1865
1865: ELIZA LOGAN [Built-1855 US-7312 by Bejamin B. Jones at Buffalo, New York] First enrollment issued at Buffalo, NY, October 16, 1855. Remeasured, Buffalo, NY, March 8, 1865 (128 x 28 x 10.5; 264.82 gross). Rebuilt at Bailey Brothers’ shipyard, Toledo, OH; tonnage change, Toledo, OH, July 7, 1871 (260.84 gross. Foundered sixteen miles off Erie, PA, Lake Erie, on October 19, 1871; two lives lost.
1873
1873: BALTIC [Built-1847 US-310044 by Bidwell & Barta at Buffalo, New York. First enrollment issued at Buffalo, NY, on January 25, 1847. Converted to barge at Detroit, MI, August 15, 1865 (224 x 30.16 x 12.16; 618.05 gross. Foundered off Long Point, Lake Erie, on October 1, 1872, along with barge ADRIATIC, in tow of tug WILLIAM A. MOORE. Final enrollment surrendered at Detroit, MI, on March 8, 1873.
1876
1876: MARQUETTE [BUILT-1869 US-90142 by James M. Jones at Detroit, Michigan] First enrollment issued at Detroit, MI, October 21, 1869. Final enrollment surrendered at Cleveland, OH, March 8, 1876, and endorsed \”abandoned.\”
1876: PEERLESS [Built-1872 US-20470 by Ira Lafrinnier at Cleveland, Ohio. Renamed: MUSKEGON 1907 US-20470] First enrollment issued at Chicago, IL, July 3, 1872.Name changed to MUSKEGON, Grand Haven, MI, September 6, 1907. Tonnage change, Chicago, IL, January 21, 1875 (1202.56 gross). Tonnage change, Chicago, IL, March 8, 1876 (1199.50 gross – 913.70 net). Tonnage change, Grand Haven, MI, August 14, 1908 (941 gross – 655 net. Burned to a total loss, Michigan City, IN, October 6, 1910.
1880
1880: UNION [Built-1863 US-25095 at Sacketts Harbor, New York. Renamed: FLOATING BETHEL 1880 US-25095] First enrollment issued at Sacketts Harbor, NY, September 29, 1863. Remeasured, Sandusky, OH, May 5, 1865 (64.58 x 16.66 x 6; 37.77 gross). Final enrollment reportedly transferred from Sandusky, OH, to Cleveland, OH, March 8, 1880, but a change of owners was not recorded there. Vessel was sold to Reverend John David Jones for conversion to a floating mission in Cleveland, OH. Ultimate disposition unknown.
1882
1882: On 8 March 1882, the tug WINSLOW left Manistee to tow the NORTHERN QUEEN to Marine City for repairs. NORTHERN QUEEN had collided with LAKE ERIE the previous autumn and then sank while trying to enter Manistique harbor. Robert Holland purchased the wreck of NORTHERN QUEEN after that incident.
1892
1892: March 8, 1910 – A fire from unknown causes destroyed the ANN ARBOR NO. 1 of 1892. The hull was sold to Love Construction Co., of Muskegon, Michigan.
1913
1913: M & M [Built-1890 US-92242 at Menekaunee, Wisconsin. Renamed: APOLLO 1903 US-92242] First enrollment issued at Marquette, MI, October 16, 1890.Name changed at Grand Haven, MI, August 23, 1903. Enrollment surrendered at Grand Haven, MI, January 10, 1902, endorsed \”Abandoned.\” New enrollment issued at Grand Haven, MI, June 23, 1902, endorsed \”rebuilt.\” Tonnage change, Grand Haven, MI, August 23, 1903 (83 gross – 56 net. Final enrollment surrendered at Grand Haven, MI, March 8, 1913, endorsed \”abandoned.\”
1930
1930: EUGENE P. THOMAS (Hull#184) was launched March 8, 1930, at Toledo, Ohio by Toledo Shipbuilding Co., for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co..
1937
1937: DELIA {Built-1907 Germany by Wood, Skinner & Co. LTD at Newcastle-on-Tyne, Great Britain. Renamed DELIA 1921 UK-145292] Foundered by Trepassey Bay, Newfoundland, March 8, 1937.
1937: CAROLINA [Built-1877 US-125595 by John Roach & Sons at Wilmington, Delaware. Renamed: CAROLINA 1894 C-101261, MURRAY BAY 1913 C-101261 and CAPE DIAMOND 1921 C-101261] Tonnage change, 1888 (977 gross – 831 net). Canadian measures, 1894 (251 x 34 x 7.75; 969 gross – 610 registered). Replated in 1904. As CAPE DIAMOND register closed at Montreal, Quebec, on March 8, 1937, but vessel was scrapped prior to that date. Dropped from Lloyd’s Register in 1933
1950
CHIPPEWA PARK [Built-1943 C-174791 by George T. Davie Shipbuilding & Repair LTD at Lauzun, Canada. Renamed: ARGOBEC 1946 C-174791, and RAHIOTIS 1959-Greece] Built as \”North Sands\” type dry cargo vessel: delivered on August 2, 1943. Transferred from Canadian to British registry on March 8, 1950. Tonage change, 1946 (7138 gross – 4297 net). Tonnage change, 1965 (7174 gross – 4297 net). Sold to Peoples’ Republic of China for scrapping. Departed Singapore on July 1, 1967 and arrived at Shanghai prior to July 15, 1967.
1963
1963: SC-1032 [Built-1943 US-Navy by Peterson Boat Works at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Renamed: Air Raven (WAVR-456) 1945 US-USCG and SHEILA 1952 US-256167] Rig – Submarine Chaser Commissioned on February 18, 1943. Transferred to U.S.C.G. on November 29, 1945. Documented as fishing craft in 1952 (107.33 x 18.16 x 9.25; 121 gross – 26 net. Stranded off Glendon Beach, OR, March 8, 1963. Final document surrendered in April, 1964
1968
1968: WHITESHELL PARK [Built-1944 C-175376 by United Shipyards LTD at Montreal, Canada. Renamed: FIR HILL 1950 UK-175276 and UNIVERSAL TRADER 1964 UK-175376] Launched as FORT BEAUHARNOIS. Built as \”North Sands\” type dry cargo vessel; delivered on April 21, 1944. Sold to Japanese shipbreakers; arrived at Hirao, Japan, on March 8, 1968, for scrapping
1973
1973: FORT SANDUSKY (HMCS) Built-1945 C-Navy by United Ship Yards LTD at Montreal, Canada. Renamed: FORT SANDUSKY (HMS) 1949 C-Navy and FORT SANDUSKY (HMCS) 1972-C-Navy] Delivered on August 1, 1945, as Stores Issuing Ship (Ammunition). Returned by British Admiralty to Canada, 1972. Sold to Varela Davalillo and arrived at Castellon prior to February 19, 1973, for scrapping, having departed Rosyth in tow on January 24, 1973. Demolition began on March 8, 1973.
1973: OTCO NEW YORK [Built-1947 US-253117 by Platzer Boat Works at Houston, Texas. Renamed: CALTEX RIAU 1957-Panama, ESTRELITTA 1959-Panama, and DORIDE 1963-Italy] Tonnage change, 1957 (1968 gross – 1373 net). Tonnage change, 1963 (2124 gross – 1132 net. Declared a constructive total loss after stranding, March 8, 1973, about a mile east of Savudrija Point, on voyage Trieste for Ravenna. Sold to Brodospas on \”as is\” basis for raising and scrapping at Split, Yugoslavia.
1981
1981: MEZADA of the Zim Israel Line first came to the Great Lakes in 1966 after it had been lengthened to 676 feet. The vessel had been built in 1960 and foundered after breaking in two about 100 miles east of Bermuda on March 8, 1981. The 19,247 gross ton bulk carrier was traveling from Haifa to Baltimore with a cargo of potash and 24 lives were lost while only 11 sailors were rescued.
2018
2018: Louis “Skip” Meier, 67, a long-time member of the Marine Historical Society of Detroit’s advisory council and former president of the group, passed away Thursday, March 8, 2018 after a battle with cancer. He was voted the group’s Historian of the Year (along with co-author Wayne Garrett) in 2009 for his work writing and editing the group’s definitive book “The Great Lakes Engineering Works: The Shipyard And Its Vessels.” He also wrote numerous in-depth fleet histories for the group’s newsletter The Detroit Marine Historian, was instrumental in selecting photos for the group’s annual calendar and was part of the team of authors who compiled the books “Ahoy & Farewell” and “Ahoy & Farewell II.”
2022
2022: The National Transportation Safety Board’s public docket has released some information on the Roger Blough fire. It’s not a report, but some drawings and interviews as part of the investigation into the fire that occurred last year at Sturgeon Bay.
2022
2022: Sturgeon Bay, WI – A $27 million dollar yacht built in 2013 at Palmer Johnson is making news. The “Lady M” is owned by Alexey Mordasov, Russia’s richest man, who was sanctioned by the European Union this past week following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It was seized last week by Italian police in the port of Imperia, in northern Italy.
2025
2025: The Polish Steamship Co. (Polsteam) has welcomed another new vessel to its Laker-class fleet of ships, Polsteam Rudno (IMO 9984821), built in 2025, registered in Portugal. She is the sixth of 12 vessels being built at the Shanhaiguan Shipyard in Qinhungdao (Hebei Province) in China as part of the Dalian Shipbuilding Industry (DSIC) Group. The new vessels are all 37,000 DWT and 199.99 meters in length and 23.700 meters in width. or 656 feet in length and 78 feet in width.
Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, “Ahoy & Farewell II” and the “Great Lakes Ships We Remember” series
