Pretoria (ship)

American schooner barge that sank in Lake Superior

For the United States Navy troop transport, see USS Pretoria (1897).

United States historic place

Pretoria (schooner-barge) Shipwreck Site

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Launching of Pretoria

Show map of Wisconsin

Show map of the United States

Nearest city| Bayfield, Wisconsin
Coordinates| 47°05.36′N 90°23.66′W﻿ / ﻿47.08933°N 90.39433°W﻿ / 47.08933; -90.39433[2]
Architect| Davidson, James
MPS| Great Lakes Shipwreck Sites of Wisconsin MPS
NRHP reference No.| 94000835 [1] (original)
100011647 (increase)
Significant dates
Added to NRHP| August 17, 1994
Boundary increase| April 14, 2025

Pretoria, an American schooner barge, was one of the largest wooden ships ever constructed. She was 103 meters (338 ft) long, had a beam of 13.4 meters (44 ft), and 7 meters (23 ft) in depth. She was built by James Davidson in West Bay City, Michigan, for use on the Great Lakes.

"Pretoria" at dock

To strengthen her wooden frame and hull, Pretoria was constructed using steel keelson plates, steel chords, and steel arches. She also was strapped diagonally with steel. She needed a donkey engine to run a pump to keep her interior dry.

The Saginaw, Michigan newspaper "The Courier-Herald" described "Pretoria"'s launch on July 26, 1900 in the following way:

> The schooner "Pretoria, the largest wooden boat ever built, was launched at Davidson's shipyard this afternoon, in the presence of a vast multitude. The "Pretoria" will carry 5,000 tons of iron ore, 175,000 bushels of wheat, or 300,000 bushels of oats...

On 1 September 1905, Pretoria took on cargo at a pier in Superior, Wisconsin. Another notable ship, the lake freighter Sevona, took on cargo at the same pier shortly after Pretoria. Both ships sank the very next day near the Apostle Islands when a legendary gale sent them to the bottom of Lake Superior.[3][2]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 15, 2006.
2. ^ a b "Pretoria (1900)". Great Lakes Shipwrecks.
3. ^ Keller, James H. (1984). The Unholy Apostles. pp. 107–112\. ISBN 0-933577-001.

* v
* t
* e

Apostle Islands

Islands|

* Madeline Island
* Stockton Island
* Gull Island
* Eagle Island
* Outer Island
* Oak Island
* Sand Island
* Basswood Island
* Bear Island
* Michigan Island
* Hermit Island
* Cat Island
* Otter Island
* Manitou Island
* Rocky Island
* Long Island
* Ironwood Island
* York Island
* Raspberry Island
* Devils Island
* South Twin Island
* North Twin Island

Lighthouses|

* Michigan Island Light
* Raspberry Island Light
* Outer Island Light
* Sand Island Light
* Devils Island Light
* Gull Island Light
* La Pointe Light
* Chequamegon Point Light
* Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light

Shipwrecks|

* Antelope
* Big Bay sloop
* City of Ashland
* D.R. Owen
* Lucerne
* Manistee
* Marquette
* Moonlight
* Noquebay
* Ottawa
* Pretoria
* R.G. Stewart
* Sevona
* Ira H. Owen
* T.H. Camp

Related historic sites|

* Hadland Fishing Camp
* Bass Island Brownstone Company Quarry
* La Pointe Indian Cemetery
* Manitou Camp
* Rocky Island Historic District
* Madeline Island Historical Museum

Protected designations|

* Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
* Big Bay State Park

* v
* t
* e

Longest wooden ships

Ancient ships|

* Caligula's Giant Ship
* Hatshepsut's barge
* Isis
* Khufu ship
* Leontophoros
* Marsala Ship
* Nemi ships
* Obelisk ships
* Roman ship of Marausa
* Syracusia
* Tessarakonteres
* Thalamegos

Medieval and modern
oar-powered ships|

* Cakra Dunia
* Galera Real
* Galère Réale

Wind-powered only|

* Adler von Lübeck
* Baron of Renfrew
* Chinese treasure ship
* Cinco Chagas
* Columbus
* Flor de la Mar
* Ganj-i-Sawai
* Ghurab
* Götheborg
* Grace Dieu
* Great Harry
* Great Michael
* Great Republic
* Javanese jong
* Kronan
* Madre de Deus
* Mahmudiye
* Mars
* Orient (Océan class)
* Peter Pomegranate
* Peter von Danzig
* Pretoria
* Rahīmī
* Roanoke
* Santa Anna
* Santisima Trinidad
* São João Baptista
* Shenandoah
* Soleil Royal
* Sovereign of the Seas
* Susquehanna
* Tenacious
* Vasa
* Victoria (1859)
* Victory
* William D. Lawrence
* Wyoming

Steam-powered|

* Appomattox
* Australasia
* Continental
* Dunderberg
* Eureka
* Frank O'Connor
* George Spencer
* Great Western
* Iosco
* Jylland
* La Bretagne
* L.R. Doty
* Mersey
* Orlando

Immobile|

* Al-Hashemi-II

Other|

* Belyana

* v
* t
* e

Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1905

Shipwrecks|

* 1 Jan: Helsingfors
* 2 Jan: Sevastopol
* 3 Jan: Haudaudine
* 18 Jan: Optima
* 5 Feb: Ice Boat No. 3, Anjou
* 7 Feb: Sully
* 17 Feb: Orizaba
* February (unknown date): Moy
* 4 May: Hesper
* 5 May: Delfin
* 27 May: Borodino, Imperator Aleksandr III, Knyaz Suvorov, Oslyabya, Ural
* 28 May: Admiral Nakhimov, Admiral Ushakov, Navarin, Sissoi Veliky, Svetlana, Vladimir Monomakh
* 29 May: Dmitrii Donskoi, Izumrud
* 18 Jun: Etruria
* 5 Jul: Farfadet
* 8 Jul: Potemkin
* 10 Aug: Roanoke
* 2 Sep: Pretoria, Sevona, Iosco
* 12 Sep: Mikasa
* September (unknown date): Loch Vennachar
* 5 Oct: Noquebay
* 17 Oct: Joseph S. Fay
* 28 Oct: Cardenal Cisneros
* 2 Nov: Appomattox
* 5 Nov: Blackadder
* 12 Nov: R. J. Hackett
* 18 Nov: Hilda
* 27 Nov: Mataafa
* 28 Nov: Amboy, George Spencer, Madeira
* 11 Dec: LV-58
* Unknown date: George W. Elder

Other incidents|

* 1 Feb: Mesaba
* 15 Mar: Arabia
* 25 Mar: Parisian
* April (unknown date): San Juan
* 27 May: Akatsuki, Yūgiri
* 3 Jun: HMS Swiftsure, HMS Triumph
* 21 Jul: USS Bennington
* August (unknown date): Virawa
* 5 Oct: HMS Irresistible
* 16 Oct: Valencia
* 17 Nov: SMS Undine
* 27 Nov: Roanoke
* Unknown date: USFS Phalarope

1904 1906

* v
* t
* e

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Topics|

* Architectural style categories
* Contributing property
* Historic district
* History of the National Register of Historic Places
* Keeper of the Register
* National Park Service
* Property types

Lists by state|

* List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state:
* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

Lists by insular areas|

* American Samoa
* Guam
* Minor Outlying Islands
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Puerto Rico
* Virgin Islands

Lists by associated state|

* Federated States of Micronesia
* Marshall Islands
* Palau

Other areas|

* District of Columbia
* American Legation, Morocco

Lists of specific structure types|

* Amusement rides
* Jails and prisons
* University and college buildings

Related|

* National Historic Preservation Act
* Historic Preservation Fund

* National Register of Historic Places portal
* Category

* v
* t
* e

National Register of Historic Places shipwrecks in Lake Superior

Michigan|

* Algoma
* America
* Chester A. Congdon
* Cumberland
* Emperor
* George M. Cox
* Glenlyon
* Henry Chisholm
* Kamloops
* Monarch

Minnesota|

* Amboy
* Benjamin Noble
* George Spencer
* Harriet B.
* Hesper
* Madeira
* Mayflower
* Niagara
* Onoko
* Robert Wallace
* Samuel P. Ely
* Thomas Wilson
* USS Essex

Wisconsin|

* Antelope
* Big Bay sloop
* Lucerne
* Marquette
* Moonlight
* Noquebay
* Pretoria
* R.G. Stewart
* Ottawa
* Sevona
* T.H. Camp
* Thomas Friant

See also: List of Great Lakes shipwrecks on the National Register of Historic Places

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States
* France
* BnF data

Other|

* Yale LUX

*[No.]: number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template