MASON COUNTY, MI – The S.S. Badger, the historic Lake Michigan car ferry, sustained damage to a stern sea gate in a collision with a sister ship, the S.S. Spartan, in the Ludington Harbor, officials said.

The Badger struck the permanently moored Spartan around 6:50 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, while docking.

No passengers were injured.

Passengers were told to “Brace for impact,” Heather Quartermaine, who lives in Douglas, near Saugatuck, said in an email.

She said the ship was docking and passengers were ready to disembark. She and other passengers “were shook up after the incident,” she said.

Badger’s passenger and vehicle ferry service, running between Ludington and Manitowoc, Wisconsin, will resume at 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 18.

Marine engineers assessed the damage to determine what r

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