SS S.C. Baldwin
S.C. Baldwin prior to her sinking
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History | |
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United States | |
Name | S.C. Baldwin |
Owner | Adolph Green |
Builder | Campbell, Owen & Company |
Launched | 1871 |
In service | 1871 |
Out of service | August 27, 1908 |
Identification | U.S. Registry #23957 |
Fate | Sank 1908 |
General characteristics | |
Tonnage | 418 GRT |
Length | 160 ft (49 m) |
Beam | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
Depth | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
Installed power | High pressure steam engine |
S.C. Baldwin Shipwreck (barge) | |
Location | 2.3 miles (3.7 km) SSE of Rawley Point Light in Lake Michigan |
Nearest city | Two Rivers, Wisconsin |
Coordinates | 44°11′35″N 87°27′12″W / 44.193011°N 87.453247°W |
Built | 1871 |
Architect | Stephen R. Kirby |
Architectural style | Steam barge |
NRHP reference No. | 16000565[1] |
Added to NRHP | August 22, 2016 |
SS S.C. Baldwin was a wooden-hulled steam barge built in 1871, that capsized in a storm on August 26, 1908, on Lake Michigan, off Two Rivers, Wisconsin, United States, with the loss of one life. On August 22, 2016 the remnants of S.C. Baldwin were listed in the National Register of Historic Places as reference number 16000565.[2]
History
S.C. Baldwin (Official number 23957) was built in 1871 by Campbell, Owen & Company of
In March of 1873 S.C. Baldwin had a second deck added in Chicago, Illinois, this increased her gross register tonnage to 634 tons, and is believed to have made her the first double decked steamer on the lakes.
In 1903 S.C. Baldwin was traveling from Green Bay, Wisconsin to Buffalo, New York with a cargo of lumber when she struck an ice pack and sank in Green Bay, about 10 miles (16 km) north of the entrance to the Fox River, near Long Tail Point. The tugs Wright and Nelson went to try and raise S.C. Baldwin, but could only move her 25 feet (7.6 m). This caused her cargo of lumber to roll off her deck, and break her upper cabin structure off.[3] In April, 1904 S.C. Baldwin was raised, and purchased by Adolph Green of the Green Stone Company. Despite some damage to her rudder and her keel, her hull remained mostly intact. In July, 1904 the Green Stone Company decided to convert S.C. Baldwin to a barge, and removed her machinery in the winter of 1904. In June 1905 S.C. Baldwin started hauling limestone from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and other ports up Lake Michigan's west coast.[3]
Final voyage
On August 26, 1908 S.C. Baldwin, and scow No.37 were headed south from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin with a cargo of stone, in tow of the tug Torrent. The three vessels encountered a storm as they were passing Kewaunee, Wisconsin, and at around midnight, S.C. Baldwin began taking on water. At around 3:00 A.M., she capsized and remained unnoticed by the crew of Torrent until sunrise.[9] When she capsized, two of her crew members jumped off, leaving a single crewman clinging to her hull. When Torrent's crew realized she had capsized, they cut the line connecting the vessel. S.C. Baldwin turned over again, and sank. After the remaining crewman was rescued, Torrent went to search for the missing crew members. After her crew didn't find S.C. Baldwin's crew, they sailed to Manitowoc, Wisconsin to tell the lifesaving station. after this, Torrent and some other vessels went back to retrieve scow No.37, and search for the missing men.[9] On August 28, Captain George Heim, the Captain of S.C. Baldwin was located by the Goodrich Transportation Company vessel Caroline. A few days later, the body of Jacob Witgen, the other crewman washed ashore near Kewaunee, Wisconsin.[9]
S.C. Baldwin today
The wreck of S.C. Baldwin was discovered sometime in the mid-1970s by sport fishermen who reported her location to divers. Her wreck is a popular recreational dive site, as she lies in only 75 feet (23 m) of water. Her wreck sits upright, with her stempost intact. Other than her stempost, her wreck consists of her stern, her stern deck and her transom. In 2015 the Wisconsin Historical Society conducted a full archeological survey of her wreck.[10]
References
- ^ "S.C. Baldwin Shipwreck (barge)". National Park Service. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
- ^ "S.C. Baldwin Shipwreck in Manitowoc County listed on the Narional Register of Historic Places". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Service History". Wisconsin Shipwrecks. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
- ^ "Baldwin, S.C." Bowling Green State University. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
- ^ a b c "BALDWIN, S.C. (1871, Steambarge)". Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Final Voyage". Wisconsin Shipwrecks. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
- ^ "Today". Wisconsin Shipwrecks. Retrieved January 6, 2019.