Here's something a little different from the usual arrival/departure video in the Duluth shipping canal. Instead, we see the classic laker Arthur M. Anderson hard at work within Duluth harbor in the early afternoon hours of June 22, 2020, first unloading one cargo then shifting over to another dock to pick up a second cargo. I suspect many of you are already familiar with the notable history of the Arthur M. Anderson (and her role in the Edmund Fitzgerald sinking), but if not, you can read my video description on my previous Anderson video here: [ Ссылка ]
For this visit, the Anderson had arrived around 3:00am in Duluth with a load of limestone, which she began unloading at the C. Reiss dock. The C. Reiss dock is the point furthest west in the Duluth harbor where lake carriers will typically visit. This is where I caught up with her later that day, as she neared the end of her unloading. You can seeing the limestone piling up, as the Anderson uses her 250-foot self-unloading boom to transfer her cargo to the shore. This unloading system can move 6,000 tons per hour at its maximum rate. With her total capacity of 25,300 tons, she can theoretically unload in under 5 hours... although it's not uncommon for the process to take 6-8 hours from start to finish.
After unloading, we see the boom move back into its stowed position and the Anderson backs away from the dock, makes a pivot, then heads towards the Hallett dock. Note the little black puffs of smoke from the bow and stern, as her thrusters help her steer. While the main turbine of the Anderson is steam driven, the bow and stern thrusters are powered by diesel engines. After leaving the dock, we see the Anderson pass through the railroad swing bridge (which has turned to the open position to allow her to pass), then under the Richard I. Bong bridge (named after the top scoring American fighter pilot of World War II, who lived in nearby Poplar, Wisconsin). Note how active her rudder is while she goes through the railway bridge... lots of fine adjustments are needed to fit through the narrow opening!
I then re-located my camera a couple miles to the east and watched the Anderson approach the Hallett #5 dock. She made another pivot, then backed into the dock. The Anderson was there to pick up a load of blast furnace trim, which is finely crushed iron ore used to adjust the silica content in blast furnaces.
I did speed up the footage in a couple of places, just to make the maneuvers in the harbor a little more watchable. Otherwise, this video could have easily been an hour long!
Hopefully this look at the Anderson is a nice change from the typical video on this channel. I actually did record the Anderson's entry into Duluth at 3:00am that morning. But sadly that video footage is unusable. The Aerial Lift Bridge is now illuminated with LED lights instead of the sodium floodlights she has had for so many years. The new lights aren't nearly as bright and don't cast much light onto the ships passing underneath. Until I can invest in a new camera and lens with better low-light performance, my night video sessions are on hold.
