KAMLOOPS

About this property

SS Kamloops was a Canadian lake freighter that was part of the fleet of Canada Steamship Lines from its launching in 1924 until it sank with all hands in Lake Superior off Isle Royale, Michigan, United States, on or about 7 December 1927. The steamship Kamloops was built by Furness Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. in Haverton Hill, Stockton-on-Tees, Durham, England, United Kingdom, for Steamships Ltd. of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. With a length of only 250 feet (75 m) and rated at 2,402 gross tons, Kamloops was a relatively small vessel for the Great Lakes in the 1920s. She was built to fit inside the locks of the Canadian-operated canals of the lower Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River during the years prior to the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The ship had two rigged masts and a 1000HP triple expansion steam engine with Scotch boilers. Kamloops completed its sea testing on 5 July 1924, was shipped to Copenhagen, Denmark, to pick up freight, then was taken to Montreal and Houghton, Michigan, United States. As a canaller, she carried diversified "package" freight between Canadian ports. Her chief duty was carrying manufactured goods from Montreal up the lakes to Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. As Canada was still a part of the British Empire in the 1920s, the economically fast-growing Prairie Provinces bought a significant quantity of their manufactured goods from England. Canada's freshwater fleet, including Kamloops, was an essential link in this vein of imperial commerce. It is the custom of Great Lakes shipping to try to move as much freight as possible before winter and associated ice conditions bring boat movements to a halt. Kamloops's owners operated the ship as late into the season as possible: in 1924 it was one of the last vessels to pass through the Sault Ste. Marie Canal, and in 1926 it ended the season stuck in the ice in the St. Mary's River. She remained under British registry until 1926 when it was nominally purchased by new owners, Canada Steamship Lines, and re-registered in Canada. Kamloops was dispatched up the lakes in late November 1927, carrying a mixed cargo of tar paper, papermaking machinery, coiled wire for farm fencing, piping, shoes and foodstuffs. On 1 December, the steamer called at Courtright, Ontario, to top off its cargo with some bagged salt. She then steamed up Lake Huron, passed through the Sault Ste. Marie Canal on 4 December, and faced the challenge of Lake Superior. Unfortunately for Kamloops and other vessels assigned to Lake Superior runs, a massive storm began hammering the lake on 5 December. Kamloops, heavily coated with ice, was last seen steaming towards the southeastern shore of Isle Royale at dusk on the following day, 6 December. The ship, and the twenty-two men and women aboard, were never seen alive again.

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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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