Today in Great Lakes History – September 1

1854
1854:   ABIAH (two-masted wooden schooner/brig; 134 feet; 353 tons; built in 1848 at Irving, NY) was sailing light from Chicago, IL, to Oconto, WI, when she capsized and sank in a squall about 10 miles off Sheboygan, WI. The schooner L. LUDDINGTON rescued her crew and two passengers.

1873
1873:   The 135-foot wooden schooner JOSEPH E. SPARROW was launched at Bangor, MI.

1880
1880:   The Cleveland Vessel Owners’ Association, later Lake Carriers’ Association, was created, with Alva Bradley as its first president.

1891
1891:   EDWARD H. JENKS (wooden propeller freighter; 119 feet; 180 gross tons; built in 1882 at Port Dover, ON, as the passenger-package freight steamer E.M. FOSTER) was carrying limestone up the Detroit River during a foggy night when she collided with GEORGE W. MORLEY (wooden propeller freighter; 193 feet; 1,045 gross tons; built in 1888 at West Bay City, MI) in a misunderstanding of passing signals. Three were killed in the collision, and the JENKS quickly sank at Ballard’s Reef. Her cargo kept her in place until she was recovered the following month and rebuilt.

1892
1892:   The upbound WESTERN RESERVE, flagship of the Kinsman fleet, sank approximately 60 miles above Whitefish Point. There were 31 casualties among the crew and passengers. The lone survivor was Wheelsman Harry W. Stewart.

1900
1900:   The Canadian steamer ADVANCE (wooden propeller package freighter; 168 feet; 1,178 gross tons; built in 1884 at St. Catharines, ON) was placed in service. In August 1899, when she was named SIR S.L. TILLEY, she had caught fire offshore about 7 miles from Fairport, OH, and was destroyed. However, the hull was later recovered and used as the basis of the steamer ADVANCE. She lasted in this role until 1903 when she burned again.

1916
1916:   Norweigan freighter DRONNING MAUD visited the Great Lakes on charter to Keystone Transports beginning in 1909. It hit a mine in the North Sea on this day and sank off the east coast of England between Southwall and Lowestoft.

1919
1919:   A switchman was killed in the yard at Manitowoc, WI, while the ANN ARBOR NO. 6 was being loaded. This caused a delay of 4 hours in her sailing time.

1923
1923:   The self-unloader B.H. TAYLOR (Hull #787) was launched at Lorain, OH, by the American Ship Building Co. as the third self-unloader built for the Bradley Transportation Co. of Rogers City, MI. The vessel was renamed b.) ROGERS CITY in 1957 and scrapped at Recife, Brazil, in 1988.

1929
1929:   EDWARD BUCKLEY caught fire and was destroyed in the North Channel of Georgian Bay. The blaze broke out aft while the vessel was en route to Little Current, ON, to load pulpwood. The hull burned to the waterline and sank near Narrow Island Lighthouse. Local fishermen rescued the crew.

1931
1931:   W.L. Mercereau retired as superintendent of steamships, a position he had held since 1899.

1936
1936:   The Canadian canaller BENMAPLE of the Port Colborne & St. Lawrence Navigation Co. sank in the St. Lawrence River at about 04:00 near Father Point after being hit in fog by the inbound liner LAFAYETTE. A wheelsman was killed, but all others on board were rescued.

1947
1947:   From September 1, 1947, to September 15, 1959, USCGC MESQUITE was stationed at Sault Ste. Marie, MI.

1970
1970:   Tragedy struck 4 days after the launch of the AGAWA CANYON when the ship was rocked by an engine room explosion, killing one of the crew and injuring seven more. The AGAWA CANYON entered service in November 1970 equipped with four 10-cylinder, two-stroke cycle, single-acting opposed piston diesel engines built in 1970 by Fairbanks-Morse (Canadian) of Kingston, ON. The engines were rated at 6,680 bhp with a service speed of approximately 12 knots (13.8 miles per hour). AGAWA CANYON saw continued service through the 2009 navigation season when, on December 22, 2009, the vessel entered winter lay-up in Montreal, QC, at Sec. 56. On September 18, 2010, AGAWA CANYON was towed from port headed for scrapping in Aliaga, Turkey, with the ocean tug SIROCCO (owned by ITC of Heemstede, Netherlands) on the bow.

1970:   The TEMPLE BAR (Hull #101G) was launched at Govan, Scotland, by the Govan Division of Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Ltd. for Lambert Bros. (Shipping) Ltd. of London, England. She was renamed b.) LAKE NIPIGON in 1977, c.) LAKETON in 1984, d.) LAKE NIPIGON in 1986, and e.) ALGONORTH in 1987. ALGONORTH was scrapped at Sault Ste Marie, ON, in 2013. Upon her arrival at Quebec City, QC, on September 1, 1962, the LAKE WINNIPEG was the first vessel of the Nipigon Transport Ltd. (Carryore Ltd., manager) fleet.

1983
1983:   INDIANA HARBOR set a record loading 67,896 tons of iron ore at Escanaba, MI.

Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, David Swayze, Russ Plumb, Father Dowling Collection, James Neumiller, Jody L. Aho, Ahoy & Farewell II, and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series from the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. Compiled by Roger LeLievre.

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