SS R.J. Hackett facts for kids
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The R. J. Hackett was a steamship built in 1869. When it first sailed, its wide shape and long cargo area were unusual. But this design was great for moving goods across the Great Lakes. Because of this, many other ships copied its style.
The Hackett is known as the very first Great Lakes freighter. This type of ship has been super important for shipping on the Great Lakes for over 100 years! In 1905, the Hackett caught fire and sank. It rests on Whaleback Shoal in Green Bay, about 9.5 miles southeast of the Cedar River in Menominee County, Michigan. The place where the ship sank was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
Contents
- Meet Elihu M. Peck: A Shipbuilder
- Building the R. J. Hackett Ship
- What the Hackett Looked Like
- Why the Hackett Was So Important
- Later Years of the Hackett
- The Ship's Final Voyage
Meet Elihu M. Peck: A Shipbuilder
Elihu Monroe Peck (1822 – 1896) was a very important person in shipbuilding. He also helped move people and goods by ship. He was born in Butternuts, New York.
When Elihu was 16, he started working as a ship's carpenter. He moved to Cleveland, Ohio and learned from a shipbuilder named Philo Moses. In 1847, Peck started his own shipyard. He built one new ship, a schooner called Jenny Lind. But he mostly fixed older ships.
Later, Peck became a captain of his own ship, the Fountain City. In 1855, he teamed up with Irvine U. Masters. They formed a company called Peck & Masters. This new company focused on building brand new ships. Masters passed away in 1866, but Peck kept the company name.
Peck was known for being a bit rough around the edges but fair. He was also quite creative! When there wasn't much work, he kept his builders busy by building ships even without a buyer. These ships always ended up being sold. His first ship, the Jenny Lind, had a blunt front and a nearly square shape. This was different from other sleek ships of the time. But the Jenny Lind's design meant it could carry more cargo. This gave it an advantage over other schooners.
Building the R. J. Hackett Ship
By 1869, Peck & Masters was a very respected company. They had built more than 50 ships. One of their ships was the Nebraska, built in 1867. It was 280 feet long and the biggest ship on the Great Lakes at that time.
Most ships Peck & Masters built were pretty standard. But in 1869, Peck decided to try something new again. For this ship, he partnered with Captain Robert J. Hackett from Detroit. They designed and built the R. J. Hackett without a buyer in mind. The ship was launched on November 16, 1869. Like the Jenny Lind, the Hackett had a boxy hull. This helped it carry more cargo.
However, Peck and Hackett couldn't find anyone to buy the Hackett. So, instead of letting it sit, they started their own company. It was called the Northwest Transportation Company. Hackett's brother and Harvey Brown also joined. Hackett set up the company in Detroit. He hired Captain David Trotter to sail the Hackett. The ship officially started its first trip in the spring of 1870.
What the Hackett Looked Like
The R. J. Hackett was a ship with a wooden body and a propeller. It weighed 749 gross tons. It was about 208 feet 1 inch (63.42 m) long, 32 feet 5 inches (9.88 m) wide, and 12 feet 6 inches (3.81 m) deep.
The ship first had a 475 horsepower (354 kW) steam engine at the back. This engine powered the propeller. In 1883, they put in a new 380 horsepower (280 kW) engine. There was a small building at the back of the ship. It held the kitchen and sleeping areas for the crew. Another building near the front held the captain's room and the steering area.
The Hackett originally had two tall poles called masts. A third one was added later. These masts could hold sails or be used with ropes and pulleys to help unload the ship. There were many openings on the deck, spaced 24 feet (7.3 m) apart. These openings allowed access to the large cargo area below.
Why the Hackett Was So Important
The design of the R. J. Hackett was very clever and new. Its boxy shape, deck full of hatches, and placement of the deckhouses made it perfect for moving cargo on inland waterways. The buildings at the front and back meant the Hackett had one huge cargo hold. This hold was easy to get into and fill with goods.
The boxy hull allowed for the most cargo space. The hatches were perfectly spaced for the ore chutes at docks like in Marquette, Michigan. The middle part of the ship was clear of ropes and poles, making loading much easier. Having the steering area at the front gave the captain a better view. This helped him react quickly to anything in the water. The Hackett's design combined the best parts of steam and sailing ships into a brand new type of vessel.
The R. J. Hackett could travel at 12 miles per hour (19 km/h). This was faster than cargo ships that only used sails. Plus, because of its design, the ship could carry a huge amount of cargo. The building of the Hackett happened at the same time the iron industry was booming in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. This meant there was a big need for ships that could carry iron ore from the mines to factories far away.
The R. J. Hackett was so successful that other shipbuilders immediately started copying its design. This completely changed how lake freighters looked from then on. Over the next 25 years, ships based on the Hackett's design became the most common type of ship on the Great Lakes. For over 100 years, the Hacketts design was the basis for almost every large cargo ship built for North American inland waters. Even when ships started being made of iron and steel in the 1880s, they still followed the Hacketts basic layout.
Later Years of the Hackett
In 1870, Elihu Peck tried another new idea: towing. He used the R. J. Hackett to pull another ship, the schooner Forest City. Both ships were full of ore. This showed that towing cargo ships through the lakes worked well. It basically doubled the amount of cargo one ship could move without making it harder to steer. In 1871, the Forest City got its own engines. Then the Hackett started towing another schooner, the Harvey H. Brown.
Elihu Peck slowly stopped building ships. He closed his shipbuilding business around 1872. A few years later, he moved to Detroit. He focused on the Northwest Transportation Company and its freighters. This company eventually owned one of the biggest shipping fleets on the Great Lakes. Peck remained the president of Northwest until he passed away in 1896.
In the early 1870s, the R. J. Hackett was worth about $48,000. In 1881, the ship got another mast and a second deck. This made it 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) taller. This cost $8,000. In 1883, its engine was replaced. In 1889, the ship's boiler was replaced. At this time, it was still valued at $50,000.
In 1892, Northwest Transportation sold the Hackett to the Vulcan Transportation Company. In the spring of 1905, Vulcan then sold the ship to Captain H. C. McCallum.
The Ship's Final Voyage
In November 1905, the Hackett was sailing from Cleveland to Marinette, Wisconsin. It was carrying a load of coal. On the morning of November 12, a fire started in the crew's sleeping area. The fire quickly spread to the oil in the engine room.
Captain McCallum quickly steered the ship onto Whaleback Reef. This was off Washington Island in Green Bay. The 13 crew members safely escaped in lifeboats. A nearby fishing boat picked up the crew and took them to shore. People from the nearby Plum Island Life-Saving and Light Stations also saw the flames. They headed towards the ship. By the time they reached the Hackett, fire had destroyed the back of the ship. Soon, the entire vessel was burned down to the waterline. At this time, the ship was worth $20,000. It was insured for $12,000.
The shipwreck slid a little off the reef. It now rests in 10–14 feet (3.0–4.3 m) of water. You can find large parts of the hull, the engine, shaft, propeller, boiler, and coal cargo. There are also other items. The wreck site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
| History | |
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| Name | R. J. Hackett |
| Operator | Northwest Transportation Company; Vulcan Transportation Company |
| Builder | Peck & Masters |
| Launched | November 16, 1869 |
| Fate | Sank November 12, 1905 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Great Lakes freighter |
| Tonnage | 749 gross as built; 1,129 after 1881 |
| Length | 208 feet 1 inch (63.42 m) |
| Beam | 32 feet 5 inches (9.88 m) |
| Depth | 12 feet 6 inches (3.81 m) |
| Installed power | 380 horsepower (280 kW) |
| Propulsion | Triple-expansion steam engine |
| Notes | American #21934 |
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R. J. Hackett (steamer) Shipwreck Site
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | Whaleback Shoal in Green Bay, 9.5 miles southeast of the Cedar River in Menominee County, Michigan. |
| Area | 1.4 acres (0.57 ha) |
| Built | 1869 |
| Built by | Peck & Masters |
| Architect | Elihu Peck |
| NRHP reference No. | 92000464 |
| Added to NRHP | May 21, 1992 |
