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The Samuel Risley works to free the Arthur M. Anderson from ice fields near Conneaut.

(Courtesy of the Canadian Coast Guard)

CONNEAUT, Ohio -- A Canadian Coast Guard ship freed a 767-foot freighter that was entrenched in jagged Lake Erie ice for five days.

The Arthur M. Anderson freighter is on its way back to Wisconsin after the Canadian ice cutter Griffon cleared a path through 8-10 feet of ice. The Griffon began breaking ice around noon Saturday and the Anderson was freed by 8:30 p.m.

About 24 people are aboard the Anderson, which got caught in ice fields Tuesday seven miles northwest of Conneaut, according to Carol Launderville, spokeswoman for the Canadian Coast Guard. The crew had enough food to make it through the extra days tacked on to their journey, Launderville said.

A helicopter from a Coast Guard air station in Detroit had to deliver food to the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Bristol Bay after it got stuck in ice on its way to assist the Anderson. The Griffon helped get the Bristol Bay safely back to Cleveland before venturing back out to the cargo ship.

The Anderson still has long journey ahead of it across the icy lake. Another Canadian ship called the Samuel Risley will escort the Anderson to the Detroit area, which could take up to 24 hours depending on ice conditions. The Anderson should arrive back in the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal in Wisconsin between Monday and Thursday.

The Risley and the Griffon have carried out 141 vessel escorts on the Great Lakes and connecting waterways in 2015, according to the Launderville.