ST LOUIS U23356

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3D Model by www.shotlinediving.com
YouTube video CC Dan Gildea
External Links of Interest

Steam Barge
200ft 66m length
30ft 10m depth
Underwater Dockage & Rudder as well
St. Lawrence River
1200 Broadway St, Cape Vincent, NY 13618

The St. Louis, a steamship launched towards the end of the American Civil War, was constructed and set afloat in Cleveland, Ohio, for the Buffalo & Detroit Transportation Company. It belonged to a new class of steamships called “Propellers,” which replaced side wheels with propellers as the primary means of propulsion. The propeller, commonly known as a screw, was powered by a single cylinder steam engine and boiler. Positioned behind the pilot house was a solitary mast. The ship measured 203 feet in length, with a beam of 31 feet, and had a tonnage rating of 788 tons. It primarily operated on the upper great lakes until 1906 when it underwent reconstruction in Tonawanda, NY, to become an unrigged barge operated by the Niagara Falls Paper Company.

In 1908, ownership of the vessel was transferred to the Atlantic Coast Steamship Company in Buffalo, NY. In February 1914, the ship was abandoned and deemed a complete loss near Cape Vincent, NY, where it had become stranded alongside a dock. To this day, the remains of the ship lie in that location, just beyond the site of the former wood pulp dock.

Key dates and events in the ship’s history:

May 13, 1864: Enrolled in Cleveland, Ohio.
May 29, 1865: Re-measured with two decks, one mast, and dimensions of 193 x 31.9 x 11.7′. Gross tonnage recorded as 985.37 tons. Registered as US23356. Operated on the Buffalo to Detroit route under the New York Central Line.
April 6, 1870: Owned by Stephen D. Caldwell and others from Buffalo; completed 17 round trips between Buffalo and Chicago, Illinois.
May 13, 1870: Ownership transferred to Union Steamboat Company, Buffalo.
1872: Operated on the Lake Superior Line along with other ships such as INDIA, CHINA, JAPAN, KEEWANAW, ST.PAUL, PACIFIC, ATLANTIC, and WINSLOW; underwent repairs.
1874: Ran on the Green Bay and Buffalo line.
April 12, 1876: Rebuilt in Buffalo, now measuring 795.36 net tons.
1877: Operated on the Lake Superior Line; new steel arches were installed.
1878: Repairs conducted.
1883-84: Repairs carried out.
April 30, 1887: Ownership transferred to Henry W. Watson, Buffalo; towed CHAMPION and POTOMAC.
1890: Ran aground at Manitou.
July 1890: Stranded off Presque Isle, Lake Huron, due to disabled machinery; towed to Detroit by CUMBERLAND.
April 15, 1892: Ownership acquired by Niagara Falls Paper Company, Niagara Falls, New York; recorded as 805.08 gross tons and 660.94 net tons; towed CHAMPION, KING, and POTOMAC.
May 1896: Collided with the steamer V.H.KETCHAM near Point aux Barques, Lake Huron; underwent repairs.
1897: Towed CHAMPION, DONALDSON, ALICE B. NORRIS from Bay Mills to Buffalo and Tonawanda.
1898: Towed INTERLAKEN, CHAMPION, and MOORE.
May 3, 1899: Ownership transferred to International Paper Company, Niagara Falls; recorded as 985.37 gross tons and 795.36 net tons.
1903: Towed CHAMPION, BEN HARRISON, and BUCKEYE STATE.
April 27, 1906: Rebuilt in Tonawanda, New York, as an unrigged barge with one deck and one mast, measuring 193 x 31.9 x 11.7′; registered as 599 gross and net tons; owned by Niagara Falls Paper Company, Niagara Falls, New York.
December 17, 1908: Ownership transferred to Atlantic Coast Steamship Company, Buffalo, New York.
February 18, 1914: Documents surrendered; declared a total loss; stranded at Cape Vincent, New York.

Underwater, scuba divers have the opportunity to witness the remnants of the lower section of the ship. Enormous oak timbers, measuring two feet in diameter, stretch from the bow to the stern. These timbers were part of the conversion that allowed the ship to carry heavy cargo. Additionally, the rudder, measuring over 12 feet in length, lies just behind the remains of the vessel.

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