&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:M.M._Drake_(1882).jpg) SS M.M. Drake underway
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | M.M. Drake |
| Owner | John Green, Buffalo, New York |
| Port of registry | Buffalo, New York |
| Builder | Union Dry Dock Company |
| Completed | 1882 |
| Identification | Official No. 91485 |
| Fate | Foundered off Vermilion Point in Lake Superior with her tow, schooner Michigan on 2 October 1901 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Steamer, propeller, barge |
| Tonnage | 915 GRT 762 NRT |
| Length | 201 ft (61 m) |
| Beam | 34.42 ft (10.49 m) |
| Depth | 14.5 ft (4.4 m) |
SS M.M. Drake was a wooden steam barge that towed consorts loaded with coal and iron ore on the Great Lakes. She came to the rescue of the crews of at least four foundering vessels in her 19-year career only to meet the same fate in her final rescue attempt. Drake sank in 1901 off Vermilion Point after a rescue attempt of her consort Michigan. Her rudder, anchor, and windlass were illegally removed from her wreck site in the 1980s. They are now the property of the State of Michigan. The rudder is on display as a loan to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum and the anchor and windlass are on loan for display to Whitefish Township Community Center. The wreck of Drake is protected as part of an underwater museum in the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve.