Great Lakes Freighters

There is something about the throbbing hum of the diesel engines on freighters traversing the Great Lakes waterways that I find compelling. I have grown up watching them and still can't help but be fascinated by their size and stateliness as they chug past. Viewing them on the river allows for a much more up close and personal view than on one of the Great Lakes and I enjoy looking them up in a Great Lakes ship guide I own to see where they originate from. This trip, I saw ships from Germany, Japan and Poland along with ones from the United States and Canada. It is also a thrill to see more well-known vessels. Last year, I saw the Arthur M. Anderson, famous for being the last ship to have contact with the Edmund Fitzgerald before she sank and the first to search for her. This year, I saw the Paul R. Tregurtha, which is the largest vessel on the Great Lakes. Despite changes in technology and ship design, goods are still being carried on the Great Lakes waterways as they have for centuries.