SS Ironsides was a wooden-hulled American package freighter in service between 1864 and 1873. She was built in 1864 in Cleveland, Ohio, by either Ira Lafrinier or Quayle & Martin. She was built for John E. Turner, also of Cleveland, and operated as part of the Cleveland & Lake Superior Line. She had an identical sister ship named Lac La Belle. Ironsides operated between Cleveland and Lake Superior for a number of years, and was sold several times. In 1869, she was sold to Nathan Englemann of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and operated between Milwaukee and Grand Haven, Michigan. In 1871, she became part of the Englemann Transportation Company.
On the night of September 14, 1873, Ironsides left Milwaukee for Grand Haven with 13,000 bushels of wheat, 500 barrels of flour, 125 barrels of pork, general merchandise, 19 passengers and about 30 crewmen on board. Later that evening, the light breeze that had been blowing became a powerful gale. At 4:00a.m. the next day, Ironsides began to take on water quickly. After failing to navigate Ironsides into Grand Haven harbour twice, Captain Harry Sweetman decided instead to anchor, and ride out the storm offshore. Later that morning, the water extinguished the fire in Ironsides boilers. By 11:00a.m., all people onboard had escaped in five lifeboats. Ironsides sank at 12:10p.m. Three of the five lifeboats capsized, killing roughly 18 to 28 people.
In 1878, pieces of Ironsides wreck were brought up by fishermen in their nets. In 1887, the Englemann Transportation Company claimed they would raise Ironsides wreck, however, the salvage never occurred. The wreck was discovered in about 1966 by shipwreck hunter Gene Turner. The wreck lies partially collapsed in between and of water.
History
Design and construction
Ironsides (US official number 12091) was built in 1864 in Cleveland, Ohio. Sources conflict on who built her; she was built by either Ira Lafrinnier or Quayle & Martin. She had an identical sister ship named Lac La Belle, built by Lafrinnier. Her name stemmed from the metal plating her hull was sheathed in. Her hull contained two watertight bulkheads, and was stiffened with two "hogging arches" which were reinforced with iron. Ironsides had 44 state rooms, which were furnished with chandeliers, damask curtains and colourful carpets.
Ironsides hull had an overall length and a length between perpendiculars of (some source states or ). Her beam was (some sources state or ) wide. At her main deck, Ironsides had overhanging hull guards, which brought her over all beam to . Ironsides hull was (some sources state or ) deep. She had a gross tonnage of 973 tons.
She was powered by two dual-cylinder low pressure direct acting engines, designed by J.F. Holloway, and nicknamed "Jack and Jill" by Ironsides crew. The cylinders of the engine were in diameter, and had a stroke of . Steam for the engine was provided by two long and wide firebox boilers with 378 return tubes. Ironsides engine and boilers were both built by the Cuyahoga Iron Works of Cleveland. She was propelled by two four-bladed fixed-pitch propellers, in diameter.
Service history
Ironsides was launched at 4:00p.m. on July 23, 1864. Commissioned by John E. Turner of Cleveland, she operated as part of the Cleveland & Lake Superior Line between Cleveland, Detroit, Michigan, Mackinac Island and several Lake Superior ports. On September 16, Ironsides was enrolled in Cleveland, which was also her home port. Later in her career, her home port was changed to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Throughout her career, Ironsides was involved in multiple accidents and incidents.
During the American Civil War, Ironsides hauled iron ore from Lake Superior. After the old measurement system was abolished, Ironsides was remeasured in Cleveland on September 20, 1865; under the new system, Ironsides had a gross tonnage of 1123.75 tons. While in Detroit in June 1865, Ironsides was slightly damaged by a fire in her cargo hold. On April 25, 1867, Ironsides was sold to Dwight Scott of Cleveland. She was sold to Thomas A. Howe of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 30, 1869; on May 10, that same year, Ironsides was sold to Nathan Englemann of Milwaukee, and travelled between Milwaukee and Grand Haven, Michigan.
Ironsides had three accidents in 1869. While loaded with corn and 15,000 bushels of wheat, one of Ironsides crankpins broke while travelling off Point Betsie in May 1869. Propelled by only one engine, Ironsides made it to Detroit on May 21, and was repaired in Buffalo, New York. In August, she collided with a dredge in either Milwaukee, or Racine, Wisconsin. In October, she collided with the revenue cutter Andrew Johnson in Milwaukee.