Three Americans Thread the River Before Noon

Three American Steamship boats were threading north through the Detroit River and St. Clair corridor in the hours before dawn Tuesday, a convergence that does not happen every week.

Walter J. McCarthy Jr. was last reported at Southeast Shoal at 4:02 a.m., bound for the Dossin Museum waypoint with an ETA of 9:05 a.m. American Mariner was a step ahead, placing her at the Crib Light at 5:00 a.m. with an ETA of 8:10 at Port Huron. John G. Munson was farthest along, last pinged at Detroit River Light at 4:12 a.m., due at Port Huron by 10:23.

The port reports confirm what the AIS suggests: Munson had ore for Ironville at Toledo, and Mariner was delivering ore to Torco there as well. McCarthy's Cleveland arrival with ore for the Bulk Terminal is in the books from the same morning dispatch.

Three ore boats, three Toledo and Cleveland iron docks, one narrow river corridor. The St. Clair vantage point at Port Huron would have been busy with notebook-and-binoculars work from first light onward.

Harbor Notes

The Saginaw River had its third vessel passage of August on Saturday evening when Robert S. Pierson came in off the lake at sunset, carrying salt from Goderich, Ontario. She worked up to the Sargent Docks and Terminal in Zilwaukee, finished unloading Sunday morning, swung through the Sixth Street Turning Basin, and headed back out. The bay has been quiet since.

At Cleveland, Federal Oshima arrived at Dock 24W with skids and steel coils, a salty cargo among all the limestone and ore. Mark W. Barker, which we tracked moving limestone to Osborne on Monday, shifted to Cargill for a salt load bound for Green Bay once she emptied.

Dirk S. VanEnkevort was downbound from Whitefish Point toward the Soo at 4:03 a.m. Tuesday, with an ETA at the locks of 7:46 a.m. The canal was seeing steady two-way commerce: American Century was upbound from Detour at the same hour, due at 6:49.

Joyce L. VanEnkevort was reported at the Port Huron vantage point downbound at 4:02 a.m. Tuesday, clearing the river in the early dark.

The Levels Ledger

Lake Erie sits at 2.88 feet above Low Water Datum, the highest reading across the system right now. Lake Ontario follows at 3.65 feet above its own datum at Rochester. Lake Michigan reads 2.23 feet at Chicago and Huron 2.20 at Harbor Beach. Superior is the lowest at 1.70 feet above datum at the Sault. The Erie margin is comfortable for loaded ore drafts on the southern run; the Superior reading bears watching as summer wears on.

Weather on the Water

A quasi-stationary front is draped across the southern Great Lakes through midweek, spinning up waves of showers and thunderstorms over Huron and Erie. Lake Huron is running 2-foot seas under that setup. Erie also shows 2-foot waves with low pressure around 29.90 inches rippling along the front; a cold front is expected to push through Thursday, which should clear things out. Lake Michigan is calmer, with light southeasterly winds and 1-foot seas reported, though some dense fog has formed over the southern half this morning.

Looking Astern

The history item in today's file belongs to last week's edition, which covered the Sundew's stop at Rogers City for the Carl D. Bradley memorial. The cutter that pulled the only two survivors from Lake Michigan in November 1958 rang the Bradley's salvaged bell 33 times, once for each man lost. The bell was recovered from the wreck site in 2007, nearly half a century after the steamer went down in a November gale. Rogers City has gathered to remember those sailors for 67 years. The Sundew, now privately owned, made Wednesday's ceremony the first time many in attendance could pay respects to the rescue vessel itself.

Tomorrow's Watch Watch for American Integrity, last reported downbound from the Keweenaw at 3:00 a.m. Tuesday with a Soo ETA of 17:14, to clear the locks and enter Lake Huron by early Wednesday morning.

Vessel Spotlight: Federal Katsura was downbound from the Keweenaw toward the Soo at 2:32 a.m. Tuesday, with an ETA of 14:20 at the locks. She is one of three oceangoing salties in the Tuesday Soo queue, joining CSL Niagara due at 14:58 and the American Integrity due at 17:14, all funneling toward Lake Huron through the same narrow staircase of stone and water.