Here is the 1000-footer Presque Isle seen arriving and docking in Duluth, Minnesota on the evening of May 17, 2024. She had loaded taconite pellets at Two Harbors, Minnesota earlier in the day. But instead of heading to Indiana Harbor, Indiana to offload the pellets as scheduled, she made a 2-hour detour to Duluth. Apparently she needed some quick repairs completed at Port Terminal before she could continue with her journey. (I was told it was possibly a generator that needed repairing.) On her way in through the Duluth shipping canal, the crew were obviously in a good mood despite this unplanned stop. The Presque Isle sounded out four captain's salutes. The first salute received a response from the Aerial Lift Bridge.
Many aspects of this arrival were unusual. Besides being an unusual ship in itself as the only 1000-foot tug-and-barge combination, the Presque Isle isn't a frequent visitor to Duluth, even when the visits are planned. She usually only visits Duluth a few times a year. Second, it's unusual to see a 1000-footer arrive fully loaded through the shipping canal, sitting so low in the water. Almost all of the 1000-footers arrive empty to take on taconite or coal. Third, it's rare to get such a good front-on view of the Presque Isle as she docks. Usually she loads at Two Harbors, where such a view is reserved only for the dock workers. Seeing the Presque Isle from this angle... and seeing the crew using the bosun's chair... is a rare opportunity that I'm glad I could capture.
The repairs to the Presque Isle fortunately didn't take very long, as she was making her way out through the Duluth shipping canal about six hours later. I was there to capture the sight, but that will be another video for another day!
The 1000-foot Presque Isle entered service in 1973. She is the only one of the thirteen 1000-footers on the Great Lakes that is a tug-and-barge combination, making her unique among ships of this size. The barge is the cargo section capable of carrying up to 57,500 tons of cargo. The tug section contains the engines, pilot house, and living quarters for the crew. Both sections are named Presque Isle, as both were built to only operate with each other, despite their ability to separate. Separating allows the tug section to get fueled or serviced on its own, without the need to bring along the cargo section. In practice, however, it appears they rarely separate except under rare circumstances. All remaining 1000-footers built after the Presque Isle are self-contained ships, with the engines, living quarters, bridge, and cargo section contained within one hull.
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