Other Names #
- Yard No 386
- Great Lakes “Flying Dutchman”
- Ghost ship of the Great Lakes
- Steel Canaller
- Still Missing
The BANNOCKBURN was a steel canaller with the official number C 102093. It was launched on April 20, 1893, by Sir Raylton Dixon & Co. Ltd. in Middlesbrough, UK, with yard number 386. The vessel had a clinker hull, an elliptical stern, and a double bottom. It measured 245.0 feet in length and had a gross tonnage of 1,619.56 and a net tonnage of 1,034.79. The BANNOCKBURN featured a triple expansion engine, providing 1,182 indicated horsepower and 170 rated horsepower. In 1897, it was rated A1 and valued at $138,000.
Similar to the design of the ROSEMOUNT, the BANNOCKBURN was always registered in Liverpool, England. On April 27, 1897, the vessel ran aground on Snake Island, located four miles off Kingston. It was refloated after a floating elevator and barges were sent from Kingston. However, the BANNOCKBURN encountered further incidents, sinking in the Welland Canal on October 20, 1897. It ran aground near Kincardine, Ontario, on Lake Huron in November 1898 and again at Port Colborne, Ontario, on May 16, 1899. The vessel faced additional groundings on November 13, 1900, and September 17, 1901, at various locations.
On November 20, 1902, the BANNOCKBURN departed from Fort William, Ontario, at the head of Lake Superior, bound for Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, en route to Midland, Ontario, carrying a cargo of 85,000 bushels of grain. It briefly ran aground before returning to Fort William and setting sail again on November 21. However, the ship disappeared near Passage Island the following day, resulting in the loss of 20-22 lives. The BANNOCKBURN became famous as a ghost vessel on Lake Superior. Its registration was closed on December 31, 1902. A recovered lifejacket serves as a somber reminder of its tragic end.
Resources for more information #
Various sources provide information about the BANNOCKBURN, including Montreal Transportation Co. Kingston Grain Ledgers, Bowling Green Great Lakes Vessels Online Index, Brookes Hamilton Harbour 1826-1901, Canada List of Shipping 1895, Canadian Heritage Ship Information Database, Devendorf Great Lakes Bulk Carriers 1869-1985, Gillham Ships in Trouble Great Lakes 1850-1930, Inland Lloyd’s Vessel Register Canadian Hulls 1897, Lewis and Neilson The River Palace, Marine Museum of the Great Lakes Canadian Ship Registers online, Mercantile Navy List 1897, Miramar Ship Index, New Mills List, University of Detroit Mercy Dowling website, Detroit Marine Historian January 1955, and Whig-Standard January 1, 1972.
