Volume 25, No 6, Nov / Dec 2004

LORE
LAKE
MARINE SOCIETY
Incorporated in the State of Michigan October 21, 1963
[email protected]
Vol. XXV, No.6
Terry Doyon (Editor)
272 Elgin St.
Sarnia, ON, N7T 5B6
Membership (annual) - $12.00 (U.S.) $18.00 (Can. funds)
Send to: L.H.L. Port Huron Museum, 1115 6th St.,
Port Huron, MI 48060 - 5346. Phone (810) 982-0891
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
President
V. President
Secretary
Treasurer
November / December, 2004
- Fred Miller
- Paul Schmitt
- Dick Wicklund
- Theresa Miller
DIRECTORS
Ray Bawal Jr.
John Coulter
Terry Doyon
T. J. Gaffney
Gareth McNabb
Gene Buel (Hon. Advisory Director)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Our third Dinner / Entertainment Meeting of 2004, a joint meeting with our friends of the Marine Historical
Society of Detroit, was held at 6 pm, Saturday, September 18th at the Port Huron Museum. The guest speaker of
the evening was Jim Luke of Marysville, MI who presented an excellent program entitled Growing .Up With Bill
Luke, a touching and interesting account of Jim's father, the late Great Lakes Historian William J. Luke. As
always, a raffle was held during the evening with prizes being awarded to the following: Gene Buel won Alan
Mann's book St. Clair River - Canadian Shoreline, donated by Dick Wicklund; Frank Ross and Matt Augugliare
both won a copy of Historical Lake Vessels, donated by Marine Historical Society of Detroit; Rev. Peter Van der
Linden won a video entitled Great Lakes Workhorses, donated by Dick Wicklund; Dovis Lloyd won a video
entitled Titans Clash, also donated by Dick Wicklund; David Buslawski won a color photo of the EDMUND
FITZGERALD donated by Fred Miller; Jim Gallant also won a Fred Miller color photo of the ACM tanker
ALGOFAX; Dick Wicklund won a Fred Miller color photo of the JOHN G. MUNSON; Doug Schilz won a
HAMMOND BAY hat donated by George Lee, and also a book entitled Capt. Richard Metz - Sea Stories, donated
by Dick Wicklund; David Figgs won a book donated by Rev. Peter Van der Linden entitled Shipwrecks of the
Great Lakes, and lastly, Bob Blain won a book, also donated by Rev. Van der Linden, entitled Memories of the
Lakes.
Mark Your Calendar - Our fourth & final Dinner / Entertainment Meeting of 2004, which will also be a joint
meeting with our friends from the M.H.S. of Detroit, will be held at the Port Huron Museum on Saturday,
December 4th. The doors of the Museum will be opened at 6:00 pm and the dinner, prepared by The Museum
Guild, will be served at 6:30. The cost is $13.00 (US funds) per person with checks or money orders made payable
to Lake Huron Lore Marine Society and received by the closing date of . The evening's entertainment program,
presented by Ken Niemi of Port Huron is entitled The Reiss Fleet, an account of the famous Great Lakes shipping
company. As usual, a raffle will be held providing our guests with a chance to win some interesting nautical prizes.
Please join us for an entertaining and enjoyable evening.
Marine Flea Market - On Saturday, December 4th, the annual Great Lakes Maritime Institute Marine Mart will be
held at the Casino on Belle Isle from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Casino is not a gambling establishment but used
as a meeting point for individuals and groups. It is located in full view of the shipping channel near the entrance of
the island, just east of the Scott Fountain. The Marine Mart features dealers selling books, photographs, postcards,
artwork and artifacts. For more information call (313) 852-4051 on Saturday & Sunday from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.
During the week you can call (313) 297-8366 during normal business hours.
Membership Renewal - We had an excellent response to our Early Membership Renewal campaign. The L.H.L.
Board of Directors would like to offer their appreciation to those who sent in an early remittance. For those of you
who have yet to renew, please remit $12.00 (U.S. funds), or $18.00 (Canadian funds), payable to L.H.L. Marine
Society, to Theresa Miller, LHL Marine Society, 5250 Robinwood Dr., North Street, MI, 48049. Kindly bear in
mind, your continued support of our Society is highly desired and appreciated. Please disregard the enclosed
renewal slip if you have already renewed your membership.
*** NAME THIS SHIP ***
* See Answer of Page 5 *
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NAUTICAL NEWS
Shivwrecks Remembered 2004
An excellent exhibition of shipwreck displays, exhibitors and presentations is scheduled to take place at Port
Huron's McMorran Place from 2:30 to 9:30 pm on Saturday, November 20, 2004. This event includes static
displays of museums, marine memorabilia, dive shops, authors, and marine artists. Author Chris Kohl will
debut his new book. Shipwreck Tales of the Great Lakes. Shipwreck survivors Dennis Hale (D.J. MORRELL)
and Frank Mays (CARL D. BRADLEY) will be on hand to autograph their books. Shows include WWII Polish
Destroyer - ORP GROM by Mirek Standowicz, Shipwrecks of Lake Erie - Infamy and Mystery by G. & M.
Wachter, Lost Legends of the Lakes by marine artist Robert McGreevy, The WINDIATE Project by Joyce
Hayward, Shipwreck Tales of the Great Lakes by Chris Kohl & Joan Forsberg and DUNDERBERG - A "High
Seas" Murder? by Out of the Blue Productions. For ticket information, you can contact Out of the Blue
Productions, 4658 S. Lakeshore, Lexington, MI, 48450 or visit website www.greatlakes.net/-divelog
or call
(810) 359-8660.
From The Files By Cy Hudson
10 Years Ago ... (1994)
Nov. 9 - The 1963 built 52 ft. tug JASON A. KADINGER, owned by Kadinger Marine services, Inc. of
Milwaukee, sank in Lake Michigan, some seven miles off Fort Sheridan, WI. The U.S. Coast Guard at
Milwaukee received a distress call from the KADINGER so a helicopter was dispatched from Glenview Naval
Air Station. The helicopter was able to rescue the tug's Master and two crew members as they clung to their
sinking craft. The tug was later raised and returned to service. Also, on this same day, while up-bound in the St.
Clair River, the Russian-flagged salty AMIRAL USHAKOV lost power near the Bluewater Bridge and struck the
seawall along the Thomas Edison Parkway in Port Huron just south of the Bridge. The ADMIRAL USHAKOV
escaped with only scrapes along her hull; however, 150 ft. of the seawall suffered extensive damage.
Nov. 24 - Another Russian-flagged salty had problems in the St. Clair River. The FASTOV lost her steerage
when she was up-bound en route to Green Bay, WI. The vessel struck the Shell Oil fuel dock at Corunna, ON,
causing an estimated $500,000 damage to the dock facilities. Fortunately there were no injuries or
environmental damage as the dock's fuel lines were not ruptured. The FASTOV anchored on the U.S. side of the
river for a few hours and then resumed her voyage to Green Bay where the U.S. Coast Guard conducted an
investigation of the accident. The Shell Oil fuel dock was able to continue operating despite the heavy damages.
Dec. 8 - The Port Huron Times-Herald announced that, at precisely 10:20 am, the tunnel-boring machine
Excalibore punched a hole through a concrete wall, completing the second St. Clair River train tunnel between
Sarnia and Port Huron. This capped 13 months of tunneling at a cost of $200 million.
Dec. 9 - Up-bound in the Detroit River, bound for Sarnia and winter lay-up at the Government Dock, were the
Norfolk & Southern tugs F.A. JOHNSON and R.G. CASSIDY. Both of these tugs were used to push railroad carferries between Detroit and Windsor, with the service being discontinued on May 1, 1994. Later that year, both
tugs were sold to a Canadian company, West Bay Developments Inc. of Thunder Bay, ON.
Dec. 12 - The tug MENASHA (1), which was acquired by Don Gordon (Sarnia) in 1972, was down-bound in the
WeIland Canal after she had been sold to new owners, Montreal Boatmen Ltd. The MENASHA's new duties in
Montreal would include transporting marine personnel, pilots, ship inspectors, etc, to vessels in the area.
Dec. 19 - At the WeIland Canal, the last up-bound ocean vessel was the Cypriot-flag MARINIK G, bound for
Toledo, OH.
Dec. 20 - Departing Toledo was Lakes Shipping's SAMUEL MATHER (7), under tow of Gaelic Tugboat
Company's GAELIC CHALLENGE and PATRICIA HOEY (2), bound for Port Maitland to be dismantled by
Recycling & Salvaging Ltd. The MATHER had been idle in Toledo since June 23, 1989. Built in 1924 at Lorain,
OH by American Shipbuilding Co. (Hull # 768) for the Ford Motor Company, the bulk carrier was named a)
HENRY FORD II. The vessel was converted to a self-unloader in 1974 by her builder at the Lorain yard. In
1989, she was renamed b) SAMUEL MATHER (7) when purchased by Lakes Shipping of Cleveland, OH
(Interlake S/S, Mgr.), though she never sailed in those colors.
-3-
Dec. 21 - The l.W. Westcott Co. completed its 121st season of operation when Fleet Captain Samuel Buchanan
piloted the little mailboat J. W. WESTCOTT II alongside the Greek registered TRIAS, which was down-bound
below the Ambassador Bridge. The TRIAS was the former Liberian-flagged, 1977 Korean-built bulk carrier
FEDERAL SCHELDE which had been sold by Fednav the previous month to the Greek ship-owner, Tomazos
Shipping Co. Ltd., Piraeus, Greece, and time-chartered back to Fednav.
Dec. 26 - The last ocean-going vessel to transit the WeIland Canal was the Maltese-registered MALINSKA,
down-bound with a cargo of canola seed, loaded in Thunder Bay and bound for Turkey.
Dec. 30 - One of the longest shipping seasons in recent memory, owing to unusually mild weather, allowed the
WeIland Canal to remain open for shipping later than normal. The tanker SATURN and the tug C. WEST PETE
both made up-bound transits in the WeIland Canal, the last of the 1994 season. The C. WEST PETE was towing
the small vessel LOIS T which had recently been purchased by Nadro Marine Services Ltd. of Port Dover, ON.
Nadro planned to convert the small vessel to a dive ship at Port Dover.
15 Years Ago ... (1989)
November and December of 1989 were quite a contrast from the same two months in 1994 which had enjoyed
mild temperatures. November of 1989 was a month of high winds which contributed to one of the roughest,
stormy periods for shipping, creating a large backlog of ships when they had to tie up at various ports around
the Lakes unable to sail. The following month of December saw temperatures dropping drastically, setting
record lows and causing ice to form along the entire seaway. This type of climate had not been seen since the
fall of 1976.
Nov. 11 - The DRUMMOND ISLANDER III, the new Drummond Island to Detour passenger and auto ferry,
entered service. Ceremonies to dedicate the new ferry were held two days later.
Nov. 30 - The 160th Anniversary of the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway took place at Lock 3 of the
WeIland Canal at 10:00 am, with David Mackenzie, director of the WeIland Canal Foundation, the St. Lawrence
Seaway Authority and the MN VANDOC assisting in the ceremonies.
Dec. 4 - The U.S. Coast Guard buoy tender MESQUITE (WLB-305), a veteran of lake service which was built
in 1943 by the Marine Iron & Shipbuilding Co. at Duluth, grounded on Pinnacle Rock some three quarters of a
mile off Keweenaw Point in Lake Superior. At the time of the incident, the 180 ft. tender, based in Charlevoix,
MI, was attempting to replace the Pinnacle Rock summer buoy with a winter marker. Waves were three to six
feet high with southerly winds at twelve knots and visibility at ten miles. The MESQUITE was stranded in
seventeen feet of water, solidly lodged on the rocky bottom, with hull damage and a flooded engine room.
Three of the fifty-three crew members received minor injuries. Rescue helicopters were sent to the scene from
Traverse City along with the cutters ACACIA, KATMAI BAY & MOBILE BAY and the tug ANGLIAN LADY.
Some four hours later, the MESQUITE's Commander, Lt. Com. l.R. Lynch, decided to abandon the stricken
vessel. He and his crew were taken to Houghton, MI aboard the Indian-flagged freighter MANGAL DESAI,
which was the first vessel on the scene after responding to the MESQUITE's call for assistance.
Dec. 5 - The Panamanian-flagged salty ROSE ISLAND was the last ocean vessel to pass up the WeIland Canal.
She was in ballast, bound for Thunder Bay.
Dec. 13 - Heavy ice conditions in the Detroit River forced the l.W. Westcott Co. to close its 116th season of
service after a mail delivery and pilot transfer with the down-bound salty MARY ANNE was completed under
the Ambassador Bridge.
Dec. 14 - The U.S. Coast Guard reported that all salvage efforts on the buoy tender MESQUITE have been
suspended. The vessel lay with a 23-degree list to the port side and the entire hull was flooded. By December
17, all the equipment of value as well as 19,000 gallons of diesel fuel had been safely removed despite the
severe weather conditions.
Dec. 16 - The ocean vessel ROSE ISLAND was the last down-bound salty to clear the WeIland Canal. It was
loaded with a 10,000 ton cargo of screening pellets, loaded in Thunder Bay for delivery to a port in Cuba.
Dec. 19 - The COASTAL 1 departed Halifax, Nova Scotia in tow of the Soviet tug GIGANT, bound for a ship
breaker in Chittagong, Bangladesh, arriving there in March, 1990. The 12,638 GRT tanker, Hull # 148, was
built by Collingwood Shipyards at Collingwood, ON as a) B.A. PEERLESS for the British-American
Transportation Co. Ltd. of West Toronto. Sold in 1969 to Gulf Oil of Toronto, Canada, the tanker was renamed
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b) GULF CANADA. Under both of these names this ship was a regular visitor to our Bluewater area loading
cargos at the Sarnia refineries for delivery to ports around the upper Lakes. The GULF CANADA was again sold
in 1984 to Coastal Canada Marine Inc. of Shediak, New Brunswick and renamed c) COASTAL CANADA,
trading on the lower Lakes and East Coast, as well as the Caribbean during the winter of 1986. Late in 1989 she
was sold for demolition and renamed d) COASTAL 1, registered in Kingstown of Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines, for her final voyage to the scrapyard.
Dec. 21 - The last complete down-bound transit of the WeIland Canal was made by the SEA WAY QUEEN,
headed for winter lay-up in Toronto.
Dec. 23 - The Sarnia-bound tanker ENERCHEM A VANCE was the last vessel to transit up the WeIland Canal.
When this transit was completed, the McKeil tugs LAC COMO, LAC ERIE and PAUL E. No.1, which had been
chartered by the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority for the ice breaking work along the entire WeIland Canal, were
released from their duties and returned to Hamilton for the winter.
F.Y.I.
As of midnight, October 31st, 289 vessels requiring a pilot have passed up-bound through the Bluewater area
since the opening of the 2004 sailing season. The last vessel in this group was the VICTORIABORG, bound for
Green Bay, WI. This number includes salt water vessels and passenger ships, as well as some Canadianregistered tankers. Many of the ships are repeat visitors.
The Editor would like to thank Cy Hudson and Lakes Pilots Association Manager, Bill Wager
- At The Museum Item: Model of the yacht MAROLD II, built by Harry Carle.
This 129 ft. boat had a very interesting history. Built as LABELLE in New Jersey in 1911 for the automobilebuilding pioneer Alexander Winton, she also served as a sub-chaser during W.W.I. Following the war, she was
rebuilt as a ferry for the Charlevoix-Beaver Island run and could carry nine cars. In the fall of 1926, the 250 ft.,
1913-built tanker J. OSWALD BOYD ran aground on Simmons Reef near Beaver Island with 900,000 gallons of
gasoline aboard. Abandoned to the underwriters, she was visited by the islanders who helped themselves to the
free gas until salvage rights were purchased. The new owners contracted the owner of the MAROLD 11 to pump
off the remainder of fuel. On January 1, 1927, the MAROLD 11 was hard at work pumping the gasoline when
she was completely destroyed by a massive explosion. Her crew of five was lost and the hull of the MAROLD 11
was never found. Thanks to Fred Miller for supplying the information for this article.
Answer to Name This Shiv (P2.2)
GERMANIC (US 85991) Built in 1888 as Hull # 17 at West Bay City, MI by James Davidson. Overall
Dimensions: 216'- 0" lbp x 36'- 0" x 18'- 0". 1,131 GRT. First enrollment issued at Port Huron, MI, April 20,
1888. a) GERMANIC grounded at the head of Stag Island, St. Clair River on November 4, 1904 while upbound
with cargo of coal, in fog. The wooden-hulled vessel caught fire there on November 6, 1904 and burned to
water's edge. Final enrollment surrendered at Cleveland, OH, on December 21, 1904. The burned-out hull was
sold in 1908 to Manley Chew of Midland, ON for rebuilding. The wreck was rebuilt at Midland in 1908/ 1909,
renamed b) RELIEVER and her registration was changed to Canadian (C 122417).
Vessel caught fire and burned at Methodist Point, Georgian Bay on November 3, 1909. The ship was a total
loss. Register closed at Midland, ON, on March 23,1910.
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Bluewater Passages
By Dick Wicklund
* FINAL SAILINGS *
Did you ever sit or photograph along our Great Lakes and see a ship that would soon end its days of sailing? My
friend Bob Campbell and I have each had this experience, as some of you may have.
On November 9, 1974, the ROY A. JODREY, owned by Algoma Central Marine, passed under the Bluewater
Bridge. I had seen the JODREY many times so I was not going to take another photo of her. At the last minute, I
took a quick shot of her for the records, and not a very good one at that.
If only I had known that this was to be the JODREY's last passage under the Bridge. On November 21, 1974,
this nine-year old ship, built in Collingwood, ON in 1965, sank in the St. Lawrence River after hitting a shoal,
less than two weeks after I
had taken my "quick shot"
of her. Today she remains
on the bottom of the St.
Lawrence River in 200 feet
of water near the beautiful
Thousand
Islands.
Her
near-twin, ALGORAIL, still
sails, giving us a glimpse
of how the JODREY
looked.
* The ROY A. JODREY downbound at Port Huron on Nov. 9, 1974 - Dick Wicklund Photo *
Five years after I saw the JODREY for the last time, Bob Campbell saw the FRONTENAC (2) of Cleveland
Cliffs for what would be his last time. He photographed the 1923-built FRONTENAC from the Bluewater
Bridge on what was to be her last downbound trip
past Port Huron / Sarnia. On November 22, 1979,
after returning to the upper lakes, the ship ran hard
aground while approaching the dock at Silver Bay,
MN. The vessel was freed the following day and
proceeded under her own power to a dry-dock at
Superior, WI where she was declared a constructive
total loss. The FRONTENAC was sold to Fraser
Shipyards and was cut up for scrap metal over the
next few years. Her pilot house was removed and is
presently on display in front of the Lighthouse
museum at Two Harbors, MN.
We never know when we might be witnessing a final
sailing of one of our Lakers. The ROY A. JODREY &
FRONTENAC help to remind us to enjoy the ships as
they pass through our beautiful Bluewater area.
* The FRONTENAC on her last downbound trip at Port Huron,
November
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/79 - Bob Campbell Photo *
E
HIP
E
lUE
E
----------------~~-~------~-----------~-~--------------------* JOHN A. McGEAN *
This November marks the 91st anniversary of the Great Storm of 1913. As most readers know, vicious weather
lashed the Great Lakes region for several days, Lake Huron in particular, and numerous ships were wrecked or
lost.
Among the casualties was the JOHN A. McGEAN of the Pioneer Steamship Company. The vessel had been
built by the American Shipbuilding Co. and launched at Lorain, OH as Hull # 359 on February 22, 1908. The
452 foot long by 52 foot wide bulk carrier was registered at 5,100 gross tons and could carry 7,600 tons
deadweight.
The JOHN A. McGEAN was in her sixth year of service when she was lost. The vessel had a load of coal, a
cargo valued at $17,900, and passed Port Huron en route to Superior, WI at 0210 hours on November 9,1913.
A violent mix of winds, waves and snow battered the McGEAN as she headed up the lake and she only got as
far as Port Hope, MI before going to the bottom with the lives of all twenty-four sailors.
It must have been a terrifying trip as the hull was found nine miles out in the lake in 1985, at a depth of 190
feet. The ship was discovered to be upside down, minus a prop blade, the rudder bent out of position, the hatch
covers gone and much of the cargo had been spilled.
The JOHN A. McGEAN was insured for $240,000 and is shown below in a photo from the collection of the
Milwaukee Public Library.
* JOHN A. McGEAN - from the Milwaukee Public Library - Skip Gillham Collection *
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By D.R. (Doug) Schi Iz
([email protected])
* SUNNY BLOSSOM *
Built in 1986 by Minami-Nippon Zosen K.K., at Usuki, Japan as Hull # 578.
Length: 527' 7" Breadth: 74' 11" Depth: 39' 5"
11,598 GRT
M. Tanker
Main Engine -7,000 bhp B&W
Last year saw the return to the Lakes of a ship that had been a long-time visitor to this area. The tanker SUNNY
BLOSSOM has been docking in the Port Huron / Sarnia area since 1987. Unfortunately, she did not travel this
far last year as she made two trips that took her to Hamilton both times, another of her regular stops on the
Seaway. She delivered cargos of fertilizers and urea.
SUNNY BLOSSOM first visited the Seaway in 1987. She became a regular visitor to this area arriving with
cargos and leaving with different petroleum products. She was owned by Blackfin Shipping Ltd. and registered
in Panama. Her registry would later change to the Bahamas along with her ownership switching to Yellowfin
Shipping Co. Ltd. Her visits were uneventful, with trips to Sarnia, Corunna, Toledo, Hamilton and Bay City to
name a few. The year 1999 proved to be one the owners probably would have liked to forget. The vessel was
bound for Sarnia with a load of caustic soda on April 24 when she grounded in Lake Ontario below Cape
Vincent. She was finally freed on May 1 after lightering to the tanker DIAMOND STAR with the help of two
tugs. The SUNNY BLOSSOM ended up with
minimal damage as a result. Again, in the same
year, she grounded on July 16. This time it was
in the St. Lawrence River near Cornwall
Island, yet again bound for Sarnia with a load
of caustic soda, and was freed by two tugs on
July 18. That August, she made her final visit
to Sarnia. In May of 2000, the last time the
vessel visited the Lakes, she unfortunately
grounded in the St. Lawrence River off
Lancaster, Ontario while en route for Cornwall
with a load of caustic soda. The stricken tanker
was freed by two tugs and then proceeded to
Cornwall, unloaded her cargo and
eventually passed through Port Huron / Sarnia
* Hamilton, Onto on Aug. 22, 1992 - Roger Chapman Photo *
on her way to Marathon, Ontario.
In 1999, I heard rumours that the SUNNY BLOSSOM and her sister ship MOUNTAIN BLOSSOM were
probably going to be sold and not return to the Lakes again. This was due to different contracts and newer
tonnage coming into the ports-of-call that the SUNNY BLOSSOM normally visited. It was refreshing to see her
calling to ports on the Great Lakes again, and laying that rumour to rest.
Note: A correction to the Sept! Oct, 2004 REGINA OLDENDORFF article. "In 1999, she underwent a slight name change when she
was renamed Egon Oldendorff' should have read, "In 1999, the vessel's owners underwent a company name change to Egon
0ldendorff, and the REGINA OLDENDORFF's registry was transferred to Liberia."