MACKINAW TO VISIT DULUTH THURSDAY/FRIDAY

DULUTH, Minn.  -  The Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw will pull into Duluth for a two day stop Thursday and Friday, offering public tours Friday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center.

Mackinaw, the Queen of the Lakes, and its crew are getting ready for their last ice season on the Great Lakes before being decommissioned in June 2006.  For over 60 years, Mackinaw has responded to mariners in distress, provided national security and smashed its way through winter ice on the Great Lakes.

The Queen of the Lakes will be replaced in June with a modern version of the legendary ship, the new cutter Mackinaw.  The Coast Guard is set to take possession of the new Mackinaw in November when it will begin sea and ice trials until its commissioning date in June 2006.

For more information on touring the Mackinaw Friday, please contact the Public Affairs Office at (216) 902-6020.

-30-