By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
July 16, 2025
MANISTEE, Mich. — For the second time this week, I have been able to photograph the MV Manitowoc. On Sunday, my photo session was unplanned as I was riding the SS Badger back from Manitowoc, Wis. to Ludington, Mich., and happened to look on the port side to discover a ship heading north almost in the Badger’s path. Of course, we were in no danger of colliding, but I was able to get some iPhone photos from the stern as the Badger continued west and the Manitowoc headed on its course north.
Today, I was able to capture some images of the Manitowoc departing Manistee just after noon. It had arrived early in the morning and unloaded coal at the TES Filer City Station along Manistee Lake. I had hoped to get some images of her navigating the two Manistee River bridges in downtown Manistee but I missed her. I have gotten multiple shots of her heading eastbound towards Manistee Lake but have yet gotten shots this season of a freighter departing westbound through the bridges.
The self-unloading River Class vessel was built in 1973 by American Shipbuilding Co., Lorrain, Ohio for
Union Commerce Bank and managed by Kinsman Marine Transit. It was originally named the Paul Thayer. In 1976, it was sold to Pringle Transit Co. of Cleveland, Ohio, a subsidiary of Oglebay Norton Co. In 1994 it was transferred to Oglebay Norton Co. The next year, it was renamed the Earl W. Oglebay. In 2006, it was sold to Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Co., Lakewood, Ohio, a subsidiary of Sand Products Corp. of Muskegon, Michigan, and was chartered to Lower Lakes Transportation Co., Williamsville, NY. It received the name Earl W. in 2007.
In 2008, it was sold to Grand River Navigation Co., a subsidiary of Rand Logistics Inc., Jersey City, NJ, and renamed Manitowoc.
The Manitowoc is 630 feet long, 70 feet wide and has a depth of 37 feet. It utilizes a 260-foot unloading boom and has an unloading rate of 5,000 tons per hour. It operates with diesel engines with a total of 5,600 horsepower.
The Manitowoc was one of three ships built almost identical. Her American sister ship is Calumet, which began as the William R. Roesch in 1973; renamed David Z. Norton in 1995; David Z in 2007 and then Calumet in 2008.
Their Canadian sister ship is the Robert S. Pierson, which was called the Wolverine from its debut in 1974 to 2008. It is operated by Lower Lakes Towing LTD, Port Doover, Ont., also a subsidiary of Rand Logistics, Inc.
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