The propeller PORTSMOUTH, with a tonnage of 525 tons, was built in Buffalo, New York, in 1853. On November 14, 1867, the PORTSMOUTH ran aground on the northeast end of Middle Island in Lake Huron while bound down from Lake Superior with a cargo of ore. Unfortunately, due to severe weather conditions and a hard, stony bottom, the vessel was unable to be saved and eventually became a total loss.
Despite efforts to rescue the PORTSMOUTH, it was later reported on December 4, 1867, that the vessel was ashore on Middle Island, stripped and abandoned, and so covered with ice that it could not be moved. In June 1868, it was reported that most of the cargo and machinery had been recovered from the wreck, but the hull remained in place.
It’s worth noting that the PORTSMOUTH was owned by the Erie Railway Company and valued at $16,000. It had undergone repairs in 1861 and was insured at the time of the incident.
