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Same thing happens on the Mississippi with barge tows too long for the lock all the time. Towboat pushes the barges in, backs out, then the barges are winched out the other end. Sometimes it appears for a downstream tow the intake gate is partially opened to let the current help push them out. Not sure if that is done on the great lakes.

[quote=Custom500 post_id=250937 time=1668259259]
Not a seaman, but ill take a guess- they pull up to the lock and the tug drops its tow and locks thru alone. Then the towed vessel pulls itself into the lock with its lines and winches, or maybe the lock has tow vehicles available that run beside the lock, and the tow locks thru. Then when the lock does it's thing, reconnect and go!
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Not a seaman, but ill take a guess- they pull up to the lock and the tug drops its tow and locks thru alone. Then the towed vessel pulls itself into the lock with its lines and winches, or maybe the lock has tow vehicles available that run beside the lock, and the tow locks thru. Then when the lock does it's thing, reconnect and go!

If a ship is disabled and needs to be towed to a repair facility or to a scrapper and to get to that destination requires going through a lock and its too big to share a lock chamber with the towing tug how do they get it in and back out?