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Introduction | Agency Sketch | Scope and Content | Series Description | Inventory
Introduction
This collection was transferred from the United States Coast Guard, 9th District headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio to the Bowling
Green State University Center for Archival Collections in December 1975. These files were transferred to the Institute for
Great Lakes Research (now the HCGL) in 1983. Literary and property rights have been dedicated to the public and duplication
is permitted for the purposes of preservation and scholarly research. Final processing of this four cubic foot collection
was completed in January 1992 by Mark J. Barnes.
Agency Sketch
Captain Ralph N. Dempwolf became the first Commander of the United States Coast Guard's 9th District in 1942. This organizational
restructuring ws not the first activity for the Coast Guard or its predecessor agencies centered in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded
in 1915, the Coast Guard assumed the responsibilities of such programs as the Steamboat Inspection Service, the Life Saving
Service, and the Lighthouse Board. Cleveland's first lighthouse dated from 1829. Throughout the second half of the nineteenth
century the surfmen based in Cleveland were frequently noted in the local newspapers for rescuing passengers and crews from
wrecked vessels.
Cleveland's role as an administration center grew with the demands of the job of providing navigational assistance to the
Great Lakes. From one lighthouse in 1829, operations in Cleveland came to supervise the 9th District of the Coast Guard that
extends from Massena, New York to Duluth, Minnesota. This district encompasses 5,480 miles of shoreline and thousands of vessels
to monitor annually.
Investigative responsibilities were added prior to World War II to duties of Captains of Ports. Federal police powers to enforce
anchorage regulations, handle hazardous cargo transfers, and to monitor movements of foreign vessels were added in 1940. Within
two years such matters became part of Captain Dempwolf's duties in a revised Coast Guard that had new military assignments
added to those of navigational assistance.
Duties today for the staff of the Coast Guard, 9th District office range from enforcing Department of Commerce revenue regulations
to coordinating search and rescue operations on the Great Lakes. This set of multiple and complex responsibilities can be
examined through the records in this collection.
Scope and Content
The record series in this collection document activities of the United States Coast Guard, 9th District office in Cleveland,
Ohio for the years 1911-1971. These files concentrate on the period 1935-1965. Within the four cubic feet of this collection
researchers may examine the commercial aspects of the Coast Guard's duties through files on vessel inspections. These three
cubic feet of records reflect whether a vessel was enrolled as one licensed to operate on the Great Lakes. Inspection files
for 109 vessels are present.
The role of the Coast Guard as a life-saving service for persons in distress can be studied through correspondence on incidents
where assistance was rendered in 1969-1970. In files regarding the May 1965 collision of the CEDARVILLE and the TOPDALSFJORD
the rescue mission of the Coast Guard is also emphasized.
The investigative nature of some Coast Guard assignments is reflected in the transcript of the hearing conducted to determine
the cause of the CEDARVILLE/TOPDALSFJORD collision. This hearing analyzed the circumstances that led to the loss of several
lives during an accident in the Straits of Mackinac under foggy conditions.
Series Description
PROCEEDINGS
TRANSCRIPTS Box 8 (8 folders) May 8-9, 1965 Series contains the seven-volume typescript record of the hearing held by the United States Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation
to analyze the reasons for the collision of the CEDARVILLE and TOPDALSFJORD in the Straits of Mackinac on May 7, 1965. The
hearing was held May 8-9, 1965 at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Also included is the record of the Sub-Board Investigation into
the collision dated May 9, 1965.
EXHIBITS Box 1 (1 folder) May 8-9, 1965 Arranged numerically Series contains exhibits 1-26 presented for evaluation at the Marine Board of Investigation hearing into the CEDARVILLE collision
with the TOPDALSFJORD on May 7, 1965. Included are charts, diagrams, written statements, log books, and journals pertaining
to the collision.
ASSISTANCE RENDERED Box 1 (36 folders) 1969-1970, 1978-1979 Arranged chronologically and then by incident number Series contains correspondence regarding incidents where assistance was rendered by the Coast Guard for vessels on the Great
Lakes and connecting waterways. These documents were prepared by the local Coast Guard stations and filed with the Search
and Rescue Coordinator in Cleveland, Ohio. The files reflect rescue and assistance activities of the Coast Guard.
CEDARVILLE/TOPDALSFJORD Collision Box 1 (2 folders) 1964-1967 Arranged chronologically Series contains correspondence regarding the collision in the Straits of Mackinac of the CEDARVILLE and TOPDALSFJORD on May
7, 1965. Items date from the years 1964-1967.
GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE FILES Box 1 (14 folders) 1967-1971 Arranged chronologically and then by filing code number Series contains correspondence on administrative matters involved in operating Coast Guard stations on the Great Lakes.
REPORTS
CEDARVILLE/TOPDALSFJORD Collision Box 1 (1 folder) 1965 Arranged alphabetically by vessel, then by person's name Series contains reports of vessel casualty and personal injury regarding vessels and crew involved in the CEDARVILLE/TOPDALSFJORD
collision on May 7, 1965.
ENGINEER'S FIELD BOOK FROM THE LITTLE CREEK BUILDING SITE Box 1 (1 folder) 1962-1963 No arrangement Series contains two booklets of notes regarding landscaping efforts for the grounds of a Coast Guard station. The notes report
on the seeding of the lawn area, placement of sod, and measurement along boundary lines.
MAFOR LOGS Box 1 (3 folders) May 1967-July 1971 Arranged chronologically Series contains marine forecast logs. The logs are handwritten records of marine forecast information issued to vessel operators.
Wind and wave conditions are noted. General weather data is present.
LEGAL DOCUMENTS
ENROLLMENT/INSPECTION DOCUMENTS Boxes 2-4 (3 cubic feet) 1911-1962 (scattered) Arranged alphabetically by vessel name Series contains files compiled regarding inspections of Great Lakes vessels performed by the Department of Commerce through
the Coast Guard to certify that each vessel qualifies for re-licensing it to operate on the Great Lakes. These inspections
are annual in sequence. There are numerous gaps and not every vessel is licensed for the entire period from 1911 to 1962.
Certification forms appear along with related correspondence. Some files contain small booklets used for boiler inspections.
Files are present for 109 vessels.
Inventory
Box 1
Folders
1-8. Transcripts of Marine Board of Investigation Hearings regarding the collision of the CEDARVILLE and the TOPDALSFJORD,
May 1965 9. Exhibits 1-26 for the Marine Board of Investigation Hearings regarding the collision of the CEDARVILLE and the TOPDALSFJORD,
May 1965 10-46. Assistance rendered, 1969-1970, 1978-1979 47-48. CEDARVILLE/TOPDALSFJORD Collision, 1964-1967 49-62. General Administrative Files, 1967-1971 63. CEDARVILLE/TOPDALSFJORD Collision Report of Vessel Casualty or Accident, 1965 64. Engineer's Field Book from the Little Creek Building Site, 1962-1963 65-67. MAFOR (Marine Forecast) Logs, May 1967-July 1971
Box 2: Enrollment/Inspection documents for vessels A-G (1911-1962)
| Folder |
Vessel |
Date |
| 1 |
ACTIVE |
1919-1920 |
| 2 |
ADAMS |
1937-1961 |
| 3 |
ADRIATIC |
1914, 1924 |
| 4 |
AGNES W. |
1915-1918 |
| 5 |
ALABAMA |
1938-1961 |
| 6 |
ARCTURUS |
1937-1961 |
| 7 |
ARIZONA |
1938-1952 |
| 8 |
ARKANSAS |
1938-1947 |
| 9 |
AUGUSTUS, A. A. |
1918-1919 |
| 10 |
BRADLEY, CARL D. |
1938-1958 |
| 11 |
BROWER, A. G. |
1911-1912, 1919 |
| 12 |
CALIFORNIA |
1938-1949 |
| 13 |
CANOPUS |
1937-1961 |
| 14 |
CARROLLTON |
1937-1961 |
| 15 |
COLORADO |
1937-1952 |
| 16 |
CONNECTICUT |
1938-1956 |
| 17-28 |
CORNELIUS, ADAM E. |
1927-1928, 1930-1932, 1935-1938, 1942-1944, 1948 |
| 29 |
CORNELL |
1939-1961 |
| 30 |
DALTON, JACK |
1952-1961 |
| 31 |
DAVIDSON, A. D. |
1911, 1914 |
| 32 |
DELAWARE |
1938-1950 |
| 33 |
DENMARK |
1936-1961 |
| 34 |
DONNELLY, CHARLES |
1940-1961 |
| 35 |
DUNN, JR., JOHN |
1938-1961 |
| 36 |
DURSTON, J. F. |
1938-1961 |
| 37 |
EDENBORN, WILLIAM |
1939-1961 |
| 38 |
ELLWOOD, ISAAC |
1939-1961 |
| 39 |
FELLOWCRAFT |
1939-1961 |
| 40 |
FERBERT, A. H. |
1936 |
| 41 |
FLORIDA |
1938-1953 |
| 42 |
FONTANA |
1937-1961 |
| 43 |
GALLAGHER, MICHAEL |
1956-1961 |
| 44 |
GATES, JOHN W. |
1936-1961 |
Box 3: Enrollment/Inspection documents for vessels H-O (1912-1961)
| Folder |
Vessel |
Date |
| 1 |
HARVARD |
1938-1961 |
| 2-6 |
HARVEY, A. F. |
1915, 1938, 1940, 1942, 1944-1946 |
| 7 |
HEMLOCK |
1939-1961 |
| 8 |
HILL, JAMES J. |
1937-1961 |
| 9 |
HOSFORD, HARRY WILLIAM |
1935-1961 |
| 10 |
HUBBARD, CHARLES |
1937-1961 |
| 11 |
ILLINOIS |
1936-1953 |
| 12 |
INDIANA |
1938-1951 |
| 13 |
IOWA |
1938-1950 |
| 14 |
IRELAND, ROBERT L. |
1937-1961 |
| 15 |
IRONWOOD |
1938-1961 |
| 16 |
ISELIN, ADRIAN |
1934-1961 |
| 17 |
JONES, HARRY R. |
1937-1961 |
| 18 |
JOYNT, ROBERT N. |
1959-1961 |
| 19 |
JUPITER |
1937-1961 |
| 20 |
KANSAS |
1937-1957 |
| 21 |
KENTUCKY |
1939-1957 |
| 22 |
KINNEY, A. T. |
1938-1961 |
| 23 |
KOPMEIER, NORMAN J. |
1938-1961 |
| 24 |
LOUISIANA |
1933-1949 |
| 25 |
MACBETH |
1924, 1937 |
| 26 |
MAINE |
1938-1959 |
| 27 |
MANUEL, JOHN S. |
1937-1961 |
| 28 |
MASSACHUSETTS |
1936-1958 |
| 29 |
MATHIOTT, E. G. |
1936-1961 |
| 30 |
MCKINNEY, PRICE |
1936-1961 |
| 31 |
MEYERS, CARL W. |
1938-1961 |
| 32 |
MICHIGAN |
1938-1955 |
| 33 |
MINNESOTA |
1937-1958 |
| 34 |
MISSISSIPPI |
1938-1955 |
| 35 |
MISSOURI |
1938-1955 |
| 36 |
MONTANA |
1938-1954 |
| 37 |
MOODY, R. E. |
1938-1961 |
| 38 |
MURPHY, SIMON J. |
1940-1961 |
| 39 |
NEBRASKA |
1938-1953 |
| 40-42 |
NETTLETON, A. E. |
1912-1913, 1915, 1917, 1924-1925 |
| 43 |
NEVADA |
1938-1958 |
| 44 |
NEW JERSEY |
1938-1957 |
| 45 |
NEW MEXICO |
1936-1955 |
| 46 |
NEW YORK |
1938-1958 |
| 47 |
NORTH CAROLINA |
1938-1948 |
| 48 |
NORTH DAKOTA |
1938-1947 |
| 49 |
OKLAHOMA |
1938-1950 |
| 50 |
OREGON |
1938-1955 |
Box 4: Enrollment/Inspection documents for vessels P-Y (1923-1961)
| Folder |
Vessel |
Date |
| 1 |
PAINE, WILLIAM A. |
1937-1961 |
| 2 |
PENNSYLVANIA |
1937-1957 |
| 3 |
PERSEUS |
1937-1961 |
| 4 |
PIONEER |
1936-1961 |
| 5-15 |
PITZ, A. H. |
1923-1943 |
| 16 |
RANNEY, RUFUS P. |
1936-1961 |
| 17 |
RHODE ISLAND |
1938-1957 |
| 18 |
SHIRAS, MACGILVRAY |
1939-1961 |
| 19 |
SINALOA |
1938-1961 |
| 20 |
SONORA |
1937-1961 |
| 21 |
STANDARD PORTLAND CEMENT |
1937-1961 |
| 22 |
STANTON, JOHN |
1937-1962 |
| 23 |
STEARN, ABRAHAM |
1912 |
| 24 |
STEWART, A. E. |
1912-1914 |
| 25 |
STIFEL, WILLIAM F. |
1938-1961 |
| 26 |
SULTANA |
1938-1961 |
| 27 |
SUMATRA |
1936-1961 |
| 28 |
SUPERIOR |
1936-1961 |
| 29 |
SUPERIOR |
1946-1952 |
| 30 |
SWEDEN |
1937-1961 |
| 31 |
TAMPICO |
1938-1958 |
| 32 |
TEWSKBURY, BAIRD |
1937-1961 |
| 33 |
TEXAS |
1938-1958 |
| 34 |
UTAH |
1939-1954 |
| 35 |
VERMONT |
1937-1948 |
| 36 |
VIRGINIA |
1938-1950 |
| 37 |
WALSH, JAMES P. |
1935-1961 |
| 38 |
WASHINGTON |
1938-1950 |
| 39 |
WELLS, J. P. |
1946-1961 |
| 40 |
WYOMING |
1938-1952 |
| 41 |
YATES, HARRY |
1938-1961 |
HCGL Manuscript Checklist | Safety on the Waterways
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