SS G. P. Griffith

G. P. Griffith
The Griffith Steamer, passing the lighthouse at Buffalo Harbour Point, The Illustrated London News
History
NameG. P. Griffith
Laid down1847
Completed1848
Out of service17 June 1850
FateBeached and burned to the waterline, 17 June 1850
General characteristics
TypeWooden steamship
Tonnage587
Length193 ft (59 m)
Draft6 ft (1.8 m) with no cargo; 7 ft (2.1 m) with full cargo
PropulsionPaddle wheels

SS G. P. Griffith was a passenger steamer that burned and sank on Lake Erie on 17 June 1850, resulting in the loss of between 241 and 289 lives.[1]: 54  The destruction of the G. P. Griffith was the greatest loss of life on the Great Lakes up to that point, and remains the third-greatest today, after the Eastland in 1915 and the Lady Elgin in 1860.[2]

  1. ^ Varhola, Michael J. (2008). Shipwrecks and lost treasures, Great Lakes : legends and lore, pirates and more! (1st ed.). Guilford, Conn.: Globe Pequot. pp. 47–56. ISBN 978-0-7627-4492-3. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  2. ^ Ratigan, William (1973). Great Lakes shipwrecks & survivals (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. p. 68. ISBN 0-8028-7010-4. Retrieved 1 June 2015.