Sault Ste. Marie celebrates Engineers Day at Soo Locks
SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – It’s been a tradition since 1975 in Sault Ste. Marie, opening up the historic Soo Locks to the public.
Engineers Day wrapped up Friday afternoon with thousands of people getting up close to the freighters. It is the only day of the year the interior of the Soo Locks is open to the public.
Visitors were able to see how the locks work as several freighters passed through during the event. There were also dozens of vendors at the park, as well as the City Hall grounds.
The Coast Guard also had their open house. One boat-nerd travelled from Minnesota to partake in the day’s events.
“It’s really cool to see everyone interested in it and no one is on their phones,” said Nick Stenstrup, a boat-nerd from St. Paul, Minnesota. “Where I am from, everyone is on their phones when they go to do something fun. The only time a phone is out here is when to take a picture of something that is really cool.”
It was a great day as five freighters locked through during the event.
9&10 News
10k enjoy up close look at the famous Soo Locks
SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – Despite gas prices pushing record highs, thousands of visitors descended on the famous Soo Locks Friday for the 28th annual Engineers Day offered by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
For just one day a year, the agency opens the gates to let visitors stroll across the MacArthur Lock to a grassy common between the Mac and the Poe Lock.
“It been busier than we thought it would be,” U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District Public Affairs Specialist Carrie Fox said. “We were anticipating between 8 and 10,000 people. It looks like attendance will be on the high side.”
Fox said the locks employ about 140 people, 90 of whom were on duty in red shirts to answer questions and steer visitors. The remaining 50 or so were running or supporting operations at the locks for regular ship traffic.
“We started Engineers Day in 1975, to mark two bicentennial anniversaries,” Fox said. “The US Army’s birthday is June 14, 1775, followed by the Army Corps of Engineers on June 16. Over the years we have settled on the last Friday of every June to mark the birthdays and welcome an up-close look at the locks.”
This year’s observance was the first full-fledged open house since 2019.
Fox thanked tourists who made the trek to the Sault, as well as the city and other agencies who pitched in to make it a banner day.
“The city closed Portage Avenue for vendors, the Coast Guard had an open house and demos, city hall hosted a craft fair, and LSSU showed off its new Center for Freshwater Research and Education,” said Fox. “Linda Hoath of the Sault Area Convention and Visitors Bureau deserves a big shout out for helping us organize and pull this off.”
Next year’s Engineers Day is June 30.
Read more and view photos at this Soo Leader link: https://www.sootoday.com/local-news/10k-enjoy-up-close-look-at-the-famous-soo-locks-70-photos-5517937?utm_source=SND&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=AutoPilot&fbclid=IwAR1-FF_QXIbuVgcZkvcGmbVpYEbVZ4qgdJJhrOfZdzhpf_FBdz1DP3xA8o4
Fincantieri Marinette Marine to build the third Constellation-Class Frigate
*FINCANTIERI PRESS RELEASE*
The US Navy announced it has exercised the option to have Fincantieri U.S. subsidiary, Marinette Marine (FMM), build the third Constellation-class guided-missile frigate, USS Chesapeake (FFG-64).
The option value stands at approximately 536 million dollars. This announcement follows last month’s successful design review of the first-in-class USS Constellation (FFG-62), which is nearing the start of construction.
The Constellation program was awarded to FMM in 2020, through a contract for the lead frigate and 9 option ships. The contract, including post-delivery availability support and crew training, has a cumulative value of 5.5 billion dollars. Under the same program, the U.S. Navy plans to build 10 additional vessels, for a total of 20 units.
Fincantieri succeeded in such a high-profile tender, distinguishing itself among several major U.S. shipyards thanks to a project considered as the most innovative and cutting-edge. The Group’s proposal is based on the FREMM frigate platform, globally recognized as the most technologically advanced, and the backbone of a 10-unit program for the Italian Navy which Fincantieri is currently completing.
Furthermore, the upgrade of Fincantieri US shipyards is nearly completed, enabling the subsidiary to build two frigates each year.
FMM is the spearhead of Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG), which controls two other shipyards also located in the Great Lakes (Wisconsin) – Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Fincantieri Ace Marine. The company serves commercial and government customers in the US. FMM is committed to the Littoral Combat Ships program for the US Navy and the Multi-Mission Surface Combatants (MMSC) program for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of the US Foreign Military Sales plan.
Naval News
