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Event

Coast Guard tug Kaw breaks Beaver Island harbor ice, 1972

Also 1972 Beaver Island harbor icebreaking · Kaw harbor break-out

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

Locator map: Saint James Harbor highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Took place at Saint James HarborLocator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
TypeEvent
Datecirca 1972-04
WithinSaint James Harbor
ErasModern era
On this page
Locator map: Saint James Harbor highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Took place at Saint James HarborLocator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
Event
Date
circa 1972-04
Kind
Transportation
Where
Saint James Harbor
Carried out by
Kaw
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
maritimeshippingcommunityheritage
Within
Saint James Harbor

Summary

In early April 1972, the Coast Guard tug Kaw broke Beaver Island harbor ice between the Coast Guard Station and the dock in preparation for ferry service. The report says the ice was more than two feet thick and that the tug had to back and ram ahead, gaining roughly its own length on each attempt.

Evidence and limits

The newspaper says the break-out was eventually completed but that the harbor remained full of ice afterward. It does not supply an exact date, official log, ice measurements beyond the report, or proof of the ferry’s operating start.

See also

Sources

  1. Reports Kaw working from the Coast Guard Station toward the dock through ice over two feet thick, advancing about its own length per attempt; the task was eventually completed, although moderate winds left the harbor ice-filled afterward. It does not provide a log, exact day, or subsequent ferry-start date.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1972-04_Beaver-Beacon
  2. The held eight-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1972-04_Beaver-Beacon

Added 1 August 2026 · revised 3 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Coast Guard tug Kaw breaks Beaver Island harbor ice, 1972”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/coast-guard-tug-kaw-breaks-beaver-harbor-ice-1972/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, April 1972, “Cracked Ice Anybody?” (and 1 further source listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-03. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

BibTeX for “Coast Guard tug Kaw breaks Beaver Island harbor ice, 1972”RIS for “Coast Guard tug Kaw breaks Beaver Island harbor ice, 1972”