Seaway Operations—1960

Seaway and related operations include the dispatching and transiting of vessels, lock operations and maintenance, maintenance of channels, operation and maintenance of aids to navigation, the marine base, anchorage areas, and related facilities, as well as the operation of a highway toll bridge

system.

The St. Lawrence Seaway, Montreal to Lake Erie, is operated on a cooperative and coordinated basis by the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority of Canada and the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation of the United States. Each entity operates and maintains its own navigation facilities. The Cornwall-Massena International Bridge is operated through a subsidiary bridge company, with each entity owning equal shares of stock and having equal representation on the board of directors.

The navigation season generally starts about the middle of April and runs to the 1st of December, or from 71⁄2 to 8 months each year. From the time the ice breaks up in the spring until weather conditions prohibit, the Seaway is operated around the clock, 7 days a week with three 8-hour shifts of operators or workmen. The necessary overhauling and repair work is done on the locks and related equipment during the winter nonnavigation season. Most of the operating force is utilized during the winter months for repairs and maintenance. Employees are required to take the greater portion of their annual leave while the Seaway is closed to shipping. A small number of employees may be furloughed for a portion of the nonnavigation season.

OPENING AND CLOSING OF SEAWAY

Locks were placed in operation on April 11, 1960. Initial operations consisted of moving of dredging plant and other Government vessels. Operations for the transit of commercial vessels began Monday, April 18, 1960, during daylight hours only since all navigation aids were not in place between Snell lock and St. Regis. All aids and lights were reported in place and working as of April 20, 1960, upon which date 24-hour traffic commenced.

The scheduled closing date of the Seaway was midnight of November 30. However, a 2-day extension was authorized during which 28 ships were transited. The locks were held operable through December 7 to clear the Seaway of floating plant engaged in the removal of channel buoys.

ACCIDENTS AND DELAYS

During the 1960 navigation season delays to navigation were occasioned by inclement weather, malfunctioning of lock equipment, and vessel mcidents.

Here the Corporation barge, ladened with buoys, is seen in the lower level of Snell lock. Swirling snow almost obscures the lock gate in the background.

The summary of traffic stoppages for the 1960 season totaled 234 hours and 38 minutes. It is apparent from the tabulation below that inclement weather was the main contributing factor, accounting for over 61 percent of the traffic stoppage time during 1960.

Of the 91 hours of traffic delay in 1960 not caused by inclement weather, approximately 60 hours were directly attributable to four major incidents. The first of these was on July 1 when permission was granted a salvage company to attempt refloating the vessel Inver, a British ship that had been grounded June 26 west of buoy No. 7, south of Cornwall Island. This incident resulted in a traffic delay of approximately 17 hours. The second interruption of traffic occurred when the reduction gear on No. 1 south gate at Snell lock was damaged, due to a brake failure, causing a delay of 21 hours and 31 minutes. The third incident occurred on November 18 when the Canadian tug Sinmac struck and damaged the No. 2 fender boom at Eisenhower lock, causing a shipping delay of 8 hours. The fourth major delay was on November 30 when the vessel Arie H became crosswise and

Corporation workmen are seen bringing a channel-marking buoy aboard the barge for transport to the winter storage and renovation area. Another buoy yet to be picked up can be seen toward the shoreline at left center.

grounded beyond the channel limits after arrival at upper Snell lock, resulting in a 12-hour delay to shipping.

Two other serious and costly incidents occurred during October. On October 1 the vessel Britannia struck and damaged the upper guide wall on its downbound approach to Eisenhower lock causing extensive damage to a 30-foot section of guide wall near its outermost end. On October 20 the downbound Greek vessel Corinthiakos, after being lowered in the Eisenhower lock chamber, reversed engine and backed into and damaged the upper gate leaf and gate sill cap. The cost of repairing these damages will be collected from the vessel operators. The condition of the sill cap worsened to the extent that on November 16 operation of the upper miter gate was discontinued. Ship transits continued by operating the vertical lift gate through the balance of the operating season involving 377 operaA 6-hour delay was incurred because of this incident and, although the slower operation of the gate slightly increased actual lockage time, no backlog of shipping resulted.

LOCKAGES AND TRANSITS-1960 NAVIGATION SEASON

One phase of the Seaway construction program was the installation of aids to navigation in U.S. waters throughout the 114 miles of the St. Lawrence River, extending downstream from Lake Ontario to St. Regis. This included additional aids in the Thousand Islands Reach, extending to Ogdensburg, previously established by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Until July 1, 1960, these aids were operated and serviced by the Coast Guard. On that date this Corporation, by mutual agreement, took over and assumed complete responsibility for the aids-to-navigation program, including seasonal placement and removal of buoys and the maintenance and operation of the system, comprising 89 fixed lights, 50 lighted buoys, and 32 unlighted buoys.

This move was accomplished with but minor capital outlay for storage battery service facilities at the marine base. No additional marine or mobile plant is required. Buoys will be placed and removed by utilizing the Corporation icebreaking tug and a deck barge, upon which will be mounted a lightweight crawler-type derrick crane. Policing and servicing of lights and buoys will be done with a small work boat,

Substantial annual savings are anticipated by using lock operating and maintenance personnel for repair and rehabilitation of the aids during the winter season. Two additional men were added. They were trained by the Coast Guard and by the manufacturer of this specialized equipment.