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SS ''Badger'' is a passenger and vehicle ferry in the United States that has been in service on Lake Michigan since 1953. Currently, the ship shuttles between Ludington, Michigan, and Manitowoc, Wisconsin, connecting U.S. Highway 10 (US 10) between those two cities. It is the last coal-fired passenger vessel operating on the Great Lakes. The ship is named after the University of Wisconsin's athletic teams, the Wisconsin Badgers. The ''Badger'' runs on Michigan time (Eastern Time Zone, whereas Wisconsin is in the Central Time Zone) and riders pay Michigan taxes on their fares. It runs on a seasonal basis from May to October.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title= SS ''Badger'' History )〕 == Background == The ''Badger'' was constructed as a rail car ferry in 1952 by the Christy Corporation of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin,〔 along with its twin the SS ''Spartan'' (named after the mascot of Michigan State University) with a reinforced hull for ice-breaking. It was originally used to carry railroad cars, passengers and automobiles between the two sides of the lake all year long. Today, the ferry connects the eastern and western segments of US 10 in the two cities from May to October.〔 Launched September 6, 1952, the SS ''Badger'' entered service March 21, 1953, for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (from 1973 a subsidiary of the Chessie System). The C&O had acquired the rail car ferry operations in Ludington with its acquisition of the Pere Marquette Railway in 1947.〔.〕 After 1972, service was gradually curtailed; all but the three newest vessels were retired, and sailings to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Manitowoc, Wisconsin, were discontinued, leaving only the route between Ludington and Kewaunee, Wisconsin. On July 1, 1983, the Chessie System ended its car ferry service when it sold the steamers ''Badger'', ''Spartan'', and ''City of Midland 41'' to Glen F. Bowden of Ludington. He organized the Michigan–Wisconsin Transportation Company (MWT) to continue the operation.〔.〕 The railroad car ferry concept on Lake Michigan was facing serious economic troubles during the 1980s and by November 1988, the ''Badger'' was the only vessel running. It was the last of the 14 ferries based in Ludington remaining in service.〔 On November 16, 1990, facing bankruptcy, Bowden laid up the ''Badger'', ending 93 years of railway car ferry service out of Ludington and 98 years on Lake Michigan as a whole.〔.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「SS Badger」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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