Tug Seneca grounded in Lake Superior

December 14, 2006

ASHLAND, Wis. -- The gales of November can be vicious on Lake Superior, but sudden storms of December can be just as bad or worse, a tugboat crew has learned.

The crew with the Zenith Tugboat Co. out of Duluth, Minn., was towing the firm's vintage tug, the Seneca, in the southeastern end of the lake when the relatively mild weather suddenly changed the evening of Dec. 3.

Within an hour, the seas built from about 4 feet to 14 feet and higher, said Franz VonRiedel, at the helm of the Susan Hoey as it towed the Seneca toward Grand Marais, Mich.

''It was an incredible sight looking back and seeing the huge tug Seneca climb right out of a sea fully exposing her rusty bottom to the night sky. It was like a house falling from the sky,'' VonRiedel said.

The strain on a 3-inch-thick tow rope was too much. It cut, freeing the Seneca.

The Coast Guard found the Seneca partially sunk offshore of Upper Michigan's ''Shipwreck Coast.''

''We're just so happy nobody was hurt. The equipment we can replace, the men we cannot,'' VonRiedel said.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/172323,CST-NWS-tug14.article

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http://www.sootoday.com/content/news/full_story.asp?StoryNumber=21449

http://www.miningjournal.net/stories/articles.asp?articleID=9242

I suppose the good news is that the Seneca beached, didn't sink. Four foot seas can be ugly, but 14 foot would be something I would rather not experience! Looking at the pictures, the back end of the tug looks like a popsicle.

Wow! Thank God nobody was hurt!

Sounds like events from days of old! Interesting article-thanks Suzanne! Doesn't take much for the ice to build up...it does indeed look like a popsicle.
They indeed were lucky-no injuries or loss of life.Lake Superior must have been in a "good" mood!!!

Update http://www.greatlakesboatingfederation.org/pressroom/?p=30

VonRiedel said the tug will be a total loss because water and ice infiltrated the vessel’s internal systems, destroying them. The hull might be reused.

VonRiedel said the Seneca had been in good working order but was being towed by the Susan Hoey to conserve fuel. Both boats were headed to Duluth. Zenith bought the 56-year-old Susan Hoey in November to replace the67-year-old Seneca.

While VonRiedel described the Seneca as a very sound, reliable boat, he said it was not built for Great Lakes use and would have required extensive structural work to improve its sight lines. Before the accident, he had been putting together a deal to sell the tug to a buyer in New Orleans.

The Seneca was Zenith’s first tug, when the company launched in 2001.

“It’s sad to see her go. That boat has a lot of sentimental value to it,” VonRiedel said. “It was a great tug. It never once broke down on me, and it was by far the prettiest tug in our fleet.”

Zenith now has three working tugs — the Susan Hoey, the Athena and the Sioux.

White said the Coast Guard will reassess recovery options after the weather system passes.

With winter bearing down, White said, “It could be a difficult scenario. Lake Superior can be pretty rough at this time of year.”