Lake Grogan – Lake Huron Freighter Shipwreck (1926)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Lake Grogan
• Type: Steel-hulled Laker-class freighter
• Year Built: 1919
• Builder:
• Dimensions: Length X ft (Y m); Beam; Depth of hold
• Registered Tonnage: ~2,500 tons
• Location: Presumed off Lake Huron’s southern shore
• Official Number: (exact number unlisted)
• Original Owners: Leased to Ford Motor Company post-war; purchased to be immediately scrapped per USSB conditions

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

Designed for bulk routing of materials like ore, coal, and grain on the Great Lakes—helping alleviate WWI freight demands. Although thousands served, Lake Grogan is renowned as the only Laker-class vessel lost on the Great Lakes.

Description

The Lake Grogan was a steel-hulled Laker-class freighter built in 1919 as part of a World War I emergency fleet. It had a capacity of approximately 2,500 tons and was designed to transport bulk materials across the Great Lakes.

History

After its construction, the Lake Grogan was leased to the Ford Motor Company post-war and was intended to be scrapped immediately as per the conditions set by the United States Shipping Board (USSB). Its operational purpose was to assist in the transportation of essential materials during the war.

Significant Incidents

• On November 10, 1926, while under tow by Ford’s tug Barryton, the Lake Grogan was caught in a late-season storm on Lake Huron.
• No one was aboard the vessel at the time; it was manned only by a temporary crew during the tow.
• The storm incapacitated the vessel, leaving it stranded and lost.
• There were no casualties as the ship was empty and uncrewed at the time of loss.

Final Disposition

The final resting place of the Lake Grogan is presumed to be off Lake Huron’s southern shore, in shallow to moderate water. The hulk likely remains partially submerged, and while scrapping may have been abandoned post-loss, no formal salvage operations have been recorded.

Current Condition & Accessibility

No documented underwater survey or dive exploration exists for the Lake Grogan, making its current condition unknown.

Resources & Links

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The Lake Grogan represents a rare case—the only emergency-built Laker-class vessel ever lost on the Great Lakes. Its loss during scrapping highlights early 20th-century industrial fleet disposal practices and the storm vulnerability of unpowered hulks. Locating and documenting the wreck would provide unique insights into Lake-class ship architecture and interwar commercial maritime disposal methods.