Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: C.F. Curtis
- Type: Wooden-hulled steamship towing schooner barges
- Year Built: Early 1900s (exact date TBD)
- Builder:
- Dimensions:
- Registered Tonnage:
- Location: Approximately 20 miles off Grand Marais, Michigan
- Official Number: Not documented
- Original Owners: Edward Hines Lumber Company
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
A wooden-hulled screw-steamer designed for heavy-lift towage, built to manage large lumber cargoes via towed barges in Lake Superior’s boom-era logging trade.
Description
C.F. Curtis served the Edward Hines Lumber Company, towing massive schooner barges laden with lumber. Likely equipped with a robust steam engine and reinforced hull, her design was tailored to endure open-water towing amidst Lake Superior’s challenging conditions.
History
On the night of 18 November 1914, Curtis, alongside tow-barges Selden E. Marvin and Annie M. Peterson, encountered one of Lake Superior’s most violent autumn storms. Gale-force winds, plummeting temperatures, and heavy snow squalls overwhelmed the towline configurations. The Curtis was torn apart under extreme stress, and all 28 crew members aboard the vessels perished. Their wrecks remained undiscovered for over a century.
Significant Incidents
- Encountered severe storm with snow squalls and massive waves, causing the Curtis and her towed barges (Selden E. Marvin and Annie M. Peterson) to founder.
- The C.F. Curtis was “torn apart offshore” under the strain of the gale while towing two large barges.
Final Disposition
All three vessels sank intact and were unrecoverable at the time. The Curtis and Selden E. Marvin have since been located in deep water (~500 ft and ~600 ft respectively), about 20 miles north of Grand Marais, Michigan; the third barge remains undiscovered.
Current Condition & Accessibility
All wrecks lie in the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve in deep water. They are not hazards to navigation but present high-value archaeological sites. No markers, as locations are remote and depth precludes surface interference. Cold, preservation conditions make them historically significant.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”c-f-curtis-1900″ title=”References & Links” show_ref_button=”yes”]
The C.F. Curtis disaster is one of the darkest episodes in North American maritime history: a lumber-laden tow, a ferocious storm, and the complete loss of all aboard. The recent discovery of her and one barge provides a poignant and powerful archaeological insight into early 20th-century Great Lakes logging logistics and the hazards of deep-water towing.
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.
Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: C.F. Curtis
- Former Names: None
- Official Number(s): Not documented
- Date Built & Launched: Early 1900s (exact date TBD)
- Type: Wooden-hulled steamship towing schooner barges
- Cargo at Loss: Lumber
- Date Lost: 19–18 November 1914 (storm date recorded as 18th, report mentions 19th)
- Place of Loss: Approximately 20 miles off Grand Marais, Michigan, Lake Superior
- Crew at Loss: All hands (28 total across Curtis, Marvin, and Peterson) (smithsonianmag.com, wxyz.com)
- Circumstance: Encountered severe storm with snow squalls and massive waves, causing the Curtis and her towed barges (Selden E. Marvin and Annie M. Peterson) to founder; the C.F. Curtis was “torn apart offshore” under the strain of the gale while towing two large barges (smithsonianmag.com)
Vessel Type
A wooden-hulled screw-steamer designed for heavy-lift towage, built to manage large lumber cargoes via towed barges in Lake Superior’s boom-era logging trade.
Description
C.F. Curtis served the Edward Hines Lumber Company, towing massive schooner barges laden with lumber. Likely equipped with a robust steam engine and reinforced hull, her design was tailored to endure open-water towing amidst Lake Superior’s challenging conditions.
History
On the night of 18 November 1914, Curtis, alongside tow-barges Selden E. Marvin and Annie M. Peterson, encountered one of Lake Superior’s most violent autumn storms. Gale-force winds, plummeting temperatures, and heavy snow squalls overwhelmed the towline configurations. The Curtis was torn apart under extreme stress, and all 28 crew members aboard the vessels perished (smithsonianmag.com). Their wrecks remained undiscovered for over a century.
Final Disposition
All three vessels sank intact and were unrecoverable at the time. The Curtis and Selden E. Marvin have since been located in deep water (~500 ft and ~600 ft respectively), about 20 miles north of Grand Marais, Michigan; the third barge remains undiscovered (smithsonianmag.com).
Located By & Date Found
- Curtis discovered summer 2021 at ~500 ft
- Selden E. Marvin located summer 2022 at ~600 ft (smithsonianmag.com)
- Annie M. Peterson still missing; three potential sonar targets under continuous search (smithsonianmag.com)
Notations & Advisories
All wrecks lie in the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve in deep water. They are not hazards to navigation but present high-value archaeological sites. No markers, as locations are remote and depth precludes surface interference. Cold, preservation conditions make them historically significant.
Conclusion
The C.F. Curtis disaster is one of the darkest episodes in North American maritime history: a lumber-laden tow, a ferocious storm, and the complete loss of all aboard. The recent discovery of her and one barge provides a poignant and powerful archaeological insight into early 20th-century Great Lakes logging logistics and the hazards of deep-water towing.
Suggested Keywords: lumber tow steamer, Lake Superior storm wreck, deep-water shipwreck, Hines Lumber disaster
Categories: Great Lakes shipwrecks | Lake Superior wrecks | storm losses | tow-steamer disasters