45°28′59″N 83°28′25″W / 45.483°N 83.473683°W
 SS Etruria
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Etruria |
| Operator | Hawgood Transit Company[1] |
| Port of registry |  United States, Cleveland, Ohio |
| Builder | West Bay City Shipbuilding Company[1] |
| Yard number | 604[1] |
| Launched | February 8, 1902[2][3] |
| In service | 1902[1] |
| Out of service | June 18, 1905[1] |
| Identification | U.S. Registry #136977[1] |
| Fate | Rammed by the steamer Amasa Stone on Lake Huron[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Lake freighter |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | |
| Beam | 50 feet (15 m)[1] |
| Depth | 28 feet (8.5 m)[1] |
| Installed power | 2 × Scotch marine boilers |
| Propulsion | 1500-horsepower triple expansion steam engine |
| Capacity | 7000 tons |
SS Etruria was a steel hulled lake freighter that served on the Great Lakes of North America from her construction in 1902 to her sinking in 1905. On June 18, 1905, while sailing upbound on Lake Huron with a cargo of coal, she was rammed and sunk by the freighter Amasa Stone 10 miles (16 km) off Presque Isle Light.[1] For nearly 106 years the location of Etruria's wreck remained unknown, until the spring of 2011 when her wreck was found upside down in 310 feet (94 m) of water.[4]
History
Design and construction
Etruria was named after the famous Cunard Line ocean liner, RMS Etruria. Etruria was built by the West Bay City Shipbuilding Company in West Bay City, Michigan for the Hawgood Transit Company of Cleveland, Ohio. She had an overall length of 434 feet (132 m), and a between perpendiculars length of 414 feet (126 m).[2] Her beam was 50 feet (15 m) wide, and in her original enrollment, her depth was listed as 24 feet (7.3 m); also, in her original enrollment, her gross tonnage was listed at 4744 tons and her net tonnage was listed at 4439 tons.[1][4][5] She was powered by a 1500-horsepower triple expansion steam engine, which was fueled by two Scotch marine boilers. She had a cargo capacity of 7000 tons. She was also built with a single deck, and twelve cargo hatches.[3][2][6]
Etruria was the first of four identical sister ships built for the Hawgood Transit Company. Her sisters were (in order of construction), Bransford, J.M. Jenks and H.B. Hawgood.[7][8][9][10]
Service history
Etruria was launched on February 8, 1902 as hull number #604.[3][2] She was enrolled for the first time on April 12, 1905 in Port Huron, Michigan, and was given the official number #136977. On April 15, 1902 Etruria was re-enrolled in Cleveland, Ohio. On March 25, 1903 an error in Etruria's enrollment was corrected; her depth was corrected from 24 feet (7.3 m) to 28 feet (8.5 m); and her gross tonnage was corrected from 4744 tons to 4653 tons, and her net tonnage was corrected from 4439 tons to 3415 tons.[2][5][1]
Final voyage
On June 18, 1905 while upbound with a cargo of coal from Toledo, Ohio, heading to Superior, Wisconsin, Etruria was rammed by the larger steel freighter Amasa Stone on her starboard side, abreast of her No.9 hatch.[1] After just a five minutes, Etruria rolled over and sank about 10 miles (16 km) off Presque Isle Light; her entire crew was rescued by the steamer Maritana.[2][3][6][4]
At the time of her sinking, Etruria was the largest freighter ever to have sunk on the Great Lakes.[3]
Etruria's enrollment surrendered on June 30, 1905.[1][2]
Aftermath
Shortly after Etruria's sinking, the Hawgood Transit Company and the Mesaba Steamship Company (owners of Amasa Stone) sued each other for the damage done to their respective vessels. On June 15, 1908 a final judgement was rendered by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Etruria". Bowling Green State University. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Etruria". Great Lakes Vessel Histories of Sterling Berry. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "Etruria Shipwreck Site National Register of Historic Places Registration Form" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Etruria". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
- ^ a b "Etruria". Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
- ^ a b "SS Etruria (+1905)". Wrecksite. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- ^ "Bransford". Great Lakes Vessel Histories of Sterling Berry. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
- ^ "J.M. Jenks". Great Lakes Vessel Histories of Sterling Berry. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- ^ "H.B. Hawgood". Great Lakes Vessel Histories of Sterling Berry. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- ^ "Etruria & Bransford: Fateful Futures" (PDF). Lake Huron Lore. Retrieved November 30, 2019.