12/04/2025
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The most recent Lake Superior shipwreck occurred on December 4, 1989. The Coast Guard buoy tender Mesquite was working off the tip of the Keweenaw, removing a buoy marking a 3-foot shoal when a number of minor errors cascaded into disaster. First of all, they were pulling a buoy at night with rising seas and strong winds.
Next, Gull Rock light off of Manitou Island was not working that night, so getting a good visual fix on the Mesquite’s position was difficult.
Finally, an Ensign was at the wheel – although under the direct supervision of the Captain. After the buoy was wrestled aboard at around 3:00 in the morning, the Captain ordered the Ensign to back off about 1,000 yards. This was done at a speed of 3 knots (slowly).
When the Captain decided that they had backed far enough, he left the bridge. Moments later, there was a loud crash as the ship hit the reef. Wind and currents had carried them closer to shore than expected.
Damage Control found three compartments flooded including the engine and motor rooms. The crew worked for three hours to save their ship – but at 6:17 in the morning, the order to abandon was given. All 53 crew members donned survival suits and went over the side into three life rafts and the ship’s motor surfboat.
The passing freighter Mangal Desai responded to the distress call. Picking up about 15 on each pass, the Desai slowly collected the Mesquite’s crew. Three with slight injuries were air lifted by helicopter to Hancock, MI with the Captain and two other officers accompanying them. The rest rode to Duluth on the Desai.
Although there were initial plans to salvage the tender, she was too badly broken by the grounding and a series of winter storms for that to be practical. The Mesquite was decommissioned on January 31, 1990.
Eventually, she was moved off of the ledge into about 120 feet of water to serve as a dive attraction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USCGC_Mesquite_(WLB-305)
