SS Manistee (1867)

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.Manistee was a packet steamer that disappeared on Lake Superior on November 15 or 16, 1883. She was presumed to have sunk, with no surviving crew or passengers. The cause remains a mystery, and her wreckage has not been found.

HistoryManistee was built in 1867 by E. M. Peck Shipbuilders, of Cleveland, Ohio. Originally, she measured 154 feet (46.9 meters) in length, but she was later lengthened to 184 feet (56.1 meters), and she was rated at 677 gross tons.

Originally, the vessel was operated by the Engelman Line and carried cargo and passengers between her home port of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and her namesake city, Manistee, Michigan. In 1872, the ship came to Duluth, Minnesota, and she eventually was put in service for the Leopold and Austrian Line, her final owners.

The long and interesting career of 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 she left Duluth, a violent northwest gale developed on the western portion of Lake Superior. Her captain, 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 disappeared somewhere near the Apostle Islands after leaving Bayfield.

The cause of the sinking, the location of the wreck, and even the exact number of missing passengers is in question. Different theories as to 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.

See also
List of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes
Apostle Islands

References

Category:1867 ships
Category:Ships built in Cleveland
Category:Great Lakes ships
Category:Maritime incidents in 1883
Category:Shipwrecks of the Wisconsin coast
Category:Shipwrecks of Lake Superior
Category:Ships lost with all hands
Category:Apostle Islands
Category:Missing ships