Commercial Ships on the Great Lakes: A Photo Gallery

For centuries, millions of tons of cargo have moved across the five Great Lakes. The lakes have always held on to the old-school ways of using single screw tugboats, steam propulsion, and incredibly talented engineers and captains who can maneuver their vessels in and out of tight quarters and winding tributaries.

Although the Great Lakes are holding on to their old ways, big changes are occurring and we are at the end of an era.

Original and historic images show ore boats, tugboats, barges, passenger vessels, and workboats at work on the lakes. Final chapters in the boneyard show the near and ultimate demise of these great ships at the end of an era, with newer construction techniques and technically advanced ships replacing the old-timers.