Shotline Diving

Connecting You to the Depths of the Great Lakes

Sir Luke (1892)

Explore the wreck of the Sir Luke, a small steam tug lost in a storm on Lake Superior in 1901. No casualties reported.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

  • Name: Sir Luke
  • Type: Tug
  • Year Built: 1892
  • Builder:
  • Dimensions: Length X ft (Y m); Beam; Depth of hold
  • Registered Tonnage:
  • Location: Lake Superior

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

Small wooden river tug – steam-powered

Description

Description of Incident

  • Time of loss: Around 24:00 (midnight) during a summer storm
  • Situation: Caught in severe weather on the big lake, unable to navigate conditions
  • Outcome: Lost to the storm; no explicit location given in records, though implied near its lake route

History

History & Career

  • Service: Likely operated as a river tug and small-lake switch boat, built for harbors or near-shore tasks
  • Ownership & Command: Not documented in current sources

Significant Incidents

Crew & Casualties

  • Loss of life: None reported in shipwreck summary
  • Crew: No names currently found

Final Disposition

Data Gaps & Recommended Research

  • Exact Loss Date & Location: “Early July 1901″—needs precision. Storm logs from GL Shipwreck Files indicate timing, but not coordinates.
  • Vessel Details: Dimensions, official number, engine specs, ownership or home port are unknown.
  • Crew, Operational Route & Client Service: No crew manifest or incident report located. Service range (harbour, river, or lake) undefined.
  • Documentation Sources to Explore Next:
    • Local newspapers (June–July 1901) near likely operating hubs: search Superior, Duluth, Thunder Bay, and adjacent harbor press. ChroniclingAmerica, newspapers.com, and Library archives could hold articles with more detail.
    • Great Lakes Shipwreck Files (HCGL): request original entry for Sir Luke to check for missing metadata.
    • Enrollment & Registration Logs in HCGL to identify build specs and official numbers.
    • Harbor Records from port authorities (e.g., Duluth, Superior—if river tug was based there) for storm incident logs.
    • Marine insurance records for policy claims or rebuild attempts post-storm.

Current Condition & Accessibility

Preliminary Conclusions

  • Sir Luke was a small steam tug built in 1892.
  • She succumbed to a summer storm on Lake Superior in early July 1901 and sank, but her crew survived.
  • Documentation beyond this summary is sparse; tools and records listed above may fill in vital info to complete her profile.

Resources & Links

Next Research Steps

SourceWhat to Look For
Newspapers (Jun–Jul 1901)Exact loss date, location, vessel details, eyewitness or harbor logs
HCGL Enrollment FilesOfficial number, dimensions, engine type, ownership
Insurance RecordsIncident reports, salvage documentation, rebuilds
Harbor Authority LogsStorm logs, rescue operations, salvage citations