45°52′33″N 83°34′57″W / 45.87583°N 83.58250°W
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Russia_2.jpg) Russia in Duluth, Minnesota, c. 1885
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| History | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Flag_of_the_United_States_(1908%E2%80%931912).svg){kind=small} United States | |
| Name | Russia |
| Namesake | Russia |
| Owner | Charles O. Duncan[1][2] |
| Operator | Port Huron & Duluth Steamship Company of Port Huron, Michigan[1][3] |
| Port of registry |  Duluth, Minnesota, United States[1] |
| Builder | King Iron Works of Buffalo, New York, Gibson & Craig subcontractor[1][3][4] |
| Yard number | 12[5] |
| Launched | August 20, 1872[6] |
| In service | August 26, 1872[1] |
| Out of service | April 30, 1909[1][3][4] |
| Identification | Registry number US 110063[4] |
| Fate | Sank off DeTour Village, Michigan |
| Wreck discovered | July 23, 2019 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Package freighter |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | |
| Beam | 35.58 ft (10.84 m)[1][4] |
| Depth | 13.35 ft (4.07 m)[1][4] |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion | 2 × fixed pitch propellers[7] |
SS Russia was an iron-hulled American Great Lakes package freighter that sank in a Lake Huron gale on April 30, 1909, near DeTour Village, Michigan, with all 22 of her crew and one passenger surviving.
Russia was built in 1872 in Buffalo, New York, by the King Iron Works, with the Gibson & Craig shipyard as the subcontractor. She was built for Charles Ensign of Buffalo and was operated as part of the Holt & Ensign Commercial Line, also of Buffalo. In 1884, after Ensign's death, Russia was sold for the first time. She would end up changing hands multiple times during her career.
In the evening of April 29, 1909, Russia left Alpena, Michigan, with a cargo of cement, wire fencing, galoshes and multiple barrels of dry goods, destined for Duluth, Minnesota. Around the time she passed Middle Island, the breeze which had been following Russia since she left Alpena suddenly began to strengthen; the combination of the gale and her heavy deck load caused Russia to roll severely. An eventual lull in the storm convinced Captain John McLean to continue towards Point DeTour, instead of turning back. However, Russia's cargo shifted, causing her to list to port. Her crew began to move her cargo of cement in order to compensate for the list; after about two hours, she righted herself. However, Russia suddenly rolled over to port and then over to starboard. Further efforts failed to counteract the list. Eventually, Captain McLean ordered the crew to throw the bags of cement into Lake Huron. When this effort to save Russia was also unsuccessful, Captain McLean gave the order to abandon her early in the morning of April 30. The crew and the one passenger boarded the lifeboats and rowed to the DeTour Reef Light.
The wreck of Russia was discovered in 220 feet (67 m) of water on July 23, 2019, over 110 years after she sank, by a team of shipwreck hunters led by Tom Farnquist of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Berry (2) (2020).
- ^ Maritime History of the Great Lakes (1909).
- ^ a b c d e f g h Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library (3) (2020).
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bowling Green State University (2010).
- ^ Toronto Marine Historical Society (1993), p. 12.
- ^ Maritime History of the Great Lakes (2) (1872).
- ^ Wrecksite (2017).