SS S.R. Kirby

47°28′48″N 88°15′00″W / 47.480000°N 88.250000°W / 47.480000; -88.250000

S.R. Kirby in the Soo Locks c. 1900
History
United States
NameS.R. Kirby
NamesakeStephen R. Kirby[1]
OperatorNorthwestern Transportation Company[2][3][4]
Port of registryDetroit, Michigan, United States[4][5]
BuilderDetroit Dry Dock Company[1][2][3][4]
Yard number100[1][2][3][4]
LaunchedMay 17/24, 1890[2][4]
In serviceJune 1890[2][4]
Out of serviceMay 8, 1916[2][3][4]
IdentificationU.S. Registry #116325[2][3][4]
FateSank on Lake Superior
Wreck discoveredJune 2018
General characteristics
Tonnage
Length
Beam42 feet (13 m)[1][2]
Depth23 feet (7.0 m)[1][2]
Installed power2 × Scotch marine boilers[2]
Propulsion1,500 hp (1,100 kW) triple expansion steam engine[2]
Crew22

SS S.R. Kirby was a composite-hulled bulk carrier that served on the Great Lakes of North America from her construction in 1890 to her sinking in 1916. On May 8, 1916, while heading across Lake Superior with a cargo of iron ore and the steel barge George E. Hartnell in tow, she ran into a storm and sank with the loss of all but two of her 22-man crew off Eagle Harbor, Michigan (on the Keweenaw Peninsula). For over 102 years the location of S.R. Kirby's wreck remained unknown, until June 2018, when her wreck was discovered by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) in 825 feet (251 m) of water, completely broken up.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Gallery 2". Old Shipbuilder. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "S.R. Kirby (1890, Bulk Freighter)". Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e "S.R. Kirby". Bowling Green State University. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "S.R. Kirby". Great Lakes Vessel Histories of Sterling Berry. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  5. ^ "S.R. Kirby (Propeller), U116325, 24 Dec 1891". Maritime History of the Great Lakes. Retrieved November 12, 2020.