AH-WR-0030

SS George M. Cox

Passenger Steamer · United States · Lost 1933 · Isle Royale & Lake Superior

On her very first voyage under a new name, this passenger steamer ran aground on Rock of Ages Reef at full speed, with all 127 aboard safely rescued.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Documented Likeness. Drawn from surviving builder's plans or clear photographs of this vessel. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

George M. Cox was a steel passenger steamer built in 1901 as Puritan and renamed after purchase by the Isle Royale Transit Company. On May 25, 1933, she departed Chicago on her first voyage under her new name and owners, bound for Port Arthur with stops at Isle Royale. On May 27 she struck Rock of Ages Reef at full speed and was wrecked; all 127 aboard were rescued without loss of life. Her broken remains are now a popular Isle Royale National Park dive site.

Vessel

Built: 1901
Registry: US 150898
Builder: Craig Shipbuilding Company
Yard: Not established
Material: Steel
Length: 259 ft
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: 1762
Propulsion: Steam, single screw
Owners: Isle Royale Transit Co.

Loss

Date: May 27, 1933
Cause: Grounding
Location: Rock of Ages Reef, Isle Royale, Michigan
Water: Lake Superior
Voyage: Chicago, Illinois → Port Arthur, Ontario
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: 127
Lives lost: 0
Master: George E. Johnson

The Wreck Today

Depth: 20-100
Condition: Broken hull sections on a steep slope near Rock of Ages Reef
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Within Isle Royale National Park

Position

Coordinates: 47.858° N 89.323° W
Accuracy: Surveyed position
Nearest: Rock of Ages, Isle Royale, Michigan
Region: Isle Royale & Lake Superior

Dive-survey GPS coordinates (N47°51.462' W89°19.385') for the wreck on Rock of Ages Reef, Isle Royale, are published by 3DShipwrecks.org and consistent with the NPS account of the ship running hard aground on the reef.