Post by ferryfast admin on May 26, 2012 11:09:56 GMT -5
S.S. Badger draftsman gets once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
Green Bay Press Gazette
For photo, see:
www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20120526/ADV01/205260400/Door-County-History-S-S-Badger-draftsman-gets-once-lifetime-opportunity
6:39 PM, May. 25, 2012 |
On board the USS Badger car ferry, Richard Hanneman shows the original drawings he drafted while working with the ship's designers at Christy Corp. in Sturgeon Bay in 1950.
Written by
Charles E. Hannemann
Most young people walking around today texting messages on their smartphones have little or no concept of the use of steam as a source of power. Only some of our senior citizens can still recall the steam locomotives of the early days of their youth, long ago replaced by diesel electric technology.
One of the last coal-fired steam vessels still plying the Great Lakes is the car ferry S.S. Badger, which travels between Manitowoc and Ludington, Mich., during the spring and summer months. Less well-known is that the ferry was built in Sturgeon Bay.
Construction began on the ferry at the Christy Corp. shipyard (now Bay Shipbuilding Co.) 62 years ago in 1950. She was launched in 1953 and took on her major responsibility of transporting railroad freight cars across Lake Michigan. Operating from the ports of Manitowoc, Kewaunee and Milwaukee, she was a key transportation link for the railroad and trucking industry and the public.
Economic conditions and evolving technologies of the 1970s saw a significant decline in the railroad freight business, and by 1990, most car ferries became obsolete. The S.S. Badger was destined for the scrapheap.
A man by the name of Charles Conrad was not willing to see such a significant part of maritime history wind up as scrap metal. He purchased the ship and revamped it to accommodate a greater number of automobiles, semi- and travel trailers, and motorcycles (eliminating accommodations for railway cars), while at the same time, maintaining the originality of the vessel and its unique propulsion system. The ship presently serves the public with regularly scheduled trips from the Port of Manitowoc to Ludington, Michigan.
Richard Hannemann, a longtime resident of Door County, recently had a unique opportunity associated with the S.S. Badger. Working as a draftsman in the R.A. Stearns Naval Architect Planning Department at Christy in 1950, Richard worked with the ship's designers and drew many plans for the construction of the vessel.
He witnessed the construction of the ship from the laying of the keel to its launching in 1953. He observed workers install the coal-fired steam propulsion system that has served the ship since its heyday in the 1950s.
When the planning department completed all drawings of the S.S. Badger and began preparation for the next vessel (many were 1,000-foot iron ore carriers), Richard was able to salvage a few of his original drawings of the ship. Recently, in chatting with his daughter, Sheila Dipprey, he told her that a wish of his was to present these original drawings to the captain of the S.S. Badger. Sheila promptly made a call to the main offices of the Badger and explained her father's wish.
Last Aug. 22, the company made Richard's dream come true. They invited him and several relatives and friends to take a complimentary round-trip cruise on the S.S. Badger, complete with meals and a tour of the wheelhouse while under way. During that tour, Richard presented Capt. Dean Hobbs with three original drawings of the S.S. Badger.
Few of us have the unique opportunity to turn the clock back as Richard did on Aug. 22. He has told me that he was indeed honored to have had the opportunity for such an experience.
Accompanying Richard was his wife of 60 years, Mathilde; his daughter Sheila Dipprey and her husband, Donald, of Comstock; his son Rick Hannemann of Sturgeon Bay; and a close friend, Richard Dufek of Sturgeon Bay.
Unfortunately, the final fate of the S.S. Badger is still somewhat in question. The Environmental Protection Agency has registered a complaint that the Badger is polluting the lake by dispensing burned ash from its boilers into it. It is difficult to see how a single ship could significantly pollute a lake as large as Lake Michigan with burned ash that settles to its very bottom. We all know that freshwater lakes, unlike the oceans, contain no coral reefs, which could be damaged if ash were dispensed directly upon them. We who have experienced steam travel on Lake Michigan sincerely hope that something can be done to preserve this extraordinary part of our maritime history.
Green Bay Press Gazette
For photo, see:
www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20120526/ADV01/205260400/Door-County-History-S-S-Badger-draftsman-gets-once-lifetime-opportunity
6:39 PM, May. 25, 2012 |
On board the USS Badger car ferry, Richard Hanneman shows the original drawings he drafted while working with the ship's designers at Christy Corp. in Sturgeon Bay in 1950.
Written by
Charles E. Hannemann
Most young people walking around today texting messages on their smartphones have little or no concept of the use of steam as a source of power. Only some of our senior citizens can still recall the steam locomotives of the early days of their youth, long ago replaced by diesel electric technology.
One of the last coal-fired steam vessels still plying the Great Lakes is the car ferry S.S. Badger, which travels between Manitowoc and Ludington, Mich., during the spring and summer months. Less well-known is that the ferry was built in Sturgeon Bay.
Construction began on the ferry at the Christy Corp. shipyard (now Bay Shipbuilding Co.) 62 years ago in 1950. She was launched in 1953 and took on her major responsibility of transporting railroad freight cars across Lake Michigan. Operating from the ports of Manitowoc, Kewaunee and Milwaukee, she was a key transportation link for the railroad and trucking industry and the public.
Economic conditions and evolving technologies of the 1970s saw a significant decline in the railroad freight business, and by 1990, most car ferries became obsolete. The S.S. Badger was destined for the scrapheap.
A man by the name of Charles Conrad was not willing to see such a significant part of maritime history wind up as scrap metal. He purchased the ship and revamped it to accommodate a greater number of automobiles, semi- and travel trailers, and motorcycles (eliminating accommodations for railway cars), while at the same time, maintaining the originality of the vessel and its unique propulsion system. The ship presently serves the public with regularly scheduled trips from the Port of Manitowoc to Ludington, Michigan.
Richard Hannemann, a longtime resident of Door County, recently had a unique opportunity associated with the S.S. Badger. Working as a draftsman in the R.A. Stearns Naval Architect Planning Department at Christy in 1950, Richard worked with the ship's designers and drew many plans for the construction of the vessel.
He witnessed the construction of the ship from the laying of the keel to its launching in 1953. He observed workers install the coal-fired steam propulsion system that has served the ship since its heyday in the 1950s.
When the planning department completed all drawings of the S.S. Badger and began preparation for the next vessel (many were 1,000-foot iron ore carriers), Richard was able to salvage a few of his original drawings of the ship. Recently, in chatting with his daughter, Sheila Dipprey, he told her that a wish of his was to present these original drawings to the captain of the S.S. Badger. Sheila promptly made a call to the main offices of the Badger and explained her father's wish.
Last Aug. 22, the company made Richard's dream come true. They invited him and several relatives and friends to take a complimentary round-trip cruise on the S.S. Badger, complete with meals and a tour of the wheelhouse while under way. During that tour, Richard presented Capt. Dean Hobbs with three original drawings of the S.S. Badger.
Few of us have the unique opportunity to turn the clock back as Richard did on Aug. 22. He has told me that he was indeed honored to have had the opportunity for such an experience.
Accompanying Richard was his wife of 60 years, Mathilde; his daughter Sheila Dipprey and her husband, Donald, of Comstock; his son Rick Hannemann of Sturgeon Bay; and a close friend, Richard Dufek of Sturgeon Bay.
Unfortunately, the final fate of the S.S. Badger is still somewhat in question. The Environmental Protection Agency has registered a complaint that the Badger is polluting the lake by dispensing burned ash from its boilers into it. It is difficult to see how a single ship could significantly pollute a lake as large as Lake Michigan with burned ash that settles to its very bottom. We all know that freshwater lakes, unlike the oceans, contain no coral reefs, which could be damaged if ash were dispensed directly upon them. We who have experienced steam travel on Lake Michigan sincerely hope that something can be done to preserve this extraordinary part of our maritime history.