Hesper, 1905 #
- Bulk Freighter
- 42ffw
The Hesper, a wooden-hulled bulk freighter steamship, was built in 1890 in Cleveland, Ohio. Constructed by Ship Owners Dry Dock Co. and master carpenter William H. Radcliffe, the vessel featured two decks and was originally owned by M.A. Bradley and others from Cleveland. It had a distinctive single stack design. With a length of 250.3 feet, a beam of 41.6 feet, and a depth of 20.2 feet, the Hesper had a gross tonnage of 1858.
Powered by a triple expansion engine with three cylinders, the Hesper had a propulsion system consisting of two boilers and a single propeller. Manufactured by the Cleveland Ship Building Co. in 1890, the engine had dimensions of 17, 29, and 47 inches for the cylinders, providing 825 horsepower at 94 rpm. The ship was equipped with 11 x 12-foot 160-pound steam scotch boilers, also built by the Cleveland Ship Building Co., and a 12-foot diameter x 14-foot pitch sectional propeller.
Throughout its history, the Hesper played a significant role in the Great Lakes iron ore industry and grain trade. However, tragedy struck on May 3, 1905, when the ship encountered a severe late spring snowstorm while bound for Two Harbors. The powerful 60-mile-per-hour northeaster pushed the vessel off course, causing it to run aground on the Beaver Bay reef, located 35 miles above Two Harbors in Lake Superior. The impact of the storm caused the ship to break in two, but fortunately, the crew managed to reach safety in yawls.
Following the wreck, the Hesper became a total loss. Its final resting place is marked by the reef in Silver Bay Harbor. Despite the wreckage being submerged in 42 feet of water, the remains of the Hesper have been well preserved over the years. The shipwreck serves as a testament to the challenges faced by sailors on the Great Lakes and the power of the unpredictable weather conditions in the region.
