The Flying Dutchman of the Great Lakes

On November 21, 1902, the SS Bannockburn would set out for the last time and never be seen again. When the ship failed to show up at Soo Locks, it was not an immediate cause for concern as the night before; there had been a bad storm.

To this day, very little has been found. In fact, one of the only things found was a cork life preserver that washed ashore in Grand Marais, Minnesota, on Friday, December 12.

Captain of the SS Bannockburn was 37-year-old George R. Wood, the oldest member of the crew. The youngest of the team was 16-year-old, Arthur Callaghan. Most of the crew was from the ages of 17 to 20.

On November 26, 1902, after increasing pressure from the family members of those on the SS Bannockburn, Mr. Henderson, manager of the company that owned the ship, told the family, "The steamer Bannockburn Has been located on the north shore of Lake Superior opposite Michipicoten Island. Crew safe." He later admitted this was a lie, and the actual ship at that location was the SS Germanic.