Four metre crack found in hull of Michipicoten

[@mineown1861]

The end of the road , but at least she had the good grace to give up the ghost before the storms , bringing her crew home safe and not to the depths .

[@JCT442]

She's totaled... well done on a 72 year career!

[@miapdx503]

It's a shame that her legacy is tarnished like this. She didn't deserve this. 😔🌹⚓

[@banterwebb]

Not the first time she's suffered a hull crack. She suffered the same thing as the Elton hoyt II. She will probably be welded and put back into service.

[@jameylane1591]

Well done being a floating death trap for who knows how long? You're a sharp one.

[@banterwebb]

@jameylane1591 you'd be surprised how often this happens in this industry. I'd say she probably has many years left unless her keel is finished, which I'm sure is not the case. Everything is just speculation at this point. I wouldn't go writing her off just yet though.

[@yepiratesworkshop7997]

@@banterwebb That's what I'm thinking. Those ships do "flex" a bit in big waves, so it's possible the crack was the result of metal fatigue. Some of our WW II Liberty Ships had that problem, too. Uncle Sam and the ship-builders figured a way to "weld around it" and they kept on delivering cargo and soldiers to Europe as advertised.

[@dperreno]

Really nice to see that the US and Canadian Coast Guards were able to jump in and ensure the safety of the ship and it's crew!

[@onrr1726]

They are required to respond as is any other ship or small boat that hears an SOS Call go out.

[@dperreno]

@@onrr1726 Of course they are, I'm just happy that there's a happy ending and everyone is safe!

[@Captain-Max]

In 1968, I sailed on the Lackawanna, a 60 some years old 560 footer. A storm on Lake Erie had us all wondering as she snapped and groaned. They scrapped her the following year and on her way to the ship breakers over seas, while under tow, she went down.

[@robinblackmoor8732]

I heard that story. Yeah, they waited a little too long. Should have scrapped that one a year before.

[@williammckellar5749]

Wow that's something ya they sure got lucky with this latest incident too makes u wonder about all the ships on the lakes maybe they need a 50 yr limit

[@chele-chele]

Dodged a bullet there!

[@sse_weston4138]

Coming just 2 years off Morrell's loss too, lucky indeed.

[@yepiratesworkshop7997]

In 1968 I was still sailin' on the Lackanookie. I'm glad that changed!! Now, I'm too old to remember how it was.

[@paulbowler2760]

72 years old - time to think about retirement for the grand old lady!!

[@wendymorrison5803]

Too many over due ships decommissioning. More incidents at sea and in fresh water freight ships coming.

[@douglaskerr6813]

The company got there money's worth out of that vessel

[@jamesbraun9842]

​@@wendymorrison5803It depends on how they maintain their fleet. Alpena is currently the oldest active boat but still works because it's company maintains it.

[@yepiratesworkshop7997]

@@douglaskerr6813 They sure did! And then some, too.

[@user-yd1vl9lj5j]

Grab a couple cans of Flex Seal, you'll be good to go.

[@chele-chele]

But wait! There's more LOL

[@gus473]

I was thinking JB Weld.....🤔

[@chetkasper5680]

K-Seal?

[@user-yd1vl9lj5j]

@@chele-chele Act now and we'll throw in a Trump bible!

[@jltb5283]

Just buff it out.

[@scottscouter1065]

LOL, any mariner who's been at sea (or on the Great Lakes) for a hot minute knows an *impact* sounds and feels a LOT DIFFERENT than a structural event. Captain wasn't going to be the guy who put the owners on blast for running a worn out rust-bucket. Good thing they all made it off safe.

[@WesFanMan]

She looks in bad shape.

[@chele-chele]

Virtually all of the ships lost in the region are old worn out scows that fail catastrophically, typically taking all hands with it. Amazes me how these transport companies can keep running them in good conscience, they are death traps.

[@u686st7]

@@WesFanMan - Lower Lakes is known for running their ships hard.

[@redeyedmongoose2963]

Should’ve been pulled out of service a decade ago

[@johnh539]

How many mariner's ever hear a 13' crack happening

[@MurraydeLues]

With that age, millions could be spent chasing those cracks. Upspec one area and another fails. Maybe she was giving the crew a warning.

[@kentalanlee]

Indeed. "Let me rest boys. You're lovely, but these bones can't dance like they used to do." They should listen to her.

[@jameylane1591]

You must be joking.

[@MurraydeLues]

@@jameylane1591 About what?? With old machinery, when one part gets refreshed, it increases the strains on the remaining parts, which can then lead to another part needing work. It becomes a vivious spiral that ends in a money pit. The strains of 72 years of heavy use are taking their toll. Warning given. Had this occured in the middle of the night, further off shore and big storm, this may have had a very different outcome.

[@jameylane1591]

@@MurraydeLues It's not machinery, it's a boat, and holding the water OUT is pretty basic. Yeah a 13 foot long "little" crack.

[@MurraydeLues]

@@jameylane1591 correct. However, I was using the term machinery a bit broadly to refer to the ship in its entirety. A structure that gets a component patched is going to suffer the same issues. The hull has had considerable stresses applied to it over the last 72 years. This means all of the steel is now suspect. How old is the laker fleet? Very few ocean going bulkers last that long. How old is the youngest ore carrier on the lakes?

[@HoennMaster]

She's an old ship and if she were indeed to be sent on her final voyage it would be understandable. However it would still be a sad day seeing a ship I've seen in person go the way of the breakers. Growing up in Minnesota I’ve seen many freighters, but I’ve never had one that I've seen be scrapped before.

[@robbiemckinnon7901]

large crack in hull, loaded with taconite pellets.......hmmmm, where have we heard this before.............

[@VR-ym8ys]

With a load of iron ore - 26,000 tons more than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty.

[@PeterCieply]

@@VR-ym8ys Aye...put to to see we have a date with an award winning song.

[@stevecausey545]

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down to the big lake they call Gicheegoume

[@noelkelly3223]

Time to take a long rest now god bless you all from Ireland 🇮🇪 🙏 😊❤

[@james1787]

If there is a large crack due to age / fatigue there’s bound to be more if they choose to repair and continue. Probably best to retire the ship after 70+ years of service.

[@maxasaurus3008]

Yikes! Of course can’t help but be reminded of the Fitz. Rest in Peace to the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

[@tywebbgolfenthusiast8950]

Little different-according to noted maritime expert Gordon Lightfoot, the EF sank because the main hatchway gave in, while caught in a November storm 15 miles from whitefish bay.

[@FutureRailProductions]

​​@@tywebbgolfenthusiast8950That was written with the facts of the time not necessarily the truth. I would hardly call Gordon an expert. He was singer-songwriter. Not a maritime expert.

[@LokiOdinson-fz8ps]

@@tywebbgolfenthusiast8950 WTF?

[@ScottLafray-dd2fp]

And everyone jumped all over me when i commented on the original news report that it was metal fatigue and age. Lol!

[@Skidderoperator]

Sell it to Ocean Gate before she dives.

[@demiller74]

Inconceivable!

[@RioJudy]

Why are you so thirsty to be correct? You guessed. That’s all.

[@thomasgerbeck6877]

Sailing far out in open waters, it was highly unlikely the ship could hit something just below the surface.

[@OscarVaughn]

I never said anything 😂

[@LoganJohnson-lm2bh]

They were very lucky .she's old and tired this was a warning some would like to see her saved that's fine but she needs to be retired from active duty before the worst happens and someone dies.

[@sse_weston4138]

My thoughts exactly.

[@Skidderoperator]

Transitioning into a submarine.

[@markmark2080]

I'm glad those boys made it safely to a port in time... We were in a typhoon in '66 near Taiwan on a WW2 LST (Landing Ship, Tank), we suffered cracking across our midship main deck and broken plates on the bottom discovered when we couldn't pump out certain ballast tanks. In Sasebo, Japan upon opening the inspection covers we found fish swimming around in them. They patched the ship up and we carried on only to go back in dry dock a couple months later in Saigon for more work on the bottom. The ship worked hard for another 5 years before she was scrapped...I can only imagine the stress on a ship carrying a load of iron ore...

[@Skidderoperator]

In 30' rollers

[@neptunenavalmods4420]

I am glad you made it, there were a couple of converted LST's that sank after WW2, when they were used as bulk carriers - Southern Isles sank in 1951 with just a few survivors, Southern Districts sank in 1955 with everyone lost.

[@JLange642]

"Doomed" vessel? Seems to me she made port safely. May be scrapped, but not doomed by any means. Also- being that the season has just started, the condition of the sides of the hull shows a lack of maintenance over the lay up.

[@ellieprice3396]

"Doomed for further service" is what the word signifies.

[@shawnmiller4781]

I caught that too. So far I haven’t heard anything a guy with a stick welder can’t fix

[@Skidderoperator]

@@shawnmiller4781 Gonna break in 2.

[@GKirkBayCity]

Starting at :21 is a guy who doesn’t look comfortable in front of the camera.

[@jasminelindros8923]

Winter work is usually restricted to sheltered work inside the hull, as it's too cold to paint exterior surfaces.

[@stephenwest798]

Rust and metal fatigue and hardening from all that flexing, time to retire the old ship she has paid her dues and then some.

[@dragonsystems5973]

I mean... clearly quite lucky, not doomed, just saying..

[@HugsXO]

Exactly. 😮

[@PatrolingEden]

I thought the same thing. Stricken maybe but not Doomed.

[@boataxe4605]

Well,she’s doomed for the scrapyard.

[@boataxe4605]

She’s doomed to be scrapped.

[@dragonsystems5973]

@boataxe4605 one can only hope they do the right thing... these ships can't possibly be designed to last this long... wasn't this ship launched before the Edmond Fitzgerald??

[@peterresetz1960]

This is a 82 years old continuous use cargo ship. Metal alloy steel fatigue after a little more then eight decades of use floating on a constantly undulating environment, modulating the structure of the ship, which is only exacerbated during rough seas operations. The Great Lakes are known for their high seas operations during the spring storms and fall seasonal storms. These Great Lakes cargo ships (Laker/Lakers) get parked for the winter frozen lakes period, but when lakes are ice free, these Lakers are in continuous operation for nine to ten months every year during open water seasons, transporting coal, iron taconite, limestone, cement, salt, and various food grains. The 2023 Great Lakes shipping tonnage totaled 1.33 billion tons. To reiterate about the 82 years old cargo ship Michipicoten had a long service history carrying as much as 22.3 tons (full weight capacity) with each transit.

[@bytesback.]

22,300 tons

[@galewinds7696]

72 years not 82

[@LittleG-ec6hx]

22.3 tonnes? You know a fully loaded truck weighs 44 tonnes. Also this vessel is 72 years old.

[@jimgadsden2459]

​@@LittleG-ec6hx88 thousand pounds, you're over weight.

[@LittleG-ec6hx]

@@jimgadsden2459 HGV Class 1 lorries can carry loads of up to 44 tonnes. That is what is legally allowed in the UK.

[@XmalD73]

Sounds like it's time to retire this great lady. What a long and productive career, but it could have ended so differently. Had this incident occurred at night or in a storm, we'd probably be reading a more tragic story. I know lake boats last much longer than salties due to the fresh water, but 72 years is a long time, and she's endured a lot of wear and tear.

[@melin1969]

4 metre crack in the bottom - they need to rename it after my Ex

[@GrammarPoliceInvestigations]

Comment o' the day, Sir!

[@xlandros]

😂😂

[@jefftheHawkEyeGuy]

😂😂

[@daviddunn5264]

Seriously funny 😅

[@danielleclare2938]

A really cool museum piece would be that boat. Just take the middle out of it maybe leave one hold area and the rest clean up for tours. That would be a very interesting engine room and pilot house. A good looking piece of Great Lakes History that can be enjoyed for years. It got the crew home safely. That is a winning story!!

[@PhilipDeLamarter]

Might as well turn it into a bar.

[@LokiOdinson-fz8ps]

Not even close. Museum ships are failing regularly. Try doing some research next time.

[@danielleclare2938]

@@LokiOdinson-fz8ps You know everything except having manners. Do some maturing next time.

[@djwt20]

Yeah, this one 'ill be consigned to the history books by the looks. It'd cost millions to repair, therefore much more economical to recycle the steel and build a nice new Michipicoten with all the latest nav-tech mod-cons to float on the lakes.

[@jeffmiller3150]

In China.....

[@jamesbraun9842]

They can't just go out and build a new boat, it's not that cut throat. The reason many companies keep older vessels running.

[@u686st7]

Lower Lakes will buy some second hand tub first.

[@psychiatry-is-eugenics]

From one comment , that company doesn’t have any money

[@jamesbraun9842]

@psychiatry-is-eugenics Lower Lakes Towing is owned by Rand Logistics. (A us company, Lower Lakes Towing is kind of like their Canadian division.

[@rottenroads1982]

If the Michipicoten is to be scraped, then it’s important to know that as long as the crew got off safely, that’s all that matters. Still, it would be sad. I mean, the Michipicoten is one of the Great Lakes ships with the classic design. If only the design can be brought back and new ships built with the design.

[@seayak]

Classic design yes, but the length to beam ratio may have been pushing the limits in terms of longitudinal stresses.

[@markminer7390]

Stricken, not doomed, although looking at all the rust visible on her hull it is definitely time for retirement. So glad no souls lost!

[@jn1ty]

She has done her job and will be retired. A ship that old must have a lot of metal fatigue and repairing her would be fruitless. Glad to se no one was hurt and she made it back to port. Great job.

[@patmcbride9853]

Just like commercial jets, metal fatigue over many cycles of use takes a toll.

[@barryrahn5957]

I'd check all of this companies ships. Chances are there are more problems lurking. Wearing a blindfold, crossing their fingers and whistling past the graveyard.

[@PhilipDeLamarter]

The problem with inspections is that money changes hands.

[@michaelimbesi2314]

0:49 Given that the video footage shows her slowly steaming into the harbor, listing but still very much afloat, I think it’s a bit early to call Michipicoten a “doomed vessel”.

[@heuhen]

she is doomed, 72 years of age, crack in the hull is due to fatigue from 72 years of off and on loading, This off and on loading is twisting and bending the hull, until one day it gives. Metal have a lifespan. Get a fork from the kitchen, and bend it a 100 or 1000 times and see what happens, it will eventually snapp, a bulk ships experience it all over the hull Offshore cargo ships have usually 15-20 years of lifespan, except if the company are willingly to invest in maintenance of the hull, but they are so big that it's cheaper to build new, since metal is cheap but engine is expensive. But if you come under a certain size, maintenance are cheaper...

[@jserkiz06]

This episode revealed has symbolic irony to a certain American political leader, hey

[@charleshotchkiss1813]

It is not a "doomed" vessel unless it sank. Stricken might be a better term, but that doesn't alarm people so wasn't used?

[@beeble2003]

Just bad script-writing.

[@battledragongun]

I'm hoping they can save her it would be sad to see one of the few classic Lakers left on the water go to the breakers yard we all ready lost a few great Legends of the lacks the last few years due to fire and neglect of companies who run there boats till the rust out and not repair them or run then till they die and then scrap them for insurance payout

[@GWNorth-db8vn]

Most of the oldschool lakers ended up being tied up alongside wharfs all around the lakes for years, then sent off to places like Turkey and eventually the wreckers. They didn't run them until the wheels came off, they just couldn't make money with them.

[@sse_weston4138]

I hope they don't. Her hull cracked just from the strain of being fully laden, not even in bad weather. That is abhorrent.

[@deanberolzheimer2658]

I have a crack in my bottom, and some people think it's big, but I've been living with it for 66 years now. It does require daily maintainence, but I don't think I'm "doomed" !

[@bennetts-revenge_2]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@michaelyounger4497]

But the difference is in knowing if its leaking or not, and can a pump solve the problem...

[@heuhen]

joke aside... But I could say: "but it isn't that much going trough there anyway.." but anyway But you aren't made of metal. Ships experience metal fatigue, specially bulk ships. There is a reason large offshore bulk ships usually have 15-20 years life span, and military ships have 40 years life expectancy. We do have bones however and when you really get up in the age, you will start to be more reseptible to crack a bone on random. 66 years are still young for a human that have a life expectancy of 100 to 150 years (depending on how we treat our body) (150 years is the max theoretical age we can become, but no one have managed, closest was 122)

[@chetkasper5680]

Did Thunder Bay just receive a museum ship?

[@pechblendae]

Whatever the fate of this beautiful vessel shall be, I salute her and pay my gratitude for her service.

[@halfabee]

What are taconite pellets used for? The taconite pellets are loaded into ore ships. These ships sail on the Great Lakes to Gary, Indiana, Cleveland, Ohio and other steel-making towns. The taconite pellets are brought to the steel mills to be melted down into steel.

[@beeble2003]

Taconite is iron-ore.

[@davidclark3304]

"Doomed ship?" News media like to talk that way.

[@larryfromwisconsin9970]

I'm retired at age 70. I think her time to retire has come too. Can she be repaired? Yes, but she'll probably crack again in another location, perhaps with a loss of life.

[@PhilipDeLamarter]

Retired? By cracky, you're still a whippersnapper by today's standards. You got plenty of productive life left. Our president's 80 and still going strong! You ain't gonna see him warming no LaZBoy, no siree! Now get out there and git yerself a job!

[@joes2661]

72 years of hard work. Well done.

[@ronkirk5099]

I sailed as an engineer on old, U.S. flagged, blue water, bulk ships which were well past their useful life with deep localized hull corrosion and it was a constant struggle to replace sections of leaky saltwater piping on board. It is bad enough to be in the middle of one of the great lakes when something like this happens, but imagine being out in the middle of the Atlantic in an old rust bucket. I'm glad I'm retired.

[@allenra530]

Doomed? Possibly, eventually, she will be broken up and recycled, but they first have to get all of the taconite out of her and do a complete inspection inside and out. There are older freighters out on the oceans of the world that are still dragging themselves from port to port, but those are flagged in places with few regulations and fewer inspectors. Maybe the majority of the steel can be recycled into components to form part of a new ship with the same name.

[@timothyporter1632]

I bet Lightfoot had a tough time finding things to rhyme with Fitzgerald. This one should be a pretty easy little diddy.

[@borisbadaxe9678]

"The doomed vessel." Did it sink? Did anyone die?

[@Bazerkly]

They are lucky there wasn't a storm!

[@doughunt5175]

Nearly the entire ore carrying fleet is ancient.

[@ZephodBeeblebrox]

The hull crack can be fixed but are other areas stressed and ready to crack?

[@heuhen]

you can weld a crack, but you can't fix metal fatigue from 72 years of on and off loading. A ship bends and twist during on and offloading, each time, do that for 72 years. Let's says she transport a load 30-50 times a year for 72 years, that is around 2160-3200 loads, she have 1 on and 1 off load per loads, that gives you a on and off loading cycle of 4320-6400 for 72 years. Now go to the kitchen and find a fork and bend it for 5000 times and see what happens, a bulk carrier experience that all over the hull, but with 40 000 tons loads each time

[@jddr.jkindle9708]

US Coast Guard - Thanx for your assistance !

[@bruce8321]

makes you wonder if the hull of these ship gets inspected for cracks at some kind of interval?

[@PhilipDeLamarter]

Sometimes the chief mate goes around with a ball peen hammer and bangs on the main deck at intervals. If the hammer penetrates the steel, they patch it with Red Hand.

[@mikebrase5161]

Who was the ABS inspector the last time she was in drydock?

[@sse_weston4138]

ABS classed her? Well that makes sense. Another bulker they classed for a flag of convenience company was recently banned from Australian waters for being in terrible condition, named "Peace" I believe, and she was only fourteen years into service, not really that old, even by ocean going standards.

[@girlinvt]

So they think its a metal fatigue crack? Since they ruled out the ships hull hitting bottom or an object. How old is this ship? When was it last inspected, and has it had warnings or violations

[@LokiOdinson-fz8ps]

She was in deep water when the crack occurred. Nothing to hit,

[@shirleybalinski4535]

She dodged a bullet.

[@mikegass3796]

You can see the 5 degree list. It was 15 degrees initially until they started pumping water. The Fitzgerald was listing heavily. But under entirely different weather conditions.

[@herseem]

I think after a naturally-occurring structural failure like that, given the history of ships on the great lakes, I think they would be lucky to find an experienced crew who would want to sail in her if it was repaired at that age. Given how calm the water looked at the entrance to the harbour, that ship was barely holding itself together when it broke under what were relatively low stresses compared to what it could face in rough weather. If it gets repaired at that age, you know what's going to happen. They'll get an inexperienced or reckless crew who will be the only ones willing to sail in her, one storm, and then someone will end up having to write another song about a ship sinking in the lake.

[@arvadawelder]

Damn lucky.

[@jerlewis4291]

A 13' crack is easily repairable in dry dock. I'm thinking that they will send divers down to drill holes at each end of the crack to keep it from getting bigger. Before a decision is made to scrap her she will go into a dry-dock and have her hull examined. It may cost a lot to repair her, but to replace her will cost a lot more and the company will have one fewer ship at sea.

[@billhall916]

perhaps put the ship in drydock and do an assessment of the damage and then see what the cost would be to repair the ship. The cost to make a new ship like this would be huge

[@louGriggs1944]

What a terrible shame. Although not a 1000 footer, she has been my favorite laker for a long time. I have watched her enter the port of Duluth many times, via KZbin, and saw her in person once at Sault Ste Marie. She has served long and well. I hope she gets a respectful retirement.

[@lrq7927]

So much for getting one more season out of Her.

[@todwest]

Doomed? Who writes this copy? Damaged? Yes. But the skeleton crew managed to make it back to port. Thus the ship was not doomed but saved. Of course, it should probably be scrapped now, but it's not at the bottom of the lake last I checked. This is what happens when you hire interns to write copy.

[@steverabideau3779]

My buddies son was on board. He said it was quite a noise

[@timburton5950]

All should be great full this didn't happen during rough seas; I'm thinking this vessel be unloaded and retired as of this week, that's a long productive career for sure.

[@hermansaffordjr5508]

that rusty ship should been shut down a long time ago

[@Tuxedomakdarien]

It isn't even the oldest one still in service.

[@satunnainenkatselija4478]

I am not able rightly to apprehend how a ship this old is allowed to operate. Should have been scrapped 30 years ago.

[@geoffgill5334]

4 meters long or wide?

[@EricDaMAJ]

a four "metre" crack is a straight up hole anywhere else.

[@Msherrdoktor]

Doomed vessel? She made it to port under her own power. She’s done but she will steam on her own to wherever they will be breaking her up.

[@PhilipDeLamarter]

She won't make it to Bangla Desh.

[@Msherrdoktor]

Brownsville , Texas

[@user-cm7yh8eg9i]

Just an old rust bucket that their owners used far to long.

[@SloppySlow]

“Doomed vessel”,? Media hyperbole

[@heuhen]

72 years of metal fatigue, that is what called doomed.

[@anthonynelson9136]

72 years old. It figures. You just make the last payment on her and she needs to go into the shop for service.

[@FlatBroke612]

Wouldn’t break my heart to see this bankrupt lower lakes. They’re a walking dead company anyways. Hopefully this brings the rest of their fleet under scrutiny as they’re all worn out scows. Heck the cuyahoga burned up twice in less than a year, last fall and this spring. Cowboys.

[@isleofthanet]

Sounds like the way the cruise ship the Achille Lauro was neglected thosee last years and to thrash her on that last cruise no wonder those fifty year old Sulzer engines let go

[@TishaHayes]

Another one of those companies that push for 'just one more time' as they gamble with the lives of the crews. Each time they make it they pocket the money and ask once more 'one more time'.

[@roykliffen9674]

As a 72 year old vessel she is well past her working life, Her steel will be well fatigued and cracks will be all around her hull, waiting to open up, I'm not sure if restoring her as a museum ship is doable, but they might wanna consider scuttling her as a diver's attraction.

[@kingjames7273]

82

[@PhilipDeLamarter]

Diver's attraction? More like a hazard to navigation.

[@LokiOdinson-fz8ps]

Why the Fu k would you want to more POLLUTION in the lake???????/

[@TishaHayes]

Don't give them any ideas; It will be another way for the owners to avoid the expense of asbestos and lead remediation at the scrappers.

[@roykliffen9674]

@@TishaHayes Usually any ship scuttled as a diver's attraction or artificial reef will be cleared of hazardous materials

[@daleolson3506]

Four meter?how many gallons is that?

[@rogerlishman2532]

Fifteen bushels and two jiggers.

[@VR-ym8ys]

Did the coast guard officer say: "You'd rather save 11 people than 22 people"?

[@bennetts-revenge_2]

Yup

[@patriciasutton8655]

Absolutely! Doing an emergency rescue in Superior would take longer if all 22 were still on board. If some crew weren’t necessary to make the voyage to TB, it makes sense to get them off while it’s not an emergency situation.

[@tettazwo9865]

0:43 'listing to one side" opposed to listing to both sides?

[@SnowTiger45]

When you can see the ship's interior framing rusting right through the hull, it's time to scrap the ship. And I don't mean sink it to save money... I mean to create a reef !

[@spudwickthrockmorton2112]

Man I sure hope I get to see it before it’s scrapped

[@epistte]

Now I know how to pronounce the ships name. Thanks.

[@patrickbass3542]

13' "crack"? WOW!!!!! Repair or scrap?

[@raywill3252]

If the hull would have been inspected in accordance with SOLAS every 2.5 years that wouldn't have occurred. Otherwise if was inspected then the company who chose to will be up for a fine cheers

[@Look_What_You_Did]

Cool word salad bruh...

[@mattharper588]

All Great Lakes freighters have a mandatory US Coast Guard inspection every 5 years

[@Paul_Wetor]

I'm not surprised by this. Striking an underwater object seemed unlikely. And seeing all the rust on the side doesn't suggest it was kept in tip-top condition. (Hmm - is that why Interlake paints that area brown, to hide the rust? Clever).

[@BOBK-jf4qx]

These long ships tend to crack...time to retitre them all?

[@PhilipDeLamarter]

Hell no. Charter em to Uncle Sugar and haul give-away grain to Africa.

[@onebridge7231]

Ship is old. A 4m crack means the rest of the ship is past her useful life too as these companies rarely do the required up keep.

[@MrSuzuki1187]

What a rust bucket of a ship.

[@Twobeers1]

Fore peak & aft peak empty of ballast & she broke in the middle?

[@PhilipDeLamarter]

Ain't that what they call 'sagging'?

[@ToxiCom-777]

So how can nearly all the steel in the Baltimore Key Bridge bend into 90 and 180 degree pretzels without any cracks at all, and this wimpy tug snaps some massive crack ?? Imagine if the Baltimore steel had been superheated. The "CON SP IRA" ORGanization has an 80 part series deeply exploring this and more.

[@TheRealDannAlexander]

Legendary Laker. Time for retirement and recycling.

[@altonhipp4075]

72 yrs old?...time for the bone yard.....that was the only warning before davy jone's locker.

[@Raptorman0909]

I think we've seen the last voyage of the Michipicoten. I think the ship owners need to be investigated for the seaworthiness of their ships as it is not acceptable to endanger others on the lakes with a boat that's been ridden hard and almost put away wet!

[@Timbrock1000]

Yet still no speculation on what caused the crack?!

[@Urbicide]

This incident would make a great commercial for Billy Mayes & Flexsteel sealant.

[@oldowl33]

She looks like her back is beginning to break. Hulls don’t twist like that unless they are dying.

[@mirrorblue100]

She'll be scrapped. It is possible to repair that damage but given her age - theres bound to be additional fatigues. Won't be possible to insure her.

[@carolewoolley7017]

Underneath every new coat of paint there would have been rust that had to be treated and/or removed Paint oxides quickly with injuries from the locks ect just like a car that sustains dents a d scrapes. Doesnt necessarily mean age or infirmity just how well the vessel is maintained. The red paint has naturalanti oxidents, antialgicides.

[@Shaker626]

Steel back then was not as good as it is today. Welding at the time introduced a lot of hydrogen into the metal, making it brittle after repeated structural loading. The Liberty ships and the Fitzgerald popped relatively quickly, but this old lady held on to her seams (until now).

[@OscarVaughn]

And now its going to the scrapper. That sucks. Always sad when a cool old ship reaches its end of life. I hear they towing it out soon.

[@LokiOdinson-fz8ps]

Thats They are not they towing

[@OscarVaughn]

@@LokiOdinson-fz8ps what

[@davethompson6570]

Did anyone notice that the ship (SS Michipicoten) got its name from the island off which the Fitzgerald likely grounded, causing a likely gash in her hull on 11/10/75?

[@patriciasutton8655]

Fitz likely fell victim to a rogue wave. There was a show called Dive Detectives and they worked on possible scenarios. I recommend looking it up, very interesting.

[@daveth121864]

@@patriciasutton8655 Hi Pat, I have two comments to that. 1.) you are far more likely to fall victim to a rogue wave if you have lost several feet of freeboard because you’re taking on water. Rogue waves are kind of rare, but in most cases, a healthy Fitz could have survived one. You could even make a case that the Anderson, who was not damaged, was hit by the same wave, just a few miles behind the Fitz. So with everything I have studied about that wreck - not to mention what I’ve written on it over the years - although there is no physical evidence of a wave, it makes a lot of sense when you couple it with the evidence that the Fitz had been damaged. Missing radars, railings down and bilge pumps running as hard as they struggled to get ahead of the flooding. That was all radioed to the Anderson, and up to two or more before any wave finished her. The Capt of the Anderson was concerned that the Fitz had drifted too close to Six Fathom Shoal off Michipicoten Island. The draft of the Fitz that night, the known depth of the shoal, and the size of the seas made it possible or probable that the Fitz was damaged there. 2.) take anything you see on a cable TV “mystery show” of any type with a grain of salt. They make their money by exaggerating and twisting facts. … I’m just sayin’. Thanks much! I appreciate your thoughts.

[@coldspring624]

There should be a better and larger Coast Guard presence on the lakes

[@HM2SGT]

I'm sorry, did I just hear you say you'd like your taxes to go up? I get what you're saying, but with budgets the way they are... 🤷 _NOAA\NWS is shutting down their mobile weather site at the end of June due to budget constraints_

[@seayak]

@@HM2SGT I would be happy for the small increment in taxes to see the coast guard be able to do their job well in inland waters. I think this is a maintenence/engineering issue though, which is really outside of the CG's normal responsibility.

[@privatepilot4064]

Could this be what happened to the Fitz?

[@leonard7736]

The Fitz in 1975 sank due to improperly closed hatches took on water while going thru a storm with winds at 50 knots or 58 MPH and 35 foot waves, US Coast Guard report.

[@HuntOfficial1776]

Idk about that. I think it was a rogue wave that took her out combined with the ship striking the bottom which explains the hatch covers being missing.

[@chrisb7198]

72 year old ship? I would have never gotten on it unless I knew it had been drydocked and totally gone over several times in it's life.

[@Cuhulin1]

Hey, that's the same age as me and that's not old.

[@chrisb7198]

@@Cuhulin1 You have had regular check ups right? lmao

[@LungsMcGee]

Meanwhile the Boeing fleet has been grounded again after inspections found 4 inch cracks in all of the stewardesses,