SS Russia (1872)

SS ''Russia'' was an iron-hulled American Great Lakes package freighter that sank in a Lake Huron gale on April 30, 1909, near DeTour Village, Michigan, with all 22 of her crew and one passenger surviving.

''Russia'' was built in 1872 in Buffalo, New York, by the King Iron Works, with the Gibson & Craig shipyard as the subcontractor. She was built for Charles Ensign of Buffalo and was operated as part of the Holt & Ensign Commercial Line, also of Buffalo. In 1884, after Ensign's death, ''Russia'' was sold for the first time. She would end up changing hands multiple times during her career.

In the evening of April 29, 1909, ''Russia'' left Alpena, Michigan, with a cargo of cement, wire fencing, galoshes and multiple barrels of dry goods, destined for Duluth, Minnesota. Around the time she passed Middle Island, the breeze which had been following ''Russia'' since she left Alpena suddenly began to strengthen; the combination of the gale and her heavy deck load caused ''Russia'' to roll severely. An eventual lull in the storm convinced Captain John McLean to continue towards Point DeTour, instead of turning back. However, ''Russia'' cargo shifted, causing her to list to port. Her crew began to move her cargo of cement in order to compensate for the list; after about two hours, she righted herself. However, ''Russia'' suddenly rolled over to port and then over to starboard. Further efforts failed to counteract the list. Eventually, Captain McLean ordered the crew to throw the bags of cement into Lake Huron. When this effort to save ''Russia'' was also unsuccessful, Captain McLean gave the order to abandon her early in the morning of April 30. The crew and the one passenger boarded the lifeboats and rowed to the DeTour Reef Light.

The wreck of ''Russia'' was discovered in of water on July 23, 2019, over 110 years after she sank, by a team of shipwreck hunters led by Tom Farnquist of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society.

History

In 1843, the gunship USS ''Michigan'', built in Erie, Pennsylvania, became the first iron-hulled vessel built on the Great Lakes. Beginning in the mid-1840s, Canadian companies began importing iron vessels, prefabricated by shipyards in the United Kingdom. However, it would not be until 1862 that the first iron-hulled merchant ship, ''Merchant'', was built on the Great Lakes. Despite the success of ''Merchant'', wooden vessels remained preferable to iron ones until the 1880s, due to their inexpensiveness and the abundance of timber. In the early 1880s, shipyards around the lakes began construction iron ships on a relatively large scale; in 1882, ''Onoko'', an iron freighter, temporarily became the largest ship on the lakes. In 1884, the first steel freighters were built on the Great Lakes, and by the 1890s, the majority of ships constructed on the lakes were made of steel.

Design and construction

''Russia'' (US official number 110063) was built in 1872 in Buffalo, New York, by the King Iron Works, with the Gibson & Craig shipyard as the subcontractor. She was built under the direction of master carpenter was David Bell. She was launched on August 20, 1872, as hull number #12. ''Russia'' was the third of five sister ships built between 1872 and 1873. She was preceded in construction by ''Cuba'', ''Java'' and was succeeded in construction by ''Scotia'' and ''Arabia'', although, some sources do not acknowledge ''Arabia'' as one of ''Russia'' sister ships.

''Russia'' hull had an overall length of and a length between perpendiculars of (some sources state , or ). Her beam was (some sources state , or ) wide. Her hull was (some sources state or ) deep. ''Russia'' had a gross register tonnage of 1,501.77 (one source states 1,501 and another states 1,502) tons and a net register tonnage of 1,334.57 (one source states 1,335) tons.

''Russia'' was powered by two, two-cylinder 72 rpm Steeple compound engines; the cylinders of these engines were and in diameter, and had a stroke of . Steam for the engines was produced by two × 75 psi firebox boilers. The engine and boilers were manufactured by the King Iron Works. She was propelled by two fixed pitch propellers.

''Russia'' hull was made of iron only up to her upper deck. Her upper works were made of wood. She had double bottom ballast tanks, two watertight bulkheads, a steel boilerhouse, two decks, cabins capable of accommodating up to 50 passengers, six cargo hatches and originally one, later two mast(s). She originally had two funnels. ''Russia'' had a cargo capacity of 100,000 bushels.

Service history

''Russia'' was built for Charles Ensign of Buffalo, New York, and was operated as part of the Holt & Ensign Commercial Line, also of Buffalo. She received her first enrollment in Buffalo on August 26, 1872; her first home port was Buffalo. She originally ran between Buffalo, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois.

On December (one source states November) 6/7, 1872, at around 9:00 A.M., while bound for Buffalo with a cargo of grain, ''Russia'' struck a rock and sank at Bar Point, Lake Erie, near Amherstburg, Ontario. She sustained severe bottom damage. On December 9, she was raised and towed to Detroit, Michigan. The total loss amounted to $69,000. In July 1873, ''Russia'' machinery became disabled, causing $600 worth of damage. In August of that same year, ''Russia'' struck a boulder at Lime Kiln crossing in the Detroit River, near Amherstburg. She was repaired for $9,070. On September 12, 1873, while bound from Chicago for Buffalo with a cargo of wheat, ''Russia'' collided with the steamer ''John A. Dix'' in the Detroit River, receiving $3,000 worth of damage. She was repaired when she reached Buffalo. On February 1, 1874, ''Russia'' was damaged by freshet in Buffalo, sustaining $300 worth of damage. On September 16, 1874, ''Russia'' ran aground in Buffalo Harbor opposite Central Wharf. In November of that same year, ''Russia'' lost part of her rigging, including her gaff rig, on Lake Erie. In October 1876, ''Russia'' machinery became disabled on Lake Erie. She was towed to Port Colborne, Ontario, by the steamer ''Granite State''.

In 1884, following the death of Charles Ensign, ''Russia'' was sold to James Ash of Buffalo (one source also gives several co-owners: P. P. Pratt, F. L. Danforth and G. B. Rich). In 1886, ''Russia'' ran between Buffalo and Green Bay, Wisconsin. On June 1, 1886, ''Russia'' collided with and sank the schooner ''Thomas P. Sheldon'' in Lake George. The damage she sustained in the collision was repaired in Buffalo. In 1888 (one source states 1890), ''Russia'' was sold to the Lackawanna Transportation Company of Buffalo, which was managed by Drake & Maytham. At this time, she ran between Lake Erie, Milwaukee and Chicago.

On May 1/3, 1892, at around 6:00 P.M., while bound from Buffalo for Chicago with a cargo of coal, ''Russia'' collided with the steamer ''Celtic'' in a dense fog about off Rondeau, Ontario. ''Celtic'' struck ''Russia'' on her port bow, near the waterline. ''Celtic'' sank in less than ten minutes, taking one of her crew of 18 with her. After rescuing ''Celtic'' crew, ''Russia'' was beached to prevent her from sinking. She was raised, and with the help of the tug ''Balize'', made it to Buffalo where her coal was unloaded. On June 5/9 1893, ''Russia'' ran aground on Beaver Island, Michigan, in fog, and was eventually released.

On July 11, 1893, ''Russia'' was in Buffalo, loading a cargo of baled jute, rags, French clay and wood pulp. As the bales of jute were being loaded into her hold, two of the bales spontaneously combusted near the third bulkhead, just forward of the engine room. When the crew members in the hold became aware of the fire, they rushed to the deck and gave the alarm. ''Russia'' fire hose was turned on in her hold, but failed to have much of an impact on the fire. ''Russia'' began warning other ships in the area of the fire using her whistle. By the time the fireboat ''John M. Hutchinson'' reached ''Russia'', the fire had already burned through two of ''Russia'' decks, damaged her forward cabins and her engine room. ''John M. Hutchinson'' and several fire engines began pumping water into her hold. By noon, after two hours of fighting the fire, ''Russia'' hull had been filled with water, finally extinguishing the fire and causing her to list to port. She was repaired in Buffalo, with the repairs costing $15,000.

On July 31, 1893, as soon as ''Russia'' left drydock, she collided with the freighter ''Thomas W. Palmer''. Her bow made contact with ''Thomas W. Palmer'' hull, damaging her aft upper works and breaking several stanchions. ''Russia'' sustained no damage. On August 9, 1895/1896 (most sources state the 1895, but some also state 1896), ''Russia'' was upbound without cargo in the Detroit River. At around 4:00 P.M., she sighted the freighter ''Britannic'', which was downbound with a cargo of iron ore. The vessels signaled each other, but just as they were about to pass each other, ''Britannic'' suddenly veered to port, putting her directly in ''Russia'' path. The bow of ''Russia'' sliced into ''Britannic'' hull, amidships on her starboard side. ''Britannic'' sank with the loss of one life into of water off Wyandotte, Michigan; ''Russia'' had a hole punched in her bow and was eventually repaired in Buffalo. Sometime in 1897, ''Russia'' became trapped in ice in Green Bay. She was freed by the steamer ''Algomah''. On May 13, 1897, at 5:30 A.M. while downbound, ''Russia'' ran aground on Mackinac Point in dense fog. She was freed at 3:30 P.M. on the same day by the wrecking tug ''Favorite''.

In the summer of 1900, ''Russia'' was sold to the Lake Transit Company of Duluth, Minnesota (one source states Buffalo), managed by John J. McWilliams. Her home port was changed to Duluth. In 1905/1907, ''Russia'' was sold to the Port Huron & Duluth Steamship Company of either Port Huron, Michigan, or Duluth. The company was owned and managed by Charles O. Duncan.

Final voyage

On April 29, 1909, ''Russia'' was in Alpena, Michigan, loading a cargo of 1,000 bags of cement. She was already loaded with two train cars filled with wire fencing, 1000 pairs of galoshes, barrels of various dry goods and rumoured 1909 motorcycles destined for Duluth, Minnesota. As she was loading her cargo, a steady breeze began to build. In the evening of April 29, ''Russia'' left Alpena for Duluth under the command of Captain John McLean of Port Huron, Michigan, for what was to be her first trip of the shipping season. As well as Captain McLean, there were 21 crewmen and one unidentified passenger onboard. As ''Russia'' headed out into the open lake, towards the DeTour Passage, the breeze began to strengthen. Around the time she passed Middle Island, the breeze grew into strong gale. Due to the gale and her heavy deck load, ''Russia'' began to roll severely. An eventual lull in the storm convinced Captain John to continue towards Point DeTour, instead of turning back. However, ''Russia'' cargo shifted, causing her to list to port. In order to counteract the list, ''Russia'' crew began moving the bags of cement. After about two hours of what Captain McLean described as "back-breaking labour", she righted herself. However, ''Russia'' suddenly rolled over to port, caught herself, and rolled over to starboard. The crew once again tried to counteract the list, but this time they were unsuccessful. After the fruitless efforts to counteract the list, Captain McLean ordered the crew to begin throwing the bags of cement into Lake Huron. When this effort to save ''Russia'' also failed, Captain McLean gave the order to abandon her early in the morning of April 30. The crew of 22 and the one passenger boarded the lifeboats, rowing to the DeTour Reef Light. The crew arrived back in Detroit, Michigan on May 2, 1909.

''Russia'' wreck

Discovery

For several years, ''Russia'' was sought by shipwreck hunters. Paul Ehorn of Waukegan, Illinois, spent twenty summers on Lake Huron trying to find her wreck. Although unsuccessful in finding ''Russia'', Ehorn managed to find the wreck of the schooner barge ''Celtic'', lost with all hands on November 29, 1902.

Tom Farnquist, founding member and Director Emeritus of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) had had aspirations of locating ''Russia'' for several years, saying that she had "been on his bucket list since his late teens". Over the years, he had gathered several old newspaper accounts to help him track down her wreck.

In the winter of 2018/2019, Farnquist contacted veteran ship hunters Jerry Eliason and Ken Merryman (of Cloquet, Minnesota, and Fridley, Minnesota, respectively), requesting their assistance in finding ''Russia'' wreck. Ehorn shared the GPS coordinates for the wreck of ''Celtic'' with Farnquist, helping significantly reduce the search area for ''Russia''. Farnquist, Eliason and Merryman set out to find her wreck in July 2019, beginning the search operations on July 22. On July 23, the second day of their search operations, they managed to locate the wreck of ''Russia'' in of water, just outside the boundary of the 1,440 square mile (3,700 km²) Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Ironically, ''Russia'' wreck was discovered only from where Ehorn located the wreck of ''Celtic''.

Farnquist invited technical divers John Janzen and John Scoles (of Madison, Wisconsin and Minneapolis, Minnesota respectively) to capture footage of her wreck. Archaeologists from the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources conducted sonar imaging of the wreck. The Michigan State Police were also invited to capture additional video footage of the wreck, using a Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to capture it.

''Russia'' today

The wreck of ''Russia'' rests on an even keel in of water near the De Tour Passage, mostly intact. Her wooden cabins broke away when she sank, leaving only her steel aft cabins, boiler house and galley area intact. Her mizzen mast remains in place. There are dozens of unopened wooden crates stored below her decks which are visible through the exposed cargo hatches. Her wooden stock anchors are still in place on her starboard bow. There is a large field of debris surrounding her wreck.

As the wreck of ''Russia'' rests in Michigan waters, all artefacts on board are the property of the state and as such cannot be brought to the surface without its permission.

References

Sources

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Russia, SS
1872 ships
Great Lakes ships
Shipwrecks of the Michigan coast
Shipwrecks of Lake Huron
Ships sunk with no fatalities
Maritime incidents in 1872
Maritime incidents in August 1873
Maritime incidents in September 1873
Maritime incidents in February 1874
Maritime incidents in October 1876
Maritime incidents in June 1886
Maritime incidents in 1892
Maritime incidents in 1893
Maritime incidents in 1895
Maritime incidents in 1896
Maritime incidents in 1897
Maritime incidents in 1909
2019 archaeological discoveries
Ships built in Buffalo, New York
Shipwreck discoveries by Jerry Eliason, Ken Merryman and Kraig Smith
Package freighters
Wreck diving sites in the United States
Great Lakes freighters
Chippewa County, Michigan
Ships sunk in collisions
Ships sunk in storms