Thomas Wilson
Whaleback Freighter · United States · Lost 1902 · The Minnesota North Shore
A whaleback 'pig boat' freighter sunk in three minutes after colliding with another steamer just outside Duluth harbor, one of the finest surviving whaleback wrecks.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Thomas Wilson was a whaleback freighter built in 1892 to Alexander McDougall's distinctive low-profile design for hauling bulk cargo economically. On June 7, 1902, she collided with the wooden steamer George Hadley just outside the Duluth Ship Canal after both vessels turned into each other's path; the Wilson sank stern-first within three minutes, killing nine of her twenty-man crew. The collision led directly to new Duluth harbor safety rules. The wreck remains one of the best-preserved whaleback shipwrecks known.
Vessel
- 1892
- American Steel Barge Company (Alexander McDougall)
- Not established
- Steel
- 308 ft
- 38 ft
- 1713
- Steam, triple-expansion, single screw
- Not established
Loss
- June 7, 1902
- Collision
- Just outside the Duluth Ship Canal, Lake Superior
- Lake Superior
- Duluth, Minnesota
- Mesabi iron ore
- 20
- 9
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 70 ft
- Substantially intact in one piece, with an 80-100 foot section of the hull torn open amidships from later anchor dragging.
- Not established
- Not established
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1992.
Position
- 46.783° N 92.069° W
- Surveyed position
- Duluth, Minnesota
NRHP-listed coordinates.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Well documented (90/100)
Minnesota Historical Society / State Historic Preservation Office
Loss narrative, casualty figures, resulting harbor rules.
Dimensions, tonnage, coordinates, NRHP reference.
