Ranger III

For the interplanetary probe, see Ranger 3.

Ranger III at Isle Royale National Park
History
NameRanger III (1958–2016)
Port of registry
BuilderFMG Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, United States
Launched21 June 1958 (21 June 1958)
Completed1958
Identification
General characteristics
TypeGeneral cargo ship
Tonnage
Displacement650
Length45.77 m (150.16 ft)[1]
Beam10.36 m (33.99 ft)[1]
Draught10 ft 6 in (3.20 m)
Depth4.62 m (15.16 ft)[1]
PropulsionTwin 850 hp 3508-B Caterpillar[2]
Speed15.7 kn (18.1 mph; 29.1 km/h)
Complement6 (freight), 9 (passengers)

Ranger III is a 648-ton vessel built to carry visitors to Isle Royale National Park, on Lake Superior.[2][3][4] She was built in 1958, and has undergone several refits. The vessel is designed to carry 125 passengers, as well as 100 tons of cargo. She is designed to be operated by a crew of six when only carrying cargo, and by a crew of nine, when carrying passengers.

The vessel she replaced, Ranger II, was a war-surplus, wooden-hulled former minesweeper.[2] The first Ranger was also a wooden-hulled military surplus vessel.[5]

As built, she was powered by a pair of two-stroke diesel engines, generating 614 shaft horsepower (458 kW), which were replaced by a pair of conventional diesel engines, generating 850 shaft horsepower (630 kW).[2] While the vessel is capable of light ice-breaking, in late spring or early fall, the heavy ice of winter requires shutting service down.[6]

In 2012 the vessel's ballast water system was upgraded.[7] Ballast water is subjected to filtration and ultraviolet light.[8] The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel published a series of articles on the threats invasive species posed to vulnerable native species, which praised the National Park Service's initiative in equipping Ranger III with a state of the art system.[9]

While other vessels carry some of the visitors to the park, Ranger III removes all their trash.[10]

  1. ^ a b c d e "ABS Record: Ranger III". American Bureau of Shipping. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference BoatnerdRangerIII was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference MiningGazette2015-08-21 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference LansingStateJournal2016-05-27 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference NpsRangerHistory was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference MiningGazette2015-04-22 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference NPTraveler2012-07-20 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference JournalSentinel2014-08-09 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference JournalSentinelBallast2014-07-24 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference NPTraveler2016-09-06 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).