SS Hydrus
Encyclopedia
The SS Hydrus was an American steel-hulled Great Lakes
bulk freighter
, constructed in 1903 and launched as the R.E. Schuck. She was following the SS James Carruthers
heading south on Lake Huron while carrying a load of iron ore when she and the Carruthers were caught in the Great Lakes Storm of 1913
.
The Hydrus foundered and sank with a crew of twenty-four aboard on 11 November 1913 while heading for the St. Clair River
. During the storm, waves were said to be 35 feet high along with wind gusts of 90 miles per hour. The James Carruthers was also lost in the storm as well as the SS Argus, which was the sister ship of the Hydrus. The wrecks of the Hydrus and the James Carruthers have yet to be located.
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
bulk freighter
Bulk carrier
A bulk carrier, bulk freighter, or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo, such as grains, coal, ore, and cement in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, economic forces have fueled the development of these ships,...
, constructed in 1903 and launched as the R.E. Schuck. She was following the SS James Carruthers
SS James Carruthers
The SS James Carruthers was a Canadian Great Lakes freighter built in 1913. The Carruthers was built at Collingwood, Ontario by the Collingwood Shipbuilding Company. The ship was owned by the St. Lawrence & Chicago Steam and Navigation Company of Toronto, Ontario, with the official registry number...
heading south on Lake Huron while carrying a load of iron ore when she and the Carruthers were caught in the Great Lakes Storm of 1913
Great Lakes Storm of 1913
The Great Lakes Storm of 1913, historically referred to as the "Big Blow", "Jeff Kinsland's Wash," the "Freshwater Fury" or the "White Hurricane", was a blizzard with hurricane-force winds that devastated the Great Lakes Basin in the Midwestern United States and the Canadian province of Ontario...
.
The Hydrus foundered and sank with a crew of twenty-four aboard on 11 November 1913 while heading for the St. Clair River
St. Clair River
The St. Clair River is a river in central North America which drains Lake Huron into Lake St Clair, forming part of the international boundary between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan...
. During the storm, waves were said to be 35 feet high along with wind gusts of 90 miles per hour. The James Carruthers was also lost in the storm as well as the SS Argus, which was the sister ship of the Hydrus. The wrecks of the Hydrus and the James Carruthers have yet to be located.