A Canadian cargo freighter carrying 17 crew members that had been wedged in ice on Lake Erie for three days amid a prolonged cold snap was dislodged on Saturday after the Coast Guards of both the United States and Canada deployed ice-breaking vessels to free it.

The ship, a 663-foot-long bulk carrier called the Manitoulin, had gotten stuck Wednesday morning about a mile off the shore of Buffalo, after delivering a shipment of wheat and attempting to return to its home port in Sarnia, Ontario, on Lake Huron.

The vessel began moving again early Saturday afternoon.

While it is not uncommon for shipping vessels to become temporarily immobilized by ice in the Great Lakes, the Manitoulin’s proximity to land and its extended stay captured the imaginations of Buffalo residents and boating enthusiasts alike.

“It’s so unusual to be literally stuck,” said Karen Taylor, who was among dozens of people gathered along the shoreline Saturday to take in the spectacle before the ship started moving. “We’re used to ice on the lake, but not seeing something that enormous not able to move through it.”

Her friend, Barb Fleissner, said her heart was with the crew and that, for her, the scene evoked memories of disasters at sea.