 SS Choctaw painted by Great Lakes marine artist Howard Freeman Sprague (1871–1899)
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| History | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} United States | |
| Name | Choctaw |
| Namesake | Choctaw people |
| Operator |
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| Port of registry | Ishpeming, Michigan, United States |
| Builder | Cleveland Shipbuilding Company |
| Yard number | 17 |
| Launched | May 25, 1892 |
| In service | June 24, 1892 |
| Out of service | July 11, 1915 |
| Identification | US official number 126874 |
| Fate | Rammed by the Canadian steamer Wahcondah on Lake Huron, sinking shortly after the collision |
| Wreck discovered | May 23, 2017 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Lake freighter |
| Tonnage |
|
| Length | 266.9 ft (81.4 m) |
| Beam | 38.1 ft (11.6 m) |
| Depth | 17.9 ft (5.5 m) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion | 1 × fixed pitch propeller |
| Capacity | 2,800 short tons (2,500 t) |
| Crew | 22 |
SS Choctaw was a steel-hulled American freighter in service between 1892 and 1915, on the Great Lakes of North America. She was a so-called monitor vessel, containing elements of traditional lake freighters and the whaleback ships designed by Alexander McDougall. Choctaw was built in 1892 by the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company in Cleveland, Ohio, and was originally owned by the Lake Superior Iron Company. She was sold to the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company in 1894 and spent the rest of her working life with it. On her regular route between Detroit, Escanaba, Marquette (all in Michigan), and Cleveland, she carried iron ore downbound, and coal upbound.
On July 11, 1915, in foggy conditions, Choctaw was upbound for Marquette on Lake Huron with a cargo of coal from Cleveland. East of Presque Isle Light, the freighter was rammed by the downbound Canadian canaller Wahcondah. Although Choctaw sank in only 17 minutes, her crew of 22 escaped, and was picked up by Wahcondah.
For a long time, shipwreck hunters searched for the wreck of Choctaw due to her unique design. The wreck was located by a team from the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary on May 23, 2017, almost 102 years after she sank. She was discovered resting under 300 feet (90 meters) of water, lying on her starboard side with the bow partially buried in the lake bottom. The wreck was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 10, 2018.