1878: The sidewheeler NEW YORK was sold Canadian in 1877, hopefully at a bargain price, because when she was hauled out on the ways on 20 March 1878, at Rathburn’s yard in Kingston, Ontario, to have her boiler removed, her decayed hull fell apart and could not be repaired. Her remains were burned to clear the ways.
1883: On 20 March 1883, the E. H. MILLER of Alpena, Michigan (wooden propeller tug, 62 foot, 30 gross tons, built in 1874, at East Saginaw, Michigan) was renamed RALPH. She was abandoned in 1920.
1885: On 20 March 1885, MICHIGAN (Hull#48), (iron propeller passenger-package freight steamer, 215 foot, 1,183 tons) of the Detroit, Grand Haven & Milwaukee Railroad was sunk by ice off Grand Haven, Michigan
1938: A fire of an undetermined cause destroyed the passenger steamer CITY OF BUFFALO while it was fitting out for the 1938 season at the East 9th St. Pier in Cleveland. The blaze began late the previous day and 11 fire companies responded. The nearby CITY OF ERIE escaped the flames, as did the SEEANDBEE.
2020: On March 19, 2000, ALGOMA CONVEYOR ran aground late in the entrance channel to Green Bay, WI. Weather at the time was rainy. She was Algoma Conveyor was transporting a load of road salt from Canada into Green Bay when it lost propulsion because of a mechanical failure, attempted to anchor and then drifted aground.
2011: The Indian freighter APJ ANJLI was built in 1982 and began visiting the Great Lakes in 1990. It was sailing as c) MIRACH, and loaded with 25,842 tons of iron ore, when it ran aground 3 miles off the coast of India on March 20, 2011. Four holds were flooded and the crew of 25 was removed. The hull subsequently broke in two and was a total loss.
2018: The cargo vessel ARDITA was officially registered Canadian on March 20, 2018 under the name MCKEIL SPIRIT. The port of registry is Hamilton, Ont. and owners are listed as McKeil Work Boats GP Inc. of Burlington, Ont. The vessel was built in 2007 at Royal Niestern Sander, Delfzijl, The Netherlands.
Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, “Ahoy & Farewell II” and the “Great Lakes Ships We Remember” series.