Ex-USCG cutter Bramble being scrapped in Louisiana

Social media reports indicate the former U.S. Coast Guard cutter Bramble is being scrapped at  Gibson, LA. A photo (see gallery below) shows her in rough shape and missing her main mast and other equipment.

USCGC Bramble (WLB-392) was one of the 39 original 180-foot seagoing buoy tenders built at Duluth, MN, between 1942 and 1944 for the Coast Guard. In commission from 1944 until 2003, she saw service in Pacific, Caribbean and Atlantic waters, as well as the Great Lakes. In 1947 Bramble was present at the nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll, and in 1957 a circumnavigation of North America involved a forced traverse of the Northwest Passage.

The Bramble began to call Port Huron home in 1975, and remained until 2019, even after being decommissioned, and was established as a museum in 2003.

In December 2018 Bramble was sold to Tom Clarke of Roanoke, VA. He announced plans to send the vessel to a Mobile, Alabama, shipyard in spring 2019 to prepare her for a voyage from Miami, replicating the circumnavigation of North America in 1957, including traverse of the Northwest Passage. The plan was cancelled as Bramble’s new owner ran out of funds, and the ship was taken from him to be auctioned off in Mobile. On December 4, 2019 the Bramble was sold at public auction by the United States Marshals Service for $80,000 to M.A.R.S., Modern American Recycling Services Inc.

Port Of Oswego achieves shipping record In 2022, re-establishes itself as Upstate commerce force

OSWEGO, NY – With a record year in 2022, the Port of Oswego Authority ( POA), staked its’ claim as a dominant force in maritime commerce for Central New York, the Great Lakes, and the world. Shipping alone was up over 300% compared to 2021 , said William, Scriber, POA executive director.  Recently, the Port received the U.S. Dept. of Transportation designation as a USDOT Marine Highway, one of only 32 in the United States.

 “Our performance in 2022 firmly establishes us as a Great Lakes commerce force and a gateway to the world. We’re also the gateway from Lake Ontario to the NY State Canal system with the first marine entrance on Lock 8 here in Oswego.”

Francis Enwright, chair of the Port of Oswego Authority board said: “Oswego’s history is maritime and boating. A key focus for our board is always bringing commerce and jobs to Oswego. The economic numbers from the past year bear this out and tell a remarkable success story of how we’ve transformed the Port into an international grain export center, a wind turbine component import hub, a vital aluminum receiver for Novelis, and a major innovator in Great Lakes shipping. This positions us a key player in economic development this year with the advent of new potential customers like Micron. ”

Read the full story here: https://oswegocountytoday.com/sponsored-content/news-from-the-port/port-of-oswego-achieves-shipping-record-in-2022-reestablishes-itself-as-upstate-commerce-force/?fbclid=IwAR2vG7mdcBE_S6mhfFRcM4FcGrgw8Zq-ZQ6x3pIVa39QZgaJcDT05WYX1tw

Milwaukee port project nearing completion 

The final shape of the largest port of Milwaukee investment in more than 60 years is now clearly visible.

The $40 million facility, to be operated by Clinton-based DeLong Company, will be primarily used for exporting a nutrient-rich byproduct from converting corn to ethanol to Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It’s being funded as a public-private partnership between the city, state and federal governments and the private company.

DeLong already coordinates the export of dry distillers grain with solubles (DDGS), via shipping containers and coastal ports, to Asia. But the new complex, formally the Agricultural Maritime Export Facility, will provide a purpose-built facility and logistics network to compete in many more markets. It will also allow DeLong to avoid using shipping containers, which are ill-suited for the moisture-laden product and in increasingly short supply.

The ship loader and stair-wrapped tower are now clearly visible from the Hoan Bridge and other points along the harbor. When complete, the large, overhead system will be used to load up to 40,000 bushels (1,100 metric tons) per hour onto either barges or ships. The facility is located along the inner harbor on the west side of S. Carferry Dr.

Read the rest of this story here: https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2023/01/21/friday-photos-massive-port-project-nears-completion/

Tawas Point Lighthouse remains closed in 2023 for tower restoration, repairs

Repair and restoration work beginning this spring at the historic Tawas Point Lighthouse will pause some of the lighthouse’s public programming through 2023.

The nearly 150-year-old lighthouse, an iconic sight at Tawas Point State Park, is receiving about $500,000 in federal and state funding for the repairs, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Read the full story here: https://www.mlive.com/news/2023/01/tawas-point-lighthouse-remains-closed-in-2023-for-tower-restoration-repairs.html?fbclid=IwAR3JbHepcTsTYtMmGOvRNPhgN934x2873J6Gg7OAIqv-bjfXFYQ40y5RJ4s

MLive

Great Lakes see near-record low ice for time of year

January has been much warmer than usual, allowing very little ice on the Great Lakes to form yet this winter season.

Every single day so far this month has been at or above freezing, with less than an inch of snow accumulating so far.

Lake Michigan typically sees maximum ice coverage sometime in the first half of February.

Many of our recent winters have featured low lake ice early in the season. Last winter season also started on a slow note but saw a rapid acceleration towards the end of January with ice concentration climbing to the 34% range during the middle of February.

It’s not impossible for big jumps in ice concentration to occur. Very cold stretches of weather or shots of cold air from a polar vortex event can be enough to add on the ice at a fast pace. Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie are all also near record low for this time of year.

Lake Erie often sees erratic ice gains and losses through a winter season, so it is less remarkable that it is at a low currently.

Lake Superior’s low ice is more remarkable. It is the deepest Great Lake, but due to its far northerly location it usually is around 15% this time of year. As of now, it is sitting at 2.7%.

The last several winters have been slow to deliver on Great Lakes ice concentration. The last time Lake Michigan was able to top 50% ice concentration for the season was 2018-2019.

A flip to colder weather is expected towards the end of January into early February. While the exact forecast is not set in stone, a lean towards colder than average is looking much more likely than continued warmth, a good sign for snow lovers.

WoodTV8

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding to build wind farm service operational vessel

You will see more activity soon on Sturgeon Bay’s working waterfront. Fincantieri Marine Group announced Wednesday that it would be building a 288-foot vessel at its Bay Shipbuilding location in Sturgeon Bay. The contract is with a joint venture between Crowley and ESVAGT. The ship will be a Service Operational Vessel (SOV)  that will transport technicians to service and sustain the operation of wind turbines at sea in the United States.

The building of the HAV 832 SOV vessel will allow it to be in service by 2026 and serve the Dominion Energy wind farm off the coast of Virginia.

Fincantieri Marine Group CEO Marco Galbiati said, “We are proud to be associated with important ‘green’ projects like this.

Several LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) bunkering barges are currently being built at Bay Shipbuilding, and more Winter Fleet vessels are arriving this month for service.

Fincantieri Press Release

Ashtabula/Defiance end Soo Locks Shipping Season

The Soo Locks are officially closed to shipping traffic as of 10 a.m. today, Monday. They were originally scheduled to close at 11:59 p.m. Sunday night, but the tug/barge Ashtabula/Defiance left Superior, WI, late due to loading and weather delays

The tug/barge closed out the 2022-2023 navigation season carrying the season’s final load, 24,680 long tons of taconite, which was headed for Burns Harbor, IN.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates and maintains the locks, makes exceptions such as this to keep the locks open a little longer to make sure late-running vessels lock through.

Only one operating laker is left above Gros Cap, the Saginaw loaded with iron ore for Algoma Steel. After she unloads late Monday, she will make another run up to Superior, WI, for another cargo of ore for the steel plant. She will lay up at either Algoma or at Thunder Bay.

Some 150 employees will now focus on the needed repairs and updates to the larger Poe Lock and the smaller MacArthur Lock. “Crews will be in today to set the bridge across the Poe Lock. That will be the first step,” Jeff Harrington, Sault Project Office Operations Branch Chief said.

“And with that in place, and some of the other preparations that are already being made, they are removing deck plates and removing snow and ice.” Harrington added that the construction of the new Soo Lock will continue as planned through the winter.

TV 9&10, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District

Tug Seahound sinks at Port Maitland

The McKeil Marine/Nadro Marine Services tug Seahound has sunk at Port Maitland, ON. Images on social media Monday showed her mostly submerged, with a crew working to mediate any pollution and determine a salvage plan. No further details are known at this time. The 65-foot tug was built in 1971, and is active in the Welland Canal area, often assisting vessels headed for scrap at Marine Recycling Corp. at Port Colborne.

Vision being developed for fledgling Great Lakes Authority

The Great Lakes region is in the early stages of knitting together economic development, transportation, and environmental improvement programs in a way that could leverage more federal investment and foster networking between academic and private-industry researchers.

But several people interviewed about the new Great Lakes Authority agree the success or failure of it will hinge on how ambitious and visionary it becomes as it is put together over the next couple of years.

“The devil’s in the details,” said Mark Fisher, chief executive officer of the Council of the Great Lakes Region in Cleveland.

For starters, the recently approved Great Lakes Authority will need to overcome somewhat of an identity crisis and distinguish itself from the similar-sounding Great Lakes Water Authority, created in 2016 as an independent body to streamline response to water and sewage programs in Detroit and other southeast Michigan communities.

That particular regional authority has a 40-year license for control of the financially strapped Detroit Water and Sewer Department, as well as major water mains, sewage interceptors, and related facilities for $50 million a year.

Read the rest of this story here: https://www.toledoblade.com/local/environment/2023/01/15/vision-being-developed-for-fledgling-great-lakes-authority-that-congress-approved/stories/20230113112

Soo Locks closing for seasonal repair on Sunday

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District announced that the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie will close for seasonal repairs and maintenance on Sunday, Jan. 15.

The locks will close to marine traffic at 11:59 p.m. on the 15th, or until traffic through the locks ceases. They will reopen at 12:01 a.m. on March 25.

Read the full story here: https://www.9and10news.com/2023/01/13/soo-locks-closing-for-seasonal-repair-on-sunday/

World Ship Society report of casualties, demolitions

Vessels with a Great Lakes / Seaway connection reported as a casualty or sold for demolition. Taken from the January 2023 issue of Marine News – Journal of the World Ship Society.

Casualty: The littoral combat ship WICHITA (LCS-13) suffered a propulsion plant failure on 19th of October. It is not thought to be a similar issue that has plagued other Freedom-class ships in recent years, but was serious enough to be classed as a Class A mishap which involves damage exceeding $ 2.5 million. WICHITA returned to her homeport of Mayport, Fl., two days later under her own power (1st Seaway transit 2018 delivery trip from Finncantieri yard at Sturgeon Bay, WI. to Mayport, FL).

Sold for Demolition: LINDA STAR (8312100; Panama) (ALPHA-13, ISLAND TRIANGLE-09, ISLAND GEM-07 – 1st seaway transit 1985) – 17,065 / 1984 – bulk carrier.  By Jet Shipmanagement Marshall Islands, to New Choice Enterprises Pakistan, and arrived Gadani Beach 19.10.2022. Commenced demolition 1.11.2022

Report compiled by Barry Andersen and René Beauchamp

Coast Guard flies out to Great Lakes’ tallest lighthouse to make repairs after storm

Northern Lake Michigan – When your lights aren’t working and you are having technical difficulties, you punch in the number of your trusty tech guide or repair person. But when it happens to a pair of remote lighthouses in northern Lake Michigan in the middle of winter, you call in the U.S. Coast Guard.

A helicopter crew from the Coast Guard’s Air Station Traverse City recently worked with an Aids to Navigation Team from Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste Marie to get things working again at two lighthouses in Northern Michigan: the Grays Reef Light and the White Shoal Light.

White Shoal is a well-known landmark with its iconic red-and-white candy cane paint job. At 121 feet, it’s the tallest lighthouse in the Great Lakes. It’s also an active Aid to Navigation on the lakes. White Shoal’s location – about 20 miles west of the Mackinac Bridge – also makes it the most remote light in Lake Michigan.

Read more and view images at this MLive link: https://www.mlive.com/news/2023/01/coast-guard-flies-out-to-great-lakes-tallest-lighthouse-to-make-repairs-after-storm.html?utm_campaign=aanews_sf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR2fx83orkASv-NkMNg5pydg2r-k1Cm–cw4LyOO1zNiA0CA7mSY3f6OeB0

VIDEO: CCGS Griffon breaks ice at Midland, ON

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uv1j3aBoV8

St. Marys River Channel Closures

Sault Ste. Marie, Mi – In accordance with 33 CFR 162.117, Vessel Traffic Service St. Marys River will close the West Neebish Channel and Pipe Island Passage (East of Pipe Island Shoal and North of Pipe Island Twins from Watson Reef Light to Sweets Point). The channels will close effective 0800 EST on 17 January 2023. Alternating one-way traffic will be established in the Munuscong and Middle Neebish Channels. The Pipe Island Course will become a two-way route.

The Coast Guard would like to remind all recreational ice users to plan their activity carefully, use caution on the ice, and stay away from shipping channels.

USCG

Jackie Q. Carter to Serve as Director at Port Milwaukee

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson has selected Jackie Q. Carter to serve as Municipal Port Director. In this position, Carter will direct commercial and recreational operations at Port Milwaukee, oversee a staff of 20 people, and administer Foreign Trade Zone No. 41. The appointment is subject to Common Council approval.

A lifelong resident of Milwaukee, Carter has worked in the local non-profit and public sector for more than 20 years. She most recently served as the Finance & Administration Officer for Port Milwaukee, where she provided oversight of all Port business operations, including its financial, human resource, and administrative functions. She has been integral in helping to shape the department’s strategic planning and grant funding efforts.

Upon confirmation, Carter will become the first woman, and the first Black person to serve as Director of Port Milwaukee. She will also be the only Black person to serve as director of a port authority in the State of Wisconsin.

“I am honored to select Jackie Q. Carter for this historic appointment to lead Milwaukee’s port,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson said. “After listening to applicants with expertise from around the world, Jackie is simply the best choice to carry out the Port’s mission of promoting commerce and supporting the local economy. I am confident Jackie will accelerate the excellent work underway at Port Milwaukee.”

Carter earned a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Public Administration from Concordia University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Alverno College, with a double major in Business & Management and Professional Communication. She is a wife, mother, and minister who plays an integral role in reshaping the spiritual and socio-economic legacy of her family and community.

Carter succeeds former port director Adam Tindall-Schlicht, who was appointed the Administrator of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation

Winter Fleet season begins in Sturgeon Bay

If the fall is for the leaves, then you know winter is for the boats in Sturgeon Bay.

Several different vessels will be coming into town for their winter lay-up at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding. At least four ships (Edwin H. Gott, Walter J. McCarthy, Indiana Harbor, and Mesabi Miner) are over 1,000 feet long, and five others are over 700 feet long. Workers at Bay Shipbuilding will spend the winter months making sure the vessels are ready to run for another nine months, hauling a variety of different materials.

The Winter Fleet is certainly a major draw for people in Sturgeon Bay. Door County Maritime Museum Deputy Director and Development Manager Sam Perlman says even their employees get excited when the ships come through the bridges.

You can find the list of the ships for this year’s Winter Fleet below. You should keep your eyes on websites and phone apps like BoatNerd and Marine Traffic to stay up-to-date on their location and when they might arrive.

Door County Daily

Great Lakes Iron Ore Trade Down in 2022

CLEVELAND – Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 3.99 million tons in December, a decrease of 11.9 percent compared to a year ago.  Shipments were also below the 5-year average for the month by 19.8 percent.

The year-end total for the iron ore trade stands at 42.3 million tons, a decrease of 18 percent compared to 2021.

Compared to the trade’s 5-year average, 2022 iron ore loadings were down 17.9 percent.

LCA

Museum celebrates community with free admission

TOLEDO, Ohio – In the community improvement and service spirit of the Martin Luther King holiday, beginning Saturday, January 14, through Monday, January 16th, The National Museum of the Great Lakes will open their doors for FREE in recognition of the support visitors, members and community partners have shown over the years.

“We will be celebrating the re-opening after our annual cleaning shutdown as well as welcoming a new year with an extended weekend of FREE admission, ” shares National Museum of the Great Lakes Education and Visitor Experience Director Ellen Kennedy. “We love showing off our incredible facilities and couldn’t think of a better way to enter 2023 than offering this.”

The museum originally introduced Community Appreciation Days in 2021 after being inspired to give back to those who generously continued to support our mission with the onset of the pandemic. “We appreciate all the support our community provides and are always looking for ways to connect more people with Great Lakes history as well as say thank you,” adds Kate Fineske, the museum’s Senior Director of Institutional Advancement.

Museum admission is always free for members, with non-member museum-only admission ranging from $8 – 11. Over Martin Luther King Day weekend the museum will be open from 10 – 5 p.m. on Saturday and Monday and Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday with free admission for all visitors.

Although not required, individuals may reserve their free tickets by pre-ordering and scheduling their visit online at nmgl.org/events. For more information on visitation, visit us online or call 419-214-5000.

National Museum of the Great Lakes

Captains from across Great Lakes gather in Traverse City

Grand Traverse County, Mich., – Captains from across the Great Lakes area gathered in Traverse City for the annual Industry Days conference. The conference focuses on learning from each other and how to keep passengers on ferries, tour boats and other mid-sized boats safe while out on the water.

While GLCA’s president Robert Schallip said there haven’t been any major safety concerns recently, it’s important that captains from across the Great Lakes continue to show up and ask questions.

“There’s always the issue of safety, weather is important and vessel maintenance is important and the manning requirements, the hours of service is important, but what I always say is the people that are here are not the people that need to be here because these people are concerned about safety enough that they come to this thing,” Schallip said.

More snow on the way

Throughout the two days, captains will hear from the Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and others from the boating industry on promoting safety.

WPBN/WGTU

Great Lakes limestone trade down in 2022

CLEVELAND — Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 28.8 million tons in 2022, a decrease of 2.45 percent compared to 2021.  2022’s loadings were slightly below the trade’s 5-year average.

 Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 23 million tons, a decrease of 1.9 percent compared to 2021.  Shipments from U.S. quarries were also below their 5-year average by 1.4 percent.

 Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 5.8 million tons, a decrease of 4.5 percent compared to the prior year, but 5.7 percent better than their 5-year average.

LCA

Escanaba-area Ice users notified of vessel transit

Motor vessel Algoma Intrepid is scheduled to transit the southern end of Little Bay De Noc from Green Bay (Minneapolis Shoal LT) to Escanaba on the 12th and 13^th January 2023. The vessel is delivering a load of salt to the community. The Coast Guard reminds all recreational ice users to plan their activities carefully, use caution on the ice and stay away from the vessel transit area.

Soo Locks closing for seasonal repair, maintenance

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan will close to marine traffic beginning 11:59 p.m. January 15, or until commercial traffic ceases, through 12:01 a.m. March 25 to perform critical maintenance.

Federal regulation establishes the operating season based on the feasibility of vessels operating during typical Great Lakes ice conditions.

Every year, the Corps of Engineers uses the winter period to perform maintenance to keep the Soo Locks operating. The Detroit District team works long hours in extreme conditions to complete a significant amount of maintenance during this annual closure period. The work they perform is unique, especially given the harsh northern Michigan conditions they work in.

“Winter weather poses challenges and adds intensity to maintenance, the team is highly skilled and equipped to safely execute critical projects that allow for continued operational reliability,” LeighAnn Ryckeghem Soo Locks Operations Manager said.

The Corps of Engineers has several projects to complete before reopening the Poe Lock in March. The MacArthur Lock is scheduled to open April 24.

“This winter a portion of maintenance projects on Gate 1 require the Poe Lock to remain full while others require the lock to be dewatered,” Maintenance Branch Chief Nick Pettit said.  “Sequencing Poe Lock maintenance/repairs allows our team to maximize the non-navigation season.”

Dewatering of the Poe Lock will begin February 13. The MacArthur Lock will not be dewatered this year.

The team will install a temporary panel bridge across the Poe Lock. This panel bridge will provide the ability to mobilize materials and equipment to the job sites throughout the winter closure.

Maintenance crews will complete Gate 1 spring box and lever arm repairs to include replacing concrete, curtain bubbler replacement, Gate 1 lifting lugs, underfloor drain system inspection, dewatering chamber inspection/clean out, Gate 1 inspection for replacement, Gate 3 inspection for structural repairs, gate jacking pedestal inspections, valve repairs, Gate 1 turning feet, Gate 3 seal repairs and culvert intake grate repairs. The (miter) gates are the large gates serving as dams at each end of the lock chamber allowing the water to be raised and lowered in the chamber.

In addition to the above, crews also perform a wide range of other maintenance tasks from fender timber replacements on the piers to inspections and preventative maintenance on electrical and mechanical systems on both Poe and MacArthur Locks.

Contractors are currently working on the Poe Lock ship arrestor project. OCCI of Missouri, was awarded the contract in July 2021, for $17.5M after awarded options. This winter they are finishing the new downstream arrestor equipment buildings, installing the new arrestor machinery and replacing the arrestor boom.

The Corps of Engineers is building a second Poe-sized lock to provide much needed resiliency in the Great Lakes Navigation System. The second Poe-size lock, 110-feet by 1,200-feet, is being built on the existing Davis and Sabin Locks sites. The Davis Lock, which opened in 1914, has not been used since 2018, and only to transport Corps vessels. The Sabin Lock opened in 1918 and has been inactive since 1989. Both the Sabin and Davis Locks are too shallow for most modern vessels.

The Corps of Engineers contractor completed the first phase of construction, the upstream channel deepening was completed in August. The project’s second phase to stabilize the existing upstream approach walls wrapped up the second year of construction. The contractor installed 26 coffer cells, completing all 52 and placed 31,000 cubic yards of concrete. The upstream approach walls work will resume in Spring 2023. The final phase of construction, constructing the lock chamber, was awarded July with mobilization taking place in October/November.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District

Museum celebrates community with free admission

TOLEDO, Ohio – In the community improvement and service spirit of the Martin Luther King holiday, beginning Saturday, January 14, through Monday, January 16th, The National Museum of the Great Lakes will open their doors for FREE in recognition of the support visitors, members and community partners have shown over the years.

“We will be celebrating the re-opening after our annual cleaning shutdown as well as welcoming a new year with an extended weekend of FREE admission, ” shares National Museum of the Great Lakes Education and Visitor Experience Director Ellen Kennedy. “We love showing off our incredible facilities and couldn’t think of a better way to enter 2023 than offering this.”

The museum originally introduced Community Appreciation Days in 2021 after being inspired to give back to those who generously continued to support our mission with the onset of the pandemic. “We appreciate all the support our community provides and are always looking for ways to connect more people with Great Lakes history as well as say thank you,” adds Kate Fineske, the museum’s Senior Director of Institutional Advancement.

Museum admission is always free for members, with non-member museum-only admission ranging from $8 – 11. Over Martin Luther King Day weekend the museum will be open from 10 – 5 p.m. on Saturday and Monday and Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday with free admission for all visitors.

Although not required, individuals may reserve their free tickets by pre-ordering and scheduling their visit online at nmgl.org. For more information on visitation, visit us online or call 419-214-5000.

View the gallery to see the full flyer

NMOTGL

Welland Canal closes for season

Algoma Guardian arrived from Hamilton at 0156 Sunday for Goderich.

Algoma Mariner arrived Port Colborne 0910 Saturday morning for Hamilton. This brings the shipping season to an end.

Barry Andersen

Canada’s newest icebreaker docks in Port Colborne

PORT COLBORNE, ON – Named after one of the first women to serve as a federal cabinet minister, the Canadian Coast Guard’s newest light icebreaker made its way up the Welland Canal last week, docking in Port Colborne.

CCGS Judy LaMarsh, formerly Mangystau-2 and home-ported in Turkmenistan, was purchased in November 2021 from Atlantic Towing Ltd. for $45.2 million to supplement operations in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence and Atlantic regions.

Judy LaMarsh was one of the first women to serve as a federal cabinet minister, heading up national health and welfare, and amateur sport, said a Coast Guard release. She was instrumental in developing innovative federal programs, including medicare and the Canada Pension Plan.

While serving as Canada’s secretary of state, she helped to establish the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada. She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1980.

The vessel was the fourth interim icebreaker acquired by the Coast Guard, following the medium icebreakers CCGS Jean Goodwill, CCGS Vincent Massey and CCGS Captain Molly Kool. It underwent design and conversion work at the Coast Guard’s Prescott, Ont., base and was renamed in October 2022.

“The CCGS Judy LaMarsh will ensure our icebreaking services can continue to run smoothly while other Canadian Coast Guard vessels undergo planned maintenance,” said commissioner Mario Pelletier in the release.

The 13-year-old, Romanian-built, 66-metre-long vessel’s other duties include tending to navigational buoys in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence and Atlantic regions, and performing search and rescue and other emergency response operations when needed.

Welland Tribune

St. Clair Shores man blows 1915 tugboat horn after every Lions win

ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (WXYZ) — The sound of a 1915 tugboat horn is a familiar one to neighbors in one St. Clair Shores neighborhood.

“When you hear my neighbor’s horn go off, you know exactly what’s going on,” Donna Case said.

It’s the sound of victory. A signal that the Detroit Lions have just won a game.

“I hook them up to my air compressor and man, they’ll wake up the neighborhood,” Steve Gayton said.

Steve is the man behind the horn. He’s been blowing it after every Lions win for the past 11 years. He says it’s a homage to his memories at Pontaic Stadium.

“[My dad and I] would go there and they would always have horns blowing all the time and everything. And of course, I have tugboat horns, so I decided, ‘hey, why not keep the tradition alive right here at home,'” he said.

The sound of Steve’s horn can be heard for miles.

“It’s so loud that you go to the gas station and people down there are talking about it, and I’m like ‘oh my goodness, that’s my husband,'” Nicole Reeks said.

It’s even got him some recognition on a St. Clair Shores Facebook page.

“Not sure who you are, but, whoever is near Masonic and Jefferson that blows the train horn after the Lions victories … I love it,” St. Clair Shores resident Nicholas Handy wrote to the FB group. That post garnered 700 likes.

“And I was kinda proud, like ‘see! We’re working as a team and people are getting excited about the Lions winning,’” Steve’s wife, Nicole, said.

Steve says during this current football season, his neighborhoods have gotten more riled up and excited about their home team.

“I think the horns are definitely part of the camaraderie around here in the neighborhood of the Lions game. I know the kids love it,” he said.

And those kids, Steve, and the rest of his neighbors are hoping that Steve will blow that horn once again this Sunday.

“Oh yeah, we’re definitely gonna give it some extra salutes!”

WXYZ Detroit

Boatnerd winter lay-up list now active

Please send us your lay-up information

With vessels now heading for winter lay-up, please send any information – including date of arrival and dock, if known – about your port to news@boatnerd.net.