Manhattan
Bulk Freighter · United States · Lost 1903 · Whitefish Point & Eastern Lake Superior
A wheat-laden freighter that survived a storm behind Grand Island only to burn to the waterline after her steering chain broke.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Manhattan was a wooden propeller freighter built in 1887 for the Great Lakes grain and bulk trade. On October 26, 1903, after sheltering from a gale behind Grand Island, her steering chain broke while leaving the channel and she ran onto a reef; a fire broke out and burned the ship to the waterline. Her crew escaped without loss of life. Salvaged in part after auction, her burned hulk remains off Grand Island as a shallow, accessible dive.
Vessel
- 1887
- Detroit Dry Dock Company
- Detroit, Michigan
- Wood
- 252 ft
- 38 ft
- 1545
- Steam, single screw
- J.C. Gilchrist Company
Loss
- October 26, 1903
- Grounding
- Grand Island, Lake Superior
- Lake Superior
- Duluth, Minnesota → Sandusky, Ohio
- Wheat
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 20-40
- Burned hull remains, broken
- Not established
- Not established
- Within Alger Underwater Preserve
Position
- 46.47° N 86.61° W
- Approximate position
- Munising, Michigan
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (80/100)
Michigan Underwater Preserve Council
Depth, location
Build data, loss narrative
