THUNDER BAY, Ont. – A 689-foot iron ore carrier began taking on water off Isle Royale in Lake Superior and partially flooded. As the Canadian-flagged Michipicoten listed 15 degrees, another ore carrier pulled alongside and took on 15 of the 22-person crew. The remaining Michipicoten crew stayed aboard in hopes of limping 50 miles to Thunder Bay. No one was believed injured. The incident was about 7 a.m. The Michipicoten was fully loaded with 23,000 tons of taconite from an iron-ore processing plant in Two Harbors, Minnesota, The Michipicoten’s normal speed fully loaded is 14 mph. It was headed 400 miles east across the length of Lake Superior to the Algoma steel factory in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Sime initial speculation was that the Michipicoten struck an underwater object – even though the incident was on a well-charted route 35 miles off Isle Royale with depths of 500 to 650 feet.
The ore boat Michipicoten. On its own power heading to the nearest port after its hull cracked 35 miles southwest of Isle Royale. The vessel had listed 15 degrees before mostly self-righting. Image: Tom van der Sander