Michipicoten - Superior Day on Lake Superior

Here is the Michipicoten making an 8:30am departure from Duluth, Minnesota on May 15, 2023. She had just completed loading taconite (iron ore) pellets at the Canadian National dock in West Duluth and was bound for Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie... a 26-hour journey across Lake Superior. This has been her "regular" run for most of the shipping season so far, though she has also loaded at Superior and Two Harbors for the same delivery destination.

The Michipicoten is always a fast boat when moving through the harbor. This departure was no exception as she didn't waste any time making the turn and heading out of the shipping canal... taking on Lake Superior for another run. On her way out, she sounded a nice captain's salute, with the Aerial Lift Bridge replying in kind. Given Lake Superior's reputation for unpredictable weather, days like these must be the dream of any lake freighter captain... calm air, calm water, nice temperatures, and sunny skies. While there are plenty of nice days to offset the stormy days, rarely do you get conditions this ideal all around. This was surely a “superior” type of day if there ever was one!

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 was retired at the conclusion of the 2020 season and was scrapped.) 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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