And Finally...the Arthur M. Anderson

Another one of my favorites and probably a favorite of many of the folks that follow shipping on the Great Lakes is the Arthur M. Anderson.

 There are two reasons that many people like this ship.  I mean really like this ship.

 She is definitely one of the better looking ships on the Great Lakes.  She has the lines of a classic laker.

 She is also one of the more famous ships on the Great Lakes, as she is the ship that followed the Edmund Fitzgerald on the night she sank.  She was also the last ship to come in contact with her.

 When  I saw that she was heading down, I figured I would go catch her.  I was not expect to catch the other two ships, so they were considered bonuses.

 I know that I caught her last weekend, but loaded ships have a different profile from unloaded ships.  Typically, they ride lower in the water.

 In this case, she had loaded up in the stone docks near Alpena and was headed to the stone docks on the Rouge River.  I was actually thinking of catching her off Belle Isle but I think that would have been too late.

 I think she has one of the cooler looking pilothouses.

 With the repowering of so many steamers, she is one of the last steam turbine ships left.  I love the sound they make because it is a very relaxing hum instead of the thumping of a diesel.

 She continues on her way down the St. Clair River.

 I decided to catch her in Marysville as well.

 This time, I wanted to get some detailed shots of her.

 A closer shot of her pilothouse.

 And a closer shot yet.

 I think I was being watched as well.

 Her bow thruster symbol.  Also her anchor.

 Her Plimsoll lines.  These lines indicate where a safe load is.

 Her stack.

 Her flag flying proudly in the breeze.

 I love her stern.

 One more shot of her.

 Then I decided to catch her at St. Clair.  The sun was peeking out a little bit.  At least enough to light her pilothouse.

 I thought it was kind of cool against the gray skies in the back.

 She continues on her way.

 This of course gave me the opportunity for a beam shot.

 Close.

 I loved the looks of the clouds behind her.

 And she moves on.

 A shot of her stern.

And one more shot of her before heading home.