1944 — Apr 27, freighter James H Reed sinks, hit by Ashcroft, Lake Erie fog, off Ashtabula, OH–12

— 12 Alchem Incorporated. Lake Erie Shipwreck Map “C” and Index. Accessed 1-8-2021.
— 12 Evening Independent, OH. “East OH Blast…Ohio’s Major 1944 Disaster,” 12-28-1944.
— 12 Berry, Sterling. “Reed, James H.” Great Lakes Vessel History.
–10-12 Republican-Courier, Findlay OH. “2 Lake Ore Freighters Sink…Collisions…” 4-28-1944, p.1.
— 12 Sandusky Register Star-News, OH. “Probe Lake Crashes that Cost 12 Lives.” 4-28-1944, p.1.
— 12 Shipwrecks & Maritime Tales of the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail. “James H. Reed.”
— 12 Swayze. Shipwreck!…Directory of…3,700 Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 198.
— 10 Ratigan, William. Great Lakes Shipwrecks & Survivals (Revised). 1969, p. 224.
— >10 Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH. “At Least 10 Lost As Ore Freighters Sink…” 4-28-1944, 1.
— 10 Van Wert Times-Bulletin, OH. “Steamer Sinks After Collision.” 4-27-1944, p. 1, col. 3.

Narrative Information

Alchem Incorporated: “James H Reed: Steel freight steamer of 440 ft sank rapidly on 4/27/1944 after being rammed broadside in a fog by the steamer Ashcroft in mid lake and nearly due north of Ashtabula, Ohio. Twelve of the Reed’s crew of thirty five were trapped below and drowned….” (Alchem Inc.)

Swayze: “James H Reed. Steel bulk freight steamer of 7,500 t. [tons] and 440 ft., launched in 1903 at Wyandotte, MI. Lake Erie: Fog was the culprit in the loss of this veteran freighter on April 27, 1944. She was approximately 20 miles north of Conneaut, Ohio, off Long Point, and was carrying a cargo of ore and stone when she met her end. Her path intersected that of the 550 foot steel steamer Ashcroft and the two vessels collided, with the Reed being struck broadside. The Reed sank so quickly that 12 of her 35 crewmen were trapped below and drowned as she went down….”
(Swayze. Shipwreck!…Directory of…3,700 Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 198.)

Newspapers

April 27: “Cleveland, April 27. – (AP) – The Interlake Steamship Co. reported today its steamer The James H. Reed, carrying a load of iron ore from Escanaba, Mich., to Buffalo, N.Y., was sunk after colliding in Lake Erie in a heavy fog with the Canadian steamer Ashcroft about 42 miles west of Long Point, north of Conneaut, O. First reports said 10 lives may have been lost.

“The Cleveland company said the collision occurred about 5:30 A.M. (Central War Time). The Ashcroft, owned by the Canadian Steamship Lines, was reported en route from Buffalo to Toledo, O., to take on coal.

“Rescue boats were dispatched from Erie, Pa., Conneaut, and other Lake Erie ports.

“The Ashcroft was said to be heavily damaged, and was taken in tow.

“The Reed, built in 1903, was a 448 foot steel freighter with gross tonnage of 5,598 tons.” (Van Wert Times-Bulletin, OH. “Steamer Sinks After Collision.” 4-27-1944, p. 1, col. 3.)

April 27: “Cleveland, April 27 – (AP) – Disaster struck through a fog-mantled dawn over Lake Erie Thursday, causing separate collisions which sank two ore freighters and took the lives of at least 10 crew members.

“The ore carrier James H. Reed, operated by Pickands, Mather and Co., for the Interlake Steamship Co. of Cleveland, sank quickly after a head-on collision with the Canada Steamship Lines’ steamer Ashcroft, 25 miles north of Ashtabula, O., carrying four men and a woman cook to their deaths and resulting in fatal injuries to five others. The Interlake Co. reported late Thursday at least two other crewmen were unaccounted for….

“Twenty-three survivors of the Reed’s sinking were transferred to the Ashcroft, which started for Ashtabula after aiding in the search for missing crewmen for several hours….” (Republican-Courier, Findlay, OH. “2 Lake Ore Freighters Sink…After Collisions; 10 Die.” 4-28-1944, p. 1.)

April 28: “Cleveland, April 28 (UP) – The Coast Guard today opened an investigation into the cause of two collisions of cargo ships on Lake Erie in one of which 10 seamen were known dead and two were missing and believed drowned.

“The two separate collisions occurred yesterday in the fog which covered the lake. One occurred about 20 miles north of Conneaut, O., at the eastern end of the lake while the other occurred in the Pelee passage near the Canadian shore opposite Sandusky, O.

“The investigation was ordered by Cmdr. Earl B. Hull of the Coast Guard as the Cleveland Industrial Union Council charged that the accidents occurred because ship owners were using ‘inexperienced seamen while qualified seamen were available.’

“The James H. Reed, an ore carrier of the Interlake Shipping Co., Cleveland, collided with the Ashcroft of the Canadian Steamship Lines off Conneaut and sank almost immediately. The Ashcroft, which was traveling light, was damaged but picked up 23 members of the 35 crew members….” (Sandusky Register Star-News, OH. “Probe Lake Crashes that Cost 12 Lives.” 4-28-1944, p. 1.)

Dec 28: “Tragedy haunted another of the State’s [OH] business pursuits—lake shipping—in 1944. On a murky April 27 dawn, 2 great ore carriers collided in Lake Erie, a few miles off Ashtabula harbor [OH]. The Interlake Steamship company’s steamer James H. Reed plummeted to the bottom within minutes, carrying 6 men and woman cook to their deaths and causing fatal injury to 5 other crewmen. Bodies of 2 of the 6 were never recovered. The 12 deaths raised to 50 the number of seamen lost in Lake Erie since 1900. None of the crew of the second steamer, the Canada Steamship Lines’ Ashcroft, were injured.” (Evening Independent (OH). Dec 28, 1944, 8.)

Sources

Alchem Incorporated. Lake Erie Shipwreck Map “C” and Index. Accessed 1-8-2021 at: http://www.alcheminc.com/asht.html

Berry, Sterling. “Reed, James H.” Great Lakes Vessel History. Accessed 1-8-2021 at: https://www.greatlakesvesselhistory.com/histories-by-name/r/reed-james-h

Evening Independent, Massillon OH. “East Ohio Blast, Fire Was Ohio’s Major 1944 Disaster,” Dec 28, 1944, p. 8. Accessed 1-8-2021 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/evening-independent-dec-28-1944-p-8/

Ratigan, William. Great Lakes Shipwrecks & Survivals (New Revised and Enlarged Edition). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1969.

Republican-Courier, Findlay, OH. “2 Lake Ore Freighters Sink In Fog After Collisions; 10 Die.” 4-28-1944, p. 1. Accessed 1-8-2021: https://newspaperarchive.com/findlay-republican-courier-apr-28-1944-p-1/

Sandusky Register Star-News, OH. “Probe Lake Crashes that Cost 12 Lives.” 4-28-1944, p. 1. Accessed 1-8-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sandusky-register-star-news-apr-28-1944-p-1/

Shipwrecks & Maritime Tales of the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail. “Story of the Loss…James H. Reed.” Accessed 1-8-2021 at: https://ohioshipwrecks.org/shipwreckdetail.php?Wreck=9

Swayze, David D. Shipwreck! A Comprehensive Directory of Over 3,700 Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. Boyne City, MI: Harbor House Publications, Inc., 1992.

Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH. “At Least 10 Lost As Ore Freighters Sink in Collisions on Lake Erie.” 4-28-1944, p. 1. Accessed 1-8-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/zanesville-times-recorder-apr-28-1944-p-1/

Van Wert Times-Bulletin, OH. “Steamer Sinks After Collision.” 4-27-1944, p. 1, col. 3. Accessed 1-8-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/van-wert-times-bulletin-apr-27-1944-p-1/