 Sir William Siemens c. 1904
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} United States | |
| Name |
|
| Namesake | Carl Wilhelm Siemens |
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry | Duluth, Minnesota |
| Builder | Globe Iron Works Company, Cleveland, Ohio |
| Yard number | 67 |
| Launched | July 25, 1896 |
| Completed | July 15, 1896 |
| Maiden voyage | August 25, 1896 |
| Out of service | April 27, 1944 |
| Identification | US official number 116732 |
| Fate | Sank in a collision on Lake Erie |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Lake freighter |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | |
| Beam | 48 ft (14.6 m) |
| Depth | 28 ft (8.5 m) (moulded) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 1 × fixed pitch propeller |
| Capacity | 6,000 long tons (6,096 t) |
SS Sir William Siemens was a steel-hulled American lake freighter in service between 1896 and 1944. Built in 1896 by the Globe Iron Works Company of Cleveland for John D. Rockefeller's Bessemer Steamship Company, she was the third of three 432 ft-long (131.7 m) lake freighters, each of which shared the unofficial title of Queen of the Lakes due to their record-breaking length.
Built for use in the iron ore trade, she made her maiden voyage on August 25, 1896. In 1901, the Bessemer fleet merged into the Pittsburgh Steamship Company. Sir William Siemens was sold to the J. A. Paisley Steamship Company, and was renamed William B. Pilkey. She was sold to the Columbia Transportation Company in 1935, and was renamed Frank E. Vigor in 1941.
On the morning of April 27, 1944, Frank E. Vigor was traveling on Lake Erie in a thick fog, bound for Buffalo, New York, with a cargo of sulphur. While transiting the Pelee Passage, she collided with the freighter Philip Minch. Frank E. Vigor was badly damaged below the waterline, and quickly began to list. Her entire crew was rescued by Philip Minch. She eventually capsized and sank in 92 ft (28 m) of water.