Offer to save leaking World War II ship by city of Muskegon rejected

MUSKEGON, MI – A nearly $3 million proposal by the city of Muskegon to save a leaky World War II museum ship has been rebuffed by the ship’s owner.

The city of Muskegon offered a couple of times to use $2.8 million in grant funding to buy property at the end of Third Street and bring the USS LST 393 ashore there. The property is owned by West Michigan Dock & Market (Mart Dock), a subsidiary of Sand Products Corp. that owns the ship.

Mayor Ken Johnson called the offer a “win-win.”

Sand Products CEO Max McKee and LST museum officials recently said the hull of the rare “landing ship tank” is taking on water and the ship is in jeopardy of sinking with all of its historic artifacts on board. It needs to be taken out of the water to preserve it, they said.

But McKee told MLive/Muskegon Chronicle he’s not interested in selling his property at the end of Third Street because he prefers to trade it for the city’s Fisherman’s Landing campground. Such a land swap has been contemplated, but it’s complicated by a prior state grant and could take more than a year to accomplish.

“Why should we be obligated to sell property?” McKee said when asked why he turned down the city’s proposed purchase. “We don’t like to sell property. We think property appreciates. It’s an investment.”

Johnson told MLive/Muskegon Chronicle he believes the city’s purchase of the property and relocation of the ship could create a park-like “wharf” for which the city received state “enhancement grants.” Those grants need to be spent fairly soon, though there’s no set deadline, he said.

“They say, ‘The ship is taking on water and it needs to be addressed. It’s essentially an emergency situation,’” Johnson said. “Well, here’s a solution to your emergency situation. It doesn’t need to be tied into the complex (land swap) deal that isn’t going to get done anytime soon. Here’s a win-win.”

McKee has his eyes on the campground as a location to which he could move his commercial port operations. Eventually, he’d like to construct a mixed commercial/residential development at the Mart Dock, which is located on prime Muskegon Lake shoreline. It’s also where the LST 393 currently is docked.

He said moving the LST on shore near where it’s currently docked isn’t an option because it wouldn’t fit in with those development plans.

The LST 393 is one of two surviving landing ships built during World War II. The ship was involved in the D-Day invasion of Normandy, to which it made 30 trips, as well as other battles.

It was purchased by Sand Products in 1948 and used as the Highway 16 car ferry to Milwaukee until the early 1970s. Restoration of the ship to its wartime appearance and the opening of the museum occurred about 20 years ago. USS LST 393 Veterans Museum is operated by an independent nonprofit group that leases the ship from Sand Products.

About eight months ago, breaches in the LST’s hull were repaired, but museum officials say it continues to deteriorate and the only way to preserve the ship is bring it ashore.

“Historic warships, especially the World War II ones, are sinking around the world,” museum Executive Director Jim Flood told MLive/Muskegon Chronicle earlier. “They have a finite life span and eventually the hulls give out.”

The city and McKee had been working on a land swap that would involve the city acquiring the Third Street property in exchange for the campground. But the land swap is complicated because the city used Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund money to develop Fisherman’s Landing.

If it was to get rid of the campground, the city would need to replace it with comparable property through a state-approved “conversion” process.

In November 2022, the city commission hired Ramboll, an engineering firm out of Ann Arbor, to develop a preliminary proposal for the state on the conversion of the Third Street Wharf and Fisherman’s Landing properties. Ramboll also was to look into several other properties that could require conversion. At that time, city staff said such conversion processes take at least a year to complete.

Meanwhile, the city has money to spend and McKee has a historic boat in jeopardy of sinking.

McKee said he would be willing to lease or sell a portion of the Third Street property onto which the city could move the LST. He believes the $2.8 million in grants were intended for moving the LST.

But Johnson said the money was intended for a park and wharf of which the LST could be a part. Leasing the property won’t satisfy terms of the grant, nor would it likely spend it all, he said.

Johnson remains interested in getting port operations moved out of downtown so the Mart Dock can be redeveloped, which he said was the main reason he agreed to pursuing a swap for the campground. It’s feasible that even if the land swap doesn’t go through that McKee could still acquire the campground a different way, Johnson said.

Meanwhile, the city continues to look for property for its wharf project.

MLive

Great Lakes Fest at National Museum of the Great Lakes on horizon

Great Lakes Fest—Fun for the Whole Family!

Get ready for a day-long celebration of Great Lakes history! On Saturday, July 22, from 10 am to 5 pm, the National Museum of the Great Lakes is teaming up with Ramsey Brothers Restorations to host Great Lakes Fest featuring the Toledo Antique and Classic Boat Show.

• Explore a stunning collection of classic and antique boats
• Discover environmental education and stewardship opportunities
• Get a bite to eat from a local food truck
• Take your kids on a scavenger hunt aboard our museum vessels
• See demonstrations by the Toledo Fire Department and more

Great Lakes Fest Admission

Great Lakes Fest admission includes entrance to the National Museum of the Great Lakes museum and museum ships as well as full access to the Toledo Antique and Classic Boat Show.*

• NMGL Members: FREE
• All Children 5 and Under: FREE
• Non-member Pre-sale Tickets: $10
• Non-member Day-of Tickets: $15 (Adults 18+); $10 (Youth 6 – 17)

*Pre-sale tickets are non-refundable. In the event of bad weather, purchasers will receive a free pass to the museum for each presale ticket purchased.

Skip the Line & Save!

Purchase your tickets in advance online or become an NMGL Member to save money and get in the express lane for admission! Memberships are available for individuals, couples, and families and start as low as $32. Become a National Museum of the Great Lakes member and get FREE admission to Great Lakes Fest AND the museum and museum ships for an entire year!

Bring your Boat!

Boater registration is still open for classic boats of all types, but particularly focused on those built prior to 1975 or modern re-creations.

National Museum of the Great Lakes

Lake Michigan channel used by Beaver Island ferry getting $530K repair

CHARLEVOIX, MI – A $530,000 project is set to begin at a well-traveled channel in a popular Lake Michigan getaway.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District will begin planned maintenance work in the navigation channel in Charlevoix to replace deteriorating timber fenders along the channel revetments.

The work will begin July 17 and continue daily until July 24. The channel will be restricted to a width of 45 feet while work is occurring, but ferry services to Beaver Island and recreational boat traffic in the channel are not expected to be interrupted.

Funded by the 2023 Work Plan budget, the project will replace 1,100 feet of timber fenders along the north and south channel revetment walls.

The timber fenders protect the structures from vessel impact, but the existing weathered timber fenders along the revetments are beyond their design life and require replacement.

“The Work Plan funding at Charlevoix Harbor is allowing the Corps of Engineers to execute structure maintenance to keep the project safe for users,” said Cindy Jarema, Chief of Operations and Maintenance Branch for the Detroit District.

Divers may be used for several work tasks and inspections during the project. Maintenance work will also include removal of a fallen pile cluster in the waterway and filling in a sinkhole along the south revetment.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, maintains a navigation system of 81 harbors and channels joining Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair.

MLive

Manitowoc Riverbank undergoing restoration and renovation

The Manitowoc Riverbank will be experiencing some restoration in the next few weeks.

Pilings are currently being placed in the river to restore the dock wall that has eroded over the past several years.

They will also be demolishing the failed river wall and working on some drudging with the central goal being to restore the shoreline.

With the restoration in mind, a kayak launch will be installed where the car ferry used to dock along with boat docking areas.

MayorJustin Nickels also told Seehafer News, “A trail that’s going through that property, cleaning up making it a nice park-like setting where people can fish. There will be some fishing stations, and we’re going to actually be putting an outdoor fireplace in that area for people to enjoy.”

Restoring and renovating the Manitowoc shoreline will provide more opportunities for the water resources to be enjoyed and used to its fullest potential.

Seehafer News

Chi-Cheemaun featured on new Canada Post stamp

Researchers looking for World War I-era minesweepers in Lake Superior find a ship that sank in 1879

Researchers searching for a pair of World War I-era minesweepers that mysteriously vanished in Lake Superior over a century ago instead found a long-missing ship that sank to the bottom of the lake nearly four decades earlier, in 1879.

The tug boat called Satellite, which sank on June 21, 1879, was located by a crew last June, the Michigan-based Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society announced this week.

The story behind the discovery unfolded in June 2022, when Josh Gates of Discovery Channel’s “Expedition Unknown” traveled to Michigan to search for two French minesweepers that disappeared in 1918.  The twin vessels — Inkerman and Cerisoles — were en route to Europe when the ships vanished in a storm, killing 78 crewmembers.

Last June, Gates joined the Shipwreck Society’s crew aboard the 47-foot R/V David Boyd and the ship’s sonar identified a submerged wreck. A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was deployed to reach the target nearly 300 feet below the surface and the images revealed a surprise — the shipwreck was not a steel minesweeper, but the wooden-hulled Satellite.

The Shipwreck Society posted eerie video of the wreck, showing various angles of the ship with shattered wooden planks inside.

According to the Shipwreck Society, the Satellite had four barges in tow when she ran into problems. It’s unclear whether the ship had a mechanical issue or if it struck something in the lake and started taking on water.

Man rescued after falling from Ambassador Bridge into Detroit River

DETROIT – A man was rescued after he fell from the Ambassador Bridge into the Detroit River.

The incident happened after 4 p.m. Wednesday. Fire officials said witnesses reported a man was doing work on the Ambassador Bridge when he fell off and into the river.

People fishing along the river saw what happened and ran and knocked on the door of J W Westcott Co. They were able to get boats into the water and rescue the man.

Witnesses said he was alert and talking. He is being transported to a hospital.

ClickOnDetroit

Click here for video.

Explosives to be used in new superlock construction at Soo Locks, Army Corps says

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – Explosives will be used as work progresses toward the construction of a new superlock at the Soo Locks in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, officials said.

During a meeting Monday, officials with the Army Corps of Engineers announced that explosives will be used in the deconstruction of the Sabin and Davis locks, which will be replaced by the new superlock, 9&10 News reports.

The detonations are expected to begin at the end of July, the report said. The Soo Locks will be intermittently closed to marine traffic due to the explosions.

Boaters are asked to follow the instructions given by security personnel on the water, as they are tasked with keeping mariners safe during detonations, said Rachel Miller from the Army Corps of Engineers.

The Soo’s big Poe Lock is one of two functional locks in what originally was a four-lock system. In addition to the Poe lock, the smaller MacArthur Lock remains; it’s south of the Poe. The 800-foot-long MacArthur Lock generally handles smaller watercraft while the 1,200-foot-long Poe Lock is used by larger vessels, such as freighters, traversing between the upper and lower Great Lakes.

The work being done now will eventually result in a new Poe-sized lock in place of the inactive Davis and Sabin locks. It won’t be complete for several years.

The Poe is currently the sole lock large enough to move increasingly longer and wider Great Lakes ships. A second lock its size will ensure cargo can still move between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes should one lock unexpectedly close.

The Soo Locks is a crucial piece of engineering for Great Lakes shipping. The system raises and lowers vessels to accommodate the 23-foot elevation difference between Lake Huron and Lake Superior. This allows freighters, tugboats, Coast Guard boats and other vessels to move in and out of Lake Superior.

Each year, more than 4,500 ships and other vessels pass through the Soo Locks. These are carrying 80 million tons of cargo – mostly coal, limestone, iron ore and wheat.

MLive

Triple-masted schooner to get big welcome after 3,000-mile journey to Grand Traverse Bay

SUTTONS BAY, MI – A triple-masted schooner that’s been turning heads for the last month as it has made its way from the East Coast to the Great Lakes is set to receive a big welcome when it sails into its new home port on Grand Traverse Bay this week.

The Alliance, a 105-foot boat that’s most recently done day cruises in Virginia, is the newest name in the Inland Seas Education Association’s fleet. It is in the Straits of Mackinac area today, plans to swing by Charlevoix, then is expected to finish its 3,000-mile journey late this week.

The public is invited to welcome the Alliance to Suttons Bay on Friday, July 14, from 4 to 7 p.m. Visitors can meet at the Inland Seas campus at 100 Dame St. Once the schooner arrives, people can meet the crew and take a tour of the vessel.

The Inland Seas Education Association (ISEA) is known for its popular schoolship program for students as well as its short, themed cruises for the public. The nonprofit’s team has been excited for months about adding the Alliance. They say it will open the door to a lot more programming for students here and in other Great Lakes cities where ISEA’s vessels sail. These include Houghton, Green Bay, Detroit and Cleveland.

Currently, the program uses its flagship 77-foot Inland Seas, along with another boat, the Utopia. Check out its public day sails schedule here.

The Alliance, which can carry about 54 passengers, will allow ISEA to answer a growing pile of requests that until this year had to go unfulfilled. It can also add new programming, building on its current work of deepening people’s understanding and connection to the freshwater system that surrounds us.

“The addition of the schooner Alliance to the ISEA schoolship fleet marks a pivotal moment in the history of our organization and the future stewardship of the Great Lakes,” said ISEA Executive Director Fred Sitkins. “This organizational expansion is a testament to the partnerships that ISEA enjoys throughout the Great Lakes region.”

“Colleges/universities, nonprofits, K-12 schools, foundations, and other organizations partner with ISEA to develop environmental stewards and leaders to care for the Great Lakes. We make a lasting impact in the lives of youth and the health of the Great Lakes and we are thrilled that we can now reach more individuals and communities with the addition of another schoolship.”

Want to experience sailing on Alliance? Public sails are scheduled for late July and early August. In the fall, the Alliance will motor into Detroit to work with students on the Detroit River.

A Flashy Past

The big schooner was launched as a superyacht in 1995 by Treworgy Yachts in Palm Coast, Florida. Initially named Kathryn B., the boat was launched just a year after the same yard put out the Inland Seas. The Kathryn B. ran as part of a windjammer group in Maine, then in 2005 was renamed the Alliance and was run as a daysailing boat in Yorktown, Virginia.

When the vessel came up for sale, the ISEA team saw it as a great addition because it was not only a big, safe boat in good condition, it was already licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard. The long journey to get the Alliance to Grand Traverse Bay began at a Maryland marina in mid-June. From the crew notes that day:

“The Schooner Alliance calmly slipped away from the fuel dock at Georgetown Yacht Haven and headed downriver towards the main body of the Chesapeake Bay. After weeks of yard repairs taking longer than anyone had anticipated, the crew is relieved to be underway at last. Winds are light from the west and Alliance turned more than her fair share of heads as she motored down the Sassafras River. After entering the Chesapeake, Alliance turned north for the Elk River and then onto the C&D Canal bound for the Atlantic Ocean.”

More Than Three Decades on the Water

ISEA’s schoolship program, based in Suttons Bay with an education center and small dormitory there, has been active for 33 years. It has invited children in elementary, middle and high school classes to climb aboard and experience the Great Lakes up close. Kids learn about their water-based ecosystem, environmental issues, conduct experiments, and just learn to love the feel of being on the water.

“People protect what they love, and they love what they understand,” Sitkins said, echoing the words of the famous ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau. “We want kids to understand the lakes … so they feel connected to them.”

Being aboard a boat as it’s skimming across a Great Lake is an experience that sticks with kids. It also offers them a chance to do the hands-on work of scientists and engineers – perhaps sparking an interest in a future career. “It’s a really good real-world work experience for students,” he said.

More than 10,000 people participated in ISEA programs last year. About half of those were students from more than 150 different schools in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. Other passengers were adults or family groups who toured one of the boats, went on their roster of ticketed summer cruises for the public, or just stepped on board for a look around as they stopped in a Great Lakes port.

ISEA has deep connections around the lakes. It works with colleges, environmental groups, foundations and other nonprofits. The year-round work follows a seasonal structure: Schoolship programs start in May and stretch into June. Summer is for traveling, sailing into four of the five Great Lakes for educational programs. Past port stops have included Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland and into Lake Superior to drop anchor in Marquette, Houghton and Duluth. Then it is back to the fall schoolship format once classes are back in session.

MLive

Boatnerd AIS back up and running

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The Boatnerd Team

Boatnerd AIS down temporarily

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The Boatnerd Team

Traffic moving again in Welland Canal

UPDATE: Traffic has resumed in the Welland Canal as of 22:30 on July 10th, 2023. Please be advised that until further notice, ships at Lock 7 will be secured in the lock with mooring lines as Hands-free Morring is not operational. SLSMC

WELLAND, ON – A power outage on the Welland Canal has damaged hands-free-mooring systems in locks 1 and 7, stranding vessels between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, says the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. and it remains uncertain when traffic will resume.

The Seaway said the outage occurred at 5:50 p.m. Sunday, and immediate steps were taken to ensure the safety of the public, personnel, vessels, infrastructure and the environment. Unofficial reports indicate that when the power went out, it caused two of the hands-free moorings, which were not locked, to crash down to the bottom of locks 1 and 7 which were empty, which damaged them.

Sunday, at least 11 vessels were between lakes Erie and Ontario and by Monday, three more were anchored off Port Colborne and another three west of Port Weller. Two vessels stranded in Port Colborne include American Queen Voyages’ cruise ships Ocean Navigator and Ocean Voyager.

Sunday evening, Ocean Navigator reversed up the canal after sitting just south of Bridge 19A, and then docked at the Snider Dock on the east side. One of the delayed vessels off Port Colborne is the U.S. Coast Guard’s Hollyhock, a buoy tender and icebreaker that also carries out search and rescue on the Great Lakes.

Another unique vessel caught up by the power failure and lock issue is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s R/V Lake Explorer II, docked at the end of Sugarloaf Street at West Street. It specializes in environmental assessment of coastal conditions and samples aquatic life, water quality and sediments on the lakes.

The commercial vessels stranded include a mix of lakers from Algoma Central Corp. and Canada Steamship Lines and two ocean-going cargo ships.

A release from the corporation, which oversees the 3,700-kilometre-long St. Lawrence Seaway system and eight-lock, 43-kilometre-long Welland Canal in Niagara, said recovery operations are proceeding. It also said updates “regarding the resumption of marine traffic will be provided when available.”

It’s unknown what any of the vessels are carrying, but cargo on the lakes includes wheat, corn, soybeans, barley, oats, and flaxseed; steel slabs, scrap iron, bars, rods, and manufactured iron and steel; iron ore, coal, coke, salt, gypsum, and stone; fuel oil, petroleum products, chemicals, forest products, and animal products; and other items like wind turbine parts and yachts.

It’s unknown what impact the delay will have on the shipping industry, and local, provincial, state, and federal economies.

Editor’s note: Vessels were able to transit Lock One as of early Monday evening, using linehandlers.

Toronto Star

Oswego County honors deep history of Lake Ontario

OSWEGO COUNTY – Oswego County’s rich marine history is on display – from events to exhibits. The H. Lee White Maritime Museum in Oswego hosts a new display for the 2023 season, “Shipwrecks of Upstate NY.” The exhibit offers a detailed look at the shipwrecks below Lake Ontario using 3D printed and hand-painted scale models of shipwreck sites.

“Shipwrecks of Upstate NY” includes 25 models and was developed by local divers Tim Caza and Dennis Gerber. The two shipwreck enthusiasts have spent several years researching, diving and locating Lake Ontario shipwrecks in order to provide the public with a diver’s view of these wrecks.

Caza holds a U.S. Coast Guard captain’s license and has more than 45 years of experience in shipwreck diving in search and discovery of lost ships. He has worked with archeologists on his discoveries and has over 127 discoveries to date. Gerber has been a scuba diver for 37 years and is the designer and builder of the side scan sonar that has assisted in finding many of the exhibit’s featured discoveries. For more information on Caza and Gerber and their work, visit their website at https://sonarguy.com/.

“Shipwrecks of Upstate NY” can be viewed at the H. Lee White Maritime Museum daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in July and August and from 1 to 5 p.m. in the fall and winter. The museum is located at 1 W. First St. Pier, Oswego. For more information about the museum, visit its website at https://hlwmm.org/.

Oswego County Today

State senator calls for Coast Guard station to return to Grand Marais

DULUTH — Weeks after two teenaged boys drowned while cliff diving in Silver Bay, state Sen. Grant Hauschild is calling for the return of the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Grand Marais that closed after Labor Day in 2022.

Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, took to Twitter in late June with a plea to reinvest in water rescue resources as the search-and-rescue mission for Austin Henning, of South St. Paul, and Max Williams, of Inver Grove Heights, drew help from the Bayfield, Wis.-based U.S. Coast Guard, in addition to local agencies.

“There is no reason we should rely on Coast Guard from as far away as Michigan and Wisconsin for our safety on the North Shore,” Hauschild tweeted.

He has since made a formal written request to state lawmakers for the return of Station (Small) North Superior — which covered Lake Superior between Two Harbors and the international border. It originally was established in 1929, but shifted to a seasonal schedule in 1998. The station was staffed by a rotating crew from Duluth and averaged one water emergency a season in its final decade.

Hauschild, elected in 2022, said he has been hearing about safety concerns from constituents.

“The response to this has been probably one of the biggest responses I’ve had as a senator so far,” he said.

Lt. Phillip Gurtler, public affairs officer for the Great Lakes, said he has been working closely with Hauschild’s office. In the case of the two teenagers , the Coast Guard would’ve pulled a boat from Bayfield even if Grand Marais had been open, Gurtler said. The large waves that day called for a 45-foot boat — whereas the stations in Grand Marais had only 29-foot boats when it was active. The Coast Guard also had a helicopter on the scene.

Between bases in Duluth and Bayfield, airfields and relationships with local law enforcement, Gurtler said the U.S. Coast Guard maintains several layers of coverage in the Grand Marais area.

Hauschild secured funding from the Judiciary and Public Safety Omnibus bill for emergency equipment including boats, additional staff and training. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office and Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa will receive more than $3 million to upgrade its response to water emergencies.

Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen said in addition to water rescues, a lack of water patrol means no one is watching the boaters. The county extends 35 miles into Lake Superior, but much of that is inaccessible to his department.

“Our biggest fears are that when people know they won’t be checked on Lake Superior, it’s kind of a free-for-all out there,” he said. “They don’t need specific safety equipment. They don’t need to keep up on sobriety.”

The long winter has meant fewer anglers so far this season but the numbers should increase in upcoming weeks.

“This is a huge liability to us,” he said.

Eliasen said the project to create a joint marine rescue with Grand Portage — the first collaboration of its kind between a county and a local tribal nation — will include boats similar to what the U.S. Coast Guard uses. A call to the tribe was not returned Friday.

Eliasen said he expects to start shopping for boats with tribal chair Robert Deschampe as soon as next week.

Power outage closes Welland Canal locks

CORNWALL, ON – The Welland Canal Section of the St. Lawrence Seaway experienced a power outage at 17:50 on July 9th, 2023. The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) took immediate steps to ensure the safety of the public, personnel, vessels, infrastructure and the environment.

Traffic remains halted until the issue is resolved. There is no word on when that might be.

Preliminary assessments have determined that as a result of the power outage, Hands-Free-Mooring equipment was damaged in Lock 7 and Lock 1. Recovery operations are proceeding. Updates regarding the resumption of marine traffic will be provided when available.

SLSMC

Know Your Ships expands crew, launches mid-summer edition

Know Your Ships, the annual field guide for boats and boat watching on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, is expanding its crew and its publication lineup.

“I have realized the captain needs a bigger crew, so please welcome aboard Sam Hankinson and Nick Stenstrup,” said Roger LeLievre, who has been editor and publisher of the book since 1994, following the death of founder Tom Manse.

“Sam and Nick have a deep passion for the ships and the people who make them go,” LeLievre added. “Nick brings experience in sales and marketing to the table. Sam is not only Port Development Coordinator at the Port of Monroe, MI, he is also a skilled writer and researcher. Since last year, both have been busy learning what they need to know about managing the behind-the-scenes details involved with the book and will now take a more active role in its publication.”

Nick found his love for Great Lakes shipping at a young age. He graduated from St. Scholastica in Duluth with a B.A. in Communication in 2020 (yes, he chose Scholastica because of the boats). He works in sales for Burnett Dairy in Wisconsin, but is a shipwatcher at heart. You can find him taking more boat photos with a film camera rather than digital, though he admits to having a drone.

"I got my first copy of Know Your Ships July 3, 2012 at the Two Harbors Lighthouse gift shop after watching the Roger Blough arrive,” Stenstrup said. “I wore that book out to the point where it was held together by tape before receiving a permanent spot on my KYS book shelf. I think back on that memory and feeling of excitement flipping through the book for the first time to now, working on the production of the book with people I consider my family. The book created a spark in me, and now I get to help create the same book that could someday create a spark for new shipping fans, the way it did for me. I'm very honored."

Sam grew up watching freighters in his hometown of Grand Haven, MI. He is a 2021 graduate of Central Michigan University. Currently he works at the Port of Monroe. In addition to his KYS responsibilities, he is secretary of Marine Historical Society of Detroit, serves on the board of boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/, and writes the weekly Ship’s Log column in the Grand Haven Tribune.

“Know Your Ships has given me the gift of lifelong friends and family,” said Hankinson. “As part of this team, I look forward to creating a platform for our fans to share their stories and expose new fans to the legacy of Great Lakes shipping.”

Their arrival means Know Your Ships can now explore other areas, including a new EXTRA! edition coming out Sept 1. The EXTRA will offer even more ship and sailor stories, touch on industry-related subjects, provide a digest of recent shipping news and include many more of the stunning photos for which KYS has become known. This booklet, at 48 pages, is not meant to replace the regular Know Your Ships, but to complement it. “Think of it as an update to the main book, which comes out in March,” LeLievre said. Now folks won’t have to wait a whole year for more of the KYS stories and photos they love so much.”

Other KYS crew members, including Matt Miner, Jack Hurt, Brendan Falkowski, Isaac Pennock and advertising director Kathryn Lau will continue to be involved with Know Your Ships. If the EXTRA! proves successful, it will become an annual mid-summer publication in 2024.

There are more exciting things in the works for 2024, Know Your Ships’ 65th season, but those will be announced later. Consider yourself teased!

Pre-order it here and get free postage! Pre-order EXTRA here and get free postage to the U.S. and Canada! https://knowyourships.com/kys-extrapreorder.html?fbclid=IwAR1pqOKCeRuJtIwqXTEIGjPBQR0WR_b6EnGTEYM7trqWeUBM7mrBivFUCt4

St. Lawrence Seaway reaches tentative agreement with union

Cornwall, Ontario (June 30, 2023) – The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) announced today that it has reached a tentative agreement with UNIFOR locals 4211 and 4319 representing the Supervisory Group, as of June 30th, 2023.

The agreement is for a 4-year period, April 1, 2023 – March 31, 2027. A ratification vote will take place in the next few weeks. Further details will be made available at that time.

The SLSMC thanks all the parties for their commitment in bringing this process to a positive conclusion.

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation

Algoma Transport descends the Twin Flight Locks in the Welland Canal. Bill Salton Jr. (Thorold, ON – March 2023)

Great Lakes iron ore trade up 47.8 percent in June

CLEVELAND – Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 5.8 million tons in June, an increase of 47.8 percent from 2022.  Shipments were 12.7 percent above the month’s 5-year average.

Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 19.9 million tons, 44 percent below the previous year’s total of 13.8 million tons.  Iron shipments are above their 5-year average by 7.9 percent for the first half of the year.

Lake Carriers’ Association

Limestone trade down in June

CLEVELAND — Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.1 million tons in June, a decrease of 17.6 percent from a year ago.  This June’s loadings were also below the month’s 5-year average by 17.4 percent.

Loadings out of U.S. quarries totaled 2.5 million tons, a decrease of 15.2 percent compared to last year.  Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 610,702 tons, a decrease of 26.4 percent.

Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at nearly 8.1 million tons, a decrease of 16.9 percent compared to 2022.  Loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries decreased by 15.8 percent from a year ago.  Shipments from Ontario quarries total 1.6 million tons, a decrease of 21.2 percent.

U.S. ports: Calcite, MI; Cedarville, MI; Drummond Island, MI; Marblehead, OH; Port Inland, MI; and Presque Isle, MI. Canadian ports: Bruce Mines, Manitoulin Island, Port Colborne (from August 2017 on) and Smelter Bay (all Ontario).

Lake Carriers’ Association

Obituary: Chief Engineer James Stitt

It is with deep sadness we announce the passing of James Royal Stitt of Kemble, Ontario, on July 5, 2023 at the age of 88. Born in Chapleau, Ontario, on March 12th 1935. Loving husband to Claire for 65 years. Survived by his children, Jim (Ene), Ken, Ron (Mary); his grandchildren Ellen, Lauren, Amanda, Bayley and Trevor; great granddaughter Isla; and many nieces and nephews.

James lived a life sailing on the Great Lakes, finishing his career as Chief Engineer on the ferry Chi-Cheemaun. His kindness, humor and stories will be missed by family, neighbors and life-long friends.

Jim was a remarkable character to every soul he encountered. He passed down strong values of work ethic, honesty, and togetherness to his family. He inspired each generation to strive for their best and did everything he could to provide a good life for his family.

His good friend, retired Captain Graham Grattan, offers these memories: “Before the 1970s Jim worked on the Q&O ships and may have been chief engineer with them. He worked for Cooper Bessemer diesel and for that reason, about 1975, he was hired by Algoma Steel Marine as shore engineer. Yankcanuck had a eight cylinder Cooper Bessemer diesel of 1860 hp.

When Capt. Leith Davis left Algoma Steel to oversee the expansion of his old employer HALCO, Jim Stitt moved into the position of Manager Algoma Steel Marine and Algoma Steel Marine Services (Algoma Steel’s stevedoring services).

In March 1977 he hired me as captain on Yankcanuck; this was over the concerns of senior Algoma Steel executives who couldn’t understand how he could hand over the ship to a 26-year-old when the previous captain was 62.

When Algoma Steel sold Yankcanuck in 1991 Jim was hired by Owen Sound Transportation as the alternate chief engineer on Chi-Cheemaun. Jim was again working with his old friend Leith Davis who was now manager at Owen Sound Transportation.

There were two captains for Chi-Cheemaun but only one chief and he was getting up in years. Jim ended his sailing career on Chi-Cheemaun. Of interest, in 1985 Jim agreed to help out his good friend Jack Purvis and bring Jack’s newly purchased tug Avenger IV from the U.K. to Canada. Jim would be ‘chief’ and he brought his son Jim along to help.”

Online condolences may be left at www.funeraloptions.ca.

Joseph L. Block unloads stone into the hopper at CN Dock 6. (Duluth, MN – May 4, 2008)