W.H. Gilbert
Bulk Freighter · Lost 1914 · Thunder Bay & Lake Huron
A bulk freighter nearly cut in two by Caldera during dense fog on Lake Huron.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
W.H. Gilbert was launched by Wheeler, F.W. & Company at West Bay City in 1892. NOAA’s account describes the bulk freighter carrying coal toward Green Bay. On May 22, 1914, Caldera collided with it in dense fog and nearly cut it in two. The largely intact wreck retains major collision damage in deep Lake Huron water.
Vessel
- 1892
- Wheeler, F.W. & Company
- West Bay City, Michigan
- Not established
- Not established
- 42 ft
- 2,820 gross tons
- Not established
- Not established
Loss
- May 22, 1914
- Collision
- Lake Huron in the Thunder Bay sanctuary area
- Lake Huron
- Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Coal (specified in NOAA narrative; statistics header says unknown)
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 255 ft
- Largely intact with heavy collision damage; mizzen mast upright, smokestack toppled and crushed, bow partly covered in clay.
- Not established
- Not established
- Within Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Position
- 44.837° N 82.979° W
- Surveyed position
- Thunder Bay region, Michigan
NOAA GPS N44°50.195′ W82°58.722′, 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 — W.H. Gilbert
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.
