Legacy Notes & Full Historical Record

This section preserves the original unedited Shotline content for this wreck so that no historical detail is lost as we transition to the new logbook format.

(1893–1902, Steel Canaller)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Bannockburn
• Other Names:
  • Yard No. 386, ]
  • Ghost Ship
  • “Flying Dutchman of the Great Lakes,”
• Registry: Montreal, Quebec
• Year Built: 1893 by Sir Raylton Dixon & Co. Ltd., Middlesbrough, England
• Hull Material: Steel
  • Gross Tonnage: 1,619.56 tons
  • Net Tonnage: 1,034.79 tons
  • Length: 74.7 metres (245 feet)
  • Beam: 12.2 metres (40 feet)
  • Depth: 5.5 metres (18 feet)
• Propulsion: Triple-expansion steam engine, single screw, approx. 1,182 indicated horsepower
• Owner: Montreal Transportation Company
• Final Cargo: 85,000 bushels of wheat
• Date Lost: November 21, 1902
• Location: Last seen near Passage Island, Lake Superior
• Coordinates: Unknown
• Depth: Presumed >300 metres (1,000 feet)

Vessel Type Description

The Bannockburn was a steel-hulled canaller, purpose-built for Great Lakes grain trade and Welland Canal transit. Her clinker-riveted steel hull, elliptical stern, and double-bottom construction represented advanced engineering for the time. Her triple-expansion steam engine offered reliable power, while the hull’s compact beam allowed efficient passage through the locks.

History

Launched on April 20, 1893, the Bannockburn had a history marked by groundings and accidents. In April 1897, she grounded near Snake Island, Lake Huron, and was refloated after unloading. In October 1897, she sank in the Welland Canal after striking a bank, taking on nine feet of water before being raised. Between 1898 and 1899, she again grounded on Lake Huron and at Port Colborne, suggesting a pattern of operating close to margins.

On November 20, 1902, the Bannockburn departed Fort William (Thunder Bay) bound for Midland, Ontario, loaded with wheat. She touched bottom while departing but returned to port for inspection and resumed the voyage the following day. At midday on November 21, she was sighted by the steamer Algonquin about 7 miles southeast of Passage Island in moderate conditions. Algonquin lost her in haze. Later, the steamer Huronic reported seeing a ship’s lights about 11 p.m. during the building storm, assumed to be Bannockburn, but no distress signals were observed.

On November 25, the steamer Frank Rockefeller reported passing through debris near Stannard Rock, but no positive identification was made. On December 12, a life preserver marked Bannockburn washed up near Grand Marais, Minnesota. Rumours of further wreckage near Caribou Island and in the Sault locks were unverified. The ship and crew of 20–22 were declared lost with all hands.

Final Disposition

Presumed foundered with all hands on November 21, 1902, no wreck has ever been found, and no survivors recovered.

Located By & Date

Not located; remains missing since 1902.

NOTMARs & Advisories

No current Notices to Mariners apply to the Bannockburn.

Current Condition & Accessibility

Unknown. The wreck is presumed to lie in deep water, likely exceeding 300 metres, making it inaccessible to traditional diving and requiring high-capability AUV or ROV technology to locate.

Resources & Links

• Maritime History of the Great Lakes
• David Swayze Shipwreck File
• Great Lakes Ships Database (BGSU)
• NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
• Wikipedia – Bannockburn
• ShipwreckWorld – Brendon Baillod
• Boreal.org – Bannockburn
• Wandering Educators
• Old Shipping Lines – Disappearance
• Jay Sea Archaeology
• Superior Shoal Wikipedia
• Newspapers.com – search “Bannockburn 1902”
• Chronicling America – search “Bannockburn 1902”

Conclusion

The Bannockburn is one of Lake Superior’s most famous maritime mysteries. Despite being a modern, steel-hulled ship of her era, she vanished entirely, with no confirmed wreckage except a single life preserver. Her earlier history of repeated groundings and a hurried final voyage may have left hidden weaknesses that, combined with Superior’s November storms, caused sudden structural failure or capsizing. Generations of mariners have kept her legend alive, reporting ghostly sightings of a phantom steamer on stormy nights. As technology advances, future searches may yet reveal the Bannockburn’s final resting place, ending one of the Great Lakes’ most enduring mysteries.

Keywords

Lake Superior, Bannockburn, Steel Canaller, Maritime Mystery, Ghost Ship, Flying Dutchman, Passage Island, November Storm, Shipwreck, Lost Freighter

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