SS S.R. Kirby

File:S.R. Kirby on the ways.jpg

S.R. Kirby (Official number 116325) was built in 1890 by the Detroit Dry Dock Company in Wyandotte, Michigan. She was a composite-hulled ship, meaning she had an iron frame and a wooden hull, constructed from white oak.{{efn-ua|S.R. Kirby was the final one of nine composite bulk carriers built on the Great Lakes between 1886 and 1890. These other ships were (in order of construction): Susan E. Peck (1886), Fayette Brown (1887), E.M. Peck (1888), Livingstone (1889), Manchester (1889), John Owen (1889) and Thomas W. Palmer (1889). Two of these vessels, John Owen and Thomas W. Palmer were also lost on Lake Superior{{cite web|url=http://greatlakeships.org/2899059/data?n=2|title=Susan E. Peck (1886, Bulk Freighter)|work=Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library|access-date=November 18, 2020}}; {{cite web|url=http://greatlakeships.org/2903235/data?n=4|title=Fayette Brown (1887, Bulk Freighter)|work=Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library|access-date=November 18, 2020}}; {{cite web|url=http://greatlakeships.org/2899055/data?n=5|title=E.M. Peck (1888, Bulk Freighter)|work=Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library|access-date=November 18, 2020}}; {{cite web|url=http://greatlakeships.org/2907131/data?n=6|title=Livingstone (1889, Bulk Freighter)|work=Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library|access-date=November 18, 2020}}; {{cite web|url=http://greatlakeships.org/2901733/data?n=7|title=Manchester (1889, Bulk Freighter)|work=Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library|access-date=November 18, 2020}}; {{cite web|url=http://greatlakeships.org/2899192/data?n=8|title=John Owen (1889, Bulk Freighter)|work=Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library|access-date=November 18, 2020}}; {{cite web|url=http://greatlakeships.org/2897463/data?n=9|title=Thomas W. Palmer (1889, Bulk Freighter)|work=Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library|access-date=November 18, 2020}}|group=Note}}

She was launched on August 17, 1890, (one source states August 24) as hull number 100. She was named after Stephen R. Kirby, father of well-known naval architect Frank E. Kirby.{{efn-ua|Coincidentally, after the construction of S.R. Kirby, the Detroit Dry Dock Company built a steel paddle steamer named Frank E. Kirby (hull number 101).|group=Note}}

The hull had an overall length of {{convert|311.6|ft|m}} (one source states {{convert|308|ft|m}}) and a keel length of {{convert|294|ft|m}}, making her the largest composite Great Lakes freighter ever built. Her beam was {{convert|42|ft|m}} wide and her hull was {{convert|23|ft|m}} (other sources also state {{convert|21|ft|m|disp=sqbr}} or {{convert|26|ft|m|disp=sqbr}}) deep. She had gross register tonnage of 2338.68 (one source states 2479), and net register tonnage of 1823.28. She had two decks and a cargo capacity of 3300 tons.{{cite web|url=http://www.gendisasters.com/michigan/16112/eagle-harbor-mi-lake-superior-steamer-s-r-kirby-wreck-may-1916?page=0,0|title=Eagle Harbor, MI (Lake Superior) Steamer S.R. KIRBY Wreck, May 1916|work=Gendisasters|access-date=November 14, 2020}}

She was equipped with an 84 rpm {{convert|1500|hp|adj=on|lk=on}} (one source states {{convert|1250|hp|adj=on|lk=on}}) triple expansion steam engine with pistons which had bores of {{convert|21|in|cm}}, {{convert|33|in|cm}} and {{convert|56|in|cm}} and a stroke of {{convert|42|in|cm}}. The engine was powered by steam provided by two cylindrical {{convert|12.6|ft|m}} by {{convert|11|ft|m}} Scotch marine boilers, each of which had a working pressure of 160 psi. Both the engine and the boilers were built in Detroit, Michigan, by the Detroit Dry Dock Company.

She was the first freighter on the Great Lakes to be equipped with electric lights.

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S.R. Kirby was built for the North Western Transportation Company of Detroit, Michigan. She received her enrollment in Detroit on June 13, 1890; her home port was Detroit. She made her maiden voyage in June 1890, during which she carried the largest load of iron ore ever to pass through the Soo Locks.

On April 16, 1892 after leaving Duluth, Minnesota with a cargo of wheat, S.R. Kirby was forced to return to port after about {{convert|7|mi|km}}, on account of heavy pack ice.{{cite web|url=https://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/35940/data?n=7|title=S.R. Kirby (Propeller), U116325, 15 Dec 1892|work=Maritime History of the Great Lakes|access-date=November 15, 2020}} Beginning in 1896, S.R. Kirby towed the {{convert|352|ft|m}} steel barge George E. Hartnell, which she would tow for the remainder of her career.{{cite web|url=http://greatlakeships.org/2903452/data?n=1|title=George E. Hartnell (1896, Barge)|work=Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library|access-date=November 18, 2020}}

On the morning of October 7, 1897, while entering the harbor in Erie, Pennsylvania, S.R. Kirby was blown ashore. It was initially suggested that if not freed quickly, Lake Erie would smash her to pieces. However, when she was released on October 8, it was discovered that she had sustained no damage.{{cite web|url=https://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/55864/data?n=4|title=S.R. Kirby (Propeller), U116325, aground, 7 Oct 1897|work=Maritime History of the Great Lakes|access-date=November 15, 2020}}

File:S.R. Kirby 8.jpg {{circa|1897}}]]

On the morning of September 8, 1904, while bound for Buffalo, New York, with a cargo of iron ore, S.R. Kirby ran hard aground on the rocks roughly a {{convert|1|mi|km}} off Windmill Point, Ontario on Lake Erie. She was freed at about 7:00 A.M. on September 9, 1904, by the tugs W.G. Mason{{cite web|url=http://greatlakeships.org/2902267/data?n=19|title=Mason, W.G. (1898, Tug (Towboat))|work=Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library|access-date=November 15, 2020}} and S.W. Gee,{{cite web|url=http://greatlakeships.org/2906527/data?n=1|title=Gee, S.W. (1888, Tug (Towboat))|work=Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library|access-date=November 15, 2020}} after jettisoning about 500 tons of her cargo into the schooner West Side and the scow Buffalo. After being released, she was towed to Buffalo.{{cite web|url=https://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/62324/data?n=5|title=S.R. Kirby (Propeller), U116325, aground, 8 Sep 1904|work=Maritime History of the Great Lakes|access-date=November 15, 2020}}

On June 27, 1914 S.R. Kirby was forced to cast off George E. Hartnell outside of Duluth Harbor due to a severe storm; George E. Hartnell eventually drifted on to Park Point and was freed a few days later.

On May 7 or 8, 1916, after loading iron ore bound for Cleveland, Ohio, S.R. Kirby left Ashland, Wisconsin under the command of Captain David Girardin, with the steel barge George E. Hartnell in tow.{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zXwKksvHKZoC&dq=US+life+saving+service+reports+%22S.R.+Kirby%22&pg=PA21|title=Annual Report of the Supervising Inspector General, Steamboat Inspection Service to the Secretary of Commerce, Band 15|work=Government of the United States|year=1916|access-date=November 19, 2020}} At the time, the weather was calm. Later during the day, a heavy northwest gale began, with the wind speed measured at {{convert|76|mph|kph}} in Duluth, Minnesota.{{cite web|url=https://www.9and10news.com/2019/07/17/northern-michigan-in-focus-s-r-kirby-shipwreck/|title=Northern Michigan in Focus: S.R. Kirby Shipwreck|work=WWTV|access-date=November 19, 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/science/steamer-wreck-discovered-lake-superior|title=Steamer wreck discovered 103 years after its tragic sinking in Lake Superior|work=Fox News|access-date=November 19, 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.sentinel-standard.com/news/20190724/103-year-old-steamer-wreckage-discovered-off-michigan-shoreline|title=103-year-old steamer wreckage discovered off Michigan shoreline|work=Ionia Sentinel-Standard|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812205910/https://www.sentinel-standard.com/news/20190724/103-year-old-steamer-wreckage-discovered-off-michigan-shoreline|access-date=November 19, 2020|archive-date=2020-08-12}}{{cite web|url=https://www.mlive.com/life/2019/08/103-year-old-shipwreck-discovered-in-lake-superior.html|title=103-year-old shipwreck discovered in Lake Superior|work=Mlive|access-date=November 19, 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.monroenews.com/news/20190724/wreck-of-sr-kirby-found-in-lake-superior|title=Wreck of S.R. Kirby found in Lake Superior|work=Monroe News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200116122808/https://www.monroenews.com/news/20190724/wreck-of-sr-kirby-found-in-lake-superior|access-date=November 19, 2020|archive-date=2020-01-16}} As S.R. Kirby and George E. Hartnell approached the Keweenaw Peninsula, the weather became worse. At around 10:45 A.M. on May 8, as the two ships approached Eagle Harbor, Michigan, S.R. Kirby was struck by a massive wave, broke up, and sank in about a minute. George E. Hartnell broke loose and was picked up by the steamer E.H. Utley.{{cite web|url=https://www.abc57.com/news/lake-superior-shipwreck-discovered-after-more-than-a-century|title=Lake Superior shipwreck discovered after more than a century|work=WBND-LD|access-date=November 19, 2020}}; {{cite web|url=https://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/details.asp?ID=54281|title=S.R. Kirby (Propeller), U116325, aground, 8 May 1916|work=Maritime History of the Great Lakes|access-date=November 19, 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://eu.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/07/27/lake-superior-shipwreck-sr-kirby/1846485001/|title=Lake Superior shipwreck site found after more than a century|work=Detroit Free Press|access-date=November 19, 2020}}

File:George E. Hartnell.jpg

Two crewmen, Second Mate Joseph Mudra of Chicago, Illinois, and fireman Otto Lindquist of Pequaming, Michigan, survived. Mudra was picked up by the freighter Harry A. Berwind and Lindquist was saved by the freighter Joseph Block. Mudra recounted:

The steamer broke in two without a moments warning. As the ship went down, which took up so little time that I could scarcely believe my eyes, cabins broke loose and rafts floated. I did not see any of the men come up out of the forecastle, and while I saw some of them afterwards clinging to bits of wreckage, I believe most of them were caught in the forecastle and were unable to get out.{{cite web|url=https://www.shipwreckmuseum.com/shipwreck-society-discovers-103-year-old-steamer-sr-kirby/|title=Shipwreck Society Discovers 103-Year-Old Steamer|work=Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729224158/https://shipwreckmuseum.com/shipwreck-society-discovers-103-year-old-steamer-sr-kirby/|access-date=November 12, 2020|archive-date=July 29, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.goworldtravel.com/great-lakes-shipwrecks/|title=Ghosts In The Deep: Great Lakes Shipwrecks|work=Go World Travel|access-date=November 18, 2020}}

Captain Girardin's English bulldog Tige also survived and was delivered to Girardin's widow in Detroit.{{cite web|url=https://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/113261/data?n=2|title=Lake Ship Lost 20 seamen perished|work=Maritime History of the Great Lakes|access-date=November 19, 2020}}; {{cite web|url=https://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/113262/data?n=1|title=Lucky to be Alive|work=Maritime History of the Great Lakes|access-date=November 19, 2020}}

After her sinking, S.R. Kirby was valued at $125,000. It was speculated that she was heavily overloaded or improperly loaded and wouldn't have had much of a chance of survival in the storm.

In June 2018 the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) were conducting a search for shipwrecks off the coast of the Keweenaw Peninsula. They located what appeared to be wreckage but were unsure if it was a shipwreck. They returned to the site the following year to identify the wreck, suspecting that it might be the wreck of S.R. Kirby. The director of marine operations of the GLSHS, Darryl Ertel Jr. and his team used a remotely operated vehicle to confirm the wreck was S.R. Kirby based on the nature of the wreckage.

Discovery of S.R. Kirby{{'s}} wreck was made public in July 2019.

The remains of S.R. Kirby rest in {{convert|825|ft|m}} of water off Eagle Harbor, Michigan. Her wreck is completely broken up and strewn over a large area. There are several sections of the hull that still show the iron frame with the wooden hull attached. Bruce Lynn of the GLSHS remarked that the wreck of S.R. Kirby "looks like an explosion on the bottom of the lake".

The wreck of S.R. Kirby is the second-deepest shipwreck discovered on the Great Lakes, behind the steel bulk freighter Scotiadoc (discovered in {{convert|870|ft|m}} of water in 2013), and tied with the steel package freighter Hudson (also discovered in 2019).{{cite web|url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/09/22/searchers-locate-shipwreck-hudson-lake-superior|title=118 years after ship sank in Lake Superior gale, searchers locate wreck 825 feet beneath the surface|work=MPR News|access-date=November 13, 2020}}

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{{commons category|S.R. Kirby (ship, 1890)}}

• {{cite book|author = Great Lakes Register |title = Great Lakes Register for the Construction and Classification of Steel and Wooden Vessels |volume= 18 |location = Cleveland |publisher = Great Lakes Register |date = 1916 |hdl = 2027/mdp.39015057176235 }}
• {{cite book |author = Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping |year = 1902 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=R0EgAQAAMAAJ |title = Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping }}

{{1897 shipwrecks}}

{{1904 shipwrecks}}

{{1914 shipwrecks}}

{{May 1916 shipwrecks}}

Category:Ships built in Wyandotte, Michigan

Category:1890 ships

Category:Maritime incidents in 1916

Category:Shipwrecks of the Michigan coast

Category:Shipwrecks of Lake Superior

Category:Great Lakes freighters

Category:Maritime incidents in 1897

Category:Maritime incidents in 1904

Category:Maritime incidents in 1892

Category:Maritime incidents in 1914

Category:Keweenaw County, Michigan

Category:2018 archaeological discoveries

Category:Ships sunk in storms