Gosh I really hope my title ends up being wrong. That would be awesome. There was far more hope and optimism on the piers than I was expecting so that gives me some hope that maybe she will indeed return eventually. And there are some good reasons she may come back, first and foremost that new ships are incredibly, incredibly expensive (estimating around $100 million) and extremely difficult to come by in the Lakes due to the lack of construction facilities and unique design requirements needed to successfully operate here. But the fact remains that the iconic vessel’s fate is currently very much in the air and there is a very real chance this was the last time she’ll ever sail.
On June 8th, 2024 the classic ship suffered a massive hull failure while sailing in calm waters in the middle of Lake Superior. A 13ft long by half inch wide crack tore open along the starboard bottom of the ship, quickly overwhelming the ship’s pumping systems and the ship started listing a dangerous 15 degrees to starboard, threatening to shift the 20,000 tons of loose taconite pellets in her cargo hold which would have capsized and sunk the ship quite quickly had it occurred. The crew turned the ship towards Thunder Bay and issued a distress call, which was answered by vessels across the lake. Ultimately the US laker Edwin H Gott, a US Coast Guard chopper, a Canadian Goast Guard rescue boat and a National Park Service vessel reached her first. Half the Michipicoten’s crew abandoned ship while the other half worked to stabilize the vessel with assistance from the other crews. Managing to stabilize the list and roll the ship back to a less dangerous 5 degree angle, they made it safely to Thunder Bay. Had there been any bad weather or had help been further away, this story easily could have had a very different ending, one with the Lake claiming its first ship since the Edmund Fitzgerald. Initially reported as a collision with an underwater object, the massive fracture was discovered by divers the next day. With Thunder Bay lacking the facilities to properly survey and/or repair the ship, the ship was emptied, and a temporary 1/4 inch thick steel patch was welded over the gash. Following a few days delay for inspections and severe weather, the ship set out for Duluth’s Fraser Shipyards with tug escort, 200 miles and a slow 18 hour sail away. A lot had the potential to go wrong during the journey, but they made it without incident, arriving at the canal around 10 in the evening. I can only imagine the stress.
Now begins the long process of testing every inch of steel for weakness and other potential dangers, and determining costs of repairs. After that, a decision will need to be made on the ship’s future, determining whether repairs are physically and economically feasible. At that point she will either be repaired and rejoin the fleet, or the ship will be retired and most likely scrapped, making this voyage her final one. We will probably not know what will happen for some time.
I truly hope the ship does not go out this way, she has over 70 years of history behind her. Built in 1952 in Mississippi, she was among the largest vessels of the day. She was lengthened later that decade to her current 697ft long and converted to a self unloader in 1980. She has also had several major hull issues that might explain her current situation. In 1975 the ship ripped a hole in the hull with her own anchor and required significant repairs. In 1983 a similar (but smaller) crack to the current one was discovered along the bottom of the ship following a major storm in Lake Huron near where the vessel had been cut apart for lengthening. After repairs, the ship collided with a bridge in Chicago causing major shock to the ship’s keel. The damage was repaired but the ship spend much of the 1990s in storage due to her repairs and the overall economics of the time. In 2003 she was sold and renamed to her current name. The ship has been an economic powerhouse ever since, all but singlehandedly feeding the Algoma Steel Mills at Sault Ste Marie.
It’s unknown what the future holds, but if she’s going out then at least she’s left a long and proud legacy to be remembered! Hopefully she is repairable however. Nothing is currently known about the ship’s overall conditions so any information floating around about the ship’s future is purely speculation at this time. Only time will tell what her future will be, all we can do is sit and wait for news.