Lake freighter

Great Lakes ships, including Great Lakes crossing vessels (English Great Lakes freighter, Lake freighter, laker or Lake boats ) are ships that are used exclusively or predominantly on the Great Lakes for the transport of bulk cargoes.

The group of Great Lakes vessels forms in the broader sense own ship type, but not a homogeneous type of ship. Common characteristics of the vessels is the bulk transport on the Great Lakes and the operation by U.S. and Canadian carriers. The latter is due excludes by the Jones Act, the ships under foreign flags of cabotage.

Particulars

Within this community can be both historically, as many different groups of different ships also due to the use or size.

Although it long before that ships were that were tailored to the specific needs of the Great Lakes Cruise (eg special types of sailing ships, with which lumber was transported, or the Walrücken ), formed around the end of the 19th century has its own style known as the Laker bulk Carriers out. The traditional Great Lakes ships are in a ratio of long and narrow, have a forward deckhouse arranged with bridge abutments, a relative long average cargo space and a second flatter structure on the whole the aft machinery. In recent decades, however, more and more ships were sent to ride the prevailing also in ships design with all situated aft machinery and arranged above the deckhouse with bridge superstructures. The external appearance of new buildings today, therefore, is similar to the normal bulk carriers.

The beginning of the equipment with a further feature of much of the discussed vessels Selbstentladevorichtungen is regularly equated with the conversion of the 65-meter long wooden vessel for self-discharging Hennepin in 1902. Was soon followed by more and larger renovations and new buildings. The year 1908 marked the construction of the first new Wyandotte designed for the Great Lakes ride Selbstentladers. In the years 1920-1960, the share of self unloaders increased still further, and since 1965 almost exclusively ships of this type were built. The still existing vessels without Selbstentladevorichtungen be ( German: Geraddecker ) Straight decker called and belong predominantly Canadian shipping companies.

A further distinction is that in real Laker and so-called Salties ( German about: Salzies ).

A remarkable fact is the conspicuously long service life, reaching far the largest part of the Great Lakes fleet. The reason is mainly in use in a fresh water area, which considerably less exposed to the hull of the usual salt water corrosion. If normal seagoing vessels scrapped after an average of 25 to 30 years, the average life of the Laker is equal to higher decades.

In addition to the originally built for operation on the Great Lakes ships, there are numerous seagoing vessels, which were adjusted by modifications, such as extension and detail about the circumstances of this cruising area.

Dimensioning

Depending on the intended trading area there are different sized Laker. A particularly well-known measure is the Seawaymax, which just may pass through the locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the connection between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. Ships of this type are 226 m long, 24 m wide and have a draft of 7.9 m and a height above the water surface of a maximum of 35.5 m. Seawaymax ships can carry about 28,500 tons of cargo. Seawaymaxschiffe, which are also seaworthy, ergo can also operate seaports outside the Great Lakes, are called Salties. The Salties included a series of convoys usually Articulated Tug Barges, the ports of the Great Lakes connect to U.S. East Coast ports.

In addition, there are larger ( real ) Laker, restrict their use on the Great Lakes whose dimensions. These larger ships are up to 308 meters long and equipped with load capacities up to 72,000 tons.