I always feel like a five-year-old kid when I see a freighter on the Detroit River.
Have I seen the freighter before along the Detroit River?
Or passing through the Soo Locks?
It doesn’t matter that I’ve seen dozens of freighters on the Great Lakes over the years, I’m always excited to see the lake freighters (or lakers as some people call them).
They are so close to see from the shores of Belle Isle!
And I can’t wait to identify which freighter is heading upbound to the Soo Locks or traveling downbound with a shipment of ore, limestone, grain, or other cargo.
Some of my favorite freighters include the Algowood in the fog, Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder celebrating the holidays, and the Mississagi on one of its last trips for the shipping season.
About the Maumee
The Maumee was downbound heading to Cleveland, Ohio when I saw it on the Detroit River shipping channel next to Belle Isle in Detroit.
Originally built as a straight deck bulker in 1953 by Great Lakes Engineering Works in River Rouge, Michigan, the Maumee was converted to a self-unloading barge in 2008.
The Maumee is 815 feet in length and has a capacity of 25,500 tons.
Its name refers to the Maumee River, which runs from northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio before emptying into Lake Erie.
