SS Argus

The Argus as the Lewis J. Woodruff, sometime prior to being renamed in 1913.
History
United States
Name	SS Lewis J. Woodruff
Builder	American Ship Building Company, Lorain, Ohio
Yard number	326
Launched	5 August 1903
Renamed	Argus, in 1913
Fate	Sank November 9, 10th, or 12th 1913
General characteristics
Tonnage	4707 (gross)
Length	436 feet (133 m)
Beam	50 ft (15 m)
Height	28 ft (8.5 m)
Crew	25

The SS Argus was a steel-hulled Great Lakes freighter, that was constructed as the SS Lewis Woodruff by the American Ship Building Company, and was launched on 5 August 1903. Its original owner was the Gilchrist Transportation Company, based in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1913, the ship was sold to the Interlake Steamship Company, and was renamed the Argus.^[1]

The ship was lost on Lake Huron on November 9, 1913 during the Great Lakes storm of 1913. Under the commander of captain Paul Dutch, the Argus headed north into Lake Huron, with a load of coal. A little over 13 miles north of Point Aux Barques, the ship broke in two and sank with the loss of all 25 hands.^[2][3] The SS Hydrus, sister ship of the Argus, was also lost in the storm.

Portions of the wreckage were found by a local doctor along the shoreline at Bayfield, Ontario in mid-November 1913.^[4] The remains of the ship was discovered in 1972, by diver Dick Race. The wreck lies upside down, in about 250 feet of water.^[1]

• "Argus (Propeller), U200211, sunk, 9 Nov 1913." Maritime History of the Great Lakes. Retrieved 04 January 2024.
• "Lewis Woodruff (1903, Bulk Freighter):Great Lakes Ships.Retrieved 04 January 2024.