The Grim Voyage of the SS Appomattox, 1896-1905

James Davidson crafted the SS Appomattox in 1896, a behemoth measuring 330 feet long, 42 feet wide, and 23 feet deep. With a gross register tonnage of 2643 and a net register tonnage of 2082, it was a triumph of efficiency. The child of the Davidson Steamship Company, the SS Appomattox was propelled by a 1,100 horsepower triple expansion steam engine and two boilers. It sailed the Great Lakes, hauling iron ore eastward and coal westward, often accompanied by the steamer barge Santiago.

The pair boasted a prodigious total of 7996 tons. On August 3, 1900, the SS Appomattox suffered a collision with the schooner Fontana, resulting in a single life lost. But that was merely a prelude to its plights. On November 2, 1905, the SS Appomattox struck the shore of Lake Michigan while transporting coal. Regardless of the valiant efforts of its crew, water soon punched the hull, necessitating an evacuation on November 15, 1905. The Reid Wrecking Company of Sarnia dismantled the ship's machinery between the years 1907 and 1919, but the hull continues to rest beneath 15 to 20 feet of water, 150 yards off Atwater Beach.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons