On this day May 20, 1960, the STANDARD PORTLAND CEMENT and the AUGUST ZIESING met, and not in a good way.
This meeting occurred in the Lake Huron Cut Channel about 1130 am in dense fog. The Lake Huron Cut Channel is about 800 feet and connects the upper end of the St. Clair River with Lake Huron. Besides the dense fog, dredging of the channel had closed some areas of navigation and some buoys were relocated – all was common knowledge to shipping personnel.
STANDARD PORTLAND CEMENT, October 3, 1939
The STANDARD PORTLAND CEMENT was downbound from Silver Bay, Minnesota, to Cleveland, Ohio, with a cargo of 8,094 tons of iron ore pellets. The AUGUST ZIESING was enroute from Conneaut, Ohio, to Two Harbors, Minnesota and was fourth in line of a parade of six ships.
AUGUST ZIESING
In the dense fog, there was confusion about buoy location, whistles and lack of whistle answers. These two vessels became visibly aware of each other when only 70 feet apart. They came together at a 45 degree angle. The STANDARD was holed on the starboard side about the #2 hatch. The ZIESING’s bow was holed at the stem.
The STANDARD immediately started to sink and the ZIESING pushed her out of the channel and she settled in 22 feet of water. The ZIESING remained in her side until that evening when she backed out and anchored. Later the ZIESING sailed under her own power to Lorain for repairs. The STANDARD was lightened, patched and towed to River Rouge for repairs.
No lives were lost but both vessels sustained structural damage. Property damage was estimated at $217,000 – The STANDARD – $91,000 to the vessel and $60,000 to the cargo; the ZIESING $66,000 to the vessel.
It was concluded by the US Coast Guard that if each vessel had used their radiotelephone this collision would have been avoided. The collision was caused by negligence of the STANDARD PORTLAND CEMENT. It was believed her master did not realized the extent to which the channel was reduced.
CLIFFORD F. MOLL
The STANDARD PORTLAND CEMENT was built as the CLIFFORD F. MOLL in 1909 at Ecorse, Michigan, by the Great Lakes Engineering Works for the American Steamship Co. She measured 444 feet in length and 56.2 feet in beam. She was renamed STANDARD PORTLAND CEMENT in 1934. After this collision, she was sold Canadian to Redwood Enterprises Ltd of Montreal and renamed ELMDALE. In 1974 she was sold to the Goderich Elevator & Transit Co Ltd, renamed K. A. POWELL and used as a storage unit. She was scrapped by Western Metals of Thunder Bay in 1979
AUGUST ZIESING
The AUGUST ZIESING was built in 1917 also at Ecorse, Michigan, by the Great Lakes Engineering Works. She was built for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. and measured 580 feet in length and 60 feet in beam. She was basically retired after the 1974 season and sat idle until being sold for scrap in 1983 to Western Metals of Thunder Bay. But Western Metals was acquired by Shearmet Recycling who sold her to Hyman-Michaels of Duluth for scrap. She was resold to International Marine Salvage of Port Colborne and scrapping began in August of 1986.
Suzette Lopez
Photo Credit: Great lakes Marine Collection of the Milwaukee Public Library and Wisconsin Marine Historical Society.
