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79-666: The United States lightship Huron (LV-103) is a lightvessel that was launched in 1920. She is now a museum ship moored in Pine Grove Park, Port Huron , St. Clair County , Michigan . Huron is one of many lightvessels that were moored on the waters of the Great Lakes . In 1832 the first lightship on the Great Lakes was placed at Waugoshance Shoal. That wooden light ship was the Lois McLain . In 1851 she

158-637: A British colonial and early American military base and fur trade center, founded in 1781. With the advent of European exploration into the area in the late 17th century, Lake Michigan became used as part of a line of waterways leading from the Saint Lawrence River to the Mississippi River and thence to the Gulf of Mexico . French coureurs des bois and voyageurs established small ports and trading communities, such as Green Bay, on

237-530: A crew of eleven. On clear nights her beacon could be seen for fourteen miles (23 km). After serving in northern Lake Michigan , the Huron was assigned to the Corsica Shoals in 1935. These shallow waters, six miles (9.7 km) north of Port Huron , were the scene of frequent groundings by lake freighters in the late nineteenth century. A lightship station had been established there in 1893, since

316-617: A crude estimation of the lightship's location relative to the approaching vessel. Tests conducted by Trinity House found that sound from a bell submerged some 18 feet (5.5 m) could be heard at a distance of 15 miles (24 km), with a practical range in operational conditions of one to three miles (1.6 to 4.8 km). Holding the vessel in position was an important aspect of lightvessel engineering. Early lightships used fluke anchors , which are still in use on many contemporary vessels, though these anchors are prone to dragging, making their performance unsatisfactory in rough seas. Since

395-412: A massive demographic-shift, as their western neighbors fled the violence. The Iroquois sought refuge to the west and north of Lake Michigan. The Straits of Mackinac were an important Native American travel corridor and fur-trade route. Located on the southern side of the straits sits the town of Mackinaw City, Michigan , the site of Fort Michilimackinac (a reconstructed French fort founded in 1715); on

474-466: A point between Milwaukee and Racine to a point between Grand Haven and Muskegon, divides the lake into northern and southern basins. Each basin has a clockwise flow of water, deriving from rivers and winds. Prevailing westerly winds tend to move the surface water toward the east, producing a moderating effect on the climate of western Michigan. There is a mean difference in summer water temperatures of 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit (2 to 5 degrees Celsius) between

553-560: A reserve beacon, in case of the main light's failure. Initially, lightship hulls were constructed of wood, shaped like the small merchant ships of the time, but this proved unsatisfactory for a permanently anchored ship, so the shape of the hull evolved to reduce rolling and pounding. As iron and steel hulls were popularized, they became used in lightvessels, and the advent of steam and diesel power led to self-propelled and electrically lit designs. Earlier vessels had no propulsion systems and had to be towed to and from their positions. Much of

632-498: A result of improvements to the Welland Canal in 1918, an invasion of sea lampreys and overharvesting , there has been a decline in native lake trout populations, ultimately causing an increase in the population of another invasive species, the alewife . As a result, salmonids, including various strains of brown trout , steelhead ( rainbow trout ), coho and chinook salmon , were introduced as predators in order to decrease

711-530: A row in 2020. Lake levels tend to be the lowest in winter. The normal low-water mark is 1.00 foot (30 cm) below datum ( 577.5 ft or 176.0 m ). In the winter of 1964, Lakes Michigan and Huron reached their lowest level at 1.38 feet (42 cm) below datum. As with the high-water records, monthly low-water records were set each month from February 1964 through January 1965. During this twelve-month period, water levels ranged from 1.38 to 0.71 feet (42–22 cm) below Chart Datum. The all-time low-water mark

790-407: A tall mast upon which to mount the light. Initially, these lights consisted of oil lamps that were run up the mast and could be lowered for servicing, while later vessels carried fixed lamps which were serviced in place. As they became available, Fresnel lenses were used, and many vessels housed them in smaller versions of lighthouse lanterns. Some lightships had two masts, with the second housing

869-555: A wooden-hulled ship, painted red with white lettering saying "Corsica Shoals" on her sides. Lightship No. 61 served from September 1893 until 1921. She was lost during the November Great Lakes Storm of 1913 , which destroyed at least 12 ships and over 250 lives, when she was torn from her moorings and forced onto Point Edward on the Canadian shore. The grounding of Lightship No. 61 was a contributing factor in

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948-430: Is 46 fathoms 3 feet (279 ft; 85 m), while its greatest depth is 153 fathoms 5 feet (923 ft; 281 m). It contains a volume of 1,183 cubic miles (4,932 km ) of water. Green Bay in the northwest is its largest bay. Grand Traverse Bay in its northeast is another large bay. Lake Michigan's deepest region, which lies in its northern half, is called Chippewa Basin (named after prehistoric Lake Chippewa ) and

1027-496: Is a slightly larger type of vessel that derives its power from diesel electric generators. Where a main light with a visible range in excess of 20 nautical miles (37 km) is required, a '20 class' vessel is used, as the main light from a Trinity House solar lightvessel has a maximum range of 19 nautical miles (35 km). Hull numbers: 19, 22, 23 and 25 (the 20 class); 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 17 (solar lightvessels); and LF2 and LF3 (solar lightfloats). The first United States lightship

1106-647: Is believed to have been the first European to reach Lake Michigan, possibly in 1634 or 1638. In the earliest European maps of the region, the name of Lake Illinois has been found (named for the Illinois Confederation of tribes), in addition to that of "Michigan". During the 1640s and 1650s, the Beaver Wars (over the fur trade with the European colonies), initiated by the Iroquois , forced

1185-805: Is controlled by the locks operated by the bi-national Lake Superior Board of Control . Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake that is wholly within the borders of the United States; the others are shared with Canada. Lake Michigan has a surface area of 22,404 sq mi (58,030 km ); (13,237 square miles (34,280 km ) lying in Michigan, 7,358 square miles (19,060 km ) in Wisconsin, 234 square miles (610 km ) in Indiana, & 1,576 square miles (4,080 km ) in Illinois) making it

1264-564: Is separated from South Chippewa Basin by a relatively shallower area called the Mid Lake Plateau. In the mid 20th century, construction of the Saint Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway opened the Great Lakes to ocean-going vessels. But the wider ocean-going container ships that were developed later do not fit through the locks on these routes, which limits shipping on the lakes. Lake freighters are used on

1343-511: Is short for Feuerschiff , which means lightvessel in German. Two of them are normally located at: Both positions have the same characteristics: All three ships are operated by the Waterways and Shipping Office Wilhelmshaven and can be seen in the harbour of Wilhelmshaven during maintenance. In Russia , lightships have been documented since the mid 19th century. The lightvessel service

1422-485: Is supported by tourism , with large seasonal populations attracted by Lake Michigan. Many seasonal residents have summer homes along the waterfront and return to other homes for the winter. The southern tip of the lake near Gary, Indiana, is heavily industrialized. Cities on the shores of Lake Michigan include: Illinois Indiana Michigan Wisconsin The National Park Service maintains

1501-433: Is the only Great Lake located fully in the United States; the other four are shared between the U.S. and Canada. It is the world's largest lake , by area, located fully in one country, and is shared, from west to east, by the U.S. states of Wisconsin , Illinois , Indiana , and Michigan . Ports along its shores include Chicago , Illinois, Gary , Indiana, Milwaukee and Green Bay , Wisconsin, and Muskegon , Michigan. To

1580-476: The Blue Water Bridge (connecting Port Huron and Sarnia , Ontario , Canada.) Huron was equipped with one acetylene lens lantern, 300 millimetres (12 in), a 10 in (250 mm) steam whistle fog horn , and a hand-operated bell. After 1945 as Huron , she was the only lightship that was painted black. In 1949, she was refitted to diesel power with twin six-cylinder GM 6-71 engines at

1659-599: The Chicago Lakefront Trail . Where there are no beaches or marinas, stone or concrete revetments protect the shoreline from erosion. The Chicago lakefront is accessible for about 24 miles (39 km) between the city's southern and northern limits along the lake. Twelve million people live along Lake Michigan's shores, mainly in the Chicago and Milwaukee metropolitan areas. The economy of many communities in northern Michigan and Door County, Wisconsin ,

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1738-671: The Civil War lightships were identified by name, usually that of the station where they served. As they were moved from station to station, however, the keeping of records became hopelessly tangled. Therefore, in 1867 all existing lightships were given numbers by which they would be permanently identified, and the station at which they were presently serving was painted on their sides, to be changed as needed. Lightships held in reserve to serve in place of those in dock for maintenance were labeled "RELIEF". Surviving lightships are commonly taken to be named according to these labels, but for instance

1817-539: The Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers , intergovernmental organization led by the governing chief executives of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Québec , and by the governors of the U.S. states of Illinois , Indiana , Michigan , Minnesota , New York , Ohio , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin . The Conference came into force, in December 2008, with the enactment of laws in all of

1896-524: The Defoe Shipbuilding Company of West Bay City, Michigan . The cost was $ 168,000. After this conversion, her top speed was 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph). On 7 May 1958, Seaman Robert Gullickson, U.S. Coast Guard, perished when a wave swamped a tender from Huron Lightship that he was aboard. He is memorialized on the ship, as he was the only casualty during her many years of service. On August 20, 1970, she weighed her anchor

1975-412: The Great Lakes ). The first United States lightships were small wooden vessels with no propelling power. The first United States iron-hulled lightship was stationed at Merrill's Shell Bank, Louisiana, in 1847. Wood was still the preferred building material at the time because of lower cost and ability to withstand shock loading. Wooden lightships often survived more than 50 years in northern waters where

2054-947: The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Indiana Dunes National Park . Parts of the shoreline are within the Hiawatha National Forest and the Manistee National Forest . The Manistee National Forest section of the shoreline includes the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness . The Lake Michigan division of the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge is also within the lake, as are the Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge and

2133-535: The Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary . There are numerous state and local parks located on the shores of the lake or on islands within the lake: Lake Michigan is home to a small variety of fish species and other organisms. It was originally home to lake whitefish , lake trout , yellow perch , panfish , largemouth bass , smallmouth bass and bowfin , as well as some species of catfish . As

2212-481: The rule of thumb being 6 feet (1.8 m) of chain for every foot of water. As well as the light, which operated both at night and in fog from one hour before sunset to one hour after sunrise, early lightvessels were equipped with day markers at the tops of masts, which were the first objects seen from an approaching ship. These markers were primarily red and occasionally white, and their designs varied. Filled circles or globes, as well as pairs of inverted cones were

2291-789: The "Lightship Chesapeake " actually served at two other stations as well as being used for examinations, and last served at the Delaware Light Station. In another case, the LV-114 was labeled "NEW BEDFORD", though there has never been such a station. In an attempt to sort out the early lightships, they were assigned one or two letter designations sometime around 1930; these identifications do not appear in early records, and they are to some degree uncertain. There are three different and overlapping series of hull numbers. The Lighthouse Service assigned numbers beginning with "LV-" and starting from 1; however, not all numbers were used. When

2370-646: The Baltic in the 1980s, it was briefly renamed Ventspilssky while serving near Ventspils port in the Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic . The last Russian lightvessel in service was Astrakhansky-priyomniy , of the same class as Irbensky. Until 1997 she was marking the deepwater channel leading to Astrakhan harbour while it was doing service in the Caspian Sea . Because lightvessels must remain anchored in specific positions for

2449-651: The Coast Guard took over the lighthouse service, all existing lightships were renumbered with "WAL-" prefixes, beginning with "WAL-501". In 1965 they were renumbered again, this time with "WLV-"; however in this case the numbers given were not sequential. Given that only six vessels were constructed after the Coast Guard takeover, the "LV-" series numbers are most commonly used. It is estimated that there are 15 United States lightships left today. Among them: There are currently three identical unmanned German lightvessels in service, named FS1, FS3 and FS4. The initialism FS

United States lightship Huron (LV-103) - Misplaced Pages Continue

2528-739: The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, which harvest 50 percent of the Great Lakes commercial catch in Michigan waters, and 45 state-licensed commercial fishing enterprises. The prime commercial species is the lake whitefish. The annual harvest declined from an average of 11 million pounds (5,000,000 kg) from 1981 through to 1999 to more recent annual harvests of 8 to 9.5 million pounds (3,600,000 to 4,300,000 kg). The price for lake whitefish dropped from $ 1.04/lb. to as low as $ 0.40/lb during periods of high production. Sports fishing includes salmon, whitefish, smelt , lake trout and walleye as major catches. In

2607-736: The Great Lakes by way of the Erie Canal and Hudson River in New York. The Erie Canal connects to the Great Lakes at the east end of Lake Erie (at Buffalo, New York ) and at the south side of Lake Ontario (at Oswego, New York ). The lake fluctuates from month to month with the highest lake levels typically occurring in summer. The normal high-water mark is 2.00 feet (0.61 m) above datum ( 577.5 ft (176.0 m) ). In October 1986, Lakes Michigan and Huron reached their highest level at 5.92 feet (1.80 m) above datum. The monthly average high-water records were broken for several months in

2686-525: The Lake Huron Cut. From 1854 until 1860, the lightvessel that operated at Minots Ledge , Massachusetts , had a light yellow hull, to increase contrast between the blue-green seas and the hills behind it. David Avery and Robert Hamblin in 1731 placed the earliest British lightship at The Nore near the mouth of the River Thames . This was a private venture that operated profitably and without

2765-505: The Michigan state stone, can be found. The beaches of the western coast and the northernmost part of the east coast are often rocky, with some sandy beaches. The southern and eastern beaches are typically sandy and dune-covered. This is partly because of the prevailing winds from the west (which also cause thick layers of ice to build on the eastern shore in winter). The Chicago city waterfront has been developed for parks, beaches , harbors and marinas, and residential developments connected by

2844-481: The Port District, Calumet Harbor , is maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers . Two passenger and vehicle ferries operate ferry services across Lake Michigan, both connecting Wisconsin on the western shore with Michigan on the east. From May to October, the historic steamship, SS  Badger , operates daily between Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and Ludington, Michigan, connecting U.S. Highway 10 between

2923-557: The United States ended on March 29, 1985, when the United States Coast Guard decommissioned its last such ship, the Nantucket I . Many lightships were replaced with Texas Towers or large navigational buoys  – both of which are cheaper to operate than lightvessels. In fact, lighthouses often replaced lightships. The naming and numbering of American lightships is often confusing. Up to and through

3002-414: The Wisconsin and Michigan shores. Hydrologically Michigan and Huron are the same body of water (sometimes called Lake Michigan-Huron ) but are normally considered distinct. Counted together, it is the largest body of fresh water in the world by surface area. The Mackinac Bridge is generally considered the dividing line between them. The main inflow to Lake Michigan from Lake Superior, through Lake Huron,

3081-621: The approach to Kronstadt . Other Baltic lightships were located further to the West, with Werkommatala by Primorsk (Koivisto) harbour, Lyserortsky at the entrance of the Gulf of Finland , and Nekmangrund over the treacherous shoals off Hiiumaa Island's NW shore, known as Hiiu Madal in Estonian . Another well-known lightship was Irbensky of the Soviet Union era. It was the next-to-last Russian lightship. Having been located in

3160-399: The contributions and efforts of local companies and volunteers. They powered every part of the ship, from lighting to fog horn. To keep them in working order, they are operated every thirty days. She was the last of her kind. It is the smallest surviving lightship, and is representative of the 96-foot (29 m) class. Lightvessel The most important element of lightship design is

3239-411: The danger of rotting was reduced. Lightvessel 16 guarded Sandy Hook and Ambrose stations for more than 80 years; she had both an inner hull and an outer hull with the space between filled with salt to harden the wood and reduce decay. Several lightships built with composite wood and steel hulls in 1897 proved less durable than either wood or steel. The first modern steel lightship in United States service

United States lightship Huron (LV-103) - Misplaced Pages Continue

3318-611: The deep bottom of Lake Michigan was J. Val Klump , a scientist at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 1985. Klump reached the bottom via submersible as part of a research expedition. The warming of Lake Michigan was the subject of a 2018 report by Purdue University . In each decade since 1980, steady increases in obscure surface temperature have occurred. This is likely to lead to decreasing native habitat and to adversely affect native species survival, including game fish. The Milwaukee Reef , running under Lake Michigan from

3397-447: The early 19th century, lightships have used mushroom anchors , named for their shape, which typically weigh 3 to 4 tons. The first lightvessel equipped with one was a converted fishing boat, renamed Pharos , meaning lighthouse, which entered service on September 15th, 1807, near Inchcape , Scotland with an anchor weighing 1.5 tons. The introduction of cast iron anchor chains in the 1820s improved their effectiveness dramatically, with

3476-432: The efforts of volunteer mechanics. Amateur radio station NM8GS named the "NMGS Radio Group" operates from her. NM8GS is a take on the original visual and radio navy call sign, NMGS, the ship held when it was in operation. She is officially designated as Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society No. USA-394. The engines suffered damage as the ship awaited transfer to state ownership. The pistons and cylinders were restored through

3555-605: The following few hundred years, the region was the home of peoples known as the Late Woodland Native Americans . In the early 17th century, when Western European explorers made their first forays into the region, they encountered descendants of the Late Woodland Native Americans, mainly the historic Chippewa , Menominee , Sauk , Fox , Winnebago , Miami , Ottawa and Potawatomi peoples. The French explorer Jean Nicolet

3634-527: The lake during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. In the 19th century, Lake Michigan was integral to the development of Chicago and the Midwestern United States west of the lake. For example, 90% of the grain shipped from Chicago traveled by ships east over Lake Michigan during the antebellum years. The volume rarely fell below 50% after the Civil War even with the major expansion of railroad shipping . The first person to reach

3713-561: The lakes that are too large to pass the locks and enter the ocean. Despite their vast size, large sections of the Great Lakes freeze in winter, interrupting most shipping. Some icebreakers ply the lakes. Lake Michigan is connected by the Illinois Waterway to the Gulf of Mexico via the Illinois River and the Mississippi River. Commercial tug-and-barge traffic on these waterways is heavy. Pleasure boats can enter or exit

3792-472: The largest lake entirely within one country by surface area ( Lake Baikal in Russia is larger by water volume) and the fifth-largest lake in the world. It is the larger half of Lake Michigan–Huron , which is the largest body of fresh water in the world by surface area. It is 307 miles (494 km) long by 118 miles (190 km) wide with a shoreline 1,640 miles (2,640 km) long. The lake's average depth

3871-505: The last time from Corsica Shoal. She was decommissioned at Detroit on August 25. Upon decommissioning, she was replaced by an unmanned warning buoy light. Ownership of Huron was transferred to the City of Port Huron the following June. The following honors have been indicated: Commissioned in 1921, the Huron began service as a relief vessel for other Great Lakes lightships. She is ninety-seven feet long, twenty-four feet in beam, and carried

3950-457: The late 1960s, successful stocking programs for Pacific salmon led to the development of Lake Michigan's charter fishing industry. Like all of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan is today used as a major mode of transport for bulk goods. In 2002, 162 million net tons of dry bulk cargo were moved via the Lakes. This was, in order of volume: iron ore, grain and potash . The iron ore and much of

4029-528: The loss of the Matthew Andrews at Corsica Shoals. In any event, she was reclaimed and repaired, and remained in service until 1920, when she was retired and sold at auction. In the same storm, Lightship Buffalo (LV-82) foundered near Buffalo in Lake Erie , with the loss of six lives. See Shipwrecks of the 1913 Great Lakes storm and List of victims of the 1913 Great Lakes storm . Buffalo

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4108-446: The lower water levels in 2013 were a combination of the "lack of a large snowpack" in the winter of 2011/2012 coupled with very hot and dry conditions in the summer of 2012. Since then water levels rebounded, rising more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) to historical record high levels. Lake Michigan, like the other Great Lakes, supplies drinking water to millions of people in bordering areas. The Great Lakes are collectively administered by

4187-450: The majority of their time at sea, they are more at risk of damage or destruction. Many lightships have been lost in hurricanes. Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( / ˈ m ɪ ʃ ɪ ɡ ən / MISH -ig-ən ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America . It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume (1,180 cu mi (4,900 km )) and depth (923 ft (281 m)) after Lake Superior and

4266-490: The manned ships were more reliable than lighted buoys. After 1940 the Huron was the only lightship on the Great Lakes . Retired from Coast Guard Service in 1970, she was presented to the City of Port Huron in 1971. The ship is exceptionally well-preserved, and has an operable light and fog horn still on board. Her twin General Motors diesel engines are fully operational, having been brought back to life through

4345-575: The mid-19th century. Several ferries currently operate on the Great Lakes to carry passengers to various islands, including Beaver Island and Bois Blanc Island (Michigan) . Currently, two car ferry services traverse Lake Michigan from around April to November: the SS Badger, a steamer from Ludington, Michigan, to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and the Lake Express , a high speed catamaran from Milwaukee to Muskegon, Michigan. The Great Lakes Circle Tour ,

4424-464: The most common designs among them. For visibility purposes, most later lightships had bright red hulls that displayed the name of the station in white, upper-case letters; relief light vessels displayed the word RELIEF instead. Some vessels had hulls coloured for specific purposes. For example, the Huron Lightship was painted black since she was assigned the black buoy side of the entrance to

4503-609: The mouth of the St. Clair River . Huron spent the 1924, 1925, 1926 and 1929 seasons lighting Grays Reef . She was assigned in 1934 and 1935 seasons to the North Manitou Shoal . In 1935 she was transferred to the Eleventh District for one year, seeing duty as a relief ship. In 1935, Huron was repainted black with "Huron" on her sides, and transferred to Corsica Shoals, approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) north of

4582-574: The need for government enforcement of payment for lighting services. Further vessels were placed off Norfolk in 1736, at Owers Bank in Sussex in 1788, and at the Goodwin Sands in 1793. Over time, Trinity House , the public authority charged with establishing and maintaining lighthouses in England and Wales, crowded out the private light vessels. Trinity House is now responsible for all

4661-636: The north, the lake is flanked by long bays , including Green Bay in the northwest, and Grand Traverse and Little Traverse bays in the northeast. The word michigan is believed to come from the Ojibwe ᒥᓯᑲᒥ ( michi-gami or mishigami ), meaning "great water". Some of the most well-studied early human inhabitants of the Lake Michigan region were the Hopewell Native Americans . Their culture declined after 800 AD, when, for

4740-632: The northern side is St. Ignace, Michigan , site of a French Catholic mission to the Indians (founded in 1671). In 1673, Jacques Marquette , Louis Jolliet , and their crew of five Métis voyageurs followed Lake Michigan to Green Bay and up the Fox River , nearly to its headwaters , in their search for the Mississippi River . By the late 18th century, the eastern portions of the straits were controlled by Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island ,

4819-412: The remaining lightvessels England and Wales, of which there are currently eight unmanned lightvessels and two smaller light floats . In the 1930s, "crewless lightships" were proposed as a way to operate a light vessel for six to twelve months without a crew. The first lightvessel conversion to solar power was made in 1995, and all vessels except the '20 class' have now been converted. The '20 class'

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4898-444: The ship was taken up by storage for lamp oil and other supplies, as well as crew accommodations. The crew's primary duty was to maintain the light; other tasks included keeping records of passing ships, observing the weather, and occasionally performing rescues. In the early 20th century, some lightships were fitted with warning bells mounted on their structure or lowered into the water, to warn of danger in poor visibility and to permit

4977-524: The shoreline, the dunes rise several hundred feet above the lake surface. Large dune formations can be seen in many state parks, national forests and national parks along the Indiana and Michigan shoreline. Some of the most expansive and unique dune formations can be found at Indiana Dunes National Park , Saugatuck Dunes State Park , Warren Dunes State Park , Hoffmaster State Park , Silver Lake State Park , Ludington State Park , and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore . Small dune formations can be found on

5056-412: The states and the two provinces, and the enactment of a United States federal law. Environmental problems can still plague the lake. Steel mills and refineries operate near the Indiana shoreline. The Chicago Tribune reported that BP is a major polluter, dumping thousands of pounds of raw sludge into the lake every day from its Whiting, Indiana , oil refinery. In March 2014 BP's Whiting refinery

5135-620: The stone and coal are used in the steel industry. There is also some shipping of liquid and containerized cargo, but most container vessels cannot pass the locks on the Saint Lawrence Seaway because the ships are too wide. The total amount of shipping on the lakes has been on a downward trend for several years. The Port of Chicago , operated by the Illinois International Port District , has grain (14 million bushels) and bulk liquid (800,000 barrels) storage facilities along Lake Calumet . The central element of

5214-416: The third-largest by surface area (22,405 sq mi (58,030 km )), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron . To the east, its basin is conjoined with that of Lake Huron through the wide and deep Straits of Mackinac , giving it the same surface elevation as its easterly counterpart; geologically, the two bodies are a single lake that is, by area, the largest freshwater lake in the world. Lake Michigan

5293-502: The two cities. The Lake Express , established in 2004, carries passengers and vehicles across the lake between Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Muskegon, Michigan. Tourism and recreation are major industries on all of the Great Lakes. A few small cruise ships operate on Lake Michigan, including a couple of sailing ships. Many other water sports are practiced on the lakes, such as yachting, sea kayaking, diving, kitesurfing and lake surfing. Great Lakes passenger steamers have been operating since

5372-496: The vitality of native fish populations. Fisheries in inland waters of the United States are small compared to marine fisheries. The largest fisheries are the landings from the Great Lakes, worth about $ 14 million in 2001. Michigan's commercial fishery today consists mainly of 150 tribe-licensed commercial fishing operations through the Chippewa-Ottawa Resource Authority and tribes belonging to

5451-418: The water is usually clear and cool, between 55 and 80 °F (13 and 27 °C), even in the late summer months. However, because prevailing westerly winds tend to move the surface water toward the east, there is a flow of warmer water to the Michigan shore in the summer. The sand dunes located on the east shore of Lake Michigan are the largest freshwater dune system in the world. In multiple locations along

5530-729: The western shore of Lake Michigan at Illinois Beach State Park , and moderate-sized dune formations can be found in Kohler-Andrae State Park and Point Beach State Forest in Wisconsin. A large dune formation can be found in Whitefish Dunes State Park in Wisconsin in the Door Peninsula . Lake Michigan beaches in Northern Michigan are the only place in the world, aside from a few inland lakes in that region, where Petoskey stones ,

5609-625: The wildlife population. This program was so successful that the introduced population of trout and salmon exploded, resulting in the creation of a large sport fishery for these introduced species. Lake Michigan is now stocked annually with steelhead, brown trout, and coho and chinook salmon, which have also begun natural reproduction in some Lake Michigan tributaries. However, several introduced invasive species, such as lampreys, round goby , zebra mussels and quagga mussels , continue to cause major changes in water clarity and fertility, resulting in knock-on changes to Lake Michigan's ecosystem, threatening

5688-605: Was eclipsed in January 2013. In January 2013, Lake Michigan's monthly mean water levels dipped to an all-time low of 576.2 ft (175.6 m), reaching their lowest ebb since record keeping began in 1918. The lakes were 29 in (0.74 m) below their long-term average and had declined 17 inches since January 2012. Keith Kompoltowicz, chief of watershed hydrology for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ' district office in Detroit , explained that biggest factors leading to

5767-520: Was established at Chesapeake Bay in 1820, and the total number around the coast peaked in 1909 with 56 locations marked. Of those ships, 168 were constructed by the United States Lighthouse Service and six by the United States Coast Guard , which absorbed it in 1939. From 1820 until 1983, there were 179 lightships built for the U.S. government, and they were assigned to 116 separate light stations on four coasts (including

5846-449: Was laid in 1918 and completed at a cost of $ 147,428. At 96.5 feet (29.4 m) long, 24 feet (7.3 m) in the beam, drawing 9.5 feet (2.9 m), and weighing 312 tons, Ship #103 was powered by a single compound reciprocating steam engine, driven by two coal-fired Scotch boilers. They put out 175 horsepower (130 kW). Commissioned in 1921 as Lightship Number 103 , she operated primarily in southern Lake Huron near Port Huron and

5925-413: Was lightvessel 44 built in 1882. One of the last United States wooden hulled lightships built, lightvessel 74, went into service at Portland, Maine, in 1902. The first United States lightships with steam engine propulsion were built in 1891 for service on the Great Lakes where seasonal ice required prompt evacuation of light stations to avoid destruction of the lightships. The official use of lightships in

6004-529: Was replaced by the Waugoshance Light , which is at one of the most hazardous areas near the Straits of Mackinac , Michigan . In Lake Huron , Huron was the third ship to be placed at Corsica Shoals, a station established in 1893, replacing a gas buoy that was "somewhat ineffective". Three vessels bore the designation of ' Huron Lightship' from 1893 to 1970. The first was Lightship No. 61 ,

6083-633: Was responsible for spilling more than 1,600 US gallons (6,100 L) of oil into the lake. Lake Michigan has many beaches. The region is often referred to as the " Third Coast " of the United States, after those of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean . The sand is often soft and off-white, known as " singing sands " because of the squeaking noise (caused by high quartz content) it emits when walked upon. Some beaches have sand dunes covered in green beach grass and sand cherries , and

6162-600: Was salvaged and saw service with the Coast Guard until 1936. In 1921, Lightship No. 61 was replaced by Lightship No. 96, the first vessel to actually be called Huron Lightship. In 1925, there were ten lightvessels on the Great Lakes. Fifteen years later, only Huron remained. A list of Great Lakes lightvessel assignments is available. Huron was built by the Consolidated Shipbuilding Company in Morris Heights, New York . Her keel

6241-919: Was subordinated to the Russian Hydrographic Office and most of the lightships under it were in the Baltic Sea . In the early 1900s there were about ten lightships in the Russian sector of the Baltics. Among these the following may be mentioned: Yelaginsky , located on the Yelagin Channel  – later moved to the Petrovsky Channel and renamed, Nevsky in the middle of the main channel to St. Petersburg , and Londonsky on Londonsky Shoal off Kotlin Island on

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