SS Wexford

SS Wexford was a steel-hulled, propeller-driven, cargo ship built by William Doxford & Sons. at Sunderland, Great Britain in 1883. The official number for Wexford was 87342 with the hull number 00145. The ship was lost on Lake Huron with all hands on 9 November 1913 during the Great Lakes storm of 1913. Sources cite conflicting numbers for crew lost with 17 to 24 crew being listed. Her cargo at the time of loss was 96,000 bushels of wheat.[1] The wreck was discovered 25 August 2000 sitting intact and upright in 75 feet (23 m) of water on the lake bottom.[2] A copper wreath was placed on the wreck to honor the crew of the 100th Anniversary of The Great Storm of 1913.

For other ships with the same name, see Wexford (1802 EIC ship).

History
Name: SS Wexford
Operator:
  • R.M. Hudson & Son (1883–1898)
  • N. Dubuisson (1898–1903)
  • Western Steamship Company (1903–1913)
Builder: William Doxford & Sons, Sunderland
Yard number: 00145
Completed: 1883
Fate: foundered on 9 November 1913
General characteristics
Tonnage:
Length: 250 ft (76 m)
Beam: 40 ft (12 m)
Draught: 17 ft (5.2 m)
Crew: 17–24
Bodies from Wexford washed ashore near Goderich, Ontario, Canada.

Ownership

Wexford was owned by a number of parties during her service life. Wexford was renamed Elise from 1898 to 1903. She was renamed Wexford in 1903. At the time of the sinking the ship was owned by the Western Steamship Company.[3]

Crew
  • Frank Bruce Cameron, Captain
  • Rogers, Second Officer
  • Archie Brooks, James McCutcheon, Mates
  • Ferguson, Second Mate
  • Allan Dodson, John Deploy, Watchmen
  • Orrin Gordon, Wheelsman
  • Jim Scott, First Engineer
  • Richard Victor Lougheed, Second Engineer
  • George Wilmott, Cook
  • Grace Wilmott, Stewardess
  • Murdock MacDonald, Sailor/Crew
  • Jim Glen, Craneman
  • Gordon Allan, Crew
  • Walter Berwin, Crew
  • Scott Brown, Crew
  • Solliere Caesar, Crew
  • James Flynn, Crew
  • Donald McDonald, Crew
  • Jim MacDonald, Crew
  • Charles Peters, Crew
  • Thomas Spiers, Crew
  • Jim Maxwell, Crew
  • George Peere, Crew

Murdoch McDonald, who perished in the storm, is buried in Goderich, Ontario. A local newspaper indicates he travelled with a friend to Fort William, Ontario on another ship and was returning on Wexford when she went down. He was 25 years of age and is buried at Maitland Cemetery in Goderich, the town in which he was born and raised. His funeral was held on 15 November 1913 in Goderich. [4]

References
  1. Minnich, Jerry, Wisconsin Almanac, p. 217, ISBN 0-944133-06-1
  2. "WEXFORD SHIPWRECK FOUND AFTER 87 YEARS". Toronto Daily Star. 30 August 2000. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  3. "DETAILS OF TORONTO VESSELS WRECKED". Globe (Toronto). 12 November 1913. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  4. "Search Continues". The Signal. Goderich, Ontario. 20 November 1913. Retrieved 19 April 2018.

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