Would you look at that?

While the lighthouses in Duluth were amazing (remember my post from yesterday?), the real reason we went to the shore while we were in town was to see a ship.

I know- that doesn't sound too entertaining- but do you see that boat in the distance?

(Yes, that one to the left of the lighthouse!)

Well, it was HUGE...

And it was headed straight for us!

A few times a day, hugs ships like this pass through the canal on their way to and from the rest of the great lakes.

And when I say big, I mean BIG!

The M/V Paul R. Tregurtha is 1,013.5 feet long!

The number was hard for me to fathom... but if you stood this boat up on it's end, it would fall just a few feet shorter than the Chrysler Building here in NYC (which stands 1047 feet).

Isn't that incredible?

The boat passed by us at around 11:30am, on its way to load coal at Midwest Energy.

Here's an interesting tidbit: the M/V Paul R. Tregurtha is the flagship boat for The Interlake Steamship Company.

She (because boats are female, right?) is also the longest ship on the Great Lakes!

The ship can carry 68,000 gross tons of freight- or in this instance, 68,000 gross tons of taconite pellets or 71,000 net tons of coal. (This means nothing to me, but I suspect the male and/or scientist/engineer readers of this blog will send me an email to tell me what that means!)

Built in 1981...

This ship was originally names the William J. Delancey...

But in 1990 was renamed the Tregurtha after the Vice-Chairman of the Board at Interlake.

I've gotta say- that's a pretty cool corporate incentive! If only my job named cool things after its employees... that would be awesome!

After the Tregurtha loaded her coal in Minnesota, she was scheduled to head back to Michigan to unload in St. Clair and Monroe.

According to some paperwork distributed in Duluth, the "Paul R." as she is commonly called, it considered the classiest laker sailing today.

I suspect this couple on the back of the ship agreed- since they didn't look like they were hard at work, we suspected that they were staying in the ship's berth.

Considering how long the ship was, it steamed through the canal pretty quickly!

The engine horsepower is 17,120, which should explain a lot!

Not only does the ship move quickly, but it also works efficiently.

Her unloading system and 260-foot boom empty her five cargo holds in about eight hours.

It was a total fluke that this great ship happened to be passing through town when we were there...

So I feel pretty lucky to have seen such a great machine in action!

But before I knew it...

The ship was gone, the bridge was lowered, and everything was back to normal!

If you're ever in Duluth, I highly recommend heading down to the canal to watch the big ships pass through- it's so interesting!

Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a great day!

A beacon of light...

Yesterday I was telling you about my trip to Duluth.

In addition to the aerial lift bridge...

I also showed you the Duluth Harbor South Breakwater Inner lighthouse.

But that wasn't the only lighthouse I saw while I was in town!

Behold, the Duluth Harbor North Pier lighthouse!

Built in 1910, it's a lovely little light!

Standing 37 feet high...

It still houses it's original 5th order Fresnel lens.

Unlike the light I showed you yesterday, this lighthouse is still owned by the Coast Guard.

As I was doing research on this light, I learned that the lighthouse keepers used to check on the light through a tunnel! According to Lighthouse Digest:

However, very few people are aware of the tunnels that were constructed under the piers specifically to allow the keeper to reach the towers in inclement weather without fear of being washed off the pier by a wave or slipping off the ice-covered walkway and into the frigid waters of Lake Superior. Those tunnels, unique in lighthouse history, came complete with a cable-operated car, which provided the lighthouse keeper a means to reach the lighthouse more quickly than walking. However, by [1917] they had stopped using the tunnels, believing they were no longer safe. By that time, according to Hanson [lighthouse keeper from 1917-1947], the tunnels, more often than not, had two feet of water in them from seepage. After all, he recounted, he was a lighthouse keeper, not a miner and he felt much safer topside.

But this wasn't the last lighthouse I was to see in Duluth...

Because across the canal I spotted the Duluth Harbor South Breakwater Outer lighthouse.

This house was built in 1901. At 35 feet tall, the brick tower with lantern and gallery (housing the original 4th order Fresnel lens) is mounted on a brick fog signal building.

The lighthouse is painted white, while the lantern roof and fog signal building roof are red. In addition to the light, the fog horn has been restored to it's original signal: two 3 second blasts every 60 seconds.

Want to know another interesting tidbit? According to this website:

In 2003 the [Duluth] city council approved a proposal of TOOT Inc. (reTurn Our Old Tone) to operate the diaphones during daylight hours, but the modern (and softer) signal is used at night.

I tell you- the lighthouses that are still standing around the great lakes never cease to amaze me!

And the fact that I got to visit 3 such lights on a single point of land in Duluth was absolutely great!

Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a great day!

Quite a sight at night!

As I mentioned last week, I recently returned from a trip to Duluth, Minnesota! I had never been to that city before, so when I arrived I was instantly charmed!

One of the first things we saw upon getting to town was the Aerial Lift Bridge.

The bridge was built in 1904-1905.

According to the Duluth Library's website:

The Aerial Lift Bridge, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Minnesota, was constructed as the Aerial Ferry Bridge. Before that time, Park Point [the land that the bridge currently connects to Duluth] was only accessible by ferry boats and, during the winter months, a temporary suspension bridge. The original Aerial Ferry Bridge consisted of much of today's structure but, instead of the lift span, a suspended car, or gondola, ferried people and vehicles on a one-minute trip across the canal. The gondola could carry the equivalent of a loaded street car, two loaded wagons with teams, and 350 people. The gondola made twelve trips per hour between 5:00 a.m. and midnight and two trips per hour from midnight until morning. The lift span was added in 1929-1930 to handle increased traffic. At that time, the bridge operators moved from running the gondola to working in the control house in the center of the span. The bridge first lifted for a vessel on March 29, 1930. 

If you can believe it, the Aerial Bridge lifts an average of 5,500 times a year, and over forty times a day during the summer months. It is owned and operated by the City of Duluth.

Not only is it a necessary structure in the city, but it is also a significant (and beautiful) addition to the city's skyline.

As if the bridge isn't cool enough, it is also located next to a lighthouse!

The Duluth Harbor South Breakwater (Inner) was built in 1901, though the station was established in 1889.

The lighthouse is still functional, with a light that flashes white every 5 seconds. The tower stands 67 ft atop a steel skeletal tower with lantern, double gallery, and central cylinder.

The original 4th order Fresnel lens (1896), with its pedestal and rotating mechanism, is on display at the Lake Superior Marine Museum. The lighthouse is painted black, except for the watch room and lantern sides sides which are white.

In 2007 the lighthouse was offered for transfer, but when no preservation groups qualified to receive it, it was sold at auction to two residents of Duluth.

The light was sold for $31,000.00 in 2008- what a steal, right?

Of course, most of these photos were taken on my first night in town... which means I still have a lot to share! Feel free to stop by over the next few days to see more of Duluth!

Thanks for visiting- I hope you have a great day!