Ship hits submerged object?

[skipperpete]

By itself this is not an unusual event, the ship took on a lot of water but was pumped out and made it into Thunder bay Ontario for repairs, all good, no casualties or oil spill. What was really interesting was the age of the ship, built in 1952 and still working.

[GordMay]

The 72 year old, 689-foot, bulk carrier, “Michipicoten”, collided with an underwater object, about 35 miles southwest of Isle Royale, near Grand Portage, Mn, and began taking on water, at about 7 am, Saturday.
The ship departed Two Harbors, Minnesota, on Friday, carrying taconite [low-grade iron ore], and was headed to Thunder Bay, in Canada.
Although no injuries were reported on the vessel, the Coast Guard coordinated with a National Park Service boat from Isle Royale to evacuate 11 of the 22 [non-essential] crew members, aboard the “Michipicoten”.


More ➥ https://www.dvidshub.net/news/473442...-lake-superior

And ➥ https://maritime-executive.com/artic...erwater-object

[Thomas1985]

Unexploded ordnance?

[Mike OReilly]

What's really interesting is, what did they hit? It wasn't a small object, given the amount of damage. And it isn't an uncharted reef -- there aren't any.

As near as I can figure, the even took place not far outside of Two Harbors, which is where they took on the load of Taconite. At least that what I infer from the public AIS data, and other more local reports (not the national ones). This places it more like 100nm SW of Isle Royale, not the 35nm being reported.

There's plenty of water there. No way is there an uncharted reef. So it has to be something in the water. Can't be a lost container since we don't have container ships on the Great Lakes. I suppose containers are carried on deck by some carriers.

Could it have been some industrial debris in the water? Two Harbors is an industrial port.

[rslifkin]

I'm seeing some speculation floating around at this point that it may have just been a fatigue failure and they may not have hit anything. Not confirmed yet though. One of the unconfirmed bits of information mentions that a crack was found in the ship, and noted that the ship appears to be sagging a bit when it arrived in port, indicating a possible structural failure.

As far as age, 1952 is at the older end of the fleet on the Great Lakes, but it's not the oldest ship carrying cargo around day after day (which is from 1942 and still an operating steamer). Fresh water and high cost of replacement ships lead to lots of older ships being maintained and in some cases repowered far past when they'd be scrapped elsewhere in the world.

[mbianka]

Whatever it hit it should still be there. Hopefully the authorities will find it before another ship hits it.

[deblen]

Ogopogo..

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by deblen

Ogopogo..

You mean Mishipizheu.

• https://www.ancient-origins.net/myth...pizheu-0015625

• https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia....cle/mishipeshu

• https://greatlakes.guide/ideas/meet-...-lake-superior

... could be .

[Dockhead]

That would be an allision, not a collision, unless the object was a submarine under way.


/pedant mode

[Thomas1985]

This is what I understand to be the approximate location of the incident (35 nm SW of Isle Royale)

[Nekton73]

An update:
https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-ne...s-ship-9059605

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

That would be an allision, not a collision, unless the object was a submarine under way.
/pedant mode

THANKS to contributors, like you, I can still learn something new, most every day.
“You Say Collision, I Say Allision; Let's Sort the Whole Thing Out” ~ NOAA Office of Response and Restoration
➥ https://response.restoration.noaa.go...thing-out.html

Originally Posted by NOAA

“... And collision and allision ... These terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but technically, a collision is when two vessels strike each other, while an allision occurs when a vessel strikes a stationary object, such as a bridge or dock...”

[CaptTom]

The "Co" in "Collision" is the clue. Anyway, that's how I always remember the difference.

Sounds like they're now leaning more toward some sort of fatigue failure in the structure.

[Wotname]

Perhaps it was a collision - Military Exercise Area - Sub.

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by Wotname

Perhaps it was a collision - Military Exercise Area - Sub.

No, it must be aliens. Definitely aliens. It's well known that their flying saucers can go underwater. The ship probably sailed over their secret underwater base while one was ascending. And of course the government is covering it up. It's all a big conspiracy! Subscribe to my channel and I'll tell you all about it. While I sell you diet supplements and boner pills.

[Sorry. I got carried away. I've always wanted to start a conspiracy theory of my very own. I'll see myself out now.]