SS Eastland

SS Eastland in Cleveland (1911)
SS Eastland in Cleveland, Ohio (1911)
History
United States
NameEastland
OwnerMichigan Steamship Company
RouteSouth Haven, Michigan – Chicago, Illinois
OrderedOctober 1902
BuilderJenks Ship Building Company
LaunchedMay 6, 1903; 121 years ago (1903-05-06)
ChristenedMay 1903 by Francis Elizabeth Stufflebeam
Maiden voyage16 July 1903
Nickname(s)"Speed queen of the Great Lakes"
Honors and
awards
  • 1903 First Team All Boat
  • 1903 Boat of the Year
FateSold during 1905 to the Michigan Transportation Company
United States
NameEastland
OwnerMichigan Transportation Company
OperatorChicago-South Haven Line
RouteSouth Haven – Chicago route
FateSold 5 August 1906, to the Lake Shore Navigation Company of Cleveland, Ohio
United States
NameEastland
OwnerLake Shore Navigation Company of Cleveland, Ohio
RouteCleveland-Cedar Point route
FateSold during 1909 to the Eastland Navigation Company of Cleveland, Ohio
United States
NameEastland
OwnerEastland Navigation Company of Cleveland, Ohio
RouteCleveland-Cedar Point route
FateSold on 1 June 1914 to the St. Joseph-Chicago Steamship Company of St. Joseph, Michigan.
United States
NameEastland
OwnerSt. Joseph-Chicago Steamship Company of St. Joseph, Michigan
RouteSt. Joseph, Michigan, to Chicago route
FateRaised after accident in October 1915 and sold at auction on 20 December 1915 to Captain Edward A. Evers, sold on 21 November 1917 to the Illinois Naval Reserve.
United States Navy
NameUSS Wilmette
Acquired21 November 1917
Commissioned20 September 1918
Recommissioned
  • 29 June 1920
  • 9 April 1945
Decommissioned
  • 9 July 1919
  • 15 February 1940
  • 28 November 1945
RenamedWilmette on 20 February 1918
Reclassified
  • Gunboat 1918
  • IX-29 on 17 February 1941
Stricken19 December 1945
Honors and
awards
FateSold for scrap on 31 October 1946 to Hyman Michaels Company of Chicago and scrapped, scrapping completed in 1947
General characteristics
TypePassenger Ship
Tonnage1,961 gross
Displacement2,600 (estimated)
Length265 ft (81 m)
Beam38 ft 2 in (11.63 m)
Draft19 ft 6 in (5.94 m)
Installed power
PropulsionTwo shafts
Speed16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph)
CapacityAs Eastland: 2,752 passengers
ComplementAs USS Wilmette: 209
Armament
  • As USS Wilmette:
  • Four 4-inch guns
  • Two 3-inch guns
  • Two 1-pounder guns
Notes
  • Two funnels
  • Two masts

SS Eastland was a passenger ship based in Chicago and used for tours. On 24 July 1915, the ship rolled over onto its side while tied to a dock in the Chicago River.[1] In total, 844 passengers and crew were killed in what was the largest loss of life from a single shipwreck on the Great Lakes.[1][2]

After the disaster, Eastland was salvaged and sold to the United States Navy. After restorations and modifications, Eastland was designated a gunboat and renamed USS Wilmette. She was used primarily as a training vessel on the Great Lakes, and was scrapped after World War II.

  1. ^ a b "The Eastland". Eastland Memorial Society. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
  2. ^ Baillod, Brendon. "Introduction". The Wreck of the Steamer Lady Elgin. Archived from the original on 27 July 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2009.