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: Newaygo
• Former Names: None
• Registration Number(s): U.S. Official No. 130488
• Date Built and Launched: 1890
• Builder: A. Anderson, Marine City, Michigan
• Measurements:
  • Length: 196 ft (59.7 m)
  • Beam: 37 ft (11.3 m)
  • Depth: 13 ft (4.0 m)
  • Gross Tonnage: 906 GRT
  • Net Tonnage: 698 NRT
• Date Lost: November 17, 1903
• Place Lost: Devil’s Reef, north of Tobermory, Ontario, Lake Huron (Georgian Bay)

Vessel Type

Wooden-hulled propeller-driven steam bulk freighter, adapted for coal and lumber cargo. Designed for heavy-haul runs with towing capacity.

Description

The Newaygo was a steam-powered wooden freight carrier, robustly constructed for coal and lumber transit across the upper Great Lakes. She operated with a broad beam and moderate draft, enabling access to shallower regional ports. At the time of her loss, she was towing the barge Checotah, a common configuration for efficient freight hauling.

History

Owned by Henry McMorran of Port Huron, Michigan, the Newaygo operated primarily in the northern Great Lakes, particularly Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. On her final voyage in November 1903, she departed Cleveland, Ohio, upbound to the French River.

Navigating Georgian Bay, she entered a severe early-winter gale—accompanied by a blinding blizzard—that rendered visibility almost nonexistent. Amid the storm, the Newaygo missed the channel near Devil’s Reef and went hard aground on the shoal north of Tobermory.

Despite the violence of the storm, the crew survived. However, with repeated wave action and gale-driven pounding, the Newaygo broke apart, her machinery and cargo scattered across Devil’s Reef and nearby shoals. She was declared a total loss.

Final Disposition

Destroyed and scattered on Devil’s Reef, approximately 12 km (7.5 mi) northwest of Tobermory, Ontario. No salvage efforts were recorded.

Located By & Date Found

Wreckage is reported scattered across Devil’s Reef, though no formal survey or dive has been publicly documented. No GPS coordinates are available in dive logs.

Notmars & Advisories

• No navigational markers warn of the Newaygo wreck.
• Devil’s Reef is a known hazard, particularly during storm conditions.
• Blinding gales and snow squalls in this region have historically caused multiple wrecks.

Resources & Links

• Great Lakes Shipwreck Files – N
• Historical Marker Database
• Leathem & Smith Company History
• Bruce Peninsula Dive & Kayak Guide

Conclusion

The Newaygo‘s demise is an instructive case of navigational vulnerability during early winter storms on Georgian Bay. She exemplifies the freight-bearing wooden steamers of the turn of the century—dependable under normal conditions, but overwhelmed in nature’s extremes. The grounding and destruction of Newaygo on Devil’s Reef is one of the numerous losses in this hazardous corridor near Tobermory.

Keywords: Newaygo, Georgian Bay, Devil’s Reef, 1903 shipwreck, coal freighter, blizzard grounding
Categories: Shipwrecks of Lake Huron, Great Lakes Freighters, 20th Century Marine Losses
Glossary Terms:

• Blizzard-Gale: Storm with high winds and snow creating whiteout conditions.
• Foundered: To fill with water and sink.
• Freighter: A vessel designed primarily for transporting cargo.
• Shoal: A natural underwater ridge, bank, or bar that poses navigation risk.

Let me know if you’d like mapped GPS approximations or whether there’s been any sonar coverage of Devil’s Reef.

newaygo-us-130488 1903-11-17 23:33:00