The MV Robert S. Pierson passes through the Maple Street Bridge
This Great Lakes Boat Blog is presented by House of Flavors Restaurant, 402 W. Ludington Ave., Ludington; houseofflavorsrestaurants.com
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
MANISTEE — The MV Robert S. Pierson visited the port of Manistee on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025 with a load of limestone. It was the Canadian-flagged vessel’s first visit to Manistee in 15 years. It arrived about 1 p.m. and unloaded its cargo at the Rieth-Riley Construction dock along Manistee Lake.
The ship had traveled from Meldrum Bay, Ontario, Canada. It departed Manistee in the early evening and was en route to the Presque Isle Quarry, also known as Stoneport, near Alpena.
The Robert S. Pierson was built by American Shipbuilding Co. of Lorain, Ohio and began service as the Wolverine in 1974. It was originally owned by Union Commerce Bank of Cleveland Ohio and operated by Oglebay Norton Corp. For the next 32 years, it was operated by various divisions of Oglebay Norton, which assumed ownership of the ship in 1994.
In 2006, Oglebay Norton sold its fleet to Wisconsin and Michigan Steamship Co., which was owned by Sand Products Corp. of Muskegon. In 2008, the Wolverine and its two sister ships, the David Z. Norton and the Earl W. Oglebay, were acquired by Grand River Navigation of Traverse City, which then sold the Wolverine to its Canadian partner, Lower Lakes Towing of Port Dover, Ontario. The name was then changed to Robert S. Pierson. The David Z. Norton was renamed the Calumet and the Earl W. Oglebay was renamed the Manitowoc.
Both Grand River Navigation and Lower Lakes Towing are divisions of Rand Logistics, Inc. of Jersey City, NJ.
The Robert S. Pierson is 630 feet long, 68 feet wide, and has a depth of 36 feet. It is operated by two Alco V16 engines and has a top speed of 11.5 knots (13.2 mph). It has a capacity of 19,600 tons.
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