April 2, 2005 Marinette, Wisconsin – U.S. Coast Guard Icebreaker MACKINAW Launching Ceremony & WILD lunch club meetingThe new U. S. Coast Guard Great Lakes Icebreaker MACKINAW will be “splashed” in a dramatic side launch into the Menominee River at Marinette Marine Corporation, Marinette, Wisconsin 10:00 a.m. Saturday April 2, 2005 .
The new ship will be 240 ft long, have a maximum beam of 60 ft, and carry a crew of 50 personnel. The vessel will have state of the art bridge and machinery systems and will incorporate a diesel electric integrated propulsion plant drive with azimuthing podded propulsors. It will be able to break 32” of level ice at 3 knots with excellent maneuverability characteristics.
It will be a multi-purpose ship, designed to maintain floating aids-to-navigation as well as icebreaking. In addition, the vessel will have mission responsibility for search and rescue, marine environmental response, maritime law enforcement, national security and national defense.
The new “Mighty Mac” will replace the 60 year old, 290-foot MACKINAW, an icebreaking workhorse that has never missed a winter of work since it was launched in 1944.
The new icebreaker will also be named MACKINAW and home-ported in Cheboygan, Michigan. The name MACKINAW is an icon representing the epitome of Coast Guard service on the Great Lakes. To generations of mariners MACKINAW has always been there, strong and reliable…inspiring confidence.
http://www.manitowocmarine.com/Current_Projects/GlibLanding.asp WILD CLUB MEETING after ceremony - time to be announced
Schloegels Bay View Restaurant
2720 - 10th Street
Menominee, MI 49858
Check out the menu here:
www.tastefullydifferent.com PLEASE RSVP TO Suzanne Murphy with an email or post on this forum by March 26th if you are interested in coming to this event and club meeting. We need to get a count for lunch and will need to let you know more details regarding the ceremony and time of the club meeting. If you need to find a hotel, let me know and I can give you some names of places that might still have rooms available.
