Lake freighter

SS *Arthur M. Anderson*, with pilothouse forward and engine room astern, also equipped with a self-unloading boom.

Lake freighters, or lakers, are bulk carriers operating on the Great Lakes of North America. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships.^[1]^[2] Freighters typically have a long, narrow hull, a raised pilothouse, and the engine located at the rear of the ship.

Lakers have been used since the late 19th century to haul raw material from docks in the upper Great Lakes region to the industrial centers of the Midwest. The navigation season typically begins in late March and ends mid-January due to the formation of ice on the lakes.^[3]

SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank in 1975, became widely known as the largest and most recent major vessel to be wrecked on the Great Lakes.

^ Brown, Chris W. III; Young, Claiborne S. (1998). Cruising Guide to New York Waterways & Lake Champlain (1st ed.). Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing. p. 53. ISBN 9781565542501. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
^ Thompson, Mark L. (1991). Steamboats & Sailors of the Great Lakes. Wayne State University Press. p. 78-98. ISBN 9780814323595. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
^ LCA. "Icebreaking FAQs". Retrieved May 19, 2024.

[1] Brown, Chris W. III; Young, Claiborne S. (1998). Cruising Guide to New York Waterways & Lake Champlain (1st ed.). Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing. p. 53. ISBN 9781565542501. Retrieved November 15, 2012.

[:5-2] Thompson, Mark L. (1991). Steamboats & Sailors of the Great Lakes. Wayne State University Press. p. 78-98. ISBN 9780814323595. Retrieved November 17, 2012.

[3] LCA. "Icebreaking FAQs". Retrieved May 19, 2024.

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