The US and Canadian Coast Guards have been working jointly to free the iconic Great Lakes bulk carrier, SS Arthur M. Anderson, stuck in the ice in Lake Erie near Conneaut Harbor. The laker had been bound for Sturgeon Bay, WI when it became stuck in ice which can be six to ten feet thick in ice ridges formed by the wind. The ship has been stuck for the last five days. The crew of 10 aboard is said to have ample fuel and food. The US Coast Guard 140′ icebreaking tug Bristol Bay has been unable to reach the ship and is awaiting assistance from the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Griffon, a 234-foot multi-mission medium icebreaker.
SS Arthur M. Anderson is a 767 ft long, Great Lakes self-unloader built in 1952. She is known as the last ship to make contact with the ill-fated SS Edmund Fitzgerald before she sank in a November storm in 1975 with the loss of all 29 crew aboard. Thanks to Phil Leon for contributing to this post.
She’s free now, just crossed into Canadian waters at 17:38 est.
Canadian ice breaker Samuel Risley is ileading the way.
Her distination was Wisconsin, but that’s a long way in a frozen lake, however deeper watershould be clear of heavy ice.