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SS Howard S. Gerken

Coordinates: 42°16′24.89″N 80°3′21.6″W / 42.2735806°N 80.056000°W / 42.2735806; -80.056000
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

42°16′24.89″N 80°3′21.6″W / 42.2735806°N 80.056000°W / 42.2735806; -80.056000

History
United States
Name
  • Rosamond Billett (1910–1919)
  • T.P. Phelan (1919–1925)
  • Howard S. Gerken (1925–1926)
OwnerGravel Products Corporation
Port of registryHamilton, Ontario
Ordered1910
BuilderDoty Engine Works of Toronto, Ontario
LaunchedOctober 10, 1910
In service1910
Out of serviceAugust 21, 1926
IdentificationUS official number 225429
FateSank in a storm on Lake Erie
General characteristics
TypeDredge
Tonnage
  • 679.46 GRT (1910–1920)
  • 1,322 GRT (1920–1926)
  • 462.04 NRT (1910–1920)
  • 803 NRT (1920–1926)
Length
  • 155 feet (47.2 m) (1888–1905)
  • 178.4 feet (54.4 m) (1905–1928)
Beam24.1 feet (7.3 m)
Depth16.3 feet (5.0 m)
Installed power
Propulsion2 × fixed pitch propellers

SS Howard S. Gerken (also known as Rosamond Billett and T.P. Phelan) was a steel-hulled American dredge in service between 1910 and 1926. She was assembled in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1910, by components manufactured by the Doty Engine Works of Toronto, Ontario. She was built for the Canadian Northern Railway, and served as a sand dredge on Lake Winnipeg, and the nearby Red River. She was rebuilt in 1920, and was sold several times, before ending up under the ownership of the Gravel Products Corporation, of Buffalo, New York.[1]

On August 21, 1926, after removing sand from the harbour entrance in Erie, Pennsylvania, Howard S. Gerken set sail for Buffalo. While seven miles off Erie, she became caught in a storm, and foundered, with the loss of four crewmen. The wreck was found by sonar in 2009.[2][3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Ship of the Month No.182 – Rosamond Billett and T.P. Phelan". Toronto Marine Historical Society. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  2. ^ "Billett, Rosamond". Bowling Green State University. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  3. ^ "Sunk Sandsucker Howard S. Gerken". James Donahue. Retrieved May 2, 2024.