Here are a couple of screenies I took today of the Edwin H. Gott; a large freighter measuring over one thousand feet in length. As it passed the webcam it performed a 'Master's Salute' using its horn...three long blasts followed by two short blasts. https://youtu.be/uaUBq5UEpvo
Now the lake ice has melted (for the most part) the freighters can start plying their trade again. The next big thing in this area will be the first 'salty' (sea-going vessel) to pass through the Great Lakes system. The first 'salty' of the season is given special treatment wherever it goes.
The camera above is located on the US shore in Port Huron, Michigan but the opposite shoreline in the shots is Sarnia in Ontario, Canada.
Thanks for that, Larry. Growing up I always assumed that the ships in the Great Lakes stayed in the Great Lakes. It's always a treat for me to see the Alpena and the Arthur M. Anderson on the webcam. Lovely old ships.
Goodness, how many different web cams are there around the World?
The Alpena is a more ship-shape vessel, compared to the boxy Edwin M Gott
Also looked up the "a.M.A.", and watched the video regarding the loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald, both generally similar to the Alpena.
One of the major differences between traditional lake freighters and salties is the location of the bridge/command centre/facilities structure. On lake freighters they were traditionally placed close to the bow for navigation purposes in tight waterways/docks whereas salties tend to have those structures closer to the stern.
The Great Lakes are connected to the Atlantic Ocean via a series of navigable rivers and canals between the lakes and finally the Saint Lawrence Seaway connects the entire inland system to the sea. One of the most important canals is the Welland Canal at the eastern end of Lake Erie which lifts boats from the level of Lake Ontario up to the level of Lake Erie. It raises boats 99.4 m (326 ft) between the lakes via a series of locks and bypasses the shallow and turbulent Niagara River and of course the world famous Niagara Falls!
That's a great, but very sad, song. Years ago I remember receiving a copy of National Geographic magazine which featured an article which showed current, high quality, pictures of the wreck of the Fitz. I remember being very disturbed when viewing the pictures. Seeing the stern ripped away from the rest of the ship and sitting upside down on the bottom of Lake Superior...very sad.