SHIPS The cement carrier DANIEL McCOOL has been renamed J.B.JOHN ii. The Canadian canaller CHEMONG has been renamed DONALD F.FAWCETT. The CLIFFS VICTORY was christened March 21, at Key Highway Yards of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Co., and began her trip to the Lakes via New Or- leans on April 2. She is expected to begin service on the Lakes in mid- summer. The other new Cliffs ship, now under construction at Toledo will be named EDWARD B.GREENE. The steamers W.D.REES and J.H.MACOUBREY will sail in the Bethlehem Transportation Co. fleet this season. The Roen Steamship Co has purchased the LST-1006 from the Government and will convert her for paper pulp transportation on the Lakes. She is powered by two 850 h.p. Diesel engines. She recently arrived at Sturgeon Bay from Houston, Texas. The first ship of a new German Line which will operate canal sized ships into the Great Lakes, the GEHIMRAT SARTORI, is due at Montreal May 1. This line will be known as the Hamburg Chicago Line, and will operated two motor ships and two chartered steamers. The CARL D.BRADLEY, out of Rogers City, was the first commercial ship to negotiate the Straits of Mackinac, on March 30th. The NORMAN J.KOPPMEIER was the first ship into Ludington, other than the car ferries. The tankers IMPERIAL COLLINGWOOD and IMPERIAL LON- DON oficially opened Port Colborne on March 24th. The first trip of the season for the passenger steamer PELEE, began on April 5th from Sandusky. The Bob Lo boats will open their season on May 30th, and the Georgian Bay Line about June 16th. At the moment we can make no reliable statement regarding the D, & C. ships. KOK OK ROK OK OK OK OK OK OK KOK OK OK OK OK OK OK KOK OK OK OK OK OK OK KOK KK OK KK OK OK OK LAUNCHING The first launching of a large ship in the Detroit area since World War II, occurred on Saturday, April 7, at 12:14 P.M. when the new State auto ferry VACATIONLAND, slid down the ways at the River Rouge Yard of the Great Lakes Engineering Works. A large crowd, in- cluding many members of our Society were on hand for the occasion. Thanks to the hospitality of Capt.Frank Becker, your editor and several of your Wy officers had a box seat view of the spectacle from the deck of the tug G.F.BECKER, docked at the river end of the launching slip. The big hull, about 370 feet in length slid down majestically, and threw a hig wave which sprayed many of the spectators on the doéks. The vessel will be completed during the summer, and probably will go into service at the Straits before the season is completed. The VACATIONLAND is the eighth ship to serve on this route, and the second built especially for carrying autos. Incidentally this is the first local launching since the founding of our Society, and so we caption the picture below: "The Biggest Splash in the History of the Marine Society."