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Event

New Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw launches on Lake Michigan, 2005

Also The New Mackinaw 2005

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

TypeEvent
Date2005
WithinBeaver Island
ErasModern era
On this page
Event
Date
2005
Kind
Transportation
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
militarytransportationmaritimeshippingtechnologyemergency-management
Within
Beaver Island

Summary

The replacement Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw was ceremonially launched on Lake Michigan in 2005. The Beacon describes the 240-foot cutter’s crew, 4,000-mile range, twin engines, ice-breaking strength, and water-ballast system. A January 2006 follow-up reports that the cutter completed sea tests, departed for Cheboygan, struck the Grand Haven breakwall, and changed commanding officers after the accident.

Evidence limits

These are newspaper technology, launch, and follow-up reports, not an official cutter specification, accident investigation, or service record.

Sources

  1. Beaver Beacon, May 2005, "The New Mackinaw."
    Reports the 240-foot, $90 million replacement Mackinaw, its crew, range, engines, ice-breaking capacity, testing, and water-ballast roll-inducing system. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2005-05_Beaver-Beacon
  2. The held issue scan confirms the cutter report and photographs.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 2005-05_Beaver-Beacon
  3. Beaver Beacon, January 2006, "In With the New (Cutter)."
    Reports the new Mackinaw's completed sea tests, departure for Cheboygan, a collision with the Grand Haven breakwall, the resulting dent, and the command change. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2006-01_Beaver-Beacon
  4. The held issue scan confirms the cutter follow-up.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 2006-01_Beaver-Beacon

Added 5 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “New Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw launches on Lake Michigan, 2005”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/beaver-island-new-mackinaw-launch-2005/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, May 2005, "The New Mackinaw." (and 3 further sources listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-05. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

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