NEEBING C130435

aka COALHURST and JOHN B. KETCHUM 2nd.  

The John B. Ketcham 2nd was a steambarge built in 1892 at Toledo, Ohio. It had various other names throughout its history, including Greenland, Neebing, and Coalhurst. The vessel had the official number 77037 and was constructed by the Craig Shipbuilding Co. It had a steel hull with a single deck and three bulkheads.

Powered by a steeple compound steam engine with two cylinders (22 and 42 inches), the John B. Ketcham 2nd had a horsepower of 600 at 110 rpm. It had a single propeller and was equipped with a scotch boiler measuring 11 feet 6 inches by 13 feet, providing steam at 125 pounds. The engine was built by Dry Dock Engine Works in 1892, and the boiler was manufactured by Globe Iron Works in Cleveland, Ohio.

The dimensions of the vessel were approximately 193.4 feet in length, 40.5 feet in beam, and 13 feet in depth. It had a gross tonnage of 908.88 and a net tonnage of 779.82. The steambarge had a capacity of 1,500 tons.

On September 24, 1937, the John B. Ketcham 2nd met its final fate off Eagle’s Nest Point in Nipigon Strait, Lake Superior. It sank in a gale while bound for Red Rock, Ontario, carrying gravel as cargo. Five out of the 14 crew members were lost in the incident. The vessel came to rest at a final depth of 100 feet.

Throughout its history, the John B. Ketcham 2nd had various owners and underwent several incidents. It was initially owned by Oscar P. Bills and Edmund B. Koch of Toledo, Ohio. It changed ownership multiple times and was involved in accidents, collisions, and grounding incidents. It was chartered to Richardson Lumber Co. in 1902 and later owned by Reid Wrecking Co. and George Hall Coal Co.

In 1920, the steambarge was renamed Greenland. It experienced further accidents and mishaps, including running ashore and being blown on a pier. In 1927, it was renamed Coalhurst and then Neebing in the same year. The vessel was ultimately owned by Sin-Mac Lines Ltd. in Montreal before its sinking in Lake Superior in 1937.