Michigan teens deliver care packages to Great Lakes freighter crews

Two teenagers from mid-Michigan have delivered care packages to sailors on Great Lakes freighters again this season. Brendan Falkowski and Brock Johnson are both seniors in high school.

Last fall, the two started the SN Caring for our Sailors program, with a mission of putting together care packages for sailors on Great Lakes freighters. The project turned out to be a huge success. Care packages were sent to 29 ships and reached 565 sailors. The project was meant as a COVID relief project. They decided to do the project once again in their senior year due to the ongoing pandemic. This time it was expanded, with a goal of sending packages to 772 sailors on 41 ships.

The two received $1,380 in contributions from individual donors and Thrivent grants to pay for the items in the packages.

The boxes were filled with individual bags for each sailor, with a few snacks and treats to help boost morale onboard the ships. Delivery of the boxes could not have been done without the assistance of the J.W. Westcott Co. of Detroit, MI, and Soo Marine Supply of Sault Ste. Marie, MI. J.W. Westcott Co. delivered 24 boxes to passing ships bia the mailboat J.W. Westcott II, while Soo Marine Supply delivered 11 boxes to ships transiting the St. Marys River on their supply boat Ojibway. The remaining 6 boxes were sent through the mail.

“The Great Lakes region is filled with so many wonderful people, we are just happy to give back to the sailors.” said Brck Johnson. The project received an overwhelmingly positive response from those receiving the packages. “It means a lot to be able to give back to our community and the sailors that ply the inland seas,” Falkowski, director of the project, added.  “They sacrifice so much to be out there transporting our essential cargoes to keep our economy moving. Many are away from their homes and families during the holiday season so these care packages are a way for us to show them how much their work is appreciated and that there are some people on shore looking out for them.”

Falkowski is from Bath, MI, and plans to attend the University of Michigan’s Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering program following high school. Johnson is a student in Northview, MI, and plans to go into business and law after college. The duo were introduced over email, and their friendship has grown over a passion for Great Lakes ships

MacArthur Lock closed for the season

Sault Ste. Marie, MI – The MacArthur Lock closed for the season at 7 a.m. Wednesday. During the winter, various maintenance projects will be performed.

Seaway monthly traffic results released

View an image of the report below.

New double-ended ferry launched for Lake Erie

Designed by TAI Engineers, LLC and built in Houma, La. by Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors, LLC (TMC), the new ferry Carmen Lee is expected to enter service in early 2022 for a partnership between the Lorain Port Authority (LPA) and Kelleys Island Ferry Boat Line in Ohio. It can hold 149 passengers and 36 trucks and automobiles, providing service between Marblehead, Ohio and Kelleys Island, Ohio.

Similar to an existing Kelleys Island Ferry Boat Line ferry Shirley Irene already serving the route, the 168- by 45-foot Carmen Lee is specifically designed to operate on lakes, bays and sounds. The main deck is high-strength AH 36 steel to withstand tire loadings from up to 36 cars or equipment trucks in four lanes. The quad azimuthing drive ferry is equipped with four Caterpillar C18 propulsion engines 470 BHP at 1,800 RM, each driving Schottel SRP 150FP Z-drives using Twin Disc HPTO hydraulic clutches. This allows precision maneuvering in challenging Lake Erie approaches during harsh weather and provides propulsion redundancy, TAI said. The vessel has two Onan 40 kW marine gensets.

Carmen Lee has been built to conform (but not certified) to American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) standards and is inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard. It has a steel hull and deckhouse design and is compliant with USCG 46 CFR Subchapter T regulations.

TAI noted it was selected in a competitive procurement by LPA in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to provide naval architecture and marine engineering services for the design and specification of this ferry. TAI also provided professional support for the competitive procurement of a shipyard to build the  vessel.

“TAI Engineers and S&B Infrastructure are proud to utilize our marine engineering expertise to help improve transportation, mobility and accessibility for the Lorain Port Authority and Kelleys Island Ferry Boat Line,” said Danny Rios, President of S&B Infrastructure. “TAI’s marine capabilities, especially in passenger and automobile ferries, nicely complement S&B’s transportation and highway design capabilities.”

‘Viable entity’ interested in purchasing MS Norgoma

Sault Ste. Marie, ON – There may be a renewed interest in the MS Norgoma. City staff won’t say who is interested or what the vessel’s future purpose may be, but a “viable entity” has been looking at the potential to acquire the former museum ship.

Tom Vair, deputy commissioner of community development and enterprise services, said he can’t say more about the matter until January when city council is expected to receive a report on the matter. Vair said the party interested in the Norgoma is not local.

While the City of Sault Ste. Marie hasn’t been actively advertising the vessel for sale, Vair said the marine community is a tight one and word of mouth can go a long way. “People in the marine community know each other and word spreads,” he said.

The Norgoma remains docked, costing taxpayers $40 per day in docking fees. City council turned down a budget request earlier this week to pay the $325,000 in decommissioning fees to get rid of it. To date, docking fees have cost about $39,000.

The city thought it had an Owen Sound, Ont.,-based purchaser for the vessel, but that deal was nixed in November 2020 after Tobermory Real Estate Investors completed a feasibility study showing the relocation of the Norgoma could not be moved to Owen Sound without causing “significant and unacceptable disruption to the existing dockage arrangements” in that community.

Earlier that year, city council had approved the sale of the Norgoma to TREI at a cost of $2,500. That sale had several conditions, including making sure the ship could withstand the tow to Tobermory, and making sure it would have a home once it got there.

Vair said that based on that experience, the city now better understands the process required by Transport Canada to get permits and insurance to move the ship. “There was no issue with moving it, but it was a process and now we understand how to do that and we can assist with that process,” Vair said.

Any costs associated with moving the vessel would be borne by the purchaser.

The City of Sault Ste. Marie had acquired the Norgoma in 1975 and conveyed it to the St. Mary’s River Marine Heritage Centre in 1981 to allow the centre to continue to operate it as a museum ship and tourist attraction.

For many years, the Norgoma, which served as a ship museum in the city’s downtown waterfront, struggled to survive. Council pulled the plug on the Norgoma in 2019, arguing the St. Mary’s River Marine Heritage Centre breached its contact. The vessel was reconveyed to the city later that year and attempts have been made to sell it.

Sault Star

Tug W.N. Twolan headed for Canada’s East Coast

Toronto, ON – A veteran tug that has been laid up at Toronto for several years has found a new owner and a new lease on life. The W.N. Twolan has recently undergone a refit for new owner Halls Bay Marine Services Ltd., Springdale, Newfoundland. The tug was built by Geo, T. Davie & Sons, Lauzon, QC, in 1962. She was a familiar sight on the upper lakes in the 1990s pushing the barge McAllister 132 carrying paper products out of Thunder Bay.

Fire-gutted St. Clair towed from Toledo to Port Colborne for scrap

Toledo, OH – On Tuesday, the McKeil Marine tug Molly M 1 took the fire-damaged former American Steamship Co. self-unloader St. Clair from Toledo headed for the Marine Recycling Corp. scrapyard at Port Colborne, ON, where the vessel will be cut up.

St. Clair was launched July 24, 1975 at Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, WI. When hull # 714 slid down the ways, she was the largest vessel ever to be side launched, built at a cost of $24.3 million. The 770-foot-long vessel was built primarily to deliver western low sulfur coal from Superior, WI, to Detroit Edison’s Belle River power plant near St. Clair, MI.

On Sunday, Feb. 16, 2019, a devastating fire swept through St. Clair while she was docked in Toledo, OH, for winter layup. The fire burned the length of the ship along the unloading belts and also destroyed the superstructure. No one was injured but the vessel was declared a total loss.

Ojibway retirement? Reports circulate on social media

Social media reports Tuesday indicate the 1952-built, straight-deck bulk carrier Ojibway will be retired at the end of the season. There has been no official announcement by owner Rand Logistics, however crewmembers report they have been informed of the decision. The vessel, which was repowered in 2005, is operated by Lower Lakes Towing Co., and has been active in the grain trade. She will make one more trip to Hamilton, then back to Port Cartier and then lay up in Sarnia until further notice.

Wintry weather on upper lakes sends vessels to anchor

With gale and storm force winds blowing on all the upper lakes, a number of vessels went to anchor to wait out the weather.

Lake Michigan:  Bradshaw Mckee / St Marys Conquest had departed Charlevoix Sunday 20:15 and proceeded to Suttons Bay to anchor. With a westerly gale blowing most vessels were hugging the lee of the western shore Monday.

Lake Huron:  Kaye E Barker, Defiance / Ashtabula for Buffington, Sam Laud for Calcite and Calumet for Meldrum Bay were all anchored along the shore north of St Ignace. Algoma Harvester for Quebec City and Walter J McCarthy for Duluth Superior were anchored in the lower St Marys River north of DeTour. The tug Michigan and tanker barge Great Lakes for Green Bay were in the Sarnia anchorage.

Lake Superior: James R Barker for Two Harbors was anchored off of Bay Mills. Mesabi Miner for Duluth Superior was anchored in Goulais Bay. A number of vessels were taking the northshore route.

USCG Neah Bay saves woman from Detroit River

Detroit, MI – U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Neah Bay, normally homeported in Cleveland but moored at the Renaissance Center on the Detroit River Monday, came to rescue when crewmembers heard a faint cry for help from between the ship and the pier.
Crew spotted a woman who had fallen into the 41-degree water and immediately got a life ring to aher and got her out. Some crew gave first aid for minor injuries and hypothermia while others guided EMS and PD to the pier for safe transport to hospital.

Big celebration of LNG bunkering at Port of Quebec

Last Friday, Énergir (the main distributor of natural gas in Quebec), carried out the 100th liquefied natural gas (LNG) ship bunkering at the Port of Quebec. These 100 bunkers made it possible to supply five Desgagnés ships with LNG.

LNG export facilities receive natural gas by pipeline and liquefy the gas for transport on special ocean-going LNG ships or tankers. Most LNG is transported by tankers called LNG carriers in large, onboard, super-cooled (cryogenic) tanks. LNG is also transported in smaller International Organization for Standardization (ISO)-compliant containers that can be placed on ships and on trucks. At import terminals, LNG is offloaded from ships and is stored in cryogenic storage tanks before it is returned to its gaseous state or regasified. After regasification, the natural gas is transported by natural gas pipelines to natural gas-fired power plants, industrial facilities, and residential and commercial customers.

Port of Quebec

Tug Molly M 1 headed for Toledo, will tow St. Clair to scrapyard

McKeil Marine’s tig Molly M 1 was westbound in Lake Erie Saturday night headed for Toledo. It is expected she will be towing the fire-damaged St. Clair to the scrapyard at Port Colborne, ON. With a gale watch in effect from Monday morning through late Monday night, they probably won’t be in towing out the St. Clair until Tuesday at the earliest.

Lake Superior and Michigan-Huron declined by more than the average

Thunder Bay, ON – As a result of the drier than average weather and water supply conditions, the water levels of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron declined by more than the average amounts in November. Lake Superior outflows continue to be set in consideration of water levels upstream and downstream.

The Board expects the total outflow to be 1,700 m3/s (60.0 tcfs) in December, which is as prescribed by Lake Superior Regulation Plan 2012. The gate setting at the Compensating Works will be maintained at the setting equivalent to one half gate open (Gates #7 through #10 partially open 20 cm (7.9 in)). There will be no change to the setting of Gate #1, which supplies a flow of about 15 m3/s to the channel north of the Fishery Remedial Dike.

Weather and water supply conditions were a record low in the Lake Superior basin in November. As a result, Lake Superior declined 12 cm (4.7 in), while on average the lake declines 5 cm (2.0 in) in November. Weather and water supply conditions on Lake Michigan-Huron basin in November were well below-average, and as a result, Lake Michigan-Huron declined 13 cm (5.1 in) last month, while the average historical decline is 5 cm (2.0 in) in November. At the beginning of December, Lake Superior is 13 cm (5.1 in) below the long-term average water level (1918 – 2020) and 38 cm (15.0 in) below the level of a year ago. Lake Michigan-Huron is 34 cm (13.4 in) above average, 45 cm (17.7 in) below the level from last year, and 60 cm (23.6 in) below the record level set in 1986.

Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron water levels typically decline in December. Depending on the weather and water supply conditions during the next month, Lake Superior may decline by as much as 12 cm (4.7 in) in December. Lake Michigan-Huron water levels could decline by as much as 13 cm (5.1 in).

Lake Superior News

Coast Guard will ‘platoon’ icebreakers in Twin Ports

Duluth, MN ­– Stranded between its last and next Coast Guard cutters, Duluth-Superior will be reliant on a temporary plan for breaking ice in 2021-22. As the Twin Ports enters the winter season without a home-based icebreaker, the U.S. Coast Guard’s regional headquarters affirmed Wednesday the port would be covered.

“The icebreaking needs of Duluth-Superior will be met with a Coast Guard asset,” said Mark Gill, director of vessel traffic services based at the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

Cutters capable of breaking ice will be moved to Duluth-Superior in the weeks prior to season’s end Jan. 15, and again before the reopening of the Soo Locks at the start of the 2022-23 season around March 25, Gill said.

The Coast Guard plans to “platoon” different 140-foot cutters to maintain open water in the shipping channels, he added.

The Twin Ports is without a Coast Guard vessel since the cutter Alder departed for a year of maintenance in July preceding its move to the San Francisco Bay Area. “Obviously, the Alder’s absence is a concern to many people,” Gill said, describing meetings about icebreaking coverage last summer between local and regional Coast Guard leadership along with the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.

“We think we’ve accounted for all the contingencies, and all the things that can go bad,” Gill added. “We have a plan going forward.”

The Port Authority compared it to making the best of a difficult situation, with Executive Director Deb DeLuca saying, “We’re apprehensive about going into the winter without (Alder). But we’ve received every assurance from the U.S. Coast Guard that it will deliver sufficient, timely icebreaking support.”

DeLuca, in her statement to the newspaper, reiterated a need for greater icebreaking capacity on the Great Lakes, which rely on predictable icebreaking, she said.

“Platooning assets from elsewhere isn’t an ideal tactic, but those are the cards we’ve been dealt,” DeLuca said. “It definitely underscores the need for federal investment in modern, dependable icebreaking assets, and more of them.”

The Twin Ports can expect the arrival of the cutter Spar to home port in Duluth sometime in 2022, Gill said, replacing the Alder as the local buoy tender and part-time icebreaker Last December, the cutter Biscayne Bay filled in breaking ice in the Twin Ports while the Alder was on rest, its crew recovering from a long mission.

That’s what the Twin Ports can expect going forward for now, Gill said. In the event the U.S. Coast Guard cannot reach Duluth in a timely manner, the Canadian Coast Guard cutter Samuel Risley has been arranged to help.

“Will we leave an asset in Duluth over the winter? That will be a definite no,” Gill said, repeating a question he’s been asked a lot. “We have no plan to keep an icebreaker in Duluth-Superior over the period of (Soo) lock closure.”

The Soo Locks, located between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes on the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie, are closed for repair several weeks every winter. It’s a period of maintenance and repair for commercial lake freighters, too, which lay up in regional shipyards.

Until then, the goal is to push commercial vessel traffic through whatever the Great Lakes and Mother Nature have to offer. So far, it’s been clear sailing and Lake Superior remains warmer than normal.

“All signs point to an easier start to winter than a harder start,” Gill said. “I’d like to get us to (Soo) lock closure without hassles or delays.”

Gill cited the National Weather Service, binational ice services, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration when he said expectations so far were for a year similar to last year’s “substandard” ice formations, which featured some of the lowest ice coverage and thickness on record.

“They’re predicting something similar to last year,” Gill said. “I always put in the caveat that these are all models and subject to variations.”

In 2014-15, the Great Lakes featured “generational (ice) events,” of nearly full coverage of the lakes those years. A 20-hour mission to cross Lake Superior to Duluth took four days in 2014, Gill recalled, and there were major commercial disruptions from vessels stuck in the ice.

In 2014, the Coast Guard sent its 240-foot heavy icebreaker Mackinaw to Duluth-Superior. “We sent in a big breaker to establish the tracks,” Gill said. “Last winter, the conditions didn’t demand a Mackinaw presence.”

Mackinaw is not anticipated to be needed locally this winter, either, Gill said. Generally speaking, Mackinaw will spend its time on connecting waters between Great Lakes, in places like the St. Marys River, and the St. Clair River between lakes Huron and Erie.

“We keep the heavies in those areas,” Gill said. “Not to downplay any port, but the connecting waters are the interstates of the Great Lakes, and they generally create the highest priority.”

Local port facilities are akin to a county road or side street, Gill added, and generally require smaller cutters to maintain tracks.

Gill said the expectation was that the Duluth-Superior harbor would freeze over in typical fashion, and feature 100% coverage inside the harbors with 18-24 inches of ice.

It’s unclear how much of Lake Superior will freeze; last year’s peak came in February at 38.2% coverage, according to the Canadian Ice Service. As of Wednesday, NOAA had Lake Superior’s ice coverage barely registering at 0.1%.

Of course, the sudden arrival of a polar vortex could change everything. “I’m a pessimist at heart,” Gill said. “My job is to prepare for the worst and accept the good.”

View images at this link: https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/business/transportation/7296745-Coast-Guard-will-platoon-icebreakers-in-Twin-Ports

Corps of Engineers photo contest calendar available

We are pleased to announce that the 2022 downloadable calendar featuring the Top 12 photos from our 2021 Photo Contest is now available.

Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to everyone who participated. Download the calendar from our website: https://www.lre.usace.army.mil/Media/Photo-Contest/

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District

S.S. Milwaukee Clipper group seeks return of missing artifacts

Muskegon, MI – The SS Milwaukee Clipper Preservation group has issued the following statement:

To whom it may concern,
We are looking for some missing items from the SS Milwaukee Clipper (a National Historic Landmark). There have been a number of things stolen off the ship over the years and we are looking for them to be returned. We are happy to pay for the items if requested. We are looking for the following, but not limited to, the main steering wheel, the Juniata/Clipper bell, engine order telegraphs (2), pressure and other engine gauges, furniture and signs. We would appreciate the items back, as we are trying to restore the ship to her former glory and cannot do it without the items. No questions asked!

Please help us today if you have any tips. You can contact us by either calling us at 231-299-0784, or emailing us at milwaukeeclipper@gmail.com

We thank you for your time and support!
Brock Johnson
SS Milwaukee Clipper Preservation Inc.

MacArthur Lock closing for seasonal repair, maintenance

Sault Ste. Marie, MI –  The Soo Locks’ MacArthur Lock will close to marine traffic 7:00 a.m. Dec. 15, 2021 through 12:01 a.m. April 30, 2022 to perform critical maintenance.

The Poe Lock will remain open until 11:59 p.m. Jan. 15, 2022 or until commercial traffic ceases, whichever occurs first. The operating season is fixed by federal regulation and is driven in part by vessel operation ability in typical ice conditions.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District

Interlake’s new tug makes port at Ludington

Ludington, MI – After making the journey up the Atlantic Ocean and through the St. Lawrence Seaway, Interlake Logistics Solutions’ recently acquired vessel has arrived in its new home port of Ludington, Michigan.

A former U.S. Army tug, this ocean-going vessel is 128 feet long, weighs 500 tons and has a 19-foot draft.  A crew of seven mariners made the 16-day, 2,860-nautical mile transit which started on the East Coast. She departed Norfolk, Virginia on Nov. 14 and arrived in Ludington on Monday (Nov. 29).

“While we don’t have specific plans for how we will ultimately utilize her in our fleet just yet, the chance to purchase the LT-805 was a unique and exciting opportunity,” says Mark W. Barker, President of Interlake Maritime Services, which owns and operates Interlake Logistics Solutions. “We are always evaluating ways to expand our maritime capabilities and commercial fleet capacity to serve our customers on the Great Lakes. She is a great addition to our Interlake fleet.”

The LT-805 will undergo some vessel improvements and upgrades while she is  moored next to the SS Spartan.

Interlake Logistics Solutions

USS Silversides submarine provides space to recover for museum’s dedicated director

Muskegon, MI – The executive director of a longtime West Michigan museum is recovering from complications related to a hip replacement surgery inside her unique workplace. Peggy Maniates has been the executive director of the USS Silversides Museum in Muskegon for the last 5 years. She was temporarily set back in her abilities after suffering complications from a hip replacement surgery in July of 2020.

The USS Silversides was christened at Mare Island Navy Yard in Solano California on August 26, 1941. The fleet-type submarine was eventually moved to Muskegon on August 7, 1987. The vessel saw significant action during World War II, with over 20 confirmed sinkings.

Preserving the submarine’s rich history, including the stories of West Michiganders who served aboard, is what Peggy is most passionate about. Her surgery made the task increasingly difficult. “Things didn’t go quite right,” she told FOX 17 Tuesday. “And I suffered femoral nerve damage in my left leg, which made it very difficult for me to walk, and my leg would go out from underneath me without warning.”

She began the process of physical therapy at Mary Free Bed. “When someone comes in first session and says I’ve got a submarine, you know,” explained Mark Stevens, one of Peggy’s therapists at Mary Free Bed. “She’s got to be able to climb up and down this ladder, she needs to be able to step through hatches.”

Peggy was left spending much of her time at work either stuck in her office, or in some cases, using a donated wheelchair to get around the museum building next to the submarine. “One of the greatest things about being in a museum is telling those stories, and interacting with people and seeing how they react,” she said Tuesday. “And not being able to do that is very hard.”

During therapy sessions, Peggy and Mark would practice the movements that she would later need to navigate the submarine. “He had us measure the heights that I would have to be able to lift my leg, the angle of the ladder,” she recalled.

Eventually, they moved their sessions to the submarine itself. “Each goal, each step she’s had, we’ve gone through and we’ve achieved a new goal, made a new goal,” Mark said.

Slowly, but surely, the act of climbing through a narrow hatch below deck wasn’t something she had to carefully calculate at every inch, and started to become muscle memory once again.

Peggy says, “Going through a whole period of time where you think your world is going to be extremely limited, and having those opportunities open back up, is absolutely amazing.”

Fox 17

Marine News report for December 2021 (World Ship Society)

​Vessels with Great Lakes / Seaway connection reported as a casualty or sold for demolition, taken from December 2021 issue of Marine News – Journal of the World Ship Society:

Casualty:
Lisa Auerbach (9388900) (Finesse-18, Beluga Finesse-11 – 1st seaway passage 2010) 9,611 / 2008 – Liberian flag general cargo ship owned by Auerbauch Shipping 5 UG, Germany, was in a collision while anchored with My An I (9060728) 4.988 / 1994, which later sank in South China Sea; while the Lisa Auerbach later sailed for repairs

Sold for Demolition:
NABIHA I (8701935; Guyana) (Kenan Mete-21, Youmna-Y-13, Kopalnia Halemba-12 – 1st seaway transit 1998) 8.897 / 1990 – bulk carrier. By Blodwen Marine SA (RoyalMar Shipping & Ship Management Co Ltd (RoyalMar Denizcilik ve Gemi Isletmeciligi Ltd Sti), Marshall Islands, to Sadaf Enterprises, MS, Pakistan and arrived Gadani Beach 20.08.2021 – commenced demolition 20.08.2021

PARSA (8914776; Turkey) (Jo Palm-09 – 1st seaway transit 1995) 4,988 / 1991 – chemical tanker. By Beykim Petrolculuk Gemi Isletmeciligi Sanayi ve Ticaret AS (Beycar Denizcilik Gemi Kiralama Turizm Nakliyat Petrolculuk Ticaret AS) Turkey, to Kiran Shipbreaking Co., India and arrived Alang 28.08.2021 – commenced demolition 4.09.2021

Report prepared by Barry Andersen and René Beauchamp

New address for BoatNerd donations

Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping Online Inc., the nonprofit organization that operates the BoatNerd website and vessel tracking service, has a new mailing address to accept donations. The change was made after one of our longtime volunteers decided to start spending winters in another (warmer) state. Maintaining the old address would have required seasonal address changes each spring and fall. The new address can be maintained year-round.

Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping Online is a 501c(3) non-profit organization incorporated and registered in Michigan. Our primary purpose is to enhance the general public’s knowledge of maritime commercial operations and history on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. To that end, we operate the BoatNerd website and vessel tracking service.  In pre-pandemic times, we also sponsored multiple ship-watching gatherings and day cruises around the lakes, and hope to resume those soon.

Monetary donations are greatly appreciated and can be made via check (in US funds) made out to Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping Online, Inc.  and sent to:

Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping Online, Inc.
PO Box 304
Paris, MI 49338

Monetary donations are also accepted via PayPal at the DONATE link on the BoatNerd home page. Please note that PayPal deducts a nominal processing fee from all donations made via PayPal.

American Queen, Victory Cruise Lines rebrand as American Queen Voyages

Effective immediately, American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruises have merged under one brand, American Queen Voyages. The two Victory Cruises ships, frequent Great Lakes and Seaway visitors, will be renamed as part of the rebrand.

“Through a decade of transformation, American Queen Voyages has surged from the great American rivers to include lakes, ocean, and expedition experiences,” said Shawn Bierdz, president of American Queen Voyages. “Today, we are American Queen Voyages and embrace this simple but important expression – Discovery Runs Deep.”

The rebrand makes it easier for travel advisors to communicate the value of the company, Kari Tarnowski, senior vice president of marketing and sales for American Queen Voyages, told Travel Market Report. “What we had seen before was that travel advisors might spend a lot of time on one brand, and not talk about the other brand or talk about it as an afterthought.”

With American Queen Voyages, advisors can more easily convey the breadth of offerings and destinations that the company offers, she added.

American Queen Voyages comprises three distinct product offerings: American Queen Voyages River, American Queen Voyages Lakes & Ocean, and American Queen Voyages Expedition, which includes the line’s new Alaska and Central America expedition sailings starting in 2022. All offer the same all-inclusive experience American Queen Steamboat Company has long been known for.

American Queen Voyages River}Led by the line’s namesake boat, American Queen, the cruise line’s river fleet also includes American Duchess, both on the Mississippi River, American Empress sailing the Pacific Northwest, and American Countess, which debuted this past March, which sails the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee rivers.

American Queen Voyages Lakes & Ocean
Formerly Victory Cruise Lines, Lakes & Ocean comprises Ocean Voyager and Ocean Navigator (previously Victory I and Victory II). The ships sail to Canada, the Great Lakes, New England and the Eastern Seabourn, and Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula.

American Queen Voyages Expedition
Launching in summer 2022 with the newly-built 186-passenger Ocean Victory, American Queen Voyages Expedition branch will operate in Alaska on 12- and 13-day journeys. It will be joined in 2023 by the Ocean Discoverer. The ship will feature kayaks and Zodiacs, expedition leaders, and sliding observation platforms.

Travelmarket

Popular Burlington canal piers to be gated, closed even as cities try to negotiate public access

Burlington, ON – Transport Canada will use gates to close the popular Burlington shipping canal piers to pedestrians in December even as neighboring cities negotiate to preserve public access.

The federal agency angered local residents last year by threatening to ban the public from the pair of 321-metre-long piers that usher ships into Hamilton Harbour and serve as popular walking paths into the lake as well as popular vantiage points for ship photographers. Public pressure and advocacy from former MP Bob Bratina spurred a closure “pause” last year to allow talks with Burlington and Hamilton.

But residents watched nervously this month as three new swing gates were installed to block entrance to the piers from the waterfront trail. Transport Canada confirmed it will begin “restricting access” ahead of winter conditions, but added future recreational use is still up for negotiation.

Gates have been installed on both sides of the shipping canal piers near the lift bridge, which will cut off access for walkers and fishers.

“Our biggest fear is that if they don’t reach an agreement, they will close them completely,” said Matt Francis, an east-end resident who organized a Save Our Pier! group last year. “Hopefully we’ve demonstrated to (Transport Canada) that we won’t stand for that.”

Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger said Friday cities on both sides of the canal would consider taking responsibility for pier maintenance and controlling access in dangerous weather — if the federal government first pays to make the crumbling concrete safe.

That could cost anywhere from hundreds of thousands of dollars to the low millions.

“We certainly expect that the federal government will make those investments,” said Eisenberger. “I imagine it’s not a small investment, but certainly not in the tens of millions of dollars, either.”

New Hamilton East-Stoney Creek Liberal MP Chad Collins said he will “absolutely” lobby for federally funded repairs to the piers. “I think at this point both (levels of government) want the same thing,” he said. “We want to maintain public use and we want those users to be safe.”

Hamilton Spectator

Legislation looks to improve maritime conditions in Michigan

Manistee County, MI – Legislation aimed at improving maritime commerce in Michigan could benefit lakeside communities like Manistee, according to the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jack O’Malley (R) Lake Ann.

House Bill 5291 would establish a Port Facility Improvement Grant program for the expansion and creation of public and private ports within the state. It also creates the Maritime and Port Facility Improvement office within the Michigan Department of Transportation — devoting a specific office to Great Lakes commerce.

O’Malley chairs the House Transportation Committee. The second-term legislator underscored the need to focus on maritime activities, just as the state does for roads, bridges, aviation and railways.

Appropriations would still be needed to address the grant process, but O’Malley maintains that establishing a framework for the program is a necessary first step.

“Michigan really does nothing to support its maritime community,” O’Malley told the News Advocate. “When you look at the amount that the other states are doing: Ohio is cleaning our clocks. Billions of dollars are going to Toledo and Cleveland because Michigan just hasn’t supported things.”

Michigan has around 36 ports in operation, but Great Lakes freighters often arrive at ports in places like Wisconsin and Ohio, which have similar legislation already in place, according to O’Malley.

“We’ve all heard and seen the Tim Allen Pure Michigan commercial where he talks about sitting on the shore watching the Great Lakes freighters slide by. The problem is that boat doesn’t stop in Michigan. It’s going to Duluth, it’s going to Milwaukee, it’s going to Chicago, it’s going to Cleveland — it’s going somewhere else. They really don’t stop anywhere in Michigan,” O’Malley said.

“Michigan is basically considered passive in our assistance to the maritime and shipping community in the Great Lakes region. We’re the last to the table and we’ve got to change that,” he continued.

While Great Lakes freighters still arrive at cities like Manistee and Ludington, O’Malley said that creating a new maritime office and grant program would open up state and federal funding for local port authorities to improve their facilities.

In particular, O’Malley highlighted a port in Muskegon which he said is “a good sized port” that could still “grow a lot.”

“What that means is a port facility could ask for a grant that could then be used as the local portion of paying down to a match with a federal grant (and) it would open us way up to federal monies and other grant processes that we don’t have access to right now because there’s no money to back them,” O’Malley said. “So it would be a grant process and … Manistee, Muskegon, Ludington if they wanted to build up their port facilities, this grant would help them do it.”

Port officials who spoke in support of the bill when it was under consideration in the House Transportation Committee, said the legislation was needed to make the state a water transportation hub. This includes Kyle Burleson, director of operations at the Detroit-Wayne County Port Authority and Paul LaMarre III, Port of Monroe director, according to a press release from O’Malley’s office.

“When (the bill) was in the House, and we had testimony on it, no one spoke in opposition — everybody was in favor,” O’Malley said. “That includes every chamber of commerce from around the state (and) the port associations.”

The bill passed Nov. 10 in the Michigan House of Representatives by a vote of 94 to 11, and has gone to the state senate transportation committee for consideration. If passed, O’Malley said that places could start applying for grants to build or improve their ports within a year.

“We are the Great Lakes State, let’s utilize it and let’s get some of those freighters stopping in Michigan,” he said.

Manistee News Advocate
Red more and view photos at this link: https://www.manisteenews.com/local-news/article/Legislation-looks-to-improve-maritime-conditions-16653562.php

Great Lakes’ warming has wintertime domino effect

Chicago, IL – Winter is just around the corner, but experts say the Great Lakes haven’t gotten the message. After summer and fall evenings that failed to cool sufficiently, surface temperatures in the massive bodies of water are trending above average, the Chicago Tribune reported. It’s an example of climate change.

“What was kind of jarring was the consistency of the warmer-than-normal conditions,” state climatologist Trent Ford said. “And the lack of cool nights.”

Blame states boasting Great Lakes shorelines. Minnesota and Wisconsin recorded their third-hottest Junes in history. New York had one of its hottest summers. Lake Huron set a record when it reached nearly 74 F (22 C) in late August.

Illinois brought the heat, too. The state’s minimum average temperature for July through October was the highest ever next to 2016, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration records dating to 1895. The average October temperature set a record at 8 degrees above average. The disruption in expected seasonal temperatures produces a domino effect.

A hard frost was delayed until the last week of October, Ford said. Allergy season seemed longer. Bugs had an extended biting season. Ford was picking backyard tomatoes far into October. It continues throughout the calendar. Illinois’ most pronounced warming has occurred in winter — minimum temperatures have warmed by more than 3 degrees.

That stretches out warmer water temperatures, which can produce more lake effect snow, according to Ford. Snow slows with the arrival of ice, which itself is delayed by warmer water.

Ice can diminish the damage of coastal erosion. And warmer water, even at depths found in the Great Lakes, pose challenges by welcoming invasive species and generating harmful algae blooms.

The Associated Press

New address for BoatNerd donations

Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping Online Inc., the nonprofit organization that operates the BoatNerd website and vessel tracking service, has a new mailing address to accept donations. The change was made after one of our longtime volunteers decided to start spending winters in another (warmer) state. Maintaining the old address would have required seasonal address changes each spring and fall. The new address can be maintained year-round.

Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping Online is a 501c(3) non-profit organization incorporated and registered in Michigan. Our primary purpose is to enhance the general public’s knowledge of maritime commercial operations and history on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. To that end, we operate the BoatNerd website and vessel tracking service.  In pre-pandemic times, we also sponsored multiple ship-watching gatherings and day cruises around the lakes, and hope to resume those soon.

Monetary donations are greatly appreciated and can be made via check (in US funds) made out to Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping Online, Inc.  and sent to:

Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping Online, Inc.

PO Box 304

Paris, MI 49338

Monetary donations are also accepted via PayPal at the DONATE link on the BoatNerd home page. Please note that PayPal deducts a nominal processing fee from all donations made via PayPal.

                                     Braving the Waves” completes Fall 2021 Lecture Series

WHAT: Fall Lecture Series: Braving the Waves: Life-Saving Service
on the Shipwreck Coast
WHEN: Wednesday, December 1, 2021; 7 – 8:30 pm
WHERE: National Museum of the Great Lakes 1701 Front St., Toledo, OH 43605 OR, online via Zoom
ADMISSION: FREE (Donations encouraged and can be given upon registration.) Registration required at: nmgl.eventbrite.com or nmgl.org/events

On Wednesday, December 1, at 7 p.m., the National Museum of the Great Lakes (NMGL) will present the final lecture in their annual fall series titled Braving the Waves: Life-Saving Service on the Shipwreck Coast. The presentation features Bruce Lynn, Executive Director of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, and will explore the stories of the ‘Storm Warriors’ along the desolate shoreline between Whitefish Point and Pictured Rocks to shed light on a little-known chapter of Great Lakes history.

As in the previous lectures, the National Museum of the Great Lakes will offer this presentation as a hybrid event using Zoom with one noted difference—the presenter will be delivering the lecture virtually. Individuals wishing to participate in person may come to the museum for a watch party and be a part of the live-streamed question and answer session following the presentation.

The lecture is free to all, but registration is required. Participants can choose when registering to take part in person at the museum or online via Zoom. Donations are encouraged and can be given upon registration. For more information on this lecture or to register to join the event, visit nmgl.org.

US Navy’s 25th Littoral Combat Ship christened in namesake city

Marinette, WI – Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 25, the future USS Marinette, completed its next milestone when ship sponsor, the Hon. Jennifer Granholm christened the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine on the bow of LCS 25 in a ceremony at Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisconsin. Prior to the christening, the Lockheed Martin-led team launched the ship into the water on Oct. 31, 2020. LCS 25 is slated to begin acceptance trials next year.

The christening celebrates a major milestone in the life of the future USS Marinette (LCS 25) and marks a significant event in the history of the nation’s 25th Littoral Combat Ship (LCS 25). The future USS Marinette will be the first commissioned U.S. Navy combatant ship to bear the name. The ship’s name honors the city’s significant contribution to Navy shipbuilding. Shipbuilding has been part of the fabric of the Marinette community since 1942. Since that time, more than 1,500 vessels have been produced in the city. Marinette is also home to the Freedom-Variant Littoral Combat Ship.

Naval News

Last Toronto bridge section leaves Halifax

Beverly M 1 tug left Halifax Friday morning (11.26.21) with the 4th (and final) Cherry Street South Bridge from Halifax to Toronto on barge Glovertown Spirit. The bridge was rolled out 11.15.21 at the builders, Cherubini Metal Works. This is the final bridge under the current contract. It will follow the same route as the other bridges, travelling from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, to Toronto via the St. Lawrence Seaway. In total, four new bridges will connect downtown Toronto to the future Villiers Island, the new island that will be created by extending the Don River through the Port Lands. The first of these bridges arrived in Toronto in November 2020; the second one arrived in May 2021; the third – August 2021. Two of the bridges will sit at Cherry Street North, with one bridge dedicated to cars, bikes, and pedestrians, and the other for public transit. A third bridge will sit at Commissioners Street, and the fourth will be at Cherry Street South.

Janey Anderson