“Boo on the Boat:” Halloween Tradition Returns at National Museum

TOLEDO, OHIO – Beginning on Friday, October 28 through Sunday, October 30, the National Museum of the Great Lakes (NMGL) invites visitors to trick-or-treat aboard two of Toledo’s most haunted historic vessels—the Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship and the Museum Tug Ohio.

“Boo on the Boat has become a National Museum of the Great Lakes’ tradition that is both fun and educational,” shares Ellen Kennedy, the museum’s Director of Education and Visitor Experience. “The event will take place over multiple days just prior to Halloween—providing flexibility to fit trick-or-treating into your schedule on a weekday or weekend.”

Young goblins and ghouls can trick-or-treat in costume from the museum vessels’ pilothouses to the galleys and everywhere in between while on a scavenger hunt for goodies. Treats will be distributed using pre-portioned, sealed bags at stations to help youth explore Great Lakes history in a fun and age-appropriate way. Children with food allergies will have access to non-food treats in alignment with the Teal Pumpkin Project.

National Museum of the Great Lakes members can enjoy Boo on the Boat activities for free and non-members can join in the fun simply by purchasing general museum and ship combo admission. Non-museum guests may consider additional savings and access to the museum year-round by purchasing a membership. All children must be accompanied to the event by an adult. To learn more and reserve your tickets visit nmgl.org/events/.

WHAT: Boo on the Boat
WHEN: Friday, October 28 – Sunday, October 30. 10am-4pm (Friday – Saturday) and 12am-4pm (Sunday)
WHERE: National Museum of the Great Lakes, 1701 Front St., Toledo, OH 43605
ADMISSION: $17.00 Adults (18-64); $16.00 Seniors (65+); $14.00 Youth (6-17) FREE – Children 5 and under; GLHS/NMGL Members. Family Memberships are $54

*Price includes trick-or-treating and admission to the museum and boats

Michigan Maritime Museum welcomes visitors after $3.6 million rebuild

SOUTH HAVEN, MICH. – History and boating enthusiasts can now visit one of South Haven’s most beloved attractions year-round. The Michigan Maritime Museum reopened its campus in August after a nearly year-long rebuild. A grand opening of the new $3.6 million Maritime Heritage Center took place on Sept. 30.

The brand-new, 17,000-square-foot building is located at the site of the old museum at 260 Dyckman Ave., right next to the drawbridge. The two-story building features exhibit spaces, a large atrium, a classroom, and learning center, plus conference rooms and offices for museum staff.

“This represents a really big step up for us as an organization and what we can do,” Eric Harmsen, administration and curatorial specialist, said.

The museum’s first exhibition since reopening offers guests a glimpse back into the early 1900s during the era of passenger steamships on Lake Michigan. “Full Steam Ahead: The Golden Age of Great Lakes Passenger Steamships,” highlights the City of South Haven, a passenger steamship that linked South Haven to Chicago.

“A lot of people are just really surprised by the number and size of ships that were here in South Haven and other cities on the Great Lakes,” Harmsen said. “Right here on the Black River there were passenger steamships coming and going during the summers for several decades in the early 1900s.”

The new expanded campus also allows for some of the museum’s acquisitions previously in storage to be put on full display. “Now we have the space and the facilities to make an exhibit out of the antique and small boats in our collection,” Harmsen said.

While the museum campus will be open year-round, its on-water experiences have mainly concluded for the season. Lindy Lou river cruises will still be available for a few more weeks. This past weekend, museum staff, and volunteers started the process of down rigging their most popular vessel, Friends Good Will. Sails, rigging and other equipment is stripped from the replica 1810 top sail sloop to be inspected, repaired and stored for the season. The ship’s mast will also be removed within the next few weeks for inspection and repair, a process which happens every 5 years.

The Michigan Maritime Museum’s October hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with last admission at 3 p.m. Adult admission costs $12 during the summer, and $10 during the winter.

News Channel 3

Roerborg wind turbine blade cargo sets record

DULUTH, MN – At 260 feet in length, the wind turbine blades Duluth Cargo Connect moved by truck from the saltwater vessel Roerborg to its facilities this week were the longest ever transported through the Port of Duluth-Superior.

Duluth Cargo Connect

Wisconsin Maritime Museum launches new series

The Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc, Wis. has launched a new speaker series to be held on the first Thursday of each month. The series is entitled “Think and Drink” series and will present talks on maritime-related topics from local experts and visiting scholars.

The in-person events will be held at the Maritime Museum and each will feature a signature cocktail and a selection of wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverages for purchase. Admission is free.

Upcoming programs in the series include:

Nov. 3, 2022 – 6:30 p.m. – “Fire on the Water: Revisiting the Shipwrecks Phoenix and Niagara” – Archeologist Kevin Cullen, the Maritime Museum’s chief curator, will share new insights into two pre-Civil War vessels that burned on Lake Michigan while carrying immigrants to the upper Great Lakes. He will also discuss museum plans to conserve, display and interpret thousands of never-before-seen artifacts from these and other shipwrecks in Wisconsin waters.

Dec. 1, 2022 – 6:30 p.m. – “Endurance22 Expedition: Finding Ernest Shackelton’s Endurance” – Sheboygan native Timothy Jacob will recount Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1917 Antarctic expedition and share his experience as a member of the 2022 research team that discovered Shackelton’s lost ship, Endurance.

For more information on the program series, go to wisconsinmaritime.org or call 920-684-0218.

Carl D. Bradley 64th Anniversary Bell Toll and Special Event

ROGERS CITY, MI – The 64th Anniversary Bell Toll marking the sinking of the Great Lakes limestone carrier Carl D. Bradley will be held Saturday, November 19 at the Rogers City Theater, 257 N. Third St., Rogers City, MI at 1 p.m.

The movie ”The Men Long Forgotten –The Sinking of the Carl D. Bradley,” produced by Andrew Stempki, will debut at this event.

William Quigg, who was handling the response to the sinking from the U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Center in Cleveland, will be on hand to speak about the events of that fateful day in 1958. This event is open to the public. Free of charge. Doors open at noon.

Great Lakes Lore Museum

Discovering the three largest shipwrecks in the St. Lawrence River

Of all the rivers in the world, the St. Lawrence River is undeniably one of the most challenging for mariners.

This water highway is at some spots as narrow as a large river and, at others, as wide as a small sea. It has played a vital role over the last three centuries as an important artery for trade, communication, transportation and settlement. And since 1959, the year the St. Lawrence Seaway was inaugurated, it has been a gateway to the heart of the continent.

The first European explorers who sailed the St. Lawrence discovered it was not easy to master: it was long, but never calm. After crossing the Gulf, mariners would face many difficulties navigating up the river to Québec City, including narrow, sinuous channels, shallow waters, shoal deposits and strong tides. Currents are sometimes unpredictable, there can be very dense fog, and, of course, the river is impossible to navigate in winter. No one ventured on its waters from the end of November to the beginning of May.

Qualified maritime pilots are a must on the capricious and indomitable St. Lawrence, which has the reputation of being one of the most difficult rivers to navigate in the world. The risk of collisions, groundings and shipwrecks is high, which led to tightened navigation safety regulations, particularly in response to the accidents involving large ships that occurred in the 1960s.

It is estimated that there are several thousand wrecks below the surface of the river.

As a doctoral student in geographic sciences at Laval University and president of the Technical Wreck Divers of Québec (PETQ), I propose introducing you to the three most important shipwrecks in terms of size that took place in the river. Our diving activities push the very limits of exploration. Notably, we use diving techniques adapted to the particularly restrictive underwater context of the St. Lawrence, with its strong currents, often reduced visibility and cold, black water, among other hazards.

Our expeditions allow us to share the passion of diving by exposing the results of our research and discoveries, while making the public aware of the history and hidden relics that are just a few steps from the shore of the river.

SS Bulk Carrier Leecliffe Hall (1961-1964)

At 222.5 metres long and 23 metres wide, the Leecliffe Hall ranks first among the largest wrecks in the St. Lawrence River.

Built by the Scottish shipyard Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd. — the same yard as the RMS Empress of Ireland — and launched in Port Glasgow on May 18, 1961, this colossus was an impressive 18,071 gross registered tons (GRT). The ship’s length from stern to bow is the equivalent of two American football fields glued together.

On Sept. 5, 1964, in the middle of a foggy day, the ship, loaded with 24,500 tons of iron ore, collided with the Greek freighter MV Apollonia off Île aux Coudres, in Québec’s Charlevoix region. The ships remained stuck together and did not sink.

The crew members were evacuated, safe and sound. But some of them, a few hours later, voluntarily returned to the ship, which was drifting alone, to attempt a rescue in extremis. While the men were in the midst of trying to regain control of the ship, the hull suddenly broke apart, resulting in the deaths of three brave sailors. The Apollonia escaped with a badly damaged bow, but was able to sail again.

On Sept. 9, 2017, a little less than two years after our divers first visited the wreck, a commemorative ceremony was held at the Charlevoix Maritime Museum. In the presence of the widow of one of the missing sailors and some descendants of the other two victims, the ship’s bell and the builder’s plate, which had been recovered the previous year by our team and declared to the Receiver of Wreckage (a federal official whose key role is to act as the custodian of a wreck in the absence of the rightful owners, were handed over to the museum in an effort to maintain the collective memory of Charlevoix’s subaquatic heritage.

Read the rest at this link: https://theconversation.com/discovering-the-three-largest-shipwrecks-in-the-st-lawrence-river-191979

The Conversation

Cruise ship industry basking in banner year for Great Lakes

The cruise industry is experiencing a banner year after one of the busiest seasons, it’s ever had in the Great Lakes.

“This was the strongest year on record, in the last twenty years that I’ve been involved with cruise ships on the Great Lakes,” Bruce O’Hare, president of Lakeshore Excursions, told CTV News.

“It probably grew by about 30 to 40 per cent, lots of demand, more importantly lot of new ships coming into the Great Lakes, it made a heck of a difference.”

Nine cruise ships made their way past the St. Lawrence Seaway, servicing the region this year.

Ferrying passengers from all over the United States and some, from as far away as France, the idea was to create memories and showcase a feature that many might take for granted.

“Great Lakes cruising is very different, first the ships are smaller, they have to fit through the Welland Canal,” said O’Hare.

“These ships are typically 200 to 400 passengers, they don’t have any casinos, they’re very limited in terms of shopping. The destination is really the draw.”

Ports of call in the region, Parry Sound, Little Current and Sault Ste. Marie also reported an uptick in visits from these tourists. This year, Killarney saw its first passenger ship stop in more than 80 years with the Viking Octantis. Tourism officials say getting Viking on board was a big win for the industry.

Cruise ships returned to Little Current in 1997, it’s long been seen as the gateway to Manitoulin Island. Marine traffic has become a staple of its economy.

“Cruise opens up a whole new opportunity to bring new people into the region, we sometimes refer to them as floating bank vaults, they show up and they leave nothing behind but money and they take away memories so it’s a pretty big deal for the local economy,” said O’Hare.

“For overseas visitors it (Great Lakes cruising) has an incredible appeal, we have five inland oceans, they’re so large they’re equivalent to oceans, we have renaissance cities, we have marvellous, wilderness, nature-based environments,” said Stephen Burnett, of the Great Lakes Cruise Association.

Burnett says he’s been talking with five other cruise lines about starting operations in the region. Three more ships are expected next summer. He figures the number of boats sailing through the region could grow from nine to 18 in the coming years.

“It is a more intimate cruise experience, it’s been called boutique cruising if you like and it’s the type of cruising where the guests get to know each other and more importantly, they get to know the crew,” he said.

Visitors to Manitoulin Island are treated to an Indigenous experience, once arriving, thanks to a partnership with Wikwemikong Tourism. Craig Fox is one of the guides they meet on the island.

“It’s important to share who we are as Anishinabek people and to follow along in what we’ve been trying to say for years, about the beauty of this island and who we are as Anishinabek people. That’s one thing I really want to hit home with these tours that we have and let them know exactly where they are on Turtle Island,” said Fox.

Once a ship arrived in Little Current, passengers are shuttled to other sites on the island, in Wiikwemkoong or at the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation in M’Chigeeng.

Fox expects the addition of more cruise ships will only be a benefit to the island economy in the years to come.

“One of the things I always talk about is how things are passed down from generation to generation,” Fox explained. ”The importance of our oral culture and things being taught face-to-face. We give them a tour of the museum, there’s a healing lodge as well where we give them a talk about our traditional medicines.”

“Most of the ships have wonderful lectures on board, guest lectures from the Great Lakes and the experience is a far more in-depth, perhaps even a cerebral experience,” Burnett told CTV News.

“They learn about our province, the U.S States and the difference between Canadian and American politics, the difference between our health systems, a huge amount to learn.”

“I think guests coming off a Great Lakes cruise return home with an amazing sense of accomplishment, they’ve learned a great deal about the area,” he added.

Northern Ontario CTV

U. S. Steel celebrates advancement in metallics strategy with DR-grade pellet capability at Keetac

United States Steel Corporation leadership and employees were joined by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, other elected officials, and key partners to celebrate the Company’s investment in direct reduced (DR)-grade pellet capabilities at its Minnesota Ore Operations Keetac plant today. The investment marks a step forward in U. S. Steel’s metallics strategy by supplying the increasingly tight DR-grade pellet market and provides the company with the flexibility to feed a potential future direct reduced iron (DRI) or hot briquetted iron (HBI) facility. DRI and HBI are important electric arc furnace metallics inputs.

Read the full story here: https://investors.ussteel.com/news/news-details/2022/U.-S.-Steel-Celebrates-Advancement-in-Metallics-Strategy-with-DR-Grade-Pellet-Capability-at-Keetac/default.aspx

U.S. Steel

Denis Sullivan Sets Sail … for Boston

The sale by Discovery World Museum of Wisconsin’s flagship schooner to an organization in Boston, Massachusetts leaves many local supporters “heartbroken” and leaves questions about the deal unanswered.

Planning for the Denis Sullivan, a replica 19th century three-master schooner and the only one of its kind on the water in the world, began in 1991. Construction got underway in 1998 as part of the state’s sesquicentennial celebration and the ship was finally launched in 2000 after innumerable hours of work by an estimated 1000 volunteers. Since then, the Sullivan has been used by Discovery World for its educational and environmental programs. However, a two-year period of inactivity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic left it without a captain or crew and in need of significant maintenance.

In April, Discovery World officials said the museum would not be able to operate the ship in 2022 and that it was re-evaluating if it could financially support the annual cost of about $250,000 necessary to keep the Sullivan in operating condition going forward.

Read the full article here: https://shepherdexpress.com/news/community-news/denis-sullivan-sets-sail-for-boston/?fbclid=IwAR3NsolRe1ABQorz8Z7R09ZShRerLLlaH5xLy645dh8L62_c5DCE-JW-Qt0

Shepherd Express

Museum sub USS Cobia seeks matching funds for drydocking

The National Park Service, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, recently awarded us a $500,000 federal grant to help us fund the dry docking of USS Cobia. The USS Cobia Dry Dock Project was one of only three projects in Wisconsin to be awarded a grant, and one out of only 80 projects nationwide.

This critical restoration project involves towing the submarine to Sturgeon Bay for dry docking at Fincantieri Shipyard for hull inspection and repair. The museum last drydocked USS COBIA in 1996. It is projected that the submarine will only be away from its home berth for four to six weeks in early fall 2025, returning to Manitowoc in October 2025.

The Wisconsin Maritime Museum has already begun raising the matching funds required for the grant’s fulfillment. The cost for this preservation project is estimated at $1.5 million. You can be a part of keeping USS COBIA afloat for future generations. Click here to make an online donation: https://bit.ly/3T5ppr9

Wisconsin Maritime Museum

Cleveland-Cliffs extends closure of Northshore Mining until April

SILVER BAY, MN – Cleveland-Cliffs, which operates four taconite mines and processing plants on Minnesota’s Iron Range, announced Friday it plans to keep its Northshore Mining facility closed until at least April, 2023.

Cliffs first idled Northshore on May 1, resulting in the layoff of about 410 of the 580 employees who work at the open pit mine outside the small town of Babbitt and the giant pellet plant along the shore of Lake Superior in Silver Bay.

The company is embroiled in a royalty dispute with Mesabi Trust, which owns the mineral rights where the iron ore is mined.

In a conference call with investors, Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves said with the increased use of scrap at its steelmaking facilities, it doesn’t need the taconite pellets produced at Northshore at this time.

“We are extending the ongoing idle at our Northshore swing facility until at least April of next year,” Goncalves said.

“Rather than deplete this finite resource for the benefit of the Mesabi Trust … we’ll keep Northshore idle until we decide otherwise.”

Three years ago Cliffs spent more than $100 million to upgrade the Northshore facility in Silver Bay to produce DR-grade pellets, which are used to make a kind of iron ore feedstock that’s needed to supply electric arc furnaces, a newer kind of mill that now dominates the nation’s steel industry.

But Cliffs has since shifted its DR-pellet production to the Minorca Mine in nearby Virginia, Minn., which it acquired when it purchased another steel company, ArcelorMittal USA, in 2020.

“I feel like it’s a blow to my gut,” said Babbitt Mayor Andrea Zupancich. “Belts are going to be tightening up all over the Range.”

Zupancich said this news affects more than just Babbitt and Silver Bay and the laid off workers. Everyone “knows someone who works at the mine or is affected by it,” she said.

The temporary closure was originally expected to last until at least September. Now Zupancich said there’s just a lot of uncertainty.

MPR News

Great Lakes steel production slips by 16,000 tons

Great Lakes steel production fell by 16,000 tons, while steel capacity utilization ticked up last week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Locally, steel mills in the Great Lakes region, clustered mainly along the south shore of Lake Michigan in Northwest Indiana, made 549,000 tons of metal in the week that ended Oct. 1, down up from 565,000 tons the previous week.

Steel mills remained below 80% capacity, a key threshold they operated at for most of last year, following the latest wave of industry consolidation, imposition of blanket tariffs of 25%, strong demand and generally favorable market conditions. Imports have been rising again after steel prices soared to record highs.

Overall, domestic steel mills made 1.7 million tons of steel last week, up 1% from 1.683 million tons the previous week and down 7.6% compared to 1.839 million tons the same time a year prior.

Nationally, steel production in 2022 totals 68.118 million tons, a 4.1% decrease from 71.047 million tons through the same period last year.

U.S. steel mills have run at a capacity utilization rate of 79.6% through Oct. 1, down from 81% at the same point in 2021, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Steel capacity utilization, a key metric of the industry’s profitability, was 77.1% last week, down from 83.3% a year earlier but up from 76.4% a week prior.

Steel production in the southern region, which encompasses many mini-mills and rivals the Great Lakes region in output, totaled 746,000 tons last week, up from 715,000 tons the week before, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Volume in the rest of the Midwest ticked up to 196,000 tons, up from 194,000 tons the week prior.

NWI Times

Tug to assist saltie Solina to Milwaukee for repairs

 On Friday evening, the tug Meredith Ashton arrived alongside the saltwater cargo vessel Solina, which had been stopped off Manistee, MI, with engine problems since Thursday. She will be towed to the heavy lift dock in Milwaukee for repairs. Solina is operated by the Polish company Polsteam.

Book Seaway Queens salutes iconic ship design

MONTREAL, QC – The Lakers that ply the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway are the workhorse ships of the waterway, tirelessly supplying industry with the raw materials needed to build and sustain the North American heartland. Earlier versions of the vessels did so with a certain panache, uniquely constructed for inland shipping and borrowing from trends in industrial design and even art. The pinnacle of their aesthetic
was the mid-20th Century, an era when form and function weren’t mutually exclusive, as explored in a beautiful new coffee table book.

Seaway Queens, The Style & Grace of Legendary Lakers tells the story of the iconic freshwater fleet praised and respected for the essential role its played across the wider Great Lakes region, and beloved in the individual towns and communities on the lakes and rivers where the ships are fixtures. The book spans the earliest days of marine through to the modern era with 10 themed chapters discussing major changes and developments in areas such as technology, fleet renewal and the environment.

“It was a fun book to design, research and write, and we intentionally added elements to make it a bit different, including stories that have not already been told and graphic elements and features that aren’t necessarily typical in books on shipping,” said author Jim McRae. “A bonus was having renown naval architect Joseph Fischer pen the forward. The overall objective was to give readers something special, including our
companion app that makes the images on the pages come alive through video. It’s a fun and exciting technology and really enhances the experience.”

Seaway Queens key features:
• More than 130 museum and private collection photos
• Signature Art Deco-inspired design and layout
• Engaging storytelling, including interviews with sailors, industry executives and experts
• Custom app that transforms printed images to videos on readers’ smartphones
• So much more…

“There is a lot going on within the pages of the book, but the stars of the show are
definitely the ships,” said McRae.

While the ETA for Seaway Queens is the end of October, pre-order purchases are currently possible at seawayqueens.com Copies of the book will also be available at marine museums and bookstores across the
Great Lakes; a list will be posted online prior to launch.

Extremely low water levels on St. Lawrence have forced the IJC to take action

ROCHESTER, NY – The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board (ILOSLR) will be reducing outflow through the Moses-Saunders dam this weekend to give boaters on Lake St. Lawrence an opportunity to remove their boats from the water.

The lake has been hovering at record-low levels all summer, making boating difficult. It sits directly at the mouth of the Moses-Saunders dam, where outflow along St. Lawrence is regulated.

Read the full article at this link: https://www.rochesterfirst.com/news/extremely-low-water-levels-on-the-st-lawrence-have-forced-the-ijc-to-take-action/

Obituary: Capt. Arn Kristensen

Capt. Arn Kristensen passed away Oct. 1 at his Florida home. He was 95.

Arn grew up in northern Norway at the end of a peninsula where his extended family had a small farm and fished.  As soon as World War II ended, he began sailing, first on coastal steamers and then deep sea.  After a couple of years, he emigrated to Duluth where he had relatives and started sailing the lakes.

He worked his way up the hawsepipe, and when Erie Sand Steamship Co. bought the Alpena, he went along with the boat and it soon became his first command.  Over the years he sailed all of Erie Sand’s large vessels, retiring about 1990. During his sailing years he lived in Dearborn Heights, MI, Marblehead and Danbury Twp. OH.  In retirement it was St. James City and Bokeeelia, FL.

Arn is survived his wife Deloris, daughter Sonja of Danbury Twp., OH and son David of Bokeelia, FL. Arn was a member of the American Legion and Moose and a former member of the International Shipmasters Association and the Elks. Information on services is not yet available.

Ocean Group In. (Quebec) has acquired The Verreault shipyard.

The Méchins shipyard, founded in 1956 by Borromée Verreault and then managed by his daughter Denise Verreault for around thirty years, transferred into the hands of Groupe Océan, which specializes in dredging and shipbuilding.

The Quebec company, whose head office is in Quebec City, is adding a second ship repair and transformation site to its varied maritime service offering.

The company intends to consolidate the Méchins shipyard and ensures that it will continue to grow.

Over the years, due to health problems, Denise Verreault had delegated the management of her business to the President and Chief Operating Officer, Richard Beaupré. The latter believes that the transaction was the best way to envision the future and the sustainability of the company.

With this acquisition, Ocean Group adds to its expertise a large-scale dry dock that will allow it to develop projects within the framework of the Canadian government’s National Shipbuilding Strategy.

In addition to construction and dredging, Groupe Océan offers port towage, maritime transport and ship repair services.

The 100 or so workers from Les Méchins will join the 1,000 employees of Groupe Océans in facilities located in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and the Caribbean.

Groupe Océans is a private company that includes the Caisse de depot et placement du Québec and the Solidarity FundFTQamong its shareholders.

The amount of the transaction was not disclosed.

Famous Soo Locks Boat Tours rocks Sault docks during color tour

A few short months after Famous Soo Locks Boat Tours announced Scott LaBonte’s succession to general manager, its boats are rocking Sault Ste. Marie docks.

AM GOLD Duo of The American Band is what you may have heard if walking along the St. Marys River on Thursday evening. Frank Gillotte and Jim Belleau played country and easy rock for a boat full of sightseers, as Captain Larry Spencer set off on a two-hour color tour.

“This is just something really nice for people to do, so they can see the fall colors,” said Gillotte, excited to be part of the changes to come.

Miranda Sharp and Patrick Meister of Portland, MI came to the Sault looking to get away. “This is our second day here,” said Sharp. “We wanted to go on a Soo Locks tour, but thought this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. It is beautiful weather to go out on the water.” Others, like Ron and Theda Williams of Charlevoix just wanted to cut loose and have a “wild, crazy time.”

Present general manager Rich Brawley certainly enjoyed himself, laughing and socializing with passengers. “Younger people came up with this idea,” he said. “It’s something we may continue doing.” Wife Carol Brawley nodded in agreement, pleased to see the boat so full of people having a good time. “We want to start doing more interesting things to engage the community,” she said. “Our area is so gorgeous and so beautiful. We love to let people explore from the water. Several young people on our board of directors have been coming up with more ways to engage residents. We are excited about the future.”

LaBonte’s long-term goal is to get locals reacquainted with the water, land, and industry that sets Sault Ste. Marie apart.

“I think people can sometimes take our beautiful area for granted, and forget how much is really here,” said LaBonte.

Brawley, who just turned 76-years-old, was more than ready to hand LaBonte the wheel. “I just want a little more time in Florida and to hunt and travel,” Brawley said. “It’s been a wonderful career that I have thoroughly enjoyed.”

After 42 years, not just anyone could take over. “We were delighted to find Scott,” Mrs. Brawley added. “He is everything we were looking for.”

On the same same day as the tour, news broke that LaBonte was appointed to the Michigan State Waterways Commission by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. LaBonte will represent people residing north of Townline 16 in the Upper Peninsula for a term that will run from Sept. 29, 2022 to Sept. 18, 2025. LaBonte will succeed Patrick Egan, whose term expired on Sept. 18.

Be sure to check the Famous Soo Locks Boat Tours website for scheduling and other information. Its physical address is 515 East Portage Avenue, Sault Ste. Marie, MI. Its phone number is 906-632-2512.

Soo Leader

Great Lakes freighter built in Door County advances to next round of ‘Coolest Things’ contest

MADISON, WI – The 639-foot-long Great Lakes freighter built in Door County is still in the running for the 2022 “Coolest Things Made in Wisconsin” contest.

The M/V Mark W. Barker, built by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, advanced to the Round of 8 in the annual Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce-sponsored contest by outpolling Aerozen Advanced Performance Coating System, an exterior coating made by Hentzen Coatings of Milwaukee that, among other uses, helps beautify and protect the exterior of the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels Super Hornet fighter aircraft.

The contest opened with 121 nominated products that were narrowed to a top 16 for the first round of what WMC calls “Manufacturing Madness,” which pits each product head-to-head against another in a bracket format. Online public voting determined the winners of each matchup, which were announced Oct. 5.

Read the full article here: https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/local/door-co/2022/10/05/door-county-built-great-lakes-freighter-advances-wmc-coolest-things-contest/8190505001/?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&fbclid=IwAR19SUaLdqSKUMS7obip7bhaN7o16klDtTDE3xPxHCR48GI3qD537DNlF8Y

Green Bay Press Gazette

Canadian Coast Guard names light icebreaker – the CCGS Judy LaMarsh

PRESCOTT, ON – Ensuring that Canadian Coast Guard personnel have the equipment they need to keep Canada’s waterways navigable is a key priority for the Canadian Coast Guard. The Canadian Coast Guard recently purchased a light icebreaker that will supplement its operations in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence, and Atlantic regions.

Today, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Government House Leader and Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands, Mark Gerretsen, officially announced that the Canadian Coast Guard’s newest light icebreaker has been named the CCGS Judy LaMarsh.

Parliamentary Secretary Gerretsen, on behalf of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Joyce Murray, was joined by Fernando Mojica, Senior Director of the Fleet, Central Region of the Canadian Coast Guard in the name unveiling ceremony at the Canadian Coast Guard Base in Prescott, Ontario.

The Honourable Judy LaMarsh was one of the first women to serve as a federal Cabinet Minister, as Minister of National Health and Welfare and Minister of Amateur Sport (1963-1965). She was instrumental in the development of innovative federal programs, including Medicare and the Canada Pension Plan. While serving as Canada’s Secretary of State (1965-1968), the Honourable Judy LaMarsh helped to establish the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada. In recognition of her many years of service, the Honourable Judy LaMarsh was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1980.

Following a competitive process, the Canadian Coast Guard announced the purchase of a light icebreaker from Atlantic Towing Limited in November 2021. This vessel — now named the CCGS Judy LaMarsh — is currently undergoing design and conversion work at the Canadian Coast Guard’s Prescott Base. The vessel will be ready to serve Canadians as early as the 2022-2023 icebreaking season, allowing other vessels to undergo important maintenance and life extension work as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy.

Upon joining the Canadian Coast Guard’s fleet, the CCGS Judy LaMarsh will perform icebreaking duties as well as tend to the navigational buoys in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence, and Atlantic regions. In addition, the vessel will be available for search and rescue and other emergency response operations when needed.

News Wire CA

‘Dowbound Discussions’ podcast will focus on seaway system and Great Lakes

A new podcast focusing on shipping along the St. Lawrence Seaway system launches Monday.

Also known as The Ship Watcher, Clayton, N.Y.-based Michael Folsom said the “Downbound Discussions” podcast features a unique and insightful perspective on the many aspects of the seaway system and lower Great Lakes, the region’s countless assets and events, as well as the people in and around the shipping industry.

“The idea is to bring ship enthusiasts another step closer to the mesmerizing vessels so often seen along the St. Lawrence, while also highlighting what the seaway has to offer — from beautiful landscapes to exciting community events and, most importantly, making connections with the people that play a role in it all so that it can be a little more real than just a name or photo on social media,” said Folsom in a release.

He said he wants to provide listeners with behind-the-scene looks they may not get otherwise.

Episode 1, set to be released on Oct., 3 will feature Port of Oswego executive director Bill Scriber and shipmate-turned-cookbook author Catherine Schmuck.

The port is on the eastern end of the American side of Lake Ontario. Folsom said Scriber, a military veteran, took the helm of the facility in December 2017.

“In addition, he has been integral in securing funding for new projects at the port, including grain storage, windmill off-loading and aluminum ingots for nearby Novelis,” the release said.

Schmuck is known for archiving her journeys aboard ships on Facebook — facebook.com/ShipToShoreChef — while serving as a relief cook. She has sold 4,000 copies of her cookbook “Ship to Shore Chef.”

Episode 2 of the podcast brings things closer to the Niagara region with a discussion on the Welland Canal collision involving McKeil Marine’s Florence Spirit and dship Carriers’ M/V Alanis July 11, 2020. Taking about the incident is an investigator from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and Roger LeLievre, editor of the ship-watching guide “Know Your Ships.”

Episode 3 will be dedicated to the former Wolfe Island ferry, which operated between Kingston and Wolfe Island, and Canadian Empress cruise ship captain Brian Johnson, who has written several real-life experience stories over the years published online and in print.

Folsom expects to release two podcasts a month.

Information on the podcast can be found on “Downbound Discussions” Facebook page — facebook.com/groups/345824224336499 and St. Lawrence Seaway Ship Watchers Facebook page — facebook.com/groups/49428348655.

It’s available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible and Amazon Music.

Welland Tribune

One group has biggest role in Erie’s most valuable property. How the Erie Port Authority works

The Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority promotes industrial, commercial and recreational opportunities on Erie’s bayfront, according to its website.

The authority, located at 1 Holland St., is also a landlord to both a shipbuilder and a shipping facility and is the entity that ensures public access to the bayfront.

“I don’t think people know how expansive it (the port authority) is, and how much we really do,” said Dave Zimmer, president of ErieBank and chairman of the Port Authority’s board.

“Whether it’s as a landlord or as an operating company, if you take a ride down State Street today compared to what it looked like three years ago, the amount of development we’ve had down there is substantial.”

While the port authority owns many properties on the bayfront, the majority of them are leased to individual tenants.

“We lease out the Bicentennial Tower to an individual entity, the Land Lighthouse to another,” Zimmer said. “Bay Harbor East and West as well as Perry’s Landing Marina, the port authority owns those properties, but we lease those out to businesses as well.”

Two of the most prominent leases include Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair and the Carmeuse Terminal. Donjon shipyard, 220 E. Bayfront Parkway in Erie, is only one of two dry docks on the Great Lakes capable of dry-docking 1,000-foot self-unloading vessels.

“They’re a little seasonal, but they’re doing work year-round,” Zimmer said. “Sometimes these boats are so big they’re here for over a year.”

The Carmeuse Terminal, 2 East Bay Drive, partners with other companies to bring in bulk material, lake vessels and heavy equipment for construction. In 2021, vessels delivered more than 780,000 tons of goods and materials — the equivalent of 39,000 20-ton truckloads — at the Carmeuse facility.

The port authority owns and maintains Lampe Campground and Lampe Marina, which Zimmer described as a year-round endeavor.

Go Erie

New seaway focused podcast set to launch October 3

CLAYTON, NY – Anchors Up! We’re underway… a new regionally based podcast focusing on shipping along the St. Lawrence Seaway will launch on Monday, October 3.

Downbound Discussions, a podcast hosted by Michael Folsom, also known as The Ship Watcher, will feature a unique and insightful perspective on the many aspects of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the region’s countless assets and events, as well as the people in and around the shipping industry.

Episode One of Downbound Discussion is set to be released on October 3 and will feature Port of Oswego’s Executive Director, Bill Scriber, and shipmate-turned-cookbook author, Catherine Schmuck.

Scriber, a military veteran, took the helm of the Port of Oswego in December 2017 and has helped to lead the Port to 3 Seaway Pacesetter Awards. In addition, he has been integral in securing funding for new projects at the Port, including grain storage, windmill offloading, and aluminum ingots for nearby Novelis.

Schmuck is perhaps best known for archiving her journeys aboard ships on Facebook while serving as a relief cook. In addition, she has a popular cookbook, Ship To Shore Chef, which she has toured upstate New York and Ontario promoting this year when not sailing. Her book signings have been known to consist of long lines and to date nearly 4,000 copies of the book have been sold.

“The idea is to bring ship enthusiasts another step closer to the mesmerizing vessels so often seen along the St. Lawrence, while also highlighting what the Seaway has to offer – from beautiful landscapes to exciting community events, and most importantly, making connections with the people that play a role in it all so that it can be a little more real than just a name or photo on social media,” said Folsom. “I want to be able to provide folks with that behind-the-scenes look that you might not get otherwise.”

Podcast episodes are expected to be released twice a month, though October will have at least 3.

Aside from the inaugural show, Episode Two will include an interview with an investigator from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada regarding the 2020 collision in the Welland Canal, plus Roger LeLievre, editor of the popular ship watching guide, Know Your Ships. Episode Three will be dedicated solely to former Wolfe Island ferry and Canadian Empress cruise ship captain, Brian Johnson, who has written several real-life experience stories over the years that have been published both online and in print.

Downbound Discussions will be available via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, and Amazon Music.

Information on the podcast can be found on Facebook via Downbound Discussions and/or St. Lawrence Seaway Ship Watchers group pages.

Obituary: Capt. Bruce D. Dunlap

Capt. Bruce D. Dunlap, 65 of Marysville, MI, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, Sept. 25 at the Lake Huron Medical Center in Port Huron, MI. He was most recently captain of the motor vessel American Century for over 10 years. He joined ASC in 1979.

Bruce worked for the Great Lakes ore boats for over 40 years, 20 years as a captain. He enjoyed sailing, boating, golfing, fishing, watching / feeding birds and watching the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Tigers.

He was born on Dec. 3, 1956 in Ashland, WI the son of Walter J. and Louise A. (Janigo) Dunlap. He is survived by his daughter, Kirsten McAuliffe of Ashland; mother, Louise Dunlap of Ashland; significant other, Karen O’Connor of Port Huron, MI; many cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his father, Walter “Jerry” Dunlap on Aug. 25, 2018.

A Memorial Service for Bruce will be held at 11 a.m., on Wed. Oct. 5, 222 at the Mountain Funeral Home in Ashland, WI, with Father Jerome D’Souza as officiant. A gathering of family and friends will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the funeral home and continue until the hour of service. A Memorial Service will be held at a later date in Port Huron, MI.

Obituary:  Ronald Raymond Ingram

Past International Shipmasters Association Grand President Ron Ingram passed away at the age of 93 on Sept. 13 after a brief illness.

Ron’s love of the water reigned supreme. He joined the Merchant Marine after exiting the Navy. While on a tugboat in Lake Erie, he also survived a sinking. He worked his way up in the wheelhouse and captained three separate ships for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the R/V Rachel Carson, the R/V Roger Simons and the R/V Lake Guardian.

During his 19 years as captain, he also proudly served as a member of the International Ship Masters’ Association Detroit Lodge #7. He was Detroit Lodge president in 1979 and was honored to be named Grand Lodge President in 1991, the 100th Anniversary of the ISMA. He retired from sailing in 1996. In 1994, his fellow lodge members honored him with the Lewis Ludington Award.

Ron spent his childhood in the greater Detroit area but learned the lessons of hard work by spending his summers on his family’s farm in upstate New York.

After graduating from University of Detroit High School in 1947, Ron enlisted in the U.S. Navy from 1948 through 1952. A member of Patrol Squadron VP731, Ron flew as a flight engineer on PBY and PBM seaplanes and proudly served his country during the Korean War. He survived two separate plane crashes, one in the Detroit River while stationed in Grosse Ile and one in Manila Bay in the Philippines. As a result of that crash, all his flight records were lost. Decades later, however, Ron’s service was recognized, and he finally received the Navy Air Medal that completed his ribbon rack. Receiving this medal was one of his proudest moments.

Ron embarked on many business ventures with his brothers over the years. This included him spending several years mining quartz in Canada, often bringing his oldest children along on his business trips that doubled as family vacations. This stone business paved the way to his interest in the water, as he tagged along on numerous tugboat and barge trips to bring the stone back to Detroit.

The family will welcome visitors at Harry J. Will Funeral Home, 37000 Six Mile Road, Livonia, MI on Thursday, September 15 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. A Rosary will be said at 4 p.m. A Mass of Catholic burial will be held on Friday, September 16 at 10:30 a.m at St. Colette Catholic Church. A graveside service will follow at Holy Sepluchre Cemetery in Southfield.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Smile Train at donate.smiletrain.org or The Charles A. Main Pediatric Cancer Survivor Scholarship Program, c/o The Beaumont Foundation, 26901 Beaumont Blvd., Southfield, MI 48033.

Blast from the past: Boblo Boat, Ste. Claire, could be ready for public in a year

Generations of Detroiters have a soft spot in their hearts for Boblo Island and the Boblo Boats. Many thought the Detroit icons were a thing of the past following the fire on the Ste. Claire in 2018. However, renovations are ongoing, and the public might be able to visit a Boblo Boat again soon.

Stephen Faraj’s family owns the Ste. Claire Boblo Boat, and he gave 7 Action News a sneak peek.

He walked around the boat pointing out original equipment like the steam engine, the smokestack, the steering wheel, the air compressor, and the dance area.

“Right here is where the infamous dance floor would have been. We’re pretty much standing on it. Right in front of the smokestack there is where the DJ booth would have been,” explained Faraj.

The main level’s floor needed to be remade following the fire. Each level is being reinforced with steel framing. Faraj estimates his family has put over a million dollars into the project already. He explained why the project is so important to his family.

“This is something that my family grew up riding and doing. This is our childhood memories, is going to Boblo’s,” Faraj explained. Plus, he knows he is not alone in that nostalgia. “People telling me about how they worked on the Boblo Boat, their school trip was on the Boblo Boat, they got married or engaged on the Boblo Boat, their first kiss is on the Boblo Boat.”

Aaron Schillinger, the director of the new film “Boblo Boats: A Detroit Fairy Tale” said people have been reaching out from just about everywhere with their Boblo boat stories. “This guy from California told me that his girlfriend, he remembers being dumped on the Boblo Boat and riding the Ferris wheel, completely broken hearted,” related Schillinger.

He said people need to keep in mind that not only Detroiters went to the boat.

“Detroit was a big tourist destination. So you got to figure that people would come from all over the country and maybe the world, go to Detroit and then when they got here, one of the best things that everyone told them to do was go to Boblo. It was part of the whole experience of being a Detroiter,” said Schillinger.

He knows how cemented the boats are in the history of the city.

“They’re as Detroit as Faygo, Better Made Potato Chips,” said Schillinger.

So, when might the public get the chance to indulge their childhood nostalgia?

“We want to get people on-board as soon as possible. You know there is a chance people could be on board as early as next year. You know she might not be totally at that point, but she’ll still be the boat,” said Stephen Faraj.

WXYZ 

After nearly two dozen ships, Milwaukee cruise ship season nears the end

MILWAUKEE, WI – It’s near the end of the cruise ship season in Milwaukee.

This weekend, three cruise ships made their way into the city’s port, one being the Viking cruise ship. It marked one of the final ships of the 2022 season and the last Viking cruise of the season.

The Viking ship was docked at Port Milwaukee and ready to let passengers off to enjoy a slice of Wisconsin on Sunday.

“We have been planning for about four years for this season, so to see everything coming to a conclusion now is personally, very gratifying,” President of Great Lakes Shore Excursions Theresa Nemetz said.

Nemetz is in charge of getting guests from around the world to all the beautiful places in Milwaukee during their stay.

“We have had literally thousands of passengers, which means thousands of dollars in our communities every weekend with these cruse ships. It’s been an amazing opportunity to put Milwaukee on the map and be able to shine,” Nemetz said.

Over 300 passengers are able to board a bus and take in the sights of Milwaukee while learning the history of the Cream City.

Aboard the Viking ship were two couples who were friends from California. They said they’re using this trip to reconnect with each other while getting their first look at Milwaukee.

“The mansions are beautiful and this lighthouse is very charming,” passenger Wendy Boehm said.

The group said they may not have made it to Milwaukee if it wasn’t for their cruise ship trip.

“I never thought of coming to the Great Lakes or to Milwaukee, and I’m glad we did. This has been wonderful,” passenger Josette Claverie said.

Throughout the season, nearly two dozen cruises have made their way into Milwaukee, bringing in thousands. The final ship will come through the city in October.

While this season is soon coming to a close, the shore excursion group is already planning for the next season.

Spectrum News 1

S.T. Crapo towed out of Green Bay

GREEN BAY, WI – One of the oldest ships still floating on the Great Lakes is being hauled away to be scrapped.

The S.T. Crapo, built in 1927, has been docked at Lafarge on the west bank of the Fox River in Green Bay for 25 years where it was used as a cement storage barge. To make room for Lafarge’s storage expansion on land, the vessel was sold to a Canadian company, Marine Recycling Corp., to be scrapped in Port Colborne, Ontario – just west of Buffalo, on Lake Erie.

On Friday morning, crews tugged the S.T. Crapo out of port, changing the landscape of the area.

“All the metals recovered from the ship will be made into new metal, using industrial furnaces with energy savings of approximately 80%, as compared to making metal from virgin ores and, metal is infinitely recyclable. She may next appear as vehicle components!” according to Wayne Elliott, co-founder of MRC.

Fox11News