1874:   On 7 May 1874, the schooner JENNIE MATHEWS was launched at Hardison’s yard in Port Huron, Michigan. The launch started very slowly but with the help of men pulling on ropes, the vessel slid into the Black River nicely. Her first skipper was Capt. McGifford and her owner was Mr. Hardison. On 07 May 1954, official ground-breaking ceremonies were held for the Mackinac Bridge. It was completed three and a half years later. 1891:    The new Canadian Pacific steamer MANITOBA, although built in 1889, had been laid up due to a recession and finally sailed on her maiden…

Port and vessel activity for Sunday, May 5, 2024, compiled by Tom Geiger, unless stated otherwise. Please send future port reports and pictures to [email protected] You can Now visit Matt Miner’s Saltie page at  https://boatnerd.com/foreign-vessels-on-the-lakes-2024/ PORT REPORT 5/6/2024 ST JOHN’S        [CASJF] 5/5/2024  Brage Viking-DEPARTED-9:51 AM 5/5/2024 Maersk Mobiliser-DEPARTED-10:30 AM 5/5/2024  Marsol Dragon-ETA-4:00 PM 5/5/2024  Virginia Ann-DEPARTED-4:50 PM 5/5/2024  Avalon Sea-ETA-7:29 PM 5/6/2024  Oceanex Sanderling-DEPARTED-1:01 AM 5/6/2024  Maersk Nexus-IN PORT 5/6/2024  Captain Molly Kool-IN PORT 5/6/2024  Horizon Arctic-IN PORT 5/6/2024  Atlantic Shrike-ETA-10:11 AM 5/6/2024  Atlantic Merlin-ETA-3:59 PM 5/6/2024  Atlantic Heron-ETA-5:27 PM 5/6/2024  Atlantic Griffon-ETA-8:29 PM 5/7/2024  Oceanex Connaigra-ETA-3:26 AM 5/8/2024  East…

1847:   On 6 May 1847, CUBA (wooden schooner, 89 foot, 139 tons, built in 1844 at Peninsula, New York as a brig) was carrying wheat near Point Breeze, New York in Lake Ontario when she was run down and sunk in a collision with the steamer GENESEE CHIEF. No lives were lost. 1858:   On 6 May 1858, the bark E.S. ADAMS began her voyage from Amherstburg, Ontario to London, England with a load of walnut timber. The transatlantic portion of the voyage took only 26 days and the vessel was back on the lakes in September 1858. 1903:   EASTLAND was…

Ferry Chi-Cheemaun Kicks Off 50th Anniversary Season Chi-Cheemaun’s 50th anniversary sailing season officially kicks off May 3. The Chi-Cheemaun, operated by the the Owen Sound Transportation Co., is one of the most recognizable ferries in Canada and an integral symbol of Georgian Bay. Since 1974, it has completed 24,000 voyages between Tobermory and Manitoulin Island, carrying 10 million passengers and three million vehicles. This sailing season, the Sail Through Time Exhibit will commemorate 50 years of the Chi-Cheemaun and her predecessors with authentic artifacts, posters, photographs and reproductions on loan from the Community Waterfront Heritage Centre in Owen Sound,…

Port and vessel activity for Saturday, May 4, 2024, compiled by Tom Geiger, unless stated otherwise. Please send future port reports and pictures to [email protected] You can Now visit Matt Miner’s Saltie page at  https://boatnerd.com/foreign-vessels-on-the-lakes-2024/ PORT REPORT 5/5/2024 ST JOHN’S        [CASJF] 5/4/2024  Cygnus-DEPARTED-9:17 AM 5/4/2024  Barge Viking-DEPARTED-12:51 PM 5/4/2024  Maersk Clipper-DEPARTED-12:57 PM 5/4/2024  Maersk Mobiliser-ARRIVED-1:19 PM 5/4/2024  Brage Viking-ARRIVED-5:46 PM 5/4/2024  Paul A. Sacuta-DEPARTED-9:54 PM 5/5/2024  Dalton Defender-IN PORT 5/5/2024  Horizon Arctic-IN PORT 5/5/2024  Atlantic Merlin-IN PORT 5/5/2024  Ann Harvey-IN PORT 5/5/2024  Oceanex Sanderling-ETA-11:17 AM 5/6/2024  Oceanex Connaigra-ETA-11:03 PM 5/9/2024  Horizon Arctic-ETA-5:26 AM 5/10/2024  Canmar-ETA-9:45 AM HALIFAX, CANADA     [CAHAL] 5/4/2024 …

1883:  The steam barge KITTIE M. FORBES was launched in Bay City, Michigan, on 5 May 1883. She was owned by Capt. William Forbes and named for his daughter. Her keel was laid on 1 December 1882. Her dimensions were 195 feet keel, 209 foot overall, 35 foot beam and 14 foot depth. Her engine was built by Samuel F. Hodge. 1902:   On 05 May 1902, MILWAUKEE (steel propeller freighter, 325 foot, 3,327 gross tons) was launched at the Chicago Ship Building Company (Hull #55) at South Chicago, Illinois, for the Western Transit Co. She lasted until 1940, when she…

Great Lakes Limestone Trade Up 19.9 Percent in April CLEVELAND — Shipments totaled 2.3 million net tons, an increase of 19.9 percent compared to a year ago.  Loadings were above the month’s 5-year average by 9.6 percent. Loadings at U.S. ports totaled 1.9 million tons, an increase of 15.5 percent.  Shipments from Canadian quarries increased by 42.2 percent to 459,393 tons. Year-to-date the limestone trade stands at 2.6 million tons, an increase of 26.6 percent from 2023.  Shipments from U.S. ports increased by 22.8 percent from the previous year, while shipments from Canadian ports increased by 46.7 percent. U.S. ports: Calcite,…

Port and vessel activity for Friday, May 3, 2024, compiled by Tom Geiger, unless stated otherwise. Please send future port reports and pictures to [email protected] You can Now visit Matt Miner’s Saltie page at  https://boatnerd.com/foreign-vessels-on-the-lakes-2024/ PORT REPORT 5/4/2024 ST JOHN’S        [CASJF] 5/3/2024  FRC Horizon Arectic-ARRIVED-3:08 PM 5/3/2024  Atlantic Griffon-DEPARTED-5:32 PM 5/3/2024  CCGS Sacred Bay-DEPARTED-7:39 PM 5/3/2024  Oceanex Avalon-DEPARTED-11:07 PM 5/3/2024  Wicky Spirit-ETA-11:14 PM 5/4/2024  Captain Molly Kool-IN PORT 5/4/2024  Atlantic Merlin-IN PORT 5/4/2024  Virginia ANN-IN PORT 5/4/2024  Maersk Nexus-IN PORT 5/4/2024  Cygnus-IN PORT 5/5/2024  Oceanex Sanderling-ETA-4:22 PM 5/5/2024  Oceanex Connaigra-ETA-9:14 PM 5/6/2024  Rare Avis-ETA-1:59 AM 5/8/2024  Glenbrook-ETA-5:00 AM 5/9/2024  Horizon…

1839:   On 04 May 1839, ATLAS (wooden schooner, built in 1836, at Dexter, New York) was carrying building stone from Chaumont Bay to Oswego, New York, when she foundered 6 miles from Oswego. The steamer TELEGRAPH rushed out of Oswego to assist her but only found a little flotsam. All five on board were lost: Capt. Asahel Wescott, Ortha Little, William Ackerman, John Lee and Asa Davis (a passenger). 1889:   The new Canadian Pacific steamer MANITOBA was launched at Owen Sound. 1911:    The STEPHEN M. CLEMENT sank the ERWIN L. FISHER in a collision on the Detroit River. The…

Adella Shores shipwreck discovered 115 years after it sank near Whitefish Point WHITEFISH POINT – The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society this week announced the discovery of the wooden steamship Adella Shores, one of the many ships that “went missing” over the years in the vicinity of Whitefish Point. The Adella Shores went to the bottom of Lake Superior with no survivors on May 1, 1909. In shipwreck parlance, the reference “went missing” is used to describe a vessel that left the dock and was never seen again. Such vessels vanish with no survivors, no witnesses, and are yet…