The Wreck of the Dredge Duluth (1918)

Identification & Site Information

• Name: Duluth
• Other Names: None
• Official Number: 163495
• Type at Loss: Wooden Dipper Dredge Scow
• Built: 1872, Green Bay, WI
• Specifications: 142 tons
• Date of Loss: October 12, 1918
• Place of Loss: Duluth, Minnesota, at Grassy Point
• Lake: Superior
• Type of Loss: Fire
• Loss of Life: None
• Cargo: None

Vessel Type

The Duluth was a wooden dipper Dredge, a type of floating excavation equipment used for deepening harbors, removing sediment, and clearing channels for navigation. Dipper dredges were an essential part of Great Lakes commerce, maintaining harbours, rivers, and shipping lanes throughout the region.

At 142 tons, the Duluth was a large and sturdy scow, well-suited to industrial dredging work. She was part of Northern Dock & Dredge Co.’s fleet, based in Duluth, Minnesota.

Description

The Duluth had been in operation for nearly 46 years before her destruction in 1918. Owned by Northern Dock & Dredge Co., Duluth, she was moored at Grassy Point, an industrial area along the St. Louis River.

On October 12, 1918, she was completely destroyed by fire—but this was no ordinary blaze.

The fire that claimed the Duluth was part of the massive Cloquet Fire, one of the deadliest and most destructive forest fires in Minnesota history.

The Cloquet Fire of 1918 was a catastrophic wildfire that burned more than 250,000 acres, destroying multiple towns, including Cloquet, Moose Lake, and several communities near Duluth. The fire killed over 450 people, left thousands homeless, and caused millions of dollars in damages.

As the inferno swept toward Duluth, strong winds pushed walls of flames into the dock areas, igniting wooden ships, warehouses, and industrial buildings.

Final Disposition

The Duluth, tied up at her dock at Grassy Point, had no chance. The fire consumed the entire fleet of Northern Dock & Dredge Co., including:

• The tugs Ella G. Stone, Mentor, and John Jeffrey, Jr.
• Five or six additional scows and dredges

The Duluth was reduced to ash and wreckage, leaving nothing salvageable. The destruction of the Dredge fleet crippled regional dredging operations for months, delaying efforts to clear the harbor and shipping lanes.

Located By & Date Found

• Status: No known wreckage remains. The vessel was destroyed at dock and likely removed after the fire.
• Location: Grassy Point, Duluth, Minnesota (no underwater site).

NOTMARs & Advisories

• No navigation warnings exist, as the vessel was destroyed on land and not submerged.

Resources & Links

• Maritime History of the Great Lakes
• Minnesota Historical Society
• Lake Superior Maritime Collection
• Duluth Marine Terminals History
• Cloquet Fire of 1918

Conclusion

The destruction of the Duluth was not a traditional shipwreck but rather a tragic loss caused by one of Minnesota’s worst wildfires. The Cloquet Fire of 1918 not only devastated towns and forests but also wiped out an entire fleet of Great Lakes vessels, including this essential Dredge.

Although her wreckage was lost to flames, the Duluth serves as a reminder of the vulnerability of maritime industries to natural disasters.

Keywords & Categories

Keywords: Duluth Dredge fire, Cloquet Fire of 1918, Great Lakes dredging history, wooden dredges, Grassy Point fire, Northern Dock & Dredge Co., Lake Superior ship losses.
Categories: Great Lakes shipwrecks, Maritime disasters, Industrial vessels, Shipwrecks of Lake Superior, Fire-related vessel losses, Great Lakes history.