Michigan Steamship Company
SS Eastland
Passenger ship that rolled over in Chicago in 1915
History
SS Eastland was an American Great Lakes passenger ship. On July 24, 1915, the ship capsized while tied to a dock in the Chicago River. In total, 844 passengers and crew were killed in what is, as of 2026, the largest loss of life from a shipwreck on the Great Lakes and the Chicago area.
After the disaster, Eastland was salvaged and sold to the United States Navy. After restorations and modifications, Eastland was designated a gunboat and renamed USS Wilmette. She was used primarily as a training vessel on the Great Lakes, and was scrapped after World War II.
Text: Wikipedia — SS Eastland, CC BY-SA 4.0
Further Reading
Ship Facts & Specifications
Tonnage
1,961 gross
Length
265 ft
Beam
38 ft 2 in
Draught
19 ft 6 in
Speed
16.5 knots
Passengers
As Eastland: 2,500 passengers, 70 crew (1915)
Crew
As USS Wilmette: 209
Builder
Jenks Ship Building Company
Launched
6 May 1903
Maiden voyage
July 16, 1903
Out of service
July 9, 1919
Owner
Michigan Steamship Company; Michigan Transportation Company
Propulsion
Two shafts
Fate
Sold for scrap on October 31, 1946 to Hyman Michaels Company of Chicago and scrapped, scrapping completed in 1947
Also Known As
- USS Wilmette
