47°26′37″N88°23′36″W / 47.443683°N 88.393383°W /47.443683; -88.393383
 SSHudson | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Hudson |
| Operator | Western Transit Company[1] |
| Port of registry |  United States,Buffalo, New York |
| Builder | Detroit Dry Dock Company[1] |
| Yard number | 82[1] |
| Launched | November 16/17, 1887[2][3] |
| In service | 1888[1] |
| Out of service | September 16, 1901[1] |
| Identification | U.S. Registry #95953[1] |
| Fate | Lost with all hands onLake Superior |
| Wreck discovered | July 2019 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 288 ft (88 m)[1] |
| Beam | 41 ft (12 m)[1] |
| Depth | 22.58 ft (6.88 m)[1] |
| Installed power | 2 ×Scotch marine boilers[2] |
| Propulsion | 1,300 hp (970 kW)triple expansion steam engine[2] |
| Crew | 25 (some sources state 24)[2][1] |
SSHudson was a steel-hulled package freighter that served on theGreat Lakes from her construction in 1887 to her sinking in 1901. On September 16, 1901, while heading acrossLake Superior with a cargo ofwheat andflax, she ran into a storm and sank with the loss of all 25 crew offEagle Harbor, Michigan (located on theKeweenaw Peninsula). For nearly 118 years the location ofHudson's wreck remained unknown, until in July 2019 her wreck was found in 825 feet (251 m) of water, completely intact.[4][5]
In all likelihood, she is the second deepest shipwreck on the Great Lakes, behind the bulk freighterScotiadoc (discovered in 2013 at a depth of 870 feet [270 m]), and tied with thecomposite bulk freighterS.R. Kirby (discovered in 2018).[4]
Hudson (Official number 95953) was designed byFrank E. Kirby and was built in 1888 by theDetroit Dry Dock Company ofWyandotte, Michigan. She waslaunched on November 16/17, 1887 ashull number 82. She cost $275,000 to build.[2][6][3]
Her steel (some sources state iron) hull was 288 feet (88 m) long, 41 feet (12 m) wide and 22.58 feet (6.88 m) deep. She had agross register tonnage of 2294.14 tons, anet register tonnage of 1853.37 tons and a cargo capacity of 2,650 tons.[1][2][6]
The ship was equipped with an 80rpm 1,300-horsepower (970 kW)triple expansion steam engine with pistons which had bores of 23 inches (58 cm), 36 inches (91 cm) and 62 inches (160 cm) and a stroke of 48 inches (120 cm). The engine was powered by steam provided by two 11.6 feet (3.5 m) by 18 feet (5.5 m)Scotch marine boilers, which had a working pressure of 160psi; both the engine and the boilers were built by the Detroit Engine Works ofDetroit, Michigan. She was equipped with a single fixed pitch propeller with a diameter of 13.6 feet (4.1 m). She had an identicalsister ship namedHarlem.[1][2][6][7]
Hudson was built for the Western Transit Company (a subsidiary of theNew York Central Railway Company) ofBuffalo, New York. On May 9, 1888 she was enrolled in Detroit, but on May 15, 1888 she wasre-registered to Buffalo.[1][2][6][8]
On October 24, 1890, while inDuluth, Minnesota,Hudson collided with the wooden steam bargeCity of Nicolet, sending her to the bottom of Lake Superior.[2][9]
On September 15, 1901,Hudson left Duluth under the command of Captain Angus J. McDonald, with a cargo ofwheat andflax bound for Buffalo. Around the time she passed theApostle Islands, a storm had kicked up. On the morning of September 16, 1901, several lighthouse keepers inEagle River, Michigan reported seeingHudson dead in the water inlisting badly. Eventually, she rolled over and sank, taking the lives of all 25 (some sources state 24) crew members.[4][5][1][2][10]
One report after the sinking stated that the identity of the ship was a mystery, and it was believed that another ship sighted in the area may have rescued the crew ofHudson. Another report stated that due to the lack of wreckage, the sinking ofHudson was "probably a mistake". But on September 20, 1901, a fishing boat found two masts, one painted black and the other yellow, which matched the colour ofHudson's masts. Over the next few days, much more wreckage, and a few bodies fromHudson came ashore.[4][11]
After her sinking, it was speculated that her cargo shifted, causing her to roll over and leading to her sinking. It was also believed that she may have had engine trouble, which could also have contributed to her sinking.[4]
At the time of her loss,Hudson was valued at $180,000.[1]
In mid-2019, Jerry Eliason ofCloquet, Minnesota and Kraig Smith ofRice Lake, Wisconsin were searching for the wrecks ofHudson, the paddle steamerSunbeam and the composite bulk freighterS.R. Kirby, which had already been found by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) in June 2018, but had not yet been made public. Eventually, Eliason and Smith found a likely looking target in over 800 feet (240 m) of water about 4 miles (6.4 km) offEagle Harbor, Michigan. In mid-July, they set out to the target . When they were above the wreck, they dropped a camera attached to a 1,000 feet (300 m) cable. After passing over the wreck a few times, the camera picked up the letters HUD on the vessel's stern, confirming that the wreck wasHudson.[4][5][12] Discovery of her wreck was made public in September 2019.[4][13]
The wreck of theHudson rests in 825 feet (251 m) of water, with her hull completely intact. Her bow is buried in the lake bottom, with her stern rising about 20 feet (6.1 m) from the bottom. All that remains is her steel hull, because when she sank, her cabins broke free and floated away. Due to the depth of her wreck, she is almost impossible fordivers to explore. Eliason reported thatHudson andS.R. Kirby, both resting at the same depth, are likely the second deepest shipwrecks ever located on the Great Lakes, after the freighterScotiadoc which rests in 870 feet (270 m) of water near theSleeping Giant.[4]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1901 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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