The ''Thomas Wilson'' was a

whaleback ] A whaleback was a type of cargo steamship of unusual design, with a hull that continuously curved above the waterline from vertical to horizontal. When fully loaded, only the rounded portion of the hull (the "whaleback" proper) could be seen a ...

freighter built in 1892 and used to haul bulk freight on the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...

. The ship sank in

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

just outside the harbor of

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

, United States, on 7 June 1902, after a collision with the ''George Hadley''. The wreck of the ''Thomas Wilson'' is one of the best remaining examples of a whaleback steamer, and it is also significant for the changes made in operating procedures at the Duluth harbor. The remains of the ship were listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1992.

Ship

The whaleback was designed by Captain

Alexander McDougall Alexander McDougall (1732 9 June 1786) was a Scottish-born American seaman, merchant, a Sons of Liberty leader from New York City before and during the American Revolution, and a military leader during the Revolutionary War. He served as a m ...

to carry cargoes of iron ore or grain economically around the Great Lakes. A pair of coal-fired

Scotch boiler A "Scotch" marine boiler (or simply Scotch boiler) is a design of steam boiler best known for its use on ships. The general layout is that of a squat horizontal cylinder. One or more large cylindrical furnaces are in the lower part of the boile ...

engines provided steam for the three-cylinder, triple expansion steam engine which drove a single screw propeller. The hull was built of heavy steel plates double-riveted to steel angle frames. The bow and stern were of a conoidal shape, with the center part of the hull being roughly cigar-shaped. The ship was long, with a beam and a

hold Hold may refer to: Physical spaces * Hold (ship), interior cargo space * Baggage hold, cargo space on an airplane * Stronghold, a castle or other fortified place Arts, entertainment, and media * Hold (musical term), a pause, also called a Ferm ...

. The hatches on the deck had no

coaming Coaming is any vertical surface on a ship designed to deflect or prevent entry of water. It usually consists of a raised section of deck plating around an opening, such as a cargo hatch. Coamings also provide a frame onto which to fit a hatch cov ...

s, vertical sections that would have prevented water from coming into the hatches. Instead the hatches were designed to be flush with the surface of the deck, and were simply bolted to the deck.

Sinking

On 7 June 1902, the ''Thomas Wilson'' left the Duluth harbor carrying a load of Mesabi iron ore. The hatches were not yet closed, because the weather was clear and calm. Meanwhile, the ''George Hadley'', a 2073-ton wooden steamer, was inbound for the Duluth harbor. The '' Annie L. Smith'' tugboat directed the ''George Hadley'' to divert to the Superior harbor, since all of the Duluth coal docks were full. The captain of the ''George Hadley'' ordered an immediate turn to

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

without noticing the direction of the ''Thomas Wilson'' or blowing the required whistle signals. The captain of the ''Thomas Wilson'', concerned about the movements of the ''Hadley'' but suspicious of running aground if he turned to port, ordered an immediate turn to starboard. The ''Hadley'' struck the ''Wilson'' just forward of the aft hatch and recoiled from the collision. The ''Wilson'' rolled over to port, then righted itself and began to sink by the bow. Within three minutes, the entire ship had sunk, drowning nine of the twenty-man crew. The ship and its cargo were valued at $207,000 (). As a result of the collision, new rules were instituted in the Duluth harbor: # Ships cannot leave the harbor with open hatches. # Ships may not pull out from another ship following a collision. # Pilots may not carry out any order given by the captain when another vessel is sighted without first calling the captain's attention to the other vessel. # All ships must be equipped with signal systems to all parts of the vessel to warn of danger.

The wreck today

The ship rests in of water less than a mile outside the entrance of the

Duluth Ship Canal The Duluth Ship Canal is an artificial canal cut through Minnesota Point, providing direct access to Duluth harbor from Lake Superior. Begun privately in 1871, it was put under federal supervision and maintenance several years later. It is still ...

. The stern of the ship is substantially complete, though a large section of the hull of the midship has been broken apart due to other ships dragging anchors through the wreck. The interior of the ship has survived largely intact, with relatively few items having been removed by divers. Some artifacts are on display at the Meteor Maritime Museum nearby in Superior, Wisconsin, together with information about the Thomas Wilson. The wreck was listed on the National Register of Historic Places under the name ''Thomas Wilson'' (Whaleback Freighter) Shipwreck in 1992 for its state-level significance in the themes of engineering and maritime history.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas Wilson 1892 ships Duluth–Superior metropolitan area Great Lakes freighters Maritime incidents in 1902 National Register of Historic Places in St. Louis County, Minnesota Ships built in Lorain, Ohio Ships sunk in collisions Shipwrecks of Lake Superior Shipwrecks on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Whaleback ships Shipwrecks of the Minnesota coast Wreck diving sites in the United States