Description

SS BADGER GREAT LAKE FERRY

FULLY BUILT AND READY TO DISPLAY SHIP MODEL

Dimension approx.: 36″ L x 7″ W x 11″ H
The model is already built. THIS IS NOT A MODEL SHIP KIT

When the SS Badger entered service on 21 March 1953, she represented the final evolution of a Great Lakes tradition that had carried railcars, passengers, and freight across Lake Michigan for generations. Built in 1952 by the Christy Corporation in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, alongside her twin SS Spartan, she was commissioned by the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (C&O) to strengthen its cross‑lake railcar ferry system. With a reinforced hull designed for icebreaking and the rugged conditions of winter service, the Badger was engineered to work year‑round in one of North America’s most demanding inland waterways.

Christened on 6 September 1952, the Badger joined a fleet of fourteen ferries that connected Ludington, Michigan, with ports such as Manitowoc, Milwaukee, and Kewaunee. These ships provided a vital shortcut around Chicago’s congested rail yards, saving time and avoiding the bottlenecks of overland routes. Through the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, the Badger carried railcars, automobiles, and passengers across Lake Michigan, braving winter ice, labor strikes, and the unpredictable weather of the upper Midwest. A coal strike in 1971 briefly halted operations, but the Badger remained one of the most reliable vessels in the fleet.

By the 1980s, declining rail freight and changing transportation patterns led to a gradual reduction in service. The Badger ended her Milwaukee route in 1980, resumed briefly under state subsidy in 1981, and finally saw the end of her original railcar role in 1990. For many ships of her era, this would have been the end — but the Badger’s story was far from over.

In 1992, new owners revived the vessel as a seasonal auto and passenger ferry between Ludington and Manitowoc, preserving her steam‑powered heritage while adapting her to modern tourism. Today she carries up to 620 passengers and 180 vehicles, including RVs, motorcycles, and commercial trucks. Onboard amenities include lounges, staterooms, dining options, and entertainment spaces, offering a relaxed, nostalgic crossing that recalls mid‑20th‑century lake travel.

Technically, the SS Badger is a rare survivor. At 410 feet long and 59.5 feet wide, displacing 6,650 tons, she is powered by two Skinner Unaflow compound steam engines — a design once common on the Great Lakes but now nearly extinct. She is the last coal‑fired passenger steamship in the United States, and the only operating steam‑powered car ferry in the world. In recognition of her historical significance, she was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2016, ensuring her preservation as a working monument of American maritime engineering.

Today, the SS Badger sails from May to October, offering daily crossings that blend practical transportation with living history. Passengers experience the rhythm of steam engines, the smell of coal smoke, and the wide horizon of Lake Michigan — a reminder of an era when ferries were essential links in the nation’s transportation network.

More than a vessel, the SS Badger is a cultural icon: a floating museum of Great Lakes railroading, a survivor of mid‑century steam technology, and a beloved symbol of the communities she has served for over seventy years.