The 250-foot package freighter Kamloops was lost without a trace in early December 1927. The ship failed to survive a fierce, early winter storm as it rushed to complete the shipping season. Twenty-two lives were lost in the shipwreck which is believed to have occurred when the ship capsized in heavy seas near shore. The Kamloops was constructed in 1924 and hauled grain to and from many Great Lakes ports. The ship's remains were discovered by sport divers in 1977. A few artifacts have been removed and some artifacts, such as the emergency steering wheel, have been padlocked in place by sport divers to prevent further looting. In recent years bodies of crewmen were removed from the engine room compartments.
By Steve Harrington
About 300' off Twelve O'Clock Point, north shore of Isle Royale. The Kamloops story is one of the more tragic Isle Royale shipwreck tales. Built in England in 1924, this steel freighter (250' x 42'9" x 24'3") foundered in a severe early winter storm on December 6, 1927, alongside rocky Isle Royale. Not all of the crew of 20 men and 2 women perished immediately; some reached the island by lifeboat and froze or starved to death slowly. One woman left a heart-wrenching note to her parents in a bottle. The bodies were found the following spring. The Kamloops was located in 1977, with diver Ken Merryman being the first to explore and identify her. She lies on her starboard side, bow deeper than stern, and very intact, with the perfectly preserved ship's wheel chain-and-padlocked in place so it won't get lost.
Cris Kohl