Passenger ship that rolled over in Chicago in 1915
This article is about the ship. For other uses, see Eastland (disambiguation).
SS Eastland in Cleveland, Ohio (1911)
History
United States
Name
Eastland
Owner
Michigan Steamship Company
Route
South Haven, Michigan – Chicago, Illinois
Ordered
October 1902
Builder
Jenks Ship Building Company
Launched
6 May 1903
Christened
May 1903 by Francis Elizabeth Stufflebeam
Maiden voyage
16 July 1903
Nickname(s)
"Speed queen of the Great Lakes"
Honors and awards
1903 First Team All Boat
1903 Boat of the Year
Fate
Sold during 1905 to the Michigan Transportation Company
United States
Name
Eastland
Owner
Michigan Transportation Company
Operator
Chicago-South Haven Line
Route
South Haven – Chicago route
Fate
Sold 5 August 1906, to the Lake Shore Navigation Company of Cleveland, Ohio
United States
Name
Eastland
Owner
Lake Shore Navigation Company of Cleveland, Ohio
Route
Cleveland-Cedar Point route
Fate
Sold during 1909 to the Eastland Navigation Company of Cleveland, Ohio
United States
Name
Eastland
Owner
Eastland Navigation Company of Cleveland, Ohio
Route
Cleveland-Cedar Point route
Fate
Sold on 1 June 1914 to the St. Joseph-Chicago Steamship Company of St. Joseph, Michigan.
United States
Name
Eastland
Owner
St. Joseph-Chicago Steamship Company of St. Joseph, Michigan
Route
St. Joseph, Michigan, to Chicago route
Fate
Raised after accident in October 1915 and sold at auction on 20 December 1915 to Captain Edward A. Evers, sold on 21 November 1917 to the Illinois Naval Reserve.
United States Navy
Name
USS Wilmette
Acquired
21 November 1917
Commissioned
20 September 1918
Recommissioned
29 June 1920
9 April 1945
Decommissioned
9 July 1919
15 February 1940
28 November 1945
Renamed
Wilmette on 20 February 1918
Reclassified
gunboat 1918
IX-29 on 17 February 1941
Stricken
19 December 1945
Honors and awards
World War I Victory Medal
(with Atlantic Fleet clasp)
American Defense Medal
(with Fleet clasp)
American Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Fate
Sold for scrap on 31 October 1946 to Hyman Michaels Company of Chicago and scrapped, scrapping completed in 1947
General characteristics
Type
Passenger Ship
Tonnage
1,961 gross
Displacement
2,600 (estimated)
Length
265 ft (81 m)
Beam
38 ft 2 in (11.63 m)
Draft
19 ft 6 in (5.94 m)
Installed power
Two triple expansion steam engines
Four Scotch marine boilers (coal fired)
1,750 shp
Propulsion
Two shafts
Speed
16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph)
Capacity
As Eastland: 2,752 passengers
Complement
As USS Wilmette: 209
Armament
As USS Wilmette:
Four 4-inch guns
Two 3-inch guns
Two 1-pounder guns
Notes
Two funnels
Two masts
SS Eastland was a passenger ship based in Chicago and used for tours. On 24 July 1915, the ship rolled over onto its side while tied to a dock in the Chicago River.[1] In total, 844 passengers and crew were killed in what was the largest loss of life from a single shipwreck on the Great Lakes.[1][2]
After the disaster, Eastland was salvaged and sold to the United States Navy. After restorations and modifications, Eastland was designated a gunboat and renamed USS Wilmette. She was used primarily as a training vessel on the Great Lakes, and was scrapped after World War II.
^ ab"The Eastland". Eastland Memorial Society. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
^Baillod, Brendon. "Introduction". The Wreck of the Steamer Lady Elgin. Archived from the original on 27 July 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2009.
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them Czech immigrants, were among those killed in the capsizing of the SSEastland in Chicago on July 24, 1915; they were preparing to depart on a company-sponsored...
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United States
United States Navy
