Dredging Michigan’s Harbors

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

great lake - dredging

great lake – dredging, photo by j image.

Jim captured folks working at one of the many under-appreciated tasks in the world: dredging our harbors. As a lifelong resident of a coastal village, I anticipated the arrival of the dredging crew as a sign that summer was on the way. The US Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District explains why dredging is necessary on the Great Lakes:

Nearly all Federal harbors on the Great Lakes are located at the mouth of a river or along a coastline, utilizing natural or dredged navigation channels. Lake and river currents transport sand and silt eroded from the coastline and watershed. Some of this material may become deposited in navigation channels. Dredging is necessary to allow for safe commercial navigation and recreational boating. These natural processes would eventually lead to the filling of our harbors and waterways with rock, sand, mud, or clay. Harbors and major rivers, so vital to commercial, recreational and defense activities, would eventually fill in, leading to vessel delays and grounding. Today’s ore carriers, container ships, oil tankers and Coast Guard vessels need deep channels and docking facilities to move freely. Dredging is necessary to maintain Americas waterborne commerce and defense capability.

In addition, many recreational harbors need to be dredged regularly to remain open for small craft.

The page also explains something called “Beach Nourishment”, which I thought was a pretty unique term. Here’s a few dredging photos from the Absolute Michigan pool (slideshow)

Exposure Detroit in Ann Arbor – June – July 2008

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Fly by

Fly by, photo by blind lemon larry.

The Exposure.Detroit in Ann Arbor show opens this Friday (June 6) from 7-9 PM at Sweetwaters Cafe in Ann Arbor and continues through July and the Ann Arbor Art Fair. The theme of the show is “Michigan means ______ to me” and you can see the photos submitted right here.

Selected photographers for the show are: vonhaupt, rhonda marie, mike glinski, joejoesmoe , orlowski photography, kevin ridge , buckshotjones, tedguy49, paulhitz, radiospike, bobby alcott, maya fardoun, caterpillars, A2 Kathy , ledio/shqipo, ryan southen, bashas04, david sr. – lapeer photography, 1manwithacamera , keith burgess photography, kathy4, blind lemon larry , urban picasso , living in red, Rich S , Katthor , amy palomar, senecacreek/, ralph ckrawczyk jr/, alanna st laurent.

This photo is part of Larry’s Michigan set (slideshow).

50th anniversary of the launch of the S. S. Edmund Fitzgerald

Posted on by farlane

Hull 301 Launch 3

Hull 301 Launch 3, photo courtesy The Open Lake Group, LLC

I was initially going to use another photo of the Edmund Fitzgerald for this post, but when I asked about that one, Wade showed me this one from the launch of “Hull 301”. How cool is it that I would happen to contact someone who had an unpublished photo of the launch? You can see a couple more photos from the launch (including one that shows the huge crowd) in his Edmund Fitzgerald set.

Saturday June 7th marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of what’s probably the most well known Great Lakes ship. Over on Absolute Michigan, SSEdmundFitzgerald.com posted “Celebrating the launch of the S. S. Edmund Fitzgerald”. Reading it made me realize that our remembrance of what was once the largest ship ever to ply the Great Lakes ignores almost two decades of service and countless hours of hard work and craftsmanship.

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon on June 7th, 1958, as more than 10,000 people lined the banks of the Detroit River. They had come to witness the launching of Hull 301 at the Great Lakes Engineering Works of River Rouge, Michigan. Mrs. Edmund Fitzgerald, wife of the president of the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company for which the ship was named, christened the brand new ship and at 12:34 p.m. the 729 ft. “Edmund Fitzgerald” slid gracefully into the basin amid cheers, salutes, and well wishers.

For many of those in attendance, it was a spectacle that they would never forget.

The shipyard workers who constructed “Big Fitz” felt a deep sense of satisfaction as they anxiously watched the launch of this marvelous vessel. Being a prideful lot, they often endured long hours and harsh conditions. This was their “crowning achievement” and the beauty of their craftsmanship was truly evident to all those present.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of that memorable event. It is an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate a joyous time in our lives. It is also a chance to recall the great pride and cherished memories experienced by the ship workers, the community, and all who had the opportunity to witness the launching of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

On this historic occasion, let us joyously share our personal stories, renew old friendships, and fondly remember the day when the “Queen Of The Lakes” was born.
June 7, 2008 Detroit MI

Great Lakes Ship Builders (Detroit Area) host the 50th Anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald Launch and Down River Celebration from 11 AM – 4 PM on Saturday, June 7 2008. The celebration will include a chance to meet the designers and others who worked on the Fitz, workshops on shipbuilders, and ships built in the downriver during the last 200 years. There will also be a Salute to Excellence Award, launch commemoration, and lots of art and artists. For more information, call Roscoe at 810 955-4305 (and poke around SSEdmundFitzgerald.com).

As often, there’s a Wikipedia entry for the SS Edmund Fitzgerald and you can see a gallery of photos from the building of the Fitz and this Zapruder-class video of the launch of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Spring at Pere Marquette

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Spring at Pere Marquette

Spring at Pere Marquette, photo by cabriden.

It’s dredging season in Michigan’s harbors … fishing season too!

NOAA’s nautical chart of the Muskegon Harbor says that the Muskegon South Breakwater light is 70′ tall while the North light is half that and that they’re probably dredging to a depth of 26 feet.

Be sure to check it out bigger.

Going to the Night Boat

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Going to the night boat, Petoskey, Mich.

Going to the night boat, Petoskey, Mich., Detroit Publishing Co.

This photo from the Detroit Publishing Co. Touring Turn of the Century America collection at the Library of Congress is the winner of this month’s “Book or Movie Title Waiting to Happen.” Put Petoskey in the search and check the photos out!

As you read this, I’m in the Petoskey area, unplugging and (hopefully) taking some pictures.

Oh, There Were Once Great Ships On Our Mighty River!

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Oh, There Were Once Great Ships On Our Mighty River!

Oh, There Were Once Great Ships On Our Mighty River!, photo by “CAVE CANEM”.
CAVE CANEM writes…

So there I was… (On Black)

rutting through some boxes for some tax documents and BAM, look what I found!

If grew you up in Detroit between 1910 and the early eighties this should make you smile. This is an Detroit icon for all us kids that had to run the concrete jungle during the dog days summer. As I remember there were few things better than to take that first step onto the boat full of excitement waiting for those big steam monsters to start up, or catching that breeze in the face, any hot August morning while traveling the island. To be honest I can still feel that gentle wind as I ran what seemed like endless decks, it’s wonderful. Cruising to and from Bob-lo was the perfect way to cap off the season before the return of school and gray skys.

This is the S.S Columbia one of “twin steam boats” made for the Detroit, Windsor, and Belle Isle Ferry Company to cruise the Detroit River in-between the ice flows. I remember it was just cool to sit and watch them lazily make their way up and down the any day you were downtown, or to hear the voices bouncing off the wateras a ship full of revelers lost themselves on hot night while I caught a breeze with pops. If I miss anything it’s the late afternoon picnics with my family we had on that amusement island (Mangos! who knew?). This was one the best things about being in the city as a kid it saddens to think me my friends will never treat their children to such a day.

Oh well all good things come to an end….
The question is when will the bad things?

Probably the only link you really need is Bob-Lo Boats: a Tribute to the Bob-Lo Steamers, but lest I look too lazy, here’s the S.S. Columbia in Wikipedia which includes a 1905 photo of the Steamer Columbia on the Detroit River. I also found a 1959 video from the deck of either the Columbia or the Ste. Clair on YouTube.

The Columbia is now on the Hudson river and the S.S. Columbia Project is seeking to restore the vessel. Be sure to have a look at their gallery of historic photos. There’s a group of folks working to restore the S.S. Ste. Clair which is docked most of the year at Tricentennial Park in Detroit – get all the details and more about the boat at bobloboat.com!

Ultimate Hike: Michigan Iceboating Season opens early!

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

(photo removed by photographer)

Jack and Kelly sent me some photos and a link to a video of their first ice boat outing of the season last weekend on Bass Lake.

This photo is one of several from April of 2007 on Elk Lake. You can keep up with them at their Iceboat Michigan and J14 Iceboats web site.

Exploring the Florida in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Diver exploring the wreck of the Florida

Exploring the Florida, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary

The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary encompasses almost 450 square miles of Lake Huron’s bottomlands off Alpena. It is the thirteenth national marine sanctuary and was established in 2000 to protect a nationally significant collection of nearly 200 shipwrecks, spanning over a century of Great Lakes shipping history. Thunder Bay is the first Great Lakes sanctuary and also the first to focus solely on a large collection of underwater cultural resources. The headquarters of the Sanctuary is the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena.

The photo above is one of many awesome underwater photos of the Florida and other shipwrecks that can be viewed in their Fieldwork 2007 Gallery. Seriously, this is cool – go look at it and be sure to click the “slideshow” view at the top left to see the larger sized images.

Dave Swayze’s amazing Great Lakes Shipwrecks File includes information on 4,760 great lakes shipwrecks. It says that on May 21, 1897 in dense fog off False Presque Isle, the 271′ package freighter Florida, one of largest boats on the Great Lakes, collided with one of the few that was larger, the steamer George W. Roby. The Roby rescued her crew, but with a large hole in her starboard side, the Florida sank in just 12 minutes in 250′ of water.

There’s more information on the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve over at Absolute Michigan.

platte lake

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

platte lake

platte lake, photo by johnhoneyman.

John has some more beautiful photos of Northern Michigan and he’s thankfully uploaded them large enough to make great backgrounds for your computer!

The Platte River entry on Wikipedia gives you a pretty confusing look at the river’s watershed, so let’s turn to the Platte Lake Improvement Association which says that Big Platte Lake is located in Benzie County near the Village of Honor in northwest lower Michigan. It is approximately 3.3 miles long and 1.6 miles wide, covers approximately 2550 acres, has a maximum depth of 95 feet and an average depth of 24 feet. The primary source of water for Platte Lake is the inflow from the Upper Platte River. With an average inflow of about 4 million gallons per hour, water in the lake has a “residence time” of just 6 months – quite a bit faster than the 10 years most other lakes in the area average.

The site also includes a link to a 1901 article on from The Amateur Sportsman describing the fishing in the lake at the turn of the last century (pdf). I’m told that it’s still pretty darn good!

I’ve added Platte Lake to our Absolute Michigan map of Michigan.

Wyandotte shipbuilding, the Fitzgerald brothers and the launch of the Little Fitz

Posted on by farlane

Launch of the W.E. Fitzgerald at Wyandotte

Launch of the S.S. W.E. Fitzgerald at Wyandotte, Detroit Publishing Co.

I have no idea how I ended up at this photo (and why I suddenly feel like Paul Harvey), but here’s what I’ve learned through Boatnerd.com and a forum with a brief article from Boatnerd by Dick Wiklund about the “Little Fitz.”

William and Julia Fitzgerald of Marine City, Michigan sired six sons. The sons were fascinated by the wooden sailing ships and early steamboats on the St. Clair River, and all six became captains of Great Lakes ships. The youngest of these was John Fitzgerald, who started a shipyard in Milwaukee. His son, William E. Fitzgerald, took over the business in the 1890s but died just a few years later. William’s close friend, Captain Dennis Sullivan, built and christened the W.E. Fitzgerald in Wyandotte in his honor in 1906.

The Wyandotte Historical Museum’s history page says that Wyandotte’s shipbuilding industry was started by Eber B. Ward:

Wyandotte produced over 200 ships, varying from small tugs to large steamers and passenger ferries. Under the name of the American Shipbuilding Company the Wyandotte yards flourished. Hulls were constructed in Wyandotte and were taken up the Detroit River to Detroit, Michigan were they were outfitted. Smaller companies such as the E.H.Doyle Hoop & Stave Works(1889)who provided the city’s first electric power, the Regeant Stove Company, the McCord Corp. and the Beals & Selkirk Trunk Company soon made Wyandotte a famous industrial town.

In 1953, the WE Fitzgerald became known as the Little Fitz when the massive freighter named after William’s son was launched. His name, of course, was Edmund Fitzgerald.

The Library of Congress index of Wyandotte photos is heavy ships & shipyards (you may need to go to this page and search for “Wyandotte”). If you’re in the mood for a ton of Great Lakes freighter information (and a little music and “Laker” cooking), head over to Absolute Michigan’s word of the week: Freighter.