Tug Molly M 1 headed for Toledo, will tow St. Clair to scrapyard

McKeil Marine’s tig Molly M 1 was westbound in Lake Erie Saturday night headed for Toledo. It is expected she will be towing the fire-damaged St. Clair to the scrapyard at Port Colborne, ON. With a gale watch in effect from Monday morning through late Monday night, they probably won’t be in towing out the St. Clair until Tuesday at the earliest.

Lake Superior and Michigan-Huron declined by more than the average

Thunder Bay, ON – As a result of the drier than average weather and water supply conditions, the water levels of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron declined by more than the average amounts in November. Lake Superior outflows continue to be set in consideration of water levels upstream and downstream.

The Board expects the total outflow to be 1,700 m3/s (60.0 tcfs) in December, which is as prescribed by Lake Superior Regulation Plan 2012. The gate setting at the Compensating Works will be maintained at the setting equivalent to one half gate open (Gates #7 through #10 partially open 20 cm (7.9 in)). There will be no change to the setting of Gate #1, which supplies a flow of about 15 m3/s to the channel north of the Fishery Remedial Dike.

Weather and water supply conditions were a record low in the Lake Superior basin in November. As a result, Lake Superior declined 12 cm (4.7 in), while on average the lake declines 5 cm (2.0 in) in November. Weather and water supply conditions on Lake Michigan-Huron basin in November were well below-average, and as a result, Lake Michigan-Huron declined 13 cm (5.1 in) last month, while the average historical decline is 5 cm (2.0 in) in November. At the beginning of December, Lake Superior is 13 cm (5.1 in) below the long-term average water level (1918 – 2020) and 38 cm (15.0 in) below the level of a year ago. Lake Michigan-Huron is 34 cm (13.4 in) above average, 45 cm (17.7 in) below the level from last year, and 60 cm (23.6 in) below the record level set in 1986.

Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron water levels typically decline in December. Depending on the weather and water supply conditions during the next month, Lake Superior may decline by as much as 12 cm (4.7 in) in December. Lake Michigan-Huron water levels could decline by as much as 13 cm (5.1 in).

Lake Superior News

Coast Guard will ‘platoon’ icebreakers in Twin Ports

Duluth, MN ­– Stranded between its last and next Coast Guard cutters, Duluth-Superior will be reliant on a temporary plan for breaking ice in 2021-22. As the Twin Ports enters the winter season without a home-based icebreaker, the U.S. Coast Guard’s regional headquarters affirmed Wednesday the port would be covered.

“The icebreaking needs of Duluth-Superior will be met with a Coast Guard asset,” said Mark Gill, director of vessel traffic services based at the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

Cutters capable of breaking ice will be moved to Duluth-Superior in the weeks prior to season’s end Jan. 15, and again before the reopening of the Soo Locks at the start of the 2022-23 season around March 25, Gill said.

The Coast Guard plans to “platoon” different 140-foot cutters to maintain open water in the shipping channels, he added.

The Twin Ports is without a Coast Guard vessel since the cutter Alder departed for a year of maintenance in July preceding its move to the San Francisco Bay Area. “Obviously, the Alder’s absence is a concern to many people,” Gill said, describing meetings about icebreaking coverage last summer between local and regional Coast Guard leadership along with the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.

“We think we’ve accounted for all the contingencies, and all the things that can go bad,” Gill added. “We have a plan going forward.”

The Port Authority compared it to making the best of a difficult situation, with Executive Director Deb DeLuca saying, “We’re apprehensive about going into the winter without (Alder). But we’ve received every assurance from the U.S. Coast Guard that it will deliver sufficient, timely icebreaking support.”

DeLuca, in her statement to the newspaper, reiterated a need for greater icebreaking capacity on the Great Lakes, which rely on predictable icebreaking, she said.

“Platooning assets from elsewhere isn’t an ideal tactic, but those are the cards we’ve been dealt,” DeLuca said. “It definitely underscores the need for federal investment in modern, dependable icebreaking assets, and more of them.”

The Twin Ports can expect the arrival of the cutter Spar to home port in Duluth sometime in 2022, Gill said, replacing the Alder as the local buoy tender and part-time icebreaker Last December, the cutter Biscayne Bay filled in breaking ice in the Twin Ports while the Alder was on rest, its crew recovering from a long mission.

That’s what the Twin Ports can expect going forward for now, Gill said. In the event the U.S. Coast Guard cannot reach Duluth in a timely manner, the Canadian Coast Guard cutter Samuel Risley has been arranged to help.

“Will we leave an asset in Duluth over the winter? That will be a definite no,” Gill said, repeating a question he’s been asked a lot. “We have no plan to keep an icebreaker in Duluth-Superior over the period of (Soo) lock closure.”

The Soo Locks, located between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes on the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie, are closed for repair several weeks every winter. It’s a period of maintenance and repair for commercial lake freighters, too, which lay up in regional shipyards.

Until then, the goal is to push commercial vessel traffic through whatever the Great Lakes and Mother Nature have to offer. So far, it’s been clear sailing and Lake Superior remains warmer than normal.

“All signs point to an easier start to winter than a harder start,” Gill said. “I’d like to get us to (Soo) lock closure without hassles or delays.”

Gill cited the National Weather Service, binational ice services, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration when he said expectations so far were for a year similar to last year’s “substandard” ice formations, which featured some of the lowest ice coverage and thickness on record.

“They’re predicting something similar to last year,” Gill said. “I always put in the caveat that these are all models and subject to variations.”

In 2014-15, the Great Lakes featured “generational (ice) events,” of nearly full coverage of the lakes those years. A 20-hour mission to cross Lake Superior to Duluth took four days in 2014, Gill recalled, and there were major commercial disruptions from vessels stuck in the ice.

In 2014, the Coast Guard sent its 240-foot heavy icebreaker Mackinaw to Duluth-Superior. “We sent in a big breaker to establish the tracks,” Gill said. “Last winter, the conditions didn’t demand a Mackinaw presence.”

Mackinaw is not anticipated to be needed locally this winter, either, Gill said. Generally speaking, Mackinaw will spend its time on connecting waters between Great Lakes, in places like the St. Marys River, and the St. Clair River between lakes Huron and Erie.

“We keep the heavies in those areas,” Gill said. “Not to downplay any port, but the connecting waters are the interstates of the Great Lakes, and they generally create the highest priority.”

Local port facilities are akin to a county road or side street, Gill added, and generally require smaller cutters to maintain tracks.

Gill said the expectation was that the Duluth-Superior harbor would freeze over in typical fashion, and feature 100% coverage inside the harbors with 18-24 inches of ice.

It’s unclear how much of Lake Superior will freeze; last year’s peak came in February at 38.2% coverage, according to the Canadian Ice Service. As of Wednesday, NOAA had Lake Superior’s ice coverage barely registering at 0.1%.

Of course, the sudden arrival of a polar vortex could change everything. “I’m a pessimist at heart,” Gill said. “My job is to prepare for the worst and accept the good.”

View images at this link: https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/business/transportation/7296745-Coast-Guard-will-platoon-icebreakers-in-Twin-Ports

Corps of Engineers photo contest calendar available

We are pleased to announce that the 2022 downloadable calendar featuring the Top 12 photos from our 2021 Photo Contest is now available.

Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to everyone who participated. Download the calendar from our website: https://www.lre.usace.army.mil/Media/Photo-Contest/

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District

S.S. Milwaukee Clipper group seeks return of missing artifacts

Muskegon, MI – The SS Milwaukee Clipper Preservation group has issued the following statement:

To whom it may concern,
We are looking for some missing items from the SS Milwaukee Clipper (a National Historic Landmark). There have been a number of things stolen off the ship over the years and we are looking for them to be returned. We are happy to pay for the items if requested. We are looking for the following, but not limited to, the main steering wheel, the Juniata/Clipper bell, engine order telegraphs (2), pressure and other engine gauges, furniture and signs. We would appreciate the items back, as we are trying to restore the ship to her former glory and cannot do it without the items. No questions asked!

Please help us today if you have any tips. You can contact us by either calling us at 231-299-0784, or emailing us at milwaukeeclipper@gmail.com

We thank you for your time and support!
Brock Johnson
SS Milwaukee Clipper Preservation Inc.

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.

American Queen, Victory Cruise Lines rebrand as American Queen Voyages

Effective immediately, American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruises have merged under one brand, American Queen Voyages. The two Victory Cruises ships, frequent Great Lakes and Seaway visitors, will be renamed as part of the rebrand.

“Through a decade of transformation, American Queen Voyages has surged from the great American rivers to include lakes, ocean, and expedition experiences,” said Shawn Bierdz, president of American Queen Voyages. “Today, we are American Queen Voyages and embrace this simple but important expression – Discovery Runs Deep.”

The rebrand makes it easier for travel advisors to communicate the value of the company, Kari Tarnowski, senior vice president of marketing and sales for American Queen Voyages, told Travel Market Report. “What we had seen before was that travel advisors might spend a lot of time on one brand, and not talk about the other brand or talk about it as an afterthought.”

With American Queen Voyages, advisors can more easily convey the breadth of offerings and destinations that the company offers, she added.

American Queen Voyages comprises three distinct product offerings: American Queen Voyages River, American Queen Voyages Lakes & Ocean, and American Queen Voyages Expedition, which includes the line’s new Alaska and Central America expedition sailings starting in 2022. All offer the same all-inclusive experience American Queen Steamboat Company has long been known for.

American Queen Voyages River}Led by the line’s namesake boat, American Queen, the cruise line’s river fleet also includes American Duchess, both on the Mississippi River, American Empress sailing the Pacific Northwest, and American Countess, which debuted this past March, which sails the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee rivers.

American Queen Voyages Lakes & Ocean
Formerly Victory Cruise Lines, Lakes & Ocean comprises Ocean Voyager and Ocean Navigator (previously Victory I and Victory II). The ships sail to Canada, the Great Lakes, New England and the Eastern Seabourn, and Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula.

American Queen Voyages Expedition
Launching in summer 2022 with the newly-built 186-passenger Ocean Victory, American Queen Voyages Expedition branch will operate in Alaska on 12- and 13-day journeys. It will be joined in 2023 by the Ocean Discoverer. The ship will feature kayaks and Zodiacs, expedition leaders, and sliding observation platforms.

Travelmarket

Popular Burlington canal piers to be gated, closed even as cities try to negotiate public access

Burlington, ON – Transport Canada will use gates to close the popular Burlington shipping canal piers to pedestrians in December even as neighboring cities negotiate to preserve public access.

The federal agency angered local residents last year by threatening to ban the public from the pair of 321-metre-long piers that usher ships into Hamilton Harbour and serve as popular walking paths into the lake as well as popular vantiage points for ship photographers. Public pressure and advocacy from former MP Bob Bratina spurred a closure “pause” last year to allow talks with Burlington and Hamilton.

But residents watched nervously this month as three new swing gates were installed to block entrance to the piers from the waterfront trail. Transport Canada confirmed it will begin “restricting access” ahead of winter conditions, but added future recreational use is still up for negotiation.

Gates have been installed on both sides of the shipping canal piers near the lift bridge, which will cut off access for walkers and fishers.

“Our biggest fear is that if they don’t reach an agreement, they will close them completely,” said Matt Francis, an east-end resident who organized a Save Our Pier! group last year. “Hopefully we’ve demonstrated to (Transport Canada) that we won’t stand for that.”

Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger said Friday cities on both sides of the canal would consider taking responsibility for pier maintenance and controlling access in dangerous weather — if the federal government first pays to make the crumbling concrete safe.

That could cost anywhere from hundreds of thousands of dollars to the low millions.

“We certainly expect that the federal government will make those investments,” said Eisenberger. “I imagine it’s not a small investment, but certainly not in the tens of millions of dollars, either.”

New Hamilton East-Stoney Creek Liberal MP Chad Collins said he will “absolutely” lobby for federally funded repairs to the piers. “I think at this point both (levels of government) want the same thing,” he said. “We want to maintain public use and we want those users to be safe.”

Hamilton Spectator

Legislation looks to improve maritime conditions in Michigan

Manistee County, MI – Legislation aimed at improving maritime commerce in Michigan could benefit lakeside communities like Manistee, according to the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jack O’Malley (R) Lake Ann.

House Bill 5291 would establish a Port Facility Improvement Grant program for the expansion and creation of public and private ports within the state. It also creates the Maritime and Port Facility Improvement office within the Michigan Department of Transportation — devoting a specific office to Great Lakes commerce.

O’Malley chairs the House Transportation Committee. The second-term legislator underscored the need to focus on maritime activities, just as the state does for roads, bridges, aviation and railways.

Appropriations would still be needed to address the grant process, but O’Malley maintains that establishing a framework for the program is a necessary first step.

“Michigan really does nothing to support its maritime community,” O’Malley told the News Advocate. “When you look at the amount that the other states are doing: Ohio is cleaning our clocks. Billions of dollars are going to Toledo and Cleveland because Michigan just hasn’t supported things.”

Michigan has around 36 ports in operation, but Great Lakes freighters often arrive at ports in places like Wisconsin and Ohio, which have similar legislation already in place, according to O’Malley.

“We’ve all heard and seen the Tim Allen Pure Michigan commercial where he talks about sitting on the shore watching the Great Lakes freighters slide by. The problem is that boat doesn’t stop in Michigan. It’s going to Duluth, it’s going to Milwaukee, it’s going to Chicago, it’s going to Cleveland — it’s going somewhere else. They really don’t stop anywhere in Michigan,” O’Malley said.

“Michigan is basically considered passive in our assistance to the maritime and shipping community in the Great Lakes region. We’re the last to the table and we’ve got to change that,” he continued.

While Great Lakes freighters still arrive at cities like Manistee and Ludington, O’Malley said that creating a new maritime office and grant program would open up state and federal funding for local port authorities to improve their facilities.

In particular, O’Malley highlighted a port in Muskegon which he said is “a good sized port” that could still “grow a lot.”

“What that means is a port facility could ask for a grant that could then be used as the local portion of paying down to a match with a federal grant (and) it would open us way up to federal monies and other grant processes that we don’t have access to right now because there’s no money to back them,” O’Malley said. “So it would be a grant process and … Manistee, Muskegon, Ludington if they wanted to build up their port facilities, this grant would help them do it.”

Port officials who spoke in support of the bill when it was under consideration in the House Transportation Committee, said the legislation was needed to make the state a water transportation hub. This includes Kyle Burleson, director of operations at the Detroit-Wayne County Port Authority and Paul LaMarre III, Port of Monroe director, according to a press release from O’Malley’s office.

“When (the bill) was in the House, and we had testimony on it, no one spoke in opposition — everybody was in favor,” O’Malley said. “That includes every chamber of commerce from around the state (and) the port associations.”

The bill passed Nov. 10 in the Michigan House of Representatives by a vote of 94 to 11, and has gone to the state senate transportation committee for consideration. If passed, O’Malley said that places could start applying for grants to build or improve their ports within a year.

“We are the Great Lakes State, let’s utilize it and let’s get some of those freighters stopping in Michigan,” he said.

Manistee News Advocate
Red more and view photos at this link: https://www.manisteenews.com/local-news/article/Legislation-looks-to-improve-maritime-conditions-16653562.php

Great Lakes’ warming has wintertime domino effect

Chicago, IL – Winter is just around the corner, but experts say the Great Lakes haven’t gotten the message. After summer and fall evenings that failed to cool sufficiently, surface temperatures in the massive bodies of water are trending above average, the Chicago Tribune reported. It’s an example of climate change.

“What was kind of jarring was the consistency of the warmer-than-normal conditions,” state climatologist Trent Ford said. “And the lack of cool nights.”

Blame states boasting Great Lakes shorelines. Minnesota and Wisconsin recorded their third-hottest Junes in history. New York had one of its hottest summers. Lake Huron set a record when it reached nearly 74 F (22 C) in late August.

Illinois brought the heat, too. The state’s minimum average temperature for July through October was the highest ever next to 2016, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration records dating to 1895. The average October temperature set a record at 8 degrees above average. The disruption in expected seasonal temperatures produces a domino effect.

A hard frost was delayed until the last week of October, Ford said. Allergy season seemed longer. Bugs had an extended biting season. Ford was picking backyard tomatoes far into October. It continues throughout the calendar. Illinois’ most pronounced warming has occurred in winter — minimum temperatures have warmed by more than 3 degrees.

That stretches out warmer water temperatures, which can produce more lake effect snow, according to Ford. Snow slows with the arrival of ice, which itself is delayed by warmer water.

Ice can diminish the damage of coastal erosion. And warmer water, even at depths found in the Great Lakes, pose challenges by welcoming invasive species and generating harmful algae blooms.

The Associated Press

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.

                                     Braving the Waves” completes Fall 2021 Lecture Series

WHAT: Fall Lecture Series: Braving the Waves: Life-Saving Service
on the Shipwreck Coast
WHEN: Wednesday, December 1, 2021; 7 – 8:30 pm
WHERE: National Museum of the Great Lakes 1701 Front St., Toledo, OH 43605 OR, online via Zoom
ADMISSION: FREE (Donations encouraged and can be given upon registration.) Registration required at: nmgl.eventbrite.com or nmgl.org/events

On Wednesday, December 1, at 7 p.m., the National Museum of the Great Lakes (NMGL) will present the final lecture in their annual fall series titled Braving the Waves: Life-Saving Service on the Shipwreck Coast. The presentation features Bruce Lynn, Executive Director of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, and will explore the stories of the ‘Storm Warriors’ along the desolate shoreline between Whitefish Point and Pictured Rocks to shed light on a little-known chapter of Great Lakes history.

As in the previous lectures, the National Museum of the Great Lakes will offer this presentation as a hybrid event using Zoom with one noted difference—the presenter will be delivering the lecture virtually. Individuals wishing to participate in person may come to the museum for a watch party and be a part of the live-streamed question and answer session following the presentation.

The lecture is free to all, but registration is required. Participants can choose when registering to take part in person at the museum or online via Zoom. Donations are encouraged and can be given upon registration. For more information on this lecture or to register to join the event, visit nmgl.org.

US Navy’s 25th Littoral Combat Ship christened in namesake city

Marinette, WI – Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 25, the future USS Marinette, completed its next milestone when ship sponsor, the Hon. Jennifer Granholm christened the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine on the bow of LCS 25 in a ceremony at Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisconsin. Prior to the christening, the Lockheed Martin-led team launched the ship into the water on Oct. 31, 2020. LCS 25 is slated to begin acceptance trials next year.

The christening celebrates a major milestone in the life of the future USS Marinette (LCS 25) and marks a significant event in the history of the nation’s 25th Littoral Combat Ship (LCS 25). The future USS Marinette will be the first commissioned U.S. Navy combatant ship to bear the name. The ship’s name honors the city’s significant contribution to Navy shipbuilding. Shipbuilding has been part of the fabric of the Marinette community since 1942. Since that time, more than 1,500 vessels have been produced in the city. Marinette is also home to the Freedom-Variant Littoral Combat Ship.

Naval News

Last Toronto bridge section leaves Halifax

Beverly M 1 tug left Halifax Friday morning (11.26.21) with the 4th (and final) Cherry Street South Bridge from Halifax to Toronto on barge Glovertown Spirit. The bridge was rolled out 11.15.21 at the builders, Cherubini Metal Works. This is the final bridge under the current contract. It will follow the same route as the other bridges, travelling from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, to Toronto via the St. Lawrence Seaway. In total, four new bridges will connect downtown Toronto to the future Villiers Island, the new island that will be created by extending the Don River through the Port Lands. The first of these bridges arrived in Toronto in November 2020; the second one arrived in May 2021; the third – August 2021. Two of the bridges will sit at Cherry Street North, with one bridge dedicated to cars, bikes, and pedestrians, and the other for public transit. A third bridge will sit at Commissioners Street, and the fourth will be at Cherry Street South.

Janey Anderson

Commercial ship momentarily lost steering near Blue Water Bridge, did not run aground

Port Huron – The Wilfred Sykes, a commercial bulk carrier, momentarily lost steering near the Blue Water Bridge late Thursday night. U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Jeremiah Schiessel said the issue was fixed very soon after it was reported. There was little impediment to boat traffic. The ship did not run aground, Schiessel said. No further information was immediately available.

Port Huron Times Herald

Wilfred Sykes loses steering at Port Huron

Just after 11:30 p.m. Thursday the downbound steamer Wilfred Sykes lost steering and fetched up on the shore opposite the Dunn Paper plant. The current spun her around so she was facing upbound. The Port Huron-based tug Manitou arrived at 2:30 a.m. and was able to pull the Sykes free. She is now anchored and likely awaiting inspection before continuing her trip to Dearborn, MI.

Watch the Sykes being towed to anchorage here: https://watch.screencastify.com/v/4UYDWKCwDVbO6dlV0Rso?fbclid=IwAR0Sbua8m7ifOCdFwDqFp_nwTHDPtVEkYmbnJAZflZwKy2-b13NmZfiAg0o

Historic Ashtabula coal dock dismantled

Ashtabula, OH – The preparation of a coal conveyor for transport to Mobile, Ala. is nearing completion at the Ashtabula Rail Yard Coal Dock is nearing completion after months of preparation and work by Capp Steel Erectors and a group of other companies focusing on various parts of the job, said Andy Kaschalk, project manager for CSE.

The process escalated earlier this year when a large cement tower was blown up and coal was scraped from the area. Large cranes have been in operation recently as the equipment is moved to Alabama and the coal is prepared for shipment.

During the process, the city ended up the owners of the former coal bridge that has welcomed visitors to the harbor for decades. The rail yard was closed years ago when the demand for coal in Canada and other places dropped due to environmental concerns.

Star Beacon. View images at this link: https://www.starbeacon.com/news/local_news/historic-coal-dock-dismantled/article_ea7c21f8-ebd7-5fc2-99bf-091fe5d71423.html?fbclid=IwAR0IZlX2XL4_mpcXZBFj_NLjRYArVlMgPjEcbcbUaoaAtNwXsjYOjeCSGZI

Interlake’s new tug on its way to lakes from East Coast

U.S. Army tug MG Winfield Scott (LT 805) was upbound on the St. Lawrence River off Verchères, Quebec, on Nov. 22. The tug, which is on its way to Ludington, Mich., was recently purchased by Interlake Logistics Solutions, which is affiliated with the Interlake Steamship Co.

Interlake President Mark W. Barker said in early December it will be rafted alongside the Spartan, the long-idle sister ferry to the Badger, which Interlake also owns.

The 128-foot-long tug was built by Moss Point Marine and delivered to the U.S. Army in 1993. She is named for Major General Winfield Scot

Floating warship museum still eyed for Erie; Navy review, costs pose challenges

Erie, PA – A U.S. Navy warship won’t be dropping anchor in Erie anytime soon. While efforts are ongoing to bring a decommissioned Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate to Presque Isle Bay and turn it into a floating naval museum, a steep fundraising goal and an arduous Navy approval process could slow the project for years. So says Joe Pfadt, CEO of the Oliver Hazard Perry Shipyard, a nonprofit spearheading the project.

“We’re still going through Phase II of the three-phase Navy application process, which requires us to do a number of studies, to include all of the engineering that goes with this,” Pfadt said. He said documentation from Phase II, which also includes an economic impact study and a market analysis, must be submitted to the Navy by September.

At that point, the Navy will undertake a thorough review of the documentation before advancing to Phase III, which involves a new round of planning for the towing and mooring of the vessel. That, in turn, would require another review by the Navy.

“We don’t know how long the Navy’s review process will take,” said Pfadt, adding that documentation from Phase II alone could be nearly 1,000 pages and take the Navy a year or more to review.

“We have to remember that a Perry-class frigate costs about $122 million, so it’s a rather expensive asset that (the Navy) is donating,” Pfadt said. “The Navy is trying to tell a prospective museum location, ‘This is what you’re getting into and this is what the process is to have a ship donated.'”

The Perry Shipyard applied to the Navy in early 2020 for the frigate. The nonprofit, during the first phase of the application process, pitched Erie’s connections with Perry — who won the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812 — and the educational and tourism potential of a Perry-class frigate in the Flagship City.

The Navy has since selected the U.S.S. Halyburton, one of a handful of mothballed Perry-class frigates at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, for the prospective Erie move.

Go Erie

Superstructure of tug Annis Lee arrives at museum

Thunder Bay, ON – On Monday the Lakehead Transportation Museum Society took possession of the superstructure of the tugboat Annis Lee.  Originally built in 1945 at the Port Arthur Shipyard. the tug had been pulled ashore and was more or less abandoned for years, until this year, when it was scrapped.

Great Lakes Towing extends services to Sturgeon Bay

Sturgeon Bay, WI – Following a fleet renewal program that has increased the size of its fleet, the Great Lakes Towing Co. is expanding its harbor towing and ice breaking services to Sturgeon Bay, WI.

Tug services in Sturgeon Bay have historically been provided by Sarter Marine Towing (formerly Selvick Marine Towing.

Great Lakes Towing’s fleet renewal program began with the laying of 10 keels in August 2016. Since then, the company has added five new Damen Stan 1907 ICE design tugs to its fleet, with the sixth set for delivery next month and the seventh in Spring 2022.

As well as improving the quality, safety and reliability of the services the company provides to its customers, it has also increased the size of the towing fleet. This has allowed the company to look for other areas to expand its area of operations and improve its lakes-wide coverage.

There will now be two Great Lakes Towing tugs stationed in Sturgeon Bay full time, including the former Navy YTB Ontarioand Hawaii. The company says these tugs will offer timely services for vessels calling at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) and also provide strong ice breaking assets at the mid-southern end of Green Bay.

“We are excited to expand our services to better serve the Great Lakes maritime community. As we continue to grow our fleet, we will continue to seek out new and better ways to service the needs of our customers,” says Gregg Thauvette, executive vice president, operations, at the Great Lakes Towing Company. “A couple years ago we stationed a tug in Monroe (Michigan) and now we look forward to seeing you in Sturgeon Bay!”

Marine Log

Obituary: John S. “Jack” Frost

Detroit, MI – Past International Shipmasters’ Detroit Lodge President Jack Frost passed away on Monday, November 15, 2021 at Detroit’s Henry Ford Hospital after a short battle with pneumonia and leukemia.  Born on August 21, 1952, he was 69 years old.

Jack is survived by his wife Anita, mother Christine Frost, sister Marian (Daniel) Orsini, brother Gary (Rosie MacKenzie) Frost, sister Phyllis (Jim) Dujovski, brother Ray Frost, and sister Carolyn (Mike) Bailey. He was preceded in death by his father Leo Frost. He will be dearly missed by family and friends.

Jack grew up in Southwest Detroit and spent summers in Belle River, Ontario on Lake St. Clair. After graduating from St. Gabriel Catholic High School in 1970, he entered the U.S. Air Force serving in North Carolina, Florida, Turkey and North Dakota.

Following his Honorable Discharge, he enrolled at Minot State College in Minot, ND. Jack attended college for a year and then operated a Rotor Rooter franchise in Minot for two years. In 1976 Jack returned to Detroit and started working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  In 1977 Jack met Anita Lester and they were married in 1984 by the Mayor of Lincoln Park. He enjoyed playing Santa Claus at family gatherings.

Jack held a number of positions with the Corps over the years, and began his sailing career as a deckhand on the tug Forney, moving on to the derrick Huron as deckhand and deck machine operator, and then taking a position as oiler on the derrick Haines. During this time as the need arose, he worked on several other tugs and crane barges in the Corps of Engineers fleet.  In 1989 Jack received his initial Coast Guard license and became Captain of the survey vessel North Central. A master diver, Jack was often up at the Soo Locks in the winter where his dive skills were put to work inspecting the lock gates. He worked seven different disasters while with the Corps. In 2003 and 2004 he was sent overseas and performed duties in Baghdad, Iraq. In 1999, he was moved to the Corps front office in cost estimating and specifications because of his knowledge of the Great Lakes marine industry. He retired as Senior Cost Estimator in January 2013 at the age of 60. After retiring from the Corps of Engineers, he was often hired by FEMA to work as a cost estimator during several national disasters. His assignments took him to states impacted by Hurricane Katrina, to California with its devastating wildfire damage and to Wisconsin after a rash of tornadoes in that state.

Jack maintained his 200-ton towing license by working with the U.S. Naval Sea Cadets aboard the training vessel Grayfox. After retiring from the Corps of Engineers, he worked with Diamond Jack River Cruises as skipper aboard their passenger vessel Diamond Belle.

Jack was an avid Detroit Tigers fan. He attended many games during the season including many opening days. In recent years his love of baseball took him down to Lakeland, Florida where he had season tickets to the Tigers spring training games.

Jack loved to travel. His connection to the U.S. Air Force, the Corps of Engineers, FEMA and road trips with his brother took him to 47 states and 23 countries over the years.

Captain Frost joined Detroit Lodge No. 7 on Dec. 12, 1989, and was a member for nearly 32 years. He was issued pennant number 10977. He served four years (1992 through 1995) as lodge warden, was elected lodge President in 2005 and served as the lodge’s convention delegate at the 2006 convention. Jack and his wife Anita attended numerous ISMA Conventions over the years. Jack was appointed and installed as Grand Marshal at the 2008 and 2010 conventions and served in that capacity at the 2009 and 2011 Conventions.  In 2012, his fellow lodge members honored him with the Lewis Ludington Award.

Visitation will be Sunday, November 21, from noon to 3:00 pm at the Allen Park Chapel of Voran Funeral Home, 5900 Allen Road, Allen Park (313-928-2300) The funeral service will be at 3:00 pm at the funeral home. Donations may be made to the Michigan Humane Society, the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army.