The Icebreaker Mackinaw WAGB-83 served the Great Lakes shipping industry for 62 years, crushing ice under its own weight and clearing shipping lanes for smaller boats transporting iron ore, limestone, and other minerals. While the ship itself was impressive, it took a stout crew to properly sail and manage her.

Tom Chastain was the third generation of his family to serve on the icebreaker since it was commissioned in 1944. Mr. Chastain's uncle worked on the boat in 1944, and his father joined the crew in 1953. With such a long family history on the icebreaker, Mr. Chastain, who grew up in Cheboygan, Mackinaw's home port, was eager to follow his family's example.

At age 12 he joined the Sea Scouts and began learning the skills he would need as a seaman. When he was older, he joined the U.S. Coast Guard, and after a year in Boston, he was assigned to the icebreaker crew in 1969, fulfilling his ambition.

As the ship's ice helmsman, it was up to Mr. Chastain to steer Mackinaw through the ice, clearing paths for commercial ships.

Life was not easy on the icebreaker. The 132-member crew often worked every day of the month, Mr. Chastain said, maintaining the ship and aiding others on the lake.

The icebreaker freed 18 ships in Whitefish Bay in one day in 1970. The water had frozen over in the bay and the Mackinaw was called in to break the ice and free the ships.

When breaking the ice around a stranded ship, the Mackinaw had to get so close that it was possible to reach over the deck and touch it. Many of the scars on the icebreaker were a result of a boat brushing against it as it freed the trapped boat, Mr. Chastain said.

Life on the Mackinaw went beyond escort and rescue operations. The icebreaker hosted a cruise for veterans who received the Purple Heart award in 1970, Mr. Chastain said. The cruise brought the veterans, who were also accompanied by Playboy Bunnies, to the start of the Chicago to Mackinac boat race while The Johnny Carson Band provided musical entertainment.

Mr. Chastain completed his duty on the icebreaker in 1972 and was transferred to Sault Ste. Marie, where he served as a lookout on the St. Marys River reporting ships passing through.

The Icebreaker Mackinaw was converted into a museum on June 21, 2006, and Mr. Chastain now serves as the treasurer for the museum's board of directors.

"Being a part of the Mackinaw's history, then and now, is a dream come true," he said.

Icebreaker Mackinaw

Crew Reunion

The ninth reunion of Mackinaw crew will be held in Mackinaw City Friday, August 7, with registration from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in front of the ship, which is permanently moored in Mackinaw City. The cost is $50 a couple and $35 for a single person, secretary of the Mackinaw Reunion Committee Ginny Hall said. A formal dinner available only to the crew members begins at 6 p.m. and will be at the Mackinaw City Recreation Complex at 507 West Central Avenue. Speakers at the dinner include Commander George Paitl and and Commander Scott Smith.

Saturday the icebreaker museum will open early at 8 a.m. to allow the former crew to tour the ship. At noon, live music, dancing, and a pig roast will be held, only available to former crew members. A reunion dance will be at 6 p.m. until midnight and will be open to the public.

On Sunday, the museum will open at 8 a.m. for former member tours, and at 10 a.m., the election of new officers for the Mackinaw Reunion Asssociation will be conducted.