Manistee (shipwreck)
- This article is about the ship that sank near the Apostle Islands, not to be confused with the other shipwreck of the same name at Spring Lake, Michigan. For this ship's namesake city, see: Manistee, Michigan.
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Manistee |
| Owner: | Originally by Engelman Line of Milwaukee, later by Leopold and Austrian Line |
| Port of registry: |
 United States |
| Builder: | E.M. Peck, of Cleveland |
| Laid down: | November 10, 1883 |
| Launched: | 1867 |
| Fate: | Lost at sea, near the Apostle Islands |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Packet Steamer |
| Tonnage: | 677 gross tonnage |
| Length: | 154 feet (47 m), later extended to 184 feet (56 m) |
| Crew: | About 23 |
The Manistee was a Packet Steamship that went missing on Lake Superior on November 10, 1883. It was presumed to have sunk, with no surviving crew or passengers. The cause remains a mystery, and the wreckage was never discovered.
History
The Manistee was built in 1867, by E.M. Peck Shipbuilders, of Cleveland. Originally, it measured 154 feet, but was later extended to 184 feet, and weighed 677 gross tons.[1]
Originally, the vessel was operated by the Engelman Line and carried cargo and passengers between her home port of Milwaukee, and her namesake city, Manistee, Michigan. In 1872, the ship came to Duluth, Minnesota, and was eventually put in service for the Leopold and Austrian Line, her final owners.[1]
The long and interesting career of the Manistee came to an end on an autumn Saturday in 1883, when the ship left Duluth for Ontonagon, Michigan. The 400 tons of cargo included items such as flour, mill goods, furniture, and general merchandise. Shortly after leaving, a violent northwest gale developed on the western portion of the lake. The skipper John McKay decided to seek temporary shelter near Bayfield, Wisconsin, until the winds subsided. The storm lasted for four days. On the fifth day of his Bayfield stay, McKay decided to venture back out towards Ontanagon. However, this proved to be a mistake, as the ship went missing after leaving Bayfield.
The cause of the sinking, the location of the wreckage, and even the exact number of missing passengers is in question. Different theories of the ship's fate were discussed in an article in the Bayfield County Press on November 24, 1883, when the story was first reported by the local media.
