Pretoria (ship)
Pretoria, an American schooner barge, was one of the largest wooden ships ever constructed. She was 103 meters long, had a beam of 13.4 meters, and 7 meters in depth. She was built by James Davidson in West Bay City, Michigan, for use on the Great Lakes.
To strengthen her wooden frame and hull, Pretoria was constructed using steel keelson plates, steel chords, and steel arches. She also was strapped diagonally with steel. She needed a donkey engine to run a pump to keep her interior dry.
The Saginaw, Michigan newspaper "The Courier-Herald" described "Pretoria"'s launch on July 26, 1900 in the following way:
On 1 September 1905, Pretoria took on cargo at a pier in Superior, Wisconsin. Another notable ship, the lake freighter Sevona, took on cargo at the same pier shortly after Pretoria. Both ships sank the very next day near the Apostle Islands when a legendary gale sent them to the bottom of Lake Superior.
