JOHN PRIDGEON JR. U75756

2 min read

Propeller
60ffw 20m
221ft Length
Avon Point, Lake Erie
41.35.320 81.58.601

On September 23, 1909, the steamer JOHN PRIDGEON Jr., owned by John Boland of Buffalo, met its demise off the coast of Cleveland. Captain Philip Broderick of the Great Lakes Towing Company located the wreck and confirmed that the vessel was a total loss. The recovery of part of the cargo of lumber would require the use of dynamite due to the ship’s condition, as reported in the Buffalo Evening News.

The PRIDGEON remained stranded off Cleveland despite efforts by tugboats to move the wreck on the same day. The situation was becoming increasingly challenging, and there were discussions about the possibility of using dynamite to address the wreck, as mentioned in the news report.

According to the Merchant Vessel List of 1910, the steam screw JOHN PRIDGEON Jr., with a gross tonnage of 1,211 tons, was built in 1875. On September 18, 1909, the vessel foundered 12 miles west of Cleveland, Ohio, with 14 people on board. Fortunately, no lives were lost in the incident. The ship had encountered previous accidents, including collisions with the tug GOONENOW in November 1877 and the J.H. MEAD at Cheboygan, Michigan, in May 1883. Over the years, it underwent several ownership changes and modifications, including the installation of a new steam boiler in 1883. By 1902, it had been rebuilt as a bulk freighter under the ownership of Frank Roneker and others in Tonawanda, New York. In 1903, it was owned by John J. Boland of Buffalo, New York.

Following the ship’s sinking in 1909, the cargo of lumber was sold to George W. Pfohl in Buffalo. The enrollment of the vessel was surrendered on December 28 of the same year, and it was officially declared “lost” due to foundering. Salvage operations to recover the lumber commenced on July 15, 1910.

The JOHN PRIDGEON Jr., with a length of 221.5 feet, a beam of 36.3 feet, and a depth of 14.0 feet, was listed with a gross tonnage of 1,211.88 tons and a net tonnage of 1,037.11 tons in the Merchant Vessel List of 1891. It was registered in Detroit, Michigan, and had a nominal horsepower of 600.