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Great Lakes Maritime Institute Annual
Marine Mart on Belle Isle 35 Dealers – Items for EVERYONE’s Great Lakes Interest: Artifacts • Artwork Books • Brochures China • Photos Ship Models • Souvenirs. . . and Much, Much More! Admission $3.00 per person / adults Everyone attending will be eligible for Door Prizes! Check at the GLMI table to see if your ticket is a winner. The Casino is not a gambling establishment but used a meeting point for individuals and groups. It is located in full view of the shipping channel near the entrance of the island just east of the Scott Fountain. More information: Dossin Great Lakes Museum, John Polacsek, (313) 297-8366
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Annual Holiday Card Gallery Boatnerd is ready to receive your unique nautical Christmas cards or other Holiday Greetings. Send them to the Boatnerd News and we will post them in a special gallery. |
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Oglebay Norton Announces Completion of Previously Announced Vessel Sale CLEVELAND - 11/30 - Oglebay Norton Company's wholly owned subsidiary, Oglebay Norton Marine Services Company LLC, announced Tuesday on its website that it has completed the previously announced sale of the steamer Buckeye to Buckeye Holdings LLC, an affiliate of K&K Warehousing, for $4 million. Proceeds from the sale will be used to retire debt. The Buckeye has been idle during 2005. It is anticipated that the steam plant will be removed and the hull will be converted into an unmanned barge. The release did not say when or where such a conversion could take place, however it is believed the work would be carried out at an Erie, Pa., shipyard. The company said it continues to evaluate potential transactions on the balance of its Great Lakes fleet. Reported by Oglebay Norton Co. |
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U.S.-Flag Lakes Float Steady In October 11/30 - U.S.-Flag Great Lakes fleets hauled 11.5 million tons of dry-bulk cargo in October, a virtual tie with both the year before and the month’s 5-year average. Iron ore shipments were basically even with a year ago, but trailed the month’s 5-year average by 170,000 tons. Continued strong demand for coal pushed loadings to nearly 3 million tons, an increase of 18 percent compared to both a year ago and the month’s 5-year average. However, limestone cargos fell by 15 percent when compared to October 2004 and 9 percent when weighed against the month’s 5-year average. For the year, U.S.-Flag carriage on the Great Lakes stands at 88.8 million tons, a decrease of 2 percent compared to the same point in 2004. However, 2004 totals were not typical of recent years. As a result, the 2005 float through October is in fact 4 percent ahead of the 5-year average for the January-October timeframe. From the Lake Carriers’ Association |
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Tunnel Plan Rankles Canada 11/30 - The government of Canada has sent a warning to Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and Detroit City Council members: Do not move forward with the city's proposal to connect the Ambassador Bridge to the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, or Canada may take legal action. The plan is an international security threat and would provide Detroit businessman Matty Moroun with the equivalent of a monopoly over the Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, said the letter from the law firm Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn, the Canadian government's legal counsel in the United States. "We are taking this situation very seriously," said Mike Butler, spokesman for Transport Canada, the national transit agency. Citing their own concerns, City Council members unanimously adopted a resolution opposing the deal. The mayor's office is continuing to negotiate the deal, and had no immediate response to the letter, said Kilpatrick spokeswoman Ceeon Quiett. The bridge-tunnel deal was worked out by Detroit Deputy Mayor Anthony Adams as well as by Dan Stamper, president of the Detroit International Bridge Co., which is owned by Moroun. The bridge is the only privately owned international crossing in the United States, and along with the tunnel, comprises the nation's busiest border crossing. The tunnel is owned half and half by the cities of Detroit and Windsor. The proposal, as outlined in a document obtained by The Detroit News dubbed "binding agreement," includes a city sale of 26 acres of riverfront land between the bridge and tunnel to an affiliate of the bridge company, which would build a large international toll station to service the bridge and the tunnel. The city would be required to pay for a "secured road" that would guide cars and trucks from the tunnel and the bridge to the single toll station. All customs officials would be moved to the U.S. toll station as part of the proposal. In return for control over the tunnel, most of its revenues and the land, the bridge company's affiliate would pay the city $30 million. The deal was billed as part of the mayor's effort to shore up a projected $300 million deficit by June 2006. There is no requirement in the binding agreement for Moroun's company to build anything after taking control of the tunnel and the land. The U.S. government has not yet seen a proposal for the deal, said Chief Ron Smith, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border protection. Butler said Canada is worried that a single toll center and road carrying all cars and trucks crossing the international border poses a security risk, and could cause problems for commerce should there be a traffic backup. "Given the fact that the Detroit-Windsor tunnel is the busiest land border in North America, that could be catastrophic," Butler said. And, the proposal to move Canadian inspection officers to the American side of the border "is not being considered," he said. The company that manages the tunnel for Detroit and Windsor, the Detroit & Canada Tunnel Corp., also has raised concerns about the city's proposal. If adopted, the bridge company essentially would replace the Tunnel Corp. in managing the day-to-day operations of the Detroit side of the tunnel. Currently, the Tunnel Corp. pays Detroit a fee and property taxes, totaling about $1.3 million a year, to manage the city side of the tunnel, said Neal Belitsky, general manager of the Tunnel Corp. In return, the Tunnel Corp. assumes the management costs and risks and pays for upgrades, such as a $10 million renovation under way. The Tunnel Corp. has a different deal with Windsor. The Canadian city gets between $6 million and $7 million in U.S. money a year in tolls from the tunnel, and pays the Tunnel Corp. a management fee in return, but Windsor must pay for upgrades. If the current proposal is signed, Detroit will give up its rights to the tunnel until 2045, with three 25-year options to renew after that. The bridge company affiliate would keep proceeds from the tunnel minus 3 percent: 1 percent for the Port Authority and 2 percent, or about $500,000 a year, for the city of Detroit. Some community members near the bridge are against the deal, including state Rep. Steve Tobocman, D-Detroit. Factoring in inflation, Detroit's side of the tunnel is worth at least $62 million up front, Tobocman said. In 2020, the city could ask for $118 million for its portion of the tunnel, he said. From the Detroit News |
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Toledo Port Big Player for Seaway Shipments 11/30 - Not too long ago, "general cargo" at Toledo's waterfront mostly meant steel products, whether it was coils, bars, rods, or wire. Not any more. Looking around International Cargo Docks complex at the foot of St. Lawrence Drive in East Toledo last week, there were stacks of aluminum ingots and lumber stored outdoors, in part, because the docks' warehouses were full. Earlier this year, half of one warehouse sheltered a
sweet-tooth's dream: a roof-high heap of bulk sugar from Brazil. Last week,
the warehouse not stuffed with aluminum was chock-full of calcium chloride,
fertilizers, and more wood products. Overall through October, total cargo
through the Port of Toledo is up 18.3 percent this year by weight, including a
17.8 percent increase in general and miscellaneous cargo. In fact, Toledo's
aluminum and sugar cargoes have accounted for nearly half the "new" traffic
traveling this year through the Welland Canal, the St. Lawrence "Toledo is front and center" promoting increased trade through the Seaway system, said Dick Corfe, president of Canada's St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp., which operates the Welland Canal and five Canadian locks in the St. Lawrence River. The canal's new traffic - representing cargoes that have not used the seaway in recent years - so far this year totals about 160,000 tons. Of that, Toledo's sugar and aluminum account for 76,000 tons, Mr. Corfe said. "This is what you live for," said Warren McCrimmon, seaport director for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. He credits Midwest Terminals Inc., which took over as the general docks' stevedore late last year and has ambitious plans for replacing buildings and improving rail access. While still below the 2002 volume of 156,435 tons, Toledo's 113,102 tons of general cargo through October was mainly aluminum and lumber. Steel imports, which dried up two years ago in Toledo after a weak domestic steel market led to stiff federal tariffs, were still king in 2002. The sugar and fertilizer business helped offset what would otherwise be a steeper decline in dry bulk products, which consist primarily of inbound stone and salt. Iron ore, coal, and grain remain the Toledo's big volume leaders, and all are up this year - the latter despite an explosion July 1 that shut down the grain elevator for the rest of the season. "The grain's a welcome surprise. We expected it to be lower than last year, and it has turned out to be significantly higher," Mr. McCrimmon said. "We're always looking for new markets," said Marty Wendt, local merchandising manager for Archer-Daniels-Midland. Coal is up, thanks to higher demand from Great Lakes consumers, while iron ore business reflects consumption by AK Steel's mills in Ashland, Ky., and Middletown, Ohio. But pound for pound, general cargoes are bigger money-makers for the port and bigger jobs generators for local longshoremen. They have higher shipping value and require more handling on the docks than bulk commodities do. The 32,000 tons of sugar that Toledo received this year represent the first such shipments west of Toronto in recent years, Mr. Corfe said, and the 44,000 tons of aluminum shipped here from Sept-Iles, Que., represent a commodity that the Seaway lost years ago to other modes of transport - primarily rail. Mr. McCrimmon said Toledo's lumber trade is four times what it was two years ago. The season began with one distributor handling lumber imports at Toledo's docks, but that is up to four now, he said. "We're King of the Lakes on this one. We're looking at becoming the hub port for wood," the seaport director said. The Port of Toledo was responsible for about half the “new”
cargo passing through Canada’s Welland Canal, part of the St. Lawrence Seaway
system. Here is a comparison of total cargo in tons so far this year compared
to the same period in 2004 from January to October From the Toledo Blade |
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Port Reports - November 30 Green Bay - Jason Leino The Fred R. White Jr. was the first vessel in for the day arriving around midnight with a load of 22,000 tons of limestone from Stoneport, MI. for the Western Lime dock. The White was in port 6 hours and departed Green Bay for Port Inland around 6:00 a.m. Next in was the Str. Alpena at 11:15 a.m. with a load of cement from Alpena, MI. for the LaFarge dock. The Alpena was followed in closely by the Str. John G. Munson getting in at 11:45 a.m. with a load of 15,000 tons of coal from Toledo, MI. for the Fox River Dock. The Menominee departed K&K Warehousing with assistance from the Selvick tugs Carla Anne and Jacqueline Nicole at 12:30 p.m. The Maumee also made an appearance in port getting in sometime early Tuesday morning with a load of coal from South Chicago for the Georgia Pacific. |
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Photo Gallery Updates - November 30 News Photo Gallery updatedPublic Photo Gallery updated |
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Today in Great Lakes History - November 30 On 30 November 1896, CITY OF KALAMAZOO (wooden propeller passenger/package freight steamer, 162 foot, 728 gross tons, built in 1892, at South Haven, Michigan) burned at her lay-up dock at South Haven, Michigan with the loss of four lives. She was rebuilt and lasted until 1911, when she burned again. On 30 November 1934, HENRY CORT (steel propeller whaleback crane vessel, 320 foot, 2,394 gross tons, built in 1892, at W. Superior, Wisconsin as PILLSBURY) was driven onto the north pier at Muskegon, Michigan in a storm. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter ESCANABA rescued her crew, but one Coast Guardsman lost his life. The vessel settled in shallow water and then broke in half. Her remains were scrapped the following year. The CANADIAN PIONEER suffered a major engine room fire on 30 Nov 1987, at Nanticoke, Ontario. On November 30, 1981, the A H FERBERT was laid up for the last time at the Hallett Dock #5, Duluth, Minnesota. The PERE MARQUETTE 22 passed down the Welland Canal on November 30, 1973, in tow of the tugs JOHN PURVES and YVON SIMARD en route to Sorel, Quebec where she was cut down to a barge for off-Lakes use. On 30 Nov 1967, the CITY OF FLINT 32 was laid up, never to run again. On 30 Nov 1900, ALMERON THOMAS (2-mast wooden schooner, 50 foot, 35 gross tons, built in 1891, at Bay City, Michigan) was carrying gravel in a storm on Lake Huron when she sprang a leak and ran for the beach. She struck bottom and then capsized. She broke up in twenty feet of water near Point Lookout in Saginaw Bay, No lives were lost. The schooner S J HOLLY came into the harbor at Oswego, New York on 30 November 1867, after a hard crossing of Lake Ontario. The previous day she left the Welland Canal and encountered a growing gale. Capt. Oscar Haynes sought calm water along the north shore, but the heavy seas and freezing winds made sailing perilous, The ropes and chains froze stiff and the schooner was almost unmanageable. The only canvas out was a two reef foresail and it was frozen in place. With great skill, the skipper managed to limp into port, having lost the yawl and sustained serious damage to the cargo. Fortunately no lives were lost. On 30 Nov 1910, ATHABASKA (steel propeller passenger steamer, 263 foot, 1,774 gross tons, built in 1883, in Scotland) collided with the tug GENERAL and sank near Lonely Island in Georgian Bay. No lives were lost. She was later recovered and rebuilt as a bulk freighter and lasted until she was broken up in 1948. Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Max Hanley, Father Dowling
Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series.
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Crew Member taken off H. Lee White 11/29 - Noon - The U.S. Coast Guard Port Huron Station removed a crewmember on a gurney off the H. Lee White down bound in the St Clair river this morning around 10:25 a.m. No further details are available. Reported by Frank Frisk |
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Toledo Coke Plant Site Design to be Topic of Meeting 11/29 - It has required the rewriting of two cities' maps, a series of talks between school districts vying for taxes, and plenty of public debate about its environmental impact. But a $350 million coke processing plant in East Toledo that will process coal for the steel industry may go before the public one last time Thursday when the Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions consider its major site plan, said Steve Herwat, director of the plan commissions. That's not to say questions - and lawsuits - don't remain about the environmental impact of the facility that will be located along a northeast bank of the Maumee River and near two creeks, said Sandy Bihn, chairman of the Sierra Club's Western Lake Erie chapter. She and others have tried to find out details on the owners of the company, U.S. Coking Group, but inquiries have led only to addresses and phone numbers of lawyers and consultants, she said. "There are no answers about who these people are. Usually, if it's a Jeep or a [British Petroleum] or a Sun [Oil], you kind of know who you're dealing with," she said. But Mr. Herwat said the plan commissions' meeting on Thursday will be concerned primarily with land use and if the plant will conform to the heavy industrial zoning conditions of the area. Already hashed out was a debate over whether the plant was located in Oregon or Toledo and which school district would collect the tax revenue. Eventually, the boundary between Toledo and Oregon was adjusted and the cities' two school districts settled on sharing the tax monies. The site plan being considered calls for a 5,000-square-foot administrative building and a 400-square-foot security building on the 52-acre site, but details of the processing plant itself are not filled in, according to site plans provided to The Blade. Mr. Herwat said that shouldn't be a concern. Plan commission staff members have recommended approving the site plan as long as Mr. Herwat and heads of appropriate departments sign off on each permit. "This is not a standard step, but this is not a standard project," Mr. Herwat said, describing the facility as more of a refinery site than a building. "What good would it be for [the plan commissions] to review a bunch of pipes and furnaces?" he said. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will monitor the plant's development, he said. The plan commissions meet at 3 p.m. at One Government Center. From the Toledo Blade |
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A Harvest in the Wind 11/29 - After several lean years and loads of bad news, there's a valuable new cash crop growing on the family farm. Though it can't be touched or tasted, this region is producing a bumper crop and developers are lining up to harvest the wind. And in what one insider calls a wind rush, those developers have flocked to farms along the gusty Great Lakes, looking to lease a little land -- and promising thousands of dollars in return -- where they'll build the turbines that will soon harness the wind to power a good chunk of Ontario. "I would think within 10 miles of Lake Huron, virtually every farmer has been approached," said Ted Cowan, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture's wind expert. A handful of turbines operate north of Goderich now, but about 20 more should be up within months. The province just approved construction of another 70 in the same area, as well as 130 more sleek, space-age windmills near Kincardine. Add that to the 60 going up near Lake Erie, between Port Burwell and Tillsonburg, and Southwestern Ontario soon will be dotted with more than 200 windmills. With hundreds of turbines popping up, provincial officials note it may be just the beginning. Ontario could be dotted with as many as 3,000 of them within the next few years, said Ted Gruetzner of the Energy Ministry. For those farmers whose land houses one, it could be a financial windfall. "This is going to make life a lot easier, financially," said one Clinton-area farmer who signed an option that will scatter six turbines over his 121-hectare property. "When you get that many, it starts adding up." That farmer, who asked his name not be published, would get about $45,000 a year throughout the life of the 20-year deal, doubling his current income. According to the province, the region north of Goderich represents one of the few hot spots in a province looking to get one-tenth of its power from renewable sources -- such as wind -- by 2010. In other words, if any farmers can cash in on the green-power revolution, it's the ones right here. "In terms of wind potential, it's . . . on the top 10 in Ontario, and maybe Canada," said wind-power consultant James Murphy, a London native. Bill Hayden isn't hard to find. Just head north of Goderich on Highway 21 and look for the two tall, thin turbines jutting out of the seemingly endless fields. He lives right between them. Of course, with Edmonton-based developer Epcor set to build 20 more turbines by early 2006, his will become a little less noticeable. But Hayden, 65, had his share of attention. If Epcor is among the industry's early developers, Hayden is a wind-power pioneer -- the company's first local windmill was built on his farm in 2002. "We'd been talking about this for years but decided to go ahead and build one," said Hayden, who grew up on this farm. "Every day you'll see somebody stop and take pictures." They're certainly hard to miss, standing up to 80 metres high. Their power potential is equally attention-grabbing: A 1.5-megawatt turbine can power the equivalent of about 500 homes, the government estimates. Hayden is among dozens of farmers who have signed land leases with developers who hope to get a piece of a government wind-power contract. Though every lease is different, observers say they're all more or less the same. Each lessee gets about $1,500 for the option and then nets up to $8,000 in annual rent once the turbine is running. Over the expected lifetime of a typical turbine, that means as much as $140,000 in found money for the farmer. But Cowan, the OFA's wind expert, preaches patience to farmers. By his estimates, a 1.5-megawatt windmill could produce up to $250,000 worth of electricity annually and within about 10 years, the construction costs are recouped. For that final decade, farmers deserve much more than a three- or four per-cent profit share, he maintains. Even a 10-per-cent annual cut, he says, could be fair. "There is room here for farmers to be doing better out of this," he said. "(Any money) is a positive thing. I'm just saying it could be a lot more positive." The province is expected to announce in February how much it will pay per kilowatt-hour for energy generated by independent turbine owners. To Cowan, some farmers could do better going that route, running their own small operation rather than signing on with a big developer. ""Farmers have been feeding the province at a loss for a very long time. We don't really see the need to be providing electricity at a loss (in) the future, he said." For all its potential, wind power isn't without criticism. Most significant is the potentially fatal danger the whirring blades pose to passing birds. California's Altamont Pass wind farm is pointed to by critics as the best example of a bad situation: Located along a major migratory route, its turbines kill about 1,300 birds of prey every year. But to developers in Southwestern Ontario, there's been little in the way of resistance. "The projects have pretty widespread support," said Mike Crawley of AIM PowerGen, which is behind the 66-turbine project in Elgin and Norfolk counties. "It's fantastic for farmers." By and large, even those who offer criticisms are supporting the developing power source, said the president of the Canadian Wind Energy Association. "We tend to describe 2005 as the first year of Canada's wind-energy boom," said Robert Hornung. "We're taking serious steps to take advantage of wind energy's potential." KINCARDINE - This week, the province approved a project that will bring 130 turbines to this area within the next few years. GODERICH - It's expected nearly two dozen turbines will be up in this area within a few months, plus 50 to 70 more in the near future. PORT BURWELL - About 60 turbines are on the way to this area, between Port Burwell and Tillsonburg, along the shores of Lake Erie. From the London Free Press Editor's Note - Much of the wind turbine equipment is being purchased overseas and delivered to various Great Lakes ports by ocean-going vessels. |
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Port Reports - November 29 Goderich - Dale Baechler Green Bay - Jason Leino Saginaw River - Stephen Hause Sam Laud was inbound for the same dock several hours later, entering the river shortly after 6:30 p.m. She stopped first at the dock just vacated by the David Z. Norton, Bay Aggregates, lightering there before going upriver to finish her unload at the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw. The Laud was expected to be outbound early Tuesday morning Rochester - David Buffalo - Brian Wroblewski Kingston - Ron Walsh |
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Public Photo Gallery updated
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On 29 November 1886, ALFRED P WRIGHT (wooden propeller tug, 56 gross tons, built in 1877, at Buffalo, New York) was towing the schooner A J DEWEY in a blizzard and gale in the harbor at Manistee, Michigan. The tow line parted and fouled the WRIGHT’s propeller. Disabled, she capsized and her crew clung to the overturned hull. One crewman swam 1000 feet to shore and summoned the U.S. Lifesaving Service. The WRIGHT’s and DEWEY’s crews were both rescued but three lifesavers were lost in this effort. On November 29, 1966, the DANIEL J MORRELL sank approximately 20 miles north of Harbor Beach in Lake Huron. Her nearly identical sistership, the EDWARD Y TOWNSEND, was traveling about 20 miles behind the MORRELL and made it to the Lime Island Fuel Dock in the St. Mary's River where cracks were found in her deck; the TOWNSEND proceeded to Sault Ste. Marie where she was taken out of service. The TOWNSEND sank in the Atlantic on October 7, 1968, while being towed overseas for scrap. E B BARBER was laid up for the last time at Toronto, Ontario on 29 Nov 1984. On November 29, 1903, snow and stormy seas drove the two-and-a-half year old J T HUTCHINSON onto an uncharted rock (now known as Eagle River Reef) one-half mile off shore and 10 miles west of Eagle Harbor, Michigan near the northwestern coast of the Keweenaw Peninsula. On November 29, 1974, the PERE MARQUETTE 21 was loaded with remnants of Port Huron's Peerless Cement Dock, which reportedly were bound for Saudi Arabia, and cleared there in tow of the Great Lakes Towing Co., tugs AMERICA and OHIO. The SYLVANIA was in a collision with the DIAMOND ALKALI in the Fighting Island Channel of the Detroit River on 29 Nov 1968, during a snow squall. SYLVANIA's bow was severely damaged. The propeller BURLINGTON had barges in tow up bound on Lake Erie when she was damaged by the ice and sank in the Pelee Passage. On 29 November 1856, ARABIAN (3-mast wooden bark, 116 foot, 350 tons, built in 1853, at Niagara, Ontario) had stranded on Goose Island Shoal, 10 miles ENE of Mackinac Island ten days earlier. She was relieved of her cargo and was being towed to Chicago by the propeller OGONTZ when a gale blew in and the towline parted. ARABIAN made for shore, her pumps working full force and OGONTZ following. During the night they were separated and ARABIAN sank off Point Betsey in Lake Michigan. Her crew escaped in her yawl. In 1903, the PERE MARQUETTE 19 arrived Ludington on her maiden voyage. Captain John J. Doyle in command. On 29 November 1881, the 149 foot wooden propeller NORTHERN QUEEN, which had been involved in a collision with the 136 foot wooden propeller canaller LAKE ERIE just five days before, struck the pier at Manistique so hard that she was wrecked. Besides her own crew, she also had LAKE ERIE's crew on board. On 29 Nov 1902, BAY CITY (1-mast wood schooner-barge, 140 foot, 306 gross tons, built in 1857, at Saginaw, Michigan as a brig) was left at anchor in Thunder Bay by the steamer HURON CITY during a storm. BAY CITY's anchor chain parted and the vessel was driven against the Gilchrist dock at Alpena, Michigan and wrecked. Her crew managed to escape with much difficulty. Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history. |
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11/28 - Elberta, MI - Big changes could be coming
soon to this quiet Benzie County village with its pristine Lake Michigan
beach, modest houses and crumbling sidewalks. Construction of a waterfront
condo project - eventually expected to include a 140-slip marina and a small
commercial area - could begin next summer. Work is under way on a $1 million sewer project paid for with state and federal money, and the Michigan Department of Transportation plans a $2.1 million overhaul of M-168, Michigan's shortest state highway, which connects M-22 to a former carferry port. The redevelopment of 21-acre Ann Arbor Railroad Terminal Yard - a once bustling industrial area that mostly has been shuttered since 1982 - is good news, said Elberta village clerk Sharyn Bower. Wally Palmer, owner of the Mayfair Tavern, said he is elated and believes the project will be good for Elberta. Palmer said he staked his faith in Elberta when he began a major renovation of his restaurant a couple of years ago. "I've spent a lot of money and I've done it for a reason - I believe in what's here," Palmer said. The old railroad property has been the source of pain and frustration for many in Elberta for more than two decades. In 1981, before MDOT decided to cut funding and end the ferry service between Elberta and Wisconsin, nearly 400 Benzie County residents marched on Lansing to protest the closure. When MDOT closed the ferry service in 1982, nearly 120 jobs were lost and Elberta's economy lagged. Bower said village officials spent years attempting to purchase the property from the state but were unsuccessful until 1996. Since then, the village constructed a village park on eight acres of the property with an amphitheater and a restored life-saving station that can house bayside banquets and weddings. Bower expects development of the rest of the old railroad property to create jobs. "We weren't satisfied just to get some condos," she said. Gest, who is managing member of the Traverse City-based Elberta Land Holding Company that is behind the development, said the company also purchased the former paving material storage and distribution facility that was owned by Koch Materials Company of Wichita, Kan. The facility is west of the railroad property and will become part of the waterfront development. For several years, the development has been bogged down by
delays caused by permit requirements. Gest said approval of the marina
required numerous studies, including an underwater archeological survey of
sections of Betsie Bay, and a crumbling coal tower that needed to be reviewed
by a state historical agency before he could get approval to tear it down
because it was once part of a railroad. Gest said when he removes the coal
tower he will have to put up a historical marker. He said he is working with engineers and architects to come up with a project that will conform to what he's been told by village officials that they want - a development that looks as if it was built over time rather than a cookie-cutter condominium development. Reported by Tom Train from the Traverse City Record-Eagle
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Photo Gallery Updates - November 28 News Photo Gallery updatedPublic Photo Gallery updated An updated gallery of the transformation of the Lewis G. Harriman. A new gallery of the construction of Maritime Trader (Ex-Mantadoc). |
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South Chicago - Tom Milton Buffalo - Brian Wroblewski The New York State Canal Corporation has awarded a contract to Ellicott Dredges of Baltimore for a dredger. The new unit will be stationed in Utica, NY and replace an obsolete, 80 year old model called the DeLa VERGNE. The Canal Corp. is currently working with mostly ancient equipment from the 1920's and only one modern piece having been built in 1980. The project depth of the Erie Canal is listed at 12 feet with some stretches as deep as 14 feet. There are many sections that are badly shoaling due to a current backlog of more than 10 million cubic yards of material to be removed from the entire Erie Canal system. Even though parts of the canal are considered federally maintained waterways, the State of New York is responsible for all dredging operations. Delivery of the new dredger unit is set for May of 2006 with the possibility of additional equipment later that year.
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On 28 November 1867, MARQUETTE (wooden bark, 139 foot, 426 tons, built in 1856, at Newport [Marine City], Michigan) was carrying corn from Chicago to Collingwood, Ontario when she sprang a leak during a storm on Lake Huron. She was run ashore on Hope Island on Georgian Bay. On November 28, 1905, the Pittsburgh Steamship Company vessel MATAAFA was wrecked as it tried to re-enter the Duluth Ship Canal in a severe storm. The MATAAFA had departed Duluth earlier but had decided to return to safety. After dropping her barge in the lake, the vessel was picked up by waves, was slammed against the north pier and was swung around to rest just hundreds of feet offshore north of the north pier, where it broke in two. Much of the crew froze to death in the cold snap that followed the storm, as there was no quick way to get out to the broken vessel for rescue. The MATAAFA was repaired prior to the 1906, season; she ultimately ended her career as an automobile carrier for the T.J. McCarthy Steamship Company and was sold for scrap in 1965. The CANADIAN OLYMPIC's maiden voyage was 28 Nov 1976, to load coal at Conneaut, Ohio for Nanticoke, Ontario, Her name honors the Olympic Games that were held at Montreal that year. On November 28, 1983, while up bound after leaving the Poe Lock the INDIANA HARBOR was in a collision, caused by high winds, with the down bound Greek salty ANANGEL SPIRIT resulting in a 10 foot gash in the laker's port bow. LANCASHIRE (Hull#827) was launched at Lorain, Ohio on November 28, 1942, she would be renamed b) SEWELL AVERY. The CATHY B towed the GOVERNOR MILLER to Vigo, Spain on November 28, 1980, where she was broken up. The BENSON FORD was renamed e) US265808 and departed River Rouge on November 28, 1986, towed by the Sandrin tugs TUSKER and GLENADA bound for Ramey's Bend in the Welland Canal. FRONTENAC arrived at the Fraser Shipyard, Superior, Wisconsin on November 28, 1979. Her keel, which had hogged four feet, was declared a constructive total loss. The BRANSFORD stranded on a reef off Isle Royale in Lake Superior during a major storm on 28 Nov 1905, (the same storm that claimed the steamer MATAAFA). She was recovered. On her third trip in 1892, the ANN ARBOR #1 again ran aground, this time three miles north of Ahnapee (now called Algoma). There was $15,000 damage to her cargo. In 1906, the ANN ARBOR #4 left Cleveland bound for Frankfort on her maiden voyage. The ANN ARBOR #4 ran aground off Kewaunee in 1924. On 28 November 1905, AMBOY (2-mast wooden schooner-barge, 209 foot, 894 gross tons, formerly HELENA) was carrying coal in tow of the wooden propeller GEORGE SPENCER in a gale on Lake Superior. In an effort to save both vessels, AMBOY was cut loose. The SPENCER was disabled quickly and was driven ashore near Little Marais, Minnesota. AMBOY struggled against the gale for a full day before finally going ashore near Thomasville, Ontario on 29 November. No lives were lost from either vessel. On 28 November 1872, W O BROWN (wooden schooner, 140 foot, 306 tons, built in 1862, at Buffalo, New York) was carrying wheat in a storm on Lake Superior when she was driven ashore near Point Maimanse, Ontario and pounded to pieces. Six lives were lost. Three survivors struggled through a terrible cold spell and finally made it to the Soo on Christmas Day. On 28 Nov 1874, the propeller JOHN PRIDGEON JR was launched at Clark's shipyard in Detroit, Michigan. She was built for Capt. John Pridgeon. Her dimensions were 235 x 36 x 17 feet. The engines of the B F WADE were installed in her. On 28 Nov 1923, the Detroit & Windsor Ferry Company and Bob-Lo docks were destroyed by a fire cause by an overheated stove in the ferry dock waiting room. The blaze started at 3:00 a.m. CANADIAN TRANSFER underwent repairs most of Tuesday, 28 Nov 2000, at the Algoma Steel dock at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. She had run aground the previous night in the Canadian channel approaching Algoma Steel. CANADIAN TRANSFER was freed by two Purvis Marine tugs. The vessel suffered a crack or hole in the hull plating about 10 feet from the bottom along its port side. Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Max Hanley, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history
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Toronto - Charlie Gibbons
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Photo Gallery Updates - November 27 News Photo Gallery updatedPublic Photo Gallery updated An updated gallery of the transformation of the Lewis G. Harriman. A new gallery of the construction of Maritime Trader (Ex-Mantadoc). |
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At 4:00 a.m. on 27 November 1872, the wooden schooner MIDDLESEX was struck by a terrible winter storm on Lake Superior. The winds caught the vessel with such force that she listed at a 45o angle and her cargo shifted. In danger of sinking, the crew jettisoned much of the cargo and the ship righted herself. Her lifeboat and much of her rigging and sails were washed away. She limped into Walska Bay and anchored to ride out the storm. However, she had developed a leak and it was so cold that her pumps had frozen. To save the vessel, she was run ashore and sank in shallow water. The crew climbed into her rigging until the tug W D CUSHING rescued them. The ALGOSEA entered Lake service as a self-unloader for the first time with salt loaded at Goderich, Ontario and passed down bound in the Welland Canal November 27, 1976, for Quebec City. She operates today as SAUNIERE. The AVONDALE was condemned and was not allowed to carry cargo after she arrived at Toledo, Ohio on November 27, 1975, to load soybeans. The steam barge CHAUNCY HURLBUT was launched at the shipyard of Simon Langell at St. Clair, Michigan on Thanksgiving Day, 27 November 1873. She was built for Chandler Bros. of Detroit. On 27 November 1886, COMANCHE (wooden schooner, 137 foot, 322 tons, built in 1867, at Oswego, New York) was carrying corn in a storm on Lake Ontario when she ran on a shoal and sank near Point Peninsula, New York. A local farmer died while trying to rescue her crew of 8. His was the only death. She was later recovered and rebuilt as THOMAS DOBBIE. The PERE MARQUETTE 22 collided with the WABASH in heavy fog in 1937. In 1966, the CITY OF MIDLAND 41 ran aground at Ludington, Michigan in a storm. Stranded on board were a number of passengers and 56 crewman. Ballast tanks were flooded to hold the steamer on until the storm subsided. She was pulled off four days later by the Roen tug JOHN PURVES. The propeller MONTGOMERY, which burned in June 1878, was raised on 27 November 1878. Her engine and boiler were removed and she was converted to a barge. She was rebuilt at Algonac, Michigan in the summer of 1879. On 27 November 1866, the Oswego Advertiser & Times reported that the schooner HENRY FITZHUGH arrived at Oswego, New York with 17,700 bushels of wheat from Milwaukee. Her skipper was Captain Cal Becker. The round trip took 23 days which was considered "pretty fast sailing". The CITY OF FLINT 32 was launched in Manitowoc on 27 Nov 1929. On Monday, 27 Nov 1996, the Cyprus flag MALLARD of 1977, up bound apparently bounced off the wall in the Welland canal below Lock 1 and into the path of the CANADIAN ENTERPRISE. It was a sideswipe rather than a head on collision. The ENTERPRISE was repaired at Port Weller Dry Docks. The repairs to the gangway and ballast vent pipes took six hours. The MALLARD proceeded to Port Colborne to be repaired there. At 10:20 p.m. on Monday, 27 NOV 2000, the CANADIAN TRANSFER radioed Soo Traffic to report that the vessel was aground off Algoma Steel and "taking on water but in no danger." The crew reported that they had two anchors down and one line on the dock. Purvis Marine was contacted. Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history
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11/26 - VADM Paul Trimble USCG (ret) passed away on November 16, 2005 at age 92. VADM Trimble became President of the Lake Carriers Association in 1970. His Maritime expertise was invaluable in dealing with Congress and Great Lake Shipping Companies to get the proper recognition for the Great Lakes as the "Forth Seacoast". Reported by Brent |
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Saginaw River - Gordy Garris & Todd Shorkey On Friday the Saginaw River saw two vessels inbound, the CSL Tadoussac and the Manistee. The Tadoussac called on the Essorc Cement terminal in Essexville to unload clinker early Friday morning. She finished by 4:30pm Friday afternoon backed out to Light 12 in the Entrance Channel, turned, and was outbound for the lake. The Manistee who was inbound just behind the Tadoussac early Friday morning called on the Sargent dock in Essexville to lighter, pulling in right in front of the Tadoussac to make the dock. From there the Manistee continued up river to complete her unload at the Sargent dock in Zilwaukee. The Manistee finished her unload by 4:30pm and headed upriver to turn around in the Sixth Street turning basin. She completed the turn around and was headed out bound, passing under the I-75 bridge in Zilwaukee around 6pm Friday evening.
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Public Photo Gallery updated A new gallery of the construction of Maritime Trader (Ex-Mantadoc). |
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On 26 November 1856, CHEROKEE (2-mast wooden schooner, 103 foot, 204 tons, built in 1849, at Racine, Wisconsin) foundered in a gale 7 miles south of Manistee, Michigan on Lake Michigan. All aboard (estimates range from ten to fourteen persons) were lost. The U.S.C.G.C. MESQUITE departed Charlevoix and locked through the Soo on November 26, 1989, to begin SUNDEW's normal buoy tending duties on Lake Superior. The ELIZABETH HINDMAN was launched November 26, 1920, as a.) GLENCLOVA (Hull#9) at Midland, Ontario by Midland Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. On 26 November 1872, the steamer GEO W. REYNOLDS burned at 1 o'clock in the morning at the dock in Bay City. The fire supposedly originated in the engine room. She was owned by A. English of East Saginaw. On 26 November 1853, ALBANY (wooden side wheel passenger/package freight, 202 foot, 669 tons, built in 1846, at Detroit, Michigan) was carrying passengers and miscellaneous cargo in a storm on Lake Huron.. She was making for the shelter of Presque Isle harbor when the gale drove her over a bar. Her crew and 200 passengers came ashore in her boats. Plans were made to haul her back across the bar when another storm wrecked her. Her boiler and most of her machinery were recovered the following year. LAKE BREEZE (wooden propeller, 122 foot, 301 gross tons, built in 1868, at Toledo, Ohio) burned at her dock in Leamington, Ontario on 26 November 1878. One man perished in the flames. She was raised in 1880, but the hull was deemed worthless. Her machinery and metal gear were removed in 1881, and sold to an American company. The ANN ARBOR NO 5 (steel carferry, 359 foot, 2988 gross tons) was launched by the Toledo Ship Building Company (Hull #118) on 26 Nov 1910. She was the first carferry to be built with a sea gate, as a result of the sinking of the PERE MARQUETTE 18 in September of 1910. On 26 Nov 1881, JANE MILLER (wooden propeller passenger-package freight "coaster", 78 foot, 210 gross tons, built in 1878, at Little Current, Ontario) departed Meaford, Ontario for Wiarton-- sailing out into the teeth of a gale and was never seen again. All 30 aboard were lost. She probably sank near the mouth of Colpoy's Bay in Georgian Bay. She had serviced the many small ports on the inside coast of the Bruce Peninsula. HIRAM W SIBLEY (wooden propeller freighter, 221 foot, 1,419 gross tons, built in 1890, at E. Saginaw, Michigan) was carrying 70,000 bushels of corn from Chicago for Detroit. On 26 Nov 1898, she stranded on the northwest corner of South Manitou Island in Lake Michigan during blizzard. (Some sources say this occurred on 27 November.) The tugs PROTECTOR and SWEEPSTAKES were dispatched for assistance but the SIBLEY re-floated herself during the following night and then began to sink again. She was put ashore on South Fox Island to save her but she broke in half; then completely broke up during a gale on 7 December 1898. During the early afternoon of 26 Nov 1999, the LOUIS R DESMARAIS suffered an engine room fire while sailing in the western section of Lake Ontario. Crews onboard the DESMARAIS put out the fire and restarted her engines. The DESMARAIS proceeded to the Welland canal where she was inspected by both U.S. and Canadian investigators. No significant damage was noted and the vessel was allowed to proceed. Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history |
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11/25 - The Manitowoc Company announced Tuesday that its Bay Shipbuilding subsidiary has been awarded a new construction contract from Harley Marine Services, Inc. to build an ocean-class, double-hull, hot oil tank barge. The 80,000-barrel capacity barge, which is scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2006, will measure 369 feet in length, 78 feet in width, and 33 feet in molded depth. The Harley contract also includes an option for a second identical vessel. Other contract terms were not disclosed. The Harley barge is the tenth double-hull tank barge built by the Manitowoc Marine Group. The vessel features a flush deck design and is equipped with an onboard heating system to maintain consistent cargo temperatures of 160 degrees F. It will also be ABS, U.S. Coast Guard, and OPA- 90 compliant. Based in Seattle, Harley Marine Services is one of the largest petroleum transporters serving the West Coast. Upon delivery, Harley's new barge will join a fleet of vessels to haul a variety of petroleum products, including #6 grade fuel oil, between numerous Alaskan, Northwest, and West coast markets. "This project is a perfect fit for Bay Shipbuilding," said Bob Herre, president of Manitowoc Marine Group. "The size and features of the Harley barge will complement Bay's infrastructure and the experience of its workforce. Erection of the hull and tank modules will begin shortly after the Great Lakes winter fleet sails from our Sturgeon Bay facility in the spring. Upon completion, this hot oil barge will become one of the most sophisticated petroleum carriers in Harley's rapidly growing fleet of ocean-class vessels."
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Port Report - November 25 Alpena - Ben & Chanda McClain The G.L Ostrander barge Integrity was at Lafarge in the early morning hours of Wednesday and then was headed for Detroit and Cleveland. The research vessel Laurentian has been tied up in the Thunder Bay River over the past few days. The Earl W. Oglebay brought coal to Lafarge on Wednesday morning. The Oglebay unloaded throughout the day and stayed tied up at the dock when finished. On Thanksgiving morning it was still waiting out the nasty weather in port before heading to Calcite. Also on Thanksgiving morning around 10:00 a.m. the J.A.W Iglehart safely arrived at Lafarge among the strong winds and blowing snow. Once the skies cleared somewhat on Thursday, the American Republic was seen anchored out in the bay off Alpena. At Stoneport on Wednesday the McKee Sons was loading cargo but the weather stopped the process and it remained tied up at the dock on Thursday.
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On 25 November 1857, ANTELOPE (wooden schooner, 220 tons, built in 1854, at Port Robinson, Ontario) was driven ashore by a gale near St. Joseph, Michigan. Five lives were lost. She was recovered the next year and rebuilt. INCAN SUPERIOR was withdrawn from service after completing 2,386 trips between Thunder Bay and Superior and on November 25, 1992, she passed down bound at Sault Ste. Marie for service on the Canadian West Coast. ROBERT C STANLEY was laid up for the last time November 25, 1981, at the Tower Bay Slip, Superior, Wisconsin. CITY OF MILWAUKEE (Hull#261) was launched November 25, 1930, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. She was sponsored by Mrs. Walter J. Wilde, wife of the collector of customs at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She entered service in January of 1931. On 25 November 1866, F W BACKUS (wooden propeller, 133 foot, 289 tons, built in 1846, at Amherstburg, Ontario) was carrying hay, horses and cattle off Racine, Wisconsin. She was run to the beach when it was discovered that she was on fire. Her crew and passengers disembarked. The tug DAISY LEE towed her out while she was still burning, intending to scuttle her, but the towline burned through and she drifted back to shore and burned to the waterline. Her live cargo was pushed overboard while she was still well out and they swam to shore. On 25 November 1874, WILLIAM SANDERSON (wooden schooner, 136 foot, 385 gross tons, built in 1853, at Oswego, New York) was carrying wheat in a storm on Lake Michigan when she foundered. The broken wreck washed ashore off Empire, Michigan near Sleeping Bear. She was owned by Scott & Brown of Detroit. During a storm on 25 November 1895, MATTIE C BELL (wooden schooner, 181 foot, 769 gross tons, built in 1882, at E. Saginaw, Michigan) was in tow of the steamer JIM SHERRIFS on Lake Michigan. The schooner stranded at Big Summer Island, was abandoned in place and later broke up. No lives were lost. On 25 Nov 1947, the b.) CAPTAIN JOHN ROEN was renamed c.) ADAM E CORNELIUS by the American Steamship Co. in 1958, CORNELIUS was renamed d.) CONSUMERS POWER. Eventually sold to Erie Sand, she was scrapped at Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 1988. On 25 Nov 1905, the JOSEPH G BUTLER, JR (steel straight-deck bulk freighter, 525 foot, 6,588 gross tons) entered service, departing Lorain, Ohio for Duluth on her maiden voyage. The vessel was damaged in a severe storm on that first crossing of Lake Superior, but she was repaired and had a long career. She was renamed DONALD B GILLIES in 1935, and GROVEDALE in 1963. She was sunk as a dock in Hamilton in 1973, and finally sold for scrap in 1981. Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Max Hanley, Jody Aho, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history. Please e-mail if you would like to contribute a significant event in Great Lakes history. |
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"Deck your Deck this Christmas" The 2nd Annual Best Decorated Ship Contest will be held this year through the month of December. The city reports it was very happy with the amount of ships that took part
in the contest last year and hope that this year, even more ships will "Deck
their Decks". The winning Ship's Captain will be invited as our guest to the Annual Shipmaster's Dinner in February to be presented a trophy. If you have any questions, please call Terry Dow, Director of Tourism Services, City of Thorold at 905-680-9477 |
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Port Report - November 24 Toronto - Charlie Gibbons On Tuesday the Toronto Port Authority annouced its ambitious plans to expand the island airport service by 3,000 per cent. The new scheme involves new building new passenger transfer facilities on both sides of the channel and a covered walkway to the terminal building. A protest was staged by the Community Air Organization. Mayor David Miller sent an open protest letter to the Prime Minister, the Premier of Ontario and to several federal and municipal civil servants.
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Arcelor Announces Offer to Acquire Dofasco Inc. 11/24 - Luxembourg/Toronto - Arcelor S.A. announced today that it will be making an all cash take-over bid (the "offer") for all of the outstanding common shares of Canadian steelmaker Dofasco Inc. (TSX: DFS) for C$56.00 per share. The offer will represent a premium of approximately 27.3% over the closing price of Dofasco's common shares on November 22, 2005, of C$44.00, and a premium of approximately 46.4% over the closing price of Dofasco's common shares on November 10, 2005 of C$38.25, the last trading day prior to speculation as reported in the press about a possible acquisition of Dofasco. The offer will also represent a premium of approximately 36.2% over the volume weighted-average trading price of Dofasco's common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) for the 20 trading days immediately preceding the date of this announcement of C$41.12 and a premium of approximately 42.3% over the volume weighted-average trading price of Dofasco's common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) for the 20 trading days up to and including November 10, 2005, of C$39.35. Guy Dollé, Chief Executive Officer of Arcelor, said the proposed transaction would be Arcelor's largest investment in North America to date, reflecting Arcelor's strong confidence in Canada and in Dofasco, its management team and its world-class employees. "Dofasco's leadership in the North American automotive market is highly complementary with Arcelor's strategy to expand its foothold in this significant market. The combination of Arcelor's global leadership in automotive steel and Dofasco's strong position in this highly competitive market creates even better conditions for both companies, built on the unique strengths each brings to this relationship. Dofasco would become Arcelor's platform in North America", said Guy Dollé. Mr. Dollé added "This transaction represents a logical expansion for Arcelor into North America. As such, Arcelor intends to maintain and strengthen Dofasco's present scope of activities by providing it with access to Arcelor's best in class technology and knowhow (particularly for the automotive market) and Arcelor's global reach and network. As part of the Arcelor group, Dofasco will become a stronger, more competitive steel producer in an increasingly competitive North American steel market." Mr. Dollé recognized Arcelor's long-standing relationship with Dofasco, particularly through their joint venture, DoSol Galva Limited Partnership, based in Hamilton, Ontario. "We have been very pleased with our investment in Hamilton to date. Dofasco's highly regarded corporate values with respect to its relations with employees, and its legacy of active community engagement, are principles that Arcelor shares and will continue to support." Mr. Dollé noted that intense international consolidation in
the global steel industry makes the combination of Dofasco with another player
inevitable: "Canadian steel producers, regardless of their current
competitiveness, are not immune to the forces driving consolidation around the
globe. For Dofasco, the question is not if it should join forces with another
industry player, but when, and with whom. We strongly believe that Arcelor is
the best partner for Dofasco and that this is the right time". Arcelor is a leading player of the global steel industry. With a turnover of 30 billion euros in 2004, the company holds leading positions in its main markets: automotive, construction, household appliances and packaging as well as general industry. The company - number one steel producer in Europe and Latin America - aspires to further expand internationally in order to capture the growth potential of developing economies and offer technologically advanced steel solutions to its global customers. Arcelor employs 94,000 associates in over 60 countries. The company places its commitment to sustainable development at the heart of its strategy and aspires to be a benchmark for economic performance, labour relations and corporate social responsibility.
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11/24 - Hamilton, ON. - Dofasco Inc. announced that its Board of Directors is reviewing an unsolicited all-cash takeover bid of $56 per share from Arcelor S.A. for all outstanding Dofasco common shares. The offer will remain open for at least 60 days after the mailing of the takeover bid circular. Dofasco's Board of Directors is reviewing the offer in the context of the company's alternatives to maximize shareholder value. To assist in this analysis, Dofasco's Board of Directors has established a Special Committee of independent directors comprised of Brian MacNeill, Roger Doe, Frank Logan and Peter Maurice. Additionally, Dofasco's Board has retained RBC Capital Markets as financial advisors in the process, and Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP as its legal counsel. "The Board will give due consideration to the Arcelor bid. Pending the Board's recommendation, shareholders are urged not to tender to the offer", said Dofasco Chair, Brian MacNeill. On May 7, 2004, Dofasco shareholders approved an amended and restated shareholder protection rights plan (the "2004 Rights Plan") which is a successor to similar plans which have been in place since 1989. The Plan was adopted by shareholders as a mechanism to ensure that in the event of an unsolicited offer there would be adequate time to appropriately evaluate the offer and to explore alternatives to maximize value. Dofasco is a leading North American steel solutions provider. Product lines include hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized, Extragal(TM), Galvalume(TM) and tinplate flat rolled steels, as well as tubular products, laser-welded blanks and Zyplex(TM), a proprietary laminate. Dofasco's wide range of steel products is sold to customers in the automotive, construction, energy, manufacturing, pipe and tube, appliance, packaging and steel distribution industries. Dofasco news release
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11/24 - Attorney General Mike Hatch and two DFL lawmakers on Tuesday called for new state laws regulating the ballast of ships entering Minnesota's waters of Lake Superior. The proposal would be similar to a new Michigan state law and would require oceangoing ships to have a permit certifying ballast water had been treated and inspected to remove exotic species. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency would administer the program. It's an effort to try to limit the number of new exotic species that come into the state riding in the ballast tanks of freighters from faraway ocean ports. At least 187 foreign species -- most notably zebra mussels, goby, ruffe and spiny water fleas -- now are in the Great Lakes, including two dozen in the Duluth harbor and St. Louis River estuary. Many are believed to have entered the lakes riding in ships. Dozens more species are predicted to arrive if action isn't taken, including exotic clams, shrimp and herring. A new invasive species, typically imported from Europe or Asia, is discovered in the Great Lakes on average every eight months, according to Minnesota Sea Grant experts. Ships take on ballast water when empty to maintain balance and then release the water as they take on cargo. That release sometimes sends along species from distant oceans and river systems that wreak havoc on local fish and other native creatures. Hatch, a DFLer running for governor, assistant Senate Majority Leader Ann Rest, DFL, New Hope, and state Rep. Rick Hansen, DFL-South St. Paul, said they'll push the proposal during the 2006 Minnesota legislative session that begins in March. If adopted, their plan would take effect in 2008. A similar Michigan effort, signed into law in June, will become law in 2007. "We need to act quickly and sensibly to save our state's waterways and protect our quality of life," Hatch said in a statement announcing the plan. Supporters say the federal government has so far failed to take decisive action to keep exotic species out of the Great Lakes and even ocean harbors. Congress has stalled on proposed ballast action, although environmental groups have won a federal lawsuit that will -- if upheld -- require the federal Environmental Protection Agency to regulate ballast under the Clean Water Act. Efforts to battle exotic species after the fact, such as keeping zebra mussels off water intakes and structures, cost billions of dollars each year. And their environmental damage so far hasn't been measured. In some areas of the Great Lakes, zebra mussels have wiped out native clams and drastically reduced the number of small invertebrates that small fish eat. The proposed Minnesota law also calls for better cooperation with other states and Canada at solving the exotic species problem. Several ballast treatment methods are being tested, including in Duluth, such as using chlorine, ultra-violet light and filters to catch and kill exotic species. But critics say ballast water treatment efforts aren't practical or affordable for ship owners and that regional and state laws will turn away business from Great Lakes' ports. They also argue that ongoing efforts to flush ballast at sea, where most of the freshwater creatures perish, already are removing most exotic species. Ray Skelton, government and environmental affairs director for the Seaway Port Authority of Duluth, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. In April, he said legislation requiring ballast treatment any time soon would be unenforceable. From the Duluth News Tribune
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Steel Dynamics says it Prefers Minnesota 11/24 - Northeastern Minnesota is the preferred site for the world's first commercial iron nugget plant, say officials of Steel Dynamics Inc., the plant's primary customer and a major partner in the proposed $170 million facility. "For the first time, we can say it (Minnesota) does seem to be the preferred place," Mark Millett, vice president and general manager of Butler, Ind.,-based Steel Dynamics. "If we go forward, Minnesota is the preferred site." It's the first public indication from a major partner in the project that the large-scale production of iron nuggets is headed for Northeastern Minnesota. The project got another boost Tuesday from a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency recommendation to approve air and water permits for an expansion at Northshore Mining Co. in Babbitt and Silver Bay. Iron ore concentrate produced under the $29 million reactivation plan at Northshore probably would feed Mesabi Nugget. For months Minnesota and Indiana have been in the running for the Mesabi Nugge plant, which would produce 600,000 metric tons per year. "It's a big milestone to have your lead investor and chief customer endorsing Minnesota as the preferred site," Mesabi Nugget President Larry Lehtinen said. "It's a very significant milestone in that Steel Dynamics has endorsed it and is proceeding to the next stage of the project." A nugget plant would mean that for the first time in decades, a new product would be made from the hundreds of millions of tons of iron ore that remain on the Iron Range. A commercial-scale nugget plant would employ about 50. Another 50 workers would be needed at Northshore Mining Co. to help provide feed. Building the plant in Indiana would save construction costs, Millett said. Construction costs in Minnesota have risen to $170 million from an earlier estimate of $130 million, primarily due to higher steel and equipment costs, Lehtinen said. However, because the taconite concentrate needed to feed the plant is produced in the region, Minnesota holds the advantage in production costs. "Our analysis right now suggests that the capital cost in Minnesota is substantially more," Millett said. "But the cost of production is less in Minnesota compared to Indiana. Our preference right now, all things being equal, is that Minnesota is the preferred site." Partners in the project are SDI, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., Kobe Steel and
Ferrometrics Inc. of Two Harbors. Cleveland-Cliffs is already a large player
in the Northeastern Minnesota taconite industry. "To the degree that we can
continue to put this project together, there would be two major corporations
(SDI and Kobe Steel) that would become part of the corporate community here,
which would be nice," Lehtinen said. Because nuggets would be about 97 percent pure iron, they would sell for a much higher price than iron-ore pellets that contain about 65 percent iron. Iron nuggets could be fed into electric arc furnaces and used by foundries. SDI, which operates a steelmaking mini mill in Butler, would consume most of the nugget plant's production. Board directors at SDI, Cleveland-Cliffs and Kobe Steel still need to work out formal partnership agreements in support of the nugget project, Millett said. "A lot of work has to be done between the partners to make it a viable project," Millett said. "We, like Kobe and Cleveland-Cliffs, are all going through the same process in getting board approval. Once those are in hand, they need to put together a partnership that works. The positive news for Minnesota is that Minnesota appears to be the preferred site for economic reasons." State officials expedited the permitting process in Minnesota to help attract the plant and about 100 new good-paying jobs it would create. Environmental permitting was approved in July. Iron-nugget development has been under way in Northeastern Minnesota since 2001. A pilot scale demonstration plant that in 2003 first began operating at Northshore Mining Co. in Silver Bay proved the process on a 25,000 ton-per-year scale. Lehtinen said he hopes to have a commercial Minnesota nugget plant operating in July 2007. From the Duluth News Tribune
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11/24 - St. Paul, MN - State pollution regulators, over the objections of environmental groups and some northern Minnesota residents, approved an expansion of taconite processing for a company along the North Shore of Lake Superior. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Citizens Board voted 6-1 Tuesday to approve an environmental study and to issue air and water quality permits for a $29 million expansion by Northshore Mining Co. at its plant in Silver Bay. Northshore general manager Mike Mlinar said the expansion will create 30 permanent full-time jobs, though he said the decision to restart part of the plant has been deferred because of a "softening of the market." Environmentalists that attended a hearing before the vote said the measure could put more mineral fibers in the air and in drinking water from Lake Superior. LeRoger Lind, a member of the Save Lake Superior Association, an environmental group, said the risk of breathing fibers near the plant is like secondhand smoke: "Not all people get cancer from that, but some do." The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, the Sierra Club and others said that the public health risks should receive further study before the permits were approved. They also differed with MPCA officials about whether the company was violating its current air quality permit. MPCA project manager Dana Vanderbosch said that although the project would allow a 21 percent expansion of taconite processing, it would not result in any net increases in air emissions because it would also require new pollution control devices. The expansion would also result in more taconite tailings - waste rock - which are piped in a slurry to a special basin for settling and storage. Most, but not all, of the fibers are removed before some of the water is discharged into the Beaver River, which flows into Lake Superior. In the 1970s, Northshore's predecessor, Reserve Mining, was ordered by a judge to stop dumping its waste rock into Lake Superior. State Health Department toxicologist Hillary Carpenter, who reviewed the project, said it was very unlikely that more fibers in the river would result in any health impacts to individuals drinking water from Lake Superior. Two Lake County commissioners and the mayors of Silver Bay and Babbit spoke in favor of the project and expressed confidence that public health would be protected. Melanie Allen, the sole board member to vote against the permits, said she wanted to table the decision for 15 months until more is known about whether the company was violating its air quality permit and whether it could be asked to do more to reduce asbestos-like fibers being released into the Beaver River. "It seems like we're not challenging them to do better," Allen said. From the Associated Press
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11/24 - Two Rivers, WI — Of all the dives that Manitowoc resident Gary Daehn has executed in the past decade, seeing the sunken Rouse Simmons Christmas Tree Ship off the Two Rivers coast was the most memorable because he knew the history. “It’s significant. It’s meaningful. I was aware of it. I had looked forward to seeing it,” he said. The Rouse Simmons, a Great Lakes vessel transporting Christmas trees from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to Chicago, sank in Lake Michigan off the coast of Two Rivers in 1912. It is believed by some that a storm brought the ship to its demise, taking the lives of Capt. Herman Schuenemann and a 15-member crew. Remnants of the ship recovered by divers are housed at the Rogers Street Fishing Village Museum, said Sandy Zipperer, the museum’s director. In 1971, the wheel of the ship surfaced after becoming entangled in the nets of a fishing boat, Zipperer said. With the help of The Wisconsin Historical Society’s Division of Historic Preservation, the wheel was identified as belonging to the Rouse Simmons. Equipment used to raise and lower sails and the ship’s name plaque are among other recovered pieces, she said. The ship’s resting place — about 170 feet down — is often visited by divers. Daehn said he dived the site 25 to 30 times. Tamara Thomsen, a Madison-based diving instructor, estimates she brings 16 students to the location each year. Even after diving the site on multiple occasions, Thomsen said she still notices new things in each 20- to 30-minute adventure. “Every time there’s something new,” she said. Divers frequent the site from April to November, said Mike
Hansen, owner of Maritime Divers in Manitowoc. Hansen estimated about 24
divers who come through his shop visit the site of the Rouse Simmons wreck
each season. Diver instructor Stephen Schumacher of Two Rivers said he’d seen
the wreck twice. To reach the sunken schooner, Schumacher said air tanks are mixed with a greater amount of helium as opposed to nitrogen. The outcome spares the diver feelings of wooziness otherwise brought on by inhaling too much nitrogen, he said. Schumacher dives often and distinguished this wreck from others he’d seen because the boat is so exposed. “Usually you’d think it’d be on some sort of reef where it’d gone down, but this sits right on the open sand,” he said. He wonders how the boat settled at the lake’s bottom because the hull appears so intact. He called it a “really nice wreck.” Saturday, Dec. 3 — The Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc will serve as a staging point for a longtime re-enactment, where Christmas trees are delivered by boat at 11 a.m. From the Manitowoc Times Herald Reporter
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On 24 November 1945, SCOTT E LAND (steel propeller C4-S-A4 cargo ship, 496 foot, 10,654 gross tons) was launched at Kaiser Corporation (hull #520) in Vancouver, Washington for the U.S. Maritime Commission. She was converted to a straight-deck bulk freighter at Baltimore, Maryland in 1951, and renamed TROY H BROWNING. In 1955, she was renamed THOMAS F PATTON. After serving on the Great Lakes, she was scrapped in Pakistan in 1981. On November 24, 1990, the KINSMAN INDEPENDENT ran hard aground off of Isle Royale. The vessel was on its way to load grain in Thunder Bay, Ontario when she ended up 25 miles off course. The damage to the vessel was nearly $2 million, and she was repaired at Thunder Bay before the start of the 1991 season. On November 24, 1950, while bound for South Chicago with iron ore, the ENDERS M VOORHEES collided with the up bound steamer ELTON HOYT II (now the ST MARYS CHALLENGER) in the Straits of Mackinac during a blinding snow storm. Both vessels received such serious bow damage that they had to be beached near Mc Gulpin Point west of Mackinaw City to avoid sinking. The ROSEMOUNT stored with coal, inadvertently sank alongside CSL's Century Coal Dock at Montreal, Quebec on November 24, 1934. Paterson’s PRINDOC (Hull#657) was launched November 24, 1965, at Lauzon, Quebec by Davie Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.. November 24, 1892 - The ANN ARBOR #1 ran aground on her first trip just north of the Kewaunee harbor. On 24 Nov 1881, LAKE ERIE (wooden propeller canaller, 136 foot, 464 gross tons, built in 1873, at St, Catharine's, Ontario) collided with the steamer NORTHERN QUEEN in fog and a blizzard near Poverty Island by the mouth of Green Bay. LAKE ERIE sank in one hour 40 minutes. NORTHERN QUEEN took aboard the crew but one man was scalded and died before reaching Manistique. The CITY OF SAGINAW 31 entered service in 1931.On 24 November 1905, ARGO (steel propeller passenger/package freight, 174 foot, 1,089 tons, built in 1896, at Detroit, Michigan) dropped into a trough of a wave, hit bottom and sank in relatively shallow water while approaching the harbor at Holland, Michigan. 38 passengers and crew were taken off by breeches' buoy in a thrilling rescue by the U.S. Lifesaving Service. NEPTUNE (wooden propeller, 185 foot, 774 gross tons, built in 1856, at Buffalo, New York) was laid up at East Saginaw, Michigan on 24 November 1874, when she was discovered to be on fire at about 4:00 a.m. She burned to a total loss. The ANN ARBOR NO 1 left Frankfort for Kewaunee on November 24, 1892. Because of the reluctance of shippers to trust their products on this new kind of ferry it was difficult to find cargo for this first trip. Finally, a fuel company which sold coal to the railroad routed four cars to Kewaunee via the ferry. Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Max Hanley, Jody Aho, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II, The Marine Historical Society of Detroit and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series
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Port Reports - November 23 Port Colborne - Herb Also in port Tuesday morning was Pere Marquette 41 and Undaunted unloading gypsum at the old Canada Furnace Dock Goderich - Dale Baechler
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11/23 - Barcelona, N.Y. -- The divers could see lanterns and light fixtures scattered about the ship, which was on its side on the dark bottom of Lake Erie. There was no doubt about what the divers had found. Their lights told them the same thing the highly beefed-up sonar had told them moments before: The wreck was the steamboat George J. Whelan, which sank off New York state's Barcelona Harbor in July 1930. Until that day in late October, no one had seen the steamship for 75 years. "It was a real find," said Jim Herbert, captain of Barcelona Harbor-based Osprey Charters. "Very seldom do we find anything as pristine as that." The law forbids touching anything on a Great Lakes shipwreck. But wrecks do tend to get picked over once independent divers find them. Herbert knew this wreck was untouched because so many artifacts remained where they had fallen 75 years ago in a wreck that claimed the lives of 15 of the vessel's 21 crew members. The "virgin" wreck is about 35 miles northeast of Erie and nine miles north of Barcelona in about 145 feet of water. Because of its condition, Herbert said, he suspects divers will find it popular to dive at the site in 2006. "That'll be a featured destination, for sure," he said. The wreck was discovered by Herbert and underwater search expert Garry Kozak of Salem, N.H. The friends had been working together to find and salvage a single-engine airplane that went down in the lake in August. When that search was over, Kozak had an extra day to look around. The two had searched for the Whelan off and on for years, so they thought they'd try to look once more. This time, luck smiled on them. They chose the right area to search. Plus, they had use of the latest sonar from Klein Associates, a New Hampshire-based sonar manufacturer that is a leader in side-scan sonar systems. Kozak consults and trains for the company. Sonar technology has been used for about 40 years. New technical advancements in digital imaging, powerful computer software and a Global Positioning System allowed them to search more than 32 square miles. "That's unheard of previously to cover that amount of area in one day," Kozak said. At 220 feet long and 40 feet wide, the Whelan's large size
and resting place in relatively shallow water -- plus the loss of life -- make
it a desirable destination for divers, Herbert said. No remains have been
found on the ship. In 95 percent of wrecks, remains aren't found, Kozak said.
Only nine divers have seen the wreck so far, and only for a short time.
Usually within six months of a wreck discovery, "everyone knows where it is,"
Kozak said. The Ship's History - The storied history of the
George J. Whelan steamship: From the Erie Times-News
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11/23 - Detroit city council has approved a resolution aimed at stopping a takeover by the Ambassador Bridge company of the Detroit side of the tunnel. Councillors said they were caught off guard by last month's "binding agreement" signed by Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick approving the bridge's $30-million US proposal which could potentially give bridge owner Manuel Moroun's family control of the tunnel for up to 100 years starting in 2020. "This honourable body feels compelled to make known its extreme displeasure with not only the substance of the proposed agreement, but also the manner in which it has been brought before this body," reads the council motion approved Friday. Coun. Kenneth Cockrel Jr., filling in as council president for the ailing Maryann Mahaffey, could not be reached Monday for comment. MAYOR COULD VETO Following the recent municipal election, council is taking a
hiatus until January. "There is nothing to reject because administration has
to come back with the information they requested," Stamper said. "I don't
think city council had anything in front of them to vote on. "It's in somebody
else's hands. We were asked to prepare a proposal and we made one. It's out of
our hands right now. We believe it is a good deal, but that's for the mayor
and city council to decide." RENEWAL OPTIONS From the Windsor Star
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11/23 - The Ontario government plans to restrict diving and use of robot submarines around the wreck of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior and the U.S. sailing ships Hamilton and Scourge, sunk in Lake Ontario off Port Dalhousie during the War of 1812. Proposed regulations that would list the locations of the three vessels as protected marine archeological sites is posted on the province's Environmental Bill of Rights registry for public comment until Nov. 30. The regulations implementing recent changes in the Ontario Heritage Act would also give municipalities power to prohibit demolition of heritage buildings. Wilson West, marine heritage policy adviser in the Ministry of Culture, said yesterday only three vessels are on the initial list and the intent is to keep the list of protected sites short, "not to shut down recreational diving on all shipwrecks" -- a fear expressed by divers during public consultation before the act was amended. He said the Fitzgerald is included partly because of concerns by families of the 29 sailors who died when the ship went down in a storm Nov. 10, 1975. The Hamilton and Scourge -- owned by the City of Hamilton -- are listed because of their historic importance, fragility and the possible presence of remains of 53 American naval crewmen who went down with the ships during a storm in August 1813. While the ministry considers unauthorized diving on the Hamilton and Scourge to be prohibited by the existing law, West said the revised act and new regulations would strengthen the protection and prescribe an area around them to be off-limits without a marine archeological license from the province. "We are revamping the licensing system and for specific sites, such as those three, special qualifications would be required to apply to go there. They will require a different type of licensing." West said yesterday he expects interest in the Hamilton and Scourge to grow as the 2012 bicentennial of the War of 1812 grows closer. From the Hamilton Spectator
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On 23 November 1863, BAY OF QUINTE (wooden schooner, 250 tons, built in 1853, at Bath, Ontario) was carrying 7500 bushels of wheat to Toronto when she was driven ashore on Salmon Point on Lake Ontario and wrecked. No lives were lost. On 23 November 1882, the schooner MORNING LIGHT (wooden schooner, 256 tons, built in 1857, at Cleveland, Ohio) was sailing from Manistee for Chicago with a load of lumber when a storm drove her aground off Claybanks, south of Stony Lake, Michigan. One crewman swam to shore, the rest were saved by a lifesaving crew, local fishermen and the tug B W ALDRICH. Earlier that same year, she sank near St. Helen Island in the Straits of Mackinac. She was salvaged and put back in service, but she only lasted a few months. After discharging her cargo, the SAMUEL MATHER, a.) FRANK ARMSTRONG, proceeded to De Tour, Michigan laying up for the last time at the Pickands Mather Coal Dock on November 23, 1981. In 1987, the self-unloader ROGERS CITY was towed out of Menominee, Michigan for scrapping in Brazil. STADACONA's sea trials were completed on November 23, 1952, and was delivered to Canada Steamship Lines the next day. On 23 November 1872, Capt. W. B. Morley launched the propeller JARVIS LORD at Marine City, Michigan. Her dimensions were 193 feet x 33 feet x 18 feet, 1000 tons. She was the first double decker built at Marine City. Her engine was from Wm. Cowie of Detroit. On 23 November 1867, S A CLARK (wooden propeller tug, 12 tons, built in 1863, at Buffalo, New York) was in Buffalo's harbor when her boiler exploded and she sank. November 23, 1930 - The Ann Arbor carferry WABASH grounded in Betsie Lake. She bent her rudder stock and her steering engine was broken up. On 23 November 1853, the wooden schooner PALESTINE was bound from Kingston to Cleveland with railroad iron at about the same time as the like-laden schooner ONTONAGON. Eight miles west of Rochester, New York, both vessels ran ashore, were pounded heavily by the waves and sank. Both vessels reported erratic variations in their compasses. The cargoes were removed and ONTONAGON was pulled free on 7 December, but PALESTINE was abandoned. A similar event happened with two other iron-laden vessels a few years previously at the same place. On 23 November 1853, the Ward Line's wooden side-wheeler HURON struck an unseen obstruction in the Saginaw River and sank. She was raised on 12 December 1853, towed to Detroit and repaired at a cost of $12,000. She was then transferred to Lake Michigan to handle the cross-lake traffic given the Ward Line by the Michigan Central Railroad. The carferry GRAND HAVEN was sold to the West India Fruit & Steamship Co., Norfolk, Virginia in 1946, and was brought down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, Louisiana for reconditioning before reaching Port Everglades and the Port of Palm Beach, Florida. She was brought back to the Lakes and locked up bound through the Welland Canal on 23 Nov 1964. She was intended for roll on/roll off carrier service to haul truck trailers laden with steel coils from Stelco's plant at Hamilton, Ont. The CSL NIAGARA a.) J W MC GIFFIN, passed Port Huron, Michigan on 23 Nov 1999, on her way to Thunder Bay to load grain. This was her first trip to the upper lakes since the vessel was re-launched as a SeawayMax carrier in June 1999. Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Max Hanley, Steve Haverty, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history.
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Buffalo - Brian Wroblewski Goderich - Dale Baechler Toronto - Charlie Gibbons Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey Next in was the Buffalo calling on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City to unload. Both vessel were outbound late Sunday. On Monday, the Mississagi was inbound headed upriver to the Buena Vista dock to unload. She was expected to be outbound Tuesday morning.
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Photo Gallery Updates - November 22 News Photo Gallery updatedPublic Photo Gallery updated A new gallery of the construction of Maritime Trader (Ex-Mantadoc). |
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On 22 November 1860, WABASH VALLEY (wooden propeller, 592 tons, built in 1856, at Buffalo, New York) was caught in a blizzard and gale off Muskegon, Michigan on Lake Michigan. Her skipper thought they were off Grand Haven and as he steamed to the harbor, visibility dropped to near zero. The vessel ran onto the beach. Her momentum and the large storm waves carried her well up onto the beach where she broke in two. Her machinery was salvaged and went into the new steamer SUNBEAM. Scrapping of the SPRUCEGLEN a.) WILLIAM K FIELD was completed on November 22, 1986, by Lakehead Scrap Metal Co. at Thunder Bay Ontario. The SPRUCEGLEN was the last Canadian coal-fired bulker. Cleveland Cliffs steamer FRONTENAC while in ballast sustained major structural damage from grounding on Pellet Reef attempting to enter Silver Bay, Minnesota at 2140 hours on November 22, 1979. On 22 November 1869, CREAM CITY (3-mast wooden bark, 629 tons, built in 1862, at Sheboygan, Wisconsin) was carrying wheat in a gale when she lost her way and went ashore on Drummond Island. She appeared to be only slightly damaged, but several large pumps were unable to lower the water in her hull. She was finally abandoned as a total wreck on 8 December. She was built as a "steam bark" with an engine capable of pushing her at 5 or 6 mph. After two months of constant minor disasters, this was considered an unsuccessful experiment and the engine was removed. The CITY OF MILWAUKEE was chartered to the Ann Arbor Railroad Co. and started the Frankfort, Michigan-Kewaunee, Wisconsin service for them on November 22, 1978. November 22, 1929 - The CITY OF SAGINAW 31 went out on her sea trials. On 22 November 1860, CIRCASSIAN (wooden schooner, 135 foot, 366 tons, built in 1856, at Irving, New York) was carrying grain in a gale and blizzard on Lake Michigan when she stranded on White Shoals near Beaver Island. She sank to her decks and then broke in two. Her crew was presumed lost, but actually made it to Hog Island in the blizzard and they were not rescued from there for two weeks. A final note from the Big Gale of 1879. On 22 November 1879, the Port Huron Times reported, "The barge DALTON is still high and dry on the beach at Point Edward." Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Max Hanley, Steve Haverty and Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series.
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On the surface, the ship looks much as it did before it made the trip north. Beneath the water's surface, the ship bears a wide array of improvements, including mostly all new wood on the belly and rebuilt engines. The 81-year-old, 154-foot, double-masted schooner is in better condition than it has been in years, ship Capt. Micah Allnutt said. The 10-member crew started its 27-hour trip from Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday after facing several delays. "It's almost easier to say what we didn't do," Allnutt said Sunday. "(It's a) safer, stronger vessel." First sailing to Port Huron in June 2002, the Highlander Seais owned by Acheson Ventures. The company - formed by businessman and philanthropist Jim Acheson - bought the ship from a company in Halifax, Nova Scotia. For many, the ship's return voyage brings some of the life back to Port Huron. "I think it's excellent," said Jim Muldoon, 72, of Kenockee Township, who in the past has volunteered on the ship. "It's going to activate a lot of interest from the people of Port Huron." Paul Maxwell, spokesman for Acheson Ventures, said the Highlander Sea will be docked at the Port Huron Yacht Club this winter while crews work to continue renovating the ship's interior. All work is expected to be complete by summer, Maxwell said, when the ship will take on a full schedule of tall-ship festivals and other events including playing a role in the Port Huron-to-Mackinac Island Sailboat Race. From the Port Huron Times Herald
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Port Report - November 21Sturgeon Bay - Darren Hesler
The tug Donald Hannah and barge arrived and docked around 9:00 a.m. Sunday.The name for the new cement tug will be Samuel de Champlain, and the new name for the cement barge will be the Innovation.
Editor's Note - Samuel de Champlain (1567?-1635) was a French explorer and navigator who mapped much of northeastern North America and started a settlement in Quebec. Champlain also discovered the lake named for him (Lake Champlain, on the border of northern New York state and Vermont, named in 1609) and was important in establishing and administering the French colonies in the New World.Edwin H. Gott still here for repairs.
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BoatNerd Turns 10 11/21 - Today it has grown into the most comprehensive resource for Great Lakes shipping online, with over 1 million visits annually, a daily news page, information search and regional discussion forums and tens of thousands of photos submitted by the site's users. It has been instrumental in bringing ship fans together to share their common interests both online and in the real world through several annual boatnerd gatherings held at Sault Ste. Marie, Duluth, the Welland Canal and other locations. Recently Boatnerd made the leap from cyberspace and into the real world with a boat watching facility and Great Lakes research center at Vantage Point in Port Huron, overlooking the St. Clair River. Our thanks go to all that have contributed to the web site and the viewers for their dedication and enthusiasm. The Boatnerd Crew |
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Photo Gallery Updates - November 21 News Photo Gallery updatedPublic Photo Gallery updated A special new gallery of the transformation of the Lewis G. Harriman. A new gallery of the construction of Maritime Trader (Ex-Mantadoc). |
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On 21 November 1861, ENTERPRISE (2-mast wooden scow-schooner, 64 foot, 56 tons, built in 1854, at Port Huron, Michigan) was driven ashore near Bark Shanty at the tip of Michigan’s “thumb” on Lake Huron. The storm waves pounded her to pieces. Her outfit was salvaged a few days later. On the evening of 21 November 1890, the scow MOLLIE (wooden scow-schooner, 83 foot, 83 gross tons, built in 1867, at Fairport, Ohio) left Ludington, Michigan with a load of lumber. About 8:00 p.m., when she was just 25 miles off Ludington, she started to leak in heavy seas, quickly becoming waterlogged. Capt. Anderson and his two-man crew had just abandoned the vessel in the yawl when the steamer F & P M No. 4 showed up, shortly after midnight. The rough weather washed Capt. Anderson out of the yawl, but he made it back in. At last a line from the F & P M No. 4 was caught and made fast to the yawl and the crew made it to the steamer. The men had a narrow escape, for the MOLLIE was going to pieces rapidly, and there was little likelihood of the yawl surviving in the gale. The PATERSON (Hull#113) was launched November 21, 1953, at Port Arthur, Ontario by Port Arthur Ship Building Co. Ltd.. In 1924, the MERTON E FARR slammed into the Interstate Bridge that linked Superior, Wisconsin with Duluth, Minnesota. causing extensive damage to the bridge. The bridge span fell into the water but the FARR received only minor damage to her bow. On 21 November 1869, the ALLIANCE (wooden passenger sidewheeler, 87 foot, 197 gross tons, built in 1857, at Buffalo, New York) slipped her moorings at Lower Black |