1874
E. H. MILLER (wooden propeller tug, 62 foot, 30 gross tons) was launched at Chesley A. Wheeler’s yard in E. Saginaw, Michigan. The power plant from the 1865 tug JENNIE BELL was installed in her. She was renamed RALPH in 1883, and spent most of her career as a harbor tug in the Alpena area. She was abandoned in 1920.
1906
The steamer b.) J. CLARE MILLER was launched as a.) HARVEY D. GOULDER (Hull#342) at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co., for W.A. & A.H. Hawgood of Cleveland, Ohio.
1927
The WILLIAM McLAUGHLAN entered service for the Interlake Steamship Co. when she departed Sandusky, Ohio for Superior, Wisconsin, on her maiden trip. Later renamed b.) SAMUEL MATHER in 1966, sold Canadian in 1975, renamed c.) JOAN M. MC CULLOUGH, and finally d.) BIRCHGLEN in 1982. Scrapped at Point Edward, Nova Scotia, by Universal Metal Co. Ltd.
1966
JOSEPH S. WOOD was sold to the Ford Motor Co. and towed from her winter lay-up berth at Ashtabula, Ohio, to American Ship Building’s Toledo, Ohio, yard for her five-year inspection. A 900 h.p. bowthruster was installed at this time. She would be rechristened as c.) JOHN DYKSTRA two months later.
1971
American Steamship Company’s RICHARD J. REISS grounded at Stoneport, Michigan, while moving away from the dock. She damaged her number nine tank.
1973
ROGER M. KYES (Hull#200) was launched at Toledo, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. Renamed b.) ADAM E. CORNELIUS in 1989.
1974
The nine-year old Liberian freighter CAPE PALMAS (which first came through the Seaway in 1969 after it had been purchased from Swedish interests) was at Bilbao, Spain, undergoing repairs when a blaze broke out aft and caused extensive damage. This was repaired and the ship resumed trading. It was converted to the cement carrier c) ASANO in 1978 and served until arriving at Shanghai, China, for scrapping on September 10, 1993.
1979
Christening ceremonies took place at St. Catharines, Ontario, for d.) CANADIAN PROSPECTOR, lengthened by Port Weller Drydocks Ltd.
1995
WILLIAM R. ROESCH was renamed b) DAVID Z. NORTON in christening ceremonies at Cleveland, Ohio. The PAUL THAYER was also renamed, EARL W. OGLEBAY, during the same ceremonies.
1999
VARADERO was the first new ship of the 1991 season to use the Seaway. It was bound for Toronto with a cargo of sugar. This bulk carrier was sailing as e) MANPOK, and under North Korean registry, when it sank on this date in 1999 following a collision with HYUNDAI DUKE some 500 miles off Colombo, Sri Lanka, while inbound from Jakarta, Indonesia, with a cargo of cement. Two crew members were rescued while another 37 were posted as missing.
2011
BBC STEINHOEFT lost power near the St. Lambert Lock in the Seaway and ended up sideways and blocking the channel until she was refloated and realigned. The Liberian registered freighter had just been renamed at Toronto, having entered the lakes as BELUGA FUSION.
Contributors & Sources
Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Jody Aho, Father Dowling Collection, the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Ahoy & Farewell II, and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series from the Marine Historical Society of Detroit.
Compiled & Maintained by Roger LeLievre
