The James Carruthers was a steel-hulled lake freighter built in 1913 by the Collingwood Shipbuilding Company in Ontario. At 550 feet long with a 58-foot beam, the vessel was one of the largest ships built in Canada at the time. Named after a Canadian politician and businessman, the ship was designed as a bulk carrier for the Great Lakes grain trade.
On November 6, 1913, the James Carruthers loaded approximately 375,000 bushels of wheat at Fort William and began a downbound trip through the lakes. As the ship entered Lake Huron, it encountered the violent Great Lakes Storm of 1913, later called the "White Hurricane." The storm brought hurricane-force winds, heavy snow, and waves reported to exceed 30 feet in height. Sometime on November 9, the James Carruthers disappeared during the storm. The vessel sank with all 22 crew members aboard, becoming one of several ships lost on Lake Huron during the disaster.
For over a century, the final resting place of the James Carruthers was unknown. In May 2025, a team of explorers located the wreck about 20 miles east of Harbor Beach, MI, in roughly 190 feet of water. The ship was found upside down on the lake floor, largely intact. This recent discovery solved one of the last major mysteries of the Great Lakes Storm of 1913, which sank numerous vessels across the region.
On November 6, 1913, the James Carruthers loaded approximately 375,000 bushels of wheat at Fort William and began a downbound trip through the lakes. As the ship entered Lake Huron, it encountered the violent Great Lakes Storm of 1913, later called the "White Hurricane." The storm brought hurricane-force winds, heavy snow, and waves reported to exceed 30 feet in height. Sometime on November 9, the James Carruthers disappeared during the storm. The vessel sank with all 22 crew members aboard, becoming one of several ships lost on Lake Huron during the disaster.
For over a century, the final resting place of the James Carruthers was unknown. In May 2025, a team of explorers located the wreck about 20 miles east of Harbor Beach, MI, in roughly 190 feet of water. The ship was found upside down on the lake floor, largely intact. This recent discovery solved one of the last major mysteries of the Great Lakes Storm of 1913, which sank numerous vessels across the region.