Pretoria (ship)

Coordinates: 47°05.36′N 90°23.66′W / 47.08933°N 90.39433°W / 47.08933; -90.39433
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Pretoria (schooner-barge) Shipwreck Site
MPS
Great Lakes Shipwreck Sites of Wisconsin MPS
NRHP reference No.94000835 [1]
Added to NRHPAugust 17, 1994

Pretoria, an

largest wooden ships ever constructed. She was 103 meters (338 ft) long, had a beam of 13.4 meters (44 ft), and 7 meters (23 ft) in depth. She was built by James Davidson in West Bay City, Michigan, for use on the Great Lakes
.

"Pretoria" at dock

To strengthen her wooden frame and hull, Pretoria was constructed using steel

donkey engine
to run a pump to keep her interior dry.

The

launch
on July 26, 1900 in the following way:

The schooner "Pretoria, the largest wooden boat ever built, was launched at Davidson's shipyard this afternoon, in the presence of a vast multitude. The "Pretoria" will carry 5,000 tons of iron ore, 175,000 bushels of wheat, or 300,000 bushels of oats...

On 1 September 1905, Pretoria took on cargo at a pier in Superior, Wisconsin. Another notable ship, the lake freighter Sevona, took on cargo at the same pier shortly after Pretoria. Both ships sank the very next day near the Apostle Islands when a legendary gale sent them to the bottom of Lake Superior.[3][2]

Notes

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 15, 2006.
  2. ^ a b "Pretoria (1900)". Great Lakes Shipwrecks.
  3. .