SS Milwaukee (1868)

42°44′5.4″N 86°54′9″W / 42.734833°N 86.90250°W / 42.734833; -86.90250

Milwaukee following her rebuild in 1883
History
United States
Name	Milwaukee
Namesake	Milwaukee
Owner	Northern Transportation Company (1868–1876) Philo Chamberlain (1876–1876) Northern Transit Company (1876–1881) Giles M. Wing & James W. Morgan (1881–1881) E.J. Wing & G.E. Morgan (1881–1882) E.J. Wing, C.E. Morgan, & William H. Harford (1882–1883) Lyman G. Mason (1883–1886)
Builder	A.C. Keating of Ogdensburg, New York
In service	1868
Out of service	July 8, 1886
Identification	US official number 17984
Fate	Sank in a collision on Lake Michigan
Wreck discovered	June 2023
General characteristics
Class and type	Canaller (1868–1883) Steam barge (1883–1886)
Tonnage	419.11 GRT (1868–1883) 279.79 GRT (1883–1886, after re-measurement) 192.09 NRT (1883–1886)
Length	135.5 feet (41.3 m)
Beam	26.1 feet (8.0 m)
Depth	10.9 feet (3.3 m)
Installed power	Engine: 1 × 300 hp (220 kW) single cylinder marine steam engine
Propulsion	1 × fixed pitch propeller

SS Milwaukee was a wooden-hulled American steam barge in service between 1866 and 1886. Originally a canaller, she was built in 1868 in Ogdensburg, New York, by A.C. Keating, for the Northern Transportation Company of Cleveland, Ohio. Designed with the explicit purpose to traverse the locks of the Welland Canal, Milwaukee spent her early career shuttling cargo between Ogdensburg, and Chicago, Illinois, while routinely making several stops in between. She was sold several times, and was involved in multiple accidents between 1868 and 1883. In early 1883, she was sold to lumberman Lyman G. Mason of Muskegon, Michigan, who had her reconstructed as a steam barge for the transport of lumber to Chicago.^[1][2][3]

Late in the afternoon on July 8, 1886, Milwaukee left Chicago, bound for Muskegon, following a lumber delivery. Despite clement weather, visibility across Lake Michigan was impaired by smoke from several forest fires. A few hours later, the crew of Milwaukee sighted the lights of the Chicago-bound steam barge C. Hickox. A thick fog suddenly descended on the lake, obscuring both vessels, and leading to the lack of reduced speed required to avert a collision. Following a sudden turn, C. Hickox made a sudden turn, crashing into the side of Milwaukee. Two hours after the collision, Milwaukee sank, with only a single fatality.^[3]

The location of Milwaukee's wreck remained unknown for almost 137 years, until it was located by the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association, resting in 360 feet (109.7 m) of water, 40 miles (64.4 km) from Holland, Michigan, significantly intact. The discovery of the wreck was publicly announced on March 23, 2024.^[3]