- Bulk Frieghter
- 264ft 85m Lengths
- 30ffw 10m Depths
- Lake Erie
- 42° 7′ 40.9188” N
-80° 10′ 41.7″ W
History #
The Philip D. Armour was a bulk freighter built in 1889 at Detroit, Michigan. It was constructed of oak and had two decks. The vessel, with an official number of 150459, belonged to R.P. Fitzgerald et al. and was based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was part of the renowned “White Fleet.”
Powered by a screw propulsion system, the Philip D. Armour was equipped with a for-and-aft compound engine with two cylinders and two boilers. It had a single propeller and was capable of producing 750 horsepower at 75 revolutions per minute. The engine was manufactured by Dry Dock Engine Works of Detroit, Michigan. The ship also had two 12′ x 14′, 110-pound steam firebox boilers.
In terms of dimensions, the Philip D. Armour measured 264 feet in length, 40 feet in beam, and had a depth of 21 feet. It had a gross tonnage of 1990 and a net tonnage of 1452.
On November 15, 1915, the Philip D. Armour met its final fate off Waldamere Park, west of Erie, Pennsylvania, in Lake Erie. While being towed by the tug Henry E. Gillen from Ashtabula, Ohio, to Welland, Ontario, the ship broke away and struck a reef, causing it to hole and sink. The vessel was carrying a cargo of coal at the time.
Throughout its history, the Philip D. Armour experienced various incidents. It sank in a collision with the steamer Marion in the southeastern bend of the St. Clair River shortly after entering service in April 1889. However, it was successfully raised by the Reid Wrecking & Towing Co. in August 1890 and returned to service in October of that year.
In 1907, the fleet to which the Philip D. Armour belonged was sold to the Pittsburgh & Erie Coal Co., but the vessel continued its operations of transporting coal and grain on Lake Michigan and Lake Erie. By 1914, the ship was laid up in Misery Bay, Erie, Pennsylvania.
In 1915, the Philip D. Armour was chartered by John J. Boland of Buffalo, New York. Due to its machinery being unfit for service, it was converted into a tow barge primarily used for transporting coal on Lake Erie. Unfortunately, it met its final demise when it foundered off Waldamere Park, a few miles west of Erie, Pennsylvania, on November 15, 1915. The ship sank after striking a reef, and although there was no loss of life, it slipped into deeper water after the crew had abandoned it.
The Philip D. Armour had a significant history, marked by its sinking and subsequent raising in the St. Clair River and its involvement in collisions. It transitioned from being a propeller to a barge in the same year it was lost.
The vessel’s historical records provide additional details about its salvage, legal proceedings related to collisions, repairs, and its ultimate fate. The ship’s wreckage was recovered and rebuilt as a barge after its sinking in 1915.
