Seaway Era Shipwrecks

Despite up-to-date navigational aids and an in­creased awareness of safety standards, accidents still occur on the Great Lakes, along the Seaway and throughout the high seas. Human error or mechanical failure are frequently at fault, but often the elements of wind and water combine to create the conditions to win the age old battle with man and boat.

"Seaway Era Shipwrecks" is the story of marine accidents, large and small, dating from the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway on April 25, 1959. Some of these incidents took place on the freshwater seas while others occurred on connecting channels. The rest involved ships that have sailed the Great Lakes but met disaster on the oceans of the world.

What qualifies as a shipwreck? We are using a loose definition that includes fire, collision, grounding or disappearance at sea. Some ships mentioned survived to sail again. Others were lost with their entire crew.

The ships selected are not intended to be a complete list of Seaway era accidents.

 

PRESCOTT - APRIL 29, 1959

PRESCOTT in the early years of her CSL career. (Alf King)

The St. Lawrence Seaway was only four days old when the first accident blocked the waterway. As many as fifty ships were stalled by the incident.

The Canadian bulk carrier PRESCOTT was heading down the St. Lawrence for the first time. Due to her size, this vessel had previously been confined to the upper Great Lakes. But expanded channels and locks permitted larger lakers to call at the elevators and ore docks from Montreal to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

As PRESCOTT approached the bridge that carries rail and highway traffic across the Beauharnois Canal near Valleyfield, Quebec, at 1955 hours, a fuse blew in the control mechanism. As a result, the bridge stalled only part way up. Quick action prevented a disaster.

A Seaway worker reacted by flashing a red emergency light to the grain laden freighter. PRESCOTT was moving slowly due to violent winds and rain and responded by stopping the engine and dropping anchor. As the hook sunk into the sandy bottom, the momentum swung PRESCOTT crossways in the canal. The vessel's propeller was embedded in the sand as the vessel grounded and could not move.

The uncooperative bridge was soon repaired but PRESCOTT remained aground for about fifteen hours. Three tugs eventually pulled her free.

This ship had been built as WESTERN STAR and launched by the Detroit Dry Dock Co. at Wyandotte, Midi., on October 3, 1903. The 126.8 metre (416 foot) long bulk carrier ran aground on Robertson Rock in the North Channel of Georgian Bay and sank September 24, 1915. The vessel was not salvaged until 1917 and was later rebuilt as GLENISLA.

GLENISLA at Collingwood for lengthening on December 17, 1923 (Collingwood Museum Collection)

She was lengthened at Collingwood in 1924 and this allowed for payloads of 8,000 tons deadweight or 315,000 bushels of grain. Her overall length remained at 154.8 metres (508 feet) for the rest of her career.

She joined Canada Steamship Lines in 1926 and renamed PRESCOTT, CSL used the ship in the grain trade most of the time. The freighter was laid up at Toronto June 27, 1962, as her engine mounts and boilers had been condemned during a survey earlier in the week.

The tugs MACASSA and ARGUE MARTIN towed PRESCOTT to Hamilton November 29, 1962, and she was eventually cut up for scrap by the workers at Steel.

TAXIARHIS - JUNE 30, 1959

The port bow of TAXIARHIS was carved open in the collision with CARL JULIUS. The wounded freighter is shown beached on July 3, 1959. (Dan McCormick)

The only Great Lakes visit of TAXIARHIS had a most unfortunate conclusion. On June 30, 1959, the ship was leaving the Wilson Hill anchorage on the St. Lawrence to head downstream when she was in colli­sion with the CARL JULIUS. The German freighter carved her "V" shaped bow into the port side of TAXIARHIS and left a very obvious imprint.

TAXIARHIS had anchored for the night and set out about 0600 hours. According to an eyewitness account, the CARL JULIUS had just passed another freighter and was possibly hidden from view as TAXIARHIS started to turn. The two vessels met almost head-on some 10 km (6 miles) west of the Elsenhower Lock. The Captain beached the stricken TAXIARHIS to avoid blocking the waterway should his vessel go down.

TAXIARHIS had been built by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd., of Sunderland, England. She was con­structed for the British Ministry of War Transport in 1944 as EMPIRE GENERAL and served as a cargo car­rier, managed by the Hain Steamship Co., until 1947. She then joined the West Hartlepool Seam Navigation Co. Ltd., as HENDONHALL. A sale early in 1958 took the 135.6 metre long, 7,359 gross ton, diesel powered freighter to Lebanese registry. These owners, Lebanese Ltda. S.A., renamed her TAXIARHIS.

Following the collision, TAXIARHIS was repaired and continued to sail for another twelve years but she never returned to the Great Lakes. The ship was re­named TONY C. in 1971 and sold to Greek ship breakers early the next year. She arrived at Piraeus March 29, 1972, and was broken up at Skaramanga beginning April 24, 1972.

CARL JULIUS dated from 1954 and construction at Emden, West Germany, as ILSE SCHULTE. She was renamed CARL JULIUS in 1957 and was also on her first Great Lakes voyage when the collision occurred. Unlike TAXIARHIS, CARL JULIUS returned to the Great Lakes on a regular basis. To the end of the 1967 season, the freighter had travelled inland on twenty-two occasions.

CARL JULIUS returned to Great Lakes trading and is seen entering the St. Clair River at Port Huron, Mich. (Paul Michaels)

This 143.6 metre long general cargo vessel spent her later years on the Mediterranean and Atlantic. She was renamed GENOVA in 1977 and MACHIAVELLI a year later only to tie up at Genoa, Italy, Dec. 5, 1978.

The ship was sold to Maltese flag interests in 1980. They planned to reactivate the freighter as AURORA but this never developed beyond the talking stage. Instead, MACHIAVELLI was sold for scrap and arrived at Savona, Italy, under tow April 29, 1982 to face the ship breaker’s torch.

STANDARD PORTLAND CEMENT -
MAY 20, 1960

STANDARD PORTLAND CEMENT sits on the bottom following her collision. (Rev. Peter J. Vand der Linden

Thick fog was to blame for two collisions involv­ing four ships in lower Lake Huron on May 20, 1960. None of the 145 sailors aboard the various carriers were hurt. The most obviously damaged freighter was the STANDARD PORTLAND CEMENT of the American Steamship Company. This ship was loaded with about 8,000 tons of taconite ore and enroute to Cleveland. Visibility was down to half a boat length at the time of impact with the AUGUST ZIESING of the U.S. Steel fleet. The latter was upbound and light.

The accident occurred at about 1135 hours near Buoy 6 some 3 km. (2 miles) north of the Bluewater Bridge connecting Sarnia, Ontario and Port Huron, Michigan. The bow of AUGUST ZIESING hit STAND­ARD PORTLAND CEMENT on the starboard side and just aft of the pilothouse. Water poured in the gaping wound and soon STANDARD PORTLAND CEMENT was on the bottom in shallow water. Her deck and cabins remained above the surface.

The bow of AUGUST ZIESING was opened by the collision and her forward area was flooded. Fortunately, the bulkhead remained secure and the ship buoyant. Lifeboats were readied but neither ship had to be abandoned. The cement carrier PAUL H. TOWNSEND was about 15 minutes behind AUGUST ZIESING on a track for Alpena, Michigan. On hearing of the collision, she stopped before reaching the scene. Behind her, the British freighter TYNEMOUTH, enroute to Chicago, was not as lucky. She rammed the PAUL H. TOWN-SEND inflicting stern damage to the latter and receiv­ing bow damage in exchange.

The combination of fog and the narrowed navi­gation channel due to a dredging project contributed to the incident. Eighty-two vessels were forced to anchor until the blockade could be cleared. All four ships were repaired and resumed sailing.

STANDARD PORTLAND CEMENT had been built as CLIFFORD F. MOLL at Ecorse, Michigan, in 1909. She was renamed in 1933 and, after re­pairs, moved to the Canadian side of the Great Lakes as ELMDALE for the Reoch fleet. The 141.4 metre long (464') carrier operated through 1972 and laid up at Goderich. She served as the grain storage barge K.A. POWELL from 1974 to 1979 before being towed to Thunder Bay in 1979 for scrapping.

AUGUST ZIESING was a larger bulk carrier at 182.9 metres (600') in overall length. She was also built at Ecorse, and operated from 1918 until November 26, 1974. Late in her career she suffered two groundings. One, on Sept. 13, 1968, in the West Neebish Channel temporarily blocked navigation. The other was less serious and occurred April 22, 1972, in Lake St. Clair at the Cut-off Channel. After years of inactivity, AUGUST ZIESING was towed to Port Colborne, Ont. She arrived August 18, 1986, and was dismantled by International Marine Salvage.

AUGUST ZIESING received bow damage in the collision. (Rev. Peter J. Van der Linden