Sault Ste. Marie

A crewman walks along the deck on Herbert C. Jackson at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. He gives a sense of scale for the large hatches which occupy the ship's deck. Jackson's not a large boat by current standards, but she's certainly large enough to satisfy most of us. Notice the sightseeing boat Chief Shingwauk in Poe Lock, beyond the Jackson (which is in Macarthur Lock). Engineers Day 2005.

Herbert C. Jackson was built with a passenger cabin. Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan; Engineers Day, 2005.

In Sault Ste. Marie's Macarthur Lock. Ontario's Sault in the background. And notice all the people on the massive lock door.

Interlake's steamer Herbert C. Jackson at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, on Engineers Day, June, 2005. The Jackson's self-unloader conversion occurred in 1975. Here we see the end of the unloader boom as the ship passes into Macarthur Lock. The International Bridge to Sault, Ontario, shows nicely in the background.

The unloading boom--and most of the deck--of the laker Herbert C. Jackson, at the Soo Locks in June of 2005. Most modern Great Lakes ships have self-unloading capabilities, which greatly increases their usefulness.

Interlake's Herbert C. Jackson at Macarthur Lock, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, June of 2005.

Detail view of the self-unloading boom on Interlake's lakes boat Herbert C. Jackson, shot at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, in 2005. One of the attractions of boatwatching at the Soo is that you really get this close to the boats.

The Corps of Engineers has a large crane barge, called Paul Bunyan, at Sault Ste. Marie. Shown here in Davis Lock on Engineers Day, 2005.

You do this often enough--many lakers lock through at the Soo twice each week--and the guys holding the cables start to seem like old friends. Herbert C. Jackson @ Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, June of 2005.

The highway bridge (above) and the railroad bridge (below), crossing above the St. Mary's Falls--and the locks--between Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Another photo from Engineers Day, 2005.

Passenger ship Nantucket Clipper and 1000-foot lakes boat Oglebay Norton downbound at Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, sometime in 1998. This is my Chinon Genesis at its best. I reached through the fence, pointed it at the ships, and let the camera get the focus right. It generally handled these situations right; over the years I learned to trust it. Of course, if I tried to do this nowadays I'd likely get shot....

One of the many hatches on the deck of the great lakes freighter Herbert C. Jackson. Sault Ste. Marie, June, 2005.

At Sault Ste. Marie in 1998. We didn't realize it yet, but the Clipper --a passenger ship cruising on the Great Lakes--was just ending a cruise. She parked here long enough for the passengers to finish their dinner, then moved a bit down the river and let everyone off. She's now mostly cruising elsewhere , but there are other cruises available. Certainly looked like a fun vacation....

On Lakes freighter Herbert C. Jackson, @ Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Engineer's Day, 2005.

The best thing about boatwatching the MacArthur Lock in Sault Ste. Marie is that you're so close to the boat, and to the people on the boat. For the next few photos, we'll be watching these gents pass by as the ship works its way through the lock. Sault, Michigan; June, 2005.

At Sault Ste Marie, Michigan; June of 2005. Someone, sometime, decided that guy with the yellow helmet needed an awning....

More stern details of the lakes boat Herbert C. Jackson. Sault Ste Marie, Michigan; June 24, 2005 (Sesquicentennial Engineers Day).

Great lakes ore carrier Herbert C. Jackson being locked downstream in MacArthur Lock @ Sault Ste Marie, Michigan; June of 2005.