 Lotta Bernard before she sank
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} United States | |
| Name | Lotta Bernard |
| Owner |
|
| Operator | Northern Transportation Company (1869 – 1870) |
| Port of registry | Superior, Wisconsin |
| Builder | Lewis M. Jackson of Port Clinton, Ohio |
| Launched | September 9, 1869 |
| Completed | 1869 |
| In service | 1869 |
| Out of service | October 29, 1874 |
| Identification | US official number 15635 |
| Fate | Sank on Lake Superior |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Steam barge |
| Tonnage | 147 GRT |
| Length | 125 ft (38 m) |
| Beam | 24 ft (7.3 m) |
| Depth | 6.50 ft (1.98 m) |
| Installed power | 1 × firebox boiler |
| Propulsion | 160 hp (120 kW) crosshead steam engine |
PS Lotta Bernard was a wooden-hulled sidewheel steam barge that served on the Great Lakes from her construction in 1869 to her sinking in 1874. She was built in Port Clinton, Ohio, in 1869 by Lewis M. Jackson for S.W. Dorsey of Sandusky, Ohio. When she entered service, she was chartered by the Northern Transportation Company to carry cordwood from the Portage River and Put-in-Bay to Cleveland, Ohio. In 1870, Lotta Bernard was sold to Luman H. Tenney of Duluth, Minnesota. During this time, she was contracted to haul building materials from Bark Bay, Wisconsin, to Duluth to be used in the construction of the first grain elevator in that port. Lotta Bernard was sold to John D. Howard of Superior, Wisconsin, in 1871.
On October 29, 1874, Lotta Bernard left what is now Thunder Bay, Ontario under the command of Captain Michael Norris. There were 13 crew members (including Captain Norris) and 2 passengers also on board. As she neared Encampment Island, she encountered a storm, and began taking water over the stern. As the huge waves pounded her hull, they began to smash her cabins apart, eventually leaving only the smokestack standing. Captain Norris ordered the crew to launch the lifeboats. One of the lifeboats was swamped, killing two of the people on board; one other crew member later died of exposure. The twelve remaining survivors rowed back to Duluth unharmed.
Despite the time elapsed since her sinking, the wreck of Lotta Bernard has never been found.