Lakeshore-Landscapes

Photography from the Erie, PA Lakeshore Region
and Beyond

© 1998-2007 Rob Bennett

Conneaut, Ohio is about 20 miles from my home. Being a ship fan, this is good news. Erie does get a few ships per year, but Conneaut is a much busier port and affords the opportunity to catch many more ships. My routine is to check Boatnerd.com's Vessel Passage page to find out when a ship is due into Conneaut. The best bet is for one of the Great Lakes Fleet ships, but many others call there as well. I will then usually head to the David M. Roderick Overlook which is just east of the harbor. Here I can get some pictures of the ship out on the lake, then race over to the harbor itself once the ship begins its' "flip". More on this maneauver below.

This gallery will be a collection of images of the ships calling on Conneaut, Ohio. It will be an ongoing effort, with new images added as I catch the ships.

My First Ship of the 2005 Season- The Algolake

I read that the Algoma Central Marine's Algolake was due into Conneaut on Good Friday- 25 March 2005. The weather that morning was not ideal, but the lake was still ice covered and I had wanted to get a picture of a ship with ice still on the lake. The murky, misty weather made photography difficult. Before the Algolake arrived a USCG cutter was breaking the ice outside the entrance of the harbor. About 45 minutes after the cutter left, the Algolake loomed out the mist. I grabbed several photos then hi-tailed it over the the harbor, to catch the ship entering and making the "flip".

Ships arriving at Conneaut usually will turn around and back into the loading/unloading area. I have seen them turn outside the breakwater and back all the way in, but it appeared the Algolake was going straight in. She got inside the breakwater and then slowly started turning to starboard. This "flip" is an excellent opportunity to get some interesting pictures of the ships. Once turned around, the Algolake slowly backed the rest of the way into the dock area.

16-17 April 2005: The Roger Blough and the Edgar B. Speer

The Vessel Passage page indicated that on Saturday, 16 April the Roger Blough was due in around 5:30pm. That same weekend, on Sunday, the Edgar B. Speer was due in around 10:30am. My plan was to hit the overlook for the Blough, then race over to the harbor. As I was driving up to the overlook at 2:30pm the Blough was already there and heading into the harbor! I quickly got out and started taking pictures, but it was not ideal conditions due to the position of the sun. But I had no time to get the the harbor, so I had to take what I could get.

After almost missing the Blough, I decided to arrive the next morning around 8am. Since the Speer was due around 10:30am, this should give plenty of time. And the weather was forecast to be sunny, which would be perfect for a morning arrival. I learned both weather and ship arrival forecasts are greatly suspect. The weather Sunday morning was not sunny. It was not totally overcast, but clouds were moving in. And as I pulled in at 8am what did I see on the lake but the Speer! I quickly gathered my gear and started taking pictures. Nearly foiled again! At 1004 feet long, I didn't know if a ship as big as the Speer could turn inside the breakwater. Well, turns out that yes, a 1000 footer can turn inside the breakwater at Conneaut. As the Speer entered the harbor and began the flip the clouds increased. I was lucky the Speer was early, as by 10:30 it was totally overcast.