Boatnerd News – September 9, 2022

Century-old James Whalen tugboat being raised at Thunder Bay after sinking this May

THUNDER BAY, ON – Work to lift the submerged James Whalen tugboat from the Kaministiquia River has begun. The crane-equipped heavy-lift barge Coastal Titan arrived at the Port earlier this week from Toronto.

The century-old tugboat, which the city has owned and kept moored along the river for nearly 30 years, took on water and then sank earlier this year. The city had put out a request for proposals to raise the ship, with a contract worth nearly $800,000 awarded last month to carry out the work.

Cory Halvorsen, the city’s manager of parks and open spaces, said rigging was put in place last week to prepare the tugboat to be hoisted by cranes. But he said those cranes, which are being brought to Thunder Bay onboard a barge, were delayed by heavy winds this weekend during their trip across the Great Lakes.

Once it has been lifted to the surface, the tugboat will be pumped out so it can once again float.

“At that point the plan is to transport the tugboat up the Kam River to Paterson dock, where it will be stored there temporarily,” Halvorsen said. The city has an option for the tugoat to be stored at that location for one to two years, Halvorsen added.

Before the tugboat’s sinking, the Lakehead Transportation Museum Society had lobbied the city to have the ship moved to its waterfront site where the Alexander Henry — a decommissioned icebreaker — is located.

CBC

 

Queen Elizabeth’s death prompts memories of Great Lakes/Seaway visit

The death of Queen Elizabeth II Thursday reminded many on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway of a visit by the Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, in 1959. On June 26, 1959, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower and her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the St. Lawrence Seaway.

The British royals – Queen Elizabeth II was 33 at the time – had embarked on a six-week tour the month before, destined for many stops in Canada and one in the U.S.

The monarch’s 412-foot yacht steamed up the Detroit River, then up Lake Huron, passing under the Mackinac Bridge and down Lake Michigan before stopping for the couple’s first-ever visit to Chicago.

At the time of this trip, the royal yacht was just five years old. After traveling more than a million nautical miles, the floating palace was retired from royal service in 1997. It now has a permanent home as a tourist attraction in Edinburgh, Scotland.