 Isaac M. Scott underway | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Isaac Merritt Scott |
| Owner | Virginia Steamship Co. |
| Port of registry |  Lorain, Ohio, United States |
| Builder | American Ship Building Company |
| Yard number | 369 |
| Launched | 12 June 1909 |
| Completed | 2 July 1909 |
| Maiden voyage | 12 July 1909 |
| In service | 12 July 1909 |
| Out of service | 11 November 1913 |
| Fate | Sunk inGreat Lakes Storm of 1913 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Great Lakes freighter |
| Tonnage | 6,372 GRT |
| Length | 504 ft (154 m) |
| Beam | 54 ft (16 m) |
| Height | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Depth | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Installed power | Triple expansion steam engine |
| Propulsion | Screw propeller |
| Crew | 28 |
SSIsaac Merritt Scott was an AmericanGreat Lakes freighter that sank during theGreat Lakes Storm of 1913 inLake Huron, 6 to 7 miles (9.7 to 11.3 km) northeast of Thunder Bay Island (45°03.920′N83°02.353′W / 45.065333°N 83.039217°W /45.065333; -83.039217), while she was traveling fromCleveland, Ohio, United States toMilwaukee,Wisconsin, United States with a cargo ofcoal.[1]
She is tied with two other vessels (Argus andCharles S. Price) for the deadliest shipwreck during theGreat Lakes Storm of 1913.
Isaac Merritt Scott was built in 1909 at the American Shipbuilding Co. shipyard inLorain, Ohio, United States andlaunched on 12 June 1909. She was completed on 2 July 1909. The vessel was named after the president of the La Belle Iron Works, serving from 12 July 1909 until her demise on 11 November 1913. The ship was 504 feet (154 m) long, with abeam of 16.5 metres (54 ft 2 in) and adraft of 9.1 metres (29 ft 10 in). The ship was assessed at 6,372 gross register tons (GRT). She had atriple-expansion steam engine driving a single screw propeller. At the time of her completion, theToledo Blade called her "One of the handsomest of the large freighters on the great lakes."[2][3]
Isaac Merritt Scott's maiden voyage was marred by tragedy. At 4:00 AM on 12 July 1909, while travelling northwest about two miles (3.2 km) off theWhitefish Point lighthouse in a dense fog,Isaac Merritt Scott rammedSS John B. Cowle.John B. Cowle sank within a few minutes, taking 14 of her 24 crewmen with her to the bottom. The survivors were picked up by theIsaac Merritt Scott and taken back to port.Isaac Merritt Scott suffered damage to about 25 plates, which cost $30,000 in repairs.
In March 1910, the Virginia Steamship Company settled claims filed by relatives of men lost in the sinking ofJohn B. Cowle in the amount of $20,000. Following an investigation and hearings, the United States Steamboat Inspectors at Marquette suspended Captain Rogers ofJohn B. Cowle, as well as its pilot, Edward E. Carlton, for 30 days. They further ruled that both ships had been sailing too fast for the weather conditions, and thatJohn B. Cowle had failed to signal properly. F. W. Wertheimer, who had been pilotingIsaac Merritt Scott that day, was subsequently beached for one year.[4]
In the pre-dawn hours of 9 November 1913,Isaac Merritt Scott, loaded with a cargo of coal worth $22,000 bound forMilwaukee,Wisconsin, United States, left Port Huron,Cleveland, Ohio, United States for the last time. She was one of several big freighters that passed out of theSt. Clair River intoLake Huron and straight into the path of the deadliest storm in theGreat Lakes history. Captain A. McArthur had beenmaster ofIsaac Merritt Scott since her maiden voyage back in 1909 and sailed with 27 other men onIsaac Merritt Scott's last voyage.
On 9 November 1913 at around 10:30 a.m.H. B. Hawgood was running before the storm when they spottedIsaac Merritt Scott, still heading north and making heavy weather of it, off Tawas Point,Michigan, just hours before the brunt of the storm struck. When communication was restored and newspapers began carrying accounts of the stormIsaac Merritt Scott was only listed as missing. The body of Captain McArthur washed up atSouthampton, Ontario, Canada on 11 December 1913, still wearing hislife preserver. One of herlifeboats was found 23 miles (37 km) north of theChantrey Island lighthouse, off Southampton, Ontario. All 28 crew members perished in the disaster.[5]
The sinking ofIsaac Merritt Scott resulted in increased efforts by theU.S. Weather Bureau toward better weather forecasting and more rapid communication of storm warnings.
Isaac Merritt Scott was one of twelve vessels lost during theGreat Lakes Storm of 1913. A storm described in the bookLore of the Lakes, as "The most disastrous that has ever swept our Great Lakes, both from loss of life and property, this unprecedented." The storm of heavy snow, bitter cold winds and frighteningly high waves took the lives of an estimated 235 mariners, 178 of whom were lost on Lake Huron alone.
TheIsaac Merritt Scott was almost identical to the S.S. Charles S. Price, another vessel lost in the great storm of 1913.[6]
Isaac Merritt Scott remained missing for 63 years. Located by divers in 1976 about six miles (9.7 km) off Northpoint,Michigan, she rests upside down and is half buried in mud under 55 metres (180 ft 5 in) of water with her nose still pointed into the storm. The wreck contains evidence that it was likely swamped by a largerogue wave resulting in the ship rolling over and sinking almost instantly. Her final resting place is now part of the 448 square miles (1,160 km2)Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve. The wreck lies at (45°03.920′N83°02.353′W / 45.065333°N 83.039217°W /45.065333; -83.039217).
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1913 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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