It is so sad to see only a few of the classic lake boats left. The Anderson is definitely one of the best, if not the best looking boat left on the lakes!
Soon, though, she will eventually be scraped. That's what happens to them after they reach their full age and potential and it gets way to expensive to keep them modernized and afloat. Sad, but, true.
@@spedsledproductions there are much more deserving vessels on the lakes than the Arthur M Anderson to become a museum ship. The Anderson followed the Fitz, yes, but other than that she's nothing special or interesting. Heck, she had a half-dozen other sister ships, so she's not even unique. Sykes also followed the Fitz, she's much more deserving of museum status. Blough also followed the Fitz, she's much more deserving of museum status. Alpena is the last AA class boat on the lakes and also the largest cement bulk carrier in the world, she's much more deserving of museum status. Perhaps the most worthy ship currently on the lakes for museum status is the Lee A Tregurtha. She's unique, she fought in WWII, and she served with several different historic fleets, among other qualifications.
@@dave3682 yeah you’re right the anderson isn’t but she is still one of my favorite lakers, yeah i first new about the anderson because of the fitz but i still love seeing her in service (even tho many other ships older than her are)
Thanks for sharing this information. It has been most helpful as we are building a slightly compressed O Scale (1/4" = 1 foot) model of the AMA for our RR museum. Our Anderson will be as built in 1952 and be about 11 feet long. A TH-cam progress report is in the works. (If it ever quits snowing ) ☺
Thank 's Wes, I really enjoy information on the practical details of this, or, any ship. Pictures of any ship at large are a pleasure to see, but details of the fabric of a ship really bring it home. I have two excellent photos of the Anderson, if I may say so myself, taken when she was tied up at the SCRC yard in Marine City this past summer. I often load limestone at St. Clair Aggregates, previously known as Mc Clouth Yards, at Marine City, Michigan' was a shipyard at one time. The road commission yard is the next property to the south. Lot's of cool freighter pics on my phone, but some of the best are actual pictures I took back in the 90's, my Kenworth was pretty new, and, back then, nobody said anything if I climed up on the limestone piles to take pictures of freighters, or trucks, or both. My favorites are a series of three, the Wolverine had just let go her lines, and was moving into the river, northbound, for another load. I have previously commented of some of the productions you have shared. I mentioned submarines, which may have made you wonder where I was coming from. It was a short bit of time that I realized that I had a publication from you. "WORLD WAR II & THE GREAT LAKES" I am a Sub fan. My Dad served on the USS Grouper, 214, not built in Manitowac, but just like the ones built there, +, or, -.
This is awesome Wes! Thanks!!! The Anderson is one of our favorite ships, she has history, dignity and honor. We love seeing her still making her daily work trips. Thanks for sharing this!
Excellent video. I wish one of the Anderson's crew members would make a video of the interior to post on TH-cam. Being that the Anderson is most definitely the most beloved boat on the lakes I'm sure a boat-load of people would take interest in video in which she's featured.
From your earlier videos you gave a good explanation of guest quarters and that had me wondering about the engineering spaces. Thanks for covering that, Wes!
hats off Mr. O, you run my new favourite channel!! I assume you are aware of Chief MAKOi's output also? to anyone else who has washed up here, he's well worth supporting
I have a place right at the mouth of the Detroit River where it flows into Lake Erie. The AMA was crossing right in front of my place yesterday (coming from either Monroe or Toledo), and I couldn't even see her-the lake was very rough, with high winds, rain, and fog.
@@authorwes If you saw the Anderson 8 months ago going up bound that would put the timeline to about March, The Anderson was one of the last ships to complete the 2021/2022 season in January with a load of iron ore to Conneaut, Ohio. When she completed her unloading she off season her layup in Toledo, Ohio. Side note. The Anderson came out of winter layup in the middle March and was in the first group of boats to go through the Soo locks on opening day. If you were looking out your window this week the Anderson made it's second season trip to Lake Erie with her destination being Nanticoke, Ontario. The Anderson is one of the hardest working boats on the Great Lakes-Never stops moving.
Great info on probably the most popular ship due to the paired notoriety. Thank you for doing these vids on the classic lake freighters, the barge style MVs just don't have the more graceful look.
Thank you. A clear, no nonsense description of a well loved ship. Do you have, or are you making any more like it? Do any of these or like plans exist in open sources?
Hey W. Wes Olsezewski, Is it possible for you to talk about all the Job Positions of a Crew in a LakeBoat? I am interested in the arrangement and the different roles different crew members play.
The AAA triplets are: the Arthur M. Anderson, the Phillip R. Clarke, and the Cason J. Callaway. In actuality, though, the Anderson has seven sisters, including the Clarke and Callaway. The other five are: the J.L. Mauthe, the Reserve, the Armco, the Edward B. Greene, and the William Clay Ford.
@@rottenroads1982 There are. The most common are the River class. Those are the modern ones built in the 70s and 80s with diesel engines and all cabins aft.
I remember the documentary made in the 1990's and the captain of the Anderson was interviewed. Going from memory he made a comment to the coast guard that if he went back out there could be two boats on the bottom. He also said that he had a lot of confidence in his ship and thought that she was "indestructible" - his adjective. I am sure you have probably seen the documentary I am thinking of. I can't recall it's name.
Captain Cooper. And you are correct, he did say something to that note to the Coast Guard that night. His radio transmissions were made public a while back, but I don't have the link here at my disposal right now.
Awesome video, i subscribed, I love Great Lakes vessels, also, if you find blueprints of the Pinedale (also known as the Norman J. Kopmeier) built in 1906, please tell me we’re you found them.
This ship should become a museum in the end maybe it could be left to sail like the old conversion ships for day trips I dont know if an upgrade to make a deck on top to turn it in to a day trip vessel I know it's probably a dumb Idea but I saw how certain ships at the last turn of the century were converted to be used as a day ferry for riding around in nice weather maybe a flat deck made over and covered areas for a day trip bars and excursions ya know maybe an area for a band
Sadly, that is highly unlikely. Owners of these fleets are largely unconcerned with any boat's history and when they are done with the Anderson, they'll scrap her. Keep in mind that if another fleet were to buy her, then she would compete with her previous owners. Additionally, there are many museum ships around the lakes, and they get by on a very thin budget every season. It costs A LOT to rig a freighter for a museum. By law (ADA) they have to be completely modified to accommodate ALL forms of handicapped visitors (ramps elevators, extra rails, etc) and then to maintain it is very expensive. Most museum ships can hardly pay their light bill. My advice is always to pick your favorite museum ship and buy an annual membership, without regard to if you're going to visit or not.
Thank you so much for this overview, On occasion I see the MV Author M Anderson enter the Duluth North Harbor. How similar or different is she from the MV Edmund Fitzgerald? Are they from the same class and type? And why did a Canuk sign the tribute song?? !! ?? (just kidding on that one, Gordon LIghtfoot does a wonderful job)
Nope- they are different in class. She came out at 729 feet long and the Anderson class was 647. Fitz had only one sister- the Homer, which was nearly an exact duplicate. She was scrapped in the 1980s
Actually it's a good and often asked question. I get them from a good friend and VERY private collector. They are not generally available to the public.
@@authorwes I realize that, but she still still LEFT Whitefish Bay. If you had said that only 2 ships made it to the search area, that would have been different. In either event, Marjanne and her crew nearly sank themselves trying to reach the search area and only turned back once they began taking on water.
Actually James Bell, here, and interestingly enough, the next comment is from "James Thompson", same last name as my grandfather's mother. Royal Oak Thompsons, Bells, and Campbells, as in Campbell Road in Royal Oak, Michigan. I agree with James, the MV's, are want of grace, but do have style, but the classics turned into integrated Tug-Barges are, I am sure, efficient in their new configuration, but I miss their wheelhouse and stack. Especially the "Medusa Challenger", Was "Still Steamin", maybe well, I would have to look it up, but not to long ago as far as the life of a ship goes. She was re-named "Southdown Challenger" at one point I believe. Since then, enginering spaces cut out, including the re-cip steam engine, in favor of a pusher tug. Think her soul is still moving cargo on the lakes. 115 years.
Has there been any talk about what’s going to happen to the Anderson once they take her off the lakes? If the powers that be don’t make this ship a museum of once was it will be a tragedy.
There are a number of museum ships around the lakes- the all operate on a shoestring budget and are often on the brink of closing down every season. It is very costly to turn a vessel into a museum ship and then trying to maintain her. The odds are, when the AAAs are removed from service, they'll all go to scrap. The people who push the pencils and add up the bottom lines at the companies that won the boats have no taste of history. It is better for us to find an existing museum ship and donate to it.
I have in my possession a complete set(?) of these type drawings of the original Wilfred Sykes, 1949, if you would be interested in using them for documentation and/or video?
Nope- her papers said she was planned from the start as an oil burner as were the other Pittsburgh AAAs. This was just after WWII and the Navy had plenty of good luck with oil burners and steam turbines, so that knowledge was passed on to the civilian maritime industry.
It is so sad to see only a few of the classic lake boats left. The Anderson is definitely one of the best, if not the best looking boat left on the lakes!
It really is!
Soon, though, she will eventually be scraped. That's what happens to them after they reach their full age and potential and it gets way to expensive to keep them modernized and afloat. Sad, but, true.
@@danbasta3677 they cant make it a museum?
@@spedsledproductions there are much more deserving vessels on the lakes than the Arthur M Anderson to become a museum ship. The Anderson followed the Fitz, yes, but other than that she's nothing special or interesting. Heck, she had a half-dozen other sister ships, so she's not even unique.
Sykes also followed the Fitz, she's much more deserving of museum status.
Blough also followed the Fitz, she's much more deserving of museum status.
Alpena is the last AA class boat on the lakes and also the largest cement bulk carrier in the world, she's much more deserving of museum status.
Perhaps the most worthy ship currently on the lakes for museum status is the Lee A Tregurtha. She's unique, she fought in WWII, and she served with several different historic fleets, among other qualifications.
@@dave3682 yeah you’re right the anderson isn’t but she is still one of my favorite lakers, yeah i first new about the anderson because of the fitz but i still love seeing her in service (even tho many other ships older than her are)
What a nice detailed review. I now have more to look forward to when it becomes a museum ship. Thanks for your work here Wes. My favorite ship.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing this information. It has been most helpful as we are building a slightly compressed O Scale (1/4" = 1 foot) model of the AMA for our RR museum. Our Anderson will be as built in 1952 and be about 11 feet long. A TH-cam progress report is in the works. (If it ever quits snowing ) ☺
I've seen the Anderson many times, but never from the inside out. Thanks for this!
My pleasure!
Thanks for posting! I'm a huge nerd for this kind of stuff, and I always wondered how these internal spaces were arranged.
Glad I could help!
The design of the old Great Lakes ships is truly an art of its own
I agree
Thank 's Wes,
I really enjoy information on the practical details of this, or, any ship. Pictures of any ship at large are a pleasure to see, but details of the fabric of a ship really bring it home.
I have two excellent photos of the Anderson, if I may say so myself, taken when she was tied up at the SCRC yard in Marine City this past summer.
I often load limestone at St. Clair Aggregates, previously known as Mc Clouth Yards, at Marine City, Michigan' was a shipyard at one time. The road commission yard is the next property to the south.
Lot's of cool freighter pics on my phone, but some of the best are actual pictures I took back in the 90's, my Kenworth was pretty new, and, back then, nobody said anything if I climed up on the limestone piles to take pictures of freighters, or trucks, or both.
My favorites are a series of three, the Wolverine had just let go her lines, and was moving into the river, northbound, for another load.
I have previously commented of some of the productions you have shared. I mentioned submarines, which may have made you wonder where I was coming from.
It was a short bit of time that I realized that I had a publication from you. "WORLD WAR II & THE GREAT LAKES"
I am a Sub fan. My Dad served on the USS Grouper, 214, not built in Manitowac, but just like the ones built there, +, or, -.
My publisher had served aboard the Jallao just before the Navy got rid of her... so he really wanted me to write that chapter about subs.
This is awesome Wes! Thanks!!! The Anderson is one of our favorite ships, she has history, dignity and honor. We love seeing her still making her daily work trips. Thanks for sharing this!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent video. I wish one of the Anderson's crew members would make a video of the interior to post on TH-cam. Being that the Anderson is most definitely the most beloved boat on the lakes I'm sure a boat-load of people would take interest in video in which she's featured.
That would be cool!
From your earlier videos you gave a good explanation of guest quarters and that had me wondering about the engineering spaces. Thanks for covering that, Wes!
Glad it was helpful!
Too old to work now, but would love to sail on her... I learned something - Thanks, Teach! ;)
My pleasure!
Thank you!
You're welcome!
Thank you, sir.
You're welcome
I recently found your channel and find it Fascinating!! Great topics and Excellent Presentation..... your vast knowledge is noteworthy....
Thanks!!
hats off Mr. O, you run my new favourite channel!! I assume you are aware of Chief MAKOi's output also? to anyone else who has washed up here, he's well worth supporting
Thanks!!
Could you go over all the differences in the 8 vessels of the class in a future video?
I'm actually thinking about it
thank you so much, now I can make her model!
Great!
thank you for this video
My pleasure
I have never heard of the bathrooms of lakers called "the water closet" but it's I think my new favorite nickname!
That term goes WAY back too.
Great tour by way of the ships drawings. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Glad you enjoyed it
very good detailed explanation ...thank you
You are welcome! Happy that you enjoyed it
I hope the Anderson is preserved after she is retired. It would be sad to see a historic ship get scrapped.
I agree
I have a place right at the mouth of the Detroit River where it flows into Lake Erie. The AMA was crossing right in front of my place yesterday (coming from either Monroe or Toledo), and I couldn't even see her-the lake was very rough, with high winds, rain, and fog.
Thanks for sharing
@@authorwes If you saw the Anderson 8 months ago going up bound that would put the timeline to about March, The Anderson was one of the last ships to complete the 2021/2022 season in January with a load of iron ore to Conneaut, Ohio. When she completed her unloading she off season her layup in Toledo, Ohio. Side note. The Anderson came out of winter layup in the middle March and was in the first group of boats to go through the Soo locks on opening day. If you were looking out your window this week the Anderson made it's second season trip to Lake Erie with her destination being Nanticoke, Ontario. The Anderson is one of the hardest working boats on the Great Lakes-Never stops moving.
Nice video! Greetings from the birthplace of the Anderson, Lorain OH!
Hello there!
Great info on probably the most popular ship due to the paired notoriety. Thank you for doing these vids on the classic lake freighters, the barge style MVs just don't have the more graceful look.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks Wes,
Nicely done.
Very welcome
Very interesting Wes. I learned a lot.
Glad to hear it!
Thanks Wes Very Very Informative!
Amazing engineering.
Thanks
Thank you. A clear, no nonsense description of a well loved ship. Do you have, or are you making any more like it? Do any of these or like plans exist in open sources?
More to come and others are on this TH-cam site. No, none of these plans are open source. Mine come from a VERY private collector.
@@authorwes I saw that comment, that prompted question? Thank you.
Hey W. Wes Olsezewski, Is it possible for you to talk about all the Job Positions of a Crew in a LakeBoat?
I am interested in the arrangement and the different roles different crew members play.
The AAA triplets are: the Arthur M. Anderson, the Phillip R. Clarke, and the Cason J. Callaway. In actuality, though, the Anderson has seven sisters, including the Clarke and Callaway. The other five are: the J.L. Mauthe, the Reserve, the Armco, the Edward B. Greene, and the William Clay Ford.
I am curious. There is the AAA class of Lake Freighter, but are there other classes?
@@rottenroads1982 There are. The most common are the River class. Those are the modern ones built in the 70s and 80s with diesel engines and all cabins aft.
Great vlog as always. Strange that the lakers do not have owners suites on any of the ships.
Yes they do... in fact I did a 3 part series on that... it starts with this one th-cam.com/video/tU_YDrRH8HA/w-d-xo.html
Where'd you get these? i'm trying to make a model of her
The answer is here: th-cam.com/video/7JsEhLgl-gY/w-d-xo.html
I remember the documentary made in the 1990's and the captain of the Anderson was interviewed.
Going from memory he made a comment to the coast guard that if he went back out there could be two boats on the bottom.
He also said that he had a lot of confidence in his ship and thought that she was "indestructible" - his adjective.
I am sure you have probably seen the documentary I am thinking of. I can't recall it's name.
Captain Cooper. And you are correct, he did say something to that note to the Coast Guard that night. His radio transmissions were made public a while back, but I don't have the link here at my disposal right now.
Thank you that is so cool to see the Anderson's deck plans. To any detailed plans exist for the Fitz?
Yes, but I do not have them.
Awesome video, i subscribed, I love Great Lakes vessels, also, if you find blueprints of the Pinedale (also known as the Norman J. Kopmeier) built in 1906, please tell me we’re you found them.
Thanks! Will do!
This ship should become a museum in the end maybe it could be left to sail like the old conversion ships for day trips I dont know if an upgrade to make a deck on top to turn it in to a day trip vessel I know it's probably a dumb Idea but I saw how certain ships at the last turn of the century were converted to be used as a day ferry for riding around in nice weather maybe a flat deck made over and covered areas for a day trip bars and excursions ya know maybe an area for a band
If you got the $ do it! I think it's a great concept.
Hey Wes, do you think that they will make the Anderson a museum ship like the Schoonmaker
Sadly, that is highly unlikely. Owners of these fleets are largely unconcerned with any boat's history and when they are done with the Anderson, they'll scrap her. Keep in mind that if another fleet were to buy her, then she would compete with her previous owners. Additionally, there are many museum ships around the lakes, and they get by on a very thin budget every season. It costs A LOT to rig a freighter for a museum. By law (ADA) they have to be completely modified to accommodate ALL forms of handicapped visitors (ramps elevators, extra rails, etc) and then to maintain it is very expensive. Most museum ships can hardly pay their light bill. My advice is always to pick your favorite museum ship and buy an annual membership, without regard to if you're going to visit or not.
Thank you so much for this overview, On occasion I see the MV Author M Anderson enter the Duluth North Harbor. How similar or different is she from the MV Edmund Fitzgerald? Are they from the same class and type? And why did a Canuk sign the tribute song?? !! ?? (just kidding on that one, Gordon LIghtfoot does a wonderful job)
Nope- they are different in class. She came out at 729 feet long and the Anderson class was 647. Fitz had only one sister- the Homer, which was nearly an exact duplicate. She was scrapped in the 1980s
Have you done a video like this for the fitz???
Nope- too many already out there.
Is there a way to get a copy of these plans? I’m interested in building a model of her.
Mine are from a VERY private collector, so I really cannot answer. You may try the BGSU collection, however.
This is probably a ridiculous question, but where do you obtain blueprints like these?
Actually it's a good and often asked question. I get them from a good friend and VERY private collector. They are not generally available to the public.
Looooove her
She's a good boat
What year were the bridge wings added?
Extended bridge wings are almost always added when the self unloading equipment is installed.
Nice Vid
Glad you like it
The Anderson is still a fine ship.
Occasionally see her entering and leaving Duluth.
Indeed
Were do you get these original plans from?
From a VERY private collector.
There were actually 3 vessels that left Whitefish Bay, not 2. They were Arthur M Anderson, William Clay Ford, and Hilda Marjanne.
The Marjanne upped anchor and headed out, but then turned back.
@@authorwes I realize that, but she still still LEFT Whitefish Bay. If you had said that only 2 ships made it to the search area, that would have been different.
In either event, Marjanne and her crew nearly sank themselves trying to reach the search area and only turned back once they began taking on water.
Unbelievable that such an old, single hulled vessel is still in use!
Yep... considering the past 30 years.
I believe she has a double bottom.
James
Actually James Bell, here, and interestingly enough, the next comment is from "James Thompson", same last name as my grandfather's mother.
Royal Oak Thompsons, Bells, and Campbells, as in Campbell Road in Royal Oak, Michigan.
I agree with James, the MV's, are want of grace, but do have style, but the classics turned into integrated Tug-Barges are, I am sure, efficient in their new configuration, but I miss their wheelhouse and stack.
Especially the "Medusa Challenger", Was "Still Steamin", maybe well, I would have to look it up, but not to long ago as far as the life of a ship goes. She was re-named "Southdown Challenger" at one point I believe.
Since then, enginering spaces cut out, including the re-cip steam engine, in favor of a pusher tug.
Think her soul is still moving cargo on the lakes. 115 years.
Quick Question: whats the point of that tiny smokestack behind the bridge?
That is the exhaust for the diesel engine that runs the bow thruster
@@authorwes OK thanks. I've been wondering what that was about
how much did it cost
Has there been any talk about what’s going to happen to the Anderson once they take her off the lakes? If the powers that be don’t make this ship a museum of once was it will be a tragedy.
There are a number of museum ships around the lakes- the all operate on a shoestring budget and are often on the brink of closing down every season. It is very costly to turn a vessel into a museum ship and then trying to maintain her. The odds are, when the AAAs are removed from service, they'll all go to scrap. The people who push the pencils and add up the bottom lines at the companies that won the boats have no taste of history. It is better for us to find an existing museum ship and donate to it.
Is there a map plan of the ship that exists that's more up to date like 2017 or so
Not that I have access to.
@@authorwes darn lol
I have in my possession a complete set(?) of these type drawings of the original Wilfred Sykes, 1949, if you would be interested in using them for documentation and/or video?
Contact me at wesoleszewski@gmail.com
The William Clay Ford is Arthur M Andersons sister ship
They were both AAA class boats. The Ford's forward Texas cabin was a different arrangement, however.
Do you know what her paint scheme was?
Iron ore red/brown outside with white cabins. Inside was decks gray and walls white.
Three cargo holds just like the Fitz.
Pretty much
I thought the Anderson burned coal at launch
Nope- her papers said she was planned from the start as an oil burner as were the other Pittsburgh AAAs. This was just after WWII and the Navy had plenty of good luck with oil burners and steam turbines, so that knowledge was passed on to the civilian maritime industry.
To bad you couldn't get a ticket to travel on her from one end to the Great lakes to the other room As a guest.
The owners, "Great Lakes Fleet" is not willing to take guests these days.