The Michipicoten Again...

As I said in my last post, the Blough was followed fairly closely by the Michipicoten.  I wasn't sure if I would be able to get a picture of her as it was starting to get dark out and I was getting cold.  Yesterday was a fairly warm day except that it was raining off and on.  The wind blowing off the River was pretty cold though.

This is a repeat appearance for this ship and if you're interested in the history...go here.

 For the longest time, lake freighters had a pretty standard appearance.  The pilothouse in the front and a deckhouse in the back.  They have pretty much all looked like this from the first lake steamships until the 70's.  This ship is probably a good example of some of the changes that have occurred.

 One of the biggest improvements to the lake freighters was the addition of the self unloading boom.  This enabled the ships to dock and unload anywhere.  It also cut down on the manpower required to unload them.

 Some of the other improvements were better radios and radars.  Over the years, the navigation got better.  Surprisingly, the Great Lakes were a pretty dangerous place for ships and the number of shipwrecks dotting the coast are a testament to that.  But with the improvements in metallurgy and weather tracking, the last ship to sink in the Lakes was the Edmund Fitzgerald in the 70's.  Although there have been a few deadly accidents with ships.

 So this is a shot of the pilot house.

 A shot of the profile. 

 The ship as she approaches the Ambassador Bridge.

 Another shot with the Ambassador Bridge in the background.

 As she heads a little further upriver.

And this is probably my favorite shot of the bunch.