Chief lockmaster Bill Campbell announces the opening of the Soo Locks allowing the M/V Paul R. Tregurtha to become the first ship through for the official start of the shipping season on the Great lake just after midnight Monday, March 25, 2013 in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. At 1013.5 feet it is the longest ship on the Great Lakes. It was headed to Superior, Wis., to take on a load of coal. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers runs the set of parallel locks which enable ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. MARK HOFFMAN/MHOFFMAN@JOURNALSENTINEL.COM