Other Names
- GEORGE D RUSSELL
CHECOTAH – The Forgotten Schooner-Barge of Lake Huron
Name: CHECOTAH (formerly known as GEORGE D RUSSELL )
- Official Number: 85267
- Type at Loss: Schooner-barge, wooden hull
- Built: 1870 by Bailey Bros. in Toledo
- Specifications: 199 ft long, 34 ft wide, 12 ft deep, weighing 658 gross tons and 598 net tons
- Date of Loss: October 30, 1906
- Location of Loss: Off Port Sanilac, Michigan, Lake Huron
- Cause of Loss: Violent storm
- Loss of Life: Fortunately, no lives were lost among the seven crew members
- Cargo: Lumber
Details: The CHECOTAH met its tragic fate when it succumbed to the relentless fury of a storm, forcing the crew to abandon ship approximately eight miles northeast of Port Sanilac. It had been part of the tow of the steamer TEMPEST. The vessel was later found as a hulk, 12 miles northeast of Port Sanilac and about six miles offshore.
Interestingly, the CHECOTAH had surrendered its registration document once before when it was wrecked in Cleveland on November 26, 1905. Prior to its final name, the vessel was originally known as GEORGE D RUSSELL . As the GEORGE D RUSSELL, it remained stranded in the St. Mary’s River for several years after a collision with the steamer NORTHERNER on September 14, 1882, resulting in the loss of three lives. The vessel’s document was surrendered, but it was eventually raised and rebuilt as the CHECOTAH in 1890.
The CHECOTAH holds a unique distinction as possibly the only Great Lakes vessel to have surrendered its registration document three times.
Tragically, the wreck of the CHECOTAH remains a dangerous derelict, submerged in Lake Huron. Although waterlogged and partially submerged, the lumber in its hold keeps it afloat, posing a significant threat to navigation.
It serves as a somber reminder of the harsh and unpredictable nature of the Great Lakes and the countless vessels that met their untimely demise in its treacherous waters.
External Links
- Maritime History of the Great Lakes
- Buffalo Evening News, October 31, 1906
- Buffalo Evening News, November 1, 1906
- Loss of American Vessels Reported during 1907, Merchant Vessel List of the U. S. A. for 1907
- List of Merchant Vessels of the U. S. A., 1906
- National Board of Lake Underwriters, Classification List for 1875
- Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Vessels, Russell, George D.
- HCGL (Historical Collections of the Great Lakes)
