Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Cormorant
- Type: Wooden screw-propelled bulk freighter
- Year Built: 1873
- Builder: Ira LaFrinier & Co.
- Dimensions: 218.4 ft (66.6 m); Beam 34.6 ft; Depth of hold 14.1 ft
- Registered Tonnage: ~872 GRT, capacity ~1,300 tons or 45,000 bushels
- Location: Red Cliff Bay, Bayfield County, WI or near Duluth, MN
- Official Number: US 125334
- Number of Masts: Three masts
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Vessel Type
Wooden screw-propelled bulk freighter equipped with three masts.
Description
Description
The Cormorant was a wooden bulk freighter built in 1873, primarily designed for transporting grain and iron ore. It featured a single 30″ × 30″ steeple compound steam engine and two tubular boilers.
History
History
Launched in August 1873, the Cormorant was primarily used for grain and iron ore transport. Throughout her career, she faced multiple incidents, including grounding and machinery failures. She underwent several rebuilds, including a significant conversion to a lumber carrier in 1897.
Significant Incidents
Significant Incidents
- Grounded at Neebish Rapids (1874)
- Rebuilt/redecked in 1878, increasing tonnage to ~1,200 GRT
- Lost mast (1883), disabled machinery (1884), grounded in fog (1886), and other incidents
Final Disposition
Final Disposition
On October 30, 1907, the Cormorant caught fire off Basswood Island while loading logs. The captain beached her to save the crew, but the blaze consumed her to the waterline. She was towed into Bayfield on November 17, 1907, and her machinery was salvaged. The hull’s fate remains uncertain, with rumors suggesting it may lie near Duluth or Red Cliff Bay.
Current Condition & Accessibility
Current Condition & Accessibility
The probable wreck site lies in Red Cliff Bay or near Duluth, but no documented dive or sonar surveys have confirmed her exact position. The engine and boilers have been removed, and the current condition of the hull is unknown.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”cormorant-us-125334″ title=”References & Links”]
Summary
The Cormorant, once a robust grain and lumber carrier, succumbed to fire in Lake Superior on October 30, 1907. Her machinery was salvaged in Bayfield, and her hull was likely scuttled or abandoned near Duluth or Red Cliff Bay. Today, her remains await rediscovery, offering both historical and archaeological promise as a vestige of late-era wooden bulk freighters on the Great Lakes.
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.
Identification & Construction
- Built: 1873 in Cleveland, Ohio by Ira LaFrinier & Co.
- Type: Wooden screw-propelled bulk freighter equipped with three masts
- Propulsion: Single 30″ × 30″ steeple compound steam engine by Globe Iron Works, Cleveland, with two 7¼″ × 17′ tubular boilers operating at 95 psi and one screw propeller
- Dimensions: 218.4 ft long × 34.6 ft beam × 14.1 ft depth
- Tonnage: ~872 GRT, capacity ~1,300 tons or 45,000 bushels
Service History
- Launched August 1873 primarily for grain and iron ore transport (painted iron-ore red), with sister ships Raleigh (1871) and Egyptian (1873)
- Throughout her career, she faced multiple incidents:
- Grounded at Neebish Rapids (1874)
- Rebuilt/redecked in 1878 (increasing tonnage to ~1,200 GRT)
- Lost mast (1883), disabled machinery (1884), grounded in fog (1886), grounded again at Waiska Bay and Simmons Reef (1887, 1903), and other incidents
- Underwent several rebuilds: 1889 fire at Toledo (Nov 31), 1891 rebuilding with steel arches, 1897 conversion to lumber carrier with much stronger machinery (24″ × 30″, ~450 hp)
Final Voyage & Loss
- October 30, 1907: Caught fire off Basswood Island, Apostle Islands, Lake Superior, while loading logs or just after dropping a barge in Bayfield. Captain beached her to save crew (~no loss of life), but the blaze consumed her to the waterline (wisconsinshipwrecks.org, Wikipedia)
- November 17, 1907: Ruined hulk towed into Bayfield by salvager J.B. Wanless, boilers and engine salvaged (wisconsinshipwrecks.org)
- December 1907: Engine and boiler shipped to Chicago; hull towed to Duluth, Minnesota, where documentation of her fate goes cold — though rumors place her remains near Duluth or Red Cliff Bay (wisconsinshipwrecks.org)
Wreck Location & Current Status
- Probable wrecksite lies in Red Cliff Bay, Bayfield County, WI, or perhaps near Duluth in Lake Superior (wisconsinshipwrecks.org)
- No documented dive or sonar surveys to confirm her exact position
- Her engine and boilers are known to have been removed and shipped elsewhere
Significance
- Among the last wooden-hulled bulk freighters in service — emblematic of the transition from wood to steel
- Boiler and engine recovery hint at early 20th-century industrial salvage practices
- Her loss helped mark the shift in Great Lakes shipbuilding and the decline of wooden merchants
Research Gaps & Recommendations
- Survey sonar data around Red Cliff and Duluth to identify any hull remnants
- Archival documentation (salvage permits, harbor records) in Bayfield, Duluth, and Chicago could clarify hull’s final fate
- Side-scan or ROV inspections to determine whether the hull sits intact or scattered
- Local historical society collections in Bayfield might hold photographs or eyewitness accounts from 1907
Summary
The Cormorant, once a robust grain and lumber carrier, succumbed to fire in Lake Superior on October 30, 1907. Her machinery was salvaged in Bayfield, and her hull was towed off for further disposal, likely scuttled or abandoned near Duluth or Red Cliff Bay. Today, her remains await rediscovery—offering both historical and archaeological promise as a vestige of late-era wooden bulk freighters on the Great Lakes.
cormorant-us-125334 1907-12-18 15:24:00