Arthur M. Anderson - Let's Chase This Legend to the Dock

Here is the legendary steamer Arthur M. Anderson arriving in Duluth, Minnesota on the morning of June 27, 2024. She was hauling limestone from Stoneport, Michigan to discharge at the C. Reiss Terminal in West Duluth. After unloading, she was then to move over to the Canadian National dock to load taconite pellets for delivery to Toledo, Ohio. This video starts with the Anderson's arrival through the shipping canal. We then catch up with her again at Grassy Point where she passes under the Richard I. Bong bridge and passes through the opening at the railroad swing bridge. She then makes the turn into the C. Reiss dock and begins unloading operations.

This was the first time I've caught up with the Anderson for the current shipping season. I could never manage to catch her on my previous visits to Duluth, as she would either depart before I arrived in town or she would arrive after I left town. So I was happy to finally capture her in action again. Sunny morning arrivals in the shipping canal are tough to capture, so I was happy that she made the visit over to Grassy Point where the lighting conditions were a little more favorable.

Grassy Point is the furthest west in the harbor that the lake freighters will go. But that will likely end in the near future when C. Reiss moves their operations over to the Superior side of the harbor (near the Midwest Energy Terminal). After that point, we will likely no longer see the freighters pass under the Bong bridge or through the railroad swing bridge. While this doesn't impact those who like watching the ships at Canal Park, it does remove one vantage point that us "boat chasers" like to view from... as there aren't any good viewing locations for the future planned location of the C. Reiss Terminal.

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 later 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!
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