Maritime History of the Great Lakes

Scanner, v. 36, no. 8 (May 2004), p. 2

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MARINE NEWS 2. At long last, the Rochester-Toronto fast catamaran ferry SPIRIT OF ONTARIO 1 (a. k. a. "The Breeze") has arrived on Lake Ontario. Her arrival was delayed because on April 1, as the ship was attempting to dock at Pier 17 at New York's South Street Seaport, she struck the wharf and cut a 25-foot gash into her starboard side above the waterline. Repairs were put in hand by the Austal shipyard, bringing parts from Australia, and the vessel got underway again, but her planned May 1 entry into service had to be postponed indefi­ nitely. The accident was blamed on pilot error, but no charges were laid. SPIRIT OF ONTARIO 1 finally appeared at Montreal on April 24 and, still registered at Fremantle, Australia, entered the Seaway early on the 25th. She became windbound at Beauharnois. With crowds of onlookers to witness the event, SPIRIT OF ONTARIO 1 arrived at Rochester on the morning of April 27. Before entering service, much work would have to be done regarding putting a new crew on the boat, having her certified by both U. S. and Canadian autho­ rities, having her re-registered in the Bahamas, and getting some sort of a terminal in place at Toronto. As of this writing, only the vehicle ramp was in place at Toronto's Pier 52 and there was no sign of a terminal building. It is not known when the ferry will begin service. Meanwhile, security around the ferry has become a concern. Security measures required by the U. S. Department of Homeland Security mandate a 25-yard security perimeter around the ship when docked in the Genesee River at Char­ lotte, which will prohibit use of the nearby county boat launch, and plea­ sure boaters are steamed. Anyone violating the perimeter will be subject to a $10, 000 fine, and the security boundary will expand to 100 yards when the ship is out on open water. Surely this is carrying security way too far... Two straight-deck bulk carriers of the Algoma Central fleet have made the marine news recently. In late April, after four seasons of idleness (most at Toronto and last winter at Hamilton), the 1963-built ALGOISLE, (a) SILVER ISLE (94), fitted out and re-entered service. Her first trip was not without difficulties, however, and on the way to the lakehead she wound up anchored in Lake Huron off Lexington, Michigan, with engine coolant problems. She then was towed down to the North Slip at Sarnia on April 29 by the tug MENA­ SHA. She set out again under her own power on May 1st and arrived at Thunder Bay on the 3rd to load grain. On April 14th, ALGONTARIO, (a) RUHR ORE (76), (b) CARTIERCLIFFE HALL (88), (c) WINNIPEG (94), was placed on the Pascol drydock at Thunder Bay. She has been idle at the lakehead ever since a grounding in the spring of 1999 in the St. Mary's River, and observers did not expect her to run again. We do not know what the future holds for ALGONTARIO, but her drydocking is seen as a positive indicator for her future. Still a denizen of the North Slip at Sarnia, despite a timely spring fitout of her various fleetmates, is Grand River Navigation's 1929-built self-un- loading motorship MAUMEE, (a) WILLIAM G. CLYDE (61), (b) CALCITE II (01). Her fitout was begun during April, but it is said that she failed her U. S. Coast Guard inspection, and that her future now is in doubt. It is not known what work the venerable boat requires, nor whether Grand River will give her that work, considering that the fleet now has RICHARD REISS in its fold. Over the winter, the Inland Bulk Transfer fleet, of Cleveland, sold its 1999- built tug JAMES PALLADINO and 1957-built barge KELLSTONE 1, (a) M-211 (81), (b) VIRGINIA (88), (c) C-11 (93), to the Lafarge Corp., to be operated by the Algoma Central organization. JAMES PALLADINO has been renamed (b) CLEVELAND, while the barge has been rechristened (e) CLEVELAND ROCKS. The latter is an imaginatively original name for a self-unloading barge which is operated in the stone trade. In news from the U. S. Coast Guard, we should note that U. S. C. G. SEQUOIA was delivered to the Coast Guard on April 21 at Marinette. Launched on August 23rd last, she will be stationed at Apra Harbor, Guam. Meanwhile, the Coast

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