MADONNA - EARLY PROGRESS REPORT

So, what are we looking at?  Inside the fabrication building, largest on the
Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding property, a construction jig is set and ready to receive
cut plates that will make up the new ferry's structure.

Detroit Harbor -

The ferry Madonna project is now underway, and plates recently cut are stacked and await assembly on the jig in the background of the above photo.

An automated welding machine with capabilities of multiple welding passes is fastening flat bar stiffners to large plates, bulkheads that will define below-decks compartments, giving them structural strength and definition.  Madonna Project Supervisor Steve Propsom took the photos shown here on Sept. 4th to document the production process.

An automated machine, IMG, simultaneously welds
stiffener bars to the flat plate, providing strength,
eliminating flexing.  (All photos by Steve Propsom,
Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding of Sturgeon Bay)

 Plates are marked as they're cut, enabling easy and positive identification in the assembly process.
Hull curvature can be seen on the far edge of the plate being welded.

The 124-ft. x 40 -ft. ferry is scheduled to be completed and delivered by June 1, 2020, for placement in service shortly thereafter.


MADONNA PROJECT COMPETES IN "COOLEST THING MADE IN WISCONSIN" CONTEST

Followers of the Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding construction project will be able to add their support for the "Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin."  This competition is sponsored by the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and Johnson Financial Group.

Entrants must first qualify for the contest voting.  Fincantieri recently received word that their submission of the Madonna project qualified them for the first round of voting, open from September 9-15.   You can cast your vote online during that time period at:    madeinwis.com         

If the first round of voting proves successful, then join in a second round of voting that will narrow the sixteen finalists to eight, and so on, until a winner is determined.   Below is the competition time table:

August 12-30           Nominations accepted.    (Successful!)
September 9-15        Popular Vote to determine the field of 16 finalists
September 16           Announce the Top 16
September 17-22      First Round of the Bracket    
September 23           Announce the Top 8
September 24-29      Second Round of the Bracket
September 30           Announce Top 4
October 1-8              Final Round of Voting
October 8                 Winner Announced

Not only is this ferry project a unique contest entrant, given it's size and complexity, it carries with it significant historical and cultural meaning for Wisconsin, for Door County, and for Washington Island, and for the thousands of people who visit or live here, and who will in the future rely on the finished ferry product to transport them, their vehicles and essential goods, across Death's Door waters.   

We hope enthusiasm for this project carries well beyond Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Washington Island Ferry Line, and SeaCraft Design, to be joined and supported by thousands of members of the general public.  Keep the above dates in mind, and please spread the word!  

Vote:  madeinwis.com  

 - Dick Purinton