Discover the SS Kamloops

The steamship Kamloops was constructed by Furness Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. in Haverton Hill, Stockton-on-Tees, Durham, England, for Steamships Ltd., based in Montreal, Quebec. At 250 feet (75 meters) in length and with a gross tonnage of 2,402, the Kamloops was considered small by Great Lakes standards during the 1920s. It was specifically designed to navigate the narrow locks of the Canadian-run canals on the lower Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River, prior to the development of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The ship was equipped with two masts and powered by a 1,000-horsepower triple expansion steam engine paired with Scotch boilers.

Following its sea trials on July 5, 1924, the Kamloops sailed to Copenhagen, Denmark, to collect cargo before making its way to Montreal and eventually to Houghton, Michigan. As a “canaller,” the vessel was used to transport a wide variety of packaged goods between Canadian ports. Its primary route involved delivering manufactured items from Montreal to Thunder Bay, Ontario. During this period, Canada’s Prairie Provinces were rapidly growing and relied heavily on manufactured goods from Britain—reflecting Canada’s close economic ties to the British Empire. Ships like the Kamloops played a vital role in this transatlantic trade network.

It was common practice in Great Lakes shipping to move as much cargo as possible before winter ice brought navigation to a standstill. The Kamloops was often operated late into the season; in 1924, it was among the final ships to pass through the Sault Ste. Marie Canal, and in 1926, it ended the shipping season.

In late November 1927, the Kamloops set out on a voyage up the Great Lakes, carrying a diverse load that included tar paper, machinery for papermaking, coiled wire for farm fences, piping, shoes, and various food supplies. On December 1, the ship made a stop in Courtright, Ontario, to take on additional cargo—specifically, bags of salt. From there, the vessel continued through Lake Huron and passed the Sault Ste. Marie Canal on December 4, entering the often-treacherous waters of Lake Superior.

Just a day later, on December 5, a powerful winter storm swept across the lake. By the evening of December 6, the Kamloops, now heavily iced over, was last sighted heading toward the southeastern shoreline of Isle Royale. Tragically, neither the ship nor any of the 22 crew members—both men and women—were seen alive again.

A search effort was launched on December 12, focusing primarily on the Keweenaw Peninsula and the waters around Isle Royale. This initial operation continued until December 22. When the 1928 shipping season resumed in April, efforts to locate wreckage resumed. In May, local fishermen found human remains at Twelve O’Clock Point on Isle Royale, though initial reports mistakenly placed the discovery on nearby Amygdaloid Island. Additional wreckage was also found scattered along the shore. In June, more bodies were recovered, prompting a more thorough search, though no further significant findings were made.

Out of the nine bodies recovered from the Kamloops, five were successfully identified and returned to their families. The remaining four, whose identities could not be confirmed, were buried in Thunder Bay. In 2011, a shared memorial stone was placed at the gravesite to honor them.

In December 1928, a trapper near the mouth of the Agawa River came across a message in a bottle believed to be written by Alice Bettridge, a young assistant stewardess aboard the Kamloops. The note revealed that she had initially survived the shipwreck but was stranded on Isle Royale. Facing the harsh elements and lack of food, she wrote, “I am the last one left alive, freezing and starving to death on Isle Royale in Lake Superior. I just want mom and dad to know my fate.” The heartbreaking message provided a rare glimpse into the final moments following the tragedy.

For five decades, the Kamloops remained one of the Great Lakes’ legendary “ghost ships,” vanishing without a trace after her 1927 disappearance. That changed on August 21, 1977, when a team of recreational divers conducting a targeted search located the wreck northwest of Isle Royale, near the area now known as Kamloops Point. Resting over 260 feet (79 meters) below the surface, the ship was found lying on its starboard side at the base of an underwater cliff.

Nearby, the vessel’s smokestack was discovered detached from the main hull, lying close to the aft cargo mast on the starboard side. Some of the original cargo remains inside the ship’s holds, while other debris is scattered around the wreck site. Human remains are still present aboard the wreck, including a well-preserved body beneath a staircase in the engine room, often referred to by divers as “Old Whitey.”

In 2009, around 50 dives were made to the Kamloops out of a total of 1,062 dives conducted on shipwrecks within Isle Royale National Park. Despite the discovery of the wreck, the exact circumstances surrounding the ship’s sinking are still unknown.

The Kamloops also plays a central role in Nevada Barr’s novel A Superior Death, where the fictional remains of a modern-day diver are found alongside the real historical remains within the engine room of the sunken ship.

Thank you Becky Kagan Schott for your photo contributions

Follow Becky’s dive adventures at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube

YouTube Video