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How big of a ship can get to the Great Lakes?

The maximum vessel size for each of the eight lock chambers is 225.6 m length; 23.8 m beam; 8.1 m draft. A livestream of marine traffic on the Great Lakes is available here.



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The maximum vessel size for each of the eight lock chambers is 225.6 m length; 23.8 m beam; 8.1 m draft. A livestream of marine traffic on the Great Lakes is available here.

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Lawrence Seaway is a deep draft waterway extending 3,700 km (2,340 miles) from the Atlantic Ocean to the head of the Great Lakes, in the heart of North America.

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The primary reason for shipwrecks on the Great Lakes is stormy weather, specifically in the upper portions of Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and Lake Superior. In the late fall and early winter, weather can be particularly treacherous. Most Great Lakes shipwrecks occurred in the late fall.

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Lake Superior is the world's largest freshwater lake by area (31,700 mi2 /82,100 km2). It is also the coldest and deepest of the Great Lakes, with a maximum depth of 406 meters (1,332 feet). By most measures, it is the healthiest of all the Great Lakes.

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It's hard to say which freighter is your favorite when comparing the countless vessels that traverse the waters of the Great Lakes. Although, there are 13 that stand out from the crowd for their sheer goliath-like size. Their sizes range from 1,000 feet in length to 1,013 and they all American.

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Average Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Deckhand yearly pay in the United States is approximately $50,000, which is 26% above the national average.

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SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter that sank in Lake Superior during a storm on November 10, 1975, with the loss of the entire crew of 29 men. When launched on June 7, 1958, she was the largest ship on North America's Great Lakes, and she remains the largest to have sunk there.

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Of course, the most famous Great Lakes shipwreck was that of the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975, with none of the 29 members of its crew surviving the waters of Lake Superior. And the most deadly event was the 1958 sinking of the Carl Bradley in Lake Michigan, claiming the lives of all but two of 35 shipmates onboard.

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In addition to their cargo load, these ships can also carry up to 12 people, which can include luckily travelers if there's space. You usually don't buy a ticket for these journeys. Rather, you need to either know someone in the crew or win a ticket in a raffle.

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At the deepest measured point, Lake Superior is 1,332 feet, around a quarter-mile straight down. Again, comparing it to the next deepest point in another Great Lake, Lake Michigan comes in second with a depth of 925 feet.

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