John Mitchel
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
John Mitchel Built - 1907 440 Ft. x 52 ft. x 28 ft. Four years after being launched in 1909, the Great Lakes freighter John Mitchell, sailing from Buffalo, New York with 7,000 tons of coal on board, was struck by the down-bound light-running steamer William H. Mack off Vermillion Point, about 15 miles west of Whitefish Point on Lake Superior. The Mitchell sank taking three lives. She was discovered by divers in 1972 lying upside down in 140 feet of water.
Images
Photo of the stern of the steel-hulled Great Lakes freighter John Mitchel during the ship's launching in 1907.
Photo of the Boardwalk plaque for the freighter John Mitchel showing the year built and the length.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
As you walked south from the “Starting Point” plaque to this location on the St. Clair River Boardwalk, the brass plaque marked John Mitchel on the boardwalk represents the bow of the Great Lakes freighter John Mitchel. The brass plaque at the Starting Point represents the stern or back of every ship included in this walking tour. By looking back to the starting point, you are able to get an estimate of the size or 440 ft. length of the John Mitchel.
Sources
St. Clair, by Charles Homberg, St. Clair Historical Commission, 2007; St. Clair Historical Museum and Research Center archives; Great Lakes Ships data base, Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Alpena, Michigan; Great Lakes Freighters by Rand Shackleton, Thunder Bay Press, 2003.