S.S. Badger Returns; USS Cleveland Transits to Commissioning

Chris Izworski, reporting from Bay City for the Great Lakes Gazette, notes that the 2026 navigation season is officially underway with two major vessel movements commanding attention this week. The S.S. Badger Lake Michigan Car Ferry will make its maiden voyage return from Ludington, Michigan, to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, on Friday, May 15th, marking the formal reopening of the car ferry route after the winter layup. The Manitowoc community is preparing a celebratory welcome at the Car Ferry dock at 900 South Lakeview Drive, beginning at 11:30 a.m., complete with the Lincoln High School marching band and local festivities. Simultaneously, the U.S. Navy's USS Cleveland (LCS-31), a Freedom-class littoral combat ship, completed its downbound transit through Port Huron on Friday, en route from the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin, to Cleveland, Ohio, where she will be officially commissioned on May 16th. Water levels across the Great Lakes remain healthy for navigation as the season gains momentum. Lake Michigan sits 1.89 feet above Low Water Datum, while Lake Erie—often the shallowest and most restrictive—is running 3.01 feet above datum. Lake Ontario is the highest at 3.71 feet, which bodes well for vessels transiting the St. Lawrence Seaway corridor. The Coast Guard and shipping operators will want to monitor Lake Superior closely; a gale watch remains in effect through Tuesday evening as a Clipper system descends over far western Superior, with high pressure currently at 30.3 inches giving way to 29.6 inches behind the low. Winds should remain manageable on Michigan and Huron today, with light to modest conditions and waves running 1–2 feet across most of the system. By Tuesday afternoon, another low-pressure system will reach the northwest portion of Lake Erie, though current forecasts suggest nothing severe. The Lee A. Tregurtha, meanwhile, unloaded stone in Erie, Pennsylvania, Friday evening, continuing the pattern of bulk carriers serving the lower lakes as soon as navigable conditions permit. On the environmental front, Toledo's National Museum of the Great Lakes has opened a new exhibit titled "Lake Erie Starts Here: Northwest Ohio," running through June 28th, which explores how stormwater runoff and everyday actions in surrounding communities directly impact lake health. It's a timely reminder as the season opens: every action counts.