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U.S. Coast Guard
Laker and Cutter Collide Near St. Ignace
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock suffered significant damage to the stern and fantail during a collision with the Mesabi Miner in northern Lake Michigan, near St. Ignace. Both the Hollyhock and the Mesabi Miner were damaged in the collision but were able to continue underway.
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U.S. Coast Guard
Laker and Cutter Collide Near St. Ignace
The crew of the 1,004-foot Mesabi Miner reported a 12-inch crack in the bow, four feet above the waterline, and says the bow was pushed in 8 to 12 inches by the collision.
Ice stacking on Lake Superior
To kick off this week's roundup, here's Christian Dalbec's amazing footage (and great sound!) of sheet ice stacking up on the shore in Two Harbors, Minnesota. Christian says it best, near the end: "Lake Superior is pretty awesome, isn't it?"
New winter bike trail opens in Ishpeming
The Mining Journal’s Zach Jay:
The Range Mountain Bike Club's Snow Bike Trail in Ishpeming and Negaunee is now open for "fat tire" bicycle riders, as well as snowshoers and cross-country skiers, willing to brave the elements.
This winter is the first the 5.5-mile trail – 6.2 miles if you opt for an extra jog between New York Street in Ishpeming and Malton Road – is open, and along with Marquette's Snow Bike Route is one of few of its kind.
Laker collides with cutter near southern U.P. coast
The Mesabi Miner, a regular at Lake Superior ports, collided with U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock on Sunday in the Straits of Mackinac, in northern Lake Michigan. The cutter got stuck while breaking ice for a convoy of vessels, and the Miner couldn't stop in time.
No injuries were reported. The 225-foot Hollyhock suffered significant damage to its stern and fantail, with two hull punctures 20 feet above the waterline. It was able to reach St. Ignace for an assessment. The 1,004-foot Miner sustained a 12-inch crack in the bow, above the waterline, but continued on to Gary, Indiana. Its bow is also pushed in 8 to 12 inches where the ships collided.
Here's the report from the Coast Guard, with more photos of the damage.
+ The Duluth News Tribune's Mike Creger on the difficult ice conditions in the Twin Ports.
+ John Myers, in the Superior Telegram: "The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has, at least for now, turned down a permit application for repairs to a Superior harbor pier that’s planned for a possible oil terminal."
+ LSM contributor Bryan Hansel: How to Photograph Boiling Water Turning into Snow.
+ The Superior Underwater Exploration Society held its first Annual General Meeting this week in Thunder Bay, reports NetNewsLedger. The newly formed group is a chapter of the Ontario Underwater Council.
+ Paul Sundberg’s icy Photos of the Week from Minnesota’s North Shore.
+ Announcing the results of a five-year study, researchers say the Great Lakes was the only U.S. region to gain coastal wetland acreage, reports John Flesher in the Mining Journal.
+ MPR's Dan Kraker: "Fates of wild rice, mining intertwined in northern Minn."
+ And to cap this week's roundup: Monday's blast of frigid air mixed with warmer air over the Great Lakes to create sea smoke, which streams southeast over the Lakes in this spectacular satellite image.