Boatnerd News – September 8, 2025

Sep 8, 2025

UPDATE ON THAMESBORG AGROUND IN NORTHWEST PASSAGE

Janey Anderson-Ship Junkies

Owners of ship aground in Northwest Passage say crew OK, no spill.
The owners of a commercial freighter that ran aground in the Northwest Passage this weekend say the crew is safe and “no pollution occurred” in the incident.

The Thamesborg, an “ice-strengthened” Dutch-flagged vessel operated by global shipping firm Wagenborg, came to grief in the Franklin Strait, which lies between Prince of Wales Island and the Nunavut mainland.

Canadian Coast Guard light icebreaker Sir Wilfrid Laurier is understood to be alongside the Thamesborg offering assistance.

Search and rescue officials based at Trenton, Ontario had earlier said 16 people were on board.

In a statement to Cabin Radio on Sunday morning, Wagenborg confirmed the Thamesborg was the vessel involved and said it had arranged salvage assistance.

“There are no injuries to crew and no pollution occurred as a result of the incident. Fuel tanks of the vessel and its cargo holds are all intact,” Wagenborg stated.

“Crew of Thamesborg are currently making a further assessment of potential damage to the ship which remains aground in a stable condition.”

Wagenborg confirmed the CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier had arrived at the scene and said salvage experts were “discussing further steps for the safe refloating of the vessel.”

The company said the ship, which was heading from China to the Quebec port of Baie-Comeau, has a cargo of “carbon blocks for industrial use” on board.

Second coast guard icebreaker en route

On Sunday afternoon, the Canadian Coast Guard told Cabin Radio the CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier was providing assistance through a fast rescue craft and helicopter. The CCGS Jean Goodwill, a medium-class icebreaker, is expected to arrive at the scene on Monday.

“The vessel has flooded in multiple ballast tanks, though no flooding in any of its fuel tanks or its cargo hold,” the Canadian Coast Guard stated. “There are no injuries or pollution.”

The coast guard said the vessel owner is responsible for the cost of addressing what happens next, including any “hazard-related costs like cleanup or repairs and any remediation action taken.”

Trenton’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said on Sunday afternoon that the Miena Desgagnes, a second commercial vessel initially tasked with responding to Thamesborg’s predicament, has now been cleared to continue on its way.

“The vessel that ran aground appears to be stable, and has remained so through several changes of tide. While CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier will remain on scene for the short term, the search-and-rescue aspect of this situation is, for now, resolved,” a JRCC spokesperson stated.

Source: Cabin Radio – Ollie Williams

Sept. 7, 2025

Historic WWII submarine USS Cobia heads to Sturgeon Bay

MANITOWOC – A historic submarine departed Sunday morning for some much-needed maintenance in Sturgeon Bay.
At 8 a.m., the USS Cobia left the dock and headed north up Lake Michigan to Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay. Weather permitting around 6 p.m. Tug Nickelena is handling the tow. The maintenance is thanks to Project Dry Dock 2025. It should last about 6 weeks.

View vídeos here: https://fox11online.com/good-day-wi/historic-wwii-submarine-uss-cobia-begins-journey-for-maintenance-in-sturgeon-bay

Annual Maritime Career Day Seeking Partners

TOLEDO, OHIO – The National Museum of the Great Lakes is calling on maritime and Great Lakes–related industries to take part in its second annual Maritime Career Day on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. Designed to connect students and the public with career opportunities across the region, the event provides a unique platform for companies, higher education institutions, and tradespeople to connect with future talent and gain valuable exposure.
Last year’s inaugural event drew over 300 students and more than 30 career partners, including leaders from various fields such as shipping, environmental science, engineering, the military, and culinary arts. This year, in addition to students, the museum is expanding its reach by inviting the broader community to take part, offering career partners an even wider audience to share their work and opportunities.
“Maritime Career Day is about building connections and inspiring the next generation of Great Lakes professionals,” said Sara Smith, Director of Institutional Advancement with the National Museum of the Great Lakes. “With the addition of a community session this year, partners will not only meet eager students but also connect with adults exploring career opportunities or seeking new paths within our region’s vital industries.”

Event Details:

Date: Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Student Session: 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (Grades 7–12)
Community Session: 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (Open to the public)
Location: National Museum of the Great Lakes, 1701 Front St., Toledo, OH

Career partners will host booths inside the museum and aboard its Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship, offering attendees a chance to interact directly with professionals from diverse fields.

Sponsors of the 2025 Maritime Career Day include:

Presenting Sponsor: World Group Foundation – the philanthropic arm of The World Group, dedicated to creating meaningful, lasting change in the communities where its people live and work.
Community Sponsors: The Andersons and International Ship Masters Association Toledo Lodge 9

Organizations interested in participating as a career partner are encouraged to contact Sara Smith at sara.smith@nmgl.org. Space is limited, and early registration is recommended.For more information, visit nmgl.org/careerday.

Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

DETROIT, MI – You don’t have to live in the Motor City to join the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. Its focus includes all the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway as well as the ships and sailors keeping the economies of two countries moving.
The 81-year-old non-profit group is now accepting new memberships and membership renewals.
“The MHSD has plenty to offer anyone interested in and concerned with the history of the Great Lakes and its vibrant maritime heritage,” says long-time group President Roger LeLievre. “We have members across the U.S. and Canada and even overseas.”
Membership includes the monthly publication The Detroit Marine Historian, which offers a variety of articles exploring Great Lakes shipping past and present. It also includes an annual, full-color calendar featuring superb, often rare, photos of Great Lakes ships of the past.
Last year the group published the 300-page, hardcover book Ahoy & Farewell III, documenting the vessels built and those that left the lakes during the past 30 years. The book recently won an award for excellence from the Historical Society of Michigan.
In keeping with society’s goal of preserving historical images, the MHSD’s image portal, featuring photos and details of many historic vessels, is now online at www.marinehistorydetroit.historyit.com

The Society has named an annual Historian of the Year since 1969. The award is voted on by past winners and honors those who have contributed significantly to the research, presentation or publication of Great Lakes ships and the shipping history.
Membership is $40 (U.S. and Canada). Join online at www.mhsd.org. To join or renew by mail, please print out the form in the gallery below.
MHSD

See “Captain Bob” September 11th

See “Captain Bob” former Captain of the Paul R Tregurtha, in Cheboygan next month for his speaking engagement, GREAT NEWS!! Due to his first show SELLING OUT in record time, they are adding a SECOND SHOW!! Same day but at 5:30pm so if you’re interested, head to the website shown at the bottom of the image (Open it up to see it full size) and grab tickets!! They are only $10 each!! Hurry before this show sells out as well!!
See Photo Gallery below

2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips

Your raffle ticket purchase supports the Great Lakes Historical Society and its National Museum of the Great Lakes whose mission is to preserve, share, and celebrate the past, present, and future of the Great Lakes story.
Details here:
https://nmgl.org/2025lolraffle/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMDBTFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFZUGV4UFMxNFFGYUpPbTZ2AR5OikAHiWMuo30CZrAqM9nuK93_xmmqYBsoAerabXJ3sBlZWNxpz7mZwoLuFw_aem_1pxrUONQfReTGS4dlnAgzg

Boatnerd News – September 7, 2025

Sep 7, 2025

Great Lakes visitor runs aground in the Northwest Passage

A commercial freighter with 16 people on board ran aground in the Northwest Passage earlier on Saturday, search and rescue officials have confirmed.
David Lavallee, a public affairs officer speaking on behalf of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre based in Trenton, Ontario, said the ship Thamesborg had run aground in the Franklin Strait, which lies between Prince of Wales Island and the Nunavut mainland.
CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier, a Canadian Coast Guard light icebreaker, is making its way to the scene in response and is expected to arrive on Sunday morning.
A second commercial vessel has also been redirected to the scene and is “standing by to assist if necessary,” Lavallee said by email on Saturday evening.
The condition of those on board was not given and nor was there an immediate sense of the environmental impact of the ship running aground, if any. An update from federal officials is expected on Sunday.
Thamesborg was making its way from China to the Quebec port of Baie-Comeau. A second commercial vessel, the Miena Desgagnes, could be seen drawing close to the Thamesborg and holding position nearby as the day went on.
The Thamesborg’s cargo is not clear. The 12-year-old, 173-metre-long ship is reported to have left the Chinese port of Lianyungang, between Beijing and Shanghai, in mid-August, and was due to arrive in Baie-Comeau, on the St Lawrence River, on September 15.
The Northwest Passage is increasingly opening to freight and passenger cruise traffic as the climate changes, though the change is also introducing navigational complexities as ice patterns evolve

Seaway operating at less than 50% capacity, Siscoe says; marine industry stakeholders renew call for expanded CBSA services

By Dave JohnsonReporter Welland Tribune

Marine industry stakeholders are urging Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to expand its container clearance operations on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, arguing limitations are hurting trade efficiency and economic potential.
It’s also backing a request by the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative (GLSLCI), which represents more than 170 municipalities and communities in Ontario and Quebec, calling for more CBSA coverage and for a renewed Canadian trade and transport strategy.
GLSLCI said the 3,700-kilometre Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway has just one port equipped in Canada to clear international cargo containers.
“The absence of confirmed clearance options at other ports — including Hamilton, Quebec City, Windsor, Picton, Port Colborne and Goderich — leaves the system less flexible and underutilized,” it said in a letter to the federal government.
“The withdrawal of services by CBSA from the Port of Valleyfield (Quebec) in 2024 has further reduced our collective capacity.”
St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe, GLSLCI co-chair, said a CBSA clearance centre in Niagara would be a boon.
“In Niagara, so much of what we do is based around export and trade. We’ve had conversations with our business sector over the last nine months about how important it is for trade to flow across the border.” Establishing a clearance port along the Welland Canal could reduce supply chain costs, create spinoff economic benefits and support regional growth, said Siscoe.
“Part of my job as the co-chair of the cities initiative is to advocate on behalf of the entire Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin. Obviously, from a personal standpoint, we’d love to see that capability here in Niagara, but I think the important thing is the capacity exists somewhere and our businesses across the province can take advantage of it.”
In its letter to Ottawa, GLSLCI said East Coast U.S. ports are gradually taking over business destined for Canada, with containers from ports south of the border then being transported by truck and rail instead to the Great Lakes region.
Ontario Marine Council executive director Maguessa Morel-Laforce said four American ports on the Great Lakes will soon be receiving international containers.
“U.S. Customs (and Border Protection) is responding positively to the requests of Great Lakes ports on their side to have their service. What will soon happen is we’ll be seeing containers bypassing the Welland Canal, heading for a U.S. destination. They won’t be able to stop at a Canadian port because they’re just not legally allowed to,” said Morel-Laforce.

The Port of Cleveland, in Cleveland, Ohio, is a recognized port of entry by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The agency boards every ship docked at there, checks the identification of crew members, conducts necessary background checks, verifies shipments, and examines vessels for any suspicious or potentially dangerous cargo, such as narcotics and weapons.
It is the only international container service on the Great Lakes that handles import and export cargo.
In 2014, the port established the Cleveland-Europe Express to provide a competitive transit time advantage for cargo owners that typically move goods through coastal ports.
It connects Europe to the entire Great Lakes Region, linking key European ports like Antwerp, Rotterdam, Hamburg and various ports in the United Kingdom to the Port of Cleveland.
The Spliethoff Group, the largest ship owner in the Netherlands, in collaboration with the port introduced the Peyton Lynn C to the Cleveland-Europe Express.
The company’s ice-classed ships operate a direct scheduled service between Cleveland and Antwerp with an average sailing time of 13 days.
The Dutch shipping company has connections from the Port of Antwerp to Russia, Finland, Spain, UK and the Baltic states.
He said there are marine organizations and business associations in Ontario and Quebec asking for CBSA services at Canadian ports to compete with the growing American ports.
“As per their (CBSA) mandate, they should be providing those services when stakeholders step forward and request it.”
He said there are private investors ready to build the capacity to handle containers and build the security needed around ports.
“That’s investment into the economy. You also have the environmental benefits of getting containers closer to their final destination. We’re looking at ways to alleviate traffic across Ontario and Quebec, and this is an easy win. You’ve got the roll-on, roll-off (vessels) that can take trailer trucks directly off the road and carry them closer to their end destination.
“You have ports looking at import-export capacity that would expand the markets available for Canadian importers and exporters. You have multiple business cases out there, and I think all of them have their value in their own way,” said Morel-Laforce.
He and Siscoe said it’s better to have more ports along the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway, whether in Quebec or Ontario, with CBSA services.
“I think there needs to be greater flexibility in the system,” said Siscoe.
He said almost everybody involved with shipping along the seaway is saying the same thing.
“The reality is right now, the St. Lawrence Seaway is only operating just a touch below 50 per cent of its capacity. Making these changes and adding capacity to the system is going to make it easier for marine shipping to take place.
“We’ve been talking a lot about how we need to transform our economies and take advantage of the waterways we have. Every partner we work with has talked about why this makes sense,” said Siscoe.
Morel-Laforce said a clear signal from Prime Minister Mark Carney to CBSA is needed for the agency to carry out its mandate at Great Lakes ports.
Siscoe said it’s incumbent on him and GLSLCI to bring provincial voices to the table as well.
“Ultimately, this is a federal decision, but I think there’s a good working relationship between the provincial and the federal governments in Ontario. So that’s positive.
“The same thing needs to be done in Quebec. More support is always helpful when we’re having these conversations with the federal government.”

Bill Bird

Annual Maritime Career Day Seeking Partners

TOLEDO, OHIO – The National Museum of the Great Lakes is calling on maritime and Great Lakes–related industries to take part in its second annual Maritime Career Day on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. Designed to connect students and the public with career opportunities across the region, the event provides a unique platform for companies, higher education institutions, and tradespeople to connect with future talent and gain valuable exposure.
Last year’s inaugural event drew over 300 students and more than 30 career partners, including leaders from various fields such as shipping, environmental science, engineering, the military, and culinary arts. This year, in addition to students, the museum is expanding its reach by inviting the broader community to take part, offering career partners an even wider audience to share their work and opportunities.
“Maritime Career Day is about building connections and inspiring the next generation of Great Lakes professionals,” said Sara Smith, Director of Institutional Advancement with the National Museum of the Great Lakes. “With the addition of a community session this year, partners will not only meet eager students but also connect with adults exploring career opportunities or seeking new paths within our region’s vital industries.”

Event Details:

Date: Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Student Session: 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (Grades 7–12)
Community Session: 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (Open to the public)
Location: National Museum of the Great Lakes, 1701 Front St., Toledo, OH

Career partners will host booths inside the museum and aboard its Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship, offering attendees a chance to interact directly with professionals from diverse fields.

Sponsors of the 2025 Maritime Career Day include:

Presenting Sponsor: World Group Foundation – the philanthropic arm of The World Group, dedicated to creating meaningful, lasting change in the communities where its people live and work.
Community Sponsors: The Andersons and International Ship Masters Association Toledo Lodge 9

Organizations interested in participating as a career partner are encouraged to contact Sara Smith at sara.smith@nmgl.org. Space is limited, and early registration is recommended.For more information, visit nmgl.org/careerday.

Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

DETROIT, MI – You don’t have to live in the Motor City to join the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. Its focus includes all the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway as well as the ships and sailors keeping the economies of two countries moving.
The 81-year-old non-profit group is now accepting new memberships and membership renewals.
“The MHSD has plenty to offer anyone interested in and concerned with the history of the Great Lakes and its vibrant maritime heritage,” says long-time group President Roger LeLievre. “We have members across the U.S. and Canada and even overseas.”
Membership includes the monthly publication The Detroit Marine Historian, which offers a variety of articles exploring Great Lakes shipping past and present. It also includes an annual, full-color calendar featuring superb, often rare, photos of Great Lakes ships of the past.
Last year the group published the 300-page, hardcover book Ahoy & Farewell III, documenting the vessels built and those that left the lakes during the past 30 years. The book recently won an award for excellence from the Historical Society of Michigan.
In keeping with society’s goal of preserving historical images, the MHSD’s image portal, featuring photos and details of many historic vessels, is now online at www.marinehistorydetroit.historyit.com

The Society has named an annual Historian of the Year since 1969. The award is voted on by past winners and honors those who have contributed significantly to the research, presentation or publication of Great Lakes ships and the shipping history.
Membership is $40 (U.S. and Canada). Join online at www.mhsd.org. To join or renew by mail, please print out the form in the gallery below.
MHSD

See “Captain Bob” September 11th

See “Captain Bob” former Captain of the Paul R Tregurtha, in Cheboygan next month for his speaking engagement, GREAT NEWS!! Due to his first show SELLING OUT in record time, they are adding a SECOND SHOW!! Same day but at 5:30pm so if you’re interested, head to the website shown at the bottom of the image (Open it up to see it full size) and grab tickets!! They are only $10 each!! Hurry before this show sells out as well!!
See Photo Gallery below

2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips

Your raffle ticket purchase supports the Great Lakes Historical Society and its National Museum of the Great Lakes whose mission is to preserve, share, and celebrate the past, present, and future of the Great Lakes story.
Details here:
https://nmgl.org/2025lolraffle/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMDBTFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFZUGV4UFMxNFFGYUpPbTZ2AR5OikAHiWMuo30CZrAqM9nuK93_xmmqYBsoAerabXJ3sBlZWNxpz7mZwoLuFw_aem_1pxrUONQfReTGS4dlnAgzg

Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released

When Patrick Devine found out, in the summer of 1975, that he was being moved over to the Edmund Fitzgerald as a relief deckhand he was on top on the world. He had gone from one of the oldest boats in the fleet to one of the newest and best. He was devastated when union rules forced him off that September. He had lost his dream job. Then came the sinking and its horrific aftermath. He hasn’t talked about his experience until recently, and he gave Know Your Ships an exclusive interview for the 2025 Know Your Ships EXTRA midsummer magazine, now on sale.

The magazine also includes an interview with Great Lakes top cook Sissy Payment. Find out her recipe for success and learn something surprising about her in the story.

EXTRA 2025 remembers the loss 50 years ago of the EDMUND FITZGERALD with four stories.

EXCLUSIVE! Meet Patrick Devine, who thought he had found his dream job when he signed on to the Fitz as a relief deckhand in June 1975.
Explore the Fitzgerald’s influence in popular culture: Music, art, literature and – yes – souvenirs.
Did you know there were two vessels named Fitzgerald on the Great Lakes, and both were lost in November storms? And yes, their namesakes were related.
Consider what might have been if the Fitz had not gone down.ALSOCheck out the Great Lakes Lore Museum at Rogers City, MI, where sailors are in the spotlight.

Read about the William G. Mather, the ‘Ship That Built Cleveland,’ which turns 100 this year.
Litton on the Lakes: Find out how a group of California upstarts turned the Great Lakes shipping industry upside down in the 1970s with their fancy ideas about 1,000-footers.
Catch up with the latest Great Lakes/Seaway news.
Enjoy even more images from readers in the ongoing series FAN-TASTIC PHOTOS.

This is the third year for the Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine, which offers even more ship, sailor and industry stories, recent shipping news and many more of the stunning photos – current and historic – for which Know Your Ships has become known for the past 66 years. Please note that the Extra, which is a feature magazine, does not duplicate the vessel and fleet listings found in the regular Know Your Ships book.

Order at www.knowyourships.com

Boatnerd News – September 5, 2025

Sep 5, 2025

High Wind Warnings Keep Badger At Dock; Chi-Cheemaun May Not Sail

For the safety and comfort of passengers, based the marine weather forecast, Lake Michigan Carferry has cancelled the Badger’s September 5, Ludington, MI (9:00 am EST) and the Manitowoc (2:00 pm CST) crossings.

The Lake Michigan weather forecast is predicting gale force wind conditions with waves building from 12 – 16 feet and occasionally to 21.

The Owen Sound Transportation Co. posted the following on its web site Thursday: POTENTIAL CHI-CHEEMAUN TRAVEL DISRUPTION ON FRI SEPT 5: Due to unfavorable weather conditions, there’s a risk of cancellation for September 5, 2025. Customers looking to reschedule their sailing should email info@ontarioferries.com, and changes or refunds will be issued as a result of this potential storm. The captain will determine whether it is safe to sail, closer to the departure time. If a cancellation occurs, notice will be provided.

Heemskerkgracht Grounding Report Released

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has released its investigation report (M24C0217) into the 2024 grounding of the general cargo vessel Heemskerkgracht in the South Shore Canal of the St. Lawrence Seaway off Kahnawake, Quebec.
On August 22, 2024, the general cargo vessel Heemskerkgracht ran aground after the main engine shut down due to the activation of a false alarm on the oil mist detector (OMD). The vessel was anchored while awaiting assistance and was later refloated and towed to the Port of Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Quebec. There were no injuries or pollution reported. The vessel sustained minor damage to its hull.
OMDs are used to measure the presence of oil mist in an engine crankcase and, in medium-speed engines like the one in the Heemskerkgracht, shut down the engine when oil mist is detected. These detectors cannot differentiate between oil mist, water vapour, or smoke, which can trigger false alarms. To reduce this risk, the vessel’s OMD was fitted with a heater to prevent vapour buildup.
In March 2023, as part of scheduled maintenance, the Heemskerkgracht’s OMD measuring head was identified for a replacement, and a purchase order was made. However, the vessel received a different model which required an external source of power for the heater, unlike the previous unit, which had a power source built into the head. As a result, the heater was left unpowered, leaving the measuring head vulnerable to false alarms caused by water vapour.
The investigation found that during the occurrence voyage, water vapour built up in the OMD measuring head and caused a false alarm that then triggered an automatic shutdown of the main engine. As a result, the vessel lost propulsion and ran aground in the canal.
Following the occurrence, the vessel operator replaced the OMD measuring head with a unit matching the original model. The measuring head was confirmed to have been installed per the manufacturer’s instructions and was calibrated and tested.

Ship Junkies – Lakes, Locks & Rivers (LL&R)

Lakes Limestone Trade Down in August

CLEVELAND — Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.6 million tons in August, a decrease of 3 percent from 2024. Limestone cargos were also below the month’s 5-year average by 4.4 percent.
Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 2.95 million tons, an increase of 1.8 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 647,403 tons, representing a 20 percent decrease.
Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at 16.3 million tons, a 4.6 percent decrease compared to last year. Loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries total 13.4 million tons, a decrease of 2.1 percent. Shipments from Ontario quarries total 2.9 million tons, a 14.3 percent decrease
Lake Carriers Association
[See charts in gallery below]

Mike Schuler
September 3, 2025

Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG) has added more than 600 workers to its U.S. shipyards since February 2025 amid what company officials describe as a revival of American shipbuilding capabilities. The hiring surge puts the company on track to reach 2,700 employees in the United States by year-end.
The workforce expansion includes approximately 400 new employees at Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin and 200 at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, supporting the company’s efforts to meet production milestones at its four U.S. shipyards, three in Wisconsin and one in Florida.
“Labor Day is an opportunity to celebrate our people whose skills and dedication are the true foundation of our company,” said George Moutafis, CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group. “Their commitment not only drives our success but also forges the path to a U.S. shipbuilding renaissance. We are proud to invest in our people, expand our workforce, and create quality jobs that benefit our communities and our nation for years to come.”
The Italian-owned shipbuilding group currently employs over 2,300 skilled workers across its U.S. operations while supporting thousands of additional jobs through its domestic supply chain. The company has invested more than $800 million in the U.S. industrial base, with over half specifically allocated to upgrading and expanding the Marinette yard in Wisconsin.
Fincantieri has introduced advanced technologies to enhance safety and efficiency, including wearable exo-skeletons, air-purifying welding helmets, collaborative robotics, and digital production tools. The company also highlights its partnerships with local suppliers, educational institutions, and communities as part of its growth strategy.
The workforce expansion follows the April 9, 2025 executive order signed by President Trump titled “Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance,” aimed at reviving domestic shipbuilding and reducing China’s grip on the global shipping industry. With mounting geopolitical pressures and increasing Arctic activity, policymakers have been sounding alarms over the fragile state of U.S. shipbuilding capabilities.
Fincantieri’s U.S. operations are currently at the center of Navy modernization efforts, building the lead ships of the Constellation-class frigates, considered crucial for distributed maritime operations. However, the program has faced significant challenges. The first ship, USS Constellation (FFG-62), originally scheduled for delivery in April 2026, is now expected in April 2029 – a 36-month delay.
Moutafis, who was appointed CEO effective July 1, 2025, brings over 25 years of executive experience, including previous roles within FMG supporting U.S. Navy platforms.
Fincantieri’s U.S. portfolio includes construction of the Navy’s Constellation Class Frigates, Littoral Combat Ships, and various vessels for the U.S. Coast Guard including icebreakers, buoy tenders, and response vessels. The company has built more than 1,500 vessels since its founding in 1942 in Marinette, Wisconsin.

Annual Maritime Career Day Seeking Partners

TOLEDO, OHIO – The National Museum of the Great Lakes is calling on maritime and Great Lakes–related industries to take part in its second annual Maritime Career Day on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. Designed to connect students and the public with career opportunities across the region, the event provides a unique platform for companies, higher education institutions, and tradespeople to connect with future talent and gain valuable exposure.
Last year’s inaugural event drew over 300 students and more than 30 career partners, including leaders from various fields such as shipping, environmental science, engineering, the military, and culinary arts. This year, in addition to students, the museum is expanding its reach by inviting the broader community to take part, offering career partners an even wider audience to share their work and opportunities.
“Maritime Career Day is about building connections and inspiring the next generation of Great Lakes professionals,” said Sara Smith, Director of Institutional Advancement with the National Museum of the Great Lakes. “With the addition of a community session this year, partners will not only meet eager students but also connect with adults exploring career opportunities or seeking new paths within our region’s vital industries.”

Event Details:

Date: Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Student Session: 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (Grades 7–12)
Community Session: 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (Open to the public)
Location: National Museum of the Great Lakes, 1701 Front St., Toledo, OH

Career partners will host booths inside the museum and aboard its Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship, offering attendees a chance to interact directly with professionals from diverse fields.

Sponsors of the 2025 Maritime Career Day include:

Presenting Sponsor: World Group Foundation – the philanthropic arm of The World Group, dedicated to creating meaningful, lasting change in the communities where its people live and work.
Community Sponsors: The Andersons and International Ship Masters Association Toledo Lodge 9

Organizations interested in participating as a career partner are encouraged to contact Sara Smith at sara.smith@nmgl.org. Space is limited, and early registration is recommended.For more information, visit nmgl.org/careerday.

Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

DETROIT, MI – You don’t have to live in the Motor City to join the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. Its focus includes all the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway as well as the ships and sailors keeping the economies of two countries moving.
The 81-year-old non-profit group is now accepting new memberships and membership renewals.
“The MHSD has plenty to offer anyone interested in and concerned with the history of the Great Lakes and its vibrant maritime heritage,” says long-time group President Roger LeLievre. “We have members across the U.S. and Canada and even overseas.”
Membership includes the monthly publication The Detroit Marine Historian, which offers a variety of articles exploring Great Lakes shipping past and present. It also includes an annual, full-color calendar featuring superb, often rare, photos of Great Lakes ships of the past.
Last year the group published the 300-page, hardcover book Ahoy & Farewell III, documenting the vessels built and those that left the lakes during the past 30 years. The book recently won an award for excellence from the Historical Society of Michigan.
In keeping with society’s goal of preserving historical images, the MHSD’s image portal, featuring photos and details of many historic vessels, is now online at www.marinehistorydetroit.historyit.com

The Society has named an annual Historian of the Year since 1969. The award is voted on by past winners and honors those who have contributed significantly to the research, presentation or publication of Great Lakes ships and the shipping history.
Membership is $40 (U.S. and Canada). Join online at www.mhsd.org. To join or renew by mail, please print out the form in the gallery below.
MHSD

Cleveland Boatnerd Gathering Planned Sept. 6

Cleveland’s first annual Boatnerd get together will be at the Whiskey Island Still & Eatery in Cleveland on September 6 at noon. Join us for an informal gathering of food, fellowship and hopefully some boat watching as well. Meet your fellow area boat fans! Food will be ordered off the menu and table service provided by the staff of the restaurant, which is located adjacent to the historic C&P Dock, where the 1,000 footers unload.

Directions and info for the restaurant: https://www.whiskeyislandstillandeatery.net/

Bill Kloss

See “Captain Bob” September 11th

See “Captain Bob” former Captain of the Paul R Tregurtha, in Cheboygan next month for his speaking engagement, GREAT NEWS!! Due to his first show SELLING OUT in record time, they are adding a SECOND SHOW!! Same day but at 5:30pm so if you’re interested, head to the website shown at the bottom of the image (Open it up to see it full size) and grab tickets!! They are only $10 each!! Hurry before this show sells out as well!!
See Photo Gallery below

2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips

Your raffle ticket purchase supports the Great Lakes Historical Society and its National Museum of the Great Lakes whose mission is to preserve, share, and celebrate the past, present, and future of the Great Lakes story.
Details here:
https://nmgl.org/2025lolraffle/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMDBTFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFZUGV4UFMxNFFGYUpPbTZ2AR5OikAHiWMuo30CZrAqM9nuK93_xmmqYBsoAerabXJ3sBlZWNxpz7mZwoLuFw_aem_1pxrUONQfReTGS4dlnAgzg

Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released

When Patrick Devine found out, in the summer of 1975, that he was being moved over to the Edmund Fitzgerald as a relief deckhand he was on top on the world. He had gone from one of the oldest boats in the fleet to one of the newest and best. He was devastated when union rules forced him off that September. He had lost his dream job. Then came the sinking and its horrific aftermath. He hasn’t talked about his experience until recently, and he gave Know Your Ships an exclusive interview for the 2025 Know Your Ships EXTRA midsummer magazine, now on sale.

The magazine also includes an interview with Great Lakes top cook Sissy Payment. Find out her recipe for success and learn something surprising about her in the story.

EXTRA 2025 remembers the loss 50 years ago of the EDMUND FITZGERALD with four stories.

EXCLUSIVE! Meet Patrick Devine, who thought he had found his dream job when he signed on to the Fitz as a relief deckhand in June 1975.
Explore the Fitzgerald’s influence in popular culture: Music, art, literature and – yes – souvenirs.
Did you know there were two vessels named Fitzgerald on the Great Lakes, and both were lost in November storms? And yes, their namesakes were related.
Consider what might have been if the Fitz had not gone down.ALSOCheck out the Great Lakes Lore Museum at Rogers City, MI, where sailors are in the spotlight.

Read about the William G. Mather, the ‘Ship That Built Cleveland,’ which turns 100 this year.
Litton on the Lakes: Find out how a group of California upstarts turned the Great Lakes shipping industry upside down in the 1970s with their fancy ideas about 1,000-footers.
Catch up with the latest Great Lakes/Seaway news.
Enjoy even more images from readers in the ongoing series FAN-TASTIC PHOTOS.

This is the third year for the Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine, which offers even more ship, sailor and industry stories, recent shipping news and many more of the stunning photos – current and historic – for which Know Your Ships has become known for the past 66 years. Please note that the Extra, which is a feature magazine, does not duplicate the vessel and fleet listings found in the regular Know Your Ships book.

Order at www.knowyourships.com

Boatnerd News – September 4, 2025

Sep 4, 2025

Annual Maritime Career Day Seeking Partners

TOLEDO, OHIO – The National Museum of the Great Lakes is calling on maritime and Great Lakes–related industries to take part in its second annual Maritime Career Day on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. Designed to connect students and the public with career opportunities across the region, the event provides a unique platform for companies, higher education institutions, and tradespeople to connect with future talent and gain valuable exposure.
Last year’s inaugural event drew over 300 students and more than 30 career partners, including leaders from various fields such as shipping, environmental science, engineering, the military, and culinary arts. This year, in addition to students, the museum is expanding its reach by inviting the broader community to take part, offering career partners an even wider audience to share their work and opportunities.
“Maritime Career Day is about building connections and inspiring the next generation of Great Lakes professionals,” said Sara Smith, Director of Institutional Advancement with the National Museum of the Great Lakes. “With the addition of a community session this year, partners will not only meet eager students but also connect with adults exploring career opportunities or seeking new paths within our region’s vital industries.”

Event Details:

Date: Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Student Session: 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (Grades 7–12)
Community Session: 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (Open to the public)
Location: National Museum of the Great Lakes, 1701 Front St., Toledo, OH

Career partners will host booths inside the museum and aboard its Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship, offering attendees a chance to interact directly with professionals from diverse fields.

Sponsors of the 2025 Maritime Career Day include:

Presenting Sponsor: World Group Foundation – the philanthropic arm of The World Group, dedicated to creating meaningful, lasting change in the communities where its people live and work.
Community Sponsors: The Andersons and International Ship Masters Association Toledo Lodge 9

Organizations interested in participating as a career partner are encouraged to contact Sara Smith at sara.smith@nmgl.org. Space is limited, and early registration is recommended.For more information, visit nmgl.org/careerday.

Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

DETROIT, MI – You don’t have to live in the Motor City to join the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. Its focus includes all the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway as well as the ships and sailors keeping the economies of two countries moving.
The 81-year-old non-profit group is now accepting new memberships and membership renewals.
“The MHSD has plenty to offer anyone interested in and concerned with the history of the Great Lakes and its vibrant maritime heritage,” says long-time group President Roger LeLievre. “We have members across the U.S. and Canada and even overseas.”
Membership includes the monthly publication The Detroit Marine Historian, which offers a variety of articles exploring Great Lakes shipping past and present. It also includes an annual, full-color calendar featuring superb, often rare, photos of Great Lakes ships of the past.
Last year the group published the 300-page, hardcover book Ahoy & Farewell III, documenting the vessels built and those that left the lakes during the past 30 years. The book recently won an award for excellence from the Historical Society of Michigan.
In keeping with society’s goal of preserving historical images, the MHSD’s image portal, featuring photos and details of many historic vessels, is now online at www.marinehistorydetroit.historyit.com

The Society has named an annual Historian of the Year since 1969. The award is voted on by past winners and honors those who have contributed significantly to the research, presentation or publication of Great Lakes ships and the shipping history.
Membership is $40 (U.S. and Canada). Join online at www.mhsd.org. To join or renew by mail, please print out the form in the gallery below.
MHSD

Cleveland Boatnerd Gathering Planned Sept. 6

Cleveland’s first annual Boatnerd get together will be at the Whiskey Island Still & Eatery in Cleveland on September 6 at noon. Join us for an informal gathering of food, fellowship and hopefully some boat watching as well. Meet your fellow area boat fans! Food will be ordered off the menu and table service provided by the staff of the restaurant, which is located adjacent to the historic C&P Dock, where the 1,000 footers unload.

Directions and info for the restaurant: https://www.whiskeyislandstillandeatery.net/

Bill Kloss

See “Captain Bob” September 11th

See “Captain Bob” former Captain of the Paul R Tregurtha, in Cheboygan next month for his speaking engagement, GREAT NEWS!! Due to his first show SELLING OUT in record time, they are adding a SECOND SHOW!! Same day but at 5:30pm so if you’re interested, head to the website shown at the bottom of the image (Open it up to see it full size) and grab tickets!! They are only $10 each!! Hurry before this show sells out as well!!
See Photo Gallery below

2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips

Your raffle ticket purchase supports the Great Lakes Historical Society and its National Museum of the Great Lakes whose mission is to preserve, share, and celebrate the past, present, and future of the Great Lakes story.
Details here:
https://nmgl.org/2025lolraffle/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMDBTFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFZUGV4UFMxNFFGYUpPbTZ2AR5OikAHiWMuo30CZrAqM9nuK93_xmmqYBsoAerabXJ3sBlZWNxpz7mZwoLuFw_aem_1pxrUONQfReTGS4dlnAgzg

Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released

When Patrick Devine found out, in the summer of 1975, that he was being moved over to the Edmund Fitzgerald as a relief deckhand he was on top on the world. He had gone from one of the oldest boats in the fleet to one of the newest and best. He was devastated when union rules forced him off that September. He had lost his dream job. Then came the sinking and its horrific aftermath. He hasn’t talked about his experience until recently, and he gave Know Your Ships an exclusive interview for the 2025 Know Your Ships EXTRA midsummer magazine, now on sale.

The magazine also includes an interview with Great Lakes top cook Sissy Payment. Find out her recipe for success and learn something surprising about her in the story.

EXTRA 2025 remembers the loss 50 years ago of the EDMUND FITZGERALD with four stories.

EXCLUSIVE! Meet Patrick Devine, who thought he had found his dream job when he signed on to the Fitz as a relief deckhand in June 1975.
Explore the Fitzgerald’s influence in popular culture: Music, art, literature and – yes – souvenirs.
Did you know there were two vessels named Fitzgerald on the Great Lakes, and both were lost in November storms? And yes, their namesakes were related.
Consider what might have been if the Fitz had not gone down.ALSOCheck out the Great Lakes Lore Museum at Rogers City, MI, where sailors are in the spotlight.

Read about the William G. Mather, the ‘Ship That Built Cleveland,’ which turns 100 this year.
Litton on the Lakes: Find out how a group of California upstarts turned the Great Lakes shipping industry upside down in the 1970s with their fancy ideas about 1,000-footers.
Catch up with the latest Great Lakes/Seaway news.
Enjoy even more images from readers in the ongoing series FAN-TASTIC PHOTOS.

This is the third year for the Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine, which offers even more ship, sailor and industry stories, recent shipping news and many more of the stunning photos – current and historic – for which Know Your Ships has become known for the past 66 years. Please note that the Extra, which is a feature magazine, does not duplicate the vessel and fleet listings found in the regular Know Your Ships book.

Order at www.knowyourships.com

Boatnerd News – September 3, 2025

Sep 3, 2025

A U.S. Coast Guard crew was dispatched from Traverse City to help transport a person experiencing a medical emergency on a large shipping vessel.
Link to video: https://www.freep.com/videos/news/local/2025/09/02/coast-guard-crew-hoists-patient-from-cargo-ship/85941842007/

Federal Yoshino is officially Sold by FedNav

The Federal Yoshino has been officially sold by FedNav and has been renamed BH Ocean, registered in Panama. She was built in Toyohashi, Japan and completed in 2001. She was a regular visitor to the Great Lakes. In 2024 she had a major engine failure while departing in Thunder Bay, ON and did significant damage to her rudder and stern. She is seen here in April 2024 just above Port Huron, MI and again in December 2024 after her incident in Thunder Bay with the Federal Michigan coming along side to lighten her up for repairs that winter.
[The Captain ET] Photos in gallery below

Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

DETROIT, MI – You don’t have to live in the Motor City to join the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. Its focus includes all the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway as well as the ships and sailors keeping the economies of two countries moving.
The 81-year-old non-profit group is now accepting new memberships and membership renewals.
“The MHSD has plenty to offer anyone interested in and concerned with the history of the Great Lakes and its vibrant maritime heritage,” says long-time group President Roger LeLievre. “We have members across the U.S. and Canada and even overseas.”
Membership includes the monthly publication The Detroit Marine Historian, which offers a variety of articles exploring Great Lakes shipping past and present. It also includes an annual, full-color calendar featuring superb, often rare, photos of Great Lakes ships of the past.
Last year the group published the 300-page, hardcover book Ahoy & Farewell III, documenting the vessels built and those that left the lakes during the past 30 years. The book recently won an award for excellence from the Historical Society of Michigan.
In keeping with society’s goal of preserving historical images, the MHSD’s image portal, featuring photos and details of many historic vessels, is now online at www.marinehistorydetroit.historyit.com

The Society has named an annual Historian of the Year since 1969. The award is voted on by past winners and honors those who have contributed significantly to the research, presentation or publication of Great Lakes ships and the shipping history.
Membership is $40 (U.S. and Canada). Join online at www.mhsd.org. To join or renew by mail, please print out the form in the gallery below.
MHSD

Cleveland Boatnerd Gathering Planned Sept. 6

Cleveland’s first annual Boatnerd get together will be at the Whiskey Island Still & Eatery in Cleveland on September 6 at noon. Join us for an informal gathering of food, fellowship and hopefully some boat watching as well. Meet your fellow area boat fans! Food will be ordered off the menu and table service provided by the staff of the restaurant, which is located adjacent to the historic C&P Dock, where the 1,000 footers unload.

Directions and info for the restaurant: https://www.whiskeyislandstillandeatery.net/

Bill Kloss

See “Captain Bob” September 11th

See “Captain Bob” former Captain of the Paul R Tregurtha, in Cheboygan next month for his speaking engagement, GREAT NEWS!! Due to his first show SELLING OUT in record time, they are adding a SECOND SHOW!! Same day but at 5:30pm so if you’re interested, head to the website shown at the bottom of the image (Open it up to see it full size) and grab tickets!! They are only $10 each!! Hurry before this show sells out as well!!
See Photo Gallery below

2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips

Your raffle ticket purchase supports the Great Lakes Historical Society and its National Museum of the Great Lakes whose mission is to preserve, share, and celebrate the past, present, and future of the Great Lakes story.
Details here:
https://nmgl.org/2025lolraffle/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMDBTFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFZUGV4UFMxNFFGYUpPbTZ2AR5OikAHiWMuo30CZrAqM9nuK93_xmmqYBsoAerabXJ3sBlZWNxpz7mZwoLuFw_aem_1pxrUONQfReTGS4dlnAgzg

Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released

When Patrick Devine found out, in the summer of 1975, that he was being moved over to the Edmund Fitzgerald as a relief deckhand he was on top on the world. He had gone from one of the oldest boats in the fleet to one of the newest and best. He was devastated when union rules forced him off that September. He had lost his dream job. Then came the sinking and its horrific aftermath. He hasn’t talked about his experience until recently, and he gave Know Your Ships an exclusive interview for the 2025 Know Your Ships EXTRA midsummer magazine, now on sale.

The magazine also includes an interview with Great Lakes top cook Sissy Payment. Find out her recipe for success and learn something surprising about her in the story.

EXTRA 2025 remembers the loss 50 years ago of the EDMUND FITZGERALD with four stories.

EXCLUSIVE! Meet Patrick Devine, who thought he had found his dream job when he signed on to the Fitz as a relief deckhand in June 1975.
Explore the Fitzgerald’s influence in popular culture: Music, art, literature and – yes – souvenirs.
Did you know there were two vessels named Fitzgerald on the Great Lakes, and both were lost in November storms? And yes, their namesakes were related.
Consider what might have been if the Fitz had not gone down.ALSOCheck out the Great Lakes Lore Museum at Rogers City, MI, where sailors are in the spotlight.

Read about the William G. Mather, the ‘Ship That Built Cleveland,’ which turns 100 this year.
Litton on the Lakes: Find out how a group of California upstarts turned the Great Lakes shipping industry upside down in the 1970s with their fancy ideas about 1,000-footers.
Catch up with the latest Great Lakes/Seaway news.
Enjoy even more images from readers in the ongoing series FAN-TASTIC PHOTOS.

This is the third year for the Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine, which offers even more ship, sailor and industry stories, recent shipping news and many more of the stunning photos – current and historic – for which Know Your Ships has become known for the past 66 years. Please note that the Extra, which is a feature magazine, does not duplicate the vessel and fleet listings found in the regular Know Your Ships book.

Order at www.knowyourships.com

Boatnerd News – August 30, 2025

Aug 30, 2025

BBC Tokyo heads for Great Lakes on maiden voyage

BBC Tokyo arrived at Montreal Friday morning for a stopover on its maiden voyage. She is headed to Erie, PA, with wind turbine components from Tuticorin, India where it left 37 days ago.

René Beauchamp

Sailors sorely needed in Michigan, US. Can Trump push help?

TRAVERSE CITY, MI — Cary Godwin has spent this summer training a group of 10 cadets at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy to sail a tugboat.
During the last week of class this month, he leaned back and watched as his students navigated a vessel called the Robinson Bay — which is new to the academy’s training fleet — in and out of the academy’s harbor in Grand Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan.
“It’s a difficult harbor to make an approach to, because there’s not a lot of room to make a mistake,” he said. “I’ll speak up if I see anything that’s wrong.”
Cadets have come from all over the country to earn a bachelor’s degree and a Coast Guard third mate license in Traverse City. The Great Lakes Maritime Academy, part of Northwestern Michigan College, is one of just seven Coast Guard-credentialed maritime academies in the country where students learn to operate the nation’s fleet of commercial ships.
From the outside, US commercial shipping may look like an industry past its prime. The American fleet, called the US Merchant Marine, comprised 16% of the global commercial fleet in 1960. Now, it makes up less than half of a percent of commercial ships worldwide. In 2024, there were 185 US-flagged oceangoing cargo ships and 43 cargo ships on the Great Lakes, numbers that have steadily declined for decades.
But from the vantage point of the Robinson Bay, mariners are optimistic.
Newly graduated cadets have been in high demand after the coronavirus pandemic led to a wave of early retirements of merchant marine officers. And the Merchant Marine has a powerful new supporter interested in expanding its ranks: President Donald Trump, whose administration has called for “resurrecting America’s maritime industry.”
“The job opportunities for cadets graduating from a maritime academy — any of them — have not been seen since the end of the Vietnam War,” said Rear Admiral Jerry Achenbach, who has led the Great Lakes Maritime Academy for 15 years.
A 2017 study by the US Maritime Administration estimated that the US was short at least 1,800 mariners, and, though it’s hard to find more recent numbers, most in the industry say things have gotten worse since the pandemic.
The US Naval Institute considers that a vulnerability, since the Merchant Marine can be called up to serve the military during a war.
“Each administration has their passions… This is not pro-current administration, nor is it con — I’m fiercely independent,” said Achenbach. But he said the Trump administration “understands the importance of the maritime industry to the United States.”
Shipping industry looking for new mariners
The Great Lakes Maritime Academy is like the smallest, scrappiest sibling of the seven official maritime academies across the country. It enrolls just 200 students, compared to schools in Texas, California and New York that enroll more than 1,000 students each. It’s the only one run out of a community college.
But the graduates are getting jobs. Some make more than $100,000 a year upon graduation. Companies all over the country are competing for a relatively small group of recent graduates from the country’s maritime academies.
“The companies will come in,” explained instructor Dan Zassick, “and they’re like, ‘We’re buying pizza … who wants to work for us?’”
It’s a non-traditional lifestyle. The job involves months-long contracts on a ship or port, and sometimes, months of paid vacation in between. Godwin, the Great Lakes Maritime Academy instructor, caught up with one cadet this summer who has made the most of it.
“He graduated a few years ago. He basically doesn’t own a house. He works for two or three months, and then gets off, and then travels through Asia, travels through Europe,” said Godwin. “He just goes wherever he wants, does whatever he wants, and then goes back to the ship.”
The months at sea can be a hard sell, and many cadets opt for jobs that are “portside,” where they can stay in one place.
Nonetheless, the industry is trying to attract some new energy.
“The maritime force is getting older,” said Eric Hansen, port officer at Andrie LLC, a shipping company based in Muskegon. “A lot of the captains right now are getting close to retirement … In the next five years, at least with our company, there’s probably going to be a big push to hire more.”
That is true for many companies on the Great Lakes. The Interlake Steamship Co., which operates the largest US-flagged fleet on the Great Lakes, confirmed there’s high demand for third mates with the right certifications.
“A very large number of senior people retired due to COVID,” said Achenbach, of Great Lakes Maritime Academy. “And when that happened, everybody (else) moved up quickly. So all of a sudden you have this real void at the entry-level position.”
In an April executive order titled “Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance,” Trump called for expanding federal funding for building ships, making them competitive in international commerce, and “strengthening the recruitment, training, and retention of the relevant workforce.”
According to Achenbach, the federal Department of Transportation reached out to each maritime academy this spring with a survey on what it would take to expand their school.
“We had to tell them what resources would be needed to add 50 seats to the academy, 100 seats, 150 or 200 seats,” he said. “I think right now, the Department of Transportation is determining the best approach to developing more mariners.”
The Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration did not make anyone available for an interview about plans for expanding the pool of maritime cadets, nor did the agency answer specific questions about the survey. Instead a spokesperson provided this statement:
“President Trump’s Executive Order gave Transportation Secretary Duffy and the Maritime Administration a mandate to restore America’s maritime dominance. While the previous administration put offshore wind projects ahead of hardworking American mariners, we are laser-focused on revitalizing the maritime workforce pipeline to ensure our ships have the talent needed to protect our national security and drive economic prosperity.”
The Traverse City school hasn’t gotten any extra boosts yet, beyond the existing support they get from the federal government for boat maintenance and fuel costs. The Robinson Bay, the school’s new boat, was donated in 2024 under former President Joe Biden’s administration.
So far, the Trump White House has only announced federal investment in building ships and developing shipyards. That won’t do much for training mariners to enter the US Merchant Marine.
“You need mariners to man the ships, and you need shipyards or shipyard workers to build them. I think right now we’re lacking both capabilities.” said Jim Weakley, of the Lake Carriers Association, a Great Lakes shipping lobby. “That’s why we need places like Great Lakes Maritime Academy to keep churning out graduates.”
There are serious hurdles to building up the nation’s maritime industry to the extent that Trump proposes. Ships are far more expensive to build here than in other countries, especially China and South Korea. Even if they are built here, shipping companies may choose not to sail under a US flag because it’s cheaper to hire officers and crew from overseas.
But if the ships do sail under a US flag, companies will compete for the same pool of maritime grads who already have their pick of entry-level jobs.
Much like the rest of the US shipping industry, the Great Lakes Maritime Academy’s new training tugboat is steeped in nostalgia.
The Robinson Bay was launched in 1958. It was donated to the school from the federal government last year, after decades operating on the St. Lawrence Seaway. It has an almost entirely wooden interior that Zassick says would violate modern fire safety codes.
“It’s called a Class A fire hazard,” he said, but “if your boat was laid down and built before that was a rule, you can keep it so long as you don’t rip it out.”
Weakley, of the Lake Carriers Association, said that, in his 40 years in the industry, he’s only seen a federal boat donated to a state academy two or three times.
The boat was decommissioned at an official ceremony in Massena, New York. Both Weakley and Achenbach were there, among a crowd of former crew members.
“(The crew) saved some people’s lives,” said Weakley, “and some of the people that had been saved were there.”
“I made a comment that there weren’t a lot of jackets and ties in the audience,” said Achenbach. “There were a lot of flannel shirts there. There is a real love and pride for that vessel on the Great Lakes Seaway.”
The Robinson Bay has a small kitchenette where cadets brew coffee and cook breakfast and lunch each day. And behind a door in the lounge, past a couple old couches, cadets can access the boat’s giant, roaring engine, strong enough to push and pull on cargo barges.
The cadets and their deck instructors have spent most mornings this summer looking out over Lake Michigan from the boat’s pilothouse, which Godwin called “the best office in town.” They’ve travelled much of northern Michigan’s coastline, from Traverse City to Mackinac Island.
The official endorsement cadets get aboard the tugboat will open up more job opportunities for them. There are 5,000 vessels made for towing in the US fleet, compared to just a couple hundred US shipping vessels the grads usually look for work on. And job opportunities on articulated tug and barges (ATBs) — tow vessels attached to cargo vessels — are growing throughout the industry.
Cadet Bryce Wise-Brown, from Louisiana, chose to get his tugboat endorsement this summer in Traverse City because he heard about growing job opportunities on ATBs back home.
“I plan on making a career out of the maritime industry,” he said. “I’m trying to get any and every endorsement the academy offers.”
Achenbach, the school’s superintendent, said he’d like to see the school offer an associate degree one day, specifically for operating towboats.
“There are a lot of people in Michigan that would love to go to GLMA, but four years is beyond what they can afford. If we could develop a program where they get an associate degree and a license to work on towboats in two years, then they will make 90(% to) 95% of what you do on the deep draft, the larger vessels,” he said.
And Achenbach thinks Northwestern Michigan College is the right place for a program like that.
“Being a community college where, if you give us a dollar we beat it like it owes us a dollar, I think it could be a really positive thing for northern Michigan,” he said. “Actually, for the entire state.”
This reporting is made possible by the Northern Michigan Journalism Project, led by Bridge Michigan and Interlochen Public Radio, and funded by Press Forward Northern Michigan.

Read the story and view photos at this Bridge Michigan gallery:

https://bridgemi.com/talent-education/tugboat-crewmembers-sorely-needed-in-michigan-us-can-trump-boost-help/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim completes 411-mile journey across Michigan

DETROIT, MI – The Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim has successfully completed its 411-mile journey across Michigan, symbolically tracing the route of the famous freighter that sank in Lake Superior in 1975.

Though the relay took one day longer than planned, the swimmers finished the route on Wednesday (Aug. 27) at the Detroit Yacht Club on Belle Isle. The month-long swim began near the Fitzgerald shipwreck site. The finish was met with applause, including from family members of the Fitzgerald sailors, honoring the memory of those lost in the tragedy.

View videos here: https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2025/08/27/edmund-fitzgerald-memorial-swim-completes-411-mile-journey-across-michigan/

Davie Shipyard Begins Construction of Canada’s Flagship Polar Max Icebreaker

Davie shipyard has officially commenced construction on Canada’s flagship Polar Max icebreaker, marking a significant milestone in the country’s Arctic capabilities development. The steel cutting ceremony, held today in Lévis, launches a project that will deliver one of the world’s most advanced polar vessels by 2030.
The Polar Max represents a departure from traditional Canadian shipbuilding approaches, employing a hybrid construction strategy between facilities in Finland and Canada. Initial hull construction will begin at Davie’s Helsinki Shipyard, which has established itself as a premier icebreaker builder, having constructed all complex medium to heavy icebreakers delivered from Finland over the past quarter-century.
The majority of construction work and final delivery will occur at Davie’s home facility in Lévis, which is currently undergoing an CAD $840 million modernization. This strategic approach aims to accelerate delivery by several years compared to the original timeline while facilitating technology transfer and expertise development within Canada’s maritime industry.
“Today’s steel cutting ceremony is more than the start of construction of one very special ship. It’s the start of a new chapter in Canadian Arctic leadership,” said James Davies, CEO of Davie. “The Polar Max represents how trusted allies can collaborate to deliver strategically vital projects when they are needed most. We want to thank the governments of Canada and Québec for their vision, and we are determined to deliver this ship on time and on budget.”
The Polar Max will be 22,800 tonnes with a length of 138.5 meters. It will be the first newbuild project at the Helsinki Shipyard under Davie’s ownership.
The project features several notable aspects, including a fixed-price contract structure designed to ensure on-time delivery, approximately $200 million investment in small and medium-sized Canadian businesses throughout the supply chain, and the creation of thousands of high-value jobs across Québec and throughout Canada’s marine sector.
A key industrial partnership within the project involves Le Groupe ALMACO, a Canadian subsidiary of ALMACO Group, which will handle a major outfitting contract for the vessel. This collaboration is expected to establish Canada’s first modular cabin factory in Québec.
Alex Vicefield, Chairman and CEO of Inocea, Davie’s parent group, highlighted the company’s unique position: “Davie is uniquely positioned to deliver a ship as advanced and strategically important as the Polar Max. With a global footprint, including our soon-to-be upgraded Lévis facility and the renowned Helsinki Shipyard, we combine the world’s best polar shipbuilding expertise with the strength, skill and unique Davie spirit of our Canadian workforce.”
The Polar Max project forms part of the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact), a trilateral initiative between Canada, Finland, and the United States focused on polar icebreaker development. When completed, it will be the first polar icebreaker built through collaborative efforts between European and North American facilities.
Designed to operate in extreme conditions, the vessel will support Canada’s Arctic sovereignty, scientific missions, environmental protection, and maritime security operations.

gCaptain

National Museum of the Great Lakes announces fall lecture series lineup

TOLEDO, Ohio – The National Museum of the Great Lakes (NMGL) has announced its 2025 fall lecture series lineup, featuring historical talks and presentations on Great Lakes history.
In a press release, NMGL said the three-lecture series would be offered in a hybrid format, with in-person attendance and virtual options offered. It is free to attend the lectures, but registration is required.
NMGL said these lectures are a way for the museum to expand the scope of its educational and historical programming beyond its permanent exhibits.

Below are the lectures the museum has planned for the coming months:

“Transports and Blockade Runners: Great Lakes Steam and Sea in the Civil War”
Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2025 | 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
This lecture explores steamers involved in Great Lakes trade that were pressed into Civil War service. These steamers vanished, leaving behind rumors and mysteries. Maritime historian Walter Lewis will lead this lecture.

“Iron Diamond: The Living Legacy of the Shenango Fleet”
Wednesday, Oct. 15 | 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Paul C. LaMarre III, Port Director for the Port of Monroe, as well as award-winning photojournalist Christopher Winters, will talk about a fleet of Great Lakes liners that rivaled trans-Atlantic ships in their engineering quality and magnificent guest quarters. This talk will also feature information on NMGL museum ship, the S.S. Col. James M. Schoonmaker, as well as the museum’s recent expansion.

“The Gordie Howe International Bridge: Opening Soon”
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025 | 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Associate Vice President of Stakeholder and Community Relations for the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority Stephanie Campeau will discuss the ongoing construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which will serve as a new bridge connecting Detroit to Windsor, Canada.

To register for individual lectures: https://nmgl.org/events/

Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

DETROIT, MI – You don’t have to live in the Motor City to join the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. Its focus includes all the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway as well as the ships and sailors keeping the economies of two countries moving.
The 81-year-old non-profit group is now accepting new memberships and membership renewals.
“The MHSD has plenty to offer anyone interested in and concerned with the history of the Great Lakes and its vibrant maritime heritage,” says long-time group President Roger LeLievre. “We have members across the U.S. and Canada and even overseas.”
Membership includes the monthly publication The Detroit Marine Historian, which offers a variety of articles exploring Great Lakes shipping past and present. It also includes an annual, full-color calendar featuring superb, often rare, photos of Great Lakes ships of the past.
Last year the group published the 300-page, hardcover book Ahoy & Farewell III, documenting the vessels built and those that left the lakes during the past 30 years. The book recently won an award for excellence from the Historical Society of Michigan.
In keeping with society’s goal of preserving historical images, the MHSD’s image portal, featuring photos and details of many historic vessels, is now online at www.marinehistorydetroit.historyit.com

The Society has named an annual Historian of the Year since 1969. The award is voted on by past winners and honors those who have contributed significantly to the research, presentation or publication of Great Lakes ships and the shipping history.
Membership is $40 (U.S. and Canada). Join online at www.mhsd.org. To join or renew by mail, please print out the form in the gallery below.
MHSD

Cleveland Boatnerd Gathering Planned Sept. 6

Cleveland’s first annual Boatnerd get together will be at the Whiskey Island Still & Eatery in Cleveland on September 6 at noon. Join us for an informal gathering of food, fellowship and hopefully some boat watching as well. Meet your fellow area boat fans! Food will be ordered off the menu and table service provided by the staff of the restaurant, which is located adjacent to the historic C&P Dock, where the 1,000 footers unload.

Directions and info for the restaurant: https://www.whiskeyislandstillandeatery.net/

Bill Kloss

See “Captain Bob” September 11th

See “Captain Bob” former Captain of the Paul R Tregurtha, in Cheboygan next month for his speaking engagement, GREAT NEWS!! Due to his first show SELLING OUT in record time, they are adding a SECOND SHOW!! Same day but at 5:30pm so if you’re interested, head to the website shown at the bottom of the image (Open it up to see it full size) and grab tickets!! They are only $10 each!! Hurry before this show sells out as well!!
See Photo Gallery below

2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips

Your raffle ticket purchase supports the Great Lakes Historical Society and its National Museum of the Great Lakes whose mission is to preserve, share, and celebrate the past, present, and future of the Great Lakes story.
Details here:
https://nmgl.org/2025lolraffle/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMDBTFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFZUGV4UFMxNFFGYUpPbTZ2AR5OikAHiWMuo30CZrAqM9nuK93_xmmqYBsoAerabXJ3sBlZWNxpz7mZwoLuFw_aem_1pxrUONQfReTGS4dlnAgzg

Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released

When Patrick Devine found out, in the summer of 1975, that he was being moved over to the Edmund Fitzgerald as a relief deckhand he was on top on the world. He had gone from one of the oldest boats in the fleet to one of the newest and best. He was devastated when union rules forced him off that September. He had lost his dream job. Then came the sinking and its horrific aftermath. He hasn’t talked about his experience until recently, and he gave Know Your Ships an exclusive interview for the 2025 Know Your Ships EXTRA midsummer magazine, now on sale.

The magazine also includes an interview with Great Lakes top cook Sissy Payment. Find out her recipe for success and learn something surprising about her in the story.

EXTRA 2025 remembers the loss 50 years ago of the EDMUND FITZGERALD with four stories.

EXCLUSIVE! Meet Patrick Devine, who thought he had found his dream job when he signed on to the Fitz as a relief deckhand in June 1975.
Explore the Fitzgerald’s influence in popular culture: Music, art, literature and – yes – souvenirs.
Did you know there were two vessels named Fitzgerald on the Great Lakes, and both were lost in November storms? And yes, their namesakes were related.
Consider what might have been if the Fitz had not gone down.ALSO
Check out the Great Lakes Lore Museum at Rogers City, MI, where sailors are in the spotlight.

Read about the William G. Mather, the ‘Ship That Built Cleveland,’ which turns 100 this year.
Litton on the Lakes: Find out how a group of California upstarts turned the Great Lakes shipping industry upside down in the 1970s with their fancy ideas about 1,000-footers.
Catch up with the latest Great Lakes/Seaway news.
Enjoy even more images from readers in the ongoing series FAN-TASTIC PHOTOS.

This is the third year for the Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine, which offers even more ship, sailor and industry stories, recent shipping news and many more of the stunning photos – current and historic – for which Know Your Ships has become known for the past 66 years. Please note that the Extra, which is a feature magazine, does not duplicate the vessel and fleet listings found in the regular Know Your Ships book.

Order at www.knowyourships.com

Boatnerd News – August 29, 2025

Aug 29, 2025

Final Report on 2023 Cuyahoga Fire Released

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has released its final report on the engine room fire onboard bulk carrier Cuyahoga on May 23, 2023 on Lake Erie, off Kingsville, ON.

Chronology of Events
1914: Departed Marblehead, OH with 11,400 tonnes of stone.
    2159: Fourth engineer spotted fire on engine top.
    2201–2207: General alarm raised, crew mustered, ventilation shut down. Mayday issued; Coast Guard assets stood by.
    2208–2218: Attempts to close skylight and activate CO₂ system failed; local release attempt caused gas leak into cylinder room.
    2222–2230: Life rafts deployed in case of abandonment.
    2231–2328: Smoke reduced; boundary cooling attempted. Fire effectively extinguished after fuel supply ceased.
    24–25 May: Partial crew evacuated; salvage teams confirmed fire out. Vessel towed to Kingsville.

Cause of Fire
    Fuel spray ignition: A disconnected fuel injection return line on cylinder 7 sprayed diesel onto exposed hot exhaust surfaces.
    Missing clamps: Retaining clamps had been removed in 2021, leaving lines vulnerable to vibration.
    Maintenance issues: Fuel leaks were routinely tightened but root causes not addressed.
    Insulation gaps: Exhaust surfaces not fully covered, enabling ignition.

Firefighting Challenges
    Suppression failures: Remote CO₂ release cables damaged by heat; local activation sequence incorrect. Entire CO₂ supply discharged into cylinder room instead of engine room.
    Fire main failure: Isolation valve corroded, blocking emergency fire pump flow.
    Limited equipment: Only 2 firefighting suits and SCBAs carried—insufficient for engine room fire response.

Human & Organizational Factors
    Fatigue: Common in short-voyage Great Lakes operations, though not deemed causal.
    Emergency response: Second engineer asleep at alarm; delayed initial response.
    Drills & preparedness: Few realistic engine room fire drills held; muster list unrealistic compared with available equipment.
    Maintenance records: Incomplete documentation of leaks and valve replacements.

Safety Findings
Causes & Contributing Factors
    Fuel line loosened due to missing clamps and vibration.
Spray ignited on hot exhaust surfaces.
    CO₂ system failed to deploy into engine room.
    Fire main isolation valve corroded shut.

Risks Identified
    Outdated manufacturer documentation and poor record-keeping.
    Inaccessible ventilation points delayed compartment sealing.
    Lack of training for CO₂ system maintenance.
    Minimum firefighting equipment insufficient.
    Non-specific emergency procedures limited effectiveness.

Regulatory & Systemic Issues
    Age-related exemptions: Older vessel not required to have fuel spray shields, bridge remote stop, or fire main isolation valve outside machinery spaces.
    Oversight gaps: Reliance on third-party contractors for safety inspections, with inconsistent technician training.
    SMS limits: Lower Lakes Towing (LLT) had a voluntary Safety Management System, but documentation and reporting of near misses (e.g., repeated fuel leaks) were inadequate.

Safety Actions Taken
LLT rerouted CO₂ remote cables outside the engine room.
Operating instructions updated to ensure correct activation sequence.

Read the full report here: https://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/marine/2023/m23c0104/m23c0104.html

Tanker Fure Ven Joins Algoma/Furetank Fleet

FureBear, a joint venture formed by Canadian dry bulk shipping company Algoma Central Corporation and Swedish tanker operator Furetank Rederi, has taken delivery of a new product tanker built by China Merchants Industry Yangzhou Dingheng Shipyard.
Fure Ven is the 17th vessel to be built for the Gothia Tanker Alliance with Älvtank, Thun Tankers and Furetank/Algoma ordering the vessels. Design work on all vessels in the series was undertaken by Swedish naval architecture firm FKAB Marine Design.
This Bureau Veritas-classed design is an ice class 1A tanker, equipped with batteries and dual-fuel engines for LNG operation.
The newbuild has a hull form that ensures safe navigation even in harsh weather, an LOA of 149.9 metres, a beam of 22.8 metres, a draught of 9.36 metres, a deadweight of 18,000, and a total cargo capacity of 20,306 cubic metres.
A shore power connection will ensure continuous electrical supply while berthed without having to rely on the onboard generators.
After taking on a delivery cargo, the vessel will begin operations in Northern Europe this fall.

Algoma Central Corp.

Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

DETROIT, MI – You don’t have to live in the Motor City to join the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. Its focus includes all the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway as well as the ships and sailors keeping the economies of two countries moving.
The 81-year-old non-profit group is now accepting new memberships and membership renewals.
“The MHSD has plenty to offer anyone interested in and concerned with the history of the Great Lakes and its vibrant maritime heritage,” says long-time group President Roger LeLievre. “We have members across the U.S. and Canada and even overseas.”
Membership includes the monthly publication The Detroit Marine Historian, which offers a variety of articles exploring Great Lakes shipping past and present. It also includes an annual, full-color calendar featuring superb, often rare, photos of Great Lakes ships of the past.
Last year the group published the 300-page, hardcover book Ahoy & Farewell III, documenting the vessels built and those that left the lakes during the past 30 years. The book recently won an award for excellence from the Historical Society of Michigan.
In keeping with society’s goal of preserving historical images, the MHSD’s image portal, featuring photos and details of many historic vessels, is now online at www.marinehistorydetroit.historyit.com

The Society has named an annual Historian of the Year since 1969. The award is voted on by past winners and honors those who have contributed significantly to the research, presentation or publication of Great Lakes ships and the shipping history.
Membership is $40 (U.S. and Canada). Join online at www.mhsd.org. To join or renew by mail, please print out the form in the gallery below.
MHSD

Cleveland Boatnerd Gathering Planned Sept. 6

Cleveland’s first annual Boatnerd get together will be at the Whiskey Island Still & Eatery in Cleveland on September 6 at noon. Join us for an informal gathering of food, fellowship and hopefully some boat watching as well. Meet your fellow area boat fans! Food will be ordered off the menu and table service provided by the staff of the restaurant, which is located adjacent to the historic C&P Dock, where the 1,000 footers unload.

Directions and info for the restaurant: https://www.whiskeyislandstillandeatery.net/

Bill Kloss

See “Captain Bob” September 11th

See “Captain Bob” former Captain of the Paul R Tregurtha, in Cheboygan next month for his speaking engagement, GREAT NEWS!! Due to his first show SELLING OUT in record time, they are adding a SECOND SHOW!! Same day but at 5:30pm so if you’re interested, head to the website shown at the bottom of the image (Open it up to see it full size) and grab tickets!! They are only $10 each!! Hurry before this show sells out as well!!
See Photo Gallery below

2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips

Your raffle ticket purchase supports the Great Lakes Historical Society and its National Museum of the Great Lakes whose mission is to preserve, share, and celebrate the past, present, and future of the Great Lakes story.
Details here:
https://nmgl.org/2025lolraffle/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMDBTFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFZUGV4UFMxNFFGYUpPbTZ2AR5OikAHiWMuo30CZrAqM9nuK93_xmmqYBsoAerabXJ3sBlZWNxpz7mZwoLuFw_aem_1pxrUONQfReTGS4dlnAgzg

Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released

When Patrick Devine found out, in the summer of 1975, that he was being moved over to the Edmund Fitzgerald as a relief deckhand he was on top on the world. He had gone from one of the oldest boats in the fleet to one of the newest and best. He was devastated when union rules forced him off that September. He had lost his dream job. Then came the sinking and its horrific aftermath. He hasn’t talked about his experience until recently, and he gave Know Your Ships an exclusive interview for the 2025 Know Your Ships EXTRA midsummer magazine, now on sale.

The magazine also includes an interview with Great Lakes top cook Sissy Payment. Find out her recipe for success and learn something surprising about her in the story.

EXTRA 2025 remembers the loss 50 years ago of the EDMUND FITZGERALD with four stories.

EXCLUSIVE! Meet Patrick Devine, who thought he had found his dream job when he signed on to the Fitz as a relief deckhand in June 1975.
Explore the Fitzgerald’s influence in popular culture: Music, art, literature and – yes – souvenirs.
Did you know there were two vessels named Fitzgerald on the Great Lakes, and both were lost in November storms? And yes, their namesakes were related.
Consider what might have been if the Fitz had not gone down.

ALSO

Check out the Great Lakes Lore Museum at Rogers City, MI, where sailors are in the spotlight.
Read about the William G. Mather, the ‘Ship That Built Cleveland,’ which turns 100 this year.
Litton on the Lakes: Find out how a group of California upstarts turned the Great Lakes shipping industry upside down in the 1970s with their fancy ideas about 1,000-footers.
Catch up with the latest Great Lakes/Seaway news.
Enjoy even more images from readers in the ongoing series FAN-TASTIC PHOTOS.

This is the third year for the Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine, which offers even more ship, sailor and industry stories, recent shipping news and many more of the stunning photos – current and historic – for which Know Your Ships has become known for the past 66 years. Please note that the Extra, which is a feature magazine, does not duplicate the vessel and fleet listings found in the regular Know Your Ships book.

Order at www.knowyourships.com

Boatnerd News – August 28, 2025

Aug 28, 2025

Cobia Museum Sub Tow Set for Thursday Morning

The departure of the museum submarine U.S.S. Cobia to Sturgeon Bay for restoration is scheduled for Thursday morning.

A provision in the latest state budget provided the final piece of funding for the Lakeshore landmark and historic World War II submarine to be preserved. The project’s price tag sits at approximately $1.5 million.

On Sept. 4, the Cobia is scheduled to be towed to Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay for dry docking. That means taking a vessel out of the water to clean, inspect and repair the underwater hull.

7:00 AM – Preparations Begin on Cobia

8:00 AM – Tugboats begin towing Cobia out of the harbor

Weather Backup Date: Friday, Sept. 5^th

The USS Cobia is a tribute to Manitowoc’s submarine history, where between 1941 and 1945, 28 submarines were built as part of the war effort during World War II.

While the USS Cobia itself was built in Connecticut, it shares its design with those crafted here: it’s a Gato-class submarine. It arrived in Manitowoc in 1970, and has been a National Historic Landmark since 1986. She is credited for sinking13 ships and earned four battle stars in World War II.

Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

DETROIT, MI – You don’t have to live in the Motor City to join the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. Its focus includes all the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway as well as the ships and sailors keeping the economies of two countries moving.
The 81-year-old non-profit group is now accepting new memberships and membership renewals.
“The MHSD has plenty to offer anyone interested in and concerned with the history of the Great Lakes and its vibrant maritime heritage,” says long-time group President Roger LeLievre. “We have members across the U.S. and Canada and even overseas.”
Membership includes the monthly publication The Detroit Marine Historian, which offers a variety of articles exploring Great Lakes shipping past and present. It also includes an annual, full-color calendar featuring superb, often rare, photos of Great Lakes ships of the past.
Last year the group published the 300-page, hardcover book Ahoy & Farewell III, documenting the vessels built and those that left the lakes during the past 30 years. The book recently won an award for excellence from the Historical Society of Michigan.
In keeping with society’s goal of preserving historical images, the MHSD’s image portal, featuring photos and details of many historic vessels, is now online at www.marinehistorydetroit.historyit.com

The Society has named an annual Historian of the Year since 1969. The award is voted on by past winners and honors those who have contributed significantly to the research, presentation or publication of Great Lakes ships and the shipping history.
Membership is $40 (U.S. and Canada). Join online at www.mhsd.org. To join or renew by mail, please print out the form in the gallery below.
MHSD

Cleveland Boatnerd Gathering Planned Sept. 6

Cleveland’s first annual Boatnerd get together will be at the Whiskey Island Still & Eatery in Cleveland on September 6 at noon. Join us for an informal gathering of food, fellowship and hopefully some boat watching as well. Meet your fellow area boat fans! Food will be ordered off the menu and table service provided by the staff of the restaurant, which is located adjacent to the historic C&P Dock, where the 1,000 footers unload.

Directions and info for the restaurant: https://www.whiskeyislandstillandeatery.net/

Bill Kloss

See “Captain Bob” September 11th

See “Captain Bob” former Captain of the Paul R Tregurtha, in Cheboygan next month for his speaking engagement, GREAT NEWS!! Due to his first show SELLING OUT in record time, they are adding a SECOND SHOW!! Same day but at 5:30pm so if you’re interested, head to the website shown at the bottom of the image (Open it up to see it full size) and grab tickets!! They are only $10 each!! Hurry before this show sells out as well!!
See Photo Gallery below

2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips

Your raffle ticket purchase supports the Great Lakes Historical Society and its National Museum of the Great Lakes whose mission is to preserve, share, and celebrate the past, present, and future of the Great Lakes story.
Details here:
https://nmgl.org/2025lolraffle/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMDBTFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFZUGV4UFMxNFFGYUpPbTZ2AR5OikAHiWMuo30CZrAqM9nuK93_xmmqYBsoAerabXJ3sBlZWNxpz7mZwoLuFw_aem_1pxrUONQfReTGS4dlnAgzg

Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released

When Patrick Devine found out, in the summer of 1975, that he was being moved over to the Edmund Fitzgerald as a relief deckhand he was on top on the world. He had gone from one of the oldest boats in the fleet to one of the newest and best. He was devastated when union rules forced him off that September. He had lost his dream job. Then came the sinking and its horrific aftermath. He hasn’t talked about his experience until recently, and he gave Know Your Ships an exclusive interview for the 2025 Know Your Ships EXTRA midsummer magazine, now on sale.

The magazine also includes an interview with Great Lakes top cook Sissy Payment. Find out her recipe for success and learn something surprising about her in the story.

EXTRA 2025 remembers the loss 50 years ago of the EDMUND FITZGERALD with four stories.

EXCLUSIVE! Meet Patrick Devine, who thought he had found his dream job when he signed on to the Fitz as a relief deckhand in June 1975.
Explore the Fitzgerald’s influence in popular culture: Music, art, literature and – yes – souvenirs.
Did you know there were two vessels named Fitzgerald on the Great Lakes, and both were lost in November storms? And yes, their namesakes were related.
Consider what might have been if the Fitz had not gone down.

ALSO

Check out the Great Lakes Lore Museum at Rogers City, MI, where sailors are in the spotlight.
Read about the William G. Mather, the ‘Ship That Built Cleveland,’ which turns 100 this year.
Litton on the Lakes: Find out how a group of California upstarts turned the Great Lakes shipping industry upside down in the 1970s with their fancy ideas about 1,000-footers.
Catch up with the latest Great Lakes/Seaway news.
Enjoy even more images from readers in the ongoing series FAN-TASTIC PHOTOS.

This is the third year for the Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine, which offers even more ship, sailor and industry stories, recent shipping news and many more of the stunning photos – current and historic – for which Know Your Ships has become known for the past 66 years. Please note that the Extra, which is a feature magazine, does not duplicate the vessel and fleet listings found in the regular Know Your Ships book.

Order at www.knowyourships.com

Boatnerd News – August 27, 2025

Aug 27, 2025

Cobia Museum Sub Tow Set for Thursday Morning

The departure of the museum submarine U.S.S. Cobia to Sturgeon Bay for restoration is scheduled for Thursday morning.

A provision in the latest state budget provided the final piece of funding for the Lakeshore landmark and historic World War II submarine to be preserved. The project’s price tag sits at approximately $1.5 million.

On Sept. 4, the Cobia is scheduled to be towed to Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay for dry docking. That means taking a vessel out of the water to clean, inspect and repair the underwater hull.

7:00 AM – Preparations Begin on Cobia

8:00 AM – Tugboats begin towing Cobia out of the harbor

Weather Backup Date: Friday, Sept. 5^th

The USS Cobia is a tribute to Manitowoc’s submarine history, where between 1941 and 1945, 28 submarines were built as part of the war effort during World War II.

While the USS Cobia itself was built in Connecticut, it shares its design with those crafted here: it’s a Gato-class submarine. It arrived in Manitowoc in 1970, and has been a National Historic Landmark since 1986. She is credited for sinking13 ships and earned four battle stars in World War II.

Polsteam Adds 2 New Vessels To Laker-Class Fleet

The Polish Steamship Co, (POLSTEAM), Szczecin, Poland, has added two new vessels to its Laker-class fleet of ships. They are Polsteam Insko (IMO 9984833) and Polsteam Weltyn (IMO 99848450), Both were built at the Shanhaiguan, Quinhungdao Shipyard in China and are registered in Portugal. Each is 199.99 meters in length (656 feet) with a beam of 23.700 meters (78 feet).
The vessels are the seventh and eighth added to the Polsteam Laker-class since the fleet’s renewal program began in 2024 with the addition of Polsteam Dabie.
Polsteam Insko and Polsteam Weltyn have yet to visit the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway system. Polsteam Insko is expected to be making an inland voyage before the end of the 2025 shipping season.

Denny Dushane

Federal Yoshino Sold, Renamed BH Ocean

The Federal Yoshino (IMO 9218416), built in 2001, has been sold and renamed. She now sails as the BH Ocean of Panamanian registry As the Federal Yoshino, the vessel was a regular Great Lakes visitor and a member of the Fednav Laker-class fleet of ships.
Federal Yoshino first visited the lakes in 2001 and last visited in 2024. She has four sisterships all about the same size both length and width:190.43 to 190.44 meters in length or 625 feet long and 23.600 meters in width or 77 feet wide. So far of the five ships that made up the series (the others are Federal Shimanto, Federal Kushiro, Federal Katsura and Federal Sakura) the Federal Yoshino is the only one to be sold

Denny Dushane

Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

DETROIT, MI – You don’t have to live in the Motor City to join the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. Its focus includes all the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway as well as the ships and sailors keeping the economies of two countries moving.
The 81-year-old non-profit group is now accepting new memberships and membership renewals.
“The MHSD has plenty to offer anyone interested in and concerned with the history of the Great Lakes and its vibrant maritime heritage,” says long-time group President Roger LeLievre. “We have members across the U.S. and Canada and even overseas.”
Membership includes the monthly publication The Detroit Marine Historian, which offers a variety of articles exploring Great Lakes shipping past and present. It also includes an annual, full-color calendar featuring superb, often rare, photos of Great Lakes ships of the past.
Last year the group published the 300-page, hardcover book Ahoy & Farewell III, documenting the vessels built and those that left the lakes during the past 30 years. The book recently won an award for excellence from the Historical Society of Michigan.
In keeping with society’s goal of preserving historical images, the MHSD’s image portal, featuring photos and details of many historic vessels, is now online at www.marinehistorydetroit.historyit.com

The Society has named an annual Historian of the Year since 1969. The award is voted on by past winners and honors those who have contributed significantly to the research, presentation or publication of Great Lakes ships and the shipping history.
Membership is $40 (U.S. and Canada). Join online at www.mhsd.org. To join or renew by mail, please print out the form in the gallery below.
MHSD

Cleveland Boatnerd Gathering Planned Sept. 6

Cleveland’s first annual Boatnerd get together will be at the Whiskey Island Still & Eatery in Cleveland on September 6 at noon. Join us for an informal gathering of food, fellowship and hopefully some boat watching as well. Meet your fellow area boat fans! Food will be ordered off the menu and table service provided by the staff of the restaurant, which is located adjacent to the historic C&P Dock, where the 1,000 footers unload.

Directions and info for the restaurant: https://www.whiskeyislandstillandeatery.net/

Bill Kloss

See “Captain Bob” September 11th

See “Captain Bob” former Captain of the Paul R Tregurtha, in Cheboygan next month for his speaking engagement, GREAT NEWS!! Due to his first show SELLING OUT in record time, they are adding a SECOND SHOW!! Same day but at 5:30pm so if you’re interested, head to the website shown at the bottom of the image (Open it up to see it full size) and grab tickets!! They are only $10 each!! Hurry before this show sells out as well!!
See Photo Gallery below

2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips

Your raffle ticket purchase supports the Great Lakes Historical Society and its National Museum of the Great Lakes whose mission is to preserve, share, and celebrate the past, present, and future of the Great Lakes story.
Details here:
https://nmgl.org/2025lolraffle/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMDBTFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFZUGV4UFMxNFFGYUpPbTZ2AR5OikAHiWMuo30CZrAqM9nuK93_xmmqYBsoAerabXJ3sBlZWNxpz7mZwoLuFw_aem_1pxrUONQfReTGS4dlnAgzg

Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released

When Patrick Devine found out, in the summer of 1975, that he was being moved over to the Edmund Fitzgerald as a relief deckhand he was on top on the world. He had gone from one of the oldest boats in the fleet to one of the newest and best. He was devastated when union rules forced him off that September. He had lost his dream job. Then came the sinking and its horrific aftermath. He hasn’t talked about his experience until recently, and he gave Know Your Ships an exclusive interview for the 2025 Know Your Ships EXTRA midsummer magazine, now on sale.

The magazine also includes an interview with Great Lakes top cook Sissy Payment. Find out her recipe for success and learn something surprising about her in the story.

EXTRA 2025 remembers the loss 50 years ago of the EDMUND FITZGERALD with four stories.

EXCLUSIVE! Meet Patrick Devine, who thought he had found his dream job when he signed on to the Fitz as a relief deckhand in June 1975.
Explore the Fitzgerald’s influence in popular culture: Music, art, literature and – yes – souvenirs.
Did you know there were two vessels named Fitzgerald on the Great Lakes, and both were lost in November storms? And yes, their namesakes were related.
Consider what might have been if the Fitz had not gone down.

ALSO

Check out the Great Lakes Lore Museum at Rogers City, MI, where sailors are in the spotlight.
Read about the William G. Mather, the ‘Ship That Built Cleveland,’ which turns 100 this year.
Litton on the Lakes: Find out how a group of California upstarts turned the Great Lakes shipping industry upside down in the 1970s with their fancy ideas about 1,000-footers.
Catch up with the latest Great Lakes/Seaway news.
Enjoy even more images from readers in the ongoing series FAN-TASTIC PHOTOS.

This is the third year for the Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine, which offers even more ship, sailor and industry stories, recent shipping news and many more of the stunning photos – current and historic – for which Know Your Ships has become known for the past 66 years. Please note that the Extra, which is a feature magazine, does not duplicate the vessel and fleet listings found in the regular Know Your Ships book.

Order at www.knowyourships.com

Boatnerd News – August 25, 2025

Aug 25, 2025

Repairs completed, Alpena fits out for the season

MONDAY UPDATE: Alpena was anchored off Cleveland Monday morning, likely for some adjustments after repairs to her low-pressure turbine.

ORIGINAL REPORT: Cleveland, Ohio – The steamer Alpena, sidelined by engine issues, sailed from Cleveland on Sunday. She headed for her namesake port to load cement. Repair work including rebuilding the 1942-vintage vessel’s low-pressure turbine.

Lost since 1913, wreck of James Carruthers located

The wreck of the steamer James Carruthers, lost in the Great Storm of November 1913, has been found. Diver and shipwreck hunter David Trotter, now 84, made the historic discovery.
Divers used 6 GoPros and 3 ROVs 190 feet down on the bottom of Lake Huron where it was 39 degrees.
“On a sunny, summer Sunday morning, perfect for being on the water, Trotter, skippered his 32-foot boat, the Obsession Too, to the 112-year-old shipwreck only he and handful of divers that work with him knew was there.
Trotter and a tight-knit crew of amateur explorers have spent decades on their days off looking for old vessels torn apart by violent weather and swallowed by the Great Lakes. By Trotter’s count, he’s found as many as a 100 of them.
“We do it for the sense of exploration, finding something that no one else knew where exactly it was,” Trotter said of the thrill that, for much of his life, has taken him to places many can’t imagine. “It’s a one-of-a-kind experience you just can’t duplicate.”
The 550-foot-long James Carruthers was a Canadian Great Lakes freighter built in 1913. The ship was owned by the St. Lawrence & Chicago Steam and Navigation Company of Toronto, Ontario, with the official registry number 131090. The vessel was lost November 9, 1913 on Lake Huron during the Great Lakes Storm of 1913. The crew of 22 perished with the vessel.
How the brand-new freighter sank, and how she came to be so far off course (she was bound for Georgian Bay) are mysteries.

Eric Seals, Detroit Free Press

Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

DETROIT, MI – You don’t have to live in the Motor City to join the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. Its focus includes all the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway as well as the ships and sailors keeping the economies of two countries moving.
The 81-year-old non-profit group is now accepting new memberships and membership renewals.
“The MHSD has plenty to offer anyone interested in and concerned with the history of the Great Lakes and its vibrant maritime heritage,” says long-time group President Roger LeLievre. “We have members across the U.S. and Canada and even overseas.”
Membership includes the monthly publication The Detroit Marine Historian, which offers a variety of articles exploring Great Lakes shipping past and present. It also includes an annual, full-color calendar featuring superb, often rare, photos of Great Lakes ships of the past.
Last year the group published the 300-page, hardcover book Ahoy & Farewell III, documenting the vessels built and those that left the lakes during the past 30 years. The book recently won an award for excellence from the Historical Society of Michigan.
In keeping with society’s goal of preserving historical images, the MHSD’s image portal, featuring photos and details of many historic vessels, is now online at www.marinehistorydetroit.historyit.com

The Society has named an annual Historian of the Year since 1969. The award is voted on by past winners and honors those who have contributed significantly to the research, presentation or publication of Great Lakes ships and the shipping history.
Membership is $40 (U.S. and Canada). Join online at www.mhsd.org. To join or renew by mail, please print out the form in the gallery below.
MHSD

Cleveland Boatnerd Gathering Planned Sept. 6

Cleveland’s first annual Boatnerd get together will be at the Whiskey Island Still & Eatery in Cleveland on September 6 at noon. Join us for an informal gathering of food, fellowship and hopefully some boat watching as well. Meet your fellow area boat fans! Food will be ordered off the menu and table service provided by the staff of the restaurant, which is located adjacent to the historic C&P Dock, where the 1,000 footers unload.

Directions and info for the restaurant: https://www.whiskeyislandstillandeatery.net/

Bill Kloss

See “Captain Bob” September 11th

See “Captain Bob” former Captain of the Paul R Tregurtha, in Cheboygan next month for his speaking engagement, GREAT NEWS!! Due to his first show SELLING OUT in record time, they are adding a SECOND SHOW!! Same day but at 5:30pm so if you’re interested, head to the website shown at the bottom of the image (Open it up to see it full size) and grab tickets!! They are only $10 each!! Hurry before this show sells out as well!!
See Photo Gallery below

2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips

Your raffle ticket purchase supports the Great Lakes Historical Society and its National Museum of the Great Lakes whose mission is to preserve, share, and celebrate the past, present, and future of the Great Lakes story.
Details here:
https://nmgl.org/2025lolraffle/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMDBTFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFZUGV4UFMxNFFGYUpPbTZ2AR5OikAHiWMuo30CZrAqM9nuK93_xmmqYBsoAerabXJ3sBlZWNxpz7mZwoLuFw_aem_1pxrUONQfReTGS4dlnAgzg

Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released

When Patrick Devine found out, in the summer of 1975, that he was being moved over to the Edmund Fitzgerald as a relief deckhand he was on top on the world. He had gone from one of the oldest boats in the fleet to one of the newest and best. He was devastated when union rules forced him off that September. He had lost his dream job. Then came the sinking and its horrific aftermath. He hasn’t talked about his experience until recently, and he gave Know Your Ships an exclusive interview for the 2025 Know Your Ships EXTRA midsummer magazine, now on sale.

The magazine also includes an interview with Great Lakes top cook Sissy Payment. Find out her recipe for success and learn something surprising about her in the story.

EXTRA 2025 remembers the loss 50 years ago of the EDMUND FITZGERALD with four stories.

EXCLUSIVE! Meet Patrick Devine, who thought he had found his dream job when he signed on to the Fitz as a relief deckhand in June 1975.
Explore the Fitzgerald’s influence in popular culture: Music, art, literature and – yes – souvenirs.
Did you know there were two vessels named Fitzgerald on the Great Lakes, and both were lost in November storms? And yes, their namesakes were related.
Consider what might have been if the Fitz had not gone down.

ALSO

Check out the Great Lakes Lore Museum at Rogers City, MI, where sailors are in the spotlight.
Read about the William G. Mather, the ‘Ship That Built Cleveland,’ which turns 100 this year.
Litton on the Lakes: Find out how a group of California upstarts turned the Great Lakes shipping industry upside down in the 1970s with their fancy ideas about 1,000-footers.
Catch up with the latest Great Lakes/Seaway news.
Enjoy even more images from readers in the ongoing series FAN-TASTIC PHOTOS.

This is the third year for the Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine, which offers even more ship, sailor and industry stories, recent shipping news and many more of the stunning photos – current and historic – for which Know Your Ships has become known for the past 66 years. Please note that the Extra, which is a feature magazine, does not duplicate the vessel and fleet listings found in the regular Know Your Ships book.

Order at www.knowyourships.com

Boatnerd News

UPDATE ON THAMESBORG AGROUND IN NORTHWEST PASSAGE

Historic WWII submarine USS Cobia heads to Sturgeon Bay

Annual Maritime Career Day Seeking Partners

Marine Historical Society of Detroit Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

See “Captain Bob” September 11th

2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips

Great Lakes visitor runs aground in the Northwest Passage

Seaway operating at less than 50% capacity, Siscoe says; marine industry stakeholders renew call for expanded CBSA services

Annual Maritime Career Day Seeking Partners

Marine Historical Society of Detroit Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

See “Captain Bob” September 11th

2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips

Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released

High Wind Warnings Keep Badger At Dock; Chi-Cheemaun May Not Sail

Heemskerkgracht Grounding Report Released

Lakes Limestone Trade Down in August

Fincantieri Adds 600 Shipyard Workers as U.S. Shipbuilding Renaissance Gains Steam

Annual Maritime Career Day Seeking Partners

Marine Historical Society of Detroit Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

Cleveland Boatnerd Gathering Planned Sept. 6

See “Captain Bob” September 11th

2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips

Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released

Annual Maritime Career Day Seeking Partners

Marine Historical Society of Detroit Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

Cleveland Boatnerd Gathering Planned Sept. 6

See “Captain Bob” September 11th

2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips

Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released

See Coast Guard team medevac a patient from American Century on Lake Superior

Federal Yoshino is officially Sold by FedNav

Marine Historical Society of Detroit Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

Cleveland Boatnerd Gathering Planned Sept. 6

See “Captain Bob” September 11th

2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips

Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released

BBC Tokyo heads for Great Lakes on maiden voyage

Sailors sorely needed in Michigan, US. Can Trump push help?

Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim completes 411-mile journey across Michigan

Davie Shipyard Begins Construction of Canada’s Flagship Polar Max Icebreaker

National Museum of the Great Lakes announces fall lecture series lineup

Marine Historical Society of Detroit Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

Cleveland Boatnerd Gathering Planned Sept. 6

See “Captain Bob” September 11th

2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips

Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released

Final Report on 2023 Cuyahoga Fire Released

Tanker Fure Ven Joins Algoma/Furetank Fleet

Marine Historical Society of Detroit Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

Cleveland Boatnerd Gathering Planned Sept. 6

See “Captain Bob” September 11th

2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips

Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released

Cobia Museum Sub Tow Set for Thursday Morning

Marine Historical Society of Detroit Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

Cleveland Boatnerd Gathering Planned Sept. 6

See “Captain Bob” September 11th

2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips

Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released

Cobia Museum Sub Tow Set for Thursday Morning

Polsteam Adds 2 New Vessels To Laker-Class Fleet

Federal Yoshino Sold, Renamed BH Ocean

Marine Historical Society of Detroit Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

Cleveland Boatnerd Gathering Planned Sept. 6

See “Captain Bob” September 11th

2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips

Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released

Repairs completed, Alpena fits out for the season

Lost since 1913, wreck of James Carruthers located

Marine Historical Society of Detroit Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

Cleveland Boatnerd Gathering Planned Sept. 6

See “Captain Bob” September 11th

2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips

Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released

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Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals

Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals