By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
Thursday, July 3, 2025
MANISTEE, Mich. — The MV Calumet returned to Manistee just in time for the Manistee National Forest Festival, which includes Independence Day celebrations. The ship arrived Thursday afternoon drawing the attention of festival-goers, beach combers, and ship watchers. It seems to makes its Manistee visits during holidays; its last visit was on Father’s Day weekend.
The Calumet was heading to the Reith-Riley Construction Manistee dock to unload road aggregate.
The MV Calumet was built by American Shipbuilding Co. in Lorain, Ohio in 1973 for the Union Commerce Bank, Ohio, managed by Kinsman Marine Transit. It was originally christened as the William R. Roesch. It sailed for Pringle Transit Company, a subsidiary of Oglebay-Norton Marine, from 1976 to 1994. In 1994, it was transferred to Oglebay-Norton, which, in 1995, renamed it David Z. Norton, in honor of the company’s founder.
In 2006, Oglebay-Norton’s fleet of River Class ships were sold to Grand River Navigation and the Wisconsin and Michigan Steamship Co. Its name was then changed to David Z. In 2008, it was sold to Rand Logistics, Inc. of Jersey City, NJ and renamed Calumet after the original Calumet that was built in 1929 for US Steel and scrapped in 2007. The ship is now operated by Grand River Navigation Co. of Traverse City, a division of Rand Logistics.
The Calumet is 630 feet long, 68 feet wide and has a depth of 36-feet, 11-inches. It is propelled by two Alco V16 diesel engines and can run up to 14 knots (16 mph).
Its sister ship is the Manitowoc, which also makes frequent visits to Manistee.
This Great Lakes Boat Blog is a presentation of Filer Credit Union, Manistee Harbor Tours, and the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum.
Filer Credit Union features offices in Manistee, Ludington and Bear Lake, Michigan: 800-595-6630, www.filercu.com
Manistee Harbor Tours, featuring shoreline cruises onboard the Princess
The Mason County Historical Society’s Port of Ludington Maritime Museum, located at 217 S. Lakeshore Dr., Ludington, is currently open Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Tuesday, May 27 when it will be open Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Wednesdays through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information about donating to and/or joining the Mason County Historical Society, visit masoncountymihistory.org.
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