Lake freighter

Lake freighters, or lakers, are bulk carrier vessels operating on the Great Lakes of North America. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. They have been used since the late 19th century to haul raw material from docks in the upper Great Lakes to the industrial centers of the Midwest. The navigation season typically begins in late March and ends mid-January, due to winter ice on the lakes.

In the mid-20th century, 300 lakers worked the lakes, but by the early 21st century, there were fewer than 140 active lakers. 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.