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Harbor Beach in Huron County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
 

The Great Storm of 1913

 
 
The Great Storm of 1913 Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J.T. Lambrou, December 20, 2022
1. The Great Storm of 1913 Marker
Inscription. On the Great Lakes, November is well known for its horrendous storms which turn the lakes into a boiling cauldron of wind and waves. There is one storm which was the deadliest and most destructive storm to ever occur on the Great Lakes; "The Great Storm of 1913". The storm is referred to as a "White Hurricane"; a storm on freshwater with winds of hurricane intensity. The 1913 storm left in its wake 19 vessels lost and 19 others grounded and an estimated 248 sailors killed. The exact number will never be known.

Storms of this magnitude usually last for four or five hours, but the Great Storm of 1913 wreaked havoc on the Great Lakes for over three days!

Lakeside communities in Michigan and Ontario were paralyzed with several feet of snow, the high winds caused huge drifts and many docks along the shore were destroyed by the huge waves the storm produced.

Smaller ships sought shelter during the storm but several of the newer large Great Lakes steamships ventured out on lakes. The captains had confidence their vessels could handle the storm. But, they had never sailed into a storm of such catastrophic proportions.

Ships Lost on Lake Huron

At 269-feet, the Regina was one of the smallest ships to venture out on Lake Huron that day. The nearly new vessel was making her way
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north with a heavy deck load of sewer and gas pipe and a crew of 20. Just north of Harbor Beach the ship turned around. She fought to get back to the safety of the St. Clair River, but she never made it. The Regina lies on the bottom between Port Sanilac and Lexington, Michigan.

The 436-foot steel freighter Argus was only 10 years old at the time of her loss. As she steamed south on Lake Huron along the Canadian shore the Argus broke in half and sank taking her crew of twenty-five with her.

The Hydrus, was 436-feet in length and launched in 1903. The Hydrus was down-bound on Lake Huron with a cargo of iron ore in winds nearing 90 miles per hour and waves taller than a three-story building.

The huge steel ship probably became trapped in the trough of the waves, its cargo shifted and she rolled over and sank with her crew of twenty-eight.

The five-year-old, John A. McGean, was a steel 452-foot steamer when she slipped beneath the surface of Lake Huron. During the "White Hurricane" the big ship was last seen heading north not far from Saginaw Bay. The ship disappeared with its cargo of coal and crew of twenty-eight. She lies on the bottom approximately north east of Oscoda, Michigan.

The Howard M. Hanna Jr., carrying a load of coal, worked its way north into the increasing violent storm.
The Great Storm of 1913 Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J.T. Lambrou, December 20, 2022
2. The Great Storm of 1913 Marker
The ship was unable to turn around and seek shelter, and suffered much damage. Lifeboats were torn from the davits, the roof of the aft cabin was ripped off, the windows of the wheelhouse were smashed in by giant waves and the wheelhouse roof was blown off by the 90 MPH winds. The Hanna became trapped in the trough of the 30-foot tall waves.

The wind and waves pushed the Hanna up on the rocky Port Austin reef less than 1000-feet east of the Port Austin Reef Light. The stranded ship then received the full brunt of the storm. The pounding waves broke the ship into two sections. The entire crew was rescued the next day.

The 524-foot Charles S. Price, only three years old, was north-bound with a cargo of coal. The Price plowed into the wind and waves for almost 60 miles, when near Harbor Beach she apparently tried to come about and return to the St. Clair River.

Days later the Price was found floating bottom up at the mouth of Lake Huron near Port Huron, a testament to the strength and fury of the storm. Her crew of 28 perished in the disaster.

Also out in the storm was the sister ship of the Price, the Isaac M. Scott. The Scott, 524-feet in length and only four years old was steaming up the lake loaded with coal. The ship fought for hours through the brunt of the storm until the "White Hurricane" finally got the best
SS James C. Carruthers image. Click for full size.
Unknown author-Public Domain, 1913
3. SS James C. Carruthers
James C. Carruthers was the largest and newest ship lost in the storm.
of her. It's not known what happened, for there were not any witnesses left alive to tell, but the Isaac M. Scott went down with all twenty-eight hands northeast of Alpena, Michigan. The 550-foot James C. Carruthers in her first season on the lakes was the largest and newest ship to be lost in the Great Storm of 1913. The huge ship was carrying over 10,000 tons of wheat when it is thought that she was blown into the trough of the sea, was unable to recover and succumbed to the horrendous storm. Debris of the big Carruthers washed ashore near Kinncardin, Ontario. The ship took her twenty-five man crew to their deaths. The final resting place of the Carruthers has yet to be found. The ship took her twenty five-man crew to their deaths.

The S.S. Wexford, a steel hulled freighter was built in 1883 was lost with all hands an November 9, 1913, with a cargo of steel rails. Today the Wexford is sitting upright in 75 feet of water on the lake bottom. The number of crew lost range from 17 to 24.

During the 1913 White Hurricane ships crowded the Harbor Beach Harbor of Refuge. Some vessels were blown near shore in the harbor and were severely damaged. The remains of the Dorcas Pendell still lie at the south end of the harbor.

It's hard to conceive that a mere storm could cause a large ship to sink to the bottom,
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but the storm of 1913 is testament to the power of nature.
 
Erected 2020 by Mr. and Mrs. Scott Rayl R.Ph.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: DisastersWaterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lost at Sea series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1913.
 
Location. 43° 50.56′ N, 82° 38.869′ W. Marker is in Harbor Beach, Michigan, in Huron County. Marker is on Trescott Street near Resort Road. The marker is in Judge James H. Lincoln Memorial Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: One Trescott Street, Harbor Beach MI 48441, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Shipwrecks of the Harbor Beach Area (within shouting distance of this marker); Harbor Beach Lighthouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Judge James H. Lincoln (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Harbor Beach Harbor of Refuge (about 500 feet away); Vicki Keith (about 500 feet away); PFC Brian "Doc" Backus (about 500 feet away); Sergeant Aaron Cutler Elandt (about 500 feet away); Lieutenant Colonel Bruce G. Johnson (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Harbor Beach.
 
Also see . . .  Great Lakes Storm of 1913. Excerpt:
The Great Lakes Storm of 1913 (historically referred to as the "Big Blow", the "Freshwater Fury", and the "White Hurricane") was a blizzard with hurricane-force winds that devastated the Great Lakes Basin in the Midwestern United States and Southwestern Ontario, Canada, from November 7 to 10, 1913. The storm was most powerful on November 9, battering and overturning ships on four of the five Great Lakes, particularly Lake Huron.
(Submitted on January 6, 2023, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan.) 
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on January 9, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 6, 2023, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. This page has been viewed 71 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on January 6, 2023, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 29, 2024