LUDINGTON — The official S.S. Badger sailing season ended the same way it started — stuck. Today was customer appreciation day, where round-trip riders received a discounted rate, just as they did on the first day of sailing in May. On that day, the Badger’s engine ran into trouble as it was coming into Manitowoc, causing the ship to run aground in the harbor for several hours.
Tonight, passengers stated heavy winds caused the ship to spin 90 degrees as it was preparing to dock in Ludington. According to passenger Dale Bannon, the bow cable did not get secured “and everything went south.”
Patrick Lopeman of our news partner WMOM FM 102.7 said the ship was already an hour late. “They had two lines and it looked like they couldn’t get one of them secured in time,” Lopeman said. He said it appeared one of the dock locking devices may have broken as well. Lopeman said ground crew used winches to maneuver the ship. The process took about two hours.
Around 9:45 p.m. the Badger blew its horn that it had docked.
Freight traffic has resulted in the Badger sailing season to be extended to November 2.
Story by Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
Photo by Patrick Lopeman, WMOM