the American locks form part of a 1.6 mile (2.6 km) canal formally named the St. Marys Falls Ship Canal. They are owned and maintained by the
United States Army Corps of Engineers. The first
American locks were completed in
May 1855.
Davis Lock was
built in 1914. It is 411 meters (1350 feet)
long, 24 meters (80 feet) wide and 7 meters (23.1 feet) deep. The
Davis lock is
used rather infrequently to lock
light freighters, tour boats, and small craft when
traffic warrants. SS
James A
Farrell was the first vessel to lock through.
Sabin Lock was
built in 1919. It is 1350 feet
long, 80 feet wide, and 23.1 feet deep. This lock is decommissioned and no longer
used.
MacArthur Lock was
built in 1943. It is 244 meters (800 feet)
long, 24 meters (80 feet) wide and 9 meters (31 feet) deep. This is large enough to handle
ocean going vessels that must first pass through the smaller locks in the
Welland Canal. First vessel through was the SS
Carl D.
Bradley.
Poe Lock was re-
built in 1968, after the
Saint Lawrence Seaway had opened. It is 366 meters (1200 feet)
long, 34 meters (110 feet) wide and 10 meters (32 feet) deep. It can take ships carrying 72,000 tons of cargo. The
Poe is the only lock that can handle the large
lakers used on the upper
lakes.
There is a project, as
yet unfunded, to
built a new large lock to replace the
Davis and
Sabin locks.
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soo_Locks
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