View source for SS James Carruthers

{{Short description|Canadian Great Lakes freighter built in 1913}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}} 
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:James Carruthers underway.jpg|300px]]
|Ship caption=''James C. Carruthers''
}} 
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=Canada
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Canada|1868}}
|Ship name=''James C. Carruthers''
|Ship operator=*St. Lawrence & Chicago Steam and Navigation Company
*Toronto, Ontario Canada
|Ship ordered= 
|Ship builder=*Collingwood Shipbuilding Company
*Collingwood, Ontario Canada
|Ship yard number=0038
|Ship laid down=
|Ship launched=
|Ship completed=1913
|Ship acquired=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service= 
|Ship fate=Foundered 9 November 1913
|Ship notes= Canadian Registry #131090  
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class= [[Bulk freighter]]
|Ship tonnage=*{{GRT|7862}}
*{{NRT|5606}}
|Ship displacement=
|Ship length={{convert|550|ft|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship beam={{convert|58|ft|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship depth={{convert|27|ft|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship draught= 
|Ship draft=
|Ship ice class=
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship propulsion=Triple expansion steam
|Ship speed=
|Ship capacity=
|Ship crew=22
|Ship notes=''James Carruthers'' had a sister ship, {{SS|J.H.G. Hagarty}}
}}
|}

'''SS ''James Carruthers''''' was a Canadian [[Great Lakes]] [[cargo ship|freighter]] built in 1913. The ship was owned by the St. Lawrence & Chicago Steam and Navigation Company of [[Toronto]], Ontario, with the official registry number 131090. The ''James Carruthers'' was lost 9 November 1913 on [[Lake Huron]] during the [[Great Lakes Storm of 1913]]. The crew of 22 perished with the vessel. How she sank remains unknown along with the location of the wreck. 

== Construction ==
[[File:JamesCCarruthers.jpg|thumb|The ''James Carruthers'' on the ways]]
The ''James Carruthers'' was built at [[Collingwood, Ontario]] by the Collingwood Shipbuilding Company; her [[yard number]] was 00038. She was a steel-hulled, propeller-driven lake freighter; {{convert|550|ft|m}} in length, {{convert|58|ft}} wide and {{convert|27|ft}} deep. The [[gross register tonnage]] was 7,862 and the [[net register tonnage]], 5,606.

== Final voyage ==
On the evening of November 6, 1913, the ''James Carruthers'' loaded a total of 375,000 bushels of [[wheat]] at [[Fort William, Ontario]]. Her destination was [[Midland, Ontario]], on the shores of [[Georgian Bay]]. Captain William H. Wright had conferred with another downbound skipper, S.A. Lyons of the {{SS|J.H. Sheadle}}, and planned to travel down [[Lake Superior]] together. Wright commented on his new boat, "We've still to learn all her tricks, and some of the lads in the [[fo'c'sle]] are complaining that the paint in their rooms is still a little sticky."

By 3 o'clock on the morning of November 8, the first hints of the storm blew over Lake Superior. The winds quickly shifted from southwest to northwest, bringing with them freezing temperatures, snow squalls, and high waves. The ''James Carruthers'' and the ''J.H. Sheadle'' were better than halfway to the [[Soo Locks|Soo]] when the storm hit. By the evening, both vessels were locking through and snaking their way down the [[St. Marys River (Michigan–Ontario)|St. Mary's River]]. While going down the river the Canadian freighter passed the upbound ''Midland Prince''. At 12:53 on the morning of November 9, the ''James Carruthers'' was sighted taking on coal at the Picklands, Mather & Company dock near [[De Tour, Michigan]]. Shortly after refueling, the ''James Carruthers'' entered [[Lake Huron]], with the ''J.H. Sheadle'' a short distance behind. The lights of the ''James Carruthers'' were visible for a short time aboard the ''J.H. Sheadle'' as they sailed on a southeastern heading. A little after dawn, the ''James Carruthers'' turned to port on a course that would keep her south of [[Duck Island (Lake Huron)|Great Duck Island]] and on a straight line for Georgian Bay. The ''James Carruthers'' was not seen after.

== Aftermath ==
After the great storm finally blew itself out late on November 10, copious amounts of wreckage from several boats began to wash onto Lake Huron's shores. Evidence of the ''James Carruthers'' was slow at first, until great amounts of debris from Canada's newest and largest freighter began coming ashore, mostly near [[Kincardine, Ontario|Kincardine]] and [[Point Clark, Ontario|Point Clark]]. A large field of wreckage was found offshore between Kincardine and [[Goderich, Ontario|Goderich]], nearly {{convert|70|mi}} south of the ''James Carruthers''{{'}}s known course. Several bodies of the crew washed ashore as well, mostly around Point Clark. Captain Wright was identified by his large red mustache. Most of the bodies wore [[life jacket]]s and heavy coats, indicating that they had had time to prepare for disaster. During the height of the storm late on the afternoon of November 9, several witnesses heard steamer whistles and sighted distress rockets far offshore of [[Inverhuron, Ontario|Inverhuron]]. It was concluded that the rockets were from the ''James Carruthers'' as most of her wreckage and crew were found in the vicinity. How the brand-new freighter sank, and how she came to be so far off course (she was bound for Georgian Bay) are mysteries. To date, the wreck of the ''James Carruthers'' has not been located.<ref>Boyer, Dwight. ''True Tales of the Great Lakes''. Cleveland: Freshwater Press, 1971. (pgs. 293-294) {{ISBN|0-912514-48-5}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.dalnet.lib.mi.us/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=d-000-00---0shipping--00-0-0-0prompt-10---4---Document---0-1l--1-en-50---20-about---001-011-1-0utfZz-8-0&a=d&c=shipping&cl=CL4.1.4&d=HASHa564abf7e59586fcd4740e University of Detroit Mercy]
*[http://ul.bgsu.edu/cgi-bin/xvsl2.cgi Historical Collection of the Great Lakes Great Lakes Vessels Online Index]
*[http://my.execpc.com/~wmhs/storm.html The Big Storm of 1913]

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{{1913 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:James Carruthers, SS}}
[[Category:Shipwrecks of Lake Huron]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1913]]
[[Category:1913 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Collingwood, Ontario]]
[[Category:Ships lost with all hands]]
[[Category:Missing ships]]
[[Category:Great Lakes freighters]]
[[Category:Ships powered by a triple expansion steam engine]]