SS ''Anna C. Minch'' was a

cargo carrier A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...

which foundered, broke in two, and sank in

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

during the

Armistice Day Blizzard The Armistice Day Blizzard (or the Armistice Day Storm) took place in the Midwest region of the United States on November 11 (Armistice Day) and November 12, 1940. The intense early-season "''panhandle hook''" winter storm cut a 1,000-mile-wide (1 ...

on 11 November 1940. The ''Anna C. Minch'' was a steam-powered, steel-hulled bulk freighter constructed in 1903 by the

American Ship Building Company The American Ship Building Company was the dominant shipbuilder on the Great Lakes before the World War II, Second World War. It started as Cleveland Shipbuilding in Cleveland, Ohio in 1888 and opened the yard in Lorain, Ohio in 1898. It changed ...

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. All twenty-four of the crew were lost when the ship sank. The cargo she was carrying at the time of her sinking was hardwood lumber. Her wreckage is located one and a half miles south of

Pentwater, Michigan Pentwater is a village in Oceana County, Michigan, Oceana County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 857 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The village is located within Pentwater Township, Michigan, Pentwater Township. P ...

, not far from the wreckage of the SS ''William B. Davock'', which foundered and sank in the same storm.

Ship history

The ''Anna C. Minch'' was struck by the steamer ''Harvey D. Goulder'' while at the Cargill grain elevator in

Superior, Wisconsin , native_name_lang = oj , nickname = , total_type = , motto = , image_skyline = Tower Avenue.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = Downtown Superior , ima ...

on 12 April 1907, resulting in $2000 in damages. On 12 November 1911 she struck a dock in the

Chicago River The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). Though not especially long, the river is notable because it is one of the reasons for ...

. At

Lorain, Ohio Lorain () is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Black River, about 30 miles west of Cleveland. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 65 ...

on 30 September 1915 she struck the south end of a bridge protection pier on the Erie Avenue Bridge. The ''Theodore H. Wickwire'' and the ''Anna C. Minch'' tore loose from their mooring lines on Buffalo Creek, drifted downstream and damaged several steamers along with crushing a yacht against a concrete dock on 27 March 1916. She collided with the steamer ''Charles M. Warner'' on

Lake St. Clair Lake St. Clair (french: Lac Sainte-Claire) is a freshwater lake that lies between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan. It was named in 1679 by French Catholic explorers after Saint Clare of Assisi, on whose feast day ...

and suffered severe bow damage on 6 November 1916. She was struck by the steamer ''Steel King'' on 18 November 1917 while moored at the dock at

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

, suffering starboard bow damage. Her mooring was damaged from the

breakwall A breakwater is a permanent structure constructed at a coastal area to protect against tides, currents, waves, and storm surges. Part of a coastal management system, breakwaters are installed to minimize erosion, and to protect anchorages, h ...

when she was struck by the steamers ''Matthew Andrews'' and ''Philip Minch'' on 26 February 1918. Her rudder was damaged when she was grounded one mile below the St. Clair Ship Canal on 31 August 1920. The ''Anna C. Minch'' was struck by the steamer ''Harry W. Croft'' at

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

on 20 October 1920, also she was grounded in fog on the north end of Bois Blanc Island in the Straits of Mackinac on 17 October 1921. On 21 December 1921 she suffered gale damage at

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

and then ice damage in the same location on 23 February 1922. She struck the bottom twice when entering

Conneaut, Ohio Conneaut ( ) is a city in Ashtabula County, Ohio, Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States, along Lake Erie at the mouth of Conneaut Creek northeast of Cleveland. The population was 12,841 at the 2010 Census. Conneaut is located at the far northeast ...

on 17 October 1923. She suffered wheel damage at

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

on 22 November 1923. The ''Anna C. Minch'' struck the dock at

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

on 1 November 1924 and also struck a dock at Buffalo, New York on 28 October 1925. She was stranded in fog at

Fox Point, Wisconsin Fox Point is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 6,934 at the 2020 census. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, Fox Point is one of the North Shore suburbs of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The ...

on 4 December 1925 and was leaking when she was freed by tug boats.

Sinking

The ''Anna C. Minch'', carrying a load of hardwood lumber, was caught in the

on 11 November 1940. She broke in two and sank during the storm. Captain Donald Kennedy and the remaining twenty-three crew were lost. No bodies were ever recovered. Her wreckage is located one and a half miles south of

, not far from the wreckage of the SS ''William B. Davock'', which foundered in the same storm.

References

Great Lakes Vessels Online Index: ''Anna C. Minch''

External links

University of Detroit Mercy

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anna C. Minch Steamships of Canada Steamships of the United States Shipwrecks of Lake Michigan Great Lakes freighters Merchant ships of the United States Maritime incidents in November 1940 1903 ships Ships lost with all hands Ships built in Cleveland