DECC hopes SS Irvin will be back by October

The SS William A. Irvin. Photo by: Jake Barnard

Executive director of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center Chelly Townsend hopes the SS William A. Irvin will be back docked in Canal Park in time for the Haunted Ship.

The Irvin was stationed for 30 years before sailing to Fraser Shipyards in Superior back in September.

The ship was closed last year as part of seawall reconstruction and contaminant cleanup project led by the city. The last part of the project was for the Irvin to be displaced from the slip.

The ship is believed to be back at the slip in August.

“The Irvin will go into dry dock and be painted at some point in the near future,” Townsend said via email. “When it returns, we’ll have a celebration. At this point, it is moored outside of the dry dock where it will be painted after the Arthur Anderson which is back on duty.”

The DECC and Frasor are currently working on the details about the cost of the repairs for the Irvin.

According to the Duluth News Tribune, the SS Irvin generates $225,000 in revenue for the DECC and receives around 25,000 visitors for the Haunted Ship event.