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Mining History on Display 5/31 - Ishpeming - Visitors to the Cliffs Shaft Museum will find several new exhibits when the facility begins its summer hours on Thursday. Included in new and updated displays this year are: historical viewing of miners and mines past and present, headgear and other safety equipment available to miners of the past, blasting and diamond drilling equipment, a communications display of the various types of communication equipment available to miners, and a laboratory with various equipment used to test iron ore samples. Also new to the museum is a 170-ton iron ore truck that was donated by Cleveland Cliffs Inc. in August. Visitors can also take a guided tour of the tunnels that the miners used to get to the base of the C-shaft and listen to the history of mining from those that worked the mines. Visitors will also be able to view underground iron ore cars, visit a working blacksmith shop, view headframes that tower from 97-174 feet high and visit the Ishpeming Rock and Mineral Club’s room featuring more than 500 minerals from around the world. The museum is the site of the longest running iron ore mine shaft in the United States, operating nearly 100 years from 1868-1967. The museum is located at 501 W. Euclid St. and will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Cost of admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. For more information, call 485-1882, or visit www.cliffsshaft.org From the Marquette Mining Journal |
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New Mariner Document Service, 5/31 - Sault Ste. Marie - Two changes in the way merchant mariner documents, licenses and certificates are handled and standardize identification documents required on ships and at US port facilities were unveiled recently. In a separate announcement, the Coast Guard said that merchant mariners can take required oaths and be fingerprinted for certain mariner documents at Sector Sault (or Group Sault) without traveling to a Regional Exam Center. The nearest Regional Exam Center is in Toledo, Ohio. Separately, The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Coast Guard jointly announced a proposed new rule that would require a common personal identification card, (called a Transportation Worker Identification Card or TWIC) for transportation workers, longshoremen, mariners and others who desire unescorted access to secure port facilities and vessels. The new card would be required of about 750,000 workers nationwide and will include electronically embedded personal information and fingerprints. If approved as proposed, the new card system will not be inexpensive. As proposed in the Federal Register, the new cards would cost each person $149 and be good for five years. Workers with separate approved background checks would be charged $95 for the new card and $36 for replacements. The new cards would contain certain “biometric” information as a check on fraud. Meanwhile at Sault Ste. Marie, local fingerprinting and swearing of oaths for mariner's documents comes with several important limitations. (1) Applicants must have an application on file at a Regional Exam Center to qualify for the local service. (2) Applicants must also make an appointment with the Sector Sault Inspections-Investigations Department on Water Street at least two weeks in advance of fingerprinting and oath taking. (3) Also required at the local visit are at least two forms of personal identification, one of which must be an approved photo identification. The Coast Guard set eight forms of acceptable photo identification and 10 forms of secondary identification that will be accepted for identification purposes. A Michigan driver license, US Passport, Merchant Mariner's Document or three other forms of photo identification are accepted for the primary photo identification requirement. A wide variety of non-photo personal documents are accepted for the secondary identification requirement, a Coast Guard statement says. Documents presented for identification purposes must be originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. For more information on mariner document services locally, contact the Inspections-Investigations Department at Base Sault in Sault Ste. Marie. From the Soo Evening News |
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Port Reports - May 31 Twin Ports - Al Miller Sandusky - Jim Spencer Marquette - Lee Rowe Toronto - Charlie Gibbons South Chicago - Tom Milton |
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Updates - May 31 News Photo Gallery updated Public Photo Gallery updated |
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Tours of DeTour Reef Lighthouse Announced 5/31 - DeTour, MI - The DeTour Reef Light Preservation Society is conducting tours of the Lighthouse on weekends from late June until mid-August. Tours will be filled consecutively at 8:30, 10:30, 1:30, and 3:30 on the following dates: Saturdays: June 24, July 1, 15, 22, 29, Aug 5; and Sundays: July 9, Aug 13. With sufficient demand, tours may also be scheduled for Saturdays, June 17 and August 19. Each tour is restricted to six individuals, assuring personal attention by a Society-trained tour guide and the resident volunteer lighthouse keepers. Tours are approximately two hours long and include light refreshments at the lighthouse. All areas of this active U.S. Coast Guard lighthouse are included on the tour. Tours originate from the DeTour Harbor Marina, which is located about 3-tenths of a mile north of the Ferry Dock. Transportation to and from the lighthouse, which is located in Lake Huron 3 miles south of DeTour Village, will be aboard the charter boat Dream Seaker, piloted by U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain Jim Shutt. Cost for the tour is $75 for Society members and $95 for non-members. Individual memberships cost $20 and family memberships cost $30. Reservations for the tours are required. A tour brochure and reservation form can be downloaded from the Society’s website www.drlps.com. While access to the lighthouse from the tour boat involves climbing a twenty-foot vertical ladder, visitors have commented that the full body safety harness and fall protection system (designed by DBI/SALA & Protecta, a world leader in fall protection systems) gave them great comfort and confidence as they ascended and descended the ladder. The system includes a self-retracting safety life line that acts like a long seat belt retractor and would catch a climber within a few feet should they slip or let go of the ladder. DRLPS has four sizes (S, M, L, and XL) of adjustable harnesses that can accommodate visitors from 12 years old to 300 lbs. DeTour Reef Lighthouse Ornament Available 5/31 - DeTour, MI - The DeTour Reef Light Preservation Society (DRLPS) announced that their 2006 Lighthouse Ornament is now available for purchase. Collectors will enjoy this year’s limited-edition which is number nine of the annual DRLPS ornament. The ornament is clover-shaped, 3x5 inch, clear bevel-edged glass, etched with a photo of the restored Lantern and Watchroom on the DeTour Reef Light taken by photographer Mike Hershberger when he was a weekend Keeper on the lighthouse in 2005. Cost is $14 plus tax and shipping and includes a hanging ribbon, gift box and description card. All proceeds go to the DRLPS. Download an order form from www.DRLPS.com. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 31 The CITY OF SAGINAW 31 cleared Manitowoc in 1973, in tow of the tug HELEN M MC ALLISTER, this was the first leg of her tow to the cutters torch which ended at Castellon, Spain. The wooden barge FANNY NEIL was launched at the Muir, Livingstone & Co. yard in Port Huron, Michigan on 31 May 1870. As was usual in those days, her name was not made public until the streamer bearing her name was unfurled at the launch. May 31, 1924 -- The PERE MARQUETTE 21 arrived Ludington, Michigan on her maiden voyage. Captain Charles E. Robertson in command. The wooden tug MOCKING BIRD was launched at 7:00 p.m. on 31 May 1873, (12 days late) at the Port Huron Dry Dock Company yard. Her master builder was Alex "Sandy" Stewart. Her dimensions were 123 foot x 23 feet x 8.4 feet, 142 gross tons. The engine (26.5 inches x 30 inches) was at the Cuyahoga Works in Cleveland, Ohio at the time of launch, ready to be installed. Although this launch was twelve days late, it still did not go smoothly since MOCKING BIRD got stuck in the river. However, with some assistance from another tug, she was pulled free and was afloat at the dock by midnight. She lasted until abandoned at Marquette, Michigan in 1918. Data from: Jody Aho, Max Hanley, 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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Will They Build It? 5/30 - St,. Catharines - There are a lot of rumours about when the St. Lawrence Seaway has to give up the land it took in 1966 to build the fifth Welland Canal. A popular one says that after 50 years, they have to either build or sell. Another says they can't give up the property until everyone whose land was expropriated has died. Neither is true. Not only does Canadian expropriation law give governments the extraordinary power to take any land they want for any reason, it also puts very few restrictions on them. The only control over the legislation is an unspoken one, which kind of hovers over any law -- if the public doesn't like it, they can vote out the government. A government ministry or Crown corporation can hold on to expropriated property as long as it wants. If it decides to sell off the land, there are no guidelines as to how or to whom. There is also nothing that says the land must be used for its original purpose. The Seaway could build a 14-kilometre-long shopping mall on that property if it wanted. But at this time, the federal government has no plans for the 2,000 acres stretching from Thorold to Lake Ontario. The land is owned by Transport Canada but managed by the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. The Seaway referred questions about the future of the property to Transport Canada. "The land itself has not been deemed necessary for any future expansion plans, but before we sell it, we want to make sure it wouldn't be part of any plans," said Transport Canada spokeswoman Anne-Marie Bouchard. While some Seaway lands, most notably in east St. Catharines, have been declared surplus in recent years and sold off, Bouchard said the property expropriated for the fifth canal might still be needed some day. She explained that these lands would likely only be declared surplus if there was no possibility of expanding the Welland Canal. That doesn't seem likely. Most canals around the world have two channels, easing traffic flow and, in the case of northern shipping routes, allowing the system to stay partially open during winter maintenance. Currently, the Welland Canal is closed for three months of the year. And while its customers do adjust their shipments around the short season, the idea of year-round shipping has been dreamed about since the St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959. When it was just seven years old, the amount of cargo being carried through the Seaway had doubled, hitting 53.7 million tonnes in 1966. It was close to capacity. It was common to see long lineups of ships in Lake Ontario waiting to enter the canal. At the time, the Seaway was planning for the future with a $180-million twinning project, doubling up the locks to get ships through the system faster. But some officials decided to look even further into the future. It was thought larger, so-called "super locks" were needed to accommodate larger ocean-going vessels. Announced in May 1966, the plan called for four 300-metre-long locks in the new channel covering the same territory served by seven 222-metre locks in the existing canal, built in 1932. The new channel would run about one kilometre east of the current canal and connect with the existing waterway just south of Lock 7 in Thorold. The project was conservatively priced at $250 million, but many thought $450 million was more accurate. "It would have been a deal," said Ray Johnston, president of the Maritime Chamber of Commerce. But by 1973, the cabinet had yet to greenlight the scheme. The following year, the Seaway scrapped its construction branch. Use of the Seaway peaked in 1979, when 66 million tonnes passed through. In the 1980s, a deep recession, dropping mineral prices and the closing of Soviet markets to Canadian grain saw business take a dive. Last year, the Seaway moved about 43 million tonnes of cargo. It is operating at about 60 per cent capacity. Still, optimism is running high. Johnston, whose group represents all aspects of the shipping industry, believes efforts to brand water as the environmentally friendly transportation option could boost tonnage numbers. And he also sees renewed interest among governments in filling Canada's so-called "infrastructure gap" by investing in sewers, water mains, roads and, yes, canals. At the end of this year, a government report detailing the entire Seaway system and laying out a strategic plan for the future of the waterway will be released. Johnston expects the answers on canal expansion will be in there. Robin Brock hopes so. The Thorold mayor would like to see Old Lakeview Cemetery, expropriated for the project, officially returned to the city, but believes the drive headed by former mayor Bill Longo in the early 1990s was their best shot. "I think they've exhausted every avenue and it's continued to fall on deaf ears," she said. Brock said that unlike in past years, Thorold and the Seaway have a "good relationship," citing their co-operation on the proposed Lake Gibson park, a pet project of hers. She said if this report doesn't mention Welland Canal expansion or these lands, then it will be time to go back to Ottawa with questions at the ready. Almost all of the expropriated territory is in Niagara-on-the-Lake, but Lord Mayor Gary Burroughs said it rarely comes up. A few times a year, a developer will ask about some apparently available property, but that's about it. He said he would like to have the situation resolved, but isn't too concerned about how long the Seaway takes to decide what to do. One politician who has raised the issue is Niagara Falls MP Rob Nicholson. When some expropriated farmers around Montreal's Mirabel Airport were sold back their land in 1991 during his first stint as a Tory MP, he asked about the fifth canal in the House of Commons. And again as a regional councillor in 2000, Nicholson said: "The St. Lawrence Seaway has known for 30 years that they are not going to build that canal." Now, on the 40th anniversary of the expropriation, Nicholson, the government House leader, said he will be asking the transport minister to look into the matter. "If they continue to claim they may need that land, then where are the plans?" he said. "I didn't buy it in the early '90s and I'm still not convinced they need the land." From the St. Catharines Standard |
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Port Reports - May 30 Marquette - Rod Burdick Sandusky - Jim Spencer Toronto - Charlie Gibbons Alpena - Ben & Chanda McClain Goderich - Dale Baechler |
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Updates - May 30 News Photo Gallery updated Public Photo Gallery updated Gathering Page updated. Calendar of Events updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 30 On 30 May 1896, ALGERIA (3-mast wooden schooner-barge, 285 foot, 2,038 gross tons) was launched by J. Davidson (Hull #75) at West Bay City, Michigan. She lasted until 1906, when she foundered near Cleveland, Ohio. The COLUMBIA STAR began her maiden voyage in 1981, from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin to load iron ore pellets at Silver Bay, Minnesota for Lorain, Ohio. She was the last of the 1,000 footers to enter service and, excluding tug-barge units or conversions, was the last new Great Lakes vessel on the American side. During the economic depression known as the "Panic of '73", shipbuilding came to a stand still. Orders for new vessels were cancelled and worked was stopped on hulls that were on the ways. On 30 May 1874, the Port Huron Times reported that a recovery from the "Panic of '73" resulted in a surge of shipyard work at Marine City. "Shipyards are getting ready to start business again with full force. Mr. Fin Kenyon has begun building a steam barge for Kenyon Bros. [the PORTER CHAMBERLAIN]; Mr. George King is going to build a steam barge for Mr. Henry Buttironi [the GERMANIA]; Messrs. Hill and Wescott are going to build a side wheel passenger boat for Mr. Eber Ward [the NORTHERNER]; Mr. David Lester will build another steam barge [the CITY OF DULUTH]. There is one barge on the stocks built by Mr. Hill for Mr. Morley, that will soon be ready to launch [the N K FAIRBANK]. "At about 1:00 a.m. on 30 May 1882, the lumber hooker ROCKET, carrying shingles from Manistee to Charlevoix, capsized about four miles abreast of Frankfort, Michigan on Lake Michigan. The tug HALL found the vessel and towed her inside the harbor. The crew were saved, but the vessel was split open and was a total wreck. Data from: Jody Aho, Joe Barr, 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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New Mackinaw Returns to Wisconsin for Maintenance 5/29 - MARINETTE, Wis. - It's time for an oil change and a tune-up. That's the feeling for members of the crew of the new U.S. Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw, undergoing warranty repairs and other service work here at the Marinette Marine Corporation dock on the Menominee River. “We're having a lot of things taken care of, just getting through a work list we've had for some time,” explained Cmdr. John Little. “These are jobs that are best handled by the shipyard. We have a lot of manufacturers reps who have come in to see how their equipment is functioning for us and how they can better adapt some things to conditions and situations we've encountered.” It's a normal visit to the shop for a ship like the Mac, which has returned to its birthplace. The Mackinaw was launched here on April 2, 2005. “We still have a few crewmembers who are commuting between Cheboygan and here to see their families, plus now a lot of people are getting back to Cheboygan when they can to visit families who are there,” Little continued. “We're looking forward to getting back and preparing for our big day.” The “big day” would be June 10, when the new Mackinaw will be commissioned and the original Mackinaw decommissioned at the Millard D. Olds Memorial Moorings in Cheboygan. It will be a unique set of ceremonies featuring two ships that are the pride of the Great Lakes. Invitations have been sent out by the original Mackinaw's crew to former crewmembers to attend the ceremony. Family members and friends of the ship will also be coming to town along with political allies, manufacturers representatives and ship's sponsors. The new Mackinaw will have somewhat of a new look topside when it returns to Cheboygan. A new smokestack muffler covering has been built, slightly changing the ship's lines and profile. When the Mackinaw was undergoing sea trials a year ago, it was discovered that the vessel was quite noisy because of a lack of sound insulation around the stack. A temporary muffler covering was installed, but is being replaced while the icebreaker is here for repairs. One repair that will not be addressed yet is the dent on the starboard bow picked up when it hit a breakwall during the cutter's initial cruise last December in Grand Haven. That will be repaired this fall when the ship returns to Wisconsin for a stay in dry-dock. From the Cheboygan Daily Tribune |
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Port Reports - May 29 Calumet River / So. Chicago - Tom Milton Hamilton - Eric Holmes Saginaw River - Eric Jylha Marquette - Rod Burdick Fairport Harbor - Bob Hunter Grand Haven Dick Fox River Rouge - Nathan Nietering Toledo - Toronto - Charlie Gibbons |
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Updates - May 29 News Photo Gallery updated Public Photo Gallery updated Gathering Page updated. Calendar of Events updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 29 The 71-foot tug and patrol boat CARTER H HARRISON was launched at Chicago, Illinois on 29 May 1901, for the City of Chicago Police Department. The STADACONA (Hull#66) was launched in 1909, at Ecorse, Michigan by Great Lakes Engineering Works for the Stadacona Steamship Co. (James Playfair, mgr.). Renamed b.) W H MC GEAN in 1920, and c.) ROBERT S McC NAMARA in 1962. JAMES R BARKER (Hull#905) was float launched in 1976, at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. for the Interlake Steamship Co. Canada Steamship Lines Ltd.’s TADOUSSAC (Hull#192) prematurely launched herself on this day in 1969, at Collingwood, Ontario by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd. May 29, 1905 -- The PERE MARQUETTE 20, while leaving Milwaukee in a heavy fog struck the scow HIRAM R BOND of the Milwaukee Sand Gravel Company. The scow sank. In 1909, the ANN ARBOR NO 4 capsized at Manistique, Michigan as a result of an error in loading a heavy load of iron ore. On 29 May 1889, BAVARIA (3-mast wooden schooner-barge, 145 foot, 376 gross tons, built in 1873, at Garden Island, Ontario) was carrying squared timber when she broke from the tow of the steamer D D CALVIN and began to founder near Long Point in Lake Erie. Her crew abandoned her, but all eight were lost. The abandoned vessel washed ashore with little damage and lasted until 1898 when she was destroyed in a storm. PLEASURE (wooden passenger ferry, 128 foot, 489 gross tons) (Hull#104) was launched at West Bay City, Michigan by F.W. Wheeler & Co. on 29 May 1894. She was a small but powerful ferry, equipped with a 1600 h.p. engine. She operated on the Detroit River year round as a ferry and small ice breaker for the Detroit, Belle Isle and Windsor Ferry Company. She was broken up at Detroit in 1940. Data from: Jody Aho, Max Hanley, 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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Saginaw River Mishap Involving Manistee 5/28 - Update - Two crewmen from the Manistee were transported to the hospital on Saturday after the work boat they were in capsized while handling lines. Both men were treated and released after a precautionary exam including x-rays and stitches for one of the men who sustained a cut over his eye. Reported by Todd Shorkey Original Article - 5/27 - 8:00 p.m. - There was an incident involving the Manistee Saturday morning at the Wirt Stone dock near the Zilwaukee Bridge on the Saginaw river. A boat with two of the crew was lowered to the water to help with docking and it was reported to be swamped by prop wash. Another boat was lowered to pick them up, they were clinging to the overturned craft. Water temp 49, they were in the water 15 minutes according to the scanner traffic. Reported by Eric Jylha, WNEM TV-5, Saginaw. |
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Toledo Plans Terminal to Receive Great Lakes Cruise Ships 5/28 - Toledo -- City officials are hoping to lure more tourist dollars with a terminal that will receive Great Lakes cruise ship passengers. The terminal, which officials plan to begin designing and building this summer, will feature shops and a restaurant. It's been in the works for nine years. The go-ahead came last week when the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority's board of directors approved spending the $611,000 required to match federal grants worth $2.45 million. The board has hired Poggemeyer Design Group to oversee the design and construction of the terminal, which also will have a U.S. Customs office and boater amenities such as showers and restrooms. The city will pay $3 million for a 180-slip marina as part of the project, with help from a $226,500 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The port authority risked losing the federal money it has been receiving since 1997 if the project did not move forward, said Jim Mettler, the port authority's vice president for new projects. The project originally was conceived as a ferry service to transport passengers to and from a casino in Windsor, Ontario, but that concept was changed when Detroit began offering casino gambling. Mettler said the Great Lakes cruise ship industry is not well known in the region because it lacks a port of call. "It's very popular with Europeans for similar reasons Americans like the Caribbean: You can see a lot on one vacation without having to pack or unpack your bags," he said. One company offering cruises, American Canadian Caribbean Line, runs ships from Chicago through Michigan's Mackinac Island to Cleveland. Development along the Maumee River has delayed construction of the Toledo terminal, Mettler said. Once it is built, Mettler said he believes the city could attract six to eight cruise ships each year. From the Detroit Free Press |
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Port Reports - May 28 Saginaw River - Gordy Garris & Todd Shorkey The captain kept in contact with the outbound tug/barge G.L. Ostrander and Integrity and asked for them to slow as they approached the scene so that the rest of the crew could get the other two crew members on lines boat #2 and aboard the ship and also so that the ship could move closer to the dock to tie the lines for an easier pass. Once the G.L. Ostrander/Integrity passed the Manistee, the two crew members involved in the line boat #1 capsizing from the Manistee's prop wash were rushed to the Hospital for a precautionary exam. Both men were treated and released. The Manistee finished unloading her cargo at the Saginaw Wirt dock by 11 a.m. and tied her stern lines to the tug Gregory J. Busch for the tow down river to the Airport turning basin to turn. This is not an unusual process, as now the Sixth Street turning basin North of the I-675 Henry Marsh bridge in Saginaw is now as shallow 14 ft. in some areas which is too shallow to accommodate ships with a draft as deep as the Manistee's. Only some ships attempt to turn in the Sixth Street turning basin with or without the assistance of the tug Gregory J. Busch. She finished the turn at the Airport turning basin by 1:30 p.m., and headed out bound for the lake. Next, was the tug G.L. Ostrander and her cement barge Integrity out bound from the Lafarge Cement Terminal in Carrollton early Saturday morning headed up stream to the Sixth Street turning basin to turn around. She finished her turn by 7:15 a.m. headed down bound for the lake. She stayed in contact with the Manistee who was still docking at the Saginaw Wirt dock at the time, and were getting crew members aboard after the line boat incident. She was clear of the Manistee and out bound past the I-75 bridge in Zilwaukee by 8:15 a.m., outbound for the lake. She also passed the Joyce L. VanEnkevort/Great Lakes Trader and the CSL Tadoussac at their unloading docks on her way out bound to the lake. The G.L. Ostrander/Integrity had arrived early Friday morning. The CSL Tadoussac was out bound from the Essorc Cement Terminal in Essexville after unloading cement Clinker. The Tadoussac waited for the out bound Manistee to clear before departing. Once the Manistee was clear, the Tadoussac backed from the dock, turned around at Light 12 in the Saginaw Bay Entrance Channel, and was out bound for the lake early Saturday afternoon. Finally, the tug Joyce L. VanEnkevort and the barge Great Lakes Trader were in bound early Saturday morning, with a split load for the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt docks to unload. She made the Bay City Wirt dock about 15 minutes after the Manistee had cleared the dock up river to Saginaw. The tug Joyce L. VanEnkevort and the barge Great Lakes Trader finished unloading at the Bay Wirt dock just before the noon hour, and waited at the dock for 2 hours and 30 minutes for the out bound Manistee to clear. Once Manistee was clear, the pair continued up river to finish their unload at the Saginaw Wirt dock. The tug Joyce L. VanEnkevort and the barge Great Lakes Trader finished unloading their cargo at the Saginaw Wirt dock by 9:30 p.m. and tied her stern lines to the tug Gregory J. Busch for the tow down river to the Airport turning basin to turn. She finished the turn at the Airport turning basin by midnight, headed out bound for the lake. This was tug Joyce L. VanEnkevort and the barge Great Lakes Trader's second visit to the Saginaw River within the past 45 hours. Rouge River - Nathan Nietering Goderich - Dale Baechler Grand Haven - Dick Fox |
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Updates - May 28 News Photo Gallery updated Public Photo Gallery updated Gathering Page updated. Calendar of Events updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 28 THOMAS W LAMONT departed Toledo on her maiden voyage for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. on May 28, 1930, bound for Duluth, Minnesota where she loaded iron ore. May 28, 1900 -- The PERE MARQUETTE 15 cut down the scow SILVER LAKE, sinking her with the loss of one life. On 28 May 1902, WINONA (wooden propeller passenger/package freight steamer, 100 foot, 231 gross tons) was launched at Port Stanley, Ontario for the Port Stanley Navigation Company. She lasted until 1931, when she burned to a total loss. On 28 May 1860, ARCTIC (wooden side-wheeler, 237 foot, 861 tons, built in 1851, at Marine City, Michigan) drove ashore on the east side of Lighthouse Island in Lake Superior in a dense fog. The passengers and crew were able to make it to shore before a storm arose and pounded the ARCTIC to pieces. The passengers and crew were later picked up by the steamer FOUNTAIN CITY. The ferry SARNIA made her first trip as a carferry between Port Huron and Sarnia on 27 May 1879. She had burned in January 1879, then was converted to a carferry and served in that capacity during the summer. In September 1879, she was converted to a barge. Lake Street Bridge seem to be a particular mark for the steamers of the Western Transit Line. Since the boats began to run about the Chicago river without tugs, collisions with this bridge have been numerous, owing to its location on the bend of the south branch. To-day the steamer SYRACUSE ran into the west approach, doing $500 damage. The BOSTON recently struck in the same place. The steamer NIKO fouled the North Halsted Street Bridge and carried away her pilot house and texas deck. Detroit, Michigan, May 28. - Fog and smoke in the St. Clair River and the narrow channels of the flats are once more troubling vesselmen and every morning when the atmosphere is clouded the reports come down to Detroit of numerous groundings and mixups and some of them smack of seriousness and narrow escapes from disastrous collisions. On Thursday morning the rivers were overhung with mist and fully half a dozen craft struck on the mud banks, but only one of them, the CITY OF ROME, ran out any and had to be assisted by a wrecking tug. Captains are well aware of the tortuous course of the flats channel and take no chances, but slow down on the coming of the fog and crawl along. If they happen to keep their course so much the better and if the channel bank is run into the engines are reversed and the boat lies to for the blowing away of the curtain. There is no help for this obstacle, lights, fog whistles and all other signals would serve but to confuse the mariners and so long as the narrow channels remain the lake boats will be in constant danger of hitting the channel sides in a fog. Good Harbor, Michigan, May 31. - The steamer OWEGO of the Erie Railway line went ashore at the head of North Manitou Island at 8 o’clock yesterday. Her forward compartment is full of water. The OWEGO left Chicago Tuesday bound for Buffalo. Her cargo consists of grain and merchandise. Data from: Jody Aho, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series, the Detroit Free Press and the Duluth Evening Herald. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history. |
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Ryerson May Return to Service 5/27 - Duluth - A long-idled freighter soon may return to service on the Great Lakes. A crew in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., is assessing the Edward L. Ryerson to determine whether the 730-foot vessel might sail again after more than a seven-year lay up. Lee Barr, vice president of Central Marine Logistics Inc., said the evaluation is ongoing and no determination has been made about the laker's future. The Ryerson is owned by Mittal Steel but has been operated by Central Marine, based in Griffith, Ind. The straight-deck steamer was built in 1960 and lacks self-unloading equipment. Most lakers in service are self-unloaders, which use an adjustable boom and conveyor belt system to independently discharge cargo. Barr said there are no plans to convert the Ryerson into a self-unloader because of cost, but there still could be a future for the ship as demand for freighters on the Great Lakes increases. Barr declined to discuss any specifics, but Boatnerd, a Web site catering to Great Lakes boat watchers, says reports indicate the vessel would likely make regular calls on Duluth, Escanaba and Indiana Harbor if it resumes activity -- possibly as early as June or July. The Ryerson isn't the only laker that could come out of retirement. Last month, Interlake Steamship Co. of Richfield, Ohio, put the 806-foot John Sherwin into drydock at Fraser Shipyards in Superior. The Sherwin, too, lacks self-unloading equipment and has sat idle for more than 20 years in the Twin Ports. Interlake is considering whether to refit the laker with self-unloading equipment. That could cost more than $15 million. Interlake has not disclosed its plans for the Sherwin. From the Duluth News-Tribune |
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Seaway Traffic Up 30% 5/27 - The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation estimates traffic on the seaway is up 30 per cent so far this year, as of the end of April. The seaway opened for shipping vessels in late March. Increases were noted in shipments of steel, grain, iron ore and coal. Iron ore and coal shipments were cited as being related to increased steel production in Canada and the U.S. But a significant amount of steel imports from overseas is also a factor in the increased seaway traffic. Seaway officials say increased use of the system is a testament to the economic feasibility of using marine shipping. "If you want to consider the cost of shipping a tonne of cargo, marine transportation is by far the cheapest mode available," said Andrew Bogora, spokesman for the seaway management agency. "That not only extends when comparing marine to air travel, but also when comparing marine to rail or truck modes." Bogora said shipping between points within North America accounts for most of the seaway's activity. Even for time-sensitive shipments, Bogora said the seaway is a reliable option, particularly because it seldom faces border bottlenecks. Richard Corfe, CEO of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, was recently on a trade mission to China encouraging use of the seaway to Chinese firms. Bogora said, to bypass congestion at Pacific ports in places such as Vancouver and Los Angeles, many shipments from Asia are going through the Suez Canal toward ports on the east coast, as far north as Halifax. If the seaway were to become widely used for shipments coming from Asia, Bogora said seaway traffic could be doubled with no needed infrastructure upgrades or hiring for his agency. However, he said some ports may have to enhance their facilities to take advantage of such opportunities. Bob Hennessy, general manager for the Port of Prescott, said there has been some increase in shipments there, but not with the types of products seaway management has cited as being significant for the whole system. Hennessy said his port isn't involved in transferring coal, steel or iron ore. While grain is moved at the Port of Prescott, Hennessy said none has gone out so far this year. He said the increases he's seen are for road salt being shipped out.
However, he said it's too early in the season to assume it will be like this
for the rest of the year. "We're up for this time of year, but we may be
getting the ships now instead of later in the season," he said. "I'm not
counting my chickens before the end of the year." However, he said there are environmental hazards associated with shipping by water, such as the transportation of marine wildlife to areas where they are not native. He used the example of zebra mussels, native to the Caspian Sea but widely found in the St. Lawrence River and associated bodies of water in recent decades. Zebra mussels have no natural predators in this area and multiply rapidly, causing problems such as clogging water-intake pipes and destroying plant life, McDermott said. McDermott also noted the environmental threat posed by the risk of cargo spills in the water. As well, he said that fact that coal shipments are up is a concern for the Sierra Club. "Coal is about the most environmentally damaging of the fossil fuels in terms of what it emits when you burn it," he said. "You hear about clean-coal technology, but at this point there aren't commercial applications for that; it's still largely a theory." From the Brockville Recorder & Times |
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Team Resumes Search for Plane Lost in 1950 5/27 - South Haven, Mich. -- When search crews cast off from Chicago
shores 56 years ago to find a Northwest Airlines DC-4 that had seemingly
vanished over Lake Michigan, they believed it would be a rescue mission. No
one could have imagined that the lake would keep the fate and location of
Flight 2501 a secret for more than half a century. From the Chicago Tribune Note: More about Flight 2501 and the DC-4 can be found at http://www.michiganshipwrecks.org/dc4.htm |
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American Niagara Falls to Dwindle to a Trickle 5/27 - It's North America's most spectacular expression of nature's power, and a symbol of the enduring friendship between two nations that share a border, a history and one thunderingly awesome tourist attraction. But the United States, according to an innovative new study in futuristic geology, is going to lose its side of Niagara Falls, giving Canada -- if it still exists, that is -- a rock-solid hold on the honeymoon market -- of the next millennium. The predicted demise of the American Falls in about 1,000 years is just one of the intriguing forecasts highlighted by University of Wisconsin scientist Steven Dutch in a paper titled The Earth Has a Future, published in the latest edition of the academic journal Geosphere. Other predictions with a Canadian connection include: "A futurist approach can serve to correct some common misconceptions," writes Dutch, who is urging fellow researchers to adopt a new way of "visualizing geologic time" to broaden a branch of science now focused squarely on the planet's past. "We can fail to realize that geologic features are a snapshot of processes that were highly dynamic and changeable," Dutch argues. "Our inability to see ourselves as part of a continuum of processes that will continue into the future is also directly linked to our shortsightedness in managing our environment." He adds that contrary to the view that "all geologic changes are slow and imperceptible," many observable changes "take place even on the scale of a human lifetime, and even more significant changes have occurred during the span of recorded history." In another 50,000 years or so, Dutch says, the Falls will have retreated all the way back to Buffalo, causing Lake Erie to drain rapidly down a freshly cut gorge and into Lake Ontario. It's a spectacle that people on both sides of the border -- assuming certain nations and species are still around -- will be able to enjoy equally. From The Saskatoon StarPhoenix |
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Port Reports - May 27 Buffalo - Brian Wroblewski Alpena - Ben& Chanda McClain The John G. Munson, Great Lakes Trader, and McKee Sons have been visitors at Stoneport lately. Fairport Harbor - Bob Hunter Hamilton - Eric Holmes Marquette - Rod Burdick Milwaukee - John Vogel Rouge River - Nathan Nietering Toledo - Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey & Gordy Garris Inbound late Friday night was the Manistee, giving a security call for Light 1 at 11:00 pm. She was inbound with a split load for the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt docks. After lightering in Bay City, the Manistee made the Saginaw Wirt dock around 7:30 am Saturday morning. She was expected to be outbound early in the afternoon. The CSL Tadoussac was inbound the Saginaw River around 3:00 am, Saturday morning, for the Essroc dock in Essexville to unload clinker. She was expected to be outbound early in the afternoon. The tug Joyce L. Van Enkevort and barge Great Lakes Trader arrived at the Bay City Wirt dock to lighter around 6:30 am Saturday morning. This is the third trip for the pair to the Saginaw River since Monday. They were expected to call on the Saginaw Wirt Dock to finish unloading once the Manistee clears the dock. |
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Updates - May 27 News Photo Gallery updated Public Photo Gallery updated Gathering Page updated. Calendar of Events updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 27 CANADIAN PIONEER (Hull#67) was launched May 27, 1981, at St. Catharines, Ontario by Port Weller Drydocks Ltd. for Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd. She was renamed b.) PIONEER in 1987. NANTICOKE was christened in 1980, for Canada Steamship Lines Ltd. CHARLES DICK (Hull#71) was launched in 1922, at Collingwood, Ontario by Collingwood Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. for National Sand & Material Co. Ltd. The PETER REISS left Duluth, Minnesota May 27, 1910, on her maiden voyage with iron ore for Ashtabula, Ohio. She was converted to a self-unloader in 1949, and scrapped at Rameys Bend in 1973. HENRY STEINBRENNER was towed from Toledo's Lakefront Dock in 1994, for the scrap yard at Port Maitland, Ontario. The tug SMITH burned near Bay City, Michigan on 27 May 1872. Her loss was valued at $7,000 but there was no insurance on her. The ferry SARNIA made her first trip as a carferry between Port Huron and Sarnia on 27 May 1879. She had burned in January 1879, then was converted to a carferry and served in that capacity during the summer. In September, 1879, she was converted to a barge. The tug GORMAN, sunk by the steamer CITY OF BUFFALO was raised. She is not much injured. The local steamboat inspectors have taken up the case of the collision. The crew of the tug claim that their boat was run over by the CITY OF BUFFALO and the appearance of the wreck carries out their declaration, for the tug shows that the steamer struck her straight aft. 27 May 1898 - The tug WINSLOW arrived in Bay City, Michigan to-night from Georgian Bay with a raft of logs for Eddy Bros. & Co. The tug NIAGARA arrived this morning from the same bay with a raft for Pitts & Co. The saw mills along the Saginaw river are now nearly all in operation. On 31 May 1900, the KEWAUNEE (wooden propeller steamer, 106 foot, 143 gross tons) was launched at Kewaunee, Wisconsin for James Smith, Ben Kuhlman & William Keeper. In 1902, she was rebuilt as a lightship and in 1913, she was converted to a sand dredge. She lasted until 1935, when she was abandoned. Data from: Jody Aho, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series, Bowling Green State University, the Detroit Free Press and the Duluth Evening Herald. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history. |
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Sale of Rochester Fast Ferry Going Slowly 5/26 - Rochester, N.Y. - The city of Rochester had hoped the Fast Ferry would be gone by now. But the sale is being held up over several issues. The city announced three weeks ago that Euroferries plans to buy the ship for about 30 million dollars. But Mayor Bob Duffy says the deal still hasn't been finalized. That's a problem, because it's costing the city $200,000 a month to have the ferry sit in port. Duffy says the buyer has given no indication it's not going to go through with the deal. There have just been several sticking points, such as a problem with the engine warranty. The engines have been plagued by problems since the ferry arrived in Rochester in 2004. The city has spent more than a million dollars on repairs and upgrades. The high-speed ferry service operated for two years on Lake Ontario between Rochester and Toronto before Rochester officials pulled the plug on the operation because it was losing millions of dollars. Rochester is left with a 19 million dollar debt from last year's 40 million dollar purchase of the ferry. From WSTM-TV |
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Port Reports - May 26 Kingston - Ron Walsh Toronto - Charlie Gibbons Marquette - Lee Rowe Buffalo - Brian Wroblewski Hamilton - Eric Holmes Toledo - South Chicago - Steve B. Saginaw River - Gordy Garris Detroit - Nathan Nietering |
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Updates - May 26 News Photo Gallery updated Public Photo Gallery updated Gathering Page updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 26 On 26 May 1888, BLANCHE (2-mast wooden schooner, 95 foot, 92 gross tons, built in 1874, at Mill Point, Ontario) was carrying coal with a crew of five on Lake Ontario. She was lost in a squall somewhere between Oswego, New York and Brighton, Ontario. In 1979, the FRED R WHITE JR. departed the shipyard on her maiden voyage to load iron ore pellets at Escanaba, Michigan for Cleveland, Ohio. The J A W IGLEHART began its maiden Great Lakes voyage in 1965, for the Huron Portland Cement Co. The straight deck bulk freighter FRANKCLIFFE HALL began its maiden voyage in 1963. Deepened and converted to a self-unloader in 1980. She was renamed b.) HALIFAX in 1988.SCOTT MISENER (Hull#14) was launched in 1954, at St. Catharines, Ontario by Port Weller Drydocks Ltd. for Colonial Steamships Ltd. She was scrapped at Alang, India in 1990. In 1923, the ANN ARBOR NO 4 was towed to the shipyard in Manitowoc, Wisconsin by the ANN ARBOR NO 5 with the assistance of the tug ARTIC. The NO 4 was completely overhauled and had all new cabins built on her main deck. QUEEN OF THE LAKES was launched at the Kirby & Ward yard in Wyandotte, Michigan on 26 May 1872. She was the first iron hulled vessel built in Michigan. On 26 May 1873, the iron propeller revenue cutter GEO S BOUTWELL (Hull#15) was launched at D. Bell Steam Engine Works in Buffalo, New York. Her dimensions were 140 feet x 22 feet x 17.5 feet, 151 gross tons. She served out of Savannah, Georgia (1874-1899) and Newbern, North Carolina (1899-1907). The tug GORMAN, which was sunk by the steamer CITY OF BUFFALO was raised today. She is not much injured. The local steamboat inspectors have taken up the case of the collision. The crew of the tug claim that their boat was run over by the CITY OF BUFFALO and the appearance of the wreck carries out their declaration, for the tug shows that the steamer struck her straight aft. Data from: Jody Aho, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series, the Detroit Free Press and the Duluth Evening Herald. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history. |
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Activity on Edward L. Ryerson; May Sail This Season 5/25 - The Edward L. Ryerson may sail again, and soon. Workers were busy earlier this week running various tests as well as conducting an inventory of equipment needed before the idle vessel can sail, according to waterfront observers in Sturgeon Bay. Reports also indicate the handsome vessel will be placed in the drydock for hull evaluation sometime next week. The Ryerson is in need of a five-year Coast Guard inspection before she will be allowed to sail. Radars, removed for use on other vessels, will have to be replaced and AIS will need to be installed. There has been no official announcement from Central Marine Logistics, which would operate the vessel for owner Mittal Steel. In lay up since the end of the 1998 shipping season at Sturgeon Bay, it had been widely believed that the career of classic, 730-foot, straight-deck steamer was over, doomed by her lack of self-unloading equipment, high crew size and expensive steam power plant. Improved demand for ore may be behind this renewed interest in the Ryerson. If plans to refit the vessel go ahead, it is hoped she would be ready to sail by the end of June or early July. Reports indicate her runs would include trips from Escanaba and Duluth to Indiana Harbor. |
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Maritime Academy, SC4 Joining Forces 5/25 - Port Huron - Many Blue Water Area students grow up watching freighters travel up and down the St. Clair River. But as the vessels move swiftly and distantly, few students have the opportunity to see or think of the people working aboard them. "It is a silent industry," said Capt. Mike Surgalski of the State of Michigan, a 225-foot training ship used by the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City. St. Clair County Community College (SC4) is hoping to change that. College President Rose Bellanca on Tuesday signed a partnership agreement with the maritime academy that will allow students to begin their studies at the local college and then transfer 45 core credits to the academy, where they will learn to work on the freighters. Bellanca and other officials gathered Tuesday evening to celebrate the partnership aboard the State of Michigan, which was docked at the Seaway Terminal. The academy, which is affiliated with Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City, trains students either to be deck officers, who are responsible for navigation and overseeing the loading and unloading of cargoes, or engineers, who are responsible for engine operation and maintenance. The programs take about two years to complete. It is an excellent partnership for SC4 students, Bellanca said. "If you grow up on the water, you might want to work on the water," she said. The agreement allows SC4 students to pursue the high-paying jobs that are virtually guaranteed upon graduation from the academy, she said. Surgalski said 100% of the students who graduated in the past 10 years were given jobs on Great Lakes or ocean-bound vessels and he is confident that trend will continue. The average age now of a merchant marine officer is 56. As they retire, there will be many openings for the next generation, Surgalski said. Jason Dominiak, 27, of Chicago, said he enrolled in the academy because of the promise of high pay. "Eventually I will be making good money," he said Tuesday while sitting with a group of other first-year students. Dominiak said he spent eight years in the Navy and figured it was a good fit. But it isn't easy, he said. Many students drop out of the program before they finish, Dominiak said. "It's a hard lifestyle," said Dan Luglio, 19 of Muskego, Wis. From the Port Huron Times Herald |
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TSA, Coast Guard to Release Proposed TWIC Rules 5/25 - The Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Coast
Guard have approved Notices of Proposed Rule-Making that would make port
workers and merchant mariners the first to use a new biometric security
credential program for transportation workers, according to an advance copy of
the TSA notice. The Coast Guard is expected to release its own proposed regulation the same day. It would streamline the current credentialing process for merchant mariners and make that process coordinate better with the one for TWIC. The maritime implementation of TWIC will build on the Coast Guard¹s current credentialing programs, the notice states. The Coast Guard must change its regulations to require merchant mariners to have TWIC cards. TSA would apply the same security threat assessment standards to merchant mariners and workers that it currently does to commercial drivers who transport hazardous materials, the notice states. Merchant mariners and workers who want unescorted access to secure areas of port facilities and vessels regulated under the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 must have a TWIC card, the notice states. The requirement would apply to longshoremen, employees of port operators, truck drivers, rail workers and others. Owners and operators of ports and vessels must integrate TWIC into their current access control systems, according to the notice. To participate, facilities and ships must buy card readers and update their approved security plans to include TWIC. The proposed rules also detail how employers would be notified if a TWIC holder is found to be a security threat. TWIC will apply to 750,000 workers, who would pay for the program through fees, the notice states. Most workers would pay $149 each, while those with current, applicable background checks would pay about $95. A replacement card would cost $36. TSA would collect workers¹ personal and employee information, photos and 10 fingerprints, the notice states. The agency will screen applicants through criminal background checks and terrorist watch lists, and check their immigration status. The TWIC document would be a smart card that presents the worker¹s name and photo and includes biometric information and numerous means to prevent fraud, the notice states. The cards would follow Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12, which requires federal workers and contractors to have secure credentials to access federal buildings and information technology networks. The cards would also adhere to Federal Information Processing Standard 201-1, which outlines technical requirements for the credentials. TWIC cards would be interoperable with other federal credentials that follow those standards. The cards would be valid for five years. Each card would contain two electronic chips that hold the user¹s encrypted data, the notice states. The data would include minutiae templates of two fingers, a personal identification number and a federal smart card number. From FWC.com |
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Metroparks Acquire 28 Acres that Overlook Maumee River in Toledo 5/25 - Toledo - Toledo Area Metroparks officials have eyed the banks of the Maumee River for years, looking for a place to turn vacant space into recreational land. Yesterday the Metroparks board agreed to purchase 28 acres of land just south of the Anthony Wayne Bridge and east of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Plaza with hopes of turning it into Toledo's first riverfront Metropark. Using a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the parks bought the land from the Samuel Geraldo Trust for $1.25 million. "We're very fortunate to have the resources to get this waterfront property that has been unused and abused all these years," said Jack Gallon, president of the Metroparks' board of commissioners. "We would want to make that area grow again with trees and a place for the public to walk on trails." The purchase ends a several-month process that included environmental testing. The tests showed that no soil removal or remediation was necessary, although the site will have to undergo a significant surface cleanup. An upriver area that is a part of what is known locally as the Middlegrounds, the project includes 2,300 feet of frontage along the Maumee River. The site consists of a mixture of old fields, young wooded areas, and open water. Park officials hope to one day create a natural oasis near downtown, which would also be the only Metroparks presence in urban portions of Toledo. But that transformation will have to wait a while. It will probably wait at least likely until the next vote on an operating levy, because officials estimate it will cost about $80,000 to clean up the site and about $1.5 million to develop a park. Tim Schetter, land acquisition agent for the parks, said the land has long been identified by Metroparks officials, who have been on the lookout for riverfront property after voters identified it as a high priority. Currently, the parks own four riverfront parks, but none is located in Toledo. The park would join Side Cut Metropark in Maumee and a string of parks from Waterville to Grand Rapids, including Farnsworth, Bend View, and Providence metroparks. The project would join Swan Creek Preserve Metropark and the Toledo Botanical Garden as the only Metroparks properties located within the city of Toledo. The project area was at one time a railroad yard, which was very active in the late 1800s, said John Jaeger, director of natural resources. In fact, Norfolk Southern Railroad still owns a half-interest in portions of the land that the parks recently purchased, meaning that the railroad would be required to sign off on any proposed plans for the 9.5 acres fronting the river. According to information given to the board of commissioners, the railroad could "prohibit public access on the portion of the property for which they share one-half interest" but they could not build anything on it that the Metroparks considers harmful to its interests. "It is a significant chunk of land," Mr. Jaeger said. "This project offers accessibility for people in the urban centers of Toledo." Mr. Schetter said that the money to buy the property was secured with the help of Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo). In February, 2005, the Metroparks were designated by Miss Kaptur to receive nearly $1.5 million through NOAA's Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program. The purchase is even more welcome because the trans-action does not involve funds from local taxpayers. Lucas County voters approved a land acquisition levy in 2003 that has allowed the Metroparks to purchase more than 1,500 acres for preservation and recreation. From the Toledo Blade |
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Port Reports - May 25 Milwaukee - Paul Erspamer Rouge River - Nathan Nietering Toledo - Oshawa - Jim Gallacher Saginaw River - Gordy Garris & Todd Shorkey |
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Updates - May 25 News Photo Gallery updated, and more News Photo Gallery updates. Public Photo Gallery updated Gathering Page updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 25 On 25 May 1889, JAMES GARRETT (3-mast wooden schooner, 138 foot, 266 gross tons, built in 1868, at Sheboygan, Wisconsin) was driven ashore at Whitefish Bay near Sheboygan, Wisconsin on Lake Michigan in a gale. She was pounded to pieces by the end of the month. No lives were lost. On May 25, 1898, the PRESQUE ISLE (Hull#30) was launched at the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company in Cleveland, Ohio. The vessel is much better known as the cement carrier E M FORD, celebrating her 103rd birthday. May 25, 1941 -- The former Pere Marquette carferry PERE MARQUETTE 17 was re-christened CITY OF PETOSKEY. The wooden schooner J C DAUN was in her first year of service when she encountered a squall in Lake Erie on 25 May 1847, and she capsized five miles off Conneaut, Ohio. Four of the eleven on board were able to make it to her upturned keel, but one of them died of exposure during the night. In the morning, the schooner UNCLE SAM rescued the three remaining survivors. Later the steamer SARATOGA found the DAUN floating upside down, fully rigged with the bodies of some of the crew still lashed to the rigging. The DAUN was righted a few days later and towed in by the schooner D SMART. On 25 May 1854, DETROIT (wooden side-wheeler, 157 foot, 354 tons, built in 1846, at Newport, Michigan) was sailing from Detroit to Chicago with two lumber scows in tow. On Lake Huron, she collided with the bark NUCLEUS in heavy fog and sank. The exact location (15 miles off Pointe aux Barques) was not known until the wreck was discovered in 200 feet of water on 5 June 1994, by Dave Trotter and his determined divers. Data from: Jody Aho, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling
Collection, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, 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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Port Reports - May 24 Sandusky - Jim Spencer South End Lake Michigan - Tom Milton The tug Invincible and barge McKee Sons were back for their second visit in three days, this time with a split load for the Wirt Stone docks in Bay City and Saginaw. Inbound right behind the McKee Sons was the Buffalo, arriving Tuesday evening to unload at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. Both vessels should be outbound Wednesday morning. |
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Updates - May 23 News Photo Gallery updated. Public Photo Gallery updated Gathering Page updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 24 On 24 May 1872, the wooden schooner SAM ROBINSON was carrying corn from Chicago, Illinois to Kingston, Ontario in dense fog on Lake Michigan. At 7:30 a.m. the propeller MANISTEE collided with the schooner and almost cut her in two amidships. When the MANISTEE backed away, the schooner went over on its starboard side and its masts smashed the MANISTEE’s pilothouse and cabins. Luckily the ROBINSON’s crew launched their lifeboat before the schooner sank and they were picked up by the MANISTEE and taken to Milwaukee. In 1980, the 1,000 foot m/v BURNS HARBOR was christened for the Wilmington Trust Co., (Bethlehem Steel Co., Mgr.) Wilmington, DE. The CANADIAN OLYMPIC (Hull#60) was launched in 1976, at St. Catharines, Ontario by Port Weller Drydocks Ltd. for Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd. CHICAGO TRADER arrived at Ashtabula, Ohio on May 24, 1977, for scrapping (scrapping did not begin until May 1, 1978, by Triad Salvage Inc.) The CLIFFS VICTORY set a record (by 2 minutes) for the fastest time from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan to Duluth, Minnesota in 1953. She logged a time of 17 hours and 50 minutes. The CHARLES M WHITE had been declared the fastest earlier that year by the Cleveland papers. ALEXANDER B MOORE was launched at Bangor, Michigan on 24 May 1873. She was built by Theophilus Boston at a cost of $85,000. She was 247 foot overall, 223 foot keel and could carry 70,000 bushels of grain. Although designed as a 4-mast schooner, she was built as a 3-master. The fourth mast was added two years later. On 24 May 1875, the schooner NINA was bound from Michael's Bay to Goderich, Ontario, when she sprang a leak and went down in mid-lake. Her crew escaped in the yawl, but were adrift on Lake Huron for two days and two nights with only one loaf of bread to divide among themselves. 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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SLVCA Announces Engineer's Day Open House The Soo Locks Visitors Center Association will have a special meeting on Friday, June 30, 2006, from 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm, at the Soo Locks Visitors Center. The Center will remain open two extra hours to meet and greet Boatnerds. Bring your pictures to share, talk about displays, and spend a pleasant 2 hours inside. We will have tables set up for use, the theater is available, and we will have some free snacks available. |
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Boatnerd Cruise aboard Hammond Bay on July 15 The St. Clair River Boatnerd Cruise will be held July 15. A 3-hour narrated St. Clair River cruise on board the HAMMOND BAY passing Algonac, Harsens Island, Walpole Island, Seaway Island and the St. Clair Flats. Departure at 11:00. Cost: $30.00 Can., $25.00 US. including lunch. Free parking at dock. Alcohol not permitted on board or in dock area. Maximum 40 persons. Complete details on the Boatnerd Gathering page. |
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Port Reports - May 23 Buffalo - Brian Wroblewski St. Lawrence River - René Beauchamp Fairport Harbor - Herb Hubbel Milwaukee - Paul Erspamer Sandusky - Jim Spencer Hamilton - Eric Holmes Marquette - Lee Rowe Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey |
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Updates - May 23 News Photo Gallery updated. Public Photo Gallery updated Gathering Page updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 23 UNIQUE (wooden propeller passenger steamer, 163 foot, 381 gross tons, built in 1894, at Marine City, Michigan) was sold to Philadelphia parties for service on the Delaware River. She left Ogdensburg, New York on 23 May 1901, for Philadelphia. Her name was changed to DIAMOND STATE. In 1904, she was rebuilt as a yacht and lasted until 1915, when she burned in New York harbor. The WILLIAM J DE LANCEY was re-christened on May 23,1990, as b.) PAUL R TREGURTHA. She is the largest ship on the Great Lakes and also the last Great Lakes ship built at American Ship Building Co., Lorain, Ohio. American Steamship's H LEE WHITE completed sea trials on May 23, 1974. The FRED R WHITE Jr. completed her two day sea trials in 1979. The Tomlinson Fleet Corp.'s steel freighter SONOMA (Hull#610) was launched at West Bay City, Michigan by West Bay City Ship Building Co. on 23 May 1903. She was 416 feet long, 4,539 gross tons. Through her career she had various names: DAVID S TROXEL in 1924, SONOMA in 1927 and finally FRED L HEWITT in 1950. She was converted to an automobile carrier in 1928, converted back to a bulk carrier in 1942 and then converted to a barge for grain storage in 1955. She was finally scrapped in 1962, at Steel Co. of Canada Ltd. at Hamilton, Ontario. On 23 May 1889, the wooden steam barge OSCAR T FLINT (218 foot, 824 gross tons) was launched at the Simon Langell & Sons yard in St. Clair, Michigan. She lasted until 25 November 1909, when she burned and sank off Thunder Bay Island in Lake Huron. Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, 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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Latest Engine Trouble Spells Lay Up for Algoville 5/22 - Algoville's recent engine failure on Lake Huron left the vessel with only 5 cylinders running on its main engine. Cylinder #3 is now out of commission which gives the vessel the speed of 9 knots at best. Sources close to the action report that the ship is heading for lay up in Hamilton following discharge in Quebec City. It is reported that the company would then decide on the remedy for the ageing vessel either to repair the old engine or to re-power the vessel. Depending on the alternative chosen, the lay up could be as short as two months or as long as two years. This added to last week's news of Algonorth running again this year on only one engine also comes at a very bad time as straight deckers are in demand this season. |
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Help Wanted 5/22 - Upgrade your maritime career now with an exciting opportunity to apply your Great Lakes skills. Central Marine Logistics seeks responsible, self-motivated and independent person for shore-based MARINE OPERATIONS. Qualifications include strong engineering background, working knowledge of large vessel operations, good communication skills and ability to travel the Great Lakes area. Although computer and word processing skills are important, this is not a desk job; you will need a hard hat, you will be in charge of a variety of types of vessels, working at all hours and you will get dirty. Ample opportunity for advancement with addition of more responsibility. Attractive compensation package and flexible hours are just part of the benefits. Salaried position to start immediately. Interested applicants should email resume in Word to Tom at ops@intership.us No telephone inquires please. |
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St. Clair Power Plant Announces 20th Annual Old Timers Day and Open House 5/22 - Recors Point - The 20th annual Old Timers Day, and Antique Car & Rod Show is schedule for Friday, June 2, 2006. Events for the day include the antique car show, power plant tours and clubhouse social all starting at 1:00 pm. At 2:00 pm there will be a 50/50 raffle, followed by a dinner at 3:00 and presentations at 4:00 pm. The cost for the event is $1.00 for retirees and $6.00 for all other. The general public is invited. |
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Engineer's Day Coming Soon Only 39 days until Engineers Day at the Soo Locks!!(6/30/06) Only 238 days more until the Soo Locks are closed for the winter (1/15/07), and only307 days until the Soo Locks are open for the 2007 shipping season (3/25/07). Reservations Needed for Soo Boatnerd Cruise The Annual Boatnerd Engineer's Weekend Freighter Chasing Cruise. This annual trip aboard the Chief Shingwauk for a full three (3) hours leaving from Roberta Bondar Pavilion in Soo Ontario at 6:00 pm. Cruise will return at 9:00 p.m. Cost is C$30.00 per person. Price includes dinner. Cash bar on board. Make reservations by calling (705) 253-9850, or 1-877-226-3665. 9:30 p.m. - Special add-on Firework Cruise - July 1 is Canada's Birthday and the Chief Shingwauk is offering a special 1-1/2 hour fireworks cruise leaving a 9:30 p.m. The cost is C$10.00. Boatnerds who wish to stay aboard for the Fireworks Cruise must make reservations prior to June 15, 2006. Have you made your reservations? Complete details on the Boatnerd Gatherings Page. |
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Huron Lady Cruise Scheduled for June 3 There will be a special 2-hour tour of the St. Clair River aboard the Huron Lady II, beginning at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday June 3. Cost is $12.00. Pay as you board with cash or check, but you must make reservations by calling 810-984-1500 or 888-873-6726. The Huron Lady II departs from the southeast corner of Military Street and the Black River, next to the LaSalle Bank (formerly Standard Federal Bank) and the bridge. Complete details on the Boatnerd Gathering Page. |
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Port Reports - May 22 Soo - Lee Rowe Grand Haven - Dick Fox Hamilton - Eric Holmes Holland - Bob VandeVusse Alpena - Ben & Chanda McClain Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey Toronto - Charlie Gibbons |
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Updates - May 22 News Photo Gallery updated. Public Photo Gallery updated Gathering Page updated. Calendar of Events updated |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 22 On 22 May 1901, FRANK H PEAVEY (steel propeller bulk freighter, 430 foot, 5,002 gross tons) was launched at the American Ship Building Company (Hull #309) in Lorain, Ohio for the Peavey Syndicate. She lasted until 1934, when she struck the south pier while entering Sheboygan, Wisconsin and was declared a constructive total loss and scrapped the following year. The A.H. FERBERT (Hull#289) was launched this day in 1942, at River Rouge, Michigan by Great Lakes Engineering Works for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. May 22nd was the tenth National Maritime Day and on that day 21 other ships were launched nationwide to celebrate the occasion. The "super" IRVING S OLDS was launched the same day at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co.. This marked the last of the "Super Carrier" build program. The others were the BENJAMIN F FAIRLESS, LEON FRASER and ENDERS M VOORHEES. The SIR THOMAS SHAUGHNESSY sailed under her own power down the Seaway on May 22, 1969, for the last time and arrived at Quebec City. BAYFAIR was launched as the a.) COALHAVEN (Hull#134) at Haverton-Hill-on-Tees, U.K. by Furness Shipbuilding Co.in 1928. While bound for Escanaba, Michigan to load ore, the JOSEPH BLOCK grounded at Porte des Morts Passage, on Green Bay, May 22, 1968, and was released the same day by the Roen tug ARROW. The BLOCK's hull damage extended to 100 bottom plates. Surrendered to the under-writers and sold in June that year to Lake Shipping Inc. Built as the a.) ARTHUR H HAWGOOD in 1907, She was renamed c.) GEORGE M STEINBRENNER in 1969, she was scrapped at Rameys Bend in 1979. The 143 foot wooden brig JOSEPH was launched at Bay City, Michigan on 21 May 1867. She was built for Alexander Tromley & Company. CITY OF NEW BALTIMORE was launched at David Lester's yard in Marine City, Michigan on 22 May 1875. Her master carpenter was John J. Hill. She was a wooden propeller passenger/package freight vessel built for the Detroit-New Baltimore route. Her dimensions were 96 foot keel, 101 feet overall x 20 feet x 6 foot 6 inches, 130 tons. Her boiler was made by J. & T. McGregor of Detroit. Her engine was built by Morton Hamblin & Company of St. Clair, Michigan. She was rebuilt as a tug in 1910, and lasted until abandoned in 1916. Data from: Max Hanley, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection,
Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, 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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John B. Aird Involved in Accident 5/21 - 9:45 p.m. Update - The Aird is still at Wharf 16. At this time, Pochard
and Algowood have passed the Aird and are heading across Lake Erie. 5/21 - 4:00 pm. Update - The Aird and Pochard remain in place. Traffic starting to back up at the south end of the canal. The down bound Cedarglen has gone to anchor off Port Colborne, and the up bound Petite Fort has tied up at the Stone Dock at Ramey's Bend. Algowood is up bound and due at Lock 8 at 4:40 pm. Updates will be posted as they are received. 5/21 - Original Story - 1:30 p.m. - Port Colborne - Word has been received that the John B. Aird was "caught by the wind, spun around and suffered damage to the hull when she hit a wall" at Port Colborne. She is presently docked at Wharf 16 with no estimated departure time. The up bound saltie Pochard is being held in Lock 8. |
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Port Reports - May 21
Stoneport - Ben & Chanda McClain
Hamilton - Eric Holmes
Marquette - Rod Burdick
Sandusky - Jim Spencer |
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Updates - May 21 News Photo Gallery updated. Public Photo Gallery updated Gathering Page updated. Calendar of Events updated |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 21 On 21 May 1883, SAILOR BOY (2-mast wooden scow-schooner, 75 foot, 76 net tons, built in 1866, at Algonac, Michigan) was carrying wood from Pierport, Michigan to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She anchored outside Milwaukee harbor waiting for a gale to abate but she broke her anchor chains and was driven aground. Her crew of three made it to shore on a line with help from bystanders on the beach. The AMERICAN REPUBLIC’s maiden voyage was on May 21, 1981, from Sturgeon Bay light to Escanaba, Michigan to load ore pellets for Cleveland, Ohio. Interlake Steamship Co.'s HENRY G DALTON's maiden voyage was on May 21, 1916. She was scrapped at Vado, Italy in 1973. UNITED STATES GYPSUM in tow of the German tug FAIRPLAY X was lost in heavy weather on May 21, 1973, near Syndey, Nova Scotia. The G A TOMLINSON, a.) D O MILLS, stranded near Buffalo, New York on Lake Erie on May 21, 1974, suffering an estimated $150,000 in damage. The 14 foot' wooden brig JOSEPH was launched at Bay City, Michigan on by Alexander Tromley & Company. She was built by the owner. On 21 May 1864, the NILE (wooden passenger/package freight vessel, 190 foot, 650 tons, built in 1852, at Ohio City, Ohio) was sitting at her dock in Detroit, Michigan with passengers, household goods, and horses and wagons aboard when her boiler exploded, destroying the ship and killing eight of the crew. Large pieces of her boiler flew as far as 300 f |