Boatnerd Discussion Forum

One group says what was left is sunk in the mud at the dock. Another says that she was towed out between Mackinaw Island and St Ignace and left to sink. Either way she burned to the water line so there wasn't much left except the hull to the turn of the bilge. Engine and boilers were removed after she burned. Look in the same book and there is info on the Leviathan which was in competition with the Favorite. She was called "The Boss Wrecker" because she was equipped to do just about anything as far as wrecking goes, with the most up to date equipment of the day.

According to "Shipwrecks of the Straits of Mackinaw" by Dr Charles E Feltrner & Jeri Baron Feltner the tug "Favorite" Propeller, 409 Gross Tons, 139', wood, built 1864 in Fort Howard by William H Wolf was lost on January 9, 1907 when it burned at the dock in St. Ignace Harbor. Today know as the "Favorite Dock" used by Arnold. This is an undiscoverable wreck (page 235)

The tug from Cheboygan your are referring to was the Leviathan. She burned at her dock in Cheboygan and was then towed over to Duncan Bay and let sink. She is only in about 10 feet of, water and can be seen from the surface. Not much left other then the propeller shafts, engine beds, and the bottom of the bull. there were actually several salvage tugs home ported in Cheboygan at various times in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

[quote]In the early 80's, there was a green hulled Favorite with a crane on top docked next to the Valley Camp in the Soo. Although not opened for visitors, my college room mate and it lept from the dock on to the boat and looked around one early morning. Most of the classic stuff had been removed from the boat, but the many steam engines were still below. Several years later, we re-visited the Soo, and it was gone. I understand that it was taken somewhere and sunk as a diver's play spot. Is there any truth to this?

Pete
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scrapped in detour. not so sure on a date though.

regarding the first favorite, based in st ignace, it was for several years in competition with another wrecking tug based in Cheboygan. it latter burn, I believe, and was scuttled in Duncan bay. ironicly, its location is only about a few hundred yards from the wreck of the tug jenny lynn. read this in an article, forget the name of the tug

will post link to article when I find it.

the favorite we know best was made almost obsoulete when the mighty mac was commissioned. favorite was build as a salvage tug and icebreaker, and mackinaw could do all of that, with the excepting of lightering vessels that carried bulk material like ore, coal, stone, etc.

Pete--In my previous post, she was scrapped in Detour in the early 80's. The group in the Soo couldn't afford to repair/restore her to her former glory so she as sold for scrap. It is a shame as she was the last of the classic Great Lakes wrecking tugs. The Favorite number 2 was working in the Panama Canal for many years and sold I believe to the Navy in Peru and finally scrapped I think in the 50's or early 60's. What's left of Favorite number 1 is supposed to be buried in the mud in St Ignace at or near the "favorite" dock after she burned. I visited the Favorite much as you did in the late 70's and was afraid that I would fall through the deck it was that rusted. It is still a shame that she couldn't have been restored even if just as a static display but so much had been stripped off her when she was in Cleveland including her boom that recovering correct parts would have been impossible. I am not sure of the last wreck she worked at but was probably during WWII and possibly a little later.

In the early 80's, there was a green hulled Favorite with a crane on top docked next to the Valley Camp in the Soo. Although not opened for visitors, my college room mate and it lept from the dock on to the boat and looked around one early morning. Most of the classic stuff had been removed from the boat, but the many steam engines were still below. Several years later, we re-visited the Soo, and it was gone. I understand that it was taken somewhere and sunk as a diver's play spot. Is there any truth to this?

Pete

There have been I believe 4 Favorites. First burned in St Ignace, second was taken by the Navy for WWI service and then went to the Panama Canal Commission after the war. The forth was the one we hear the most about that was built to replace the one that went to Panama and scrapped in Detour. There was another one that was I believe number 3 that was acquired from tug company when GLT was buying tugs but was never sailed under that name. Bowling Green has some info on all three as well as the Alpena Library site.

The US Navy had a salvage tug named the U.S.S. Favorite that was retired after WWI, is that the same tug that was used on the lakes or are these two separate tugs? Also does anyone have a side profile picture of her?
Thanks!
Jake