Ships in Trouble: The Great Lakes, 1850-1930 (Looking Back)

Ships in Trouble looks back at some of the mishaps and disasters involving ships that sailed on the Great Lakes long ago. Many of these incidents happened during the fierce storms of autumn, others were the results of horrific fires, groundings, collisions or sinkings. Sudden storms proved deadly for some ships, driving them onto shore where helpless onlookers watched or catching them in the open lake where they sank without a trace, taking the entire crew to their deaths.

Each of the Great Lakes has its own history and its particular reputation for danger to shipping. Each of them has shoal areas littered with wrecks and also holds undiscovered "graveyards" in deeper waters where ships have gone down. Sport divers and history buffs have located some of theses long-lost wrecks, while many remain elusive.

A few of the Great lakes ships noted in this book left the inland seas to work in saltwater. During the war years many were pressed into service and successfully aided the war effort―some returned while others became the victims of enemy action or casualties of the elements.

Sometimes, too, the incidents described were minor mishaps with no loss of life, but all these stories record the accidents and the challenges that faced the brave men and women who sailed the Great Lakes.