Great Lakes Now Offers Program About J.W. Westcott mailboat
Climb aboard while the J.W. Westcott company delivers mail and crew to passing freighters. Learn about what goes into piloting oceangoing cargo ships passing through the Great Lakes. And join us as we board one of the biggest freighters on the Great Lakes to see what’s cooking in the ship’s galley. It all airs on Detroit PBS Monday, October 28 at 7:30 PM ET.
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/freighters-on-the-move/
2 ships that collided, sank 170 years ago rest intact
on the bottom of Lake Huron
PRESQUE ISLE, MI – On a foggy night 170 years ago, two ships sailing on Lake Huron collided, causing fatal damage to both, records say.
On Oct. 20, 1854, the John J. Audubon was sailing north, headed for Chicago, with a load of iron railroad tracks, according to the NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The Defiance, carrying a load of corn and wheat, was sailing southbound. It was around 1:30 a.m. when Defiance emerged from the fog and darkness and struck Audubon’s midsection.
The collision cut a hole deep in Audubon’s hull, and it sank quickly, records say. Defiance was fatally damaged but struggled on before sinking a few miles away. Both crews survived.
Today, the wooden two-masted schooners rest intact and upright at the bottom of the Great Lake, records say. Audubon is under 170 feet of water at GPS coordinates N45°17.331′ W83°20.351′. Defiance is under 185 feet of water at GPS coordinates N45° 14.058′ W83° 16.707′.
Going down in 1854, the wrecks were part of the costliest season on the Great Lakes to date: 119 lives and 70 ships lost, plus $2 million in property losses, records say.
Find out more at this link: https://thunderbay.noaa.gov/shipwrecks/defiance.html
Behind the Scenes at the New Soo Locks
View a video here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQZoipueb5U
Gales of November 8-9
A great slate of presentations this year. Also a form to order a raffle ticket for a ride on the Edwin H. Gott. Help support Duluth’s Maritime Museum
See flyer below.
National Museum offers “Fitzgerald Experience 2024”
Toledo, OH – In honor of the 49th Anniversary of the loss of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald on November 10, 1975, the National Museum of the Great Lakes is offering a weekend of special tours. The Fitzgerald Experience is a guided tour of the Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship, using the lake freighter and its similarities to the Edmund Fitzgerald to discuss the events of November 10, 1975, theories about the sinking and stories about the 29 crew members who were lost. This tour is approximately 75 minutes long.
Tickets are $20 for members and $25 for non-members. Each tour will be limited to 8 people. Guests also receive a museum store discount of 10% (non-members) / 20% (members) off in-store purchases. Tours are offered every half hour from 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 9 and from noon – 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 10.
Your tour purchase includes admission to the National Museum of the Great Lakes.
Due to its historical accuracy, the Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship is not ADA accessible. Narrow, steep staircases are common throughout the Schoonmaker and may provide difficulties in accessibility for some.
The Schoonmaker is also not heated and much of the tour is on uncovered decks. We encourage you to dress appropriately for the weather. If we determine that the weather has made these tours impossible, we will provide a refund of the ticket price (minus fees). If the program is cancelled, we are not planning a make-up date.
You can process a refund (minus fees) and cancel your ticket up to 7 days before the event. Go here to buy tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-fitzgerald-experience-2024-tickets-1043046027747?aff=ebemoffollowpublishemail&ref=eemail&utm_campaign=following_published_event&utm_content=follow_notification&utm_medium=email&utm_source=eventbrite
