LUDINGTON — Over its 70-plus years of service, the SS Badger has been a vessel of making special memories for thousands of people that span multiple generations. For one Hart family the Badger not only provided an important service during a time of hardship, it has become an integral part of their lives. “My 21-year-old daughter, Sarah Ursiny, had been…
LUDINGTON — The SS Badger will be placed into dry dock this spring for repairs in preparation of the upcoming sailing season. The Badger’s official 2025 sailing season will begin on Friday, May 16 when it departs Ludington for Manitowoc, Wis. Prior to that, however, the 410-foot ship will sail to Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. where…
LUDINGTON — SS Badger Wheelsman Joe DeBusk recently received the Interlake Maritime Services Customer First Award, presented during the company’s annual winter meeting in Savannah, Ga. Interlake Maritime Services, which operates the largest shipping fleet on the Great Lakes, acquired Lake Michigan Carferry (LMC) in 2020. DeBusk, who lives in Reed City, has worked for LMC for 10 years. He…
This year marks the 150th anniversary of cross-lake service out of Ludington. The service began in 1875, a year after the completion of the Flint & Pere Marquette Railway, which terminated in Ludington. Initially, break-bulk freighters were used — a process that required freight to be unloaded at the dock, placed on the ship, then unloaded at the other dock.…
Photo by Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief LUDINGTON — Ice on Pere Marquette Lake has surrounded the SS Badger while it is docked for the winter. Though the Badger, like the other Ludington carferries, was built to operate year-round, for the past 32 years it has operated as a seasonal ship, transporting passengers and motor vehicles between Ludington and Manitowoc, Wis. The…
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