Today in Great Lakes History – July 27

1884
1884:  ALBERTA (steel propeller passenger-package freight vessel, 264 feet, 2,282 gross tons, built in 1883 at Whiteinch, Scotland, by C. Connell & Co.) collided in fog 6 miles northwest of Whitefish Point on Lake Superior with the JOHN M. OSBORNE (wooden propeller “steam barge,” 178 feet, 891 tons, built in 1882 at Marine City, Michigan). The OSBORNE had two barges in tow at the time. ALBERTA stayed in the gash until most of OSBORNE’s crew scrambled aboard, then pulled out, and the OSBORNE sank. ALBERTA sank in shallow water 3.5 miles from shore. Three or four lives were lost from the OSBORNE, one from ALBERTA in a brave rescue attempt while trying to get the crewmen off the OSBORNE. This was ALBERTA’s first year of service. She was recovered and repaired soon afterward. She was the sister of the ill-fated ALGOMA, which was lost in her first year of service. The wreck of the OSBORNE was located in 1984, 100 years after this incident.

1897
1897:  SELWYN EDDY and MARIPOSA collided head-on in dense fog off Manitou Island, Lake Superior. The damage was light, as both ships were proceeding slowly due to the conditions.

1900
1900:  The steel freighter RENSSELAER (Hull #402) was launched in Cleveland, Ohio, by the American Ship Building Co. for the Pittsburgh Steamship Company.

1912
1912:  G. WATSON FRENCH, later the first ALGOWAY, was in a collision with the MATAAFA in Lake St. Clair, and the latter was heavily damaged and almost sank.

1931
1931:  The Canada Steamship Lines bulk canaller BARRIE went aground at Les Ecureuils Shoal in the St. Lawrence while en route to Quebec City.

1944
1944:  The FORT PERROT was damaged by a torpedo in the English Channel south of Hastings while providing support for the ongoing invasion of Normandy and the liberation of Europe. As c) DORION, this ship made two trips to the Great Lakes in 1959. The vessel was scrapped at Yokohama, Japan, as e) ANTONIOS S. after arriving on June 17, 1963.

1987
1987:  The ANDREW H. went aground off Cornwall Island in the St. Lawrence after experiencing steering problems. The ship, loaded with steel for Dofasco in Hamilton, was lightered by MAPLEHEATH and released on August 2. The cargo was reloaded at Valleyfield. The ship first came inland as EKTOR in 1976. It arrived at Alang, India, for scrapping as e) BLUEWEST on January 31, 1998.

1999
1999:  The SPIRIT OF ’98 went aground on a rock in the Gulf of Alaska 40 miles southeast of Juneau, forcing the passengers to abandon the ship. Flooding was checked, and the ship was released and repaired. As c) VICTORIAN EMPRESS, the ship saw passenger service on the St. Lawrence and came into the Great Lakes to Lake Ontario beginning in 1990.

Data from: Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Mike Nicholls, 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.