Mackinaw Loads Buoys at St. Ignace

The Mackinaw finished breaking Ice April 14, and began making preparations for her next mission of buoy tending. Twice yearly, the ship is responsible for 42 buoys in lakes Huron and Michigan.

While in St. Ignace Monday, May 5, buoys were hoisted off the ship's deck with the ship's crane and lifted onto the dock, while others on the dock were transported onto the ship, filling all the open spaces on the deck. Once the work was complete, the Mackinaw left St. Ignace with 170,000 pounds of buoys and equipment. Setting them, Commander Little said, would take about two days. The entire spring mission of deploying the buoys takes four to six weeks, depending on weather.

Summer buoys weight between 6,000 pounds and 12,000 pounds. The buoy's sinker weighs between 5,000 pounds and 18,000 pounds; their weight is determined by ice and water currents. The chain that connects the buoy to its sinker weighs about 2,000 pounds.

To avoid damage from the ice, the large buoys are pulled out of the water each fall. They are replaced by winter markers, smaller buoys that are more resilient to the stress and pressure of Great Lakes ice. Made of metal, they mark shoals and provide winter commerce with a radar return indicating the shallow area.

The first load of buoys was heading to the Door Peninsula, Wisconsin, area. Once they are placed, the Mackinaw will return to St. Ignace, filling up its deck again before heading off to the Sleeping Bear Dunes area. Eight buoys will be delivered to the Manitou Islands area.

Placement of the bright yellow Northern Lake Michigan weather buoy operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also is the responsibility of the Mackinaw. The buoy provides information for NOAA and commercial and recreational boaters including wave height, barometric pressure, and wind speed.