SS Hennepin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hennepin Shipwreck
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Hennepin, c. 1901
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | South Haven, Michigan, USA |
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| Built | October 1888 |
| Architect | Wolf and Davidson |
| NRHP reference No. | 07001489 |
| Added to NRHP | February 1, 2008 |
The Hennepin was a special ship that sank a long time ago in Lake Michigan. It lies west of South Haven, Michigan. This ship was built in October 1888. It sank on August 18, 1927.
People found the Hennepin in 2006. They explored it to see how it looked underwater. This shipwreck is important because it was the very first ship that could unload its own cargo! It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
The Ship's Journey
The Hennepin was first built in October 1888. It was named George H. Dyer back then. The ship was made by a company called Wolf and Davidson in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It had a powerful steam engine to move it through the water.
Over time, the ship had different owners. Around 1898, its name was changed to Hennepin. This new name honored Louis Hennepin, a famous explorer of the Great Lakes.
A Fiery Accident and New Purpose
On June 27, 1901, something big happened. The ship caught fire in Buffalo, New York. The fire caused a lot of damage. Most of the top deck and the ship's machinery were ruined.
After the fire, the ship was sold to a company called Lake Shore Stone Company. They had a great idea! They added a special conveyor belt to the ship. This made the Hennepin the world's first self-unloading ship. It could now unload its own cargo without needing help from shore.
This new design was a big deal. It changed how many ships were built after that. The Hennepin could carry a huge amount of cargo, about 1600 tons. It was used to carry stone from a quarry in Stone Haven, Wisconsin.
Becoming a Barge
Later, in 1923, another company bought the ship. It was called Construction Materials Corporation. They used the Hennepin to carry sand and gravel from the Grand River to Chicago.
By this time, the ship's body was getting old and weak. So, its engine was removed. The Hennepin became a barge, which is a ship without its own engine. It had to be pulled by other boats. In 1926, the tugboat Ufasco pulled it. In 1927, the tugboat Lotus did the job.
The Final Voyage
On August 18, 1927, the Hennepin was being pulled across Lake Michigan. Around 10:30 in the morning, it sailed into a sudden, strong storm called a squall.
The ship started to leak water. The crew worked very hard to save it. They used pumps to try and get the water out. But too much water was coming in. The pumps just couldn't keep up.
The crew kept trying until 2:30 in the afternoon. But it was no use. They had to leave the ship to be safe. They moved onto the tugboat Lotus. The Hennepin finally sank around 6:00 PM that evening. Captain Ole Hansen later said, "She died a hard death."
Finding the Shipwreck
In 2006, a group called Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates was looking for another lost airplane. While they were searching, they found something else on the bottom of the lake. It looked like a shipwreck!
At first, they saw a small part that looked like a "rib cage." But as they looked more, they found a whole ship. They sent a team of special divers to explore it. The ship was about 200 feet (61 meters) underwater.
The divers looked closely at the wreck. They found a capstan, which is a machine used to pull ropes. On its cover, they saw the name "G.H. Dyer" stamped there. This helped them know for sure it was the Hennepin.
The ship's pilothouse, where the captain steered, had broken off when it sank. But the steering wheel was still there and in good shape. The divers also saw that the ship had hit the bottom stern-first (back first). The conveyor belts and the large A-frame crane were still in place. These features also helped confirm that it was indeed the Hennepin.
