The SS James Carruthers was a Canadian freighter constructed in 1913 for service on the Great Lakes. Operated by the St. Lawrence & Chicago Steam and Navigation Company based in Toronto, Ontario, the vessel carried the official registry number 131090. Tragically, the James Carruthers was lost on Lake Huron on November 9, 1913, during the devastating Great Lakes Storm of that year. All 22 crew members aboard were lost. The circumstances surrounding the ship’s sinking remain a mystery, and the exact location of the wreck has never been discovered.
Final Voyage
On the evening of November 6, 1913, the James Carruthers departed Fort William, Ontario, carrying a shipment of 375,000 bushels of wheat. Her destination was Midland, Ontario, located on Georgian Bay. Captain William H. Wright had arranged to travel down Lake Superior in tandem with Captain S.A. Lyons of the SS J.H. Sheadle. During their conversation, Wright remarked on the vessel’s new condition, noting that they were still becoming familiar with her and that some crew members were mentioning that the paint in their quarters hadn’t fully dried.
In the early hours of November 8, signs of an approaching storm began to appear over Lake Superior. The wind direction shifted sharply from the southwest to the northwest, ushering in frigid temperatures, snow, and rough waters. The two ships were well into their journey and nearing the Soo Locks when the storm intensified. By that evening, both vessels had locked through and were navigating the St. Mary’s River. As the James Carruthers proceeded downriver, she passed the upbound Midland Prince. At 12:53 a.m. on November 9, she was observed refueling at a coal dock operated by Picklands, Mather & Company near De Tour, Michigan.
Not long after taking on fuel, the James Carruthers set out onto Lake Huron with the J.H. Sheadle not far behind. For a short time, her lights were still visible from the Sheadle as both ships moved southeast. After sunrise, the Carruthers altered course to port, heading south of Great Duck Island and steering straight toward Georgian Bay. After that point, no further sightings of the vessel were ever reported.
Aftermath
When the massive storm finally subsided late on November 10, debris from numerous vessels began to wash ashore along Lake Huron. Initially, there was little sign of the James Carruthers, but soon a substantial amount of wreckage from Canada’s newest and largest Great Lakes freighter started appearing, particularly near Kincardine and Point Clark. A wide debris field was also discovered offshore between Kincardine and Goderich—around 70 miles (110 km) south of the freighter’s expected route.
https://greatlakeships.org/3640620/data?n=6, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
In the following days, the bodies of several crew members were recovered, mostly in the area surrounding Point Clark. Captain William H. Wright was identified by his distinctive red mustache. Many of the recovered crew were wearing life jackets and heavy clothing, suggesting they had enough warning to brace for the worsening conditions. On the afternoon of November 9, during the storm’s peak, people near Inverhuron reported hearing steamship whistles and seeing distress signals far out on the lake. These signals were believed to have come from the James Carruthers, as most of the wreckage and bodies were later found nearby.
The reasons behind the vessel’s sudden disappearance remain unresolved. How the James Carruthers—a new and state-of-the-art freighter—sank, and why she ended up so far from her intended route to Georgian Bay, continue to be unknown. To this day, her final resting place has yet to be discovered.
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