Wilhelm Baum

Wilhelm Baum. 1923 Steel Tugboat with Kahlenberg Engine. , A Hard Working Craft , In 1923 the Speddon Shipbuilding Company in Baltimore, Maryland, built this steel tugboat for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and transported it to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, for launching. The Corps named it Captain A. Canfield and used it for a wide variety of construction and survey projects until 1961. Holland marine contractor Dean King purchaed it in 1965 and renamed it Julie Dee. , , New Home in South Haven , In 1974 South Haven marine contractor and commercial diver, James Bradley, purchased the vessel, rebuilt its engine, and renamed it Wilhelm Baum for a local world war two submariner. Bradley used the tug in his commercial work, including projecxts at the Palisades, Cook, and Big Rock nuclear power plants. Bradley served in the South Haven Coast Guard Auxiliary for three decades, and during that time the tug assisted over 1200 people. , , Thank You , SHOUT for South Haven donated $35,000 to the museum in 2016 to purchase Wilhelm Baum ensuring the preservation of this iconic South Haven Vessel for generations to come.