Famous Tug Boat in Two Harbors MN

The Edna G Tugboat was the last steam-powered tugboat that operated on the Great Lakes. She was built in 1896 for just over $35,000. She sits at 110 feet long, with a 23-foot beam, and has a 1000 horsepower engine. The engine generates a bollard pull of a whopping 30 tons! (Bollard pull is the nautical equivalent of horsepower.) During its operation, the engine would use roughly 25 tons of coal per week. That equates to about 12 shovels full of coal that had to be manually shoveled into the boiler every 10 minutes. Jacob Greatsing, the president of the D & IR Railroad, named the tugboat Edna after his daughter. Edna (the tugboat) was built to service the Two Harbors shipping industry. Then, during WW1, she was moved to the east coast where she served the US government. After the war, she returned home to Lake Superior. In 1931 she was idled due to the Great Depression but was brought back into service in 1933. Finally, after nearly 85 years of service, the Edna G Tugboat made her final tow on December 30th, 1980.
She is, perhaps, most famous for her rescue mission to retrieve the survivors of the Madeira shipwreck. The Madeira sank in the 1905 Mataafa storm. After their ship sank, the crew had taken refuge on the cliffs near where Split Rock Lighthouse now sits. They waited on the cliff’s edge for several days before the Edna G Tugboat, along with other vessels, came to their rescue.
In 1981 she was officially retired and was donated to the city of Two Harbors to serve as a floating museum.
These days, you’ll find the tugboat anchored in the harbor near the large iron ore loading docks. Looking for drone photos or footage, see link bio. #forestlakemn #wyomingmn#chisagolakes #centercitymn #stacymn#meinminnesota #explorechisagolakes#lakesareachamber #lindstrommn #capturemn#ThisIsMyMinnesota #minnesota_captures#captivateMN #minnesotaexposure#meinminnesota #northshoremn#twoharborsmn #twoharborsoredocks#ednagtug #ednagtugboat