Christmas Tree Ship arrives at Navy Pier with 1,200 trees for Chicago families
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A U.S. Coast Guard ship carrying 1,200 Christmas trees from Michigan arrived Friday at Navy Pier.
The cutter Mackinaw made the annual Christmas Tree Ship voyage to deliver those trees to families in need in the Chicago area.
The voyage followed the route of the original Christmas Tree Ship, the Rouse Simmons, which sank in Lake Michigan in 1912 while carrying trees to Chicago. The Mackinaw paused during its trip for a moment of silence at the site where the Rouse Simmons sank, to pay tribute to the 16 sailors who lost their lives.
"This is such a privilege to get to do for both myself and the crew. Typically, we do this trip this first week of December. The lakes are starting to get cold, ice is starting to form, and usually we're in our busiest time pulling the buoys out of the water before the ice gets to them, and we get to stop right in the middle of it, and we get to honor the sailors whose lives were lost in a very similar time of year," said the Mackinaw's commanding officer, Commander Jeanette Green. "We get to come to this beautiful city, and we get to do this just beautifully fun mission."
The trees, purchased entirely through donations from the Chicago area and other supporters, will be off-loaded from the Mackinaw by local youth volunteers, and loaded onto trucks for distribution to more than 1,000 families throughout the city by non-profit Ada S. McKinley Community Services.
The Christmas Tree Dedication Ceremony at Navy Pier is set for Saturday at 10 a.m., featuring performances from the Hubbard High School choir and the Coast Guard Academy glee club. Visitors also can tour the Mackinaw on Saturday from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.