Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Turret Chief
- Type: Cargo Steamer / Barge
- Year Built: 1896
- Builder: William Doxford & Sons, Sunderland, England
- Dimensions: Length 253 ft (77.1 m); Beam 44 ft (13.4 m); Depth of hold 19.7 ft (6.0 m)
- Registered Tonnage: 1,881 tons
- Location: North Muskegon, Michigan
- Official Number: 106605
- Original Owners: Various, including Thomas Donnelly, Canadian Lakes & Ocean Navigation, and International Waterways Navigation Company
- Number of Masts: None
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Initially a “straightback” cargo steamer — a British Doxford-built turret-deck vessel — the Turret Chief was later reconfigured into a barge. This design featured the engine and boiler installations amidships, and a pronounced straight-deck silhouette with hull sides sloped inward from the deck.
Description
- Builder: William Doxford & Sons, Sunderland, England (Yard No. 248)
- Material: Steel hull
- Propulsion (original configuration):
- Screw-driven
- Engine: Triple expansion (20″ + 34″ + 57″ cylinders, 39″ stroke)
- Boilers: 2 watertube units (12’7″ × 10’11”), coal-fired by Babcock & Wilcox, London
- Dimensions:
- Length: 253 ft (77.1 m)
- Beam: 44 ft (13.4 m)
- Depth: 19.7 ft (6.0 m)
- Gross Tonnage: 1,881 tons
- Net Tonnage: 1,197 tons
History
- 1900–1913: Operated by Thomas Donnelly (Kingston, Ontario), then Canadian Lakes & Ocean Navigation and Canadian Steamship Lines. Served coal and grain trades on the Atlantic and the Great Lakes.
- 1913 (Nov 8): Stranded on the Keweenaw Peninsula near Copper Harbor, Lake Superior.
- 1914–1915: Salvaged and repaired at Port Arthur; reboilered by American Shipbuilding Co. for wartime service.
- WWI (1915–1918): Requisitioned by the British government. Carried munitions to Archangel, Russia. Renamed Vickerstown.
- Post-War (1918): Renamed Jolly Inez. Returned to Great Lakes service by 1922 under International Waterways Navigation Company.
- 1927 (Nov 16): Heavily damaged after stranding near Saddlebag Island, Lake Huron.
- 1928–1930: Salvaged, stripped of machinery, converted to a stone barge (renamed Salvor, U.S. Registry No. 170538).
- 1930 (Sep 26): Foundered in a gale on Lake Michigan after breaking loose from the tug Fitzgerald while under tow.
Final Disposition
Salvor (formerly Turret Chief) was being used as a stone-laden barge during breakwater construction when she broke free from her tow in a Lake Michigan gale and sank near North Muskegon. The vessel was already decommissioned from steam service and was unmanned as a towed barge.
Current Condition & Accessibility
The exact resting location of Salvor remains undocumented in official surveys or dive registries. No confirmed archaeological site has been recorded.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”turret-chief-us-106605vickerstown-jolly-inez-salvor” title=”References & Links”]
The Turret Chief exemplifies a vessel with multiple lives: from Atlantic collier to Lakes freighter, wartime munition carrier, and eventually a Great Lakes stone barge. Her final loss in 1930 marks the end of a uniquely durable hull design. Though likely fragmented and unrecovered, her story spans more than three decades of turbulent service on two continents.
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.
Also Known As: Vickerstown, Jolly Inez, Salvor
Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Original Name: Turret Chief
- Alternate Names: Vickerstown (1915), Jolly Inez (1918), Salvor (1930)
- Official Number: 106605
- Year Built: 1896
- Date Lost: 26 September 1930
- Location: North Muskegon, Michigan, Lake Michigan
- Final Status: Foundered during a gale while under tow
- Final Cargo: Stone for breakwater construction
Vessel Type
Initially a “straightback” cargo steamer — a British Doxford-built turret-deck vessel — the Turret Chief was later reconfigured into a barge. This design featured the engine and boiler installations amidships, and a pronounced straight-deck silhouette with hull sides sloped inward from the deck.
Description
- Builder: William Doxford & Sons, Sunderland, England (Yard No. 248)
- Material: Steel hull
- Propulsion (original configuration):
- Screw-driven
- Engine: Triple expansion (20″ + 34″ + 57″ cylinders, 39″ stroke)
- Boilers: 2 watertube units (12’7″ × 10’11”), coal-fired by Babcock & Wilcox, London
- Dimensions:
- Length: 253 ft (77.1 m)
- Beam: 44 ft (13.4 m)
- Depth: 19.7 ft (6.0 m)
- Gross Tonnage: 1,881 tons
- Net Tonnage: 1,197 tons
History
- 1900–1913: Operated by Thomas Donnelly (Kingston, Ontario), then Canadian Lakes & Ocean Navigation and Canadian Steamship Lines. Served coal and grain trades on the Atlantic and the Great Lakes.
- 1913 (Nov 8): Stranded on the Keweenaw Peninsula near Copper Harbor, Lake Superior.
- 1914–1915: Salvaged and repaired at Port Arthur; reboilered by American Shipbuilding Co. for wartime service.
- WWI (1915–1918): Requisitioned by the British government. Carried munitions to Archangel, Russia. Renamed Vickerstown.
- Post-War (1918): Renamed Jolly Inez. Returned to Great Lakes service by 1922 under International Waterways Navigation Company.
- 1927 (Nov 16): Heavily damaged after stranding near Saddlebag Island, Lake Huron.
- 1928–1930: Salvaged, stripped of machinery, converted to a stone barge (renamed Salvor, U.S. Registry No. 170538).
- 1930 (Sep 26): Foundered in a gale on Lake Michigan after breaking loose from the tug Fitzgerald while under tow.
Final Disposition
Salvor (formerly Turret Chief) was being used as a stone-laden barge during breakwater construction when she broke free from her tow in a Lake Michigan gale and sank near North Muskegon. The vessel was already decommissioned from steam service and was unmanned as a towed barge.
Located By & Date Found
The exact resting location of Salvor remains undocumented in official surveys or dive registries. No confirmed archaeological site has been recorded.
Notmars & Advisories
None noted. The vessel’s final resting place does not appear to be marked as a navigational hazard or official wreck site.
Resources & Links
- [C. Patrick Labadie Collection]
- Steamboat Era in the Muskokas by Richard Tatley
- Donald V. Baut Archives
- Canadian List of Shipping
- Great Lakes Shipwreck Files (David Swayze)
- U.S. and Canadian Vessel Registers (1900–1930)
Conclusion
The Turret Chief exemplifies a vessel with multiple lives: from Atlantic collier to Lakes freighter, wartime munition carrier, and eventually a Great Lakes stone barge. Her final loss in 1930 marks the end of a uniquely durable hull design. Though likely fragmented and unrecovered, her story spans more than three decades of turbulent service on two continents.
Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms
- Keywords: turret steamer, Doxford ship, wartime requisitioned ship, breakwater barge, tow loss
- Categories: WWI support vessels, Canadian shipping history, straightback steamers, Lake Michigan wrecks
- Glossary:
- Straightback: Early steel hull design with inward-sloped turret deck
- Watertube boiler: Efficient, high-pressure steam boiler design used in marine engineering
- Foundered: A ship that fills with water and sinks due to structural failure or overwhelming conditions