The steam tug COMET, with an official number 125978, was built in 1881 by J.P. Arnold in Muskegon, Michigan. It was a wooden propeller tug with a length of 66.6 feet, a beam of 13.9 feet, and a depth of 6.5 feet. The tug had a gross tonnage of 31.84 and a net tonnage of 15.92.
Originally owned by the Muskegon Booming Co. in Muskegon, Michigan, under the presidency of N. McGraft, the tug underwent ownership changes over the years. It was powered by a 20-horsepower engine in 1888.
The tug’s history includes ownership transfers to individuals such as Ira O. Smith and A.C. Mayo (Majo) in Muskegon, Michigan, and later to Philip Westaway and others in Duluth, Minnesota.
Tragically, on October 12, 1897, the COMET suffered a catastrophic loss due to a fire. The vessel burned to a total loss off Two Harbors, Minnesota, in Lake Superior. Fortunately, there was no loss of life in this incident.
The final location of the burned wreck was approximately half a mile east of Burlington Point in Two Harbors, Minnesota, in Lake Superior, at a depth ranging from 150 to 180 feet. The tug’s documents were surrendered on December 31, 1897.
The steam tug COMET, once a working vessel, met its end due to a destructive fire in Lake Superior, marking the conclusion of its maritime journey.
