Lake freighters, or lakers, are bulk carriers operating on the Great Lakes of North America. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships.[1][2] Freighters typically have a long, narrow hull, a raised pilothouse, and the engine located at the rear of the ship.
Lakers have been used since the late 19th century to haul raw material from docks in the upper Great Lakes region to the industrial centers of the Midwest. The navigation season typically begins in late March and ends mid-January due to the formation of ice on the lakes.[3]
SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank in 1975, became widely known as the largest and most recent major vessel to be wrecked on the Great Lakes.