C.C. Hand

A standard-size wooden bulk freighter of her day, the C.C. Hand was built as the R.E. Schuck in Cleveland, and was renamed in 1904. Her new owner/captain had invested everything he had into the ship, but didn't reserve enough to purchase insurance. She was bound from Cleveland for Chicago with 24,000 tons of soft coal on October 6, 1913. About 7PM that evening she was trying to find her way through dense fog when she ran aground twice on Big Summer Island. She was able to pull herself off and drop anchor. While the crew went below for their evening meal, fire broke out in the coal bunker and quickly spread forward, filling the mess room with smoke. The crew could only access a single lifeboat and had to be shuttled ashore in shifts, with the last few crew escaping the bow just as the fire reached them. The captain was the last man off the ship. The C.C. Hand is broken up with the parts of the steam engine on top. The main feature is a 12 foot brass prop, and it’s a great photo opportunity. Lies in about 3 m; sank 1913.