To Free the Herbert C. Jackson

So the main attraction of the day was the efforts to free the Herbert C. Jackson.  She was at the head of the group and had to be freed first so that the rest of the ships could get moving.

 Like I said a couple of posts ago, it's amazing how quickly the St. Clair River froze over.  It doesn't seem like it was this bad last year and I don't think it was quite as cold this year.  The Bristol Bay trying to break the ice along the side of the Jackson.

 The Griffon coming along her side to get some of the ice out of that way.

 A shot of her stern.

 Unfortunately, the spot I had to stop at wasn't the greatest.

 There were a bunch of cars lined along the road, so I decided to stop there.  It gave me the opportunity to get some better pictures of her.

 I would have liked this shot more if it weren't for the ugly root in front of the picture.

 A shot of her bow.  As I was taking this shot, I noticed either a Sheriff's Car or Police Car shooing people away, so I got in my car to look for another spot.

 Then I noticed a side street which didn't have any No Parking signs, so I stopped there to get some pictures there.  So a shot of her pilothouse.

 The beam shot.

 A shot of her stack as she tried to get out.

 After a while, the Jackson was freed and she started to move down the River.  So I stopped at a spot where I normally take pictures.

 Another angle of her.  she was moving along fairly nicely and she got stuck again.

 She stayed here for a bit before the cutters arrived.

 Just a shot to show how desolate it looked.

 A shot of her bow.  I kind of like the milk mustache look.

 And then the Bristol Bay came along her side to try to free her.

 A shot of the Jackson and Bristol Bay.

 And she approaches her pilot house.

 And then started to move along her other side to get her wedged free from the ice.

 And she moves along the Jackson's port side.

 More of a nudge.

 But it didn't work.

 So the Griffon came back to help.  She was going to clear the ice in front of the Jackson's bow.

 The Bristol Bay still trying to get the ice along the port side.  If you were listening at this point, you could tell they were getting frustrated.  One of the cutters said, "If you move a boat length, you should be free" to which the Jackson replied, "That's been the story all day".

 A shot of the three vessels.

 The Griffon a little closer.

 At this point, the Bristol Bay was going to pull up alongside the Griffon and they would make a double track so that the Jackson could turn.

 The Griffon valiantly sailing along.

 As it was getting darker, I thought that they maybe they were about to call it off.

 But they kept trying.

 Fortunately, that gave me the opportunity to get some night shots.

 The sunsetting.

 I kind of liked the reflections on the water.

 The blur in the front was the Griffon moving away.

At this point, I figured I would get going.  Sometime between the time I left here and when I got home, the Jackson was freed and she was moving easily through Lake St. Clair.  She arrived at the Rouge River last night and as of this post, she was safely in her layup spot for the winter.

I will have to admit, it was really cool to watch the two Coast Guards in action.  It was amazing to see and listen to their teamwork.  I can't imagine what it would be like to be stuck in this situation.