SS Chester A. Congdon

48°11′36″N 88°30′52″W / 48.19333°N 88.51444°W / 48.19333; -88.51444

Chester A. Congdon in the Duluth Ship Canal
History
United States
Name	Salt Lake City (1907–1912) Chester A. Congdon (1912–1918)
Namesake	Salt Lake City, Utah (1907–1912) Chester Adgate Congdon (1912–1918)
Operator	Holmes Steamship Company (1907–1911) Acme Transit Company (1911–1912) Continental Steamship Company (1912–1918)
Port of registry	Fairport, Ohio (1907–1912) Duluth, Minnesota (1912–1918)
Builder	Chicago Shipbuilding Company, South Chicago, Illinois
Yard number	74
Launched	August 29, 1907
Maiden voyage	September 19, 1907
Out of service	November 6, 1918
Identification	US official number 204526
Fate	Sank on Lake Superior
General characteristics
Class and type	Lake freighter
Tonnage	6,530 GRT 4,843 NRT
Length	552 feet (168.2 m) LOA 532 feet (162.2 m) LBP
Beam	56.16 feet (17.1 m)
Depth	26.42 feet (8.1 m)
Installed power	Engine: 1 × 1,765 hp (1,316 kW) triple expansion steam engine Boilers: 2 × Scotch marine boilers
Propulsion	1 × fixed pitch propeller
Capacity	10,200 long tons (10,364 t)
National Register of Historic Places data Chester A. Congdon U.S. National Register of Historic Places Show map of Michigan Show map of the United States Location Congdon Shoals, northeast end of Isle Royale National Park, Michigan Coordinates 48°11′36″N 88°30′52″W / 48.19333°N 88.51444°W / 48.19333; -88.51444 Built 1907 Architect Chicago Shipbuilding Company Architectural style Freighter MPS Shipwrecks of Isle Royale National Park TR NRHP reference No. 84001716 Added to NRHP June 14, 1984

SS Chester A. Congdon (originally named Salt Lake City) was a steel-hulled American lake freighter in service between 1907 and 1918. She was built in 1907 by the Chicago Shipbuilding Company of South Chicago, Illinois, for the Holmes Steamship Company, and was intended to be used in the grain trade on the Great Lakes. She entered service on September 19, 1907, when she made her maiden voyage. In 1911, Salt Lake City was sold to the Acme Transit Company. A year later, she was transferred to the Continental Steamship Company, and was renamed Chester A. Congdon, after lawyer and entrepreneur Chester Adgate Congdon. She was involved in several accidents throughout her career.

At 2:28 a.m. (EST) on November 6, 1918, Chester A. Congdon left Fort William, Ontario, under the command of Captain Charles J. Autterson, loaded with 380,000 bushels of wheat bound for Port McNicoll, Ontario. At 4:00 a.m., shortly after leaving the shelter of Thunder Bay, Chester A. Congdon encountered a heavy storm. Captain Autterson decided to return, and anchored in Thunder Bay until 10:15 a.m. when Chester A. Congdon headed back to open water. Shortly after she passed Thunder Cape, a thick fog descended on Lake Superior. She ran aground on the southern end of Canoe Rocks, on the northeast point of Isle Royale at 13:08 p.m. The first mate travelled to Fort William to deliver the news of the grounding. On November 8, a storm halted salvage operations, and broke Chester A. Congdon in two. She was the largest financial loss on the Great Lakes up to that point.

The wreck of Chester A. Congdon is the largest shipwreck of Isle Royale. It rests mostly intact in two pieces, with the bow on the south side of the reef now known as Congdon Shoal in 60–120 feet (18.3–36.6 m) of water, and the stern on the north side in 20–210 feet (6.1–64.0 m) of water. The wreck was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 14, 1984, and has become a popular site for recreational divers.