Sadie Ann: About the Vessel

Exploring the Waters with Purpose

Sadie Ann connects people to the water – and to careers and experiences that support the Great Lakes.

UW-Superior’s Lake Superior Research Institute manages Sadie Ann and related programs. LSRI is dedicated to conducting environmental research and providing services that directly benefit the people, industries and natural resources of the Upper Midwest and the Great Lakes region.

The Institute provides applied learning and research opportunities for students and fosters outreach education in the Twin Ports and watershed communities of Lake Superior.

A close-up view of a boat’s upper deck and cabin with blue and white colors, metal railings, and partly cloudy skies above tells about the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, as seen on the vessel’s side.

Sadie Ann enhances the work of the Lake Superior Research Institute by providing safe, efficient access to the waters of Lake Superior.

Sadie Ann Program Goals:

  • Foster curiosity and appreciation for the ecological and cultural wonders of the watershed
  • Expand knowledge and understanding of a freshwater ecosystem that is essential to the wellbeing of the people it supports
  • Provide practical opportunities for participants to develop and hone skills required for a range of careers that serve the needs of communities on the Great Lakes
Aerial view of a winding river surrounded by islands and forests with autumn foliage in shades of green, yellow, and orange under a clear sky, capturing the beauty about nature’s seasonal transformation.
A small lighthouse sits at the end of a rocky pier, stretching into calm water under a clear sky at sunset. Driftwood is scattered about the rocks, and distant land is visible on the horizon.

About the Waters

Lake Superior and the St. Louis River

Sadie Ann docks at Montreal Pier in the Duluth-Superior Harbor, which is located at the confluence of western Lake Superior and the St. Louis River.
 
The Duluth-Superior Harbor is protected and shaped by Minnesota Point and Wisconsin Point, natural sand spits that form a six-mile-long bay-mouth bar. Access to the harbor from Lake Superior is through either the Duluth Ship Canal with its distinctive aerial lift bridge or through Superior Entry, which is the natural outlet of the St. Louis River.
 
The St. Louis River flows 195 miles from Seven Beaver Lake, north of Two Harbors, Minnesota, to its confluence with Lake Superior. The river is the largest United States tributary to the Great Lakes, and its watershed encompasses 3,584 square miles.
 
Lake Superior contains 10% of the world’s freshwater. It is 350 miles across at its widest point, and by surface area is the largest lake in the world. The lake’s maximum depth is 1,333 feet, and underwater visibility averages 27 feet. The average water temperate is between 36 and 39 degrees. Some of the world’s oldest rocks, formed 2.7 billion years ago, border its northern shore.
 
Both the river and the lake have rich natural and cultural histories, and since their formation approximately 12,000 years ago they have had an immense ecological and economic influence on the region – and the world.

Sadie Ann’s Story

Built to carry forward a legacy of learning and discovery.

In 2012, the Lake Superior Research Institute retired its beloved and long-serving research vessel, the L. L. Smith.

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.

After construction was complete, Sadie Ann was transported on a barge up the Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway to Chicago. She then travelled under her own power through Lake Michigan and the Soo Locks to Lake Superior and her home port of Superior, Wisconsin, where she is docked at Montreal Pier.

Headshot of Sadie Swenson.

Sadie Ann’s Namesake

Honoring a Legacy of Resilience, Education, and Family Ties to UW-Superior and Environmental Research

The vessel’s name, Sadie Ann, honors Sadie Ann Bashara Swenson, who attended UW–Superior in the early 1930s. Courageous in the face of life’s challenges and deeply committed to education and family, she was the mother of eight children.

Her son Jim Swenson founded the Swenson Family Foundation with his wife Sue. Another son, Bill Swenson, is a UW–Superior emeritus professor of biology and an associate of the Lake Superior Research Institute.

Sadie Ann Up Close

Learn about the spacious cabin interior featuring large windows, built-in bench seating, a counter with stools, and a small kitchenette. Blue tape lines mark floor areas, with a fire extinguisher visible near the corner.
Spacious room with large windows, wood cabinets, and counters. The floor is covered with protective cardboard taped down. The area appears to be an unfurnished interior of a boat or ferry, with the dockyard visible about the windows outside.
The interior of a boat or ship cabin is about spacious comfort, featuring large windows, built-in cabinets, and a long countertop. The floor is covered with protective cardboard sheets. Water and greenery are visible through the windows.
Interior of a modern boat’s control room with steering wheel, control panels, and electronic displays. Large windows offer views of the river, bridge, and shoreline. A tan mat with blue tape covers the floor, adding detail to this space all about navigation.
View from inside a boats cockpit, showing navigation controls, instruments, and steering wheel, with large windows overlooking a marina—about as close as you can get to being at the helm, surrounded by boats and water outside.
A blue boat named “Sadie Ann” with “Superior, WI” written below on its side is docked about a small blue boarding platform with a metal chain that hangs over the water nearby.

Onboard Features

Custom-built for these Unique Waters

  • A stable, hybrid-drive catamaran, Sadie Ann has wet and dry research labs, a moon pool, and fold-down, water-level platforms for diving and sampling.
  • The vessel’s upper deck has a 300-square-foot, multi-purpose cabin with flexible seating and large windows.
  • Heat and air-conditioning in the labs and cabin, as well as a reinforced hull, allow for comfortable and safe operations, even in light winter conditions.
A blue and white houseboat named SADIE ANN SUPERIOR, WI is docked along a riverbank under a clear blue sky, with a highway bridge visible in the background, highlighting the beauty of life about the water.
Spacious, modern room with large windows, a built-in bench along one wall, and blue tape marking areas on the floor about the space. Sunlight streams in, highlighting a counter, cabinets, and a fire extinguisher in the corner.

Specs

65-foot catamaran

made from aluminum with a beam of 24-feet and draft of 4.5 feet

3,000 lb A-frame

and a 450 pound davit

18 knots maximum speed

49 passenger capacity

certified by the United States Coast Guard

600 mile range

at 12 knots

86-kWh battery pack

supports a parallel, diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system

Meet the Crew

Headshot of John Phelan, Captain Sadie Ann.

John Phelan

Captain, Sadie Ann

Headshot of Alan Brew.

Alan Brew

Program Manager, Sadie Ann

Matt TenEyck

Educator and Director, Lake Superior Research Institute