CATARACT (wooden propeller, 15 feet, 352 tons, built in 1852 at Buffalo) caught fire 5 miles off Erie, Pennsylvania. She became an inferno astern in just a few minutes, and this prevented her boats from being launched. Four died. Some were saved by clinging to floating wreckage, and some others were rescued by a small fishing boat. The schooner ST. PAUL picked up some survivors. Among those picked up by Captain Mosher of the ST. PAUL were Captain McNally and the CATARACT’s carpenter. Capt. Mosher had rescued these same two men in 1858 when the propeller INDIANA was lost in Lake Superior.
1873
The new barge MINNEAPOLIS was towed to Detroit for outfitting. She had just been launched four days earlier at Marine City, Michigan. While on the way to Detroit, a Canadian man named Sinclair fell overboard and drowned.
1874
The Port Huron Times reported that “the old steamer REINDEER has been rebuilt to a barge by L.C. Rogers at H.C. Schnoor’s shipyard at Fair Haven, [Michigan]. Her beautiful horns have been taken down [she carried a set of large antlers], her machinery and cumbersome side-wheels removed, and she has been fully refitted with center arch and deck frame complex.”
1911
MAINE, upbound with a load of coal, caught fire in the St. Clair River and was run aground on the Canadian shore. The crew escaped.
1935
The BRUCE HUDSON capsized on Lake Ontario off Cobourg, Ontario, while in tow of the wooden-hulled tug MUSCALLONGE.
1958
The Swedish freighter ERHOLM and the FRANK ARMSTRONG of the Interlake fleet were in a collision in northern Lake St. Clair with minor damage to both ships. ERHOLM had earlier been a Great Lakes caller as a) ERLAND and later came through the Seaway in 1959–1960. It returned inland again in 1961 and 1962 as c) OTIS. The ship arrived at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, for scrapping as h) DIMITRA K. on August 25, 1980.
1961
NORTHERN VENTURE, a.) VERENDRYE of 1944, entered Great Lakes service upbound light for the Canadian lakehead to load grain.
The PIONEER CHALLENGER entered service. Built in 1943 as the T3 tanker a.) MARQUETTE, renamed b.) U.S.S. NESCHANIC (AO-71) in 1943, c.) GULFOIL in 1947, d.) PIONEER CHALLENGER in 1961, e.) MIDDLETOWN in 1962, and f.) AMERICAN VICTORY in 2006.
1973
Keel-laying of the CHI-CHEEMAUN (Hull #205) took place at Collingwood, Ontario, by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd. for Ontario Northland Transport Commission.
1985
The SAGINAW BAY departed Quebec City in tandem with the E.B. BARBER, towed by the Polish tug KORAL for scrapping at Vigo, Spain.
1986
DETROIT EDISON of 1955 departed Quebec City along with former fleet mate SHARON in tow of the U.S. tug PRUDENT to Brownsville, Texas, for scrapping.
Contributors & Sources
Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Jody Aho, 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.
TINTO (wooden propeller, 135 feet, built in 1855–1856 at Sorel, Quebec) caught fire and burned to a total loss only 2 miles from shore. She was between Snake Island and Nine Mile Point on Lake Ontario. 18 lives were lost. The survivors jumped into the water and were picked up by a boat from shore. A newspaper article stated that she had no lifeboat aboard. Her machinery was later recovered and installed in the AVON.
1883
B. PARSONS (two-mast wooden schooner, 218 tons, built in 1856 at Vermilion, Ohio) struck the north pier while entering the harbor at Charlevoix, Michigan, during a gale. She sank crosswise in the channel and blocked passage into the harbor for two weeks until she broke up enough to allow vessels to pass. In December, the steam tug S.S. COE towed the hulk a half mile down the beach and abandoned it.
1902
The JAMES H. HOYT, the first boat with hatches constructed at 12-foot centers, loaded 5,250 tons of iron ore in 30.5 minutes on her maiden voyage. Several days later, the cargo was unloaded at Conneaut in 3 hours and 52 minutes.
1907
WILLIAM J. FILBERT was launched as a.) WILLIAM M. MILLS (Hull #348) at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. for the Weston Transit Co. (William M. Mills, manager).
1933
SONORA and WILLIAM NELSON were in a collision in the Bar Point Channel on Lake Erie. The two ships were found at equal fault. The former was scrapped at Ashtabula in 1961, while the latter arrived at Bilbao, Spain, for dismantling as c) BEN E. TATE on July 12, 1969.
1945
Canada Steamship Line’s HAMONIC burned at her pier at Point Edward near Sarnia, Ontario. A warehouse next to the HAMONIC ‘s pier burst into flames from a fire that began from a gasoline motor for conveyor equipment being repaired by workmen. The flames and smoke were carried by a breeze to the HAMONIC. Almost in a matter of minutes, the HAMONIC was doomed. She was aflame at dockside. The captain and the engineer were able to move the ship down the dock from the raging flames from the warehouse. Many of the passengers were able to get ashore. Some passengers went ashore by climbing into the bucket of a crane, which hoisted them on shore to safety. Every one of the passengers and crew were saved.
1954
Mohawk Navigation’s GOLDEN HIND loaded her first dry bulk cargo. She had been rebuilt from the Imperial Oil Ltd. tanker a.) IMPERIAL WOODBEND.
1961
The C&P dock in Cleveland set a new unloading record when it removed more than 15,000 tons of ore from the holds of the E.G. GRACE in 3 hours and 20 minutes.
1969
The ASHCROFT was towed out of Quebec City in tandem with the steamer SIR THOMAS SHAUGHNESSY by the Polish tug JANTAR for scrapping at Castellon, Spain.
1973
The Cleveland Tanker’s COMET was towed from Toledo to Ashtabula, Ohio, where she was broken up during the summer and fall of 1973.
1974
On her last trip, the COLONEL JAMES PICKANDS arrived at Cleveland, Ohio, with a load of iron ore.
1980
The BROOKDALE of 1909 lost her self-unloading boom overboard in the Detroit River during a windy rainstorm while loading salt at the Canadian Rock Salt Dock at Ojibway, Ontario.
1989
SHEILA YEATES, a tall ship visitor to the Great Lakes, hit an ice pack in fog on the North Atlantic and eventually sank 430 miles south of Greenland after an attempt to tow the leaking ship to safety failed. All on board were saved.
Contributors & Sources
Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Jody Aho, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Russ Plumb, Mike Nicholls, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II, and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series from the Marine Historical Society of Detroit.
ANDROMEDA (two-mast wooden schooner, 112 feet, 568 tons, built in 1848 at Madison Dock, Ohio) was carrying 800 barrels of salt from Oswego to Chicago. She sprang a leak suddenly and foundered 20 miles from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The crew escaped in her boat, many just in their underwear. They arrived at Manitowoc the next day.
1872
The schooner D.L. COUCH of Detroit (formerly AVCORN) sank about 10 miles from Long Point on Lake Erie. Two lives were lost.
1874
The wooden propeller freighter N.K. FAIRBANK (205 feet, 980 gross tons) was launched in Marine City, Michigan, by W.B. Morley. She was then towed to Detroit, where her engines were installed by William Cowie. She had two direct-acting condensing engines, 34 feet by 32 inches on one shaft, and her boiler was installed on her main deck. She only lasted until 1895, when she was stranded and burned near Port Colborne, Ontario. The remains of the hull were sold to Carter Brothers of Port Colborne, and it was rebuilt and enrolled as a new vessel with the name ELIZA H. STRONG. The STRONG lasted until she burned in 1904.
1911
The wooden steamer TAMPA sank in the Detroit River after a collision with the JOHN W. GATES of U.S. Steel. The former was raised and moved to Marine City and then, after being partially dismantled, was sunk in 1915 as a breakwall to halt erosion off the Belle River.
1913
The canal tanker COMET (Hull #705) of the American Ship Building Co. at Lorain, Ohio, entered service for ocean service. Sold Mexican and renamed b.) COMETA in 1928. She returned to the lakes in 1936 and was renamed c.) COMET for Cleveland Tankers. She was lengthened in 1940. She was scrapped at Ashtabula, Ohio, in 1973.
1925
WILLIAM A. REISS was launched as a.) JOHN A. TOPPING (Hull #251) at River Rouge, Michigan, by Great Lakes Engineering Works for the Columbia Steamship Co.
WILLIAM G. MATHER completed her sea trials.
1938
ISLET PRINCE (ii), en route to Owen Sound for a new service, stopped for the night behind Chantry Island, Southampton, and was struck by lightning. The ship caught fire, but all on board were rescued before the vessel sank the next day.
1954
LAKE GADSDEN was lost near Corrubedo Light off the coast of Spain as g) SAN NICOLAS after going aground. The vessel slid back into deep water and sank. She was built at Manitowoc in 1919.
1960
IRISH MAPLE, a Great Lakes visitor beginning in 1966, sank the 479-gross-ton DENBIGH COAST in the River Mersey after a collision. IRISH MAPLE remained in service until reaching the scrapyard at Karachi, Pakistan, as c) ANNOOR on October 24, 1981.
1967
NEW YORK NEWS (iii) buckled and sank while loading salt at Pugwash, Nova Scotia. The ship was raised and towed to Halifax in two sections for repairs. It survives as e) WOLF RIVER but has not operated for years.
1970
The WILLIAM J. FILBERT was in collision with the KINSMAN INDEPENDENT of 1907 at the Burlington Northern Dock when the Steel Trust steamer lost control in the current entering the slip
1974
Interlake Steamship decommissioned the COLONEL JAMES PICKANDS after 48 years of service due to continuing problems with her boilers and engines.
1977
AGAWA CANYON struck an abutment at the Welland Canal’s Bridge 11 at Allanburg, Ontario, while downbound with salt for Kingston, Ontario, and sustained a 30-foot gash just above the waterline at the port bow.
1984
PANAGIOTIS S., a Seaway trader beginning in 1975, suffered severe fire damage aft in the Gulf of Aden while on a voyage from Antwerp, Belgium, to Calcutta, India. The ship was a total loss and, after being sold and renamed d) OTIS, was taken to Gadani Beach, Pakistan, for scrapping. PANAGIOTIS S. had also visited the Great Lakes as a) VIZCAYA in 1972 and EMILIA LOVERDOS in 1975.
1986
The entire forward superstructure of the b.) JOHN DYKSTRA, a.) BENSON FORD of 1924, including the forecastle deck, was delivered to South Bass Island in Lake Erie on the barge THOR 101, towed by the tug GREGORY J. BUSCH. The superstructure was moved for use as a summer home where it remains. The hull of the DYKSTRA was sold to Marine Salvage, Port Colborne, Ontario, and was towed from Cleveland, Ohio, on July 10 by the tugs ARGUE MARTIN and GLENBROOK to Ramey’s Bend, arriving there on July 12, 1986, where it was scrapped.
Contributors & Sources
Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Jody Aho, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Russ Plumb, Mike Nicholls, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series from the Marine Historical Society of Detroit.
The wooden schooner HENRY CLAY was carrying 800 barrels of salt and passengers from Oswego, New York, to the Welland Canal on her maiden voyage when she capsized in a squall and sank about 10 miles off Port Dalhousie, Ontario, on Lake Ontario. About 11 persons were aboard, and at least six of them lost their lives. Three were saved by the steamer CANADA.
1871
J. BARBER (wooden propeller steamer, 125 feet, 306 tons, built in 1856 at Cleveland, Ohio) was carrying fruit from St. Joseph, Michigan, to Chicago when she caught fire and sank 14 miles off Michigan City, Indiana. Five lives were lost.
1893
LIZZIE A. LAW stranded in the Pelee Passage on Lake Erie following a collision with the DAVID VANCE. It was refloated on September 14.
1900
The name of the Toledo tug A. ANDREWS JR. was changed to PALLISTER.
1921
After losing her way in fog, the BINGHAMPTON stranded on Gannet Rock Ledge near Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, en route from Boston to Reval, France, and Riga, Latvia, with relief supplies. The vessel was abandoned and later caught fire. The ship had been built at Buffalo as H.J. JEWETT in 1882 and left the lakes in two pieces in 1915 for saltwater service.
1943
CLARENCE B. RANDALL sailed light on her maiden voyage from Ashtabula, Ohio, bound for Two Harbors, Minnesota. She was renamed b.) ASHLAND in 1962. The ASHLAND was scrapped at Mamonel, Columbia, in 1988.
1957
JOSEPH S. YOUNG, a.) ARCHERS HOPE, was christened at Buffalo, New York. The YOUNG was the first of seven T2 tanker conversions for Great Lakes service.
1961
N.M. Paterson & Sons’ CANADOC (Hull #627) was christened.
1970
ARTHUR B. HOMER established a new Great Lakes loading record when she loaded 27,530 tons of ore at Escanaba. This eclipsed the previous record of 27,402 tons set by sister EDMUND FITZGERALD.
1973
JOHN P. REISS, in tandem tow with the car ferry CITY OF SAGINAW 31, arrived at Castellon, Spain, prior to this date for scrapping.
1978
EDWIN H. GOTT (Hull #718) was float-launched at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, by Bay Shipbuilding Co. for U. S. Steel Corp.
1981
BERGFALCK was sailing as b) BERGLIND when in a collision with the CHARM off Cape Breton Island. It was taken in tow but sank July 20. The hull was later refloated, taken out to sea and scuttled in the fall. BERGFALCK was registered in Singapore when she first came through the Seaway in 1976.
1982
Norwegian freighter FARO, built in 1960, was gutted aft from a fire that began in the galley at Ghazawet Roads, Algeria, as b) ARGOLICOS GULF. The vessel was sold for scrap and arrived in Castellon, Spain, to be dismantled on October 1, 1982. She had visited the Seaway in 1970.
1985
The registry of GORDON C. LEITCH of 1954 was closed as ‘sold foreign’. She was scrapped at Setubal, Portugal, in 1985.
1992
Greek-flagged SD14 ROSARIO began leaking in the Indian Ocean as c) AL RAZIQU and was escorted into Mombasa, Tanzania, on July 29. The ship was allowed to sail to Alang, India, for scrapping and, after a resale, to Karachi, Pakistan. However, the vessel was sold again, taken to Dubai for repairs, and resumed trading as d) DELTA III. It developed a heavy list as e) CHALLENGE on August 2, 1993, after leaving New Mangalore, India. Attempts to tow the ship to shallow water fell short when the hull rolled over and sank with the loss of three lives. The vessel had visited the Great Lakes in 1978.
Contributors & Sources
Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Russ Plumb, Lake Huron Lore Society, Mike Nicholls, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II, and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series from the Marine Historical Society of Detroit.
The scow DIXIE burned during the night while lying at Kenyon’s dock in East China Township on the St. Clair River.
1877
At the end of June 1877, the ferry MYRTLE began running between Port Huron and Sarnia. However, on this date, The Port Huron Times reported that “The ferry MYRTLE has been taken off the route on account of the extreme dullness of the times.”
1907
JAY C. MORSE (Hull #438) was launched at Cleveland, Ohio, by American Shipbuilding Co. for the Mesaba Steamship Co. (Pickands & Mather & Co., manager) Sold Canadian in 1965, renamed b.) SHELTER BAY, used as a storage barge at Goderich, renamed c.) D.B. WELDON in 1979. In 1982, her pilothouse was removed and is used as a museum in Goderich Harbor. The WELDON was scrapped at Thunder Bay in 1984.
1929
HORACE JOHNSON (Hull #805) was launched at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship Building Co. for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.
1940
The first LACHINEDOC ran aground at L’Isle-aux-Coudres but was refloated the same day after 600 tons of coal were jettisoned. The vessel became b) QUEENSTON in 1946 and was sunk as a dock facing at Bob-Lo Park in 1962.
1961
LEON FALK JR. was christened at Cleveland after one trip to Duluth, Minnesota, for ore.
1963
Thick fog prevailed overnight on the St. Lawrence, contributing to three accidents. The TRITONICA sank after a collision with the ROONAGH HEAD off Île d’Orléans with the loss of 33 lives. To the west, the Swiss freighter BARILOCHE ran into the CALGADOC (ii) and then veered into the CANADOC (ii) before all ships on the water went to anchor. BARILOCHE later visited the Seaway as b) ST. CERGUE in 1967 and c) CALVIN in 1978. It was scrapped at Shanghai, China, in 1985. ROONAGH HEAD received significant bow damage in her collision but was repaired and operated until she arrived at Castellon, Spain, for scrapping on September 14, 1971.
1964
ZENICA went aground in the Straits of Mackinac en route to Chicago and was lightered by the MARQUIS ROEN and released. She passed downbound at Port Huron under tow. This vessel was beached at Karachi, Pakistan, for scrapping as f) CONSTANZA on June 1, 1980.
1965
The Norwegian freighter LYNGENFJORD sustained stern damage when it backed into the SALMELA while leaving the dock at Montreal. The former made 35 trips to the Great Lakes from 1959 through 1967 and was scrapped at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, after arriving prior to May 3, 1980, as c) EASTERN VALOUR. The latter, a British vessel, began Great Lakes service in 1965 and arrived at Gadani Beach, Pakistan, for scrapping on April 21, 1985, as c) ELENI.
Contributors & Sources
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.
The schooner ELVA, which was built in Port Huron, Michigan, in 1861 for Capt. Sinclair, was sailing from Holland, Michigan, for Milwaukee, Wisconsin, loaded with stove bolts. She capsized 12 miles from Milwaukee. Her crew took to the boats and made a landing in Kenosha and then rowed to Milwaukee. A tug was sent for the schooner and she was recovered.
The old barge HURON, which had been in use for a number of years as a car ferry for the Grand Trunk Railroad at Port Huron/Sarnia, was sold to Sandie and Archie Stewart. They planned to convert her to a dry dock by adding three feet to her sides and removing her arches. The sale price was $1,500 in gold.
1900
R.J. GORDON (wooden propeller passenger-package freighter, 104 feet, 187 gross tons, built in 1881 at Marine City, Michigan) was placed back in service carrying freight and passengers between Chicago and Grand Haven. She had burned in September 1899 at Chicago but was rebuilt during the winter.
1910
TRUDE R. WIEHE was destroyed by a fire at Portage Bay, Green Bay.
1911
Thirty plates were damaged when the WACCAMAW went aground in the St. Lawrence. The ship was later repaired at Buffalo.
1959
A collision in western Lake Erie between the CHARLES HUBBARD and the Swedish freighter SIGNEBORG resulted in damage to both ships. Both were repaired and continued in service. The latter was scrapped at La Spezia, Italy, after arriving as d) ALFREDO on November 10, 1971. The former was sunk as a breakwall at Burns Harbor in 1966 after being idle at Milwaukee for several years. The hull was reported to have been subsequently scrapped there.
1964
The French freighter MARQUETTE began Great Lakes trading in 1953 and was lengthened in 1959 with the opening of the Seaway. Fire erupted enroute from Chicago to Marseilles, France, and the vessel was abandoned in the Atlantic. The gutted ship was towed to Brest, France, and was sold to French shipbreakers. All on board were saved.
1965
A smoky fire that could be seen for miles broke out in the cargo of rubber aboard the ORIENT TRADER at Toronto, and the hull was towed into Toronto Bay and beached while firefighters battled the blaze. The Greek-flagged vessel was sold for scrap, but before it departed for overseas, it was used in several episodes of the CBC television series “Seaway.” The hull was towed into Valencia, Spain, on July 11, 1966, for dismantling.
1974
The JAMES DAVIDSON and KINSMAN INDEPENDENT (i) arrived under tow at Santander, Spain, for scrapping.
1975
The GEORGE D. GOBLE arrived at Lorain, Ohio, with an unusual deck cargo loaded at the American Ship Building Company’s yard at South Chicago, Illinois. She was carrying the deckhouses for two Interlake Steamship Company thousand-foot self-unloaders being built at AmShip’s Lorain yard. These vessels were completed as the JAMES R. BARKER and MESABI MINER.
Contributors & Sources
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.
The M.I. MILLS (wooden propeller tug, 122 feet, 152 tons, built in 1867 at Marine City, Michigan), which sank in a collision with the bark UNADILLA on May 9, 1873, was found in 90 feet of water in Lake Huron off Sand Beach, Michigan. Plans were made to raise her at the cost of $5,000. This effort was unsuccessful, as was another abortive attempt in 1895.
1900
The tug MATT HESSER was launched at Lorain, Ohio, by H.D. Root for Captain Burke of Erie.
1924
PERE MARQUETTE 22 (Hull #210) was launched at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. for the Pere Marquette Railway Co.
1961
The barge CLEVECO, originally lost with a crew of 22 during a December 2, 1942, storm on Lake Erie, was floated by salvagers, towed outside the shipping lanes, and intentionally sunk.
1965
MARIVIKI was beached in Colla Bay near Mormugao, India, after developing leaks on a voyage from Madras, India, to Constanza, Romania. The hull later broke in two and was a total loss. The saltwater vessel dated from 1940 as a) TEMPLE INN and visited the Seaway in 1960.
1967
A small fire erupted in the machine shop of the West German freighter TRANSAMERICA while a crewman was welding in Milwaukee. The blaze was soon brought under control. The ship last operated in 1978 as f) ARISTOTELES before being broken up at Gadani Beach, Pakistan.
1968
The Paterson bulk carrier CANADOC, loading at the Continental Elevator in Chicago, was struck on the starboard side by the Belgian vessel TIELRODE as it passed upstream under tow. The latter returned through the Seaway as c) GEORGIOS C. in 1977 and was scrapped at Huangpu, China, as e) OPORTO in 1985.
1970
ULYSSES REEFER caught fire in Toronto, resulting in an estimated $30,000 in damage. The ship first came inland in 1969 and returned as c) ITHAKI REEFER in 1972 prior to being scrapped at Blyth, Scotland, in 1973.
1989
MAR CATERINA, downbound at the Snell Lock, struck the fender boom, and all Seaway navigation was temporarily delayed. The ship began Seaway trading as b) ASTORGA in 1985. As of 2012, the vessel is apparently still operating as e) ASPHALT TRADER.
Contributors & Sources
Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Russ Plumb, Mike Nicholls, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II, and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series from the Marine Historical Society of Detroit.
