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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Grand Haven in Ottawa County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
 

Shipwrecks and the Coast Guard / The Escanaba

 
 
Shipwrecks and the Coast Guard / The Escanaba Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, September 11, 2015
1. Shipwrecks and the Coast Guard / The Escanaba Marker
Close-up view of the front side of the marker.
Inscription. Text on the Front Side:

Shipwrecks and the Coast Guard

In Autumn 1929 raging storms sank four ships on Lake Michigan between Grand Haven and Milwaukee. Two went down with all hands - a total of seventy-seven men. The cargo ship Andaste departed Grand Haven for Chicago on September 9 and sank with her twenty-five man crew south of Holland. The car ferry Milwaukee sank enroute to Grand Haven on October 22 with a crew of fifty-two. Coast Guard personnel station in Grand Haven were hampered in search and rescue attempts by vessels unable to travel in heavy seas and the absence of ship-to-shore radios on the foundering ships. As a result, the U.S. Congress funded six additional Great Lakes Coast Guard cutters. Grand Haven became the home port of the Escanaba in December 1932.

Text on the Back Side:

The Escanaba

On December 9, 1932, the 165-foot Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba arrived in Grand Haven, her home port until she was called to duty in World War II. On June 13, 1943, while escorting a convoy from Greenland to Newfoundland, the Escanaba was destroyed by an enemy submarine and sank in the North Atlantic. Only two crewmen survived. Grief-stricken, the citizens of Grand
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Haven organized a war bond campaign and raised over one million dollars in three months to pay for a "second Escanaba." Escanaba II was commissioned in 1946, but never visited Grand Haven. Escanaba III was commissioned in Grand Haven; she is now stationed in Boston. Each August, Grand Haven celebrates its relationship with the Coast Guard by hosting a festival that commemorates the founding of the United States Revenue Marine on August 4, 1790.
 
Erected 1991 by Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State. (Marker Number 1831.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: DisastersWar, World IIWaterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Michigan Historical Commission series list.
 
Location. 43° 3.604′ N, 86° 14.431′ W. Marker is in Grand Haven, Michigan, in Ottawa County. Marker is on South Harbor Drive west of Y Drive, on the right when traveling west. This marker is located in Escanaba Park, near the waterfront, along the riverfront boardwalk that extends along the south side of the Grand River. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Grand Haven MI 49417, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Coast Guard Cutters on the Great Lakes (a few steps from this marker); To The Enlisted Men of the United States Coast Guard
Shipwrecks and the Coast Guard / The Escanaba Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, September 11, 2015
2. Shipwrecks and the Coast Guard / The Escanaba Marker
Close-up view of the back side of the marker.
(a few steps from this marker); Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival (a few steps from this marker); Escanaba Park (a few steps from this marker); In Memory of the Coast Guard Men and Women (within shouting distance of this marker); Escanaba Memorial Park (within shouting distance of this marker); The Boardwalk (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Hopley Yeaton (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Grand Haven.
 
Shipwrecks and the Coast Guard / The Escanaba Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, September 11, 2015
3. Shipwrecks and the Coast Guard / The Escanaba Marker
View of the marker, looking east along the walkway, towards the Coast Guard Station and South Harbor Drive.
Shipwrecks and the Coast Guard / The Escanaba Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, September 11, 2015
4. Shipwrecks and the Coast Guard / The Escanaba Marker
View of the marker, looking east towards the Coast Guard Station.
Shipwrecks and the Coast Guard / The Escanaba Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, September 11, 2015
5. Shipwrecks and the Coast Guard / The Escanaba Marker
View of the marker, looking northeast towards the Coast Guard Cutters Stationed at Grand Haven marker.
Shipwrecks and the Coast Guard / The Escanaba Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, September 11, 2015
6. Shipwrecks and the Coast Guard / The Escanaba Marker
Elevated view of the marker, looking east towards the Grand River, the Coast Guard Station and South Harbor Drive.
Shipwrecks and the Coast Guard / The Escanaba Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, September 11, 2015
7. Shipwrecks and the Coast Guard / The Escanaba Marker
View of the marker, looking west, with a view of the Escanaba's original wooden mast being used as the park's flagpole in the background.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on September 24, 2015, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. This page has been viewed 515 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on September 24, 2015, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.

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Mar. 18, 2024