Freighters Collide in Straits

Two bulk freighters collided in the Straits of Mackinac about 15 miles west of the Mackinac Bridge Friday, March 28. No injuries were reported, although both vessels suffered structural damage to their hulls. A Coast Guard helicopter from Air Station Traverse City surveyed the scene and reported no signs of pollution at the collision site.

The accident investigation continues, said Lt. John Peterson, chief of the inspection and investigation division at the U.S. Coast Guard's Sault Ste. Marie sector office.

The 749-foot freighter Cason J. Calloway was attempting to assist the 635-foot American Republic, which was stuck in the ice. During the process, the Cason J. Calloway swerved in the ice and struck the American Republic. Both vessels received damage to their starboard bows.

When Lt. Peterson arrived on the scene aboard the Sault Ste. Marie-based Coast Guard cutter Katmai Bay late Friday, he said, the ships were about a mile apart. The Katmai Bay circled each freighter so staff could examine their hulls before Coast Guard crew boarded the freighters for further inspection.

Damage sustained to the hulls did not impede the vessels' passage. Saturday morning, the American Republic passed under the Mackinac Bridge before turning around and heading west to a shipyard in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, for repairs. After the Katmai Bay freed the Cason J. Calloway from ice, the freighter was cleared to travel to Gary, Indiana, to discharge its cargo before it also traveled to Wisconsin for repairs.