PANTHER C138004

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Steamer
90 -100ffw
250ft lengths
White Fish Bay, MI USA
46^o38.301′ N 84^o48.370′ W

History #

The Panther, a wooden steamship, had a history marked by ownership changes and incidents. It was launched in West Bay City, Michigan, in 1890. In May 1891, it was sold to parties in Toledo, Ohio. Leander Burdick and others from Toledo became the owners in 1899. By 1901, the Panther had grown to 247 feet in length, 35.8 feet in beam, and 22.2 feet in depth, with a tonnage of 1634 gross tons.

In 1906, the Panther faced trouble when its rudder became disabled. It anchored off Port Hope and was towed to Harbor Beach by the tug Fisher. From there, it was taken to a dry dock in Milwaukee by the tug Howard. Another significant event occurred in 1910 when the Panther sank near Garden Island in Lake Michigan.

However, the Panther was rebuilt in 1912 at the Leatham D.S. Smith shipyard in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. During the reconstruction, the ship was deepened by 3 feet and 8 inches. Ownership of the Panther changed hands again in 1916, with the American Steam Ship Company of Milwaukee becoming the new owner. Later that same year, on May 19, ownership transferred to the Massey Steam Ship Company of Fort William, Ontario. The Panther’s dimensions remained at 247.6 feet in length, 35.8 feet in beam, and 22.2 feet in depth, with a gross tonnage of 1634. Its official number under Canadian registration was C138004.

The Panther’s final chapter came on June 26, 1916, when it collided with the steamer James J. Hill in dense fog near Persian Island in Whitefish Bay. The Hill, owned by the Pittsburgh Steamship Company of Cleveland, managed to rescue the crew of the Panther before it sank. The Panther, carrying a cargo of grain from Port Arthur to Buffalo, had recently left the dry dock and had a crew of sixteen. The collision resulted in the Panther sinking, while the Hill sustained only minor damage.

In subsequent years, the wreck of the Panther was located in Lake Superior’s Whitefish Bay in 1975. The shipwreck serves as a reminder of the Panther’s unfortunate end and the challenges faced by vessels navigating the Great Lakes.