are of similar design and length. This is the first time three large Canadian icebreakers will be breaking ice on the Great Lakes at the same time.


4/11 - Washington, D.C. – The federal government plans to designate the southeast shore of Lake Ontario in upstate New York as a national marine sanctuary, protecting historic shipwrecks and artifacts in an underwater park.

The designation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would protect Lake Ontario along the shore of Oswego, Cayuga, Wayne and Jefferson counties. NOAA has established only 14 marine sanctuaries and underwater monuments nationwide, almost all covering ocean areas. The new designation would be the first on Lake Ontario, and potentially the third on the Great Lakes.

The marine sanctuary proposed by the four upstate New York counties was selected out of hundreds nominated nationwide, according to U.S. Rep. John Katko, who represents three of the counties. Katko, R-Camillus, said NOAA informed him that it will formally announce its decision in a notice in the Federal Register later this month.

The notice will set in motion plans for public meetings over 90 days in all four counties, and a series of impact studies, before the designation can take effect. NOAA officials said they could not confirm the decision to move forward with a Lake Ontario marine sanctuary.

Ellen Brody, Great Lakes regional coordinator for NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, said only that action on the Lake Ontario nomination is expected soon.

NOAA has traditionally selected nominations that it knows have public support and will move forward to full designation under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, Katko said.

The federal law allows NOAA to identify, designate and protect areas in the oceans and Great Lakes “with special national significance due to their conservation, recreational, ecological, historical, scientific, cultural, archeological, educational, or aesthetic qualities.”

When officials from the upstate counties nominated Lake Ontario in 2015, the application said it was important to protect the lake’s historic and cultural resources that include shipwrecks, a sunken U.S. Air Force C-45, and marine resources important to Native American communities. Some of the known shipwrecks date to the early 1800s.

The officials said the federal designation would boost tourism along Lake Ontario and provide educational and economic benefits to the region, including new jobs in the tourism industry.

The federal designation would not interfere with existing commercial and recreational activities on the lake, nor impose limits on those who own homes or camps along the shoreline. But the sanctuary would make it a federal crime to disturb submerged artifacts.

The existing national marine sanctuaries includes the site of a single Civil War shipwreck, where the USS Monitor was found at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina, and the breeding grounds for humpback whales in the shallow waters around the Hawaiian Islands. The sanctuaries protect 35 endangered species.

Syracuse.com


In 2015, 18 vessels that had been stuck in 35 square miles of crushed ice up to eight feet thick on Eastern Lake Superior were moving again with the Wednesday arrival of the heavy Canadian icebreaker Pierre Radisson.

11 April 1890 - CHENANGO (wooden propeller passenger-package freight steamer, 176 foot, 696 gross tons, built in 1887, at Detroit, Michigan) was carrying 40,000 bushels of wheat from Toledo, Ohio, to Buffalo, New York, when she caught fire off Erie, Pennsylvania. She was partially consumed by the fire and sank in four fathoms of water with no loss of life. She was later raised at great expense and rebuilt as the steamer LIZZIE MADDEN.

On 11 April 1882, GALATEA (3-mast wooden schooner, 180 foot, 606 gross tons) was launched by F. W. Wheeler (Hull#13) at W. Bay City, Michigan. She lasted until she stranded and broke up at Grand Marais, Michigan, in the "Big Storm" of 1905.

The tanker IMPERIAL ST. CLAIR (Hull#57) of the Port Weller Drydocks Ltd., entered service on April 11, 1974, running light for Montreal, Quebec.

Canada Steamship Lines’ J.W. MC GIFFIN (Hull#197) was christened at Collingwood on April 11, 1972. Port Weller Drydocks attached a new forebody in 1999, and she was renamed b.) CSL NIAGARA.

Pioneer Steamship's steamer PHILIP D. BLOCK sailed on her maiden voyage April 11, 1925, with coal from Huron, Ohio, bound for delivery at Indiana Harbor, Indiana.

Wilkinson Transportation Co.'s steamer A.E. NETTLETON (Hull#176) of the Detroit Ship Building Co., was launched April 11, 1908. She was scrapped at Santander, Spain in 1973.

On April 11, 1970, in Lake Superior's Whitefish Bay, CSL's steamer STADACONA of 1952 encountered thick ice and suffered bow damage. She developed a hairline crack in her bow and to alleviate the leakage her cargo was shifted from her forward hold to her after compartments using her self-unloading equipment. This maneuver raised her bow enough to keep her from sinking before she reached safety.

Pittsburgh Steamship Co.'s steamer ENDERS M. VOORHEES (Hull#288), of the Great Lakes Engineering Works, was launched on April 11, 1942. She was scrapped at Aliaga, Turkey in 1989.

On April 11, 1964, while upbound on Whitefish Bay, Lake Superior, a boiler burst on board the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.'s WILLIAM A. IRVIN, killing one of the crew and injuring two others.

April 11, 1948 - ANN ARBOR NO 7 ran aground just south of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

On 11 April 1874, the new tug E.H. MILLER burned at her dock at Willow Island in the Saginaw River. Her loss was valued at $9,000 and there was no insurance. Although considered to be a total loss, she was rebuilt and lasted another 46 years.

On 11 April 1878, ALASKA, a wooden bulk freighter, was launched at J. P. Clark's yard in Detroit, Michigan. Her dimensions were 180 feet overall, 28 foot beam, and 10 foot depth.

The navigation season at the Canadian Sault Canal was unofficially opened on 11 April 1955, at 7:15 a.m., when the MANZZUTTI (steel crane ship, 246 foot, 1,558 gross tons, built in 1903, at Buffalo, New York as J.S. KEEFE) locked up bound for the Algoma Steel dock. Because the MANZZUTTI wintered over at the Soo, its captain, John B. Perry, was not eligible for the traditional top hat and silk gloves presented to the first captain through the locks. So this was not the official opening of navigation at the Soo. The first boat through the American locks was expected the following day.

1964: NORCO had been used to carry pulpwood from Michipicoten to Green Bay from about 1938 to 1957. The vessel had been built at Ecorse, Michigan, for deep-sea service as INCA in 1915, and returned inland in the 1920s. It went back to the sea in 1959 and stranded at Little Corn Island, Nicaragua, on this date in 1964 while en route from Tampa to Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, with a cargo of phosphate.

1994: AMERICAN MARINER was downbound in the St. Marys River when it struck a rock above the Soo Locks and had to go to the shipyard in Erie to repair the damage.

[yachtsmanwilly]

4/12 - Thunder Bay, Ont. – Engine trouble has laid up the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Samuel Risley in Thunder Bay.

The Risley arrived in port on March 22 and spent several days opening shipping lanes in preparation for the navigation season before being reassigned to Whitefish Bay in eastern Lake Superior.

On March 29, however, the Coast Guard "determined that the Samuel Risley required work on its main propulsion engines in order to ensure continued operations," spokesperson Carol Launderville said Thursday in a statement to Tbnewswatch.

The Risley returned to Thunder Bay where repairs will be done on her main propulsion engines "in order to ensure continued operations," Launderville said. The repairs are expected to be completed sometime this month.

Launderville said another coast guard vessel, the Griffon, is currently working in the port, with a second boat expected soon. The Pierre Radisson, a larger vessel, is currently making her way to the port.

Earlier, the US Coast Guard cutter Alder was also breaking ice in Thunder Bay. Icebreaking operations include preparing an extensive network of approach tracks and interconnecting routes for ships to reach various terminals, allowing for the safe movement of lake boats and tugs.

Tbnewswatch


4/12 - Charlevoix, Mich. – Ice in the middle of Lake Michigan has delayed ferry service from Beaver Island to Charlevoix. The first ferry of the season for Beaver Island Boat Company was expected to leave Wednesday morning but had no clear path to reach Charlevoix.

The president of the company said all they can do right now is wait for Mother Nature to break up the ice.

“We are at Mother Nature’s whim this time of year, so the islanders are kind of used to it," said Tim McQueer. "We are starting to get deliveries and stuff already, but they are more interested and we’re are more interested to make sure that we start when It’s safe and everyone understands.”

McQueer said they will try again on Friday, but it could take until the middle of next week for the ice to clear.

WPBN/WGTU


4/12 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – With Lake Superior water levels a full foot above the long-term average and plenty of snow yet to melt, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is forecasting the water table will rise another 3 inches for the first week of May.

“Relatively wet conditions continued across the Upper Great Lakes basin in March,” reported the International Lake Superior Board of Control (ILSBC) as it announced the International Joint Commission will allow all three hydropower plants in the St. Marys River to flow at maximum capacity. “And water levels of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron remain well above average.”

Lake Superior, according to USACE, data is approximately 4 inches higher than it was in early April of 2019 and is just 4 inches short of the highest April water level as recorded in 1986. By contrast, Lake Superior stands a full 33 inches above the April low-water mark in 1926.

“The above average levels coupled with strong winds and waves continue to result in shoreline erosion and coastal damages across the upper Great Lakes system,” reported the (ILSBC). “Additional shoreline erosion and coastal damages may occur this spring should active weather continue.”

The Lake Michigan-Huron water table is even higher at an estimated 20 inches above the long-term average according to the USACE. This water table, however, even with the 6-inch increase from April 2018 is still 13 inches below the long-term high set in 1986. In comparing this year’s number to the all-time April low, the water table stands 51 inches above the 1964 mark.

Rounding out the other lakes, the USACE shows Lake Erie is 20 inches higher than normal for April, while Lake Ontario stand 6 inches above its long-term April average

All of the Great Lakes are expected to rise by 3 to 7-inches over the upcoming month.

Sault News


4/12 - Two Harbors, MN – There may be few occupations considered more romantic than being a lighthouse keeper. And Lee Radzak, who will retire Friday after 36 years at the iconic Split Rock Light House on Lake Superior's North Shore, might argue there are few jobs that people misconceive more.

Split Rock's been drawing visitors since the 1920s, when Highway 61 opened. People marvel at the lighthouse standing sentinel on the 160-foot cliff looking out across the breathtaking expanse of Lake Superior.

Radzak moved here in 1983.

"This was a perfect place," he said. "My wife and I just got married a couple of months earlier and we were ripe for a change so it worked out great."

For lighthouse lovers — and apparently there are a lot — Split Rock seems to evoke solitude, at least based on the questions Radzak has fielded again and again.

"If my wife and I are sitting on the front porch they say, 'Do you live here?' Yes. 'Do you live here year-round?' Yes. 'Oh, it must be lonely!'," he said. "And then you want to say, 'Look behind you. There's 50 people standing there listening to you talk, or climbing the steps to the lighthouse."

Split Rock attracts 160,000 visitors every year, about 2,500 a day during the summer. There are far fewer in winter, but they still come, even when it's below zero and the storms blow so hard the spray coats the buildings with ice.

While people often describe him as the lighthouse keeper, his title is historic site manager. Radzak trained as an archaeologist. Split Rock attracted him as an opportunity to focus on one historic site and develop it. There was a lot to learn, starting with the history.

See photos and listen to an audio report at this link: www.mprnews.org/story/2019/04/10/36-years-of-shining-a-light-on-split-rock-history


On 12 April 1896, PETER DALTON (propeller tug, 63 foot 49 gross tons, built in 1880, at Grand Haven, Michigan) caught fire off Grosse Pointe, Illinois, while returning to Chicago with the salvaged schooner A.J. DEWEY in tow and the boiler of the JOHNSON. The fire burned her in two before she finally sank. The DALTON's crew and the DEWEY were rescued by the tug WELCOME.

On 12 April 1874, the tug D.N. RUNNELS was launched Runnel's yard at the north end of the 7th Street Bridge in Port Huron, Michigan. As the tug splashed into the Black River, the flag at her bow was unfurled with her name on it. Commodore Runnels distributed oranges to the crowd of onlookers.

The tanker a.) LANA (Hull#151) was launched April 12, 1967, by Aktiebolaget Lodose Varv A/B at Lodose, Sweden. Renamed b.) NEW ORLEANS in 1988 and c.) NANCY ORR GAUCHER in 1989, she departed the Lakes in 1994. Renamed d.) PETRAWAK in 1996 and e.) TONGA in 2000.

Tanker LAKESHELL (Hull#389) of Marine Industries Ltd., Sorel, Quebec, was launched April 12, 1969, for Shell Canada Ltd.

Pioneer Steamship's steamer a.) A.A. AUGUSTUS (Hull#374) of American Ship Building Co., Lorain, Ohio, departed Cleveland on her maiden voyage April 12, 1910, bound for Green Bay, Wisconsin, with a load of coal. She was sold to Canadian registry in 1961, and renamed b.) HOWARD HINDMAN. She was scrapped at Bilbao, Spain, in 1969.

Hall Corp. of Canada's tanker HUDSON TRANSPORT (Hull#629) of the Davie Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Lauzon, Quebec, was launched April 12, 1962.

On April 12, 1955, while upbound from Monroe, Michigan to load iron ore at Duluth, the ENDERS M. VOORHEES had the honor of opening the second century of navigation through the St. Marys Falls Ship Canal, celebrated with great pomp and ceremony.

On 12 April 1880, the wooden 2-mast schooner-barge JUPITER was launched at Marysville, Michigan, after being rebuilt under the supervision of James Bowers. She was originally built in 1857, at Irving, New York, and after this rebuild, she lasted another 21 years.

On 12 April 1892, UGANDA (wooden propeller, 291 foot, 2,053 gross tons) was launched at W. Bay City, Michigan, at F.W. Wheeler's yard (Hull #88).

1949: The corvette H.M.C.S. BATTLEFORD was Hull 95 from the Collingwood Shipyard and it was commissioned at Montreal on July 31, 1941. The ship was sold to the Venezuelan Navy becoming b) LIBERTAD in 1946 and was wrecked on this date in 1949. 1991: CHANDA hailed from India and first came to the Great Lakes in 1978. The ship was laid up Bombay, India, on May 5, 1988, after 20 years of service. It was moved to the scrapyard on April 11, 1991, but a major fire erupted in the engine room April 12 during dismantling operations.

1993: MELISSA DESGAGNES ran aground in the St. Lawrence, two miles east of the Eisenhower Lock, at 2352 hours. The ship was en route from Windsor to Newfoundland with wheat and floated free, after being lightered, on April 15.

2009: SCARAB was 16 years old when it first came through the Seaway in 1999. The ship was sold and renamed JASPER in 2002 and never returned to our shores. It was anchored off Fatsa, Turkey, when it got blown aground on this date in 2009. Some 2000 tons of fertilizer had to be removed for the ship to float free and it went to Tuzla, Turkey, for repairs.

[skycheney]

Where is everyone? Not a post in over 24hrs.