Arthur M. Anderson - Winter Layup Arrival in Extreme Cold

Here is the Arthur M. Anderson bringing her 2023-2024 shipping season to a close with a final arrival in Duluth, Minnesota around 5:30 on the morning of January 18, 2024. She was arriving empty and was due to enter winter layup in Fraser Shipyards in Superior, Wisconsin. The video starts as the Anderson arrives in the Duluth shipping canal. After passing under the Aerial Lift Bridge, we then catch up with the Anderson at Rice's Point where the tugboat Helen H. assists her through the harbor ice as they them pass under the John A. Blatnik bridge. The video ends as the Anderson turns towards Howard's Bay, where Fraser Shipyards is located.

This was by far the coldest arrival I captured for the season, with air temps at -7 F. Factoring in wind chill, the air felt like -25 F on one's bare skin. The north wind blew the Lake Superior sea smoke over the north pier, creating an interesting opening shot to this video. It's not a huge surprise that only a couple of people turned out to watch the Anderson arrive, partly due to the cold and partly because people were under the belief that the Anderson wouldn't arrive until after 7:30am. But since I'm foolish enough to "sleep" with the marine scanner on, I was able to hear the Anderson's plan to come through the piers around 5:30am. It appears I was the only YouTuber on hand to capture this arrival. Despite the cold, it was worth the effort to welcome the Anderson home for the winter.

The Anderson was able to muster up a master salute as she passed through the shipping canal, but only after giving her horn time to thaw out. The Aerial Lift Bridge responded in return. Only myself and one other person were on hand to watch her round Rice's Point. It ended up being a difficult turn, taking three attempts to turn in the ice despite the tugboat Helen H. having made passes through the ice before the Anderson arrived. With a couple more sweeps from the Helen H., the Anderson successfully completed the turn. (Note: I didn't include the first two turn attempts, as they happened very slowly and didn't make for exciting viewing.)

After passing under the Blatnik bridge, the Helen H. then pushed the Anderson's bow to help her make the turn to port for Howard's Bay. Unfortunately, it was at this point that I had to abandon my recording efforts, as I was losing all feeling in my feet... and was getting a bit concerned about making the walk back to my car. But as most of the keys scenes had already taken place, I felt I had documented most of the Anderson's arrival. I would have recorded her entrance into Fraser Shipyards, but that coincided with the time that the John G. Munson was making her own arrival in the Duluth shipping canal. Catching the Munson's arrival took top priority, as it was the final arrival in Duluth for the entire season.

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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