 SS Badger sailing in Manitowoc harbor
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | SS Badger |
| Namesake | University of Wisconsin Badgers |
| Owner | Interlake Maritime Services |
| Port of registry |  Ludington, Michigan |
| Route |  US 10, Ludington, Michigan–Manitowoc, Wisconsin |
| Builder | Christy Corporation, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin |
| Yard number | Hull No. 370 |
| Launched | September 6, 1952 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Walter J. Kohler (wife of Governor of Wisconsin) |
| In service | March 21, 1953 |
| Identification |
|
| Nickname(s) | "The Big Badger" (Charles F. Conrad's favorite description) |
| Status | Active |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Passenger and automobile car ferry |
| Tonnage | 4,244 gross tons[1] |
| Displacement | 6,650 tons[1] |
| Length | 410 ft 6 in (125.12 m)[1] |
| Beam | 59 ft 6 in (18.14 m)[1] |
| Height | 106 ft 9 in (32.54 m)[1] |
| Depth | 24 ft (7.32 m) molded depth |
| Decks | 2 passenger, 2 vehicle |
| Installed power | Steam, coal-fired |
| Propulsion | Two four-cylinder compound Skinner Unaflow steam engines, totaling 7,000 shp (5.22 MW); four Foster-Wheeler water-tube type D boilers, 470 psi (3.24 MPa)[2] |
| Speed |
|
| Capacity | 620 passengers, 180 automobiles, also tour buses, RVs, motorcycles, and commercial trucks |
| Crew | 50–60 |
SS Badger | |
| Location | 700 S. William Street, Ludington, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 43°56′57″N 86°27′04″W / 43.94917°N 86.45111°W |
| NRHP reference No. | 09000679[3] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | December 11, 2009 |
| Designated NHL | January 20, 2016[5] |
| Designated MSHS | March 6, 1997[4] |
SS Badger is a passenger and vehicle ferry in the United States that has been in service on Lake Michigan since 1953. Currently, the ship shuttles between Ludington, Michigan, and Manitowoc, Wisconsin, a distance of 62 miles (100 km), connecting U.S. Highway 10 (US 10) between those two cities. She is the last coal-fired passenger vessel operating on the Great Lakes, and was designated a National Historic Landmark on January 20, 2016.
The ship is named after the University of Wisconsin's athletic teams, the Wisconsin Badgers.[6] Badger runs on Michigan time (Eastern Time Zone, whereas Wisconsin is in the Central Time Zone) and riders pay Michigan taxes on their fares. She runs on a seasonal basis from May to October.[7]
- ^ a b c d e "About the Car Ferry". SS Badger. Archived from the original on July 8, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ American Society of Mechanical Engineers (September 7, 1996). "SS Badger Engines and Boilers" (PDF). American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Archived from the original on October 24, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
- ^ National Park Service (March 13, 2009). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
- ^ State Historic Preservation Office (2009). "SS Badger". Historic Sites Online. Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Archived from the original on June 1, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
- ^ National Park Service. "Weekly List of Actions, 4/18/16 through 4/22/16". National Park Service. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- ^ Wisconsin Historical Society (1998). Manitowoc and the Car Ferries / SS Badger (Historical marker). Manitowoc: Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
- ^ "History". Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2014.