The Strange Mystery of the SS Marquette and Bessemer No. 2: Vanished on Lake Erie

On December 7th, 1909, the train ferry SS Marquette and Bessemer No. 2 left Conneaut, Ohio for her daily 5-hour voyage to Port Stanley, Ontario. She departed as a storm descended over Lake Erie. Despite numerous contradictory sightings throughout the night, come morning the ship and her crew were never seen again. To this day, her wreck remains undiscovered, making her one of the greatest mysteries of the Great Lakes.

Sources:
Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes by Dwight Boyer

Chapters:
00:00 Marquette and Bessemer No. 2
3:06 Chapter 1: “Sturdy and Reliable”
6:42 Chapter 2: Delayed Departure
9:44 Chapter 3: Signals in the Storm
13:56 Chapter 4: Traces of the Tragedy
17:57 Chapter 5: An Enduring Mystery

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[BigOldBoats]

Thank you so much for watching! What do you think happened to the Marquette and Bessemer No. 2?

[justinlynch]

It's insane ships were ever built with an open stern. How in any way shape or form could such a design possibly NOT be a disaster just waiting to happen?

[bensmitt]

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for keeping our history alive. Your content is as important as it is entertaining. Keep up the good work.

[veryprofessionaldude]

It blows my mind that the brothers were found in such wildly different locations. One being found in the Niagara River, the other being found near Kincardine, which is on a totally different lake, Huron. Absolutely wild. Please more Great Lakes videos <3

[pickles]

I remember a forensic case where, a sole survivor of a shipwreck, a man with mental disabilities was charged with murder because his shipmate's body was found with "stab" marks. Turns his body just bobbed against a sharp piece of metal for days after his death. They elicited a false confession, saying they fought over a lifejacket as they had literally zero other motive.

[michaelimbesi]

As for the knives: it’s possible that when the order to abandon ship came, the purser had the forethought to grab some knives in case their lifeboat went ashore in an unpopulated area and they had to survive in the woods for a few days. Some knives would be very useful in such a circumstance, especially for cutting up wood to make a fire and butchering small game for food.

[neilcoligan]

I grew up in a town along the Detroit River near the western end of Lake Erie. My father worked for a tugboat company so I was well acquainted with stories of storms and ship wrecks. In fact my dad had the book you referred to in the video. I wish I still had it because it was a great read.

[pedenharley]

Bradley, thanks for sharing this story, but that is a bit of a haunting one. Now to try to sleep in peace…

[kevinm]

I have a cottage on Lake Erie near Long Point, the December storms really can be treacherous! Thanks for sharing this story

[wesleyjohnson]

I remember reading about this wreck in Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes when I was a high schooler. Just part of Ohio’s toll for Lake Erie shipping, I guess. Marquette and Bessemer No. 2 is one of those wrecks that really sticks in the mind for me. I’ve heard some theories the ship was buried in the silt and mud of Lake Erie, this explaining why she’s never been found.

[RailroadStreet]

Excellent video! I do have a couple small corrections. At 5:13, you have Robert and John McLeod's names mixed up. The man you have labeled as John is actually Captain Robert McLeod. John is the man with the mustache standing on the left behind Robert McLeod. Robert McLeod's body was discovered on the beach at Long Point, Ontario, not Kincardine. Kincardine was the birthplace of John and Robert. One recent theory about why the M&B No. 2 was spotted on both sides of the lake at the same time is that there was another car ferry that operated between Ashtabula, Ohio, and Port Burwell, Ontario. While both ferries aren't identical, they look very similar. And from a distance, in the snow and wind, they are indiscernible.

[garrbigster]

Dude, I absolutely love your channel. You have no idea how much I look forward to them and rewatch them. Keep it up man!

[Madhouse_Media]

What's crazy about these railroad ferries is that of the huge number on the Great Lakes for the better part of a century, only two sank in storms. The other lost in a storm was SS Milwaukee in 1929. Milwaukee had a stern gate, but it was damaged during the storm.

[mattl.]

The great lakes are beautiful and terrifying all at the same time. I stay in a cabin along lake Erie where I can see the conneaut harbor each year and the storms are truly something to behold.

[Thatguy-ofre]

The William B. Davock, the ship that sailed through the debris field, would herself be lost with all hands in 1940, during the Armistice Day Storm on Lake Michigan.

[milesaway]

Love your videos! The Great Lakes have been a huge part of my life for decades. As a teenager we lived just across the road from the Straits of Mackinac. Many nights we heard the foghorns and the low rumble of freighters passing on there way to Lake Michigan of Lake Huron.

[be.scenic]

While the videos are done excellently with load of details and helpful visuals, the most amazing thing is the soothing voice. These videos are like scary bedtime stories. 😁

[SadisticSenpai]

I mean, my assumption is that there was more than one ship that was in trouble that night on the lake. The Marquette and Bessemer II went down, but other ships on the lake that night managed to make it through. It's also possible that none of the witnesses saw the Marquette and Bessemer II as well.

[Dakiraun]

Wow - I kayak in those areas - (Port Stanley, Port Bruce and Rondeau). If the size of the ports are the same today as 1909, yeah, the entry into Port Stanley would be challenging for a 100+M vessel if the conditions were rough. Turning to Port Bruce for shelter doesn't make sense though - Port Bruce's entry to Rush Creek is _really_ tiny - there's no way a big ship could get in there (unless it was a lot larger in 1909 than it is now). They were maybe blown off that way. Sheltering in Rondeau Bay may have worked if they could get to it, but that's a 45 to 50 minute drive from the Port Stanley area, so by water on a rough sea.... yikes. I don't see any way they could have made that if they tried. Though on a sidenote, I was just paddling in Rondeau Bay on April 26th. I hope we find the No.2 some day; would be good to have some closure to this mystery.

[cmc]

Thanks! Appreciate the hard work! I have learned a lot about marine history from your videos😊