U.S. Brig Niagara stops in Marquette
Marquette is a town rich in history, and the weekend of August 9 through 11 promises to be rich in historic events.
The Michigan Iron Industry Museum will feature a Civil War encampment complete with artillery demonstrations, narrators and music of the period. There will be an historic Marquette Walking Tour—look throughout the town for costumed guides who will walk and talk you through some intriguing facts about old Marquette. The Lake Superior Theatre will host some unique presentations, including Escanaba in da Moonlight. You may want to visit the Marquette Lighthouse, the Maritime Museum or drop in at the History Museum to see what you can see.
But please remember to save some energy for something really outstanding during this time, natives and visitors alike will witness a rare maritime event.
This is not just a little boat sliding into the harbor. This is Pennsylvania's U.S. Brig Niagara, the first "Tall Ship" to glide into a Marquette harbor in 100 years.
The War of 1812 involved Great Britain and the United States. The causes of the war were complex, but the outcome was crystal clear—the world took notice that the United States regarded itself as a free and self-governing nation. The war established American independence beyond all reasonable doubt.
The original U.S. Brig Niagara was conceived in that War. She was commanded by Commodore Oliver Perry, of "don't give up the ship" fame. One of six warships built to regain control of the upper Great Lakes from the British during the War of 1812, the quickly constructed Niagara was Perry's relief flagship in the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813. In this naval struggle, the entire British squadron of six warships was captured by Perry's nine-ship squadron. Following the battle, Perry sent his classic victory message: "We have met the enemy and they are ours..." This victory led to the reopening of American supply lines on the upper Great Lakes, removal of the British and Indian threat to the Northwest Territory and resulted in a serious upgrade of the country's spirit.
The Niagara we'll see at Marquette's Lower Harbor is an exact reproduction of the original ship. Most of the time the ship is docked in Lake Erie, and serves as a symbol for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She is a two-masted, square-rigged sailing vessel, which measures 198 feet long. The 1813 original included a crew of 155 to man her sails, eighteen carronades (short, large caliber cannons used for firing at close range) and two long guns.
During a journey, the crew was separated into two watch sections (port and starboard) for routine duties. More experienced sailors were stationed above, while others saw to the rigging which controlled the sails from the deck.
During battle, boys carried black powder charges from cartridges in the storeroom to the guns. Marines and soldiers were assigned to an area where they could fire their muskets at sailors on enemy ships. Officers directed the setting of sails, firing of the cannon and maneuvering of the brig, according to captain's orders.
This was no love boat. The crew endured bad living conditions, and disease quickly spread. The quarters were extremely cramped—only officers and midshipmen had berths, and whatever limited hammock space was left provided accommodations for less than half of the remaining crew. It is assumed that some of the men slept between the guns on the gun deck. There was an iron galley stove where bread could be baked, and local fresh meat and vegetables supplemented the regular Navy food, although these provisions didn't last long before spoiling in the summer heat.
The Brig Niagara has gone through several transformations since its birth. First, of course, was the original. It was part of a fleet of six U.S. Navy-built vessels constructed in Erie, Pennsylvania. This construction was amazing considering the fact that Erie had only 500 residents and was anything but centrally located. Shipwrights, blockmakers, blacksmiths, caulkers, boat builders and other workers rose to the occasion. They were imported from Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and elsewhere. Materials were brought in from other regions of the state.
The cannons were brought from Washington, D.C and Sacketts Harbor, New York. Because there weren't any sawmills, the lumber had to be cut, hewn and squared by hand. In 1813 Perry engaged British ships in the Battle of Lake Erie near Put-In-Bay, Ohio. After the Flagship Lawrence was disabled, Perry transferred to the Niagara to continue the fight. Perry and his thirteen-year-old brother James were the only people who survived aboard the Brig Lawrence.
The Battle of Lake Erie was won within fifteen minutes of Perry's transfer to the Niagara because of his incredible gumption. He would not give up. He forced the British to surrender.
After the war, Niagara served as a station ship in Erie until she was shipwrecked in 1820. Then in 1913 she was raised and rebuilt on her keel and a few other salvageable timbers, to commemorate the Centennial of the Battle of Put-In-Bay. Following this celebration she became a museum ship in Erie. Niagara was rebuilt again between 1933 and 1943, and placed ashore in downtown Erie, on a permanent cradle out of the water. Masts and rigging were installed in 1963. She underwent another reconstruction between 1988 and 1990, which enabled her to return to the water as an active sailing ship. This final version, built by Melbourne Smith, is a breathtakingly beautiful sight, which still consists of some of the original timber of the first ship. Niagara is a fine attraction to the bayfront in its Lake Erie home, and as a mobile museum its value is incalculable.
The captain of this ship is John Beebe-Center, born in Salem (Massachusetts), a graduate of Antioch College. His sailing career began in 1982 aboard Schooner Harvey Gamage and Pride of Baltimore. He also sailed aboard the Californian, Spirit of Massachusetts and many other vessels. He began service on U.S. Brig Niagara in 1991 as Second Mate.
From 1998-2000, Beebe-Center served as First Mate aboard Niagara. He currently is pursuing a Master's Degree in Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission appointed him Captain of Niagara in January of 2001.
One man who is very excited about the ship's arrival is Marquette's own Fred Stonehouse, President of the Maritime Museum. For those who don't know him already, he holds an M.A. in History from NMU, and has authored seventeen books on Great Lakes maritime history. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and Great Lakes Lighthouse Tales are both bestsellers in these parts. In addition to teaching Great Lakes maritime history at NMU, he will begin offering a new Internet based course, Great Lakes Maritime History in the fall of 2002, for those who want to pursue a more detailed understanding of the subject.
Stonehouse was the man who got the ship to come to our town. He said he had been "bugging the Niagara people to come to Lake Superior for quite awhile." The museum didn't plan the actual arrival date. They received a phone call saying, "we're coming." So they made arrangements to sponsor its appearance. They partnered with The City of Marquette and other community-minded organizations such as the Marquette Rotary Club, the Iron Industry Museum, the Lake Superior Community Partnership, the Convention and Visitors Bureau and the History Department at NMU to make this visit a reality. Stonehouse is proud that Marquette is Niagara's only Michigan stop on Lake Superior. "This flagship spends most of its time on the East Coast," he says. "Maintaining wooden ships is expensive. It's a privilege for us to be able to view Niagara in our area." He refers to this vessel as the U.S.S. Constitution Lite, and assures me with a smile that it is less filling and has fewer calories than the original vessel. The ship's weaponry, however, is not light. Stonehouse is hoping that we'll be lucky enough to witness the firing of a carronade.
This tall ship, which will be moored midpoint at Mattson Lower Harbor Park, will be open for tours from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on August 9 and 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on August 10.
Stonehouse said this is not a tourist ship. Operated by the Pennsylvania crew, who will be dressed in authentic 1812 costumes, this project is "directed heavily toward education." Guides will talk about the War of 1812 and sailing technology as the public is taken through the entire ship.
There are big square sails on the upper part of the mast and below that a fore and aft sail. The masts are 120 feet high; the crew is just under fifty in number.
For those who are interested in knowing where Niagara has been and where she's going this summer, there are twelve ports of call: Toronto, Oswego (New York), Port Huron, Bay City, Green Bay, Thunder Bay, Duluth, Marquette, Alpena, Amhurstburg (Ontario), Toledo and Put-in-Bay.
"Bringing Niagara to Marquette is a tremendous achievement for all of our partners," Stonehouse said. "Having her in the harbor will be a wonderful opportunity for the people of the area to see the very best of all the tall ships that still sail the lakes."
This event is clearly something to work into your weekend. If you have any questions about the ship you may contact Stonehouse at Stone@chartermi.net or 226-6014.
—Claudia Drosen

A Superior return: Wilfred Sykes steams to Marquette - Greg Peterson

Hauling Upper Peninsula ore to distant shores, the captain of the steamer Wilfred Sykes says his return to Lake Superior marks a new era for smaller ships that are a perfect match for the Marquette Iron Range and its northern docks.

Lake Superior, he said, is the favorite Great Lake of mariners in search of safe-harbor and clean water.

Superior is safer? You must be kidding
Despite the November gales that doomed the likes of the mighty Edmund Fitzgerald, Lake Superior has more harbors that can handle huge iron ore boats, than the other Great Lakes. These burly ships range from 600 to 1,000 feet and haul 20,000 to 65,000 tons, respectively, of pellets in one load.

"Lake Superior has more places [where] you can hide from a storm than lake Michigan and Huron," said Captain Ron "Ski" Brezinski, a thirty-year veteran of Great Lakes shipping seasons. "Lake Superior is much safer."
For the past eight years, the captain and his steamer, the 678-foot Wilfred Sykes, have been hauling iron ore, limestone and slag over Lake Michigan from the Escanaba and Manistique ports.

Sometimes smaller is better
Now more 600-foot boats are needed to haul iron ore from the Tilden Mine to Rouge Steel downstate. The Rouge Steel harbor is too narrow and shallow for 1,000-foot boats, which also are too wide for the Presque Isle ore dock.

When the 1,000-foot iron ore boats load in Marquette, they must back up and turn around, losing valuable time. This is because the ore dock chutes can't reach the far side of these wider, longer boats.

A heavenly lighthouse: The northern lights are the stars of a Superior night
The fifty-two-year-old Sykes has completed six of this season's twelve forty-hour trips between Marquette and Rouge Steel. Captain Brezinski says you almost can touch the heavens when floating in the middle of Superior on a calm summer night. When Lake Superior holds night court, it's a sight witnessed by few. Words don't do justice, as sailors testify they're luckier than land-lovers.

"It's pristine and it's beautiful," Brezinski said. "Especially in the fall of the year when the Northern Lights are shining."
The show peaks "north of the Keweenaw," a perk so spectacular it lures mariners from their families from March to January each season.
Currently, some sixty ships haul commerce over the Great Lakes, about half of the boats that operated just twenty years ago, said Robert Manning of Marquette, a former coast guardsman and present member of the Coast Guard Reserve. The S.S. Wilfred Sykes was once the largest ship on the Great Lakes, and one of the few steamers. It generates some seven thousand horse power using Lake Superior water that's filtered before it is returned to the largest of the U.S. freshwater lakes.

Female pilot of the biggest ships around
Ruth Riordan, twenty-five, is a former U.S. Navy officer who is training aboard the Sykes as part of her second of four years of mariner schooling at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City. She is training to be a third mate in the merchant marines, and hopes to be assigned to a Great Lakes iron ore boat. Riordan currently is considered a deck cadet and will be licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard upon graduation with a bachelor's degree in business administration.
The captain, first mate, second mate and third mate take turns on the bridge piloting and commanding the boat and its crew. Her training likely will include a tour of duty driving an Alaskan oil tanker.
"I love it," she said. "I've learned more during thirteen days on board than in two years at the academy."

Proud to pilot U.S. Aircraft Carrier
A self-described nomad, Riordan is one of only five women in an academy class of 215. However, Riordan says she is treated "like one of the boys" while aboard ship. Instead of fearing discrimination, Riordan was concerned most about receiving special treatment from the male crew members. The only other female on board is a cook.
"I was afraid they would give me extra privileges and treat me like a sister," Riordan said. "But that hasn't happened because they know I've already been at sea."
Riordan has had an exciting career in her short life at sea. She spent four years in the Navy and sailed all over the Mediterranean Sea including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Spain and France. For three years, Riordan was the third mate who sometimes drove the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt, one of the Navy's premier aircraft carriers. She also was a master helmsman aboard the L.Y. Spear, a U.S. Navy submarine tender.
—Greg Peterson

Editor's note: For timetables on Great Lakes shipping or live pictures of the Soo Locks, check out www.boatnerds.com

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