LOG Summer 2006 - The Interlake Steamship Company

THE
Volume 65, Number 2
INTERLAKE STEAMSHIP COMPANY
LOG
Summer 2006
In Memory of Capt. Joe Buonocore
We are deeply saddened to report that as this issue of the LOG was being prepared for print, we received word of the sudden,
untimely death of Captain Joseph P. Buonocore of M/V JAMES R. BARKER. Captain Buonocore was at home on vacation
when he passed away early on Tuesday, August 29, 2006, at the age of 48.
Joseph Paul Buonocore graduated from the State University of New York Maritime College--Fort Schuyler in 1979. Upon
graduation, he joined Interlake Steamship Company as Third Mate. His first assignment as Master was in 1993 aboard M/V
PAUL R. TREGURTHA. He served as relief master throughout the fleet until permanently appointed Master of the JAMES
R. BARKER.
Captain Joe possessed a passion and pride for sailing and the Great Lakes like no other. He was a friend and advocate to
countless men and women who sailed with and for him. He will be sorely missed as a shipmate and friend to everyone at the
Interlake Steamship Company. Joe is survived by his wife, Laura, parents, a sister, and two nieces who reside in the Long
Island, New York, area.
JOHN SHERWIN Departs Duluth
For the first time in nearly a quarter-century, the Str. JOHN SHERWIN
departed Duluth-Superior – not under her own power, but under tow
– on Friday, September 1, 2006. The tug Ohio, assisted by other tugs
in port and at the Soo, towed the SHERWIN into Milwaukee late on
September 6. She loaded corn at the Nidera elevator, and, after several days of waiting on weather, resumed her journey to South Chicago, where she arrived on the afternoon of September 14. The
SHERWIN will be used for long-term grain storage at South Chicago.
photo by Ed Priem
Str. JOHN SHERWIN was built by American Ship Building Company, Toledo, OH, and completed in 1958. On her maiden voyage,
she loaded ore at Taconite Harbor, MN, on May 6. In 1973, she was lengthened by 96 feet at Fraser Shipyards, Superior, WI. She
entered long-term layup at Duluth-Superior on November 16, 1981.
THE INTERLAKE LOG
Four Ships Receive Devlin Safety Awards
Earlier this summer, the Chamber of Shipping of America issued
their 2005 Jones F. Devlin Awards for ships with at least two
years without a lost-time accident. We are pleased to report
that four Interlake vessels qualified for these awards.
MV PAUL R. TREGURTHA 4-Year Award for 1,445 consecutive days without a
lost-time accident
SS KAYE E. BARKER 3-Year Award for 967 consecutive days without a
lost-time accident
SS HERBERT C. JACKSON 2-Year Award for 945 days without a lost-time
accident
SS LEE A. TREGURTHA 2-Year Award for 514 days without a lost-time
accident
Congratulations to the officers and crew aboard these ships
for these achievements. We commend them for their attention
to safe working practices.
UNITED WAY CONTRIBUTIONS RISE
“I am thrilled to report the wonderful success we had in the
2005 United Way campaign,” said Brendan O’Connor, who
serves as Interlake’s corporate campaign coordinator.
“Interlake has been remarkable in matching the campaign
contributions of the [office] employees. This has allowed us
to maximize our contributions for even greater impact” on
improving the lives of others.
In acknowledgment of increased giving last year, Interlake
received the United Way 2005 Excellence Award. With the
generous corporate dollar for dollar match, we were able to
raise $6860 in 2005. In fact, in each of the past four years,
Interlake has increased its giving. And in 2006, the
opportunity to participate in the United Way campaign will
be extended to vessel personnel.
“I hope you all feel as fortunate as I do to work in an
environment that supports and cares for its people and the
community as much as Interlake does,” Brendan said.
2
Summer 2006
THE INTERLAKE LOG
Addition to IT Staff
IT Associate Aaron Adato
joined the Interlake
Information Technology
staff on June 13, 2006. He
is an A+ Certified
Technician and comes to us
from a position in which he
supported a large number of
end users and remote
technical staff in hardware,
software and networking.
He will assist with all IT
functions in the office and
out in the fleet.
In his more than eight years in the IT field, Aaron has worked
as an independent contractor as well as in corporate markets.
In his previous position, he supported a network of 300 users
from all over the country as well as in Puerto Rico. He has
experience with supporting desktop as well as laptop
computers along with network servers and printers. He has
already been aboard several of our ships and spent some
time in Sturgeon Bay, WI, assisting with computer installation
and configuration aboard MV LEE A. TREGURTHA.
This is Aaron’s first job that includes supporting computers
aboard cargo ships, and he is very excited to be working with
Interlake. His first ship visit was to MV MESABI MINER at
Conneaut. “The only other ship I had ever been on was the
Maid of the Mist up at Niagara Falls, and that was when I was
a young boy,” said Aaron.
Aaron is a native Clevelander currently living in Parma Heights
with his wife, Laura, and their two sons: Zak, 10, and Joe, 4.
“Aaron has a can-do attitude and willingness to learn that
will make him a valuable member of the Interlake team,” said
IT Director John Hathaway.
CORT Receives
AMMLA Award
Officers and crew of MV STEWART J.
CORT received the “2005 Award of
Merit” from the United Seamen’s Service
and American Merchant Marine Library
Association in recognition of the ship’s
support of the AMMLA.
Look Who’s 50!
Director of Financial Analysis &
Contract Administration Terry
O’Neil wasn’t far behind. He turned
50 on September 8.
Manager of Marine Personnel
Glenn Kolke achieved the halfcentury milestone on August 18.
--photos by Laconda Anthony
Summer 2006
--photos by Kim Bastel
3
THE INTERLAKE LOG
¾ A color photo of MV PAUL R. TREGURTHA arriving at Duluth on March 26, 2006,
marking the opening of the Great Lakes navigation season there, ran in the Spring
2006 issue of Duluth Seaway Port Authority’s North Star Port.
In the
News. . .
Int
erla
ke
¾ The “Duluth Shipping News” column in the Duluth News Tribune featured photos
of Str. CHARLES M. BEEGHLY on June 13; MV JAMES R. BARKER on June
14 and July 9; MV MESABI MINER on July 24 and 25; and MV PAUL R.
TREGURTHA on July 30, 2006.
¾ A photo of Payroll Supervisor Paula Rauch in her water yoga class appeared in the
Elyria (OH) Chronicle Telegram in June 2006.
¾ The July 2006 Northern Cross ran a color aerial shot of MV PAUL R.
TREGURTHA in Duluth-Superior harbor.
¾ The “Rachel Ray’s Tasty Travels” episode that aired on the Food Network on July
18, 2006, was filmed in Cleveland, and T/B DOROTHY ANN-PATHFINDER was
shown several times as the cameras covered the city. The show also aired on July
19, August 4 and August 5.
¾ A color photo of T/B DOROTHY ANN-PATHFINDER in Lake Erie off Mentor
Headlands Beach State Park (OH) accompanied an article, “Waterlogged Headlands
still closed after flooding,” in the August 11 Cleveland Plain Dealer.
¾ MV MESABI MINER was a “hit” at Duluth’s Bayfront Blues Festival. When she
entered the harbor during the festival on Saturday, August 12, she served as the
backdrop for two Blues Festival photos in the Duluth News Tribune the next day.
¾ An online slideshow of a trip aboard a tall ship by a Port Huron Times Herald
photographer in August included a nice shot of Str. HERBERT C. JACKSON.
¾ “One of the Last Old-Time Lakers Towed out of Harbor for New Berth in Chicago,” a
feature on the JOHN SHERWIN tow, including several color photos, appeared in
the Duluth News Tribune on September 2, 2006.
Final Bells
Hazel May Beach (age 89) - Surviving Spouse of Alton - April 9, 2006
Donna Harju - Wife of Tom (retired) - June 12, 2006
Earl Drake - Fireman -
(retired)
Herbert Smith - Watchman -
- July 26, 2006
(retired)
Thomas Puskarich (age 91) - Oiler -
- August 1, 2006
(retired)
- August 4, 2006
Ethel Helmink (age 100) - Surviving Spouse of Edward - August 22, 2006
Capt. Joseph P. Buonocore - Master, MV JAMES R. BARKER - August 29, 2006
4
Summer 2006
THE INTERLAKE LOG
Summer in
the Fleet
Far right: MV JAMES R. BARKER moves
through Duluth harbor. Right and below:
JAMES R. BARKER at Superior Midwest
Energy Terminal. May 22, 2006.
Right, above, and above right: MV
JAMES R. BARKER arrives at Murphy
Fuel Terminal, Duluth. June, 2006.
Left and row below: Str. HERBERT
C. JACKSON arrives at Superior Midwest Energy Terminal.
June 20, 2006.
PRT 6-22-06 RE fuel dk
MV PAUL R.
TREGURTHA at
Murphy Fuel Terminal, Duluth.
June 22, 2006.
--vessel photos by Rick Eichmueller
Assistant Manager of Marine
Personnel Bill Carle.
--photo by Matt Baker
Summer 2006
5
THE INTERLAKE LOG
Lee A. Tregurtha Repowering
MV LEE A. TREGURTHA will be ready to sail soon! She
was re-floated in May, the new engines installed at the
beginning of June, and her stack reinstalled. As this is written,
the life-extending repowering project -- which includes pilot
house remodeling, new propeller, and new lifesaving
equipment -- is being wrapped up. Dock and sea trials will
take place in September; and then she will once again be
delivering cargo to Interlake customers.
Here are some pictures of the work underway at Sturgeon
Bay this summer.
Main engines arrive and are lifted into place.
Engineer Eric Wlaszlo (above). Stack rehabbed and reinstalled.
6
Summer 2006
THE INTERLAKE LOG
Pilot house nearing completion in August
New rescue boat
installation
--photos by Dale Miller, Rick
Eichmueller, Mark Barker
Summer 2006
7
1981
THE INTERLAKE LOG
25 Years
Ago...
In the World:
‰ On January 16, Irish political activist Bernadette Devlin
McAliskey and her husband were shot and wounded by
three members of a Protestant paramilitary group.
‰ On January 20, a US-Iran agreement freed 52 hostages held
in Teheran since 1979. The hostages were welcomed back
into the US on January 25.
‰ On January 27, the Indonesian passenger ship Tamponas
II caught fire and sank in the Java Sea with a loss of 580
lives.
‰ World population stood at 4.529 billion.
‰ AIDS was first identified.
‰ On February 14, 44 people were killed in a fire at a Dublin,
Ireland, disco.
‰ Floods in China in April and July took 1850 lives.
‰ On May 13, Pope John Paul II was shot and wounded by
an escaped Turkish murderer in St. Peter’s Square, Rome.
‰ A railroad disaster in Bihar, India, On June 8, killed more
than 500 people.
‰ On July 31, a total solar eclipse was visible in portions of
the Soviet Union and Pacific Ocean.
In the United States:
‰ On January 1, the federal minimum hourly wage increased
by 25 cents to $3.35. Private production workers’ wages
averaged $7.25 per hour.
‰ Ronald Reagan took the oath to become the 40th US President on January 20. George Bush became Vice President.
‰ Alexander M. Haig, Jr., was appointed Secretary of State
by President Reagan. Caspar Weinberger became Secretary of Defense, and William J. Casey became CIA Director.
‰ On March 30, President Ronald Reagan, Press Secretary
James Brady, a Secret Service agent, and a DC police officer were shot and wounded by John W. Hinckley, Jr., in
Washington, DC.
‰ The first reusable spacecraft, the Space Shuttle Columbia,
was launched on April 12, and returned on April 14.
‰ Mine disasters killed 15 in Redstone, CO, on April 15; 8
in Topmost, KY, on December 7; and 13 in Whitwell, TN,
on December 8.
‰ US population stood at 229,465,714. Life expectancy was
74.1 years.
‰ The violent crime rate was 58.6 per 1000.
‰ The public debt grew to $997.9 billion, or $4,338 per capita.
‰ The budget deficit was $78,936,000,000.
‰ The Dow Jones Industrial Average reached a high of 1024.15
on April 26, and fell to a low of 824.01 on September 25.
‰ The unemployment rate was 7.6 percent.
8
‰ The average retail price of leaded regular gasoline was 131.1
cents per gallon. Unleaded regular averaged 137.8 cents
per gallon, and premium averaged 147.0 cents per gallon.
‰ 74 operable nuclear reactors produced 272,674,000,000 kW
hours of electricity, or 11.9 percent of domestic production.
‰ The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Oakland Raiders in
the Super Bowl, 27-10.
‰ Boston defeated Houston, four games to two, to win the
NBA championship.
‰ Clemson was the NCAA football champion.
‰ Indiana defeated North Carolina, 63-50, to win the NCAA
basketball championship.
‰ Pleasant Colony won the Kentucky Derby and the
Preakness. Summing took the Belmont Stakes.
‰ Bobby Unser won the Indianapolis 500 in his Penske/
Cosworth with an average speed of 139.084 mph.
‰ MTV went on the air with round-the-clock music videos.
‰ We were playing “Pacman.”
‰ 3,053,000 students graduated from high school. 1,646,000
of them enrolled in college.
‰ On May 26, a Marine combat jet crashed on the deck of
the US aircraft carrier Nimitz, killing 14.
‰ Susan Powell of Oklahoma became Miss America.
‰ The Academy Award for Best Picture went to Chariots of
Fire. Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn took Best Actor and Best Actress for On Golden Pond.
‰ Other movies we watched included Raiders of the Lost
Ark, Reds, Arthur, and Atlantic City.
‰ Record of the Year was “Bette Davis Eyes,” by Kim Carnes.
Album of the Year was John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s
Double Fantasy.
‰ On July 7, President Reagan nominated Justice Sandra Day
O’Connor as the first woman on the US Supreme Court.
She was confirmed on September 21 by a Senate vote of
99-0.
‰ More than 110 people died in the collapse of aerial walkways in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas
City on July 18. 188 were injured.
‰ On July 27, six-year-old Adam Walsh was abducted from
a Florida department store. His father, John, continues to
be active in raising awareness of missing children.
‰ On July 29, the largest US tax cut in history was passed by
Congress. It was expected to save taxpayers $750 billion
over the next five years.
‰ Nonfiction bestsellers included The Lord God Made Them
All, by James Herriot; Never-Say-Diet Book, by Richard
Simmons; Cosmos, by Carl Sagan; and Miss Piggy’s Guide
to Life, by Miss Piggy.
‰ We read fiction such as Midnight’s Children, by Salmon
Rushdie; Gorky Park, by Martin Cruz Smith; and Cujo, by
Stephen King.
‰ MS-DOS 1.0 was released in August.
‰ On August 3, federal air traffic controllers began a nationwide strike. Most of the 13,000 strikers defied a back-towork order and were dismissed on August 11.
Summer 2006
THE INTERLAKE LOG
25 Years Ago (1981), continued
Best Wishes!
‰ On the Great Lakes:
‰ Except for Lake Superior, Great Lakes water levels were
slightly above the long-term average.
‰ An April 16 strike by the MEBA halted 90 percent of US
shipping for 11 days.
‰ Five new vessels were delivered – three US and two Canadian. MV Columbia Star and MV William J. DeLancey
were 1000-footers. MV American Republic was a stateof-the-art river-class ship. The new Canadian ships were
Algoma’s MV Algowood and Carryore’s MV Lake Wabush.
‰ Lake Carriers’ Association continued to oppose waterway
user charges, proposed as a government cost recovery
method.
‰ The American Merchant Marine Library Association at the
Soo placed 796 library cartons containing more than 18,000
books aboard ships.
‰ Commercial navigation through the Soo Locks began
March 23 and ended on December 31. There were 7,125
passages by cargo vessels. 96,237,836 NT of cargo moved
through the Soo.
‰ The St. Lawrence Seaway opened March 25. The
Montreal-Lake Ontario section closed December 15, and
the Welland Canal closed December 27.
‰ The J. W. Westcott Co. began operations for the season on
April 8 and ended December 16. 462,380 pieces of mail
were handled. An average of 35 vessels were serviced
every 24 hours.
‰ Three US vessels were sold to Canadian fleets.
‰ There were 304 vessels (1000 GRT or larger) in the US and
Canadian domestic lake fleets, with a total capacity of
6,096,293 GT. 151 vessels (3,105,522 GT combined capacity)
were US-flag; 153 vessels (2,990,771 GT capacity) were Canadian.
‰ In the Interlake Fleet:
‰ Str. CHARLES M. BEEGHLY was converted to a selfunloader during 1980-81 layup in a $13 million project at
Fraser Shipyard, Superior, WI. She sailed at the end of
April and delivered her first cargo as a self-unloader
(26,751 GT) to Bethlehem Steel’s Lackawanna Dock in Buffalo, NY, on May 3.
‰ During the 1980-81 winter layup, MV JAMES R. BARKER
underwent her first five-year inspection at Sturgeon Bay,
WI.
‰ MV WILLIAM J. DE LANCEY (now PAUL R.
TREGURTHA) was christened, and at 1013.5 feet long,
became the largest vessel on the Great Lakes.
‰ Mr. Herbert C. Jackson died at the age of 87 following a
fall. He was a former executive vice president of Pickands
Mather & Co., and director of Interlake Steamship Company.
Summer 2006
Amy and Travis
--photo by LouisMcClung
Marketing and Marine Traffic’s Administrative Assistant Zoe Sively’s daughter, Amy, is engaged to the Cleveland Indians’ DH, Travis Hafner. A November 2006 wedding is planned.
Rookie of the Year
During the spring sports awards
banquet at Clemson University, Paul
Berger III, son of Paul Berger (1st
Mate, Tug DOROTHY ANN) was
named men’s swimming and diving
“Rookie of the Year.” He is a diver for
Clemson and is starting his
sophomore year this fall.
Congratulations!
Oops!
Credit was inadvertently omitted for this photo of the Lee A.
Tregurtha and Charles M. Beeghly at the Marquette Ore
Dock that appeared on page 4 of the Winter-Spring 2006 LOG.
The photo was taken by Marquette photographer Rod
Burdick.
9
THE INTERLAKE LOG
The Interlake LOG is 70 years old. The LOG first appeared in 1936, and except for a brief hiatus
from 1987 through 1991, has been published ever since.
Did You
Know?...
The LOG’s first edition, produced by Pickands Mather & Co.’s safety department, was four
pages long and dealt solely with safety tips. Seventy years ago in 1936:
• Str. HARRY COULBY, Interlake’s flagship, was the “Queen of the Lakes.” She had carried
the record Great Lakes cargo for seven consecutive years.
• Henry G. Dalton was president of Interlake Steamship, and his namesake, Str. HENRY G.
DALTON, was one of seven 600-footers in the fleet.
By 1939, the LOG was eight pages long and included articles about fleet developments and
Pickands Mather’s company operations. After the Fall 1986 issue, the LOG was suspended
until Summer 1992.
The 94-year-old Marquette Ore Dock in Presque Isle Harbor loaded its 400 millionth ton of ore on
July 22,2006. The original ore dock at Presque Isle lasted from 1896-1910. The current dock was
completed in 1912. In its first year of operation, more than 2.22 million tons of “lump ore” was
loaded, compared to about 7.86 million tons of pellets loaded in 2005.
George Ryan, Lake Carriers’ Association president from 1983-2003, was inducted into the Great
Lakes Marine Hall of Fame at the Soo on August 18, 2006.
A salute from T/B DOROTHY ANN-PATHFINDER as she was downbound at the Blue Water
Bridges on August 25, 2006, provided a fitting addition to ceremonies opening Port Huron’s 2nd
Annual Coast Guard Appreciation Weekend.
Now, That’s a Big Fish
Mailing List
Thank you to those readers who responded to the notice in
the Winter-Spring 2006 LOG regarding updating our mailing
list.
If, and only if, your mailing label on this issue of the LOG
has an asterisk (*) by your name, you need to respond in
order to remain on the mailing list. Please choose from the
following options. Mail your selection to us or respond via
email to crohn@interlake-steamship.com. Thank you.
_______ I will read The Interlake LOG online at the
Interlake Steamship website: www.interlakesteamship.com.
_______ I wish to continue receiving The Interlake LOG
via surface postal mail.
Fleet Engineer Phil Moore displays the big one he caught
off Sturgeon Bay this summer.
_______ I am no longer interested in The Interlake LOG.
Please remove me from the mailing list.
NOTE: ** Interlake employees and retirees do not
need to respond -- you will continue to receive
the LOG by mail **
10
Summer 2006
THE INTERLAKE LOG
Interlake Steamship
Our Vision –
To be the premier self-unloading partner for our iron ore, coal, stone
and other customers.
Our Mission –
To deliver value through our commitment to a customer-first philosophy.
Our Values –
We embrace the values of integrity, respect, high performance and
accountability.
Quality, Safety and Environmental Policy
Interlake Steamship is committed to providing innovative solutions, quality service and the highest
possible level of customer satisfaction. We operate in the safest and most environmentally responsible manner possible through established continual improvement, quality, safety and environmental
management practices, while maintaining compliance with all mandatory rules and regulations.
Our website, www.interlakesteamship.com, has been redesigned. Check it
out, and be sure to check for updates and additions!
LOG DEADLINES
Material received
will be included
by this date:
in this issue:
September 30, 2006
Fall 2006
December 15, 2006
Winter 200607
The Interlake Steamship Company LOG is published quarterly for employees
and friends of The Interlake Steamship Company, Lakes Shipping Company,
Inc., and Interlake Transportation, Inc. Published at Richfield, Ohio.
Back cover photo:
Crowds watch as Str. JOHN SHERWIN passes
under the Aerial Lift Bridge and is towed from
Duluth Harbor, September 1, 2006, on her way
to be used for grain storage at South Chicago.
--photo by Ed Priem
Summer 2006
Send news -- shipboard news, family news, births, marriages, awards, etc. -photos, and article ideas to:
Christine Rohn-Tielke, Editor
The Interlake LOG
The Interlake Steamship Company
Interlake Corporate Center
4199 Kinross Lakes Parkway
Richfield, OH 44286-9372
11
The Interlake Steamship Company
Interlake Corporate Center
4199 Kinross Lakes Parkway
Richfield, OH 44286-9372
AN ISO COMPANY