Crews work to get fire-damaged Chi-Cheemaun ship-shape for May
Owen Sound, ON – The Owen Sound Transportation Commission (OSTC) said it’s “working diligently” to have the Chi-Cheemaun ferry ready to sail on May 6, the provincial Crown agency said in a social media post.
The 111-metre (365 feet) vessel remains in Thunder Bay after fire broke out in the boiler room while the ship was in dry dock at the Heddle shipyard, March 12.
Thunder Bay Fire Rescue extinguished the fire with the help of on-board crew. The OSTC said fire damage was contained to the boiler room.
The agency said it does not expect any delays to get the ferry ready for the summer sailing season. “The OSTC recognizes the importance of the Chi-Cheemaun to the local economy, specifically the tourism industry.”
The ferry was in Thunder Bay to undergo scheduled maintenance and its five-year hull marine survey in the dry dock at the time of the fire below deck.
The Chi-Cheemaun is a huge part of the tourism industry on Manitoulin Island and for northeastern Ontario.
The ship sails Lake Huron between South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island and Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula. The service usually starts in early May and runs until mid-October.
Built in Collingwood, the Chi-Cheemaun entered service in 1974 and can carry 140 standard North American-sized cars and 638 passengers.
The OSTC said if there is disruption to the season start date, the agency will be in contact with customers to help with rescheduling or provide a refund. Any schedule changes will be updated through social media channels and the website.
TBNewsWatch
Corps signs five-year lease for Great Lakes tug
Buffalo, NY – Last week, the Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, awarded a $8.4 million contract to Cleveland-based Great Lakes Towing for five-year lease of the tugboat Don Raul to serve on the Great Lakes.
The boat will primarily be used on Lake Erie between Buffalo, N.Y., and Toledo, Ohio, but may serve all the way to Massena, N.Y., towing the Buffalo District’s repair fleet. The fleet is one of three strategically located across the Great Lakes, providing a flexible, rapid response for maintenance at U.S. harbors and along the nation’s shorelines.
“Maintaining safe navigation is a critical mission for the Corps of Engineers. We’re proud to play our part in supporting commerce and strengthening the nation,” said Lt. Col. Eli Adams, commander of the Buffalo District. “The tugboat Don Raul will greatly enhance our ability to safely and effectively support the residents of New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, and ensure the economic viability of their waterways.”
The Don Raul is a 74-foot, 2,800 hp, twin-screw seagoing tug, built by Great Lakes Shipyard in 2008.
The tug will be leased for one year, with an initial contract award of $3 million, and options to renew for up to four more years, bringing the total contract value to $8.4 million.
The Don Raul will be a short-term replacement for the tugboat Cheraw, while the District develops and implements a longer term replacement plan. The Cheraw is a former Navy seagoing tug which was transferred to the Buffalo District in 1998. Tugboats are used to transport a derrick boat and materials barges from harbor to harbor.
The Don Raul is expected to depart its current port in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and arrive in Cleveland for maintenance before final delivery to the Buffalo District’s repair fleet crew on Aug. 1.
The Buffalo District is responsible for the maintenance of 35 federal harbors and navigation projects on Lakes Erie and Ontario, including approximately 37 miles of protective structures such as piers, jetties, and breakwaters.
The district’s repair fleet program utilizes the government-owned repair fleet and hired labor to perform repairs to District navigation structures, execute snagging and clearing to remove trees and other obstructions to navigation, and conduct installation and maintenance of safety ladders and signage.
The repair fleet is engaged in harbor maintenance activities for the full duration of construction season on the Great Lakes, typically from mid-April to early November.
WorkBoat
Great Lakes shoreline shipwreck viewing predicted to be excellent this summer
Lansing, MI – Some trails break out of the woods at a lake. Some climb a dune to a sweeping view.
And many — more than you probably thought — lead to a shipwreck with a story on a beach. This summer could be excellent for shoreline shipwreck viewing as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicts that the water level of lakes Michigan and Huron could be almost 2 feet below the record highs set in 2020.
Michigan’s fascinating maritime history is not limited to old lighthouses or restored life-saving stations. The state is blessed with accessible shipwrecks that don’t require an air tank or a wetsuit to view — only a pair of hiking boots, a paddle or a snorkel and mask.
The heart of shipwreck territory is Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, but there are others, including a wreck in Thompson Harbor State Park in Presque Isle County and more off the shore of the Upper Peninsula’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Michigan’s shoreline wrecks are constantly evolving, depending on wave action, shifting sand and Great Lakes water levels. High and dry for easy viewing this summer will be one of Michigan’s newest exposed wrecks, the Jennie and Annie.
The 137-foot schooner, built in 1863, was rounding Sleeping Bear Point in November 1872 when gale-force winds pushed it into the shallows and reefs of Lake Michigan’s notorious Manitou Passage. The ship, its 10-member crew and a cargo of corn were driven aground 9 miles south near Empire. Only three crew members survived.
Gone forever? Hardly.
For the past two summers, a substantial piece of the hull has been visible on a Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore beach.
See a full list of shipwrecks at the Detroit News link: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/04/10/great-lakes-shoreline-shipwreck-viewing-predicted-excellent-summer/9512143002/?fbclid=IwAR28KrI8AonYLAlsrK0-dkfbytYDdTdQwesPNcLDW74KPJVlpZqDCHe_e-s
The Detroit News
Marine sanctuary visitor center welcomes visitors after two-year shutdown
Alpena, MI – In a soft opening on Thursday, Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center welcomed a handful of guests for the first time in more than two years. Those guests are the first in 100,000 that normally come through on a yearly basis.
The Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center is the museum owned and operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees operations at the museum and Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
At any rate, the museum is open now, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday until May 5, when it will return to its regular hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
“I have missed being able to come here so much,” said Alpena resident Terri Riopelle, who came to the museum as soon as it opened at 10 a.m. Thursday. “I did a lot of volunteering in the past, and these two years have been, like, empty.”
“It’s such a valuable, amazing place,” Riopelle said, adding that Alpena residents are lucky to have such an educational and exciting resource here in Alpena. “It’s huge for Alpena, as a destination. Not only tourism, but scientifically, what they’re drawing to this town, from around the world, is incredible … It raises us, as a whole, as a community, to another level.”
“We’ve been getting calls like crazy here,” Andrew Augustyn, visitor experience manager at GLMHC, said on Thursday. “We finally have the staff here to answer phones on a regular basis, so that’s great. On top of bringing summer staff back, the glass-bottom boat will be starting in a few weeks, too. So, the closer we get to May, things will kick off, and it will be absolutely crazy around here.” And that’s just the way visitors like it, Augustyn said.
“I think people have just been itching to get back in here,” Augustyn said. “I’m excited. We’re all excited … Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, we can do upwards of a couple thousand (visitors) a day.”
He said current programs and exhibits will be similar to what patrons have come to enjoy in the past, but that some amenities have been upgraded, such as the replacement of counters out front, in the bathrooms and in the conference rooms.
Upcoming events in May include the season’s launch of the glass-bottom boat, The Lady Michigan, and the arrival of the Viking Octantis, a Great Lakes cruise ship that will be visiting Alpena eight times this season, the first of which will be May 4.
Augustyn expects many more programs and events to be popping up this summer, and looks forward to inviting the public to come celebrate the reopening.
“We do have plans for updating some exhibits in the future here,” Augustyn added. “To have the visitor center reopen, it’s just been, I think, something that’s been a gap for everybody here, for the last couple of years. We’ve always wanted more for people to do around town. Alpena’s a great community, but just looking for something else to do on a rainy day … just to see that activity, to bring people into the visitor center, is just great.”
Stephanie Gandulla, a maritime archaeologist with TBNMS, is elated to have the center back open.
“It is such a good feeling to see people walk through those front doors,” Gandulla said.
For more information about the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, visit thunderbayfriends.org or thunderbay.noaa.gov.
The Alpena News
