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Harbor Fleet

Duluth is almost in the middle of the North American continent, and it is an ocean port! It is on the largest freshwater lake in the world and has saltwater vessels in its harbor. If that is not unique and worthy of a visit with your grandchild, what is?

At the Duluth harbor, visitors have an opportunity that is usually restricted to ocean communities. The port not only welcomes the ships coming for ore, grain and cement, it also makes three of the most interesting vessels available for you to tour. The Great Lakes Floating Maritime Museum is one of the most unusual museums you will ever see. It consists of real boats—an ore boat, a Coast Guard cutter and a tugboat—still floating in the water.

After watching all of those big freighters come into the canal and pass under the lift bridge, don’t you wonder what it must be like inside one? The William A. Irvin is there to help you and your grandchild answer this question. After forty years of duty on the Great Lakes, it is now tied to shore. This huge ship is still floating and ready to go to work if needed, but for now it is yours to explore. Show your grandchild where the ore was kept, lead her through the crew quarters, take a peek at the 2,000-horsepower engine, and impress her with the gargantuan size of the boat.

Right behind the Irvin is my personal favorite: the tugboat. This World War II vessel has quite a history. It towed ammunition across the English Channel, was sunk near the end of the war, and was raised and recommissioned to work in the St. Lawrence seaway. Finally, it moved into retirement in Duluth.

The third boat is the Sundew, a large Coast Guard cutter that took care of buoys and broke up the ice in harbors in Lake Michigan. It was built in 1944 and is afloat with stories. The Coast Guard has been a real safeguard for mariners. Their vessels and the men and women who work them have participated in countless rescues across the oceans and the Great Lakes. Their stories of heroism are an important part of the tour.

Bonding and bridging:

The boats exhibited in the harbor fleet are built in very different ways and for very different jobs. Each has a specific purpose. We move vast loads of iron ore in the big laker, we move barges and boats with the tough but maneuverable tugboat, and the cutter is our lifesaver—a boat of heroism and quiet reliability.

As grandparents, we can help our grandchildren understand that they too have a purpose. They may not be good at everything they try, and that’s okay. We must guide them toward finding the skills they possess, so they can discover their talents and realize their purpose in life.

A word to the wise:

Your fleet tour should include a visit to the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center in Canal Park. You can combine the maritime museum with a walk along the canal to see the lift bridge and to watch the ships come in. The lift bridge going up and the freighter passing beneath is a magnificent sight that can be found nowhere else in Minnesota.

Age of grandchild: 7 and up

Best season: Summer

Contact: William A. Irvin, 350 Harbor Drive, Duluth, MN 55802 • (218) 722-7876 (during season), (218) 623-1236 (off season) • www.decc.org/william-a-irvin

Also check out:

American Wings Air Museum, Blaine; (763) 786-4146; www.americanwings.org

Minnesota Transportation Museum, St. Paul; (651) 228-0263; www.mtmuseum.org

Museum of Lake Minnetonka, Excelsior; (952) 474-2115; www.steamboatminnehaha.org

Perfect love sometimes does not come until grandchildren are born. WELSH PROVERB