WESEE C138574

Wood Propeller
22ffw 7m
250ft length
Middle Sister Island, Lake Erie
41 50.592 82.59.567
PROP SHAFT: 41 50.609 82 59.850

The steam screw ORION, a wooden vessel with a capacity of approximately 3,000 tons, was launched in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in October 1900. The ship, built by Capt. P.F. Thrall and Mr. O.L. Harder, was intended for the Green Bay Vessel Company, which they controlled. The ORION measured 282 feet overall, with a keel length of 270 feet, a beam of 42 1/4 feet, and a depth of 16 feet at the midship hatch. It featured eight hatches, two pole spars, and a steel-arched and strapped hull known for its strength.

Equipped with fore-and-aft compound engines manufactured by H.G. Trout of the King Iron Works in Buffalo, the ORION had cylinders of 25 and 52 inches in diameter and a stroke of 40 inches. Johnston Bros. of Ferrysburg, Michigan, constructed the boiler, which measured 11 1/2 by 13 feet and operated at a pressure of 130 pounds. Additional machinery included a steam windlass from Bath Iron Works, a Williamson steam steerer, and a hoisting engine provided by the Chase Machine Co. of Cleveland. The vessel also carried two Baldt-manufactured stockless anchors.

In 1918, the ORION underwent a name change and became the steam screw WESEE. It was registered under U.S. number 155401 and had a gross tonnage of 2,283 tons and a net tonnage of 1,590 tons. The vessel served in freight transportation and had a crew of 17. With 1,200 indicated horsepower, it was a powerful presence on the water.

Eventually, the steam screw WESEE was sold to Canadian owners and renamed WEESEE, registered under the number C 138574 in 1920. Under the ownership of Massey & Gatfield and operated by Border Transit Co., it measured 265.5 feet in length, 42 feet in beam, and 22.7 feet in depth, with a gross tonnage of 1,829 tons and a net tonnage of 1,062 tons.

Sadly, on November 11, 1923, the WEESEE met its demise due to a devastating fire on Lake Erie. It was owned by Massey & Gatfield and had been in operation from 1920 to 1923. The vessel’s destruction marked the end of its maritime journey.