Dwight Boyer
Encyclopedia
Dwight Boyer was a reporter and marine historian of the Great Lakes
. He wrote for the Toledo Blade in 1944-1954, and wrote for The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio
) in 1954-1978.
Boyer specialized in feature-length narratives of life aboard Great Lakes lake freighter
s, often concentrating on stories of mystery and disaster. He had many friends in the shipping trade and among the newsgatherers of the Great Lakes ports, and carefully weighed the information they gave him. He excelled in constructing a conjectural trajectory for the cargo vessels that disappeared in the great storms of the past, never being seen in again in their home port or any other harbor of refuge.
Boyer discussed the 1927 disappearance of the SS Kamloops
, and the 1929 foundering of the SS Milwaukee
, in Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes (1968), and retold an account of the 1975 disappearance of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald
in his last book, Ships and Men of the Great Lakes (1977).
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
. He wrote for the Toledo Blade in 1944-1954, and wrote for The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
) in 1954-1978.
Boyer specialized in feature-length narratives of life aboard Great Lakes lake freighter
Lake freighter
Lake freighters, or Lakers, are bulk carrier vessels that ply the Great Lakes. The best known was the , the most recent and largest major vessel to be wrecked on the Lakes. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. In the mid-20th century, 300 lakers worked the...
s, often concentrating on stories of mystery and disaster. He had many friends in the shipping trade and among the newsgatherers of the Great Lakes ports, and carefully weighed the information they gave him. He excelled in constructing a conjectural trajectory for the cargo vessels that disappeared in the great storms of the past, never being seen in again in their home port or any other harbor of refuge.
Boyer discussed the 1927 disappearance of the SS Kamloops
SS Kamloops
The SS Kamloops was a lake freighter that was part of the fleet of Canada Steamship Lines from its launching in 1924 until it sank with all hands off Isle Royale in Lake Superior on or about 7 December 1927.-The canaller:...
, and the 1929 foundering of the SS Milwaukee
SS Milwaukee
The SS Milwaukee was a train ferry that served on Lake Michigan. It was launched in 1902 and sank with all hands off Milwaukee on 22 October 1929. 52 men were lost with the vessel. -On the Milwaukee run: 1908–1929:...
, in Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes (1968), and retold an account of the 1975 disappearance of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald
SS Edmund Fitzgerald
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter that made headlines after sinking in a Lake Superior storm on November 10, 1975, with the loss of the entire crew of 29. When launched on June 8, 1958, she was the largest boat on North America's Great Lakes, and she remains...
in his last book, Ships and Men of the Great Lakes (1977).
See also
- The Michigan TriangleThe Michigan TriangleThe Michigan Triangle is an area of Lake Michigan where unexplained phenomena have reportedly occurred.-Location:According to author Linda S. Godfrey in her book Weird Michigan , the Michigan Triangle is located over central Lake Michigan...