Sea Wing disaster
Sea Wing cira 1889
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Sea Wing |
| Owner: | Diamond Jo Line |
| Completed: | 1888 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 110 long tons (110 t) |
| Length: | 135 feet (41 m) |
| Beam: | 16 feet (4.9 m) |
| Height: | 22 feet (6.7 m) |
| Draft: | 4.5 feet (1.4 m) |
| Installed power: | 2 steam engines, 10 in diameter, 6 ft stroke |
| Propulsion: | Sternwheel paddleboat |
| Notes: | Towboat being used as an excursion boat |
Coordinates: 44°32′54″N 92°19′31″W / 44.548458°N 92.325368°W
The Sea Wing disaster occurred on July 13, 1890, when a strong squall line overturned the excursion vessel Sea Wing on Lake Pepin near Lake City, Minnesota. About 215 people were aboard the vessel when it was overturned, and as a result 98 people drowned. An excursion barge that was being towed by the Sea Wing was unharmed. It is one of the worst maritime disasters that has occurred on the upper Mississippi River.
Tornadoes had occurred earlier in the evening farther north in the Twin Cities area, but it is believed that downburst winds from a thunderstorm caused the event.
Built in 1888 at Diamond Bluff, Wisconsin as a sternwheel rafter, the Sea Wing was 135 feet (41 m) long and 16 feet (4.9 m) beam amidship. She had a displacement of 110 long tons (110 t) and a height of 22 feet (6.7 m) to her pilot house. The Sea Wing was powered by a six piston steam engine. The Sea Wing was rated for a maximum of 350 passengers when the ship towed two passenger barges on its trips. The safety equipment carried consisted of 175 wood floats, 175 cork and tube life preservers, six axes and seven lifeboats with 28 oars.
Based in Diamond Bluff, Wisconsin the Sea Wing was jointly owned by Captain David Niles Wethern and Mel Sparks operating as the Diamond Jo Line. Normally used for moving lumber and commodities along the Mississippi river the ship was also used for excursions as an extra source of income.
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Wikipedia