There’s smoke in the sky over Duluth! The 1,004ft long super laker Mesabi Miner arriving to load iron ore pellets as the Thunderbirds tore up the skies for the first day of the Duluth Airshow. Two massively different but equally impressive (and loud) technological accomplishments in the same place competing for attention!

Both are crewed by the best in their fields, the Thunderbird team is capable of flying inches from each other at speeds of over 700 miles per hour, and performing incredible acrobatic maneuvers time and time again without fail, all while facing intense G forces and pressure, not to mention the other 5 planes around you doing the exact same thing. They’re the best pilots in the US Air Force and they’re not afraid to show that! Their F16 fighter planes are equally impressive, featuring the equivalent of nearly 30,000 horsepower engines that can push them nearly 1,350 miles per hour if needed, or Mach 2. It is also incredibly agile and can turn faster and fly farther than any other fighter jet out there.

Mesabi Miner, while definitely slower with a top speed of about 16 miles per hour, is no less impressive. Her crew can sail the ship, larger than almost any US skyscraper outside of New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago, into tight docks, down rivers and through locks that measure just inches wider than the vessel itself without any outside assistance. Most vessels require pilots to safely guide the ships into port. The Miner’s crew ARE the pilots. Capable of carrying 63,000 tons, or roughly as much cargo as 2,800 fully loaded semi trucks or 650 train cars every time it sails, the ship is a backbone of the US steel industry. Her horn can be heard from over ten miles away, similar to the engines on the fighters. She is equipped with side thrusters that allow her to maneuver on a dime and steer while sailing backwards for long distances, a common feature on lakers that are not typically seen on ocean going freighters. She is named in honor of the workers and miners of the Mesabi Iron Range in Northern Minnesota, where most of her cargo comes from.

Seeing one of them independently is a memorable experience. Having both in the same place was definitely an unforgettable sight!