LUDINGTON, Mich. — It will likely take a “few weeks” to return Great Lakes car ferry S.S. Badger to service after a loading-ramp failure last week, the owner of the former Chesapeake & Ohio steamship said in a statement earlier this week.
Lake Michigan Carferry, owner of the ship built in 1952, said that on of the two lifting structures for the ship’s ramp in Ludington “collapsed into the water” on July 21 [see “S.S. Badger, last Great Lakes car ferry, sidelined …,” Trains News Wire, July 23, 2023]. No injuries or damage to the ramp, ship, or vehicles resulted, but the company on Tuesday began removing the old lifting equipment to prepare for installation of a new lifting device. Design and acquisition of materials for that installation are now in process.
“While we do not have an exact timeframe, our hope is to have the vessel back in service within the next few weeks,” the company said in the statement posted on the Badger’s Facebook page.
The company said it will provide a better estimate as it works through the replacement process. Those already holding tickets may call 1-800-841-4243 for a refund or to change a reservation.
The Badger, which operates seasonally between Ludington and Manitowoc, Wis., is the last coal-fired passenger ship operating on the Great Lakes, as well as the last remnant of the lakes’ fleet of railroad car ferries.
The Badger no longer puts coal into the lake. It hasn’t for several years.
This is a huge financial blow to the company that owns the SS Badger. Is this the beginning of the end?
During its compulsory absence, the S.S. Badger will be deeply missed by the passengers, the cars and the waters of Lake Michigan.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
As much as I love this remnant of railroad history, I doubt the waters of Lake Michigan miss the coal ash the Badger dumped into it– nor do the fish 🙂