SS Badger to undergo repairs in Wisconsin dry dock
LUDINGTON, MI– The SS Badger will be placed into dry dock this spring for repairs in preparation of the upcoming sailing season. The Badger’s official 2025 sailing season will begin on Friday, May 16 when it departs Ludington, Mich. for Manitowoc, Wis. Prior to that, however, the 410-foot ship will sail to Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin where it will undergo a propeller shaft bearing repair.
The Badger is tentatively scheduled to leave Ludington on Tuesday, April 29 for the 12-hour journey. The 410-foot Badger will travel to Sturgeon Bay under its own power.
“This trip is being made under our own power instead of under tow because we are so close to our sailing season we will already have a crew getting the boat ready to sail,” said Badger Chief Engineer Andrew VerVelde. “It takes two to three weeks of ‘fit out’ prior to the season, which involves getting her engines and machinery ready. Since the crew is going to be aboard anyway we might as well steam her over. It has been done before, but not recently.”
The Badger was built by Christy Corporation in Sturgeon Bay in 1953, located at the same facilities now owned by FBS. Rather than traveling through the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, the vessel will take a northern route to the tip of the Door Peninsula and Washington Island from Lake Michigan into Sturgeon Bay. It will then travel south back to the city of Sturgeon Bay.
VerVelde said the repairs to the propeller shaft bearing requires taking the boat out of the water and removing its 13-foot, 10-inch starboard propeller. This repair is different than the Badger’s routine five-year dry dock inspection which last took place over the winter of 2021-2022.
The Badger is expected to return around May 10.
“It is the priority of Lake Michigan Carferry and our parent company, Interlake Maritime Services, to keep the Badger in its best working condition,” said Sara Spore, general manager of Lake Michigan Carferry. “Having these repairs done now will reduce interruptions to our summer sailing season.”
The propeller shaft repairs are not the only current major repairs for LMC. Since the end of the 2024 sailing season, crews from Al Bufka Construction of Manistee have been rebuilding the 95-year-old apron decking which is the second phase of the counter-weight replacement that took place in 2023-2024.
The apron at “No. 2 Slip” was constructed by the Pere Marquette Railway in 1930 and still contained rail tracks.
“The new apron decking will provide a much safer and smoother loading and unloading experience for vehicles,” Spore said. “These are repairs that have been needed for many years and we are thankful for Interlake’s commitment to assuring the Badger will sail for many years to come.”
Lake Michigan Carferry Co.
2025 “Know Your Ships” launches
The new shipping season is at hand, and so is the release of the 2025 edition of Know Your Ships, the popular annual field guide to boats and boatwatching on the Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway, now in its 66th year.
Preorders are now being taken. As usual, standard and spiral bindings are available. Preorders will be the first to mail out when the book arrives from the printer around March 23.
New this year is the ability to preorder the midsummer EXTRA magazine, which will feature a 50th anniversary tribute to the Edmund Fitzgerald and her crew, when you preorder the book.
To mark the opening of the Soo Locks, Editor & Publisher Roger LeLievre will be at the Soo Locks Visitor Center Saturday, March 26, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., to sign copies of the new edition. Buy them right from him, or from Das Gift Haus and Island Books and Crafts in the Soo, bring them to the Visitor Center and he will sign them.
Preorder at this link: www.knowyourships.com
Enter Duluth’s 42nd Annual First Ship Contest
Birds chirping. Snow thawing. Groundhogs emerging. There are many signs of spring across the country. In Duluth, it’s when the season’s first oceangoing vessel, known as a “saltie,” enters the city’s harbor. Begone ice! The ships are coming in.
To celebrate the occasion, the Duluth Seaway Port Authority and Visit Duluth are partnering for the 42nd Annual First Ship Contest. Correctly guess when the season’s first saltie sails into our seaport and you could win an epic prize package of Duluth goods and experiences. The second-place winner will also receive a prize package.
Here’s the link: https://visitduluth.com/first-ship/
Help Wanted: Interlake Logistics
Solutions Seeks Chief Engineer
The Interlake Logistics Solutions team has an immediate need for an experienced Chief Engineer Limited. More details about the position, pay and schedule can be found via the link below. You can apply directly through ADP and if you have additional questions and genuine interest, you can reach directly to General Manager Chuck Leonard at 231-590-8695 or cleonard@interlakems.com
