SS Onoko

Onoko c. 1900
History
United States
NameOnoko
Operator
  • Phillip Minch 1882-1895
  • Nicholas Transit Company 1895-1915
Port of registry United States
BuilderGlobe Iron Works Company
Yard number4
LaunchedFebruary 16, 1882
Completed1882
In serviceMarch 31, 1882
Out of serviceSeptember 15, 1915
IdentificationU.S. Registry #155048
FateSprang a leak and sank on Lake Superior with no loss of life
General characteristics
Class & typeBulk Freighter
Tonnage
Length302.6 ft (92.2 m)
Beam38.6 ft (11.8 m)
Height24.8 ft (7.6 m)
Installed power2 × Scotch marine boilers
PropulsionCompound steam engine
Onoko (Bulk Freight Steamer) Shipwreck
Location6 miles south of Knife River
Nearest cityDuluth, Minnesota
Coordinates46°50.772′N 91°46.640′W / 46.846200°N 91.777333°W / 46.846200; -91.777333
Built1882
ArchitectGlobe Iron Works Company; William H. Radcliffe
Architectural styleFreighter
MPSMinnesota's Lake Superior Shipwrecks MPS
NRHP reference No.92000845
Added to NRHPJuly 23, 1992

SS Onoko was an iron-hulled Great Lakes freighter. She was launched in 1882 in Cleveland, Ohio by the Globe shipbuilding firm, as its hull number #4, and sank on September 14, 1915, in Lake Superior near Knife River, Minnesota. According to the Minnesota Historical Society, Onoko is regarded as a prototype of the single-steel hulled Great Lakes bulk carrier, These vessels made possible the cheap transport of bulk cargoes such as iron ore, coal and limestone. Her wreckage still remains on the bottom of Lake Superior and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.