46°50′3″N 85°4′48.6″W / 46.83417°N 85.080167°W
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:John_Mitchell_ship.jpg) John Mitchell in the St. Clair River
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| History | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Flag_of_the_United_States_(1908%E2%80%931912).svg){kind=small} United States | |
| Name | John Mitchell |
| Namesake | Captain John Mitchell of Cleveland, Ohio |
| Owner | C.W. Elphicke (Elphicke & Company) of Chicago, Illinois |
| Operator | Cornell Steamship Company of Chicago |
| Port of registry | Fairport, Ohio |
| Builder | Great Lakes Engineering Works of St. Clair, Michigan |
| Yard number | 25 |
| Launched | November 28, 1906 |
| In service | 1907 |
| Out of service | July 10, 1911 |
| Identification | US official number 203943 |
| Fate | Sank on Lake Superior after a collision with William Henry Mack |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Lake freighter |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | |
| Beam | 52 feet (15.8 m) |
| Depth | 23 feet (7.0 m) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion | 1 × fixed pitch propeller |
| Capacity | 7,500 long tons (7,620 t) |
| Notes | Sister ship of William B. Davock |
SS John Mitchell was a steel-hulled, American lake freighter in service between 1907 and 1911. She was built in 1906 by the Great Lakes Engineering Works in St. Clair, Michigan, for the Cornell Steamship Company of Chicago, Illinois, which was managed by C.W. Elphicke. She entered service in 1907, and had a sister ship named William B. Davock. Throughout her career, John Mitchell carried iron ore and coal. On October 4, 1908, she ran aground at Indiana Harbor, Indiana, while loaded with iron ore.
Early in the morning of July 7, 1911, John Mitchell left Buffalo, New York, with between 6,889 long tons (7,716 short tons; 7,000 t) and 7,382 long tons (8,268 short tons; 7,500 t) of coal bound for Superior, Wisconsin. On the morning of July 10, John Mitchell entered Lake Superior. A thick fog that hung over the lake severely reduced visibility. When she was off Vermilion Point, John Mitchell was inexplicably rammed in her port bow by the unladen bulk freighter William Henry Mack. Following the collision, John Mitchell immediately took on a list to port due to the rapid influx of water. After establishing that John Mitchell would not remain afloat, a ladder was placed between her deck and William Henry Mack's deck. The majority of the passengers and crew climbed over to William Henry Mack, while six people escaped using a lifeboat, which eventually capsized; all of the people in the lifeboat were rescued. Three crewmen jumped overboard to aid in the rescue, but were sucked under and drowned when John Mitchell sank.
The wreck of John Mitchell was discovered in 1972, resting upside down in between 140 feet (43 m) and 150 feet (46 m) of water, roughly 3 miles (5 km) west-northwest off Whitefish Point. The wreck is protected by the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve as part of an underwater museum.