The S.S. MILWAUKEE CLIPPER Story: The Last of the Great Lakes Passenger Liners
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- čas přidán 5. 01. 2021
- Filmmaker Mark Howell created this documentary for the Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Company telling the history of this luxurious ship, which was originally built as the S.S. JUNIATA in 1904 and later converted into the art-deco styled passenger ship S.S. MILWAUKEE CLIPPER in 1940.
It's sailing route across Lake Michigan between the ports of Milwaukee, WI and Muskegon, MI lasted until 1970.
In the 1980s it served as a floating attraction at Chicago's Navy Pier and in the 1990s as a marina centerpiece in Hammond, IN before being returned to its home port of Muskegon where it is now a museum and open for public tours.
#milwaukeeclipper #ssmilwaukeeclipper #greatlakespassengership #luxuryliner #greatlakesship #steamship #cruiseship #puremichigan #lakemichigan #portofmilwaukee #muskegon #1970s #1960s #1950s #1940s #artdeco #streamlinemoderne
My mother ran away from home and got a job singing on the Milwaukee Clipper! She had to fudge her age on her "pass" so that she could sing in the band. This was back in the 40's. I had that Clipper pass for years until a few years back when my sister donated it to the Clipper "museum.". My 2 sisters & I then took a tour of the Clipper. Sat on the very stools that I'm sure our mother had when she was but 17 and singing with the band in that dance hall.
Thanks for this great video!
That's wonderful
sweet story... thank you
This was fun. I have sailed past the Clipper more times than I can count since I put my boat on Muskegon Lake and always wished I could have gone aboard her in her heyday. Various groups have tried to restore her over the years, planning to make her a museum ship/hotel but the funding just hasn't been sufficient.
I was born in 1940 and raised in Muskegon, Michigan. Up through my teens we would go out to the Muskegon channel to fish, and watch all sorts of boats and ships pass through. Always revered the beautiful Milwaukee Clipper, so sleek and majestic. I took several round trip excursions to Milwaukee on her, always visiting the Pabst brewery. At age 15, I worked with my Aunt Frances and Uncle Chet (The Wentworth Company, purveyors of window drapes, venetian blinds, etc.). Uncle Chet and I were installing new sun shades in the Clipper’s pilot house around 1955, when Captain Clarence “Barney” Van Dongen entered and said, “What the hell are you doing drilling those window frames? You’ll screw up my compasses!” Wentworth Company also installed many curtains and such on the SS Aquarama. I also recall the Norwegian training ship, Christian Radich, coming in through the Muskegon channel with billowing sails. Can’t forget the Highway 16 (LST 393), either. Or the USS Silversides, now berthed next to the former Naval Reserve Station, where I first joined the Navy. And finally, when many Great Lakes ore carriers all tied up in Muskegon Lake during a labor dispute. Such wonderful memories!
My parents and I spent 6 weeks in July and August,1963, in Milwaukee. When we left to return to Pennsylvania we rode the Milwaukee Clipper across Lake Michigan to Muskegon. After disembarking we drove the rest of the way to Indiana, Pennsylvania. It was my first BIG boat ride, I had a blast. I remember the little play ship, and Dad had me stand on his feet so we could dance to the band. Mind you I was only 4 1/2 years old at the time, but the Clipper made an impression on me! It's sad that it keeps getting moved from port to port because people don't appreciate the history and memories that the old girl represents.
Awesome story!
I'm 39 years old now, but back in 1997 my parents took me on a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean on the Grandeur of the Seas and I had the time of my life up to that point. I visited the bridge and engine rooms, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My dad and I went on an 8 hour fishing charter in St Thomas in the USVI and I caught multiple barracuda, a 7 1/2 lb black fin tuna, and a 58 1/2 inch Mahi Mahi. While we were in Old San Juan, PR my dad went to the Bacardi factory and bought a case of Bacardi Spiced Rum, and my father and I had a few drinks before my parents got dressed for dinner. I ate in the cabin that night. I have two sons and a wife now, but I'm hoping and praying that some day I'll be able to take them for a cruise, because I am a maritime historian and I had the time of my life onboard the Grandeur (my teenage life of course), but I know that my boys and wife would all love it as well.
Sweet 🧁 story
Grace and henry Benton are my great grandparents. Loved hearing stories of their days on the ship.
OMG, how cool to run across this story. I sailed on that ship in the early 1960’s, I’m thinking 1961 or 1962. It brought chilled seeing her again…. Now, I know where I’ll be making a trip to this coming summer.
milwaukeeclipper.com
I remember her leaving Muskegon in the 70s for what some thought was forever. I also remember her return back to Muskegon. Also, the LST -393 (the former SS Highway 16 ship) has been restored as the original military ship and is a museum in Muskegon.
Sadly, at the end of the video, the narrator suggests that someday the Clipper would return to sailing. Unfortunately, I remember on a tour in the early 2000s, they said that it will never sail under power again as the boilers are no longer able to be certified and it would be too costly to replace with ones that could be. Such a beautiful ship. I hope it gets restored to its former glory.
great video thank you so interesting!
Rode this ship once from Muskegon to Milwaukee in the mid-50's. Saw her again when docked in Chicago and again when I took the Lake Express from Milwaukee to Muskegon about 12 years ago. She sure looked smaller than I remembered but memories were through a kid's eyes.
Same here, sometime in the early 50s
Cool story,thanks I never knew this
Now I have to ask,how long was the trip?
Thank you Patrick for uploading this
Dang, I've been stuck in Detroit my entire life. All these roller coasters, cruise ships, airplanes and everything else sound amazing
Took it! Enjoyed it!
I grew up in muskegon still live here. I remember seeing this ship everyday. Even snuck in a few times
What a world away! 1970's are only 50 years ago, half a lifetime, yet for some only yesterday. How styles and attitudes have changed. Being a Brit I didn't even know there were liners on the lakes. What surprises me more is that there are not more passenger/cruise ships now. Relaxation and entertainment are big business, along with restoration and preservation. Let's hope that a sensible conclusion can be brought about. Thank you for this fascinating insight. I too would appreciate a little more. 👍👍 🇬🇧
With what $$$ ? America’s effin’ Leftist politicians are supporting the rest of the world on the taxpayers dime. Who has enough gelt to take excursions on those friggin’ lakes ?
I live in Milwaukee. I believe there were contracts with up to 9 cruise ship operators to dock here in 2020. Of course, Covid put the end to that. Probably will be the same this year. Let's hope that SOMEHOW we can get through this thing and we can see passenger ships "plying our fresh water oceans" very soon.
THAT WAS SO GREAT ❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Living in Muskegon now and constantly see the Clipper. Never knew her back history though. Thank you for sharing it. This was very enlightening.
That ship is beautiful
Boy, you can learn something new every day.... Thanks
That was wonderful! Thanks for sharing..
I was just a little kid when I rode this from Milwaukee to Muskegon. I really wish I could remember the trip!
There is nothing like The Clipper toady, but the high speed ferry that runs in the spring and summer is fast and nice
Rode on her once, when I was about 10 years old. Wonderful and obviously memorable experience.
Those ships were simply beautiful. S.S. Keewatin is being restored and is docked in Port McNicol, Ontario on Georgian Bay. She looks resplendent.
I still remember the time that my parents took my brother & myself on the clipper. It was, at that time, a true adventure. Thanks for publishing this brief film memoir.
I remember when the ship was in Chicago. I believe a time at Navy Pier, then across the Columbia Yacht Club. Later it went down to Calumet River at the former Chicago Shipbuilding Company yard. Happy it made it to Michigan to be a museum. It was built in 1904 like the Steamship Edwin F. Holmes, newly scrapped in 2021.
Nothing beats the Great Lakes.
Thank you for posting this. I remember seeing it in Chicago, never did go aboard. This needs to be kept for future generations to enjoy.
Very good informative video review....!
Very enjoyable.....thank you for posting this.....great to learn more about the great lakes.
Growing up in the Muskegon area I always wondered what the story was with her, I never got to go on her but I did take a ship over from Ludington MI to Manitowac Wisconsin in the early 70’s. I just remember the color of the water in the middle of Lake Michigan it was so beautiful, kind of a turquoise color, very cool to see as a kid…this video was just awesome , thank you 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Was it the Badger that you took in the 1970's?
Brilliant 👏
This ship is open for tours on the weekends in Muskegon. Nice tours and they are trying their hardest to keep up on maintenance. Highly recommend the visit
Our family took the round trip in the 1960's. It didn't have the frills of cruises today. I remember how cold it was in the middle of Lake Michigan. Eighty degrees in both Michigan and Wisconsin. The Great lakes create their own weather .
I have always heard that the great lakes created their own weather. Great to hear of your experience.
-Kevin, from Milwaukee Wisconsin.
I was on the Milwaukee Clipper.
On vacation, we went to Ann Arbor - somewhere. Don’t remember much, but I definitely remember the ship. They even loaded our car. I figure I was 7 years old because Herbie The Love Bug was in the theater, and we were late, so we watched the second half first, then the first half.
I was pretty mesmerized by the ship.
📻😁
My parents took me and my oldest sister on the Clipper in summer 1956 the year after my little sister was born. I don't remember too much about the trip except on the way back there was a report of a boat in distress and we searched for it.
Thank you from the McKee family- this is wonderful to see. I never made it on to this ship but many of my cousins did work on it
Hello 👋how are you doing?
Really miss the simpler times before technology ruined the world.
Kinda ironic, without technology this ship would never have been built.
Gotta luv technology 🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️
I couldn't agree more
Even stone tools can be considered technology bruh...
Again
How old are you😂?
I had an enjoyable trip on the Clipper in the mid 1950's.
Just amazing there is more history to lean about the Great Lakes. You got my sub and I rang the bell. Thank You so much. Mind blowing.
The Badger is still in operation. It's a coal fired car ferry that runs from Ludington Michigan and Manitowoc Wisconsin. It's a 4 hr trip. I don't know if it's a "luxury liner". However, it is pretty popular.
True, the Badger operates now. It was formerly a rail car ferry with some simple passenger accommodation then it was laid up in, I think, 1990 or ‘91. Then it was was retrofitted to handle more passengers and automobiles (no rail cars) after that. Not sure when this movie was made. I think probably early 90s.
I rode the SS Badger (Steamer 43) at least three times. One time was in the late 1970 on New Years Eve during a blizzard. What a scare that was. It was dark outside and that boat rocked with very tall waves. Each time the boad rocked up you could hear the railroad cars rolling and hitting something. Then the boat would rock in the other direction and the boxcars would roll and hit something again. All I could think is I was sorry I learned to swim as if the boat sank I would most likely tread water longer than most before drowning lol. We made it into Milwaukee dry and safe! What a way to bring in the New Year! I recommend taking a float on it during the first parts of August as the water is usually very calm.
@@steveng8706 oh my, that would scare the heck out of me!!
Great video!!!! Seeing the Milwaukee shoreline before the Hoan Bridge went in is very interesting. 👍👍
Great video!!! What an intersting ship!! I would love to see to her sail again under her own power!
I remember driving North on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago and seeing the Clipper at Navy Pier with her string of lights. I had a couple of friends that used to frequent the bar occasionally on the Clipper but I unfortunately never made it to the Clipper before it was moved. I used to take the SS Badger once a year near Labor Day with my son and actually traveled on the Badger when it was still transporting railcars, which is why she was built. Moving railcars was the Badgers meat and potatoes so to speak. The passengers and autos were the bread and butter.
I worked briefly on this ship when it was the Medusa Challenger back in the early ‘nineties as a vacation relief through the SIU hall in Algonac, Michigan. It was the oldest ship on the Great Lakes with an engine that was a museum piece. To get around the house you had to go outside to go up a deck. I think the ship was built in 1906. The steering was mechanical with no power assist so the wheel was enormous and you had to steer by hand all of the time since there was no auto pilot “Iron Mike”. It was the most antiquated ship I ever worked aboard.. And the cement dust go into everything and would screw up the bezel on your dive watch. We were in Canada for Christmas and the chief steward put on a really good feed. I have good memories of that job because I wasn’t there long enough to become disgusted with the vessel or the crew. As I recall it was the goofiest crew I ever worked with on the lakes being SIU which of course is not a sweet-heart union like the super annoying local 5,000 of the USW or the Great Lakes Sailors Union in which everybody was a company man who stayed with the same employer all of the time, which of course is anathema to the SIU sea dogs who like to switch vessels and companies frequently, especially when shipping out deep-sea. I normally preferred deep sea and would work charters for the military sealift command in the Mediterranean and the Middle East but sometimes to the Far East.
Mistakenly posted this on the wrong video. Intended for the MV St. Mary’s Challenger [Medusa Challenger] video or last video before this one in my feed.
Now this is a Narrator/Announcer Voice !
My brother worked on this ship for a couple summers.
Hell no to your question. It's amazing this scrap is still around. Never heard of it. This needs to be preserved as a historic landmark or whatever it is you call a historical ship in a lake!!!! A historic (watermark), (lakemark),(seamark) ??? Lol 😆 😆 😆 I never heard of this ship until your video but having something from that era of the great passenger steam ships is special. it should be protected for future generations to enjoy its heritage and history. It's a national treasure.
Indeed, she must be preserved.
Highway 16 was actually a converted LST 393. She’s a museum ship now just down the road from the Clipper.
Thanks for posting this, but I think you still can take a luxury Great Lakes cruise - at least a few years ago you could. It used to dock near my home on Muskegon Lake (where the Clipper is now) a few times a year.
Yes, cruise ships are back on the Great Lakes now. This movie was made in the 1990s. When the Clipper ended service in 1970 there were no more Great Lakes passenger liners for many, many years.
@@patrickmckee538
Thanks for the confirmation. Ever since I sold my sailboat, I do not see as much of what goes on on the lake.
The Great Lakes cruises are more expensive than a transatlantic voyage in Britiannia class on RMS Queen Mary 2. No thanks!
Our family used the Milwaukee clipper several times, much better than going through Chicago....It had really good food. Americanos are addicted to driving.
Would love to see more great lakes ship documentaries!!! I have worn the half dozen on youtube out.
Have you seen this new one from February yet? czcams.com/video/KN3rTgClETc/video.html
@@Patrick-thesandman Just did, thanks for the recommendation!
SS Keewatin was launched in 1907, owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company and sailed the Great Lakes until 1965. She is currently undergoing restoration in Port McNicol on Georgian Bay in Ontario.
there are cruise ships on the Great Lakes today. The ships used are smaller than their saltwater cousins, and the cruises are Very Expensive compared to ocean cruises.
Great that Great Lakes cruise ships are back after such a long hiatus. After the Milwaukee Clipper ended service, things didn’t look good for cruising on the Great Lakes
Good to know thanks 🙏 and Merry Christmas 🎄
I rode on her some sixty years ago. That was high adventure for a young teenager
1:30: The Coast Guard did not ban wooden superstructures after the Morro Castle fire, they finally did after the Yarmouth Castle burned in 1965. Also, she did not stop sailing because of an issue with the city of Milwaukee, she stopped sailing because she failed her USCG hull inspection and was deemed to be unseaworthy.
Crossed the lake on her in 1967. I was 9 years old ..!
The one or those who save The S.S. MILWAUKEE CLIPPER, may they and their families find eternal happiness. Those who cut her (if it should come to that) . Must get eternal misfortune.
Does anybody know what happened to the larger ship, Aquarama, intended to replace the Clipper?
czcams.com/video/KN3rTgClETc/video.html
It was towed to Turkey in 2007 and scrapped
That was the time when they didn't just use a ruler when building ships.
She would be a moneymaker. Put her back in service again!
Put your money where your mouth is. It would require a complete overhaul and new powerplant. So no it would not be a money maker.
"The Soda Bowl"- sounds sticky in rough seas.
What is that round black thing that faces aft from the funnel?
Is this ship related to the S.S Badger that still goes from Ludington Mi. To Milwaukee,Wi. ?
no
SS Badger going 💪. Its a fun trip.
Yes it is. I recall when it was a railroad car ferry back in the 1980s with a small space for a few passengers. So great that it was saved from the scrap heap and converted to a passenger liner in the 90s
@@hotdogisland7115 I remember when It left my Hometown for Manitowoc Harbor. Seeing it load rail and passanger cars.
It really disgust me how some people are about history. Some people literally do not care, as long as they can make a fast buck theyll sell the whole country. This should be preserved. Wisconsinians need to step up and tell the governemrnt to protect its states heritage. We've lost so many historical Artifacts to "progress. already. We don't need progress so bad that we give up where we came from as a people.
What is this music called at 14:45 of the video? I’ve always wanted to know.
First Dance by John Hobbs
Are there still parts of her wooden superstructure left?
It would appear she is a "museum ship" in Muskegon Bay.
This smacks me as so odd in how can there not be any type of demand for a Great Lakes cruise ship? I think maybe because the Carnival Cruise line mega Cruise Ships completely ruined the concept of what a cruise ship originally was
I don't know if it is still running, but as of a few years ago, there was a new, modern cruise ship on Lake Michigan. As I understand it, it made a circle route, hitting places like Chicago, Grand Haven, Muskegon (where I live and first saw it), Traverse City, Milwaukee, and maybe a couple other stops.
I can only assume that the 80 odd mile (?) trip replaced a very very much longer drive for those taking cars? Hmm..answering my own question...Milwaukee to Muskegon appears to be only a 4.5 hour drive... so I'm now confused!
Yeah. Doesn’t seem like it saved a whole lot of time. Roads were a bit slower in the 40s and 50s. I think the idea of taking the boat was …relax, have some fun. You’re on cruise liner! The Love Boat. Miss the hassle going around traffic in Chicago. Fun. That sort of thing.
@@Patrick-thesandman Makes sense of course! I catch long distance trains for the same reason. Its never justified by time or cost lol
👍👌👏😊❤️🇺🇸
The engines are the same like the J.B. Ford if i'm not wrong.
I saw a video of a modern cruise ship that came to Duluth...
Yes. They are back. Foreign built ones now
@@hotdogisland7115 I'm just amazed that many people consider Duluth a destination...
@@tomservo56954 hey they stop in Muskegon too! Not every destination can be Mackinac Island
0:56 6 years actually
Would love to watch the entire video but the music makes it impossible..
Completely impossible. Too bad.
mute
"Handyman and Engineer".. Must be the oddest title ever !
That was my great grandpa and grandma. They sure did love that ship Couldn't see them without hearing a story about the clipper. After she came back to Muskegon they needed help starting the ships generator. They called my grandpa and from his kitchen he told them how to do it and on the 3rd try it started. That's what I was told by my dad
Who knew ?? Indiana has legal off shore gambling !!
Ships that do not sail and are not maintained to do so die a slow death. I don't have hope this ship will survive.
It’s been a really, really slow death for this one. It hasn’t sailed since 1971.
Or on the flipside, it could be described as a survivor since 1971.
Interesting story but the music and voice over are not well received.
Could the music be possibly any more annoying?
I wish I could watch this all but the music is too distracting and loud.
Yep Howell effed up. Try skipping to about the 3 minute mark. I guess he tried to make it time period authentic with the ragtime music. Some people just hate ragtime music. I get it, Scott Joplin ain’t for me either. I hated the Sting music
The SS Eastlands made the best luxury voyages, until it capsized while loading passengers..........killing more people than the Titanic.
That’s one racy looking ship!
What about the Badger in Ludington. ??
Pretty sure the Badger was retrofitted to exclusively passenger/auto service in about 1991, prior to that it was a railroad car ferry that carried some passengers/autos. I think this Clipper movie was made about that time. So I suppose as the Clipper’s last year was 1970 and the Badger was considered a railroad car ferry at that time, the Clipper was the last “passenger liner” for a while until the Badger was retrofitted.
@@Patrick-thesandman : yeah it was turned into a car ferry back in the late 70’s maybe. I forgot it was a rail ferry before. I’ve been on it a couple of times.
@@scottberry5266 The Badger was owned by the B&O freight company? I took trips on both the Clipper and the Badger in the 1950's. The Clipper, by far, was more fun. As I remember, the Badger had a tiny "sitting room" where you had to stay, for the entire trip, to keep out of the wind. Not much fun. I saw the Badger docking in Manitowoc about 3 months ago. I may take it over to Michigan next summer to see if its facilities have been improved from what they were over 60 years ago.
@@badguy1481 : I’ve been across on the badger a couple of times, they have a game room , a dining area and private rooms on it now. It’s not the ritz but it wasn’t bad.
Just scrap the entire friggin’ disaster known as Wisconsin !
the war started in 1939
No, the S.S. Badger is the last one.
I thought the Badger was a railroad car ferry with only a small area for a few occasional passengers and autos until sometime in the 1990s when it was converted into a passenger liner. After the Clipper ended service in 1970, there were no more passenger liners on the Great Lakes for many years. That’s when this movie was made. The filmmaker should go back and update the movie. Except he’s dead.
@@hotdogisland7115 You are correct that she carried both rail cars and auto’s until 1990, but before that she carried more than just a few auto’s and she carried a lot of passengers.
@@boataxe4605 that might depend on your definition of a lot. Seemed everyone knew it as a railroad car ferry until that eventually failed, but not a passenger liner in the true sense until its conversion in the 1990s
Stopped watching due the overbearing music
mute
The background music is distracting and ANNOYING
All of it? or just the short sequence with the turn-of-the-century era, old timey piano music? Filmmaker probably thought 50s jazz or 80s blues wouldn’t fit the period for that section of the movie.
Liar! The Badger still steams out of Ludington, MI to Wisconsin.
Nice to have the Badger in service as a passenger/auto ferry now. This movie was put together in the 1990s. Remember, the Badger was a railcar ferry with a small space for a few passengers and a few cars when it was laid up in 1990. After the Badger’s conversion, it was put back into service without the railcar aspect. It’s a nice boat and it operates now, that’s true. There are lots of passenger ships operating on the Great Lakes now. Most of them foreign, but for a while there, after 1967 when the South American ended service, that left only the Milwaukee Clipper as the last operating large passenger vessel on the Great Lakes hence the title- “Last of the Great Lakes Passenger Liners”.
So glad Great Lakes passenger service started up again with the conversion of the former railcar ferry Badger in the 1990s.
LOL!! You didn't like history so you decided to rewrite it. That is so f***ed up on so many levels!
Would be interested in hearing about any inaccuracies in this film. Please explain.
I remember when Mark H made this movie, he did as best he could to interview everyone alive who had something to do with the vessel. I know he put a lot of work and research into it.
stupid music in the background
I'll bet this was interesting but I can't stand that screeching music it's louder than the guy talking BP HISSSSS
Yes if you’re not a fan of Ragtime music, the first 2 1/2 minutes is tough. It is a 28 minute movie though. I was watching a video that had country music in it a few days ago. I don’t like country music
This was fun. I have sailed past the Clipper more times than I can count since I put my boat on Muskegon Lake and always wished I could have gone aboard her in her heyday. Various groups have tried to restore her over the years, planning to make her a museum ship/hotel but the funding just hasn't been sufficient.