Viator
Ocean Freighter · Norway · Lost 1935 · Thunder Bay & Lake Huron
A Norwegian ocean freighter sunk in a fog-bound Lake Huron collision while carrying pickled herring.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Viator was built at Stavanger, Norway, in 1904. The Norwegian ocean freighter carried pickled herring on its final voyage. On October 31, 1935, Ormindale rammed it in heavy fog northeast of Thunder Bay Island. The wreck rests upright in deep Lake Huron water, largely intact apart from collision damage.
Vessel
- 1904
- Stavanger, Stoberi and Dok
- Stavanger, Norway
- Not established
- Not established
- 33 ft
- 983 gross tons
- Motor-powered (NOAA classification; machinery type unspecified)
- Not established
Loss
- October 31, 1935
- Collision
- Northeast of Thunder Bay Island, Lake Huron
- Lake Huron
- Not established
- Pickled herring
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 188 ft
- Upright and largely intact except for collision damage.
- Upright
- Not established
- Within Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Position
- 44.991° N 83.037° W
- Surveyed position
- Thunder Bay Island, Michigan
NOAA GPS N44°59.480′ W83°02.229′, converted directly to decimal degrees.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Well documented (90/100)
Original vessel length, unsourced fittings and casualty total are not established in the reviewed account. Complete-hull artwork is interpretive, not a survey of the remains.
NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary — Viator
Type, builder and launch/build year and place, published GPS and depth, beam and gross tonnage, cargo and dated loss account, surviving wreck structure. NOAA wreck length is not treated as original hull length.
