With daybreak came the thunderous roar of a 220 horsepower Detroit Diesel engine. It emits from a 46 foot tugboat called the J.W. Westcott II as she prepares for yet another shift on the Detroit River. As her lines are cast and she begins to pull away from her dock, nestled just below and to the south of the Ambassador Bridge, she sets a course mid-river on one of the busiest waterways in the world. Her destination - a rendezvous with a 630 foot American lakeboat named EARL W. OGLEBAY of the Oglebay Norton fleet.

As she speeds toward the oncoming freighter, the rough, dirty brown water of the Detroit River sprays over her bow. The spray reminiscent of an erupting geyser at Yellowstone National Park, although the scenery surrounding the little boat is not as picturesque. Just south of the Westcott's dock is the thick industrial section of Detroit. A quagmire of abandoned and burned-out buildings, filthy steel mills and an abundance of inner-city crime.

At a steady pace of about 15 knots the Westcott II seemed to be on a collision course with the giant lakeboat - in actuality, she was. With only a hundered yards , or so, between the two boats neither makes any effort to alter their course. the freighter continues steaming straight ahead seemingly unaware of the on-coming Westcott II. The Westcott II was committed to do the same, her bow pointed directly amidships to the freighter and closing fast. The Westcott II slams into the wake of the Oglebay boat and receives another wash of the Detroit River over her bow. One mistake at this point, or a steering failure of any kind would certainly mean disaster for the 46 foot Westcott II. The Oglebay outweights the little tugboat by several hundred tons and towers over her by at least two stories. A collision would immediately wipeout the Westcott II and the Earl W. Oglebay would barely feel a "thud".

Without hesitation and exhibiting exact precision the Captain eases the Westcott II alongside the giant lakeboat and settles in abreast her massive steel plates which form the EARL W. OGLEBAY's hull. Water continues to pound the little boat from over her bow, as well as over her sides making any movement on the deck tricky at times. Punishing blows from the Oglebay's 37 foot high starboard side continuously rattle the Westcott II - still, the two boats steam down bound at 15 knots.

Appearing overhead aboard the Oglebay stand three anxious crewmembers. They lower a rope with a large bucket attached to the other end, slowly controlling it's decent to the awaiting hands of the Westcott's deckhand. when it reaches the deck it is quickly filled with mail, cigarettes, magazines, charts and an assortment of other much needed supplies. All the while, the Captain continues to hold his boat steady alongside the giant freighter.

With a thumbs-up from the deckhand below, the crewman two stories above on the Oglebay eagerly hoist up the bucket in anticipation of mail from loved ones and various supplies - supplies which will certainly make their long trip to an awaiting port somewhere off Lake Erie much more bearable. Once the bucket reaches the deck of the freighter the Westcott's Captain gives a blast from his horn and quickly turns his wheel and darts away from the freighter. In appreciation, the Captain of the Oglebay acknowledges the efforts of the Westcott crew and gives them a master salute with his own horn in return.

This is a typical transaction that occurs out on the Detroit River 30 or more times per day, 24 hours a day, nine months out of the year. Since 1895 vessels from the U.S., Canada and years later from around the world have counted on this transaction each time they pass through the Detroit River system. The Westcott Company began operating the mailboat over 100 years ago using nothing more than a small rowboat to meet the massive ships mid-river. For several years the U.S. Post Office refused to commit to anything more than year to year contracts Westcott. As a matter of fact they (USPS) considered dropping the mailboat service all together. It wasn't until the repeated protest by ship crews and their owners that the post office reconsidered and kept the service running. Today, Westcott and USPS enjoy long-term, multi-year contracts, as well as a zip code desigated specifically for the Westcott boat station. The Westcott Company also enjoys the use of much more practical and safer mailboats. Their primary boat is that of the 46 foot J.W. Westcott II, named after the original founder of the company. the backup boat is the 40 foot John H. Hogan, named after the current owner of the company.

Besides the mid-river mail delivery J.W. Westcott II partakes in pilot and crew transfers, laundry service and are occasionally recruited by local fire and police departments to pull an unfortunate body out of the murky water, a job the crew would rather stay shy of. On the lighter side. Once a year the Westcott boats enter the annual Detroit River International Freedom Festival tugboat races. The J.W. Westcott II claimed first place this past summer (2000) in the highly competitive 201-4000 horsepower catagory - an accomplishment the crew is very proud of and will be quick to point out when entering their boat station.

Although the Westcott II performs many duties throughout the shipping season, their primary revenue and responsibility comes from the U.S. mail. Mail is delivered by the USPS to the Westcott station on a daily basis. It is then sorted by lakeboat name and placed into an individual mailbox. each individual lakeboat has their own mailbox and when that boat passes through the Detroit River their mail is delivered via the mailboat. Upon entering the river system the lakeboat crews will also place supply orders. Using faxes, phone and radio transmissions the crews will order everything from charts, oil products, hygiene products, magazines, newspapers, books and candy. The Westcott crew usually has at least 1 hour notice before the arrival of the approaching vessel. During this time they prepare the requested supplies and ready the mailbag for delivery. When the approaching freighter is within a matter of a couple hundred yards of the mail station the crew puts on their game face and race out to meet the vessel to make their transaction.

Just as quickly they return back to the station and wait for the next delivery. the operation takes place 24 hours a day and consists of three 8 hour shifts. each shift can expect to perform approximately 10-12 mail/supply runs during their assigned shift. Although, they have been known to handle 20 or more during a shift and as few as 4 to 5 runs.

Sam Buchanan is one of the Captains aboard the Westcott II. The 33 year old Detroit native has skippered the Westcott II since 1988 and has worked for the Westcott Company since 1985, starting out as a deckhand. Captain Buchanan affectionately refers to their little station as "the island of misfits", due to the assortment of diverse crew they attract. Dave Pincomb, a part-time deckhand works full-time as salesman. "Carlito" the dispatcher, plays in a rock & roll band - or so they said. Although the three-man crew were so completely different in background and "traded" jibes with one another more often than a Broker trading stocks on Wall Street, they perform their job with as much professionalism and skill as one would expect from a seasoned Captain and trusty crew.

The J.W. Westcott II will finish the season sometime around the first week in January. The crew will spend a couple of weeks winterizing the Westcott II and their back-up Joseph H. Hogan. Occasionally, throughout the winter months they may come in and do some repairs on the boats or some maintenance work on the station. By April, however, they will be back "fitting out" the mailboats, spring cleaning at the station and standing watch for the first freighter of the new shipping season. 

Tradgedy Strikes the Westcott
On the early morning hours of October 23rd 2001, the J.W. Westcott II capsized and sank near the Ambassador Bridge. She was alongside the tanker Sidsel Knutsen when the boat suddenly began taking on water and capsized within 20 seconds. The Westcott was carrying 4 people at the time of the accident, two pilots which managed to escape the sinking boat and were rescued by a tugboat that was in the area. 2 members of the Westcotts crew of two were lost. They are identified as Deckhand David Lewis, 50 and Cathy Nasiatka the boats Captain who was 48.
The Westcott is lying upside down at the bottom of the Detroit River near Zug Island with her bow pointing toward the Ambassador Bridge. It is unclear at this time what caused her sinking. Efforts will be made over the next few days to raise the sunken boat.

Update: The Westcott II was raised from the bottom of the Detroit River on the morning of October 29th 2001. The body of her Captain, Kathy Nasiatka, was also recovered within the wreck. The boat will be towed to the Nicholson floating drydock in Ecorse for an inspection and repairs.