📢Legendary PAUL R. TREGURTHA Returns To Duluth With Lift Bridge Salute -- 2026 Shipping Begins!

The Queen of The Lakes Paul R. Tregurtha and the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge share a salute as she arrives to load cargo in the Duluth-Superior harbor. "The PAUL R. TREGURTHA measures 1,013 feet and 6 inches in length, 105 feet in width, and 56 feet in depth. Originally built as the William J. Delancey in 1981 by the American Shipbuilding Company at Lorain, Ohio. She is powered by two 8,040hp 6-cylinder Mak diesel engines which give her a top speed of 14 knots, or about 16mph. She is also equipped with a 1,500hp bow thruster to aid her maneuverability in port. The PAUL R. TREGURTHA has 36 hatches on her deck which open into 5 cargo holds located below deck; each hatch covering measures 65 by 11 feet and weighs 6 tons each. She has a maximum carrying capacity of 71,300 tons. Above her deck is a 260 foot self-unloading boom which allows her to unload her own cargo at a rate of 10,000 tons per hour without the aid of shore side equipment. The PAUL R. TREGURTHA is currently owned and operated by the Interlake Steamship Company of Middleburg Heights, Ohio. Named in honor of the Vice Chairman of Interlake Steamship Company, the TREGURTHA is known as the “Queen of the Lakes” for being the longest vessel on the Great Lakes. She was built in two sections, which were joined at American Shipbuilding’s Lorain yard, ending that shipyard’s long history of Great Lakes shipbuilding. The TREGURTHA was built for $60 million and became the flagship of Interlake Steamship. She was re-christened with her current name in 1990 to reflect Interlake’s newer owners. The historic Interlake Steamship Company was founded in 1913 by the massive mining and steel producing Pickands Mather & Company, which began operating ships in 1883. The fleet was sold into private hands in 1987 and currently operates 9 ships and 1 integrated tug-barge unit on the Great Lakes. Scipt written by Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center Park Rangers in Duluth, MN using information from Boatnerd.com, Know Your Ships and other sources. "