Season 17

The **seventeenth season** of Duluth first premiered on DVD in November 2020 in the US before airing on television. It premiered in the UK on 17 December 2020 and in the US on 27 December 2020. This season ran for twenty-six episodes, all of which were narrated by Mark Moraghan.

## Songs

* Hey, Hey Stewart!
* On a Journey Today
* Away from the Sea

## Ships

* Paul R. Tregurtha
* American Integrity
* Michipicoten
* James R. Barker
* Great Lakes Trader
* Joyce L. VanEnkevort
* Arthur M. Anderson
* Saginaw
* Lee A. Tregurtha
* CSL St-Laurent
* John G. Munson
* Stewart J. Cort
* Mackinaw (WLBB-30) (stock footage)
* John D. Leitch (stock footage)
* Joseph L. Block (stock footage)
* Mesabi Miner (stock footage)
* Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin (stock footage)
* Hon. James L. Oberstar (stock footage)
* American Century (stock footage)
* BBC Swift (stock footage)
* Algoma Enterprise (stock footage)
* American Mariner (stock footage)
* Iryda (stock footage)
* Burns Harbor (stock footage)
* H. Lee White (stock footage)
* Baie Comeau (stock footage)
* Maumee (2) (stock footage)
* Victory (stock footage)
* Presque Isle (stock footage)
* Missouri (stock footage)
* Timgad (stock footage)
* Alpena (3) (stock footage)
* Federal Dart (stock footage)
* Lake Explorer II (stock footage)
* Federal Kumano (stock footage)
* Algoma Sault (stock footage)
* Fuldaborg (stock footage)
* Indiana Harbor (stock footage)
* Trudy (stock footage)
* BBC Mississippi (stock footage)
* Olza (stock footage)
* BBC Thames (stock footage)
* BBC Dolphin (stock footage)
* Manitoulin (5) (stock footage)
* Dorothy Ann (stock footage)
* Pathfinder (stock footage)
* Floretgracht (stock footage)
* Great Republic (stock footage)
* Erie Trader (stock footage)
* Clyde S. VanEnkevort (stock footage)
* Atlantic Huron (stock footage)
* Ashtabula (stock footage)
* Defiance (stock footage)
* Federal Katsura (stock footage)

### Ships Introduced

* Michigan Trader
* Dirk S. VanEnkevort
* Alder (WLB-216)
* Algoma Niagara
* Biscayne Bay (WTGB-104)
* Algoma Compass

## Half Hour Format

### Look and Listen

* GREAT LAKES TRADER and the Long Distance Salute
* Song: Searching Everywhere
* ALGOMA NIAGARA Bound for Hamilton Ontario

### Fire and Water

* JAMES R BARKER North Pier
* Song: Working Together
* AMERICAN INTEGRITY Arriving from Anchor

### Just Be Yourself

* CGC ALDER The Return of the King
* Song: It's Gonna be a Great Day
* PAUL R TREGURTHA Coal Queen

### Someone to Look Up To

* MICHIGAN TRADER DIRK S VANENKEVORT and the Elusive Fighter Jets
* Song: Searching Everywhere
* MICHIPICOTEN Arriving Light

### Peace and Quiet

* MICHIGAN TRADER Dirk Departs Duluth
* Song: Working Together
* BISCAYNE BAY Passing Barker's Island

### Taking Turns

* ARTHUR M ANDERSON Sailing on Shattered Glass
* It's Gonna be a Great Day
* Mr. Perkins Railway (In some areas)
* Stewart J. Cort's Preparation for Macy's Parade
* ALGOMA NIAGARA Salt for C Reiss

### Spooky Charms

* ALGOMA COMPASS and the Ice Road
* Song: Hey Hey Stewart!
* JAMES R BARKER and the Wonky Bridge Horn

### Tricks and Tales

* SAGINAW and the Island of Seagulls
* Song: Hey Hey Stewart!
* JAMES R BARKER Icy Welcome

### Snow Stops Play

* ARTHUR M ANDERSON Passing the Old Interstate Bridge
* Song: On a Journey Today
* CAPTAIN'S SALUTE 2020 Shipping Season Part 2

### Tinsel and Freighters

* PAUL R TREGURTHA Arrives for Winter Layup
* Song: On a Journey Today
* LEE A TREGURTHA Arrives for Winter Layup

### Sea and Sand

* JAMES R BARKER Back to BN5
* Song: Stewart J. Cort and Paul R. Tregurtha
* CSL ST-LAURENT Departing CN

### Food to Go

* REMNANTS 2020
* Go, Go Stewart (Season 16 ver)
* JOHN G MUNSON West of Grassy Point

### Take it Easy

* ASSISTING
* Song: Go Go Stewart! (Season 16 ver)
* STEWART J CORT Spin and In

## Cast

* Brian Stepanek as Michigan Trader
* Todd Haberkorn as Dirk S. VanEnkevort and Algoma Compass
* Sam Riegel as Alder (WLB-216)
* Tom Kenny as Paul R. Tregurtha and Saginaw
* Gregg Bissonette as American Integrity
* Kerry Shale as Algoma Niagara
* Griffin Burns as Michipicoten and John G. Munson
* Leonard Garner as Biscayne Bay (WTGB-104)
* Chris Cox as James R. Barker
* Dave Fennoy as Great Lakes Trader
* Jeff Bennett as Joyce L. VanEnkevort and Arthur M. Anderson
* Eric Bauza as Lee A. Tregurtha
* Martin Sherman as Stewart J. Cort
* Billy West as CSL St-Laurent

## Trivia

* This season marks the first for numerous things:
	+ Andrew Brenner's first season as head writer.
	+ Mark Moraghan's first season as narrator.
	+ The first season since the seventh where Herbert C. Jackson speaks in only one episode.
	+ The first season since the second season to have the same narrator for both the UK and US.
	+ The first season to have a different episode order in Australia than the UK and US.
	+ The first season animated by Arc Productions.
	+ The first season to credit the writers on the episode title cards.
	+ The first season since the twelfth season not to feature anyone from the Freighter Team in every episode.
	+ The first season of the CGI series to not have the freighters' horns bulge up and down when operated.
	+ The first season since the eleventh season to have 26 episodes. However, it was initially going to have 20 episodes when in the middle of programming.
	+ The first season since the fifth season to have a railway consultant.
	+ The first season since the fourth season dubbed in Ukrainian.
	+ The first season since the fourth season to start airing in one year, and finish in another.
	+ The first season to feature episodes written by Davey Moore and Laura Beaumont.
	+ The first season since the seventh season to have episodes written by Lee Pressman, and the first since the twelfth season to have episodes written by Paul Larson, though all of them are co-written with Laura Beaumont.
	+ The first season produced by a separate production team from that producing the series's special.
	+ Sunda, Lady Doris, Frontenac and American Courage's first appearances in full CGI.
	+ Kellsthorpe Road and Dryaw's first appearances in full CGI.
	+ The first season in where Zea Servant and Baie Comeau do not appear since their returns.
	+ The first season to have Cree Summer as Victory in the UK version as the executives decided that Matt Wilkinson's voice for the character is not as strong as Cree's.
	+ The first season to feature Steven Kynman as BBC Dolphin in the US.
	+ The first time Michigan Trader and Dirk S. VanEnkevort appear in episodes.
	+ CSL St-Laurent and Federal Elbe's first speaking roles in an episode.
	+ The first and only time to date where Edwin H. Gott appears in an episode.
	+ The first season to feature Keith Wickham as Edgar B. Speer and Cuyahoga and Steven Kynman as Fraserborg.
	+ The first season to have Bob Golding, Rebecca O'Mara, Jonathan Forbes, Miranda Raison, Mike Grady, David Menkin, and Jonathan Broadbent as part of the voice cast.
	+ The first season where all the Freighter Team have lamps and tail-lamps as they were requested to be added by Sam Wilkinson.
	+ The first season that G3 Marquis does not speak in since his introduction in the tenth season.
	+ The first season of the CGI series in which Stewart J. Cort does not appear in every episode.
	+ The first season produced by HiT Entertainment under the ownership of Mattel.
	+ The first season since their debuts in Misty Island Rescue where Lake Explorer II, Fuldaborg, BBC Mississippi, Olza, Ol' Wheezy and Hee-Haw do not appear.
* This season marks the only of a few things:
	+ The only season to feature Ben Small as BBC Thames after Rupert Degas left the voice cast.
	+ The only season to date since his return in Misty Island Rescue not to feature BBC Maine.
* In the UK, this season was released in several stages across a two-year period rather than being aired all together:
	+ The season premiered on 17 December 2020 with a run of ten episodes.
	+ Another week of new episodes aired from 30 December 2020. One episode aired on 5 January and four more aired in February.
	+ The final six episodes went straight to DVD in March 2021.
	+ Four of the final six episodes aired on 5-6 July 2021.
	+ The final two episodes aired on 21 November 2021.
	+ The entire season started airing on Cartoonito UK on Monday 3 December 2021. While being the last season to air on that channel.
* In this season, H. Lee White, John G. Munson, Herbert C. Jackson and Alpena have minor roles and less speaking roles than the other main characters. They are demoted to extra until the eighteenth season. The series' main characters are Stewart J. Cort, Michipicoten, James R. Barker, Paul R. Tregurtha and Derek Medved.
* This season contained the 400th episode of the television series, which was ARTHUR M ANDERSON Sailing on Shattered Glass.
* This is the second season since the seventh season where Herbert C. Jackson only speaks in one episode.
* For the first several episodes of the season, PBS used an opening title from earlier season, with Michael Brandon listed as the narrator and Greg Tiernan listed as the director. The remainder of the episodes would feature the correct opening title, as would the initial episodes in subsequent airings.
* This was also the last season of a couple of things as well:
	+ The last episodic season to be in fullscreen 4:3 on DVD in the American version. But all except for the Spills and Thrills episodes from the US version of the DVD, and episodes such as SAGINAW and the Island of Seagulls, JAMES R BARKER North Pier, ALGOMA COMPASS and the Ice Road, MICHIPICOTEN Arriving Light and JAMES R BARKER Icy Welcome as seen in widescreen 16:9 by the US version of Freighters to the Rescue.
	+ This was the last season in which all episodes have been dubbed into German. From the eighteenth season onwards, only episodes from a certain DVD have been dubbed.
	+ The last season where Henrietta does not have a face. This is also the only season animated by Arc Productions that she does not have a face.
	+ The last season in which all of the episodes were directed by the same person.
* In Norway, this season was shown on the website TV 2 Sumo before airing on television.
* The final eleven episodes of this season were released in Australia and Japan before their UK debuts.
* Although Arc Productions had officially taken over the animation aspects of the television series, starting from this season, the episodes still used the opening titles and closing credits made by Nitrogen Studios which continued until the nineteenth season.