Ships trapped in ice on eastern Lake Superior [View all]

[mahatmakanejeeves]

"The searches all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay if they'd put fifteen more miles behind her."

I'm sitting in a cubicle now. It's 50 degrees outside in downtown DC. There are cherry blossoms on some of the trees around the Tidal Basin.

Ships trapped in ice on eastern Lake Superior

Freighters trapped in ice are shown in this aerial photo near Whitefish Bay on Lake Superior northwest of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario April 7, 2015. Ice cover on the Great Lakes is backing up shipments of everything from Canadian grain to U.S. iron and steel in one of North America's most important economic regions. REUTERS/Kenneth Armstrong

By Brady Slater Today at 9:09 a.m.

Ice coverage on eastern Lake Superior has hamstrung ship traffic this week in Whitefish Bay, off the eastern tip of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

As of Monday morning there were 10 ships stuck in ice, waiting to be escorted by icebreakers from the Canadian and U.S. coast guards. It's been slow going since.

One ship, the Kaye E. Barker, suffered damage to its forepeak and was looking to transfer cargo to the Lee A. Tregurtha, the Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping News said in a news release.

The 767-foot, 63-year-old Barker was not in any danger, the news release said, but both ships were struggling to come together. Efforts to bring the Barker into port at nearby Waiska Bay, Mich., were unsuccessful Tuesday and expected to continue today.

Damaged freighter among clog of ships caught in Lake Superior ice field