MANISTEE, MI – A piece of Great Lakes history recently resurfaced nearly a century after an ill-fated railroad car ferry was lost in Lake Michigan. The S.S. Milwaukee went down in 1929 with 52 people on board; there were no survivors. An original life ring from the ship was recently recovered from a rummage sale. “Something like this does not come
A life ring from the ill-fate S.S. Milwaukee railcar ferry recently resurfaced at a rummage sale.
along very often,” said Robby Laurain, executive director of the Society for the Preservation of the S.S. City of Milwaukee, the sunken ship’s successor, which is now a museum ship permanently docked in Manistee.
Operated by the Grand Trunk Milwaukee Car Ferry Company, the S.S. Milwaukee carried railroad cars across Lake Michigan between Milwaukee, Wis., and Grand Haven. On Oct. 22, 1929, the ship departed Milwaukee into a severe Lake Michigan storm, encountered heavy seas, began taking on water and sank.
One of the S.S. Milwaukee’s life rings was found this summer – 97 years after the ship sank – by Matthew Thompson, a former S.S. City of Milwaukee tour guide and Manistee’s Ghost Ship volunteer, the society announced. Recognizing the historical significance of his find, Thompson purchased the life ring and offered it for display in the S.S. City of Milwaukee museum on an indefinite loan.
Work is underway to build a display case and interpretive sign for the life ring, Laurain said. It should be ready for the 2027 season.
The S.S. City of Milwaukee was built in 1930-31 to replace the S.S. Milwaukee. The City of Milwaukee began its service in 1931 as a steam-powered Lake Michigan ferry, transporting both railcars and passengers. Retired in 1982, it is now a museum ship, boatel and event venue. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1990. The museum and boatel are currently closed for the season and will reopen next spring. The next chance to step aboard the S.S. City of Milwaukee will be during Manistee’s Ghost Ship event in October.
A $1 million fundraiser is currently underway for hull preservation work that will require dry docking at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wis.
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S.S. Milwaukee carried railroad cars across Lake Michigan between Milwaukee, Wis., and Grand Haven. It went down in 1929 with 52 people on board; there were no survivors.UW Great Lakes Maritime History Project
