Have you ever watched the ore carrier “Paul R. Tregurtha” gliding beneath the raised Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth? Known as the “Queen of the Lakes” the Tregurtha is 1,013′ 06″ long.
To put this into perspective, consider that the tallest building in Duluth is the 16 story, 247 foot tall Alworth Building, which at the time of its construction, was the tallest building in Minnesota from 1910 until 1914. The tallest building in Minnesota now is the IDS Center, which is 792 feet tall. FYI, the Androy in Superior is eight stories, but I was unable to find its actual height anywhere on the web. Amazing how long these ships are by comparison!
Anyway, here is a video by Mike Schrage of the Tregurtha loading at the docks of Superior on June 10, 2011. As you will see, it is quite an undertaking to load one of these behemoths from start to finish!
