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USS Corp. Press Release

12/3 – Hamilton, Ont. - Last Friday, a barge left the harbor and hopes are high it will usher in a new era for Hamilton's port.

The vessel will be loaded with 68 containers of scrap metal from Sunrise Metals, eventually bound for India by way of Montreal. It's the port's first foray into short sea shipping. The tongue-twister means using inland waterways to ship freight, bypassing roads and rail.

"We've invested a significant amount of time with a number of port partners over the past two months making this long-discussed concept a reality with this trial shipment," said HPA CEO Bruce Wood. "Making this specialized type of service an important piece of the port's traffic connecting to Canada's East Coast ports is a central part of our overall Hamilton Port Authority strategy."

He says the North American shipping industry has been talking about containerized shipping for years. A few attempts have failed. While Great Lakes ports bring in bulk commodities by ship every day, the "concept of moving consumer goods in containers just never took off," said Wood. In Europe, short sea shipping accounts for about 40 per cent of goods movement. Advocates say it relieves congestion on highways, cuts air pollution and is cheaper than building new roads or rail links. The Canadian federal government and U.S. president-elect Barack Obama have endorsed short sea shipping.

"We are very pleased to see the development of this trial feeder service from the port of Hamilton," said Richard Corfe, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation CEO. "It is a positive sign for short sea shipping on the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System and demonstrates the viability of moving containers via the waterway."

About half a million containers arrive in Halifax and Montreal each year and are then off-loaded to travel west by train or truck. If the Hamilton port can grow a container service, it would mean a big injection of investment in piers, equipment and jobs, says Wood. The key is building a consistent customer base.

Sunrise Metals president Amandeep Singh Kaloti hopes that will happen. Right now, he has empty containers sent from Toronto. They're loaded in Hamilton and then sent by rail to Montreal or Halifax where they are loaded on an ocean-bound ship. He says he would "definitely save money" by only shipping by water. Hamilton is in a strategic location and the port is really good. There is no reason why this can't happen in Hamilton," he said.

Kaloti pushed for the trial run out of Hamilton this fall, hoping regular shipments can be rolled out next year. "I'm very hopeful next year we can do it weekly or biweekly."

From the Hamilton Spectator

12/3 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. - The waterfront was the focus of much discussion Monday evening as the Sault Ste. Marie City Commission looked to the future at Monday’s session.

The action which poses the most potential for controversy centers around a request from Algoma Steel to utilize the Carbide Dock to store iron ore pellets. A similar proposal failed to muster commission support earlier this year, when residents of a nearby condominium rallied against the package - citing concerns of dust, noise and road damage.

The new proposal, however, seems to eliminate many of the aspects the residents found unappealing. The iron ore would be shipped from Marquette in late December and January, unloaded on the Carbide Dock and remain there until needed sometime in the spring. The trucking aspect will be eliminated as ships will be employed to ferry the pellets from their storage location to the opposite side of the river.

The benefit to the city under this proposal comes in the form of docking and shipping fees. Docking would be calculated at 45 cents a a ton with an additional 15 cents a ton collected on a monthly basis for storage — totaling somewhere between $100,000 and $200,000 according to preliminary estimates. All of the collected revenues would be placed into a special fund which has been established for refurbishing and repairing the existing dock.

The commission, presumably anticipating the adjacent residents would have many questions regarding the operation, will schedule a meeting of the involved parties to address any potential concerns. The meeting’s exact time and location had not yet been established, but it appears as though the commission wishes to hold it before making a decision at its Dec. 15 session

From the Soo Evening News

12/3 - St. Catharines, Ont. - Cargo passing through the St. Lawrence Seaway is down 207,000 tons (5 percent) through November for the year to date compared to 2007.

The Montreal/Lake Ontario section traffic was off 190,000 tons (7 percent) and the Welland Canal sector saw 128,000 (3.8 percent) less tonnage.

From the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System

Hamilton - John McCreery
Hamilton harbour is not so busy these days due to the economic downturn. The Calliroe Patronicola arrived on Tuesday from Vishakhapatnum, a port on the Bay of Bengal on the east coast of India. Her cargo is steel products and she proceeded to pier 12 assisted by the tugs Omni Richelieu and Escorte. Opposite her at pier 14 was the tug Evans McKeil and a barge loaded with containers, part of the Short Sea Shipping being introduced to the port.

Cards must be received no later than Dec. 22 to be included.

12/3 - St. Catharines, Ont. - Mariners are advised that as of December 2, 2008, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation will be conducting tests using revised two-person lockage procedures at Lock 8. Vessels will be invited to participate in these trials.

Mooring wires will be secured in the same order as outlined in the current procedures. Pilots / Masters are asked to convey any comments they have to the lock crew who will record them.

Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System news release

12/3 - Cleveland - The International Lake Superior Board of Control, under authority granted to it by the International Joint Commission, has set the Lake Superior outflow to 1,740 cubic metres per second (m3/s) (61.4 thousand cubic feet per second (tcfs)) for the month of December. This is the outflow recommended by the regulation plan for the month of December and is an increase from the November outflow, which was 1,700 m3/s (60.0 tcfs).

The December outflow will be released by discharging about 1,624 m3/s (57.4 tcfs) through the three hydropower plants and passing most of the remaining flow through the control structure at the head of the St. Marys Rapids. The gate setting of the control structure will be maintained at the existing setting equivalent to one-half gate open (four gates open 20 cm, or about 8 inches each). There will be no change to the setting of Gate #1 that supplies the Fishery Remedial Works.

This past month the water supplies to the lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron basins were below their long-term averages. Lake Superior is currently 4 cm (2 inches) above its chart datum level. The level of Lake Superior is expected to fall in December. Currently, the Lake Superior level is about 21 cm (8 inches) below its long-term average beginning-of-December level, but is 8 cm (3 inches) above the level recorded a year ago. This past month the level of Lake Superior fell by 4
cm (2 inches), while on average the level falls by 5 cm (2 inches) in November.

The level of Lakes Michigan-Huron fell by 8 cm (3 inches) this November, while on average the level falls by 4 cm (2 inches) in November. The level of Lakes Michigan-Huron is now about 42 cm (16 inches) below its long-term average beginning-of-December level, and is 24 cm (9 inches) higher than it was a
year ago, and 5 cm (2 inches) below chart datum. The level of Lakes Michigan-Huron is also expected to decline in December.

The Board continues to monitor conditions both on Lake Superior and downstream and will advise the International Joint Commission accordingly on those
conditions.

Additional information can be found on the Internet at: http://www.ijc.org/conseil_board/superior_lake/en/superior_home_accueil.htm or, at http://www.lre.usace.army.mil/glhh.

USACE News Release

Updates - December 2

News Photo Gallery updated

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Ron LaDue, Russ Plumb, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history.

Shippers call on Ottawa to more forcefully reject N.Y. ballast rules

12/2- Watertown, N.Y. - Canadian shippers say New York's pending rules governing their ballast water will make shipping in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River impossible.

The Canadian Shipowners Association and the Shipping Federation of Canada want Ottawa to more forcefully object to the new rules. The rules mean that a Canadian ship leaving the Great Lakes to pick up cargo on the St. Lawrence River would first have to sail out into the Gulf of St. Lawrence to exchange ballast water, adding days onto the trip, according to the president of the CSA.

The Canadian counsels in New York and Buffalo have asked Governor David A. Paterson to amend the regulations to protect Canadian shippers. The rules are set to take effect December 19.

From WWTI-TV Watertown, N.Y.

Hamilton - Eric Holmes
Monday afternoon the Group Ocean tugs Escorte and Omni Richelieu departed the harbour at 2 p.m. for Clarkson to help the Clipper Loyalty dock at Petro Canada. They returned to Hamilton at 8 p.m. Robert S. Pierson departed at 2:30 p.m. for Marblehead, Ohio. James Norris arrived in the Burlington Bay anchorage at 3 p.m. to wait out the high winds. Canadian Enterprise arrived at 9 p.m. in the Burlington Bay anchorage for bunkering by the Hamilton Energy.

Grand Haven - Dick Fox
Maumee (loaded) and the St. Mary's Challenger (unloaded) remain in port Monday evening awaiting weather. Omitted from yesterdays report was the arrival and departure overnight on Saturday of the Calumet with a load of stone for Meekhof's D & M dock on Harbor Island. This required the Maumee to move temporarily to the Construction Aggregates dock to continue repairs and then return to finish unloading before going upriver to take on a load of sand.

Alpena - Ben & Chanda McClain
Cuyahoga and the tug Mark Hannah were anchored off Alpena Sunday night in strong winds and heavy snow. Monday afternoon Cuyahoga made its way into the Thunder Bay River to unload salt at the Alpena Oil dock. This should be the last load of salt, as the dock is full. Over at Lafarge on Monday, the Alpena moved from its lay-up berth to load cement under the silos for Milwaukee.

Toronto - Charlie Gibbons
The salty Jumbo Vision departed late Sunday and head down the lake. English River was in port Monday.

12/1 - Welland, Ont. - In honour of the 179th anniversary of the first vessel passing through the first Welland Canal, the city tipped its hat to the man who shaped Niagara - William Hamilton Merritt. Merritt planned and built the Welland Canal in the 1820s to bypass the barrier of Niagara Falls and link the Upper and Lower Great Lakes.

For William Hamilton Merritt Day, a cool, quick outdoor ceremony was hosted behind Welland Civic Square yesterday with representatives from cities along the canal, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp., Niagara Region, the Ministry of Transportation and St. Catharines public relations firm OEB Enterprises. "Welland seems to have the piece without all the drama," Mayor Damian Goulbourne said of the canal. "But we still have a lot of pride ... we still look at it the way William Hamilton Merritt did decades ago as a real resource."

Welland is still where rail and water meet, he said. But while the working canal no longer passes through the downtown, Welland still recognizes its value locally, regionally and even globally. "Many things have changed since the time of Merritt," said St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. president and CEO Richard Corfe, adding that many things have changed even in the past few years with regard to the canal.

Over the past five years, the seaway authority has been working hard to establish a future vision, to make it the system of choice and has looked at ways to lift its profile, he said. It's a changing economy, changing environment and time for the seaway to lead the way, he said. "We have to move forward together," said Corfe, adding that it's important to "embrace trends" including those pertaining to the environment.

The seaway has looked at its tariffs, incentives to bring in new business and new agreements to ensure a sustainable future. Corfe said there needs to be more investment in the seaway system, which is something the Canadian and U. S. governments have come to the table to discuss, as both countries look at its potential for the next 50 years. "The investment would pale in comparison to the benefits that can come if we do this right," said Corfe.

There is opportunity, he said, to look at bringing in new cargo and using the waterway to help alleviate road congestion. To sustain the system requires bringing in the right partners, using technology to bringing prices down and working with government. "We have to lead change as we move forward," he said

From the Welland Tribune

12/1 - Kingston, Ont. - Jonathan Moore is continuing work that started a century ago, when Kingstonians first became interested in what rests beneath the surface of Lake Ontario. An underwater archeologist with Parks Canada, Moore, who is from Kingston, will be here next year as part of a federal government expedition to determine what ship lies out in the waters just off Kingston - a ship that the local dive community knows simply at "Guenter's wreck."

Some believe it is HMS Montreal, an War of 1812 ship. "That's a potential identity," said Moore. "We have no real archeological evidence that it is HMS Montreal." The final resting place of the Montreal has never been found. The survey next year, which will involve local volunteer divers, could answer that question, or at least identify the wreck that Parks Canada first started investigating in 2002.

Recently, Moore talked about the wreck and Parks Canada's plans to survey it during a talk he gave at the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes. The talk coincided with the launch of a new book on shipwrecks from the War of 1812 that Moore wrote and published with the Cataraqui Archaeological Research Foundation. The book describes the history of the warships built in Kingston during the War of 1812 and details their underwater remains, with pictures and graphics for divers and non-divers alike.

"What we'd like to be able to do as underwater archeologists is to pull the water away," Moore said. "Not everyone can dive and get out there."

To date, Parks Canada has been able to identify three ships in the waters off Kingston as those built during the historic war, including HMS St. Lawrence, which was the largest wooden sailing warship on the Great Lakes during the war and carried 102 guns.

Some ships built at the Kingston Naval Dockyards during the war were not scuttled after peace with the Americans, Moore said. It is a local myth that still perpetuates itself, he said. The British removed anything of value from the ships and then sold them when they became a hazard in Navy Bay, which lies between Royal Military College and Fort Henry.

The first searches of the wrecks in the waters off Kingston took place in the early 1900s, Moore said. More detailed searches took place in the late 1930s, marking the first time Canadians made a concerted effort to search for underwater wrecks, Moore said. Work the 1950s as Richard Preston used old and new techniques to identify shipwrecks and debunking myths, such as the Montreal being in Deadman's Bay, Moore said.

The survey next year, Moore said, should clarify the mystery around Guenter's wreck. The length of Guenter's wreck makes it similar in length to three other ships that haven't been found, Moore said. There are also no cannonballs on the wreck, he said. "There are far too many unknowns at this stage," Moore said. "Identification of shipwrecks is a very tricky undertaking."

Divers from Parks Canada and local volunteers will survey the wreck to photograph, measure and document the remains. Findings will be matched against historical records of HMS Montreal and other ships to see if once and for all Guenter's wreck has a name. Moore said volunteer divers are being organized through Preserve Our Wrecks Kingston, which can be found online at www.powkingston.org.

From The Kingston Whig Standard

Updates - December 2

News Photo Gallery updated

On this day in 1942, the Tug ADMIRAL and tanker-barge CLEVCO encountered a late season blizzard on Lake Erie. The ADMIRAL sank approximately 10 miles off Avon Point, Ohio, with a loss of 11. The CLEVCO sank 30 hours later off Euclid Beach with a loss of 19.

On 02 December 1857, the NAPOLEON (wooden propeller, 92 foot, 181 tons, built in 1845, at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, as a schooner) went to the assistance of the schooner DREADNAUGHT. In the rescue attempt, the NAPOLEON bent her rudder and disabled her engine. Helpless, she went on a reef off Saugeen, Ontario, and was pounded to pieces. Her engine, boiler and gear were salvaged in the Autumn of 1858, and sold at Detroit, Michigan.

On 02 December 1856, the NAPOLEON (wooden side-wheel steamer, 110 foot, built in 1853, at Hamilton, Ontario) was driven ashore on the Western edge of Burlington Bay near Hamilton in a gale. Later the wreck burned to a total loss.

Hall Corporation of Canada’s OTTERCLIFFE HALL (Hull#667) was launched December 2, 1968, at Lauzon, Quebec, by Davie Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.

The GEORGE R FINK, b) ERNEST T WEIR under tow passed Gibraltar on December 2, 1973, and arrived at Gandia, Spain, prior to December 7, 1973, for scrapping.

Pittsburgh Steamship Co.’s GOVERNOR MILLER (Hull#810) was launched in1937, at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co.

The NIPIGON BAY last ran in 1982, and was laid up at Montreal on December 2nd.

December 2, 1975, the brand new carferry WOLFE ISLANDER III sailed into Kingston from Thunder Bay, Ontario. The new 55 car ferry would replace the older ferries WOLFE ISLANDER and UPPER CANADA.

On 2 December 1874, the steam barge GERMANIA was launched at King's yard in Marine City, Michigan. The Port Huron Times of 4 December 1874, reported that she "is probably the cheapest boat ever built in Marine City, wages and material, iron, etc. being very low." This was due to the nation just recovering from the "Panic of 1873". The vessel's dimensions were 144 feet overall x 56 feet 2 inches x 11 feet 9 inches.

On 2 December 1832, the wooden schooner CAROLINE was carrying dry goods worth more than $30,000 from Oswego to Ogdensburg, New York, in a violent storm. She capsized and sank off Ducks Island on Lake Ontario with the loss of one life. Five survived in the yawl and made it to the island in 6 hours. After much suffering from the cold and snow, they were rescued by the schooner HURON.

Duluth - December 2, 1950 - In the early part of this week there were as many as 41 Great Lakes vessels lined up in the Duluth-Superior harbor awaiting their turn to take on their cargoes of iron ore. Freezing temperatures prevailed at the head of the lakes and ore steaming operations permitted loading only of about ten boats per day.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Dave Wobser, Brian Johnson, Russ Plumb, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history. Please e-mail if you would like to contribute a significant event in Great Lakes history.

12/1 – Watertown, N.Y. - Plans to install underwater turbines to generate power from currents in the St. Lawrence River have been pushed back until August.

Originally, two test "dummy" turbines were going to be put in place in April outside Cornwall, Ont., but the Ontario Ministry of Transportation requested that the company, Verdant Power Canada, delay plans to accommodate a 30-day public comment period. Migratory fish populations in late spring and early summer have extended that delay until August. "Because this has never been done before, Transportation wanted a public comment period," said Trey Taylor, Verdant's president. "So the first phase has been stretched out."

The first phase includes the dummy turbines and environmental studies to be done before and after the turbines have been installed in the river. Once the studies have been completed, with the help of officials from the Akwesasne Mohawk Reservation, real turbines will be installed in the river. They will be installed in groups that will generate approximately 5 megawatts of energy each. Verdant officials estimate that the currents in the St. Lawrence River outside of Cornwall will generate 15 megawatts, enough to power 1,100 houses.

Verdant has a similar power project in the East River in New York City, where the company is based. Those turbines, however, are less advanced than the ones that will be put in the St. Lawrence. Because of the difference in the projects, Verdant officials are taking the extra time before the dummy turbines are installed in the St. Lawrence to study the potential environmental effects. "We're all still walking around kicking the tires on this one," Mr. Taylor said. "We're getting off to a slower start and getting the process worked out here."

The project will not affect shipping along the river because boats with deeper drafts are sent to the Seaway, which is south of where the turbines will be. The turbines will sit 10 feet under the surface of the water and be marked by buoys to warn recreational boaters.

Eventually, underwater turbines may spread to other parts of the St. Lawrence, Mr. Taylor said. "We thought we'd try to get it right on the Canadian side and then possibly bring it over," he said

From the Watertown Daily Times

Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey
The tug Manitou called on the Essroc dock in Essexville late on Saturday. She delivered more equipment for the upcoming Saginaw River dredging project and then departed for the lake shortly after.
On Sunday, the Olive L. Moore and Lewis J. Kuber called on the Bay City Wirt Dock to unload. The pair is expected to be outbound early Monday morning if they drop the entire load in Bay City. A split load to again will put them outbound late on Monday.

Calumet - Tom Milton
Calumet was at Beemsterboer sag and ballast dock (Calumet River, Chicago) Sunday evening.

BoatNerd is requesting donations of used computer, network and video hardware and LCD monitors. This is a good opportunity for a corporation or individual to recycle equipment while receiving a tax credit by donating to our 501 (c) (3) non profit organization.

We would be happy to pick up and wipe the data on any donated machines to DOD standards and we have our own licensed software.

We would like any equipment starting with a Pentium 4 level processor or higher ( mostly computers made after 2001) and any size LCD monitor. We could also use small form factor PC's with any speed processor , an LCD projector, servers, network switches and video switcher. No printers please. This equipment is used to support various features of the site and also placed in regional museums as kiosk type displays.

If you have equipment to donate or if your company has a recycling program please visit http://www.boatnerd.com/501/donation/default.htm.

12/1 - Toledo - Bernard "Mickey" McBride, who sailed on Great Lakes freighters for nearly 40 years, most of them as a ship's engineer, died Tuesday in his South Toledo home at age 79 of cancer.

Mrs. McBride, his wife of 45 years, said her husband already was a sailor when she met him while working as a clerk at Leo Marks Jewelers in Toledo. He was paying for a gift he'd bought for another woman, she recalled, but that relationship was failing and he promised to return in a month and ask her out on a date.

Because she had a cousin whose husband sailed the lakes, Mrs. McBride said she had a pretty good idea of what to expect as a sailor's wife. And immediately after the wedding, Mr. McBride's ship's regular run was hauling coal out of Toledo, so he was in town every four days even during shipping season. But eventually the ship's assignment changed, and she found herself driving to places like St. Clair, Mich., Cleveland, and Buffalo to meet her husband during port calls.

A Bowling Green native, Mr. McBride completed school through the eighth grade, then enlisted in the Navy at age 17, just after World War II. After his naval discharge, he found night-shift factory work in Sandusky, but after one particular day on the beach at Cedar Point, he decided not to go to work and went to a Sandusky bar instead. There he ran into someone looking for engine-room labor on an American Steamship Co. freighter.

He worked his way up through the ranks, obtaining an engineering license and becoming ship's engineer for a succession of vessels, including the John J. Boland, the Detroit Edison, the McKee Sons, and the American Mariner, his wife said. As a ship's officer, Mr. McBride had his own stateroom on board and had the privilege of having his wife aboard for 15 days during the shipping season.

"I went through the Soo Locks, and the Welland Canal to Oswego," she said. "Just being out there on the water was so nice - especially the beautiful, dark, starry skies at night. And when we got to port, if he didn't have to work or could find somebody to work for him, we'd go in town and have dinner, see a movie, maybe go shopping."

After his 1995 retirement, Mr. McBride kept himself busy, first assisting with a local tree-trimming business and then as a plumber's helper, his wife said. "He had to work, which was good for him, because it kept his mind busy and gave him extra spending money," she said, adding that he also took on a lot of home repair projects. But he never regretted leaving the sailing life, Mrs. McBride said: "He walked off the ship on New Year's Eve and he never looked back."

Funeral services were held on Saturday. Tributes may be made to the American Cancer Society or Zion Lutheran Church, Toledo.

From the Toledo Blade

Updates - December 1

News Photo Gallery updated

In 1940, the Columbia Transportation steamer CARROLLTON laid up in the Cuyahoga River with a storage load of 75,000 bushels of potatoes.

On 01 December 1884, the N BOUTIN (wooden propeller tug, 68 foot, 46 gross tons, built in 1882, at Buffalo, New York) sank in ten feet of water near Washburn, Wisconsin. Newspaper reports stated that she was leaking badly and was run toward shore to beach her but no details are given regarding the cause of the leak. She was recovered and repaired.

On December 1, 1974, the Canadian motor vessel JENNIFER foundered on Lake Michigan in a storm. Her steel cargo apparently shifted and she foundered 24 miles southwest of Charlevoix, Michigan. The JENNIFER went to the bottom in water too deep for any salvage attempt.

The FRED G HARTWELL, the last boat built for the Franklin Steamship Co., was delivered to her owners on December 1, 1922, but her maiden voyage didn't occur until early 1923, because of unfavorable weather conditions.

The SASKATOON's ownership was transferred to the Canada Steamship Lines Ltd., Montreal on December 1, 1913, when the company was formed and all six vessels of the Merchants Mutual Line were absorbed by CSL in 1914.

The HUDSON TRANSPORT was put up for sale by Marine Salvage in December 1982.

On 1 December 1875, BRIDGEWATER (3-mast wooden schooner, 706 tons, built in 1866, at Buffalo, New York as a bark) grounded on Waugoshance Point in the Straits of Mackinac. She was released fairly quickly and then was towed to Buffalo, New York for repairs. In Buffalo, she was gutted by fire. In 1880-82, the propeller KEYSTONE was built on her hull.

In 1909, the MARQUETTE & BESSEMER NO 2 sank on Lake Erie, 31 lives were lost.

December 1, 1985 - The SPARTAN broke loose from her moorings at Ludington in a storm and ended up near Buttersville Island. She was pulled off on December 5, by the Canonie tugs SOUTH HAVEN and MUSKEGON with the help of the CITY OF MIDLAND 41. It took about 10 hours.

On 1 December 1875, the Port Huron Times reported: "The schooner MARY E PEREW went ashore in the Straits of Mackinac and by the brave efforts of the people on shore, her crew was rescued from perishing in the cold. Her decks were completely covered with ice and the seas were breaking over her. The vessel has a large hole in her bottom made by a rock that came through her. She will prove a total loss." On 7 December 1875, that newspaper reported that MARY E PEREW had been raised by a wrecker and would be repaired.

On 1 December 1882, DAVID M FOSTER (wooden 3-mast schooner, 121 foot, 251 tons, built in 1863, at Port Burwell, Ontario as a bark) was carrying lumber from Toronto to Oswego, New York in a storm. She was picked up by a harbor tug outside of Oswego for a tow into the harbor, but the tow line broke. The FOSTER went bows-on into the breakwater. She was holed and sank. No lives were lost. Her loss was valued at $3,300.

On 01 December 1934, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter ESCANABA (WPG 64) (165 foot, 718 gross tons, built in 1932, at W. Bay City, Michigan) was involved in the rescue of the crew of the whaleback HENRY CORT off the piers at Muskegon, Michigan; also that winter, she delivered food to the residents of Beaver Island, who were isolated due to the bad weather.

The SULLIVAN BROTHERS (steel straight-deck bulk freighter, 430 foot, 4897 gross tons, built in 1901, at Chicago, Illinois as FREDERICK B WELLS) grounded at Vidal Shoal on Tuesday evening, 01 Dec 1953. She was loaded with grain and rested on solid rock. She was recovered.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Russ Plumb, Father Dowling Collection, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history.

11/30 - Sheboygan, Wis. - US. Coast Guard Station Sheboygan rescued a woman near a five-six-foot high jetty along the north side of the Sheboygan Lighthouse at approximately 4 p.m. Saturday.

USCG News Release

Buffalo - Dan Sweeley
The John J. Boland was unloading stone at the Gateway Terminal in Lackawanna, N.Y., Saturday morning.

Toronto - Charlie Gibbons
CCG Griffon arrived in port just after dark Saturday evening and berthed at the foot of Yonge Street.

Updates - November 30

News Photo Gallery updated

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Max Hanley, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series.

11/29 - Burns Harbor - The number of planned layoffs from ArcelorMittal's Burns Harbor, Ind., steel mill will be reduced from more than 2,400 to fewer than 500 under an agreement between the company and the United Steelworkers. ArcelorMittal announced last week that it had notified the union about plans for an indefinite layoff of as many as 2,444 workers from the plant beginning in January. About 3,450 union employees work at the mill along Lake Michigan.

The new agreement reached Wednesday calls on the union to make "a sincere effort to get 490 hourly workers to accept a voluntary layoff," United Steelworkers Local 6787 President Paul Gipson said. ArcelorMittal said in a statement that it was pleased the agreement "substantially alleviates the number of work force reductions necessary at its Burns Harbor facility to address the unprecedented downturn in business, which is a direct result of the current extraordinary economic environment."

Some 1,750 workers at the mill are eligible to retire, and Gipson said he expected no shortage of volunteers for the layoffs. Any retirements will also count toward the 490 total. The company also can schedule 900 workers for 32 hours per week rather than 40 under the deal. The union also agreed to forgo overtime pay and cap an incentive program based on production during the layoff period. The company agreed not to employ outside contractors during the layoffs, not to transfer work to other plants and to
rescind the layoff notice it previously filed with the state.

"Everything considered, this is a good agreement," Gipson said. "It allows people to keep their jobs, and the plant and its operations won't be harmed."

Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steelmaker, announced Wednesday it is looking to cut 9,000 jobs through voluntary agreements, shedding around 3 percent of its global workforce in response to the economic downturn. The company said it was aiming to reduce costs by $1 billion. ArcelorMittal has some 326,000 employees in more than 60 countries.

From the South Bend Tribune

11/29 - Detroit - The Maritime Auxiliary Group of the Detroit Historical Society is sponsoring the 27th annual Marine Mart at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial on Saturday, December 13. The mart will feature ship models, photos, brochures, artifacts, china, souvenirs, artwork, postcards, books and much more.

Early-bird admission (9:30 a.m.-10 a.m.) is $10. General admission (10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.) is $7.

The War Memorial is located at 32 Lake Shore Drive, in Grosse Pointe Farms, between Cadieux and Moross. For additional directions visit www.warmemorial.org. For more information visit www.detroithistorical.org, or call
313-833-1980.

Toronto - Frank Hood and Charlie Gibbons
The cement carrier Stephen B. Roman was back in Toronto early Friday morning. Cuyahoga was also in port early Friday and unloaded at the salt dock. She departed just after 2 p.m.

Buffalo - Brian Wroblewski
Rt. Hon. Paul J Martin departed the Gateway Terminal in Lackawanna, N.Y., on Thursday afternoon, with a destination of Nanticoke, Ont.

11/29 - Duluth - It was 50 years ago today, cold, and the big lake was smoking. "You could tell there was a nor¹wester gonna blow up," according to an account by Norwegian-born immigrant Helmer Aakvik, who was a commercial fisherman out of Hovland, Minn., for more than 60 years.

Aakvik remembered the day well. The 60-year-old fisherman set out in a wooden skiff that morning in 1958 to search for 26-year-old Carl Hammer, who hadn¹t returned from picking his father¹s herring nets. What happened next made Aakvik, who died in 1987 at age 90, a North Shore legend, though it brought years of sadness and loss to the Hammer family. Aakvik spent the next 28 hours battling 50 mph winds and 25-foot waves on the lake as ice built up on his skiff and froze his legs into place. His boat began to come apart, and Aakvik fought frozen gas lines and battering waves as the hours dragged on.

The fabled rescue attempt and Hammer¹s disappearance will be commemorated at 2 p.m. Saturday at the North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum in Tofte, Minn.

Museum director Carrie McHugh said she wanted to commemorate not only Aakvik¹s bravery, but to "honor Carl Hammer and other fishermen, and to acknowledge the fact that being a commercial fisherman was dangerous," she said. Hammer had lived and worked near big bodies of water all his life, said his sister, Irene Malner. Carl Hammer had just returned from years serving with the U.S. Navy and working on Great Lakes ore boats. He and his new wife, who lived in Duluth, were home in Hovland for the Thanksgiving weekend. Carl went out early to tend to his father¹s nets, Malner said. Aakvik was working out of a next-door fish house.

Years later, Aakvik recorded an account of the experience, which was transcribed in the North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum journal. "I don¹t remember if Nels sounded the alarm or if it was Don Palmer," Aakvik said. "It was about seven in the morning and the kid had gone out." Aakvik layered up with woolen clothes, rubber boots, a rubber suit and a sheepskin helmet, and set out with a rope, an axe and an old fish box. "The sea was building bigger and bigger the further out I got with that offshore wind," Aakvik said. ³I got maybe 10 miles in the shipping lanes, and a big ore boat went by. The seas were running so big I couldn¹t even glimpse the high land at
Hovland.² And he never caught a glimpse of Hammer. No trace of the young man was ever found.

Aakvik rode out that day, that night and the next morning in the stalled skiff. Though his clothes were sheathed in ice, Aakvik spent hours chopping ice off the boat and his own body. At one point he accidentally chopped a hole in his boot, letting some water seep in and freezing two of his toes. Those who knew Aakvik, including Hammer¹s family, weren¹t surprised that he went out to search. "That¹s Helmer," Malner said. She described Aakvik as a gruff but kind-hearted man. "He would think,"I¹ll fix this, I can do this.¹" Malner said. "He would help you at all costs."

The rescue attempt might have taken two lives but for pure luck on Aakvik¹s part. His motor had run out of gas, his hands were too frozen to grip the skiff¹s ores, and Aakvik was wondering just what he was going to do. And that¹s when the U.S. Coast Guard cutter that was out searching for both men literally ran into Aakvik¹s boat. "When we got back to the town dock there must have been a hundred people there," Aakvik said. "I said before I went out, 'Don¹t you worry, the old man will be back.' And Elmer Jackson, he comes up to me and says, "You are a man of your word, you came back." I couldn¹t do that no more. I was only 60 then."

Aakvik earned national media attention and recognition for the rescue attempt. But according to a family member, McHugh said, Aakvik "didn¹t really care for all the attention," she said. "He had saved four other people in his life, and it didn¹t seem right" to be praised for looking for a fisherman he couldn¹t find.

David Hammer of Duluth was 11 years old when his brother disappeared. "I remember standing on the dock, and looking out, that¹s all," David Hammer said. He plans to attend the event on Saturday. For years after Carl disappeared, Malner imagined him walking up the road to the family¹s house, or thought she saw him in a crowd. Their father never fished again, and their mother stood by their home¹s front window for days, watching for her son. And though she and her husband live in Grand Marais, Malner said she never liked Lake Superior after that day. "I don¹t trust it," she said. "But we think about [Carl¹s disappearance] a lot, especially when we go to Hovland."

From the Duluth News-Tribune

11/29 - Tobermory, Ont. - When Jack Vaughan retired from the Canadian Coast Guard¹s Georgian Bay lighthouse service in 1991, he mailed the master key to his regional head office in Parry Sound. They mailed it right back.

His widow, Tillie, has kept the key in a leather wallet, but she plans to return it to the coast guard now that her husband, 80, has died. He was the last keeper of the Cove Island light. The station is a familiar sight for travelers aboard the ferry Chi-Cheemaun as it plies the waters between Tobermory and South Baymouth. The lighthouse, built of stone in 1856 by the British colonial government, was one of the last three Great Lakes lights to have a resident keeper as automated equipment replaced humans in the remote and often lonely postings. The master key opens doors to all the lighthouses in Canada. That his bosses wanted Mr. Vaughan to have one implied permission
for him to be poking around lighthouses in his boat, as he often did during his retirement years, Tillie said. It also gave them someone to call in southern Georgian Bay to check on problems when coast guard personnel were assigned elsewhere.

A memorial event is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday at the Community Centre in Tobermory for Mr. Vaughan, who died accidentally Nov. 9 near his home in Lion¹s Head. He had suffered from heart disease and moved in 2003 with Tillie from their home in Tobermory to be near the village hospital. Mr. Vaughan was the son of a Port Burwell commercial fisherman and one of six brothers in the fishing trade. He moved to Tobermory in 1959 for a job aboard a Ransbury Fish Co. tug.

Mr. Vaughan eventually joined the coast guard¹s light service, work that took him away from home for long periods. They spoke daily by radio. During 22 years of lighthouse employment, Mr. Vaughan rescued two sailors he knew for sure. In an interview in 1991, he described his part in the rescue of two young men after their 18-foot sailboat ran on the rocks off Beckwith Island near Midland. Others weren¹t so fortunate. A sailboat wrecked off Cape Smith on Manitoulin Island after its three occupants ignored gale warnings and advice from Mr. Vaughan. Their drowned bodies were found later.

"I know the waters, pretty well every rock," Vaughan told reporter Pam Heaven in 1991. "The ones I don¹t know I haven¹t hit."

From the Owen Sound Sun Times

Updates - November 29

News Photo Gallery updated

In 1953, the BENJAMIN F. FAIRLESS, Captain H. C. Buckley, transported the last iron ore of the season through the Soo locks. The ore originated at Two Harbors and was unloaded at Conneaut. After unloading, the FAIRLESS headed for Monroe, Michigan for layup.

On 29 November 1886, ALFRED P. WRIGHT (wooden propeller tug, 56 gross tons, built in 1877, at Buffalo, New York) was towing the schooner A J DEWEY in a blizzard and gale in the harbor at Manistee, Michigan. The tow line parted and fouled the WRIGHT's propeller. Disabled, she capsized and her crew clung to the overturned hull. One crewman swam 1,000 feet to shore and summoned the U.S. Lifesaving Service. The WRIGHT's and DEWEY's crews were both rescued but three lifesavers were lost in this effort.

On November 29, 1966, the DANIEL J. MORRELL sank approximately 20 miles north of Harbor Beach in Lake Huron. Her nearly identical sistership, the EDWARD Y TOWNSEND, was traveling about 20 miles behind the MORRELL and made it to the Lime Island Fuel Dock in the St. Mary's River where cracks were found in her deck; the TOWNSEND proceeded to Sault Ste. Marie where she was taken out of service. The TOWNSEND sank in the Atlantic on October 7, 1968, while being towed overseas for scrap.

E. B. BARBER was laid up for the last time at Toronto, Ontario on 29 Nov. 1984.

On November 29, 1903, snow and stormy seas drove the two-and-a-half year old J. T. HUTCHINSON onto an uncharted rock (now known as Eagle River Reef) one-half mile off shore and 10 miles west of Eagle Harbor, Michigan near the northwestern coast of the Keweenaw Peninsula.

On November 29, 1974, the PERE MARQUETTE 21 was loaded with remnants of Port Huron's Peerless Cement Dock, which reportedly were bound for Saudi Arabia, and cleared there in tow of the Great Lakes Towing Co., tugs AMERICA and OHIO.

The SYLVANIA was in a collision with the DIAMOND ALKALI in the Fighting Island Channel of the Detroit River on 29 Nov 1968, during a snow squall. SYLVANIA's bow was severely damaged.

The propeller BURLINGTON had barges in tow up bound on Lake Erie when she was damaged by the ice and sank in the Pelee Passage.

On 29 November 1856, ARABIAN (3-mast wooden bark, 116 foot, 350 tons, built in 1853, at Niagara, Ontario) had stranded on Goose Island Shoal, 10 miles ENE of Mackinac Island ten days earlier. She was relieved of her cargo and was being towed to Chicago by the propeller OGONTZ when a gale blew in and the towline parted. ARABIAN made for shore, her pumps working full force and OGONTZ following. During the night they were separated and ARABIAN sank off Point Betsey in Lake Michigan. Her crew escaped in her yawl.

In 1903, the PERE MARQUETTE 19 arrived Ludington on her maiden voyage. Captain John J. Doyle in command.

On 29 November 1881, the 149 foot wooden propeller NORTHERN QUEEN, which had been involved in a collision with the 136 foot wooden propeller canaller LAKE ERIE just five days before, struck the pier at Manistique so hard that she was wrecked. Besides her own crew, she also had LAKE ERIE's crew on board.

On 29 Nov 1902, BAY CITY (1-mast wood schooner-barge, 140 foot, 306 gross tons, built in 1857, at Saginaw, Michigan as a brig) was left at anchor in Thunder Bay by the steamer HURON CITY during a storm. BAY CITY's anchor chain parted and the vessel was driven against the Gilchrist dock at Alpena, Michigan and wrecked. Her crew managed to escape with much difficulty.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Russ Plumb, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history.

11/28 - Hamilton, Ont. - U.S. Steel Canada is planning about 100 layoffs at its Lake Erie (Nanticoke) facility as the crisis in the steel industry worsens, union leaders say. The temporary cuts come on the heels of roughly 175 layoffs at the steelmaker's Hamilton operation, where the blast furnace was shut down due to slumping demand.

"We've been told to expect layoffs and the union is preparing for that," said Bill Ferguson, president of the United Steelworkers union at the Lake Erie plant. "They told us they're running different scenarios, but we should be prepared to see people go in December." Though no official notice has been issued to workers, many on the plant floor have already been notified of the cuts by their managers, he added.

U.S. Steel Canada employs about 1,100 workers at the Lake Erie plant in Nanticoke. It employs 1,700 workers in Hamilton. Both plants make steel using a blast furnace. Trevor Harris, a spokesperson for the firm, declined to comment on any potential layoffs.

Demand for steel has flatlined as orders dry up from key customers in the automotive, appliance and construction industries. Analysts expect the massive production slowdown in the sector to continue as the global financial meltdown unfolds. Although weekly production levels have not yet fallen to the 10-year lows last seen in 2001, they will likely reach this point shortly, according to Mike Willemse, a steel industry analyst for CIBC World Markets. In a note to investors, Willemse said steel production "could decline by as much as 50 per cent before stabilizing."

Steel giant ArcelorMittal has slashed global production by one-third, cutting output at Hamilton's Dofasco by 40 per cent through at least the rest of this year. The plant will shut down for two weeks at Christmas, with about 5,000 workers required to take unpaid leave or vacation. Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel has also slowed production. In addition to the Canadian cuts, it has laid off 500 workers at operations in the Pittsburgh area; northwest Indiana; Fairfield, Ala.; Ecorse and River Rouge, Mich.; and Granite City, Ill.

Analysts don't expect demand for steel to pick up until at least mid-2009 as customers work through their own inventory and scale back on production of cars and appliances.

From the Hamilton Spectator

11/28 - Bay City, Mich. - A dredging project for the upper Saginaw River is on track to begin next week, officials say.

Some equipment for the project already has arrived and was docked in Essexville, Mich., on Tuesday. Other equipment is held up in Harbor Beach and Port Huron due to weather conditions, said Tom Zatkovic, project manager for Luedtke Engineering Co. of Frankfort.

The project will clear more than 200,000 cubic yards of silt that's built up in the navigational channel from Bay City south to Saginaw. The work is seen as key to preserving about 200 jobs tied to shipping in the area.

Shipping companies have had to lighten their loads in recent years due to low water levels and the shallow channel, driving up costs. Todd Shorkey, a Bay City man who reports area vessel passages for BoatNerd.com, said the number of ships using the Saginaw River has been declining for several years. As of Tuesday, there have been 198 passages this year. That's down from 241 at this time in 2007, 290 in 2006 and 317 in 2005. He attributes the drop to the economy, which has reduced the demand for stone products and other materials.

The official river shipping season traditionally ends on Dec. 15, when Bay City stops manning its bridges and only opens them for boats that provide 12 hours notice, Shorkey said.

Luedtke has been awarded a $1.9 million contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to clear the channel, which has been filling in for decades amid debate on constructing a site to house the spoils. The company plans to finish the upcoming work by January 2009, a Corps official said. A $5 million Dredged Material Disposal Facility has been built on the Bay-Saginaw County line, in Frankenlust and Zilwaukee townships, to hold 20 years worth of spoils for the upper Saginaw River. Dredging will be done about every two years.

Following complaints from local property owners, environmental groups and state regulators over the spoils site's integrity, the project is finally set to move forward, said Robert McCann, with the state Department of Environmental Quality in Lansing. The DEQ asked the Corps to install 14 wells to monitor possible leaks from the site, and those installations are complete, McCann said. "I believe that they've done everything they have to do up to this point," he said.

Jim Koski, Saginaw County public works commissioner, is looking forward to seeing the first mud scooped from the river after working on the project for years.
The start date has been delayed a couple of times in recent months. "We're looking at having some sort of celebration," Koski said.

From the Bay City Times

11/28 - Sarnia, Ont. - It will be another busy season for machining companies in Sarnia when the Great Lakes shipping season ends next month.

A full harbor is expected with ships occupying every berth, said Marten Vandenbroek, president of Central Machine and Marine. "We anticipate there's going to be a total of about 10 to 12 ships in here in berth for the winter, from early January until mid to late March," he said. Typically five or six vessels -- mostly tankers and bulk carriers -- berth at the Government Docks, two tie off at the Sidney Smith Dock and four more winter in the north slip, near Bridgeview Marina.

The last saltwater vessels depart from the Great Lakes by the first week of January, as the locks at the Welland Canal close between Dec. 29 and Dec. 31, said Sam Babisky, superintendent of operations with the Canadian Coast Guard. The locks in Sault Ste. Marie, which govern traffic in Lake Superior and the lower lakes, close by Jan. 15, he said.

"Once that's closed, it's the winter shipping season that starts up." That includes salt, coal and chemical shipments from Sarnia, which can make runs to ports in southern Michigan or southern Lake Erie up to 100 times in a winter season. "Which keeps the two Canadian icebreakers that are part of our Sarnia ice-breaking operation and the nine United States Coast Guard icebreakers busy all winter," Babisky said.

Lake St. Clair usually has an ice cover, he said, and although it's rare for Lake Huron to freeze over entirely the ice can build up. You never really know what's going to happen," he said.

Since Vandenbroek started up in business with Shelley Machine and Marine in 1973, he's seen the harbour full, or close to it, every year. "It's kind of a midpoint for a lot of the shipping companies because they can travel into the upper lakes from here without having to deal with locks," he said.

Vandenbroek has a hand in Central, Beasley and Insitu machining, and between the three he said there should be work on all the boats this season. "We do most of the work on board but some of the components come aboard to our plant at Central machine or Beasley machine and are refurbished there."

The business for machining, electrical, flooring, painting and sanding companies is a big deal, he said. Even restaurants and local businesses get a bit of a boost from engine room crews staying around two or three weeks past docking.

The locks in Sault Ste. Marie reopen by March 25 and at the Welland Canal between March 20 and April 1, ice depending.

From the Sarnia Observer

Sturgeon Bay - Jeff Birch
Charles M. Beeghly is at the shipyard for the winter. She is moored at the same location where the John Sherwin was, and will be repowered this winter. John Sherwin remains in the drydock for removal of her tail shaft.

Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey
The tug Mary E. Hannah and her barge departed the Saginaw River Wednesday afternoon. The Calumet was inbound Wednesday evening, calling on the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City to unload. She was expected to be outbound late Wednesday or early Thursday. The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were back again on Thursday carrying a split load. The pair stopped at the Sargent dock in Essexville before continuing upriver to finish thier unload at the Saginaw Rock Products dock in Saginaw. The Moore and Kuber were expected to be outbound Friday morning.

Alpena and Stoneport - Ben & Chanda McClain
The Alpena arrived at Lafarge Tuesday night and tied up at the coal dock for temporary lay-up. The tug Mark Hannah and a barge have been anchored out in the bay the past few days, likely waiting on the weather. The Samuel de Champlain was expected in port on Thanksgiving morning.
At Stoneport on Wednesday, strong winds kept the McKee Sons and Agawa Canyon anchored nearby. The tug Olive L. Moore/barge Lewis J. Kuber was able to dock and take on cargo.

Grand Haven - Dick Fox
Manistee came in at 2 a.m. Wednesday with a load of stone for Meekhof's D & M dock on Harbor Island in Grand Haven. She finished unloading about 5:30 a.m. and headed up river to pick up a load of sand from the Construction Aggregates dock in Ferrysburg and was gone by early afternoon.

Lackawanna - Dan Sweeley
The Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin was tied up at the Gateway Terminal in Lackawanna, N.Y. by 10 a.m., Wednesday loading out blended coal for Hamilton.

Owen Sound - Ed. Saliwonchyk
Ojibway arrived in Owen Sound in light snow flurries approximately 1 p.m. Wednesday and was unloading wheat from Thunder Bay at the Great Lakes Grain Elevators.

11/28 - Thunder Bay, Ont. - Another shipment, another record. After a 47-day voyage from Japan, the motor vessel Stellaprima arrived in Thunder Bay on Monday carrying four huge reactors each weighing more than 500 metric tons. They are bound for the Alberta oilsands.

The first reactor arrived in August and set a record for what was then the single largest piece of cargo handled by Thunder Bay‘s port. That reactor weighed 400 tonnes. The combined weight of the four reactors is 2,142.32 tonnes.

Roger Dudley, agent for Canada and the Great Lakes states for the ship‘s Dutch owners, said the reactors each perform a key oilsands production step, cracking heavy bitumen molecules by stripping off hydrogen, then reassembling the elements into premium refinery-ready light oil. Oilsands are deposits of bitumen, a heavy black viscous oil that must be rigorously treated to convert it into an upgraded crude oil before it can be used by refineries to produce gasoline and diesel fuels. Alberta‘s bitumen deposits were once known as tarsands but are now referred to as oilsands.

With shipments of grain and bulk cargo down, the new shipments show that the port is ideally suited for handling this type of cargo, said William Hryb, general manager of Lakehead Shipping Company Ltd. “We have proven again that Thunder Bay has the necessary expertise and excellent infrastructure at Keefer Terminal,” he said. “It clearly illustrates that we are a natural gateway and conduit to the oilsand developments in Alberta.”

The Stellaprima travelled across the Pacific Ocean, through the Panama Canal, north through the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean and into the St. Lawrence Seaway. Going from Japan to Vancouver would have been shorter and less expensive, but West Coast ports are not an option for such shipments because there is not enough clearance to make it through the Rocky Mountains. Hryb said the reactors will be unloaded over three days starting today from the ship to reinforced CN Rail cars.

“Thunder Bay will be a valuable and strategic link to the long-range plans of energy companies who are developing petroleum resources in Canada‘s oilsands,” he said.

Tim Heney, chief executive officer of the Thunder Bay Port Authority, said the movement of the reactors through Thunder Bay is the start of something more important.

“This is a corridor to the oilsands formulated between us and CN Rail,” he said. “And, a lot of work has been done on that route to improve clearances to permit this kind of equipment to go through. And we‘re looking at, as this corridor gets going, the spinoffs that come from that, so it‘s actually quite important,” Heney said.

He predicted more shipments to Thunder Bay next year. “We‘re certainly going to be rolling after this one.”

From the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal

11/28 - Cleveland - The U.S. Coast Guard announced that December 1, is the new compliance date for implementation of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) for owners and operators of facilities located within the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port Zones of Buffalo, N.Y., Duluth, Minn., Detroit and Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. and Lake Michigan.

In accordance with the requirements of the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) and the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act (SAFE Port Act), the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) serve as an identification card for all personnel requiring unescorted access to secure areas of MTSA regulated and facilities. To obtain a TWIC, an individual must successfully pass a security threat assessment conducted by Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

The original October 31, 2008, compliance date for these facilities was extended due to a power outage at a Transportation Security Administration facility that has delayed the activation of some TWICs. TWIC activations nationwide have been rescheduled to begin again the week of November 10, 2008, at which point workers on the Great Lakes, and at ports with compliance dates on or before December 1, 2008, will be able to activate their TWICs. Activation for all other ports will be available nationwide later in November.

TWIC program pre-enrollment and status checks are still available nationwide and those workers requiring a TWIC are encouraged to enroll as soon as possible. The final compliance date for all licensed and documented merchant mariners and vessel operators who are required to have a TWIC remains April 15, 2009.

Updates on TWIC activation and rescheduling can be found at www.tsa.gov/twic. Additional information is available at http://homeport.uscg.mil/twic

USCG News Release

11/28 - Cleveland - The catalyst for a Cleveland comeback lies where the city was born - at the gritty confluence of a river and a Great Lake, a port leader says.

State and local leaders must push for a multibillion-dollar injection of federal money to help move the port from east of the Cuyahoga River's mouth and make way for an "iconic" waterfront district, says lawyer Michael Wager, chairman of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority. With the national and local economies mired in bad news, Wager floated an uplifting vision for lake- and riverfront development to a crowd of 100 at a City Club speech Tuesday.

Wager, a corporate finance expert at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, knows there's skepticism about the port's grand plans. They include moving in phases to a manmade peninsula on Lake Erie, north of East 55th Street, starting within the next decade; developing an international trade district in a 1,000-acre industrial belt south of East 55th; and transforming the port's 100 acres west of Cleveland Browns Stadium into a landmark neighborhood that links directly with the Warehouse District.

City, county and business leaders say the port's move is a top priority. Still, "I know that some may dismiss this as mere fantasy, and not without justification," Wager said. "How many projects are hailed as the panacea and then fall short of our expectations - or just fail to materialize?" Wager said. "This can be different."

A number of factors work in favor of a new, larger port, Wager said. Worsening congestion around coastal ports means Great Lakes ports will see more shipments, particularly for container cargo, which the Cleveland port does not handle now. President-elect Barack Obama is talking about big investments in transportation to stimulate the economy. That bodes well for the port as a link between water, road and rail, as does Ohio's $1.57 billion economic stimulus plan, which will direct hundreds of millions of dollars into transportation-related projects, Wager noted.

The port will need massive amounts of cash to realize its plan. Building the base of a new port at East 55th -- with silt routinely dredged from the Cuyahoga River shipping channel -- will cost at least $200 million, with federal officials expected to pick up 70 percent, Wager said. Building new docks and warehouses, linking them with highways and rail, along with redeveloping the downtown site, means local leaders must push for several billion dollars in federal money, Wager said. He also talked of fast-tracking the project and vacating some port land by moving bulk shipping up the river.
Port President Adam Wasserman, who attended the City Club luncheon, said he could foresee public access to the lake on port land, and possibly a park, in five years. The port is working with the city to hire top-flight urban planners to begin detailing redevelopment of port land. Wager said the undertaking is a complex process. There's also opposition. A citizens committee reported this week that it has collected 500-plus signatures on a petition to preserve the state-run marina and lakefront parkland that would be displaced by the planned 200-acre port at East 55th.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer

Looking for the perfect gift for the Great Lakes freighter fan in your life? There are several new Great Lakes-related books that might just fit the bill.

Among them is the new hardcover book from the Marine Historical Society of Detroit, “Great Lakes Engineering Works: The Shipyard and its Vessels,” that’s illustrated with more than 1,000 photographs, many of them rare, and paints a vivid history of this once bustling ship builder.

Other new books are “So Great A Storm,” by Kurt Brown, about the devastating storm of 1905; “Collision Under the Bridge,” by Jon Paul Michaels & Brent Michaels, a detailed look at the 1972 collision between the steamers Sidney E. Smith Jr. and Parker Evans; and “Lake Effect: A Deckhand's Journey on the Great Lakes Freighters” by Richard Hill, an often funny, insightful memoir that follows the author’s voyage of self-discovery aboard several Great Lakes vessels in the 1970s.

Of special interest is Chris Winters’ “Centennial: Steaming Through the American Century,” a hard-cover, coffee table-style book that serves as a vivid record of life aboard the steamer St. Marys Challenger as she approached the centennial anniversary of her maiden voyage in 2006.

For information on these and other books, visit the Great Lakes Book Shelf portion of this site, at (link).

Finally, Marine Publishing Co. has announced a holiday sale on its 2008 “Know Your Ships” boatwatching guide, which is now available for $12.95 from the Know Your Ships web site.

Updates - November 28

News Photo Gallery updated

In 1934, the package freighter EDWARD L LOOMIS, Captain Alex McKenzie collided with the W. C .FRANZ, Captain Alex McIntyre, about 30 miles southeast of Thunder Bay Island, Lake Huron. Four crewmen on the FRANZ drowned when the lifeboat turned over while being lowered.

At 4:00 a.m. on 27 November 1872, the wooden schooner MIDDLESEX was struck by a terrible winter storm on Lake Superior. The winds caught the vessel with such force that she listed at a 45 degree angle and her cargo shifted. In danger of sinking, the crew jettisoned much of the cargo and the ship righted herself. Her lifeboat and much of her rigging and sails were washed away. She limped into Walska Bay and anchored to ride out the storm. However, she had developed a leak and it was so cold that her pumps had frozen. To save the vessel, she was run ashore and sank in shallow water. The crew climbed into her rigging until the tug W. D. CUSHING rescued them.

The ALGOSEA entered Lake service as a self-unloader for the first time with salt loaded at Goderich, Ontario and passed down bound in the Welland Canal November 27, 1976, for Quebec City. She operates today as SAUNIERE.

The AVONDALE was condemned and was not allowed to carry cargo after she arrived at Toledo, Ohio on November 27, 1975, to load soybeans.

The steam barge CHAUNCY HURLBUT was launched at the shipyard of Simon Langell at St. Clair, Michigan on Thanksgiving Day, 27 November 1873. She was built for Chandler Bros. of Detroit.

On 27 November 1886, COMANCHE (wooden schooner, 137 foot, 322 tons, built in 1867, at Oswego, New York) was carrying corn in a storm on Lake Ontario when she ran on a shoal and sank near Point Peninsula, New York. A local farmer died while trying to rescue her crew of 8. His was the only death. She was later recovered and rebuilt as THOMAS DOBBIE.

The PERE MARQUETTE 22 collided with the WABASH in heavy fog in 1937.

In 1966, the CITY OF MIDLAND 41 ran aground at Ludington, Michigan in a storm. Stranded on board were a number of passengers and 56 crewman. Ballast tanks were flooded to hold the steamer on until the storm subsided. She was pulled off four days later by the Roen tug JOHN PURVES.

The propeller MONTGOMERY, which burned in June 1878, was raised on 27 November 1878. Her engine and boiler were removed and she was converted to a barge. She was rebuilt at Algonac, Michigan in the summer of 1879.

On 27 November 1866, the Oswego Advertiser & Times reported that the schooner HENRY FITZHUGH arrived at Oswego, New York with 17,700 bushels of wheat from Milwaukee. Her skipper was Captain Cal Becker. The round trip took 23 days which was considered "pretty fast sailing".

The CITY OF FLINT 32 was launched in Manitowoc on 27 Nov 1929. Cut down to a rail barge at Nicholson's, Ecorse in 1970, renamed b.) ROANOKE. She is currently in the Toledo Frog Pond.

On Monday, 27 Nov 1996, the Cyprus flag MALLARD of 1977, up bound apparently bounced off the wall in the Welland canal below Lock 1 and into the path of the CANADIAN ENTERPRISE. It was a sideswipe rather than a head on collision. The ENTERPRISE was repaired at Port Weller Dry Docks. The repairs to the gangway and ballast vent pipes took six hours. The MALLARD proceeded to Port Colborne to be repaired there.

At 10:20 p.m. on Monday, 27 NOV 2000, the CANADIAN TRANSFER radioed Soo Traffic to report that the vessel was aground off Algoma Steel and "taking on water but in no danger." The crew reported that they had two anchors down and one line on the dock. Purvis Marine was contacted.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Russ Plumb, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history.

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Today in Great Lakes History - November 28

In 1949, sea trials for the largest freighter built on the Great Lakes, the WILFRED SYKES, were held off Lorain, Ohio. SYKES was converted to a self-unloader in 1975.

In 1942, the Canadian grain carrier JUDGE HART grounded and then sank in Ashburton Bay, Lake Superior. The entire crew of the JUDGE HART was rescued by the JAMES B. EADS, Captain Stanley J. Tischart, and the whaleback JOHN ERICSSON, Captain Wilfred E. Ogg.

On 28 November 1867, MARQUETTE (wooden bark, 139 foot, 426 tons, built in 1856, at Newport [Marine City], Michigan) was carrying corn from Chicago to Collingwood, Ontario when she sprang a leak during a storm on Lake Huron. She was run ashore on Hope Island on Georgian Bay.

On November 28, 1905, the Pittsburgh Steamship Company vessel MATAAFA was wrecked as it tried to re-enter the Duluth Ship Canal in a severe storm. The MATAAFA had departed Duluth earlier but had decided to return to safety. After dropping her barge in the lake, the vessel was picked up by waves, was slammed against the north pier and was swung around to rest just hundreds of feet offshore north of the north pier, where it broke in two. Much of the crew froze to death in the cold snap that followed the storm, as there was no quick way to get out to the broken vessel for rescue. The MATAAFA was repaired prior to the 1906, season; she ultimately ended her career as an automobile carrier for the T.J. McCarthy Steamship Company and was sold for scrap in 1965.

The CANADIAN OLYMPIC's maiden voyage was 28 Nov 1976, to load coal at Conneaut, Ohio for Nanticoke, Ontario, Her name honors the Olympic Games that were held at Montreal that year.

On November 28, 1983, while up bound after leaving the Poe Lock the INDIANA HARBOR was in a collision, caused by high winds, with the down bound Greek salty ANANGEL SPIRIT resulting in a 10 foot gash in the laker's port bow.

LANCASHIRE (Hull#827) was launched at Lorain, Ohio on November 28, 1942, she would be renamed b) SEWELL AVERY.

The CATHY B towed the GOVERNOR MILLER to Vigo, Spain on November 28, 1980, where she was broken up.

The BENSON FORD was renamed e) US265808 and departed River Rouge on November 28, 1986, towed by the Sandrin tugs TUSKER and GLENADA bound for Ramey's Bend in the Welland Canal.

FRONTENAC arrived at the Fraser Shipyard, Superior, Wisconsin on November 28, 1979. Her keel, which had hogged four feet, was declared a constructive total loss.

The BRANSFORD stranded on a reef off Isle Royale in Lake Superior during a major storm on 28 Nov 1905, (the same storm that claimed the steamer MATAAFA). She was recovered.

On her third trip in 1892, the ANN ARBOR NO 1 again ran aground, this time three miles north of Ahnapee (now called Algoma). There was $15,000 damage to her cargo.

In 1906, the ANN ARBOR NO 4 left Cleveland bound for Frankfort on her maiden voyage.

The ANN ARBOR NO 4 ran aground off Kewaunee in 1924.

On 28 November 1905, AMBOY (2-mast wooden schooner-barge, 209 foot, 894 gross tons, formerly HELENA) was carrying coal in tow of the wooden propeller GEORGE SPENCER in a gale on Lake Superior. In an effort to save both vessels, AMBOY was cut loose. The SPENCER was disabled quickly and was driven ashore near Little Marais, Minnesota. AMBOY struggled against the gale for a full day before finally going ashore near Thomasville, Ontario on 29 November. No lives were lost from either vessel.

On 28 November 1872, W O BROWN (wooden schooner, 140 foot, 306 tons, built in 1862, at Buffalo, New York) was carrying wheat in a storm on Lake Superior when she was driven ashore near Point Maimanse, Ontario and pounded to pieces. Six lives were lost. Three survivors struggled through a terrible cold spell and finally made it to the Soo on Christmas Day.

On 28 Nov 1874, the propeller JOHN PRIDGEON JR was launched at Clark's shipyard in Detroit, Michigan. She was built for Capt. John Pridgeon. Her dimensions were 235 X 36 X 17 feet. The engines of the B F WADE were installed in her.

On 28 Nov 1923, the Detroit & Windsor Ferry Company and Bob-Lo docks were destroyed by a fire cause by an overheated stove in the ferry dock waiting room. The blaze started at 3:00 a.m.

CANADIAN TRANSFER underwent repairs most of Tuesday, 28 Nov 2000, at the Algoma Steel dock at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. She had run aground the previous night in the Canadian channel approaching Algoma Steel. CANADIAN TRANSFER was freed by two Purvis Marine tugs. The vessel suffered a crack or hole in the hull plating about 10 feet from the bottom along its port side.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Max Hanley, Russ Plumb, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history.

Thursday Holiday

The BoatNerd News will not be updated on Thursday (except for emergency), due to the American Thanksgiving Holiday.

Your all-volunteer staff is taking the day off to be with family and to give thanks for our many blessings.

The News will be updated, as usual, on Friday.

11/26 – Duluth - Tons of Japanese-made oil-processing equipment arrived in Duluth, Minn., this week, but as far as customs officials are concerned, the cargo still hasn’t technically entered the United States. That’s because it’s sitting on a portion of the Clure Marine Terminal federally designated as a foreign trade zone.

The Jumbo Vision, a Dutch-flagged heavy lift ship, arrived in the Twin Ports on Monday, carrying high-pressure vessels and other steel components for a multimillion-dollar facility that will extract petroleum from a tar-sands formation in Alberta. Lake Superior Warehousing Co. spent much of the past week unloading the ship and staging equipment in the foreign trade zone, where it can sit indefinitely without the shipper being required to pay so much as a dime in duties.

In the case of goods destined for Canada, shippers often can avoid paying U.S. duties altogether if they use a foreign trade zone, according to Steve Anderson, administrator of the Greater Metropolitan Foreign Trade Zone Commission in the Twin Cities. Jonathan Lamb, Lake Superior Warehousing’s operations manager, expects to sit on the equipment for six months to a year before shipping it on to its final destination.

Duluth last made use of its foreign trade zone designation in 1998, when the port received a load of Russian steel coil bound for Canada. Andy McDonough, business development director for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, said the U.S. Department of Commerce has designated more than 20 acres of local waterfront as a foreign trade zone. A few acres of land near Duluth International Airport also share the same federal designation.

Although seldom used, McDonough considers the foreign trade zone status one of the port’s competitive advantages, particularly when it comes to handling big-ticket equipment such as the recently arrived oil-processing gear. “That designation might have made the difference between them using our port or another,” McDonough said.

Lamb, too, believes the zone is advantageous for his company’s operations. “Having the foreign trade zone status is another tool in our toolbox, in terms of offering our clients different options,” he said.

Lamb said Duluth probably can improve how it markets its foreign trade zone. “I would think that our customers would want to use the zone more than once a decade,” he said. “I hope we will have more use for it than that in the future. But that probably means that between us and the port authority, there will need to be more education and marketing.”

From the Duluth News-Tribune

11/26 - St. Catharines, Ont. - The first canal power generator in the Garden City roared to life at the Welland Canal’s Lock 2 Thursday. A 22-tonne turbine was churning out almost two megawatts of green electricity by noon Thursday, enough to power 1,500 city homes.

"I'm so happy to see it working," said a grinning Tom Rankin, president of the St. Catharines company that teamed up with the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. for the project. "I've been calling down here every day to see if they'd got it running."

The Lock 2 turbine is one of three hydro generators Rankin Construction is building on the Welland Canal. The Lock 1 turbine could go online as early as next week. The final power generator will be built at Lock 3 during the canal's winter shutdown.

Although one turbine is now producing electricity, it's still in "test-drive" mode, Rankin said. Steady power production isn't guaranteed until company engineers and Seaway and utility officials "work out the bugs," he added. The first two turbines will likely power up for good at a December ceremony. The hydro generator produces power by harnessing the excess water that normally falls 11 metres over the lock weirs.

Earlier this year, Rankin built a powerhouse and installed a turbine capable of using 20 cubic metres of water per second to make electricity. Engineers experimented with the generator's output Thursday, reaching 1.8 megawatts by late morning. Each generator will have a maximum output of 2.1 megawatts, or enough combined electricity to power 5,000 homes.

The entire project cost about $20 million. Rankin has a contract to sell the power to the province for 11 cents per kilowatt-hour. He also has a 25-year lease with the Seaway. Afterwards, the green power project becomes property of the canal corporation.

Rankin started working on the project three years ago. "I'm proud at how quickly it came together. The Seaway was there to help us through every challenge," said Rankin, who estimated similar projects can sometimes take a decade to plan and complete.

It's the first green-power project to come to fruition for Rankin, who is also partnering with Niagara Region on a five-turbine wind farm for Wainfleet. If the canal's new green power replaced an equivalent amount of coal-fired electricity, the project would reduce provincial carbon dioxide emissions by 38,900 tonnes. That's the equivalent of removing 8,420 passenger cars from the road.

From the St. Catharines Standard

Traverse City - James Shannahan
Tuesday afternoon the bulk cement carrier St. Marys Challenger was again seeking shelter from heavy weather on Lake Michigan by anchoring in Suttons Bay on Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay.

Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey
The Calumet was outbound early Tuesday morning from the Burroughs dock after unloading there overnight. The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were inbound early on Tuesday with a split load. The pair unloaded part of their cargo at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City before continuing upriver to finish at the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw. The Moore and Kuber were outbound Tuesday evening. The Mary E. Hannah and her tank barge still had not departed the Dow Chemical dock as of Tuesday evening after arriving Monday morning.

Toronto - Charlie Gibbons
Stephen B. Roman returned to port at 4 p.m. Tuesday. The salty Cinnamon departed for the St. Lawrence River, with the assistance of two Group Ocean tugs Tuesday evening. The tugs returned to Hamilton.

11/26 - Cheboygan, Mich. - Aboard the cutter Mackinaw, tradition has it that the crew enjoys the best meals in the U.S. Coast Guard. The tradition is even more deeply steeped now that Food Service Spec. Second Class Eddie Fuchs is back from Europe with his gold medals.

By Mike Fornes for the Cheboygan Daily Tribune

11/26 - Welland, Ont. – To commemorate and celebrate the history of the Welland Canal and the legacy of William Hamilton Merritt, the public is invited to a formal celebration to be held at Welland Civic Square outside City Hall (Welland, Ont.) on Thursday, November 27 at 2 p.m.. Speakers will include Mayor Damian Goulborne, The Hon. Jim Bradley, Ontario’s Transportation Minister and Richard Corfe, President and CEO of The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation.

The Welland Canals Foundation was formed in 1979 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first Welland Canal. It is a volunteer-based charitable organization which strives to promote the importance of the present and past Welland Canals, and to preserve their history and heritage.

Updates - November 26

News Photo Gallery updated

The USCG District Nine Local Notice to Mariners is now available for download at this link

In 1952, the PHILIP R. CLARKE was launched at the American Ship Building yard at Lorain, Ohio. The 647 foot freighter became the flagship of the Pittsburgh Steamship Company. She was lengthened by 120 feet in 1974 and converted to a self-unloader in 1982.

On 26 November 1856, CHEROKEE (2-mast wooden schooner, 103 foot, 204 tons, built in 1849, at Racine, Wisconsin) foundered in a gale 7 miles south of Manistee, Michigan, on Lake Michigan. All aboard (estimates range from ten to fourteen persons) were lost.

The U.S.C.G.C. MESQUITE departed Charlevoix and locked through the Soo on November 26, 1989, to begin SUNDEW's normal buoy tending duties on Lake Superior.

The ELIZABETH HINDMAN was launched November 26, 1920, as a.) GLENCLOVA (Hull#9) at Midland, Ontario, by Midland Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.

On 26 November 1872, the steamer GEO W. REYNOLDS burned at 1 o'clock in the morning at the dock in Bay City. The fire supposedly originated in the engine room. She was owned by A. English of East Saginaw.

On 26 November 1853, ALBANY (wooden side wheel passenger/package freight, 202 foot, 669 tons, built in 1846, at Detroit, Michigan) was carrying passengers and miscellaneous cargo in a storm on Lake Huron.. She was making for the shelter of Presque Isle harbor when the gale drove her over a bar. Her crew and 200 passengers came ashore in her boats. Plans were made to haul her back across the bar when another storm wrecked her. Her boiler and most of her machinery were recovered the following year.

LAKE BREEZE (wooden propeller, 122 foot, 301 gross tons, built in 1868, at Toledo, Ohio) burned at her dock in Leamington, Ontario, on 26 November 1878. One man perished in the flames. She was raised in 1880, but the hull was deemed worthless. Her machinery and metal gear were removed in 1881, and sold to an American company.

The ANN ARBOR NO 5 (steel carferry, 359 foot, 2,988 gross tons) was launched by the Toledo Ship Building Company (Hull #118) on 26 Nov 1910. She was the first carferry to be built with a sea gate, as a result of the sinking of the PERE MARQUETTE 18 in September of 1910.

On 26 Nov 1881, JANE MILLER (wooden propeller passenger-package freight "coaster", 78 foot, 210 gross tons, built in 1878, at Little Current, Ontario) departed Meaford, Ontario, for Wiarton - sailing out into the teeth of a gale and was never seen again. All 30 aboard were lost. She probably sank near the mouth of Colpoy's Bay in Georgian Bay. She had serviced the many small ports on the inside coast of the Bruce Peninsula.

HIRAM W. SIBLEY (wooden propeller freighter, 221 foot, 1,419 gross tons, built in 1890, at E. Saginaw, Michigan) was carrying 70,000 bushels of corn from Chicago for Detroit. On 26 Nov 1898, she stranded on the northwest corner of South Manitou Island in Lake Michigan during blizzard. (Some sources say this occurred on 27 November.) The tugs PROTECTOR and SWEEPSTAKES were dispatched for assistance but the SIBLEY refloated herself during the following night and then began to sink again. She was put ashore on South Fox Island to save her but she broke in half; then completely broke up during a gale on 7 December 1898.

During the early afternoon of 26 Nov 1999, the LOUIS R. DESMARAIS suffered an engine room fire while sailing in the western section of Lake Ontario. Crews onboard the DESMARAIS put out the fire and restarted her engines. The DESMARAIS proceeded to the Welland canal where she was inspected by both U.S. and Canadian investigators. No significant damage was noted and the vessel was allowed to proceed.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Russ Plumb, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books includes man