SS Henry Steinbrenner
Henry Steinbrenner, center, at Soo Locks, c. 1905
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History | |
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United States | |
Name | Henry Steinbrenner |
Namesake | Great Grandfather of former New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner |
Owner | Kinsman Transit Co., Cleveland, Ohio |
Operator | Kinsman Transit Co., Cleveland, Ohio |
Port of registry | United States |
Builder | Jenks Ship Building Co. Port Huron, Michigan |
Launched | September 28, 1901 |
Identification | US 96584 |
Fate | Lost in a storm on May 11, 1953; wreck found September 2023 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Lake freighter Straight Deck |
Tonnage | 4719 tons |
Length | 427 ft (130 m) |
Beam | 50 ft (15 m) |
Depth | 28 ft (8.5 m) |
Propulsion | Scotch marine boilers, steam reciprocating triple expansion engine with 23 inches (580 mm), 38 inches (970 mm), and 63 inches (1,600 mm) diameter bores and a 40 inches (1,000 mm) stroke, single fixed pitch propeller. |
Speed | 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
Capacity | ~6500 tons |
Crew | 30 |
The
Career
The Steinbrenner had an eventful first two decades on the Great Lakes. On December 6, 1909 the Steinbrenner was downbound loaded with iron ore when she was involved in a collision on
Final voyage
At 5:11 AM on May 10, 1953, the 52-year-old ship left Superior, Wisconsin, with nearly 7000 tons of iron ore for the steel mills on Lake Erie. Weather conditions were good at the time but forecasts called for rougher weather later in the day. Leaving despite unfavorable forecasts wasn't rare for captains of this time. Weather reports were less accurate than modern forecasts and most captains and crews had endured several storms during their careers.
Later that afternoon the Steinbrenner met with the forecast gale as strong winds and large waves buffeted the vessel. Although he secured his ship's deck, Captain Albert Stiglin did not have his crew place tarpaulins on the twelve leaf-type "Telescoping" hatch covers; since these were not watertight, they allowed some water to seep into the cargo holds. Around 8 pm one of the leaves on the number 11 hatch worked loose and allowed water to pour into the hold. Crew members were dispatched to secure the cover but, as the storm intensified, 80-mile-per-hour (129 km/h) winds and large waves worked the leaf loose again. Complicating the issue, doors and vents were being forced open by the storm.
Aftermath
In the end, 17 men were lost in the tragedy. Fingers were pointed at the crew for not using the tarpaulins on the hatches, but in a storm of that magnitude even the tarpaulins may not have been enough to keep the Henry Steinbrenner afloat. The loss of the Steinbrenner solidified the move by Great Lakes vessel operators to retrofit some of their older vessels with watertight single piece hatch covers during rebuilds. Examples of ships that saw this work included the SS L.E. Block, SS
Norm Bragg, who survived this wreck in Lake Superior, was a watchman on board the SS Daniel J. Morrell when it sank in Lake Huron. He helped his crew understand their plight, gave quick advice and said, "It's been good to know you."[7]
Her wreck was located in 2023, in 750 feet (230 m) of water.[8]
References
Notes
- ^ Note: there were four vessels named "Henry Steinbrenner." The original Henry Stenbrenner was built for Kinsman in 1901 and carried that name for her entire career. That career ended tragically on May 11, 1953 when she sank in a storm on Lake Superior with the loss of 17 of her crew. The second Henry Steinbrenner was originally the Verona of the Pickands-Mather fleet when she was built in 1907. She was sold to Kinsman and renamed Henry Steinbrenner in 1957. She was briefly renamed Uhlmann Brothers in 1965 before being sold to Norlake Shipping and renamed Manitoba. She was scrapped in England in 1969. The third Henry Steinbrenner was built as the Pittsburgh Steamship Company's George F. Baker, also in 1907. Kinsman acquired her in 1965, and operated her as the Henry Steinbrenner until 1979 when she was scrapped in Ashtabula, Ohio. The fourth and final Henry Steinbrenner was also a former Pittsburgh boat, built in 1916 as the William A. McGonagle. Kinsman bought the McGonagle in 1979, but kept her original name until 1986 when she was renamed Henry Steinbrenner. She sailed through the 1989 season and was laid up in Toledo. At that time she was the last coal-fired straight-decker on the Great Lakes, and the last of the "Standard 600-footers" in unmodified form. She was scrapped in Port Maitland, Ontario in 1994.
- ^ a b c d e "Historical Collections of the Great Lakes". Bowling Green State University. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
- ^ ISBN 9781882376018. ISBN 1882376013.
- ^ "Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping". Retrieved September 7, 2013.
- ^ Miller, Al. Tin Stackers: The History of the Pittsburgh Steamship Company.
- ISBN 0-8143-3226-9.
- ISBN 978-0-8143-4337-1. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ Bloch, Jim (November 29, 2021). "LOCAL NEWS: Marking the 55th anniversary of sinking of freighter Daniel J. Morrell: Sailor from St. Clair among 28 victims". Voice News. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
Norm Bragg, a watchman and survivor of the wreck of the Henry Steinbrenner in Lake Superior in 1953, tells Hale and a couple other sailors that the freighter has buckled in the 20-25 foot swells and may have lost its bottom.
- ^ Krueger, Andrew. "Harrowing stories resurface in newly discovered Lake Superior shipwreck". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved September 27, 2023.