That 370-mile project consisted of rivers, lakes, locks, and canals connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes.

One of the early international ships utilizing the waterway was the SS Monrovia.

The nearly 448-foot ocean vessel, registered in Liberia, was transporting a cargo of sheet and bar steel from Antwerp, Belgium to Chicago, Illinois and Duluth, Minnesota. The ship had a crew of 29, mostly of Greek heritage.

Downbound on Lake Huron was the Canadian bulk freighter SS Royalton. The 530-foot vessel was enroute from Duluth to Montreal, Quebec. The ship was loaded with 10,670 tons of grain.

Courtesy Photo Bottom, this photo provided by the Special Collections Department at the Alpena County Library shows the SS Monrovia.

On June 25, 1959, a collision between those two ships occurred 13 miles off Thunder Bay Island. The Monrovia is attributed being the first ocean vessel to sink in the Great Lakes related to the recently opened Seaway.

According to a U.S. Coast Guard Marine Investigative Report, the Monrovia was upbound and the Royalton downbound on Lake Huron.

The USCG report noted the Monrovia’s master remained on the bridge after disembarking the Canadian pilot at the Lake Huron Lightship.

As both ships neared Thunder Bay, an extremely dense fog set in. Traditionally, it was to be a starboard-to-starboard passing at least a mile apart between the two ships.

The Royalton executed several radio communications to the unknown saltwater vessel. No response was returned. The downbound Royalton also began a frequent series of foghorn alerts.

In the dense fog, the Monrovia underwent course changes and lowered its speed.

As it neared 2 p.m., the ships were now 400 feet apart. Both shipmasters attempted to change speed and course, be dead in the water, or shift engine to astern. It was too late. The Royalton’s bow sliced into the Monrovia’s port side.

The Royalton ceased being underway and lost sight of the Monrovia. Nearly 20 minutes after the collision, the steamer Norman W. Foy was at the scene. By 3 p.m., the Monrovia’s 29 officers and crew were safely onboard the Foy.

The USCG Report stated the Monrovia’s master ordered the assistant engineer and select other crewmembers to investigate if the ship’s propulsion area was operational and the hull’s integrity safe. They could not verify either and then claimed their personal effects. The Monrovia was doomed to sink.

Just after the midnight hour, the Monrovia sank into Lake Huron at 140 feet.

Most of the vessel remained intact and laid upright on the lake’s bottom. An account from the Foy stated the Monrovia’s crew viewed the ship’s sinking on radar.

The USCG report stated that the Monrovia’s master and radio operator were not fluent in the English language. In addition, that was the Monrovia crew’s first Great Lakes voyage. The Monrovia did not have radar, nor a lookout placed at the ship’s bow. The Monrovia’s crew did not conduct any lifeboat drills.

The USCG report stated there was a lack of both vessels adhering to the Lake Carriers Association and Dominion Marine Corp. navigation rules and regulations.

A subsequent Alpena News and Associated Press account revealed that, when the Foy arrived in Detroit, the Monrovia crew disembarked onto a bus. When they arrived at their hotel, they refused to exit the bus. USCG and U.S. immigration officials stated the crew demanded their 30 days of back pay and return of their passports. They travelled to immigration headquarters, where authorities began to address their concerns.

John McCord, assistant director of engagement and outreach with the University of North Carolina Coastal Studies Institute, dove on the Monrovia in May 2011. The dive was in conjunction with the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary,

McCord stated, “The 15-minute; 140-foot dive was in cold waters with 100 feet of visibility. The diving team found this to be impressive; in that the Monrovia was upright and very intact.” He concluded, “Due to safety concerns we did not dive into the hull.”

Jeffrey D. Brasie is a retired health care CEO and frequently writes historic feature stories and op-eds. He is a former Alpena resident and resides in suburban Detroit.

Check out the video below of a dive on the wreck of the Monrovia in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Viewing on mobile? Turn your device horizontally for the best viewing experience. Story continues below video.

Profile of the SS Monrovia

∫ Launched in 1943 from Lithgows Ltd. Of Glasgow, Scotland

∫ Classification: freighter, used as transport during World War II

∫ Former registered names: Empire Falstaff, Commandant Mantelet, and Commandant LeBiboul

∫ Length: 447 feet and 7 inches

∫ Beam: 56 feet and 2 inches

∫ Depth: 26 feet and 3 inches

∫ Hull: riveted steel

∫ Sunk on June 26, 1959, slightly after midnight, after colliding with Canadian freighter, SS Royalton

∫ The ship had a crew of 29 of whom all survived.

∫ Resting upright in Lake Huron at 140 feet of near Thunder Bay Island

Sources: “About the Great Lakes” and the U.S. Coast Guard

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