SS Viator
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Norway | |
| Name | Viator |
| Operator | Dampskibsselskabet A/S Svithun |
| Builder | Stavanger Støberi & Dok |
| Yard number | 46 |
| Launched | 1904 |
| Completed | 1904 |
| In service | 1904 |
| Out of service | 1935 |
| Identification | |
| Fate | Wrecked in Lake Huron October 31, 1935 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | General cargo steamship |
| Tonnage | 983 GRT |
| Length | 232 ft (71 m) |
| Beam | 33 ft (10 m) |
| Draught | 15.3 ft (4.7 m) |
| Installed power | Triple-expansion steam engine, 122 nhp |
| Propulsion | Single screw |
| Speed | 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) |
| Capacity | ~ 80,000 cu ft (2,300 m3) |
SS Viator was a Norwegian steam-powered ocean-going cargo vessel built in 1904. She was lost on October 31, 1935, following a collision in thick fog with the freighter Ormindale northeast of Thunder Bay Island in Lake Huron. The wreck lies upright and largely intact on the lake bottom, making it a popular diving site.[2][3]
Viator was constructed by Stavanger Støberi & Dok in Stavanger, Norway. She was a general cargo steamship with a registered length of 232 feet (71 m), a beam of 33.3 feet (10.1 m), and a draft of 15.3 feet (4.7 m). Her gross register tonnage was 983 tons and net register tonnage 619 tons. She was powered by a triple-expansion steam engine producing 122 nominal horsepower, which enabled a top speed of 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph). She had a cargo capacity of approximately 80,000 cubic feet (2,300 m3) feet and featured mechanical ventilation, four booms, and four winches for cargo handling.[1]
History
Viator was launched in 1904 for Dampskibsselskabet A/S Svithun of Stavanger, managed by Holdt & Isachsen. The vessel operated mainly in the fruit trade, chartered by American companies for transport between Caribbean nations or Central America and the United States. In 1921, she was refitted with a new boiler manufactured by Cammell Laird & Co. Ltd. in Birkenhead, England. In 1933, she was sold to D/S A/S Vestfart of Bodø, Norway, under the management of Erling Sannes.[1]
Sinking
On October 31, 1935, while en route from Oslo, Norway, to Chicago, Illinois, with a cargo of general goods including pickled herring and other fish products, Viator collided with the American freighter Ormindale in dense fog approximately 8 nautical miles (15 km; 9.2 mi) from the Thunder Bay Lighthouse in Lake Huron. The collision caused significant hull damage, and Viator sank in deep water shortly afterward. There were no reported fatalities.[2][1][3]
