SS Ira H. Owen
SS "Ira H. Owen" was a steel-hulled American lake freighter in service between 1887 and 1905. One of the first steel lake freighters, she was built in 1887 in Cleveland, Ohio, by the Globe Iron Works Company, and was built for the Owen Line of Chicago, Illinois. Early in her career, "Ira H. Owen" carried iron ore from Escanaba, Michigan. In April 1898, "Ira H. Owen" was chartered by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. She was sold to the National Steamship Company of Chicago, on December 30, 1899, for whom she frequently carried coal and grain . Throughout her career, "Ira H. Owen" was involved in multiple accidents and incidents. On the morning of November 28, 1905, "Ira H. Owen" left Duluth, Minnesota, with a "light load" of 116,000 bushels of barley bound for Buffalo, New York. As she passed the Apostle Islands, the weather conditions were deteriorating, but her captain opted not to seek shelter. As "Ira H. Owen" was passing Outer Island, she was hit by the full force of what would become the Mataafa Storm. She was spotted by Captain Alva Keller of the freighter "Harold B. Nye", and appeared to be in trouble ; "Harold B. Nye", however, was unable to assist "Ira H. Owen". The snow eventually blocked "Ira H. Owen" from Captain Keller's view. After the storm had passed, he looked for "Ira H. Owen" with his binoculars, but was unable to locate her. On December 1, the freighter "Sir William Siemens" located wreckage from "Ira H. Owen", east of Michigan Island. None of "Ira H. Owen"s 19 crewmen survived, and her wreck has not been located. History. Design and construction. "Ira H. Owen" (US official number 100410) was built in 1887 in Cleveland, Ohio, by the Globe Iron Works Company . She was one of the first steel lake freighters built on the Great Lakes, as well as the fourth steel ship built by the Globe Iron Works Company. "Ira H. Owen"s hull had an overall length and a length between perpendiculars of . Her beam was wide, while her hull was deep. "Ira H. Owen" had a gross tonnage of 1,753.22 (one source states just 1,753 tons), and a net tonnage of 1,497.77 (one source states 1,498) tons. She was powered by a single double-cylinder 85 rpm fore and aft compound steam engine; the cylinders of the engine were and  , and had a stroke of . Steam for the engine was provided by two by Scotch marine boilers. "Ira H. Owen"s engine and boilers were both built by the Globe Iron Works Company. She was propelled by a single fixed-pitch propeller. Originally, "Ira H. Owen" had three masts. She also had two decks, two funnels and a cargo capacity of . Service history. Launched on July 7, 1887, "Ira H. Owen" was yard number 14; she was enrolled in Cleveland on July 28, and received her permanent enrollment in Chicago, Illinois, on August 7. She was built for the Owen Line  of Chicago, which was also her home port; she entered service in 1887. Early in her career, "Ira H. Owen" carried iron ore from Escanaba, Michigan. Throughout her career, "Ira H. Owen" was involved in multiple accidents and incidents. The first accident "Ira H. Owen" was involved in occurred in April 1889, when she ran aground in the St. Clair River. On November 27 or 29, 1891, "Ira H. Owen" ran aground close to the Soo Locks. While bound for Chicago on June 16, 1892, "Ira H. Owen" collided with the two-masted schooner "Belle Brown", about off Ludington, Michigan . "Ira H. Owen"s cabin was badly damaged, while "Belle Brown" lost her bowsprit, jibboom and various other gear. After towing "Belle Brown" to Ludington, "Ira H. Owen" headed for Chicago. On the night of July 2, 1893, while heavily laden with iron ore, "Ira H. Owen" struck a rock off Cedar Point, near Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The rock punched a hole in her hull, after which she was beached to prevent her from sinking. Early in the morning of July 20, 1897, while travelling on Lake Huron, "Ira H. Owen" collided with the package freighter "Susquehanna" in thick fog  off Presque Isle, Michigan. Both vessels were severely damaged; "Ira H. Owen" headed for Alpena, Michigan, for repairs, while "Susquehanna" proceeded to Middle Island, and eventually sailed to Chicago. "Ira H. Owen" sustained $10,000 (equivalent to $ in ) worth of damage, while "Susquehanna" sustained $9,000 (equivalent to $ in ). Initially, "Ira H. Owen"s first mate Sidney O. Neff was blamed for the collision and had his licence suspended for 90 days. It was eventually proven that the collision was due to a "misjudgement as to the relative position of the two steamers", and not due to negligence on  the part of Neff. In April 1898, "Ira H. Owen" was chartered to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. On December 30, 1899, "Ira H. Owen" was sold to the National Steamship Company of Chicago, and had one of her masts removed. While owned by the National Steamship Company, "Ira H. Owen" frequently carried coal and grain. After leaving Manitowoc, Wisconsin, on December 5, 1903, with a cargo of grain bound for Buffalo, New York, a fire broke out in "Ira H. Owen"s boiler room. After trying and failing to extinguish the fire, her crew decided to beach her. However, this also  failed. The crew initially decided to leave "Ira H. Owen". As they were getting into the lifeboats, the car ferry "Ann Arbor No.1" appeared at the scene, after hearing "Ira H. Owen"s distress calls. "Ann Arbor No.1"s crew decided to tow "Ira H. Owen" to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. The two vessels were tied together, and the fire was fought while heading for the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal. The two vessels were joined by the steamer "George Burnham" and the lighthouse tender "Hyacinth". Overnight, the fire on board "Ira H. Owen" was extinguished. The fire burned a hole into her side , causing her to sink into of water. The aft cabins of "Ira H. Owen" were destroyed; the loss of "Ira H. Owen" and her cargo amounted to about $100,000. She was repaired, and was put back into service. On October 13, 1904, while upbound with a cargo of coal, "Ira H. Owen" collided with the, downbound, ore-laden freighter "Henry W. Oliver" in the St. Marys River, off DeTour Village, Michigan, due to a confusion of the passing signals. The damage sustained by "Ira H. Owen" was so severe that she had to be beached, in order to prevent  her from sinking in deep water. The captain of "Ira H. Owen", George C. Graham had his licence revoked for four months, due to negligence on his part. Final voyage. On the morning of November 28, 1905, "Ira H. Owen" left Duluth, Minnesota, with a "light load" of 116,000 bushels of barley bound for Buffalo. She was under command of Captain Thomas Honner. Previously a first mate, he had been made captain of "Ira H. Owen" prior to her final trip, as her previous captain, Joseph Hulligan (who was still on board), had taken ill. As she passed the Apostle  Islands, the weather conditions were deteriorating, but her captain opted not to seek shelter. As "Ira H. Owen" was passing Outer Island, she was hit by the full force by the winds of what would become the Mataafa Storm. She was spotted by Captain Alva Keller of the freighter "Harold B. Nye" off Outer Island, and appeared to be in trouble, continually blowing distress signals. "Harold B. Nye", however, was unable to assist "Ira H. Owen". The snow eventually blocked "Ira H. Owen" from Captain Keller's view. After two hours, the storm had passed; Captain Keller looked for "Ira  H. Owen" with his binoculars, but was unable to locate her. On December 1, at 10:00 a.m., the captain of the freighter "Sir William Siemens", M.K. Chamberlain reported locating wreckage from "Ira H. Owen", consisting of chairs, the top of a cabin, stairs, stanchions and multiple life jackets with "S.S. Ira H. Owen" stenciled on them, east of Michigan Island. None of "Ira H. Owen"s 19 crewmen survived, making her the only victim of the Mataafa Storm to be lost with all hands; none of their bodies were recovered. "Ira H. Owen" and her cargo were insured for $100,000  (equivalent to $ in ). Although her wreck has not been located, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society the wreck of "Ira H. Owen" most likely lies in deep water off Outer Island in the Apostles.