Once the Largest Ocean Ship Ever to Sail the Great Lakes- Algoma Discovery

And now permanently homed in the Lakes! Algoma Discovery departing Duluth on a rainy May 4th, with iron ore from Two Harbors. Why? Because she was loaded incorrectly. So after a couple days of waiting out on the lake, they sailed to Duluth to the Port Terminal, where the large dock cranes redistributed the iron ore in her holds for more proper weight distribution. She then set sail for Hamilton, Ontario. Strangely, she is not a very well known or often filmed vessel in Duluth, despite the fact that she’s one of the most common visitors to the port, with 6 trips so far this season to Duluth and Superior. The only ships with more arrivals so far are Michipicoten and John G Munson. Granted one of those trips (this one) was sort of unplanned lol.
Built in 1987 in Yugoslavia, she was one of three sister ships constructed specifically for Great Lakes to Europe routes. At 730ft long, these seawaymax type vessels are 50-100ft longer than the standard Saltie sailing the Great Lakes, even today. With a carrying capacity of over 37,300 tons and over 1,600,000 cubic feet of cargo space, what is now known as Algoma Discovery has a slightly higher capacity than the other two sisters or any of the other Seaway-Max vessels, making her the largest ocean capable vessel to ever sail on the lakes. Originally named Malinska, she sailed as a Yugoslavian freighter for many years, as well as brief stints under the Maltese, Turkish and Croatian flags. In 1997 she and her sisters were bought by a Norwegian company and the the ship was renamed Daviken.
By the late 2000s the ships were getting old, the average lifespan of 20 years for oceangoing vessels quickly approaching before the salt damage from the water often becomes economically unsustainable. With the vessels starting to sail on their last legs, the company was approached by Algoma to use as Lakers to replace some 60 year old straight deckers that they were struggling to keep in operation. In 2008 the three ships were renamed Algomas Discovery, Guardian, and Spirit. The four massive cranes on their decks were removed to allow easier loading, and they started their careers as straight decked lakers. The reaction even from ship experts was dubious. These were ships just a couple years away from going to the scrapyards, it seemed like a very bad move, even if the ships were purchased for practically pennies.
Ultimately, the gamble paid off very well for Algoma, the three ships were incredibly successful workhorses, with all three lasting another 12 years after their purchase. The Algoma Spirit was removed from service and scrapped in 2021 due to issues with her aging hull, but Discovery sails on, regularly hauling Iron Ore from Duluth/Superior to Hamilton. Algoma Guardian is currently laid up in Goderich, Ontario. It’s unclear exactly for what reason. It could be because of the light winter this last year, not as many ships are needed because not as much salt was used, a common cargo for some of Algoma’s other vessels. Or it could be because the vessel’s hull was very visibly starting to show wear and tear by the end of the 2023 season. To say she looks rough is almost an understatement. She does have her AIS locator on however, so it’s still possible she’ll sail this season. Only time will tell!
Regardless, the Discovery has now been sailing far past her expected lifespan and despite some clear signs of rust from her oceangoing past, she shows no signs of stopping any time soon. She even survived an engine fire in early 2023, surprising everyone, most ship watchers thinking she was done for, including yours truly. With a large crowd gathered despite the rain, she saluted both the Bridge and the Vista Star (on their first day of the season), she made her presence known! The Blue Beast sails on.

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Salutes at 4:35 and 6:19.
Sorry about the occasional clicking noise in the audio by the way, did eventually figure out what was causing it and fixed it. Little loose piece near the microphone. Might pop up in a few other videos as well

[@laurenolson8492]

Very cool to know!! Thanks!!!

[@jonathanellsworth21]

No problem, glad you enjoyed!

[@teaeff8898]

Good video. I Appreciate the info!

[@gregmctevia5087]

☔️☔️☔️very pretty.

[@jonathanellsworth21]

Thanks! Lol maybe not the nicest day but the ships don’t wait 😂

[@gregmctevia5087]

@@jonathanellsworth21 And neither should you 😆😆👊👊

[@jonathanellsworth21]

@@gregmctevia5087nope! 😃

[@NickolasFigler-fi3wj]

The lake ships seem to a lot wider and blunt at the stem than the ocean ships.

[@jonathanellsworth21]

They’re wider because the locks between the ocean and the lakes are only 80ft wide. The locks between the lakes are over 100, so the lakers can be wider. Plus the ocean going ship have sharper bows because they need to be able to cross the whole ocean without refueling and don’t need to navigate tight areas as often.

[@gerryphillips-fs7ey]

Hardly any wake.