The steamship SITKA was a bulk propeller built in August 1887. It had a gross tonnage of 1740 tons and a net tonnage of 1227 tons. The vessel’s dimensions were 272.5 feet in length, 40.5 feet in beam, and 19.4 feet in depth.
On May 3, 1893, the SITKA ran aground at Kettle Point, which is located 20 miles from Port Huron, on the Canada side of Lake Huron. The tugs WALES and RUNNELS, along with a lighter and 40 men, were dispatched to work on freeing the ship.
By May 4, 1893, the SITKA was successfully released from the grounding site after offloading about 8,000 bushels of corn onto the lighter. Fortunately, none of its cargo was reported wet, as the pumps on board were able to keep the water level down. The ship was reloaded in Port Huron and proceeded to Buffalo with steam-pumps on board.
Following the incident, repairs to the SITKA were estimated to cost $20,000, and the wrecking expenses were reported to be $5,000.
The final chapter of the SITKA came on October 4, 1904, when it stranded on a ledge off Point Au Sable in Lake Superior and subsequently went to pieces.
Source: Frank Wheeler & Co., West Bay City Shipbuilding Master List, Institute for Great Lakes Research, Perrysburg, Ohio.
