SS Manasoo

Beginning in the mid-1840s, Canadian companies began importing iron vessels, prefabricated by shipyards in the United Kingdom. It would not be until 1889, however, that the first steel-hulled Canadian ship, Manitoba, was built on the Great Lakes.[1][2] In 1887, the Hamilton Steamboat Company, a fleet managed by Tunis Bruce Griffith of Hamilton, Ontario, placed an order for a steel steamship with William Hamilton & Company, a shipyard located on the banks of the River Clyde in Port Glasgow, Scotland.[3][4][5]

Hull number 64, built at William Hamilton & Company's Glen Yard, was christened Macassa.[6][7][8] She was licensed to carry 536 passengers, and was equipped with an elegant interior consisting of carved, polished hardwood panels, velvet sofas, silk curtains and velvet carpets. She was also equipped with electric lights.[3][6] Macassa had only a single tall mast, which was located behind her pilothouse. With the exception of a small cabin designed to shelter the passengers and crew, the promenade deck was completely open, while her main deck was enclosed.[5]

Macassa was clinker built.[4] Her hull was 155 feet (47.2 m) long.[5][7] Her beam was 24.1 feet (7.3 m) wide, while her hull was 16.3 feet (5.0 m) (some sources state 16 feet (4.9 m) or 16.25 feet (5.0 m)) deep.[4][5][7][9] Macassa had a gross tonnage of 574 tons, and a net tonnage of 459 tons.[5][7][lower-alpha 1]

She was powered by two 410 hp (310 kW) 135 rpm triple-expansion steam engines; the cylinders of the engines were 11 inches (27.9 cm), 18 inches (45.7 cm) and 29 inches (73.7 cm) in diameter, and had a stroke of 22 inches (55.9 cm).[4][5] Steam for the engine was provided by a single coal-fired, 12.6-by-10.9-foot (3.8 m × 3.3 m) Scotch marine boiler, which had a working pressure of 150 pounds per square inch (1,000 kPa).[10] The engine was built by William Kemp of Glasgow, Scotland, while the boiler was manufactured by Burnett & Company of Govan.[4][5] Macassa had a top speed of 18 knots (20.7 mph), and was propelled by two fixed pitch propellers.[3][4]

Macassa c. 1906

Macassa was accepted by the Hamilton Steamboat Company after she completed her sea trials on the River Clyde.[5] She was registered in Glasgow, Scotland, on May 2, 1888, and left for Hamilton on May 16.[11] Newspapers in 1888 speculated that Macassa would arrive at her destination on around June 1.[6]

Macassa in the Burlington Canal c. 1888

After Macassa arrived in Hamilton on the morning of June 7, she was given the Canadian official number 93932 on June 29, 1888, when she was registered in Hamilton.[4][5] For most of her career, she was engaged in the passenger trade between Hamilton and Toronto, Ontario. Early in her career, she also stopped at Lorne Park, Oakville and Burlington Beach, Ontario.[4][5][6][12]

While in Hamilton on August 11, 1892, a deckhand on board Macassa leaned against a gangway whilst trying to fill a bucket of water, fell overboard and drowned.[13] She made a 39-mile (62.8 km) trip between Burlington and Port Dalhousie, Ontario, on April 6, 1894, in an hour and fifty minutes.[14]

In an effort to make Macassa more profitable, she was sent to the Collingwood Shipbuilding Company of Collingwood, Ontario, in 1905 to be lengthened.[15] Her hull became 178.4 feet (54.4 m) long, her gross tonnage 529 tons, her net tonnage 234 tons, and her carrying capacity 1,500 long tons (1,524 t); the reason behind the reduction of her tonnage after the lengthening is unknown.[4][5][7][16] The new piece was inserted between her pilothouse and funnel. Officers' quarters were constructed behind the pilothouse, the cabin on the promenade deck was enlarged, her mast was moved behind the pilothouse, and a second mast was installed aft.[5] The lengthening significantly decreased Macassa's length-to-beam ratio, causing her to roll badly even in moderate weather.[5] On September 19, 1906, a deckhand on board Macassa lost his foot after it became entangled in a mooring line while she was in Hamilton.[17]

Macassa during her final year of service on Lake Ontario

In 1911, the Hamilton Steamboat Company merged into the Niagara Navigation Company, a company that operated passenger ships between Toronto and various Niagara River ports.[4][5] In 1912, the Niagara Navigation Company was absorbed into the Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Company, which itself was merged into the Canada Transportation Company of Montreal, Quebec, on June 11, 1913. The Canada Transportation Company was renamed Canada Steamship Lines later in 1913.[4][5]

Late in the summer of 1912, Macassa ran a special service from Coburg, Port Hope, Bowmanville, and Oshawa, Ontario, to Toronto, where she ferried passengers to and from the Canadian National Exhibition.[4][5] While with Canada Steamship Lines, Macassa frequently travelled between Grimsby, Ontario, Hamilton and Toronto.[5] She was used as the official boat for the Wrigley Marathon Swim.[5] At the end of the 1927 shipping season, Macassa was laid up in Toronto.[5]

Manasoo in Owen Sound, Ontario, in June 1928

In the winter of 1927, Macassa was sold to the Owen Sound Transportation Company of Owen Sound, Ontario, and was rebuilt as a nightboat in Toronto.[5][18] Macassa was renamed Manasoo, a combination of Manitoulin Island and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.[19] Her promenade deck was covered with passenger cabins, and her pilothouse and masts were replaced.[5] After her rebuild, she was licensed to carry only 70 passengers.[20]

Manasoo left for Owen Sound on April 22, 1928.[5] Along the way, she stopped in Goderich, Lion's Head and Wiarton, Ontario.[21] After entering service in May, she mainly operated between Sault Ste. Marie and Owen Sound, via the North Channel. Manasoo carried passengers and various types of freight.[5]

After the lucrative 1928 shipping season, Manasoo was open to special commissions.[22] Cowman Donald Wallace of Oil Springs, Ontario, and his friend Thomas Lambert (also of Oil Springs) drove to Owen Sound, where they boarded Manasoo.[23] Wallace had planned to purchase cattle from several farmers from around Manitoulin Island.[23] Under the command of Captain John McKay, Manasoo began her voyage on September 13.[24] She sailed to West Bay, Ontario, and then she proceeded to Manitowaning, Ontario, where she loaded two automobiles.[25] She left Manitowaning for Owen Sound at 12:00 p.m. on September 14, with 19 crewmen, two passengers, 115 cows and one bull on board.[5][19][20][26] By the time Manasoo had cleared the North Channel of Lake Huron, a sizeable storm had developed.[5] By 2:00 a.m. the next day, Manasoo had begun to list to port. Captain McKay eventually decided to beach Manasoo on nearby Griffith Island.[27][28] After some time, Manasoo's starboard bilge lifted out of the water, causing water to leak in through gangways and other openings.[5] Only one lifeboat was launched before Manasoo rolled over onto her port side, and sank stern first.[5][28]

Manasoo sank in three to five minutes. The only lifeboat launched capsized.[28] A life raft broke loose when Manasoo sank; only six of the crew, including Captain McKay were able to climb aboard.[29] One of the crew, Chief Engineer Thomas McCutcheon, died of exposure, and his clothes were distributed among the survivors.[29][30] After floating on the raft for over 60 hours, the survivors were rescued by the Canadian Pacific Railway steamer Manitoba.[5][30][31] 16 of the 21 people on board died.[28] Although the specific reason for Manasoo's sinking remains unknown, the shifting of the cattle is believed to be partly responsible.[19][27][30]

It was rumoured that Manasoo had previously been discovered by a diver resting in 150 feet (45.7 m) of water, 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from shore.[27] Her wreck was discovered on June 30, 2018, after a four-day search using side-scan sonar, by shipwreck hunters Jerry Eliason and Ken Merryman of Minnesota, and maritime historian Cris Kohl of Windsor, Ontario. Eliason and Merryman had unsuccessfully tried to locate her in 2017.[19][27][32] After searching more than 30 square miles (77.7 km²) of water, Kohl suggested that they look closer to shore.[27] He had found a newspaper account published in 1928, which stated that Manasoo's wreck had been located a few weeks after she sank.[27][33]

The wreck of Manasoo rests in 210 feet (64.0 m) of water, 0.5 miles (0.8 km) off Griffith Island.[27][34] The wreck is intact, although encrusted with zebra mussels, with its stern buried in the lake bottom and the bow pointing upwards at a 10° to 15° angle.[19][27][32] The pilothouse and helm are intact. Manasoo's collapsed funnel and two of her lifeboats are located on her deck, while another lies next to her wreck. Also within the wreck is Wallace's 1927 Chevrolet coupé, with its number plates still attached.[19][27][32]