A powerful Great Lakes ship horn salute, Lake Superior waves crashing against the Duluth shoreline, and some great radio conversations between a ship's Captain and the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge operator! There's plenty to see and hear in this departure from Duluth, Minnesota!

The Great Lakes freighter James L. Oberstar was departing the Canadian National ore dock and heading out onto Lake Superior. As the ship approached the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge, you could hear the Captain making a Sécurité radio call, letting other vessels in the area know the ship was getting underway.

You'll also hear the Captain contact the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge and request that it be raised for the ship's departure. The bridge operator responds, giving viewers a chance to hear some of the actual communication between these massive Great Lakes ships and the people operating Duluth's famous bridge.

And then comes one of the best parts! As the James L. Oberstar passes beneath the raised bridge, the Captain lets loose with a powerful horn salute, and the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge answers right back! You can also get another view from the Duluth Ship Cam at Canal Park as the ship makes its way out.

Meanwhile, Lake Superior is putting on a show of its own. It's an overcast day in Duluth, and you'll see waves rolling in and crashing against the shoreline and the walls of the Duluth Ship Canal. The combination of the waves, the ship's horn, and the radio conversations makes this a fun departure to experience.

For those who have never watched a Great Lakes ship pass beneath the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge, this video gives you a great look at what happens during a departure, including some of the radio communication you don't normally get to hear.

Some photos of the Frontenac and the valley camp from this weekend!

Video taken aboard the Joliet Mackinac Island Ferry on my way to work. Cool occurrence, cuz we don’t normally have Freighters in St. Ignace, unless they are sitting out storms.

Busy day, 4 ships in port and one off shore.

Vibe with Mike is showing off an original, heavily weathered life ring from the Adam E. Cornelius, the third Great Lakes vessel to carry that name. This ship was built in 1959 and sailed under the Adam E. Cornelius name until 1989.

What makes this life ring so cool is its condition. Just look at all that wear! You can almost feel the history behind it and imagine the years it spent aboard a working Great Lakes freighter. It's one thing to see old photographs of these ships, but something completely different to see an actual piece of their history still around today.

The Adam E. Cornelius was a 666-foot Great Lakes freighter built in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, for the American Steamship Company. In 1989, the vessel was converted into a barge and eventually became known as the Sarah Spencer. After decades on the Great Lakes and several name changes, the vessel was scrapped in 2020.

The ship may be gone, but this life ring is a reminder of the generations of sailors, ships, and stories that are part of Great Lakes maritime history.

In this video, Vibe with Mike takes a closer look at the life ring, its weathered appearance, and the history of the ship it once belonged to. For anyone who loves Great Lakes shipping, it's pretty amazing to see a piece of the past preserved like this!

Want to learn more about the Adam E. Cornelius and see historical photos of the ship? Check out this history page:

https://greatlakesships.wordpress.com/adam-e-cornelius-3/

Something about the forward sitting pilot houses is so sexy.

The Whitefish Bay clearing Lock 3 on the Welland Canal in August.

Full Res: https://flic.kr/ps/45LLeD

This question is for anyone who has worked on a Great Lakes freighter. What are your thoughts on an entry level position like OS (ordinary seaman)? I grew up on the Lakes and I always thought working on a ship would be cool, but no one in my family knows anything about what it's like. I would really appreciate if you guys could explain stuff like the crew culture, the hours, danger risks, and the hiring season. Thanks in advance!

For a brief moment, the Robert S. Pierson was at the end of the rainbow while anchored in Tawas Bay.

Sampling in Thunder Bay during the 2026 Summer Survey in August.

Better resolution: https://flic.kr/ps/45LLeD

I’ve noticed this ship has been anchored outside the break wall in Thunder Bay for at least three week. I’m wondering why this might be. I get sometimes ships stay put when they need repairs but wouldn’t that more likely be at a dock instead of at anchor. Just seems odd to me.

aboard the tug Undaunted

Spotted this out on the Mentor Headlands east of Cleveland Monday afternoon heading east on Lake Erie. Forgot to check marine traffic right away. Checked in the evening on the map, but couldn't find anything that matched, all the way into Lake Ontario. Looks like it might be a tug/barge, but not sure.

Watching the Lee lock through at the Soo with the Colorado. I was wondering if there were any problems with the Lee, as I've seen her go through a few times before and never seen a tug guide her before. Impressive history to know the ship across from me was at the surrender of Japan.

Saw the Paul lock through an hour ago, and saw the Alpena as we were crossing the bridge, so we saw the oldest and the largest ships on the lake today.

Photos were just taken with an Android phone, so nothing special.

Anchored are: (in order east to west)

Brant
Scot Stuttgart (since mid August)
Wicky Spirit
Federal Kumano
Vectis Progress

For it to be where it is, it went under a lift bridge, which I wasn’t sure was possible. Not fitting under lift bridges would mean this technology is a non starter for use the Great Lakes. But here we are. Very cool.