The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Dues and Log Correspondence Bill Luke 20265 Wellesley Birmingham, MI 48010 Bill Luke, Editor Reflecting the severity of the current winter, the Welland Canal was closed on December 27th, while the Soo shut down on January Ist. Earlier announced plans called for the Soo to remain open until the 15th of January. *** Winter work at Port Weller Dry Docks includes completion of the of the CANADIAN RANGER, using the stern of the package freighter CHIMO and the bow and midbody of Upper Lakes Shipping's steamer HILDA MARJANNE. Also on the docket there is extensive bow replating to the motorship ARCTIC and general renovation to Imperial Oil's steam tanker IMPERIAL SARNIA. *** An unexpected beneficiary of the early closing of the Welland Canal this winter is the city of Port Colborne, where a fleet of 17 vessels are in layup. Vessel repair crews will be kept busy there through the winter months. The region has been hard hit with high levels of unemployment in recent times, * Preliminary figures for the 1983 season show that the St. Lawrence Seaway was in the red by about $2 Million, versus a $3.7 Million loss in 1982. The 1983 results were tempered by a $3 Million federal grant provided by the Canadian government to meet needed repairs to the system. Shipments of U.S. grain through the system declined for the year, while Canadian grain movement was up, as were late-season ore shipments from the lower St. Lawrence River areas. The $3 Million grant will be repeated again this year. *** Upper Lakes Shipping, Ltd. took on the new name ULS International effective January 1st. *** When Misener Riba eons fits out their n r LAKE NIPIGON this erring’ she will sail as LAKETON, restoring yet another former name of an earlier Misener bulker. *** American Ship Building Company announced in early December that it was closing its last Great Lakes' shipyard, the Lorain, Ohio plant, effective immediately, bringing to a close its operations which began there in 1898. With this move, there remain only two major American-flag shipyard facilities in operation on the Great Lakes; the Bay Shipbuilding yard at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin and the Fraser Shipyards operation at Superior, Wisconsin. At its zenith, Amship operated yards at Buffalo, Cleveland, Lorain, Toledo, Chicago and Duluth. The firm's last major lake-yard project was the conversion and lengthening of the Moore-McCormack salty MORMACLYNX at the Lorain yard in 1982. The company's headquarters are located in Tampa, Florida. *** U.S. Steel's 1,000-foot EDWIN H. GOTT grounded in Middle Neebish Cut in the St. Mary's River on December 27th while downbound with pellets for southern Lake Michigan. Lightered into Boco's motorship ROGER M. KYES, the GOTT was returned to the Soo for inspection prior to completion of her trip into Lake Michigan. She is undergoing repair at Bay Ship's Sturgeon Bay yard over the winter. The normal southbound West Neebish Cut had been closed five days earlier. *** Selvick Marine have renamed their newly-acquired tug JUDSON the SHARON SELVICK. *** Among the large winter layup fleet in the Toledo area at present are two units of U.S. Steel's Bradley fleet. The two boats are the steamers JOHN G. MUNSON and MYRON C. TAYLOR. *** Reports that Boco will repower their Maritime-class self-unloader JOHN T. HUTCHINSON with the stern section of their motorship SAGINAW BAY, the project to be performed at Bay Shipbuilding's Sturgeon Bay yard later this year, is under consideration, *** The GEORGE M. CARL has been sold for scrap to Marine Salvage to be reduced there or overseas next spring. *** The entire Q &O Fleet has been sold to the Desgagnes Group of Montreal. They will operate most of the ships this summer. Oo