Identification & Site Information

• Name: HUNTER
• Other Names: None reported
• Official Number: 95471
• Date Built and Launched: 1877
• Builder: Neafie & Levy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Measurements: Length: 134 ft (40.84 m) Beam: 20 ft (6.10 m) Depth: 7 ft (2.13 m)
• Gross Tonnage: 225 tons
• Net Tonnage: 181 tons
• Date Lost: October 4, 1904
• Place of Loss: Grand Marais Harbour, Michigan
• Lake: Superior

Vessel Type

Wooden-hulled propeller-driven coaster designed for passenger and package freight services along the Great Lakes shoreline. Coasters like the HUNTER were smaller vessels built for navigating close to shore and making frequent stops at smaller ports.

Description

The HUNTER was constructed in 1877 by Neafie & Levy in Philadelphia, a shipbuilding firm known for producing high-quality vessels for both coastal and inland waters. At 134 feet in length, the HUNTER was a relatively small freighter, ideally suited for coastal routes and short-haul transport across the Great Lakes.

Designed to carry passengers and package freight, the vessel served as a vital link between smaller communities and larger ports, delivering general merchandise and supplies to remote settlements along Lake Superior. Its shallow 7-foot Draft allowed it to navigate harbors and docks that were inaccessible to larger freighters.

The HUNTER was owned by the Booth Packing Co., a company likely involved in the regional fish or meatpacking industry, common in Grand Marais and other towns along Lake Superior’s coast.

History

Throughout its operational life, the HUNTER served as a coaster on Lake Superior, providing essential passenger and freight services to isolated communities along the shoreline. Vessels like the HUNTER played a critical role in maintaining supply chains and communication in areas where overland routes were underdeveloped or unreliable, particularly in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Final Disposition

On October 4, 1904, while in Grand Marais Harbor, the HUNTER became stranded under unclear circumstances. Efforts to free the vessel were unsuccessful, and during the process, the ship caught fire. The blaze quickly spread through the wooden Hull, and before the vessel could be released from its stranded position, it was completely destroyed.

Despite the destruction, there were no reported casualties, and the crew and any passengers aboard managed to escape safely. The cause of the fire is not detailed, but fires aboard wooden ships were a constant risk, especially when transporting general merchandise that could include flammable materials.

Located By & Date Found

Nil return. There is no documented discovery or salvage of the HUNTER‘s remains in Grand Marais Harbor. Given that it burned in a harbor, remnants might still exist underwater, though they could be scattered or buried by sediment over time.

NOTMARs & Advisories

Nil return. No current navigational hazards related to this wreck are reported in Grand Marais Harbor.

Resources & Links

• Great Lakes Maritime Database (GLMD) – Image Source
• Maritime History of the Great Lakes
• Great Lakes Ships Database
• David Swayze Great Lakes Shipwreck File

Conclusion

The HUNTER‘s role as a passenger and package freight coaster illustrates the importance of small, versatile vessels in the economic development of Lake Superior‘s remote coastal towns. Its destruction by fire after becoming stranded in Grand Marais Harbour underscores the vulnerabilities of wooden-hulled steamers during this era, particularly in an age when fire safety measures were still limited. While no lives were lost, the incident highlights the inherent dangers of maritime operations on the Great Lakes at the turn of the century.