Very Tight Sailing as Algoma Intrepid and Great Republic Take the Canal in an Ultra Close Double

A bit of a ship standoff at the Duluth Canal! Some heavy coordination here, I knew we were in for a double when I saw Great Republic on her way in and Algoma Intrepid prepping to leave, but I did not count on Intrepid departing the dock and getting fully lined up for the Canal with Great Republic still in the Canal! Never seen that before, probably the tightest double I’ve seen. As a bonus, barely made it across the bridge before it raised and got a nice closeup there! Algoma Intrepid had arrived a day and a half earlier with a load of road salt for Compass Minerals and was departing for Thunder Bay ON, while Great Republic was arriving with a load of Limestone from northern Michigan for Greymont Superior. The two ships out of pure coincidence met at the same moment at Canal Park, and showed off their full expertise, coordinating safe passage for both ships with not much space to maneuver! Great Republic went first, 634ft long and built in 1981 she was designed and constructed to be the most maneuverable ship in the world, with 8 rudders, controllable pitch propellers, forward and rear facing pilothouses and four control stations. The amount of control is necessary for the very narrow Cuyahoga River in downtown Cleveland and other river ports across the Lakes, where they often fit with less than a foot on all sides. She often carries iron ore from Marquette MI to various ports, and back hauls limestone. She is infrequent in Duluth, the large harbor rarely requiring her special abilities, so she’s more frequent in smaller ports. However she still shows up every month or two for a load, and is always a pleasure to see! Algoma Intrepid is a Canadian laker, 650ft long, built in 2020 in the European nation of Croatia. She is also designed for rivers, although operates in them less frequently, more often making salt runs out of Goderich Ontario across the Great Lakes. Although salt is her primary cargo, she can haul any loose bulk cargo, from ores to stone to grain. One of the newest lakers, she is also one of the busiest, sometimes working through the winter months. Hope you enjoy!!