\\~LORE LAKE. May / June, 2007 MARINE SOCIETY. Incorporated in the State of Michigan October 21, Vol. XXVIII, No.

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1 \, LAKE MARINE SOCIETY \\~LORE Incorporated in the State of Michigan October 21, 1963 Vol. XXVIII, No.3 David Michelson (Editor) D. W. Seaton Dr. New Baltimore, Ml May / June, 2007 Membership (annual) - $12.00 (U.S. & Can. funds) Send to: L.H.L. Port Huron Museum, th S1., Port Huron, Ml Phone (810) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE DIRECTORS President - Fred Miller V. President - Paul Schmitt Secretary - Dick Wicklund Treasurer - Theresa Miller John Coulter Frank Frisk Gareth McNabb David Michelson Andrew Severson Gene Buel (HOD. Advisory Director) SOCIETY NEWS - ANNOUNCEMENTS Dinner MeetinJ! - This year's first dinner meeting held on March 31st, attended by more than 80, was a splendid success with a delicious dinner served by the Museum Guild. This was followed by the raffle and very entertaining and informative program on Great Lakes lighthouse restoration by our guest speaker Wayne Sapulski. The evening's raffle prize winners were: Matt Augugliaro, John Coulter, David Figgs, Jim Gallant, Jan Golder, Richard Golder, Paula Hendra, Darlene Hemden, John Hughes, Bob Jardine, Dick Lietzau, Jerry Lloyd, Bob Lowe, Louis Mrozowski, Pat Mrozowski, Bob Nicholas, and Frank Tabor. A special thank you is extended to the Museum Guild, all those who donated raffle prizes, and to Wayne Sapulski providing for fine program. Mark Your Calendar - Reminder that the second 2007 Dinner / Entertainment Meeting, which will be a joint meeting with our mends of the Marine Historical Society of Detroit, will be held at the Port Huron Museum on Saturday, May 12th. The Museum doors will open at 6:00 pm, and the dinner, prepared and offered by The Museum Guild, will be served at 6:30. Following the dinner, LHL Board member Gareth McNabb, will present the evening's program entitled The Life and Times of Russell Smryer. You should have received a special notice and dinner reservation form in the mail. Lake Huron Lore SprinJ! 2007 Maritime Speaker Series The following guest speakers are scheduled to present maritime entertainment evenings at the Great Lakes Maritime Center (Vantage Point), 51 Water St., Port Huron: 1) Saturday, May 18th at 7:00 pm - Skip Kadar will present "The Lighthouses of Michigan's Thumb" 2) Friday, June 8th at 7:00 pm - Gareth McNabb will give a repeat presentation of his program "The Life and Times of Russell Sawyer". 3) Friday, July 20th at 7:00pm - Alan Mann will present "My Love Affair With The St. Clair". Admission is rree and open to the public. Further details can be obtained by visiting the Lake Huron Lore website, Events, or by calling Acheson Ventures at (810)

2 Annual Marine Flea Market - Saturday, June 2nd from 9:00am to 4:00pm at the Port Huron Seaway Terminal. Vendors will be selling a wide variety of maritime-related items, including: books, photographs, artwork, artifacts and other memorabilia. New Board Member - Andrew Severson has accepted and was approved by the LHL Board of Directors to fulfill the recent vacancy of Terry Doyon. Special RecoJ!nition and Thanks - from the LHL Marine Society goes out to former long-time member Dixie Crevier who left in her will a generous donation of one thousand dollars to the Society for future programs and activities. Dixie along with her husband, the notable maritime artist Frank Crevier have been very generous to us over the years and will be missed. New Members - Douglas Abbott of Lakeport, MI; Heather Carmen of East China, MI; Peter Freeman of St. Clair, MI; Mike & Alicia Gottshcalk of Roseville, MI; Larry Grinder of Port Huron, MI; Robert Mattson of Port Huron, MI; Helen Rosbolt of Port Huron, MI; Rick Ryan of Warren, MI; Gordon Shaw of Thornhill, ON; Curt & Kate Standley of Marine City, MI; John Tongusi Jr. of Howell, MI; Mark Worpell of Canton, MI. *** NAME THIS SHIP *** * See Answer on Page 6 * Editor's Corner I am pleased to announce that Captain Dick Metz has offered to write articles on an occasional basis for our newsletter. Dick had a long career in the Great Lakes shipping industry working for Wilson Marine Transit company, Ford Motor Company, Incan Ships Ltd., Canada Steamship Lines, Paterson Steamships Ltd, Soo River Company and Parrish & Heimbecker. He is also an accomplished wreck diver especially around Isle Royale in Lake Superior. He is the author of his own book "Sea Stories" that is most enjoyable reading. Please join me in welcoming Capt. Metz! -2-

3 NAUTICAL NEWS From The Files By Cy Hudson 15 Years A May 7 The new Pelee Island ferry JIIMANN was christened at the Port Weller Dry Dock, her sponsor being Suzanne Pouliot, wife of the Ontario Transportation Minister, Gilles Pouliot. May 9 The tug BODE, ex TUSKER, cleared Samia towing the barge REMI, ex SCURRY, ex HUDSON TRANSPORT both with Nigerian crews. They had been purchased by Lawebod Co. of Lagos, Nigeria where it was planned for the pair to be used for bunkering service in that port. They were assisted on the down bound passage for Montreal by the Sandrin Brother's tug GLENADA, passing down the WeIland Canal on the 12th. The GLENADA left the tow in Montreal and was up bound on the 15th back to Sarnia. The BODE and REMI departed for their overseas delivery voyage on the 20th May. May 11 The fonner McQueen 96grt. tug ATOMIC built in 1945 by Russel Brothers Ltd. of Owen Sound, ON. which had recently been bought by McKeil Work Boats Ltd., of Hamilton, ON passed up bound in the WeIland Canal for the first time in McKeil colors. May 12 Upper Lakes Towing's self-unloader barge McKEE SONS, pushed by the tug OLIVE L. MOORE arrived in Detroit for the first time to unload a cargo of stone at the Detroit Bulk Dock in the Rouge River. May 23 The fonner Star Line Corporation of Mount Clemens, MI dinner-cruise boat STAR OF DETROIT, built in 1984, 162 ft. x 45 ft., cleared Port Lambton, ON for the Nicholson Dock in Detroit to be refitted and refurbished for further dinner-cruise service. She had been laid-up at Port Lambton since April, Her new owners, Webb Companies of Lexington, Kentucky renamed their new acquisition STAR OF CINCINNATI, to operate on the Ohio River at Cincinnati, OR. She sailed from Ecorse on June 6th and was down bound in the WeIland Canal on the 9th. Her delivery journey was expected to take two months, via the Atlantic, down to the Gulf of Mexico, then up the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. June 6 Ceremonies were held in Oswego, NY dedicating the fonner U.S. Anny Corps of Engineers tug NASH as a floating marine museum. 20 Years A May 1 The SEWELL A VERY which had been laid up at Superior, WI since September, 1981 was towed by the tugs, AVENGER IV and CHIPEWA to Sault Ste Marie, ON. She had been sold to A.B.McLean Ltd., for use as a dock facing and the tow arrived on May 4th. The A VERY was stripped of her after super structure, filled with slag from the Algoma Steel plant and sunk in the upper harbor on June 26, May 21 The fonner IMPERIAL SARNIA which had been sold in 1986 to Provmar Fuels Inc. of Hamilton, ON was renamed (b) PROVMAR TERMINAL 11 for use as a fuel storage vessel. She had been painted in Provmar's colors, with a black hull. White forecastle and cabins, and a turquoise stack with two narrow red bands and a wider white band. June 12 Marine Salvage's ship No , the fonner Ford Fleet's BENSON FORD (2) which had been used for a storage cargo of salt cake at Wharf 6, of the Ontario Paper plant at Thorold, ON departed under tow of the tugs TUSKER and GLENADA down bound in the Seaway, they arrived at Quebec City on June 1ih On August 11, in tandem tow with the T. W. ROBINSON by the Polish tug JANTAR the pair were bound for demolition in Recife, Brazil, and they arrived at their destination on September 22. The ocean going tug JANTAR 1225/58, 3150 bhp., made more than 20 transatlantic tows, usually tandems, and usually old Lakers, to scrap yards between 1966 and The JANTAR (translation; Amber) was scrapped herself in January, 1992 at Karachi, Pakistan. June 15 The fonner Cleveland Cliffs steamer WILLIAM P. SNYDER JR., a veteran of 75 years was towed by the tug THUNDER CAPE to Port Colborne, ON from Toledo, OH where the SNYDER had been laid up since December 14, The tow arrived two days later and with the assistance of the tug MICHAEL D. MISENER the WILLIAM P. SNYDER JR. was placed above the ARTHUR B. HOMER at the International Marine Salvage dock of Port Colborne, and demolition was started in early Fortunately most of the beautiful woodwork of her forward accommodations was salvaged for display at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum in Detroit. June 16 The pilot house from the Cleveland-Cliffs steamer FRONTENAC which had been scrapped by Fraser Shipyards at Superior, WI was placed on a barge and towed by Fraser Shipyard's tug, the 1912 built REUBEN JOHNSON to Agate Bay, Two Harbors, MN and arrived there the next day. The pilot house had been purchased by the Lake County Historical Society to be used as a museum near the lighthouse. -3-

4 Caught Through the Camera Lens of Russell E. Sawyer ~.J ",1,... " t Russell Sawyer had been able to get to the right place at the right time in many instances to capture historic events in the Port Huron area. The featured photo is certainly one of those examples. Forty years ago, Russell found the above view in the St. Clair River almost directly beneath the Blue Water Bridge on the morning of June 2, 1967 and was able to capture this excellent photo. There, the self-unloading steamer SYL VANIA was sunk, sitting in a precarious position on the steep underwater banle She was partially unloaded but still had several thousand tons of crushed limestone in her cargo holds. Miraculously, the dock lines were holding and the unloading boom was helping to balance the ship and keep her from overturning and sinking into deep water offshore. The ship would have been a total loss if this had happened. The swift current at that location undoubtedly was already beginning to undermine the river bottom near the ship. Salvage crews and equipment would soon be on the scene and work feverishly to get temporary repairs made and the ship refloated. More about the wreck of the SYL VANIA can found in the feature "Blue Water Shipwrecks" in this newsletter. The Peerless Cement Dock would receive cargoes of limestone by ships like the SYL VANIA at this dock for only a few more years. In just another decade the plant and dock would be gone and in its place would be the grounds of the Thomas Edison Inn and the public walkway along the rivers edge. It is hard to imagine that anything like this existed, but thanks to Russell we have great historical photographs such as this to give perspective to our rich maritime historical past.. -4-

5 Bluewater Passages PASSING THE LIGHT By Dick Wicklund Passing Fort Gratiot Lighthouse on a pleasant day in 2006 was the steamer CHARLES M. BEEGHLY. She was about to pass under the Blue Water Bridges, and enter the St. Clair River. However, what was different about the pictures taken was that they were taken from the light tower of Fort Gratiot, and not from the shore below. Author's Photo CHARLES M. BEEGHL Y downbound in Lake Huron passing the Fort Gratiot Light Author's Photo What a magnificent view! Then, to realize how few pictures have been taken from here, including ships passing the light. Under Coast Guard control, and except for an occasional guided tour, it seems only a few have been taken from the tower. Now, with the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse coming under the management of the Port Huron Museum, more photographic opportunities may await at this new vantage point. When the CHARLES M. BEEGHLY was new and sailing on its first voyages as the SHENANGO II in 1959, Fort Gratiot Lighthouse was 130 years old. Now at over 177 years old, how many types of vessels have passed the light? As Michigan's first and oldest lighthouse, it was established when canoes and sailing ships passed the light. This lighthouse was built in 1829, only 17 years after the War of 1812, and just 53 years after John Quincy Adams was president, with Andrew Jackson soon to be the next one in This was also eight years before Michigan became a state in 1837, and 28 years before Port Huron became a city in A variety of vessels must have passed Fort Gratiot Lighthouse! Canoes and sailing ships for sure, but 1829 would see early steamboats appearing on the Lakes. Thirteen years earlier, the first Canadian steamboat, FRONTENAC, was built on Lake Ontario. The first U.S. steamboat was built on Lake Erie in 1818, the paddle wheeled WALK IN-THE-WATER. So just over a decade before Fort Gratiot Lighthouse was built, the steamboat era had begun! -5-

6 Railroads were in their infancy in the 1820's, but canals were built and being planned. The famous Erie Canal was opened in 1825, connecting the Great Lakes at Buffalo with the Hudson River and New York City. In 1830 the Welland Canal was completed, taking ships around Niagara Falls. Soon more maritime commerce would be passing Fort Gratiot Light. Although the first steamer were side-wheeled with engine amid ship, their development was rapid, so that by 1840 travel on the Lakes was common. People immigrating to settle in the Great Lakes region, and beyond, made this possible. The demand for better ships brought the development of the "propeller" steamboat in These vessels with engine in the stem proved to be more efficient, with greater cargo capacity. These types of steamboats became the predecessors of ore carriers like the CHARLES M. BEEGHLY. Ships brought cargoes, travelers, and settlement to lake Huron and the St. Clair River region, and Fort Gratiot Lighthouse witnessed this early time. Famous people must have passed the light. One was an Illinois representative to the U.S. Congress traveling from Buffalo to Chicago on the side-wheel steamer GLOBE in September, On board passing up the St. Clair River, and the lighthouse, was Abraham Lincoln. This was nineteen years after the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse was built, and thirteen years before he became the sixteenth president! From then to now, Fort Gratiot Lighthouse has stood, and has seen our maritime history pass by. Not only on sunny pleasant days like when the BEEGHLY was down bound, but on storm tossed days, like November Maybe only a few pictures have been taken from the lighthouse tower, but years rich in history have passed the light! Answer to Name This Ship (P2. 2) HARVEY H. BROWN (bulk freighter) (Off. # US ) Built in 1908 at Ecorse, Michigan by Great Lakes Engineering Works as #40 as the HARRY A. BERWIND for the Mutual Steamship Co.(G. A. Tomlinson, Mgr.) Hull: Steel, Length: 556 ft. Width: 58 ft. Depth: 32 ft. Gross Tonnage: 6634 tons. Sold and renamed HARVEY H. BROWN in Part of the Interlake Steamship Fleet from 1930 to Sold Canadian to Hindman Transportation Co. Ltd. and renamed PARKER EVANS. Collided with and sank the SIDNEY E. SMITH JR. (2) on June 5, Renamed _MARLHILL in Sank in Atlantic Ocean 150 miles SE of Cape Charles, VA in 1982 while en route to Mexico for use a grain storage vessel. Photo from Ambassador Bridge, Detroit by Elmer Treolar. / editor's collection. New Book - TUGBOATS OF THE GREAT LAKES by Franz Von Riedel, Published by Iconografix, Inc., Hudson, WI ( To order, contact: Franz VonRiedel, P.O. Box 1668, Duluth, MN , $34.95 or ZenithTugboat@aol.com From the early days of commercial navigation on the waterways of the Great Lakes, tugboats have been needed to guide the ships in and out of the newly constructed ports. As the means of transportation progressed from wooden schooners to large steel steamships, the tugboat also grew in size. This book takes an in-depth look into the ancient practices of Great Lakes ice-breaking, ship-assistance and towing. At the turn ofthe century, the towing industry changed forever with the consolidation of fleets and the design of the low-profile powerful steam ship-docking tug. This "G- Tug" design has become known all around the world and these same SO-year old tugs are still the primary workhorse in most harbors on the Lakes today. Many other designs, unique to the fresh waters of the Great Lakes are profiled in this book. The severe climate of the Great Lakes region is brutal on the equipment and the tugs are built tough, for heavy ice breaking. A new class of powerful Coast Guard ice-breaking tugs came out in the 1940s. Today, many of these tugs survive in commercial service on the Lakes. The Lakes have always been home to a large fleet of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tugs. Additionally, U.S. Army auctions have brought many government-class tugs such as LT's, ST's, and DPC's to the Lakes in the hands of private and commercial operators. In the rivers that feed the busy port of Chicago and all throughout New York State on the Erie Canal, a rare species of tug can be found in the famous "canallers" which are also featured in this volume. -6-

7 One -At-A- Time, Please Consequences of the Collision and Sinking of the SIDNEY E. SMITH JR. Perhaps you have wondered while visiting the S1. Clair River at the Blue Water Bridges that ship traffic will only pass one direction at a time. Or if you have been visiting Vantage Point and noticed an up bound ship moving very slowly and patiently waiting for a down bound to pass. That is because the establishment of a one-way ship traffic zone in the River from the Black River up to Buoys 1 and 2 (that is the first set of buoys upstream from the Blue Water Bridges) in that stretch of river known for its swift currents and hazardous eddies. Also, the formal establishment of a traffic control center that closely monitors the ship traffic in this area. This came as a result of a ship collision and sinking in that stretch of river that occurred 35 years ago this June 5th The story begins on the evening of Sunday, June 4, 1972 with two fully-loaded ships plowing their respective ways. Both ships were enjoying a trip with fair weather, good visibility, light winds, and nearly calm seas. It was supposed to be an uneventful trip through familiar waters. One is the steamer PARKER EVANS down bound with a cargo of wheat loaded at Owen Sound, Ontario and destined for Montreal, Quebec. She is a venerable ship in her 65th season of operation and a little-known reputation for colliding with and sinking other ships. She was just a year old when she sank her first ship, the HENRY STEINBRENNER (1) in the St. Mary's River on December 6, Her second altercation came on October 18, 1951 just off downtown Port Huron when she collided with the GEORGE F. RAND (1) and sank her in less than 30 minutes. Both of these "victims" were subsequently raised, repaired and returned to active service. Such recovery would not be the case for the third ship to be hit by the hull of the EVANS. PARKER EVANS up bound on St. Clair River at Marine City - June 30, 1978 Editor's Photo The other ship is the steamer SIDNEY E. SMITH JR. (2) up bound with a cargo of coal loaded at Sandusky, Ohio and destined for the Lime Island ship fueling station on the St. Mary's River. This old gal is 66 years young and a recent acquisition by the Erie Sand Steamship Company becoming their flagship. She is a product of the Detroit Shipbuilding Company in 1906 as Hull Number 161. Her hull has a length of 500 feet, width of 52 feet and depth of 30 feet. She was christened with the name W. K BIXBY. In 1920, she became part of the Reiss Steamship Company fleet and given the name J. L. REISS. She was converted to a self-unloader at the shipyard in Manitowoc, Wisconsin in 1933 and would sail through an almost uneventful career to this point. Other than minor groundings and dents due to docking, her only casualty was a side-swipe collision with the Steamer SEWELL A VERY in dense fog on the S1. Clair River back on Septembei 23,

8 Rare view of the SIDNEY E. SMITH JR. during fit-out at Erie, PA on April 4, 1972 Photo by Peter J. Van der Linden This is the first trip up bound through the Blue Water Area for the newly renamed and repainted SIDNEY E. SMITH JR. Photographs of her are still scarce and the author is eagerly awaiting an opportunity to capture this ship on film resplendent in her fresh green hull with orange boot-top and smokestack. This Sunday night would not be the case as she passes Marine City after 11:OOpmin total darkness. The only chance to see her pass by is lost! It continues to be a routine night as the SIDNEY E. SMITH JR. (2) is approaching the Port Huron / Sarnia area. The SMITH is laboring against the river current, but her engine is up to the task. Soon after passing the Black River the Captain of the SMITH can see the running lights of an oncoming down bound ship out on Lake Huron approaching the entrance to the St. Clair River. It is shortly before 2:00 am and the SMITH is now passing Pine Grove Park and trying to maintain a course that will keep it on the Canadian side ofthe river in less current and safely out of the way of the oncoming ship. The SMITH and the EVANS are now in sight of each other. Whistle signals are blown to indicate a portside-to-portside passing. The wheelsman on the SMITH is having a very difficult time maintain the intended course as the bow is beginning to swing to the left and into the path of the EVANS. The SMITH now has her rudder hard right and her engine at full power but it is useless against the tremendous current running against her. Her bow is now turning left and directly into the path of the EVANS. Danger signals of blown by the EVANS and an attempt is made to alter her course pass the SMITH but it is too late and the current too strong to make any difference. A collision is certain and the respective crews have brief moments to prepare. The two ships are now just about below the Blue Water Bridge. The PARKER EVANS' bow strikes and deeply penetrates the SIDNEY E. SMITH JR.'s hull just a few feet behind the forward cabin. The impact pushes the SMITH toward the river bank and dock of the Peerless Cement Company. General alarms are sounded on both ships and crews are scurrying about getting to their emergency stations. The SMITH is mortally wounded and sinking fast, and the EVANS is trying to hold her close to the shoreline where she could settle to the bottom and the crew safely escape. But the river current will not let that happen. Before any lines can be made to the shoreline, the current pushes the stem of the EVANS around downstream. This causes the EVANS to separate from the SMITH. The water immediately began entering gaping wound in the SMITH's side and was filling the cargo hold quickly. She rapidly began taking on a list to starboard and rolls on her side as she drifts away from shore and sinks. Most of the crew is picked up from the sinking ship by the pilot boat that hurried to the scene as soon as the danger signals and crash were heard. Fortunately, there are no fatalities or serious injuries to either ship's crews and all crew members are accounted for. The next day finds the SIDNEY E. SMITH JR. (2) sunk in the shipping channel about a quarter mile south of the Blue Water Bridge, about 250 feet offshore with her entire port side sticking about eight feet out of the water. The Coast Guard has closed the stretch of River to shipping traffic to assess the stability of the wreck. There is fear that she will slide out into deeper water in the middle of the River. Once it is established that the wreck is stable, traffic is allowed to proceed past one direction at a time. Soon the traffic jam of ships that gathered was moving again, carefully past the wreck. -8-

9 The PARKER EVANS suffered severe damage to her bow, but remained afloat. Shortly after the collision she anchors on the American side of the River just down stream from the wreck site. The next day she proceeds over to the Sarnia Elevator to have her grain cargo removed so she can be taken to the ship yard at Port Weller for inspection and repairs. Traffic is stopped briefly again when a crack is discovered in the side of the ship almost mid-ship. The crack continues to grow until the bow section breaks and settles into deeper water. Most of the bow section is now submerged. Crews are working quickly to remove the fuel oil that is stored in tanks near the stem of the ship. Divers examine the ship and find the she is nearly broken in two and salvage and repair will be very difficult and costly. Her owners determine she is a total loss and abandon their new flagship on June 21 st and turn the recovery effort over to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers along with specialists from the U. S. Navy. SIDNEY E. SMITH JR. (2) wreck, June 8, 1972 editor's collection SIDNEY E. SMITH JR. (2) wreck June 10, 1972 editor's photo Salvage efforts continue through the summer and into the fall and it is most interesting to watch. During this time, ship traffic passes through under the bridge one way and one-at-a-time. In spite of the traffic restrictions, there continues to be exciting near-disastrous moments. One such anxious moment happens on August 15th while the barge WILTRANCO and her tug, the OLIVE L. MOORE are down bound under the Blue Water Bridge. Just as they pass under the bridge, a towline snaps and the barge and tug separate. The run-away barge fortunately misses the wreck and soon thereafter is recaptured by the tug narrowly averting further disaster. The Coast Guard begins an inquiry into the collision to determine the cause and make recommendations to prevent such an occurrence again. The findings place nearly all of the blame on the SIDNEY E. SMITH JR. (2) for losing control and veering into the path of the PARKER EVANS. The recommendations are to restrict traffic in the stretch of the St. Clair River from the Black River light up to Lake Huron Cut Buoys 1 and 2 to alternating one-way traffic. This is agreed upon by all Great Lakes shipping companies and on October 4, 1972 the rule becomes final and law. In addition, the recommendation for the establishment of a traffic control center to monitor ship traffic in this stretch of river and all alone the entire St. Clair and Detroit River systems. Thus the Sarnia Traffic Control Center is established in downtown Sarnia for the purpose of monitoring and controlling ship movements. These actions have not completely eliminated the risk of a major ship wreck in this hazardous stretch of river. There have been several Great Lakes and salt-water vessels in the ensuing years that have fallen victim to the wild, fast currents and gone out-of-control. The evidence lies in the repairs to concrete and steel damage done to the boardwalk in front of the Thomas Edison Inn where up bound ships have veered over across the river and crashed into the wall. Captains and pilots can tell to there is a great sense of relief every time their ship safely gets through there and they are making their call to Sarnia Traffic Control to inform them of their safe passage. As for the SIDNEY E. SMITH JR. (2), she was refloated by using a special polyurethane foam that was pumped into her internal spaces to make her buoyant. Once floated, she was towed in two sections over to Sarnia Harbor and once again sunk to create a new dock facing. There she is today where her name is still barely legible on her stem and providing a safe, secure wharfage for visiting ships. She is reminder to those who remember the perils of two-way ship traffic.under the Blue Water Bridges. -9-

10 Sea Stories - Recollections of Life on the Great Lakes By Capt. Dick Metz Spring fit out, what a beautiful time of the year. I could smell it in the air. After sitting home all winter I was always eager to get my call to go back to the ship for fit out. I would bid good bye to all my loved ones and start packing my sea bag. Back in the 60' s I would join the ship in March and never went home till November. I would then be paid a bonus of ten percent of my total wages which was a good sum of money if I would stay aboard all season without going home for a vacation. My call would finally come to report aboard the Thomas Wilson in Cleveland, OR. I would fly to Chicago to change planes for Cleveland. Many times I would meet crew members at the airport heading for the ship. We would usually go aboard the ship around noon, just in time for lunch. The after end crew would have been aboard for a week or so getting the engine ready for inspection plus the galley crew. After a hearty meal the porter would hand out our bedding and then we would head for our quarters. The mate would call us to report to the Captains office to sign the ships articles. Some times we would start work that same afternocin, but always the next morning. I couldn't wait to get started and to get the ship ready for departure. The next morning after another great breakfast we would all meet the mate next to number one hatch to hear our orders. The wheelsman would start working on the wheelhouse removing all the pilot house shutters from the windows and removing all the paper coverings from the navigation equipment. The deck hands were busy taking in all of the winter lay up lines from the dock and stowing them away. We would clean up the mess left over from the ship keep keepers and haul out all the safety equipment, life jackets, ring buoys, fire extinguishers, and lay them on No.1 hatch for the Coast Guard inspection. Uncover all of the lifeboats and equipment for inspection. It was a great time running all around to get the work finished for our inspection. At the end of the first day we would make up our beds and stow our gear from the sea bags if we already haven't done so. The next morning we were called out bright and early for breakfast and stand by for orders from the mate. Usually a truck would pull along side filled with stores for the galley. Inspection was next, everything on deck was inspected by the Coast Guard, a radar & radio inspection plus all of the ships documents were looked at to be sure they were all up to date. Engine room inspection plus blowing of the ships whistle, usually that didn't work properly the first time blown, but I knew we were close to sailing, again I couldn't wait. Finally after passing all of our inspections we were ready to depart. The dock hands on the dock shouted to the mate as we scampered down the ladder. Let go Forward, Let Go Aft. and get your men aboard yelled the mate, we were offi It felt good to feel the ship moving again under my feet. I could smell the coldness of the water and in the air as we passed through the piers and out into the big open lake. That beautiful scene was short lived however as the watchman said to put on our rain gear and start sooging down the forward cabins starting from the pilot house and working aft. Soogie, soogie, soogie that is all we did for the first week. I felt the cold water and soap run down my arms under my rain gear every time I raised the soogie brush to soogie the overhead. I would then think to myself, This is what I waited for, I only have nine more months to go! After 40 years I still get the bug for fit out every spring, and if I could go back in time I would. Note: Soogie is a strong soap used to scrub the cabins on a ship Editor's Collection Arriving Duluth Metz Collection -10-

11 luewater AREA SHIPWRECKS ---~---~~~----~~-----~---~ ~ * SYLVANIA * \. ". "'- '. '.,. ~~V~!~ ~, 'W --, ~-.r.>i* " ',' SYLVANIA at the Peerless Cement Dock in Port Huron Photo by Ken Lowes The date of June 1, 2007, will mark the 40th Anniversary of a collision in the St. Clair River that sank one freighter and ended the career ofthe other. The RENVOYLE, a package freight carrier for Canada Steamship Lines, had finished work at the Point Edward dock and was turning to head down the St. Clair River. The ship got caught in the current and struck the Tomlinson Fleet Corporation self-unloader SYL VANL4 discharging stone at the Peerless Dock on the Port Huron side. The accident occurred at about p.m. and SYLVANL4 sank at her berth. All on board scrambled to safely and, on June 12, the ship was refloated. While RENVOYLE had only sustained bow damage, the vessel was immediately laid up at Kingston and subsequently scrapped at Ashtabula, Ohio. SYL VANL4 was repaired at Lorain, Ohio, and returned to service on October 12, The ship was built at West Bay City, MI in 1905 and had been lengthened from 524 feet overall to 572 feet when the hull was converted to a self-unloader in SYLVANL4 joined Columbia Transportation in 1971 and usually handled coal in her final years. She was laid up at Toledo on May 10, 1980, and scrapped at Ashtabula in

12 By D.R. (Doug) Schilz *CLIPPER BUENO* Built in 1986 by Shikoku Dockyard Co. Ltd.; Takamatusu, Japan as Hull #834 Length - 481' 4" Breadth - 74' 11" Depth - 29' 6" GRT -10,765 M. Bulk Carrier Main Engine - 7,500 bhp B&W With the 2006 shipping season under our belts, I was finally able to look over the past season's salt-water ships in Rene Beauchamp's book Seaway Ships One such visitor was a previous visitor to the lakes, but it had been 14 years between visits and under a different name. The Clipper Bueno first visited the lakes in I am unaware of her ports that she visited at that time unfortunately. Her registered owners at that time were Bueno Panama S.A. and she was registered in Panama. It would be another five years before she would come back to the lakes. This inland voyage in April of that year took her to Hamilton. She then departed up bound for Sarnia and loaded 13,261 metric tonnes of soybeans. At some point in time her registered owners changed to Transocean Transport Corp. and she was registered in the Philippines. She was renamed in 1993, becoming Clipper Atria, and her registered owners became Clipper Atria Shg. Co. S.A. and registered in the Bahamas. She would not visit the lakes under this name. She was sold and renamed again in 1995, becoming Adamastos. Her new listed owners became Tiffany Shg. S.A. and her registry remained that of the Bahamas. At some point in time her registered owners changed, becoming Koundouros Special Maritime Enterprise (ENE) and re-registered in Greece. In October of 2006 the Adamastos came on the lakes on her one voyage. This trip took her to Cleveland and on to Milwaukee passing through the Port Huron/Sarnia area. Though under a different name, it is always refreshing to see a past visitor to the lakes return. Hopefully she will again pass through this area in