Paul R Tregurtha Shoves Through a Chaotic Canal 

Yes! Definitely was surprised to see large(ish) waves this close to summer. Definitely best to remember who’s in charge of the lakes, and it’s not people that’s for sure!

Always do!! Glad you enjoyed!

Lot worse than this, that’s for sure. Wouldn’t want to be there 😬

Lol that would be something! Not sure of the legality of tubing in a shipping lane though 🤔 I might have to ask about that at the museum lol

@@jonathanellsworth21 hey I’ve seen jet skis Go through lol Fear not I wouldn’t want to go through if a ship is coming lol I would try it one time. lol 😂

Can’t beat it!

She put on quite a show! Always a lot of fun to watch 😁

Lol the Bridge isn’t nearly as grating in person. Most of the time anyway, sometimes when it’s cold it can be pretty bad. Not sure why microphones struggle with it so much

Lol yep! Always a great sight though!

Oh yes, she can stay level even in waves 2-3 times this size even! 200 million pounds doesn’t move easily

There’s a lot of different reasons! The big ones are that the hydrodynamic features that work in salt water don’t necessarily work as well in freshwater, physically they behave quite differently. The waves are closer together and steeper, packing much more punch than the same size ocean wave. This means that rolling in the waves puts a lot more stress on the hull and can ultimately sink it. So the bows are designed to smash through the waves rather than roll upwards in them; keeping them as level as possible. A leading theory on how the Edmund Fitzgerald sank for example was her bow raised up on a wave, and with the short spacing between waves, a second wave hit before the first was out from under her. This left water under the bow and stern, but nothing in the center to support it, breaking the ship in two. Additionally the lakes have very tight sections that require precise maneuvering and high visibility from the crew, which a long, flared bow limits. The shorter rounded bows allow for a lot better control in those situations. It also maximizes the cargo space within the length of the ship, so they can fit more cargo into a ship that can squeeze through those tight spaces. Plus ocean going vessels are more concerned about fuel efficiency over long distance since they can go for weeks or months without the ability to refuel and their hulls reflect that. Lakers have that option any time but have a limited operating season, so cargo space is prioritized, hauling more cargo in fewer trips

She went down fairly close to the only shipping channel that leads in and out of Lake Superior, so every ship that sails the lake comes relatively close to the site

It’s always fascinating to see how the water behaves! Not sure I’ve ever seen the lake do that, wonder if the fact that it’s freshwater vs salt water

Glad you enjoyed! She’s actually not new! 43 years old this year! Been the largest freshwater ship in the world for a long time now

Nope! Those work better in salt water, in the Great Lakes they create additional stress on the bow in heavy waves. Salt water and freshwater are similar but they do behave differently. Straight up and down bows work best in the Lakes