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Port Reports - June30 Milwaukee - Paul Erspamer |
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Updates - June 30 News Photo Gallery updated. Scenes from the 2007 Soo BoatNerd Gathering Public Photo Gallery updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History : July 30 July 30, 1996 - CSL's self-unloader H M GRIFFITH, which was off Whitefish
Bay in Lake Superior, and bound for Nanticoke, Ontario with a load of 22,775
tons of western coal, has a spontaneous combustion fire in her number 2
cargo hold. Water was used to cool the fire and the GRIFFITH used her
unloading boom to dump 3,000 tons of coal into Lake Superior. After an
inspection by the USCG at the Soo the following day, revealed only minor
damage, the vessel was cleared to proceed on her journey. Reconstructed and
renamed b.) RT HON PAUL J MARTIN in 2000. |
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Port Reports - June 29 Gary Indiana - Brian Z. Kingsville - Eric
Zuschlag Toronto - Charlie Gibbons |
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Updates - June 29 News Photo Gallery updated. Scenes from the 2007 Soo BoatNerd Gathering Public Photo Gallery updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History : June 29 On this day in 1946, the tug DALHOUSIE ROVER, Captain J. R. Mac Lean, capsized in the Welland Canal. There were no survivors among the crew of six. On 29 June 1910, ALABAMA (steel propeller passenger/package freight steamer, 272 foot, 2,626 gross tons, built in 1909, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin) made her first trip in regular service for the Goodrich Line from Chicago to Grand Haven and Muskegon. She ran opposite the VIRGINIA. Cut down to a barge in 1961, she was scrapped in La Salle, Ontario in 2006. On 29 June 1902, GEORGE DUNBAR (wooden propeller freighter, 134 foot, 238 gross tons, built in 1867, at Allegan, Michigan) was loaded with coal when she was damaged by a sudden squall on Lake Erie near Kelley's Island and sank. Seven of the crew elected to stay aboard while the skipper, his wife and daughter made for shore in the lifeboat. Those three were saved but the seven perished on a makeshift raft. The CHARLES M SCHWAB (Hull#496) was launched in 1923, at Cleveland, Ohio by the American Ship Building Co., for the Interlake Steamship Co. Lengthened with a new midbody and re-powered with the stern section of the tanker GULFPORT in 1961. Sold Canadian in 1975, renamed b.) PIERSON DAUGHTERS and c.) BEECHGLEN in 1982. Scrapped at Port Maitland, Ontario in 1995. On June 29, 1962, the HAMILTONIAN began her maiden voyage for Eastern Lake Carriers (Papachristidis Co. Ltd.). Renamed b.) PETITE HERMINE in 1967. Purchased by Upper Lakes Shipping in 1972, renamed c.) CANADIAN HUNTER. Scrapped at Alang, India in 1996. The JOSEPH L BLOCK was christened on June 29, 1976, for Inland Steel Co.. The Canadian schooner DUNSTOWN arrived at Malden, Ontario on 29 June 1875, to be put in place as a lightship. Her sides were painted in large white letters: BAR POINT LIGHTSHIP. On 29 June 1864, ALVIN CLARK (2-mast wooden schooner, 113 foot, 220 tons, built in 1846, at Truago (Trenton), Michigan) foundered in a terrific squall off Chambers Island on Green Bay. Two of the crew were rescued by the brig DEWITT, but three lost their lives. In 1969, a schooner identified as the CLARK was raised at great expense and put on display for some time at Marinette, Wisconsin, then at Menominee, Michigan, but it only lasted until 1995 when it was destroyed. Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Russ Plumb, Mike Nicholls, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. Marine Historical Society of Detroit. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history. |
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Port Reports - June 28 South Chicago - Steve B. Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey |
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Only 2 Days until Engineer's Day Engineer's Day is Friday, June 29. The annual Open House at the Soo Locks will be followed by the annual 3-hour BoatNerd Freighter Chasing Cruise aboard Lock Tours Canada's the Chief Shingwauk. Have you made your reservations yet? Call today. It is not too late. Go to the Boatnerd Gatherings page for all the details. June 28 - 31 - Engineer's Weekend at the Soo
Thursday, June 28 - Unofficial Boatnerd Picnic Mariner’s Banquet on the Valley Camp. See details at www.saultstemarie.com Friday, June 29 - 9:30 a.m. - Boatnerds gather on the steps below the MacArthur Lock for a group picture. Come early and get a name tag. 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m..- The Corps of Engineers will open the area between the MacArthur and Poe Locks, the Administration Building and the Davis Building to visitors. This is a once-a-year chance to see inside the Corps operation, and see passing freighters from a different angle. The Edison Sault and LSSU Aquatics Lab will also be open.
6:00 p.m. - Annual Boatnerd Freighter Chasing Cruise. Saturday, June
30 - Daytime 10:00 – 4:00 – Maritime Vendors Mart at Pullar Center. Lee Murdock concerts at 11 and 2:30. Noon – Tug boat races in Soo Harbor Noon – 4:00 – USCG Station Sault open house Informal gatherings at Mission Point, weather permitting. Bring your best pix to compare and show. Bring your radio-controlled boats for an informal regatta. |
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Updates - June 28 News Photo Gallery updated. Scenes from the 31st Annual International Tugboat Race on the Detroit River Public Photo Gallery updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History : June 28 On this day in 1955, the 456 foot WYCHEM 105, a.) SAMUEL F B MORSE, was loaded with sand at the B&O docks in Lorain and towed to Rocky River, Ohio where she was sunk as a temporary breakwall. On this day in 1957, the JOSEPH S YOUNG departed Manitowoc, Wisconsin on her maiden voyage. She traveled in ballast to Port Inland, Michigan to load a cargo of stone. The YOUNG was the a.) ARCHERS HOPE, A T2-SE-A1 tanker, converted to Great Lakes service at Maryland Shipbuilding and Drydock, Baltimore, Maryland. Renamed c.) H LEE WHITE in 1969, and d.) SHARON in 1974. Scrapped at Brownsville, Texas in 1986. On June 28, 1938, at 8:50 a.m., the WILLIAM A IRVIN departed Duluth with her first cargo of iron ore for Lorain, Ohio. 48 years later, in 1986, almost to the minute, the WILLIAM A IRVIN opened as a museum to the public. The ATLANTIC SUPERIOR arrived at the Algoma Steel Plant, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario on her maiden voyage in 1982, with a load of taconite but before she was unloaded christening ceremonies were conducted there. The SAM LAUD ran aground June 28, 1975, on a shoal south of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, with a cargo of coal from Chicago, Illinois for Green Bay, Wisconsin. Six-thousand tons of coal were off-loaded the next day into the NICOLET, a.) WILLIAM G MATHER, before she could proceed to Green Bay along with the NICOLET to discharge cargoes. SAM LAUD entered the dry dock at Sturgeon Bay on July 3rd for repairs. She had suffered extensive bottom damage with leakage into seven double bottom tanks and the forepeak. She returned to service on August 21, 1975. On 28 June 1893, JAMES AMADEUS (wooden propeller tug, 65 foot, 44 gross tons, built in 1872, at Cleveland, Ohio) sprang a leak and foundered near Cleveland, Ohio. Her crew abandoned her just before she went down. On 28 June 1909, TEMPEST (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 138 foot, 370 gross tons, built in 1876, at Grand Haven, Michigan) burned to a total loss while unloading coal at the Galnais Dock at Perry Sound, Ontario. She was consumed very quickly and six of her crew were killed. Data from: Jody Aho, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Russ Plumb, Mike Nicholls, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. Marine Historical Society of Detroit. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history. |
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Port Reports - June 27 Marquette - Rod Burdick Soo - Jerry Masson Sturgeon Bay - Jeff
Birch Milwaukee
- Paul Erspamer |
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Updates - June 27 News Photo Gallery updated. Scenes from the 31st Annual International Tugboat Race on the Detroit River Public Photo Gallery updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History : June 27 On 27 June 1892, in rain and fog, the FRED A MORSE (wooden schooner, 182
foot, 592 gross tons, built in 1871, at Vermilion, Ohio) was being towed
downbound by the HORACE A TUTTLE (wooden propeller freighter, 250 foot, 1,585
gross tons, built in 1887, at Cleveland, Ohio) about 12 miles southeast of
Thunder Bay on Lake Huron, both carrying loads of iron ore. At the same time,
JOHN C PRINGLE (wooden propeller freighter, 173 foot, 474 gross tons, built in
1880, at Detroit, Michigan) was sailing upbound in that vicinity with a load
of coal and Italian marble with the schooners HARRISON, SWEETHEART and
SUNSHINE in tow. At 1:30 a.m., the PRINGLE collided with the schooner MORSE
which sank in less than 15 minutes. The crew made it to the TUTTLE in the
lifeboat, although one woman was badly injured. The PRINGLE's bow was stove
in, her deck planks forward were split and spread, her bulwarks torn away, and
her anchors and foremast were lost. She cast off her tow and made for Alpena,
Michigan, where she arrived later in the day. |
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A Great Lakes legend turns 100 6/26 - Douglas, Mich– Hundredth birthdays are a big deal whether they're for people or Great Lakes passenger ships. Just ask Toronto entrepreneur Eric Conroy. If all goes as planned, on July 6 he and some other prominent Canadians he's persuaded to join him will converge on this quiet Lake Michigan resort town to celebrate the centennial of the launch of the former Canadian Pacific Railway steamer Keewatin, which for generations transported travelers in Edwardian-era elegance between Port McNicoll on Georgian Bay and Fort William (now part of Thunder Bay) on Lake Superior. "I just feel a part of it," says Conroy of the trim, white, much-beloved 106-metre ship, which he worked on as a waiter in the 1960s and has been visiting for the past 10 years, sometimes acting as a tour guide. The vessel, the sole survivor of a once sizable number of classic Great Lakes cruise ships, has been a privately operated floating museum permanently moored here since 1968, three years after its withdrawal from passenger service. To raise consciousness among Canadians about the Keewatin, Conroy, who publishes The Magazine, a popular monthly for teens, says he's talked a select group of his compatriots into attending the rechristening of the steamer on the 100th anniversary of its launch in Glasgow, Scotland. They include Ontario Minister of Tourism Jim Bradley, country singer Albert Hall, who'll perform a song he's written about the Keewatin, and Toronto developer Gil Blutrich, who wants to make the ship the centre piece of his ambitious project to redevelop Port McNicoll. What they will see is a centenarian that has aged gracefully. "When you go on board, it looks exactly like the day I left it," Conroy said in a phone interview. He wasn't kidding. Take one of the Keewatin Maritime Museum's guided tours and you find a ship that seems ready to depart on yet another day-and-a-half voyage across two Great Lakes. Champagne bottles stand on bedside tables in the deluxe staterooms, period-piece desks await letter writers in the ladies' lounge, and in the 120-seat, walnut-paneled dining room, all the tables are set with Canadian Pacific silverware and china. The ship's exterior looks just as it did to those who once arrived at Port McNicoll by the special boat train from Toronto. A smart-looking dark green band still encircles the hull, and the steamer's enormous, 78-metre stack still sports the distinctive red and white checkerboard CP insignia. A nearly identical sister ship, the Assiniboia, also carried passengers for 57 years under CP colours, but soon after retirement it was destroyed by fire. The Keewatin has escaped demise because of its owner, R.J. Peterson, who, Conroy says, "had a vision that no else did." Although both Port McNicoll and Fort William are said to have spurned CP's offer to sell them the ship for a dollar in the 1960s, Peterson, the owner of two marinas here, paid about $42,000 for the vessel itself and another few thousand for the steamship's furnishings, and has used his own funds and revenues from the museum to maintain the ship. Ironically, officials in Thunder Bay have recently expressed interest to Peterson in bringing the ship back there as a tourist attraction. Meanwhile, Blutrich says he wants to help establish a charitable foundation that would receive private and public donations to preserve this "fine, fine piece of Canadian history" at Port McNicoll. For his part, in early June Peterson, now 80, took the first step toward creating his own foundation for the same purpose. "It's just possible," he says, the ship "might be better off where it's at." Asked his preference for the Keewatin's final resting spot, Conroy answers
carefully. "I have an allegiance to R.J. Peterson at this point," he says but
then adds, "If it goes anywhere, I'd like to see it go to Port McNicoll." |
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Port Reports - June 26 Grand Haven - Dick Fox |
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Updates - June 26 News Photo Gallery updated. Scenes from the 31st Annual International Tugboat Race on the Detroit River Public Photo Gallery updated. |
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News Photo Submission Guidelines We will not longer accept photos for inclusion in the News Photo Galleries that do not meet the News Photo Submission Guidelines that are linked at the bottom of each News Photo Gallery page. Photos that are received that do not meet the guidelines will be ignored. The three most frequent mistakes are (1) not changing the file name of each photo to meet the guidelines, or making the file name more than 20 characters long: (2) not including a caption for each photo in the text part or your email, and (3) sending too many pictures of the same scene or same boat at the same time. Please help us to provide complete coverage of the Great Lakes shipping scene. Sending reports in this format ensures that your pictures are processed as quickly as possible. It saves hours of editing time over a typical week and makes it possible to easily identify who took a picture allowing proper credit to be given. |
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Today in Great Lakes History : June 26 On this day in 1942, the LEON FRASER, Captain Neil Rolfson, completed her
maiden voyage and delivered a record cargo of 16,414 tons of ore to Conneaut.
The downbound trip only required 67.5 hours and broke the record of 15,218
tons set by the Canadian freighter LEMOYNE 15 days earlier. The FRASER was
shortened and converted to a bulk cement carrier in 1991, and sails today as
the b.) ALPENA. |
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Port Reports - June 25 South Chicago - Brian Z. |
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Boatnerd logos for sale The boat watching season is in full swing. Are you able to be identified as
a BoatNerd? |
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Updates - June 24 News Photo Gallery updated. Scenes from the 31st Annual International Tugboat Race on the Detroit River Public Photo Gallery updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History : June 25 The whaleback steamer WASHBURN (steel propeller freighter, 320 foot, 2,234
gross tons) was launched by the American Steel Barge Co. (Hull #124) at W.
Superior, Wisconsin on 25 June 1892. She lasted until 1936, when she was
scrapped at Cleveland, Ohio. |
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Port Reports - June 24 Rochester - Tom Brewer |
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U.S. Coast Guard Seeks Mariner Feedback 6/24 - Washington - The U.S. Coast Guard announced today that its Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee has established a mechanism to provide ongoing feedback on the mariner licensing and documentation program and the relocation of the National Maritime Center. “The committee is reaching out to organizations such as trade associations, labor unions, and educational institutions to obtain their feedback, as well as mariner feedback, on how implementation of the plan is affecting their constituents,” said Andrew McGovern, committee chairman. “This process includes an early warning email contact system so problems warranting immediate action can be brought to the Coast Guard’s attention.” Those wishing to provide feedback should email the committee at MERPACfeedback@gmail.com. The Coast Guard began restructuring its mariner licensing and documentation Martinsburg, W. Va., change mission focus for the 17 regional examination centers and implement technological improvements such as electronic imaging of mariner records, electronic administration and grading of exams, and on-line payment of user fees. When the plan is complete the processing of all applications for credentials will be centralized and managed by the reorganized National Maritime Center staff, and the responsibilities of the regional examination centers will be limited to fingerprinting mariners, establishing mariner identities, providing application assistance, administering testing, and providing course oversight. From Maritime Executive Magazine online |
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Updates - June 24 News Photo Gallery updated. Public Photo Gallery updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History : June 24 On June 24, 1971, a fire broke out in the engine room of the ROGER BLOUGH
at the American Ship Building, Lorain, Ohio yard, killing four yard workers
and extensively damaging her Pielstick diesel engines. Extensive repairs,
which included replacement of both engines, delayed her delivery for nearly a
year. |
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Fire on Duluth Waterfront 6/23 - Duluth - About 8 a.m. Friday a fire started on the east end of the Duluth Timber facility at the former B.N. # 2 dock. The fire quickly turned into a massive blaze with smoke visible as far away as 25 miles. The entire eastern portion of the old Northern Pacific freight sheds was quickly engulfed in flames while the Duluth fire departments and two commercial vessels shot water into the fire with water cannons. The massive fire was finally under control by 11:30 a.m. Destroyed in the fire were several trucks, cranes, heavy equipment, two historic grocery boats, the Dona and the Fred Beatty, the wooden fish tug Last Chance, numerous antique wooden cruisers, and the cedar wood mill, whose home was in the facility. All of the commercial vessels that were dockside were unharmed. The facility was once home to the Zenith Dredge Company and several of their old steam dredges are still moored there, unused. The pier is also home to the forward cabins off the 1917 steamer Irvin L. Clymer, which were unharmed in the fire. |
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Port Reports - June 23 Hamilton - Eric Holmes South Chicago/Indiana Harbor - Duluth - Al Miller Detroit - Ken Borg Saginaw River -
Todd Shorkey |
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Lawsuit Planned to Force Action on
Ballast, Invasive Species 6/23 - Milwaukee - A group of conservation organizations led by the
National Wildlife Federation announced its intent Thursday to sue the
oceangoing shipping industry to get the ships to stop polluting the Great
Lakes with contaminated ballast water discharges. |
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Updates - June 23 News Photo Gallery updated. Public Photo Gallery updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History : June 23 J.P. MORGAN, JR. was involved in a collision with steamer CRETE, June 23, 1948, off Devils Island, Lake Superior. 1 life was lost. Thirty years ago this morning, the NEPCO 140, carrying six million gallons of No. 6 bunker oil and being pushed toward Oswego by the tug EILEEN C, grounded on the shore of Wellesley Island in the American Narrows section of the St. Lawrence River, just upstream from Alexandria Bay, N.Y. The grounding occurred about 1:35 a.m. in heavy fog and was followed by a second apparent grounding further up river, just before the barge reached the Seaway anchorage site off Mason's Point, some four miles above the initial grounding site. In all, over 300,000 of the thick crude was spilled into the River, creating the largest slick ever to pollute an inland U.S. waterway to that day. Seaway traffic was halted immediately, sending at least 20 ships to anchor. Within hours, over 20,000 feet of boom were deployed, but the spill moved steadily down river, coating granite shoreline, trapping waterfowl, forcing boat owners to pull their boats, and oozing into sensitive marshland, particularly Chippewa Bay in New York waters. Some oil eventually reached as far down the river as Lake St. Lawrence and coated shoreline along the Long Sault Parkway on the Canadian side of the lake. Clean-up lasted into the fall and cost in excess U.S. $8 million. On 23 June 1903, the tug O W CHENEY steamed out of Buffalo harbor in heavy fog to tow the steamer CHEMUNG into the harbor. The tug ran too close to the on-coming steamer, was struck by the bow, and the CHENEY overturned and sank. Three crewmen were killed; two survivors were picked up by the tug FRANK S BUTLER. On 23 June 1969, RALPH MISENER (steel propeller bulk freighter, 730 foot, 19,160 gross tons, built in 1968, at Montreal, Quebec) transited the Soo Locks upbound for the first time. She had an innovative self-unloading system with twin booms. The movable crane was equipped with a chain of buckets so it could discharge cargo from either side. This unloading system only lasted until 1976, when it was severely damaged in a squall on Lake Michigan. The vessel was then converted from a combination self-unloader/bulk carrier to a bulk carrier. She was renamed b.) GORDON C LEITCH in 1994. In 1926, the GLENMHOR (Hull#16), the name was soon corrected to GLENMOHR, was launched at Midland Ontario by Midland Shipbuilding Co., for Great Lakes Transportation Co., (James Playfair). She was 6 feet wider and 4 feet shallower than the largest ship at that time. Purchased by Canada Steamship Lines in 1926, renamed b.) LEMOYNE. Scrapped at Santander, Spain in 1969. In 1929, the WILLIAM G CLYDE (Hull#804) was launched at Lorain, Ohio by American Shipbuilding Co., for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. Converted to a self-unloader and renamed b.) CALCITE II in 1961. Renamed c.) MAUMEE in 2001. Launched in 1972, was the ALGOWAY (Hull#200) at Collingwood, Ontario by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., for Algoma Central Railway. The first whaleback barge, 101, was launched along the shore of St. Louis Bay near Duluth, Minnesota on 23 June 1888. Captain Alexander Mc Dougall, the inventor and designer, was there along with his wife, her sister-in-law and several hundred spectators. As the vessel splashed in to the bay, Mrs. Mc Dougall is supposed to have muttered, "There goes our last dollar!" On 23 June 1900, the 450 foot steel steamer SIMON J MURPHY (Hull#135) was launched at Wyandotte, Michigan by the Detroit Ship Building Co., for the Eddy - Shaw Transportation Co. of Bay City, Michigan. On 23 June 1873, B F BRUCE was launched at Crosthwaite's yard in East
Saginaw, Michigan. She is not properly a schooner, but what is known as a
"three-and-after" in nautical terms. Her capacity was 50,000 bushels of grain
(800 tons) and the building cost was $50,000. |
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'Ghost ship' discovered off Vermilion 6/22 - Vermilion - One of Lake Erie's ghost ships, the most sought wrecks of the last century, has been found about eight miles off the Vermilion shore. The side-wheel steamship General Anthony Wayne sank in 1850. The other ghosts are the Consuella, which sank in 1875, and the Marquette & Bessemer No. 2, which sank in 1909. The man who found the General Anthony Wayne, Tom Kowalczk, of Lakeside, dispensed with one rumor at a Wednesday news conference at the Great Lakes Historical Society: No gold was on board. For more than a century, rumors persisted that the ship, named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne, carried a fortune in gold. But the historical society and Kowalczk said research showed that the ship held nothing more than locally made wine, cattle and 93 passengers and crew. The ship left Toledo on April 27, 1850, bound for Buffalo, N.Y. It stopped to pick up passengers and cargo in Sandusky, then headed toward its next stop at Cleveland, when the boilers of its steam engines exploded. Thirty-eight people were killed, 15 were injured and 40 people were rescued. About 2,000 ships have sunk in Lake Erie and the locations of 275 to 300 are known. The story of the General Anthony Wayne tantalized Kowalczk, director of corporate quality assurance for Shiloh Industries of Valley City, which engineers metal products for the automobile industry. In September 2006, Kowalczk started looking for the ship. "I researched everything I could about it and knew the general area where the ship went down," he said. "I laid out a grid search pattern and starting hunting." Kowalczk pulled a side-scanning sonar device through the water, which sent back pictures of the lake bottom to a display screen on his boat. About 12 hours into the search, he saw a bright spot on the screen in about 50 feet of water. He sent the device in for closer pictures and saw the sidewheels. He knew he had found it. It was not until May 20 that Kowalczk dived down to the wreck, which is in two sections, and photographed it. He saw the sidewheels, 26 feet in diameter, the foot-wide engine shaft and other parts that fit the description of the General Anthony Wayne. Great Lakes Historical Society Executive Director Christopher Gillcrist said the exact location will not be revealed until undersea archaeologists explore and document the wreck. "We will eventually make the location known," he said. "We support eco-tourism, so drivers can go look at the site. We just don't want people to go out and remove part of the wheel and make it into a coffee table, or put it on eBay." Gillcrist said two treasure hunters claimed to have found the ship earlier, but he discounts their report. "They never revealed the location," he said. "They were looking for gold that was not there. The state of Ohio and its residents own sunken ships, not individuals." The two men, Kellogg Vance and Matthew Roalofs, both of Seven Hills, have said they pinpointed the wreck in 1988. At the time, they said they believed the ship carried two strongboxes containing $101,600 in pre-1850 gold coins, which could be worth more than $40 million. But before they could explore the site and find the coins, the state ruled
that such wrecks belong to the people of Ohio. Kowalczk insists the wreck has no treasure and that its value is historical. "There's no historical record, no newspaper articles, or anything else to indicate that there was that kind of money on board the ship," Kowalczk said. "If there was, you can be sure that the owners of the ship would have gone out and salvaged it immediately." From the Cleveland Plain Dealer |
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Port Reports - June 22 Milwaukee - Paul Erspamer Soo - Jerry Masson |
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Dock Outage Contributes To Coal Slump in May 6/22 - Cleveland—Repairs at a Lake Erie coal loading dock proved a factor in the nearly 11 percent drop in coal shipments on the Lakes in May. Shipments totaled 4.1 million net tons, a decrease of 10.7 percent compared to both a year ago and the month’s 5-year average. The Pittsburgh & Conneaut dock in Conneaut, Ohio, experienced mechanical problems in May and so was able to load only three coal cargos during the month. As result, its shipments fell below 100,000 net tons, only one-fifth its 5-year average. However, repairs are complete and the dock is shipping as demand dictates in June. The inability to carry full loads was another factor in the May slump. The largest coal cargo in the Head-of-the-Lakes trade (Lake Superior to Lower Lakes destinations) totaled 64,392 net tons, yet 1,000-foot-long U.S.-Flag Lakers have carried as much as 70,903 net tons in a single trip in this trade. Nearly 10 percent of these vessels’ carrying capacity has been negated by low water levels and the dredging crisis. For the year, the Lakes coal trade stands at 10.4 million net tons, a decrease of 15.5 percent compared to the same point in 2006. Compared to the 5-year average, shipments are down by 5 percent, or 550,000 net tons. More information is available at www.lcaships.com Source: Lake Carriers’ Association |
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Great Lakes' past may offer clues on climate 6/22 - Chicago - From one view of history, the Great Lakes are near
record lows, approaching the bottom-scraping frustration of the mid-1960s. |
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Updates - June 22 News Photo Gallery updated. Public Photo Gallery updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History : June 22 On 22 June 1959, BAYPORT (steel propeller tug, 72 foot, 65 gross tons, built in 1914, at Cleveland, Ohio, formerly named a.) FAIRPORT) had the steamer MOHAWK DEER in tow when she was hooked by her own tow cable, capsized and sank at Collingwood, Ontario. Three lives were lost. The tug was later raised and converted from steam to diesel. Later renamed c.) TWIN PORT, and d.) ROD MC LEAN in 1974. She is currently owned by Purvis Marine and is at the Purvis West Yard at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. On 22 June 1909, W P THEW (wooden propeller freighter, 133 foot, 207 gross tons, built in 1884, at Lorain, Ohio) was in ballast, creeping through the fog off Alpena, Michigan on Lake Huron when she was rammed by the WILLIAM LIVINGSTONE (steel propeller freighter, 532 foot, 6,634 gross tons, built in 1908, at Ecorse, Michigan). After the collision, the LIVINGSTONE drifted away and lost track of the THEW. The THEW sank in 80 feet of water. Fortunately the steamer MARY C ELPHICKE answered the distress whistle and picked up the THEW's crew from the lifeboat. No lives were lost. The WILLIAM R ROESCH (Hull#901) was launched and christened at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co., on June 22, 1973, for the Union Commerce Bank, Ohio (Trustee) and managed by the Kinsman Marine Transit Co., Cleveland, Ohio. Renamed b.) DAVID Z NORTON in 1995. June 22, 1957 - W.L. Mercereau, known as the "Father of the Fleet", died. Mercereau developed the Pere Marquette fleet of car ferries into the "largest in the world". On 22 June 1853, CHALLENGE (wooden propeller freighter, 198 foot, 665 tons, built in 1853, at Newport, Michigan) was bound from Chicago for Buffalo with barreled pork and oats on one of her first trips. However, her boiler exploded off Cheboygan, Michigan. She burned and sank. Five died. The schooner NORTH STAR heard the blast ten miles away and came to the rescue of the rest of the passengers and crew. On 22 June 1875, The Port Huron Times reported that "the Northern Transportation Company's fleet of 20 propellers, which have been idle all the season owing to difficulties between the Central Vermont and the Ogdensburg & Champlain Railroad Companies, have passed from the control of the Central Vermont Railroad Company and will commence regular trips as soon as they can be fitted out." Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Mike Nicholls, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. Marine Historical Society of Detroit. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history. |
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Port Reports - June 21 Twin Ports - Al Miller Marquette - Lee Rowe & Rod Burdick Saginaw River - Todd
Shorkey Toronto - Charlie Gibbons |
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Cliffs, Kobe Steel strike deal on nugget plant 06/20 - Duluth - Cleveland-Cliffs and Kobe Steel have reached an
agreement under which Kobe’s patented iron nugget-making process would be
used in a Cleveland-Cliffs iron nugget plant. |
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Algoma Steel announces closing of its acquisition by Essar 6/21 - Sault Ste Marie, ON - Algoma Steel Inc. today announced
the completion of the arrangement involving the acquisition by a subsidiary
of Essar Steel Holdings Limited of all of Algoma’s outstanding common shares
for all cash consideration of $56 per share. |
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Algoma Steel dredges its slip 6/21 - Sault Ste Marie, ON - Algoma Steel Inc. will be dredging
the river bottom by its deep-water slip, members of the Sault Ste. Marie
Region Conservation Authority were advised last night. |
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Studio 1219 to exhibit new works by Robert McGreevy 6/21 - Port Huron - Studio 1219 in Port Huron will host an
exhibition by maritime artist Bob McGreevy throughout the month of July. The exhibition of some 30 works will be
highlighted by the arrival of nine new works by the artist. A
wine and cheese reception will be open to the public on Friday June 29th
from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. There is no cost and it is a great opportunity to meet
the artist and discuss his work. |
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Updates - June 20 News Photo Gallery updated. Public Photo Gallery updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History : June 21 On 21 June 1868, the D&C Lines' MORNING STAR (wooden side-wheel steamer,
243 foot, 1,075 tons, built in 1862, at Trenton, Michigan) was late in
leaving her dock in Cleveland, Ohio because she was loading some last-minute
freight (iron bars and glass). As she sailed on Lake Erie to Detroit during
the dark and rainy night, she collided with the heavy-laden bark COURTLAND
and sank quickly, 10 miles off Lorain, Ohio. Twenty feet of the steamer's
bow had been torn off while the bark was swept into one of the paddle wheels
and destroyed. The side-wheel steamer R N RICE arrived on the scene at 3:00
a.m. and picked up the survivors but only 44 of them. In September, MORNING
STAR was raised, towed to Lorain and re-sunk in 55 feet of water, for
possible future rebuilding. Attempts were made to raise her again several
times, but in the summer of 1872, she was abandoned because it was
determined that the previous attempts had reduced her to rubble. |
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QE2 Retires To Her Own Private Island 6/20 - Cunard Line has announced the sale of Queen Elizabeth 2 to
Dubai World for US$100m. Opening 2009, the famous liner will be berthed at a
specially-constructed pier as a luxury floating hotel, retail and
entertainment destination at The Palm Jumeirah, the world's largest man-made
island. QE2 will be delivered to Dubai in November 2008. Reported by www.maritimematters.com |
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Port Reports - June 20 Buffalo - Brian Wroblewski |
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Irish Navy vessel visits Canada 6/20 - The Irish Patrol vessel L. E. Eithne P 31 entered the St
Lawrence Seaway for the first time Monday. |
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More BoatNerd Gathering Cruises Scheduled Friday, June 29 - Annual Boatnerd Freighter Chasing Cruise at the
Soo - The annual trip aboard the Chief Shingwauk for a full three (3) hours
leaving from Roberta Bondar Pavilion in Soo, Ontario. |
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Updates - June 20 News Photo Gallery updated. Public Photo Gallery updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History : June 20 On this day in 1943, the IRVING S OLDS departed Two Harbors with 20,543 tons of ore and the BENJAMIN F FAIRLESS departed Two Harbors with 20,386 tons of ore. It was the first time that two lakers departed the same harbor on the same day with cargos in excess of 20,000 tons. The SENATOR (steel propeller freighter, 410 foot, 4,048 gross tons) was launched by the Detroit Dry Dock Company (Hull #122) at Wyandotte, Michigan on 20 June 1896, for the Wolverine Steamship Company. She lasted until 31 October 1929, when she collided with the steamer MARQUETTE in fog off Port Washington, Wisconsin and sank with her cargo of 241 automobiles. On 20 June 1893, GEORGE STONE (wooden propeller freighter, 270 foot, 1,841 gross tons) was launched by F. W. Wheeler & Co. (Hull #98) at West Bay CIty, Michigan. She lasted until 1909, when she stranded and burned on Lake Erie. The WILLIAM P COWAN (Hull#724) cleared Lorain, Ohio on her maiden voyage in 1918. Renamed b.) AMOCO ILLINOIS in 1962. Scrapped at Windsor, Ontario by M & M Steel Co., in 1987. In 1903, the twin screw rail car ferry GRAND HAVEN (Hull#92) was launched at Toledo, Ohio by the Craig Ship Building Co., for the Grand Trunk Carferry Line, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. On June 20, 1953, the Canada Steamship Lines bulk freighter BURLINGTON collided with and sank the Paterson steamer SCOTIADOC in Lake Superior. On June 20, 1959, the SEAWAY QUEEN began her maiden voyage. The vessel was appropriately named, as at the time she was the largest Canadian vessel on the Great Lakes, the 2nd largest on the Great Lakes overall (behind the EDMUND FITZGERALD), and she entered service the same week that Queen Elizabeth II and President Dwight D. Eisenhower formally dedicated the St. Lawrence Seaway. She was one of the more popular and classic looking vessels on the Great Lakes. June 20, 1936 - The PERE MARQUETTE 21 was blocked in Manitowoc following an accident which disabled the Manitowoc Tenth Street Bridge, making it impossible to raise the structure. June 20, 1993 - The BADGER struck the Ludington breakwall while arriving Ludington. She was sent to Sturgeon Bay for repairs. Ten operating days and twenty-one sailings were lost. The 230 foot wooden freighter JAMES DAVIDSON (Hull#4) was launched at West Bay City, Michigan for James Davidson at his shipyard on 20 June 1874. JAMES DAVIDSON was wrecked in Lake Huron in 1883. The MINNEHAHA, a wooden "clipper" schooner, was launched at James A. Baker's shipyard in Oswego, New York on 20 June 1857. Her dimensions were 110 foot keel, 125 foot overall, x 25 foot 6 inches x 10 foot 6 inches. She could carry 13,000 bushels of grain. Mr. James Navagh, her master builder, received a gold watch and chain worth $200 in appreciation of his fine work on this vessel. On Wednesday night, 20 June 1877, the schooner EVELINE (wooden schooner, 118 foot, 236 gross tons, built in 1861, at Litchfield, Michigan) was struck by lightning about sixty miles out from Alpena, Michigan. The bolt shattered the mainmast, throwing three large pieces over the vessel's sides. The large spar was split perpendicularly in two and the lightning bolt followed the grain of the wood in a circular manner until it reached the main boom jaw, which is enclosed in a band of iron fastened by a large bolt. This bolt was literally cut in two. The mate, George Mayom, had the left side of his body blistered and the skin burned off from the shoulder to the foot. His right leg, hands and arm were also severely burned, and he suffered internal injuries and bled freely. The vessel made it to port and she was repaired. She lasted until September 1895, when she sank off Kewaunee, Wisconsin. Data from: Max Hanley, Joe Barr, David Swayze, Russ plumb, 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 - June 19 Marinette - Dick Lund Marquette - Rod Burdick Cheboygan - Jon Paul Michaels |
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S.S. City of Milwaukee silent auction planned 6/19 - Manistee, MI— The S.S. City of Milwaukee is holding a silent
auction on Saturday, June 30, from 6 to 8pm.
Entertainment, refreshments and special items of every variety will be on
hand, with proceeds going towards restoration of this 76-year-old railcar
ferry. |
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Great Lakes/ Owen Sound Russel Brothers Tugboat Festival planned 6/19 - Owen Sound - Registration has begun for the Great
Lakes/Owen Sound Russel Brothers Tug Festival scheduled for July 28-29. The fest is open to any steel-hulled
boats, but of course, the planners want to have as many Owen Sound built Russels
as possible. |
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Updates - June 19 News Photo Gallery updated. Public Photo Gallery updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History : June 19 On 19 June 1889, NORTH STAR (steel propeller freighter, 299 foot, 2,476
gross tons, built in 1889, at Cleveland, Ohio) collided with CHARLES J
SHEFFIELD (steel propeller freighter, 260 foot, 1,699 gross tons, built in
1887, at Cleveland, Ohio) about sixty miles west of Whitefish Point on Lake
Superior in heavy fog. The NORTH STAR kept her bow in the SHEFFIELDÕs side
after the impact, giving the crew time to board. The SHEFFIELD then sank in
8 minutes. Her loss was valued at $160,000. The courts found both vessels to
be equally at fault after years of litigation. |
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Agawa Canyon reported aground, freed 6/17 - 11:55 p.m. Update - The G tugs Superior and Vermont arrived on scene Sunday night and were working to free the Agawa Canyon. At 10:30 p.m. the vessel reported they were working with the tugs and maneuvering to raise the anchors. Shortly before midnight the vessel was turning in the river and continued downbound. 10 p.m. - The American Courage passed down bound in the last few minutes. At 9:40 p.m. two Great Lakes Towing Co. tugs were on the scene. Reported by S. R. MacDonald Original article - 6/17 - 8 p.m. - Shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday the Agawa Canyon was reported to have lost steering while transiting downbound on the St. Clair River off Algonac, Michigan. Eye witnesses report the Canyon dropped its stern anchor in the middle of the river then turned side ways in the river. The vessel came to a stop with the bow facing up bound about 5 feet from shore on the U.S. side of the river. The vessel reported that they had lost steering and were dropping anchor to stop her. The Agawa Canyon was downbound with stone for Detroit and Windsor. No damage was reported as the vessel is stuck in the muddy bottom in an estimated 10 - 15 feet of water. |
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Port Reports - June 18 Goderich - Dale Baechler Alpena/Stoneport - Ben & Chanda McClain Buffalo - Brian Wroblewski Holland - Bob Vande Vusse Milwaukee - Paul Erspamer
Saginaw River - Gordy Garris |
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Freighter drought sinks some Bay City spirits, raises others 6/18 - Bay City, MI - Forgive Jack Panzer for gushing now that freighter traffic on the Saginaw River in Bay City has slowed to a trickle. ''I'm no freighter lover - I've seen enough of the freighters,'' said Panzer, whose business, Jack's Deli, sends a delivery driver across the river - and over one of four drawbridges in Bay City - about 30 times every work day. Freighters typically flow frequently through Bay City in May and June. But boat watchers say freighters have become downright rare due to a sputtering economy, low river levels and a strike idling three boats that regularly floated through town. Todd Shorkey, a Bay City firefighter who reports and shoots photos for the Web site www.boatnerd.com said freighters made 40 trips in or out of Bay City from May 29 to June 14 of 2005. During the same time period this year, freighters made only eight trips in or out of Bay City - down from 16 trips in the same time period of 2006, Shorkey said. ''There was a point in late May and early June where I didn't have any freighters pass through for about two weeks, and that's a real long time without one,'' said Larry McShane, a bridge tender on the Independence Bridge, the Bay City bridge on the Saginaw River closest to Saginaw Bay. One reason for the slowdown is the absence of three regular guests - the Wolverine, the David Z and the Earl W. Those three 630-foot bulk carriers have been idled since early May when officers and stewards on each boat went on strike. The strike, involving a total of about 30 employees, is still in effect, said Don Cree, a Toledo-based vice president with the American Maritime Officers union. The Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Co., based in Lakewood, Ohio, owns the three boats. The freighters are now stuck in Sarnia, Ontario, where workers walked off the lakers on May 8 and 9. The Times could not reach company officials for comment. According to the American Maritime Officers union's Web site, the dispute centers on the company's refusal to agree to a labor contract that was approved by other Great Lakes operators. Another reason for the lack of ship traffic hits closer to home - the economy. Docks along the river count on freighters to bring in supplies for construction and road projects. But data from various townships in Bay County, for example, shows construction of new homes has lagged so far this year in many areas of the county. Great Lakes shipments of limestone - related to home or road construction - fell by 15 percent in May compared to one year ago, according to the Lake Carriers' Association, representing operators of U.S.-flag vessels on the Great Lakes. A strike and decreased demand for product only add to the frustration for area docks. The biggest headache has long been low water levels and the need for dredging. The Lake Carriers Association has said dredging has been a long-term issue but that in the 1990s, high water masked the problem. Not so anymore. Dock owners say the river has become so shallow that some ships no longer will travel upriver. Dredging of the Saginaw River could come later this summer after construction of the Dredged Material Disposal Facility is completed along the Bay-Saginaw county line. In the meantime, the fewer the freighters, the smoother automotive traffic travels across the four drawbridges. McShane, the bridge tender, says there are still delays on the bridges. ''But it's just for the two Appledore (schooners), the Princess Wenonah tour boat and for sailboats,'' McShane said. ''The delay for one of the Appledores is about two minutes, though the wait for a freighter can be 10 or 15 minutes.'' Shorkey, who has tracked freighters on the Saginaw River for about 10 years, said he can't remember a lull in Bay City freighter traffic as severe as the one lasting for the past three weeks. Several dozen commercial docks exist along the river, employing several hundred workers, in Bay and Saginaw counties. ''We get kind of disappointed when the boat traffic is so slow,'' Shorkey said. ''I'd say the general public and the motorists don't mind, but for the economy of this area, it's important the freighters keep coming, because they provide lots of jobs for workers on the docks, for the companies that own the docks and for the truck drivers.'' Freighters floating through the middle of Bay City can cause frustration, but they're part of the town's identity, according to Shorkey. ''Bay City is a very unique town due to the fact we have these freighters coming through so close you can almost touch 'em.'' From the Bay City Times |
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Low water sinks run to Isle Royale 6/18 - Duluth - Isle Royale will welcome fewer visitors from Minnesota in 2007 because of low water levels. This weekend, the Wenonah was to have resumed its summer duty — shuttling people between Grand Portage, Minn., and Isle Royale — but lower Lake Superior water levels forced the 71-foot ship to abandon its run for the first time in more than 30 years. “We’d need at least two mo |