New life for old Irvin L. Clymer pilot house on Duluth pier

Duluth, MN – Jeff Foster and Toni Fladmark-Foster love the waterfront. And now, they are making it even better in a new way. They and their loyal volunteers from the Sundew have spent the past year cleaning up the old pilot house that sits at the end of the timber pier.

The couple bought the pier a couple of years ago, and the pilot house was part of the deal.

New life for an old pilot house. It used to be part of the Great Lakes freighter Irvin L. Clymer. “This ship was built in 1917. Just imagine all of the changes that the industry has seen. It’s really interesting to see how far we’ve come in just a short time,” Fladmark-Foster told us.

They removed plenty of rust and added some paint. The original wood inside looks pretty well preserved. Danny Schlies, a volunteer, said, “It’s incredible the amount of people who’ve heard about this, and are happy we’re bringing it back to life. It’s a part of history, and I’m a history buff.”

Jeff Foster added, “It takes a village, with Danny and Toni and this amazing group of people. We are all boaters and love the area. We love the waterfront and need to reflect the pride we have in the area.”

As for the final plan for the house, they’re not sure yet. But that’s part of the fun. “It’s definitely been a labor of love,” Fladmark-Foster added.

See photos and watch a video at this link: https://www.wdio.com/news/pilot-house-waterfront-pier/6204092/?cat=10335&fbclid=IwAR1CocSrmS8NqeWkT7PLTZSdU9t3QDhJoEPss_oMOtPY56l3j0Yjm_nWHjg

National Museum, tour boat join up to explore Great Lakes history by land and water

Toledo, OH – The National Museum of the Great Lakes and The Sandpiper passenger tour boat are collaborating to provide more opportunities to explore Great Lakes history both by land and water with a new “Ship & Shore package” and an onboard Port of Toledo: Then & Now exhibit.

On Saturday, August 28 and Saturday, September 11, the museum and passenger boat are teaming up to offer two days featuring an “Ultimate Great Lakes History Day”—a special combination ticket including full access to the National Museum of the Great Lakes and a trip along the Maumee River aboard The Sandpiper. In addition, the museum is installing a Port of Toledo online exhibit onboard The Sandpiper which uses QR codes to help cruisers visually compare and learn the history behind various spots along the river’s banks. “The Ship & Shore experience provides a way to explore Great Lakes history all day long,” explains Ellen Kennedy, the museum’s Director of Education and Visitor Experience. “Guests receive full day access to the National Museum of the Great Lakes—including our world-class, family-friendly exhibits, a 617-foot iron ore freighter and a lake class tugboat—along with a mid-day trip aboard The Sandpiper departing and returning from the museum docks.”

In addition, NMGL has developed an ongoing way to interact with Great Lakes history along the Maumee River with a soon-to-be installed exhibit map onboard The Sandpiper. The magnetized map uses QR codes to guide Sandpiper Cruise guests through a historic exploration of various Port of Toledo images they may pass while onboard their tour.

“The collaboration with The Sandpiper and the installation of this “mini-exhibit” is such a great way for our museum to expand the reach of our Port of Toledo: Then and Now virtual exhibit,” says Kate Fineske, the museum’s Senior Director of Institutional Advancement. “It was a natural partnership between two entities deeply connected to the Maumee River, and a partnership we hope to continue and expand in the years to come.

Ship & Shore: The Ultimate Great Lakes History Day is offered two Saturdays this summer—August 28 and September 11. Tickets must be purchased in advance at nmgl.org or by calling 419-214-5000. For additional information visit nmgl.org/event/shipshore

WHAT: Ship & Shore: The Ultimate Great Lakes History Day
WHEN: Saturday, August 28 and Saturday, September 11, 2021; 10am-5pmWHERE: National Museum of the Great Lakes, 1701 Front St., Toledo, OH
ADMISSION: Adults $40, Children $25; GLHS/NMGL Members: Adults $25, Children $12. FREE for Children 2 and Under

Port halts construction after city requests restraining order

Oswego, NY – The Port of Oswego Authority is again halting construction on a controversial grain storage building after the city asked a judge for a temporary restraining order to stop portions of the project while the case plays out in court.

The city of Oswego and the Port of Oswego Authority (POA) have been locked in a dispute since late June regarding the construction of a steel-frame structure blocking views of the iconic West Pierhead Lighthouse and Lake Ontario from portions of the east side of the Oswego River. City officials late last week requested a temporary restraining order to stop construction as the court hears arguments in a lawsuit filed by the city that claims the POA altered the scope of the project and failed to properly navigate the approval process.

Attorneys for the city and POA appeared before State Supreme Court Judge Gregory Gilbert in Syracuse Monday morning to address the city’s request, and the two parties came to an agreement that will see the Port “cease all construction activity on the structure” in question, known as Dome 4.

Oswego Mayor William Barlow Jr. on Wednesday called the stipulation, or agreement between the two parties, a success, noting it would stop the construction on the grain storage structure while the court reviews the city’s lawsuit.

The state Supreme Court is tentatively set to hear oral arguments on the city’s Article 78 challenge on September 7.  An Article 78 lawsuit asks a state court to review decisions or actions of government or public authority.

City officials said the Article 78 lawsuit was filed after it became clear the Port was building a larger structure than originally designed and approved by the POA Board of Directors last year. According to the city, the original structure was a dome-shaped 124-foot diameter and 55-foot-high building. The building currently under construction measures roughly 150 feet by 150 feet and is at least 70 feet high.

City officials have argued the larger building is positioned in a way that eliminates the view of the historic lighthouse from the Great Lakes Seaway Trail.

Officials to evaluate cost of refurbishing 30-year-old ferry Jiimaan

Windsor, ON – The Mayor of the Township of Pelee is hoping for some positive news about the Jiimaan Ferry for islanders. “It is being taken to Sarnia for evaluation as to its future use.,” Ray Durocher said.

The ferry was upbound under tow in the Detroit and St. Clair rivers Wednesday.

Durocher explained the province wants to look into refurbishing the nearly 30-year-old vessel as its begun showing some corrosion and officials want to evaluate the cost of an extra motor facing sideways. The second engine would help the operator dock more smoothly when a gusty wind is blowing from either side.

Durocher said the Jiimaan has not been used this year as the newer Pelee Islander ll is taking passengers and vehicles from Kingsville and Leamington to the island. Before the border closed, The Pelee Islander l brought passengers from Sandusky, Ohio.

Durocher stated the older Pelee Islander l is scheduled to go into dry dock next year for recertification, and he does not expect the 60-year-old ferry to remain in service much beyond 2027. He is hopeful work to refurbish the Jiimaan will be possible and that ferry will replace the Pelee Islander l when it is retired.

Owen Sound Transportation, the operator of the Pelee Island Ferries was not immediately available for comment.

CTV Windsor

Future of Thunder Bay shipyard solidified by Heddle purchase of Fabmar Metals

Thunder Bay, ON – The owner of the Thunder Bay shipyard says it has solidified the future of the business by acquiring city-based Fabmar Metals Inc. Heddle Shipyards already had a strategic partnership with the fabrication and marine repair specialist.

In an announcement Tuesday, it said the company will continue to operate under the Fabmar brand. Dale Ryynanen will remain president of Fabmar.

The statement said the acquisition will strengthen Heddle’s position as the largest Canadian ship repair and construction company on the Great Lakes. It said the transition of Fabmar’s personnel, equipment and inventory to the shipyard will accelerate the revitalization of the historic facility, which Heddle purchased in 2016.

“We can now focus on executing a number of projects before the end of the year,” said Heddle President Shaun Padulo.

He said the company plans to dry-dock the MV Chi-Cheemaun for the Owen Sound Transportation Company, dock multiple tugs for a local operator, and prepare the fabrication hall to support work on the National Shipbuilding Strategy for Seaspan Shipyards of Vancouver. Chi-Cheemaun is a passenger and vehicle ferry that crosses Lake Huron between Manitoulin Island and Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula.

Earlier this year, it was announced that the shipyard will play a role in building Canada’s new Polar-class icebreaker.

Fabmar currently has a staff of twelve. In the coming weeks, it will begin recruiting for a number of positions including general laborers, carpenters, millwrights, machinists, electricians, crane operators, masons and other staff.

Heddle also owns and operates shipyards in Hamilton and Port Weller, Ontario, and has facilities and operations on Canada’s east coast.

Read the story here: https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/future-of-thunder-bay-shipyard-solidified-by-heddle-shipyards-purchase-of-fabmar-metals-4208037?fbclid=IwAR1tjfftM4OgYfuZKIg0N-iRgo1UW0yg37qooOTBG2BMWKM6SaIR5OcjgZ0

All aboard for Two Harbors tug Edna G’s 125^th birthday bash

Two Harbors, MN – Two Harbors is preparing to celebrate the Edna G tugboat’s 125th anniversary on Aug. 28-29 in Paul Van Hoven Park, near where the boat has resided for much of the last century.

The tugboat was built by the Cleveland Shipbuilding Co. in 1896 for the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad to guide ore boats into the ore docks. The 92-foot-long, 23-foot-wide, steam-powered tug was built with a steel hull. The name came from J.L. Greatsinger, then-president of the railroad, after his daughter Edna. In 1917, the boat was outfitted and shipped to the East Coast to provide aid for World War I before returning to Two Harbors. It was decommissioned and given to the city of Two Harbors in 1980.

To celebrate the boat, Friends of the Edna G have organized live music games, a craft fair, face painting, food vendors and tours of the legendary tug.

For more information on the celebration, visit the Friends of the Edna G website at www.friendsofednag.org.

Duluth News Tribune

Duluth Seaway Port Authority climbs in Green Marine environmental rating

Duluth, MN – The Duluth Seaway Port Authority and its terminal operations on Rice’s Point earned high marks in the recently released Green Marine 2020 environmental performance report, improving from a 3.8 rating in 2019 to a 4.0 score on Green Marine’s five-point scale. The overall average for reporting participants was 2.9.

The annual report rates port authority participants in seven categories: air emissions, community impacts, dry bulk handling and storage, environmental leadership, spill prevention, underwater noise, and waste management. A record 49 North American port authorities participated in the 2020 evaluation process, with the Duluth Seaway Port Authority ranking No. 4 in the United States and No. 1 among U.S. Great Lakes ports.

“We’re mindful of minimizing environmental impacts and the Green Marine program helps guide those efforts,” said Jeff Stollenwerk, Duluth Seaway Port Authority director of government and environmental affairs. “It provides a tangible scoreboard for environmental stewardship, with benchmarks that become increasingly stringent from year to year. That approach helps inspire participants to exceed regulatory requirements.”

The voluntary Green Marine certification program began in 2007 and now includes nearly 170 participating ship owners, port authorities, seaway corporations, terminal operators and shipyard managers. Program participants must adopt practices and technologies that continually reduce their environmental footprint on the land, air and sea. The Duluth Seaway Port Authority has participated since the program’s inception.

Duluth Seaway Port Authority

Coronavirus temporarily puts SS Badger out of commission

Ludington, MI – With one of the crew members on the S.S. Badger having tested positive for COVID-19 and three more in quarantine, the Lake Michigan Carferry temporarily suspended the ship’s service.

According to officials, after one of the crew members tested positive, they conducted contact tracing, which resulted in three more crew members getting quarantined. The other three crew members are reportedly waiting for test results.

“The safety of our employees and passengers is our top priority. We are hopeful that this is an isolated case,” Mark Barker, president of Interlake Maritime Services, said. Barker said suspending sailings will help reduce the risk of the virus spreading.

Officials expect the S.S. Badger to resume service on Aug. 19, but further updates will be provided as they are available.

WOOD-TV

Great Lakes Maritime Academy honors U.S Senator Levin

Traverse City, MI – In July, U.S Senator Carl Levin passed away at the age of 87. He was Michigan’s longest serving senator. Now, Northwestern Michigan College is taking the time to thank him for the work he did for the Great Lakes Maritime Academy.

Senator Levin helped the secure the the training vessel State of Michigan the academy uses to train its cadets. He then oversaw the $3.7 million it took to turn the ship from a Cold War vessel to one suitable for students.

“That was probably close to 20 years ago and it’s still in great shape,” said Jerry Achenbach, Superintendent for the Great Lakes Maritime Academy. “All of the cadets use it. Before his work the academy had 100 cadets enrolled, because of his work we now can maintain and enroll 200.”

Northwestern Michigan College says Senator Levin’s legacy will live on at the school through every cadet that trains on the Maritime Academy ship.

9&10 News

Small-scale removal efforts could be the answer to invasive mussels  on Lake Michigan

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore – The divers leaned back from the edge of the boat and splashed into water, bobbing up for a moment before dropping down to a world just a few miles off the northern Michigan coast — and worlds away from the one above the surface.

Today in Lake Michigan, quagga mussels, Eastern European invaders generally smaller than a stamp, reign over an upended underwater ecosystem. The mussels arrived in the Great Lakes more than three decades ago, eating, excreting and spreading zealously ever since, attaching themselves to everything from water intakes to shipwrecks, and all the while filtering life out of the food chain and a $7 billion fishing industry.

But solutions in open water, at least on a small scale, are starting to seem possible to soften the bivalves’ brunt.

Experiments are playing out in Lake Michigan with hopes of restoring fish spawning habitat. Manually removing mussels, with another invasive species offering an assist, has kept rocks clear. Other treatments from copper compounds to genetic biocontrol are in the mix as a collaborative dedicated to mussel control plans for the future.

Read more here: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/environment/ct-lake-michigan-invasive-mussels-20210730-ucfuojar7nckpofre2efdpalkq-story.html?fbclid=IwAR00dx88FaNpK6fEjQvjiBhzXNv9D-ajdjxVjAbDKEMWnP-cogNg8k1udsQ

Harbor House Publishers joins long-established, family-owned Waterways Journal Inc.

Boyne City, MI – For more than five decades, Harbor House Publishers has looked for ways to better serve its customers and partners. On July 20, 2021, it took another step forward when it joined The Waterways Journal and its parent company Bound Media Group.

“We have had many opportunities over the years to become part of something larger, and we have now found the perfect fit,” says Michelle Cortright, second-generation publisher of Great Lakes/Seaway Review and founder of Harbor House Publishers, Inc. “The values and customer service of Bound Media Group allow us to expand the ways we help our customers and assist in community development.”

Harbor House Publishers retains its identity, staff and office in Boyne City, Michigan. The long-time team continues to connect with customers and turn visions into digital and print products.

“Michelle Cortright did an amazing job after purchasing the company from her father, Jacques LesStrang, in 1987,” said Nelson Spencer, Jr., president of Bound Media Group. “She grew the relevance of Harbor House Publishers’ maritime titles while building a first-class custom publishing business. Just as impressive, Michelle built a great team of professionals who we are excited to have join our team. We are humbled and honored to have Harbor House join our family of media products.”

As president and publisher emeritus, respectively, Spencer and Cortright welcome Leslie Tunney to the Harbor House Publishers team. With an extensive background in city and regional publishing, Tunney is part of the executive team at Bound Media and vice-president and publisher at Harbor House Publishers. She specializes in bringing together various aspects of publishing — advertising, branding, marketing, management and new product development for business-to-business and business-to-consumer products.

Tunney says: “I look forward to meeting each of our clients and partners as we continue to build on the respected legacy of Harbor House Publishers.”

The Waterways Journal, Inc., doing business as Bound Media Group, is based in St. Louis, Missouri and has been a maritime publications company since 1887. The Waterways Journal is a weekly magazine covering the inland river system’s 25,000 barges and more than 3,800 towboats, dredges and material handlers. The company’s portfolio also includes Inland River Record, Inland River Guide, Quimby’s Cruising Guide, International Dredging Review, Marina Dock Age, as well as two annual expos and other meetings.

Harbor House Press Release

Lakes limestone trade up 11 percent in July

Cleveland, OH – Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.8 million tons in July, an increase of 11 percent compared to a year ago.  The trade was a near match to the month’s 5-year average.

Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled nearly 3 million tons, an increase of 13.1 percent compared to 2020.  Shipments from Canadian quarries increased by 4 percent to 839,825 tons.

Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at 13.8 million tons, an increase of 10.8 percent compared to a year ago.  Loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries total 10.5 million tons, an increase of 6.7 percent.  Shipments from Ontario quarries total 3.3 million tons, an increase of 26.6 percent compared to 2020.

Lake Carriers’ Association

Rogers City museum inducts Daniel J. Morrell shipwreck victims, honors lives

Rogers City, MI – Men lost at sea a half century ago finally found a voice, a family member said, as representatives of the Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum in Rogers City inducted 23 sailors from the SS Daniel J. Morrell into the museum’s hall of fame on Sunday.

The induction ceremony, held at the Rogers City Area Senior and Community Center, honored those lost in the tragedy and highlighted the lives — not just the deaths — of those men and all who sail, said Roger Hulett, the museum’s director.

The ship broke up in a storm on Lake Huron in late November of 1966 before it could reach the protection of Thunder Bay, killing 28 of the 29 men aboard. Until recently, photos and biographies of only six of the ship’s crew hung on the museum’s walls.

Extensive research led to Sunday’s ceremony, honoring the remaining crew members, whose stories will now also grace the walls of the Rogers City museum. “I feel like, now, their voice is being heard that was silenced on Nov. 29, 1966,” said Cathy Pruiett, of North Carolina, over lunch before the ceremony.

Pruiett and her sister, Daphne Rhodes, were 7 and 9 years old when they learned their father, Wilson E. Simpson, an oiler on the Morrell, would not come home again. The researchers who tracked down their father’s story helped fill a void, the sisters said. “It’s not an empty silence now,” Pruiett said, tears in her eyes. “It’s filled with memories.”

Great Lakes maritime historian John DeBeck — a friend of Dennis Hale, the Morrell’s lone survivor — tracked down family and friends of the remaining crew members over the past three years.

He heard, over and over, that those left behind felt overlooked, the stories of their loved ones overshadowed by the sinking of the SS Carl D. Bradley in 1958 that killed 33 sailors — many from Northeast Michigan — and the 1975 wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, immortalized in song.

To bring the stories of those lost on the Morrell to life — and to reconstruct the sinking — DeBeck and a team of researchers scoured libraries, dug through national archives, conducted interviews, and dove to the ship’s remains, he recounted.

The research revealed details DeBeck believes disprove the Coast Guard’s account of the wreck. More importantly, the work gave families much-needed closure, DeBeck said, voice trembling as he recalled families’ tears, laughter, and amazement at someone showing interest in the Morrell crew more than 50 years after their loss.

At the Sunday ceremony, Bruce Lynn, executive director of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point on Lake Superior, read the names and brief biographies of the men lost on the Morrell.

Ernest and Duncan, Norman and David — the men became more than numbers as Lynn told stories of a card shark, a dump truck driver, a vacuum cleaner salesman known for his tasty spaghetti.

A snappy dresser who drove a convertible. A teenager who treasured his motorcycle and worked on the family farm. A third mate who planned to retire and move to Alpena as soon as the Morrell laid up for the season. Several had survived other shipwrecks — some caused by enemy torpedoes — and some had performed heroic rescues.

With their photos on a museum wall — and artifacts from Hale’s rescue included in a new exhibit dedicated at the Whitefish Point museum on Saturday — the men of the Morrell will now have their stories told to thousands, DeBeck said.

The Rogers City museum — which bills itself as the only museum dedicated to sharing the lives of people making a living on Great Lakes ships — shares stories and photos of anyone who has sailed or sails still, from cooks to deckhands to bridge tenders, Hulett said.

In North Carolina, far from the Great Lakes, few people have heard even of the Fitzgerald wreck, much less the Morrell, Rhodes said as she prepared to ring a replica bell, engraved with the names of crew members, that will someday be placed on the wreck.

She and her sister have the comfort, now, of knowing their father won’t be forgotten, Rhodes said. “It’s easier, now,” she said. “Because of this. Because of today.”

Read more and view images at this link: https://www.thealpenanews.com/news/local-news/2021/08/rogers-city-museum-inducts-shipwreck-victims-honors-lives/

USS Cod is preparing to make return journey from Erie to Cleveland this weekend

Cleveland, OH – The WWII submarine USS Cod is coming back home this weekend after undergoing renovations in Erie, Pennsylvania.

After more than seven weeks of hull sandblasting, removing wasted metal, fitting new steel and applying new paint at the Donjon ShipBuilding facility in Erie, the USS Cod will be refloated for the return tow home to Cleveland this week.

Paul Farace, the Cod’s skipper, is in daily contact with the shipyard staff and the captain of the tug to alert everyone to a firm day and time when the Cod can get underway to make its journey back to the Cleveland harbor.

“Everyone involved has done an amazing job in making Cod shipshape, but we’re ready to come home and get back to giving tours,” said Farace.

The Cod crew hopes to get their sub back to Cleveland next weekend if the tug can arrive in Erie on Friday or Saturday.

The tow is expected to take about 13 hours and will follow the close off-shore route taken on its way to Erie on June 13.

See more here: https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/cleveland-metro/uss-cod-is-preparing-to-make-return-journey-from-erie-to-cleveland-this-weekend?fbclid=IwAR0quOvu8lyBSRmweZCOUppY6c-6Y3-S_p7v4fXLBM04xXo0mbMQokldsjo

Demands for new Great Lakes icebreaker go to Congress

Breaking the ice is never an easy undertaking, especially with a shrinking and outdated fleet of icebreakers.

That’s why approximately 90 Midwestern shipping organizations, suppliers and ports are supporting the Great Lakes Winter Commerce Act, which would put aside funding for a second Great Lakes icebreaker, on par with the Mackinaw Icebreaker.

Eric Peace is with the Lake Carriers’ Association, which is at the forefront of the movement. He said a new icebreaker is critical to meet commerce needs and support the Michigan economy.

“This is infrastructure,” Peace said. “This is like a plow for the roads, so it’s critical to maintain our national economic security here in the Great Lakes.”

In a report commissioned by the Lake Carriers’ Association, “inadequate icebreaking” resulted in a loss of approximately 5,000 jobs and a revenue loss of $1 billion in 2019. The report found this loss in the Great Lakes Region was due to ice-caused shipping delays.

Peace said facilities were built around the lakes to receive goods by ship, and many facilities don’t have alternative means to receive raw materials. “Shipping is critical to be able to supply the facilities in Michigan, so people can keep their jobs, and we can continue to have a strong economy in the Great Lakes,” Peace said.

In addition to funding a new ice breaker, the act would also require the U.S. Coast Guard to conduct ice breaking operations in the Great Lakes to specific standards. One standard includes requiring the USCG to keep channels and harbors open to navigation at least 90% of the time when ships are transiting ice-covered waterways.

The bill has 16 cosponsors in the House and four in the Senate. Peace said advocates have received promising congressional support so far, but it’s still difficult to predict whether the bill will pass.

Despite the support, the U.S. Coast Guard did not include funding for the icebreaker in its 2022 fiscal budget. Peace said the struggle for updated infrastructure has been a “40-year battle.”

For the Coast Guard, “it’s a competing demand, because they’re trying to recapitalize their other fleets, so (a Great Lakes icebreaker) falls to the bottom of their list,” Peace said. The Coast Guard prioritizes off-shore fleets more, he said, and wants to wait 12 years to fund a new icebreaker for the Great Lakes.

The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The government estimates a new icebreaker will cost $350 million. The funding bill is in committees in the U.S. House and Senate.

Huron Daily Tribune

Coast Guard Festival back at Grand Haven

Grand Haven, MI – Coast Guard Festival has returned to Grand Haven. And that means massive ships have arrived. Always a top highlight of the celebration, the arrival of the U.S Coast Guard cutters drew thousands of people to the Grand Haven channel on Monday. The ships are now open for guided tours (with some COVID-19 protocols in place.)

Ships in town for the festival include the USCGC Katmai Bay, USCGC Morro Bay and the USCGC Mackinaw. MLive used a drone to capture their arrival from Lake Michigan, which you can see below.

https://www.mlive.com/news/2021/08/watch-drone-footage-of-coast-guard-ships-arriving-in-grand-haven.html?fbclid=IwAR0KVBXjjXPLW5Cf_AIVqIHEbtTXLvFShD3kfuR4In9SoX3jC8yozH2zq3c

Marine museum in Canal Park to require masks

Duluth, MN – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will require everyone to wear masks starting Thursday when in the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center in Duluth’s Canal Park. The Corps of Engineers also asks people to maintain distance from people not in their group when in the museum, according to a news release. People should not enter if they are feeling ill. The center is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day and is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Axe falls on legendary gatelifter Paul Bunyan

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gatelifter Paul Bunyan, named after the legendary superhuman lumberjack of Midwest folklore, has been retired and sold to a private company, likely MCM Marine, working on the new Soo Lock project. Her lifting equipment was removed over the past winter.

The custom barge, originally fabricated in Muskegon, Michigan, at a cost of more than $1 million when commissioned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1945, boasted a lift capability of more than 300 tons. Operators used the 150-foot long, 65-foot wide, 444-ton brute to pluck tugboats out of the St. Marys River and lug around 90,000 pound stop logs that allow dry docking and winterization of the Soo Locks canals.

Her 74,000-pound boom was attached to supporting A-legs of the derrick. Her six huge ballast tanks held 157 tons of water each and kept the barge balanced as it lifted up to 312 tons (an entire tugboat or a gate from the Soo Locks) out of the water. The Bunyan breezed through its lifting tests in June 1945 and, towed by a 125-ton tug, headed north to the Soo Locks at 7 mph at 4 p.m. on July 20, 1945.

The Paul Bunyan was still operational but needed expensive repairs. She and another Corps vessel, the tug Fairchild, were sold earlier this year for $43,000 and $10,000 respectively. Fairchild was built in 1953 by the Roamer Boat Co. as the ST-2163 for the U.S. Army. In 1961 she was transferred to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and renamed Cleveland. She was renamed Fairchild in the early 1970s. Fairchild, which had been inactive for several years, was scrapped in Sault Ste. Marie early this year, although her superstructure and stack could still be seen at a local junk yard in early August.

Roger LeLievre / Via Soo Locks Visitor Center Association summer newsletter

MV Asphalt Princess: Suspected hijackers leave ship off UAE

Men who boarded and seized a ship in the Gulf of Oman have left the vessel and all those remaining on board are safe, officials say.

A UK maritime security agency said the potential hijacking of the Panama-flagged MV Asphalt Princess had ended but gave no further details. The bitumen tanker was seized on Tuesday heading into the congested approach to the Strait of Hormuz. Asphalt Princess is the former Great Lakes / Seaway tanker Thalassa Desgagnes.

It is not clear who seized the ship, but analysts suspected Iranian forces. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards dismissed reports of possible involvement as a pretext for “hostile action” against Tehran. The men who boarded the Asphalt Princess were reportedly armed and are said to have ordered it to sail to Iran.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) had initially warned ships of an incident before declaring a “potential hijack” hours later. On Wednesday, the UKMTO tweeted that those who boarded the vessel had left, adding: “Vessel is safe. Incident complete.”

The incident occurred less than a week after an oil tanker operated by an Israeli-owned company was attacked by a drone off Oman, killing two security guards – one British and the other Romanian.

The US, UK and Israel blamed Iran for the attack – a claim it strongly denies. BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner says the MV Asphalt Princess is owned by a Dubai-based company that had one of its ships hijacked two years ago by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

He says that, according to reports, up to nine armed men boarded the vessel as it neared the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s maritime oil supplies passes.

The UKMTO had earlier advised shipping services near Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman to exercise extreme caution. Earlier in the day, four oil tankers reported that they were “not under command”, which usually means that a vessel has lost power and cannot steer. One of the ships later began moving, the Associated Press news agency reports.

Iran’s foreign ministry said reports involving several ships on Tuesday were “suspicious” and warned against any effort to “create a false atmosphere” against Tehran.

BBC News

USS COD in need of tug in order to be available for tours in Erie

Erie, PA – The effort to make the USS COD available for tours in Erie continues with a big hurdle still in the way. According to the group that operates the COD as a national historic landmark, they cannot find the tugboat that they would need.

The World War II submarine has been at Donjon Shipbuilding since June and is undergoing a major overhaul. It was hoped that the COD could stay in Erie for a few days after the work is finished for public tours allowing people to get a look inside.

Last month, the USS COD Memorial was looking for a corporate sponsor and dock space. The tugboat is necessary to get the sub from Donjon to a dock.

Read more at this link: https://www.yourerie.com/news/local-news/uss-cod-in-need-of-tugboat-in-order-to-be-available-for-tours-in-erie/?fbclid=IwAR0lIsa8nt9xTsFsszYyGW5Jfb0ffKVte70LSxWjYPNZAAKAbY0aXHrLNBA

Celebrating 125 Years of the S.S. Meteor in Virtual Visitor Center today

The S.S. Meteor is the only remaining above water whaleback vessel in the world and she is celebrating her 125th anniversary this August!  Join Superior Public Museums Director, Megan Meyers as she shares stories of her past, designer and builder Alexander McDougall, and what her future holds. This free program begins at 11:30 CDT at https://www.gotomeet.me/VirtualVisitorCenter/ssmeteor. The Virtual Visitor Center is a cooperative endeavor between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Soo Locks Visitor Center Association and the Lake Superior Marine Museum Association.

Former Great Lakes-Seaway tanker Thalassa Desgagnes believed hijacked

Dubai/London – Iranian-backed forces are believed to have seized an oil tanker in the Gulf off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, three maritime security sources said, after Britain’s maritime trade agency reported a “potential hijack” in the area on Tuesday.

Abolfazl Shekarchi, Iran’s senior armed forces spokesman, denounced reports of maritime incidents and hijacking in the Gulf area as “a kind of psychological warfare and setting the stage for new bouts of adventurism,” the Fars News Agency said.

Two of the maritime sources identified the seized vessel as the Panama-flagged asphalt/bitumen tanker Asphalt Princess in an area in the Arabian Sea leading to the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil exports. Asphalt Princess is the former Great Lakes-Seaway vessel Thalassa Desgagnes.

The U.S. State Department said it was concerned and looking into reports of a maritime incident in the Gulf of Oman, but that it was too early to offer a judgment. Britain’s foreign ministry was “urgently investigating” an incident on a vessel off the UAE coast, a spokesperson said. read more

U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the United States military was considering repositioning at least one vessel in the general vicinity of the Asphalt Princess to keep a closer eye. The officials said this would not be uncommon and would be to monitor the situation rather than to make any imminent military moves.

Tensions have simmered in the region after an attack last week on an Israeli-managed tanker off the Omani coast killed two crew members and was blamed on Iran by the United States, Israel and Britain. Iran has denied responsibility. read more

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), in a warning notice based on a third-party source, had earlier reported a “potential hijack” and advised ships to exercise extreme caution due to the incident around 60 nautical miles east of the UAE’s Fujairah emirate.

Reuters, Jeff Thoresen