Michipicoten arrives at Thunder Bay after Lake Superior Incident

LAKE SUPERIOR – A situation Saturday morning on western Lake Superior that could have had a tragic ending concluded instead with the safe arrival of the motor vessel Michipicoten at Thunder Bay, ON.

The Coast Guard received a report of the incident at 6:53 a.m. Saturday from the Michipicoten when it was located about 35 miles southwest of Michigan’s Isle Royale with 22 people on board.

Initial reports indicated the vessel, loaded with taconite pellets taken aboard at Two Harbors, MN, had struck something, however waterfront observers speculate that is unlikely. Rather, the vessel may have experienced a hull failure that allowed water to enter.

Boat crews, helicopter and members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Border Patrol and National Park Service responded. The Edwin H. Gott, which was nearby, also responded. Coast Guard officials said pumps aboard the Michipicoten, plus additional pumps brought to the vessel by the tug Glenada, had removed some water on board. At one point, the list was reported to be 15 degrees to starboard, but that was reduced to around five degrees. Two more pumps were placed aboard once the vessel docked. The Coast Guard said 11 crewmembers were safely evacuated, however 11 others remained on board to guide the ship to Thunder Bay.

Michipicoten was escorted by the Gott as well as CCGS Cape Challion to Thunder Bay’s Keefer Terminal, where it docked safely, although with a noticeable starboard list.

Officials say details about the collision, and what caused it, will be released after “the situation is stabilized.”

Michipicoten (named Elton Hoyt II when it entered service in 1952) is a self-unloading lake freighter owned and operated by Canadian shipping firm Lower Lakes Towing.

USCG and other sources

Soo Locks tour boat Bide-A-Wee runs aground

SAULT STE MARIE, MI – U.S. Coast Guard units responded after receiving a report that the passenger vessel Bide-A-Wee ran aground Saturday afternoon.

Coast Guard Sector Northern Great Lakes was contacted via VHF Channel 16 at approximately 2:30 p.m. with a report that the 65’ tour boat Bide-A-Wee had run aground in Canadian waters on the north side of the St Marys River above the Soo Locks. The vessel reported they did not have any injuries and the vessel was stable.

Out of an abundance of caution, it was requested all the passengers onboard the boat be transferred off the vessel. A boat from U.S. Coast Guard Station Sault Ste. Marie arrived on scene and transferred all passengers safely to the tour boat Hiawatha. The Bide-A-Wee was assisted by a tug and was able to transit back safely under its own power. The cause of the grounding and any other damage to the vessel will be investigated once the situation has stabilized.

Bide-A-Wee is owned by the Original Soo Locks Boat Tours, which in turn is owned by the Interlake Steamship Co.

USCG