Sadie Ann at builder Midship Marine, Harvey LA.
SUPERIOR, WI – Sometime over the next few months, the University of Wisconsin-Superior is set to debut a new classroom that is unlike any other: it has two levels, its own hybrid energy power source, and expansive windows with unparalleled views. That’s because they look out from and within Lake Superior.
It’s the Sadie Ann — a 65-foot vessel described as a floating classroom that will be used for both research and instruction. The vessel is expected to begin its delivery trip soon from the New Orleans area to Superior.
In 2019, an anonymous grant to the Lake Superior Research Institute initiated planning for a new research and education vessel that could carry forward the legacy of the L. L. Smith. Consultation with researchers, educators and naval architects culminated in a proposal for a 65-foot, catamaran-style vessel.
The proposal was supported enthusiastically by the Swenson Family Foundation, which funded construction of the vessel, and by anonymous donors who established an endowment to help support vessel operations.
Designed by InCat Crowther and built by Midship Marine in Harvey, Louisiana, Sadie Ann features an innovative parallel, hybrid-drive propulsion system that is powered by two John Deere diesel engines, two Esco Power electric motors and an 86 kWh battery pack.
“Its goal is to get folks out onto the water,” said Matthew TenEyck, director of the Lake Superior Research Institute, which will oversee the operation of the craft. “We were very thoughtful about the mission of the Sadie Ann to make sure that we were not duplicating other vessels on the lake.
One of those others is the Blue Heron, the University of Minnesota Duluth’s research vessel that also conducts experiments for UWS and federal marine centers around the Great Lakes. TenEyck and the Blue Heron’s captain, Rual Lee, spoke with WPR’s Robin Washington on “Morning Edition” about the incoming vessel undergoing final checks at the shipbuilder in Louisiana.
The entire interview can be read here: Wisconsin Public Radio – Sadie Ann
Wisconsin Public Radio and the University of Wisconsin – Superior
