M/V Material Service

The M/V Material Service was a steel hulled American self-unloading diesel powered workbarge that sank with the loss of fifteen lives on Lake Michigan[1] off the coast of North Township, Lake County, Indiana. On the day of March 25, 2014 the wreck of the Material Service was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Material Service prior to her sinking
History
 United States
Name: Material Service
Builder: Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company
Yard number: 253
Launched: 1929
In service: 1929
Out of service: July 29, 1936
Identification: U.S. Registry #228371
General characteristics
Type: Powered barge
Tonnage:
  • 1077 gross tons[1]
  • 736 net tons[1]
Length: 239.58 feet (73.02 m)[1]
Beam: 40 feet (12 m)[1]
Depth: 13.75 feet (4.19 m)[1]
MATERIAL SERVICE (shipwreck)
LocationLake Michigan, northeast of Calumet Harbor
Nearest cityNorth Township, Lake County, Indiana
Coordinates41.738833°N 87.503833°W / 41.738833; -87.503833
Built1929
ArchitectLeathem D. Smith Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company
Architectural styleBarge
NRHP reference No.14000074 [2]
Added to NRHPMarch 25, 2014

History

The Material Service (Official number 228371) was built as hull number #253 in 1929, in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin by the Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, for the Leatham Smith-Putnam Navigation Company of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and she was on a ten year lease to the Material Service Corporation of Chicago, Illinois.[3] Her steel hull was 239.58 feet (73.02 m) long, her beam was 40 feet (12 m) wide, and her hull was 13.75 feet (4.19 m) deep. She had a gross tonnage of 1077 tons, and a net tonnage of 736 tons.[1] She was driven by two propellers that were powered by two 350-horsepower diesel engines.[4]

She was built co carry sand from Lake Michigan to docks located in the Chicago River. Her shallow hull, and her lowerable A-frame were designed to permit passage under low bridges.[5]

References
  1. "Material Service". Bowling Green State University. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  3. "Screening Level Risk Assessment Package: Material Service" (PDF). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  4. "MV Material Service (+1936)". Wrecksite. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  5. "Material Service". Great Lakes Vessel Histories of Sterling Berry. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
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