Victory

Type:		Wooden fish tug
Length:		About 35 x 10 x 4 ft., circa 10 gt.
Depth:	        20 ft.
Location:  	See inset map

The Victory was a small wooden fishing tug which had been used by the owners of the old fishing camp on Silver Island just west of Esrey Park. Her date and place of build are unknown at this time, but she may have been built locally. She was laid up at Silver Island in the early 1950s due to a leaking hull and poor mechanical condition. In the late fall some years later she rolled off her ramp in a gale, capsized and foundered. Today, she sits upside down in 20 ft. of water. She is in remarkable condition with her name clearly legible on her hull. She is painted white and can be seen from the surface. Her engines and other items also remain to inspect. Divers can also find an old bottle dump used by the residents of the Silver Island fish camp near this site.

This dive makes a good adjunct dive to the City of St. Joseph / Transport site which is about 1 mile to the west. Divers who visit this site should take care not to disturb it as it is still under active archeological investigation. This vessel should not be confused with the other fish tug Victory lost at Keweenaw. She burned off Big Traverse Bay on May 1, 1950 with the loss of 2 lives and drifted ashore at Big Traverse. She was built in 1942 at Mohawk, Michigan and was 33.6 x 10.4 x 4.6 ft., 15 gt. Her official number was 244800 and her burned out hull was reported on the beach at Big Traverse for some years after the accident.

References: US Merchant Vessels, Port of Marquette Vessel Enrollments, NOAA Chart #14972, Fritz Carlton, Randolph Beebe and Brendon Baillod


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