By James Heinz
I wrote a series of articles about Great Lakes ships owned by George Steinbrenner, legendary New York Yankees owner, and the man most famous for appearing on the sitcom “Seinfeld” without actually appearing on the show, and his family.
One of the ships I profiled was the first steel bulk carrier built on the Lakes, the WESTERN RESERVE. https://wmhs.org/the-wreck-of-the-western-reserve-steinbrenner-story-chapter-two/ which was built by Phillip Minch, one of George Steinbrenner’s ancestors.
The world found out that the WESTERN RESERVE had sunk in Lake Superior on September 1, 1890, when her sole survivor, wheelsman Harry Stewart staggered, wet and exhausted, into the lifesaving station at Whitefish Point, Mich. Stewart reported that the RESERVE had broken in half and sank while upbound 60 miles from Whitefish Point.
Nobody believed him.
“Experts” said that the ship could not have broken in half in the manner that Stewart described. The experts could not explain why the ship sank, or why her identical twin sister ship, the W.H GILCHER, vanished without a trace in Lake Michigan two months later.
Sonar image of the WESTERN RESERVE
Last summer the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society located the wreck of the WESTERN RESERVE. The find was announced at the Ghost Ships Festival in March 2025 by Bruce Lynn of GLSHS.
Although ships of the classic Great Lakes bulk carrier design have a tendency to break in half, like the CARL D. BRADLEY, the DANIEL J. MORELL, and possibly the EDMUND FITZGERALD, in those cases the two halves of the ships were found some distance apart, 5 miles apart in the case of the MORRELL.
The stern half of the WESTERN RESERVE was found resting on top of the bow section. Also, the ship was uncontaminated by the presence of zebra or quagga mussels. This is because the water in Lake Superior does not contain enough calcium for the mussels to form their shells.
The RESERVE is therefore even more of a time capsule than most Great Lakes shipwrecks, sitting almost perfectly preserved in the cold, dark, fresh water of the Lake. The photos, taken by an ROV, show her in almost pristine condition, as you can see.
Bell of the WESTERN RESERVE
Port Running Light
Capstan Pole Rack
Bow and Anchor Chains
Forward Mast sheared
Those photos and the ship’s connection to George Steinbrenner attracted the attention of the national news media. As a result, my story on the RESERVE was quoted on the front page of the Washington Post on March 12, 2025, and in the Cleveland Plain Dealer on April 4, 2025. Both stories used my speculation that the ships both broke in half due to the nature of the steel used to construct them. The story was quoted in the New York Times, CNN, and other media outlets.
Harry Stewart would be pleased to know that his story has finally been proven true.
My thanks to WMHS member Justin Tolomeo for bringing the Washington Post article to my attention.
WESTERN RESERVE color painting by R. D. Wilcox courtesy of the Great lakes Marine Collection of the Milwaukee Public Library and Wisconsin Marine Historical Society
Underwater Photos courtesy of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society.
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James Heinz is the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society’s acquisitions director. He became interested in maritime history as a kid watching Jacques Cousteau’s adventures on TV. He was a Great Lakes wreck diver until three episodes of the bends forced him to retire from diving. He was a University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee police officer for thirty years. He regularly flies either a Cessna 152 or 172.
