Mackinaw heads out after repairs at Fraser

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw left Superior’s Fraser Shipyards on Thursday after workers repaired an oil leak in its bow thruster.

The ship, home-ported in Cheboygan, Mich., arrived in the Twin Ports on Dec. 7, and entered dry-dock at Fraser Friday. It was refloated Wednesday.

“It went well and they are out sailing ahead of schedule,” Fraser shipyard manager Mike Peterson said of the repair project.

In part because of the narrowness of Howards Pocket — where Fraser is located — Heritage Marine tug boats towed the 240-foot ice breaker into and out of the shipyard. Thursday morning the 2,200-horsepower Nels J. towed the Mackinaw stern-first to the East Gate Basin below the High Bridge. A second Heritage Marine tug, the Edward H., was fastened to the Mackinaw’s bow to help steer the ship.

“The wind was blowing pretty good so it a little while to get into position,” Heritage Marine owner Mike Ojard said. “Once you get started pulling you can pretty much keep everything in a straight line.”

After checking out systems while still in the harbor, the Mackinaw passed beneath the Lift Bridge shortly before noon to conduct sea trials on Lake Superior. All tests went well, Coast Guard District 9 spokesman Petty Officer Brian Huth said Thursday afternoon.

“They are headed back to Cheboygan now,” he said.

The Mackinaw was built in 2005 in Marinette, Wis. It spent 24 days in dry-dock at Fraser in 2009 so that workers could repair an internal oil leak, install new screws on the ship’s two engine pods, fix an under-hull camera and make other repairs.

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