MacArthur Lock closing for seasonal repair, maintenance
Sault Ste. Marie, MI – The Soo Locks’ MacArthur Lock will close to marine traffic 7:00 a.m. Dec. 15, 2021 through 12:01 a.m. April 30, 2022 to perform critical maintenance.
The Poe Lock will remain open until 11:59 p.m. Jan. 15, 2022 or until commercial traffic ceases, whichever occurs first. The operating season is fixed by federal regulation and is driven in part by vessel operation ability in typical ice conditions.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District
Interlake’s new tug makes port at Ludington
Ludington, MI – After making the journey up the Atlantic Ocean and through the St. Lawrence Seaway, Interlake Logistics Solutions’ recently acquired vessel has arrived in its new home port of Ludington, Michigan.
A former U.S. Army tug, this ocean-going vessel is 128 feet long, weighs 500 tons and has a 19-foot draft. A crew of seven mariners made the 16-day, 2,860-nautical mile transit which started on the East Coast. She departed Norfolk, Virginia on Nov. 14 and arrived in Ludington on Monday (Nov. 29).
“While we don’t have specific plans for how we will ultimately utilize her in our fleet just yet, the chance to purchase the LT-805 was a unique and exciting opportunity,” says Mark W. Barker, President of Interlake Maritime Services, which owns and operates Interlake Logistics Solutions. “We are always evaluating ways to expand our maritime capabilities and commercial fleet capacity to serve our customers on the Great Lakes. She is a great addition to our Interlake fleet.”
The LT-805 will undergo some vessel improvements and upgrades while she is moored next to the SS Spartan.
Interlake Logistics Solutions
USS Silversides submarine provides space to recover for museum’s dedicated director
Muskegon, MI – The executive director of a longtime West Michigan museum is recovering from complications related to a hip replacement surgery inside her unique workplace. Peggy Maniates has been the executive director of the USS Silversides Museum in Muskegon for the last 5 years. She was temporarily set back in her abilities after suffering complications from a hip replacement surgery in July of 2020.
The USS Silversides was christened at Mare Island Navy Yard in Solano California on August 26, 1941. The fleet-type submarine was eventually moved to Muskegon on August 7, 1987. The vessel saw significant action during World War II, with over 20 confirmed sinkings.
Preserving the submarine’s rich history, including the stories of West Michiganders who served aboard, is what Peggy is most passionate about. Her surgery made the task increasingly difficult. “Things didn’t go quite right,” she told FOX 17 Tuesday. “And I suffered femoral nerve damage in my left leg, which made it very difficult for me to walk, and my leg would go out from underneath me without warning.”
She began the process of physical therapy at Mary Free Bed. “When someone comes in first session and says I’ve got a submarine, you know,” explained Mark Stevens, one of Peggy’s therapists at Mary Free Bed. “She’s got to be able to climb up and down this ladder, she needs to be able to step through hatches.”
Peggy was left spending much of her time at work either stuck in her office, or in some cases, using a donated wheelchair to get around the museum building next to the submarine. “One of the greatest things about being in a museum is telling those stories, and interacting with people and seeing how they react,” she said Tuesday. “And not being able to do that is very hard.”
During therapy sessions, Peggy and Mark would practice the movements that she would later need to navigate the submarine. “He had us measure the heights that I would have to be able to lift my leg, the angle of the ladder,” she recalled.
Eventually, they moved their sessions to the submarine itself. “Each goal, each step she’s had, we’ve gone through and we’ve achieved a new goal, made a new goal,” Mark said.
Slowly, but surely, the act of climbing through a narrow hatch below deck wasn’t something she had to carefully calculate at every inch, and started to become muscle memory once again.
Peggy says, “Going through a whole period of time where you think your world is going to be extremely limited, and having those opportunities open back up, is absolutely amazing.”
Fox 17
Marine News report for December 2021 (World Ship Society)
Vessels with Great Lakes / Seaway connection reported as a casualty or sold for demolition, taken from December 2021 issue of Marine News – Journal of the World Ship Society:
Casualty:
Lisa Auerbach (9388900) (Finesse-18, Beluga Finesse-11 – 1st seaway passage 2010) 9,611 / 2008 – Liberian flag general cargo ship owned by Auerbauch Shipping 5 UG, Germany, was in a collision while anchored with My An I (9060728) 4.988 / 1994, which later sank in South China Sea; while the Lisa Auerbach later sailed for repairs
Sold for Demolition:
NABIHA I (8701935; Guyana) (Kenan Mete-21, Youmna-Y-13, Kopalnia Halemba-12 – 1st seaway transit 1998) 8.897 / 1990 – bulk carrier. By Blodwen Marine SA (RoyalMar Shipping & Ship Management Co Ltd (RoyalMar Denizcilik ve Gemi Isletmeciligi Ltd Sti), Marshall Islands, to Sadaf Enterprises, MS, Pakistan and arrived Gadani Beach 20.08.2021 – commenced demolition 20.08.2021
PARSA (8914776; Turkey) (Jo Palm-09 – 1st seaway transit 1995) 4,988 / 1991 – chemical tanker. By Beykim Petrolculuk Gemi Isletmeciligi Sanayi ve Ticaret AS (Beycar Denizcilik Gemi Kiralama Turizm Nakliyat Petrolculuk Ticaret AS) Turkey, to Kiran Shipbreaking Co., India and arrived Alang 28.08.2021 – commenced demolition 4.09.2021
Report prepared by Barry Andersen and René Beauchamp
New address for BoatNerd donations
Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping Online Inc., the nonprofit organization that operates the BoatNerd website and vessel tracking service, has a new mailing address to accept donations. The change was made after one of our longtime volunteers decided to start spending winters in another (warmer) state. Maintaining the old address would have required seasonal address changes each spring and fall. The new address can be maintained year-round.
Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping Online is a 501c(3) non-profit organization incorporated and registered in Michigan. Our primary purpose is to enhance the general public’s knowledge of maritime commercial operations and history on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. To that end, we operate the BoatNerd website and vessel tracking service. In pre-pandemic times, we also sponsored multiple ship-watching gatherings and day cruises around the lakes, and hope to resume those soon.
Monetary donations are greatly appreciated and can be made via check (in US funds) made out to Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping Online, Inc. and sent to:
Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping Online, Inc.
PO Box 304
Paris, MI 49338
Monetary donations are also accepted via PayPal at the DONATE link on the BoatNerd home page. Please note that PayPal deducts a nominal processing fee from all donations made via PayPal.
