47°05′10″N85°43′17″W / 47.086167°N 85.721500°W /47.086167; -85.721500
 129 loadingcoalc. 1895[1] | |
| History | |
|---|---|
.svg) United States | |
| Name | 129 |
| Namesake | Her hull number |
| Owner |
|
| Port of registry | Duluth, Minnesota, United States |
| Builder | American Steel Barge Company ofSuperior, Wisconsin |
| Yard number | 129 |
| Laid down | December 5, 1892 |
| Launched | May 13, 1893 |
| In service | May 22, 1893 |
| Out of service | October 13, 1902 |
| Identification | Registry number US 53276 |
| Fate | Sank onLake Superior after a collision |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Whaleback barge |
| Tonnage |
|
| Length | |
| Beam | 36 feet (11.0 m) |
| Depth | 22 feet (6.7 m) |
| Propulsion | Towed by a steamship |
129 (also known asBarge 129, orNo.129) was an Americanwhaleback barge in service between 1893 and 1902. She was built between December 1892 and May 1893, inSuperior, Wisconsin, (or West Superior, Wisconsin), byAlexander McDougall'sAmerican Steel Barge Company, for McDougall's fleet of the same name, based inBuffalo, New York. She was one of a class of distinctive and experimental ships designed and built by McDougall. The whalebacks were designed to be more stable in high seas. They had rounded decks, and lacked the normal straight sides seen on traditionallake freighters.129 entered service on May 22, hauling wheat from Superior. She was sold to the Bessemer Steamship Company ofCleveland, Ohio, in 1900. In 1901, she became owned by thePittsburgh Steamship Company ofDuluth, Minnesota, when the Bessemer fleet merged into it.
On October 13, 1902,129 wasdownbound, loaded withiron ore, in tow of thebulk freighterMaunaloa. The two vessels encountered rough seas while about 30 miles (48.3 km) northwest ofVermilion Point.129 broke away,Maunaloa turned around, and attempted to retrieve129. However, the heavy seas pushedMaunaloa against129; her port anchor sliced into129's starboard side.129 took on water and sank fast. All of her crew were rescued byMaunaloa.
In October 2022, theGreat Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society announced the discovery of129's wreck, which was found in 35 miles (56.3 km) off Vermilion Point in 650 feet (198.1 m) of water.
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129 was a whaleback, an innovative but unpopular ship design of the late 1880s, designed byAlexander McDougall. A Scottish immigrant,Great Lakescaptain, inventor and entrepreneur, McDougall developed the idea of the whaleback as a way to improve the ability ofbarges to follow a towing vessel in heavy seas.[2][3] Whalebacks were characterized by distinctivehull shapes with rounded tops, lacking conventional vertical sides, andconoidal ends.[4] Their rounded hulls enabled water to easily slide off their decks, minimising friction, and letting them sail quickly and smoothly through the water.[2] Their superstructure was located onturrets mounted on the main deck.[4] The rounded contours of whalebacks gave them an unconventional appearance,[2] and McDougall's ship and barge designs were received with considerable skepticism, resistance, and derision.[2][5] As they had porcine-looking snouts for bows, some observers called them "pig boats".[5][6]
After McDougall was unable to persuade existing shipbuilders to try his designs, he founded the American Steel Barge Company inSuperior, Wisconsin in 1888 and built them himself. McDougall actively promoted his design and company by sending the steamerCharles W. Wetmore toLondon and starting another shipyard inEverett, Washington, which built the steamerCity of Everett.[7] Despite McDougall's further efforts to promote the design with theexcursion linerChristopher Columbus, whalebacks never caught on, with only 44 of them being built.[2][3][8]
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129 (also known asBarge 129[9] orNo.129[10]) was constructed between 1892 and 1893 in Superior, Wisconsin, (or West Superior, Wisconsin[1][9][11]), by theAmerican Steel Barge Company.[12][13] Her first hull frames were laid down on December 5, 1892. She was launched on May 13, 1893.[11]129 was the first of six identical whaleback barges launched in spring and summer of 1893.129 and hersister ships (130,[14]131,[15]132,[16]133[17] and134[18]) were the only whalebacks built by the American Steel Barge Company in 1893.[19] She had anoverall length 306 feet (93.3 m)[11] (292 feet (89.0 m)between perpendiculars[11]), a beam of 36 feet (11.0 m) and a depth of 22 feet (6.7 m).[12] She had agross tonnage of 1,310 (or 1,311[13]) tons and anet tonnage of 1,265 (or 1,266[13]) tons.[10][11][12] She was anunrigged barge and was towed by a steam-powered ship.[13]
129 was built by the American Steel Barge Company for the fleet of the same name based inBuffalo, New York.[12][20] She was given a temporaryenrollment inMarquette, Michigan on May 12, 1893, and was given the USofficial number 53276. She received a permanent enrollment on June 3 in Buffalo, her home port.[11][12]129 entered service on May 22, carrying wheat from Superior, Wisconsin.[11]
129 had no recountable incidents during her career.[20] In 1895, management of the American Steel Barge Company fleet was taken over byPickands Mather & Company ofCleveland, Ohio.[9] In 1900,129 and the entire American Steel Barge Company fleet was sold to the Bessemer Steamship Company of Cleveland. When sold,129's home port was changed toDuluth, Minnesota.[1][11][12]129 and the Bessemer Steamship Company fleet merged into thePittsburgh Steamship Company of Duluth, managed byAugustus B. Wolvin.[1][11][12]
On October 13, 1902, while in tow of the 452 feet (137.8 m) steelbulk freighterMaunaloa,129 wasdownbound, with 2,300 tons ofiron ore in her cargo hold.[1][10][11][13]Maunaloa and129 encountered rough seas while about 30 miles (48.3 km) northwest of Vermilion Point onLake Superior.[1][9][10][11] In the gale, the towline between129 andMaunaloa was severed.[1][9][10][11]Maunaloa turned around and attempted to retrieve129. However, the heavy seas pushedMaunaloa against129; her port anchor sliced into129's starboard side.[1][9][11]129 took on water quickly and rapidly sank. There was no loss of life, as Captain Bailey and his crew were picked up byMaunaloa.[1][9][11]Maunaloa sustained no major damage in the collision.[9]129 was a total loss, being valued at $60,000, while her cargo was valued at $10,000.[9][10] Her enrollment surrendered on March 25, 1903, in Duluth, Minnesota.[9][11] She was the fourth whaleback to be lost on the Great Lakes.[8][A]
On October 12, 2022, theGreat Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society announced that after a lengthy search, they had located129's wreck 35 miles (56.3 km) offVermilion Point in 650 feet (198.1 m) of water.[21][22][23]129, one of eight wrecks located in 2021 by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society usingside-scan sonar, was positively identified in August 2022.[24] She was the last whaleback lost on the Great Lakes to be located.[23][25] The wreck is in four to five large pieces, with several smaller pieces of wreckage also scattered on the lake bottom.[21]129 hit the bottom with such force that her bow sheared off, while the rest of her hull folded in on itself in the middle.[25] The tow line is still attached at the bow.[24] Darryl Ertel Jr., director of marine operations at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society described her wreck: "It's totally destroyed on the bottom. It's nowhere near intact. It's at least four to five big pieces and thousands of little pieces. It's just disintegrated."[21][22]129's wreck was explored during the summer of 2022 using aremotely operated vehicle.[24] Maritime historian and author Cris Kohl had previously described her as one of the "100 most hunted Great Lakes shipwrecks".[26]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1902 | |
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