A Different Ending. The John G Munson's Generous Duluth Arrival!

Pictures of the event at   / duluthshipphotography  

The John G Munson sailing into Duluth MN for their 21st visit of the season October 19, 2025, at 17:46 in the late afternoon. Arriving with a cargo of Limestone for the C Reiss dock in Superior. This trip they will be back hauling a cargo of Iron Ore Pellets from the Duluth CN dock for Toledo OH. The Munson pulled into the C Reiss dock at 19:01, stayed there discharging the limestone until October 20 at 05:16 in the morning. (10.3 hours). They scooted across the harbor to the CN dock, arriving there at 05:40 and began loading their cargo of Iron Ore Pellets. This visit took a little longer, 27.7 hours later October 21 at 09:20 they finished loading and departed the CN dock, heading down river to depart via the Duluth Entry. After 41 hours in Port, the Munson sailed out of Duluth at 10:47 in the mid-morning.

Marine Museum Script:

The JOHN G. MUNSON was built in 1952 by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. She measures 768 feet in length, 72 feet in width, and 36 feet in depth. She is powered by a single 8,000hp 6-cylinder 6M43 Mak diesel engine which gives her a top speed of 14 knots, or about 16mph. She is also equipped with bow and stern thrusters to aid her maneuverability in port. The MUNSON has 22 hatches on her deck which open into 7 cargo holds located below deck; each hatch covering measures 48 by 17 feet. She has a maximum carrying capacity of 25,600 tons. Above her deck is a 250 foot self-unloading boom which allows her to unload her own cargo at a rate of 5,600 tons per hour without the aid of shore side equipment. The JOHN G. MUNSON is owned by the Duluth-based Great Lakes Fleet, a subsidiary of Canadian National Railway, and operated by Key Lakes Incorporated, also of Duluth. The MUNSON is named in honor of Mr. John Gephart Munson, former president of the Bradley Transportation Division and former vice president of US Steel. The MUNSON was the largest self-unloader built on the Great Lakes at the time of her launching. She was originally built to transport limestone for the Bradley Transportation line, separate from US Steel’s main ore fleet; the Bradley fleet was merged with US Steel in 1967. She has been modified through the years to keep her modern and competitive. She was lengthened by 102 feet by Fraser Shipyards in 1976, and her 7,700hp steam turbine engine was replaced with a modern diesel engine in 2016 in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Great Lakes Fleet is the direct-descendant of the historic and dominant Pittsburgh Steamship Company, founded in 1901 by US Steel; it was the largest fleet of ships in the world when founded, and it remained the largest fleet on the lakes for most of its existence.
Ship Information
• IMO5173670
• MMSI366971360
• Year Built1952
• Country United States
• Call SignWDH7557
• Length 768' 3"
• Width 72'