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Lake Superior is a superior lake because...
It's the biggest freshwater lake in the world by area
It's the third largest by volume.
It has enough water to fill the other Great Lakes and have 3 Eires left over.
It holds 10% of the world's fresh water.
Yeah, yeah, it's a big lake I've seen it on the maps, driven by it on the north side.
350 miles long.
160 miles wide.
2800 mile shoreline.
3000 cubic miles of water.
Watershed of 49,300 square miles
Ho hum, big lake
Holy Shit! That's humongous !!
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Remains large even though a giant Edmund Fitzgerald has filled its bottom?
This winter, I noticed it never froze over. Was watching shipping through that and other great lakes. That once shutdown after Thanksgiving and were frozen all winter.
Some US Navy ships are (were) built up there. How do they get to the ocean? Like the guy who built a sailboat in his basement. Then had to discover how to get it out.
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I visited the shipyard/museum where they built the WWII submarines.
After testing in Lake Michigan, cut off the conning towers and moved them through the canal to the Mississippi River. At New Orleans the tower was welded back on and off to war.
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warning tangental: Our heavy production during and following WW2 was remarkable. Just thinking about the quantity and quality of aircraft built and destroyed is mind boggling. Dad still has a 1947 Farmall H in his barn which could easily be rebuilt to run before it's 80th birthday. Superior indeed.
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Superior is very cold. Compared to Michigan. But the shipwrecks are well preserved. Because it's damn cold. (view via glass bottom boat tour or using scuba)
Here's how to get to the Ocean.
"sail through the Soo Locks connecting Superior to Huron and then on to Lake Erie. To get from Lake Ontario, you need to pass the Welland Canal to bypass Niagara Falls. From there via the St. Lawrence Seaway via a series of locks you’ll end up in the Atlantic"
(haven't tried it personally, but I know it's a thing)
No The Lakes did not freeze this year. The ponds barely froze. No pond hockey happened.
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Well there might have been pond hockey in The Soo.
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monster wrote:
"sail through the Soo Locks connecting Superior to Huron and then on to Lake Erie. To get from Lake Ontario, you need to pass the Welland Canal to bypass Niagara Falls. From there via the St. Lawrence Seaway via a series of locks you’ll end up in the Atlantic"
Welland Canal was built too small. Most freight gets to Europe by going down the Mississippi River. Or by railroad containers to ships in Newark, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Ships using the Welland Canal are too small to be economical.
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The Welland is almost 200 years old when they couldn't imagine the size of the ships now.
Even when it was rebuilt near 100 years ago cargo ships were the size of private yachts today.
Last edited by xoxoxoBruce (3/27/2024 6:54 pm)
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xoxoxoBruce wrote:
Even when it was rebuilt near 100 years ago cargo ships were the size of private yachts today.
Welland canal was built in Eisenhower's time - early 1950s. 30 years after the Panama Canal - and not anywhere near as large. It was built only for ships of that time. Unlike the Panama canal (and others throughout the world) that were built for future ships.
Knowing that a nearly 00 year old canal was finally too small, Panama built a second larger canal finished in 2016. For ships in the next 80 years. Welland canal was too tiny when built. From Wikipedia:
In the 1950s, with the building of the present St. Lawrence Seaway, a standard depth of 8.2 m (27 ft) was adopted.
. In 1960s, channels even into all ocean harbors were 30 feet or deeper. To handle current and future ships of that time.
A fifth canal was proposed. To carry Panamax ships that would be standard 20 years later. All planning died quickly. But then today's Americans are driven by right wing extremists who only want profits; do not want to build anything.
Right wing extremists, 15 years ago, also killed two desperately needed train tunnels under the Hudson River. Since extremist worry only about costs - not what is needed. Current tunnels were built in 1906. Business school graduates somehow know we don't need any more bridges, tunnels, or canal. Those would only increase costs. Spread sheets and politics say so. Only business school graduates know better.
Last edited by tw (4/09/2024 8:00 pm)
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As usual tw is full of shit, confusing the St Lawrence Seaway construction date with the Welland dates.
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Ontario, Canada, and part of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway.
Bridges: Townline Tunnel, Homer Bridge
Construction began: 1824; 200 years ago
Start point: Lake Ontario at Port Weller (St. Catharines)
Date completed: November 30, 1829; 194 years ago
Date restored: August 6, 1932; 91 years ago
Length: 27 miles (43 km)
Locks: 8
Last edited by xoxoxoBruce (4/28/2024 12:20 am)