Courtesy Photo Jacob Carr, left, and Joshua Santerre work on the R/V Steelhead II. Tom Moran, CEO of Moran Iron Works, said the vessel will likely be launched next spring.

ALPENA — A new research vessel, named R/V Steelhead II, will be launched on Lake Michigan in 2026. Construction on the new vessel is underway at Moran Iron Works (MIW), a fabrication facility in Onaway.

According to a press release from MIW, the facility is currently working on a “state-of-the-art” vessel that will replace the aging S/V Steelhead, a vessel that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has used for more than 50 years.

MIW’s press release explained that the new R/V Steelhead II will be a “…next-generation research vessel,” meant to support and advance fisheries research and conservation across Lake Michigan. The vessel will be stationed in Charlevoix.

Tom Moran, CEO of Moran Iron Works, stated that the keel has been laid, which is the first piece of steel of the boat. Though laying the keel of boats in the past has been treated as a ceremony, Moran explained that it’s more of a benchmark for MIW.

“Laying the keel means the shop has enough engineering to form the profile of the vessel and hopefully enough to complete the hull,” Moran said. “We tend to not celebrate much around here until something is finished and operating well. Celebrating too early can jinx even the best plans.”

Moran described the vessel as a fully functional fishing vessel with a laboratory built in and stated that the company has a year to complete the project.

“This is a kind of project you don’t want to string out any longer than necessary,” Moran said.

Assuming the project will be completed in January 2026, Moran noted that the ship will probably be launched in the following spring.

Patrick O’Neil, DNR Fisheries Division boat captain and project lead, explained that some of the research done on the vessel will include surveying for native fish populations. With that data, the DNR can determine what conservation efforts are needed.

“Sometimes things are not good and we need to back off the number of fish that are harvested,” O’Neill explained.

Regarding the S/V Steelhead, the current research vessel stationed in Charlevoix, O’Neill said the vessel is aging beyond what the DNR can reasonably maintain.

“Standards of efficiency aren’t the same as they were,” O’Neill said.

O’Neill also explained that because the vessel is as old as it is, the DNR has a difficult time finding parts to maintain it at times. O’Neill said that the DNR is better off investing in something new than putting money into a vessel that is no longer efficient.

According to the MIW press release, the R/V Steelhead II will be equipped with a Sea Keeper gyroscope which will increase the stability of the boat. O’Neill said this gyroscope will make it so the crew can go out more often.

“The gyroscope helps with the stability of the vessel … therefore there will be a safer platform for the crew,” O’Neill said.

In addition to the gyroscope, O’Neill explained that the R/V Steelhead II will also be incorporating solar power into the operations of the vessel, though it won’t be a huge component.

O’Neill also stressed how important it was for the DNR to keep the project as low-cost as possible. When beginning the search for companies to build the ship, O’Neill stated that it was important for the DNR to find a company that could build the vessel at the best price.

“We wanted to do an elaborate search to make sure all the constituents of the state were getting the best deal,” O’Neill said.

This resulted in a nationwide search that ultimately led to MIW partnering with the DNR.

O’Neill explained that there aren’t many shipyards in Michigan. And though it would have been the best-case scenario for the ship to be built in Michigan, the DNR wasn’t going to pay more for it to be built in the state.

Luckily, MIW was the lowest bid and the construction is in the hands of a Michigan-based company.

Moran explained that building ships doesn’t necessarily bring the company tons of money, but rather it is something MIW enjoys doing.

“It’s really about building things we can be proud of,” Moran said.

Kayla Wikaryasz can be reached at 989-358-5688 or kwikaryasz@TheAlpenaNews.com.

This story has been updated to reflect that Moran Iron Works is building the new vessel. This information was incorrect in an earlier version of the story.