The SS Samuel Mather was a wooden steamship measuring approximately 246 feet (75 meters) in length, constructed with a wooden hull, and powered by two boilers. Launched in Cleveland on April 7, 1887, she served primarily as a coal-carrying steamer on the Great Lakes. Her design included two masts and an intact deck, with her bottom lying at a depth of about 180 feet (55 meters). Her construction and operational history reflect a vessel that was typical of the late 19th-century Great Lakes merchant fleet, characterized by her wooden build and relatively modest size compared to later steel freighters. Throughout her brief four-year career, the Mather experienced several mishaps, including being towed by a tug due to machinery failure shortly after launch, damage from a gale near Detour, Michigan, and a libel for sinking another steamer, the Ohio. She was sold multiple times, ultimately owned by James Pickard of the Interlake Transportation Company. Her final voyage was from Duluth, Minnesota, bound for Buffalo, New York, loaded with 58,000 bushels of wheat. On November 22, 1891, in heavy fog on Whitefish Bay, she was rammed on the starboard side near the aft hatch by the steel freighter Brazil. The collision created an 11-foot hole, and the Mather sank within 25 minutes without loss of life. Her crew of twenty evacuated safely, and the vessel was valued at $50,000, with her cargo bringing the total loss to over $226,000. The wreck was discovered in May 1978 and remains one of the most well-preserved examples of a wooden Great Lakes freighter, lying upright with an intact deck and superstructure. Her mast is accessible at 75 feet, her deck at 155 feet, and the bottom at 180 feet. The Mather's wreck is a popular site for scuba divers, noted for its good condition and historical significance. It is protected within the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve and is part of an underwater museum, representing a rare and well-preserved example of a wooden Great Lakes freighter that has long since disappeared from service.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.