The SS ''William B. Davock'' was a

lake freighter Lake freighters, or lakers, are bulk carrier vessels that operate on the Great Lakes of North America. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. Since the late 19th century, lakers have carried bulk cargoes of ma ...

that was constructed in 1907 by Great Lakes Engineering Works, at their St. Clair, Michigan facility for the Vulcan Steamship Co. (R.H. Pigott, Mgr.). She was operated by Vulcan Steamship from 1907 to 1915 in the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five la ...

coal, iron ore, grain and stone trades. In 1915 the ship came under the management of the Interlake Steamship Co. (Pickands Mather & Co., Mgrs.). While laid up for the winter (1922–23) in

Fairport, Ohio Fairport Harbor is a village in Lake County, Ohio, United States, along Lake Erie at the mouth of the Grand River. The population was 3,109 at the 2010 census. Fairport Harbor is home to two lighthouses: the Fairport Harbor West Breakwater ...

, she was reconstructed and updated; this work changed her tonnage to 4220 gross and 2671 net. The ''Davock'' resumed its traditional trade pattern of coal carried to ports in the upper lakes from

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has t ...

and iron ore carried from

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh w ...

ports to the steel mills of Lake Erie and

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 ...

. This routine was permanently disrupted on November 11, 1940 as a ferocious storm swept the lakes late on that Monday afternoon. Considered to be the worst storm to that point on Lake Michigan, it saw 75 mph winds and rain turning to snow. Several vessels transiting Lake Michigan were caught with little warning. The ''Davock'', making her way down the lake with coal for Chicago, was presumably overwhelmed at the height of the storm, succumbing to the intense wind and waves and slipping to her final resting place about 200 feet below the surface five miles out from Little Sable Point between

Ludington, Michigan Ludington ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Mason County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,076. Ludington is a harbor town located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Pere Marquette Riv ...

and

Pentwater, Michigan Pentwater is a village in Oceana County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 857 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Pentwater Township. Pentwater is home to Mears State Park. The name Pentwater comes from Pent or Pe ...

. None of the 32 (some sources cite 33) hands survived. In total the storm took two vessels and their entire crews (''Davock'' and Kinsman steamer ''Anna C. Minch''). Several other vessels were damaged or ran aground trying to escape the storm's fury. Overall estimates state 59 sailors were lost in what would be the worst maritime disaster on the Great Lakes since the Great Storm of 1913. Early in 2015,

Michigan Shipwreck Research Association Michigan Shipwreck Research Association (MSRA) is an American non-profit corporation based in Holland, Michigan. Formed in 2001 by the former directors of the committee which originally established the Southwest Michigan Underwater Preserve, the ...

, a 501(c)3 non-profit based in Holland, Michigan, announced the results of a 2014 survey of the wreck which revealed the cause of the ''William B. Davock''s loss was a broken rudder, which jammed against the propeller breaking off one or more blades, rendering the vessel without steering or propulsion. This allowed the boat to fall into the trough of the waves, where it was swamped and perhaps capsized before sinking. It sank in more than 200 feet of water, taking all hands with it. Diver Jeff Vos captured video images of the wreck showing the damaged rudder and propeller.

The ''Davock'' today

The sunken hull of the ''Davock'' was discovered in May 1972, capsized in over 200 feet (60m) of water, off

Little Sable Point Light The Little Sable Point Light is a lighthouse located south of Pentwater in the lower peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the southwest corner of Golden Township, just south of Silver Lake State Park. The lighthouse was designed ...

, not far from the wreck of the SS ''Anna C. Minch'', which went down in the same storm, also with all hands. The light is located south of

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:William B. Davock 1907 ships Great Lakes freighters Maritime incidents in November 1940 Ships lost with all hands Shipwrecks of Lake Michigan Ships built in St. Clair, Michigan Wreck diving sites in the United States