by Kevin Zimmermann
A holding company based out of Middleburg Heights, Ohio, has purchased the assets of Lake Michigan Car Ferry company, which includes the S.S. Badger Passenger and Car Ferry that operates between Manitowoc and Ludington, Michigan. The Badger, first entered service in 1953, was briefly retired in 1990 before being returned to service in 1992, and is the last – and largest – coal-fired steam engine car ferry built and still operating in the United States. Also acquired in last week’s purchase by Interlake Holding company was the Pere Marquette Shipping company and its flagship the “Undaunted-Pere Marquette 41”, an articulated Tug-barge that joins a fleet of mostly self-unloading cargo vessels.
Robert Manglitz, who sold the companies to Interlake Holding, said that the deal was “a good fit for all…”, and that the new company shares a culture of putting its employees and customers first.
The S.S. Badger is a designated National Historic Landmark that serves as a key part of U.S. Highway 10. The families which purchased the Badger also operate a fleet of high-speed passenger ferries in New York Harbor and other east coast locations.
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