James Davidson
Bulk Freighter · United States · Lost 1883 · Thunder Bay & Lake Huron
A pioneering wooden bulk freighter that once carried a record grain cargo, wrecked on Thunder Bay Island in 1883.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
James Davidson was among the earliest large wooden bulk freighters on the Great Lakes, built in 1874 and known for carrying a record oat cargo out of Chicago early in her career. On October 4, 1883, while towing the barge Middlesex from Buffalo to Duluth with a load of coal, she ran aground on Thunder Bay Island in hazy weather and became a total loss. Her broken hull and bilge sections remain today as two of the sanctuary's shallower recreational dives.
Vessel
- 1874
- US official no. U75786
- James Davidson
- Bay City, Michigan
- Wood
- 230 ft
- 30 ft
- 1456
- Steam, single screw
- Robert Jenks
Loss
- October 4, 1883
- Grounding
- Southeastern tip of Thunder Bay Island
- Lake Huron
- Buffalo, New York → Duluth, Minnesota
- Coal
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 35 ft
- Broken up; hull and bilge sections remain
- Not established
- Not established
- Within Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Position
- 45.032° N 83.193° W
- Surveyed position
- Alpena, Michigan
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Dimensions, loss narrative, depth
