American Courage & Voyager Independent

Below MacArthur Lock at Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. Indy has just left the lock; Courage is waiting for traffic to clear (there were five ships in or near the locks.)

There've been a lot of changes in the Great Lakes fleet over the past few years, as ships have changed hands, been reconfigured, and suchlike; there've been similar changes at the fleet level. Although high levels of change are historically "normal," the eighties and early nineties were years of unusual stability. These ships, both of which I've photographed before, are examples of the recent changes.

Voyager Independent (the blue boat), which I photographed as Kinsman Independent in 1992, was sold, renamed, and repainted a couple years ago. Still a very pretty vessel.

American Courage, formerly Fred White, remains in the American Steamship fleet. Her owners seem determined to stamp most of their ships with the American brand. (One might have anticipated a repaint to r/w/b, but no.)