45°28′59″N83°28′25″W / 45.483017°N 83.473663°W /45.483017; -83.473663
 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
.svg) United States | |
| Name | Etruria |
| Operator | Hawgood Transit Company[2] |
| Port of registry | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Builder | West Bay City Shipbuilding Company[2] |
| Yard number | 604[2] |
| Launched | February 8, 1902[3][1] |
| In service | 1902[2] |
| Out of service | June 18, 1905[2] |
| Identification | U.S. Registry #136977[2] |
| Fate | Rammed by the steamerAmasa Stone onLake Huron[2] |
| Wreck discovered | May 17, 2011 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Lake freighter |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | |
| Beam | 50 feet (15 m)[2] |
| Depth | 28 feet (8.5 m)[2] |
| Installed power | 2 ×Scotch marine boilers |
| Propulsion | 1500-horsepowertriple expansion steam engine |
| Capacity | 7000 tons |
| Notes | Largest ship lost on the Great Lakes at the time of sinking |
SSEtruria was a steel hulledlake freighter that served on theGreat Lakes ofNorth America from her construction in 1902 to her sinking in 1905. On June 18, 1905, while sailing upbound onLake Huron with a cargo ofcoal, she was rammed and sunk by the freighterAmasa Stone 10 miles (16 km) offPresque Isle Light.[2] For nearly 106 years the location ofEtruria's wreck remained unknown, until the spring of 2011 when her wreck was found upside down in 310 feet (94 m) of water.[4]
Etruria was named after the famousCunard Line ocean liner,RMSEtruria.Etruria was built by theWest Bay City Shipbuilding Company inWest Bay City, Michigan for the Hawgood Transit Company ofCleveland, Ohio. She had anoverall length of 434 feet (132 m), and abetween perpendiculars length of 414 feet (126 m).[3] Her beam was 50 feet (15 m) wide, and in her original enrollment, her depth was listed as 24 feet (7.3 m); also, in her original enrollment, hergross register tonnage was listed at 4744 tons and hernet register tonnage was listed at 4439 tons.[2][4][5] She was powered by a 1500-horsepowertriple expansion steam engine, which was fueled by twoScotch marine boilers. She had a cargo capacity of 7000 tons. She was also built with a single deck, and twelve cargo hatches.[1][3][6]
Etruria was the first of four identical sister ships built for the Hawgood Transit Company. Her sisters were (in order of construction),Bransford,J.M. Jenks andH.B. Hawgood.[7][8][9][10]
Etruria was launched on February 8, 1902 as hull number #604.[1][3] She was enrolled for the first time on April 12, 1905 inPort Huron, Michigan, and was given the official number #136977. On April 15, 1902Etruria was re-enrolled in Cleveland, Ohio. On March 25, 1903 an error inEtruria's enrollment was corrected; her depth was corrected from 24 feet (7.3 m) to 28 feet (8.5 m); and her gross tonnage was corrected from 4744 tons to 4653 tons, and her net tonnage was corrected from 4439 tons to 3415 tons.[3][5][2]
On June 18, 1905 while upbound with a cargo of coal fromToledo, Ohio, heading toSuperior, Wisconsin,Etruria was rammed by the larger steel freighterAmasa Stone on her starboard side, abreast of her No.9 hatch.[2][11][12] After just five minutes,Etruria rolled over and sank about 10 miles (16 km) offPresque Isle Light; her entire crew was rescued by the steamerMaritana.[3][1][6][4]
At the time of her sinking,Etruria was the largest freighter ever to have sunk on the Great Lakes.[1]
Etruria's enrollment surrendered on June 30, 1905.[2][3]
Shortly afterEtruria's sinking, the Hawgood Transit Company and the Mesaba Steamship Company (owners ofAmasa Stone) filed several lawsuits against each other for the damage done to their respective vessels. TheUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit rendered a final judgement on June 15, 1908.[1] A brief by the Hawgood Transit Company stated that:
The steamerEtruria was laden with 7,000 net tons of coal loaded on Lake Erie and destined forLake Michigan ports. At all times theEtruria was properly crewed and fully manned.[1] About 01:00 hours on June 18, 1905, the hazy night turned to rain and fog set in, and theEtruria proceeded at a moderate pace, sounding her fog signal regularly.[1] About 03:35 hours that morning on a proper course headed for theStraits of Mackinac, theEtruria heard the fog signals of a steamer, which proved to be theAmasa Stone.[1] It sounded a long distance from theEtruria and was distinctly to her starboard. At this point, theEtruria blew a two-blast signal but theStone didn’t reply with the same passing signal, and theEtruria slowed to bare steerage, stopped her engine completely and shortly thereafter, without warning or signal, theStone came out of the fog at full speed. TheStone struck theEtruria a heavy blow on her starboard side abreast hatch No.9, breaking in her side.[1] TheEtruria began to list and sank at once, meanwhile blowing distress signals. TheEtruria launched its lifeboats just in time to see the steamer roll over. As it turned upside down, the hatches gave way, and the coal cargo spilled out before the sinking ship. TheAmasa Stone then departed the scene without rendering assistance. The steamerMaritana was upbound in the vicinity and picked up the crew, landing them atDetour and at theSault.[1]
The lawsuit stated thatEtruria had a value of $265,000, her cargo had a value of $13,460.70 and the crew's effects had a value of $3,029.11; in total,Etruria was a $281,489.81 loss. The suit further stated that the collision was "due solely to the negligence and want of care on the part ofAmasa Stone and those in charge of navigation".[1]Amasa Stone was found to be guilty of the following actions:[1]
Lawyers for the Mesaba Steamship Company concluded thatEtruria was not travelling at a slow speed, but at a fast one and that her navigational officers were guilty of inattention.[1] They also concluded thatAmasa Stone did not leave the scene following the collision, but that she turned round, and tried to offer assistance, butEtruria's crew took to the lifeboats, and rowed off in the opposite direction.[1] When both sides made their argument,JudgeHenry Harrison Swan ruled inDetroit, Michigan that both vessels were equally at fault, and that insurance proceeds were the only means of recouping each vessel's loss.[1][13][14]
In 2011 a group consisting of expert shipwreck hunters and high school students fromSaginaw, Michigan tried to locate the long sought-after semi-whaleback steamerChoctaw.[1] Their search effort was made into a documentary named "Project Shiphunt", which was sponsored bySony andIntel.[15][1][16] On May 17, 2011 they discovered two shipwrecks,Etruria and the schoonerM.F. Merrick which sank in 1889 after a collision with the steamerR.P. Ranney.[17][18][1][16]
The remains ofEtruria rest in 310 feet (94 m) of cold fresh water. The wreck is upside down, with 405 feet (123 m) of her hull exposed, with a portion of her stern being buried.[1] Her bow is raised above the sediment by several feet allowing access to her intact pilot house and forward deck house area and first cargo hatch.[1] Her forward ladder is in place running to the port side bridge wing, which is buried in sediment. Her twostocklessanchors are still intact at her bow. Discovery of the wrecks was made public on July 13, 2011.[16][1] Her wreck is part of theThunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
On September 19, 2014 the wreck ofEtruria was nominated for a listing on theNational Register of Historic Places, for her state level significance.[1][19] Her listing was denied; had she been listed, she would have been given the reference number #14001009.[20][21][22]
