Boatnerd Discussion Forum

Usually the lights on the mast gave people the length of the ship at night.

What was the purpose of the extremely high masts on the Mataafa and other ships of that era?

The Mataafa did not have a deckhouse on the stern. Crew quarters were inside the hull.

I've never seen any reference to the lost propeller blades being retrieved, although they may have been picked up during the extensive salvage operation that took place the following spring. The Corps of Engineers maintains the ship canal and I'm sure any obstruction that appeared during a survey would have been removed. Having said that, lost objects like anchors do occasionally turn up in Duluth harbor.

2 questions:

1) Was there not an aft house on that boat, or was it wiped off by the storm?

2) Wondering if the broken buckets from that propellor are still laying around by the harbor entrance ?


She took quite a pounding, for sure.

Wow, that's quite the collection! I find the shots of all the donkie boilers on deck running the dewatering pumps really interesting. Thanks for sharing this.

Here is a group of photos from the Mataafa grounding at Duluth in 1905, and the salvage work & tow to the shipyard and while in drydock there.