The Coast Guard says a 689-foot ship hit “something underwater” in Lake Superior and started taking on water Saturday morning.
The Coast Guard received a call at 6:53 a.m. that the bulk carrier Michipicoten, with a load of taconite, a low-grade iron ore, was taking on water about 35 miles southwest of Isle Royale, and it was listing 15 degrees. The Coast Guard then dispatched two helicopters from Traverse City, Michigan, and a boat from Bayfield, Wisconsin. They also coordinated with a National Park Service boat from Isle Royale to take 11 of the 22 crew members off the ship because of a fear of capsizing. No one was injured.
In a statement, the Coast Guard initially said “the cause of the flooding is unknown at this time.” But once the ship had been escorted to Thunder Bay, Ontario, divers found a four-meter crack in the hull. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said the crack seemed to have been caused by fatigue structural failure. The board is investigating further, with the help of the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Michipicoten had left Two Harbors, Minnesota, on Friday and was heading to Thunder Bay. It was built in 1973.
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