Paul R. Tregurtha – The Queen Starts Her Season in Style

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Here is my first video for the 2022 shipping season, featuring none other than the “Queen of the Lakes,” the Paul R. Tregurtha. This is the Tregurtha’s first trip of the season, having wintered in Duluth. She moved over to the Superior Midwest Energy Terminal (SMET) in the early evening hours of April 2, 2022 to pick up a load of coal. This video starts the following morning just before sunrise, with the Tregurtha departing SMET. We see her make her way under the John A. Blatnik bridge and round Rice’s Point. I then moved over to Canal Park to watch her make the turn to line up with the shipping canal. The tugboat Missouri was on hand to help break up some of the ice in the harbor. The Tregurtha then passed under the Aerial Lift Bridge and made her way onto Lake Superior. On her way out, she sounded a nice captain’s salute consisting of one long and two short blasts. (Note: The Aerial Lift Bridge did salute in return, but I edited it out since it was a little too distorted to be enjoyable.) The Tregurtha’s destination was St. Clair, Michigan, where the low sulfur coal is used for the power plant located there.

It has been a relatively slow start to the 2022 shipping season. While a few boats have come and gone before the Tregurtha started her season, early season shipping action has been lighter than we’ve seen in past years. This has likely been due to weather conditions (and ice), especially on the eastern end of Lake Superior near Whitefish Bay. Also, demand for ore seems to be somewhat lower this year so far, with several ships getting late starts. For example, the Tregurtha’s fleet mate, the Stewart J. Cort, isn’t scheduled to start her season until late May. Hopefully we see things pick up soon, especially once the weather warms and the remaining ice has melted!

The 1013′ 6″ Paul R. Tregurtha is the longest ship on the Great Lakes, earning her the title “Queen of the Lakes.” She has held that title longer than any other lake carrier. She was launched in 1981 as the William J. DeLancey, a name she carried until 1990 when she was named after the Vice Chairman of Interlake Steamship, the ship’s operator. The Paul R. Tregurtha is powered by a pair of medium-speed MaK M43C 6-cylinder diesel engines providing a combined 17,120 BHP. Her five cargo holds are accessed by 36 deck hatches. She can hold a maximum of 68,000 tons. Her self-unloading system consists of a 260-foot unloading boom which can discharge at a rate of 10,000 tons of iron ore per hour or 6,000 net tons of coal per hour.

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23 thoughts on “Paul R. Tregurtha – The Queen Starts Her Season in Style”

  2. How beautiful is this! Great and grand and pure power…I'd love to see aoc try to stop this coal. This video gives me great hope and faith in America, somehow. Thank you so much!

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  5. The Paul R. Tregurtha….The Queen at sunrise…
    And theres no better way to start the season. A beautiful sapphire sky above her and sapphire waves beneath her.
    Then a little friend, the Missouri to help her make the turn. A great capture of her as she makes her pivot to push through the Canal. She pushes on through to show shes the boss. Excellent departure shot as she heads out on her highway..
    Superior..for another season's work.
    So glad to see her again and so glad you're back with videos! Thank you..

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  6. The morning lighting made you choice of vantage points even more impressive. Excellent camera work, editing and info as always. I'm looking forward to seeing your videos through this coming season. Thank you for sharing your efforts with us.

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  18. << For example, the Tregurtha's fleet mate, the Stewart J. Cort, isn't scheduled to start her season until late May >> Interesting. I do see the Cort right now heading towards Sturgeon Bay. Obviously for service. Hope shipping picks up. Reduced demand for ore as car production is way, way down.

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