Today in Great Lakes History – October 11

1839
1839:   DEWITT CLINTON (wooden passenger/package freight side-wheeler; 147 feet; 413 tons; built in 1836 at Huron, OH) foundered off Milwaukee, WI, with the loss of five lives. She was recovered the following year and lasted until 1851. She and her near-twin ROBERT FULTON were reportedly the first Great Lakes steamers built primarily as freighters with relatively few passenger accommodations.

1866
1866:   GREAT WEST (wooden three-masted bark; 175 feet; 765 tons; built in 1854 at Buffalo, NY) was carrying wheat in a storm on Lake Michigan when she stranded on Racine Reef. She was reported to be a total loss, but she may have been recovered and then lost near Chicago, IL, in 1876. When launched, she was the largest sailing vessel on the lakes, and much was made of her beautiful lines. She was diagonally braced with iron and stood 174 feet tall from her deck to her masthead. So, if she were sailing today, although she’d be able to sail under the Mackinac Bridge, she’d be stopped at the Blue Water Bridge, whose roadway is only 152 feet above the water.

1890
1890:   MEDINA (wooden propeller tug; 66 feet; 57 gross tons) was launched by O’Grady & Maher at Buffalo, NY. She cost $12,000.

1911
1911:   The rail ferry CHIEF WAWATAM arrived at St. Ignace, MI, and began service shortly thereafter.

1913
1913:   THOMAS H. CAHOON (three-masted wooden schooner barge; 166 feet; 431 gross tons; built in 1881 at East Saginaw, MI) was carrying lumber in tow of the steamer C.W. CHAMBERLAIN. They were bound from Sault Ste. Marie to Byng Inlet, ON. However, during a storm, the CAHOON stranded and went to pieces on Kenny Shoal by the southwest corner of Innes Island in Georgian Bay. No lives were lost.

1923
1923:   The HENRY STEINBRENNER of 1901 collided with the J. MCCARTNEY KENNEDY at 16:20 off Ile Parisienne in Whitefish Bay. The accident occurred during thick, smoky weather, and both boats were severely damaged.

1923:   The canal-sized steamer GLENGELDIE, en route from Killarney, ON, to Welland, ON, with a cargo of quartz rock, hit bottom in Georgian Bay and had to be towed to Collingwood, ON, for over $15,000 in repairs to the starboard side. The ship later sailed for Canada Steamship Lines as b.) ELGIN.

1923:   On October 11th, 1923 the freighter HURONTONwas rammed by bow of the ore boat 𝘊𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘴 on Lake Superior. The Captain of the CETUS quickly ascertained that keeping the engines running forward might allow the bow of the CETUS to block the huge hole in the HURONTON long enough for its crew to be rescued.
   The effort worked and the entire human crew of the HURONTON were all able to board the CETUS. But, there was one crew member left on board the ruined boat – the bulldog, the ship’s mascot.
    Realizing the dog was left behind, the first mate leapt onto the HURONTON, rescued the dog and brought it onto the CETUS just in time! From crash to rescue to sinking, only 18 minutes passed before the HURONTON went down

1924
1924:   SENATOR DARBYSHIRE, a wooden bulk carrier upbound and in ballast, was destroyed by a fire on Lake Ontario and sank near Point Petre Light. The crew fought the early morning blaze but eventually had to abandon the ship and was picked up by MAPLEBAY. Captain J.W. Scarrow was later a master for Canada Steamship Lines.

1942
1942:   WATERTON was lost due to enemy action in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The former Misener freighter, operating for the Bowater Steamship Co., was attacked with two torpedoes from U-106 and went down in the Cabot Strait in 8 minutes. All on board got off safely. The ship was traveling from Cornerbrook, NL, to Cleveland, OH, with newsprint and pulpwood.

1974
1974:   Cleveland Tankers’ MERCURY scraped the South Grand Island Bridge on the Niagara River in heavy fog. Her forward mast snapped off, the amidship mast was tilted, and her smokestack was toppled. After the mishap, she proceeded under her own power to G&W Welding in Cleveland, OH, for repairs.

1982
1982:   The Israeli freighter DAGAN made 18 trips to the Great Lakes from 1959 to 1967. It ran aground on Cay Sal Bank north of Cuba as f.) CORK on this date in 1982 and was abandoned the next day as a total loss.

1983
1983:   Quebec & Ontario Transportation’s b.) BAIE COMEAU II cleared Sorel-Tracy, QC, as c.) AGIA TRIAS under Panamanian registry #1355. Her Canadian registry was closed on October 12, 1983. Her mission was to carry grain from New Orleans, LA, to Mexican and Caribbean Island ports. She was subsequently renamed d.) OCEANVIEW in 1988, e.) SEA DIAMOND in 1989, f.) GOLDEN CREST in 1990, g.) ATLANTIC WOOD in 1991, h.) LONDON FURY in 1994, and i.) DONG SHENG in 1995.

1989
1989:   Upper Lakes Shipping’s WHEAT KING, under tow, arrived at Chattogram, Bangladesh, to be broken up.

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