 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
.svg) Canada | |
| Name | Cumberland |
| Operator | Toronto and Lake Superior Navigation Company |
| Builder | Melanchthan & Simpson |
| Launched | August 8, 1871 |
| Fate | Sank 1877 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Side paddlewheeler |
| Tonnage | 750 tons gross |
| Length | 214 feet |
| Beam | 28 feet |
| Draft | 10.5 feet |
| Installed power | 400HP |
| Propulsion | walking beam engine |
CUMBERLAND | |
   | |
| Location | NearRock of Ages Light,Isle Royale National Park,Michigan[2] |
| Coordinates | 47°51.465′N89°19.650′W / 47.857750°N 89.327500°W /47.857750; -89.327500 |
| Area | 206.6 acres (83.6 ha) |
| Built | 1871 |
| Architect | Melanchthan & Simpson |
| Architectural style | Side paddlewheeler |
| MPS | Shipwrecks of Isle Royale National Park TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 84001732[1] |
| Added to NRHP | June 14, 1984 |
TheCumberland was a wooden-hulled side paddlewheeler built in 1871; it was wrecked off the shore ofIsle Royale inLake Superior in 1877 and the remains are still on the lake bottom. The wreck was placed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1984.[1]
TheCumberland was constructed in 1871 by Melanchthan & Simpson ofPort Robinson, Ontario[3] for Perry & Company, aToronto steamship line.[4] The ship was launched on August 8, 1871.[5] TheCumberland's design was typical of the sidewheel steamers built forGreat Lakes travel in the 1840s-1880s.[5] It was a wooden-hulled, sidewheel paddleboat,[6] 208 feet in length at the keel and 214 feet in length total.[5] The ship had a beam of 28 feet (48 feet overall), a draft of 10 feet 6 inches, and measured 750 tons gross.[5] The ship was powered by a 400HPwalking beam engine with a single boiler and possessed paddlewheels 30 feet in diameter.[3][5]
TheCumberland was built forNorthern Railway of Canada, the parent company of the Toronto and Lake Superior Navigation Company, to run betweenDuluth, Minnesota andCollingwood orOwen Sound, Ontario,[3] and was named For Fred W. Cumberland, Northern Railway's general manager.[5] The ship first saw service in May 1871.[5]
During its service, theCumberland was involved in a number of serious incidents. In November 1872, the ship was frozen in the ice in theSt. Mary's River; most of the crew trekked on foot from the ship toCollingwood, Ontario; leaving a few crewmembers and passengers on the vessel.[5] The fate of those left aboard is not known, but it is likely the ship overwintered in the ice.[5] In November 1874, theCumberland was caught in a storm on its way toThunder Bay.[5]Caulking of the ship's hull came loose in several areas, and it began to take on water.[5] To lighten the load, livestock on the deck was thrown overboard.[5] The ship made it to port with six feet of water in the hold and promptly sank.[5] In November 1875, theCumberland was again caught in a storm, and was grounded nearSilver Islet, Ontario.[5] Luckily, there was little damage from this incident, and cargo and passengers soon arrived safely in Thunder Bay.[5] In September 1876, the ship ran aground again, this time at Owen Sound.[5]
In July 1877, theCumberland was grounded for three days on a sand bar in the harbor atNipigon.[5] It arrived in Thunder Bay on July 24, three days behind schedule, and probably left the same day.[5] However, once out of port, she began taking on water.[5] The day was clear and dry, and passengers were transferred to another vessel.[5] On July 25, 1877,[6][7] the ship struck a reef near theRock of Ages Light.[8] The bow section of the ship was stuck on solid aground.[5] Other ships attempted to free theCumberland, but she was stuck fast.[3]
Salvage operations began, with a number of tugs and other vessels attempting to save the ship.[5] However, the wreck was rapidly deteriorating, and by August 12 salvage operations were given up.[3] The ship broke apart entirely on August 18;[7] sections remained visible for several weeks,[5] but the ship was completely submerged by early September.[3]
Large portions of the ship remain in 20 to 80 feet of water, including the wooden hull, side-wheel, and boiler.[8] However, most of the superstructure is missing, as well as nearly all of the engine.[5] The wreckage of theCumberland is intermingled with some portions of the hull of theHenry Chisholm, which sank later in 1898,[8] and not far from the remains of theGeorge M. Cox.[5] Approximately 40 dives were made to theCumberland in 2009 out of 1,062 dives made to wrecks in theIsle Royale National Park.[9] The ship is significant as the only known example of this size, style, and age of ship available in Lake Superior as a shipwreck.[6]
