Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Spokane
- Type: Steel-hulled Package Freighter / Barge
- Year Built: 1886
- Builder:
- Dimensions:
- Registered Tonnage:
- Location: On a rock pinnacle in Lake Erie
- Coordinates: Specific coordinates unconfirmed; likely near headlands or shoals known for storm-driven wrecks
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Steel-hulled Package Freighter / Barge
Description
Identification & Specifications
- Name: Spokane
- Built: 1886; one of the first steel ships to operate on Lake Superior (reportedly)
- Tonnage & Type: Initially a steel package freighter—later used as a barge
- Conversion: Around 1910, purchased by Reid Wrecking Co. (Sarnia, ON & Port Huron, MI), towed to Port Huron and re-documented as a package freighter again (greatlakesvesselhistory.com, CTVNews)
History
Final Voyage & Wreck – September 16, 1912
- Incident: During a sudden gale on Lake Erie, the Spokane was driven onto a rock pinnacle, causing her hull to break in two—a catastrophic failure consistent with brittle fracture in steel vessels under stress.
- Outcome: Declared a total loss; crew escaped with no reported casualties.
Historical Significance
- Possibly the first steel vessel on Lake Superior, marking the transition in maritime engineering from iron/wood to steel hulls on the Great Lakes
- Her wreck demonstrates the inherent risks early steel hulls faced in severe gales, particularly when they were structurally stressed by grounding on rock formations (Wikipedia)
Significant Incidents
Wreck Site & Condition
- Location: On a rock pinnacle in Lake Erie (specific coordinates unconfirmed; likely near headlands or shoals known for storm-driven wrecks)
- Condition: Severely broken midships; remained a navigational hazard until removal efforts by salvage companies
- Site Status: No modern remote-sensing surveys located; wreckage likely salvaged or submerged below surface debris levels
Final Disposition
Explorer & Research Recommendations
- Locate Salvage Records
- Investigate Reid Wrecking Co. documentation or marine underwriters’ burial records in Port Huron for site location details
- Archive Newspaper Reports
- Search Detroit and Cleveland newspapers from mid-September 1912 for storm coverage and wreck notices near coastal shoals
- Side-scan Sonar Survey
- Map rocky shoal zones along Lake Erie coast—particularly west of Port Stanley or near Pelee Island—to detect structural remains
- Steel Ship Transition Study
- Analyze fleet registries from late 19th century to verify Spokane‘s standing as earliest steel vessel on Lake Superior
Current Condition & Accessibility
Summary
The Spokane stands as a key transitional vessel—an early steel-hulled ship that met a dramatic end in a Lake Erie gale, breaking in two upon striking submerged rock. Though her wreck hasn’t been located, her historical value as one of the earliest steel freighters is high. A combined archival and field-based investigation could help mark the final resting place of a pioneer of steel shipping on the Great Lakes.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”spokane-1886″ title=”References & Links”]
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.
Steel-hulled Package Freighter / Barge)
Identification & Specifications
- Name: Spokane
- Built: 1886; one of the first steel ships to operate on Lake Superior (reportedly)
- Tonnage & Type: Initially a steel package freighter—later used as a barge
- Conversion: Around 1910, purchased by Reid Wrecking Co. (Sarnia, ON & Port Huron, MI), towed to Port Huron and re-documented as a package freighter again (greatlakesvesselhistory.com, CTVNews)
Final Voyage & Wreck – September 16, 1912
- Incident: During a sudden gale on Lake Erie, the Spokane was driven onto a rock pinnacle, causing her hull to break in two—a catastrophic failure consistent with brittle fracture in steel vessels under stress.
- Outcome: Declared a total loss; crew escaped with no reported casualties.
Historical Significance
- Possibly the first steel vessel on Lake Superior, marking the transition in maritime engineering from iron/wood to steel hulls on the Great Lakes
- Her wreck demonstrates the inherent risks early steel hulls faced in severe gales, particularly when they were structurally stressed by grounding on rock formations
(Wikipedia)
Wreck Site & Condition
- Location: On a rock pinnacle in Lake Erie (specific coordinates unconfirmed; likely near headlands or shoals known for storm-driven wrecks)
- Condition: Severely broken midships; remained a navigational hazard until removal efforts by salvage companies
- Site Status: No modern remote-sensing surveys located; wreckage likely salvaged or submerged below surface debris levels
Explorer & Research Recommendations
- Locate Salvage Records
- Investigate Reid Wrecking Co. documentation or marine underwriters’ burial records in Port Huron for site location details
- Archive Newspaper Reports
- Search Detroit and Cleveland newspapers from mid-September 1912 for storm coverage and wreck notices near coastal shoals
- Side-scan Sonar Survey
- Map rocky shoal zones along Lake Erie coast—particularly west of Port Stanley or near Pelee Island—to detect structural remains
- Steel Ship Transition Study
- Analyze fleet registries from late 19th century to verify Spokane‘s standing as earliest steel vessel on Lake Superior
Summary
The Spokane stands as a key transitional vessel—an early steel-hulled ship that met a dramatic end in a Lake Erie gale, breaking in two upon striking submerged rock. Though her wreck hasn’t been located, her historical value as one of the earliest steel freighters is high. A combined archival and field-based investigation could help mark the final resting place of a pioneer of steel shipping on the Great Lakes.
spokane-1886 1912-09-16 17:38:00