By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
June 11, 2025
MUSKEGON, Mich. — I have been missing the MV Robert S. Pierson all season — up until today. And, as if she was rewarding me, I was able to catch two ships unloading at the same time, in the same location.
The Robert S. Pierson and Great Republic both visited the Verplank Port Facility in Muskegon Friday.
Earlier this summer I discovered a great little park to launch the drone, Richards Charter Park, a 7.5 acre park owned by the City of Muskegon. A bicycle path/boardwalk runs through the park (and connects Muskegon and North Muskegon). It was the perfect spot to launch the drone and also have visual line of sight.
MV Robert S. Pierson
The MV Robert S. Pierson was built by American Shipbuilding Co. of Lorain, Ohio and began service as the Wolverine in 1974. It was originally owned by Union Commerce Bank of Cleveland Ohio and operated by Oglebay Norton Corp. For the next 32 years, it was operated by various divisions of Oglebay Norton, which assumed ownership of the ship in 1994.
In 2006, Oglebay Norton sold its fleet to Wisconsin and Michigan Steamship Co., which was owned by Sand Products Corp. of Muskegon. In 2008, the Wolverine and its two sister ships, the David Z. Norton and the Earl W. Oglebay, were acquired by Grand River Navigation of Traverse City, which then sold the Wolverine to its Canadian partner, Lower Lakes Towing of Port Dover, Ontario. The name was then changed to Robert S. Pierson. The David Z. Norton was renamed the Calumet and the Earl W. Oglebay was renamed the Manitowoc.
Both Grand River Navigation and Lower Lakes Towing are divisions of Rand Logistics, Inc. of Jersey City, NJ.
The Robert S. Pierson is 630 feet long, 68 feet wide, and has a depth of 36 feet. It is operated by two Alco V16 engines and has a top speed of 11.5 knots (13.2 mph). It has a capacity of 19,600 tons.
The MV Great Republic
The MV Great Republic is operated by Great Lakes Fleet, Inc. of Duluth, Minn. and is managed by Key Lakes, Inc. It was built by Bay Shipbuilding Co. of Sturgeon Bay, Wis., in 1981. It was originally named the American Republic and was operated by American Steamship Co. In 2011 Great Lakes Fleet obtained the contract to operate the ship.
It was the final of four similar River Class ships constructed by Bay Shipbuilding Co. The other three were the Sam Laud, Buffalo and American Courage. The Republic was specifically designed to navigate the Cuyahoga River, being built to run taconite pellets from the Lorain Pellet Terminal and Cleveland Lakefront Docks to the steel mills upriver on the Cuyahoga. It was capable of carrying around 20,000 tons on her shuttles up the Cuyahoga River, more than other vessels are capable of carrying up the river.
It operates with two 20-645-E7 diesel engines manufactured by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in Chicago. Its horsepower rating is 7,200 BHP. It is 623 feet, 3 inches in length; 68 feet wide and has a depth of 40-feet. It has a loaded draft of 28 feet, 4 inches and a capacity of 24,800 tons. Is has a loop-belt self-unloader with an aft-mounted self-unloading boom arm that is 251 feet, 6 inches, six cargo holds and 21 hatches.
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