Michipicoten - Wasting No Time in Superior

Here is the Michipicoten seen departing from Superior, Wisconsin on September 17, 2021 with a load of iron ore from the Burlington Northern #5 dock. The Michipicoten in often known for her quick turnaround times, but this visit was particularly fast. After less than four hours at the dock, she was done loading and backing out, only having a slight delay while she waited for the Burns Harbor (seen in a previous video on this channel) to pass through the Superior entry. This video shows the Michipicoten backing away from the dock, making a pivot, and then heading out through the Superior entry onto Lake Superior. She was due to unload her cargo at the Algoma steel mill in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario... a 26-hour voyage away. The Michipicoten is capable of doing this run at least two times a week when it's on her itinerary.

We didn't get a salute from the Michipicoten on this visit. She is normally very reliable with salutes when visiting the shipping canal in Duluth, where she exchanges salutes with the Aerial Lift Bridge. But it seems she stays quiet on most of her visits to Superior (and Two Harbors), perhaps only sounding her horn when a larger number of onlookers are there to greet her. For this visit, there were only a few of us boatnerds on hand to see her. So we got the silent treatment!

Note that the self-unloading boom isn't completely stowed in the down position as she makes her exit. The deckhands are still using the deck crane to replace the hatch covers over the cargo holds. The "buzzing" sound you hear in the video is the deck crane moving back and forth. The buzz is a warning for deckhands that the crane is in motion. When the weather is nice and seas are calm, it's not unusual for ships to secure their hatches while leaving port. This allows them to make good time and vacate the dock for the next ship to arrive. In heavier seas, the deck hatches will be secured before before leaving port.

The 698-foot Michipicoten was launched in 1952, originally named the Elton Hoyt 2nd. She sailed for Interlake Steamship Company until she was laid up in 2001 due to lack of demand. She was then purchased by Lower Lakes Towing in 2003 and renamed the Michipicoten before starting work with her new owners. All of the Lower Lakes Towing ship are named after rivers. (Her fleet-mates include the Mississagi, Cuyahoga, and Saginaw... though the Mississagi has since retired with the conclusion of the 2020 season.) In 2010, her steam turbine was replaced with a 6-cylinder 8,200 horsepower diesel engine. Her current cargo capacity is 22,000 tons.

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