Lead Image

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

Description

The Onoko was the first iron-hulled bulk freighter in the world, marking a turning point in Great Lakes shipbuilding. At 287.3 feet long and 2,164 gross tons, she dwarfed earlier wooden freighters. Her compound engine, delivering 900 horsepower, powered a single screw propeller. She featured two watertight bulkheads, steel decks, and a steel boiler house — early innovations for durability and safety. Designed for bulk commodities, she quickly set cargo records and influenced the next generation of steel freighters that would dominate Great Lakes trade.

History

The Onoko was launched at Globe Iron Works in 1882 and enrolled at Cleveland. Initially the largest freighter on the lakes, she was capable of hauling iron ore, coal, and grain at unprecedented volumes. Her operational career included multiple incidents and upgrades:

• 1884: Collided with the Schooner W.S. Crosthwaite.
• 1885: Towed the disabled Schooner C.H. Burton to Detroit.
• 1892: Received new boilers from Cleveland Shipbuilding Co.
• 1893: Collided with the Steamer C.H. Lockwood.
• 1896: Collided with the Schooner Mary D. Ayer off Racine, Wisconsin; the Ayer sank, with five fatalities. The Onoko survived and continued service.
• 1908: Rebuilt with steel decks and steel aft cabins.

Final Dispositions

On 15 September 1915, while downbound on Lake Superior with a cargo of wheat, the Onoko sprang a leak beneath the engine room near Knife Island. Flooding was rapid, and the vessel Foundered. The crew escaped in lifeboats and were rescued by the tanker Renown. The ship’s papers were surrendered on 20 September 1915, closing her registry.

Located By & Date Found

The exact discovery details of the Onoko wreck have not been widely published. She is known to lie off Knife Island in Lake Superior. Her iron Hull may have survived in relatively intact condition, making her a site of high archaeological interest.

NOTMARs & Advisories

No specific Notices to Mariners are currently posted for the Onoko site. Lake Superior waters are subject to sudden gales, heavy seas, and poor Visibility.

Dive Information

Access: Boat only
Entry Point: Knife River or Duluth, Minnesota
Conditions: Cold freshwater; Visibility variable; thermocline present
Depth Range: Unknown (offshore deepwater site)
Emergency Contacts: U.S. Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie; St. Louis County Sheriff
Permits: Required for archaeological survey
Dive Support: Technical diving charters may operate in Duluth region

Crew & Casualty Memorials

All crew survived the sinking and were rescued by the Renown. However, five lives were lost in the 1896 collision with the Schooner Mary D. Ayer. Victims are commemorated in regional maritime casualty records.

Documented Statements & Extracts

“The Onoko was the first iron-hulled bulk freighter in the world, a forerunner to the great steel fleet of the Great Lakes. She was the prototype of the modern freighter.” – Wisconsin Historical Society, Great Lakes Shipwrecks

Registry, Enrollment & Insurance Trails

U.S. Official Number 155048. Enrolled at Cleveland in 1882. Registry closed September 1915 following foundering. Insurance records held in U.S. maritime archives; ownership changed during service but always operated in bulk trades.

Site Documentation & Imaging

The wreck has not been formally surveyed or released to the public. Given her iron Hull, significant remains are expected. The site is a candidate for future 3D photogrammetry or NOAA documentation.

Image Gallery

Resources & Links

• Great Lakes Vessels Database (BGSU/HCGL)
• Maritime History of the Great Lakes
• Wisconsin Shipwrecks
• Chronicling America (Library of Congress)

References

1. Great Lakes Vessel Database, Bowling Green State University.
2. Wisconsin Historical Society – Onoko Shipwreck Profile.
3. Mansfield, J.B. History of the Great Lakes.
4. Contemporary newspaper accounts (Detroit Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 1896–1915).

NOAA Shipwreck Record Card