Walter L. Frost
Package Freighter · United States · Lost 1903 · Manitou Passage
A wooden package freighter run aground in fog in 1903, later crushed further when the Francisco Morazan grounded directly on top of her in 1960.
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The Vessel and Her Loss
Walter L. Frost was a wooden package freighter built in 1883 to the largest dimensions permitted by the Welland Canal, carrying grain and general merchandise between Chicago and Ogdensburg for twenty years. On November 4, 1903, dense fog caused her to run aground on South Manitou Island; all 21 crew were rescued by the island's Life-Saving Service station. In 1960, the freighter Francisco Morazan ran aground on the same shoal directly atop the Frost's remains, further breaking up the older wreck.
Vessel
- 1883
- U.S. official number 80973
- Detroit Dry Dock Company
- Detroit, Michigan
- Wood
- 250 ft
- 36 ft
- 1322
- Steam, fore-and-aft compound engine, single screw
- Rutland Transit Company
Loss
- November 4, 1903
- Grounding
- South Manitou Island, Lake Michigan
- Lake Michigan
- Not established
- General merchandise
- 21
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 12 ft
- Broken up, largely due to the 1960 grounding of the Francisco Morazan on top of the wreck; hull sections, boilers, and machinery remain visible.
- Not established
- Not established
- Within the Manitou Passage State Underwater Preserve and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Position
- 45.00° N 86.14° W
- Approximate position
- South Manitou Island, Michigan
Rounded from published dive-site coordinates (44°59.762'N 086°08.552'W).
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
Wikipedia (SS Walter L. Frost)
Build details, loss narrative, crew rescue, later damage by Francisco Morazan.
Michigan Underwater Preserves (michiganpreserves.org)
Depth and GPS coordinates for the dive site.
