Photos by Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
June 25, 2025
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
MANISTEE, Mich. — To date this season, I have photographed the MV Manitowoc more than any other freighter. The obvious reason for this is that the Manitowoc seems to make the most visits to the ports of Ludington and Manistee.
Photographing the freighters navigating the Manistee River, passing through the city’s two bridges, never gets old. The captains and their crews of these ships are true masters of navigation. My favorite shot is when the black diesel exhaust blows out of the Manitowoc’s twin stacks.
On Tuesday, June 24, I drove the 20 miles north from my home in Scottville, Michigan, to Filer City where the Manitowoc was unloading coal at the TES Filer City Station dock on Manistee Lake. This year, the SS Badger’s coal is being stored at this location, though I cannot confirm that the coal on the Manitowoc was meant for the Badger. Manistee boat watchers had been anxiously awaiting her re-arrival. She had been anchored offshore near Milwaukee for a couple days awaiting the weather to change. Then, when she arrived Sunday evening, the winds were too strong to enter the channel. Finally, she made her arrival early Monday morning — but I was unable to film that event.
Included in this blog, though, are other photos I have taken of the Manitowoc in Manistee. I do have some nice shots of her in Ludington as well, but I will post those in a separate blog.
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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