and this is now: For immediate release: Sunday, February 19th, 2012
Duluth, MN. —U.S. Coast Guard Station Duluth is issuing a warning that the unusually warm temperatures observed this year have greatly increased the possibility of weakened ice.
“Ice conditions are deteriorating rapidly, major wet cracks and ice breaks have been recognized the last few days, with forecasted temps climbing to the high 30’s, this will only accelerate weakening ice ” said Boatswains Mate Third Class Matthew Murphy, Coast Guard Station Duluth, MN.
The combination of warmer temperatures and shifting winds has caused extremely hazardous ice conditions in the St Louis River. The Coast Guard cautions those ice fishing and transiting on the ice due to the unpredictability of the ice breaking apart. (Picture taken on February 17th, 2007.)
That is the Coast Guard cutter Biscayne Bay docked behind the DECC. Coincidently (??), the first ice of the season is just in front of her. I am entertaining captions for the picture. She has been here many times to help us fight the ice. Go to the Biscayne Bay page to see more pictures of her life and times while in Duluth Superior and a video from some years back.
The James R. Barkerdeparted Duluth on Thursday afternoon, March 17, 2011, with 58,000 tons of coal for Presque Isle, Michigan. As you can see below, she wasted no time making her right turn to Michigan. The video follows the Barker as she appeared in the harbor after going under the Blatnik Bridge and around the John G. Munson, docked at the Port Terminal on winter layup (the Barker was docked at the Midwest Energy Resources dock in Superior, where she loaded her cargo of coal). The video then shows her passing both the Roger Blough and the American Century on her way to the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge. After blowing her whistle, she moved under the bridge and out into Lake Superior. Spring has sprung! (although note the large amount of ice blown up against the shore just to the left of the North Pier Light.)
This is an improved (I hope) version of the same video. I would like to hear from anyone who has any problems. It is a larger file, but you can always hit the pause button and wait a while. Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks.
when the Coast Guard starts Operation Taconite, their effort through out the Great Lakes to keep the shipping channels free of ice. The project started today (Monday, December 6, 2010). In an announcement made today, they said: Initially, only one Coast Guard icebreaker will be assigned to Operation Taconite. Coast Guard Cutter Katmai Bay, homeported [...]
Seven boats are expected to arrive in the Twin Ports today. The Lee A. Tregurtha, arriving earlier this morning to load coal, will be the only departure, probably later this morning. The last time the Tregurtha departed Duluth, on April 1st, it got stopped in the ice sheet just off the Duluth piers. The Alder [...]
The Mackinaw is propelled through the water by two Finnish azipods at the stern of the ship. An azipod is a propeller mounted on a pod that can be rotated 360 degrees to control the movement and direction of the ship. I took the photo at the right just before the ship was launched. You [...]
Thursday April 2: The Walter J. McCarthy Jr., the Edwin H. Gott and the Edward L. Ryerson were set to depart on Wednesday evening. If they did not make it, they will probably try today. The Lee A. Tregurtha made it to Two Harbors last night, the Gott should be there some time today. Both [...]
The Alder went out for a quick trip through the harbor and out into the Lake on Monday, March 16th. With no traffic set until the 29th, there was not a lot that could be done. Tuesday afternoon, she left for Thunder Bay. They will see traffic before we will. In the picture, we were [...]
Ice is not nice this season, although the James R. Barker was able to get back to work yesterday, leaving Duluth on Sunday afternoon (above) with coal for Detroit Edison. It came into port last week with ice damage. The Paul R. Tregurtha remains at the Port Terminal getting repairs to ice damage to the [...]
The Coast Guard cutter Alder was out Friday making sure shipping channels were open for the boat traffic expected this weekend. Shipping channels are not the only areas in the harbor where the ice must be broken up. Boats that come to port usually have to make a turn somewhere since they will be going [...]
Shortly after the Alder and the tug North Carolina got the Mesabi Miner out of the harbor on Sunday and on the way to Marquette to deliver coal, the Coast Guard cutter Biscayne Bay arrived after clearing out the ice at Marquette and spending Saturday night in the ice off the Apostle Islands. Yesterday, they [...]
Captain George LaTour had the Great Lakes tug North Carolina out on Sunday morning (above) to help the Mesabi Miner get away from its berth at Midwest Energy Resources and down the Superior channel to the open water just beyond the Superior entry. The Miner is taking coal to Marquette and then returning to Superior [...]
It’s the time of year when our Coast Guard cutter Alder has no privacy. It has left a track wherever it went while breaking ice this past week. Until today, it was the only vessel in port that was moving. Eleven boats are positioned close to those tracks, getting ready to move out. Later today, [...]
The Biscayne Bay‘s extended stay in Duluth was cut short when they were asked to go to Thunder Bay to break up their ice. The 140 foot Coast Guard cutter departed the port on Wednesday afternoon. Before departing, it refreshed the tracks made through the ice in the main shipping channels in the port. The [...]
LT Cary Godwin brought his Coast Guard ice breaker Biscayne Bay into port on Friday evening. About 10 tons of ice, encrusted on just about every exterior surface of the ship, came along for the ride. Most of the ice accumulated on the trip here from Isle Royale where they ran into 8 to 10 [...]
The steam powered Quebecois will be here today for the 2nd time this season. It was also here on April 1st, at the beginning of the season (above). It was here 6 times last year. On all trips last year and this, it brought cement to discharge at the St. Lawrence Cement plant in Duluth. [...]
We load a lot of ships here for some exotic ports, such as Algeria, Iceland, the South coast of France and Venezuela to name a few. And with apologies to the following, we also load cargo for less exotic ports on the Great Lakes, such as Lorain, Ohio or Gary, Indiana. But I never thought [...]
Two thousand footers should be here this morning. The Paul R. Tregurtha will be loading coal at Midwest Energy Resources in Superior. The James R. Barker will be loading taconite at the CN dock just across the St. Louis River from Midwest. The Tregurtha probably arrived shortly after midnight and waited for the Canadian Enterprise [...]
The Federal Matane is expected in port today to load spring wheat for Spain. It was built in China in 2004 and is German owned but operating now under a charter to Fednav in Montreal. This is the second trip here for the ship. It was here for the first time in 2005 under the [...]
At the beginning of the season, the Mesabi Miner loaded 3 cargos of coal for Lake Superior ports before any other boats had moved. Last year, the James R. Barker did the same thing. Above, the Barker is departing Duluth last year for Marquette, Michigan on March 17th. Today, the Barker was expected to leave [...]
The Adam E. Cornelius departed Duluth on Wednesday afternoon (above) with a load of wheat for General Mills in Buffalo. It was its 1st trip here this season. It was here 15 times last year. Today, the Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. will follow the American Century loading coal at Midwest Energy Resources in Superior. The [...]
The Canadian Transport came into port last night around 6 pm (above). It went over to Midwest Energy Resources to load coal and likely left early this morning. The Algolake followed it in last night to get fuel, and then had planned to go back under the bridge and to the anchorage to wait its [...]
On March 16, when the Mesabi Miner was at the same place it was yesterday morning, the Captain called the Coast Guard cutter Biscayne Bay to thank them for cutting a path through the ice so the Miner could continue on to Marquette with the first cargo of the new season. Sunday morning, the Captain [...]
On Friday, the John G. Munson was waiting in the ice off the Duluth piers to move over to Two Harbors (above). There it was to load taconite as soon as the berth cleared. Sometime between then and Saturday afternoon, waiting in the ice changed to stopped in the ice. There was some hope that [...]
The James R. Barker arrived yesterday afternoon, coming under the Lift Bridge at 4:16 (above). The 1,000-footer often spends the winter in Duluth but this winter, it went to Milwaukee. The big event today is probably the departure of the John G. Munson from Fraser Shipyards. It will go under the bridge and over to [...]
A week ago, Cary Godwin, Commanding Officer on the Coast Guard cutter Biscayne Bay, ran his ship straight into ice that was up to 36 inches in depth. Actually he backed and rammed the ice until it broke up.That was in Thunder Bay. They are back in Duluth now, with another, much less taxing, strategy [...]
The Coast Guard cutter Biscayne Bay was back in town after clearing out the ice in the Thunder Bay harbor. The powerful cutter has provided a good assist for several boats at each end of their early season travels. The Algosoo will be here today to load coal. It spent the winter in Thunder Bay [...]
Around 3:30 Tuesday afternoon, the Alder moved away from the dock on Park Point for the first time this season. The delayed start was due to a hydraulic oil leak in the cutter’s controllable pitch propeller system. In its place, the cutter Biscayne Bay was here for several days breaking ice. After getting away from [...]
A day or so after becoming the first boat to depart the Twin Ports in the new 2007 shipping season, the Mesabi Miner became the first boat to arrive this season when it entered the Duluth ship canal on Monday morning around 10 o’clock (above). It had discharged about 58,000 tons of coal in Marquette, [...]
In the picture above, taken Sunday morning, you can see in the broken ice going out from the bridge, a wide track and a narrow one inside it. On Friday, the cutter Biscayne Bay led the Mesabi Miner out of Duluth. Being second, the Mesabi Miner’s track covered over the cutter’s narrower track. The Mesabi [...]
There are many signs of spring. You know it is getting close to spring when your local icebreaker (this year, the Biscayne Bay) is docked at the DECC for a couple days of R&R over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday weekend. The picture above was taken from the Coast Guard cutter as it returned to [...]
The US Coast Guard icebreaker Biscayne Bay was out Friday morning breaking ice in preparation for the departure of the Mesabi Miner, the first cargo boat to go under the bridge this season. After several tracks in the inner harbor, the cutter went under the Lift Bridge at 8:57 this morning(above) and out to cut [...]
The US Coast Guard cutter Biscayne Bay was the first ship to arrive in the Twin Ports from Lake Superior this season. It came in on Wednesday afternoon to break ice in place of the Alder which is down for repairs. It was out breaking ice in the harbor (above) just a couple hours after [...]
The Mesabi Miner was the last cargo vessel to depart the Twin Ports this season, leaving early afternoon on Tuesday (above) with the last coal to be loaded from the dock at Midwest Energy Resources in Superior. Today the boat should be the last cargo vessel to arrive in the Twin Ports this season, coming [...]
Above, Upper Lakes Shipping’s Maunaloa II arrived at the Hallett & Carey elevator dock in Superior on November 29, 1958 after coming down the north shore of Lake Superior with a cargo of grain from Fort William, Ontario. The low temperature on the previous night was 24 degrees below zero. The ship had been running [...]
The Edwin H. Gott came under the Lift Bridge on Sunday morning at 2:25. Later that morning, crew members had secured the boat at Garfield berth C (above) for winter lay up. The Stewart J. Cort came in at 6:54 Sunday morning and is now secured at Port Terminal berth 7. The next boat to [...]
The Roger Blough, as it does most winters, will be coming to Duluth for winter lay up. It only came here for cargo 4 times this season, each time loading taconite. Above, the Blough spent last winter at the Port Terminal. The picture was taken on March 17th, 2006. It departed Duluth 5 days later [...]
More boats were expected in port for winter layup last night and today. But two boats will be here today to load coal. Three more loads of coal are scheduled to leave Midwest Energy Resources in Superior before the Mesabi Miner returns to port to spend the winter lay up there next week. The Cason [...]
After some very busy days loading coal at Midwest Energy Resources in Superior, no coal will be loaded until Tuesday. After that, they will average about one boat a day until the Mesabi Miner arrives on January 16th. After discharging a cargo of taconite at Gary, the Edgar B. Speer will arrive in Duluth today [...]
Today is another coal day in the Twin Ports. Four boats should be loading coal at Midwest Energy Resources. Three CSL (Canadian Steamship Lines) boats will be loading taconite at the Burlington Northern and the Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. has likely departed by now with taconite for Zug Island, Michigan from the BN Dock. This [...]
There was a waiting line at the Midwest Energy Resources coal dock last night. That means we started the day with departures from there. The American Mariner may have already departed and the Algolake should complete later this morning. That should give the Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. a clear shot at going right in to [...]
The Federal Oshima has been in port since Monday evening, loading soy beans and spring wheat at the AGP terminal in Duluth. It should depart sometime this afternoon, taking that cargo to Antwerp, Belgium. Built in 1999 in Japan, it is 629 feet long, a little over 77 feet wide and bright red. It is [...]
Above, the Indiana Harbor is seen departing Duluth on the first of this month. It took a cargo of coal to Ontario Power Generation at Nanticoke. Yesterday, it returned to take on another load of coal for Nanticoke. After it departs, three boats are scheduled to follow it at Midwest Energy – the Kaye E. [...]
It is another big day for coal at Midwest Energy Resources in Superior. And of course, at the end of the season, sometime in January, we will be able to say it was another big year for coal in the Twin Ports. The Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. came in last night around 6 pm to [...]
It looks like the Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. may be the only boat coming under the Lift Bridge today. They should be here in the late afternoon, going over to Midwest Energy Resources in Superior to load 62,000 tons of low sulfur western coal for Detroit Edison at St. Clair, Michigan. Only three boats are [...]
The Polish owned and operated Orla is making its 4th trip to the Twin Ports today. Above, it is coming in on the first trip in December, 2000. The last time it was here was just in August this year. It will be loading spring wheat for Italy while it is here. The Orla was [...]
The Canadian flagged Frontenac will be here today for the 10th time this season. Above it is breaking up some ice and snow as it entered the Duluth ship canal on March 29th, 2003. With the high winds we have had, it is lucky for ship captains that the temperature has been above freezing. Below [...]
The Indiana Harbor is making its 16th trip here this year. Most of those visits, as today, find it loading coal at Midwest Energy Resources in Superior and taking that cargo to Ontario Power Generation in Nanticoke. The Indiana Harbor is one of 13 US flagged 1,000 foot long freighters working on the Great Lakes. [...]
It looks like today’s traffic may be half over by the time the sun is up and the rest of it may be over by noon. The port’s main export cargos are moving today: coal, taconite and grain. Last year, 45% of the tonnage that went through the port was coal, 40% was iron ore [...]
The Philip R. Clarke is coming to Duluth today to discharge a cargo of limestone. They will likely stop for fuel first. That completed, they will move to Two Harbors to load taconite. Recent ports of call for the Clarke have included Stoneport, Calcite, Cedarville/Port Dolomite and Zug Island in Michigan, Buffington in Indiana, Conneaut [...]
Today is thousand footer day for Duluth, Superior and Two Harbors. Five of them will be loading coal and taconite. We are, I think, still waiting for our first load of limestone of the season. We should be loading the first grain on Tuesday morning when the first salt water ship of the year, the [...]
The Arthur M. Anderson has been waiting at the Soo Locks for several days, so it was probably the first boat to go through into Lake Superior early this morning. The Anderson is going to Two Harbors, leaving the Paul R. Tregurtha and the Columbia Star to fight it out for first boat through the [...]
The Soo Locks open at 12:01 this Saturday morning. That’s to the public. As has been her tradition for many years, and in this her last year, the Mackinaw (the 1944 variety) went through the Poe Lock last Friday, along with the Canadian ice breaker Samuel Risley. They cleared out ice within the lock and [...]
The Soo Locks open on March 25. That means other boats will soon be joining the so far one boat season we have had for a week watching the James R. Barker go in and out of the port. On Wednesday, two boats will leave Duluth: the Edgar B. Speer departing with taconite for Gary, [...]
There is no ship traffic today, but the James R. Barker will be back again tomorrow to load coal for Presque Isle, Michigan. Finally, on Wednesday, two new boats will join the Barker for the new shipping season with four more on Thursday. One of those will be the Roger Blough, seen above on Friday [...]
The James R. Barker left Friday morning for Presque Isle, Michigan with coal (above). It is the second trip of the year to Presque Isle for the Barker. It will be back here again on Monday for one more load of coal for Presque Isle. On Wednesday, two more boats join the Barker, the only [...]
The Soo Locks do not open until March 25. Until then, the only boat traffic will be moving between ports on Lake Superior. Traditionally, a thousand footer spends the winter at Midwest Energy Resources in Superior and loads coal there for several trips to Lake Superior ports before any other boat traffic moves. This year, [...]
The James R. Barker was expected in this morning around 4:30. The Barker is the last boat to arrive in the Twin Ports this season, ending the season with two quick trips within Lake Superior. It was also the 1st and 2nd boat out this season with two quick trips taking coal to Lake Superior [...]
Three boats, the Philip R. Clarke, the Edgar Speer, and the Roger Blough are expected in port today for winter lay-up. All three are owned by our home town shipping company, Great Lakes Fleet. The James R. Barker is due back here today from Taconite Harbor to get one more load of coal at Midwest [...]
Yesterday, the Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. and the Indiana Harbor both came into port for winter layup. Along with the Earl W. Oglebay, that means three of the eleven boats expected to spend the winter here will be in port. The Paul R. Tregurtha, at 1,004 foot long, will be here for the 57th and [...]
The Buffalo will be here today. It is a well traveled boat, stopping at these Great Lakes ports this season before finally getting to Duluth on December 21st: Toledo, Harbor Beacon, Port Gypsum, Lorain, Zug Island, Waukegan, South Chicago, Stoneport, River Rogue, Calcite, Muskegon, Alpena, Green Bay, Sandusky, Ludington, St. Joseph, Fairport, Holland, Milwaukee, Manistee, [...]
The Oglebay Norton was here yesterday for the 46th time this season, loading coal as it has done on most every trip. This is the season when Great Lakes boats begin to look like ice bergs. The Oglebay Norton’s bow is encased in ice, and more ice will follow as the season continues into January. [...]
The John G. Munson will be here today to discharge limestone loaded at Calcite, Michigan. After completing the discharge at the Hallett Dock in West Duluth, the Munson will depart Duluth to load taconite at Two Harbors. Above, the Munson arriving Duluth on Christmas Eve, 2004. *submitted to the Duluth News Tribune for publication on [...]
There are many ways to describe a Great Lakes Freighter. Here is one: The St. Clair is powered by three 3500 HP General Motors, 20 cylinder, two stroke cycle, single acting diesel engines built in La Grange, Illinois. The boat is driven through a Falk single reduction gear box to a controllable pitch propeller, with [...]
The US Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw should be coming through the Duluth piers around noon today, making its last trip to Duluth after 60 years of service to the Great Lakes. The ship was often here in early March, breaking ice in the harbor and out in the lake. For many, it marked the official [...]
Five boats will be here today. The Quebecois is discharging cement, the American Mariner will depart with coal, the McCarthy will arrive to load coal, the Columbia Star will come here to load taconite and the Federal Leda should be at anchor waiting to load flax for Northern Europe. The Edgar B. Speer (above, coming [...]
The John G. Munson will be here today to discharge limestone loaded at Calcite, Michigan. After completing the discharge at the Hallett Dock in West Duluth, the Munson will move across the St. Louis River to the Midwest Energy Resources coal dock in Superior and load about 25,000 tons of coal for Ashtabula, Ohio. Above, [...]
The Canadian ice breaker Samuel Risley arrived Duluth late Friday afternoon (above). It will help the James R. Barker make the dock at its winter layup at Midwest Energy Resources and then assist the John G. Munson get to its winter layup at Fraser Shipyards. The Barker should have arrived last night and the Munson [...]
The Canadian ice breaker Samuel Risley will be here today or tomorrow to assist the last two boats coming to the Twin Ports this season, the James R. Barker from Presque Isle, Michigan and the John G. Munson from Algoma Steel near the Soo Locks. The Risley was last here in April, 2003 to help [...]
Assuming the James R. Barker got out of here last night with the last cargo loaded in the Twin Ports this season, we have no traffic expected today. Nine of the 11 boats that will spend the winter in the Twin Ports have arrived at their winter home. We are waiting for the Barker to [...]
The James R. Barker came under the Lift Bridge (above) on Monday morning at 7:39. With help from local tugs and the Coast Guard cutter Alder, it went to the Midwest Energy Resources coal dock in Superior to load coal for Marquette, Michigan. Weather will delay loading until sometime this morning. A departure this evening [...]
Today is the last big day of the season for Twin Ports shipping. The James R. Barker, the American Mariner, the Edgar B. Speer and the Presque Isle have been crossing Lake Superior in a convoy. The Presque Isle will peel off and load briefly at Two Harbors during the night, while the Barker, Speer [...]
Above, the Arthur M. Anderson was caught in a harbor full of ice on April 5th, 2003 as it was trying to depart the Duluth entry. With ice-breaking help from the Sundew, it was able to depart the Superior entry about 8 hours later. The Anderson comes in today for winter layup with better possibilities [...]
The Edgar B. Speer will be here to load taconite at the Burlington Northern Dock in Superior. It will likely come in the Duluth entry to get fuel before moving down the Superior channel to the BN Dock. Photo taken March 23, 2003. *submitted to the Duluth News Tribune for publication on 12-28-2004
Gary Hopp sent this note and the 2 pictures here taken by Buzzy Winter who works for him at Great Northern Services, Inc. That silly bear was napping in a tree behind our house on Park Point from about 9am to 10am before making his assault on the South Pier. He eventually went to the […]
and this is now: For immediate release: Sunday, February 19th, 2012
