Fire-damaged vessel to head for Thunder Bay

4 PM FRIDAY UPDATE: Radcliffe R. Latimer departed her anchorage Friday morning for Thunder Bay under her own power, not under tow as had previously been reported. The Purvis Marine tug Wilfred M. Cohenis escorting her.

SAULT STE. MARIE, ON – The Algoma Central self-unloader Radcliffe R. Latimer, which has been anchored in the upper St. Marys River since experiencing an engine room fire on Monday evening, will be towed to Thunder Bay. Her AIS has been updated to show that destination.
   No information has been released about what tugs will handle the tow, however Purvis Marine’s Wilfred M. Cohen has been standing by the vessel since the fire. It is also unknown if the Latiner will undergo repairs at Thunder Bay.
   The Latimer has a cargo of petroleum coke loaded at Superior Midwest Energy Terminal Aug. 10 and was bound for Port Daniel, QC, when the fire broke out.

A whaleback rests on the bottom in Thunder Bay
National Marine Sanctuary

The Alpena News
Jeffrey D. Brasie
Special to the News

ALPENA — Research from Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary revealed the steel-hulled, whaleback freighter SS Choctaw is cataloged as one of region’s numerous sunken vessels.
   Named after the Southern United States Native American tribe, the 267-foot boat was launched in 1892. The freighter displayed a distinctive bow and slanted or rounded whaleback decks to the waterline. All of Choctaw’s cabins were located on the stern.
   With a 900-horsepower steam engine, the freighter could accommodate a total capacity nearing 3,100 tons. Typically, the freighter’s upbound cargo was coal to fuel mining operations with downbound cargo being iron ore.
   During Choctaw’s operational years, the freighter experienced a series of mishaps. In 1893 a cylinder head exploded, scalding two crew members to death. Three years later, in 1896, the freighter collided with the larger steel freighter L.C. Waldo. The Choctaw sank and underwent emergency repairs returning to Cleveland for full re-fitting and repair.
   In 1900 the freighter ran aground near Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario. Then, in 1902, near Marquette, the Choctaw was lifted up by massive waves and hit a rock formation which caused the freighter to partially sink.
   Choctaw’s final voyage occurred in July 1915 when the freighter was upbound on Lake Huron with a load of coal destined for Marquette. Downbound from Fort William, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) with a cargo of wheat headed for Montreal, was the Canadian Steamship Lines freighter, Wahcondah.   
   On July 11th, at approximately 4:30 a.m., in a dense fog near the shorelines of Presque Isle and Middle Island, the Wahcondah captain and those in the pilot house saw the Choctaw. The order was given to reverse engines. Regretfully, the two ships were meters apart and the Canadian freighter sliced into Choctaw’s port side.
   Choctaw’s captain ordered the crew to lower lifeboats. However, the crew was unable to approach the lifeboats. In less than 17 minutes the freighter sank into 300 feet of Lake Huron waters.
    The Wahcondah was able to rescue the captain and all 22 crew members and arrive in Sarnia, Ontario.
   A subsequent judge’s review of testimonies and records found both freighter captains and crews were at fault.
   Choctaw’s insurance claim, in dollars at that time, was $80,200 for the freighter and $80,000 for the cargo.
   Over the past 15-plus years numerous expeditions were conducted to find Choctaw.
   In July 2017, using recently developed technology, joint efforts by Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, and other parties located the Choctaw and 448-foot freighter Ohio off the Presque Isle shores.
   The Choctaw rests on the starboard side, nearly upside down.
   A summary document of the findings revealed, “The upper level of her stern cabins broke away when she sank, leaving only the weather deck level cabins intact. The wreckage of her pilothouse lies beside her hull. The entire bow, including the section between the first and the second hatch where the collision occurred, is completely buried and only the last three of her seven cargo hatches remain exposed. There is a sizeable debris field surrounding her wreck, with most of the visible artifacts located near her stern.”
   For more information on the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, its museum (Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center), the 200-plus regional shipwrecks, seasonal glass bottom boat tours, educational programs, and research, visit www.thunderbay.noaa.gov or call 989-884-6200.
   For more about whalebacks in the Great Lakes, see the upcoming Northern Lifestyles story in Saturday’s edition of The Alpena News.

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

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