SS Sagamore (1892)
Encyclopedia
The SS Sagamore (1892) is reported to be the best example of a whaleback
barge among Great Lakes
shipwrecks. Only 48 whalebacks ever existed on the Great Lakes. She sank in 1901 in the shipping lane near the Soo Locks
when she was rammed by the steel steamer Northern Queen in one of Whitefish Bay's
notorious fogs. Her Captain and two crewmembers went down with her. Artifacts
from her wreck were illegally removed in the 1980s. Her artifacts are now the property of the State of Michigan and are on display as a loan to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
. The wreck of the Sagamore is protected as part of an underwater museum in the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve
.
. She was built as 1,601 gross ton whaleback steamer barge
, 308 feet (93.9 m) in length, 38 feet (11.6 m) in beam, and 24 feet (7.3 m) in draft
. She was enrolled in Marquette, Michigan
. She was sold to the Huron Barge Company and managed by Pickands, Mathers, and Company of Ashtabula, Ohio
. She was usually towed by her consort
whaleback steamer, the Pathfinder. The Sagamore once unloaded a record 3,200 tons of iron ore in 8 hours at Ashtabula in 1893.
for Lake Erie
. The steel steamer Northern Queen came suddenly through the fog on a collision course for the Pathfinder. The helmsman
of the Northern Queen changed course to avoid the Pathfinder and headed directly for the Sagamore. The helmsman did not see the Sagamore due to the heavy fog. When the Northern Queen hit the Sagamore on the starboard side near the after turret
, the Sagamore filled with water rapidly and sank. Five of the Sagamore's crew jumped to safety onto the deck of the Northern Queen, but three were lost. The Sagamore's Captain E. Joiner, the cook, and a sailor died in the collision.
The loss of the Sagamore was valued at $90,000. Shipwreck historian Cris Kohl reported, "The Northern Queen returned to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
with the survivors and to make temporary repairs to her badly damaged hull
. She eventually went into drydock for permanent repairs."
, wide open hatches for easy access, and comfortable ambient lighting for swimming inside her hull
. Kohl and other divers warn that the Sagamore is not usually buoyed as she lies in the middle of the busy freighter
shipping lane near the Soo Locks
.
The Sagamore's wreck was stripped of her artifacts over the years. Michigan’s Antiquities Act of 1980 prohibited the removal of artifacts from shipwrecks on the Great Lakes bottomlands. The Evening News reported a Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment 1992 raid on the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
and its offices that found evidence of 150 artifacts illegally removed from the state-claimed bottomlands, including artifacts from the Sagamore. Following a settlement agreement, a single sheave block, shaving mug, pocket watch, mallet, pickax, saucer, and pitcher from the Sagamore are now the property of the State of Michigan and are on loan for display in the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.
The Sagamore's wreck is protected for future generations of scuba divers by the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve
as part of an underwater museum. Divers who visit the wreck sites are expected to observe preservation laws and "take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but bubbles". Great Lakes diver Harrington cautions that "divers must be certain of their abilities and equipment" when diving the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve.
Whaleback
A cargo steamship of unique design, with a hull that continuously curved above the waterline from vertical to horizontal leaving, when fully loaded, only the rounded portion of the hull above the waterline, was unofficially called a "whaleback". With sides curved in towards the ends, it had a...
barge among 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...
shipwrecks. Only 48 whalebacks ever existed on the Great Lakes. She sank in 1901 in the shipping lane near 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...
when she was rammed by the steel steamer Northern Queen in one of Whitefish Bay's
Whitefish Bay
Whitefish Bay is a large bay on the eastern end of the southern shore of Lake Superior between Michigan and Ontario. It begins in the north and west at Whitefish Point in Michigan, about 10 miles north of Paradise, Michigan and ends at the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie on the southeast...
notorious fogs. Her Captain and two crewmembers went down with her. Artifacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
from her wreck were illegally removed in the 1980s. Her artifacts are now the property of the State of Michigan and are on display as a loan to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is located at the Whitefish Point Light Station north of Paradise in Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The light station property was transferred to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society , the Michigan Audubon Society , and the United States...
. The wreck of the Sagamore is protected as part of an underwater museum in the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve
Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve
The Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve was established in 1987 to protect and conserve shipwrecks and historical resources on of Lake Superior bottomlands in Whitefish Bay and around Whitefish Point, Michigan. The formation of the Michigan Underwater Preserves helped stop controversy over...
.
Career
The SS Sagamore's keel was laid 15 December, 1891 by the American Steel Barge Company and she was launched 23 July 1892 in Superior, WisconsinSuperior, Wisconsin
Superior is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 26,960 at the 2010 census. Located at the junction of U.S. Highways 2 and 53, it is north of and adjacent to both the Village of Superior and the Town of Superior.Superior is at the western...
. She was built as 1,601 gross ton whaleback steamer barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
, 308 feet (93.9 m) in length, 38 feet (11.6 m) in beam, and 24 feet (7.3 m) in draft
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
. She was enrolled in Marquette, Michigan
Marquette, Michigan
Marquette is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Marquette County. The population was 21,355 at the 2010 census, making it the most populated city of the Upper Peninsula. Marquette is a major port on Lake Superior, primarily for shipping iron ore and is the home of Northern...
. She was sold to the Huron Barge Company and managed by Pickands, Mathers, and Company of Ashtabula, Ohio
Ashtabula, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,962 people, 8,435 households, and 5,423 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,775.9 people per square mile . There were 9,151 housing units at an average density of 1,211.8 per square mile...
. She was usually towed by her consort
Consort (nautical)
Consort is a nautical term for unpowered Great Lakes vessels, usually a fully loaded schooner barge or steamer barge, towed by a larger steamer that would often tow more than one barge. The consort system was used in the Great Lakes from the 1860s to around 1920...
whaleback steamer, the Pathfinder. The Sagamore once unloaded a record 3,200 tons of iron ore in 8 hours at Ashtabula in 1893.
Final voyage
On 29 July 1901, the Sagamore was anchored just off Iroquois Point with her consort, the Pathfinder, waiting for one of Whitefish Bay's legendary, thick fogs to clear. Both vessels were loaded with iron downbound from Duluth, MinnesotaDuluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
for 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...
. The steel steamer Northern Queen came suddenly through the fog on a collision course for the Pathfinder. The helmsman
Helmsman
A helmsman is a person who steers a ship, sailboat, submarine, or other type of maritime vessel. On small vessels, particularly privately-owned noncommercial vessels, the functions of skipper and helmsman may be combined in one person. On larger vessels, there is a separate officer of the watch,...
of the Northern Queen changed course to avoid the Pathfinder and headed directly for the Sagamore. The helmsman did not see the Sagamore due to the heavy fog. When the Northern Queen hit the Sagamore on the starboard side near the after turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
, the Sagamore filled with water rapidly and sank. Five of the Sagamore's crew jumped to safety onto the deck of the Northern Queen, but three were lost. The Sagamore's Captain E. Joiner, the cook, and a sailor died in the collision.
The loss of the Sagamore was valued at $90,000. Shipwreck historian Cris Kohl reported, "The Northern Queen returned to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
with the survivors and to make temporary repairs to her badly damaged hull
Hull (watercraft)
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...
. She eventually went into drydock for permanent repairs."
Wreck History
The wreck of the Sagamore was discovered at 45°31.089′N 84°37.927′W in 1962 by Jack Brosco and Robert McCormick of Sault Ste. Marie in 45 to 65 ft (13.7 to 19.8 m) of water, mostly intact and sitting upright on a gravel bottom.Scuba diver and shipwreck historian Cris Kohl reports that the Sagamore is "probably the best example of a whaleback steamer that can be found anywhere under the surface of the Great Lakes." Kohl describes the Sagamore as a long shipwreck of with impressive triple tow rings mounted on her blunt-nosed bowBow (ship)
The bow is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway. Both of the adjectives fore and forward mean towards the bow...
, wide open hatches for easy access, and comfortable ambient lighting for swimming inside her hull
Hull (watercraft)
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...
. Kohl and other divers warn that the Sagamore is not usually buoyed as she lies in the middle of the busy freighter
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
shipping lane near 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...
.
The Sagamore's wreck was stripped of her artifacts over the years. Michigan’s Antiquities Act of 1980 prohibited the removal of artifacts from shipwrecks on the Great Lakes bottomlands. The Evening News reported a Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment 1992 raid on the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is located at the Whitefish Point Light Station north of Paradise in Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The light station property was transferred to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society , the Michigan Audubon Society , and the United States...
and its offices that found evidence of 150 artifacts illegally removed from the state-claimed bottomlands, including artifacts from the Sagamore. Following a settlement agreement, a single sheave block, shaving mug, pocket watch, mallet, pickax, saucer, and pitcher from the Sagamore are now the property of the State of Michigan and are on loan for display in the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.
The Sagamore's wreck is protected for future generations of scuba divers by the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve
Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve
The Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve was established in 1987 to protect and conserve shipwrecks and historical resources on of Lake Superior bottomlands in Whitefish Bay and around Whitefish Point, Michigan. The formation of the Michigan Underwater Preserves helped stop controversy over...
as part of an underwater museum. Divers who visit the wreck sites are expected to observe preservation laws and "take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but bubbles". Great Lakes diver Harrington cautions that "divers must be certain of their abilities and equipment" when diving the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve.