GRECIAN

The propeller GRECIAN (US 86136) was part of the critical design revolution that transformed steel bulk carriers from the initial blueprint of the Spokane of 1886 into the large pre-World War I "lakers." The GRECIAN was a "turtleback" built at Cleveland, Ohio in 1891 by the Globe Ship Building Company. The vessel was launched on February 26, 1891 and enrolled at Cleveland on March 31 with the following dimensions: 296'2" x 40'4" x 21'1" and 2,348 gross/1875 net tons. The GRECIAN was propelled by a triple expansion steam engine developing 1200 horsepower, and two 14' x 12'6" coal-fired scotch boilers. Both boilers and engine were also built by Globe.

The propeller GRECIAN underway.

Though ungainly and much-ridiculed, the whaleback was the basis for most design changes that occurred between 1890 and 1895. The first whaleback barge was launched in 1888, and by 1890 freighters appeared with a rounded forecastle. They were promptly called "turtlebacks." They created a very pleasing picture with their rounded forward decks, gracefully-curved hulls, refined forward quarters, and rakish stacks. Prominent among these vessels were the Menominee Transit Company's German, GRECIAN, ROMAN, SAXON, and others. But by 1892, the turtleback was falling into disfavor with vessel owners and masters. They were slightly more expensive to build and captains voiced strong objections, claiming that visibility ahead was reduced and that sound was different, particularly during thick weather.

Ultimately the turtlebacks were surpassed by the larger, more conventional straight-decker exemplified by the ISAAC M. SCOTT.

The GRECIAN was constructed for the Menominee Transit Company, but was managed by M.A. Hanna & Company of Cleveland through 1901. On August 14 of that year, the vessel was sold to the Pittsburgh Steamship Company of Cleveland, then the largest vessel owner on the Great Lakes. The vessel was owned by Pittsburgh and enrolled at Duluth until its loss in 1906. Throughout its career the GRECIAN was engaged in the iron and coal trade.

The GRECIAN was lost through a series of accidents in 1906. First, the vessel struck a rock five miles below Detour, Michigan on June 7, but was able to make it to a dock at Detour before sinking. The GRECIAN was then raised and towed down Lake Huron by the propeller Sir Henry Bessemer for repair at the Detroit Ship Building Company. While en route, the vessels encountered a storm and the GRECIAN sank off Thunder Bay on June 15. No lives were lost, but the vessel proved a total loss and subsequent salvage attempts were unsuccessful. The final enrollment was surrendered on June 30, 1906. When lost, the vessel was valued at $200,000.

Frederick Stonehouse reports the following efforts to salvage the GRECIAN in his book, A Short Guide to the Shipwrecks of Thunder Bay:

One [salvage effort], led by a Dr. Stroud from Chicago, used large steel "canalons." A "canalon," also known as a "camel," was a large steel cylinder used in salvage operations. When chained to the side of the vessel and filled with air, their added buoyancy could either raise the vessel and reduce her draft so as to allow passage over shallow bars and reefs, or in extreme cases, help raise sunken ships to the surface. While their use was relatively common in shallow water salvage operations, using them to raise a deeply submerged wreck was rare.

Dr. Stroud was so confident he could raise the GRECIAN he publicly claimed he would have her tied to an Alpena dock in ten days! When one of his canalons burst, sending a vast gusher of air to the surface, it spelled the end of the efforts. What had seemed so easy, wasn't.

Stonehouse describes the condition of the wreck of the GRECIAN as follows:

The wreck is in 105 feet of water, with the deck at 70 feet. Broken amidships with her forward deck collapsed, the stern three levels are still intact and penetrable. The entire machinery is present, including engine, boilers and propeller. In addition, her windlass, chain, and capstan are aboard as are many small artifacts such as pulleys, side rails, tools, etc.

Capt. Lee Barnhill of Thunder Bay Divers in Alpena recently reported that the GRECIAN's stern is collapsing.

Location: 2.5 miles south of Thunder Bay Island LORAN C: 30832.7/48713.3 Latitude/Longitude: 44 58 503 / 83 12 736