History
The Amethyst was a wooden propeller tug (towboat) built in 1868 by Van Slyke & Notter in Buffalo, New York. It had a length of 45.4 feet, a beam of 11.4 feet, and a depth of 5.4 feet. The tug had a gross tonnage of 14.18 tons and a net tonnage of 7.09 tons. It was powered by a single-cylinder engine and had one boiler and one propeller.
The original owner of the Amethyst was Martin Wheeler from Duluth, Minnesota. The tug was initially enrolled in Buffalo, New York, and later enrolled in Ontonagon, Michigan, in 1868. Ownership changed over the years, with RG-Cobunn of Duluth, Minnesota, owning it in 1870 and Jacob Hector and others of Duluth, Minnesota, owning it in 1882 for the fishing trade in the Apostle Islands.
In 1879, the Amethyst experienced a leaking incident and ran ashore 63 miles northwest of Duluth, Minnesota. However, it was salvaged. On January 1, 1885, the tug underwent renovations, including the installation of a new deck and upper works.
On October 26, 1888, the Amethyst was tragically lost in a fire. It burned to the waterline while docked at the Duluth Lumber Co. dock in Duluth, Minnesota. At the time of the loss, the tug was owned by Cooley, Lavaque & Co. of Chicago and chartered to Jeffery Bros. The fire resulted in a total loss of the vessel.
In 1892, parts of the Amethyst’s hull were used in the construction of a new tug named JD. McFadden (US77041). This indicates that some components of the Amethyst were repurposed in the creation of the JD. McFadden.
The Amethyst had an official number of 1712 and was registered in the United States. It served as a tug throughout its history, primarily operating in the Great Lakes region, particularly Lake Superior.
