Michipicoten Badly Damaged, Taking on Water, Nearly Sank

Sorry this is a day delayed, but wanted to try and see if anyone could send me some photos from up in the Thunder Bay area as she arrived after her incident to add to this video, which was taken the last time I’ve seen her depart, a few days before the incident. Eventually someone came through! A huge thank you there!
Early Saturday morning (6/8/24) Michipicoten was sailing out from Two Harbors on a standard lake run when she collided with an unknown object in the water. It’s a bit of a mystery what that object could be, as she was sailing in open, deep water at the time. That would seem to rule out hitting a rock, the most common reason on the Lakes for this sort of incident. There were no storms or large waves in the area. We’ll see what the reports say she hit, my money is on a very large submerged log that hit in just the perfect location. If it was a log though, it does raise some serious questions about the strength of the ship’s hull.
After starting to take on water, the ship issues a distress call, which was answered by the Edwin H Gott, the Canadian Coast Guard and a park service boat. The ship quickly turned north towards Thunder Bay. Joined by the Gott, she evacuated much of her crew to the park service boat and successfully made it after a rather tense journey. Her pumps kept up with flooding, but by the look of things any further complications could have easily sent her to the bottom. She arrived in Thunder Bay, shown here, with a severe list to starboard, 15 degrees at its highest point (similar to a steep hill and the steepest angle most cars can drive up and down) reducing to about 5 degrees by the time she got into port. Had the iron ore within her hold starting shifting because of the angle, she could have very easily rolled over and gone down, potentially very quickly. Fortunately that did not happen! The incident has made news headlines across both the US and Canada.
Fortunately everyone is safe and sound, the ship is safely at dock! It will likely be awhile before she sails again.
Built in 1952, the Michipicoten is Canada’s oldest active laker following a severe fire on the 1943 laker Cuyahoga earlier this year (It’s been a bad year for the Lower Lakes company). Measuring 697ft long, the ship has been an extremely regular sight in Duluth the last two years, making twice weekly trips between the iron ore docks in Minnesota and Wisconsin to the steel mill at Sault Ste Marie. She was lengthened in the late 50s and converted to a self unloader in the 70s. Hopefully this issue is repairable and she returns to service quickly and properly!
I’ll keep looking for updates on this situation and edit the description appropriately! Feel free to comment with any new information and sources you find!
Update 1: Divers have surveyed the ship, finding a 13ft long crack in the hull. Here’s the news article with all the details- www.tbnewswatc...

[@jonathanellsworth21]

I’ll keep adding updates to the description as we get more information. I did edit the title to remove outdated information that was incorrectly reported by the news the first two days (that the ship collided with an unknown object, it has been confirmed as a massive hull failure)

[@bevpearson8268]

Thank goodness all were safe! It's a powerful reminder of just what a dangerous job that is!

[@jonathanellsworth21]

That’s for sure! You never know what might happen any time they sail. The Lakes can be an unforgiving place. Even on a beautiful day that you wouldn’t expect any issues

[@jackienaturelover9761]

Thanks for the video of her. Hopefully she will be fixed and we will see her again. I know she is 72yrs old but would hate to see her go. Thanks for sharing this video.

[@jonathanellsworth21]

@@jackienaturelover9761 I don’t think they can afford to let her go, she’s been an absolute powerhouse for them. But it depends on the state of her hull I guess. Time will tell!

[@Mikell-h2c]

👍

[@Mikell-h2c]

Is she listing to the port?

[@user-AZ-phil]

IF a ship does go down, this is how we need to remember them. Slim and graceful, slipping through the Duluth Canal, and out into Lake Superior, doing their job, as they have, many times before!

[@louGriggs1944]

Pretty sure this video is her leaving Duluth, as you mentioned. May the the last captain's salute we will hear from her. Really sad. She has been one of my favorites for years. Saw her in person at Sault Ste. Marie a few years back.

[@FelineStorm]

Glad everyone was okay! Hopefully the hull integrity is okay as well, this is not how we want to say goodbye to this grand lady!

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Same, only time will tell though!

[@FelineStorm]

@@jonathanellsworth21 Fingers crossed for her. Thank you for the coverage. I am curious, if a ship is laid up for the rest of the season, what happens to the crew? Do they stay with the ship or get out on other ships or do they just have to go find a new job?

[@dickdaley9059]

13 foot crack along the hull with water penetration. Pumps activated.

[@blauer2551]

You never know when watching these vids if that’s the last time they will be seen

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Yeah 😞

[@dianebeier8379]

Sad to see this ole girl, possibly end of her loyal career, happy all on our made it out safely....😢😢😢😢❤❤❤❤

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Hopefully it’s a relatively easy fix! But yeah scary stuff 😢

[@godblessamerica7048]

It's so sad! The ship is 72 years old, the same as the first B-52 aircraft. Even if it can't be repaired, I think they got their money's worth.

[@gmyers4366]

People, this ship is 75 years old. All the stress on the hull from years of wave action, storms the hull get severely stressed and is bound to crack as this ship did. Most freigters on the great lakes lasts 40 to 50 years. She has served her duty. Time for retirement before there is anymore tragedys like the big fitz.

[@Star_Gazing_Coffee_Lover]

I think she will be scrapped, sadly.

[@adriaanboogaard8571]

Such a beautiful old ship. I like the video, especially because you get a long slow look to soak it in going past

[@CEOkiller]

I’m glad she made it to port and no one was hurt.

[@GhostSportsES]

Thankfully everyones okay, an she's docked.. My heart stopped when i saw a notification to this video on my phone.. Lol js..

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Yeah that about sums up my reaction as well. Scary, scary stuff! That came so close to being a much worse story by the look of things

[@Life_With_Lady]

But she didnt sink, she held true and saved her crew. What a fine brave ship she is.

[@aaronneumeyer5572]

I was hoping you'd cover this, thank you! Any photo or video updates would be very appreciated.

[@jonathanellsworth21]

I’ll definitely be keeping up with the story! Lower Lakes is notoriously tight lipped about things but maybe with the publicity of this one we’ll get more information getting out to the public

[@Skidderoperator]

No lawsuit, no transparency.

[@bennetts-revenge_2]

I'm glad everyone is safe. I feel so bad for the old girl, she put in a lot of yrs. I love watching her, I hope she can be fixed

[@carolewoolley7017]

She is a beauty, wel loved by many ship watchers. Her name speaks to the long ago indiigenous culture of native americans in Minnesota. A hard worker. For almost as long as I have been alive. Im sure I must have seen her on the lake during our many summer trips up the north shore as a child. Bless her hopeful recovery from this sad occurance.❤

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Yeah, this could either be a pretty easy fix or a very difficult one, hard to say at this point. Hope to see her again!!

[@jspo3446]

Thank you for info. Thankful all r safe. Please keep sending updates. Is there a huge gash or hole?? Very scary. Thank you to all involved in rescue

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Haven’t seen any pictures of the actual damage yet, I’ll make a post and link the information if I get any

[@ellenhalpern1882]

I'm glad the crew is safe, and she stayed afloat. I'm curious about how this happened. Thanks for the video

[@WarpedHorizon]

Small correction, the 11 crew were offloaded to the National Park Service boat, which brought them to Thunder Bay.

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Thank you, I’ll change that

[@gregmctevia5087]

Beautiful piece. Keep us posted as to the cause of the accident.

[@jonathanellsworth21]

People are now leaning more towards spontaneous hull failure more than a collision, which is what everyone was worried about, much worse for the ship and her future :/. 13ft gash found in inspection and no sign of a cause

[@navelriver]

Regardless of cause, it is big news!

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Definitely, scary stuff

[@EdwardKelly-vi9sg]

​@@jonathanellsworth21Any guess as to what she hit...thanx

[@jonathanellsworth21]

@@EdwardKelly-vi9sg I’m wondering if it was a big tree that floated out into the lake

[@eprn1n2]

3:18 Horn made you jump. LOL

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Lol doesn’t matter how often you see them, they can still do that 😂😂 You know it’s coming, but you don’t know when or exactly how loud

[@eprn1n2]

@@jonathanellsworth21 I get it! It's a big noise! Best horn is the James R Barker. I have it as a ring tone.

[@christinayounglove9231]

Manistee gone, Mississagi gone, Cuyahoga condition bad, Ojibway gone,Michipicotin condition currently unknown. This company is having one heck of a time lately.

[@jonathanellsworth21]

And Saginaw with a huge patch on her bow lol

[@christinayounglove9231]

@@jonathanellsworth21 I forgot about that! You're right

[@christinayounglove9231]

We also forgot Tecumseh, now gone, and correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Calumet or Manitowoc have an issue with a cracked fuel tank in Lake Michigan last season?

[@markbrookes6557]

Yes, I'm so glad the people are safe! I really want to know what the hell they hit!

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Same!

[@GWNorth-db8vn]

The odds are pretty good that samples of what they hit will be stuck to the plates or scraped inside.

[@danielt.8573]

If she's still needed all they have to do is to fix and restore her.

[@neverinthemoment]

I don't think there are any submarines in the Great Lakes?!

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Lol there’s a few museum ones from WW2, although I think most of those are on land 😂

[@alexandersinclair9006]

There are a couple of UBoats that were used as targets

[@jamesnelson6980]

@@alexandersinclair9006 U-97 was sunk by gunfire from the USS WILMETTE in the 1920's off Chicago. U-97 was interned by the German navy after WW1. She was purchased by a group of men who displayed her on the East Coast, then toured the Great Lakes with her. The group ran out of money, and U-97 sat in Chicago for a few years. With no buyers in sight, she was towed about 15 miles out into Lake Michigan, and sunk as a training target by a gun crew from USS WILMETTE. Ironically, the WILMETTE was the former steamer EASTLAND, that capsized and sank in Chicago in 1915. She was raised and converted to the WILMETTE by the US Navy, and later scrapped.

[@kevinduveneck1504]

Twenty-nine WW2 submarines were built at Manitowoc Shipbuilding. The USS Cobia is on display at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc. The sister ship of the Michipicoten, the Saginaw along with the John Munson were also built in Manitowoc

[@jamesnelson6980]

@@kevinduveneck1504 28 subs were built in Manitowoc, and my grandfather drove rivets on all 28. The SAGINAW was built in 1953 as the JOHN J. BOLAND.

[@barryrahn5957]

As of a couple of days ago I heard the crack was 13' long and a quarter inch wide. The old girl is tired.

[@brettfavreify]

Someone thinking they hit an object could also be the thud or boom from hull failure. It's a 70+ year old boat. Pure speculation on my part. There are no mystery pinnacles of rock out on the shipping track. Glad to hear all are safe and I would appreciate it if some posters would stop with the Fitzgerald references. These are workboats, they get damaged, especially when cargo hits the holds, there's the usual wear and tear. Thankfully, there was plenty of help nearby.

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Could be, my thought is maybe a large, mostly submerged tree. We’ve had a lot of storms and waves this spring, could definitely see that as well. Soaked with water you’d have a lot of weight there

[@brettfavreify]

@@jonathanellsworth21 That hull would have to be an punky as a rotten tree to cause a 15 degree list. The second engineer aboard posted on FB that it was a night of sheer terror for him and the crew.

[@jennyk2022]

Seems like hitting large logs in deep water would happen occasionally and that lakers could typically withstand such events unscathed. Perhaps her hull was weakened and a log hit that spot just right?

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Perhaps, but think about how big the lake is, and where they sail. Probably unusual that current would take a huge tree out to the center of the lake. It would more likely go out a bit, then get swept back in the next seiche. And consider the effect ice has on hulls, doesn’t take a whole lot to punch a hole if the ship is going at speed, and it’s not too different density wise from wood

[@davidb5952]

Sounds like the Edmund Fitzgerald - "She may have broke deep and took water". Glad all are ok.

[@harborcbs]

Sad to see. It looks like the old girl broke a hip. May be the end for her, she's served long and hard.

[@harborcbs]

I think we just found out what may have happened to the Edmund Fitzgerald. The only thing missing was the November storm. If there had been a storm this time, she might have gone down. Something to think about.

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Almost certainly would have. She was struggling to stay afloat even in calm conditions. Just read a statement from one of the engineers, scary stuff. Sounds like things went bad really fast

[@harborcbs]

@@jonathanellsworth21 Is the engineers report available online? From other reports I've read it sounds like the chine split open. Lots of stress on those 70 year old welds.

[@jonathanellsworth21]

@@harborcbs I think it was a facebook post originally, someone linked it to me

[@Donna.V]

I was thinking that same thing. If this had happened in a storm... Fortunately, the weather was not an issue and that afforded them the time to make a plan and take all the steps so everyone, including the Michi, returned safely. Such a beautiful ship, even damaged. Think about it: they patched her up and she sailed back to port under her own power. She's old but tough.

[@JesMcdld-nb6pg]

The captain of the Anderson said his ship was hit by two rouge waves that were the biggest he has seen and with the Fitz already having trouble was hit by these two rouge waves he thinks that is what took the Fitz down it was already rougher then he has seen but these two rouge waves you could see it in his interview in his eyes that those two waves scared him he didn't even really want to go out and be a problem on a problem but to his credit he went back but he does think those waves hit the Fitz and she disappeared in a second Superier gets big rollers from deep cold water even the ocean going vessels say Superior is like a inland ocean

[@JesMcdld-nb6pg]

The pumps were keeping up lucky it was close to Thunder Bay but they unloaded it to another ship patched the crack and headed to dry dock it would have been a stress free ride once empty and patched it would have no stress of heavy load but she was listing pretty good if it had farther to go she could have been way worse raising half the crew off and brought them to Thunder Bay port and she made it there were quite a few empty salties anchored in Harbour that could have went out if need be

[@jonathanellsworth21]

They weren’t keeping up, they needed Gott’s help for that! Very close to disaster

[@chuckg6039]

The Manitoulin will pick up her cargo in the next several day.

[@jonathanellsworth21]

That answers that question, was wondering how they’d do that. They’ll have to be incredibly careful with that operation

[@chuckg6039]

@@jonathanellsworth21 I communicated with Captain TJ on the Manitoulin. He plans to get some good Go Pro video of the process and upload it to his channel at some point. Should be very informative!

[@jonathanellsworth21]

@@chuckg6039 you know her captain? Very cool! Yeah that should definitely prove interesting, would love to see the footage!

[@chuckg6039]

@@jonathanellsworth21 I'm very active on his channel....and have been since last year. He responds back to every question or comment. I've learned a ton from him.

[@davemanone3661]

Terrible thing to happen, but still very cool to watch!

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Yeah, fortunately everyone’s ok! Hopefully they can fix her up, would hate for her to go out like that

[@WEHenry]

Has anybody investigated the area to see what it may have hit?

[@jonathanellsworth21]

The cutter Spar left yesterday during those events and sailed into that area and returned. No idea if they found anything

[@anthonygiglio9860]

Great Video😊

[@jdhinckley1954]

I heard today that she has a 13 ft crack in the hull. That, plus her age could indicate that the hull is just worn out. 🙁

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Yeah I put an edit into the description. 13ft is huge, I believe the crack that sank the Titanic was 11ft in total

[@carolwelch1367]

Can she be repaired or not?

[@jonathanellsworth21]

She’ll need to be inspected and the cause determined, repair costs, etc. none of this is known yet. The only things we currently know is the crew and ship are safe. The rest of the work will be done in upcoming weeks. However I’m fairly hopeful, this sort of thing isn’t as uncommon as you’d think, the only factor that sets this particular incident apart is the apparent size of hole and the fact that it nearly capsized the ship. That said if it was caused by aging hull plating falling apart when it shouldn’t have, then it would be a much larger issue that would affect the whole ship. In that case, maybe she won’t sail again. Impossible to say for certain at this point

[@TheOriginalAndysGarage]

I would assume they have bilge pumps

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Oh yes and they’re the only reason she didn’t sink. News today says she has a 13ft gash in her side

[@sjoeld57]

I think she just collided with TIME. Steel that is 72 years old becomes brittle.

[@carljelliff3156]

Collided with 70 years of twisting and bending on the waves🙂

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Potentially, we’ll have to see what the reports say

[@ralffiedler8501]

unless there is a capacity shortage on the lakes and she is desperately needed i bet she's retired soon

[@jonathanellsworth21]

She is needed, Lower Lakes already has a capacity shortage with the Cuyahoga down after their fire this March. Michipicoten loads fast, sails fast, they’re one of the most active vessels on the lakes. That would be pretty devastating loss, especially for the Algoma Steel Mill, which she basically supplied single handed last season

[@stephenpacovich7724]

Great video Time for the company to spend $$ on new boat

[@papabits5721]

Stress fracture

[@abrahamdozer6273]

"The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead When the skies of November turn gloomy With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed When the gales of November came early"

[@RobertSwickard-o1w]

BUT THIS IS JUNE NOT NOVEMBER

[@abrahamdozer6273]

@@RobertSwickard-o1w "It was early in June just before the full moon Michipicoten ran into sumpthin' The lake when it's rash never gives up it's trash 'til the bulk carriers crash and locate 'em... "

[@RobertSwickard-o1w]

ITS JUST ME BUT ITS A LITTLE DISRESPECTFUL TO THOSE SAILORS AND THEIR FAMILIES .... WE ALL KNOW WHAT HAPPENED ,, BUT ITS ONE SHIP ,, BUT THEIR ARE OVER 6000 SHIP WRECKS ON THE GREAT LAKES ,,,, WHERE ARE THEIR SONGS ??????? AND TO BRING UP A SONG THAT SOME WASHED UP HAS BEEN SINGER'S AND HIS ONE HIT WONDER ... THAT WROTE ABOUT 29 SAILORS THAT DIED FOR THAT SINGER TO CASH IN ON ... NOT EVEN MENTIONING THE NAMES OF THE CREW IN THE SONG ??????

[@abrahamdozer6273]

@@RobertSwickard-o1w I'm a navy veteran. Three of my cousins sailed the Lake Boats for a few decades.. The eldest one was working the Lakes when the Edmond Fitzgerald went down and also when Lightfoot wrote that and he, a professional mariner REALLY liked that song and considered it to be an homage to his mates. No disrespect is there. Lightfoot's song is hardly a "one hit wonder" Now that, is disrespectful and not at all knowledgeable.

[@RobertSwickard-o1w]

@@abrahamdozer6273 SO ---- I AM NATIVE SHAWNEE ,, STILL YOUR WHITEMAN GOVERNMENT IS TREATING NATIVES AS SECOND HAND PEOPLE ..... HERE IS SOME HISTORY FOR YOU ...... WHERE DID ADOLF HITLER GET THE IDEA OF EXTERMINATING PEOPLE OF THE JEWISH FAITH ----- ????????????????????????? THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENTS TREATMENT OF THE NATIVE PEOPLE !!!!! ROUNDING UP MY ANCESTERS IN A LITTLE THING WE CALL THE LAND GRAB ACT !!!!!! THE FORCED RELOCATION OF NATIVE AMERICANS .... TO WHAT YOU CALL A """ RESERVATION """ WE CALL IT A FORCED REHABILITATION CAMP ....... WHERE IS OUR SONG FROM SINGERS ??????? WHY ISN'T OUR HISTORY TOUGHT IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS ????? BUT SEE --------- JUST LIKE YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT NATIVE LIFE AND OUR HISTORY ,,,,, WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT YOURS ??????

[@tpep1693]

Hmm.

[@steved.5628]

So wtf happened???

[@sse_weston4138]

Highly likely a hull failure after divers inspected her. Thirteen feet long, and news reports seem to indicate the crew heard a bang during the voyage, which would indicate a brittle fracture (thankfully one that didn't extend very far, relative to other incidents I know).

[@steved.5628]

@@sse_weston4138 wow not good! I give those guys a lot of credit for the job they do!

[@jimmyfiggs6293]

I think it was a Russian Sub.

[@jonathanellsworth21]

😂

[@jamesmiller6834]

GREAT NEWS

[@jonathanellsworth21]

That the crew is safe? I’m assuming you’re talking about that lol. Yes definitely!

[@rottenroads1982]

It didn’t strike an object. It had Hull Failure.

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Yeah that’s what the new information is saying

[@derjaeger3321]

Russian sub?

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Lol 😂

[@skinny1968]

Probably not a collision. She is very old and probably getting weak. Glad all crew are okay.

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Possible, we’ll see. All the news outlets along with the crew are reporting a collision but we’ll have to wait for an official report to know for sure what’s going on

[@GWNorth-db8vn]

Should have been scrapped at least twenty years ago. All romance aside, this is a floating bucket made to haul rocks. Built cheaply, maintained the same way, and kept in service long past any sense. It's a worn out tool that's reached a dangerous point.

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Yeah that opinion is not going to fly around these parts lol

[@GWNorth-db8vn]

@@jonathanellsworth21 - I grew up around the big boats and the guys who work on them, too. They would have nothing good to say about a rusty deathtrap like this.

[@Skidderoperator]

Putin again

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Lol

[@dockweilerrefugee6679]

Insurance job or CIA......

[@jamesnelson6980]

She looked trim coming out. If she was taking on water, you think they would have noticed it while loading.

[@jonathanellsworth21]

The video is a couple days before the incident, her last trip out of the canal before all this happened. She hit out in the center of the lake, then managed to sail up to Thunder Bay while taking on water. The still pictures are after the incident.

[@jamesnelson6980]

@@jonathanellsworth21 Ok, Jonathan, I thought the video was taken the day of the leak. You would think that if she hit a rock, corrective action would have been taken right away. At least part of the crew got off, and she made it to Thunder Bay. A mystery for sure.

[@jonathanellsworth21]

@@jamesnelson6980 they did take action immediately, the leak was bad enough that they had to issue distress calls even with all the actions taken by the crews. Scary stuff!

[@jamesnelson6980]

@@jonathanellsworth21 I didn't know that, but certainly makes sense. At least Superior didn't claim another.

[@carpetguy69]

She wasn’t taking on water while loading. It was a sudden structural failure that rang through the ship with a sound that had the crew convinced they collided with some unknown object in open water. Thank goodness it wasn’t rough seas and she was able to safely make it into port

[@bcgrittner]

Some people theorize that the Edmund Fitzgerald may have bottomed out on an uncharted shoal back in November 1975. Did the Michipicoten hit that same shoal?

[@jonathanellsworth21]

No this would be a couple hundred miles west of where the Fitz sank

[@LokiOdinson-fz8ps]

Since she was in the deep water shipping channel no. Besides the Fitzgerald and Anderson were running THE NORTHERN route.

[@davidkasperek3907]

Clickbait 👎🏻