1873
1873: On 15 January 1873, A. Muir began building a wooden 3-mast schooner (“full sized canaller”) at his shipyard in Port Huron. Fourteen men were employed to work on her, including master builder James Perry. The schooner was to be the exact counterpart of the GROTON, the first vessel built at that yard. The vessel’s dimensions were 138-foot keel, 145 foot overall, 26 foot 2 inches beam and 11 foot 6 inch depth.
1886
1886: On 15 January 1886, the tug KITTIE HAIGHT was sold to Mr. Fisken of Toronto for $3,900.
1917
1917: The ANN ARBOR NO 6 left Ecorse for Frankfort on her maiden voyage
1942
1942: CORNUCOPIA [built-1919 at Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company US-218057] departed New York on January 15, 1942, for St. John, New Brunswick. Nothing more was heard from her until a lifeboat containing bodies of four crewmen was found on January 24, 1942.
1958
1958: FORT YORK (Hull#160) was launched January 15, 1958, at Collingwood, Ontario, by Collingwood Shipyards, Ltd.
1978
1978: The upbound McKEE SONS, LEON FALK JR, WILLIAM P. SNYDER JR, A.H. FERBERT and CHAMPLAIN became stuck in heavy ice outside Cleveland Harbor. Eventually they were freed with the help of the U.S.C.G. icebreaker NORTHWIND and the U.S.C.G. MARIPOSA.
1986
1986: The former Greek freighter PAULINA C., a Seaway trader beginning in 1976, ran aground off the Dutch coast near Rotterdam as c) RIO GRANDE. It was refloated January 23 and became d) NEPTUNIA later in 1986. It arrived at Bombay, India, for scrapping on December 3, 1986.
1990
1990: The tanker MAYA FARBER came through the Seaway in 1981. It was anchored off Port Sudan as e) RAAD AL-BAKRY VIII when there was an explosion in a cargo tank. Fire broke out and the vessel was gutted. The hull later broke in two and the after end sank. The forebody was sold for scrap and arrived at Alang, India, for dismantling on March 28, 1990.
1997
The M/V PAUL R. TREGURTHA locked down through the Poe Lock at 7 a.m. on January 15, thus bringing to a close the 1996 shipping season through the Soo Locks. The TREGURTHA is carrying iron ore to Lorain, Ohio. After delivery of this cargo, the 1,013.5-foot-long self-unloader will proceed to her winter berth in Ashtabula, Ohio. Iron ore will continue to be loaded at Escanaba, Michigan, until the end of the month.
Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Brian Bernard, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Max Hanley, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series.
