Shipwreck · Lake Superior · Foundered
SS Hesper
A vessel built in 1890, lost on Lake Superior in 1905. The record: “Sank, 4 May 1905.” The wreck is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The vessel
On the record
- Builder
- Ship Owners Dry Dock Company, Cleveland, Ohio
- Launched
- June 28, 1890
- Length
- 250 ft (76 m)
- Beam
- 42 ft (13 m)
- Propulsion
- Vertical triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine, 825 horsepower
- Fate
- Sank, 4 May 1905
- National Register
- Listed April 14, 1994 · ref. 94000343
- Lake
- Lake Superior
- Coordinates
- 47.2714° N, 91.2717° W
The same year
Also lost in 1905
- SS William EdenbornErie · foundered
- MinnedosaHuron · foundered
- SS EtruriaHuron · collision
- SS KaliyugaHuron · foundered
- R. J. HackettMichigan · foundered
- SS AppomattoxMichigan · stranded
- SS EastlandMichigan
- AmboySuperior · stranded
- MadeiraSuperior · foundered
- NoquebaySuperior · fire
The same decade
Superior losses of the 1900s
- Moonlight1903
- Niagara (1904)1904
- Ottawa1909 · fire
- Sagamore1901 · collision
- SS Bannockburn1902 · foundered
- SS Cyprus1907 · foundered
- SS D. M. Clemson1908 · foundered
- SS Fedora1901 · fire
- SS Hudson1901 · foundered
- SS John B. Cowle1909 · foundered
On the bottom nearby
Nearest Superior wrecks
- Madeira6.1 mi · lost 1905
- SS Lafayette18 mi · lost 1905
- Amboy19 mi · lost 1905
- SS George Spencer19 mi · lost 1905
- Sevona25 mi · lost 1905
- Samuel P. Ely26 mi · lost 1896
Straight-line distance between published positions.
By boat
Closest launches
- Silver Bay Safe Harbor0.2 mi
- Black Beach2.1 mi
- Baptism River5.7 mi
- Little Two Harbors7.1 mi
On the horizon
Nearest lights
- Split Rock Lighthouse6.7 mi
On shore
Worth the stop
- Split Rock Lighthouse6.6 mi · lighthouse
- Gooseberry Falls State Park13 mi · park
- North Shore Scenic Drive — Highway 6125 mi · drive
Source
Vessel facts on this page come from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article SS Hesper, retrieved 2026-10-11. We print the fields as recorded and add nothing; a missing field means the record is silent. Tonnage and dimensions were often measured more than one way in their day, so they can differ between sources.
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