SS Robert Wallace
Marker: recorded wreck position (Date not recorded).
Key facts
| Name | SS Robert Wallace | Wikidata label |
|---|---|---|
| Ship type | ship, shipwreck | Wikidata P31 instance of |
| Nearest coast | United States | Natural Earth (public domain) |
| Position | 46.8473, -91.7289 | Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0) |
About the wreck
SS Robert Wallace was a wooden-hulled American bulk freighter that served on the Great Lakes of North America from her construction in 1882 to her sinking in 1902 on Lake Superior near the town of Palmers, St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. On November 17, 1902, shortly after leaving Superior, Wisconsin, with a cargo of iron ore, Robert Wallace sprang a leak and sank. Her wreck was found in 2006, and on October 14, 2009, the wreck of Robert Wallace was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Diving & visiting
The remains of Robert Wallace remained undiscovered until 2006 when an unidentified diver discovered the wreck near the shipping lanes. The diver reported the location of her wreck to diver Jay Hanson, who conducted a dive with wreck hunter Ken Merryman in 2006; in 2007 Hanson and Merryman captured video footage of the wreck. Later, Merryman and diver Bob Olson identified her wreck after seeing her name, still painted in white lettering on her stern.
The wreck of Robert Wallace rests relatively intact in 240 feet (73 m) of water about seven miles (11 km) south of Knife River, Minnesota. Close by are the wrecks of several ships including the wreck of the iron hulled steamer Onoko, the steel hulled package freighter Benjamin Noble, and the wooden hulled rafting tug Niagara, all of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The wreck of Robert Wallace is the most intact known wooden-hulled bulk freighter in Minnesota waters. Her hull is separated about 35 to 40 feet (11 to 12 m) at the stem, which makes exploring her wreck easier.
Location
- Recorded position: 46.8473, -91.7289 (Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0); may be approximate)
- Nearest coast: United States
Wreck positions on this site are for interest only and are not for navigation. Many wrecks are war graves or legally protected: never disturb human remains or remove artefacts, and check local law before diving.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article SS Robert Wallace (revision 1372506244), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Discovery”, “Robert Wallace today”; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.
Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby wrecks
- SS Onoko 1915 · 4 km
- SS Benjamin Noble 1914 · 11 km
- SS Harriet B. 1922 · 13 km
- Samuel P. Ely 1896 · 19 km
- Thomas Friant 19 km
- May Flower (shipwreck) 1891 · 22 km
Browse more: North America wrecks · wrecks off United States