Arthur M. Anderson - A Stunning View of this Legend

Here is the steamship Arthur M. Anderson arriving in Duluth, Minnesota arriving shortly after midnight on September 4, 2023. She was arriving empty and was scheduled to load taconite (iron ore) pellets at the Canadian National dock in West Duluth. After loading, she would depart at 6pm the same day, headed to Indiana Harbor to discharge the taconite.
The video starts out with the typical view of the Anderson making her way through the Duluth entry, looking splendid as she makes her way through the shipping. If that's all I had captured for this arrival, I could have been happy. I was getting tired and wasn't looking forward to the three-hour drive home. But I nevertheless decided to make the trip over to Rice's Point to see the Anderson pass under the John A. Blatnik bridge. That decision was rewarded with a beautiful sight as the Anderson glided across flat calm water, her lights reflecting off the water's surface. The Anderson had also fired-up her powerful spotlights to guide the way across the harbor. After she passed under the Blatnik bridge, she made her way by the 1000-footer American Century, who was loading coal at the SMET dock. (The American Century's arrival earlier that evening was previously featured on this channel.) As the Anderson moved onwards towards the CN dock, I happily started my drive home, feeling really grateful I made the effort to catch the Anderson at Rice's Point. It was the best sight of the whole trip!
The 767-foot Arthur M. Anderson was launched in 1952, being one of eight AAA-class lakers built around this time... a designation applied to a series of lakers which (at the time) were leaps forward in cargo carrying size and capacity. Her fleet mates the Philip R. Clarke and Cason J. Callaway were also built as AAA-class lakers around the same time. The Anderson is powered by a steam turbine producing 7,700 shp. In the spring of 1975. she was lengthened by 120 feet and was converted to a self-unloader during winter layup in 1981-1982. She can carry up to 25,300 tons of cargo.
The Arthur M. Anderson is most well known for being the last ship to have visual contact, radar contact, and radio contact with the Edmund Fitzgerald on the night of November 10, 1975. She was following the Fitzgerald at the time of her sinking, having lost visual contact during a snow squall. After reaching the safety of Whitefish Bay, it became clear to the Anderson's crew that the Fitzgerald had likely gone to the bottom during the storm. The Anderson's crew, led by Captain Bernie Cooper, turned around and headed back into storm to search for survivors... as no Coast Guard vessels were nearby to help search. She was joined a short while by the William Clay Ford, another AAA-class laker that had also left the safety of Whitefish Bay to assist in the search. While they found no survivors, the heroic actions of these two crews is still fondly remembered today by boat watchers and history enthusiasts. The William Clay Ford was scrapped in 1986, but the Anderson continues to sail on and remains a living legend on the Great Lakes. May she continue to sail safely for many years to come!
____________________
If you are interested in supporting this channel to keep new videos coming, I accept PayPal donations at the following link:
www.paypal.com...
Donations of any size are gratefully accepted, as they help offset my travel expenses to capture footage. Thank you postcards are sent for any donations over $5, plus thank you gifts are sent for donations of $30 or more. Gifts increase in value with donation size and are of my choosing, usually themed on Great Lakes shipping and/or the Duluth-Superior region.
Your views, likes, comments, and subscriptions also help this channel and are greatly appreciated. Thank you!