SS Ithaka
Lake Freighter · Bahamas · Lost 1960 · Hudson Bay & Hudson Strait
A well-travelled lake freighter under six different names ended her career aground on the Hudson Bay shore near Churchill, Manitoba, where her hull remains a local landmark.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Launched in 1922 at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, as the lake freighter Frank A. Augsbury, this vessel passed through several owners and names over four decades, serving as a general cargo carrier including wartime transport duty. Renamed Ithaka in 1960, she was chartered to carry nickel concentrate and supplies between Churchill and Rankin Inlet. On September 14, 1960, an 80 mph gale broke her rudder and drove her aground at Bird Cove near Churchill. Her crew of 37 walked ashore safely when the tide went out, and the hull has remained on the beach ever since.
Vessel
- 1922
- Official number 150820
- Frazer, Brace Ltd
- Trois-Rivieres, Quebec
- Steel
- 251 ft
- 43 ft
- 2051
- Steam, triple expansion, single screw
- Ithaka Shipping Company (1960), chartered by Clarke Steamship Company
Loss
- September 14, 1960
- Storm
- Bird Cove, about 12 miles east of Churchill
- Hudson Bay
- Churchill, Manitoba → Rankin Inlet
- Electrical generators and plywood
- 37
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 0 ft
- Largely intact hull resting on the shore, exposed at low tide and surrounded at high tide
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 58.769° N 93.889° W
- Surveyed position
- Bird Cove, near Churchill, Manitoba
Position published by the Manitoba Historical Society's Historic Sites of Manitoba register.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Well documented (90/100)
Build history, former names, loss date, cause, and exact wreck coordinates.
