SS Appomattox

The Appomattox (Official number 116682)[3] was built in 1896 in West Bay City, Michigan by the shipyard owned by master shipbuilder James Davidson who was known for his innovative wooden hulled ships.[upper-alpha 1] It was the largest steam powered bulk carrier ever to sail on the Great Lakes.[5] It was built for the Davidson Steamship Company which was also owned by Captain Davidson; it was also one of the last ships he built.[6][3] At an overall length of 330 feet (100 m)[3] the Appomattox was one of the largest wooden ships ever built. Its hull was 319.80 feet (97.48 m) between its perpendiculars.[7] Its beam was 42 feet (13 m)[3] wide, and its hull was 23 feet (7.0 m) deep.[3][8] It had a gross register tonnage of 2643 tons,[9] and a net register tonnage of 2082 tons.[10] It was equipped with a 1,100 horsepower triple expansion steam engine which was built by the Frontier Iron Works Company of Detroit, Michigan. Its engine was fueled by two Scotch marine boilers that were built by the Wickes Brothers of Saginaw, Michigan. They measured 12.3 feet (3.7 m) by 12.160 feet (3.706 m)[11][9]

Due to the vessels length, the Appomattox used metallic cross bracing, a metallic keelson, metallic plates, and multiple metallic arches.[12] Several siphons, pumps were required to keep the Appomattox afloat.[13]

The Appomattox operated mainly on the Great Lakes, carrying iron ore on its eastward voyages, and then returning westward with coal. The ship usually towed the steamer barge Santiago, which had a length of 324 feet (98.8 m), to increase the amount of cargo carried each trip.[12] The Appomattox alone could carry more than 3,000 tons of bulk cargo, and it and the Santiago had a combined capacity approaching 8,000 tons.[12]

On August 3, 1900 the Appomattox was towing the schooner-barge Santiago in the St. Clair River. Meanwhile, the schooner Fontana was under tow of the steamer Kaliyuga.[14] Then as the four ships approached each other, the Santiago veered off course and collided with the Fontana, which sank almost immediately with one fatality.[12]

On the day of November 2, 1905 the coal-laden Appomattox was bound southward with the Santiago which was also full of coal. They were sailing on the west shore of Lake Michigan.[15] The pair came upon a thick bank of fog which severely impaired their visibility. The two vessels came too close to the shoreline and ran aground. Another vessel named Iowa was nearby, and she also ran aground.[15] With the use of wrecking tugs, a Revenue Service cutter and the crew of the U.S. Lifesaving Service Station were able to free the Santiago and the Iowa in no time at all. Unfortunately the Appomattox had run aground so hard that it sustained severe bottom damage, the crews worked but were unable to refloat the hull.[15]

As the weather deteriorated, and the waves continued to pound the hulk of the Appomattox, the crew of the wrecking tugs and the U.S. Lifesaving Service continued in their effort to salvage her.[15] But the bottom of the Appomattox had cracked in several places, and even though multiple pumps were used, they could not keep the water from entering her hull. The wrecking crews abandoned her on November 15, 1905. In 1907, or 1919, the Reid (or Reed) Wrecking Company of Sarnia, Ontario removed all of her machinery.[15][16]

The remains of the Appomattox rest in 15 feet (4.6 m) to 20 feet (6.1 m) of water 150 yards off Atwater Beach.[17] The remains consist of the Appomattox's intact lower bilge which measures 250 feet (76 m), her port side which measures 260 feet (79 m) in length, her starboard side, the remains of her engine beds are also located within the wreck. The wreck is popular with divers due to its close proximity to shore and shallow depth.[17]