This is from yesterday:
Further reinforcements are en route, with the USCGC Mackinaw , a 240-foot heavy icebreaker from Cheboygan, Michigan, expected to arrive Monday if additional assistance is required
I know there’s a big difference between the Great Lakes and the Baltic Sea in terms of how winter navigation is organized, but whenever I see something like in the headlines, I wish we could somehow teleport Polaris there for a few days to show what is possible with a modern escort icebreaker.
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Good Captain over there; his 'gram page always has good stuff. Once they got going westbound in Erie their AIS status was “Hopefully Optimistic” until they cleared the sticky stuff by Pelee Pass and Colchester Reef.
Winter sailing is no fun…a year ago I had just rolled back to the house and this season I was able to wrap up on 1-8. Three more weeks of winter, at home, is quite nice!
Glad those guys will be done soon .
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It’s been colder/more ice than the last several winters on the lakes. I guess this ship was a straggler.
The CG icebreakers will get them out eventually.
It was cold enough where I’m at that I had to be my own icebreaker and clear myself out of the ice.
Update:
Sounds like the plan is to still use the Mackinaw.
The operation continues as the USCGC Mackinaw (WLBB 30) , which departed from Cheboygan, Michigan on January 24, is scheduled to rendezvous with the Manitoulin . The Mackinaw will provide additional ice-breaking support and escort the vessel to its winter berth in Sarnia, Canada
This is from Wikipedia:
One of the Mackinaw’ s unique features in the US Coast Guard fleet is the use of two Azipod units, ABB’s brand of electric azimuth thrusters, for her main propulsion.
USCGC Mackinaw