# Spring has sprung at the Head of the Lakes



## kewl dude (Jun 1, 2008)

The silver stacker Cason J. Callaway left Duluth today March 22, 2014.

http://www.boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/callaway.htm

Attached:

Calloway-1.jpg (44.4 KB) 
Calloway-2.jpg (61.9 KB) 
Calloway-3.jpg (63.4 KB) 
Calloway-4.jpg (59.4 KB) 
LakeSuperiorIceCover.jpg (195.9 KB)

With the exception of Lake Ontario the other four Great Lakes are 90% ice covered, see Lake Superior image taken March 16 attached. This is the heaviest ice seen on the Great Lakes in 3 decades.

Source of attached images:

http://www.duluthharborcam.com/

Port Authority: Ice Breakers to Lead First Ships Across Lake Superior:

http://www.wdio.com/article/stories/S3371063.shtml?cat=10335

The USCGC Alder cut the path out on Lake Superior that you can see ahead of Callaway in picture # 2

http://www.uscg.mil/d9/cgcAlder/

The Soo locks are scheduled to open for service Monday March 24, while the Seaway not until March 31. Soo Webcams:

https://webcam.crrel.usace.army.mil/soo/

Greg Hayden


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## lakercapt (Jul 19, 2005)

Those early fit out are in for a tough few weeks with the ice coverage at record level.
The Ice breakers are going to be doing a massive job to keep them going.
Sailing this early and with that much ice is going to be a challenge and I am glad that I don't have to do it.
Can see there being convoys in the St.Clair and Detroit river as well as the St.Marys river.
Not a fun time with the floating navigational aids still with the winter markers and out of position. Do not miss those early days.


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## ben27 (Dec 27, 2012)

good day kewl dude,sm,today,05:10 re:spring has sprung at the head of the lake,great post,great photo's.some links are not respondind.??thank you for sharing,regards ben27


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## kewl dude (Jun 1, 2008)

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_integrated_tug_and_barge_Presque_Isle_-c.jpg

http://tinyurl.com/oc2sjta

The 1,000 foot integrated tug and barge Presque Isle left Duluth at twi-light.

Presque Isle-1.jpg (45.5 KB) 
Presque Isle-2.jpg (58.6 KB) 
Presque Isle-3.jpg (74.6 KB) 
Presque Isle-4.jpg (78.5 KB) 

Duluth Harbor Cam - era's revert to black and white after dark:

Presque Isle-5.jpg (65.2 KB)

Yes Laker Capt I know what you mean 1961-1965 I fit out and sailed for the season Hanna Line Joseph H Thompson 1961, 1962 and 1963 then the George M Humphrey 1964 & 65. The Joe T from Duluth 1962 & 63. We sailed in convoy in the spring. I cannot speak for these modern diesel ships but our relatively quiet steam ships we in the engine room could hear the ice scraping against the hull and now and then the ship would shift hitting a piece of ice that would not get out of the way.

We unlicensed were housed in the hull and all the time we tried to sleep there was that constant noise of ice scraping the hull.

These two ore carriers who have left Duluth are bound for Two Harbors MN to load iron ore pellets for eastern ports. Another ship is scheduled to leave Duluth for Two Harbors and fully loaded these three carriers are to be escorted to the Soo locks by three USCG ice breakers.

I meant to mention in the first post that when the Callaway left it was +9 F in Duluth, when the Presque Isle left it was +12F.

Regarding some links not working did you receive a message that something was wrong with the Soo webcams? They are the US Army, they REFUSE to use standard internet identification certificates instead they use those specified by the US Army @ the Pentagon. Go ahead and click on them everything is fine. 

Greg Hayden


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## kewl dude (Jun 1, 2008)

You notice a few people watching the ship go out in picture 3 above? 

Perhaps crew members' family?

From the time I was a little kid my Mom and me and later my two sisters ALWAYS "waved my Dad in and out from these piers". If it was the middle of the night Mom would get us up and we would be standing on these piers. As often as not Dad would be on watch and in the starboard engine room gangway waving to us. It took Dad's ship 45-60 minutes depending to get to the ore dock and tied up. In the middle of the night we would stop at Dad's favorite 24 hour hot dog stand and get hot dogs for all of us. When Dad's ship tied up we four stood on the dock.

Dad would have Bunch the night cook warm up our hot dogs and we all would eat them in the crews mess room adjacent to the galley. Bunch was great for taking my two sisters off my folks hands. Bunch was the Night Cook/Baker/Breakfast Maker working midnight to 8 AM. He taught my sisters how to make all kinds of neat things.

I was fobbed off to Ole Nielsen 1st Mate. Ole was in charge of loading the cargo and I hung out on deck with him. Now and then the ship had to be shifted and the steam mooring winches were used. Over time I was taught how to operate them and was allowed to do so. When we had to 'wait for water', stop loading until the ballast water discharge caught up, Ole would take me down on the bum boat and buy me a Grape Nehi.

In the daytime Dad would walk up the dock and we all would go someplace, usually someplace to eat. When we were in school Mom would come by and take us out. When she got push back Mom simply said: 'These kids Dad is in town 4 hours a week. These kids need to see their Dad. Their Dad needs to see them." 

Greg Hayden


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## Ron Dean (Aug 11, 2010)

kewl dude said:


> With the exception of Lake Ontario the other four Great Lakes are 90% ice covered, see Lake Superior image taken March 16 attached. This is the heaviest ice seen on the Great Lakes in 3 decades.


Without wishing to extend this thread into the GW debate, it's interesting to note this increase in ice covering of inland waters, in a year which has shown sizeable (if not dramatic) increases in both Arctic & Antarctic sea ice.
BTW Thanks for the interesting compilation kewl dude. (Thumb)

Ron.


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## PatriciaAnnT (Sep 15, 2010)

Greg, great shots of Duluth Ship Canal. My husband grew up in Duluth. We lived there for 6 long years in the mid 80s to early 90s. We were there in December for a funeral. The weather! Ugh!

24-hour hot dog stand? Conies?


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## kewl dude (Jun 1, 2008)

Coney Island hot dogs on first street downtown. I spent the better part of 1940-1960 growing up in Duluth. I shoveled enough snow to last me a lifetime. Shipped out in 1960 I began sailing off shore in 1966. I returned to Duluth only in the summer months. My wife agreed in 1970 that we should move to SoCal where I have been ever since.

Greg Hayden


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## kewl dude (Jun 1, 2008)

http://www.duluthharborcam.com/

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MorroBay.jpg (42.8 KB)

http://duluthshippingnews.com/

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It was +24F when USCG ice breakers Mackinaw, Morro Bay, Katmai Bay arrived in Duluth today. The newspaper says they will refuel and provision. If it is like past years they will spend the better part of a day or more to open the Duluth-Superior harbor. After that the Duluth based USCG Alder and harbor tugs along with vessels arriving and departing keep it open.

The word is that these three will then join at least 3 ore carriers in Two Harbors for the trip across Lake Superior and down to the Soo.

I am aware that Canada has a big back log in grain shipping and I wonder if they will clear out Thunder Bay Ontario too? They have done that in the past. A lot of crude oil too is being shipped from Thunder Bay.

Eastern ice latest obstacle to clearing Canada grain backlog:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/20/canada-ports-thunderbay-idUSL2N0MH0L420140320

http://tinyurl.com/mrvbzfx

Canadian Coast Guard to send more icebreakers to clear frozen Great Lakes:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canadi...reakers-to-clear-frozen-great-lakes-1.1736966

http://tinyurl.com/mcyjabh

The USCG and CCG seem to work well together I have pictures on my machine showing them working together previous springs.

The Mackinaw winters in the eastern Lake Michigan port of Cheboygan, MI and clears Milwaukee and Chicago and the whole lake from south to north to Escanaba WI. 

This happened awhile ago -- a week - ten days? -- I saw a report of a 1,000 footer leaving Milwaukee for Escanaba, which is in Green Bay. Then they open the Mackinaw Straits, the St Mary's River up to the Soo then Whitefish Bay and Lake Superior.

Typically Mackinaw docks at the Duluth Entertainment and Visitor Center. Since I was still watching the smaller vessels enter I did not see where Mack went. I saw Morro Bay head for the DEC while Katami Bay headed for Duluth Coast Guard Station. But there are no web cams there that I am aware of? 

Greg Hayden


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## PatriciaAnnT (Sep 15, 2010)

Great post, Greg. Thanks.


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