A Canadian freighter found itself trapped in a frozen Lake Erie, leaving 17 crew members stuck in the icy grip of winter just off Buffalo’s shoreline. The 663-foot-long vessel, named the Manitoulin, had just unloaded its cargo of wheat and was making its way back to Sarnia, Ontario, when Mother Nature had other plans. Sub-zero temperatures caused the lake to freeze rapidly, leaving the massive ship encased in ice by Wednesday.
The sight of the freighter locked in place, surrounded by endless ice and snow, quickly became a spectacle for locals. “We haven’t had a winter this harsh in a while,” said Paul Angelillo, a search and rescue expert with the Coast Guard in Buffalo. “People aren’t used to seeing something like this anymore, so it’s catching everyone’s attention.”
Great Lakes freighters are built to handle icy waters, but every so often, the ice becomes too thick to break through, even for these sturdy ships. Fortunately, the Manitoulin wasn’t damaged, and the crew remained safe on board as they waited for help.
By Thursday, the Coast Guard had sent in an icebreaker to rescue the stranded vessel. Slowly but surely, the cutter began chipping away at the ice surrounding the freighter, working to free it from winter’s icy clutches. While the Manitoulin waits to continue its journey, the story serves as a stark reminder of how quickly the Great Lakes can turn treacherous when winter arrives in full force.
