Our Annual Dinner meeting held at the Ship Inn on Friday, November 1st, 1968, proved to be a most interesting and gratifying occasion for 25 members and guests.

The opportunity to break bread with fellow members in a warm and friendly atmosphere and to talk ships was welcomed. In fact, it would seem that this type of thing could be done more often. The after-dinner speech by Capt. E. Irvine was most interesting and informative and was well received by all who attended. Our thanks to Captain Irvine for his interesting talk.

If members would like to see more frequent dinner meetings of this type during the year, would they please inform the executive at the next meeting so that we may assess interest?

BULKARIER, which has been out of service for several years, has been sold by Canada Cement to the Irving Interests of St. John, N. B. No indication has been given as to future use.

BEN. E. TATE and MAIDA, have been sold by Columbia S. S., Division of Ogleby Norton & Co., and are slated to be towed down the Welland Canal soon enroute to the scrappers.

FRANK E. TAPLIN of the Gartland S. S. Co. (D. Sullivan & Co.), has been sold for scrapping. Towed down the Welland Canal November 27th.

A. "T.2", mid-body was towed down the Welland Canal on November 9/10 by the tugs AMHERSTBURG and ATOMIC. It was bound for the United Metals scrap dock in Hamilton. It is apparently one of the outcasts from the conversions done for Hudson Waterways by Amship several years ago.

R. BRUCE ANGUS is currently on the drydock at Port Weller for replacement of some 65 plates damaged when she stranded in the Seaway near Beauharnois.

BAY QUINTE (a) FRANK C. OSBORN, (b) BAYFAX - was recently towed to Hamilton (United Metals dock) for scrapping.

BLUE RIVER is in the final stages of scrapping at the same dock as BAY QUINTE.

MANTADOC collided with FRANCOIS L. D. in the Seaway on November 10th. MANTADOC received extensive damage forward and FRANCOIS L. D. was run aground.

Despite rumours that BUCKEYE, ashore near Sugarbay Point, west of Port Colborne, has been abandoned and would be cut up on an "as is, where is" basis, operations to remove the wreck began on November 23rd. Equipment at the scene includes the tug OLIVE L. MOORE (a) JOHN F. CUSHING (b) JAMES E. SKELLY, owned by South Range Aggregate Co., South Range, Michigan, and the barge SULTANA, formerly Nicholson Transit Co. freighter of the same name, now owned by Auto City Demolition Co. of Detroit.

HOWARD M. HANNA JR. was towed down the St. Lawrence from Kingston to Quebec on November 21st by GRAEME STEWART and HELEN McALLISTER. She will proceed to a European scrapyard in the Spring.

LEMOYNE has been sold by C.S.L. to Stelco for scrap; however, she may see some service as a storage hull before being broken up.

SIR THOMAS SHAUGHNESSY will be disposed of for scrap at the end of this season.

WHITEFISH BAY will be converted to a self-unloader at Port Arthur this winter. She will be equipped with a 3-belt conveyor system and in order to increase her carrying capacity the first 3 and the last 3 hatches will be raised by a truck deck installation.

IMPERIAL COLLINGWOOD is due at Sorel by the middle of December where she is to be rebuilt along the same lines as IMPERIAL LONDON.

PRINS ALEXANDER one of the "regulars" of the Oranje Line has been sold Greek and is currently on the Lakes on her final voyage under the Dutch flag.

BARBARA, German salty, ran aground just below Detour in November and suffered considerable bottom damage. Apparently she went on the wrong side of a buoy and onto a rock shoal. Tug AMHERSTBURG succeeded in freeing her and escorted her to Port Colborne.

Late Flash - BUCKEYE has been salvaged from the beach just west of Sugarloaf Point, Port Colborne, and has been towed into Port Colborne. Further disposition unknown. An air compressor was hauled in on the beach and a line run out to the cranes on BUCKEYE. Using the cranes, sand was claimed from the outboard side and dumped on the inboard side. A line was then made fast to her bow and the tug managed to pull her bow around so that she was headed out to the lake, with 10' of water at the bow. The next move was to flood the forepeak and #1 cargo hold raising the stern high enough to pull her free.

On Friday, November 29th, Cornelius and Boland, M. V. DIAMOND ALKALI collided with the SYLVANIA in the Detroit River. No report on damage has been received as it was heard on a brief news flash on CFRB Toronto, but nothing further in the newspapers.

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