SS Glenlyon

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Coordinates: 47°57′8″N 88°44′53″W / 47.95222°N 88.74806°W / 47.95222; -88.74806
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other ships with the same name, see SS William H. Gratwick.
History
Canada
NameGlenlyon
OperatorMidland Shipbuilding Company
BuilderF. W. Wheeler
LaunchedFebruary 4, 1893
Acquired1914
Out of serviceNovember 1, 1924
FateSunk off the shore of Isle Royale in Lake Superior
General characteristics
TypeFreighter
Tonnage3,800 DWT
Length328 ft (100 m)
Beam42.5 ft (13.0 m)
Depth20.5 ft (6.2 m)
Installed power1,200 
kW
)
Propulsion
Triple expansion steam engine
NotesCanadian Official # 126660; American #81427
GLENLYON
MPS
Shipwrecks of Isle Royale National Park TR
NRHP reference No.84001750[1]
Added to NRHPJune 14, 1984

The Glenlyon was a freighter built in 1893; it was sunk off the shore of Isle Royale in Lake Superior in 1924 and the remains are still on the lake bottom. The wreck was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.[1]

History

The Glenlyon (Canadian Official #126660; American #81427)

triple expansion steam engine.[3]

The William H. Gratwick was sold multiple times: in 1899, 1902, 1907, and, in 1910 to the Chicago & Duluth Transportation Company.[5] The ship hauled both package freight and bulk cargo, as well as, for a short time, passengers for both U.S. and Canada—an unusual history for a Great Lakes ship.[3] In 1912, Chicago & Duluth renamed the ship Minnekahta.[3] The ship was sold again in 1913, and finally, in 1914, the ship was purchased by the Great Lakes Transportation Company Ltd. of Midland, Ontario, overhauled, and had her name changed to the Glenyon.[3][4][5] At the same time, the ship's registry was changed to be Canadian.[3]

On October 30, 1924, the Glenlyon left

Thunder Bay, Ontario[5] carrying 143,000 bushels of wheat.[4] The weather turned particularly bad, and the ship was forced to anchor in the Welcome Islands.[3] On the 31st, the captain decided to resume the trip, but the winds picked up again and the Glenlyon headed for shelter in Isle Royale's Siskiwit Bay.[3] In the early morning hours of November 1, 1924 the ship ran aground on the reef now bearing its name off Menagerie Island and near the Isle Royale Light while steaming toward Siskiwit Bay.[4] The ship sent out a distress call, and the captain turned off the pumps to keep the ship settled on the reef.[3] Other vessels from the Great Lakes Transportation fleet rushed to the scene, as well as the Coast Guard, and most of the crew was rescued by late morning.[3][8] Two crewmembers who had gone overboard in a lifeboat for an unknown reason were missing; a search was made for the men and they were found early the next morning ashore in Siskiwit Bay.[5]

Salvage operations were started, but only 75,000 bushels of cargo were recovered over the next few weeks.[3] The ship's condition deteriorated, and eventually salvage operations were called off.[3] The Glenlyon soon broke in half, and by April of the next year it was completely submerged.[3][4]

The wreck today

Diving the wreck

The cold waters of the lake have preserved the structure of the ship

bow,[11] and the engine room with drive shaft, propeller, engine, and boilers.[5] The cabin is easily recognizable.[9][12]

The ship is significant as an example of a transitional style vessel, built as typical freighter lengths were rapidly increasing from SS Lakeland at 300 feet (91 m) long in 1886 to 400 feet (120 m) in 1895.[6] It is the only known example of this type and size of vessel available for study.[6][citation needed] The wreckage of the Glenlyon has been archeologically surveyed multiple times, giving a map of the wreckage, and particularly how parts of the wreckage moves across the lake floor due to currents and ice floes.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ The wreck is listed as "address restricted", but Isle Royale National Park permits public dives and publishes the location of the wreck. Coordinate location is per "The Wrecks of Isle Royale". Black Dog Diving. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Glenlyon Shipwreck". Superior Shipwrecks. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Shipwrecks of Isle Royale National Park, Glenlyon Wreck Site, Historic American Engineering Record, Survey number HAER MI-51-A
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Daniel Lenihan; Toni Carrell; Thom Holden; C. Patrick Labadie; Larry Murphy; Ken Vrana (1987), Daniel Lenihan (ed.), Submerged Cultural Resources Study: Isle Royale National Park (PDF), Southwest Cultural Resources Center, pp. 119–126, 276–284
  6. ^ a b c Toni Carrell (September 1983), NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM: Shipwrecks of Isle Royale National Park Thematic Group
  7. ISBN 978-0-7385-6117-2
  8. ISBN 978-0-7385-5135-7
  9. ^ a b c "Scuba Diving". Isle Royale National Park, National Park Service. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  10. ^ Pete Sweger (2010), "A Diver's Experience" (PDF), The Greenstone 2010, p. 9
  11. ^ "NPS Investigates Sunken Ships in Isle Royale NP". National Park Service. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  12. ^ "The wrecks". MN Blackdog Diving LLC. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  13. ^ W.H. Gilbert
  14. ^ "NPS Investigates Sunken Ships in Isle Royale NP". National Park Service. Retrieved December 10, 2010.

Further reading

External links

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