‘Mail in a Pail’ — Floating U.S. Post Office on the Great Lakes
Courtesy Photo/J.W. Westcott Company Workers transfer "mail in a pail" on the J.W. Wescott II, which has transported U.S. Mail on the Great Lakes for over 150 years.
You will find ZIP Code 48222 at the base of Detroit’s 24th Street situated on the Detroit River. Transporting Great Lakes pilots to a freighter. Or, delivering letters, packages, and vital shipboard supplies to Great Lakes and international vessels.
This ZIP Code is for the 45-foot J.W. Westcott II, a modified tugboat, which is recognized as the nation’s only floating United States Post Office.
Westcott II traditionally operates on the river 24 hours a day – seven days a week from mid-April to late December.
Adjacent to the dock-side Westcott II is the cinder block Westcott Company building. The structure houses an office, supply storage, sorting space for deliveries, repair and tool area, and related functional areas. Parked, nearby, is a company van.
A Brief History
Courtesy Photo/J.W. Westcott Company Men are pictured in front of the J.W. Wescott Company office on Woodward Avenue about 1910.
In its 151st year of service, Westcott Company has endured wars, financial downturns, technological advances, pandemics, severe weather, and numerous other challenges.
The company has a rich history of human persistence, and imagination.
Born in 1848, John Ward Westcott was the visionary who formed The Westcott Company.
As a boy, John worked in his father’s boat yard and in 1861 became a cabin boy on Ste. Forester. By age 20, John earned his master’s papers, becoming (at the time) the youngest captain on the Great Lakes.
Company and historical records indicate Westcott observed communications between shipping companies, changing weather conditions, equipment malfunctions, and other factors presented numerous challenges for Great Lakes shipping vessels.
Courtesy Photo/Detroit Historical Society The Dossin Great Lakes Museum exhibit features artifacts and historical information about the J.W. Wescott Company.
In 1874, from Detroit’s Belle Isle shoreline with a rowboat, rope, and pail, Westcott established a business to overcome most of these barriers.
Westcott serviced the port or starboard side of passing ships with a pail tied to a rope.
The company currently has three tugboats: the J.W. Westcott II built in 1949; the Joseph J. Hogan, built in 1995; and the recently acquired Mildred Simpson Westcott, primarily used for pilot changes.
What Gets Transported
Since 1948, the Westcott Company has been recognized as a United States Postal Service post office. In 1963, Westcott II received the designated Zip Code of 48222.
In past decades, USPS letters and package delivery were significant in numbers. With the advent of cellular telephones and email, there is still a vital need for the “mail in the pail” duties, as well as transporting varied goods and supplies, and experienced Great Lakes freighter pilots.
A 2019 Detroit Hour Magazine feature story on the Westcott Company revealed a humbling account of mail delivery.
On Monday, November 10, 1975, 29 crew members perished when the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior near Whitefish Point. Current Westcott Company President Jim Hogan recalls when he sorted the mail the following day, a Tuesday, he was handling items destined for the Fitzgerald crew.
Westcott II is also known for transporting vital mechanical, electrical, and related devices or parts. In recent years the modified tugboat has become a grocery service for the Detroit, Toledo, and adjacent region. In addition, medical supplies and prescriptions can be delivered.
Along with USPS deliveries, Westcott Company is also assigned as a receiving agent for Amazon, FedEx, DHL, and UPS.
In recent years Westcott has become a purveyor of delivering favorite prepared food requests. The items could be baked goods, fast foods such as from Chipotle, or from a favorite Detroit restaurant – think Coney Island hot dogs or chicken Shawarmas.
A Westcott web posting states, at the top of the prepared food delivery list – pizza!
Hogan commented years ago transporting a live goat. As to why, he couldn’t recall. He added you meet hundreds of memorable people in this business. He stated, “With our pilot exchange, I met world famous oceanographer, Jacques Cousteau and New York Yankee owner, George Steinbrenner.”
With the company-owned van, Westcott is approximately 20 minutes from Metropolitan/Wayne County Airport where they can meet shipping parcels, as well as freighter crew and Great Lakes pilots.
A Tragic Incident and Return to Operation
On October 23, 2001, Westcott II was transporting two Canadian freighter pilots. As the tug neared the Ambassador Bridge it was caught in the wake of the 533-foot Norwegian oil tanker, MT Sidsel Knutsen. The tanker was upbound to Sarnia, Ontario.
In less than a minute, Westcott II capsized into the river’s depth.
Westcott II’s captain, Catherine Nasiatka and crew member, David Lewis sadly perished. The two passengers were rescued by the vessel, Stormant and taken to a Windsor, Ontario hospital. Westcott II was later salvaged and refurbished.
Joseph J. Hogan was brought into interim service. The following shipping season Westcott II returned to service.
To the Rescue: Recent Accounts
During the seasonal shipping season, Westcott II is daily and constantly on the river for over 250 days a year.
In 2023 and 2024 the Westcott Company’s crew addressed a number of perilous situations.
On July 12, 2023, a contract worker was performing repairs on the Ambassador Bridge which links Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. Just yards up the river shoreline from the bridge is Riverside Park. Adjacent to the park is Westcott Company office.
Near 4 p.m. park visitors saw a body fall 150 feet off the bridge into the river. They immediately pounded on the company door and within minutes the sister ship, Milred Simpson Westcott (named after the wife of John II) and crew were underway to save the conscious and almost fully unclothed 20-year-old from the river.
Ironworker Spencer Baker was brought to shore and transferred to a hospital by the Detroit Fire Department/EMS.
Several months later the Westcott Company’s crew were honored by the U.S. Coast Guard/Detroit Sector for their timely and heroic rescue.
Just weeks later, on the Detroit side of the river, a fisherman was adjusting his line and tumbled into the river. Fortunately, the Westcott II was nearby and heard the man plea for help. The crew was able to save him with a life ring and bring him to shore.
On September 23, 2024, the crew of the Westcott II was notified a man was seen swimming across the river from Windsor to the Detroit shoreline.
Immediately, the boat and crew were dispatched. At around 11 p.m. near the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park, the man was spotted mid-river swimming with the aid of a life ring.
The crew saved the Florida resident from the river’s rapid current. Fully disoriented, the man informed the crew he was attempting to return the America.
He was transferred to a Detroit fireboat and subsequently taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and observation.
Indeed, he did make it back to the United States with the aid of the Westcott II and crew.
A Final Word
In a 2024 interview with Great Lakes Seaway Review maritime magazine, Westcott President Jim Hogan commented, “As long as there are ships plying the waters of the Great Lakes, there will be a need for the service his family’s company provides. Everything around us has changed, but we haven’t. The one thing that has stayed the same is the necessity of what we do.”
Want to Know More?
Visit the Westcott Company website at www.jwwestcott.com for a detailed history and list of services. You will note they offer several two-hour river cruises, as well as unique merchandise. Their telephone number is 313-496-0555.
Andrew Dean is a renowned and award-winning Great Lakes photo and video expert. Visit his website at www.andrewdeandetroit.com. The website offers an informative video on Westcott II, as well as numerous other freighters and Great Lakes sights. You can also purchase his photos.
YouTube offers a number of videos on the J.W. Westcott II.
Finally, the Detroit Historical Society’s Dossin Great Lakes Museum, located on Belle Isle, recently opened an exhibit on Westcott II. The exhibit will be shown through May 2026. For more information on the Dossin or main museum on Woodward Avenue, visit www.detroithistorical.org or call 313-821-2661.
Jeffrey D. Brasie is a retired health care CEO. He frequently writes feature stories and op-eds for various newspapers, magazines, and social media sites. As a Vietnam-era veteran, he served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Naval Reserve. He served on the public affairs staff of the Secretary of the Navy. He grew up in Alpena and resides in Suburban Detroit.
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- Courtesy Photo/J.W. Westcott Company Workers transfer “mail in a pail” on the J.W. Wescott II, which has transported U.S. Mail on the Great Lakes for over 150 years.
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- Courtesy Photo/J.W. Westcott Company Men are pictured in front of the J.W. Wescott Company office on Woodward Avenue about 1910.
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- Courtesy Photo/Detroit Historical Society The Dossin Great Lakes Museum exhibit features artifacts and historical information about the J.W. Wescott Company.
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