Touring the Maritime Museum

The Badger
Andria

We get to go on the Badger June 6. It was built in 1952. It is over 100 years old. It is a car fairy. It travels between Ludington MI and Manitowoc WI. It goes across Lake Michigan. To go across the lake it is 60 miles. The fairy takes passengers and vehicles across.

The. The Badger weighs 7,500 gross tons and goes 18 miles per hour. The Badger is the largest passenger boat today. It can carry up to 620 passengers and 180 automobiles. There is also a lot of entertainment on the boat like an arcade, Movie Theater, lounge, restaurant, and other fun stuff.

The Badger is really fun. I really like it. I want to go again. Some of the stuff I did was play a few of games at the arcade. I bought a few things too. I bought a sweatshirt that says S.S. Badger. I also bought a big pencil and a trick squirt camera.

There are games in the lounge like bingo, and name that tune. In bingo a lady tells you to make pictures on your bingo card. I get really close but someone always gets it before me. In name that tune I won two pencils.

Outside of the boat Courtney, Kaylyn, Sarina, and I made a news show. Sarina and me were the people that tape the show. We had real video cameras. Courtney and Kaylyn were the reporters. We interviewed people like teachers and our friends. One guy that we did not know asked what we were doing we said we were making a news show he said that he would say something for us.

When we got to Manitowoc Wisconsin we unloaded the bus and then went to a museum. At the museum we got to go into a submarine that was used in World War two. Also in the museum we went to see boat models. There also was a gift shop. We had a good time there.

When we got back on the boat we pretty much did the same things again. Like bingo, and name that tune. When we ate it was really good. I had pizza and pop. I really enjoyed the Badger. I want to go again.

The SS Badger
Ben

The Badger was about four hundred and ten feet long and you could fit a foot ball field in it. It was built in 1952. It’s a steam ship and it’s one of the last steam ships around. It was reconditioned in 1992. It only goes about fourteen to fifteen knots but think that’s good for a steam ship.

They even fixed it up and they put in an arcade, a movie theater, and a museum, bingo. It was cool I really liked it a lot I almost for got they had a gift shop to.

They used to use the Badger for hailing trains but now they use it for hailing cars and people to Wisconsin. It uses telegraphs to tell the workers what to do.

Badger
Angela

Yesterday our class went on a field trip on the badger. We went across Lake Michigan to Wisconsin. The whole inter trip toke about three to four hours.

We left school at 7:15 am to go to Ludington to get on the boat. When we got to Ludington we waited out side for a little bit and then we got on the boat. When I first got on the boat I stayed on the lower side of the deck just to look down at the water. I was amazed how tall the boat was it was really long too! As soon as I was done looking on the lower side I went up to the higher side. I stayed up on the bow of the boat for a little bit and then I went inside to look around. In a big room is where we play bingo and other games and this long narrow hall is where you would find the gift shop, museum, movie theater, and arcade. After, I was done looking around inside I heard the horn of the boat go off to signal that we are moving so I went back outside to watch us go over Lake Michigan for a little bit.

After we got going for a little bit I went inside and I found my friend was sick so I went to go and help her and I got my Mom to help to. After I got my friend helped out I went to go and play bingo in a big room. They were giving out prizes to those who win at bingo but I didn't win anything. Next, I went to the Arcade and I spent some money in there playing games. I bought a sailor's hat in the gift shop it says S.S. Badger on it.

When we got to Wisconsin the boat had to turn around before we could get off it. That took a while to do but it was fun watching the big boat turn. When the boat finally got turned all the way around the cars started getting off and we all got off the boat and loaded on to the school bus.

When we all got on the bus we went to a museum there. I was a museum of submarines. It even had a real submarine from World War Two! When we got to the museum we got splited up into groups. My group got to go on the submarine first.

When we started on the submarine we started on the top of it. The tour guide told us about the guns on the boat that the people used when they were under attack. Next, we went inside the boat. In there we got to go through the place where the crew steers the boat, the place where the captain eats, the place where the crew eats, and the place where they shout torpedoes and weapons. After we were done looking in the submarine we went inside to the museum to look at the hands on stuff. At that part of the museum I got to listen to the sounds of the submarine.

After we got back to the boat we got on the boat and I went inside and some of my friends and I went to go and watch a movie. After the movie I was feeling kind of sick so I went into the room and I went to sleep for a little bit. So I went to go and get some aspirin from Mrs. Eldridge.

When we got back to Michigan we all loaded the bus to leave. We got back at school at 8:30 PM. But it was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it!

For More See These Pages:

Return to the main fifth grade page for 2001-2002

http://www.onekama.k12.mi.us

S.S. Badger
Erin

On June 6, 2002 we went on the S.S. Badger Steamship. It is a coal-burning steamship that goes from Ludington Michigan to Manitowa Wisconsin. It was built and established in 1952. The Badger is a 15-knot car ferry that allows people to travel from Michigan to Wisconsin or dice versa. They can rent a stateroom, which includes 1 normal single bed and 1 pull out single bed. It also has a bathroom and a sink. All the rooms are on B deck.

Along with the staterooms on B deck, there is a boutique shop, an arcade, a museum, bingo, open deck roaming and beach chairs to lounge on in the sun when it is warm! Not only does it have so any fun things to do, there is games hosted by the crew members of the S.S. Badger! There are 2 restaurants too! So if one is packed then there is always another one to go eat at!

One the Badger they can transportate trucks, cars, motorcycles, and semi's. Back in 1952-1956 they tranportated trains onto the Badger and shipped them off to Wisconsin or to Michigan. W hen you go on the bottom of the Badger you can see the metal bars that the train drove on to get on and off.

We also went on a submarine called the U.S.S. Cobia.A Girl named Gina showed us around inside it. It was used in World War 2. She told us all about it and we even go to go to a museum that had almost everything from the World War 2. Going on the Badger was the most amazing thing I have ever been on in my life.

Badger
Paige

The Badger is one of the last coal burning steam ships that travels in Lake Michigan. The Spartan, the Badger’s sister is one of the last too.

The Badger is over forty years old. In November 1990 the Badger quit sailing for awhile. They wanted the Badger to start working again in 1991 but that didn’t happen. Finally on May 18, 1992 the Badger stated running again.

The Badger is more than any other boat because it has tons of things to do on it. It has an arcade, gift shop, two movie theaters and some restaurants. The Badger’s capacity is 520.

The Badger had to be completely redecorated in the lounge and in the staterooms.

When we went on the Badger on the 6^th we had a great time. I t took four hours there and four hours back. I goes from Lundington, Michigan to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. It was really fun on the way there because everyone had money but on the way back it wasn’t as fun as it was on the way there because mostly everyone had no money.

In Wisconsin we went to the Merit Time Museum. I was pretty cool there because there was a movie theater that showed things about the S. S. Cobia. Then we went to this one room with a lot of model boats. One of the models had 48 canons just on one side!

Then our group went to go look at the S. S. Cobia. The Cobia held up to 80 people. There were 72 workers and 8 officers. Only one person died from the Cobia crew.

There wasn’t a lot of room to put the food in the kitchen so they put it where ever they could find room. They had this potato sack where the potato’s hung from the ceiling.