Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and The Interlake Steamship Company hosted a launch ceremony today, marking the latest milestone for the new 639-foot M/V Mark W. Barker. The first U.S.-flagged Great Lakes freighter to be built on the Great Lakes in nearly 40 years, the M/V Mark W. Barker – while still under construction – was “launched” or otherwise floated in the water in the large drydock at the Sturgeon Bay shipyard. A formal maritime tradition, a launching ceremony honors the first time a boat is transferred from land to water. The public event is a way of celebrating and blessing the …
