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Winter brings back many memories of growing up on Drummond Island. One memory includes the icebreaker, Mackinaw, and it was an exciting experience.
My parents had sent me to the Loretto Academy, a Catholic school in Sault Ste. Marie, Mi., to begin high school. The island ferry was running year around in contrast to earlier years when it never ran in the winter and cars drove across what we called the “ice bridge.” Now the ferry was relying on the services of the above mentioned Mackinaw to keep the channel open.
One weekend, I had a ride to the island with Jeannette Anderson. We arrived at the ferry dock, on the DeTour side, to find the "Drummond Islander" frozen in the channel about a third of the way across. Because it was starting to get dark and, with the ferry frozen in the ice, it was decided that we would stay in DeTour with relatives. I stayed with an aunt and uncle.
The next morning, Mrs. Anderson stopped at the Newell residence to tell me she was going to walk across the ice to Drummond and asked if I wanted to accompany her. In those days, the only telephone on the island was at the quarry. She had gotten word through them to someone who would pick us up on the Drummond side.
I was ready in minutes and walking toward the ferry dock with Mrs. Anderson. We began walking across the ice. How funny it looked seeing the ferry frozen in the ice as if the elements were saying, "We're stronger than you! Look what we can do!" It was cold and windy. The wind made my face sting and eyes water. I pulled my collar up and kept my face snuggled down as far as I could. Hardly able to see, periodically I stuck my head out like a turtle would, to make sure I was keeping up with Mrs. Anderson and heading in the right direction. On one such occasion, I looked to the south and said, "Well, we're right in the middle of the channel". "What makes you so sure?" Mrs. Anderson shouted above the wind. “Because we’re right in the middle of those two lighthouses," I replied. Mrs. Anderson kept her face snuggled in her collar and scarf and continued to look toward our destination said, "There aren't two lighthouses, there's only one." I said, "Well, there are two now." With this statement Mrs. Anderson looked and said, "That’s the Ice Breaker coming to break up the channel!"
Needless to say we began walking a little faster. I will never forget the ice cracking and snapping as the icebreaker continued toward us, breaking the ice into many still fitting-together-pieces? I remember thinking it looked like a gigantic puzzle that, fortunately, was still put together. We hurried along and got to the shore in time to live to tell the tale.
Winter brings back many memories of growing up on Drummond Island. One memory includes the icebreaker, Mackinaw, and it was an exciting experience.
My parents had sent me to the Loretto Academy, a Catholic school in Sault Ste. Marie, Mi., to begin high school. The island ferry was running year around in contrast to earlier years when it never ran in the winter and cars drove across what we called the “ice bridge.” Now the ferry was relying on the services of the above mentioned Mackinaw to keep the channel open.
One weekend, I had a ride to the island with Jeannette Anderson. We arrived at the ferry dock, on the DeTour side, to find the "Drummond Islander" frozen in the channel about a third of the way across. Because it was starting to get dark and, with the ferry frozen in the ice, it was decided that we would stay in DeTour with relatives. I stayed with an aunt and uncle.
The next morning, Mrs. Anderson stopped at the Newell residence to tell me she was going to walk across the ice to Drummond and asked if I wanted to accompany her. In those days, the only telephone on the island was at the quarry. She had gotten word through them to someone who would pick us up on the Drummond side.
I was ready in minutes and walking toward the ferry dock with Mrs. Anderson. We began walking across the ice. How funny it looked seeing the ferry frozen in the ice as if the elements were saying, "We're stronger than you! Look what we can do!" It was cold and windy. The wind made my face sting and eyes water. I pulled my collar up and kept my face snuggled down as far as I could. Hardly able to see, periodically I stuck my head out like a turtle would, to make sure I was keeping up with Mrs. Anderson and heading in the right direction. On one such occasion, I looked to the south and said, "Well, we're right in the middle of the channel". "What makes you so sure?" Mrs. Anderson shouted above the wind. “Because we’re right in the middle of those two lighthouses," I replied. Mrs. Anderson kept her face snuggled in her collar and scarf and continued to look toward our destination said, "There aren't two lighthouses, there's only one." I said, "Well, there are two now." With this statement Mrs. Anderson looked and said, "That’s the Ice Breaker coming to break up the channel!"
Needless to say we began walking a little faster. I will never forget the ice cracking and snapping as the icebreaker continued toward us, breaking the ice into many still fitting-together-pieces? I remember thinking it looked like a gigantic puzzle that, fortunately, was still put together. We hurried along and got to the shore in time to live to tell the tale.
The icebreaker Mackinaw was built at a cost of ten million dollars. It has a length of 290 feet and a beam of 74 feet six inches. Commissioned on Dec 20, 1944, she was launched on March 4, 1944, and nicknamed the “Guardian of the Great Lakes.” During World War II, the War Department recognized the need for a specially designed Great Lakes icebreaker to keep winter shipping lanes open. It was important to keep the transport of raw materials flowing to factories for war production. During the Mackinaw’s first winter of service, she made 17 passes through the Straits of Mackinac and escorted eight combat vessels. If not for the Mackinaw, those vessels would have been ice bound until spring.
This ship can break 36 inches of ice at a speed of 3 knots, clearing a path the width of the largest freighter in one pass. A bow propeller sucks water from below the ice, and then rear propellers push the boat up and onto the ice, crushing it. This turns hard ice into a slushy mix that freighters can easily pass though.
An article about the icebreaker, Mackinaw, appeared in the July 2006 Drummond Island Digest. It pertained to the decommissioning of the 62-year-old cutter and the commission of the new Mackinaw. The article brought a memory back to me. Though I didn’t attend the decommissioning ceremony for the Mackinaw, on June 10, I once saw it Up Close and Personal!
Although this ship performed well, it was decommissioned in a ceremony on June 10, 2006. The main reason for decommission was the problem with replacement parts. The ship was not designed with today’s environmental standards, which prohibit dumping of waste directly into the water. With its limited sewage storage capacity, the ship could not be away from port more than five days. Even though the “new” Mackinaw is a smaller ship, it is the most powerful icebreaker in the world, and operates with one-half the crew of its predecessor.
Over 2,000 gathered for the hushed and sad decommissioning ceremony that day in 2006. The speaker reminded the audience that it was not a funeral, but a reporter stated in a newspaper article that there wasn’t a dry eye, as the ship’s bell tolled eight times for the end of the watch, followed by playing taps as the flags were lowered.”
Though I didn’t attend that ceremony, it was hard for me as I wrote this article to remain dry-eyed. After all, I had a special memory of the old Mackinaw.
Jill Lowe Brumwell is a freelance writer that divides her time between Drummond Island and Saginaw Township. She is the author of Drummond Island History, Folklore and Early People, Growing Up On Drummond Island, and Adventures With Jill, Gayle and Donny on Drummond Island. To purchase books contact her at 989-792-1260 or jlbrumwell@charter. net
