On Sunday, the USCG Cutter Hollyhock was conducting an ice escort for six Great Lakes ore boats.in Northern Lake Michigan. The Hollyhock is a 225 feet long, Juniper Class Seagoing Buoy Tender displacing 2.000 long tons. Following close behind, perhaps too close as it turns out, was Interlake’s Mesabi Miner, a 1,000 foot long, 60,000 dwt bulk carrier.
As reported by the Times Herald : The Hollyhock was breaking ice, cutting a line west, and hit a hard spot in the ice, said Keith Showalter, operations specialist first class for the USCG Sector Sault Ste. Marie. The 1,004-foot Mesabi Miner was astern of the Hollyhock and hit the Hollyhock’s stern. Showalter said the Hollyhock sustained significant damage to its stern and fantail. The Mesabi Miner sustained damage to its bow.
Fortunately, no one was injured and no pollution was reported. The Hollyhock proceeded to St. Ignace, Mich to undergo a damage assessment. Thanks to Mike Cox for passing the news along.
Read this on boatnerd yesterday, but since it happened on the great Lakes, I didn’t bother to send it to you. The had photos showing the damage, find it further down the page here: Click “What’s New” http://boatnerd.com/
Today they report the following:
Hollyhock hull, stern, fantail damaged
1/7 – Port Huron, Mich. – Officials said the United States Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock sustained damage to its hull, as well as its stern and fantail, after a freighter collided with the cutter in Lake Michigan Sunday.
The Hollyhock is undergoing damage assessment in St. Ignace this morning, said Levi Read, petty officer second class and public affairs specialist at the USCG District Office in Cleveland.
The collision happened about 10:45 a.m., 22 nautical miles west of the Straits of Mackinac.
The Hollyhock was breaking ice for the 1,004-foot Mesabi Miner when it hit a hard spot in the ice. The Mesabi Miner collided with the Hollyhocks stern, Coast Guard officials said Sunday.
According to a statement from the USCG District Office in Cleveland, the Hollyhock sustained two punctures to its hull about 20 feet above the waterline as well as significant damage to its stern and fantail.
The Mesabi Miner reported a 12-inch crack in the bow about 4 feet above the water line. The bow reportedly is pushed in 8 to 12 inches.
The collision resulted in no injuries and no pollution, Read said. Neither vessel reported any flooding.
The Hollyhock arrived at St. Ignace about 8:30 p.m. Sunday, escorted by the USCG Cutter Biscayne Bay. The Mesabi Miner, which was carrying iron ore, is being escorted to Gary, Ind. by the USCG Cutter Mobile Bay, Read said.
There are a total of nine cutters capable of ice breaking in the Great Lakes, Read said. The 225-foot Hollyhock was launched in 2003. When its not breaking ice or tending buoys, the Hollyhock is stationed on the St. Clair River at 2700 Omar Street, Port Huron.
Port Huron Times Herald
Am I the only one who doesn’t like ships referred to as boats?
Like it or not, ships on the Great Lakes are called boats, they travel in miles per hour and the main deck is called the spar deck. The water is fresh and steel doesn’t rust. It is a different world up there.
Thanks Rick I did not know these Great Lakes facts. You see you can learn something every day – even at 77 years young !!
Good Watch.
I read that there were six or seven lakers being led by the ice breaker to get them into Lake Michigan for ports in Chicago, Milqwaukee, Green Bay, etc. The freighters were stopped in ice and broken out by cutters and led by the Hollyhock through the Straits to go south. The convoy was traveling in required one mile spacing. As the cutter slowed from 8 knots to four to break a pressure ridge of ice the call went out to slow. The Miner ran up on the back of the cutter damaing the stern and sustaining damge as well. None of the other ships in the convoy struck the Mesabi Miner indicating that they heeded the call and slowed and the Miner did not or was too slow to respond. The Hollyhock is a key ice breaking asset that had been breaking ice 24/7 since Christmas morning. The largeg CGC Mackinaw was in the St. Mary’s river handling heavy shipping traffic to the locks that enter Lake Superior. The locks close on Jan 15th and this early ice situation caught a large number of freighters in heavy ice in their last load of the season. CG ice breaking ops in the Great Lakes are legendary and fascinating. This accident took a key asset out of a harsh unexpected winter storm.
greed not tailgating caused this accident!!!!! these ships should not be running through this ice. Give the truckers a job instead!!!!!!!!!!!! Breaking this ice only ruins ours and a lot of coastal property owners property!!!! getting that last big shipment in is the only thing these big companies care about!!! money isn’t everything it will be your downfall one day,,,,it is the root of all evil!!!!
l. Hansen, have you gone off your meds? Just because you do not like that there are other ways to ship freight other than truck doesn’t mean they are greedy. They are trying to make a living just like you. Do you have rants on Railroad sites also complaining trains ship goods?