SS Badger docking maneuver

We are in Ludington and got to see the SS Badger dock. The captain uses the anchor to spin the boat and dock. It was slick. I looked up some pictures and he is using an engine order telegraph to ring up bells. The SS Badger is a coal fired steam ship ferry between Ludington and Manitowoc WI. Keep you eye on the anchor chain.

Very cool. I'd love to see that.
I'd like to see the engine room too.
Of course his anchor is too small, it's the wrong kind and he doesn't have enough chain.

What a wus. We can dock our Badger without pivoting on anchor chains, or using thrusters

Wow, a coal fired RoRo steamer. And from the last pic it looks like one of two.
As Chinese coal demand wanes, and burning coal approaches the popularity of leprosy, there is still a chance to sell some coal.

Fascinating, and great photos, Dave. Thanks for posting.

That does look like a near sister docked just aft of Badger - didn't realize there is another cross-lake ferry similar to the old Badger. A few years back there were reports that she would be forced to stop running, owing to its mechanical obsolescence.

WOW I want a visit and if not a video thanks for the pics amazing

siestakey said:

WOW I want a visit and if not a video thanks for the pics amazing

Click to expand...

Try this one:


You might find a video you like here:



youtube ss badger - Google Search

She goes charging into Ludington like a herd of Buffalo. It always makes me a little nervous... haha. If for some reason that anchor was ever to fail, seems like she'd pile up on shore in a hurry.

The sistership is the Spartan, which has been inactive for many years now. Badger was in danger of being shut down due to the fact that she needed to dispose of her coal ash while underway, and had been dumping it in the lake for decades. She can't do that anymore, but has come up with a way to store it and put it ashore. I think she's got some new scrubbers too, so she doesn't belch quite so much black coal smoke as she used to. It was quite a thing to see a few years ago. A real blast from the past.

Thank you harbor950, and thank you Wayfarer.
How many coal fired steamships remain in commercial use? There are several here in historic fleets, and used for tourism and charter. The SS Earnslaw, based on Lake Wakatipu at Queenstown, on the southern island of New Zealand, does tourist trips but also services farms and other establishments on the lake, and should qualify as a working vessel.

Thanks for posting that was pretty work.

David.

Wayfarer said:

She goes charging into Ludington like a herd of Buffalo. It always makes me a little nervous... haha. If for some reason that anchor was ever to fail, seems like she'd pile up on shore in a hurry.

The sistership is the Spartan, which has been inactive for many years now. Badger was in danger of being shut down due to the fact that she needed to dispose of her coal ash while underway, and had been dumping it in the lake for decades. She can't do that anymore, but has come up with a way to store it and put it ashore. I think she's got some new scrubbers too, so she doesn't belch quite so much black coal smoke as she used to. It was quite a thing to see a few years ago. A real blast from the past.

Click to expand...

The Spartan is set up to haul train cars. It has four train tracks running through the cargo bay. Its no longer in use. There is some footage on YouTube

fryedaze said:

The Spartan is set up to haul train cars. It has four train tracks running through the cargo bay. Its no longer in use. There is some footage on YouTube

Click to expand...

The Badger was originally set up for hauling train cars. We took the SS Badger across the lake on a return trip from California a couple of years ago.

Back in the 1970's. There was another ferry that ran from Frankfort to Kewaunee. They also transported train cars. When we took it around 1977, train cars and autos shared the ferry. One of the older ferries is now permanently docked on Lake Manistee and I believe they tried to rent out rooms like a motel.

Wayfarer said:

She goes charging into Ludington like a herd of Buffalo. It always makes me a little nervous... haha. If for some reason that anchor was ever to fail, seems like she'd pile up on shore in a hurry.

Click to expand...

"Thas mah boat..."

Does the ship have mechanical stokers or is there a gang with shovels to feed the boilers?

Very, very cool!

markpierce said:

Does the ship have mechanical stokers or is there a gang with shovels to feed the boilers?

Click to expand...

It's an automated system.

A quick search shows the Badger was launched in 1952, which seems late for a coal burning steam ship. The SS South Steyne, a 1200 ton Manly ferry, built in Leith Scotland in 1938 was oil fired. She took 6 weeks to steam her way to Sydney on her delivery voyage and carried reserve drums of fuel oil, and also carried 20 tons of coal for emergency use,(both back up fuel sources broke loose in a gale and required re-securing) meaning the boilers could be fired using either fuel.
I just wonder why a coal burner was built so late, maybe there was a plentiful easy coal supply.

Coal was surpassed by oil much earlier than that. By WWI for the most part. But there were special circumstances through the years. I don't know about the Badger, but there are others ships as well as a Florida company that is trying to develop an efficient, powdered coal engine now Cyclone Power Technologies - Cyclone Engine

Also, in 1940, Great Britain ordered 60 coal fired steam Liberty Ships because of more secure local access to coal supplies.

What follows is from articles about coal fired steam ships built in the early 1980's in response to special local circumstances and the 1973 energy crisis and consequent oil price rise.



———————

River Embley marks the end of an era (May 2012)


The withdrawal from service of River Embley this week marks the closing of a unique chapter in bulk shipping.

River Embley, and her sister ship River Boyne, are the only commercially-trading coal-fired bulk carriers in the world and have spent their 30-odd years as floating bauxite conveyors between Weipa and Gladstone, Queensland.


The pair was half of an innovative quartet of built for the Australian coastal bauxite trade in the early 1980’s. The other two vessels, Endeavour River and Fitzroy River (ex TNT Carpentaria and TNT Capricornia) were built in Italy for TNT Bulkships while River Embley and River Boyne were built at Mitsubishi’s Nagasaki shipyard for ANL.

At the time of their design, fuel oil bunkers were at historicaly high levels and Queensland had plentiful, cheap steaming coal. Though built at different Yards and to different designs, the principles are the same. Coal is loaded into gravity-fed hoppers adjacent to the accommodation. Automatic coal handling systems deliver the coal on to moving conveyor grates running through the boilers driving steam turbines and a single propeller.




Despite running on a solid fuel, the vessels were classed UMS (Unmanned Machinery Space) meaning they would run automated with day-working Engineers. At normal sea speed, the ships consumed between 180 and 240 tonnes of coal a day. Increasing maintenance costs, and their replacement by more standard Post-Panamax bulk carriers, means their time has come and River Embley will sail from Gladstone next week to Singapore and new Owners.

The Antipodean Mariner Antipodean Mariner: River Embley marks the end of an era



From 1981:


And in the United States, where no coal-powered ship has been built since 1953, New England Electric has contracted with General Dynamics Corporation to construct a $60-million coal-fired vessel at its Quincy, Mass., Shipyard. The ship will carry 2.2 million tons of coal annually along the Eastern seaboard, using about 1 percent of the cargo for its own power.

Coal-powered ships: a nostalgic way to cut costs - CSMonitor.com

Coal is still plentiful and cheap in the American Midwest. There are still several coal power plants around the lakes, though I'm always hearing about them being shut down or converted to natural gas. Frankly, I won't miss hauling the stuff. It's nasty.

harbor950 said:

I don't know about the Badger, but there are others ships ...

Click to expand...

Among them the 1983 built SS Energy Enterprise which is currently offloading in New Orleans.

SS Badger

The Badger is the only reciprocating steam engine ship still operating on the Great Lakes. In season, it make two trips daily between Ludington Mi and Manitowoc Wi. The stocker fed boilers produce steam for a pair of triple expansion Skinner engines which were the latest in efficiency when the ship was built.

The ship has had two persistent environmental problems. The first is that it does not meet any of the federal or state air quality standards. This problem was partially resolved about 30 yrs ago when Michigan passed a specific exemption for the Badger. I personally was involved in initiating this legislation. The second is the historical practice of dumping the ash into lake Michigan while they are underway. Region 5 of the US EPA would not allow this to continue and nearly shut down the service two years ago. The owner researched many options but felt that it was essential to maintain the ship as a steam ship so a refit with engines was out. They even considered firing the boilers with CNG which is common in northern Europe. The Coast Guard was way behind the curve on how to regulate the use of CNG aboard a passenger vessel.

The boiler control system was recently upgraded with modern combustion controls which explains the reduction of the black smoke. Still the emissions are uncontrolled and they are responsible for a continuing public nuisance problem around the expensive condos in Ludington. The ship is based in Ludington and is there during the winter but it is serviced with coal in Manitowoc. They back a dump trailer loaded with coal into the ship and dump the coal through grating in the cargo floor. They now store the ash on board but I have not seen how they remove it.

When they approach the ludington dock, they come in forward then drop the anchor, pivot around it, and back in. Docking in Manitowoc is more conventional. When they pivot around the anchor, the vibration at the rear of the ship is dramatic. I assume that it is from cavitation of the props. I asked a friend, who is an engineer on the ship, if this caused prop and shaft problems but he said that it does not. While they are docked in Ludingtion, they do a steam blow out the port side of the ship. It is very shocking if you happen to be nearby in your dinghy.

The ship provides an essential service and is important to the communities at each end to the route. It not only carries tourists but because of its size, it also carries trucks and special loads that would have a difficult time going around the bottom of lake Michigan and through Chicago. Hopefully, it will continue to be a healthy business.

Dan Girvan
Gypsy Spirit
Albin 36

Excellent video. Now that's horn I'd like to have.