Other Names #
- CITY OF CLEVELAND
The CITY OF CLEVELAND III, originally built as the CITY OF CLEVELAND, was a sidewheel steamer constructed in 1907 by Detroit Shipbuilding in Wyandotte, Michigan. It had a steel hull and measured 390 feet in length, 54 feet in beam, and 23 feet in depth. With a gross tonnage of 4,568 and a net tonnage of 2,403, it was a substantial passenger vessel.
Tragedy struck on June 25, 1950, when the CITY OF CLEVELAND III collided with the Norwegian steamer RAVNEFJELL in dense fog off Harbor Beach, Michigan. The collision occurred on the port paddle wheel of the CITY OF CLEVELAND III, causing severe damage. Unfortunately, three passengers lost their lives in the crash, and one person went missing and was presumed drowned. The crash resulted in injuries to 20 more passengers.
After the collision, rescue efforts were carried out by the boats of the CITY OF CLEVELAND III, RAVNEFJELL, and a Coast Guard lifeboat, which rescued several passengers who had been thrown into the lake during the crash. A subsequent board of inquiry determined that the CITY OF CLEVELAND III was six miles off course and running at high speed in the fog when the accident occurred.
Although all of the damage to the CITY OF CLEVELAND III was above the waterline, it was declared a constructive total loss. The vessel was sent to the scrapyard in 1954 after being partially dismantled during the process of being converted into a towbarge. Fire broke out during the cutting-down process, further contributing to its demise, and it was ultimately dismantled in 1956.
The collision involving the CITY OF CLEVELAND III and the subsequent loss of life served as a tragic reminder of the dangers posed by fog and the importance of navigational safety. The vessel’s history as a passenger steamer and its ultimate fate in the scrapyard highlight the changing landscape of transportation on the Great Lakes over the years.
