1852

ATLANTIC (wooden sidewheeler, 267 feet, 1,155 tons, built in 1849 at Detroit, Michigan) was loaded with immigrants when she collided with the propeller freighter OGDENSBURG and quickly sank south of Long Point on Lake Erie at about 2:30 a.m. Of the 600 on board, estimates of death range from 150 to 250. Numerous salvage attempts have been made through the years up through 1989 since there were supposed to be valuables on board when she went down.

1874

The CITY OF LONDON, built by Louis Shickluna at St. Catharines in 1865, was destroyed by a fire at Collins Inlet. The engine was later removed for installation in the CITY OF OWEN SOUND.

1881

MICHIGAN (Hull #48, iron propeller passenger-package freight steamer, 215 feet, 1,183 tons) was launched by the Detroit Dry Dock Company at Wyandotte, Michigan, for the Goodrich Transportation Company. She was then taken to Milwaukee for fitting out and completion. She cost $159,212. She was designed by Frank E. Kirby especially for cross-lake winter service.

1899

The HUNTER SAVIDGE (two-mast wooden schooner, 117 feet, 152 gross tons, built in 1879 at Grand Haven, Michigan) capsized in a squall or tornado in Lake Huron. Five survivors, including Capt. Fred Sharpstein, were rescued from the overturned schooner by the steamer ALEX MCVITTIE. However, five lost their lives, including the captain’s wife and son, the ship’s owner’s wife and daughter, and the mate. Capt. Sharpstein patrolled the beaches looking for the bodies of his wife and son for months, but they were never found. The wreck was found in 1987 near Grindstone City, Michigan.

1900

CAPTAIN THOMAS WILSON was launched at Port Huron for the Wilson Transit Co.

1903

QUEEN OF THE WEST sank in a Lake Erie storm off Fairport, Ohio, but the crew was rescued by the CODORUS. One sailor perished in the transfer between the two ships.

1919

MOHEGAN was built as a wooden steam barge at Marine City in 1894. It left the lakes for ocean service in 1917. The ship was anchored at Rio de Janiero, Brazil, on this date when an explosion and fire destroyed the vessel. All on board survived.

1920

The WILLIS L. KING, upbound light in Whitefish Bay, was in collision with and sank the downbound Steel Trust steamer SUPERIOR CITY. The SUPERIOR CITY was struck nearly amidships, and when the cold water reached her engine room, her boilers exploded. She sank immediately with 29 of her 33 crew members aboard.

1964

TEXACO WARRIOR hit bottom and settled in the Welland Canal with a punctured tank at Thorold South near Bridge 10. The ship was refloated and resumed service. It was scrapped at Sorel, QC, in 1978 as LAKE TRANSPORT (i).

1969

INDUSTRIAL TRANSPORT arrived at Toronto, Ontario, with fuel oil on her maiden voyage.

PETER ROBERTSON, sold for scrap and anchored in western Lake Ontario, dragged her anchors in a storm and landed on the beach near Jordan Harbour, Ontario. The vessel was released August 24 and headed down the Seaway August 27 between the tugs SALVAGE MONARCH and HELEN M. McALLISTER on the next leg of the journey to Spain for scrapping.

1972

VILLE DE QUEBEC was a pre-Seaway trader to the Great Lakes from 1955 to 1958 and returned inland for three trips in 1959. The ship sank off the coast of Albania due to heavy weather on this date as c) SUZY. It was en route from Durres, Albania, to Patras, Greece. 11 members of the crew were lost, and only seven survived.

1975

The coastal freighter AIGLE D’OCEAN struck an iceberg off Port Burwell, Labrador, and sank. Only five crew were rescued. The ship had been inland on several occasions.

1977

CAPO MELE first came through the Seaway as a) PIERRE L.D. in 1959 and again in 1960 for three trips. It was sold and renamed b) CAPO MELE in 1961 and made 22 voyages to the Great Lakes from then through 1967. The ship sustained heavy damage from an engine room fire on this date as e) PAULINA at Banjul, Gambia, and was sold for scrap. The vessel arrived at Santander, Spain, on October 17, 1977, for dismantling.

1985

R. BRUCE ANGUS, in tandem tow with the ULS steamer GORDON C. LEITCH (i) behind the tug IRVING CEDAR, arrived at Setúbal, Portugal, where they were broken up. The a.) IRVING CEDAR is now Purvis Marine’s c.) RELIANCE.

1986

The US266029, a.) WILLIAM CLAY FORD, departed her lay-up berth at the Rouge slip in tow of Gaelic tugs. She was taken to Detroit Marine Terminals on the Rouge River, where her pilothouse was removed to be displayed at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Detroit’s Belle Isle.

Contributors & Sources

Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, David Swayze, Randy Johnson, Ahoy & Farewell II, and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series from the Marine Historical Society of Detroit.

Compiled by Roger LeLievre.

1856

CHARTER (wooden propeller vessel, 132 feet, 197 tons, built in 1849 at Huron, Ohio as a sidewheeler) was bound from Cleveland for Buffalo with flour, oats, and rye. She swamped and sank in a storm 6 miles above Fairport, Ohio. By the end of August, she had been damaged beyond repair, but her machinery was recovered as she lay in relatively shallow water.

1861

BANSHEE (wooden propeller freighter, 119 feet, 166 tons, built in 1852 at Portsmouth, Ontario, named HERO in 1860-61) was carrying wheat, flour, and butter to Montreal when her engine failed (broken shaft), and she was helpless in a storm on Lake Ontario. She foundered near Timber Island on Lake Ontario. One passenger died, but the crew of 10 made it to Timber Island. She was owned by Howard & Rowe of Quebec.

1879

The graceful schooner HUNTER SAVIDGE was launched by the Grand Haven Ship Building Company.

1901

The whaleback steamer ALEXANDER MCDOUGALL (steel propeller modified whaleback freighter, 413 feet, 3,686 gross tons, built in 1898 at W. Superior, Wisconsin) ran into and cut in two the tug GEORGE STAUBER (wooden propeller tug, 55 feet, 43 gross tons, built in 1883 at Buffalo, New York) in the rapids at the mouth of the St. Clair River. The STAUBER sank immediately in about 60 feet of water. No lives were lost. The steam barge IDA assisted in retrieving people in the water. The MCDOUGALL did not stop.

1911

THE HARVESTER cleared Lorain, Ohio, on her maiden voyage loaded with coal for Duluth, Minnesota.

1954

The British freighter PERTH, en route from Toronto to St. John’s, NF, with general cargo, was damaged in a collision with an unidentified vessel off the south coast of Newfoundland. The pre-Seaway trader to the Great Lakes had been built as LOCHEE in 1937 and had also made a total of 3 inland voyages in 1959 and 1960.

1955

A collision between the CASON J. CALLAWAY and the B.F. JONES occurred above Lime Island in the St. Marys River. The latter, upbound and light, was declared a total loss and taken to Superior. Part of the bottom of the hull was saved for use as the shipyard lighter SCC 1; the cabins were transplanted to the SPARKMAN D. FOSTER; and the hatches, hatch lifter, and funnel become part of the LYMAN C. SMITH. The 3-year-old CASON J. CALLAWAY was repaired, outlasts all of the other ships, and exists today under the same name.

1957

IMPERIAL QUEBEC (Hull #161) was launched at Collingwood, Ontario, by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd. for Imperial Oil Ltd.

1971

CHARLES DICK severed two underwater cables in the Maumee River, cutting off power to east Toledo and the Cherry Street Bridge. Massive traffic jams developed on Toledo’s streets.

1973

The first KINSMAN INDEPENDENT lost steering in the Neebish Rock Cut and went aground with heavy bottom damage. After being refloated, the ship was laid up at Lorain and, in 1974, sold to Marine Salvage for scrap. She arrived at Santander, Spain, for dismantling under tow of the Polish tug JANTAR and in tandem with the JAMES DAVIDSON on July 21, 1974.

1975

Cleveland Tankers’ VENUS was sold to Acme Metals Inc. and was towed to Ashtabula, Ohio, where she was broken up in 1976.

1978

GEORGE A. STINSON was christened at Detroit, Michigan.

BUFFALO’s sea trials were conducted from August 21 through August 24.

1994

CEDARGLEN, a.) WILLIAM C. ATWATER, arrived under tow at Port Maitland, Ontario, where she was scrapped.

1996

The former U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tug MARQUETTE was downbound past Detroit on her delivery trip to her new owners based in Key West, Florida. Renamed MONA LARUE in 1997, she is no longer in documentation.

Contributors & Sources

Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, David Swayze, Lake Huron Lore Society, Ahoy & Farewell II, and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series from the Marine Historical Society of Detroit.

Compiled by Roger LeLievre.

1863

WILLIAM S. BULL (wooden propeller steam tug, 16 tons, built in 1861 at Buffalo, New York) waterlogged and went down in a storm 40 miles east of Erie, Pennsylvania. She was in the company of the tug G.W. GARDNER and the canal boat M.E. PAINE, who saved her crew.

1876

The Canadian schooner LAUREL sank off Big Sandy Creek on Lake Ontario. The crew made it to shore in the yawl. The LAUREL was bound from Kingston, Ontario, to Charlotte, New York, with iron ore.

1890

The wooden barge TASMANIA, upbound with coal under tow of the steamer CALEDONIA, sank in the Lake George Channel of the St. Marys River after a collision with the J.H. WADE. TASMANIA was later refloated and repaired only to be lost in Lake Erie on October 18, 1905.

1898

The schooner FANNY CAMPBELL (wooden schooner, 404 tons, built in 1868 at St. Catharines, Ontario) ran ashore near Johnston’s Harbor in Georgian Bay. She was sailing light on her way for a load of cordwood.

1900

SPECULAR (wooden propeller freighter, 264 feet, 1,742 gross tons, built in 1882 at Cleveland, Ohio) was carrying iron ore when she was a “hit and run” victim by the steamer DENVER at 2 a.m. and sank in 6 minutes in the Pelee Passage on Lake Erie. Fifteen of her crew abandoned in her yawl and were saved. The remaining five scrambled up into the rigging and clung there until they were rescued 4 hours later by the steamer MARITANA and brought to Detroit. Salvagers worked on the wreck continuously until they gave up on September 28. The wreck lies 3.16 miles SE from Pelee Passage light. She was owned by Republic Iron Co. of Cleveland.

1903

ROBERT L. IRELAND (Hull #62) was launched at Chicago, Illinois, by Chicago Ship Building Co. for the Gilchrist Transportation Co. Renamed b.) SIRIUS in 1913 and c.) ONTADOC in 1926.

1909

NORMAN B. REAM and SENATOR collided in the St. Marys River above Pipe Island, and the latter sank with her masts above water. She was later salvaged but was lost in Lake Michigan off Kenosha after a collision with the MARQUETTE on October 31, 1929.

1917

The wooden steamer JOHN S. THOM, en route to Erie with coal, went aground on a shoal 22 miles west of Charlotte, NY. The vessel was later refloated and taken to Ogdensburg, NY for repairs.

1940

The second THOROLD, sent overseas to assist in the war effort, was attacked and sunk by three German aircraft as she was carrying coal from Cardiff to London. There were nine lives lost, while another three crew members were injured. The vessel was under attack for 3 hours before it went down and became the third Canadian merchant ship lost in the early stages of the war.

1973

ROGER M. KYES sailed on her maiden voyage from Toledo, Ohio, to load iron ore at Escanaba, Michigan. She was built under Title XI of the Merchant Marine Act of 1970. This program allowed U.S. shipping companies to construct new vessels or modernize their existing fleet with government-guaranteed financing and tax-deferred benefits. The KYES was the second of 10 ships launched for American Steamship but the first to enter service under this arrangement. The total cost of the ten ships was more than $250 million. Renamed b.) ADAM E. CORNELIUS in 1989.

1979

ALGOPORT left Collingwood, Ontario, on her maiden voyage for Calcite, Michigan, to load limestone bound for Spragge, Ontario.

1987

The ENDERS M. VOORHEES was towed out of Duluth, Minnesota, by the tugs AVENGER IV and CHIPPEWA and was the first of the ‘Supers’ towed off the Lakes for scrap.

Contributors & Sources

Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, David Swayze, 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.

1882

The Port Huron Times reported that “the long looked for launch of the Stave Company’s new river steamer MARY took place this afternoon between 4 and 5 o’clock and was witnessed by hundreds of spectators. The last support being knocked away, she slid very gracefully as far as the ways reached and then landed anything but gracefully in the mud where she now lies.” She remained stuck in the mud until she was pulled free five days later.

1885

IOSCO (wooden schooner-barge, 124 feet, 230 gross tons, built at Alabaster, Michigan in 1873) was heavily damaged by fire. She was rebuilt as an unrigged barge and lasted until 1912.

1892

At 2:00 a.m., the GEORGE N. BRADY (wooden propeller tug, 102 feet, 165 gross tons, built in 1865 at Detroit or Marine City, Michigan) was engaged in pulling a raft of logs across Lake St. Clair along with the tug SUMNER. Fire was discovered around the BRADY’s smokestack, and the flames quickly spread. The crew was taken off of the stricken vessel by the SUMNER, and the BRADY was cut free of the raft. The blazing vessel drifted to the American shore, where she sank about 3 miles north of Grosse Pointe, Michigan. No lives were lost.

1895

The steam barge BURLINGTON of 1857, 137 feet, 276 gross tons, ex-package freighter, burned to the water’s edge in the Straits of Mackinac.

1901

The wooden barge H.A. BARR of the Algoma Central Railway was lost in Lake Erie 30 miles from Port Stanley after breaking the towline in a storm. The vessel was en route from Michipicoten to Buffalo with a cargo of iron ore. All on board were rescued by the towing steamer THEANO.

1907

The WARD AMES (Hull #518) was launched at West Superior, Wisconsin, by Superior Ship Building Co. for the Acme Steamship Co. (Augustus B. Wolvin, mgr.). Renamed b.) C.H. McCULLOUGH JR. in 1916. She was scrapped at Thunder Bay, Ontario in 1980.

1910

The THOMAS F. COLE ran aground on a shoal in the St. Marys River, severely damaging her hull plates.

1974

LEON SIMARD (Hull #413) was launched at Sorel, Quebec, by Marine Industries Ltd. for Branch Lines Ltd. Renamed b.) L’ORME NO 1 in 1982. Sold off the lakes in 1997, renamed c.) TRADEWIND OCEAN d.) AMARA in 2001 and MENNA in 2008.

1979

The retired steamer KINSMAN ENTERPRISE (i), sold for $145,000, arrived at Port Huron from Toledo under tow of the tug MALCOLM for use as the storage barge HULL NO. 1.

1985

PAUL H. CARNAHAN arrived for her final lay-up at Nicholson’s in Ecorse, Michigan. Ironically, only a few hours later, her near sister LEON FALK JR departed the same slip on her final trip bound for Québec City and overseas scrapping.

1998

CANADIAN LEADER went aground near DeTour, Mich., and had to be lightered. The ship was able to proceed to Montreal to unload her cargo of grain and then arrived at Port Weller Dry Docks on August 31 for repairs.

2005

The Dutch salty VLIEBORG lost power and failed to complete a turn departing Duluth, striking the north pier, toppling a light standard, and damaging the steel piling. The vessel had begun Seaway service in 2001. In 2012, it was renamed c) ANTARCTIC SEA and placed under Norwegian registry.

Contributors & Sources

Skip Gillham, Father Dowling Collection, Joe Barr, David Swayze, Ahoy & Farewell II, and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series from the Marine Historical Society of Detroit.

Compiled by Roger LeLievre.

1873

JOURNEYMAN (wooden schooner; 129 feet; 235 gross tons; built in 1873 at Wenona, MI) was put in service. Her first cargo was 225,770 feet of lumber. She was built for Whitehead and Webster of Bay City, MI, and lasted until 1896.

1892

H.D. COFFINBERRY (wooden propeller freighter; 191 feet; 649 gross tons; built in 1874 at East Saginaw, MI) was carrying iron ore from Escanaba, MI, to Ashtabula, OH, in a fierce northwestern gale when she grounded on the rocks near Port Hope, MI, on Lake Huron. The crew was rescued by the San Beach lifesaving crew and the tug ANAPING. The COFFINBERRY was released 5 days later and put back in service.

1917

The wooden tow barge MAGNETIC, downbound and under tow of the steamer EDWARD N. BREITUNG, broke loose when the steering failed and eventually foundered in Lake Erie. The captain and crew of seven were rescued.

1919

CABOTIA (formerly HIAWATHA; wooden propeller freighter; 235 feet; 1,299 gross tons; built 1880 at Gibraltar, MI) went ashore on Main Duck Island in Lake Ontario and split her hull, becoming a constructive loss.

1923

The Duluth, Missabe and Northern Railway ore dock in Duluth, MN, loaded 208,212 tons of ore into 23 ships.

1965

BLACK BAY was T-boned on the port side by the Liberian freighter EPIC while leaving Sept-Îles, QC, with ore for Ashtabula, OH. The hull of the CSL bulk carrier was dented, the rail was ripped, and there was damage to the fourth hatch. The ship was repaired at Port Arthur, ON.

1974

STEELTON collided with Bridge 12 of the Welland Canal at Port Robinson, ON, knocking the structure into the water. The accident tied up all navigation through the Welland Canal, and the bridge was never replaced. The ship was repaired at Port Colborne, ON, and returned to service.

1977

IRISH ALDER, a Great Lakes caller with four trips in 1966, was gutted by a fire as c.) ATTICAN UNITY while en route from Antwerp, Belgium, to Durban, South Africa. The ship was beached at Flushing, Netherlands, and taken over by the Dutch government. The hull was later refloated, sold to West German shipbreakers, and arrived at Bremen, Germany, on March 22, 1978, for dismantling.

1978

GEORGE M. STEINBRENNER, formerly a.) ARTHUR H. HAWGOOD, arrived at Port Colborne, ON, in tow of the tug WILFRED M. COHEN for scrapping.

1981

The first of the famous “Love Boat” cruises was made. The BADGER carried 520 passengers, the largest number of passengers for a car ferry up to that time. It was sponsored by the Ludington Area Ambassadors.

1984

ROGER M. KYES grounded off McLouth Steel and ended crosswise in the Detroit River’s Trenton Channel. It required lightering into the RICHARD REISS, formerly a.) ADIRONDACK, and the assistance of nine tugs to refloat her. She was renamed b.) ADAM E. CORNELIUS in 1989.

The French freighter MONT LOUIS first came to the Great Lakes in 1975. It sank on this day following a collision with the OLAU BRITTANIA while en route from Le Havre, France, to Riga, Latvia. The hull broke in two due to bad weather on September 11, and it was finally raised and taken to Zeebrugge, Belgium, in sections in September 1985 and broken up.

1985

MELA ran aground in the St. Lawrence about 40 miles east of Quebec City, QC, after losing power. Two tugs refloated the ship, and it received temporary repairs at Thunder Bay, ON. The vessel first came inland as a.) PAMELA in 1976 and returned as b.) MELA in 1983, c.) LA FRENAIS in 1990, d.) PRAXITELIS in 1995, and e.) AXION in 1999. The ship was beached for scrapping at Chittagong, Bangladesh, on March 15, 2006.

Contributors & Sources

Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, David Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Max Hanley, Ahoy & Farewell II, and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series from the Marine Historical Society of Detroit.

Compiled by Roger LeLievre.

1791

John Fitch was granted a United States patent for the steamboat.

1857

The schooner MATTHEW MCNAIR was launched at the Lee and Lamoree shipyard in Oswego, NY. She had a 103-foot keel, 24-foot-6-inch beam, and 9-foot-6-inch depth.

1872

Wooden propeller steamer LAKE BREEZE of 1868 was steaming from Saginaw, MI, to Mackinaw City, MI, with freight and about 40 passengers when a fire broke out in the kitchen while off Au Sable, MI. Captain M.S. Lathrop ordered the engines shut down and the steam pumps activated. The crew battled the blaze with fire hoses and put the flames out. When the LAKE BREEZE pulled into Mackinaw City that night, the partially burned vessel was still smoking.

1875

COMET (passenger-package freight propeller; 181 feet; 744 tons; built in 1857 at Cleveland, OH) was carrying ore and pig iron in Lake Superior on a foggy night. While trying to pass the Beatty Line steamer MANITOBA about 7 miles southeast of Whitefish Point, signals were misunderstood, and COMET veered into the path of MANITOBA. COMET was rammed amidships and sank in 10 minutes. 11 of the 21 aboard lost their lives. This wasn’t the first such accident for COMET. In October 1869, she suffered a similar mishap with the propeller HUNTER, and that time both vessels sank.

1905

The HENRY C. FRICK (Hull #615) was launched at West Bay City, MI, by the West Bay City Shipbuilding Co. for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. Renamed b.) MICHIPICOTEN in 1964, she foundered off Anticosti Island on November 17, 1972, while being towed overseas for scrapping.

1911

The CHIEF WAWATAM (Hull #119) was launched at Toledo, OH, by the Toledo Shipbuilding Co. for the Mackinaw Transportation Co. She was built with three large propellers, two in the stern for propulsion and one in the bow for icebreaking. She was sold to Purvis Marine Ltd. of Sault Ste. Marie, ON, in 1988 and cut down to a barge.

CITY OF GENOA, downbound in the St. Clair River with 125,000 bushels of corn, collided with the W.H. GILBERT and sank 100 yards offshore. The crew was rescued and the hull salvaged by Reid on September 20, 1911, but was irreparable and a total loss.

1916

EMORY L. FORD entered service to load iron ore at Marquette, MI. She was renamed b.) RAYMOND H. REISS in 1965 and scrapped at Ramey’s Bend, ON, in 1980.

1925

The GLENEAGLES (Hull #14) was launched at Midland, ON, by the Midland Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. for the Great Lakes Transportation Co. Ltd. (James Playfair, manager). The vessel was converted to a self-unloader in 1963; renamed b.) SILVERDALE in 1978; and scrapped at Windsor, ON, in 1984.

1934

While on a Sunday sightseeing cruise, MIDLAND CITY of 1871, formerly a.) MAUD (153.2 feet, 521 gross tons), damaged her bottom on a shoal near Present Island in Georgian Bay. She settled with her stern underwater and her bow high in the air.

1955

JOHANNA, a West German freighter, went aground at Point Iroquois and received damage to bottom plates. The tugs SALVAGE PRINCE, RIVAL, and CAPT. M.B. DONNELLY, along with the lighter COBOURG, helped release the vessel on September 3, and it went to Kingston, ON, for repairs. JOHANNA was later a Seaway trader and made 18 inland voyages from 1959 to 1965.

1961

The Port Weller Dry Docks Ltd.-built passenger-cargo ship FEDERAL PALM (Hull #29) was christened for the West Indies Shipping Corp. Ltd. She was built on the Great Lakes but never served their ports. Renamed b.) CENPAC ROUNDER in 1975, she was scrapped in 1979.

1978

The second AVONDALE was damaged by an arson fire in the pilothouse while laid up along the Welland Canal below Lock 8.

1979

QUEBECOIS went aground on a mud bank near the entrance to Lake St. Clair after an electronic malfunction but was released in 9 hours.

1980

The EDGAR B. SPEER’s sea trials were successfully completed.

1988

A challenging fire in the bow thruster tunnel aboard ALGOMARINE at Port Weller Dry Docks in St. Catharines, ON, sent two firemen to the hospital. Some plates were buckled. The ship was being converted to a self-unloader at the time.

1994

The BEECHGLEN was towed out of Owen Sound, ON, by the McKeil tug KAY COLE en route to Port Maitland, ON, for scrapping.

Contributors & Sources

Skip Gillham, Joe Barr, David Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Max Hanley, Reference.com, Ahoy & Farewell II, and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series from the Marine Historical Society of Detroit.

Compiled by Roger LeLievre.