SS Badger enters federal funding program as LMC explores power conversion
Ludington, MI – The SS Badger was recently accepted into a federal funding program, opening the carferry up for grant opportunities and designating its route to Manitowoc as a shortcut on a marine highway.
The carferry was enrolled in the America’s Marine Highway Program, which promotes traffic on waterways to support maritime jobs and relieve congestion on land.
Being enrolled in the program, funded last month for $25 million, makes the Badger eligible for grants that could pay for a variety of projects.
Past grants have been spent on a freight service carrying fresh produce across the Long Island Sound; a specialized dock for loading and unloading space launch equipment; and improved freight shipping, among other things.
Lake Michigan Carferry, which owns the Badger, isn’t yet working toward “anything specific,” according to General Manager Sara Spore. But there has been talk of applying for funds to “repower” the carferry, converting the country’s last large coal-fired steamship to a cleaner energy source, she said.
“We’re doing studies of the feasibility” of such a conversion, Spore said, “but, you know, there’s a lot of work that has to go into a project like that. … We have to do the engineering studies and really look at it.”
Other possibilities for a power source include diesel fuel, battery power and liquefied natural gas, she said. Liquefied natural gas is natural gas cooled until it becomes liquid, decreasing its volume and making it easier to transport.
The Badger in recent years was outfitted with a more efficient system that burns less coal and stores coal ash on board for later disposal on land. Previously, ash had been dumped into Lake Michigan.
The carferry’s enrollment in the program also tacks its route onto Marine Highway M-90, which spans the Great Lakes and the Erie Canal. Projects are only funded along designated marine highways.
That doesn’t change anything about the water route being classified as a continuation of U.S. 10. Until a recent paint job, that fact had been emblazoned on the back of the ship, and Spore said it will return soon.
“People are pretty worried about that. It’ll be going back up,” she said. “There’s still some painting and work that has to be done. We are still the extension of the highway.”
The America’s Marine Highway Program has awarded more than $51.7 million in grants since it was created in 2014.
Ludington Daily News
Know Your Ships launch party set for May 1 at Algonac
Algonac, MI – Roger LeLievre, editor of Know Your Ships, will return to Algonac at 3 p.m. May 1 for a launch party of the 2022 edition.
Marine Publishing Co.’s annual field guide, “Know Your Ships: Guide to Boats & Boatwatching on the Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway,” offers a guide of the freighters, tankers, tugs, barges, salties, passenger ships, international visitors and other vessels in the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaway. It is marking its 63rd year in 2022.
LeLievre will stop by the Algonac-Clay Maritime Museum to introduce the new edition of the book and offer the program “Hitchin’ a Ride,” in which he will talk about and show images of what life is like on Great Lakes freighters.
“He has been lucky enough to be invited on vessels such as the Stewart J. Cort, Wilfred Sykes, Edward L. Ryerson and others, and he will share his photos and images with us,” a flyer for the event states.
The museum has been hosting Know Your Ships launch parties for five years, Algonac-Clay Historical Society member Paula Burgess said. The 2021 launch party saw about 50 people in attendance.
“We call Roger, set up a date, he sends a flyer, shows up, gives us a wonderful presentation,” Burgess said. “He has been involved with some kind of work around freighters all his life, is the author to Know Your Ships and a wonderful speaker. This year he will show a film with him inside a freighter going down the channel with question and answer period.”
The cost of admission is a $5 donation to the museum. Books will be on sale at a $5 discount and LeLievre will be available to autograph them.
The Algonac-Clay Maritime Museum is located at 1117 St. Clair River Drive in Algonac. For more information about the Know Your Ships guide, go to knowyourships.com.
Marine Mart in Port Huron to resume in June
Port Huron, MI – A long-standing tradition, sidelined by COVID, will make a return this year in a new location. The Summer Marine Mart, formerly the St. Clair Marine Mart, will be held Saturday, June 11, at the American Legion Post #8, 1026 Sixth St., in Port Huron, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The Mart features nautical items, artifacts, photos, books, artwork, models, postcards and more. See the poster in the image gallery below for more information.
