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SSClifton

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Coordinates:44°21′36″N82°34′12″W/ 44.360050°N 82.570133°W/44.360050; -82.570133
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44°21′36″N82°34′12″W/ 44.360050°N 82.570133°W/44.360050; -82.570133

SSClifton,without self-unloading gear
History
United States
NameClifton
NamesakeSamuel Mather
OwnerProgress Steamship company, Cleveland, a subsidiary ofCleveland-Cliffs, Inc.
Port of registryCleveland, Ohio
BuilderAmerican Steel Barge Company
Laid downWest Superior, Wisconsin
Launched1892
Completed1892
FateSank nearThunder Bay IslandSeptember 21–22, 1924, after encountering a large wave ingale
NotesPrior ownerPickands, Mather & Company Refit1923–1924 to include installation of topside self-unloading gear
General characteristics
TypeWhalebackfreighter
TonnageGross Register Tonnage Net Register Tonnage
Length308ft(94m)
Beam30 ft (9.1 m)
Depth24 ft (7.3 m)
PropulsionSteam,propeller
Capacity3500 Tons
Crew26
NotesSank with loss of captain and 25 crew

SSClifton,originallySamuel Mather,was awhalebacklake freighterbuilt in 1892 for service on theGreat Lakes.She was 308 foot (94 m) long, 30 foot (9.1 m) beam, and 24 foot (7.3 m) depth, and had a 3,500 ton capacity. The self-propelled barge was built by theAmerican Steel Barge CompanyinWest Superior, Wisconsin.Her builders used adesignwell-suited to carry iron ore, her intended trade. The new vessel was christenedSamuel Mather,aftera cofounderofPickands Mather and Company,which at the time was thesecond largest fleet on the Great Lakes.

After 31 years of service as an ore boat, the vessel was superannuated out of iron ore and was refitted as a carrier ofstone aggregate.Her 1923–1924 refitting included the installation of topside self-unloading gear. The Smith-patented tunnel scrapers were intended to enable the ship to unload more quickly and to partially offload at ports that could not previously be serviced by ship.[1]En route betweenSturgeon BayandDetroiton the night of September 21–22, 1924, while loaded with crushed stone, she encountered a storm and sank offLake Huron'sSaginaw Baywith the loss of Captain Emmett Gallagher and the crew.[A]

According to one historian,Cliftonbecame a "ghost ship of the Great Lakes",[2]as there were no survivors and the events immediately leading up to the disaster were not known. The vessel's wreck was discovered on the bed of Lake Huron bytechnical diversin September 2016, with the discovery confirmed by further dives and research in 2017. When the lost vessel was rediscovered, it was found that a poetic folkballad,written before 1932 by an Irish-American neighbor of the lost captain, contained a relatively accurate description of the ship's foundering.[4]

History[edit]

Launching theClifton

Construction and service[edit]

TheCliftonwas built by the American Steel Barge Co. and launched in 1892.[5]Designed byCaptain Alexander McDougall,whalebacks had a unique form. Their unusual design included a hull that curved, which when fully loaded resembled a whale's back. They were the precursors of theturret deck shipof the late 19th and early 20th century,[6]which like the whaleback had rounded hulls, but unlike the whaleback had conventional bows and sterns and a superstructure. A total of 44 whaleback vessels were constructed from 1887 to 1898, with most operating in the Great Lakes.[7][B]

TheCliftonin dry dock

AsSamuel Mather,she was the second of seven U.S. merchant ships to bear that name.[10]The eponymously-namedMather,a/k/aClifton,was built at the personal expense ofSamuel Mather,a cofounder ofPickands Mather and Company.For the better part of the twentieth century's first two decades, the company operated the second largest shipping fleet on the Great Lakes.[11]

After sailing for 31 years, she was deemed superannuated. The ship would no longer transport iron ore, and instead was retrofitted as a carrier of stone aggregate. This 1923–1924 refit included the installation of topside self-unloading gear, which affected hercenter of gravityandrighting moment.[2]As wreck discoverer David Trotter stated: "We found that the self-unloading mechanism was still in position, and that was an interesting discovery because we now realize that the unloading mechanism didn’t break free, causing the Clifton to have instability, resulting in her sinking." The self-unloading machinery "was added the same year she disappeared," responded maritime expert Valerie Van Heest.[C]She said the discovery has many levels of significance. She said, "All of it was additional weight above the center line of the vessel", and that it was not coincidental that three other ships outfitted with an identical self-unloading system all sank.[12][D][13]Four of the refitted ships were lost in relatively quick progression.[14]

Sinking[edit]

Loss[edit]

At the time of her loss,Cliftonwas owned by the Progress Steamship Co. of Cleveland,[15][16]a subsidiary ofCleveland-Cliffs, Inc.[17]

InClifton's last position report as of 10:20 a.m. on September 21, 1924,[18]it was entering Lake Huron nearMackinaw City[19]approximately 100 miles (160 km) from where it ultimately foundered.[3][20]As the gravel boat tried to make its way down Lake Huron toward its scheduled destination in Detroit on the night of September 21–22, a "great storm swept [Lake] Huron".[21]In the opinion of an experienced skipper who had worked his way through the gale, no vessel ofClifton's size could have survived in those conditions if she was 40 miles (64 km) out to sea.[18]

Wreckage was widely scattered. Painted sticks from theCliftonwere recovered byPeter Whiteon September 26, 1924, 24 miles (39 km) northeast ofPointe aux Barques Light,[22][23]and a life raft was found on October 1, 1924.[24][25]On theDetour, Michigan–Goderich, Ontariocourse, about 70 miles (110 km) away from the latter, hatch covers, and the forward end of apilot house(withsearchlightand clock attached) were recovered by the S.S.Glencairn.The clock had stopped at 4:00, which is hypothesized to have been 4:00 a.m. on September 22, when storm waters on Lake Huron were at their height.[19][18][26]A cabin door was found in the vicinity ofThunder Bay.[E]United States Army Air Serviceairplanes were dispatched fromMount Clemens, Michigan,to conduct a search inSaginaw Bayin the vicinity ofTawas City, Michigan.[F]Debris started washing up on the Canadian shore.[3]

No bodies were recovered, implying that the sinking was quick without deployment oflifeboats.No mechanical malfunction has yet been discovered or any other definite cause of her sinking. Speculation at the time, which continued to be published decades after the tragedy, was that the newly-installed self-unloading gear could have broken free and contributed to the vessel's metacentric instability.[2]However, after the discovery of the wreck it is now theorized that the vessel was overwhelmed by a wave or waves that drove it under power to the bottom.[12]The obliteration of the first 40 feet (12 m) of the bow is testament to the blunt force the ship endured. "The bow of the Clifton sustained heavy damage", said Trotter, after having seen footage shot by the divers. “The first 40 feet of the bow section is completely destroyed, likely caused by the impact with the lake’s bottom when she sank."[3]

Lament[edit]

Three of the men lost with the ship, including captain Emmett Gallagher, were from the maritime community ofBeaver Island, Michigan.The island community, which at the time was predominantly Irish-American, maintained the tradition of generating afolk-songlamentfor persons who were seen as having laid down their lives with heroism, and a ballad was written in honor of Captain Gallagher and the crew ofClifton.[28]

Attributed to islander Frank McCauley and collected by a folklore researcher in 1932, "The Seaman's Lament" purports to tell the story of the lost captain and crew. Lines 23 through 26 of the lament are of particular interest, as they set forth a hypothesis that the doomed vessel was slewed by a series of waves, an action equivalent tobroachingon a sailing ship. Once slewed, the cargo vessel was swamped and then foundered.[28]

And the mad billows leap like wild beasts from their lair,
And in their wild rush not a life will they spare!
And as they roll on over that structure of steel,
The steamer does tremble from foretop to keel.

These lines proved to be significant when the vessel was found, as they matched the physical condition of the hull on the lake bottom.[12]

Discovery[edit]

Ever since the 1924 sinking, the wreck was considered an ultimate goal for wreck hunters, partly because of its confounding disappearance, and partly because it was the only remaining whaleback to have sunk in Lake Huron and not be found.[3]Exacerbating the problem was the sheer size of Lake Huron and potential ship gravesites. The lake has about 25,000 square miles (65,000 km2) with over 9,000 square miles (23,000 km2) on the United States side. The data on potential sites was obscure and very oblique, leaving widely scattered possibilities.[3][12][25]

David Trotter, a shipwreck author, discoverer, deep diver, andmaritime archeologist,told the press that the lost vessel had been on his "bucket list", ranking close to #1 among non-found Great Lakes shipwrecks.[G]At the time of the discovery, Trotter had found over 60 previously undiscovered wrecks while diving over the last 40 years. Some of his discoveries include sidewheel steamerKeystone State(1861 sinking with all hands); four-masted schooner,Minnedosa(1905 with all hands); and the 436-foot (133 m)Hydrus,lost with all hands in the1913 Great Storm on Lake Huron.[3][12]

Trotter started his search forCliftonin 1987. Almost 30 years later, in June 2016, he and his team logged the coordinates of an unknown wreck. He stated that they had been working on a project that involved two other wrecks. The team dived the unknown lost vessel in September 2016, and when the diver surfaced, he reported to Trotter that the unidentified vessel was "a whaleback". Trotter instantly told his crew that they might well have discoveredClifton,as it was the only as-yet-undiscovered whaleback to have been lost on Lake Huron. The senior diver wanted additional confirmation of this discovery before making it public. After deputizing several team members withaction cameras,it was clear that the wreck was indeed a whaleback and was thereforeClifton.Trotter's divers further explored and video-documented the wreck, making nine dives in July–August 2017. Careful work was necessary, as the long-lost hull had been found approximately 100 miles (160 km) from where she had been last seen and was believed to have sunk. Trotter made the identification public in September 2017.[3][12][29][30]The delay made it possible for the news to be formally released on September 21, 2017, the 93rd anniversary of the vessel's last surface sighting.[30]Trotter said that the discovery was "a personal milestone" in a quest that he was fortunate enough to complete within his lifetime.[12]

Trotter told the press thatClifton'spropeller is intact and its rudder pointing straight. Both data points suggest the vessel was moving in a straight line when it sank. Now, "she lies heavily on her port side, [indicating] that she got caught broadside by a very large wave".[12]These factors of the discovery tend to support the McCauley hypothesis of the sinking,[4]as opposed to speculation that the vessel's self-unloading gear had broken its rigging and was swinging from side to side.[2]The hull rests at a 45-degree angle to the lake bottom, consistent with being broadsided by a large wave.[3][12]

Victims[edit]

The 26 members of the lost crew, in rank order with home town as listed by the Progress Steamship company, Cleveland, owners of the boat:

  1. EMMETT GALLAGHER, captain, St. James, Mich.
  2. WALTER J. OERTLING, chief engineer, Sturgeon Bay, Wis.
  3. EDWARD L. PECK, first mate, Green Bay, Wis.
  4. A. P. McDONOUGH, second mate, New York
  5. JOE SEHELD, wheelsman, St. James, Mich.
  6. PETER BURNS, wheelsman, St. James, Mich.
  7. HARVEY JENSEN, watchman, Sawyer, Wis.
  8. LEO BROWER, watchman, Sturgeon Bay, Wis.
  9. SAM STEVENSON, cook, Benton Harbor, Mich.
  10. EMIL J. BONNETT, assistant cook, Detroit
  11. JOHN HAMILTON, assistant cook, Detroit
  12. C. H. DILLER, porter, Detroit
  13. J. E. SULLIVAN, first assistant engineer, Mitchell, S. D.
  14. LAWRENCE HENRY HAEN, 18 years old. oiler, Sturgeon Bay
  15. ROLAND WRITT, oiler, Escanaba, Mich.[H]
  16. KENNETH DOREY, handyman, Manitowoc, Wis.
  17. RUSSELL ERDMAN, oiler, Sturgeon Bay
  18. L. SHEPLEY, coal passer, Sturgeon Bay
  19. P. CANTY, Toledo, Ohio
  20. EDWARD MILLER, fireman, Detroit
  21. GEORGE MAPLES, conveyor operator, Sturgeon Bay
  22. PEARL PURDY, conveyor operator, Sturgeon Bay
  23. A. J. OLSON, deck hand, South Chicago, Ill.
  24. BERNARD SODERSTROM, deck hand, Washburn, Wis.
  25. GEORGE HUSACK, deck hand, Sturgeon Bay
  26. STANLEY GUTH, deck hand, Sturgeon Bay[3]

Legacy[edit]

The disaster has been memorialized by Frank McCauley's poetic lament.[4]In addition, marine historian and maritime artist Robert McGreevy[31][32]rendered a drawing of theClifton"fighting for her life" before she sank in the storm, and another of her resting on the bottom.[12]

The sinking has been likened to the losses ofEdmund Fitzgerald,Carl D. Bradley,andDaniel J. Morrell.[12]

Dwight Boyerdiscussed the 1882 foundering of theSSAsia,the 1924 vanishing of thewhalebackSS Clifton with all hands, the 1927 disappearance of the package freighterSSKamloops,and the 1929 foundering of the car ferrySSMilwaukee,inGhost Ships of the Great Lakes(1968),[2]and retold an account of the 1975 disappearance of theSSEdmund Fitzgeraldin his last book,Ships and Men of the Great Lakes(1977).[33]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Some sources say that there were 28 crew, but the contemporaneous listing was 26.[2][3]
  2. ^Charles W. Wetmorewas the first to leave the lakes in June, 1891, sailing to London and from there to the west coast of the United States, where it was lost.[8]City of Everettwas an important whaleback steamship. It was constructed in theState of Washington,sailed from 1894 until 1923, and was the first U.S. steamship to pass through theSuez Canalas well as the first to circumnavigate the globe.[9]
  3. ^Valerie van Heest is a member of theMichigan Shipwreck Research Association'sboard of directors. The nonprofit group is instrumental in preserving and interpreting Michigan's maritime history.[12]
  4. ^Andastewas retrofitted with a self loader and lost on 9 September 1929 inLake Michiganwith all hands. A similar retrofit and sinking involved theHennepin
  5. ^The locale where the wreck was ultimately located.[27]
  6. ^Presumably fromSelfridge Air Base,which is the only air base near Mount Clemens.[23]
  7. ^Trotter offered that only findingLe Griffon,a ship lost in 1679, could be better.[3]
  8. ^Poignantly memorialized.[27]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^Brehm 2004,pp.167–174.
  2. ^abcdefBoyer 1968,pp. 40–58.
  3. ^abcdefghijkAshcroft, Brent."MYSTERY SOLVED: 'S.S. Clifton' discovered in Lake Huron"(Video).WZZM.RetrievedOctober 20,2017.
  4. ^abcWalton & Grimm 2002,pp.180–181.
  5. ^Devendorf 1996,p. 80.
  6. ^Woodman 2002,p. 179.
  7. ^Thompson 1994,pp.47–51.
  8. ^"Today in Great Lakes History June 30".Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping News Archive.Boatnerd. Archived fromthe originalon August 5, 2007.RetrievedFebruary 8,2008.
  9. ^"Last of the Whalebacks".Sea Classics.2004.
  10. ^Stonehouse 1998,pp. 61–63.
  11. ^Brock, S.G. (1892).Report of the Internal Commerce of the United States for the Year 1891. Ex. Doc. 6, Part 2. U.S. House of Representatives. 52d Cong., 1st sess(Report). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing. pp. 48–40.
  12. ^abcdefghijklRamirez, Charles E. (September 22, 2017)."Freighter missing in Lake Huron since 1924 found".The Detroit News.RetrievedOctober 20,2017.
  13. ^"MSRA – The wreck of the Hennepin".Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates.Archived fromthe originalon February 12, 2008.RetrievedFebruary 24,2008.
  14. ^Brehm 2004,pp.174.
  15. ^"Lake Hides Secret of Lost Boat".The Plain Dealer.September 26, 1924. p. 1.
  16. ^"Institute Search for Missing Freight Vessel".Dixon Evening Telegraph.Dixon, Illinois. September 25, 1924. p. 1 – viaNewspapers.comOpen access icon.
  17. ^Reynolds & Dawson 2011,p.109.
  18. ^abc"Abandon Hope for Missing Freighter, Find Wreckage".The Bridgeport Telegram.Bridgeport, Connecticut. September 29, 1924. p. 1 – via Newspapers.comOpen access icon.
  19. ^ab"Ship Wreckage Found in Lake".The Oneonta Star.Oneonta, New York. September 1924. p. 1 – via Newspapers.comOpen access icon7.
  20. ^"Hope for Clifton is abandoned".Hamilton Evening Journal.Hamilton, Ohio. September 26, 1924. p. 1 – viaNewspapers.comOpen access icon.
  21. ^"Lake Whaleback With 28 Members of Crew Has Gone to Bottom".The Scranton Republican.Scranton, Pennsylvania. September 29, 1924. p. 1 – via Newspapers.comOpen access icon.
  22. ^"Painted Sticks of wood possibly part of the whaleback Clifton".The Oshkosh Northwestern.Oshkosh, Wisconsin. September 27, 1924. p. 1 – viaNewspapers.comOpen access icon.
  23. ^ab"Stick May Tell Fate of Clifton".The Daily Tribune.Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.Associated Press.September 27, 1924. p. 1Open access icon– via Newspapers.comOpen access icon.
  24. ^"Find Life Raft of Clifton".The Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune.Chillicothe, Missouri. October 2, 1924. p. 2 – viaNewspapers.comOpen access icon.
  25. ^abDier, Arden (September 22, 2017)."Great Mystery of the Great Lakes Is Solved: SS Clifton found 100 miles south of last known location in Lake Huron".Newser.RetrievedOctober 21,2017.
  26. ^"Wreckage From Lost Ship Found: No Trace of 28 [sic] Men Who Were Aboard Clifton in Lake Huron".The McHenry Plaindealer.McHenry, Illinois. October 2, 1924. p. 8 – via Newspapers.comOpen access icon.
  27. ^ab"Searchers Pick Up Cabin Door of Ill-Fated Clifton Off Thunder Bay, Report Says".The Escanaba Daily Press.Escanaba, Michigan. Associated Press. September 30, 1924. p. 1.RetrievedOctober 22,2017– via Newspapers.comOpen access icon.
  28. ^abWalton & Grimm 2002,pp.180–181.
  29. ^"Clifton Discovered in Lake Huron".Detroit Free Press.September 21, 2017.RetrievedOctober 20,2017.
  30. ^ab"Deep Diver Discovers Historic Sunken Ship In Lake Huron".Canton, Michigan:WWJ-TV.Associated Press.September 22, 2017.RetrievedOctober 20,2017.
  31. ^"Marine Artist Robert McGreevy Receives Honor".The Lakeshore Guardian.March 2015.RetrievedOctober 23,2017.
  32. ^Carroll 2010,p.323.
  33. ^Jill B. Gidmark (2001).Encyclopedia of American Literature of the Sea and Great Lakes.Greenwood. p. 48.ISBN978-0-313-30148-3.

Bibliography[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • Great Lakes Register (1916).Great Lakes Register for the Construction and Classification of Steel and Wooden Vessels. Volume 18.Cleveland: Great Lakes Register. pp. 18 v.hdl:2027/mdp.39015057176235.
  • Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping.London: Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping. 1902.
  • Wright, Richard J. (1969).Freshwater Whales: A History of the American Ship Building Company and Its Predecessors.Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press.ISBN9780873380539.

External links[edit]

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