SS Vernon
44°12′08″N 87°24′44″W / 44.20222°N 87.41222°W
Vernon before she sank
| |
History | |
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United States | |
Name | Vernon |
Namesake | W. Vernon Booth |
Owner | Alfred Booth[3] |
Operator | Northern Michigan Line[3] |
Port of registry | Chicago, Illinois, United States[2] |
Builder | James P. Smith of Chicago, Illinois[3] |
In service | September 1/2, 1886[3][4] |
Identification | Registry number US 161557[1] |
Fate | Sank October 29, 1887[3][2][4] |
General characteristics | |
Type | Passenger and package freighter |
Tonnage | |
Length | 158.58 ft (48.34 m)[4] |
Beam | 25.42 ft (7.75 m)[4] |
Depth | 18.66 ft (5.69 m)[4] |
Installed power |
|
Propulsion | 1 × fixed pitch propeller[5] |
Speed | 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)[5] |
Crew | 23–25 |
SS Vernon was a wooden-hulled American passenger and package freighter that sank in a Lake Michigan storm on October 29, 1887, near Two Rivers, Wisconsin, with the loss of between 36 and 50 lives, making her one of the deadliest shipwrecks ever to have occurred in Wisconsin. Only one of the people on board survived.
Vernon was built in 1886 in
In October 1887, Vernon was bound from Cheboygan, Michigan, for Chicago, making stops at several ports along the way. On October 28, she left Frankfort, Michigan, for the lake's western shore, she began encountering rough seas. Eventually, she became overwhelmed by the waves, sinking near Two Rivers on the morning of October 29. Only one person, fireman Axel Stone, survived.
Discovered in 1969, the wreck of Vernon rests intact in 210 feet (64 m) of water.
History
Design and construction
Vernon (
Vernon was powered by a two-
Vernon was built to carry passengers and freight from Chicago to Manistique, Michigan/Northern Lake Michigan in as little time as possible.[3] She was regarded as one of the most elegant ships on the Great Lakes.[2] Equipped with extensive brass fittings, eighteen state rooms and one very large cabin lounge, she cost $78,000 (equivalent to $2.34 million in 2023[7]) to build.[6]
Vernon had an abnormally deep draft when compared to her narrow beam, which caused her to become unstable when she was fully loaded.[2][6] At the time of her construction, sailors criticized Vernon's builders for sacrificing her buoyancy and stability in return for speed, predicting that she would "sooner or later meet with disaster".[2][1][8]
Great Lakes shipping expert Steve Harold wrote that:
"From the start, the Vernon was known to have an unusual, perhaps defective, hull design. Even when empty, she had an extreme draft and sat very low in the water. Some people later declared it was even unsafe for her to carry significant amounts of cargo because she was then dangerously low in the water."[9]
Service history
Vernon was launched on August 16, 1886, in front of approximately 5000 onlookers. She was named after W. Vernon Booth, one of Alfred Booth's two sons. She was built for Alfred Booth of Chicago, Illinois, and his sons, A. Edeward and W. Vernon Booth, each of whom owned a 1⁄3 share in her.
Final voyage
Vernon left Chicago, Illinois, for
Aftermath
Late at night, the same day Vernon sank, the schooner Joseph Page arrived in
Initially, it was believed that no one onboard Vernon survived.
An inquest held on November 7, 1887, stated that:
The storm of October 29th was not so fierce nor the lake so rough as to prevent the rescue of these bodies. If their perilous condition had been known, the life-saving crew, each and all of the five fishing tugs here, besides many small boats would have gone promptly to their rescue.[21]
As part of the inquest, the captains of Joseph Page and Superior were reprimanded for not making more of an effort to save the survivors.[25]
Vernon today
A wreck, possibly that of Vernon was found in 1908 by two fishermen, 8 miles (12.9 km) north of Two Rivers, Wisconsin, 5 miles (8.0 km) off shore in 300 feet (91.4 m) of water.[26] The wreck of Vernon was located in 1969 by Kent Bellrichard of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[27] She rests intact in 210 feet (64 m) of water, northeast of Two Rivers. She is keeled over to starboard side. Her pilot house and cabins which broke away when she sank, lie west of her wreck in 160 feet (48.8 m) of water.[2][1] Her cargo is still intact within her hold.[28] Her gangways are still open, confirming Axel Stone's claims of her crew not being able to close them due to her excessive load. Various artefacts, including her name board are on display at the Rogers Street Fishing Village in Two Rivers.[2][1][8][29]
A monument commemorating eight of the people who died onboard Vernon stands in the Pioneer Rest Calvary Cemetery in Two Rivers.[19]
References
- ^ a b c d e Hanakova (2020).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wisconsin Shipwrecks (2020).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library (2) (2020).
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bowling Green State University (2010).
- ^ a b c d e f Wrecksite (2008).
- ^ a b c d Boyd (1) (2000), p. 7.
- ^ Gross Domestic Product deflatorfigures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
- ^ a b c Swayze (2001).
- ^ a b c d Brinkman (2007).
- ^ Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library (1) (2020).
- ^ Boyd (1) (2000), pp. 7–8.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Boyd (1) (2000), p. 8.
- ^ Carus (1887).
- ^ a b c d e f Boyd (1) (2000), p. 9.
- ^ GenDisasters (1887).
- ^ a b c Boyd (1) (2000), p. 10.
- ^ Maritime History of the Great Lakes (2) (1887).
- ^ Jarvey (2007), p. 17.
- ^ a b Ero (2020).
- ^ Maritime History of the Great Lakes (1) (1887).
- ^ a b Manitowoc County Historical Society (2019).
- ^ St. Mane (2010).
- ^ Boyd (1) (2000), pp. 10–11.
- ^ Donahue (2021).
- ^ Meyer (2015).
- ^ National Marine Engineers Beneficial Association of the United States (1909).
- ^ Boyd (2) (2000), p. 10.
- ^ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (2020).
- ^ Rogers Street Fishing Village (2020).
Sources
- Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library (1) (2020). "Booth, A. (1882, Propeller)". Alpena, Michigan: )
- Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library (2) (2020). "Vernon (1886, Propeller)". Alpena, Michigan: )
- National Marine Engineers Beneficial Association of the United States (1909). "American Marine Engineer January, 1909". Washington D.C.: National Marine Engineers Beneficial Association of the United States. Retrieved February 3, 2021 – via Haithi Trust.
- Bowling Green State University (2010). "Vernon". Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- Boyd (1), Richard (2000). "The Dark Voyage of the Propeller Vernon-Part 1" (PDF). Wisconsin: Wisconsin Underwater Archeological Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 21, 2003. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - Boyd (2), Richard (2000). "The Dark Voyage of the Propeller Vernon-Part 2" (PDF). Wisconsin: Wisconsin Underwater Archeological Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 10, 2004. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - Brinkman, Jim (2007). "36 died after boat left Good Harbor". Leelanau County, Michigan: Leelanau Enterprise. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
- Carus, Edward (1887). "Marine Man recalls loss of "Vernon" in 1887". Madison, Wisconsins: Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- Donahue, James L. (2021). "Surviving The Vernon Disaster". The Mind of James Donahue. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- Ero, Natasha (2020). "Two Rivers monument honors lives lost in one of Wisconsin's deadliest shipwrecks". Green Bay, Wisconsin: We Are Green Bay. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- GenDisasters (1887). "Two Rivers, WI (Off Shore) Steamer Vernon Sinks In Lake Michigan, Oct 1887". North America: GenDisasters. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- Hanakova, Jitka (2020). "Freighter Vernon". Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Shipwreck Explorers. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- Jarvey, Michele (2007). "Diving the Vernon" (PDF). St. Charles, Missouri: Midwest Scuba Diving. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 12, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- Manitowoc County Historical Society (2019). "Remembering the Vernon". Manitowoc County, Wisconsin: Manitowoc County Historical Society. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- Maritime History of the Great Lakes (1) (1887). "Vernon (Propeller), sunk, 29 Oct 1887". Ontario, Canada: Maritime History of the Great Lakes. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - Maritime History of the Great Lakes (2) (1887). "Vernon (Propeller), sunk, 29 Oct 1887". Ontario, Canada: Maritime History of the Great Lakes. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - Meyer, Amy (2015). "Just 1 survivor in 1887 shipwreck near Two Rivers". Manitowoc, Wisconsin: The Herald Times Reporter. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (2020). "Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary Designation-Final Environmental Impact Statement and Final Management Plan" (PDF). Washington D.C.: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- Rogers Street Fishing Village (2020). "Welcome to Rogers Street Fishing Village". Two Rivers, Wisconsin: Rogers Street Fishing Village. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- St. Mane, Ted (2010). Lost Passenger Steamships of Lake Michigan. Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press. ISBN 978-1-614232-15-5.
The propeller Vernon of the Northern Michigan Line, foundered during the terrible gale which raged on Lake Michigan yesterday, and it is almost certain that of her crew and list of passengers, numbering over 30, and probably close to 50, not a soul escaped
- Swayze, David D. (2001). "Great Lakes Shipwrecks-V". Port Huron, Michigan: Boatnerd. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- Wisconsin Shipwrecks (2020). "Vernon (1886)". Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- Wrecksite (2008). "SS Vernon (+1887)". Affligem, Belgium: Wrecksite. Retrieved December 9, 2020.