37 Massive Great Lakes Freighters - Big Steel in Motion!

Published at : 23 Dec 2025

Following the 2022 shipping season on the Great Lakes, which ran from March 2022 to January 2023, I made this compilation showing the highlights from the videos I captured in the Duluth and Superior area... with a little bit of Two Harbors thrown in for good measure. The footage selected here is meant to represent the widest variety of lake freighters seen in a range of conditions... day and night, summer and winter, calm and stormy.

For each ship, I included data on the date its hull entered service, its overall length, the cargo carrying capacity, the type of engines, and the overall horsepower of all engines combined. I didn't include maximum speed, as most ships have a top speed in the same 13-16 knots range. No saltwater ships (“salties”) were included, as the focus here is on lake freighters. Someday I'll get around to a compilation of salties!

Since this video is over 80 minutes in length, I have indexed the ships so you can pick out your favorites using the time stamps below. For each ship, I went back to the raw footage to create new edits that show the highlights of each arrival or departure. If you want to see the original, longer edits for each ship, click the link next to each ship name:

0:00 American Integrity (May 19) https://youtu.be/2b3fQHnD39E
2:23 Philip R. Clarke (September 5) https://youtu.be/BAPtzQXsLdg
4:37 Manitoulin (September 6) https://youtu.be/L4YJg3AwnIM
6:23 Paul R. Tregurtha (July 11) https://youtu.be/Ip9T7eWN7-Y
8:12 American Mariner (November 13) https://youtu.be/vfT-GSdqxZI
10:02 Kaye E. Barker (April 17) https://youtu.be/oOWH8WDWA4k
12:12 Captain Henry Jackman (July 1) https://youtu.be/mYQw9QEEC9k
14:17 Innovation (June 5) https://youtu.be/eyE6JYnOY0M
16:16 Arthur M. Anderson (January 13) https://youtu.be/6Wq3ASAAzxk
19:25 Mesabi Miner (September 20) https://youtu.be/5FEe4PtKvOk
21:49 Burns Harbor (August 23) https://youtu.be/_n21_aOnTVs
24:10 Spruceglen (May 2) https://youtu.be/em-twtHZ-5w
27:34 Michipicoten (December 27) https://youtu.be/Obfewjdz-uY
29:31 Joseph L. Block (November 23) https://youtu.be/u7Rfv4eVqcA
31:06 James R. Barker (May 19) https://youtu.be/UvHjLrKSXPE
33:54 Algoma Transport (August 1) https://youtu.be/vOXF1D0piOI
35:51 CSL Tadoussac (July 11) https://youtu.be/cDYjXdb0QX8
37:32 Michigan Trader (October 11) https://youtu.be/izesCgUWds4
39:33 John G. Munson (August 23) https://youtu.be/sv0K2lQKR3U
43:45 Mark W. Barker (September 6) https://youtu.be/x8fAwLChFRo
45:18 Indiana Harbor (November 13) https://youtu.be/Br3upN0xQjM
48:10 Edwin H. Gott (September 5) https://youtu.be/i8WCV16xRz4
50:27 Lee A. Tregurtha (January 14) https://youtu.be/RrEA0a6IJhs
52:44 Stewart J. Cort (November 12) https://youtu.be/S3wWZvyDA58
55:05 Integrity (November 13) https://youtu.be/ZOCl2HU1Q2s
57:00 Maumee (January 14) https://youtu.be/aFvVS3KnwOg
59:20 Frontenac (August 23) https://youtu.be/Qmdv-pCZHDU
1:01:21 American Spirit and Missouri (November 22) https://youtu.be/vYQUyqxBxyo
1:04:24 Wilfred Sykes (July 11) https://youtu.be/GCYD74MZCyw
1:07:32 CSL Laurentien (December 27) https://youtu.be/7U7YpXVMM2c
1:09:29 Atlantic Huron (May 2) https://youtu.be/mlCMUaFVung
1:11:52 Walter J. McCarthy Jr. (January 6) https://youtu.be/wXy7XssYsfw
1:13:47 H. Lee White (December 26) https://youtu.be/8Rr3GrSREj8
1:16:35 Saginaw (January 21) https://youtu.be/PNtYF0yXhe4
1:18:47 American Century (April 16) https://youtu.be/bh7xDIsvClY
1:20:45 Algoma Innovator (January 7) https://youtu.be/4-7VHdN_67k
1:22:53 Hon. James L. Oberstar (June 27) https://youtu.be/nJkqFgy1jXY

What are some of your favorites from the above? What ship has the best salute? Please share your thoughts in the comments section! If you like what you see in this video, please consider subscribing. (It's free to do so.) I generally upload new videos on odd-numbered days during the shipping season. Click the notification bell if you want to be alerted each time a new video is posted.

Finally, if you enjoy this type of long-form video, please consider watching some (or all) of the following:

2020 shipping season highlights: https://youtu.be/QXfuKto0aoI

2021 shipping season highlights: https://youtu.be/TLTrdVa_qC4

50 lake freighter salutes (2020-2022): https://youtu.be/2pvUuKIGE5I

35 lake freighter salutes (2015-2019): https://youtu.be/JFYInGXJZXA

All Thirteen 1000-foot lake freighters: https://youtu.be/ilfwWdbtbD8

Thank you for watching!
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