AH-WR-0487

Langell Boys

Steambarge · United States · Lost 1931 · Saginaw Bay & the Michigan Thumb

A St. Clair-built wooden lumber steamer that burned and sank near Au Sable in 1931 after four decades hauling lumber on the lakes.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Launched in 1890 at Simon Langell's St. Clair shipyard, Langell Boys hauled lumber cargoes for over forty years, surviving a 67-day ice entrapment in 1927 and a major 1921 rebuild. On June 13, 1931, she caught fire about six miles south of Au Sable, Michigan, and burned to a loss in Saginaw Bay's waters. Her crew was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Vessel

Built: 1890
Registry: US official number 141067
Builder: Simon Langell
Yard: St. Clair, Michigan
Material: Wood
Length: 151 ft
Beam: 30.3 ft
Tonnage: 387.44
Propulsion: Steam, single screw
Owners: Simon Langell & Sons, St. Clair, Michigan (original); later Bay City and Saginaw lumber interests

Loss

Date: June 13, 1931
Cause: Fire
Location: About 6 miles south of Au Sable, Michigan, Saginaw Bay
Water: Lake Huron
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

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

Position

Coordinates: 44.41° N 83.33° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Au Sable, Michigan
Region: Saginaw Bay & the Michigan Thumb

General area only: coordinate of Au Sable, Michigan from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named place of loss recorded for this vessel ("About 6 miles south of Au Sable, Michigan, Saginaw Bay"), not a surveyed wreck position.