The Weirdest Boats on the Great Lakes
May 16, 2023 6:33 AM Subscribe
The origin of the iconic Whaleback ship design on the Great Lakes and it’s demise. The whaleback ship and barge design was iconic to the Great Lakes in the Gilded Age and for strange reasons, Puget Sound in Washington state.
This was very interesting, thanks. The intersection of design and commerce often makes strange bedfellows and equally strange artifacts.
posted by From Bklyn at 7:48 AM on May 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by From Bklyn at 7:48 AM on May 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
19th century narco-subs, basically
posted by scruss at 8:00 AM on May 16, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by scruss at 8:00 AM on May 16, 2023 [4 favorites]
impossible, narcotics weren't invented until 1921.
posted by clavdivs at 8:50 AM on May 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by clavdivs at 8:50 AM on May 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
Thanks for this.
The wreck of the Choctaw (a semi-whaleback "monitor" design) was found a few years ago:
Visiting ‘Target 2’ first, the video recordings from the ROV mission were stunning. The vessel’s telltale straight back, or modified whaleback, design was evident. Dozens of features indicated in the builder’s plans were visible. The stern deck cabins, machinery, and tackle identically matched the historical records--engineering plans and photographs included. For the first time in over a century, the remains of Choctaw were finally seen by human eyes.
It didn't seem to want to stay afloat:
Like many Great Lakes ships, Choctaw was not immune to mishaps. In April 1893, an engine explosion killed two crew members. The vessel sank at Sault Ste. Marie in a collision with the steamer Waldo in May 1896. A few years later, in May 1900, Choctaw grounded near Point au Pins, and in April 1902, Choctaw struck a rock at Marquette and partly sank after getting inside the harbor.
The ship's fatal blow came on July 12, 1915, off Presque Isle. Up-bound in a dense fog with a cargo of coal, Choctaw was hit between No. 1 and No. 2 hatches by Canadian Steamship Company freighter Wahcondah. Although the ship sank in only seven minutes, Captain Charles A. Fox and his crew of 21 men were all rescued and taken aboard Wahcondah.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:24 PM on May 16, 2023
The wreck of the Choctaw (a semi-whaleback "monitor" design) was found a few years ago:
Visiting ‘Target 2’ first, the video recordings from the ROV mission were stunning. The vessel’s telltale straight back, or modified whaleback, design was evident. Dozens of features indicated in the builder’s plans were visible. The stern deck cabins, machinery, and tackle identically matched the historical records--engineering plans and photographs included. For the first time in over a century, the remains of Choctaw were finally seen by human eyes.
It didn't seem to want to stay afloat:
Like many Great Lakes ships, Choctaw was not immune to mishaps. In April 1893, an engine explosion killed two crew members. The vessel sank at Sault Ste. Marie in a collision with the steamer Waldo in May 1896. A few years later, in May 1900, Choctaw grounded near Point au Pins, and in April 1902, Choctaw struck a rock at Marquette and partly sank after getting inside the harbor.
The ship's fatal blow came on July 12, 1915, off Presque Isle. Up-bound in a dense fog with a cargo of coal, Choctaw was hit between No. 1 and No. 2 hatches by Canadian Steamship Company freighter Wahcondah. Although the ship sank in only seven minutes, Captain Charles A. Fox and his crew of 21 men were all rescued and taken aboard Wahcondah.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:24 PM on May 16, 2023
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posted by symbioid at 7:05 AM on May 16, 2023 [1 favorite]