Lots of Trouble in Great Lakes

This photo of the Algobay after her grounding was taken by Bill, my boat watching friend from the Soo. Thanks for the great shot Bill.

I found this picture of the St. Marys River system was taken by NASA. I hope they don't mind if I use it. I'm sure I'll hear from them if they don't like it. I have heard from the United States Coast Guard when I used one of their pictures. They didn't mind as long as I credited them with the photo.

This past two weeks I have heard about several unfortunate incidents in the Great Lakes shipping system. There have been four groundings and one helicopter crash. There was no loss of life in any of the accidents which is really amazing.

The most spectacular was the crash of a United States Coast Guard helicopter near Port Huron. The helicopter was conducting hoist practice when it crashed into 50 feet of water. The crew of three was able to escape without harm. The helicopter was later recovered and loaded on a platform and taken to a hangar for analysis. Both the black box and the main rotor blades were recovered which will aid in determining the cause of the accident.

We have watched the Coast Guard practice hoisting victims from the water in front of our cabin and it is fascinating to watch. The Coast Guard conducted the practice with supporting law enforcement from the community manning the boats on the water and helping to load the 'victims' for transport to the helicopter. The Chippewa County Sheriff, Tribal Police and State police were all involved.

Besides the crash, there have been four ships that ran aground in the river so far this spring. This includes the Algobay on April 13, a saltie, the Iryda on April 16 and the Joseph L. Block on April 19. All three ships have gone for repairs.