 (1).gif)
Eric Roberts has worked onboard the SS Badger since 1998.
This MCP Great Lakes Boat Blog is a presentation of House of Flavors Restaurant of Ludington and the Mason County Historical Society’s Port of Ludington Maritime Museum.
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
LUDINGTON — Eric Roberts is a jack-of-all-trades in the SS Badger’s engine department. He began his career at Lake Michigan Carferry in April 1999. Over the last 26 years he has held many positions on the ship, mostly in the engine department. He is the longest-serving crew member onboard the Badger.
Roberts is a qualified member of the engine department (QMED), which is a senior-most unlicensed position with the engine room of a ship, acting as an entry level for merchant marine officer licenses. He received his certification through a short course at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy located at Northwest Michigan College in Traverse City.
The SS Badger is the largest carferry ever built for the Great Lakes. Between May and October, it sails on Lake Michigan transporting passengers and vehicles of nearly any size between Ludington and Manitowoc, Wis.
Though Roberts has served in higher positions in the engine department, for the past several years he has held the job of wiper, responsible for performing routine cleaning and preservation of the engine department’s spaces, systems, equipment, and equipment components. He is also responsible for taking care of the department’s supplies.
Roberts works on engine parts prior to the beginning of the 2025 sailing season.
Roberts, who lives near Ludington, began his career on the Badger as an ordinary seaman, also known as a deckhand.
“I started out as a deckhand in 1999. At that time, I helped load and unload vehicles and also operated the chairlift, assisting disabled passengers up to the passenger deck,” Roberts said. “That first summer, the ship was short-staffed in that position, so I volunteered to basically work it nearly every shift. The following year, Chuck Cart, the chief engineer at that time, asked if I would be interested in doing work over the winter in the engine department. I have worked there ever since.”
Roberts has worked every QMED position in the engine department. He started as a coal passer, an entry-level position that assists the fireman in operating and maintaining the ship’s boilers and coal conveyor equipment. He also worked as a fireman, who is the person responsible for operating the boilers and conveyor equipment.
The Badger is the last coal-fired steamship in the United States. Its operations are unique compared to almost any other maritime vessel in the country. While there are still steamships that operate in the country, include a few freighters on the Great Lakes, the Badger is the only one that still uses coal as its fuel source.
The ship’s systems include a combination of original 1952 technology with modern technology such as the coal ash retention system — which prevents coal ash from being released into Lake Michigan — and a high tech water operations monitoring system. The proper water levels and pressure are critical to maintaining safe and efficient operations on the ship.
The next job he held was water tender, a position that would monitor the 1950s-era original water operations gauges and valves. A new system was recently installed eliminating the need for the water tender position, Roberts said.
He was then assigned as an oiler. Oilers work in the engine room, helping the engineers keep the propulsion system in working order. Responsibilities include lubricating gears, shafts, bearings, and other parts of the engine or motor. They also read pressure and temperature gauges and record data. The oiler also answers the Chadburn engine order telegraph (EOT) which is a mid-1800s technology that sends engine orders from the pilot house to the engine room.
The Badger enters Ludington Harbor Thursday, July 10.
Roberts also served as an acting junior engineer for a few years. That position extends beyond the engine room and is responsible for, among other duties, maintaining the ship’s electrical and plumbing.
QMED employees, along with other certified and licensed positions on the Badger, are part of the American Maritime Officers, the largest union of U.S. merchant marine officers.
When Roberts’s wife, Patty, became ill in 2014, he took the season off to take care of her. After her passing, he returned and offered to fill in where needed. As a result, he’s served as a wiper since, filling in other positions as needed.
“I had always wanted to obtain my engine officer’s license, but it just didn’t work,” the 60-year-old father of six adult children said. “I really enjoy working here. The shifts allow me to be home most evenings, especially when we are sailing single crossings. The people I work with are great. We really are one family. When my wife was ill, they treated me really well and allowed me to spend the time with her.
This is just a really special place to work and it’s a great opportunity for a younger person looking for a good-paying steady job. I would recommend any career onboard the Badger, there’s nothing else like it on the Great Lakes.”
For bonus photos, please visit our companion website, www.greatlakesboatblog.com.
________________
Please Support Local News
Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with free local news.
To sign up, email editor@mediagroup31.com. In the subject line write: Subscription. Please supply your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number (indicate cell phone). We will not share your information with any outside sources. For more than one email address in a household, the cost is $15 per month per email address.
We can send you an invoice for a yearly payment of $120, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address).
Payment must be made in advance prior to subscription activation.
We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.
_____
This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2025, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.
As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.
.png)
