Last updated: September 24, 2020
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SS Monarch: Operational History
Lake Superior Marine Museum
Operational History
The normal route for Monarch and running mate United Empire was from Sarnia, Ontario on Lake Huron, through Sault Ste. Marie to Fort William in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and to Duluth, Minnesota. Passengers and package freight were carried both ways. The ship had a relatively uneventful career, except for these few known incidents.
In the first incident, the vessel ran its bow aground at the river's mouth at Port Arthur in August 1892. Monarch was released after its cargo was lightered (Detroit Free Press, Aug. 8, 1892).
A second incident, which took place on Thanksgiving Day 1896, was considerably more exciting. Monarch was downbound from Port Arthur to Duluth with cargo and passengers aboard; there was some speculation in Duluth as to whether Capt. Robertson would leave Port Arthur because there was a storm approaching. The storm became a gale and continued to build in force until it became one of the worst in the recent memory of those reporting the event.
Capt. Robertson and crew left Port Arthur at 1:30 a.m. expecting a wind shift from easterly to westerly. Instead of a shift came sleet, snow, and gale force winds that whipped waves up to a height level with the ship's rail. Several times the sea came over the stern of the vessel, which sometimes occurs when Lakes ships run before a gale. The full force of the gale struck when Monarch was about 70 miles out of Port Arthur. The weather was too fierce to turn back.
By 4:00 p.m. it was already getting dark as the ship passed Two Harbors. The captain had trouble picking up the range lights to align the vessel with the Duluth Ship Canal, and came close enough to the south shore to hear the breakers. When the ship was not more than 1,000 feet from the piers, the wheel was put hard to port. Monarch responded to the helm splendidly for a vessel laboring in such a heavy sea. The captain finally made out the ranges and struck for the entrance under a full head of steam. A large wave threw Monarch against the south pier, damaging the hull slightly. The heavy current threw the ship toward the north pier, but because Capt. Robertson had ordered full steam, the ship avoided a serious collision and sped safely through the narrow waterway. The spectators who had gone to the piers to see the huge breakers were witness to an additional performance of masterful seamanship that Thanksgiving night (Duluth Tribune, Nov. 27, 1896; Duluth Evening Herald, Nov. 27, 1896).
Monarch was involved in minor collision with the steamer Mahoning October 4, 1898. Monarch was lying at the outer end of the St. Paul and Duluth slip, and Mahoning was entering the channel. Apparently, there was a problem with Mahoning's steering, and it collided with Monarch, causing some damage to its stern hull planks (Duluth Evening Herald, Oct. 4, 1898).