Monohansett
Wooden Steam Barge · United States · Lost 1907 · Thunder Bay & Lake Huron
A wooden steam barge caught fire from a tipped lantern while sheltering from a Lake Huron gale, and today lies burned to the waterline in shallow, clear water.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Monohansett was a wooden steam barge built in 1872 at Gibraltar, Michigan, and spent 35 years hauling bulk cargo on the Great Lakes. On November 23, 1907, while anchored behind Thunder Bay Island to escape a gale, an overturned lantern started a fire that spread quickly through her aged timbers and coal cargo. The Thunder Bay Island Life-Saving Station crew rescued all 12 aboard before the ship burned to the waterline. The wreck now rests in just 18 feet of water and is one of the most frequently visited sites in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Vessel
- 1872
- Linn and Craig
- Gibraltar, Michigan
- Wood
- 160 ft
- 30 ft
- 572
- Steam, single screw
- Not established
Loss
- November 23, 1907
- Fire
- Off Thunder Bay Island, Lake Huron, Michigan
- Lake Huron
- Not established
- About 900 tons of coal
- 12
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 18 ft
- Burned to the waterline; hull, boiler, and machinery remain visible in clear, shallow water.
- Not established
- Not established
- Within Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Position
- 45.033° N 83.200° W
- Surveyed position
- Thunder Bay Island, Alpena, Michigan
Evidence
Overall confidence: Well documented (92/100)
NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Loss narrative, coordinates, and depth.
East Carolina University Program in Maritime Studies
Construction and archaeological analysis.
