Historic Great Lakes Ferry Collides with Sister Ship in Docking Accident
An accident that occurred during the routine docking procedure on Wednesday evening, September 17, for the Great Lakes ferry S.S. Badger. It was the second incident in two years for the historic ship, and despite some damage to the vessel, it was able to resume its sailings during the final weeks of the popular tourist season.
At approximately 6:50 p.m. local time on Wednesday, the Great Lakes passenger-car ferry was backing into its dock in Ludington, Michigan. The vessel appeared to overshoot and collided with its long-retired, permanently moored sister ship, S.S. Spartan. None of the passengers aboard the four-hour cruise was injured.
The Lake Michigan Carferry company wrote in a social media posting, “The incident, which occurred during a docking procedure… The extent of the damage to the S.S. Badger's sea gate is currently being assessed by marine engineers to determine the necessary repairs and to ensure the vessel's continued safe operation.”
Despite the accident, the company reported that Badger would resume service between Ludington, Michigan, and Manitowoc, Wisconsin, on Thursday at 9 a.m. The summer sailing season had begun in May, and the ship is scheduled to conclude its yearly program on October 12.
The vessel has a lift gate on its stern for the ramp to the car deck. It is unclear how much damage occurred to the gate, which appears to have been in the raised position as they were maneuvering into the dock. The Badger has a capacity to accommodate 600 passengers and 180 vehicles.
The sea gate is visible in the raised position on this photo (Lake Michigan Carferry Co.)
A local fan of the vessel, Travis May, commented on Facebook, “Spartan is roughly 40 yards behind the Badger’s dog they inch into with an anchor drag. Unless a guy in the firehouse went rogue, it’s impossible to hit that ship unless the anchor snapped late during the swing with heavy reverse power all of a sudden without anchor drag. Even then, it would be hard to hit the parked vessel as a turn in engines could reverse course in 40+ yards. On a clear night. This is really odd to me.”
Two years ago, in July 2023, Badger backed into the ramping system, which is used to load and unload vehicles in Ludington. It was blamed on a mechanical failure, and the company tried to repair the loading ramp. In August, however, they announced that the season was suspended despite special celebrations to mark the vessel’s 70 years of service.
Operated by Lake Michigan Carferry, the Badger and Spartan were launched in 1952 and 1953. At 410 feet (125 meters) in length, they were the largest and became the last coal-fired, steam engine car ferries built in the U.S. They were originally designed to provide a shortcut across Lake Michigan, a service maintained by the C&O Railroad till 1979. Spartan has not sailed since 1980 and today is used for spare parts for her sister ship. Badger became a popular tourist attraction, and in 2016, she was designated as a National Historic Landmark.
The company and the vessels were acquired in 2021 by the Interlake Holding Company, which pledged to maintain the historic service. Originally designed primarily to transport railroad cars, today the Badger transports RVs, motorcycles, motor coaches, and commercial trucks on the 60-mile crossing of the lake.