SS Mataafa
Encyclopedia
The SS Mataafa was an iron ore boat and later an automobile
carrier on the American Great Lakes
, famously wrecked in 1905 just outside the Duluth
, MN harbor. She was built the SS Pennsylvania in 1899, and was renamed the Mataafa when she was purchased in the same year by Minnesota Steamship Company. After her sinking, she was raised and repaired, and served for another sixty years before being scrapped.
. Like most steel ships on the Lakes, her hull was made of large metal plates riveted to an iron frame.
and arrived in Chicago
with a leak, and then ran aground above the Soo Locks
on her way back up.
In 1901, she became a part of the original Pittsburgh Steamship Division of U.S. Steel
when the division was formed. Due to fog, she was grounded again, this time on Knife Island Reef, Lake Superior
on June 2 of that year.
at 4 p.m. the next day, it was clear to her master, Captain R. F. Humble that she could not make the run. He gave the order to turn about, and she turned her prow toward Duluth.
As she approached the port, it became clear that it was useless to try to bring both steamer and tug through the narrow canal into the harbor, so the captain gave the order to cut loose the Nasmyth. Then the Mataafa attempted to make it into safe harbor alone.
She made it about half-way between the twin concrete piers when a backwater surged out. Heavy water struck her stern, driving her prow down to the muddy bottom, and then slammed her stern against the north pier. Her rudder torn off, the lake pulled her prow out toward the open lake, then smashed her stern against the south pier. She grounded in the shallow water outside the north pier, where she was broken in two by the storm, her stern settling slowly into the water.
When the ship broke up, twelve men were in the aft portion. Three men struggled out to the fore. The remaining nine died of exposure during the night. One of the bodies in the after half had to be chopped out of solid ice. The fifteen men in the fore half fared better; although rescue attempts were futile during the stormy night, the next day a small boat made it out, and all fifteen were taken off in two boatloads.
and repaired. She continued to be accident-prone; in 1908, she was in a collision that sank the SS Sacramento, and in 1914 she struck another pier. She did play the heroic part on a few occasions, however; on July 17, 1912, she rescued 19 men from the sinking wooden steamer New York in Lake St. Clair, and on the same day six years later she rescued the entire crew of the barge Commodore off South East Shoal, Lake Erie
.
She was rebuilt due to wear in 1926, and in 1946 she was converted to an automobile carrier, after which she served the Nicholson Transit Company. She served until 1964, when she was sold to Marine Salvage to be scrapped. She was dismantled in Hamburg, Germany in 1965.
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
carrier on the American Great Lakes
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...
, famously wrecked in 1905 just outside the Duluth
Duluth
Duluth may refer to:*Duluth, Minnesota*Duluth, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta*Duluth , an album by Trampled by Turtles*Duluth , by Gore Vidal...
, MN harbor. She was built the SS Pennsylvania in 1899, and was renamed the Mataafa when she was purchased in the same year by Minnesota Steamship Company. After her sinking, she was raised and repaired, and served for another sixty years before being scrapped.
Design
Built in 1899 by the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company, she was 430 feet long by 50 feet wide. She massed 4,840 tons, and her engines were capable of producing 1,800 hpHorsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
. Like most steel ships on the Lakes, her hull was made of large metal plates riveted to an iron frame.
Early career
The company that built her leased her out as the Pennsylvania for a few months, but quickly sold her to the Minnesota Steamship Company. Her first season with the MSC was not without difficulties; she struck a rock in the straits of MackinacStraits of Mackinac
The Straits of Mackinac is the strip of water that connects two of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and separates the Lower Peninsula of Michigan from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is a shipping lane providing passage for raw materials and finished goods, connecting, for...
and arrived in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
with a leak, and then ran aground above the Soo Locks
Soo Locks
The Soo Locks are a set of parallel locks which enable ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. They are located on the St. Marys River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, between the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario...
on her way back up.
In 1901, she became a part of the original Pittsburgh Steamship Division of U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel
The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...
when the division was formed. Due to fog, she was grounded again, this time on Knife Island Reef, Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
on June 2 of that year.
Shipwreck
At five o'clock in the afternoon, November 27, 1905, she was on her way out of Duluth, loaded with iron ore and towing the barge James Nasmyth. She was hit by a storm, and though she struggled on for a short time, by the time she had reached Two HarborsTwo Harbors
Two Harbors may refer to a location in the United States:*Two Harbors, California, on Santa Catalina Island*Two Harbors, Minnesota...
at 4 p.m. the next day, it was clear to her master, Captain R. F. Humble that she could not make the run. He gave the order to turn about, and she turned her prow toward Duluth.
As she approached the port, it became clear that it was useless to try to bring both steamer and tug through the narrow canal into the harbor, so the captain gave the order to cut loose the Nasmyth. Then the Mataafa attempted to make it into safe harbor alone.
She made it about half-way between the twin concrete piers when a backwater surged out. Heavy water struck her stern, driving her prow down to the muddy bottom, and then slammed her stern against the north pier. Her rudder torn off, the lake pulled her prow out toward the open lake, then smashed her stern against the south pier. She grounded in the shallow water outside the north pier, where she was broken in two by the storm, her stern settling slowly into the water.
When the ship broke up, twelve men were in the aft portion. Three men struggled out to the fore. The remaining nine died of exposure during the night. One of the bodies in the after half had to be chopped out of solid ice. The fifteen men in the fore half fared better; although rescue attempts were futile during the stormy night, the next day a small boat made it out, and all fifteen were taken off in two boatloads.
Lost
- William Most, Chief Engineer, of Cleveland, OhioCleveland, OhioCleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
- Claude Farringer, Second Engineer, of Cleveland, Ohio
- James Early, of Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
- William Gilchrist, Oiler, Winton, Ontario
- Carl Carlson, Oiler, Chicago, Illinois
- Henry Wright, Steward, Cleveland, Ohio
- Walter Bush, Second Cook, Amhurstburg, Ontario
- Thomas Woodgate, Fireman, Conneaut, OhioConneaut, OhioAs of the census of 2000, there were 12,485 people, 5,038 households, and 3,410 families residing in the city. The population density was 473.4 people per square mile . There were 5,710 housing units at an average density of 216.5 per square mile...
- Tom McCloud, Deck Hand, Conneaut, Ohio
Survivors
- R. F. Humble, Captain
- Wallace Brown, First Mate
- Herbert Emigh, Second Mate
- James Hatch, Wheelsman
- George McClure, Wheelsman
- Axel Carlson, Fireman
- Ernest Dietz, Watchman
- Louis Yates, Deck Hand
- Fred Saunders, Porter
- Grantley West, Watchman
- Edward Coultier, Fireman
- Harry Larson, Deck Hand
- Leon Yakes, Deck Hand
- Charles Byrne, Fireman
- James Suttle, Deck Hand
Later career
The Mataafa was refloatedMarine salvage
Marine salvage is the process of rescuing a ship, its cargo, or other property from peril. Salvage encompasses rescue towing, refloating a sunken or grounded vessel, or patching or repairing a ship...
and repaired. She continued to be accident-prone; in 1908, she was in a collision that sank the SS Sacramento, and in 1914 she struck another pier. She did play the heroic part on a few occasions, however; on July 17, 1912, she rescued 19 men from the sinking wooden steamer New York in Lake St. Clair, and on the same day six years later she rescued the entire crew of the barge Commodore off South East Shoal, Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
.
She was rebuilt due to wear in 1926, and in 1946 she was converted to an automobile carrier, after which she served the Nicholson Transit Company. She served until 1964, when she was sold to Marine Salvage to be scrapped. She was dismantled in Hamburg, Germany in 1965.