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by **Guest** » December 31, 2023, 9:23 pm

Here an article by Paul Weining that appeared in the July/August 1981 issue of Telescope.

https://images.maritimehistoryofthegrea ... 27441T.PDF

I have seen some photos on-line of the salvage of the E. M. Ford during the removal of some of the cement cargo. I think it was either at the Alpena Library or the Wisconsin Marine Museum websites, but doing a search at both of them tonight revealed no photos.

by **Chief1** » December 31, 2023, 8:27 pm

We laid up the MIDDLETOWN in 1977 at Toledo’s Overseas Terminal with storage Taconite pellets.

by **Statmk** » December 31, 2023, 7:57 pm

According to press reports,they had to jackhammer three feet of concrete out of the hold.

BTW--That was a nasty storm.We were loading in Calcite and the swell and wind were awful. I woke the Captain up and said we had to leave a little light. If we did not, his boat would be smashed against the north dock. He got up, looked at it and agreed. We headed straight for the Ducks and then coasted down the Ontario shore, rolling until we reached the River. Christmas dinner was enjoyed later in the day by most of the crew.

by **Guest** » December 31, 2023, 4:08 pm

Guest wrote: ↑December 30, 2023, 6:15 pm
Guest wrote: ↑December 30, 2023, 2:38 pm During winter layup 1979 in Milwaukee the EM Ford broke loose from her mooring lines in a bad storm. Hull was breached and she sank at the dock with storage load of cement. Subsequently repaired and ran until 1996. I was good friends with Joe Zolnerik, engineer. Working on those old Huron boats was a lesson in history😊.
Wow! Sank with a load of dry cement!
May we assume the cargo hold was not breached, only the ballast tanks?
A load of dry cement that got wet would be... a problem!

Was the cargo hold breached? What is the rest of THAT story?

If memory serves me correctly the hold was breached thereby creating quite a clean up job!

by **Guest** » December 31, 2023, 8:32 am

badger wrote: ↑December 25, 2023, 9:44 pm in toronto canadin lakers use to have winter layup cargos of raw surgar. loaded from saltwater ships in montreal and unloaded in the winter, as needed from the lakes, which were moved to the sugar plant by tugssssssssss. in 1977 the sir james dunn was bound for montreal with wheat. it was a really cold decenber. the dunn was low pwered {2,300 HP skinner engine. it was decided to turn around and layup in kingston at the elevator. in the spring we left for montreal' the cargo was unloaded at the elevator, in pristine condition.

Agreed! CSL's Spruceglen was laid up quite close to the Algosteel in 2016, with a load of sugar. There also was a huge tarped pile of sugar, that trucks loaded from wheel loaders and shuttled over to Redpath. Spruceglen was tugged over sometime after I left in mid April. Later pictures from that year showed her rafted to the Algosoo, but I am unsure if this was before or after unloading at Redpath.

by **Guest** » December 30, 2023, 6:15 pm

Guest wrote: ↑December 30, 2023, 2:38 pm During winter layup 1979 in Milwaukee the EM Ford broke loose from her mooring lines in a bad storm. Hull was breached and she sank at the dock with storage load of cement. Subsequently repaired and ran until 1996. I was good friends with Joe Zolnerik, engineer. Working on those old Huron boats was a lesson in history😊.

Wow! Sank with a load of dry cement!
May we assume the cargo hold was not breached, only the ballast tanks?
A load of dry cement that got wet would be... a problem!

Was the cargo hold breached? What is the rest of THAT story?

by **Guest** » December 30, 2023, 2:38 pm

During winter layup 1979 in Milwaukee the EM Ford broke loose from her mooring lines in a bad storm. Hull was breached and she sank at the dock with storage load of cement. Subsequently repaired and ran until 1996. I was good friends with Joe Zolnerik, engineer. Working on those old Huron boats was a lesson in history😊.

by **William Lafferty** » December 30, 2023, 2:27 pm

The E. M. Ford did not have a "storage cargo" when it sank Christmas Day 1979, although it was originally intended to be such. According to the original circuit court case 915 F.2d 1154 (7th Cir. 1990) all the crew but five were sent home for the holiday after the Ford arrived on 23 December 1979 and the vessel was scheduled to unload at the Huron terminal at 11th Street later in the week when the full crew returned and then sail for Alpena. It had been intended originally to layup at Milwaukee but Huron decided to send it on one more trip between Alpena and Milwaukee and it was moored at South Slip 1 in the outer harbor. If I read the decision correctly, the vessel was self-insured through National Gypsum, which probably explains why National Gypsum was so persistent in seeking $6.5 million in damages from the City of Milwaukee. The original decision found Milwaukee responsible for only 4% of the damage suffered by the Ford and a later court found it responsible for a third of the damages. Out of court National Gypsum and Milwaukee settled, Milwaukee paying out $1.6 million. National Gypsum still pursued the case through the appeals process to the Supreme Court when National Gypsum sued to recover interest on the prejudgment loss that had been denied by a lower court, and won that case, meaning Milwaukee had to pay interest on that amount dating back to 1979. So, yes, it was an "insurance" thing.

by **Guest** » December 29, 2023, 10:13 pm

E.M. Ford incident????

RCRVRP wrote: ↑December 29, 2023, 1:47 pm
guest wrote: ↑December 29, 2023, 4:42 am look what happened to the storage load in milwaukee. if that wasnt an insurance job she never woud of been salvaged, put all that money into her and she only sailed a few more seasons
Could you be more specific? I don't know about this incident but it would be interesting to hear the full story.

by **Guest** » December 29, 2023, 5:17 pm

RCRVRP wrote: ↑December 29, 2023, 1:47 pm
guest wrote: ↑December 29, 2023, 4:42 am look what happened to the storage load in milwaukee. if that wasnt an insurance job she never woud of been salvaged, put all that money into her and she only sailed a few more seasons
Could you be more specific? I don't know about this incident but it would be interesting to hear the full story.

I believe the poster was referring to the E. M. Ford sinking while laid up at Milwaukee in 1979. There are several write-ups about this accident both on this website and online in addition to some books. Here is one link to an account that Skip Gillham wrote several years ago:

Code: Select all

https://www.vos.noaa.gov/MWL/apr_06/shipwreck.shtml

The Ford did sail for more than a few more seasons after the accident, however, as it was repaired and operated until 1996, although it did spend some significant time at the wall during the intervening years. Regardless, after retirement from active service, it spent another 12 years in Zilwaukee, Michigan, as a cement storage vessel before being sold for scrap in 2008. As such, its owner(s) got several more years of value out of the ship after the accident. I do agree, however, that it is almost certain that an insurance (or lawsuit) settlement played a key role in the vessel being repaired. I seem to recall National Gypsum filing a lawsuit against the city of Milwaukee concerning this accident but cannot be certain of this.

by **RCRVRP** » December 29, 2023, 1:47 pm

guest wrote: ↑December 29, 2023, 4:42 am look what happened to the storage load in milwaukee. if that wasnt an insurance job she never woud of been salvaged, put all that money into her and she only sailed a few more seasons

Could you be more specific? I don't know about this incident but it would be interesting to hear the full story.

by **guest** » December 29, 2023, 4:42 am

look what happened to the storage load in milwaukee. if that wasnt an insurance job she never woud of been salvaged, put all that money into her and she only sailed a few more seasons

by **CaptWelly** » December 28, 2023, 4:45 pm

The Lafarge vessels always lay up with a storage load on board.

by **Shipwatcher1** » December 28, 2023, 12:59 pm

Old Sailor wrote: ↑December 27, 2023, 8:38 pm Some might recall, sometime in the late 1990's. the John Sherwin being towed from Superior Wi. to Milwaukee for grain load, to be stored at grain elevator in South Chicago on the Calumet River. The next spring after her unload, she was towed to Sturgeon Bay for the future potential of repowering and conversion as a self unloader. This might of been the largest vessel to have a storage load on the Great Lakes. And possibly the last cargo the John Sherwin would of carried, thou a barge.

This happened in 2006, and the cargo was unloaded by 2008. She was towed to Bay Ship later in 08 for conversion, but the tanking economy ended that project.

by **Guest** » December 28, 2023, 10:31 am

Old Sailor wrote: ↑December 27, 2023, 8:38 pm Some might recall, sometime in the late 1990's. the John Sherwin being towed from Superior Wi. to Milwaukee for grain load, to be stored at grain elevator in South Chicago on the Calumet River. The next spring after her unload, she was towed to Sturgeon Bay for the future potential of repowering and conversion as a self unloader. This might of been the largest vessel to have a storage load on the Great Lakes. And possibly the last cargo the John Sherwin would of carried, thou a barge.

2006

by **Guest** » December 27, 2023, 9:49 pm

I know recently Buffalo has had a few winter layup grain cargos. I believe H Lee White had one last year, American Mariner the prior year, and Victory/Maumee the year before that.

by **Old Sailor** » December 27, 2023, 8:38 pm

Some might recall, sometime in the late 1990's. the John Sherwin being towed from Superior Wi. to Milwaukee for grain load, to be stored at grain elevator in South Chicago on the Calumet River. The next spring after her unload, she was towed to Sturgeon Bay for the future potential of repowering and conversion as a self unloader. This might of been the largest vessel to have a storage load on the Great Lakes. And possibly the last cargo the John Sherwin would of carried, thou a barge.

by **guest** » December 27, 2023, 4:02 pm

in the 70s the sir james dunn used to discharge at "the town house" one leg and scoops. we were in port for 2 days. the legion was a 10 minute walk. being the 70s there were no gates or fences. as archie bunker would sing "those were the days"

by **guest** » December 27, 2023, 6:42 am

CSL still does a winter storage load in Midland On. Canada. And i believe Windsor does also.

by **Syd bc** » December 27, 2023, 2:00 am

Only ever had two storage loads Both were grain One we laid up in Hamilton and took the load to Kingston in the spring The other we laid up in Montreal just before Christmas We were called back in mid January and sailed to Halifax to unload Then went to Sydney and laid up again A month later we were back and fit out in Sydney

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