S.S. Pere Marquette 18
At least twenty-nine persons died when this vessel sank in Lake Michigan twenty miles off the Wisconsin coast on September 9, 1910. One of the Ludington carferry fleet, the 350 foot S.S. Pere Marquette 18 was traveling from this port to Wisconsin. About midlake a crewman discovered the ship was taking on vast amounts of water. The captain set a direct course for Wisconsin and sent a distress signal by wireless. He and the crew battled for four hours to save the boat but she sank suddenly. All of the officers and many of the crew and passengers perished, among them the first wireless operator to die in active service on the Great Lakes. The S.S. Pere Marquette 17, aided by other ships who also heeded the wireless message for help, rescued more than thirty survivors but lost two of her own crew. The exact cause of this disaster remains a mystery.
Erected 1977 by Michigan History Division, Michigan Department of State. (Marker Number L0484.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lost at Sea, and the Michigan Historical Commission
this page online
Location. 43° 57.397′ N, 86° 27.579′ W. Marker is in Ludington, Michigan, in Mason County. It is at the intersection of Lakeshore Drive (State Highway 116) and Court Street, on the left when traveling north on Lakeshore Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: South End of Stearns Park, Ludington MI 49431, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in West Michigan and specifically in one of the Lake Michigan Shore counties. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Armistice Day Storm (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); S.S. City of Flint 32 (about 600 feet away); War Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); "The Abbie" (approx. Ό mile away); "Sport Fishing" (approx. Ό mile away); World War I Memorial (approx. Ό mile away); World War Memorial
Also see . . .
1. Remembering the Steamer Pere Marquette 18, September 9, 1910. Car ferries website entry:
(Submitted on October 2, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
2. Pere Marquette 18 (1902). Wisconsin Shipwrecks website entry:
(Submitted on October 2, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Additional keywords. S.S. Pere Marquette 18
Credits. This page was last revised on April 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 2, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 954 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 2, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
