SS Lafayette

SS Lafayette was a 454-foot (138 m) long Great Lakes bulk freighter that broke in two in the Mataafa Storm of 1905 near Encampment Island, Two Harbors, Minnesota.[1] She was part of the "College Line" of ships; a group of five completely identical vessels named after the colleges attended by five of Pittsburgh Steamship's executives. The Lafayette's sister ships were: Harvard, Cornell, Princeton and the Rensselaer.

Lafayette before she sank
History
 United States
Name: Lafayette
Operator: Pittsburgh Steamship Company
Port of registry:  United States
Builder: American Ship Building Company, Lorain, Ohio
Yard number: 301
Completed: 1900
In service: 1900
Identification: U.S. Registry #141657
Fate: Broke up in the 1905 Mataafa Storm on 28 November 1905
Status: Wrecked
General characteristics
Class and type: Bulk Freighter
Tonnage:
  • 5113 gross
  • 3827 net
Length: 454 ft (138 m)
Beam: 50 ft (15 m)
Height: 28.48 ft (8.68 m)
Installed power: 2 x Scotch marine boilers
Propulsion: Triple expansion steam engine
Crew: 29

Lafayette was sailing with her barge Manilla which crashed into her when she ran ashore. The waves caused the ship to break in two, the stern stayed on the rocks, while the bow was pounded to pieces by the waters of Lake Superior.[2] Only one life was lost. The ship was declared a total loss (the cost of the ship was about $300,000).[3] The stern of Lafayette was used in 1909 to build the steamer J.S. Ashley.

References
  1. "The Gales of November: Lafayette Shipwreck". Forgotten Minnesota. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  2. "Lafayette". Great Lakes Vessel History. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  3. "LAFAYETTE". Bowling State Green University. Retrieved 7 January 2018.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.