Final preparations keep historic Keewatin in Douglas shipshape

Jim Noonan walked through the cavernous decks of the Keewatin as workers hustled up and down the stairs. The Saugatuck man had spent 15 years as a tour guide on the historic Great Lakes cruise ship docked at the end of Union Street in Douglas.

It feels like theres a little hole in our heart, he said, knowing the ship will soon be towed out of Kalamazoo Lake to return to its home on the Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada. But it will be in a good harbor.

Q: How will the ship be removed from the harbor?

A: The 105-year-old ship is scheduled to be pulled out of its dock Wednesday weather permitting by King Company of Holland.

Huge 5,000-gallon containers that once held vodka will be filled with water. The bladders are in the bow of the ship. While holding the front down, they will raise the back of the ship so its easier to pull through the lake, said Eric Conroy, spokesman for the Canadian owner of the ship.

The 48-foot-wide vessel will be guided through a freshly dredged channel 50 feet wide along the west end of Kalamazoo Lake to the deeper water in front of Coral Gables. From there, the vessels will head out of the channel into Lake Michigan.

Tugboats from the St. James Marine Co. of Beaver Island will pick up the work from there.

One tug will be pulling from the front and the other guiding from behind, said John Fogg of the towing company. On Friday, he was at the bottom of the grand staircase checking the emergency sensors that will detect any water leakage, fire and heat during the trip to Ontario.

Its shipshape, Fogg said about the Keewatin.

The U.S. Coast Guard gets the final say, according to Cmdr. Mike Farrell, Section Lake Michigan based in Milwaukee. The agency will inspect the ship, make sure its structurally sound, stable and wont pollute the water or be a hazard to other vessels.

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Final preparations keep historic Keewatin in Douglas shipshape