1885
1885: MICHIGAN [Built-1881 US-91382 by Detroit Dry Dock Co. at Wyandotte, Michigan] MICHIGAN became entrapped in ice off Holland, MI, Lake Michigan, on February 9, 1885; squeezed and sunk on March 19, 1885. Crew taken off by tug Arctic; no lives lost. Final location discovered in summer 2005. The vessel was found upright in over 270 feet of water off Holland
1899
1899: In 1899, JOHN V. MORAN (wooden propeller package freighter, 214 foot, 1,350 gross tons, built in 1888, at W. Bay City, Michigan by F. W. Wheeler & Co. (Hull#44) was cut by the ice and developed a severe leak during a mid-winter run on Lake Michigan. The iron passenger/package freight steamer NAOMI rescued the crew from the sinking vessel. The MORAN was last seen on the afternoon of 12 February 1899, drifting with the ice about 20 miles off Muskegon, Michigan. She was a combination bulk and package freighter with hatches in her flanks as well as on her deck.
1901
1901: The ALEXANDER LESLIE was launched February 9, 1901, as a.) J T HUTCHINSON (Hull # 405) at Cleveland, Ohio by American Ship Building Co.
1945
1945: SS-374 (USS LOGGERHEAD) Built-1945 by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co ,Manitowoc, Wisconsin] Was Commissioned on February 9, 1945. Was stricken from Navy List, June 30, 1967. Scrapped in early 1969
1952
1952: AMERICA [Built-1915 US-213020 by Burger Boat Company, Manitowoc, Wisconsin] As AMERICA sank at dock, Port Huron, Michigan, on February 9, 1952. After unsuccessful salvage attempt, was surrendered to Corps of Engineers. Raised in sections in July, 1952, and trucked away for destruction.
1964
1964: The Collingwood built tug PUGWASH (Hull 85 – 1930) was torn from its moorings at Harbour Grace, Newfoundland. The vessel drifted out to sea and sank.
2-9-1971
HOMER D WILLIAMS [Built-1917 US-215159 by American Shipbuilding Co. at Lorain, Ohio] Suffered extensive fire damage to side plating and forward lower cabins in winter lay-up at Toledo, OH; February 9, 1971. The fire was started by a spark from welding that caused the tarpaulins stored in the hold to catch fire.
1983
1983: EAGLESCLIFFE [C-188893] Sank in Galveston Bay, TX, on February 9, 1983, after the hull had fractured the previous day while inbound.
1995
1995: February 9, 1995 – The founder of Lake Michigan Carferry, Charles Conrad, died at the age of 77.
2009
2009: The SONATA suffered engine failure in the Gulf of Finland and had to be towed to Talinn, Estonia, for repairs. It was arrested there, sold at auction and broken up for scrap locally. The ship had been a Great Lakes visitor first as c) RENTALA in 1988 and was back as d) MARY W. in 1990 and f) LANGESUND in 2000.
2023
2023: Crews discover 153-year-old shipwreck in Lake Superior
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society announced the discovery of the 144-foot Barquentine “Nucleus,” which sank more than 150 years ago in Lake Superior.
According to the society, the “Nucleus” was found under 600 feet of water, about 40 miles northwest of Vermilion Point on Lake Superior.
The “Nucleus” sank on Sept. 14, 1869, when it was going downbound from Marquette with a load of iron ore. It had already sunk twice, and in 1854, it rammed and sank the S.S. Detroit in Lake Huron.
On Sept. 14, 1869, the Nucleus was caught in a bad storm on Lake Superior and started to take on water. The crew reportedly abandoned ship and took the lifeboat, with the “Nucleus” sinking shortly after.
Thankfully, the crew did not suffer loss of life after they were picked up by the schooner “Worthington,” but another ship kept on steaming and left them behind before the Worthington showed up.
The “Nucleus” is one of the oldest ships to go down along the Lake Superior Shipwreck Coast.
“This is a pretty significant shipwreck…considering its age, the fact that it is a barquentine and we can’t overlook the vessel’s checkered past. The wreck site is littered with shovels too…and a few dinner plates, which speaks to their work and shipboard life,” Shipwreck Society Executive Director Bruce Lynn said in a statement.
The society used a marine sonic technology side-scan sonar in the summer of 2021 and positively identified the wreck in 2022
“The stern was intact. It had a straight back stern and then the port side also was intact. And so, I was more excited about it because at first, I thought it was totally in pieces on the bottom,” Society Director of Marine Operations Darryl Ertel Jr. said.
2023: Cargill shutters Indiana grain elevator
PORTAGE, IND. — Cargill has closed its grain elevator at Burns Harbor in Portage as of Jan. 31, saying a variety of current and expected market conditions led to the decision to not renew its lease.
The elevator handled soybeans, corn and wheat on Lake Michigan with a storage capacity of 7.768 million bus, according to Sosland Publishing’s 2023 Grain & Milling Annual. The Ports of Indiana grain export terminal at Burns Harbor received by truck and rail and loaded barge, rail and truck.
Cargill said it notified customers of its decision in September 2022.
“There were several different contributing factors that led us to make this decision, which include the current and projected market environment,” Cargill said. “Cargill’s other local operations in the area continue, as do the larger network of grain and oilseeds facilities around the US, and we will utilize those operations to serve customers to ensure they continue to have access to markets for their grain.”
Cargill said it is retaining current employees at Burns Harbor through the duration of operations while also assisting them in finding other employment opportunities at Cargill.
2-9-2025 NEWS
2025: Richard H. Wicklund, age 80, of Burton, Michigan passed away on Thursday, February 6, 2025
Most all of his life, history was an interest, mainly in Great Lakes history, including its lighthouses, but particularly the ships and the company’s that sailed them. An avid photographer this was often his subject all along the shores of the Great Lakes. He became an author and presented programs to historical societies, with membership in several over the years, but particularly the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society, Bay City, Michigan, and the Marine Historical Society of Detroit, where he was named historian of the year for 2014.
Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, Father Dowling Collection, Brian Bernard, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series.
