AH-WR-1527

Inkerman

Minesweeper · France · Lost 1918 · Isle Royale & Lake Superior

A French Navy minesweeper built at Fort William, lost with all hands on her first voyage in 1918.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Inkerman was one of twelve Navarin-class minesweepers built at Fort William, Ontario, for the French Navy. Two weeks after the First World War ended, she and her sister Cerisoles disappeared in a storm on Lake Superior on their delivery voyage. Both were lost with all hands. Neither wreck has been found.

Vessel

Built: 1918
Builder: Canadian Car and Foundry
Yard: Fort William, Ontario
Material: Steel
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam, single screw
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: November 24, 1918
Cause: Storm
Location: Lake Superior, near Keweenaw
Water: Lake Superior
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: All hands; sources give about 38 per vessel.
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Naval vessel

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Keweenaw Peninsula
Region: Isle Royale & Lake Superior

Pin marks the named place of loss; no published position used.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (70/100)

Neither wreck has been found; crew figures differ between sources.

Maritime History of the Great Lakes
Loss date, place and circumstances.
Canadian Car and Foundry records, Thunder Bay Museum
Loss date, place and circumstances.