Aerial Aspect Photography

Times have been tough for the Great Lakes Fleet's MV Roger Blough. She currently sits in long term layup in Conneaut, Ohio due to an engine room fire that put her out of service while in winter layup in Sturgeon Bay, WI in February 2021. Her future remains uncertain, although there are indications that she may be repaired at a cost of $100 million. This is not the first time fire has hit this vessel as in June 1971, before she was even launched, a major engine room fire erupted killing 4 and delaying her delivery by a year.

On November 11, 1975, the crew of the 824-foot Blough braved the stormy waters of Lake Superior and assisted in the search for the missing Edmund Fitzgerald, recovering an empty 25-person life raft from the Fitz.

As larger modern lake freighters go, she is unique in that her construction is traditional, with her pilot house at the bow and engine room at the stern. Her hull was also designed to undulate or flex in heavy seas. Let's hope she is repaired and can return to the Great Lakes for years to come.

Happy Halloween! ~From all of us in the Upside Down!