I rode the ship with my family in Auguust, 1969; I was only eleven years old; watched alot of television in TV room, ate great food, met all kinds of people and made new friends. We rode to Wisconsin Dells from Ludington, Michigan and later round trip! It's amazing this ship is still in service, memories say I recommend anyone to ride and at sixty-five years of age (2023), I would do it again ,,,proud Michigander! Ship Ahoy!!!
On the night of February 8, 1958, my new wife and I spent our wedding night in a stateroom on our way from Milwaukee to Ludington. I don't remember if it was the Badger or the Spartan. We have been married 63 years this month. Watching the video brought back happy memories!
We just took the SS Badger on June 1st from Manitowoc to Ludington and returned on June 5. What a blast. Plenty of amenities, great crew, and in four hours we transversed Lake MI. Ludington was beautiful. Take the trip!
I love the SS Badger as a truck driver I cross many times the lake Michigan with oversize load they safe me alot time avoiding me to go thru Illinois is a unique experience and what a great crew inside and outside the ship. 🇺🇲🚢 GOD BLESS YOU 🚢 🇺🇲
I knew it took a lot of work to sail the beautiful Badger but I had no idea, wow! Great job on the film. We have taken this ship several times including just this month. Thank you captains and crew and all staff, it takes a whole team and everyone does a great job. Thank you & keep up the great work. Bob & Susan
Thank you for this great tour onboard SS Badger. As a retired maritime pilot from Bremen, Germany I handled only a few US Steamships in the 70ths, they manoeuvre quite different than motorvessels. Would like to make a trip on the Badger - but Corona doesn't allow.
#44 Ship Ahoy! Wonderful video! I was a crew member many, many years ago on her as well as: SS Pere Marquette 21, SS Pere Marquette 22, SS City of Saginaw 31, SS City of Midland 41, SS Spartan 42, and the SS Badger 43. Streamers SS Pere Marquette 18 and SS City of Flint 32 were laid up, waiting to be sold! I had the occasion to relieve the "Wheel Watch" for breaks and dinner, and to handle her as will as the others, from time to time. I certainly miss the past, Thank God, one was saved!!
Splendid documentary. I traveled on the car ferries from Frankfort Michigan when I was a child with my parents. It’s heartwarming to know that I can share this wonderful adventure with my family today and for years to come.
I add that even boats with thrusters use a line for the pivot away form the side (9:19). The Pride of Hull and Pride of Rotterdam (60,000t) use the method out of the dock Europoort at Rotterdam. 11,000 ton boats use it too out of Lerwick in Shetland. It's a wonderful ship, great video too, and really a reminder of how much of a manual world it was until the 1960's when automation began to creep in.
THIS is the video I wanted to see. Thank-you for both making it and putting it on RU-vid. This is how ships use to be operated by the Bridge controls and the Engine Room controls. In modern day ships the bridge has control of the engine(s) a bit like a self-drive hire car. Long may S.S. Badger sail.
Every few years my wife and I ride the Badger. Terrific experience! Every year when we are visiting friends in Two Rivers, at least once each year we stop to see the Badger arrive from Ludington. Brings back such fond memories of growing up in Sturgeon Bay and seeing the Badger launched in 1956, I believe. Precautions were taken to protect the shops along the slip but the wave from the ship as it entered the water sideways knocked the railroad cars filled with scrap iron off the tracks and into the shops.
As a kid in the early to mid 1980s I remember sailing across the lake on both the Badger and Spartan. I live in Racine WI and at the time my grandparents lived in Boyne City MI. If I am not mistaken the ferry service was halted for over a decade? I remember a few times on the ferry boat the weather was terrible with rain/wind and the waves had to be at least 8' and I remember being tossed from side to side in the hallway of the estate rooms lol. I would love to take the Badger net summer to visit my 86 y/o grandmother and relive those memories.
Thanks for the great video!!! We took my old '85 Bronco across on the Badger probably 20+ years ago so it was really neat to get to see all the behind-the-scenes stuff that went on and the history of how it got to be what it is today!!
As a Captain that use to run a 300 ft dinner boat, I appreciated the fact that as I thought of some question a mariner might ask it was promptly answered by the video, both technically and at the passanger level, well done. This really did make me want to come and take a ride on the boat! What is her operational season?
Experienced the SS Badger from Ludington to Manitowoc 3 days ago with my son. (9-25-2021) Very cool experience and a memory I'll always cherish of us having. I'm 46 and he's 19 so who knows if he feels the same or not but I'm confident he'll look back on it one day and say "yeah, me and my dad did that together once!" ❤⛴
She's a great old ship and I'm so glad she's still sailing! Two things caught my attention, one is he says the wheel is attached directly to the rudder but then mentions and shows the hydro electric steering system, second, I've never heard a Captain say hard right rather than hard a starboard.
I watched another video regarding the Badger, and it was commented that they never say Port or Starboard when issuing steering commands. Not sure why.....
Enjoyed our voyage in 2018, pleasant trip. Interior too hot as air conditioning malfunctioning, comfortable on deck. Docking in Ludington was impressive seamanship. Took too long to receive auto but the trip was a good memory. Video very well done.
Got to see her twice in 2016 in all her glory in Michigan in a bay off the Great Lake. Will always treasure that. I grew up listening to stories of old steam ships my papa used to tell from the 40s/50s/60s and it was wonderful to see the last north American one in person
We were privileged to ride the Badger few years back, IT WAS AWESOME, It was exciting to go to relatives in Appleton. THIS VIDEO WAS STILL GIVING MY WIFE & WIFE GOOSE PIMPLES. We want to do it again. If you ever get a chance do it, Its worth the money. The Wise`s.
Good video. I've decided to take the fam across the lake on the Badger in August en route to our vacation destination. Should be fun, and something our 9 year old doesn't get to experience every day.
I'm based in Michigan but needed to go to Wisconsin for business -- almost 40 years ago -- and decided to take the SS Badger to avoid (eeeek!) Chicago traffic. The entire experience was enjoyable. I arrived early and spent a bit of time in Ludington. Nice town and people. The videos and photos will not prepare you for the size of the ship. I was amazed as vehicle after vehicle disappeared into what amounts to the sizable, highly organized parking lot inside of it. Back then, the creature comforts -- Bingo, TV Lounge, etc. -- didn't exist and the cruise itself was just a quiet, leisurely sail across Lake Michigan. Disembarking was so efficient that the time cushion I built in to my schedule proved to be unnecessary and I arrived at my Wisconsin destination early and refreshed. Recalling this makes me want to come up with an excuse to take another trip to Wisconsin. ;o) To be commercially viable after 66 years, the SS Badger is absolutely remarkable. As this video points out, it is unique. That we can still experience (not just watch vids) and enjoy it is a tribute to the team that makes it all work. Thank you!
Took the Badger back in the 80s to Milwaukee. The Chessie Cat was still painted in the smokestack. Remember them loading coal cars. Felt like it took forever for them to line the train tracks up.
As a life member of The SS Shieldhall based in Southampton Hampshire in Southern England i can say i thoroughly enjoyed your video. If i had the money i would jump on a plane immediately ( virus permitting ) Well done to all of youand best wishes from Trevor Fleisig from Svenoaks Kent South East England. UK
The Badger runs a predictable car ferry service. If her routes were extended, making her more like a cruise ship, then she would not be able to continue as a practical car ferry. Second, you can't "take cars off the road" or reduce road congestion by doing ANYTHING different with the Badger, that is just a silly notion. You say you might be willing to 'invest' in this.....that would mean buying her and her facilities at both Manitowoc and Ludington, paying for a complete refit, and then seeing your investment go down the tubes as people fail to show up in sufficient numbers to make the investment pay. If you meant 'invest' as you being willing to pay for the odd voyage here and there, then that is useless in the sense that it might sway anyone to change how the Badger operates. Also remember that, reportedly, the Badger gets a considerable amount of her operating costs covered by what truckers pay to move their rigs across the lake, as opposed to going around the lake, and doing what you suggest would removed that source of revenue.
Although I love this ship and I guarentee myself I will sail on it again because I live 4 hours away its not that easy, but when I get out of high school and then college, I will drive up to manitowoc and do a round trip.
It's named after the Wisconsin mascot. Just like the Spartan is named for MSU. They named them after college teams beacuse they though less egos would be burst.
Very soon the complex engineering on this ship ( old school engineering ) will be beyond the future engineers. Today it's all about electronics and apps.
Lived in Ludington as a child. About a block from the Park Dairy, the now famous House of Flavors. Mmmmm, Blue Moon. Last time I was on the Badger was the day we left to move to the west coast. I must go back and ride again before it is decommissioned.
Good to see there’s some very wealthy people do something good with their money besides buying another house that they probably only visit every few years.
As a European, the idea of having special valets to drive your car onto the ship seems odd. Europe has a lot of big ferries plying the seas, and they are all self-drive. You drive onto the ship yourself, then the crewmen point you in the direction where you need to go. As you drive up your parking lane towards the vehicle parked in front, a crewman will wave you forward until you are only a few inches behind it.
@@elizabethfrohn-hengst296 The trick to overcoming sea sickness is to simply not think about it, and don’t focus on something that is constantly moving back and forth. I served in the Navy.....That always worked for me.
