IDENTIFICATION & SITE INFORMATION

  • Vessel Name: Charles J. Sheffield
  • Former Names: None known
  • Official Number: 126414
  • Year Built: 1887
  • Place Built: Cleveland, Ohio, USA
  • Builder: Globe Iron Works, Hull No. 13
  • Original Owner: Harvey H. Brown Steam Ship Company, Cleveland
  • Vessel Type: Steel-hulled bulk freighter
  • Hull Materials: Steel
  • Number of Decks: 2
  • Number of Masts: 3
  • Propulsion: Screw propeller
  • Engine Type: Fore-and-aft compound steam engine
    • Cylinders: 2
    • Dimensions: 27″ & 50″ x 36″
    • Boiler: 10’6” x 17’
    • Propeller: 10.5’ diameter, 14’ lead
  • Dimensions:
    • Length: 79.0 m (259.5 ft)
    • Beam: 11.6 m (38 ft)
    • Depth of Hold: 5.9 m (19.5 ft)
  • Gross Tonnage: 1699.59 tons
  • Net Tonnage: 1318.86 tons
  • Cargo Capacity: 2,350 tons of iron ore
  • Final Location: Approximately 96 km (60 miles) west of Whitefish Point, Lake Superior
  • Coordinates: Not precisely recorded
  • Depth of Wreck: Approx. 274 m (900 ft)
  • Date of Loss: 17 June 1889
  • How Lost: Rammed by Steamer North Star during heavy weather and sank
  • Casualties: No fatalities recorded
  • Present Condition: Presumed upright, unvisited due to extreme depth

VESSEL TYPE DESCRIPTION

The Charles J. Sheffield represented the cutting edge of Great Lakes bulk freighters in the late 19th century, built of steel and designed for the iron ore trade, at a time when wooden vessels were rapidly being eclipsed by modern materials and engines. With a Fore-and-aft compound steam engine and a large cargo capacity, the Sheffield was a robust and powerful member of the new steel fleet, carrying bulk ore from Lake Superior ports to steel mills along the lower lakes.

HISTORY AND OWNERSHIP

Commissioned in 1887 by the Harvey H. Brown Steam Ship Company of Cleveland, the Sheffield was built by the Globe Iron Works, a shipbuilder known for its early adoption of steel hulls and advanced machinery. She was among the first generation of large, steel-hulled ore carriers on the Great Lakes, purpose-built to meet the soaring demand from the iron and steel industries.

FINAL DISPOSITION

On 17 June 1889, while operating on Lake Superior roughly 60 miles west of Whitefish Point, the Sheffield was rammed by the Steamer North Star. The collision — noted historically as the first recorded collision between two steel ships on the Great Lakes — breached the Sheffield’s Hull, causing rapid flooding. Despite damage, all crew were safely evacuated. The Sheffield, heavily laden with iron ore, Foundered and settled in an estimated 900 feet (274 m) of water.

Its enrollment was formally surrendered at Cleveland on 19 December 1889, closing the Sheffield’s brief but significant career.

PRESENT SITE CONDITION

  • Status: Likely upright on the bottom, extremely deep
  • Depth: Approximately 274 m (900 ft)
  • Accessibility: Beyond standard technical diving; ROV only
  • Preservation: Expected to be well-preserved in cold, deep, oxygen-poor water
  • Legal Status: Unconfirmed; no formal site designation

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE

The Sheffield is an invaluable benchmark in maritime history — the first steel-on-steel collision on the lakes — symbolizing the dawn of the steel freighter era. Its loss highlights the growing pains of transitioning from wooden hulls to steel, including underestimating collision risks among new, fast, and heavy steel vessels. It is also a vivid cautionary tale of how even advanced materials cannot fully protect against navigational mishaps on inland seas.

REFERENCES & LINKS

VIDEOS & PHOTO GALLERIES

No known photographs of the Sheffield’s wreck exist, but comparable steel bulk freighters of the same era: