44°51′3.59″N 80°52′7.96″W / 44.8509972°N 80.8688778°W
 Macassa before she was rebuilt in 1905
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} Canada | |
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Port of registry | Hamilton, Ontario |
| Ordered | 1887 |
| Builder | William Hamilton & Company of Port Glasgow, Scotland |
| Yard number | 64 |
| In service | May 2, 1888 |
| Out of service | September 15, 1928 |
| Identification | Canadian official number 93932 |
| Fate | Sank in a storm on Lake Huron |
| Wreck discovered | June 30, 2018 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Passenger and package freighter |
| Tonnage | |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 24.1 feet (7.3 m) |
| Depth | 16.3 feet (5.0 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 × fixed pitch propellers |
| Speed | 18 knots (20.7 mph) |
| Capacity | 1,500 long tons (1,524 t) (post 1905) |
SS Manasoo (originally named Macassa) was a steel-hulled Canadian passenger and package freighter in service between 1888 and 1928. She was built in 1888 in Port Glasgow, Scotland, by William Hamilton & Company for the Hamilton Steamboat Company of Hamilton, Ontario, who used her as a passenger transport between Hamilton and Toronto, Ontario. Macassa was lengthened in Collingwood, Ontario, in 1905. She was sold twice before being sold to the Owen Sound Transportation Company, Ltd., and was rebuilt and renamed Manasoo; after the sale, she mainly operated between Sault Ste. Marie and Owen Sound, Ontario.
After a lucrative shipping season in 1928, Manasoo was open to take on special commissions. On September 14, she left the Manitoulin Island port of Manitowaning, Ontario, under the command of Captain John McKay. There were nineteen crewmen, two passengers, 115 cows and one bull on board. By the time Manasoo had cleared the North Channel of Lake Huron, a sizeable storm had developed. By 2:00 a.m. the next day, Manasoo had begun to list to port. Despite efforts to correct it, the list worsened. As she was off Griffith Island, Manasoo rolled over and sank. Five crewmen and one passenger climbed onto a life raft; one of the crew later died of exposure, while the rest were rescued by the steamer Manitoba. Sixteen people died in the wreck.
The location of Manasoo's wreck was unknown for nearly 90 years, until it was found on June 30, 2018, by Jerry Eliason and Ken Merryman of Minnesota, and Cris Kohl of Windsor, Ontario. The wreck rests intact in 210 feet (64.0 m) of water, with its stern embedded in the lake bottom.