Built for the C&O Railway in 1952, the SS Badger is the last coal-fired, steam-powered vessel operating on the US Great Lakes. The Badger is propelled by four Foster-Wheeler boilers providing steam-power to the two Skinner Unaflow steam engines, each rated at 3500 horsepower.

With the full cooperation of owner Michigan Carferry Service, we sailed from Ludington, MI to Manitowoc, WI for the onboard experience, including interviews with Senior Captain Dean Hobbs and Engineer Charles Cart. We had free access to most of the vessel including the pilot house during the 4-hour trip.

The footage for our documentary was captured during the 2010 season. Since creating this program, which was originally a chapter on the discontinued A Boatload of Steam! DVD, the Badger has been retrofitted for onboard storage of coal ash. In 2016 the United States Government designated the SS Badger a National Historic Landmark.

60 minutes - 26 minute SS Badger program + 34 minutes of scenes from our other DVDs