Saginaw River Winter - Part 7

Just below the Independence Bridge is the new home dock for the USS Edson. Tours for the season ended December 30, but they will resume again in March. This is a popular area of the Saginaw River for ice fishing and hundreds of fishermen can be found in this area, especially on weekends.

Saginaw River Winter - Part 6

Wintering at the Causley Marine Construction Dock are their various barges, cranes, excavators, and their small work tug. Directly across the river, at Skipper Bud's Marina is their big tug, Jill Marie, featured in an earlier post. 

Saginaw River Winter - Part 5

Located on the upper Saginaw River at the Busch Marine, Inc. dock in Carrollton, the 1919 built, Gregory J. Busch, sits ready and waiting for action.  Also at the dock is the deck barge STC 2004, and the tug  Barbara Merry Busch, which was built right here in Bay City at Defoe Shipbuilding in 1938, and named the Thomas E. Moran, for Moran Towing.

Saginaw River Winter - Part 4

Located on Bay City's Middlegrounds, off Evergreen Drive, we find the vessels and dock belonging to the Bay City Boat Lines. The Princess Wenonah and Islander are very busy during their season, running mid-May to mid-October. Both boats are available for charters and in July, they begin running morning free history cruises! More information on the Bay City Boat Lines can be found here: Bay City Boat Lines and here:http://baycityboatlines.com/BCBL/Welcome.html

Princess Wenonah and Islander at the Bay City Boat Lines Dock

Saginaw River Winter - Part 3

As we travel up the Saginaw River from Bay City, towards Saginaw, we find Causley Marine Contracting's tug, Jill Marie, on the blocks at Skipper Bud's Marina, just above the Lafayette Bridge.  Jill Marie is a workhorse for Causley and is a great tug.  Over 100 years old, she was built in 1891 by the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company, Cleveland Ohio.

Jill Marie on the blocks at Skipper Bud's Marina - Bay City

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Saginaw River Winter - Part 2

Just across the river from the Liberty Harbor Marina, rests Bay City's  own, 85 foot, twin masted schooner, Appledore IV.  Surrounded by Saginaw River ice, Appledore IV just had her five year survey this past fall and received a new paint.

Appledore IV at her home dock in Wenonah Park - Downtown Bay City

Saginaw River Winter - Part 1

With winter settled in and ice covering the Saginaw River, I will take the next few days to show how some vessels are spending the winter along and in the Saginaw River. Today shows the Dean Marine & Excavating tug Kimberly Anne and some of DME's other equipment, spending the winter in the Bay City Liberty Harbor Marina.

Kimberly Anne wintering inside the Bay City Liberty Harbor Marina

Dean Marine & Excavating's small work tug out of the water for the winter

Saginaw River Shipping Article

Sam Easter from Mlive/Bay City Times recently did a very well written article on the decline of shipping on the Saginaw River.  It is very informative and well worth the read.  Click the link below for the article.



Mlive article on Saginaw River Shipping in 2014