Although my little pond has been froze over for a while now, the shipping season continues on Lake Superior until the Soo Locks close for the season on January 15, but the visitors watching the large freighters coming into port will need winter coats instead of summer shorts. It is always a treat to listen to the James Barker ship horns when it does the master salute when going under the Duluth Canal Bridge.
Ship Coming In
With the Monday holiday, there were more people off from work to enjoy the outdoors, including a boat scenic tour.
Seeing Duluth Harbor
Last evening and early this morning was a busy time at the Duluth Canal with 9 freighters coming in or going out of port during about an 8 hour period, including the largest ship on the Great Lakes, the Paul R. Tregurtha. I saw the Mighty Paul last October and felt lucky to have seen three ships go through the canal during my visit but it would have been nicer to have observed nine big freighters.
The Paul R. Tregurtha
The long holiday weekend has some people venturing out to lakes, cabins and other places even during the pandemic, but many things have needed to changed to allow social distancing and still allow some activities like watching freighters on the lake.
Ship Leaving Port
It will be a few months before the sight of a freighter vessel is seen leaving port on Lake Superior. The last two ships arrived in Superior port this morning and made their way through the ice to the docks. Although most of Lake Superior’s water is open, the ports have become iced over and with the Soo Locks closing yesterday, the vessels are stuck somewhere on Lake Superior until late March when the locks open again for freighter traffic.
Superior Freighter Season Over
At 1013.5 feet, the reigning “Queen of the Lakes” is the Paul R. Tregurtha and she came through the Duluth canal and under the lift bridge for last time this shipping season. With the Soo Locks closing next week, many of the vessels are beginning their winter lay up in various ports around the Great Lakes. The Paul R. Tregurtha docked at the Superior Midwest Energy Terminal this afternoon for the winter until the Soo locks reopens on March 25. A tugboat had to sweep ice away from the dock area for the freighter as it neared the dock.
Winter Layup Time
The Great Lakes bulk freighter, Paul R Tregurtha arrived in Duluth today with chunks of ice floating through the canal. It was warmer when I saw the longest vessel (1,013.5 feet) of the Great Lakes arrive in October. The ship’s maiden voyage was in 1981 and she can carry 68,000 long tons of iron ore or 63,616 long tons of coal and she holds a number of cargo records. The Big Paul will be able to make a few more voyages before the winter lay-up when the icy weather closes the canals and locks.
Freighter Paul R Tregurtha
After Lake Superior experienced the storm on Monday, things have calmed and activities are getting back to normal. The Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge was closed for a while as the big waves caused flooding on several roads. The bridge can be lifted to its full height of 135 feet in about a minute. The bridge operator in the little building on the bridge better not be scared of heights.
Under the Lift Bridge
This lighthouse is often the forgotten one of the three lights for the Duluth Harbor Canal as it doesn’t sit at the ends of the breakwater where the waves can smash against it and is not a fancy design. But is had an important function since there is only 300 feet between the piers, it could be hard to approach the entrance in poor conditions at the correct angle if this light didn’t sit higher at the inner end of the breakwater from the outer light to serve as a line to make the entry straight through the canal. This steel lighthouse replaced a timber structure and was first lit in 1901.
Duluth South Breakwater Inner Light
Today was another busy day at the Duluth Canal with a number of freighters arriving and leaving port as well as pleasure boats enjoying a nice fall sunny day. But this little tugboat can only look at the water and watch the leaving freighter as the Bayfield tug was retired from active service in 1995 and is now on display at Canal Park. She was built in 1953 and the tug measures 45 feet in length and 13 feet in width. The Bayfield was used by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to move unpowered barges, crane barges, and work scows in the Duluth-Superior harbor.
Tugboat Bayfield
