The Material Service Barge

"What's the most popular wreck in this area of Lake Michigan?" Ask that of a Chicago diver and you'll be told "the Material Service Barge".  Its marked by a red can buoy that's within sight of Calumet Harbor, sits upright in under 35 feet of water and is almost intact!

Most divers know little about the ship itself, its history, or realize that it was, in 1936, the worst shipping disaster in Chicago History.

Chicago was rapidly expanding in the late 1920's, and the Chicago River was a major supply route  for building materials.  Part of this expansion included bridges and roads spanning the river.  Henry Crown, CEO of the Material Service Company, realized that because of the low clearance of these bridges, a special ship would be needed to haul raw materials to the expanding city.  Raising a bridge meant lost time and money.  Crown wanted a ship that could pass under these bridges without them being raised.

This motor barge, named the Material Service in dedication of the company, was to be built to revolutionary specifications, and would service Material Service's new Lockport facility.  She was constructed in Sturgeon Bay, WI at the Smith Shipyards from late 1928 to March of 1929.  She cost close to $350,000.00, and was on a 10 year lease to the Material Service Company.  The motorbarge was owned by Leatham, Smith, Putnam Navigation Corp. Putnam was also Secretary/Treasurer of the Material Service Company.

Just over 239 feet long with a 40 foot beam and 13' 10" draft, the Material Service would operate profitably for several years.

Her deck was almost flat, giving the low profile needed to clear the bridges, her maximum height from waterline to top, just 14' 6".  She had only a rudimentary superstructure extending just three feet above the deck.  The pilot house stood about a foot over this, just big enough for the pilot and one other person to stick his head in and see above the deck.  It was often used as a seat for crew members while on deck.

A retractable A-frame would be raised to provide the hoist needed to raise the unloading conveyor off the deck.  This system was an exclusive Putnam patent.  With the A-frame lowered, a man standing on deck would be the tallest object on the ship.  The Material Service so resembled a barge that, to look at her, you would never guess that she had crews quarters and an engine room!

The unloading system was the heart of the ship and ingenious in its engineering.  The erected A-Frame would hoist the far end of the 90 foot long conveyor off the deck.   The conveyor's aft end was attached to a hopper at the base of the A-Frame.   Cargo would be fed to the conveyor via the hopper, which in turn was fed by an inclined conveyor that hauled the cargo up from a hopper below decks.

Sand and gravel was fed to this from the two tunnels that ran the length of the ship beneath the holds.  Crescent shaped scrapers would drag the cargo through the tunnels,  up an incline, to the hopper.
The entire deck assembly - A-Frame, hopper and conveyor sat on a huge swivel that could be set to  almost any angle.  Cargo could be unloaded at 800 tons per hour.

The Material Service was self propelled, with twin screws powered by two 350 HP diesel engines.  Her maximum speed was 10 1/2 MPH.  Her four holds could be loaded via eight 30' X 10' subdivided hatches, and would carry 2,400 tons of cargo.  She was constructed almost entirely of steel.

The Material Service supplied gravel and sand for many Chicago buildings, most notably the Merchandise Mart.  She was en route from Lockport to the Material Service yard at 92nd and the Calumet River when she sank.

Her final voyage was on July 28, 1936, her 114th trip.  She began loading sand at 12:47 pm, and completed loading at 5:15 pm.  She departed from Lockport at 5:31 pm with a full cargo of 2,400 tons  of sand.  It was only a few hours from Lockport to the 92nd yard, and the A-Frame was kept erect.

Just past midnight on the 29th the lake began to get choppy.  Captain Charles D. Brown was on duty, piloting the Material Service towards Calumet Harbor, the entrance to the Calumet River.  The lake was rough, and water had been splashing over the deck and hold covers for some time.  The ship was in no apparent danger, so Captain Brown decided that there was no need to make the steel hold covers watertight with tarpaulins.   These were kept handy in order to cover forty-eight 8" holes that were cut in the hold hatches to speed up the loading of sand.

Most of the crew of 22 were asleep in their berths.  Below decks, 3rd assistant engineer Joseph Change noticed an unusual amount of water in the bilges.  Within five minutes this rose over two feet.  The 3" and 6" pumps were put into action, but could not keep up with the influx of water.  Change went to wake the chief engineer and arrange for the main pump to be utilized (this involved employing one on the ships engines).  On his way the ship suddenly lurched to port.

The Material Service was five minutes away from Calumet Harbor, when a wave washed over her decks, causing the lurch to port felt throughout the ship.  John M. Johnson, the first mate, reported that Captain Brown stated "Jack, we're going over".   The ship jerked upright.

Asleep in his bunk, deck hand Alfred Melby was wakened by a jolt to the shouts of "we're sinking!".  Melby and six other sailors raced up the ladder leading to the deck.  Clutching a life-vest, he was the last to flee.  Melby was pulled under by the suction of the sinking ship, the lake "swallowing him up".  He credited the life-vest with saving his life.

In the pilot house, Johnson grabbed the captain's arm to help steady him, but lost his hold.  In a pendulum motion, the deck swung almost vertical, starboard and port becoming up and down.  Johnson and Brown were thrown into Lake Michigan.  In under a minute the Material Service was gone.

The upright A-frame and bow light staff were visible above the surface, mute tombstones of steel that marked the graves of Captain Brown, the Chief Engineer and 14 others.   Many were trapped in their berths or pulled under by suction.  Change, Johnson and Melby were counted among the seven survivors.

Several weeks later, on June 24, a waterlogged lifebuoy from the Material Service would wash ashore in Sturgeon Bay, WI, just one mile from the site of the Material Service's launching.  A trip of over 250 miles.

The sinking prompted several inquiries and a law suit for the  insured value, $200,000.00.  The suit was later dismissed.  The disaster was eventually blamed on water entering the holds, and possibly on the erect A-Frame making the ship top heavy (the added see-sawing motion could have added to the water entry).  Captain Brown was found to be at fault.

The A-Frame and light staff were removed a few days after the disaster, and the wreck temporarily buoyed.  Several attempts at salvage were made over the next decade.   Her $200,000.00 salvage value was a prize for anyone lucky or skilled enough to raise her.

A Canadian company abandoned salvage attempts after two years of efforts.  September 1944 witnessed the sale of the Material Service to a Detroit ship operator, William Nicholson, for $3,250.00.  Considered one of the best salvers on the Great Lakes, his salvage efforts also failed, the weather constantly interfering with all attempts.   The wreck was virtually ignored after that, and was abandoned.

The final blow came in the last part of the 1970's, when a group of divers dynamited the wreck's stern.  This area contained the engine room and crews quarters, and could be penetrated.  The excuse was prevention of unwary divers becoming trapped below decks.

The obvious result on the wreck was massive destruction of the stern quarters, large stress cracks in the hull, and debris being scattered around the wreck.  The sinking caused so little damage that the Material Service was considered salvageable.  The destruction seen today was caused in small part by salvage efforts, and primarily by the dynamiting.

Diving the Material Service is as simple as Lake Michigan diving gets.  Located on the south shore of the lake, it can be easily found on NOAA chart #14927, just Northeast of the Calumet Harbor entrance.  It is indicated as a wreck and as being marked by buoy WR10.  Few realize that the wreck actually lies in Indiana waters.

Being so large the Material Service is easily located with any depth sounder.  It lies upright on a flat, sandy plain, the hull resting in approximately 30 feet of water.   Tying off to the can buoy is illegal, but finding a solid anchor point on the wreck is uncomplicated.

The water tends to be choppy, being so close to the breakwall, but this turbulence disappears a few feet below the surface.  Visibility averages seven feet, and the water is comfortable enough for a full wet suit and reef gloves.  Morning dives provide the best weather and visibility.

This Sunday morning we left from Diversey Harbor on Chicago's  north side.   Heading south, we review our dive plans for today.  It is about a 45 minute ride to the wreck site, the Chicago skyline a constant companion.

For most on this trip it's their first time on the "MSB", and they are anxious to get in the water.  It is my twentieth dive on this wreck.  We arrive at the buoy and spot the wreck on our depth sounder, the wreck's hull creating a huge peak on the screen.  We drop anchor and drag it until it is secure in the wreckage, probably one of the holds.

My buddy and I perform a seated entry from the platform of the "Quag Diver", the 24' Bayliner belonging to Chicago PADI instructors John Kinnas and Alex Wohn, my dive buddy for today.  The anchor line points the way, and the wreck soon materializes from the silt.  Visibility today is just five feet.  As we thought, the anchor dropped in one of the holds, and is nearly in the center of the wreck.  Alex signals towards the stern, and we head that way.  There's little need to kick, as the many cleats and tarp tie-downs provide excellent pull-alongs.

To our left is the curved side of the barge.  For one used to seeing railings on a ship, their absence is striking.  On the right we pass the ship's holds, gaping open, the hatches long since removed.  Soon we are over the area where the A-Frame was attached and pass the hopper remains.  In a few moments we arrive at the stern of the ship.  The damage caused by the dynamiting is all over.  Exposed pipes, fractured metal and buckled plates abound.

We explore this section, taking some shots through porthole style openings in the ship's side and top, then drop over the stern.  Wreckage is scattered on the bottom, the remains of the aft deck and crews quarters.  Surprisingly the propellers are still in place, albeit half buried in the silty bottom.

After a few minutes examining this area, Alex and I head towards  the bow, this time along the port side, following the convergence of the lake bottom and the ship's hull.   I've made a lot of wreck dives, but still find this experience fascinating.   To our left, front and back visibility fades to light green/brown, to the right passes the Algae covered, rusting hull.  Nothing moves except our buddy team, the only sound our regulators and exhaust.

We pass over more debris, and an occasional aluminum can.  The front appears abruptly, with little contour.  Perhaps a foot from the bottom, attached to the ship's nose is a large towing shackle.  After  a couple of more photographs here we ascend to the decks and begin our exploration of the holds.

The hatch covers are long since gone, and the holds make an eerie dive.  The openings are about the size of a garage door, so are easy to enter.  Their bottoms are shaped like four connected v's (vvvv), to guide the cargo to the hidden tunnels.  To support the decking, I beams run down the center, between the second and third "v".   They are spaced every few feet, far enough apart so a diver can pass between them.   I have shot some fantastic video here, as well as unusual photographs.  Little of the cargo remains, and this area is very silty.

Being so shallow, a single tank of air lasts us over 40 minutes, just enough time to briefly explore much of the wreck.  Some of the most interesting sites are what appears to be parallel railroad tracks running along the center of the ship,  steel rollers between them.

These are the remains of the conveyor assembly.  What appears to be a cart at the track's terminus is actually the hopper.  There are also some inviting openings with ladders descending below decks scattered around the ship.  These can be entered with tanks removed, but only EXPERIENCED wreck divers skilled in penetration techniques should enter.

Take care diving this wreck in the early summer, as Smelt anchors and fishing line abound.   The Material Service is a great "get acquainted" Lake Michigan wreck dive, as it offers much for beginning and experienced divers.  Every dive offers a new sight, unusual find and great photo opportunities.

No Chicago SCUBA experience is complete without a dive on the Material Service Barge, a visit to a unique portion of Chicago history.

(Information for this article was gathered from numerous sources, including the National Archives in Chicago, the Milwaukee Central Library, Admiral Sobel at the Material Service Company and various newspapers from 1936).