From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
SS Charles W. Wetmore
American whaleback freighter
American whaleback freighter
| Field | Value | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| section1 | {{Infobox ship/image | ||
| image | UP digCenter AK01b298 Whaleback Charles W. Wetmore Wetzel Lock.jpg | ||
| image_caption | The Wetmore, downbound through the Weitzel lock, at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, en route to London, 1891 | ||
| section2 | {{Infobox ship/career | ||
| country | United States | ||
| flag | [[Image:Flag of the United States.svg | 60px | United States flag]] |
| name | Charles W. Wetmore | ||
| owner | American Steel Barge Company | ||
| builder | American Steel Barge Company | ||
| yard_number | 0112 | ||
| laid_down | 6 November 1890 | ||
| launched | 23 May 1891 | ||
| in_service | 1891 | ||
| homeport | Superior, Wisconsin through May 1892, then Everett, Washington | ||
| fate | Wrecked 8 September 1892 off Coos Bay, Oregon | ||
| section3 | {{Infobox ship/characteristics | ||
| tonnage | *1,399 gross tons | ||
| length | 264 ft | ||
| beam | 38 ft | ||
| draft | 16 ft | ||
| depth | 24 ft | ||
| propulsion | 700 hp steam engine | ||
| capacity | 3,000 gross tons | ||
| crew | 22 | ||
| notes | One of two whalebacks in ocean service; carried parts around Cape Horn to build the second one, City of Everett. |
- 1,075 net tons
The '*SS *Charles W. Wetmore''''' was a whaleback freighter built in 1891 by Alexander McDougall's American Steel Barge Company shipyard in Superior, Wisconsin, USA. She was named in honor of Charles W. Wetmore, a business associate of Alexander McDougall, officer of the shipyard, and associate of the Rockefeller family.{{cite book
Construction and equipment
The Wetmore was built in 1891 as hull #112 of the American Steel Barge Company works.{{cite web The Wetmore was 264 ft long with a beam of 38 ft and a 16.4 ft draft and gross tonnage of 3,000. Her power was a single 700 hp steam engine, but she also had four jury masts with sails for emergency use. As typical for freight whalebacks, there was a small turret at the bow which had anchor hoisting machinery and other equipment. Three turrets at the stern raised the stern cabin and pilothouse off the hull. Her single stack exited through one of the turrets.{{cite encyclopedia |access-date=2008-02-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070804063125/http://www.boatnerd.com:80/news/archive/9-04.htm |archive-date=2007-08-04
Operating history
The Wetmore was the first whaleback to operate outside the Great Lakes, when in June 1891, |access-date=2008-02-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070805120508/http://www.boatnerd.com:80/news/archive/6-04.htm |archive-date=2007-08-05
Her designer, Alexander McDougall arrived in Everett in early December, in advance of her arrival. When almost there, she lost her rudder (it had gradually been coming unriveted since the Galápagos Islands according to her captain) and she had to be towed in by the SS Zambezi out of Hong Kong. As was typical marine salvage practice at the time, the owners of the Zambezi filed a salvage claim for one third the value of the ship and cargo.{{cite web|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1891/12/11/103356151.pdf
Her career was short: she ran aground on 8 September 1892 in fog off Coos Bay, Oregon while carrying a load of coal from Tacoma, Washington bound for San Francisco. Salvage attempts were frustrated due to bad weather, and the vessel was abandoned. Meanwhile the Pacific Steel Barge Company yard, founded with the equipment she brought, built the SS City of Everett. No other whalebacks were built by the shipyard.
References
References
- "Provenance page for Wetmore locking through Weitzel lock". Upper Peninsula Digitization Center Collections.
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about SS Charles W. Wetmore — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report