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MARINE NEWS 2. It was announced on January 5th that the Algoma Central Corporation has ta­ ken steps to enter the tanker trade on the Lakes, the St. Lawrence and the East Coast. It has agreed to purchase four tankers from Imperial Oil Limited for $13 million, and it also has secured a long-term contract to deliver Im­ perial's liquid cargo requirements in those areas. Included in the purchase are the 1966-built IMPERIAL ACADIA, the 1969-built IMPERIAL BEDFORD and the IMPERIAL ST. CLAIR of 1974, all of which were built for Imperial. They will be renamed (b) ALGOSCOTIA, ALGOFAX and ALGOSAR, respectively. The fourth vessel involved is IMPERIAL ST. LAWRENCE (II), (a) TEXACO BRAVE (II) (86), (b) LE BRAVE (97), built in Japan in 1977, which will become (d) ALGOEAST. This tanker, built for the Texaco fleet, was acquired by Imperial along with the rest of Texaco Canada, and was on charter for a decade to the Socanav interests, latterly operating in its QMT Navigation Inc. division. Imperial Oil is retaining ownership of the bunkering tankers IMPERIAL DARTMOUTH and IMPERIAL LACHINE (II), as well as the 1969-built A. G. FARQUHARSON, (a) TEX­ ACO CHIEF (II) (86). The FARQUHARSON had been under charter to Socanav and in 1997 was operated by Groupe Desgagnes, so it will be interesting to see what will become of her now. At long last, the 1905-built passenger steamer MILWAUKEE CLIPPER, (a) JUNIATA (41), has returned to her old port of Muskegon, Michigan, from which she operated across Lake Michigan to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Company from 1941 until 1970. After an unsuccessful stint as an attraction at Chicago, a well-intentioned move to Hammond, Indiana, to be the centrepiece of a marina development from which she eventually was evicted to make room for a casino boat, and then a move to a grimy lay-up berth at South Chicago, MILWAUKEE CLIPPER arrived "home" at Muskegon on De­ cember 2nd in tow of the Andrie Inc. tug JOHN PURVES. The cross-lake tow was delayed for several days by nasty weather but, bedecked with a banner read­ ing "Thanks, Muskegon", the CLIPPER began her trip down the Little Calumet River and out into Lake Michigan in the late evening hours of December 1st. The ship has been acquired for $1. 00 from the Hammond Port Authority by a non-profit group, The Great Lakes Clipper Preservation Association, and the Hammond authorities agreed to pay for the preparation for the move, towing insurance, and the cost of the cross-lake tow. The CLIPPER was moored at the former Grand Trunk carferry dock (now owned by Andrie Inc. ) in preparation for what is hoped will be a future as a museum and entertainment centre. The group's efforts have received "mixed reviews" in Muskegon, where there is much support but also fear lest the ship becomes another unwanted, long-term denizen, as has been her former fleetmate, HIGHWAY 16, for 24 years, and as was AQUARAMA for even longer. One of the last skippers of MILWAUKEE CLIPPER was longtime friend of T. M. H. S. and many of its members, the late Capt. Joe Testyon, who spent most of his sailing career in the Georgian Bay Line boats and who took SOUTH AMERICAN on her last trip in October of 1967. He once commented to Ye Ed. that if he could no longer hear the melodious tones of SOUTH AMERICAN'S Crosby chimed whistle, then he was still in "whistle hea­ ven" being able to blow the big, three-barrelled JUNIATA chime on the MIL­ WAUKEE CLIPPER! Joe would be happy to know that the CLIPPER has gone home... In the November issue, we noted that the Lake Michigan Carferry Service Inc. idle steam ferry CITY OF MIDLAND 41 departed Ludington for Muskegon on October 2nd in tow of MARY PAGE HANNAH for conversion to a barge, and we now have more details. (Our original report was in error in suggesting that this ferry ever was involved with Contessa Cruise Line. ) Lake Michigan Carferry Service Inc. has transferred CITY OF MIDLAND 41 to a wholly-owned subsidia­ ry, Pere Marquette Shipping Company, and she is to be renamed (b) PERE MAR­ QUETTE 41, a choice of name that makes us very happy. She has been cut down by a local scrapper at the Mart Dock on Muskegon Lake, and then will go to Bay Shipbuilding at Sturgeon Bay for final refitting, including the placing of two 25-ton cranes on deck. To tow PERE MARQUETTE 41, the company has ac­ quired from Basic Towing Inc., of Escanaba, the 144-foot, 1943-built tug