AH-WR-0012

Montana

Bulk Freighter · United States · Lost 1914 · Thunder Bay & Lake Huron

Once a fast package freighter, Montana ended her career as a limestone carrier and burned in Thunder Bay in 1914.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Montana was built in 1872 as a swift wooden package freighter for the New York Central Railroad's Western Transportation Company fleet, later converted to hauling bulk limestone. She burned and sank in Thunder Bay, Lake Huron, in September 1914. The wreck sits upright in relatively shallow water, with her engine, boiler, and windlass still in place, and is now one of the sanctuary's most visited dive sites.

Vessel

Built: 1872
Registry: US official no. 90501
Builder: Muir and Livingston
Yard: Port Huron, Michigan
Material: Wood
Length: 236 ft
Beam: 36 ft
Tonnage: 1536
Propulsion: Steam, single screw
Owners: Western Transportation Company (New York Central Railroad fleet)

Loss

Date: September 6, 1914
Cause: Fire
Location: Thunder Bay, Lake Huron
Water: Lake Huron
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Limestone
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 63 ft
Condition: Upright and largely intact, with engine, boiler, and windlass visible.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Within Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary