Nisbet Grammer
Coordinates: 43° 28' 17" N 78° 26' 31" W
Water Depth: 510 ft (154.4m)
Cause and Date of Loss: Collision, May 31st, 1926
Loss of Life: None
Boat Specifications: Length: 253ft (77m)
Beam: 43.3 ft (13.2m)
Height: 20 ft (6.1m)
Tonnage: 1,725 GRT, 1,100 NRT
Propulsion: Steam
History
The steel-hull bulk freighter, the Nisbet Grammer, was built in Birkenhead, England by the Cammell Laird Ship Repairers & shipbuilders for the Eastern Steamship Co. Ltd. 1. She was built to haul grain and coal from ports in the Great Lakes up to the Saint Lawrence River for the Eastern Steamship Co. The small stature of the ship made it ideal for navigating smaller ports and the canal locks of the Saint Lawrence where it would bring its cargo to larger ships for trans-Atlantic travel. She had a length of 253 feet, beam of 43 feet, and a depth of 20 feet2. She was named after the president of the Eastern Steamship Co. Mr. Nisbet Grammer3. He, and two others from the company, visited the shipyard in England in February 1923 to inspect her and two other ships being built4.
The Nisbet Grammer officially launched on April 12, 1923, beginning her short life as a grain bulk freighter on the Great Lakes. In July of 1923, it was reported that the Nisbet Grammerwas loaded with 90,424 bushels of wheat in Chicago. She was bound for Montreal with this load, which was the largest cargo to ever go through the Welland Canal5.
She stayed in service of the Eastern Steamship Co. for three years until her sinking in May 1926.
Sinking
On May 31, 1926, the Nisbet Grammer embarked on her regular route from Port Colborne, Ontario to Montreal, Quebec carrying 83,000 bushels of wheat. Navigation was limited on this day due to a thick fog laying over the lake impeding the view of those on the ships. At this time, the first mate Marshall Robson was on the bridge of the Nisbet Grammer. Captain Albert Laking was off duty and had not provided the officer-on-watch with any specific instructions if things were to go wrong6. This decision would later cause his captain’s license to be suspended for one month after the incident.
Unknown to those on the Nisbet Grammer, the vessel Dalwarnic, of the Canadian railways fleet, was close by and under the command of Captain James Cuthbert and moving at full speed7. The Nisbet Grammer released a signal blast which was heard on the Dalwarnic’s starboard bow. Captain Cuthbert should have turned the ship to port or moved astern after hearing this blast but failed to do so. This decision was a leading cause in the collision8. The Dalwarnic responded with signal blasts, however it was too late. The Dalwarnic struck the Nisbet Grammer at the aft end near the number six hatch on her port side putting a large hole in the cargo hold9. Most of her crew was asleep but were awoken to a shudder throughout the boat. The crew got to work quickly releasing two lifeboats. The crew of the Dalwarnic dispatched one of their lifeboats to aid in the rescue of the Nisbet's crew.
One crew member stated in an interview: “One thing that impressed me more than anything else was the lack of shouting or cursing. The boys worked silently, proving themselves a brave and cool-headed lot of sailors, who must have been well trained”10
All crew onboard the Nisbet Grammer made it safely off the vessel and onto the Dalwarnic before she sank. The two cooks onboard, Angeline Bertine and Clementine LaDuc, were loaded onto the lifeboats first. Other known individuals that were onboard were Captain A.E. Laking; First Officer Marshall Robson; Chief Engineer J. Harrison; Assistant Engineer Claude Deline; and Second Mate Raoul Malliette11. Those onboard lost everything when the ship sank only fifteen minutes after being struck by the Dalwarnic.
After the sinking, the Eastern Steamship Co. filed a $78,444.26 (equivalent of $1.4 million today) claim against the company that owned the Dalwarnic for damages caused by improper navigation by the master of the ship. Captain Cuthbert of the Dalwarnic had his license revoked for the rest of the season as he failed to exercise caution which was expected of all seamen12. Some fault was found on the Nisbet Grammer as her speed was not moderate as required in low visibility conditions.
Both the vessel and cargo were insured, and she now rests deeper than 500 feet beneath the surface of Lake Ontario. She is still the largest steel ship to have sunk in Lake Ontario.
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