The steamship Arthur M. Anderson was built in Lorain, Ohio in 1952, alongside the Philip R. Clarke and Cason J. Callaway freighters. The Arthur M. Anderson has a unique place in Great Lakes shipping history: it is the last ship to have been in contact with the Edmund Fitzgerald before it sank in Lake Superior in 1975, and later braved the deadly weather to search for survivors from the doomed freighter. Bahman Anvari is an instrumentalist. His first commercially available single, "Monir," is featured in this episode and features Radean Anvari on guitar and arrangements by Elton Farokh Ahi. In this eScapes scene, the Anderson leaves Duluth-Superior Harbor at the southwestern tip of Lake Superior. When we take our time to watch a freighter or a great ship of any kind, we realize how connected we all really are. As these graceful beasts move purposefully from country to country, continent to continent, the shipping trade brings our world together. From the bow wake to the splash of the rudder, enjoy the beauty and power of the freighter. The SS Arthur M. Anderson came out of the dry dock of the American Ship Building Company of Lorain, Ohio in 1952. It had a length of 647 feet, 70 foot beam, a 36 foot depth, and a gross tonnage of roughly 20,000 tons. It was second of eight of the AAA class of lake freighters; the others being, in order, the SS Philip R. Clarke, SS Cason J. Callaway, SS Reserve, SS J.L. Mauthe, SS Armco, SS Edward B. Greene, and the SS William Clay Ford. It, along with the SS Philip R. Clarke and SS Cason J. Callaway, was built for the Pittsburgh Steamship Division of U.S. Steel. The Anderson's sea-trials commenced on 7 August 1952, and it loaded its first cargo at the Two Harbors dock on August 12th. It received several refits in its life including a new 120 foot mid-section which added about 6,000 tons to its gross tonnage. In 1981 it received a self unloading boom which improved its cargo loading and unloading. It is unique among the three Great Lakes Fleet steamships in that it has a softer mid-section that prohibits loading as much cargo as the others; roughly 1500 tons less. The SS Arthur M. Anderson unloading at Huron, Ohio in 2008. Its namesake, Arthur Marvin Anderson, was director of U.S. Steel at the time. It has been a member of the U.S. Steel fleet its entire life, and is still sailing as of 2011

• published: 09 Sep 2013
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