8/8 A Few of the Ships on the St. Mary's River

There are between 7,000 and 10,000 ships that go through the Soo Locks from March to mid-January, when the locks close for the winter.  But this number includes tugboats, tour boats, private recreational vehicles, and a bunch of other assorted boats.  The locks are the only way for ships to go from Lake Superior to Lake Huron, and vice versa. 

It is hard to estimate, but probably 10-15 freighters that go through the Soo Locks each day.  Of course, some go through during the day, and some at night, and there are active maps of the marine traffic that you can use to follow ships, which can be fun and handy for ship-watchers to know when to expect a ship.  You can check out the traffic here:  https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-84.4/centery:46.4/zoom:11   The green arrows indicate commercial ships carrying freight.  The ones going from the two upper Great Lakes generally are bulk carriers hauling iron ore, coal, grain, and other things that can be loaded into their huge, empty cargo holds.  

I can't post photos of all the ships I saw go past, but at least here are a few of them.  Most are lakers that are too long to go through the Welland Canal near Niagara, so spend their lives going back and forth hauling bulk cargo, through there are a few ocean ships that can fit through the Welland.  

Here are a few.  I'll try to show the entire ship before focusing on the bow and rear.  Note which direction ships are going and whether they are high in the water or low.

The Phillip R. Clarke - 748' long, built in 1972

 

 

The Lee A Tregurtha -  826' long, built in 1942 (Older than I am!)

 

It also seems to be a lot less rusty than most of the other ships, in spite of its age.  

The Stewart J Cort - 1000,7' long, built in 1971

The Algoma Strongfield - 731.6' long, built in 1971

For a relatively young ship, this one badly needs some new paint, however, note in the above photo that it has an orange emergency lifeboat hanging off the rear!  (I have some better photos of these on other boats, later in this post.)

The Mesabi Miner - 1003.9' long, built in 1977 - One of the longest ships on the Great Lakes!

 

 

Note that unlike most lake freighters, this ship does not have a wheelhouse or crew cabins in the front. 

 

 

 

Note the tiny workers just behind the front bow. 

 

 

 

The Navibulgar Oborishte - This is a grain carrier flagged in Malta, 623.3' long, built in 2010.  

It seems to have its cargo hold covers propped open. Not sure why.  It is no doubt going to be carrying wheat from Minnesota or Nebraska to the Mediterrean!

Notice the lifeboat hanging from the rear. 

 

 

A closer view of the lifeboat.  In an emergency, the crew loads themselves into this boat, straps themselves in, and it is released to slide into the ocean.  Not my idea of a fun ride. 

The James R. Barker - 1000.6' long, built in 1976

Impressive going by!  One of the first 1000' ship built on the lakes.

 

 

The Frontenac - 731.6'long, built in 1968

I like the bright red and white of this paint job!

Summary 

These ships are not always pretty and they have a lot of dents and rust, but it is impressive how long they have been plying these lakes.  And, some of the steel in our cars and other products may likely have been carried on these ships!