William A. Irvin To Begin Restoration Process

Starting Thursday, work will begin on the Irvin ten months after leaving Minnesota Slip

DULUTH, Minn.- Starting Thursday, more than ten months after the William A. Irvin was move from it’s home in the Minnesota Slip during reconstruction there, work to restore the Irvin will begin.

Back in September, Duluth Entertainment Convention Center officials said the Irvin would be moving back to the Minnesota Slip this spring in time for tourism season. But, when contract negotiations to upgrade the Irvin came in too high, delays began until now.

The Irvin will be put in a dry dock at the Fraser Shipyards in Superior Thursday following a final contract agreement was reached with the company which includes movement and preparation of the vessel to and from the dry dock while also blasting and coating the hull and hatch crane.

The boat is set to be back in commission next Spring. DECC officials say it will be great to have this huge tourist attraction back in Duluth after out two years in a row.

“The Irvin is an icon in Canal Park. You come into town on 35 and you see it right here in Canal Park so we are excited and we are looking forward to it coming back and being that beacon for Duluth once it’s returned”, said Chris Johnson, DECC Marketing Coordinator.

The restoration project is being funded by a $504,000 grant from the Minnesota Historical Society. The DECC says it hopes the return of the ship in the spring of 2020 also means the return of the popular ‘Haunted Ship’ attraction in the fall.