Loretta
Steam Barge · Lost 1896 · Thunder Bay & Lake Huron
A steam barge destroyed by a boiler-area fire while awaiting repairs at Black River.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Loretta was launched by Carpenter Brothers at Sebewaing, Michigan, in 1892. NOAA classifies it as a steam barge and describes it as a tug. On October 7, 1896, fire broke out beneath its boiler while it awaited repairs at Black River. Towed away from a burning dock into Lake Huron, it continued burning until it sank.
Vessel
- 1892
- Carpenter Brothers
- Sebewaing, Michigan
- Wood
- Not established
- 31 ft
- 394 gross tons
- Steam, screw propeller
- Not established
Loss
- October 7, 1896
- Fire
- Off Black River, Lake Huron
- Lake Huron
- Not established
- Chain
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 7 ft
- Stern, propeller shaft and broken machinery remain; charred wood and dropped fasteners record the fire. Four-bladed cast-iron propeller has lost its blades.
- Not established
- Not established
- Within Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Position
- 44.815° N 83.283° W
- Surveyed position
- Black River, Michigan
NOAA GPS N44°48.903′ W83°16.955′, converted directly to decimal degrees.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Well documented (90/100)
Original vessel length, unsourced fittings and casualty total are not established in the reviewed account. Complete-hull artwork is interpretive, not a survey of the remains.
NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary — Loretta
Type, builder and launch/build year and place, published GPS and depth, beam and gross tonnage, cargo and dated loss account, surviving wreck structure. NOAA wreck length is not treated as original hull length.
