Chi-Cheemaun featured on new Canada Post stamp
The stamps are designed by Lionel Gadoury and Owen Gabany of Context Creative and depict “postcard-perfect photos” of the ferries in their home waters, the release said. Rob Boyce took the photo of the Chi-Cheemaun.
Printed by Lowe-Martin, the issue includes a booklet of 10 permanent domestic rate stamps, an official first day of issue envelope and a souvenir sheet of five stamps.
The stamps and collectables are available at canadapost.ca and postal outlets across Canada, the news release said.
Researchers looking for World War I-era minesweepers in Lake Superior find a ship that sank in 1879
Researchers searching for a pair of World War I-era minesweepers that mysteriously vanished in Lake Superior over a century ago instead found a long-missing ship that sank to the bottom of the lake nearly four decades earlier, in 1879.
The tug boat called Satellite, which sank on June 21, 1879, was located by a crew last June, the Michigan-based Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society announced this week.
The story behind the discovery unfolded in June 2022, when Josh Gates of Discovery Channel’s “Expedition Unknown” traveled to Michigan to search for two French minesweepers that disappeared in 1918. The twin vessels — Inkerman and Cerisoles — were en route to Europe when the ships vanished in a storm, killing 78 crewmembers.
Last June, Gates joined the Shipwreck Society’s crew aboard the 47-foot R/V David Boyd and the ship’s sonar identified a submerged wreck. A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was deployed to reach the target nearly 300 feet below the surface and the images revealed a surprise — the shipwreck was not a steel minesweeper, but the wooden-hulled Satellite.
The Shipwreck Society posted eerie video of the wreck, showing various angles of the ship with shattered wooden planks inside.
According to the Shipwreck Society, the Satellite had four barges in tow when she ran into problems. It’s unclear whether the ship had a mechanical issue or if it struck something in the lake and started taking on water.
“Regardless of what happened, the Satellite went to the bottom of Lake Superior and has not been seen for 142 years,” the group wrote, noting that no one on board died in the sinking.
There are no known photos of the Satellite, but the ship’s appearance was touted in the press over a century ago. According to the Shipwreck Society, the Detroit Press and Tribune wrote: “It is said that her cabin and upper works were the most elaborate put upon a craft of her kind.”
There are roughly 10,000 shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, but only about 350 of them are located in Lake Superior, according to the Minnesota Historical Society. One stretch of the lake where ships have routinely met their demise has been dubbed the “graveyard of the Great Lakes.”
In April, researchers found the wreckage of two ships that disappeared in Lake Superior in 1914. In March, a ship carrying a load of coal when it sank in a storm in 1891 was discovered in the lake.
And in February, a 144-foot shipwreck that searchers called a “Bad Luck Barquentine” was found in Lake Superior more than 150 years after it sank.
Legislation grants 25+ Maritime cadets eligibility for incentive payments
TRAVERSE CITY — Great Lakes Maritime Academy cadets older than 25 who agree to enlist in the U.S. Navy Reserve upon graduation are now eligible for incentives of up to $32,000 over four years, due to bipartisan legislation signed by President Joe Biden last week.
Cadet Rick Ramos, 37, will be among the first to benefit. He comes from a military family and had already committed to the Navy Reserve after his expected 2024 graduation. The new legislation will help him pay tuition and other expenses and allow him to go from two jobs to one.
“I have been working since I started the program,” said Ramos, who is in GLMA’s engine program. “I can finally breathe and focus on my classes, especially now that I’m getting into the license prep semester.”
Previously, the incentive payments to attend the six state maritime academies in the U.S., including GLMA, were limited to cadets under age 25. The Changing Age-Determined Eligibility to Student Incentive Payments (CADETS) Act removes that age cap. The legislation was introduced by two members of Michigan’s congressional delegation in their respective chambers, Sen. Gary Peters and U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman.
The incentive payments can be spent on tuition, uniforms, books, and living costs. In return, cadets commit to eight years in the U.S. Navy Reserve, which can be fulfilled while working in the commercial shipping industry. Peters originally introduced the CADETS Act in 2021. It passed the Senate in 2022. He reintroduced it in March and it passed both chambers of Congress this spring.
“It’s a great relief to hear it has actually gone through,” Ramos said.
The change is anticipated to help student veterans in particular.
“The CADETS Act is greatly appreciated, and will benefit veterans and non-traditional students not only in Michigan, but across the nation,” said GLMA superintendent Admiral Jerry P. Achenbach. “Additionally, it addresses the current shortage of licensed officers in the U.S. Merchant Marine.”
Upon earning their licenses, graduates must sail commercially for three years.
“Those men and women who delayed college to serve their country should not be denied opportunities given to younger, more recent high school graduates,” said Jim Weakley, President, Lake Carriers’ Association, which represents companies that ship on the Great Lakes.
“The bill will incentivize more cadets to continue serving their country after graduation, while helping them receive a high-quality, affordable education,” Peters said.
“This common sense bipartisan solution will expand opportunities for veterans and older students who wish to become mariners – a crucial national security need – and will greatly benefit Michigan’s maritime industry,” said Bergman, who was the guest speaker at the 2023 GLMA graduation in May.
Northwestern Michigan College
Great Lakes Fest, Toledo Antique & Classic Boat Show on the horizon
Great Lakes Festfeaturing the Toledo Antique & Classic Boat Show will take place from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 22.
Boater registration is still open to classic boats of all types, but particularly focused on those built prior to 1975 or modern re-creations. For additional event details on boater registration or to pre-purchase tickets visit www.nmgl.org/
National Museum of the Great Lakes
-
- Chi-Cheemaun is featured as part of a new stamp collection released by Canada Post. Owen Sound Sun Times
-
- A look at the complete collection. Owen Sound Sun Times
