Tom Wenstadt, our Door County correspondent, reports that the M/V FRONTENAC departed Sunday morning, April 6th, {2025} from Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding here in Sturgeon Bay. She headed out Sturgeon Bay, up Green Bay toward her destination of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
The keel for the FRONTENAC was laid at the Davie Shipbuilding Ltd. Lauzon, Quebec, for the Canadian Steamship Lines on May 17, 1967. The vessel was commissioned May 13, 1968. The vessel was converted to an aft mounted self-unloader by the Collingwood Shipyards winter of 1972-73. The vessel was the 5th ship named in honor of Louis de Buade, Comte de Frontenac. She has carried her name though out her 56 years.
Specifications:
Length 730 feet
Beam (width) 75 feet
Depth 38 feet
Capacity 26,822tons
Power Sulzer 6RND76 6-cylinder 9,600 horsepower diesel engine turning a controllable pitch propeller– bow thruster
Self-Unloading rate 5,588 tons per hour
Watch for arrivals of the next Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding winter fleet in December, 2025. The winter fleet can be viewed from either side of the bay and be sure to get the spectacular view from the Door County Maritime Museum Lighthouse Tower.
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Tom Wenstadt, who lives in Sturgeon Bay, is a retired marine engineer, having worked in the Great Lakes area for thirty-seven years. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan Technological University and is the author of Freighters of Manitowoc. He is a member of the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society and the Door County Maritime Museum & Lighthouse Preservation Society. He is a volunteer archival assistant and docent for the JOHN PURVES.
Photo by Craig Olson dated May 27, 2007 in the upper St. Marys River
