Shotline Diving

Connecting You to the Depths of the Great Lakes

SS Miami US 91991

Explore the wreck of the SS Miami, a wooden-hulled steambarge that sank in 1924 after a fire, with no loss of life.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

  • Name: Miami
  • Type: Wooden-hulled propeller bulk freight steambarge
  • Year Built: 1888
  • Builder: M. Lester, Marine City, Michigan
  • Dimensions: 131 ft × 27 ft × 10 ft; 288 GRT, 191 NRT
  • Registered Tonnage: 288 GRT, 191 NRT
  • Location: Approximately mid-lake, about 48 miles off Thunder Bay Island, Michigan
  • Official Number: 91991

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

The Miami was a single-screw wooden freight steamer, designed for bulk cargo—likely grain, coal, or similar commodities. As a steambarge, she was built robustly to work alongside barges, offering utility within regional Great Lakes shipping lines.

Description

The Miami was a single-screw wooden freight steamer, designed for bulk cargo—likely grain, coal, or similar commodities. As a steambarge, she was built robustly to work alongside barges, offering utility within regional Great Lakes shipping lines.

History

Served as a regional freight vessel, hauling goods across Lake Huron. Specific tonnage carried on her final voyage isn’t specified, though record lists don’t note fatalities on her sinking.

Significant Incidents

  • Date: August 6, 1924
  • Location: Approximately mid-lake, about 48 miles off Thunder Bay Island, Michigan—on route to Spragge, Ontario, between Thunder Bay, MI and Burnt Island, ON.
  • Incident: A fire erupted aboard—cause undetermined—leading to Miami burning and sinking.
  • Aftermath: All crew were rescued by the nearby tug Edna A; no lives lost.

Final Disposition

Likely resides within offshore waters (estimated depth >100 ft); precise coordinates not recorded. Submerged as a burned steamer; remnants possibly include charred hull timbers, machinery, or structural debris.

Current Condition & Accessibility

No documented Notices to Mariners were filed, and no navigational hazards have been linked to the wreck.

Resources & Links

[shotline_reference_links slug=”ss-miami-us-91991″ title=”References & Links”]

Miami’s destruction by fire and sinking without loss of life typifies early 20th-century Great Lakes steam freight emergencies. With its mid-lake location and timber construction, its wreck could yield valuable insights into maritime fire dynamics, wood-steamer design, and crew evacuation practices of the period. A targeted underwater survey may finally locate her remains.

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 & Vessel Details

Description

The Miami was a single-screw wooden freight steamer, designed for bulk cargo—likely grain, coal, or similar commodities. As a steambarge, she was built robustly to work alongside barges, offering utility within regional Great Lakes shipping lines.

Operational History

Served as a regional freight vessel, hauling goods across Lake Huron. Specific tonnage carried on her final voyage isn’t specified, though record lists don’t note fatalities on her sinking (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files).

Final Voyage & Loss

  • Date: August 6, 1924
  • Location: Approximately mid-lake, about 48 miles off Thunder Bay Island, Michigan—on route to Spragge, Ontario, between Thunder Bay, MI and Burnt Island, ON (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files).
  • Incident: A fire erupted aboard—cause undetermined—leading to Miami burning and sinking.
  • Aftermath: All crew were rescued by the nearby tug Edna A; no lives lost (shipwreckexplorers.com, Great Lakes Shipwreck Files).

Wreck Site & Condition

  • Location: Likely resides within offshore waters (estimated depth >100 ft); precise coordinates not recorded.
  • Condition: Submerged as a burned steamer; remnants possibly include charred hull timbers, machinery, or structural debris.

Warnings & Notices

No documented Notices to Mariners were filed, and no navigational hazards have been linked to the wreck.

Sources & References

  • Great Lakes Shipwreck Files – “M”: Confirms build data, loss date, dimensions, fire incident, sinking route, and rescue details (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)

Research Gaps & Next Steps

  • Archival follow-up: Investigate mirrored marine reports—US/Canadian coast guard logs, Duluth shipping records for fire cause and cargo manifests.
  • Newspaper research: Examine August 1924 issues of Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal, Sault Star, and Toronto Globe for stories about the fire and rescue.
  • Sonar Survey: Deploy side-scan sonar or ROV over the transit corridor between Thunder Bay, MI and Burnt Island, ON, in waters approximately 48 miles offshore.
  • Museum inquiries: Explore possible Miami cargo manifests or line records at Great Lakes marine museums and archives in Michigan/Ontario.

Summary

Miami’s destruction by fire and sinking without loss of life typifies early 20th‑century Great Lakes steam freight emergencies. With its mid-lake location and timber construction, its wreck could yield valuable insights into maritime fire dynamics, wood-steamer design, and crew evacuation practices of the period. A targeted underwater survey may finally locate her remains.

ss-miami-us-91991 1924-08-06 12:30:00