SS Arthur M. Anderson is a cargo ship of the laker type. She is famous for being the last ship to be in contact with before Edmund Fitzgerald sank on 10 November 1975. Arthur M. Anderson was also the first rescue ship on the scene in a vain search for Edmund Fitzgerald survivors. The vessel's namesake, Arthur Marvin Anderson, was director of U.S. Steel, a member of its finance committee and vice chairman of J.P. Morgan & Co. at the time. The ship was launched in 1952 and is in active service.
History
SS Arthur M. Anderson came out of the drydock of the American Ship Building Company of Lorain, Ohio in 1952. She had a length of, a beam, a depth, and a gross tonnage of roughly 20,000 tons. She was second of eight of the AAA class of lake freighters; the others being, in order,,,,,,, and. Arthur M. Anderson, along with Philip R. Clarke and Cason J. Callaway, were built for the Pittsburgh Steamship Division of U.S. Steel. Arthur M Andersons sea trials commenced on 7 August 1952, and she loaded her first cargo at the Two Harbors dock on 12 August 1952. She received several refits in her life including the addition of a new midsection in 1975 which added about 6,000 tons to her gross tonnage, bringing the total to about 26,000 tons. During the Lake Superior storm on November 10, 1975, she was operating in close company with the SS Edmund Fitzgerald and reported its loss to the USCG. In 1981 she received a self unloading boom which improved her cargo loading and unloading. She is unique among the three Great Lakes Fleet steamships in that she has a softer midsection that prohibits loading as much cargo as the others; roughly 1500 tons less. In February 2015Arthur M. Anderson became stuck and stranded in several feet of ice in Lake Erie near Conneaut Harbor, Ohio. Arthur M. Anderson was freed from the ice on 21 February 2015 after five days with the help of the Canadian Coast Guard vessel. was slated to escort Arthur M. Anderson to Detroit. had also become stranded while attempting to free the ship from the up to thick ice. Arthur M. Anderson was put on long-term lay-up in Duluth, Minnesota on 15 January 2017, at the end of the 2016 shipping season. In April 2019, she was transferred to the nearby Fraser Shipyard for a five-year survey and refitting to prepare for her return to service. The vessel returned to service on 25 July 2019.
