By Chris Winters

“In the Kingdom of Fire and Noise…” Tending USCGC MACKINAW WAGB 83’s Fairbanks-Morse diesel engines while breaking ice on Lake Superior, March 2005.  

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The USCG Cutter MACKINAW (WAGB-83) was the high tech icebreaker when launched by the American Shipbuilding Company in March of 1944.  She was built to extend the shipping season on the Great Lakes during World War II.  During her career her homeport was Cheboygan, Michigan.  In 2006, she was decommissioned and replaced by the MACKINAW (WLBB-30).   83 is currently the Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum in Mackinaw City, Michigan.

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Chris Winters is a Trustee and Vice President of the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society, a well-known author and has been a photojournalist for over 25 years.  He and his cameras have enjoyed a privileged glimpse into the lives of merchant mariners aboard some of the Great Lakes best-known and best-loved vessels.